CHAPTER 5
"Okay, Lt. Calloway and I will go
in first. Wait for our signal and then
follow. Ready?" Everyone nodded.
Steve and Lily cocked their guns and
slipped out of the truck. Their feet
hit the ground with a soft thud.
Keeping hidden, they made their way
slowly towards the door. When they
arrived, Steve looked at her with
concern.
"Are you sure you are up to this?"
"Hey, aren't I always?" Steve raised
an eyebrow, but didn't say anything.
Lily reached for the doorknob and
tried it. It opened easily.
"Ladies first," Steve quipped. Lily gave him a cool smile and didn't move.
"Well? What are you waiting for?" Steve asked her.
"You."
"Why?"
"You said ladies first."
"Ha, ha. Get in there." Staying low,
they searched the entire first floor.
Lily and Steve both headed up to
the second floor to search it. They had
only gone a few steps when a shot
ran out and a loud noise was heard just
inches from Lily's hand. She pulled
it away from the railing in surprise.
Then Steve was pulling her down the
steps and pushing her behind piles of
crates. Another shot was fired.
"Lily, go and signal the rest of them.
They didn't hear the shot. Whoever
shot at us had a silencer on his
gun," Steve said as a couple more shots
were heard close by.
"No way. You signal them. It's my
first major thing since what happened and
I am going to be here," Lily told
him. She turned her back to him and
crouched behind the crates, gun ready.
Steve sighed in frustration and,
keeping behind things so that he
wouldn't get shot, he hurried to the door
of the building. When he reached
an area where he was sure he was safe
enough, he stood up and ran to the
door. Quickly but cautiously, he opened
the door and signaled the other cops.
They all hurried towards him. When the
first one reached him, he said:
"Hurry up. Lt. Calloway is in there
by herself." As if his words were their
cue, a series of shots were fired.
"Come on!" They hurried to where Steve
had left Lily. To there horror, they
found her sprawled on the floor,
unconscious. While Steve led the other cops
up the stairs, Officer Peter Roland
stayed with Lily. He called in an
ambulance.
* * * *
"I'm fine!"
"You're blood pressure is high."
"It's high because you're pissing
me off! " Lily pulled her arm away from
the paramedic. She was about to leave
when Jesse ran up. He saw she was
about to get up and he stopped her.
He made her sit down and gave her a
checkup himself.
"You're blood pressure is very high,
Lily. I would like to take you to
Community General for a more thorough
checkup," he said when he had
finished.
"That's not necessary. All I did was
pass out. I was dizzy," Lily told him.
Jesse gave her a critical look.
"You were dizzy?" Jesse checked out
her eyes. "Did you have anything to eat
today?" Lily's anger turned to an
OOPS! look. Jesse saw the look.
"I take it you didn't?" Lily nodded
sheepishly. Jesse smiled. He motioned
for her to follow him and, after
talking to some of the paramedics, took her
to his car. He opened the passenger
side door and motioned dramatically.
"After you, mademoiselle," he said
in a bad, thick French accent. Lily
chuckled and slid into the car. Lily
teased him back in her own bad, French
accent.
"Jesse, Vere are you taking me?" They both laughed as Jesse got in the car.
"How about McDonalds?" That made them laugh even harder.
"That is your great French Restaurant?"
"Hey, they have French fries." Lily hit him teasingly on the shoulder.
"Come on, where are we really going?" Jesse put his arm around her.
"We're going to a place I used to go to all the time when I was a kid."
"And that would be?"
"A strip club!"
"Jesse!"
"All right, all right. It's called
Lyons. They serve the best grilled
cheese." Lily shot him a LOOK.
"Jesse."
"Well, they do."
* * * *
"Hey Amanda, You busy?"
"Not at the moment. What do you need
Jess?" Jesse walked into the Pathology
lab and closed the door. He hesitated
a bit before talking.
"Well, it's about Lily," he started. Amanda looked at him.
"Is she okay?" Amanda asked.
"Yes......No....I don't know," Jesse stammered.
"Well, Jesse. How did you come to this... conclusion?"
"During lunch, she barely ate anything
and while walking to the car, she
nearly fell down... again," Jesse
said. Amanda looked worried.
"Did you bring her here to Community General?" Amanda asked.
"Yes, but she absolutely refuses to
take any tests. Steve, even though
he hates the hospital, will take
tests. She won't tell me why!" Jesse sank
down in a chair.
"Maybe you should have Steve talk to her," Amanda said. Jesse’s face lit up.
"That's a good idea," Jesse said and hurried out of the room.
"Glad I could help," Amanda called after his retreating figure.
* * * *
Lily sat in her hospital bed with
her arms crossed. A scowl was placed
firmly on her face. A knock
came to her ears and Steve poked his head in.
"Can I come in?" he asked her. Lily looked at him.
"I'm not stopping you," Lily said. Steve walked over to the hospital bed.
"Jesse told me what's going on," Steve told here. Lily through her hands in the air.
"Great, now the whole hospital knows.
So I don't want to take a few tests.
It's no big deal. I just hate needles."
Lily said.
"That didn't bother you when you got shot." Lily rolled her eyes.
"I was unconscious at the time. Again,
its no big deal." Lily turned her
head away from him. Steve put his
hands on her shoulders and turned her
towards him.
