Note: Single quotations indicate thoughts.

Part 29

Frannie was heading out the elevator doors before they finished opening, but stopped suddenly when she caught sight of the group standing in front of her. Her eyes skimmed past the three in front and went straight to the straggler of the pack. A quick inventory of his appearance revealed a noticeable weight loss. Dark circles framed weary eyes. Pain was etched into his features, which reached far deeper than the physical discomfort in his shoulder. 'Oh, Harry! I should have never stayed away. I should have been here with you.' Her heart broke as the love of her life whispered her name.

Frannie paused only a moment before going to her husband. As she passed the Ryans, she reached out to take the hand of each parent and give it a brief squeeze in greeting and support. "Margaret. Lyam." She patted Cassy's shoulder as she moved past, her eyes never once leaving the man who stood behind them looking so very lost and alone. 'How could I have let this happen to you? My place was here, beside you.'

Cassy looked into her captain's face and saw that he was desperately struggling to hold on to his self-control. Realizing that the pair needed some time alone, she turned to the Ryans and gestured for them to move into the elevator. "We'll meet you two in the ICU waiting area on the third floor. I'm glad you're back, Frannie." Her voice broke as she watched the reunion. Cassy blinked back her tears as she stepped into the elevator and pushed the button for the third floor. As the door slid shut, the couple outside had yet to utter a single word to each other.

Frannie's eyes traveled to the injured shoulder of her husband. She gently placed her hand there and let it skim midway down his arm. 'What has that monster done to you, my love? Just how deep does the hurt go?' Her gaze lifted to meet his eyes and the fracture in her heart widened at the turmoil she found there. 'I'm here now, Heschy. I'm going to see that you get through this. I promise you that.' Tears welled in both pairs of eyes, threatening to spill. Her other hand found its way to lovingly rest on the side of his face. 'Let my love heal you. I'm going to get you through this.'

Harry closed his eyes and leaned into the soft hand. 'Oh, Frannie. I wish we could stay like this forever. Oh God, how I missed you!' He shut out all the horrors of the past days as he absorbed the love and comfort that radiated from her touch. He felt her move closer and his uninjured arm instinctively found its way around her waist. His eyes opened to find tears slowly trailing down her face. 'Oh no, my sweet Frannie. Please don't do this. Don't cry. I'm not worth it.' Harry opened his mouth to speak. The words died in his throat and no sound would come. His thin thread of control snapped when her hand left his cheek and gently removed his glasses. He buried his head in the warmth of her neck and shoulder. 'Oh God, Frannie. What have I done? What the hell have I done?' His last remaining shred of control vanished as deep sobs wracked his body.

Frannie's arm found its way around his neck and she clung to him for dear life. Her hand caressed the back of his head as she held her husband. 'We're going to get through this. I don't care how hard it is, we are ALL going to get through this.' She poured every ounce of her love and support into the embrace while she cried along with him. 'There was nothing you could have done, my love. How can I make you see that?' Time stopped for the couple while the cleansing tears flowed.

When Harry's sobs finally quieted, the two stayed locked in the embrace. He lifted his head to search the eyes of his partner in life. 'Please don't hate me, Frannie. How can you ever forgive me after what I allowed to happen?' Instead of the reproach and disapproval he expected to find, there was only love and understanding. 'She. . .she doesn't blame me. This doesn't make any sense; she's not disappointed in me. Oh dear God, thank you for sending me this angel. Please just let me be worthy of her.'

Frannie smiled and placed her hand once again along side of his face. 'Yes, my love. You WILL get through this. WE will get through this. Let me help you see things clearly. None of this was your fault.'

Harry again leaned into the touch, all the while deeply gazing into those beautiful eyes. The healing had begun.

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Cassy stood facing the door in the front of the elevator. She leaned heavily on the wall next to her as a tear escaped and ran slowly down her cheek. She was oblivious to the presence of the elevator's other occupants as she became lost in her thoughts. 'If only I had someone to comfort me that way. Why can't I find someone to love me the way Harry loves Frannie? Is that so much to ask?' She reached up to wipe the lone tear away, only to have another take its place. 'Face it, St. John. You had someone. Someone who'd still give you the sun, the moon, and the stars if you'd only ask. He's the one you want to hold you and comfort you, not some nameless, faceless romantic notion.' The silent tears now fell in a steady stream. 'Only now he can't, and he may never be able to again.'

Cassy angrily scrubbed away the moisture from her cheeks as she delivered a mental admonition. 'Stop it! You can't think like that. He's going to be fine. He's getting treatment and he'll be good as new before we know it.' The tears stopped as she regained control. 'You have to keep it together. You have to be the strong one. You know that. Now get a grip on yourself.'

Startled out of her reverie by Margaret's hand on her shoulder, Cassy once again became aware of her surroundings. The elevator doors had opened and Lyam's voice echoed in the tiny box. "Are you all right, Cassy? You had us worried there for a minute. You were a million miles away."

