Part 36

"Hesch," Frannie Lipschitz quietly greeted her husband as she cautiously took the seat next to him. "I saw Cassy in the hallway, but she didn't even hear me call her. Is there news about Tom's condition? Is that why she was so upset? What did the doctor say?"

The fear in her voice was unmistakable and Harry pulled her into a one armed embrace, her head resting against his uninjured shoulder. "It's all right, honey. Tom's going to be fine. They're having a little trouble getting the infection under control, but the doctor didn't seem too worried about it. They did a blood test and when that comes back in a couple of days, they'll switch Tom to a different antibiotic. Dr. Morris said he'll be off the respirator in about 24 hours."

Frannie pulled away enough to look him straight in the eyes. "You're not telling me everything. I know how you get when you're trying to avoid telling me something, and you, dear man, are definitely holding back. It's time to get it all out in the open now, Hesch. Why don't you start by telling me what really set Cassy off? When I saw her in the hall, she was headed toward the elevators--not back to Tom's room. If he really is going to be okay, why was Cassy so upset?"

Harry looked away, gathering the courage to tell her about the events leading up to Cassy's abrupt departure. Though he knew he had to tell her the whole story, he instead found himself trying to pass off his detective's behavior as typical. "It's all this waiting around. Cassy has to do something, so she's decided to make it her mission in life to find Gordon Leonard. You know how she gets."

"Yes, Harry, I know exactly how she gets." Frannie gently cupped his chin and pulled him back to look her in the eyes. "I also know that waiting around isn't responsible for the state she was in--something happened between the time she left with Lyam to find you and when I saw her in the hall. Tell me all of it. Why did Cassy leave here so upset?"

He swallowed hard and again looked away as he tried to explain. "Cassy is upset because…because she and I had some words after Lyam and Dr. Morris left," he finally managed.

Seeing the difficulty her husband was having, Frannie decided to give him a little nudge. "Over Gordon Leonard," she supplied.

"Yes."

Frannie waited for more, but Harry remained silent. Trying to control her exasperation, she prodded him again. "And what he did to Tom."

Harry's protest died on his lips as he snapped back to face her. He silently regarded her for a long moment before admitting the truth. "H-h-how did you know?" he finally stammered.

He attempted to pull away, but Frannie wasn't ready to let him go yet. "I've been a cop's wife for a long time, Hesch. You think I wouldn't learn how to put two and two together after all these years?" she gently chided. "Now why don't you give me the whole story? I need to know how good my addition really is."

Frannie finally released her hold on his good arm and he rose from the chair to wander over to stare into the same painting that had held Cassy's attention earlier. After gathering his thoughts, Harry returned to his chair and began to speak. She could feel the guilt and shame radiate from her husband as he related the entire story. He started with his observations at the warehouse, then went into his conversation with Dr. Morris, and finally concluded with Lyam's and Cassy's subsequent reactions to both. Drained, Harry closed his eyes and sank deeper into the chair.

"Cassy's right about one thing. Not one of those three is going to willingly get professional help. Maybe it would help if someone set an example for them," she suggested.

"What?" Harry's eyes instantly popped open as he sat up straight and stared at his wife.

"Stop looking at me like I've suddenly grown another head," she scolded. "You need help with this one, Hesch."

"I've got help," he protested. "I've got you. I don't need a shrink."

"Yes, you have me. You know that no matter what I'll be here to support you, to listen to you, to hold you, and to love you. But you need more than that. You need professional help, Hesch--every bit as much as Cassy, Margaret, Lyam, and Tom do. If you won't do it for yourself, do it for me. Do it for Tom," she pleaded.

"I-I-I don't know. You really think it would help Tom?"

Frannie stood and held out her hand to him. "Yes, I really think it would. Just give it a try. If you don't think it's helping after a few sessions, you can quit. We'll need to get a referral from Dr. Morris and set up an appointment. Maybe if the others see you are willing to go, it'll be easier for them. Come on, show them how it's done. Lead by example," she challenged.

Harry reluctantly rose and allowed her to lead him out of the room.

