Beachy
Section 5
Please note: This is copyrighted (©) by me, Tammtamm. Please do not copy it or save it without my permission. Thank you. This story has some connection to the story Missy and Bob, but you won't see that until much later in the story (however, you may see some similarities). Feedback for the story should be sent to stories@iwuvjoey.com. Any similarities between the characters and people in real life are purely coincidental. These are characters from my mind (although some names and characteristics were "borrowed" from Baywatch). This is purely for enjoyment purposes only. Any and all comments should be sent to me at iwuvjoey@iwuvjoey.com unless it's feedback pertaining to the story. Thank you.
"Everything okay?" MJ asked as they walked past her.
"Yeah." "Fine." they both replied.
"How much longer until dinner, dad? I'm starved." Kevin said as he stood at the doorway into the apartment.
"Not much longer." Mitch replied. Ski grabbed a soda out of the cooler and went to sit down in one of the chairs. Colleen went up to the bedroom. She had to start cleaning it in order to find the bed. "Oh, the hell with it!" Colleen cried and threw everything out of her way as she made a path to the bed.
"Damn! I actually found the bed." Colleen said. She had begun to go through the stuff that was on the bed when she came past the ratty old sweater of Dave's that she loved to wear. "Oh, boy. This is going to be a big task." Colleen said to herself. She went into the closet to get a few empty boxes. One for things of Dave's she knew she wanted to keep and one for the stuff that she wasn't sure of or didn't want. She put the sweater in the box that she wanted to keep. A half hour later, Shawnee came into the room looking for her.
"Dinner's ready." Shawnee said as she knocked on the door.
"I'll be right down." Colleen whispered. She had been crying.
"You wanna talk about it?" Shawnee asked.
"No. I've done enough talking about it already."
"Let this go until tomorrow or something and come enjoy dinner and everyone's company." Shawnee said. She took Dave's picture out of Colleen's hands.
"Is Ski okay?" Colleen asked.
"A little quiet, but that's because of you." Colleen looked at Shawnee.
"How much do you know?"
"I think everyone knows that he loves you so much that it's killing him to see you go through this." Shawnee explained.
"Oh, god." Colleen put her head in her hands.
"Hey, hey. It's okay. We all think it's a good thing. MJ says that David's spirit has chosen Ski for you. Nobody's gonna try to tell you or Ski that this isn't a good thing."
"There isn't any `thing' there to be a good `thing' for us right now. I'm not sure about romance right now."
"But you told Ski you were willing to try didn't you?"
"Yes."
"Okay, then. That's a start. C'mon, before a search party comes looking for us." Shawnee said. Colleen set aside the tissue box and went with Shawnee back to join everyone outside.
Colleen fixed herself a plate and went to sit next to Ski.
"What are you doing sitting here all by yourself? Your friends are all here." Colleen said.
"I don't feel very sociable right now. I've been sitting here thinking. Do you realize that you're probably going to have to spend the rest of your life with a bodyguard by your side?" Ski looked directly into her eyes.
"Apparently you’re not very hungry either. Have you had anything to eat?" she asked.
"Not really. Answer my question." Ski demanded.
"Not if I'm careful. Dave didn't have a bodyguard." Colleen replied.
"His face wasn't plastered all over the papers. Yours has been." Ski said matter-of-factly.
"Let's not talk about this right now, okay? Let's try to have a good time tonight. If we sit here and worry, we're both just gonna go to pieces and I don't want that right now." Colleen said in a whisper. "Now, do you want a hamburger or hot dog and don't tell me you're not hungry. You've never passed up food for as long as I've known you." Colleen said and stood up.
"A couple hot dogs please and some of your mom's pasta salad." Ski shook his head. "Already bossing me around. What am I going to do with you."
"Learn to live with it." Colleen said and smiled.
"C'mon, Kevin. Let's go. It's getting late!" Mitch said as he finished packing up the Explorer.
"But, dad!"
"You should be in bed, pal. Say goodnight to everyone." Mitch was firm.
"Ganna, do I have to?" Kevin said.
"I'll be over in the morning and we can spend the day together, right, dad?" Ganna looked at Mitch.
"That's right." Mitch said as he walked over to Colleen.
"Okay. Thanks." Kevin hugged everyone good-bye and got into the Explorer. Mitch said his good-byes as well.
"Thanks for manning the grill and for all your help today." Colleen said as they hugged.
"Anytime. I'll be by tomorrow after my shift to help with anything that might need fixed and stuff. Okay?" Mitch asked.
"Thanks." Colleen said.
"We're going to get going too, Collie. I'm off tomorrow, so I'll come by after lunch." Shawnee said. Colleen hugged both her and Billy.
"Bring the baby too, okay?" Colleen asked.
"You bet."
"Call us if you need anything." Billy said. They strapped the baby in the car and left.
MJ, Matt, Doug, and Roe were all out on the patio. Colleen's parents were in the apartment and Colleen and Ski were talking with Officer North.
"I must apologize for us sending you on that goose chase earlier, Officer North." Colleen said.
"If we're going to be working together, you might as well call me Brian, alright." he replied.
"If that's what you want. Brian, I'm not use to taking orders from anyone let alone being told that I was not to go anywhere without an escort and ..."
"No need to explain. Detective Anders may yell, but that's just because he wants me to succeed. No harm done." Brian stopped Colleen from saying anymore.