Margaret's gentle voice chimed in. "He is going to be all right, you know. You and Harry found him in time, just like we knew you would." Her hand left Cassy's shoulder and was now gently caressing her former daughter-in-law's upper arm in an attempt to comfort.

Cassy reached out to hug Margaret. "Well, of course, he's going to be okay. Now, let's go find out if we can see him yet." She extended a hand to Lyam, who placed an arm around each woman's shoulders. Together they walked down the hall to find the ICU waiting area.

**********************

Half an hour later, Harry and Frannie found the trio still in the waiting room. While Lyam and Margaret again sat huddled together, Cassy was anxiously pacing. She turned to storm over to the nurses' station to again demand an answer as to when they would be allowed to visit Tom, but stopped abruptly when she nearly ran into her captain. Harry peered over the top of his glasses and used his severe captain's tone with her. "Sit. Now." He indicated a chair near the Ryans.

Her eyes blazed with fury and frustration, but she obeyed the order and took the indicated seat. "They said it would just be a few more minutes. That was over twenty minutes ago. That's a lot more than a few minutes, Harry." She didn't bother to curb the irritation in her voice.

Harry took a seat beside her, while Frannie went over to speak to Tom's parents. He gently took her hand in his and spoke in a fatherly tone. "You gotta let them do their job, Cassy. As soon as they get him settled, they'll let us see him. I'm sure it won't be much longer."

The hard edge disappeared from her voice, but a trace of the anger remained in the whispered response. "Something must be wrong. That's why they won't let us see him. Why else would it be taking so long?" She lifted weary eyes to meet his, searching for reassurance. Her voice shook with emotion. "I can't lose him, Harry. He's my best friend."

"We aren't going to lose him. He's come too far for us to give up on him now. If there were something wrong, the nurse would come and tell us. Now let's just concentrate on getting him better, okay?" Harry tried to sound gruff, but the tender expression on his face belied his intention.

Cassy's response caught in her throat when the nurse who they had spoken to on their arrival to the ICU finally appeared at the door to the waiting area. Her ID badge showed her name to be Wendy Bradford. "We can let you see Sergeant Ryan now. I'm sorry, but only two of you will be able to go in at a time and only for a few minutes. If you'll come with me Mr. and Mrs. Ryan, I'll take you to your son." Relief was evident in Cassy's face as the nurse completed her announcement.

Margaret and Lyam stood and followed Wendy to a corridor lined with glass enclosed rooms. She paused and turned to the worried parents. "I don't want to scare you, but I think you should be prepared. Did you see your son at all before surgery?"

Margaret and Lyam answered at the same time. "No." After exchanging glances, Margaret nodded for her husband to continue. "They were already prepping him for surgery when we arrived. Is there something we haven't been told?" Fear burned brightly in both parents' eyes.

Wendy quickly flashed a reassuring smile. "Well, I wouldn't put it quite that way. I just want to make certain you aren't caught off guard by his appearance. The machines, tubes, and wires alone are enough to frighten most people. Your son was severely beaten. He is experiencing a good deal of facial swelling and bruising. You may even find it somewhat difficult to recognize him at first." Both of the Ryans remained silent, terrified of the picture she was painting, but nodded their understanding. "All right, then. This way, please."

Margaret could not help a gasp of horror at her son's appearance when they entered the room. Lyam tightened his already firm grip on his wife's shoulders and together they moved to the side of the bed. Tears sprang to his eyes, matching the ones now flowing down Margaret's cheeks as they tried to find the familiar features in the mass of black and purple swelling. She reached out to gently stroke the side of her son's face. Though she was fearful of causing Tom more pain, she was unable to resist using the gesture that had so often comforted him as a child. The fever-hot skin reminded her of the battle against the infection in his shoulder.

Careful not to disturb any of the numerous wires and tubes that ran from Tom's body, Lyam took hold of his son's limp hand. The two stood silently, taking in every detail of the damage done to their child. Their eyes traveled in unison from the bruises that made a perfect hand print on his throat to the white gauze that encircled each of Tom's wrists. As Wendy pulled back the sheet to examine the tube that had been inserted in his chest, each was appalled to see that the vivid bruises covered his stomach and rib area as well.

Margaret was first to vocalize her thoughts, though her voice was barely above a whisper. "Oh, my poor, sweet Tommy. What kind of animal could do such a thing?" Outrage mixed with a mother's heartbreak. She turned to face her husband, tears still streaming down her cheeks. "Look what they've done to our boy, Lyam. How could they do this to my baby?"

Lyam reluctantly released the limp hand and pulled her into a comforting embrace. He placed a kiss on her forehead as he answered her, his voice thick with his own heartbreak. "I see what they've done. I wish I had an answer for you, Sweetheart, but I just don't."

End Part 29

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