by Mary T. Kalnin

It was a late and quiet Tuesday afternoon at Community General Hospital in Los Angeles; for some reason people were keeping their heads that day. No huge pileups on the freeways, no nut going off and shooting people, and, above all, no ambulance screaming into the emergency area with paramedics trying desperately to keep Steve alive. Drs. Mark Sloan, Amanda Bentley and Jesse Travis sat in the lounge discussing this quiet day, an anniversary of sorts, sixteen months since an ambulance had come screaming into the hospital transporting the almost lifeless body of Los Angeles Police Detective Lt. Steve Sloan, Mark's son. They talked about that day and the months that followed. A nightmare for all of them! They were waiting for Steve to get off duty and come join them; they had decided that morning to go to dinner and, once again, try to forget those months, except, of course, that they couldn't forget them. They weren't even sure whether they really wanted to forget, or whether it was a convenient excuse to get together so much did they enjoy each other's company. The hospital public address system begin to crackle and they looked at one another and heard the following:

"Drs. Travis and Sloan to ER STAT. Drs. Travis and Sloan to ER STAT."

Medical Examiner Amanda Bentley was finished for the day so she joined her friends to see if she might lend a hand. "What is it," said Dr. Travis upon entering the ER.

Jesse's girlfriend, ER nurse Susan Hilliard, said in reply: "Gunshot, ambulance is just coming on campus."

"Who's the patient and how bad?" said Mark.

"Sixty-two year-old woman. Bullet in the stomach but probably not a fatal injury."

"A sixty-two year-old woman? Well, so much for a day without the nut factor," said Jesse.

"Home invasion?", said Amanda.

"No, attempted murder. The perp was her betrothed," said that most familiar voice.

Mark, Amanda and Jesse turned to face Lt. Steve Sloan, cop extraordinaire and obviously the investigating officer. So much for dinner, thought Amanda, who then noticed that Steve was bleeding. The ambulance pulled up and Jesse took off to work on the patient. Mark and Amanda guided Steve into one of the treatment bays to check on his wound.

Steve said: "No big deal. One of the perp's bullets grazed me, but it forced me to duck long enough for him to get away. The victim's name is Mrs. Anna McDaniel; she was clear-headed enough to ID him for me. Guy by the name of John Allenmore and the second love of her life, she thought." Suddenly Steve was a little dizzy.

"Steve," said Mark, "stop talking for a moment and lie back. Let us take care of this and then you can fill us in."

Steve did as he was told without much fuss, a miracle in itself; Mark stitched the wound and gave him a light sedative so that he could rest for awhile. As Steve drifted off, Mark and Amanda decided to remain with him and wait for Jesse to return with news of Mrs. McDaniel.

"I suppose that the guy is about 40 years her junior," said Mark.

"Probably," said Amanda. "Thought he had a nice catch. Probably a pre-nup and he didn't want to sign. She called it off and he got testy."

**********************************************************

A couple of hours later Jesse returned to the ER and Steve awoke.

"Welcome back, fuzz" said Amanda. "Feeling better?"

"Why does everyone call me fuzz?" complained Steve. "My skin doesn't feel anything like a peach."

"Ha, Ha," said his father. "I can see that you'll be fine. We'll take you home in a bit. Jesse, how is Mrs. McDaniel?"

"She'll be fine. She's out though, probably for quite awhile."

"I have to get a guard on her room," commented Steve as he reached for his phone. I don't think they have Allenmore yet and who knows if he'll try again." He called his precinct and had requested that an officer be dispatched immediately. He arose and the four of them relocated to Mrs. McDaniel's room until the officer should arrive.

As they entered her room, Mark said: "Steve, how did you get involved in this? It's obviously your case now, but it certainly wasn't when it happened."