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

Margaret Ryan clutched her unconscious son's hand as she kissed his forehead. "We'll be right back, honey. You get some rest now and we'll talk more when I get back." Reluctantly, she released the unresponsive hand and followed her husband into the hallway.

As his wife paused to look back at their son, Lyam pulled her close. "Come on now, you promised you'd try to eat something. The nurse said he won't be awake again for several hours." Nodding toward the still figure in the bed, he continued, "Tommy will need all our love and support to get past this. For his sake, you have to keep up your strength. Besides, he'll give me hell tomorrow when he comes off that respirator for not taking proper care of you," he teased.

"I know," Margaret replied, smiling through tears barely held in check. "I just hate to leave him when he's so helpless." Pulling her gaze from her son, she turned to look into Lyam's eyes. "What if…what if he comes back again?"

Hatred seethed from every pore as Lyam coldly vowed, "Then he will die." Seeing the fear and shock in Margaret's eyes, he quickly recovered and looked to the officer outside Tom's door. "It will be all right, Maggie. This officer won't leave Tommy alone, not even for a minute. That animal won't get anywhere near here again." Lyam's smile didn't quite reach his eyes as he released her and nudged her toward the elevators. "Come on. The sooner we go, the sooner we get back."

Margaret somewhat reluctantly moved ahead of her husband toward the elevators. She remained silent while considering Lyam's intense reaction to the mention of Gordon Leonard. As the elevator doors opened to admit the pair, Margaret knew what she had to do. When Lyam reached out to push the button for the basement cafeteria, she pulled his arm away. "No, Lyam. I want to go to that little lounge on the second floor with the vending machines. I'm not very hungry and a sandwich from one of the machines will be more than enough. I really don't want to sit through a big meal in a crowded, noisy cafeteria."

Lyam smiled as he took his wife's hand and gently kissed it. "If my Maggie wants a sandwich, then a sandwich she will get." He turned and pushed the button for the second floor as she requested. "…Along with one of those nice, shiny red apples for dessert," he declared.

Margaret nodded in concession and the couple rode in silence to the second floor. She silently prayed that the small lounge would be empty as she stole a glance at her husband. No, this wasn't going to be an easy conversation for either of them. Of that much, she was certain.

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

Cassy St. John made one final check of her paperwork before heading to the courthouse. She grabbed her purse from the desk drawer and was halfway to the door of the squad room when the persistent ringing of her phone pulled her back. "This had better be you, Harry," she mumbled under her breath as she strode back to answer it. She grabbed the receiver and curtly announced, "St. John."

The familiar voice of her captain sounded on the other end of the line. "What have you got, Cassy?"

Cassy had suspected as much, but the noise in the background confirmed that Harry was still at the hospital. "How's Tom doing? Any change?"

"He's still out, but the nurse says he should be waking again anytime now. Frannie's staying with him until the Ryans get back from the cafeteria." Harry quickly steered the conversation back to business. "So you want to tell me why you paged me or am I supposed to guess."

The excitement in her voice was unmistakable as she related her findings. "I traced Stein's cell phone to a company called Southern Images. The company's address is listed as the warehouse where we found Tom, but I ran a further check and turned up a lease for two-bedroom bungalow on West Ocean Terrace in the company's name. I was just on my way over to Judge Kendall's for a search warrant."

Her excitement was contagious as Harry issued his instructions. "Great work, Cassy. Let's get an unmarked unit over there to keep an eye on things until the warrant comes through."

"Already done, Skipper. I sent Harper and Mason by in an unmarked car as soon as I came up with the address. They reported no sign of Gordon Leonard and no activity. They're keeping it under surveillance until I get there."

"Good. Let me know as soon as you have the warrant. I'll have to take Frannie home and then meet you at the bungalow. What's the address?" he demanded.

"Harry, you can't…"

"The address, St. John. Now," he commanded, his tone clearly brooking no arguments.