"It is a big deal if it can save your
life." Lily rolled her eyes and sighed
deeply.
"All right." Steve let go of her and
smiled. Lily gave him a sly look. "You
can tell Jesse to come in now." Steve
gave her a questioning look. She
motioned for him to open the door.
He did and Jesse nearly fell in. He stood
up and grinned sheepishly. They all
laughed. Steve left and shut the door as
Jesse moved over to Lily. He put
an arm around her and she leaned her head
on his shoulder. He kissed her softly
on the forehead and then looked her
straight in the eyes.
"Thank you." He leaned in and gave
her a soft kiss on the lips. Lily kissed
him back and then smiled.
"Your welcome."
* * * *
A dark figure, all in black,
quietly walked crouched down and on tiptoe,
into a lab. Looking both ways, it
crept over to the computer and turned it
on. It opened a file and after pressing
a few keys, turned the computer
off and slipped silently out of the
lab.
The next day.....
"Now, Sarah, the next time you go
to do the vault in PE, try to get both
legs over OK?" Jesse said as he wrapped
the knee of 16 year old, Sarah
Thompson. She nodded a little sheepishly
as she took the crutches from the
nurse and stood up.
"Thank you, Dr. Travis." she said. Jesse smiled.
"You’re welcome. Now, I never want
to see your face in here again, OK?"
Sarah giggled and slowly hobbled
off. Jesse watched her go with a smile on
his face.
"Dr. Travis?" Jesse turned to see Denise.
"Yes?" She handed him a folder.
"These are the test results of a Miss
Lily Calloway." Jesse smiled and
thanked her. Going into the lounge,
he fixed himself a cup of coffee and sat
down just as Mark and Amanda came
in.
"What do you have there?" Mark asked
as he got himself and Amanda a cup of
coffee. Jesse barely looked up as
he opened the folder.
"Lily's test results," Jesse said.
Suddenly his face changed. His features
folded up in despair.
"Jesse? Are you all right?" Amanda asked.
"Lily's test results," Jesse choked out.
"What about them?" Jesse didn't answer. "Jesse, what's wrong?"
"Lily tested positive... for AIDS."
CHAPTER 6
"Are you sure?" Mark asked.
"See for yourself," Jesse answered.
Jesse handed him the folder. Mark was
silent as he quickly read through
it and then handed it to Amanda. When she
handed it back to Jesse, her hands
were unsteady.
"I'm sorry Jesse," she said sorrowfully.
"Do you want me to tell her?" Jesse
took a deep breath and let it out
slowly.
"No, I'll tell her. Tonight, over
a romantic dinner." He sighed. "Won't be
very romantic after all will it?"
Jesse said as he slowly stood up. Steve
took that moment to come in just
as Jesse was going out. Jesse didn't even
seem to notice he had hit someone.
"What's the matter with Jesse? He
has the weirdest look on his face," Steve
asked as he sat down next to his
father. He looked around. "The same look
that you guys all have." Nobody said
anything. "Did I miss something, here?"
Mark put a hand on his son's shoulder.
"Lily's test results," he said.
"Bad news, right?" Mark nodded. Steve let out a low whistle.
"Must have been pretty bad to have
Jesse all ruffled up like that. So what
are we talking about? Cancer?" Steve
asked them. Amanda looked up and met
his eyes.
"No. Lily has," Amanda could barely
get the word out," AIDS." The news
hit Steve like a lightning bolt.
Lily was one of Steve's closest
friends.
"Please tell me you're kidding," Steve
said softly. His father sadly shook
his head.
* * * *
Jesse walked slowly towards the door
of Lily's hospital room. He took a
deep breath and walked in. Lily was
talking on the phone. She had a big
smile on her face. She hung up and
motioned for him to sit down beside her.
Jesse sat down like a robot. He attempted
a smile as he listened to Lily.
"Jesse, my sister, Violet, called,"
Lily started but Jesse burst out
laughing, forgetting for the moment
why he was there.
"Violet?" Lily crossed her arms.
"My parent's were hippies, so?" Jesse
didn't answer as his thoughts turned
back to what he had to do. Lily seemed
oblivious to the whole thing.
"Well, Violet just had a baby girl
and she named her after our mother.
Tiffany Rose Olson. Isn't that so
sweet?"
"Yeah, swell." Jesse answered, distracted. Lily finally seemed to notice his grim look.
"What is it Jess?" Jesse didn't speak.
He just stared at the wall, his
face turning white. "Jesse, you look
like you've seen a ghost." Jesse took a
couple of long, deep breaths.
"Lily," Jesse squeaked. He cleared
his throat. "Lily, I got your test
results back today, and I'm afraid
its not very good news." Jesse paused.
"Spill it, Jess."
"I don't know any other way to tell
you this, but you have.." Jesse stopped,
his throat choked up. Lily put her
arms around him and hugged him. She
pressed her forehead to his and looked
into his clear blue eyes soothingly.
With her eyes, she gently pressed
him to tell her. Jesse closed his eyes and
a tear slid down his pale cheeks.
Lily could barely take it anymore.
"You tested positive for AIDS," Jesse
finally choked out. Lily gasped and
pulled away violently. She fell back
into the wall and frantically pulling
herself up, ran, in hysterics, out
of the room, leaving Jesse with his head
in his hands and tears streaming
down his face.
