Dave hums to the tune of the music in his car as he pulls away from the restaurant ninety minutes later. It was a good evening for him, some much needed personal time away from family. He enjoyed the fine food and wine while having a stimulating conversation with Jean. He made a promise to see her again soon, a promise he has every intention to keep once his schedule frees up.
His mood is further elevated by the email he received during dinner regarding the blood and hair sample gathered from Sandra a few days ago. Everything tested negative – no illegal drugs, no alcohol, no tobacco. Jason was right – the peace of mind was worth moving the test up.
When he arrives at the loft, he doesn't pay much attention to the two police cars in the parking lot, thinking they must be there for one of the other apartments on the second floor. But when he goes to buzz the com at the door, it opens almost immediately, and the police bring Craig out in handcuffs, a nasty black shiner on his eye. He walks right past Dave without saying a word.
"I was just going to call you, daddy," Laura informs him when he steps inside the loft, the door having been left open so the police could get in and out.
"What happened?" he asks, his good mood gone when he sees both his youngest daughters on the sectional clinging to each other while a police officer talks to Bill and Saul nearby.
"They're okay, daddy. I think you should sit down, you look awfully pale."
"Are you Dr. Roslin?" the police officer asks when Dave takes a seat next to Sandra and Cheryl.
"Yes."
"We need to question your daughters, but we can't do that without a parent present since they're minors."
"Do you need me to bring them to the police station?"
"You could, or we can just do it here. Is there a private room we can use?" he asks Bill.
"The guest room down the hall," he replies.
"We'll start with Cheryl since she was the one that was harmed."
"Harmed?" Dave asks, looking at Cheryl with a bewildered expression.
"My arm, daddy. Craig hurt me again," she replies showing him the huge black bruise on her forearm.
"Tell me you're taking him to jail," Dave says to the cop while picking Cheryl up and giving her a hug.
The officer interviews Cheryl first, who is very articulate in telling what happened with Craig, first at the reception a few weeks ago, and then during dinner. Dave's anger almost boils over when he hears how Craig squeezed her arm a second time and then shoved her to the floor calling her a little bitch.
"I had to bite him to get away because he was hurting me. I was afraid he was going to break my arm."
Sandra's interview follows, and she admits that she delivered two packages from Craig to a skinny guy named Stuart on campus.
"I'm sorry, daddy," she says with tears in her eyes. "He told me they were vitamin supplements, but I don't know that for sure. I wasn't going to do it again because I knew there was something weird about Stuart. Am I going to jail?" she asks the officer.
"I can't make any promises, but if this checks out, your probation officer will work with you. It would help your situation if you could identify this man on campus. Are you willing to do that?"
"Yes. I see him every once in a while, hanging around by the fountain in front of the student union. I can point him out to you. I'll do it tomorrow; he'll probably be there around noon."
"I'll go with you," Dave says grasping Sandra's hand. "I need to make sure you're safe."
Before they leave, Dave tells Bill he will call him Monday to get his perspective on what took place. He declines to discuss it this evening, just wanting to get his two girls home and spend some time with them. A paramedic checks Cheryl out, telling Dave her injury is probably just a deep bruise, but if it gives her any trouble, she should be followed up by her primary care doctor.
When they get home, they all cuddle together on the couch, Sandra and Cheryl assuring their father that they are both okay.
"How was your night, daddy?" Sandra asks.
"Good. We got a lot accomplished," he says cheerfully thinking back to how enjoyable his night was before he left the restaurant.
"Really?" she asks with her eyebrows raised. "Cheryl, why don't you go put your pajamas on. I need to talk to daddy for a little bit. And then if you want to, you can sleep in my bed with me tonight."
After Cheryl leaves the room, Sandra turns her attention back to her father. "You're awfully dressed up for a work meeting."
"It was at a fancy restaurant with a dress code."
"I see," she grins. "What's her name?"
"What?"
"What's the name of the woman you went out with tonight?"
"It was a work meeting, Sandra."
"Then why do you have lipstick on your cheek?" she asks running her finger on him to remove it. "And let me look at your lips."
He pulls his face away from her so she can't get a good look at him.
"Da-ad! You're totally seeing someone!"
"I'm not seeing anyone. It was a friendly kiss on the cheek, that's it."
"Exactly how many people were at this meeting at this fancy restaurant? Is she pretty? Are you going out again? When can I meet her?"
"We're not having this conversation."
"Alright, you're not ready to talk about it yet," she backs off, but her wide grin tells him she's very excited about this juicy bit of information about his evening. "I'm okay with this. Very okay. I think it's great you went out."
"You're really okay if I decide to start dating again?"
"YES!"
"That's good to know. But when I do, I'll keep it quiet because I'm not sure Cheryl is ready. She pretty much told me that the other night."
