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"But the wedding is only three weeks away," Alice said, understandably upset. She was still worried about Rickie but they had spent the better part of three years planning for that day, having gotten engaged with the plan of waiting until after graduation before marriage. Rickie's full scholarship for the fall, coupled with Alice' early finish, caused them to move up their plans a year. They had been in love since high school, and had been through a lot together, including the near fatal "accident" last week.

"We're not saying cancel it; just be prepared for your own safety's sake to postpone it if we don't get this solved soon." Dani addressed her comments to Rickie, who was sitting on the couch, en femme. She was crying, and Alice had failed miserably at comforting her. She had tried her best, but she struggled with the anger that rose up inside when she realized Rick Danvers was alive. By now, she had told their guardians about her history of abuse at the hands of her stepfather. They grimaced as she told of her rape at his hands and the physical beatings that lasted nearly a year. And now, to find out that Danvers was not only alive, but likely the reason her mother was murdered. Donna sat down next to Rickie and held her in her arms, patting her back. If anyone in the room understood grief, it was Donna. Terry understood as well, but was never one to offer comfort, at least in that manner. It came easy to Donna, as if it were her life's calling, leaving Terry to wonder just where did his partner "go?"

"We think your mother knew something about what happened to all the money Danvers supposedly had. His books were forged, and he never revealed anything of importance to his secretary. Inga either knew where the money was or knew why Danvers had it, and someone wanted her silent." Dani didn't say it coldly, but it came out that way nonetheless. Either Danvers had killed her or she was killed by someone else for what she knew. Either way, Danvers was responsible, and all the work that Rickie had done in trying to forgive her stepfather was nearly lost in that moment. Donna held her at arm’s length and looked her in the eye and said.

"We're going to get him. And one way or another, we're going to find out who killed your mother. I promise." Dani winced at the unrealistic promise that Donna had just made, but Terry looked at his partner with pride. Under any other circumstance at any other time, Terry would have taken Don aside and chewed him out. But this was Donna, and for some reason, Terry smiled and nodded in approval.

"Detective Manahan will be keeping an eye on things from a distance, so to speak. He'll be working with Kevin Reilly at the bureau now that the idiot running Danvers finally revealed just who he stole his money from. It seems that he was laundering money for Antonin Bruschia out of the Scarfo family right over in Philadelphia. Bruschia's in lockup awaiting trial and WITSEC said that Danvers was due to testify. Since Danvers has fallen off the face of the earth, Bruschia could get out without anyone to testify. And that may be why Rickie was nearly killed; probably a warning to Danvers that it could happen to him. Either way, Manahan and Reilly will be keeping an eye on Bruschia's kid and his minions. It's our job to keep an eye on you two." Dani pointed to Donna and herself.

"You can explain our presence by saying I'm your cousin who you called in to help with the planning. Your wedding planner has been contacted and has agreed to help. We should fit right in, no questions asked." She pointed to herself; she was wearing an exquisitely tailored cream silk skirt suit with a jade silk blouse. Alice looked at her and nodded, but then looked over at Donna, who was still comforting Rickie.

"What about her, Alice said, pointing to Donna. She was wearing a charcoal gray silk skirt suit with an ice blue silk blouse. She was dressed more attractively than she had ever been in her short life, and she had mixed emotions. She felt odd, since most of her wardrobe, female though it was, tended toward pant suits like Sandra Bullock's character in "Miss Congeniality." And the other half of her uneasiness made itself known moments later when Dani walked up to Donna and pulled her to her feet.

"She's going to be my partner," Dani said.

"Why would you need a partner when my planner is handling this with you?" Alice said. Rickie looked up and wiped her face with her sleeve and said,

"I don't think she means that kind of partner." Dani looked at Alice and then pulled Donna closer.

"Nope, not that kind, this kind." With that she leaned over and kissed Donna, causing Alice, Terry, and especially Donna to blush while she smiled wryly.
 

*          *          *
 
Antonin Bruschia sat across from Terry and Reilly and smiled. Time had flown by and there was only a few days until the wedding. Terry figured if something was going to happen, it would happen soon.

“And you think I had something to do with this? I have very long arms, it is true, but my arms don’t reach that far. Talk to the D.A. He’ll tell you that I’ve cooperated with the feds since I got here.”
Terry wondered how much more effective the agencies would be if they only talked to each other once in awhile.