* * * *
Lily ran down the hall, not caring if she bumped into something or when she fell. All she wanted was to escape the pain in her chest. Running blindly, she ran into something solid and nearly fell except for someone holding her up and leading her to the empty lounge. Wild with pain, she desperately tried to break the hold of the person holding her, but soon her strength wore out and she fell against it, sobbing. She was unaware of the person leading her to the couch and setting her down. She was unaware that this person was Steve. Steve held her quietly and stroked her back soothingly, like a big brother would do to a grieving sister. As Lily's sobs died down, Steve lifted her chin and looked her in the eyes.
"Are you okay?" Steve asked softly. Lily brushed his hand away angrily and stood up.
"I just found out I had a deadly disease! Would you be okay?" Lily half yelled, half sobbed at him. She sank into a chair with her head in her hands. Steve watched, half-shocked, as his usually strong partner collapsed in tears. Something he had NEVER seen her do. There was a few moments of
silence as Steve thought carefully about what he was going to say.
"Lily, being around a hospital most of my life, I've learned that diseases like this are not that bad.." Lily jumped up and interrupted him.
"Not that bad? Steve, I'm going to die!"
"Sit down and listen to what I have to say, Lily," Steve said firmly but also gently. Lily sat back down. "What I meant was, the disease isn't as bad as the way people react to them. The worse you act, the worse you're going to feel. But if you make the best of it, you'll hardly notice it." Lily had been sitting there quietly taking in all that Steve said. A faint smile came
on her face. She hugged Steve tightly.
"Thanks, " Lily said and after hugging him again, left to find Jesse.
* * * *
Jesse sat in the Doctor's lounge, trying to choke down his cold coffee. His thoughts were racing in his head, so much that his head hurt. He rubbed his fingers across his forehead to try and ease the pain. Mark came in and sat down next to him.
"How you feeling?" he asked. Jesse turned to him.
"Like I was just hit in the head by a two by four. Got any aspirin on you?" Jesse asked and Mark reached in his white coat and gave him some. While Jesse took it, Mark asked:
"Did you talk to Lily yet?" Jesse nodded. "How did she take it?" Jesse didn't look up from his coffee cup.
"Not very well. She ran out of the room like a cat with its tail on fire." Mark smiled a little at that. He rubbed Jesse’s back with his hand. He looked up and saw Lily standing in the doorway with a hesitant look on her face. Mark stood up and, giving a reassuring smile to Lily, left so that they could be alone. Lily stepped slowly into the room and stood beside
Jesse.
"Hi," she said softly. Jesse looked up.
"Hi." Lily sat down in the chair beside him and put her hands in her lap. She took a deep breath.
"I'm sorry for the way I acted when you told me about having AIDS." Jesse took her hands and held them in his own.
"It's all right. You don't have to apologize for that," Jesse said gently.
"Yes I do. Somebody told me that if you have a disease like this, you should make the most of it instead of feeling sorry for yourself."
"That's good advice. Who told you this?" Jesse asked.
"Steve," Lily said. Jesse’s eyes opened wide in mock surprise.
"Steve?" Lily nodded. "Our Steve?" Lily rolled her eyes.
"Yes."
"Steve, Steve?"
"YES."
"Steve Sloan?" Lily laughed and pulled his face close to her.
"Yes, Steve Sloan. Now shut up and kiss me." Jesse chuckled and they kissed. It was short but sweet and it seemed to go on forever. Well, it seemed to until Jesse’s beeper went off. They pulled away reluctantly and laughed softly. Jesse groaned. Lily laid her forehead on his and Jesse kissed the tip of her nose.
"Thank you for understanding." Jesse put his arm around her shoulders.
"Hey, I'm there for you babe." Lily laughed as Jesse hurried out of the room. She stood up and slowly walked out of the doctor's lounge and down the hall to her hospital room. She plopped down on her bed and picked up a magazine that she had thrown on her bedside table. She was flipping through it when the room went dark. She leaped from the bed.
"What the-" she started to say when a hand clamped over her mouth and an arm
wrapped around her neck in a choke hold. She reached up and grabbed the arm, trying to pull it away from her. She struggled hard against her restraint but couldn't. A raspy, familiar voice blew hot air in her ear.
"Did you really think I'd forget all about you?" Lily's eyes widened. She struggled even harder but soon wore herself out. She got an idea and, silently, she undid the clasp of the bracelet she wore and let it fall to the floor. She went along with him as he opened the door and looked around. One nurse was down the hall at the phone and when she turned her back, Richard pulled her down the hall and into the stair way. Lily managed to pull away and as she started upstairs, he grabbed her foot and tripped her. Lily slammed her head on the stairs and lay still. Richard picked her up in a fireman's carry and hurried down the stairs and into the garage. Somebody pulled up beside him and Richard opened the back door and dropped Lily on the back seat. Then he got in on the drivers side and the person driving went to the passenger seat and they sped off.
CHAPTER 7
Jesse rushed over to Mark where he was talking with Steve and Amanda. They turned to him as he rushed up.
"What's up, Jess?" Steve asked.
"I got this weird page earlier saying I needed to be at the emergency room and when I got there, nothing was going on," Jesse told them, a little confused.
"When did you get the page?" Mark asked.
