Libby's Disappearance

Richie, Libby, Frank, Barth & Others

by Atonia & Layne

"Roberts?" A quiet, authoritative voice questioned... "I'm looking for someone named Richie."

“Richie Roberts, how can I help you?” He sat down heavily in his chair..

"Mr..-uh-Roberts, is it? I'm Detective John Lewis, with the Sydney Police." The voice paused, presumably to allow that to sink in.

Police? “Okay, I’m Solicitor Roberts,” Richie sat up in his chair leaning his arms on the desk he saw the wooden heart and picked it up. “So what can I do for ya?”

"Solicitor?" Lewis' voice sounded surprised. "You're a solicitor?"

"Listen- Mr.. Roberts- Are you acquainted with a Miss Libby Tyler?"

It took him a minute to regain his breath, “Yes.” He moistened his lips, “What’s this about?”

Detective Lewis was cautious. "Are you a relative of Miss Tyler, by any chance?"

“No, we’re not related,” he debated with himself about how much he would reveal to this detective on the other end of the line but if Libby was in some kind of trouble then, “She’s a friend of mine.”

Lewis paused before going on.. "I need to get in touch with a relative. Her next of kin... Can you help me with that?"

“Next of kin, what…what are you talking about here?” Richie broke out in a cold sweat, “She has a brother somewhere…um Japan I think but I don’t know him or how to get in touch…what’s going on Detective Lewis?”

Again, Lewis paused...then, "Listen- Mr.. Roberts- Just how close a friend are you to Miss Tyler? How close a relationship do you have with her?"

Richie pulled the phone away from his ear and looked at it, he wanted to punch the guy out, “Close enough, I’ve known her for a year. I’m um her solicitor and sometime employer and good friend. So what’s up?”

Finally, Lewis made up his mind. "Listen- As a solicitor, you know I could get in trouble for giving information to someone other than a relative. So I'm gonna count on you to keep quiet about my tellin' you this-"

"Miss Tyler's in the hospital here in Sydney.. That's why I'm looking for her family."

Richie breathed a sigh of relief, “In hospital, okay um…look the only family she’s got is somewhere in Japan and there’s no way to contact him. What happened Detective,” he looked at his watch, “I can be there as soon as I can get a flight out, what 3 hours or so?” His mind was wheeling, get to the airport…

"It'd really be better if I talked to you in person, Mr. Roberts." Lewis sighed. "But I'll tell you this much- It's not good.. Not good at all.. There's a good chance she might not make it..."

“Fuck, okay I’m on my way I’ll call when I get there, thanks for calling me…how did you get my number?” Richie picked up the wooden heart and stuck it in his pocket, pacing around his desk.

"We found her purse with her. There was a picture- Guess it's you. The name Richie and your phone number were on it. They were the only name or phone number she had, aside from her own."

"She's at St. Vincent's hospital. I can meet you there," the detective told him.

“Found her purse with her…”it didn’t sound good at all, “All right, I’m leaving now..” Richie hung up his phone and looked up, Nonnie was standing in his doorway.

“Leaving for where?” She smiled and then noticed the expression on his face, “What’s wrong?”

“Libby,” he looked at her, “She’s in hospital in Sydney, it don’t look good, Nonnie…I’m going.”

“Oh no, are you leaving right now?”

“Yeah, I’ve got to get to the airport in Coffs.” He started putting things in his pockets, shut off his laptop.

“Want me to drive you?

He grabbed her around the shoulders and hugged her, “thanks but no, I’m not sure what happened, the detective wouldn’t say. Sorry, Nonnie…I don’t know what to say.”

“Don’t say anything, darling, just keep in touch with me.”

“I will, I love you.” He kissed her and started for the door.. “Let Miss Peeg know, she’s in court for me right now.”

“Yes of course, shall I answer the phone for you until she gets back, Cara has the shop I was going to ask if you’d have some time this afternoon. Be careful Richie.”

“Okay, man the phone,” he gave her a little smile and headed out the door..

Nonnie watched him leave and wandered back into his office and reached over to turn out his light... Her eye fell on the blue envelope and unlike Miss Peeg, she had no problem opening it.. She sat down in his chair and carefully folded the letter and put it back in the envelope. It wasn’t written for her to see but she understood it and she hurt for Libby. She wiped her eyes and left his office to sit and wait for Miss Peeg..

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

Four and a half hours later Richie arrived at St. Vincent’s and inquired at the desk and was informed a man was waiting for him.