"I stopped by a Mickey D's for something to drink. I'd been thinking a lot about today and suddenly I really needed some coffee. There are days when I think that I'll never get over it, never really put it behind me and it scares me. As I was drinking the coffee, a couple at another table started to argue. One thing led to another and the shouting started. Mrs. McDaniel got up to leave and Allenmore took out a gun. He started waving it around and I tried to intervene and talk him into giving it up. He turned to her and shot her. I was so taken by surprise that he managed to graze me before I could fire. As luck would have it, we were the only customers in the place and the staff had time to duck. I tried to fire but he was out the door and off in a car, so I called it in and came along."

"Steve, are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be OK. I just want to get this guy."

Jesse questioned: "Steve, how old is this Allenmore. Young buck, as they say? 20s?"

"No, Jess, that's why this is such a shock and so hard for me to handle. He's about the same age as Mrs. McDaniel. This kind of thing doesn't happen with people his age, or at least it usually doesn't. That generation doesn't do this."

"Well, Steve, there don't seem to be any rules about stupidity anymore," said Amanda.

"I guess."

Officer Jakowski arrived to take up his post and the quartet left. Mark and Amanda took Steve home, where Jesse would join them as soon as he picked up dinner from their restaurant. They hadn't planned on BBQ for dinner, but they would still spend the night together with food, drink and € memories.

Wednesday morning dawned clear. Both Steve and Mark were up early and breakfasted together as was their custom. Steve was fine and, although he promised not to overdo, he did have to go to the hospital to check on Mrs. McDaniel and then file his reports. When they arrived, Mark was called to help Jesse with the aftermath of a huge pileup on the 405 and Steve went off to see Mrs. McDaniel. When he arrived, he and Jakowski talked about the night before--nothing happened-and then Jakowski's relief arrived. Steve briefed the new guard and went inside the room. Mrs. McDaniel was just beginning to wake, so he sat in the chair opposite her and waited.

She awoke, saw him and said: "Hello, you're the officer from yesterday."

"Yes. I know that you're just waking up, but do you feel up to a question or two? I'll try not to tire you. Oh, I'm Lt. Steve Sloan" and he flashed his ID for her to see.

"I'm very pleased to meet you, Lieutenant. Did you catch him?"

"No, unfortunately, he got away before I could get him."

"I seem to remember your bleeding a bit, Lieutenant. Are you okay."

"Yeah, it wasn't much. Can you tell me what happened? What brought all this on?"

"Well, I recall telling you that he was my fianc. I'm a widow . My late husband was Jim McDaniel-local chain of pizza parlors. When he died, I sold them and they brought quite a pretty penny. My children are scattered all over the country so I'm usually pretty busy traveling to see the grandkids. You know how it is. [Steve nodded affirmatively] You can travel only so much however and I was somewhat lonely. Started to go to the senior dances and cookouts that the Park Department sponsors and met John. He'd lost his wife and we seemed to hit it off. [She coughed and Steve started to ring for a nurse but she shook her head] I'll be okay. Just give me a minute."

"Mrs. McDaniel, don't strain. I can come back," Steve said and started to leave.

"No, Steve, uh Lieutenant, stay. I'll finish. My attorneys wanted John to sign a pre-nuptial agreement and he wouldn't. He intimated that I didn't trust him, that he'd try to take my money if it didn't work out. I'm not really fond of those agreements, they do strike me as tacky at the very least, but somehow I felt uneasy without one. He'd also asked for a hefty chunk of change for his son, some kind of business venture. Seemed a little shaky to me so I refused. Wouldn't cosign a loan either. That really set him off. We'd separated and agreed to meet there to come to terms. He decided he preferred revenge and that's were you came in."

Steve noticed that she was tired so he said good-bye and left. As he closed the door Mark came up and asked how she was. He said that she was awake but tired. He'd asked if she could answer some questions and she agreed, but had tired during the questioning. He said that he'd offered to leave but she insisted upon finishing the narrative. Mark and Steve agreed to meet later and Steve left for his office. Mark entered the room and said:

"Good morning, Mrs. McDaniel. I'm Dr. Sloan and I'll be your physician while you're here. Could you give me the name of your regular doctor so that I can keep him informed?"

"Sloan? Any relation to-"

"Yes, he's my son."

