Episode Twenty-Two

Med Center

Later that morning, after they had gone to get something to eat but ended up only picking at their food, the trio returned to the hospital. They were sitting in the waiting room when a nurse came out and told them Rebecca was awake. Summer said she'd wait in the waiting rom for them, and Jamie and Jenny went back to the ICU room.

When they entered the room, Jenny went straight to her mom's side and took her hand. "Mom?"

"Hi, sweetie," Rebecca said.

"I was so scared."

"It's okay," Rebecca said comfortingly. She saw Jamie standing in the door and smiled. "How's Mike?" she asked him.

Jamie opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again, not having realized that Rebecca wouldn't know. Finally he shook his head. "My dad didn't make it," he said quietly. "He died early this morning."

"What?" Rebecca asked.

"He... they brought him in, and... he lived a few hours after the accidnet. I got to talk to him, but his heart... he just stopped breathing," Jamie said.

"Oh God," Rebecca said. "You talked to him? What did he say?"

"He said... that it'd be okay. And... he asked if you were okay. And... he said he loved me... then he... he died," Jamie said.

"What else did he say?" Rebecca asked. "Did he say anything else about me?"

Jamie shook his head. "No."

"Didn't he say he loved ME?"

"There wasn't time..."

"He said he loved YOU!"

"Because I was there..." Jamie said, flinching at the harsh tone in Rebecca's voice. "If you'd been there he would have told you he loved you."

"Did he say anything about your mother?" Rebecca said angrily, the heart monitor she was attached to beeping harshly. "Did he?!"

Jamie flinched again. "He... he said that he'd watch over me with my mom," he said quietly.

"Get out! Get out!" Rebecca yelled.

2 nurses and a doctor ran in then, and Jamie ran out of the room. He found Summer coming down the hall with David. "She's in there," Jamie told David, gesturing at the door. Then he turned to Summer.

"What happened?" Summer asked, moving closer.

"I told her what my dad said, and she told me to get out," Jamie said, his voice cracking.

"Come on," Summer said. "I'll take you home, okay?"

Jamie nodded numbly, and let Summer lead him to the elevators.

Jamie's Apartment

"So I'm going to stick around here with him, okay?" Summer said into the phone as she peeked into Jamie's room, where he was sleeping after she begged him to lay down for a little while.

"Okay, honey," Janice replied. "Is there anything I can do to help him?"

"I don't know. Can you let his uncle know where he is and that I'm with him? I don't want Mr. Randall to worry..."

"I'll make sure he knows," Janice promised. "How about I bring by some food a little later?"

"Yeah, I looked in Jamie's fridge and it's almost completely empty," Summer said. "If you'll bring some food, I can try to get him to eat something."

"Okay, I'll come by around lunchtime."

"Um, when you get here, just come in, don't knock. I don't want to wake up Jamie until I have to," Summer requested.

"Of course. And if you need me, just call."

"I will," Summer said before hanging up and sitting down on the couch. After just a moment she jumped up again and went into Jamie's room. She sat down next to him on the bed, and after a moment stretched out so she was sitting against the headboard. She gently lifted one of Jamie's hands and held it.

Junkyard

"This thing's a mess," Detective Hank Powers said as he and Julian surveyed the wrecked jeep.

"It did fall off a cliff," Julian replied tensely. He lifted the dented and twisted hood and pulled out a flashlight to look at the engine. "What the hell?" he said.

"What is it?" Hank asked, walking over.

"The brakeline," Julian said. "It's been cut."

"Maybe a piece of metal sliced it in the crash?"

"No, it was cut," Julian said, tearing the line out. "If a piece of metal sliced it then it would have gone all the way through. This is only partway," he said, looking at the cut. "Enough for the brake fluid to leak out. And by the time they got down to where the accident happened... it would have probably been all gone."

"So... what? Someone delibrately killed Officer Bowen or tried to kill Officer Harris?"

KTVN

"It's a good story," Rhonda told Richard as she followed him down the hall.

"Yeah, but one we aren't doing the way you want it," Richard replied. "For God's sake, Rhonda, Jamie just lost the only parent her had left, he doesn't need to be harrassed by the press."