"Why don't you come out back and join us? Mickey is a pretty good watch dog. If he hears anything out of the ordinary or sees something or someone he doesn't like, he'll let us know." Ski asked.
"Alright. Thank you." Officer Brian North followed them out to the patio.
"Guys, I want to introduce you to someone you'll be seeing a lot of. His name is Brian North, but call him Brian." Ski said once they were all out back. "Brian, this is Matt, MJ, Roe, and Doug. They're all lifeguards and good friends of myself and of Colleen's."
"Pleased to meet all of you."
"You're going to be Colleen's bodyguard?" Doug asked.
"Temporarily until she can get one or two on a more permanent basis." Brian replied.
"What do you do when you're not being a cop?" Matt asked.
"I like to work with children, so I volunteer at the Boys and Girls club in Venice. It's close to home."
"Can you swim?" MJ asked.
"What kind of question is that?" Doug asked.
"He'd be a good candidate for lifeguard." MJ defended herself.
"You've got the bod for it." Roe added. Brian blushed.
"Guys! Cut it out! Brian, I must apologize for my friends." Colleen asked.
"No need to apologize. They're just being themselves."
"Yeah, complete bumbleheads, that's why we love them." Ski replied.
"Collie, honey, your father and I are going to head on home. You sure you don't want to stay with us?"
"Ski and Matt and MJ are going to stay with me tonight, but thanks for asking mom. I'll call you tomorrow and Daddy, I'll call you tomorrow as well. We have business to discuss." Colleen said.
"You'd better get some sleep." her father said as he hugged her. "Ski, make sure she gets some rest, okay."
"Right Mr. D." Ski said.
"Goodnight kids."
"Goodnight, Mr. and Mrs. D." Matt, Roe, MJ, and Doug replied. Colleen waited until her parents had pulled out of the driveway.
"Thank goodness, they're gone. Let's go inside and watch a movie." Colleen said. Everyone giggled.
"You're mean, Coll."
"No, I just need space from them every once and awhile and when stuff like this happens, I feel smothered by them."
"Dougie and I gotta go. We both gotta work tomorrow."
"Oh, thanks for helping me get some semblance of a home back. Call me so we can get together and go shopping, okay?" Colleen asked.
"Definitely. C'mon Dougie." Roe said after she hugged Colleen.
"Okay, who's for some ice cream?" Colleen said after she came back from walking Dougie and Roe out to their car. Everyone raised their hands.
"I'll come help." MJ said.
"Finally! A few minutes alone with you, MJ. How are you?" Colleen asked once they were in the kitchen. She took the ice cream out of the freezer while MJ got the bowls and spoons out of the cabinets and drawers.
"Surviving. It's hard to not be able to see you and David on the beach everyday. It was even harder for me to believe that it was you and David and your family that I was helping to rescue."
"You never let it cross your mind that you might have to save a fellow lifeguard. I know. I went through what you're going through a little over two years ago down at Malibu Beach. Time heals all wounds." Colleen said.
"Who'd you have to rescue?" MJ asked.
"Curt Brent."
"Curt? Shark attack victim a few years ago, right?"
"Yeah. He had just got done flirting with me an hour before hand and had managed to piss off David really bad. Anyway, Curt went for a swim when I noticed the top of the shark in the water. I called for back up and sounded the alarm for everyone to get out of the water. Curt was on his way back in when the shark got him. One of the other lifeguards shot a tranquilizer into the shark from the shore and the shark let go of Curt. Curt died in my arms in the ambulance on the way to the hospital." she scooped out the ice cream.
"Oh, wow. How did you handle it?"
"I didn't. I took off to San Diego to see William. He was down there on assignment for his job and at the time, I didn't want to talk about what I saw. Of course, Mitch tracked me down and he and David came after me."
"I know how that is. When I handed in my resignation without even talking to Mitch, he tracked me down at my ex-husband's house."
"We'll be okay. You gotta believe that." Colleen said as she put away the ice cream. "We'd better get this out there before it melts."
"Colleen, thanks for telling me about Curt. It helps to know that I'm not alone with this." MJ said before she grabbed three bowls.
"You're never alone. As long as Mitch is alive, as I like to tease him, Big Brother is watching." Colleen smiled.
"What's taking so long for the ice cream?" Matt asked as he came into the kitchen and nearly knocked into MJ.
"We were just coming out." Colleen replied.
"Sorry, MJ. Didn't mean to walk into you." Matt apologized.
"That's okay. Here, have a bowl." MJ handed Matt a bowl.
"Mr. Handyman got the VCR hooked up to the TV, now he's trying to hook up cable." Matt said.
"Mr. Handyman?" both Colleen and MJ asked.
"Brian." They all went into the living room.
"Hey! You guys hook up the cable and the VCR and you're hear playing video games? I don't think so." Colleen said as she handed Brian a bowl of ice cream. MJ handed a bowl to Ski. Colleen sat down next to Ski.
"But, but...I was winning." Ski said as Colleen took the paddle away from him.
"You can play later." Colleen said. Colleen switched the game back to TV and turned MTV on.
"I think there might be a Lakers Game on." Matt said.
"If you can find it, put it on..." Colleen threw the remote to him, "Boy, I'm tired!" she exclaimed.