"My physician is Dr. David Fogerty and your son's a peach. How'd you and your wife manage that?"

Mark let out a hearty laugh at that and hastened to explain: "A peach, huh? He keeps complaining that everyone calls him fuzz but he says he isn't anything like a peach. It's become something of a family joke. I'll call Dr. Fogerty later. You're going to be fine. No really serious damage and we'll release you in a couple of days, but you'll be out of commission for about a week. Anyone I can call to come help you?"

"No, my kids are all over the place and, although they would come, it's better not to bother them. I'll get a friend or two to stay with me. Now, about that son of yours,"

Well, my Kathryn and I raised him as you did yours no doubt, with lots of love and time, discipline, care and fun. My wife was an exceptional lady."

"Was?"

"She's been dead for many years. Why?"

"I'm just a nosy old broad."

"Well, Steve will be back later with any news and I'll check in on you throughout the day. Don't worry about Allenmore, there's a cop outside."

Mark left and Anna was deep into her own thoughts. She wondered why she taken the liberty of addressing the officer by Steve and why she was so attracted to Mark. Hmmm!

****************************************************************

Steve came back later that day to report no progress. Allenmore hadn't gone home, his son hadn't seen him, likewise his friends. Steve said that he had a horrible feeling that this wasn't over and arranged for the guard to be permanent. What was he going to do to ensure the lady's safety after she left the hospital? Mark had an idea. Heck, he was attracted to her anyway. Why not have her stay with them. It wouldn't be the first time their home had been opened to someone in need. Steve agreed and he and Mark went to see Mrs. Anna McDaniel, femme fatale.

They entered her room together and Mark said:

"Hi Mrs. McDaniel. Steve's here with news, all of it bad. They still haven't found Allenmore and no one knows where he is. His son isn't holding back information if you are wondering."

"Hello, Dr. Sloan, Lt. Sloan. Well, I thought as much. Have you decided when I get out of here?"

"In a day or two, but we do have a small problem. If the police don't catch Allenmore before, Steve has been trying to figure out how to keep you safe after your release. We wonder if you would consent to come stay with us. We share a home in Malibu and there's plenty of room."

"Dr. Sloan, that's quite nice of you but I don't think-"

"Please, Mrs. McDaniel," said Steve. "It's really quite easy to protect you there. Over the years there have been times when we have taken this step."

"Well, yes, I will take you up on the offer. If I really am in danger I wouldn't like to expose my friends to it. Thank you very much."

"Good. Since that is settled, I can release you tomorrow. I can keep an eye on you there."

As Mark and Steve were leaving, a bouquet of flowers was delivered. There was no card and as Mark turned to set it down, he almost dropped it. Steve caught it and noticed a silver canister among the flowers. He took it out and read "Nitrous oxide." Then he noticed a hissing sound and realized that the can was opened. Mark said to get itout of the room before they were killed and Steve did so. The telephone rang and Mark picked it up. A disembodied voice laughed and said: "You never know. Revenge is mine." Mrs. McDaniel wasn't out of danger yet. Steve beefed up security with help from the CG staff and he and Mark stayed the night.

*****************************************************************

The next day they took Anna to their home. Amanda and Jesse said they would come out later for dinner and an evening visit. Amanda promised to bring CJ so Anna could spoil him. She missed her grandkids. The police officer that Steve requested had arrived before them and had checked the grounds for suspicious persons and packages. Steve entered the house alone to check and found nothing. They hoped that Allenmore hadn't followed them, but one could never be really sure. Steve was careful but there was always a chance. At least it was their turf and they could control whatever might happen. That night and the next couple of days passed pleasantly enough. Mark and Anna found that they were attracted to one another and Anna discovered that she was becoming quite fond of Steve. She thought that perhaps there was something to be explored. Was it possible that both she and Mark would find the consolation needed to fill the voids? Time would tell, but would there be enough time? And were she and Mark looking for the same thing? And what would Steve say about all of this, and her children, too? A silly thought struck Anna that these blended families were difficult and then she chuckled that she had thought their situation fit the usual definition of that phrase.