"You know it's really hard to keep secrets from Cheryl, right? She still eavesdrops all the time, but now she's smart and keeps her mouth shut."
"She'll never tell me anything again after what happened tonight."
"What do you mean?"
"She saw Craig using drugs at the wedding reception and I didn't believe her. I won't win any dad of the year awards anytime soon. He seemed so nice, and I completely fell for his act."
"Me, too, but I was starting to figure out something was really wrong between him and Cheryl, more than just jealousy. I'm the one who gave him the black eye. And I think I need an ice pack for my hand."
The next morning Sandra and Dave meet with a plain clothes police officer in Dave's campus office. He's young enough to pass for a college student, dressed in jeans and a long-sleeve polo with a backpack so that he can blend in. Dave is asked to stay in his office, which he reluctantly agrees to after being assured that there are other plain clothes officers already stationed by the fountain. The officer goes to the student union shortly before noon, sitting on a bench nearby so that he can see all the people milling about. Sandra shows up with a sack lunch, scanning the crowd for Stuart, who finally appears just a few minutes past noon. She makes casual eye contact with the officer before walking past Stuart and smiling at him, saying "Hello", then she leaves the area. Upon returning to her father's office, she finds KC inside having a discussion with him.
"Sandra, I'm so sorry," he says pulling her into a hug. "Cameron and I had no idea what Craig was into. I never would have suggested that you two go out if I had known."
"Where is he?" she asks quietly.
"In jail. He'll be arraigned this afternoon. His attorney advised him to try and make a deal since this is his first arrest, but the police found enough baby powder in his car that I think there'll be a mandatory prison sentence. And then there's the child assault charge for hurting Cheryl. How's she doing?"
"Seems to be a deep bruise, it should heal," Dave replies.
"How about emotionally?"
"She started seeing her therapist again last week. I'll keep her in that for a while, just to be safe. But from what I saw this morning, she seems to be relieved that this is over," Dave says.
"How are you, Sandra? I've told Craig that he needs to tell the police the truth – that you had no idea what was in those packages he gave you."
"So they had drugs in them?" she asks, feeling sick at the realization that Craig played on her emotions to get her to do his dirty work.
"Yeah, sorry. Look, I'm going to make sure he does everything possible to make the police understand you weren't involved in this. Even if Cam and I have to beat the crap out of him."
"Is he going to get help? I mean for his addiction?" she asks.
"We'll make sure he does but I expect it'll be court ordered anyway."
"Dr. Roslin, Sandra," the police officer says after pushing the door open. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were meeting with someone."
"I was just leaving. I'll be in touch, Dave," KC says before he leaves, shutting the door behind him.
"Stuart Klineman has a very long record that just got longer. You won't be seeing him around campus anymore. Once our report is filed this afternoon, a copy will be sent to your probation officer, and they will be in touch. Thank you for your help. Do you have any questions?"
"Does he know Sandra's the one that pointed him out to you?" Dave asks.
"No. We waited until we saw him dealing, then we arrested him. As far as he knows it was just one of our many campus sting operations. If there aren't any other questions, I'll be on my way. Good luck, Sandra."
She waits until he leaves before sinking down into a chair at the table in the office. "Now the question is, will I have to go to juvie? Gods, just when I thought things were starting to go great for me, this happens. And Cheryl…I wanted to kick Craig's face in when I saw what he did to her. She must have been so scared."
"Let's see what your probation officer says. You did help the police today, and hopefully Craig will tell the truth about you not being involved."
"Dr. Roslin, I'm done with the filing. Can I help you with some of the research?" a man asks walking into the office. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize you had company."
"Jeff, this is my daughter, Sandra. Sandra, this is Jeff Buckus. He's helping me with some things this year, so you'll probably see him around a lot."
"I met your sister Laura a while back. It's nice to meet you, Sandra," he says holding out his hand to her. "Is your high school on break today?"
"I'm enrolled here," she replies.
"You look really young – I assumed you were still in high school."
"That's because I am really young. I'll turn 16 in a few weeks."
"You must be really smart. But I'm not surprised. Dr. Roslin is one of the smartest people I've ever met."
"What do you do for my dad again?" she asks, giving him a funny look.
"Whatever he asks me to do. But one of my favorite things is to help with research. I'm applying to graduate school next year," he says proudly.
"Good for you, Jeff. I bet you'll make a great graduate student," she says facetiously.
"I hope so! I'm really interested in the ancient colonies and Dr. Roslin is one of the leading experts. It's my dream to have him as my thesis advisor. Are you studying history, too?"
"Oh, I couldn't handle the excitement of studying the history of the ancient colonies so I'm taking art and design classes, but I haven't settled on a major yet."
"Smart and talented. You must be really proud, Dr. Roslin."
"Yes, I'm proud of all my children," he agrees, noticing Sandra trying to hide the smirk on her face.