“Detective Lewis, I’m Richie Roberts.” He walked over to where the detective was rising from a chair..

"Roberts." Lewis shook his hand. "Miss Tyler's up on the third floor. I guess you want to see her? She still hasn't come around."

“Yeah, I would like to see her,” they headed for the elevators, “What happened?” he asked.

Lewis reached for the 'Stop' button. When the elevator had halted, he faced Richie. "She was found in an empty apartment yesterday by the maintenance man for the building."

Searching Richie's eyes, the detective said slowly. "She'd been severely beaten...and raped."

“Wha…” He hadn’t expected this, “oh no,” he leaned against the elevator wall, “Oh God no.” He closed his eyes fighting down the nausea that threatened. Swallowing the bile he turned to the detective, “Have you got the son-of-a-bitch? Ah shit..." he squeezed his eyes shut, Libby…...

"We have a suspect in custody," the detective said, wording it carefully.. "Right now we don't have anything to hold him on, except a trespassing charge. Unless Miss Tyler is able to identify him for us soon....."

He left the sentence unfinished, knowing that a solicitor would be aware that they'd have to let the guy go soon, if they couldn't get an ID from the victim. Still watching Richie, he said, "I'm glad she had your name and number on her. It'd be good to have someone she knows here if she- " He caught himself. "I mean, WHEN, she wakes up."

“When she wakes…can you run a DNA on him, let’s say I’m her solicitor and I want everything done for her that can be done, I’m assuming she was tested when she came in, rape victims usually are. How badly is she hurt, you said she might not make it?”

"That's what the doctor who's treating her told us. Yeah, a rape kit was run. We can't get a court order for DNA from the guy with what we have on him now. That's one reason why it's so important for her to ID him."

"He beat her up bad. Bruises, cracked ribs, cuts. Deliberately inflicted cuts. And there are internal injuries.." Sighing, he leaned against the wall of the elevator, rubbing his hand over his face. "Man, I hate seeing things like this. You never get used to it."

“Yeah, I know. I’m from New Jersey and I was at one time a detective there…it’s worse when you know the victim. Damn how could a thing like this happen to her, what the hell was she doing in Sydney?” Richie ran a hand through his hair. He felt he should come clean about his relationship with Libby and tell the detective about the letter he received from her. “We need to talk but I want to see her first.” He met the other man’s gaze.

Lewis hadn't been a detective for twelve years without being able to read people. There was something Richie Roberts wasn't telling him yet. He didn't get the feeling he was actually trying to hide anything, though. Guy seemed to feel real regret about what had happened to Miss Tyler..

"Detective, huh?" He gave Richie a slight grin. "How'd you end up a solicitor? The street not good enough for you any more?"

Clearing his throat slightly, he said, "We figure she was in Sydney to catch a plane. There was an airline receipt in her purse. She had a ticket to the States. New York. I've got a guy looking into things on that end... What about this brother? You happen to know his first name?"

“If she ever told me I forgot it, I can’t think of his name, I racked my brain on the way here.. Yeah I was a detective, vice squad in Jersey, it don’t get much worse than that. I went to night school and passed the bar became a prosecutor and then a public defender before I opened my own practice. Why am I here? I met a woman who inherited some property in The Glen, married her and today my divorce is final.. The night I met Libby was the night my wife ran off with another guy, exactly one year ago today..” He put his hands in his pockets and stared at the floor of the elevator. “I don’t think she ever mentioned New York either, odd place for her to go, she’s a small town girl.”

"Small town?" Lewis asked, as they got off the elevator. He led the way down the hall toward the ICU.

"What small town?" The question was asked over his shoulder.

“Um she was from North Carolina, not sure what town.. Should be easy enough to find out where she was born, department of Vital Statistics. Department of Motor Vehicles could give you her last address.” Richie looked side to side as they went down the hallway, rooms full of people, he never liked hospitals. “She has some friends in The Glen might know more than I do. We never talked a lot about her past.” They stopped outside a door and Richie steeled himself for what was to come..

Detective Lewis spoke to a nurse who was coming out of the ICU cubicle and then turned back to Richie. "They said there's been no change."

He stood back to let Richie enter before him. Libby Tyler was lying on the single hospital bed. There were IV tubes going into her arm, various monitors beeped and twittered, revealing her blood pressure, oxygen level and other vital information.