"I think we all are." MJ said.
"Excuse me, but you didn't fly out to New York and back in less than twenty-four hours, come home and discover your apartment trashed and your niece and nephew missing." Ski pointed out.
"I worked all day and then came over here after work to help out."
"Guys, don't argue. Ski's just edgy tonight, MJ. You know how he gets. Don't sit here and get into a fight. Everyone's too tired to fight tonight."
"Yes mother." Ski teased. The phone rang. It was Colleen's mother. Colleen answered the phone.
"Hello?"
"Hi, honey. It's your mom."
Colleen began to laugh. She looked over at Ski. "Speaking of mothers!" she said, "Hi, mom. What's up?"
"Your dad's on the way over with your medicine. You left it in the kitchen." she explained.
"Oh, man. Thanks, ma. What about mine and Ski's luggage?" she asked.
"On the way over with the medicine, dear."
"Ok, ma. Thanks. Goodnight." Colleen said and hung up the phone.
"What did your mom want?" Ski asked.
"I left my medicine on her kitchen counter so daddy's bringing it over as well as our luggage."
"What are you doing, Ski? Moving in?" Matt teased. Ski threw a pillow at him.
"Very funny, Matthew Jeremiah." Ski replied.
"Matthew Jeremiah? How come Ski knew your middle name but I could never find out?" MJ asked. Matt threw the pillow back at Ski. "Thanks a lot, Ski."
"Anytime," Ski replied before turning to look at Colleen, "You look tired. Why don't you go on upstairs and lie down? When your father gets here, I'll bring up your medicine."
"Nope, in case you forgot, this is an adult slumber party. I'm sleeping down here." Colleen told him. She didn't tell him that she didn't want to go up into the bedroom right now.
"Oh, okay. Is Brian invited?" Ski asked.
"Does he have a choice?" Brian asked.
"Yes, Brian. You have a choice. If it were up to me, I'd let you go home, but I made a promise to my parents and Ski that I would abide by this bodyguard thing." Colleen replied.
"I'm staying for tonight, but I have a suggestion that I want you to think about." Brian said.
"What's that?" Colleen asked.
"Move one of the couches so that the back of it is facing the ocean. Just in case we get an unwanted visitor or two."
"Say no more, Bri. That's a good idea. Matt, help me." Ski said. The Lakers game was on. They were losing.
"Huh, oh, ok."
"Colleen and I will go get some pillows and stuff." MJ said and grabbed Coll’s hand and dragged her out of the room before she could say anything.
"MJ! Why did you pull me out like that?" she asked.
"Because I could tell that you were going to argue about moving the couch around. Let's get the pillows out of the bedroom and some blankets." MJ said.
"You can get the pillows out of the bedroom. I'll get the blankets." Colleen said as she opened the hallway closet. She didn't want to face her bedroom anymore this evening.
"You okay?" MJ asked. She had detected a tone change in Colleen's voice.
"I'm fine. Go get the pillows." Colleen said.
"Collie, your dad is here." Ski shouted up to here.
"Be right down." she shouted back.
"I'll meet you downstairs." MJ replied.
"Daddy, mom called and told me you'd be back. Thank you for bringing my medicine." Colleen said as she greeted her father.
"Your welcome. Oh, do you think you could stop by Crystal's parents to see the twins sometime tomorrow? Jenn's called the house several times tonight and said that the twins really want to see you."
"Yeah, I'll stop by after lunch." Colleen said. Ski and Matt brought in the luggage.
"Well, okay. I guess I'll be going home then. Call me at the office tomorrow so we can discuss the reading of the will okay?"
"Sure, dad. I'll call Gwen and see when you're available." Colleen hugged her father.
"Goodnight Mr. D." Ski and Matt said as Mr. Dougherty left. Brian had gone outside to do a perimeter check.
"Goodnight kids."
"Boy, Collie...your father sure is something." Matt said.
"Why do you say that?" Colleen asked as she fluffed the couch pillows.
"He cornered Ski when he first got here and tried to get Ski to talk you into going home tonight."
"Sounds more like my mom doing it than my dad. Typical. Ski? What did you tell him?"
"You're a big girl and as far as I'm concerned, the decision is up to you and you're home with no plans of budging." he came over and put his hands on her shoulders.
"Thank you." she said and hugged him.
"Anytime. So, what do you think of where we put the couch?" Ski said. He motioned towards the couch.
"Not bad. But, I'll be glad when this is over so we can get back to some normalcy."
"Normalcy? I'm sorry but, what you thought was normalcy a few months ago is no longer a possibility for you, Colleen." Brian North stated as he came into the room.
"What do you mean?"
"You own Patrick's Pubs International. You are very wealthy. You have to protect yourself and living here leaves you open to every crazy person that is out there." Brian said.
"Not this again! I will not give up this apartment."
"You don't have to, all I'm saying is that you should consider moving to a more secure location. One that can be protected on all sides. How can anyone protect you from those who try to come in from the ocean?" Brian asked. Ski just sat back and listened to them. Maybe everything would finally sink into Colleen's head if she heard it from someone other than himself, her parents, and her friends. Colleen threw up her hands.
"I give up! I really do. Listen, I'm going to go take a shower, or do I need a bodyguard in there with me?" she said sarcastically and ran out of the room. It was silent for a few minutes.