"Can I get you anything? Coffee? Tea? Bottled water? What about you, Sandra?"
"You know, I think I'm good, Jeff, but thank you for asking. I'll know who to go to if I'm ever thirsty when I visit my dad."
"I'm good, too, Jeff. Could you give us a few minutes?"
"Sure. I'll be down the hall at my desk, waiting."
Sandra has to move her hand over her mouth to keep from busting out laughing at this way-too-eager student. When Jeff leaves, she pushes the door shut behind him.
"Oh, my Gods, dad! Could you have picked a bigger nerd to work for you?"
"He's not that bad. I appreciate his enthusiasm."
"Ah," she scoffs. "What's his name again? Jeff Buttkisser?"
"He's a really nice kid and one of my best students. He'll make a great faculty member someday," Dave says trying to defend him.
"Just what we need, another expert in the history of the ancient colonies. It's a dying subject, daddy. Modern history is way more interesting."
"I don't make fun of your art interests, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't make fun of my area of expertise. Besides, your mother was always fascinated with the ancient colonies."
"Yeah, right. She always said she was drawn in by your dimples and boyish good looks. She didn't say anything about ancient history. That's not sexy at all!"
"History is very sexy. You've obviously never read the scrolls of Aphrodite. They were your mother's favorites."
"Because they were banned at my school! Something about them being too pornographic. And, ew, too much information, dad!"
"Where are you studying this afternoon?" he asks, changing the subject.
"Art library. I have a report that I need to get started on," she says moving toward the door, then pausing as she stares at a bookshelf.
"Right here," Dave says pulling a book from the middle. It's titled 'The History of Sex, A Guide Based on the Scrolls of Aphrodite'. "Do me a favor and make sure you hide that from Cheryl."
Sandra and Dave meet with her probation officer the following day, then he submits a report to the judge assigned to her case, the same judge who said if he ever saw her in his courtroom again, he wouldn't be so kind. She nervously makes her appearance the following week, Joseph Adama at her side to argue for leniency.
The judge scowls at her from his desk as Bill's father makes valid points as to why she should not be sent to juvenile detention, that it may send the wrong message about cooperating with police.
"I warned you that if I ever saw you again, I wouldn't be lenient," the judge begins.
Sandra's face falls but she had vowed to herself that she wouldn't cry or make a scene, accepting whatever fate the judge would place upon her. "Yes, your honor. I'm sorry," she replies glumly. Joe squeezes her hand with a hopeful look on his face, letting her know the judge hasn't indicated she's going to jail yet.
He looks over some papers in a file before him, drawing out the tension. Sandra feels it's inevitable – he's deciding how long to send her away before he speaks.
"However, you have surprised me in that you finished high school early and enrolled in college. Your grades are excellent, and you completed your community service in a timely manner. All your drug tests have been clean, and your therapists have written positive reports about you. I don't think sending you to detention will be beneficial to anyone, but I am going to extend your probation another thirty days. You will continue with drug testing and counseling during that time, and I expect you to maintain your grades. Do you think you can do that?"
"Yes, your honor!" she exhales in relief. "I swear I won't get into any more trouble – I won't even date anyone ever again!"
The judge, amused by her response, clears his throat to keep from chuckling. "That's not part of the deal, but I suppose you could delay dating until your probation is over if you'd like. Do you have any questions?"
"No. And thank you, your honor!"
Due to the time off he took to attend Sandra's court appearance, Dave takes dinner in his home office so he can get caught up on work. He's deep into reading a grant proposal when the doorbell rings, but he hardly notices because he's fascinated by the details in the proposal regarding the results of some archaeological finds on Virgon that seem to be related to Earth.
"Hey, Sandra, is your dad here?" Jean asks standing at the front door with her briefcase dressed in workout gear. "I need to speak with him about something and he hasn't been answering his phone."
"Yeah, he's up in his office because he had to take part of today off. Go on up," she replies, eyeing the skintight stretchy capri pants and low-cut spandex tank top Jean's wearing. "Going to the gym?"
"On my way to a spin class when I'm finished here," she replies entering the foyer and heading up the steps.
Sandra walks to the bottom of the steps, watching Jean knock on the door to her father's office, then enter with a big smile on her face.
"Jean! It's good to see you again!" Dave greets her.
"Again?" Sandra thinks to herself. Once the door closes, she can't hear any of their conversation, so she goes back to her room where she has been studying all evening.
"I hope I didn't take too much of a risk coming here, but I really needed to see you," Jean tells him.
"I'm happy you stopped by. I've been hoping we could get together soon. Are you free Sunday night?"
"I am. Let me treat you this time. Perhaps something more casual?" she asks raising an inquiring eyebrow at him. "Can I tempt you into dinner at my place? I'll text you my new address."
"I'll bring the wine."