*****************************************************************

After several more days had passed without incident and Anna had regained her strength, she and Mark decided to take a walk along the beach. At first they walked side by side and talked of their lives, their children, grandchildren, Mark bemoaning the fact that neither Carol nor Steve had given him the pleasure, and Anna replying that he could borrow hers. It did not take long before their hands were clasped together and they strolled along the strand, saying nothing but speaking volumes. Finally, not that far from the house, they turned to one another, and, without really thinking, embraced and kissed as neither had kissed since their spouses had died.

Meanwhile, Steve had come home and noticed them on the beach. He saw them kiss and was strangely pleased. He had wondered for some time how he would react if his father found a woman to love. Would he think that Mark had forgotten his mother? Would he resent the woman taking some of the time that he had spent with his father? Would he feel left out? The answer to all of these fears (and there was no other word) was no. At least, with Anna, he felt a part of it all. She made sure that they talked every night if only for a few minutes. The night he had come home upset at having to arrest a father for murdering his own child, and had nearly lost it at the station, Anna provided the comfort. His dad had tried of course, but this one required the woman's touch. Anna was embracing his father and him as well. Somehow he felt his mother understood. If Anna were his dad's choice, let the wedding take place and the sooner the better.

Anna and Mark returned to the house and she began to fix dinner. Mark and Steve stopped her, she was their guest, but she insisted.

"I'm perfectly fine and perfectly able to engineer tonight's dinner. Just tell me who's going to be here."

Mark laughed and replied: "Just the three of us. Both Amanda and Jesse have dates."

Anna turned to Steve and said: "And what about you? No special someone?"

"Uh, no. But I can leave if you want to be alone. It's no problem."

"Wait, Steve," Anna quickly said. "I don't want you to go, It just seems that there's nobody in your life and I wondered why."

"Hard to say. Some of it is related to being a cop. The statistics on the breakup of police officers' marriages are appalling. I suppose that I don't think of marrying because then I won't have to face the divorce and the loss. I always thought that somewhere out there would be a woman who could marry a cop and make it work. I'd give it all that I have. But that just doesn't seem to be true. There have been a few women whom I loved with everything in me, but they wouldn't bend. They loved me but only if I would quit the Department. I'm a cop. It's not only what I do, it's what I am. The man my parents raised makes me a cop and, equally, the cop makes me the man that I am. I don't split in two." As he finished his sentence he sat at the table and a tear escaped his eye.

Anna approached Steve, tenderly touched his arm and said: "I understand, and I apologize for asking. I didn't mean for you to be hurt by my question. I just can't believe that no woman has noticed exactly who you are." Then, to lighten the mood and erase the darkness in his eyes, Anna said: "Now, if I were twenty years younger-"

The three smiled and Anna returned to preparing dinner and threw Mark and Steve out of the kitchen. They went into the living room and talked until she called them to table. Steve was calm and smiling now and they feasted on one of Anna's special dishes. They talked late into the night and each went to bed in a wonderful frame of mind but deep in thought as well.

Steve was up and out early the next day. Anna and Mark spent the morning walking on the beach again and talking. Anna said:

"Mark, I'm sorry about last night. Was Steve badly hurt by my questions?"

"No, it's just painful for him to think about it. Part of him wants a family and yet he knows that he can never quit the force. I just want so much for him to find a love like the one Kathryn and I shared. Like the one you and I share."

"Mark, like we share?"

"Oh, sorry. But yes, I guess I do mean that. I haven't been head over heels in love since Kathryn, but I am now. What about you? Is there no feeling for me? Was I the only one that felt anything in that kiss?

"No, I felt it, too. And, like your Kathryn, there's never been anyone like my Jim. I thought that maybe Allenmore, but I was so wrong. Yes, I do love you. All last night I wondered if there were something here to pursue."

"I think that there is."