"I didn't mean to upset her so much." Brian finally said.
"It's not you. She's just a very emotional person and lately it's been very hard for her to handle everything." Ski explained.
"Everything I told her was the truth."
"I know. I've told her, her parents have told her, and even some of our friends have told her about how things have changed. She's stubborn and determined. You just may have been the one to finally make her see that her life has changed dramatically." Ski said as he grabbed a beer from the kitchen. "Hey, you want a beer?"
"Can't. I'm on duty."
"Okay, just thought I'd ask." Matt and MJ came in from the patio.
"Where's Collie?" MJ asked.
"Taking a shower." Ski replied. He put the music channel on the TV.
"Ah, yes. Well, I'm going to go change. I'll be back." she kissed Matt, grabbed her stuff and went upstairs to the bedroom. "It's just me, Colleen." she announced as she entered the room. She could feel the heat from the shower spilling out into the bedroom. She could also hear Colleen crying. "Collie, are you okay?" she inquired. Colleen didn't answer her. She went ahead and changed into her night clothes. A few minutes later she heard the shower turn off and Colleen step out of the shower so she asked again, "Collie, are you okay?"
"I'm fine. What are the guys doing?" Colleen said as she dried herself off and towel dried her hair.
"They were watching MTV when I came up here. Who knows what they're doing now."
"How long have you been up here?" she asked as she dressed in one of David's old shirts and a pair of baggy shorts.
"About fifteen minutes...I guess. God, you look so thin!" MJ said as she walked into the bedroom.
"Great new way to lose weight...get knocked unconscious for a few weeks and have to be fed intravenously!" she joked. MJ sat down on the toilet lid.
"Don't sit there..." Colleen said, "David broke the lid over Easter..." she explained as MJ fell off the toilet. They both bursted out in laughter. Matt, Ski, and Brian came running.
"What happened?" "We heard a thud. Are you two okay?" the guys asked. MJ and Colleen laughed even harder.
"We're fine." MJ finally managed to say. Colleen pointed to the toilet and then to the lid on the floor and started laughing harder, MJ started laughing again.
"I don't want to know." Ski said as he left the room, shaking his head which made the ladies laugh harder.
"Collie?" Ski asked when he woke up and she was no where in sight. Everyone else was asleep. Brian was out on the patio. "Where's Collie?" he asked Brian.
"In the bedroom She couldn't sleep so she went up to the bedroom since everyone else was asleep. It's only 4:30. Why don't you go back to sleep."
"I'm up now. I'm going to go check on Colleen before I go for a run." Ski said. He left Brian out on the patio. When he got to the bedroom, Colleen was sitting on the floor of the closet, one hand held the engagement ring, the other the letter. She was crying as she read the note over and over again. "Couldn't sleep Coll?" he asked.
"No, so I thought that I'd go through some of Dave's stuff. I started to earlier and couldn't do it and I can't do it. I can't pack his stuff up." Ski sat down next to her.
"I understand." Ski said. He put his arm around her.
"I'm afraid that if I pack up his stuff that I'll forget everything about him and everything we shared."
"That's not going to happen. No one will let it. Dave was important to everyone he knew."
"It's time to let go...I know that in my mind, but my heart still says no." Colleen looked at Ski.
"Time is what you need, Colleen."
"No. Time is what I've had. I've been sitting up here since you guys all fell asleep and it's finally sunk in. I can't live here anymore. Not because of the memories but because of the high profile since the accident. I don't want to live at home because I don't want to disrupt the twins' or my parents' routines. I'm going to have to move to a place that has security twenty-four hours a day."
"You mean it. You're willing to move?" Ski asked.
"What choice do I have? I'm going to buy this building though and renovate it into one huge house. I'll give the other tenants a year to move out."
"Sounds like you know what you want to do." Ski said.
"Yeah. Starting with this." Colleen said. She got up and went to the safe. "I'm going to keep the ring and note in here until I get a new place. Someday, maybe I'll be able to part with that ring, but I could never wear it."
"Why don't you try to get some sleep? You can worry about everything later. The doctors said that you shouldn't do too much." Ski said.
"I'm fine. I can't sleep. When I sleep all I see is David or my brother or Crystal. I don't want to sleep." Colleen told him as she closed the safe.
"Then come for a run on the beach with me. The sun will be up soon." Ski suggested.
"No. You go ahead. I'm just gonna stay here and go through everything. Enjoy your run, okay?" she asked.
"Okay. I'll be back in a little while. I wish you'd get some sleep though."
"I will...later. Go on now." Colleen shooed him out of the bedroom. Minnie was asleep on the bed and Mickey was watching her every move with a sad face. "You miss daddy, too, huh." she said as she petted Mickey. The dog licked her face. "I know, boy. Me too." she went back to work sorting through everything.
It was seven o'clock when Ski returned to the house. Brian was inside drinking a cup of coffee with Matt.
"How's Colleen?" he asked as he poured himself a glass of orange juice.
"She was sorting through stuff a half hour ago." Matt said.
"I figured as much. I'm gonna go check on her." Ski said and went up to the bedroom. He found her asleep on the edge of the bed holding onto a picture.
"About time you fell asleep." Ski put his glass down and picked her up and put her under the covers. Mickey and Minnie moved closer to her as soon as Ski put the covers over her. "You silly dogs. You watch over her." Ski said. He left the door open and went back downstairs.