“You see, Detective, I have gotten, how would you say, religion. Some say “fox-hole,” since I have had an abrupt interruption in my routine. You might say God has gotten my attention; I have colon cancer and I have about three or four months to live. Six months, tops, the doctors tell me. My legacy, my dear Detective Donovan is that I want to set things right before I die. I have come to the conclusion that I have been a very bad person, and I want to make amends. I know things will never be as they were, such as it is, but I have had my son quietly liquidating my investments; at least those that aren’t mingled with my previous associates. I have restored about six million dollars to the state to be distributed as they are able to my…business investors. My wife has moved into a nice four bedroom home in the suburbs and she has sold all five of our properties. The money is to be donated to a scholarship fund for the children of fallen police officers; in the name of the four men who were killed last fall. I cannot begin to atone for what I have done; only one can, and I have sought His forgiveness. I can only pray that I will be received as one who owes a great debt that only He can repay. I’m afraid you’re looking at the wrong man. I’m not the key to this case.”
 

*          *          *
 
Something Bruschia said was eating at Terry, but he couldn’t figure what just yet, but he knew that it had something to do with the case, and why Inga Olerud was killed. Reilly and he spent the better part of three days calling all the agencies in the alphabet, and verified that Bruschia was telling the truth. Terry wasn’t sure of Bruschia’s motives, and he sure wasn’t prepared to offer the forgiveness Bruschia sought. He knew one thing for sure, however. If Bruschia didn’t kill Inga, then he knew who did, and that meant Rickie Olerud was in danger, along with anyone even remotely close to him. He flipped on the siren and lights while Reilly called in for backup.
 
*          *          *
 
Dani and Donna stood in the doorway of the hall, observing the comings and goings of the family and friends.

“Stand next to me like you really want to; you’re acting all nervous, and not at all like my partner.”

Dani frowned, nearly scowling at Donna, who had grown very uncomfortable in her ‘role.” She had found herself growing attracted to Dani Liu, and it bothered her. First, like almost all widowed spouses, she feared that she was betraying her memory of Jeannie; the old wonderful relationship was being usurped by the new, confusing one. Second, she was afraid to invest any emotional energy into a relationship with someone she barely knew. She had be mistreated and ostracized by her peers, apart from Chief Dougherty and Terry, and the possibility of rejection was just too painful to think about. What she couldn’t shake, however, was that she felt exactly the same way about Dani as she had about Jeannie when they first met. The familiarity was at once charming and terrifying, since she was left with a choice she wasn’t nearly prepared to make.

Dani stepped closer to her and whispered in her ear,

“At least act like you care about me…for the sake of appearances.” She said it in a manner that was both convincing but confusing at the same time until she added,

“I care about you.” Once again, carpet and shoe leather created a volatile mix and the next words from both women were,

“OW!” as a spark loudly passed from Dani’s lips to Donna’s ear.
 

*          *          *
 
For the sake of her Taipei relatives, the wedding was going to be a mixture of Chinese and American traditional….the groom would reluctantly be wearing a tux, though anything was possible on the honeymoon. Unlike many families, the Chang’s had welcomed both of Rickie’s personae, seeing that he/she met their daughter’s need for love. The rehearsal dinner was only a few hours away, and the family was busy decorating the hall for both the wedding and the reception. Alice’s brother Mike had flown in from Taipei with his fiancé; a lovely Swedish girl that was working on the same missions team as him. He was going to be Rickie’s best man. Alice had asked her best friend Linda Sorrento, to be her maid of honor, so the evening promised to be one of renewal of family relationships and friendships as well as new friendships.
 
*          *          *
 
Donna and Dani were talking with Mary Pat Chang, Alice’s mother. She had moved from Ireland to the states to attend school; love was in the air, and Michael Chang married Mary Pat O’Shaunessey. The two were trying to keep an eye out for anything suspicious, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

The minister entered the hall and walked over to a side door, beckoning Alice to come over. She entered the room first, and the minister smiled as he waited for Rickie to follow. Rickie had seen the minister from across the hall, so he walked over and entered the room. He looked at the two standing there and all of the color left his face.

“Surprised to see me, son?” Rick Danvers stood and stared at Rickie, who had moved close to Alice. Danvers was wearing a minister’s collar around his neck and a pistol in his hand. He walked over and locked the door.

 

*          *          *
 
"Mrs. Chang, isn't this an evangelical service?" Donna asked. Mary Pat nodded yes.
"Then what is the minister doing wearing a collar?" Dani looked at her and her eyes widened in urgent recognition. The two ran to the side room and found the door locked. They heard voices on the other side of the door.

“We’re going to go out the back and take a little ride, Everyone thinks Bruschia is behind this, and while they’re trying to figure out what happened you and I can get the key.” Danvers smirked, and Alice drew closer to Rickie.