With that they embraced again. Just as they had the night before, the sparks flew and Mark and Anna kissed, lovingly and for some length of time. Then they started back to the house. Just as they reached the gate, a shot rang out and Mark heard the bullet whiz past his head. They ducked and ran for the door to Steve's apartment. It was unlocked and they ran inside, slammed the door shut and locked it. They went upstairs to make sure that all the doors were locked and Mark sent Anna into her room to get her out of the line of fire. He picked up the telephone to call Steve just as the officer on duty was searching for the assailant. Unfortunately Officer Smith didn't find Allenmore.

Steve arrived as quickly as he could and checked on his father and Anna. He told them to stay in Anna's room while he and the other officers tracked down Allenmore. This time he was not going to get away. Steve walked around the house and went toward the beach. The house next door had a large tree next to it and he didn't see the form standing behind it. As he slowly walked by, gun drawn and listening for even the slightest sound, he heard a twig crack behind him. Before Steve could turn, he felt the business end of a gun on his neck.

"Nice of you to come, cop. Hey, I noticed that your old man was kissin' up my old lady real nice. Thought I'd lost but maybe I can win this game after all. Your old man choose Anna over his son? I don't think so. What do you think? Trade? You for her?"

"Not in a million years, scum," replied Steve as he tried to wiggle free. "He'd never endanger her. You picked the wrong hostage. I'm a cop. I'm prepared to die."

"Yeah, sure. Maybe the department, but not your old man." Steve tried to kick and Allenmore turned him and hit his face with the gun. Blood started to flow from the cuts. "Don't fight or I'll put a bullet in the base of your neck. Maybe I'll do it anyway." Allenmore hit Steve again just as one of the other officers called out.

Allenmore forced Steve out from between the houses in plain sight of the officers. He said:

"Get Sloan's old man out here. Now. Or I put a bullet in the base of his neck and leave him paralyzed." The police hesitated and Allenmore screamed: "Do it, now."

Officer Smith knocked on the door and called Mark to the front steps. Mark came out of the house and saw what was happening. His heart skipped a beat but he said calmly: "What do you want, Allenmore?"

Allenmore motioned Officer Smith back behind him and said: "Fair trade, Doc. Your son for my old lady. I'll teach her."

"Your old lady? I don't think so. Just give it up. Hurt my son and you get a longer sentence because he's a cop. As it is you've got, let's see, three counts of attempted murder, kidnapping a cop, assault on a cop, threatening the life of a cop. Shall I go on?"

Anna came down the stairs and looked through the door. Mark saw her out of the corner of his eye and stepped in front of her. She gasped when she saw Steve and what Allenmore had done to him.

"Mark, step aside. Let me go. He'll kill Steve."

"Anna, stay put. He'll kill Steve anyway and I can't lose you both."

"Mark, he's your son. You can't allow this."

"Anna, one would think that this is my worst nightmare, but it's not. I've already lived that nightmare and Steve was almost taken from me. You know that, it was all over the papers. But I have you both. I love you and I'm not about to give up either you or Steve. Just stay put and let the police and me handle this."news:

"Okay."

Mark began talking, crazy talk thought Allenmore. He went on and on.

"Steve, you remember all those father-son talks we had. All those times we talked about the birds and the bees. When we talked about the human body." Meanwhile Mark was moving his hands in all sorts of directions, making sense to nobody but Officer Smith who finally caught on. Since he was behind Allenmore he could maneuver the other officers into position. "Steve, remember those talks, how we played games, how you learned to get free when you played cops and robbers. Remember those times. Now."

Before Allenmore knew what happened, Steve stomped on his instep, turned and landed one well-placed kick. Then he hit the ground and Smith fired a bullet into Allenmore's right leg. It was over. Mark raced to Steve's side to check his facial cuts. They would heal, but Steve complained of some dizziness. Anna came up beside them, knelt beside Steve and hugged him.

"Thank you, Steve. At last it's over."

"Maybe for Allenmore, but I hope not for you and dad."

"No, I don't think that it's over for us," Anna said as she went inside the house.