"What's she doing?" Brian asked.
"Sleeping. Why don't you go on home? Your shift is over now and you need your sleep. Thanks for all your help."
"Any time. Would you mind if I kept in touch with you guys?"
"You better. Or we'll come looking for you. We know where you work." Ski said. He walked Brian out to his car.
"Okay, if you or Colleen need me, just call me at home." Brian handed Ski his card.
"We will. Don't be a stranger." Ski said. He watched Brian drive away.
"It's gonna be a busy day today." Matt said when Ski joined him on the patio.
"It sure is. Mitch and the gang are going to have their hands full. What time did you get up?"
"A little after six. MJ's beeper went off. She slept right through it." Matt laughed.
"Not use to funny noises, eh?"
"Not at all, man. Look, do you think Colleen is going to be okay?" Matt was worried.
"She'll be fine. Brian got to her though. She's going to look for some place a little more secure and see if she can buy this place from the landlord."
"Why'd she wanna do that?"
"To keep Dave's memory alive somehow. She's so afraid that she's going to forget him."
"How are you holding up?" Matt asked.
"Colleen knows I love her. I told her that a few days ago. I'll wait forever if I have to for her and she told me to give her some time...which is only natural. I miss David. No doubt about that, but I know that if he couldn't be with her forever that he'd want me or someone like Mitch for her to fall in love with."
"That's not what I asked Ski. I asked how you're holding up." Matt said.
"When I know, I'll let you know." Ski replied.
"Guys, Mitch has called me in. Matt, he wants to know if you'll come in too." MJ said as she joined them on the patio. It was almost nine o'clock. They heard a car pull up. It was Colleen's father.
"Mr. D? Good morning, what's up?" Ski asked.
"Just thought I'd swing by and see Colleen before I went into work today." he replied.
"She's sleeping. I just checked on her." MJ said.
"Oh, then I won't disturb her. Just tell her I need her to come to the office and sign some papers, alright?"
"I'll see that she gets the message." Ski replied. Mr. Dougherty left as quickly as he arrived.
"I can see why Colleen feels smothered by them sometimes." MJ said, she turned to Matt, "Are you coming in to work with me?" she asked.
"Yeah, let me call Mitch back and tell him we'll be there ASAP." Matt said.
"Don't be surprised if you see me and Colleen around HQ today. I'm going to try to get her back to work asap." Ski said. They all walked into the house just as Colleen screamed. They heard a gun shot. Ski was the first one up the stairs and into the bedroom. He saw a man wearing a ski mask lying face down on the floor.
"Collie? Are you okay?" he asked as he, Matt, and MJ watched as Colleen dropped the gun and slumped down in the corner, crying. "MJ, go call 911 and Brian." Ski said as he made his way over to Colleen. Matt went to check to see if the masked man was still alive. Colleen wrapped her arms around Ski tightly. She was trembling. "Shh, baby, I've got you." he said softly to her. MJ came running back into the room.
"Ambulance, Brian, and the police are on their way." MJ replied. "How's the guy?" she asked. Matt removed the ski mask. It was Dean McCollum. Colleen screamed when she realized who it was. "Oh my god, I shot Dean! I shot Dean!" she screamed.
"Out cold. Get her out of here. MJ, get me a towel. Gotta apply pressure to his stomach wound." Matt instructed.
Sergeant Geoffries was the first to arrive on the scene.
"What happened?" he immediately asked.
"Dean McCollum broke in, cornered Colleen, so she shot him." Ski said. He had brought her down to the patio. She was staring out at the ocean. She wouldn't talk to anyone.
"Colleen? You want to tell me what happened?" the sergeant asked. Tears were coming down Colleen's face.
"Get me out of here, Ski. Please." she whispered.
"Colleen. Geoffries needs your statement?" MJ said.
"I...I...not right now. I can't. I can't stay here. I can't deal with this. I want my mom." she said.
"It's alright. We'll get it later. Get her out of here, Ski." Sergeant Geoffries said.
"I'll call your mom and let her know we're on our way over. MJ will get you something to wear and get your medicine and your purse. Geoffries will stay out here with you." Ski instructed. Colleen sat down on the steps leading to the beach. Ski and MJ went inside.
"Oh my god! I shot Dean. I shot him!" Colleen said as she wept. Mickey and Minnie were sitting in front of her looking at her.
"It was self defense, Colleen. He had broken in." Geoffries said. Brian pulled up and ran through the apartment.
"Ski? Colleen?" he spoke. He saw Colleen outside on the patio and went out there.
"What happened? Is everyone okay?" he knelt down beside Colleen.
"I shot Dean. He...he...tried to..." Colleen wept some more.
"Brian, I'm glad you're here. Matt needs some help upstairs. Get Colleen to take some medicine." MJ said.
"You ready to go?" Ski came out onto the patio. He handed Colleen a glass of water for her medicine.
"Where are you guys going?" Brian wanted to know.
"Her parents house. How about coming with us? She listens to you really well." Ski suggested, "You drive."
"C'mon, Collie. Let's go." Brian said. He handed her duffel bag to Ski and walked ahead of them to his car. Colleen was quiet all the way to her parents house.
"Dean's in surgery?" Colleen finally spoke after she calmed down.