"Just a little while a go when I was talking to......Oh my God." Jesse’s face turned ashen as he did an about face and hurried away. Mark, Steve, and Amanda followed him. When they caught up with him, they found themselves in Lily's hospital room. The room was a shambles her magazine was on the floor and the lunch tray and cart were flipped over. They walked slowly in. Jesse bent down and picked something off the ground. It was Lily’s bracelet.
"What happened?" Amanda asked.
"Look's like someone came back," Steve answered her. Amanda turned to him.
"You mean Richard?" Steve nodded. "Then that means.." Amanda's voice trailed off as she saw Jesse’s face. Mark had a worried, but thoughtful look on his face. He shut the door behind him and sat down. Everyone turned to him as he spoke.
"I think it's time for us to find out exactly why he wants Lily," he told them.
"Because she saw him murder somebody," Jesse replied. Mark shook his head.
"If had wanted her for that, she'd be dead already. No, he wants her for some other reason." There was silence as everyone thought.
"Steve? Do you remember the first case you and Lily worked on together?" Mark asked his son. Steve thought for a second.
"Yes, Lily caught some guy red handed with 200 milligrams of cocaine. Why do you ask?"
"Do you remember the guys name?"
"Yeah, it was Christopher Jar-min," Steve's voice trailed off as it hit him. His face reddened with anger and he clenched his fists. "I'm gonna kill him!"
"Unfortunately that's not going to help us," Mark told him. "What will help is finding out where he is."
"Do you think he would go back to the warehouse?" Jesse asked him. Mark shook his head.
"He's smarter than that." Steve abruptly stood up. "Where are you going?" Steve turned.
"I'm going to go check out the warehouse."
"But Steve.." Steve put up a hand to stop him.
"I know. I just want to do more than sit around thinking." He said and left his father with a troubled look.
* * * *
Lily slowly stood up as she tried to ease the pain in her head. She put her hand on a pipe that was just above her so she wouldn't fall. Gingerly she put her hand to her forehead and winced as she touched it. Her fingers had blood on them. She was wiping her hands on her shirt when Richard came in. She clenched her fist and glared at him. Richard chuckled. Two men stepped in behind him and grabbed her arms. They yanked her arms up and over the pipe, Lily struggling the whole time. Richard took out a pair of handcuffs and put them on her. She yanked on them trying to free herself. Richard laughed and put his arms around her. He began kissing her neck and Lily tried to pull away from him.
"Come on baby, you know you like it." Lily yanked herself away from him.
"Get off me, bastard," she snarled at him. Richard brought his hand up and slapped her across the face. Lily sagged from the blow but didn't reach the floor because of her bonds.
"You better watch your mouth or next time its not going to be my hand that hits you." Richard stepped away from her and whispered some words to the man closer to him. The man nodded and left the room. Minutes later he was back, something in his hands. Lily recognized it and backed up into the wall trying to get away. Richard took it out of the man's hands and tore off a piece. He covered Lily's mouth with the tape. A small noise made him cock his head. He motioned for the man near the door to check it out. The man came back in with a grim look.
"It's that nosy cop, Steve Sloan," the guy said in a gruff voice. Lily's eyes widened. Richard clenched his teeth.
"I hate that guy," he said but then brightened. "I've been waiting for the perfect moment to get at those Sloans and it looks like I'm finally getting my chance." Chuckling, he said, "Quick, through this door." As they hurried, Lily mumbled loudly through her gag. The doorknob rattled and the door slowly opened. Lily got louder and she started thrashing around. The door opened faster and Steve came in, his gun raised. He looked surprised at first but then came to her. Lily started shaking her head and her murmuring became more insistent. Steve took the tape off her mouth.
"STEVE! DON'T!" she cried out but it was too late. the door opened and a shot was fired. Steve dropped instinctively to the floor and rolled, waiting for the pain. When it didn't come, he lifted his head to get up and felt something at the nape of his head. he knew what it was; the cold, hard barrel of a gun. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see Lily struggling
with a man who was unhooking her from the pipe and pinning her arms behind her. A knee was being pressed into his back.
"Hello, Lieutenant," a voice said harshly in his ear before he was pulled roughly to his feet. He caught a glimpse of Lily and could tell that her strength was gone. They were led to another room and handcuffed to a pipe that ran about a foot above the floor. Richard reached down and took Steve's badge. Steve's handcuffs and gun had already been taken. He looked at it as though an idea had come to him.
"You know, Stevie boy, this would make a great present for your father. Don't you think?" Steve just growled at him.
"Yes, this would work just fine. I could use it for a trade. Your life in exchange for dropping this case."
"He would never do that. He knows I would rather die than let an SOB like you loose in LA."
"Oh really?" Richard took the butt of Steve's gun and hit him over the head with it.
"Steve!" Lily cried out as his head fell forward, unconscious. She turned to Richard, a menace look on her face.
"Smile." There was a flash and Lily was temporarily blinded by the light. When her eyes focused, she saw Richard handing Steve’s badge and a photograph over to one of his men.
"Deliver this to Dr. Mark Sloan at Community General Hospital, immediately."
Before Lily could say a word, the man left and Richard was beside her, something in his hands. She caught the scent of something familiar and she turned her head away. He took her face in his hand and turned her to him.
"Sleep tight, Lily." Richard’s voice dripped with venom as he said her name. He covered her nose and mouth with the cloth that held the pungent smell. Her head swam and she fell into darkness.
