Looking through the pile she pulled out her utility belt and noticed her weapon was gone. f.u.c.k, who would have taken it? She needed to call Kelly and give her a heads up on the missing side arm. Everything else was there though. Cuffs, flex cuffs, and collapsible baton. Even her reserve magazines for her weapon were there. Another sickening feeling overcame Ashley. What if I lost my gun at the scene and someone picked it up and used it to commit a crime? Stop, she told herself. She was letting her imagination get the better of her and she knew it. Sitting on the couch she tried to reason with her over active mind. No one had her gun. She had pulled it when she lay on the ground, ready to shoot anyone who came near her. Resting it on her chest she waited for the perp to come calling, to finish what he had started. She corrected herself, what she had started. She still couldn't believe that Leslie hated her enough to kill her. The hitting, the pushing, even the slapping were all part of Leslie's abusive behavior, but it had never escalated beyond that, not even when she threatened Ashley. Ashley was so mad her hands began to shake. Adrenaline pulsed through her body fueling her anger as she thought about the shooting again.

"That f.u.c.king b.i.t.c.h," she said through clinched teeth. "It's a good thing she's in jail already. G.o.d only knows what I would do if she were out." Ashley made the hollow threat knowing in the back of her mind she would never do something so brutal. At least giving voice to her thoughts helped her calm down and see reason again. Leslie deserved everything the court system was about to do to her, and Ashley realized it was everything she hadn't done that put her and Tyler in this position. She was on a roller coaster ride of emotions, hatred one minute, guilt and self-loathing the next.

But her gun, what had become of it? Think, think, think. Someone had taken it in the ambulance, Mike. After that she had no clue as to its whereabouts. Opening her closet she put her utility belt and vest inside next to her gun box. Pulling the gun box to her she grabbed the handle and set it on the floor. Punching in her code she pulled the handle when the green light went on. Inside laid her weapon, with the trigger lock in place. Relief surged through her body. At least she didn't have to worry that the gun would fall into the wrong hands.

Ashley rubbed her temples. Frustration another car on the rollercoaster she was on. How had everything turned so upside down? One minute her life was finally going exactly where she had planned, the next minute she was fighting for her life. To make matters worse, Tyler had accidentally come along for the ride.

"Tyler!"

Ashley had wanted to stop by Tyler's room and check in with her before leaving, but in her haste to get out of the hospital she had completely forgotten about Tyler. What was Tyler's room number at the hospital? Oh it didn't matter. She could call the switchboard and they would connect her. At Ashley's request, her mom had been nice enough to replace Ashley's phone while she was in the hospital. The last one still lay in pieces against the wall behind her. Flipping the phone open, she waited for it to boot up. In less than a minute, the phone vibrated letting her know she had messages. Looking at the screen, forty-five messages and texts waited for a response. Most were probably co-workers wishing her well, and the others were probably reporters wanting a scoop on a story. How they got her number she would never know, it seems they had an insider at the police department who didn't have a problem pa.s.sing on information to the news reporters. Ashley decided to listen to the voice mails first, since it would be her first step at clearing her messages. Pressing one on her phone she waited for the messages to start.

"You have thirty-seven messages. Press seven to listen to the first message," the automated voice instructed.

Pressing seven Ashley hit speaker on the phone and set it on the bar. At first she couldn't hear anything. Then suddenly, she could hear heavy breathing and someone running. Recognition rocked her when the voice finally spoke, Leslie.

"Hey Sweetie, I'm just getting everything set up to meet you. It is f.u.c.king amazing up here. The view is killer." A maniacal laugh punctuated her sentences. "Oh, G.o.d, Ash, I wish you were up here to see this. I've got some really great stuff up here. Oops, there you are now. Gotta run babe."

Ashley hated it when Leslie called her babe. Her stomach started revolting just as she started to hit delete. Hesitating over the delete b.u.t.ton she wished she could delete the b.i.t.c.h's voice, but the cop side told her she needed to save it. Pressing nine she saved it and moved on to the next message, dreading it.

"Hey babe. Ouch, that looked like it hurt. Oh, I guess you won't be joining me for dinner tonight will you?" Another bout of laughter and then silence.

Ashley pushed the save b.u.t.ton and pressed on. The detectives would ask her what was on the messages, so she might as well listen to them. Her stomach started cramping as she pressed seven again for the next message.

"Hey, baby, you doin' okay down there? I know you won't answer your phone, but come on..." This time there wasn't any laughing, no jokes just silence before the line went dead.