"Richard, this could be our story of the year," Rhonda argued. "HFPD officer killed and 2nd officer injured hours after they wed. And the Bowen kid being an orphan now? I could win a broadcast journalism award for it!"

"Your not doing it," Richard repeated as he entered his office and closed the door in Rhonda's face. "God I hate that woman." The door opened again, and Richard spun around to tell Rhonda to leave, only to see it was Hannah. "Hey," he greeted.

"Rhonda msut die," Hannah replied. "You should know, she just tried to convince me that you told her to head over to the Harris-Bowen house to get some footage."

"She what?" Richard said, furious.

"Don't worry, I refused," Hannah replied.

"I want to hurt that woman," Richard commented.

"Remember when we were lowly freshmen and she was a high and mighty senior?" Hannah asked. "Then she was gorgeous and mature..."

"Now she's just old," Richard finished, laughing. "That was your and Toria's favorite insult for upperclassmen."

"They deserved it," Hannah replied, laughing. After amoment, she turned serious again. "I just can't believe this. I mean, I only met Mike Bowen like twice in my entire life, but he always seemed like a nice guy."

"He was," Richard said."I've known him since I was a kid. Ever since he moved back to Heaven Falls with... his wife and Jamie."

"That poor kid. I remember all the news when Mrs. Bowen was killed, and now he's lost his dad too," Hannah said.

"Jamie's a tough kid, he'll survive this and be okay. Eventually," Richard replied.

"You know him pretty well, don't you?" Hannah asked.

"What?" Richard said. "Why woudl you think that?"

"Because he's friend's with your brother's girlfriend," Hannah replied.

"Oh," Richard replied. "Yeah, he's been at the mansion a few times."

Randall House

Laura sat on the couch next her dad, helping him look through various address books.

"It has to be in her somewhere. Mike gave me the number years ago just in case," Laurence said.

"I know," Laura replied. "Oh! Found it!" she said, pointing at an entry that read: Isabel & Gianni Valles - Elizabeth's Relatives

Laurence took the book and picked up the phone quickly dialing the number.

"Valles Residence," a voice said when the phone was answered after just one ring.

"I need to speak to either Isabel or Giani Valles," Laurence replied.

"May I ask who is calling?"

"Laurence Randall. I'm the uncle of Isabel's grandson, Jamie."

"One moment, Mr. Randall."

"Thank you," Laurence said as he tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for the phone to be picked up again. Finally it was.

"Hello, Mr. Randall," Gianni 'Gee' Valles said. "What can I do for you? Is Jamie all right?"

"He's..." Laurence started. "My brother, Mike Bowen, was in a car accident late last night. He died early this morning."

"Oh God," Gee said. "How is Jamie handling it? Someone's with him, right? He isn't alone?"

"He's in shock, according to some of the doctor's I know at Med Center. And his girlfriend, Summer, is with him."

"All right, thank you for calling, Mr. Randall..."

"Please, call me Laurence."

"Laurence," Gee corrected himself. "I'll fly out to Heaven Falls as soon as possible. I'm sure Jamie could use the extra family support."

"Yeah, he does."

"I'm sorry about your brother. Mike was a good man. I always liked him, even when my mother hated him for keeping my sister from marrying 'well'."

"Thank you," Laurence replied. "If you call me with your flight information, I can pick you up at the airport and take you to Jamie's."

"I'd appreciate that," Gee replied.

Jamie's Apartment

Jancie entered the apartment quietly and set the 2 bags of groceries on the table before walking back to the bedroom and peeking inside. She smiled sadly when she saw Summer sitting on the bed next to Jamie, who's head was resting in her lap. Janice walked into the small room and grabbed the old quilt from the foot of the bed. She gently pulled it up over both teenagers, then left the room as quietly as she'd enter.

She got the bags of groceries and headed into the kitchen to put them away. After she had, she grabbed one of the dry-erase markers from a basket on top of the fridge and wrote a note on the wipe off board.

Summer, call home when you wake up.
Food in the fridge and cupboards.

End Of Episode Twenty Two