She was very still and very pale, her long blonde hair tangled on the pillow. There were bruises and cuts on her face, her arms, and her neck. Her bottom lip had been split and was still slightly swollen..

Richie winced and bit his lip when he saw her, “Ah, Libby,” he said softly moving to the side of the bed.. He reached out and brushed her hair away from the side of her face noting the bruising and cuts. “what kind of animal would do that to a beautiful woman like this.” He touched her hand with his fingertips careful not to touch the IV. He was very conscious of the detective still in the room. “She’s been like this since she was brought in?” He asked quietly.

Lewis was watching him curiously. There was some sort of feeling there. It was in the way Roberts touched her so tenderly and in the look he'd seen in the other man' eyes when he'd first seen the young woman's injuries.

"Pretty much." He answered Richie's question. "A couple of times she seemed to be trying to come around.. She was crying and she called out your name. Unless she knows some other Richie she'd call out for." It wasn't quite a question, but there was curiosity in his voice.

Richie sighed, “no, it would be me. Like I said we are friends.” He smiled a little, “friends with benefits, that’s what she called it. Neither one of us wanted a relationship when we met, she was coming off a bad one and my marriage had just tanked. So we just kinda played along for awhile, nothing serious and then I met someone else. That was fine with her she said, it didn’t bother her but it bothered my girlfriend.. You see, Detective, I didn’t know until recently that…that she was in love with me, had been all along. I sorta broke it off with her and she took off to Queensland. I tracked her down and brought her back. I care about her, I care about what happens to her like you would a good friend but I just couldn’t’ get to where she did.” He looked up at the detective, “I’m not proud of it, I’ve done some things I wish I hadn’t, I took advantage of her…knowing how she felt about me.”

He took hold of the rails on the side of her bed, “I got a letter from her this morning, poured her heart out to me and enclosed what I know was her most treasured possession, a little wooden heart her father gave her. She enclosed the keys to her house and car…I thought when I read it that she meant to do herself harm, you know, I’d just come back from her house when you called. I honestly don’t know what she intended now, she mentioned a banker would be getting in touch with me…I don’t know what’s going on…I don’t know if she deliberately put herself in harms way…or what.” Having confessed to the detective he felt drained and weary, he straightened up and ran his hand over his face and looked back at Libby.

The bit about doing herself harm caught Lewis' attention. He was ready to jump on it, but Roberts looked beat. He could give the man a little time.. He was intrigued by the way the solicitor had just opened up to him.. Almost as though he felt he was the one responsible for her having been attacked and was confessing his part in the crime.. And he was further intrigued by Richie's lack of real knowledge about Miss Tyler. It sounded like they'd been in a somewhat serious relationship... The man hadn't hesitated at all about dropping everything and coming here, and yet he didn't remember where she was from or her brother's name.

"Sounds complicated," he remarked. "But then, these things usually are."

"Listen, Mr. Roberts, you and I need to have a long talk, particularly about this letter you got and about Miss Tyler wanting to do herself harm. We can go down to the coffee shop and do it now, or I can give you awhile to rest up a little--be here alone with her for a bit if you want."

Richie looked up, “Give me a little while, I’m a little shook up, you know.” He looked around for a chair and drew it up next to the bed and sat down. “Coffee shop in about twenty minutes.” After the detective left he took Libby’s hand in his rubbing her fingers..

“Don’t leave us kid.” He said softly. He was a little surprised at himself for opening up like he did, some inner desire to purge. He looked up at the machines monitoring her life... “I wanna know who did this to you…I wanna know, Libby. I got your letter this morning and it scared the shit outta me.” He reached in his pocket and brought out the wooden heart and pressed it in her palm, “You know what this is, do you feel it in your hand, that’s your heart the one your father gave you, I don’t deserve it, I don’t care what you think…I don’t but I’ll keep it for you until you wake up.. You gotta wake up, kid.” The door opened and a nurse came in, he palmed the heart from her hand and slid it back in his pocket. The nurse asked him to step out and he went in search of the coffee shop.

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

Detective John Lewis was nursing his second cup when he saw Richie Roberts enter the shop.. He waved at him from the booth he was occupying, then waited as Roberts got himself a coffee before coming to join him. He'd been going over and over in his mind the things the solicitor had told him about the relationship between himself and Libby Tyler. He wasn't too sure that any of that had anything to do with Miss Tyler's attack, but it gave him a new puzzle to chew on, and he was grateful for that.