Ashley repeated the process of saving the message, but this time she sat back and stared at the phone. She couldn't bring herself to play another message if her life depended on it. She twisted her neck, trying to release the stress that had collected there. A steady pain had taken up residence in her head and now her ribs were throbbing. She could barely focus on anything around her except the phone that sat on the bar. Tunnel vision closed in around Ashley, and the only thing she could see was that d.a.m.n phone. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and, with all the resolve she could muster, she picked it up and dialed Kelly. She couldn't do this alone and she knew she would have to listen to the d.a.m.n messages to verify that it was in fact Leslie who had left them. The detectives would tell her that there were probably important details of the shooting in the messages and hopefully incriminating evidence. But thinking back to the three she had heard, Leslie was smart, but not smart enough. Ashley had Leslie incriminating herself on her phone.

"Hey partner, how're you doing?" Kelly's bubbly response calmed Ashley, but just barely.

"Not so good I'm afraid. Can you come over tonight?" Ashley's voice quivered at the request.

"What's wrong, Ash? What happened? I'm close to the hospital, I'll be right there."

Ashley knew Kelly would pick up on the fear in her voice. How could she explain she was afraid to listen to messages left by someone who was behind bars? Someone who couldn't hurt her now or probably ever.

"No, wait, I'm home now." Ashley informed her.

"You got out today? Why didn't you call me?" The silence on Ashley's end was her answer. "Oh, right, you are calling me, duh. Okay, give me about ten minutes to get there. Do you need anything? Have you eaten?"

"I'm good, just hurry, please."

Popping open the pain meds, Ashley looked around for something to wash them down with. A slow trek to the frig reminded her of what a lousy shopper she was. Nothing, absolutely nothing was in the frig, except a science experiment masquerading as leftovers. She would have to settle for a gla.s.s of tap water or the half bottle of white wine in the frig door. Mixing medication and alcohol was a no-no, so she filled a tumbler with water. If she had been a throw-caution-to-the-wild kind of gal, she could tempt fate right about now and chase her pain meds with the wine.

The knocking at the door stopped her from further contemplating her options between the wine or the water. Choking down the pain medication she thumped her gla.s.s on the counter and made her way to the door, wishing she hadn't been so thorough when she secured her house.

"Coming, I'll be right there."

Ashley finally made it to the door and looked through the peephole. A smirking Kelly stood on the other side with her hands up in the air. Ashley flung the door open and spread her arms wide, welcoming Kelly.

"Oh, Ash. You look scared. What's up?"

Pointing to the phone on the bar, Ashley's hand began to shake. "She's on the phone."

"What? She can't call your phone unless you accept the charges from jail. You know the rules."

Kelly was right. If a prisoner called from jail, a very long message informed the person receiving the call that they were accepting a call from someone in county jail and would be charged for the call, or something to that affect. It wasn't like Ashley had ever had to make a call from jail, but she was familiar with the basic procedure.

"No," Ashley said exasperated with the whole situation. "I have thirty seven messages on my phone, and so far the first three are from Leslie. I don't think I can listen to them, Kelly."

Kelly wrapped her arms around Ashley and hugged her. Ashley hadn't thought she was so fragile, but she had underestimated her mental state. Leslie would be an albatross around her neck for some time to come. She looked at the future and saw the next few weeks filled with questions, innuendos, and a lot of self-doubt.

"So you think you can listen to the rest of them?" Kelly looked at Ashley, but the woman looking back at Kelly wasn't the strong, brave police officer she worked with, Ashley was an innocent woman who almost had her life jerked from her just a few days ago. "Come on, let's sit down and figure out what we have to do."

Chapter Thirty.

Tyler dialed Kelly's number and waited. She had called the hospital earlier to let Ashley know she had been released, and was informed Ashley was already gone. She had felt compelled to tell Ashley of her release so Ashley didn't show up to her room only to find out Tyler had been discharged. Rubbing her lips she thought about the kiss she had shared with Ashley, if you could call it sharing. The whole experience left Tyler more unsettled than the shooting had.

"Hey, Sparky." Kelly's voice bubbled through the phone.

"Hey Kelly. What're you doing?" Tyler hoped Kelly would give her Ashley's phone number or at least pa.s.s a message to her.

"Oh," Kelly paused, looking at Ashley staring at the phone on the coffee table. How much could Kelly tell Tyler? Then, she continued, "Just taking a break. What's up?"

"Hey, I was wondering if you had Ashley's number. I got released from the hospital today, and oh, I don't know, I just wanted to let her know. I...well...I just thought if she needed someone to talk to, you know...that. Oh shoot, forget it. How's Michael?" Tyler made a quick subject change as she struggled with her feelings. It wasn't like her to be so indecisive about a woman, but Ashley was different.

Tyler heard the mouthpiece covered and mumbling before Kelly came back on. "I'm with Ashley right now, but I can't stay." Kelly covered the phone again and Tyler heard more mumbling. "Do you think you can come over? I don't think she should be alone right now. She got a few messages..." Tyler heard Kelly stop mid-sentence and say something to Ashley. "She says you don't have to come over. It's no big deal."