CHAPTER 8
"Mark? Have you seen Steve?" Mark turned and saw Jesse with a worried look on his face.
"No I haven’t Jess. Why? Is something wrong?" Mark asked.
"I’m not sure. I asked Steve if he could meet me in the cafeteria when he got back to see if he had found anything on Lily, but he never came and its been two and a half hours. Considering that Steve never misses a meal, especially if it’s free, I’d say something’s wrong." Mark’s eye’s took on a worried glint and was about to say something when his name was called. He turned and saw nurse Denise with a package in her hand. She handed it to him.
"Somebody left this at the front desk for you Dr. Sloan." Mark thanked her and turned back to Jesse. Amanda had joined them by then. Jesse must have filled her in because she had a grim look on her face.
"What’s that?" she asked. Mark shrugged.
"I don’t know. There’s no return address." He herded them towards the doctor’s lounge and, seeing that it was empty, shut the door. They all got some coffee and sat down. Jesse and Amanda watched as he cut the tape on the package. He slowly pulled it open and his face went white. He took out what was in the package and, handing one thing to Amanda, he kept the other tightly in his hands. Amanda gasped when she saw the picture of Steve’s bloody face and Lily’s horrified face. She handed it to Jesse, her hand shaking a little. Jesse’s eyes widened and he gave the picture back to Mark. Mark was staring at what was in his hands. He then opened his hands and showed them what was in his hands; Steve’s badge.
"So they were at the warehouse!" Jesse exclaimed. Mark nodded.
"They set us up!" Amanda said angrily. Jesse jumped up.
"If they’re at the warehouse, then let’s go."
"Oh, they won’t be at the warehouse anymore, Jess. Otherwise they wouldn’t have sent me this," Mark told them. "They’re somewhere else and we don’t have much time to find out."
* * * *
Lily let out a groan as something jabbed into her back. She opened her eyes but she couldn’t see anything but darkness. She was lying on her side and as she tried to turn onto her back she realized that she was in a small space, probably in the trunk of a large car. She again tried to shift onto her back and this time she succeeded in doing it.
"Will you stop moving around? You’re not the only one in here." Lily turned her head.
"Are you all right Steve?" she asked, trying to make out his face in the darkness.
"Except for this headache, I’m fine." Steve groaned and tried to make himself comfortable. He could hear Lily breathing hard. "Are you all right?"
"Oh nothing. Just a little claustrophobic, that’s all." Steve’s eyes clouded over with worry.
"Are you going to be okay?" he asked.
"Yeah, yeah, I will," Lily paused to take a shaky breath. "As soon as I get out of this trunk." All of a sudden the car lurched and Lily was thrown into Steve. It smoothed out again and they tried to arrange themselves so that they wouldn’t be so crowded. It didn’t work. Lily’s claustrophobia took over her and she tucked herself in a little ball and a sob escaped her. Steve put his arms around her to calm her, like a big brother would. She calmed down a
little and her even breathing soon showed him that she was asleep. He closed his eyes and tried, himself, to do the same.
* * * *
Bright sunlight hit the lids of Steve’s eyes. He slowly opened one eye but quickly closed it. He was waiting for his eyes to adjust when he heard a gasp beside him. It was Lily trying to pull herself out of the car and into some air. Steve sat up and through blurry eyes saw Lily struggling with one of the men and gasping for breath. Steve sat UP and climbed out of the trunk. As soon as his feet hit the ground, a gun was at his temple. He saw a blindfold being pulled over Lily’s eyes and then he was getting one put on as well.
He could feel himself being led over an uneven path and he tripped but didn’t fall on things that seemed to be all over the ground. He heard the door open and he was being pushed inside. He heard the others come in and the door shut behind them. The blindfold was taken off and he found himself in a dimly lit hallway. They led them to a room and shoved them inside. Then they slammed the door behind them. Lily sank down into a chair but Steve began to pace. Lily looked up at him.
"Would you sit down please? You’re making me nervous." Steve swung around.
"I’m making you nervous? What about Richard your boyfriend?" Lily stood up, anger flashing in her eyes.
"He is not my boyfriend and this is not my fault!"
"Well if you had told us who the killer was in the first place, we wouldn’t be in this mess now would we?" Lily turned on him with such anger that it surprised him.
"I was wrong, okay, there I admitted it. Are you happy now?" Steve took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He put his hands on her arms.
"Not yet." Lily’s eyes flashed but he continued before she could say anything. "I want to know why you didn’t tell me. Do you not trust me?" Lily’s eyes softened as she saw the hurt in Steve’s eyes.
"Of course I trust you. You’re one of the few I trust besides Mark, Jesse, and Amanda. I didn’t tell you because I was scared out of my mind. I was scared of what Richard would do when he got a hold of me. But most of all I was scared of what he would do to the people I told. I care for all of you more than anything and I would never, ever want anything to happen to you." Lily was crying by now. Steve hugged her and then looked her in the eyes.
"You don’t always have to be so tough, Lily."
"Ahh, its a Kodak moment." They both whipped around and saw Richard. Lily
clenched her fists and started towards Richard but Steve held her back.
"What do you want from us? I know I saw you murder someone but I would be dead already if that was the only reason. No. There’s something else. What?" Steve opened his mouth to say something but Richard stopped him.