"Matt called me a little while ago to let me know. Sergeant Geoffries will come by later to get your statement." her mother said. Colleen was quiet for a few minutes.
"I'm not going back to the apartment...ever." Colleen said.
"Fine. The gang and your father and I will pack everything up for you." her mother replied.
"Where will you stay?" Brian asked. He interrupted his phone call.
"I don't know. I need to talk to daddy. Is he at the office?" she asked.
"Yes. Why don't I call him and have him come home as soon as Brian's off the phone?"
Colleen nodded and continued to stare out the window. Brian was on the phone with the station and Ski had gone back to her apartment.
"Have you eaten anything, Collie?"
"I'm not hungry. Would you just hold me, ma? Please?" Colleen asked her mother.
"Oh, sweetie." her mother went over and hugged her daughter.
Crystal's sister, Jenn, called a little later.
"Mrs. D, it's all over the news that Colleen shot Dean. Is she okay?"
"She's sleeping right now, but she's not okay. Could you and your mom bring the twins over? I think they would cheer her up." Mrs. D. asked.
"We'll be over shortly." Jenn hung up the phone.
"Brian? I'm going to go fix some lunch. Would you like something?" she asked.
"No, thank you. I'm fine. I'm going to go check on Colleen." Brian said. He went into the den where Colleen had fallen asleep after talking with her father. She was still asleep. He checked the windows. They were locked. He saw some news vans begin to pull up out front.
"Mrs. Dougherty, the press is beginning to arrive." Brian said as he entered the kitchen.
"Thank you for the warning, Brian. How's Collie?"
"Sleeping. I closed the curtains and made sure the windows were locked."
"Would you like some ice tea?"
"Sure. Thank you." he said. Ski came in thru the kitchen door.
"Looks like the press followed me over?" Ski said as he took Minnie and Mickey off their leashes.
"They were bound to show up sooner or later. How about some lunch?" she asked.
"Got any more of your salad from last night?" Ski asked. Mrs. D. smiled as she got it out of the fridge. The phone started to ring. It was Sergeant Geoffries. Mrs. D. let Brian answer the phone.
"How's Colleen?"
"Sleeping. How's Dean?"
"Still in surgery. While he was in the ambulance, he told a paramedic it was all his fault and that he was sorry."
"Yeah, right. I talked with Anders. He said that Dean's parents reported Dean missing yesterday morning and that he had written them a good-bye letter. How come you and I weren't told about this?" Brian asked. "How are we suppose to protect her without knowing all the facts?"
"I understand Brian. I really do. Listen to me for just a minute, okay. What matters now is that Colleen does not get out of yours or Ski's sight until we can get a statement from Dean. I just got done talking with Colleen's father. Colleen has asked her father to find four bodyguards. Three male and one female. She has requested that one of the men be you if you are willing to leave the force. Are you willing to leave the force?"
"I honestly don't know. I'm still wet behind the ears. Can we talk about this later?"
"Yeah, one more thing though...I know you didn't get much sleep so keep alert. Got it?"
"Yeah, Sergeant." he hung up the phone. "Dean's still in surgery." Brian told Ski and Mrs. Dougherty. Ski went back to eating and Mrs. D prepared a tray for Colleen.
"The twins and Jenn and Mrs. Jones will be here any minute. I need you guys to look out for them and help them through the crowd, okay? I'm gonna take this food to Collie and get her to eat some of it."
"Don't force her Mrs. Dougherty."
"I'll try not to."
Brian and Ski waited by the front door for the Jones' and the twins.
Colleen was not on the couch when Mrs. Dougherty entered the den. She found Colleen on the floor in the corner with her knees up to her chin.
"Collie, honey. What's wrong?" she asked.
"When is all of this going to stop? When?" Colleen cried.
"Soon, baby, soon. What you need now is some nourishment and some company. C'mon." Mrs. Dougherty set the tray down on the desk and turned on the TV. The networks were all doing special "live" reports on the shooting.
"Please turn it off, mom. I don't want to hear everyone else’s guesses at what happened." Colleen asked her mom. Mickey and Minnie came into the room.
"Ski went and got them while you were talking with daddy. Jenn and her mom are bringing the twins over. You okay with that?"
"Yeah, yeah I am." Colleen said after she gave it some thought. Playing with the twins would help her forget what happened, she hoped.
"Well, then, you'd better eat your lunch. The twins will keep you hopping." her mother said. Colleen walked over to the stereo and popped in one of the tapes that she made for her parents.
"I'll eat, ma. I swear." Colleen said as she picked up Minnie.
"Alright, I'll be back in a little while. Try to eat more than a bite or two." her mother instructed as she left the room.
"Uncle Ski!" The twins cheered with delight when Ski opened the car door for them. He handed Joey to Brian and picked up Jessica.
"Hi, kids. This here is Brian. He's a friend of Aunt Collie's and mine. Jenn, Mrs. Jones, let's get inside." Ski hurried the women inside. Brian was right behind him.
"What's this about Colleen shooting Dean?" Mrs. Jones asked immediately.
"Dean broke in to the apartment this morning when the rest of us were out on the patio and Colleen shot in self defense. She hasn't said much on the subject." Ski said.
"Gramma! Gramma!" the twins said when they saw Mrs. Dougherty.
