Episode Thirty Four

Med Center

Drew tried to concentrate on work, but Jenny was there that day, making it more than a little difficult. He knew he shouldn't be thinking about how gorgeous she was, not when she was younger than his neice and nephew. But Jenny was mature for her age, more mature than most of the people Drew's own age. And there was just something about her...

"Day dreaming isn't a good work ethic," Sarah teased as she walked over.

"Yeah, I know."

"Who's the girl?"

"What?" Drew asked, his vocie scaling upwards like it hadn't in years.

Sarah laughed. "The girl you're day dreaming about."

"There is no girl I'm day dreaming about. It was just a normal... my mind just drifted out of boredom."

"First, I think there is a girl, and second, keep your mind on the charts, Drew, or you'll get so far behind you'll be stuck here all night catching up."

"Thanks for the advice," Drew said, watching her head off to see a patient. "Come on, Sanchez, get your head screwed on straight."

Grant Mansion

"Mother, you kept saying that Maria was completely in appropiate, well, I got rid of Maria!" Aaron said.

"Her brother is worse!" Miranda replied.

"Why?"

"He's a man!"

"Is this about the age difference? Because a year isn't that big of a diference! Summer's 7 months older than Jamie, David's 5 months older than Laura, Mr. Jackson was almsot 15 years older than the second Mrs. Jackson..."

"It is NOT about the age difference!"

"Then what? I could understand him being as bad since he's not rich either, obviously, but how could he be worse?" Aaron asked, still feigning ignorance. "Unless... mother, your problem isn't that I'm dating another guy, is it? You're not homophobic, are you?"

"Of cours enot!" Miranda backpedaled. "It's just... well... you see..."

"You'd be worried about whoever I dated?" Aaorn suggested, trying not to grin. It was too much fun doing this.

"Yes! Exactly!" Miranda replied. "I'd be worried no matter who it was!"

"Well you don't need to be, Diego's a perfect gentleman," Aaron said before walking out of the room. They had been doing this for a little over a month now, and Miranda was still completely clueless. Unfortunately, so was Diego. It wans't just a game anymore to Aaron, it was becoming real. And he wasn't sure whether he wanted it to end.

A Plane Leaving Seattle

Walker Andrews and Veronica 'Ronnie' Johns sat side by side in their seats, not talking, though Ronnie kept shooting glares at Walker.

"What?" Walker finally asked.

"Why did you talk me into taking this job and moving to Hicksville?" Ronnie asked.

"Because the job is for EdiSigns, one of the bigest and best known companies in the world?" Walker replied, raising an eyebrow. "Come on, Ronnie, it's not eactly hicksville. It's got one of the best hospitals in the country, it's home to the Grant Corporation, and the college is right up there with the state university. It's not hicksville."

"It's in the middle of Wyoming," Ronnie rmeinded him.

"Near ski slopes," Walker reminded her. "Come on, it'll be a nice change of pace."

"My father had to marry your mother, didn't he? He couldn't have married a woman with no children? Or at least one who didn't think he was so smart."

"You're just lucky, I guess, Ronnie."

"If I was lucky, you would have left when my father and your mother divorced."

"Well, I'm smart enough to know, I like your dad more than my mother."

Montoya Bodega

Theresa was going around dusting the shelves, her head moving to the music coming over her earphones. Maria sat behind the counter, watching her 15 year-old sister in amusement and hoping a customer would come in to end her boredom. The worst part of summer vacation was the endless hours of work at the Bodega. As if in answer to her quiet prayers, the bell over the door jungled as it opened. Maria looked over and frowned. "Hey Jamie," she said.

"You could at least pretend to be happy to see me, 'Ria," Jamie replied, smiling.

"I'm just bored and wanted a real costumer to come in."

"Am I a make-believe costumer?" Jamie asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Depends, are you actually going to pay for the food you eat?" Maria countered, starting to smile.

"Well not if you're gonna be Miss Attitude about it."

"She's always Miss Attitude," Theresa said as she walked over. "And Miss Slave Driver."

"Hey, dusting is your job, Theresa. Always has been. I didn't assign the job to you," Maria replied. "Are you finished?"

"Yes," Theresa said snottily.

"Then go do inventory," Maria said, handing her sister the clipboard.

"Why don't you do it?"

"Becaue Mama trusts me to watch the counter, but not you," Maria replied. "Go!"

Theresa rolled her eyes but did as told, muttering the whole way back.

"When did she get an attitude?" Jamie asked.

"A month ago last Saturday," Maria replied. "When she found out Jenny got to go to the party at the lodge and she didn't."