“What key?” Rickie’s eyes were filled with angry tears, but he wasn’t afraid.

“Your mother…the bitch…she told me that only one held the key…It has to be to a lockbox or a locker. Somewhere. I know she didn’t lie. She told me when I said I’d let her live if she helped me.” He was so twisted that he actually laughed at the thought.

Alice, determined girl that she was, stood in front of Rickie and said,

“He’s not going anywhere with you!”

“I don’t have time for this crap,” he said and he hit Alice in the face with the pistol, knocking her to the ground. Rickie stepped forward and tried to take the gun from Danvers’ hand. In the struggle, the gun went off and Rickie fell backward, his shoulder bleeding.”
 

*          *          *
 
Donna and Dani crashed through the door just as Danvers picked up the gun once again. Dani had her weapon drawn and shot at Danvers, but he moved just as she fired, and her shot only managed to put a hole in his jacket. She tried to fire again, but Danvers fired first; the bullet never hit the mark, piercing Donna’s chest instead as she threw herself in front of Dani.

“This is getting old,” Danvers said as he walked over to Rickie’s prostrate form. Seeing him alive and coming to, he took the pistol and placed it against Alice’s head.

“The key or the girl?’

“What key?” Rickie’s expression pled with Danvers, fearful that no answer would satisfy him and Alice would die.

“How about neither?” A voice came from behind Danvers. He turned and fired as twin blasts echoed in the room. A piece of plaster chipped off the wall just behind Terry as his shot pierced Danvers left shoulder. He took aim at Terry and was squeezing the trigger when another blast echoed in the small room and a red spot blossomed and grew on Danvers’ chest as he fell back, dead. Terry stepped over Danvers’ body even as Kevin Reilly holstered his weapon and called for an ambulance.

Alice cradled Rickie’s body in her arms. She tore off a part of her skirt and used it to stanch the flow of blood from Rickie’s shoulder, ignoring the blood streaming down her cheek from the wound from Danvers’ gun. Reilly helped hold a handkerchief over her wound while they waited for the ambulance to arrive.
Terry walked over to where Donna lay face down on the floor, blood oozing out of her chest. Dani was just sitting up, having been dazed when her head hit the wall after Donna jumped in front of her. She sat up and turned Donna over and cradled her in her arms; her life ebbing away.

“Stay with me…Donna…don’t you dare….Jeannie can wait…she’ll be there when you get there, but not now. Hang in there…Stay with me. Dear God, don’t let her die.” Terry was crying, afraid that his best friend was dying, and he had reason to be fearful. Federal Marshal Dani Liu held Donna while Terry used his shirt to stop the blood. Donna looked up at Terry and gasped,

“Terry…sorry…let you down…should have seen it….”

“Don’t talk…it’s going to be okay.” Terry made a promise to Donna almost exactly like she had made to Rickie; improbable, but somehow he knew she’d be alright. Dani was crying at that point, uncharacteristic for her, but she was afraid that the only person she had ever loved was dying and she never got the chance to tell her. The ambulance finally came and the EMT’s worked on Rickie and Donna while wheeling them to the ambulance. It sped off as the second set of EMT’s saw to Alice’s cut and Dani’s concussion.

Terry stood in the doorway of the kitchen as the ambulance pulled away. Years of suppressed grief over his sister’s death burst through the dam he’d built, aided by the fear of losing his best friend and…yes, his new sister. He handed his gun to Reilly and sat down on a chair by the back door and wept bitter tears.
 

*          *          *
 
Two figures sat up in bed in the ICU, alert and looking fairly healthy for the first time in days. Both of them had tubes coming out of arms and tubes going into noses and such, but the color in their faces had changed from deathly pall to a fairly healthy pink. Electric sounds beeped from small monitors and machines, testifying that Donna Carter and Rickie Olerud were very much alive.

Dani looked at Rickie, trying to break the news gently, but there was no way. She just started talking.
“Danvers was convinced that there was some sort of key to money. He had killed your birth father in a hit and run just after you turned twelve. Your mother worked as a bookkeeper for Bruschia, and he figured if he could get into her good graces, he’d be able to access Bruschia’s accounts. He never realized that Bruschia had a fail-safe built into his accounting system and none of his hired help had any idea of his wealth or where he got it from. Your mother was innocent as a babe and believed Danvers wanted to marry her and adopt you. Bruschia’s secretary was friends with your mom and tried to warn her, but by then he was beating her every night.” Dani did not feel the need to go over what Danvers had done to Rickie.