"How are my precious babies? Jenn, Audrey thank you for bringing them over."
"No problem, Sarah. Where is she?" Audrey asked.
"In the den. Hopefully eating some lunch." Mrs. Dougherty explained.
"C'mon Jessie." Joey said as they ran toward the den.
"Colleen know they're coming?" Ski asked.
"Yeah. C'mon, everyone, let's go into the kitchen."
A half hour later Joey and Jessica came running into the kitchen.
"Gramma, Gramma, Aunt Collie's sick." Joey said.
"I'll go check on her." Jenn said and went into the den.
"Colleen?" she walked into the bathroom. Colleen was kneeling over the toilet, coughing blood into the toilet. "Oh my god, Colleen." she said.
"Please get my mom." Colleen asked. Jenn left and quickly, Mrs. Dougherty and Ski were at her side.
"Collie, what's wrong?"
"I'm coughing up blood, momma. I don't know what to do." Colleen was trembling once again.
"That's it! I'm taking you to the hospital." Ski said. He scooped her up and headed out of the room.
"I don't want to go to the hospital. Please, Ski. Don't take me."
"Coughing up blood is not a good sign, Collie. You haven't had a decent night's rest and you haven't been taking it easy period. You could have an ulcer. Hell, you're so weak right now, you can't even walk!" Ski told her. "Brian! Brian!" Ski said.
"What?"
"Let's go. Mrs. D, we need to borrow your car. The back seat is bigger." Ski said as he headed through the dining room and into the kitchen.
"Go out the back." she instructed as she handed him her keys and Colleen's purse. "I'll call ahead and let Dr. Collins know you're on your way." she said.
"What's going on?" Audrey Jones asked.
"Collie's coughing up blood, ma. C'mon, let's go."
"No. Everyone else stay here. Once we get to the hospital, I'm isolating Colleen from everyone and everything until she fully recuperates." Ski turned around to look at everyone.
"That's it, talk about me like I'm not here." Colleen said. She laid her head on his shoulder. "Better get a bucket." she warned.
"Don't go, Aunt Collie." the twins cried. They were scared.
"Aw, guys, she has to. You want her to get better so she can play with you, right?" Jenn asked the kids. They both nodded yes. "Then you have to let her go for awhile."
"Momma, call daddy and let him know about this. I want him to know." Colleen said as she, Brian, and Ski left the house.
"Jenn, take the children into the den and play with them for a bit, please." Mrs. Dougherty said while she dialed the phone.
"Emergency." a nurse answered the phone.
"I am trying to reach Dr. Collins." she replied.
"One moment...I'll page him for you." the nurse replied.
"Thank you." Mrs. Dougherty said. She waited a few minutes.
"Dr. Collins, may I help you?" Dr. Collins asked.
"Dr. Collins? This is Sarah Dougherty, Colleen's mother. Michael Romanowski is bringing her to the hospital."
"What's wrong?"
"We found her coughing up blood."
"She hasn't gotten any rest since she left the hospital, has she?"
"No. With the funeral, flying to New York and back in less than 24 hours, the twins kidnapping, her apartment being broken into, and she had to shoot Dean McCollum this morning, she's been very high-strung I'm afraid."
"Alright. Are you on your way?"
"As soon as I call my husband. She's very scared, Dr. Collins."
"I understand. I'll see you in a bit." Dr. Collins hung up the phone and went to the Emergency Room. Mrs. Dougherty dialed her husband's office.
"Bill? Ski just took Colleen to the hospital." she said really fast.
"What's wrong?"
"She's coughing up a lot of blood."
"Are you there alone?"
"Audrey Jones and her daughter and the twins are here."
"Okay, you stay there. I'm sure it's nothing. I'll call from the hospital when I know anything." Mr. Dougherty told his wife.
"Promise?" she asked.
"I promise. Put Audrey on the phone." Mrs. Dougherty handed Audrey the phone.
"Bill?"
"Hi Audrey. Could you do me a favor and stay with my wife until I find out what's going on with Collie?"
"Sure. No problem."
"Thank you. I'm taking my cellular phone with me so if you or my wife needs me, call me. The number is next to the kitchen phone."
"I see it. Now get going." Audrey said.
"I am. Goodbye." Bill Dougherty hung up the phone.
"How you feelin', kiddo?" Ski asked Colleen as they turned off of Pacific Coast Highway.
"Like I'm going to throw up again." she said.
"Not in your mom's car, you don't." Brian teased.
"How much longer before we get there?" she asked.
"Another five minutes. I promise." Brian explained.
"I'll try to hang on..." Colleen said sarcastically. She was laying down in the back seat with her head on Ski's lap. Dr. Collins was waiting with a wheelchair for Colleen when Brian drove up to the Emergency entrance.
"Hi, Dr. Collins. Bet you didn't think you'd see me so soon." Colleen tried to joke.
"No offense, Colleen. But you look like hell." Dr. Collins replied.
"I feel much worse than I look. I swear." Colleen said.
"Let's get you into one of the exam rooms. Ski ... don't go anywhere. I want to talk to you." Dr. Collins said sternly as he whisked Colleen away.
"I knew this was all too much. We should've stayed in New York." Ski said as they walked into the waiting room.
An hour later, Dr. Collins greeted Ski, Brian, and Colleen's father in the waiting room.