"You haven’t figured it out? I guess you’re not as smart as I thought you were. The lieutenant here seems to have so I’ll let him explain," Richard said and gestured at Steve. Lily turned her questioning eyes to Steve.
"Remember that time where you caught a drug dealer red handed with a lot of
cocaine?" Lily nodded. "Well, if you remember, his name was Christopher Jarmin, this guys brother." Lily’s eyes widened in realization. She turned back to Richard, the anger back in her eyes.
"You’ve been playing this since the beginning. You went out with me just to get close to me and than you staged that murder, only you changed the plans and really killed that man. You used that as a motive when all you really wanted was revenge." Richard’s eyes narrowed and his voice became low.
"My brother didn’t deserve to go to jail."
"He killed a man to get the cocaine we found him with!"
"I killed a man. Am I in jail?" Lily had stopped trying to get at him but her eyes still held fire.
"You will be." As Lily said this, Richard took a step towards her. Lily held her ground.
"That’s where you’re wrong."
"Oh, I’m not wrong. You will go to jail. You will not get away with this."
"Why do all cop’s say that when they know we will?" Richard went to grab Lily’s arm but Steve stopped him. Richard pointed his gun at him but it didn’t faze them.
"Because you know, just as much as I do that you won’t." Richard glared at her.
"That’s what you think."
Meanwhile at the Sloan home....
Mark sat at his desk, sifting through crime scene photos from the Jarmin cases. He looked at different angles of dead bodies. There was nothing. Next he searched through the photos of the crime scenes and the crowds near the crime scenes.
As he looked through each of them, something began to nag at the back of his mind. It was like he was missing something, but he couldn’t figure out what. He looked through some more when it hit him. He put the picture to the side and began rummaging through others until he found the two he wanted. He cleared off his desk and placed the three pictures side by side. He opened one of his desk drawers and rummaged through it until he found his magnifying glass.
Finally ready, he looked at each one closely. A smile began to form on his face. Each picture was of three different homicides, but each homicide happened at the same place which meant that Richard and his brother were responsible for each crime. Now Mark knew exactly where to find his son and Lily.
He looked at his watch and figured he could catch Jesse and Amanda at the hospital before they left. Grabbing his coat, he headed out the door.
CHAPTER 9
Steve slumped over onto the floor, clutching his abdomen. He had several
bruises on his face and blood leaked from a cut on his lip. Richard pulled him back up and looked him in the eyes. His cold gray ones staring into
Steve’s weary ones. Steve was too weak now to do anything but glare back.
"I want to make you suffer, like my brothers doing now in jail," he sneered at him. Steve flinched.
"Well your brother is a coldhearted killer, just like you," Steve told him. That got him a punch in the nose. Blood flowed out of his nose and Steve reached up with his fingers to gingerly hold his nose. The other hand was trying to keep him upright.
"Where’s Lily?" Steve managed to say.
"She’s taking a nice nap in the next room. The drug I gave her should keep her out for a couple of hours." Richard put his face to Steve’s. "About the time I’m done with you."
That does not sound good, Steve thought as another kick landed in his side.
* * * *
Mark stepped off the elevator onto the fifth floor of Community General. He quickly headed towards the doctor’s lounge knowing that Jesse was probably getting some coffee for a quick pick-me-up. He made a safe bet that Amanda was in there too.
He stepped into the lounge and saw Jesse, who had a big grin on his face, and Amanda, who had a phone to her ear and her fingers poised over the buttons. She put it down when she saw him.
"Mark! I was just going to call you. I received Lily’s test results. Her real test results," she said as mark sat down next to her.
"What are you talking about?" he asked. Amanda went to speak but Jesse jumped in before her.
"Somebody faked her test results! She doesn’t have AIDS!" Mark smiled at Jesse’s enthusiasm.
"I should have known. So, what did she really have?"
"Stress." Mark smile again and that’s when Amanda noticed the I-know-something-you-don’t-know look. "Okay, what do you know that you’re not telling us about?"
"I know where Steve and Lily are. Now all we have to think up is a plan on how to get them out of there." Amanda and Jesse leaned in as Mark began speaking.
* * * *
Steve groaned as he was dropped on the floor again. He could barely move . He closed his eyes to try and stop the pounding in his head. He heard Richard say "You’re done for now, Lieutenant. I think it’s time for Lily’s share of the suffering."
"Don’t hurt her..." Steve gasped out and through blurry eyes he saw Richard kneel down next to him. "Do what you want to me. Kill me for all I care, just don’t hurt her."
"How heroic. It seems you have romantic feelings for her. In love with a best friend’s girl. Tut, tut." Steve looked up at him.
"Yes, I have feelings for her, but not romantic ones. She is like a sister to me. Jesse like a brother. I would never, ever hurt them. Unlike you." Richard stood up.
"I hurt them, because she hurt me. It’s her fault." Richard turned away for a second but turned back. "I’m growing rather tired of your mouth." Richard kicked Steve, once, in the face. The last thing Steve thought was "Lily..." before he slipped into utter darkness.
* * * *
Amanda walked into the police station and looked around. People were everywhere, at desks, walking around, on the phone. She walked over to the front desk where a rather big man sat with his feet on the desk. He was reading a newspaper and slowly sipping coffee. His name tag read, "Officer Bowers."