"Ask her if she's eaten," Tyler requested.

More mumbling on the other end of the phone made Tyler smile. Clearly, they were having a heated discussion and Tyler wasn't sure if it was because of her or because Ashley felt she could take care of herself. If Tyler were guessing, it was the fact Ashley could take care of herself and was incensed that Kelly would a.s.sume differently.

"Thai is good. Bring enough for three and how about something to drink, too. She doesn't have anything here."

"You got it. See you in a few," Tyler said almost closing her phone. "Wait, wait. Where does she live?"

A quick mental note and Tyler was on her way. Grabbing her cane she walked to the phone and stopped. Oh s.h.i.t, the doctor hasn't cleared me for driving. Pausing, she briefly considered calling Kelly back, but dashed the thought. She could handle her truck. It was her motorcycle the doctor said she couldn't drive, right?

She could hear the doctor's voice telling her she needed at least a week, if not two, of bed rest. 'A little walking, but take it easy. Your body has been through a traumatic event and it's not at a hundred percent. Heck, it isn't even at seventy five percent.' Tyler didn't know what that meant, but she felt good. Screw it. She felt better than she had in a week, and if she sat around she would go crazy. Besides, Thai sounded good.

Placing her order at a Thai restaurant close to Ashley's, she grabbed her jacket, two pillows from her bed and her keys, then hobbled her way to the door. Whatever was going on at Ashley's didn't sound good and Kelly was on shift tonight, so she wouldn't be able to stay too long with Ashley. So, Tyler would be Kelly's surrogate. She was okay with that. Besides it was a great excuse to see Ashley again, wasn't it?

Tyler looked at her truck, then to her car and back again. Biting her lip she changed her mind and tossed the pillows on the driver's seat of the car. While she loved her truck, and how powerful it made her feel, right now comfort overrode power. Sitting easily in the driver's seat, Tyler grunted then closed her eyes tightly, hoping the pain would subside enough so she could drive. If not, she had two choices, take a pain pill or call Kelly and beg off. Neither choice was an option, actually. Tyler wouldn't get a DUI and lose her career over a little pain and she really wanted to see Ashley, so she would gut it out. Starting the car, Tyler had one thought, thank G.o.d it's an automatic.

Chapter Thirty-one.

The trip to the Thai restaurant stressed Tyler's leg more than she liked. But the smell of the food was a great payoff for the pain. She had tired of the hospital food quickly and was glad when her buddies had slipped in a couple of slices of pizza. Now, her mouth watered at the intoxicating aroma. A few more minutes and she would have a mouthful of goodness and she wouldn't stop until she was satisfied.

Looking down the street, Tyler spotted Kelly's cruiser. Pulling into the driveway, Tyler studied Ashley's house. It wasn't just in a good neighborhood, it was in one of the older, more established neighborhoods in the city. Nice, was all Tyler could think as she looked at the manicured lawn and hedges. This beat her average home, in her average working cla.s.s neighborhood. An SUV, clearly needing a wash, sat in the driveway. Honking her horn, Tyler waited until she saw Kelly look out the front window and motioned for Kelly to come out.

"Wow, Kell, not exactly what I was expecting," Tyler said still admiring the house.

"Yeah, I was surprised the first time I saw it, too. Seems her grandfather left it to her in his will. Lucky girl, huh?" Kelly grabbed the food and the wine while Tyler grabbed her pillows and cane.

"Yeah, some people have all the luck." Tyler smiled, walking toward the beautiful home. She wondered what other surprises it held.

"Hey, who's this for?" Kelly said picking up the small bouquet of flowers and smiling.

Blushing, Tyler said, "Not for you, silly." Tyler grabbed the flowers and smiled, embarra.s.sed that she had thought of Ashley that way. "I thought they would cheer Ashley up. That's all," Tyler said walking past Kelly.

"Uh huh."

"What? Didn't you take her flowers in the hospital?"

"Of course, she's my partner."

"Well, I didn't see any from you in my room and I'm your best friend." Tyler smirked at the stinging remark.

"Yeah, but you're a-" Kelly stammered.

"What?" Tyler asked, cutting off her friend.

"You know. You're like one of the guys, Ty. You know, one of the guys."

"Hmm," Tyler grunted walking into the house.

Tyler was startled by what she saw as she entered the brightly lit house. Ashley sat curled up on the couch. The brave woman she had seen at the hospital and the strong woman she had seen wearing her police uniform were both gone, replaced with a pale, fragile, scared imposter. Her heart ached for Ashley. Whatever Ashley was going through, Tyler wished she could make it go away. Tyler heard plates rattling and boxes opening in the kitchen as Kelly served up dinner. Unsure of what to say or do, Tyler limped over to Ashley and sat next to her, rubbing Ashley's leg.