"She's made herself physically sick. She's exhausted both physically and emotionally. She had an allergic reaction to her lunch today. And with all the events that have occurred, her body's reaction to it all is catching up with her."
"What about coughing up the blood." Mr. Dougherty asked.
"She started vomiting her lunch and when that was all gone, some blood vessels popped, causing the blood. I've started an IV feed bag for her. With her permission, I've admitted her overnight so that we can monitor her. Once she's discharged though, she is to have complete rest. If none of you can guarantee that she's going to get it then I'll keep her here and I've told her that."
"No one knows she's here yet, do they?" Brian asked, concerned about security.
"No. We're putting her in a private room on the fourth floor, close to my office."
"I'm concerned about security." Ski said.
"As long as no one knows that she's here, our staff is secure enough. However, if you want to have security here as well, that's fine."
"What about an ulcer?" Ski said.
"If she doesn't get the rest she needs, she could develop a really bad one. Hopefully she won't."
"Can we see her now?" Mr. Dougherty asked.
"I've given her a sedative. She's sleeping."
"She's been having nightmares. I want someone to sit with her." Ski told the doctor.
"Fine. Her room number is 422. Other than what we've just discussed, she's fine."
"I'm going to go home and tell Sarah what's going on. Ski, if Collie or you need anything, call." Mr. Dougherty replied.
"I guess I'll go, too." Brian replied.
Ski and Dr. Collins walked up to Colleen's room together in silence.
"Dr. Collins, legally, Colleen doesn't have to tell her parents when she's discharged, correct?"
"Right, why?"
"If I can convince Colleen to go up to the mountains for the next few days after tomorrow and we don't tell anyone, would that be okay?"
"Yes. It would do her a world of good. Patient-doctor confidentiality would not permit me to tell anyone anything she didn't want them to know." Dr. Collins explained as they walked up to her room.
"Okay, Could you put an order that she's to have no visitors except for me or Brian, then? I'm going to go set this up and I'll be back tonight. The less everyone knows, the better. I'll explain everything to her dad. Alright." They were outside her door.
"Colleen trusts you with her life, Ski. I will too. When it comes to everyone else, I'm mum. If I'm not here when you get back and you have any questions, have one of the nurses beep me. I've got an awards dinner tonight at the Marriott." the men shook hands before going their separate ways: Dr. Collins to his office and Ski went in to check on Colleen.
"Hey, you're suppose to be sleeping. Dr. Collins said he gave you a sedative." Ski said when he sat down next to Colleen. She was staring at the wall.
"I never swallowed it. I don't want to be here, Ski. I want to go home. I'm so scared that I'll never be the same again. What am I going to do?" she looked at Ski.
"What did you do with that sedative?" Ski asked.
"It's under my pillow, why?"
"Because, the first thing you're going to do is get some sleep and I don't mean a few hours here and a few hours there. I have to go take care of some arrangements for our vacation and you are going to get some rest." Ski poured her a glass of water while she got the pill out from under the pillows.
"What vacation."
"You trust me, right?" he asked. He handed her the glass of water. She nodded her head as she swallowed the pill.
"Okay, then just trust me with this. I've got a lot to do and you need your rest. The nurses have orders not to let anyone in to see you, not even your parents. I will be by later." Ski kissed her on the forehead and walked over to the door.
"Okay. Ski?" she asked.
"Yes." he replied.
"Thank you. For everything."
"Anytime, Collie. Now close those gorgeous hazel eyes and get some rest." Ski said. Colleen closed her eyes. Ski waited there a few minutes before leaving. When he got to the parking lot, he realized he and Colleen came to the hospital in Mrs. Dougherty's car. He went to the bus stop and took the bus to his apartment. There were several messages on his answering machine waiting for him. Before he listened to his messages, he called Mitch at headquarters.
"This is Mitch."
"Mitch, it's Ski. I need your help."
"I'm listening."
"No, I've got to take a shower and then I'll be over. I'll meet you at Seaside Cafe for lunch in 45 minutes, okay?" Ski asked.
"Okay." Mitch said. He heard Ski hang up the phone. "MJ!" he said loudly. MJ was working on the switchboards.
"Yes, Mitch?"
"I've got a meeting to go to. Find Normy and tell him I need to see him immediately." Mitch replied.
"That's easy. He just came in for lunch."
"I'll go down to the lounge. If you need me, page me." Mitch said. He was a bit anxious because he didn't know what Ski was up to. Mr. Dougherty had called him to tell him that Colleen was back in the hospital and for everyone to go ahead back to the apartment and straighten it out. Mitch had even called Ganna and asked her to go to the grocery store and get burgers and hot dogs for tonight for everyone.
"Ski, it's Brian...I know you're home...pick up the phone." Ski heard Brian's voice on his answering machine. He had just gotten out of the shower.
"No time, buddy. Sorry." Brian said to the answering machine.
"Okay, look. Detective Anders and the Forensic squad managed to salvage some fingerprints other than who was at the apartment last night. Unfortunately we haven't been able to identify them yet. We believe that Colleen is still in danger. Whatever you are planning, please let me know about it. You've got my beeper number so use it as soon as possible." Brian said and hung up the phone.
"Sorry, Brian. No one except for Colleen's father and Mitch are going to know our plans." Ski grabbed his car keys and left his place.
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