"Officer Bowers?" The newspaper went down, feet went down and he looked
suspiciously at her.
"May I help you?"
"I hope so. I’m Dr. Amanda Bentley. I was wondering if I could speak with Chief Masters?"
"I’m sorry, but the Chief asked not to be disturbed. For any reason."
"Oh, but he’ll want to see me. I have information on the whereabouts of one of his detectives, Lt. Steve Sloan?" The officer looked at her for a few moments, and when she kept persisting, he sighed and picked up the phone. He said a few words and, a little surprised, stood up.
"I’ll show you the way."
Amanda smiled and followed him across the crowded room to a room in the back. On the door was a gold nameplate with 'Chief Masters' engraved in black, on it. Officer Bowers waved her in and she opened the door.
"Chief Masters?"
"Come in Dr. Bentley."
She opened the door further and saw the large figure that stood in front of the massive desk. He had a stern look on his face. He said:
"Now what’s this about knowing where one of my best detectives are?" The door closed behind her, cutting off all sounds.
* * * *
"Mark? Are you sure this is safe?" Jesse asked as they snuck around the corner of a suspiciously familiar building.
"Of course it’s safe, Jess. Would I be doing it if it wasn’t?" Jesse thought for a moment.
"Yes!" Mark looked back at him and chuckled.
"I guess I have gotten myself into some pretty messy situations, haven’t I?"
"Oh yeah. It’s a good thing you are almost always right." Jesse thought again. "Make that always right."
"Does that bother you?" Mark asked.
"No, not really," Jesse said as he and Mark stopped under a dirt covered window. "I hope Amanda got Chief Masters to come here with backup."
"Me too. I just hope he believed her."
"He better or he’ll have a major problem on his hands." Mark looked at Jesse
questioning.
"What?" Jesse said one word that explained it all.
"Amanda." They both laughed and turned to the problem at hand. Mark looked for something to stand on to look through the window. Jesse stood on it and looked in. He tried to peer through the window but it was to dirty.
"You have something I can wipe this off with?" Mark fumbled in his coat pocket until he found some tissues. He handed them to Jesse.
Jesse rubbed off some of the dirt as best he could and peered in. What he saw made him gasp in horror.
"What is it, Jesse?" Jesse swung around and tried to keep Mark from looking in.
"Mark, please."
"Jesse!" Mark got past him and looked in.
"Oh my God!" The picture Mark saw was not a pretty one. He saw his son lying on the floor, bruised and bleeding. He tried to get the window open, but it was locked from the inside. He wanted to break it open but was fearful of the noise.
He looked over to see Jesse at the next window, his face pale. He didn’t want to know what was in that room, but he went over anyway. Before he could look though, he heard Jesse murmur:
"Lily..." Mark gently pulled him away from the window, but Jesse broke away and ran off.
CHAPTER 10
"Wakie, wakie sleepyhead." Lily heard the voice and tried to block it out. She couldn’t open her eyes and her head was pounding like a drum.
"Get up!" She heard louder than before. Than she felt a sharp sting on her cheek and her head whipped sideways. Her eyes flew open and she stared into Richard’s cold eyes. Her eyes narrowed and she sat up, pushing him away from her. Richard laughed.
"Oh no, Lily. That’s not fair. My brother didn’t get to fight back," Richard grabbed her shoulders and yanked her up off the bed. Than he slammed his knee into her stomach.
As she went down, Richard noticed something at the window, out of the corner of his eye. The thing quickly disappeared but there was no mistaking what it was.
"Duke! Kyle!" Two burly men hurried into the room, both carrying .9 millimeter handguns.
"What’s up, Boss?" Kyle asked.
"Who’s watching the outside?" Richard asked. The two men shifted uncomfortably.
"Um...well?" Richard took a deep breath and rolled his eyes heavenward as if to say "Why me?"
"Get out there now!" Kyle and Duke scurried out of the room.
"Idiots." Lily had managed to pull herself into the corner of the room and was huddled against the wall. Richard slowly made his way over to her.
"I’ve waited a long time for this moment, Lily, and I don’t intend on letting it go to waste." He reached down and grabbed her shoulders and roughly pulled her to her feet. His fingers bit into her skin causing small bruises to form. Lily winced and tried to pull away but only succeeded in having him press his fingers harder into her skin. An involuntary cry came
out of her mouth. Richard’s smile broadened, obviously enjoying the power he had over her.
He pulled handcuffs out of his back pocket and handcuffed her to one of the bedposts so she wouldn’t move while he beat her.
Lily desperately tried to extricate herself, and was finally so weak she sank to her knees on the floor. Her eyes, wide with fear, shimmered with tears. Her throat was choked up with sobs. She watched Richard move closer. She watched him bring up his fist and she screamed.
Jesse’s ears picked up the sound of Lily’s scream. His heart began beating rapidly.
"Lily!" He jumped out from his hiding place behind some bushes and immediately felt a coldness presses his ear. He swallowed hard and raised his hands. He felt himself being pushed forward and he just barely managed to keep himself from falling. He felt another gun jammed into his back as he was led to the building.
They stopped at a door labeled with the number thirteen. One of the men fumbled in his pockets for the keys. He pulled out a gold one and unlocked the door. Before Jesse could react he was shoved into the room. He kept himself from falling by grabbing on the bed frame. He looked around and noticed he was with Steve.