Reilly took up the story. Donna looked around, and saw that Terry wasn’t in the room. He hadn’t visited at all, and she wondered if their partnership was finally over. Reilly began,

“Danvers kept talking to you about a key…that your mother had mentioned it just before he…just before she died. We wondered about that until Terry reminded me of what Bruschia had said at the jail. He said, “I’m not the one you’re looking for. I’m not the key.”

It dawned on Terry that it wasn’t a key to a lock or a closet or locker. Your mother’s last words were her way of telling him about the key to his life…She was telling him about God…with her final breath, she blessed the man who abused her and her son. She blessed her killer.” Reilly got choked up realizing the impact of what he’d just said. He and Terry talked about it the other day and only now did it have any meaning to him. He had just killed a man, to save a life, of course, but he was overwhelmed with guilt. Terry, never really religious, convinced him that there was forgiveness. If He could offer forgiveness through Inga Olerud, then surely there was enough to go around for him and Reilly.

“Interestingly enough, there was some money; your mother had taken out an insurance policy on her life just before…well, we looked into it, and you, young man…young lady…” Kevin was getting as confused as you might expect, since Rickie wore a very lovely wine colored nightgown and matching robe, and Alice had done her makeup for the first time in days.

““It’s payable to Karl Richard Olerud, that’s you, sweetheart,” Dani said with a smile. “Payable to the tune of two hundred fifty thousand dollars.” Alice smiled sweetly, trying not to cry, but she did nonetheless. Rickie and his mother had gone through hell. Rickie emerged intact, knowing that God loved him. And Inga only stopped in hell briefly on her way to meet her savior in heaven.
 

*          *          *
 
There’s a scene at the end of Return of the King where Frodo awakens in a nice bed and one by one his friends call upon him and greet him with gladness over his safe return. But at the end of the scene, he looks past his friends and sees Sam standing in the doorway with a sheepish but knowing look on his face; they’ve shared something that none of the others would understand. Donna looked up, disappointed until she spied Terry Manahan standing in the doorway of the unit, his hands holding a card and flowers.

He slowly walked over to Donna’s bedside and handed her a card. Instead of his handwriting, it was addressed to Detective Donna Carter by the Chief. She opened it up and saw that it was a get well card signed by several but not all of her colleagues along with more than several apologies. And Terry held a small box in his hand. He opened it up to reveal a medal, the Award of Valor. He took it out of the box and pinned it on her gown. Both of them started to cry; relief, sadness, joy, so many different emotions. And Terry pulled back at looked Donna in the eye.

“I’m taking a desk job. I'm getting too old for this; I just can’t do this anymore. And Dougherty thinks you ought to re-think your own career. You didn't draw your own weapon. Not good, partner, even if you did help save a life. He's looking the other way on this one, but even I know you just don't have it in you, either. The Victims Assistance Program is looking for another liaison, and he's already filling out the paperwork. Still up to you, but think about this." He paused and grabbed Donna's hand, patting it...gently, like a parent might do for a child who struck out to end the game.

"I saw you with Rickie at the house the other day; you're a natural. Maybe you should think about how much more help you could provide if you were to work with victims instead of chasing perps?"

Donna couldn't argue with Terry; he was right. Things turned out okay, but could have gone south real quick if Reilly and Terry hadn't shown up when they did. More than just her appearance and apparel had changed in the last year, and she didn't have the heart for it anymore.

Terry looked at Donna and smiled a smile that she hadn’t seen in quite some time; something that she sorely missed and feared would never see again. The smile said "we're best buddies; pals till the end; friends. But then he did something that Donna hadn’t expected, and frankly, Terry hadn’t planned either. He leaned over and kissed Donna on the cheek, kissing away her tears the way a father or a big brother might do. He stood back up and squeezed Donna’s hand one last time before walking out of the unit.

One by one everyone left, leaving Rickie to fall back into a well deserved nap. Dani Liu stood by Donna’s bed side. She held Donna’s hand, caressing her fingers with her own. Tears filled her eyes. She of course owed Donna her life, which almost came at the expense of Donna’s and likely at the expense of her career. Dani had been called back to the Philly office and placed on desk duty while they reviewed her actions. Things didn't look too good for her career, at least in the field, but she still had a job. It was okay; at least it would be eventually.

She looked at Donna with amazement; how in such a short time they had made a connection; it was more than just a brief professional encounter or even a nice new friendship. She owed Donna her life even more for the love that they now shared. Perhaps soon-to-be-ex Marshal Dani Lieu looked at Donna and knew that no matter what happened from then on, everything would be alright. She leaned over and kissed Donna. Donna returned the favor and kissed back, the first time "Donna" had ever kissed anyone. It was warm; it was promising, and it was beautiful.

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More to come soon!