As Roberts slid into the opposite side of the booth, Lewis spoke up. "Before we talk about anything else, do you know of any friends Miss Tyler has that might be able to put me in touch with her brother?"

“If anybody would know it would be Frank Parker. He’s been Libby’s friend and mentor he’s a private security man now but I’ve known him for a long time, he helped her get her private investigator license..” Richie checked his phone wondering why Frank hadn’t called him back.

"You got a number where I can reach him?" Lewis had pulled out a pad and pen.

When he had written down the number Richie gave him, he looked up again, surprise written on his face. "That girl in there's a private investigator?"

Richie smiled a little, “Yeah, who would have thunk it huh?” he took a sip of his hot coffee. “She used to work as a reporter for the local newspaper.. I can’t say she pissed anybody off in The Glen with her reporting, mostly mild local lore but I don’t know what kind of jobs she did for other clients once she became an investigator. She was pretty proud of herself. I gave her one job to do…” He ran a hand over his face not wanting to go there. So what have you got to go on anything?”

Lewis took a long swallow of his coffee. "The guy we picked up sometimes works as an assistant for the maintenance man in the building where she was found. The flat where we found her is an empty one. Been empty for nearly a month while it's been bein' fixed up for new tenants. So he had access and someone who lives in the building saw him going into that flat the day before Miss Tyler was found."

"His prints are all over the place. Problem is, his prints SHOULD be all over the place. He works there." Picking up his cup again, Lewis went on. "We're checking into whether he has any priors anywhere else in the country. There's none on record here in Sydney."

“Yeah I can see it but what I can’t see is what she was doing around there with a plane ticket in her purse. How far from the airport is this apartment building? When was her flight due to take off…sorry comes natural.” He apologized for peppering the detective with questions, he was thinking like one trying to go over the possibilities. “Anybody checking the airport maybe he worked there or was hanging around the day she bought her ticket.” He picked up his cup to shut himself up before Lewis became irritated with him.

Grinning, Lewis said, "Hard habit to break, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I've got men showing his photo around at the airport.. Hoping we'll turn something up there. Know any other solicitors she worked for? Could be this guy's connected to a case she worked."

Richie shook his head, “I don’t know. I know she was working on a missing person’s case for some solicitor near the court in Coffs Harbor but I didn’t get his name. I wish I could help you more…really like to nail this guy and soon. What’s your gut feeling about the guy?” Richie grinned, “Come on I know you got one we all get ‘em.”

Lewis fixed Richie with a serious look. "My gut tells me that he's done this before, at least once, and just never been caught. Either because the woman never reported it or..." His pause was grim... "Or because he murdered her afterward. Could be that Miss Tyler just got very lucky, being found by that maintenance man."

“Fuckin’ scum,” Richie’s anger was rising to the surface again, “If I can help in any way I will. Right now you can consider me acting legal counsel for Libby... She’s unable to make decisions right now so if any need to be made until her brother is found then I’m the man... I’ve got the keys to her house I haven’t been in there yet but I’m thinking she might have left something behind, address book or something ya know anything that might give us a name of the brother.” It was way out of his line now but he was asking if he could help.

“Ya know, if this guy’s prints are all over that apartment he must have left something, empty drink bottle, cigarette butt…gotta be something there.. I’m not doubting your team, Det. Lewis I’m just sayin’…gotta be something you can lift some DNA from.”

"I've had a crime scene team out there. Not finished sifting through everything they found yet, but I'll keep you posted."

Lewis emptied his cup and looked at Richie, curious again. "She's lucky to have a friend like you. Someone willing to look out for her."

He stretched, then went on. "Now, about that letter you got from her..."

“It was the tone of the letter that scared me, she included her house key and car key and this little heart, one her father gave her and she passed back and forth to him when he traveled,” He pulled it out of his pocket and showed it to Lewis. “She said the bank would be getting in touch with me, I have no idea what that’s about I do know she had a trust fund. It’s like she was leaving everything behind, didn’t expect to come back. I’ve read a lot of suicide letters in my time and I have to tell you that came to mind.”

"Sounds like some I've read myself." The detective looked at the little heart closely. "I'm not sure it had anything to do with the rape, though. Unless maybe her state of mind just made her careless."

"Right now, I'm sorta working under the assumption that the guy grabbed her either at the airport or off the street and took her to that flat, knowing it was empty." He was still looking at the heart. "Damn! I hope she comes around soon and can talk to us--give us some idea of what happened to her."