"Hey," Tyler said softly. "It'll be okay, I promise." Tyler smiled, raised her eyebrows and shyly presented Ashley with the bouquet.

"Oh, Tyler, how sweet. They're beautiful."

The moment was short lived as Ashley looked up at Tyler and gave a weak smile, then looked at the phone on the table.

"She called me and taunted me while she shot at us," Ashley said pointing to the phone. "She just won't leave me alone, Tyler."

"Sure she will. She's in jail now. She can't hurt you anymore." Tyler still stroked the soft pajama clad leg and smiled. "I'm not going to let her hurt you again, Ashley, and neither will anyone else. Okay? You need to try and relax. I know it's hard, but you have to try."

Ashley nodded her head and then looked at Tyler. Tyler's heart melted as she studied Ashley's pet.i.te face. Her green eyes looked lost somewhere in the past. Tyler wished she could help Ashley find what was lost those many months ago when the abuse had started and give it back to her. Innocence wasn't something only the young had. It was something people like Ashley had, like the hope for a better tomorrow or the belief that they could always find the good in someone. That kind of innocence was beyond Tyler's reasoning. She had lost that years ago in a war on another continent. But seeing Ashley lose it was heartbreaking for Tyler. It made Tyler want to scoop Ashley up and cuddle her like a child and tell her everything was going to be fine. No matter what happened, it would be all right and Tyler would make sure of it.

"Here we go. Hmm, this smells great. Thanks, Tyler, for picking this up." Kelly set the plates down and went back to the kitchen. "What do you gals want to drink? Wine, soda or water."

"Make mine water, Kelly." Turning towards Ashley, Tyler whispered, "What would you like, Ashley?"

"Water's fine." Ashley sat up, groaning as sore muscles reminded her that staying in one spot too long was a no-no. "You know what? I think I'll have a gla.s.s of wine."

Tyler raised her eyebrows and wondered when the last time was that Ashley had any pain medication.

"When was the last time you had some pain medication?"

"When I left the hospital ..." Reaching mindlessly for her cell phone and tapping the screen, she continued, "four hours ago."

"Would you rather have meds or wine?"

Ashley raised her eyebrows at Tyler and looked at her quizzically. "Really?"

"I'm just asking. You're in a weird place right now and," Tyler placed her hand on Ashley's arm and tried to sound understanding, "I just don't want you to mix alcohol and drugs. I'm not your mom, Ashley, just someone who cares."

"I know. You're right. Water's fine." Ashley patted Tyler's hand and smiled.

Tyler winked at Ashley, out of habit more than anything. But a smile was her reward so the infraction was worth it if Ashley relaxed. Pulling the coffee table closer to them, Tyler poked around her food. The aroma was delightful and Tyler was ready for her first real food since leaving the hospital. With the exception of the pizza that had been snuck in, Tyler had lived off stuff she never wanted to see again, gelatin being one of them. Kelly joined the group, pa.s.sing out waters, sat down and started eating. Both women watched as Kelly inhaled the Thai food. When she was done she set the bowl down and exhaled.

"What?" Kelly questioned as both women stared with their mouths open. "I was hungry and I have to get back on duty. Besides, you know I love Thai." Kelly stood and took her bowl to the kitchen and yelled back at the two women, "You gals need anything before I go?"

Tyler looked at Ashley who was shaking her head, "No. I think we're good."

Coming out of the kitchen Kelly tossed a rag at Tyler, hitting her in the face, and sat back down.

"What was that for?"

"In case you make a mess, Sparky. I don't want you to have to get up too often, and I know what a messy eater you are." Kelly smiled at Tyler.

"Thanks, LEO," Tyler quipped right back.

"Well I'd love to sit and chit chat, but someone has to keep this city safe," Kelly said, smiling back at Tyler. "Okay, I can trust you to behave yourself, right?"

Tyler stared at Kelly and the innuendo she threw out like a bomb. She was going to have to have a long talk with Kelly, but now wasn't the time. So she let the comment slide, for now.

"Not to worry. I'm sure Ashley will be on her best behavior," Tyler said, redirecting the comment. Smiling at Ashley, she said, "Just kidding. We'll be fine. Thanks for asking."

"Okay, well, I'm off. If you need anything call me," Kelly said making a phone gesture and raising it to her face. "I'll be close by."

"Good night, Officer." Tyler said turning back to her food.

"Good night, Sparky." Kelly looked at Ashley and, in a softer tone, said, "Let me know if you need anything, Buddy. Anything. Okay?"

Smiling back, Ashley said, "I'll be fine. Don't worry. Be careful out there."