With a defeated sigh, Cassy relayed the address. "901 West Ocean Terrace. But, Skipper…" An audible click on the other end of the line informed Cassy that the conversation was over, but it didn't stop her from finishing her protest. She moved the phone from her ear and held it in front of her, talking to the mouthpiece as if it were her captain. "You can't be in on this with that bad shoulder of yours and you know it," she scolded. With a satisfied smirk, she replaced the receiver in its cradle and turned her attention back to the matter at hand. 'All right, Judge Kendall. You'd better have that pen of yours ready--you have a search warrant to sign.'

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

Margaret Ryan picked at her half-eaten sandwich as a heavy silence filled the small room. She tried to focus on the relief she felt at finding the lounge empty, but couldn't totally suppress her fear over the conversation that she knew had to happen. She carefully watched her husband's display of false cheerfulness as he made a half-hearted effort to finish his own meal.

"Maybe we should have one of these coffee machines installed in the restaurant," he kidded. "I think I'm actually developing a taste for this swill. Besides, that way we won't have to worry about going into withdrawal when we go back to drinking real coffee again." After taking another sip of the hot liquid, he picked up his sandwich, but stopped short of taking a bite when he noticed that Margaret wasn't eating. "Maggie, you promised," he reminded her as he put it down and reached across the table for her hand.

"I know I did and I have every intention of keeping that promise, but we need to talk. I want to know what really happened when you went to see Dr. Morris. I know there's something wrong--something you don't want me to know--and it's eating you up inside."

A stunned Lyam shakily rose and staggered over to stare out the window. His kept his back to his wife, who had quickly followed him and placed a supportive hand on his shoulder. He reached up to gently pat the comforting hand and his voice broke as he admitted defeat. "I have to be the world's biggest fool to think I could hide anything from you after all these years."

Margaret struggled to remain calm at the anguish in her husband's tone. "No, dear. A little misguided, yes, but never a fool." As she turned him around to face her, he refused to meet her gaze. "Please, Lyam. Tell me what's bothering you. What has you hurting so badly that you can't even look at me?" she pleaded.

"I-I…" Lyam struggled for the words, but couldn't find them.

Margaret took a deep breath and braced herself for a reaction to the question she was about to ask. "Does this have something to do with Gordon Leonard?"

The cloud of hatred that immediately settled over Lyam's features gave her the answer she already knew in her heart. The look of fear that Margaret couldn't quite suppress quickly quelled her husband's rage and he drew her into a crushing embrace. Tears filled his eyes and with a husky voice he tried to explain. "Oh God, Maggie. I thought I was prepared for anything after all those talks we had about what might have been happening to Tommy." He paused as a small sob escaped, but quickly managed to regain a small measure of control. "But never in a million years..."

When another sob left Lyam unable to continue, Margaret gently pulled away from him. Placing her hand alongside his face, her own tear-filled eyes met his and she gently maneuvered him back to their seats. "Whatever it is, together we can handle it. There isn't anything in this world that we can't get through as long as we're together." She leaned over and sealed the declaration with a lingering kiss before urging him to continue. "Please, Lyam, tell me what you know. I can see this is hard for you, but you're really scaring me."

Though Lyam's tears slowed, they continued to spill as he collected himself enough to respond. "I'm sorry, Maggie. The last thing in the world I ever wanted to do is to frighten you." Unable to look her in the eye, he cast his eyes downward and began to relate the events from the moment he overheard Harry and Dr. Morris. He had to pause a few moments to regain his composure after telling Margaret of his attack on Cassy, but went on to relay the damning evidence behind their suspicions exactly as Harry had told him.

Margaret said nothing throughout Lyam's tale, but silent tears flowed more freely with each word spoken. Gathering the courage to face her, Lyam turned to find his wife visibly trembling. He reached out for her, but she didn't seem to notice as she stared up at the ceiling. He gently took her hand and stood, but her eyes stayed focused on the white tiles above. Lyam pulled her to her feet and enveloped her in his arms. Still trembling, Margaret's tears didn't slow as she was finally able to respond. Lyam's already wounded heart broke even more when she uttered only two anguished words. "Oh, Tommy."

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