Richie thought about that, “It may have to do with her state of mind because anybody wanting to grab her off the street would have had a fight on his hands..” He sighed heavily, “It’s my fault, I’m responsible for her state of mind.” He rubbed his temples and closed his eyes a moment “ God I hope she comes around and soon.”

"Now, what makes you say that you're responsible for her state of mind?"

Richie looked up wearily, “Because I essentially told her I didn’t need her in my life, she was complicating things for me. I’ve got a woman I want to marry, Lewis…I care about Libby, I care about her a lot but, oh, fuck she’s in love with me okay but I’m not in love with her, I feel like I’ve taken advantage of her.”

"Maybe you have and maybe you haven't," the other man told him evenly. "But that part's between you and her. I don't have time for your guilt.. Right now, our biggest worry is nailing this guy for what he did to her."

"This Frank Parker- You wanna get in touch with him first, or should I? If she's important to him, the news might come easier from you..."

“Yeah I’ll try again, I tried to call him when I got the letter and left a message, “ Richie pulled out his phone and checked his messages, nothing from Frank. “Maybe I’ll try again later tonight.”

"I'll be giving it a try myself too," Lewis informed him. "If there's next of kin, they really need to be notified. Someone in her family should be here, just in case..." He trailed off.

Richie looked down at the table, “If she ever mentioned his name I don’t remember it.” The gravity of the situation came down on him again. It had been okay talking with Lewis about finding the asshole that had hurt her but it was Libby up there in the bed fighting for her life, “What are the odds, Lewis you’ve seen her doctors?”

A grim look came over the man's face. "Yeah, they talked to me because there was no family present, and because I happen to know the doc who's treating her."

He met Richie's eyes. "He's giving her 50-50 at best. Says she's got internal bleeding from the beating."

Richie’s eyes went dark, “That’s not good enough is it?” He sat back in his chair and looked across the coffee shop. “If you’re through with me, I want to go back upstairs, somebody should be there with her.”

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

Frank Parker came out of the postal office in Coffs Harbour with a small stack of mail. He didn't go there often. Most of his communication these days was via phone and email.

Getting into his car, he took a quick glance at the large box he had received.. What the hell would Libby be sending him? He opened it and took a look at the photo album inside, grinning at the pictures of Libby in babyhood and as a toddler. Then, he opened the note that was enclosed and his grin quickly faded. The tone of this letter....

And then he swore loudly enough to make a woman standing a few feet from his car look startled and move away. Slamming the car into gear, he tore out of the parking lot. Barely maintaining control of his vehicle, he dialed Libby's number. Got no answer.

Richie Roberts, he thought bitterly to himself. This had to have something to do with Richie Roberts. Well, he'd been tiptoeing around Richie long enough. If Libby had done something to herself because of Richie, then Roberts was going to find out what the total wrath of Frank Parker could feel like, friend or no.

He was about to take the road to the Glen when, suddenly, Frank spun the wheel and took the turnoff for the marina. As long he was in Coffs, it wouldn't hurt to make a quick stop to see Barth Madison. He might have something to do with this too. Libby seemed to have a talent for getting involved with wrong men.

The marina parking lot was only about half-full. Frank found the boat with no problem. Standing on the dock, he shouted, "Madison!", his voice loud and insistent. He didn't have the time or the inclination right now for niceties.

Barth had also picked up his mail at the post office and with a cup of Starbucks he made his way back to his boat and sat on the berth going through his mail, mostly bills, something from his ex-wife’s solicitor and a blue envelope. He tore it open and then sat opened mouthed trying to figure out what the hell it meant…Libby….

He heard his name shouted and stuck his head out of the cabin slowly climbing up the ladder. A very angry black man stood on the dock arms akimbo. “you found him,” Barth climbed out of the cabin and stood on his deck, “What the fuck do you want?” He still held the letter from Libby in his hand and he unconsciously folded it staring at the man on the dock, he’d seen him somewhere.

Frank eyed the bearded man. He'd seen him at the party the Aubreys had given, where he'd been carefully guarding the Wades, it being the first time Liana and Ben had taken baby Olivia out since they'd brought her home. He'd seen Madison talking to Libby and then to Richie and had wondered if he'd need to intervene, but the man had left and things seemed to calm down after that. He thought there was more of a relationship between Libby and Barth than she would admit to, but Frank hadn't met the man until now.