He kneeled down next to him and pressed his fingers to Steve’s throat. He sighed with relief when he felt a pulse. He carefully did a whole body examination and frowned when he felt some abnormalities along the ribcage. Steve had some broken ribs and by Steve’s even breathing rate, he didn’t have a punctured lung. Jesse sat back against the bed. taking deep breaths he tried to remain calm. An ear piercing scream interrupted him. It was Lily!
Jesse jumped up and took a step towards the door, but stopped when he saw movement come from Steve. He knelt down beside him and saw Steve’s eyes open. Steve tried to sit up but Jesse stopped him.
"Jesse! Let me up!."
"You have a few broken ribs. You need to relax." Arguing with Steve was like arguing with a brick wall.
"It’s nothing I haven’t handled before." Another scream shook the room, fainter this time, as though Lily was losing strength. Steve looked back at Jesse.
"How can I relax with that happening?" Steve asked, his voice strained as he tried to keep his emotions from showing. Jesse couldn’t argue with him anymore, because Steve was right. How could they relax?
There was absolute silence in the room for what seemed like hours, until, finally, the door opened and Lily was tossed in like a sack of potatoes. She landed on her back, he body showing the many wounds she had been given. There was also blood seeping out of the gunshot wound in her stomach. Steve and Jesse knelt down beside her, and Jesse gingerly felt the wound.
"I didn’t hear a gunshot." Jesse told Steve, looking up at him, tears in his eyes. Steve could barely look at him.
"He must have used a silencer," Steve managed to get out, his emotions just barely staying controlled.
"Jesse?" a small voice said. They looked down to see Lily, her eyes barely open, her breath coming out in short gasps. Jesse put his face close to hers to be able to hear her. He put his arm under her head and gently cradled her in his arms.
"Jesse, I, I," Lily’s voice was barely above a whisper.
"Lily?" He could barely stand to listen anymore, his voice catching in his throat.
"I love you," she told him. Jesse brought her closer, tears flooding his eyes.
"I love you, too," at those last words, she went limp in his arms.
"No, no, no!" He put her down and desperately started CPR, but it was to no avail.
"Lily!" he cried but it was too late. He broke down in tears. Steve sat there in shock, not believing that his once full of life partner and friend, was gone. Anger washed over him. Jesse’s tears soon turned to anger also. Never had he felt so alone.
The door opened again and Kyle walked in carrying a .9 mm. His eyes were on Steve as he slowly made his way across the room. Before Steve could stop him, Jesse had slammed into Kyle, knocking him and the gun down. As Kyle’s head hit the wall, he was knocked unconscious. Jesse bent over him and picked up the gun. Looking at it, he frowned and handed it to Steve who hid it.
Again the door opened and Richard stepped inot the room, keeping both Jesse and Steve within eyesight. He had his gun at his side, within easy reach. Jesse started towards him, fists clenched, face grim. Instantly, Richard had his gun in his hands, his gun and eyes on Jesse. Obviously he found no threat in an injured Steve. He noticed his unconscious guard too late. Steve grabbed Kyle’s gun and stood up. He pointed it at Richard’s chest and cocked it.
"Put the gun down, now!" he said, his eyes narrowed. Richard’s head swung around and, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jesse dive behind the bed. Then Richard’s body swung towards Steve, his finger on the trigger. Steve pulled the trigger of the .9 mm, sending a bullet through Richard’s chest. Richard shot his gun but it missed Steve and hit the wall behind him. Steve sent another bullet, then another, and another, at Richard. He was dead before he hit the floor. Kyle’s gun was empty now and Steve let it slip from his fingers as he fell to his kness, exhausted physically and emotionally.
Jesse’s anger had dissapated and he sank to the floor and cradeled Lily to him, letting his sorrow take over. Steve couldn’t bare to watch and just sat there, tears streaming down his face.
* * * *
Three days later.....
Jesse stood over the casket of Lily Calloway. In his hands was a single, white lily. Wiping a tear from his eye, he placed it on her chest and kissed her softly for the last time.
"I love you." he whispered.
As he straightened up, he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"Jess?" He turned to see Amanda and a small woman with a baby in her arms. A soft smile came to his lips as he recognized the green eyes. A lighter shade than Lily's but the same sparkle was there.
"You must be Violet." Violet smiled through her tears and, without a word, pulled him into a comforting hug. Little Tiffany began to squirm in her mom's arms and Jesse kissed the baby's forehead.
"She loved you so much," Violet said in her soft voice. She reached into her purse and handed Jesse a small, beautifully wrapped gift. "She scrimped and saved to get you this. She wanted to give it to personally, but..."Tears welled up in Violet's eyes and, the baby, sensing the tension, began to whine. She excused herself and went back to stand with a man who put his arms around her, her husband.
Jesse looked down at the gift in his hands. He almost didn't want to open it. Amanda, sensing his need to be alone, excused herself to talk with Mark and Steve. Jesse sat down in a nearby chair and slowly and carefully opened it. Under the wrapping was a blue velvet box. He opened the box and found a gold pocket watch. His eyes widened in surprise and he carefully lifted it out of the box. Engraved on it was:
May you keep this near your heart as I forever keep you in mine.
I love you with all my heart. Lily
The End