The ambulances arrived and the police shipped Allenmore off to Community General. Mark started to accompany Steve but he said no. "Stay with Anna, dad. She needs you now and you need her. Make this work if you can. Just call Jess and ask him if he or Amanda will stay with me tonight."

Mark did as Steve requested and, after seeing the ambulance off, he went back into the house. Anna was waiting. They sat on the couch and started to talk. As they talked, about their lives again and about the hell that Mark, Steve, Amanda and Jesse had been through in sixteen short months, Mark felt something he hadn't felt in years. Something moved inside him as it had when Catherine was near him. Oh, Lord. Was the passion returning? He leaned toward Anna and embraced her. She returned the embrace because that same something was moving inside her. As they embraced and kissed, Mark wondered if nature would take its course. It did.

******************************************************************

The next morning, as they were on their way to visit Steve at CG, Mark and Anna talked of the future. Of what they had found with each other. Then Mark proposed and the silence from Anna was deafening.

"Mark, that's sweet, but marriage? I thought maybe a romance, I'll even move in with you, but I don't want to marry. Not after Allenmore. Not after what he did."

"Anna, I don't need your money. You don't need mine. We'll keep our own accounts and not commingle the funds. Then we'll sign the same agreement; if the marriage fails we each agree to take our own assets and go our separate ways. It will work."

"Mark, I need to know that I can pick up and go see the kids whenever I want. I love you and, Lord knows, I love your son, but I need that freedom."

"Anna, you can. I won't tie you. But I love you and I can make this commitment work."

"No, Mark, I know that you believe you can. I imagine that you'll even be happy when I take off for one of their homes. But I'll still be your wife. And because we're of the same generation, I would be distressed if I were to take off five or six times a year without you. You are an honorable man. You and Steve gave me back my life and, right now, I think I'm after fun and games. It just won't work. Do you understand?"

"Anna, I don't understand, but I accept. Maybe I will come to understand but I have to make a clean break. I've been called an old fuddy-duddy, but that piece of paper is not something that I can ignore for very long. I raised Steve that way as well. He can ignore it a little bit longer than I, but in the end, marriage is our way. You have given me much and something that you probably didn't intend. Now I know how my son feels when he can never meet the woman who can make a cop marriage work. And that is the best of what is left. Now I can really help him."

Mark pulled into the Community General garage and they went to Steve's room. As they entered together, Steve's face lit up like the proverbial Christmas tree. Both Jesse and Amanda who had stayed with Steve through the night rose and left the room. However they stayed just outside the door to hear; they couldn't resist.

"Hi you two. I'm glad you're here! Did anything, uh, happen last night?"

Mark grinned as only a father can and replied: "Yes, son, something happened. Something quite wonderful."

"Thank God. Does that mean that-"

Anna replied: "No, Steve it doesn't. Your father is an honorable man and now I know where you get it. He proposed this morning but I can't accept. I just cannot tie myself down, whatever arrangements Mark is willing to make. We both came to tell you because you have a right to know. I know that you were hoping that I might fill not only the void in your father's life, but also that one in yours. I would like to have done that and, if Mark and I could have come to terms, I would have. She kissed Mark lightly on the lips, and Steve on his cheek. Then she turned and walked out of the room lest they see her cry.

As she left the room, she noticed Amanda and Jesse. "You heard?" They nodded and she replied: "This is best. Believe me. They are quite a pair, that father and son. In just this short time, I've come to love Steve as a son and, one day, he'll know just how much."

By the time they saw Anna walk down the hall and out of their life, Susan had joined them. The three of them walked into Steve's room to see what they might do for Mark and Steve. They suspected that they would be needed and they were right. Amanda went to Mark and held him until the sobs subsided and Susan did the same for Steve. Meanwhile, Jesse checked Steve's chart and signed his release papers. Mark and Steve would leave immediately and spend some time together coming to grips with the loss, but Mark made them promise to come out that night for dinner. He and Steve would welcome the company and they would raise a glass to what they might have had, and, more importantly, to what they always had.

THE END