"Why didn't she come?"

"Mama doesn't like me and Diego going, she certainly doesn't want her baby girl going."

"She's only two years younger than you," Jamie said.

"That's enough for Mama."

Virginia's Diner

Laura was working again, and becoming more and more frustrated with her dad. She never used to work at the diner, and now she was working a few days a week. It was cutting into her shopping time, and her time with David. Not that time with David had been quality lately, he spent half his time complaining that he couldn't believe she was related to 'that little jerk' Jamie. And it was all because of her uncle Mike not saying he loved Rebecca on his deathbed. It was getting old. Older than old.

With a frustrated sigh she walked over to a table and slammed three menues down in front of the customers. "Drinks?"

"Politeness and good service?" Matt countered.

Theo Jackson, another friend of Matt and Diego's, laughed, but Diego rolled his eyes and looked up apologetically. "Sorry Laura, these two think they're funny," he said.

Laura shrugged. "Well, I'm in a bitchy mood, so I'll forgive them. This time," she said. "What would you gentlemen like to drink this fine afternoon?" she asked in a sachrine sweet voice.

"Yikes, you're worse than my sister when I piss her off," Matt said.

Laura snorted. "Summer's never pissed off, the girl is perrenially perky."

"How would you know?"

"She's only in here having breakfast, lunch, or dinner, with my cousin Jamie about 4 times a week!" Laura said, laughing. "She's always all bright, and cheerful, and smiling, and it's sickening," she added. "Now what do you want to drink, jackasses?"

"Much better, fits you better," Matt said. "Root beer."

"Cherry cola," Theo said, stilling trying to stiffle his laughter.

"Root beer."

"I'll be right back," Laura said, turning and walking away.

"She's scary," Matt said.

"You want Scary?" Diego asked. "Maria first thing in the morning! You know the old joke of 'Don't bother me until I've had my coffee'? Well, for Maria it's 'Don't bother me until I'm completely dressed and primped for the day, AND have had breakfast'. Now she's scary."

HFPD

Malcolm sat at his desk, looking over the case files for the rapes around the state. There was something there, something that he knew should be telling him all he needed to know. But he couldn't quite figure out what. Malcolm looked up as the door opened, admitting Julian and Hank.

"You wanted to see us, Chief?" Hank said.

"Yeah," Malcolm said, gesturing for them to sit. "First, I know you've been working hard on finding out who killed Mike. Any suspects?"

"Not really," Julian said. "I had an idea, but it seems absurd."

"What is it?" Malcolm asked.

"Well, it was Jamie's jeep, and there was barely an hour between when it was decided Mike and Rebecca would borrow the jeep, and they left. What if they weren't the intended targets, Jamie was?"

"Who would want to hurt a teenager?" Hank asked.

"That's what makes it absurd."

Malcolm leaned forward. "Two possibilities. I got an alert from Janice Brady, the mother of Jamie's girlfriend. Apparently Summer's ex-boyfriend is in town and has been since Febuary. Apparently he's unstable, it's possible he was trying to hurt Jamie."

"The other possibility?"

Malcolm sighed. "This stays within this office, is that understood?"

"Yes sir," both men replied.

"There's a reason I've put the statewide rape cases on our roster."

"Which is?" Julian asked.

"We don't know if it was the same guy from the other attacks, but... Jamie was raped last fall. Right on the 3 month schedule our guy has. Mike was starting to work on the cases before his death."

"You think the same bastard raped Jamie?" Julian asked, his temper building. "If we find that son of a bitch..."

"We will," Malcolm said. "But maybe it was him, maybe he just intended to damage the jeep so he could have access again."

"Doesn't really make sense," Hank said.

"I know, but it's still possible," Malcolm agreed. "Listen, I'm heading out of town to talk to the officers who handled the other cases, see if I can dredge any extra information up. I want a guard on Jamie, keeping an eye on him until I get back. And I want you two on that. Alternating shifts."

"If I don't take day shift Sarah will kill me," Julian told Hank with a shrug. "A sit is we hardly see eachother."

"That's fine, I'll take nights," Hank replied with a smile.

Summer's Room

Summer anxiously paced her room, her eyes going straight to the clock every few minutes. Finally, she stopped pacing and just stared at the clock, and when the minute hand clicked over, she ran into her private bathroom. Emerging a few minutes later, she stared down at her hands, which held a stick in one and a box in the other...

"I can't be pregnant," she whispered, looking up from the test, her eyes betraying her fear.

End of Episode Thirty Four