As he sized Madison up, he answered, "Name's Frank Parker.. I'm a friend of Libby Tyler and I know you know her too. Wanted to find out if you've seen or heard from her recently.. Say, in the past coupla days?"

Barth tilted his head and narrowed his eyes, “Only this,” he brought the letter up but held onto it. “I haven’t seen or talked to her since Aubrey’s party.” That’s when it clicked, he’d seen him there and marked him as a private security bloke. He was very good at that, sizing people up and marking them. “What the fuck is going on?”

Slowly, Frank held up his own letter, which was still in his hand. "Wish to hell I knew. I was hopin' you might have some idea."

Frank knew from what Libby had told him that Madison was a bounty hunter, but he'd bet that the guy was ex-military too. Something in his bearing. Still wasn't ready to trust him, but if there was anything he could do to help find Libby...

Barth looked at the matching envelope in Parker’s hand, “come aboard,” He waited until Frank was safely aboard his boat... “Sounds to me like she’s going away somewhere, said there was a banker bloke going to get in touch with me from The Glen, mentioned a couple of gifts…I don’t take money from sheila’s unless it’s business and I ain’t got any business with Libby.” He looked down at the envelope, I just opened this when you shouted, I haven’t tried to call her.”

"I tried. Nothing. Just how well do you know Libby, Madison?" Frank was nothing if not direct.

“I spent a few nights with her,” he narrowed his eyes, “We did a lot of talking among other things. There was a time I thought it might be something more but she was all hung up on some damn solicitor from The Glen.” Barth looked down turning the envelope over in his hands, “I like her a lot and would have treated her a damn site better than what she got from that prick.” He looked back up meeting Parker’s look, “I was just somebody she came to when he brushed her off.”

At his mention of spending a few nights with Libby, Frank's lips tightened and his eyes hardened. But the mention of the 'damn solicitor' turned his attention from Barth to Richie again.. "Yeah, well... Maybe you shouldn't take that so lightly. Libby don't turn to just anybody and she don't do it easily, either."

His anger at Richie still burning, he said. "And I got it figured that it's that damn solicitor that's the cause of all this!"

“The last time she came to me and went to Brisbane with me, I don’t know…this time,” he looked off toward the harbor, “It’s different, you think she’s taken off on her own?” He looked back at Parker, “I mean this letter is like…goodbye ya know?”

"Yeah, I know." Frank's voice was grim. "That's why I gotta get my ass out there and look for her."

Heading for the side of the boat, he looked back. "You interested in helping me?"

“Yeah, I’m interested.” Barth said evenly, “Where’s Roberts?”

"Good." Just then, Frank's phone rang.

Richie walked out of the hospital to smoke a cigarette before going back up to the third floor. He pulled out his phone and tried again to call Frank, this time Frank answered.

“Hey Frank, I’ve been trying to call you, I’ve got some bad news about Libby…”

"Well, speak of the devil..." Frank said to Barth, as he saw who was calling him.

He didn't bother with pleasantries as he answered his phone. "Listen, Roberts-" Then he was sidetracked when he heard Richie say "-Libby-"

"Bad news? What bad news?" Frank was gritting his teeth to keep himself from unleashing his temper over the phone.

“I’m um in Sydney at St. Vincent’s hospital, she’s in ICU…Frank somebody raped her and did a number on her, doctor says she’s got maybe a 50/50 chance.” He took a breath, “I’m talking with a Detective Lewis they got a guy but nothing they can hold him on so far and Libby hasn’t regained consciousness. He found my picture and a phone number for me on the back of it, that’s how he found me. They’re trying to find her brother…I thought you might know how to contact him.” He let out a breath now that he’d gotten it all out.

Frank was listening, dumbfounded. "Libby..." His voice came out in a breathless whisper.

"Uh...yeah," he said shakily. "Her brother's name's Brian. He's in Japan. Works at the company their father started." In a daze, and without really knowing what he was doing, he gave Richie the name of the company.

Then, temporarily forgetting his anger at the shock of it all, he said, "I'm on my way there now. Is she..." He paused, then went on. "Richie.... stay with her. Be good to her."

Richie closed his eyes, “I’m here with her.” That last ‘be good to her’ hit home. He folded his phone and went back inside.

“What’s going down?” Barth listening to Frank’s conversation and watching his face had stepped a little closer.

Squeezing his own eyes shut for a second, Frank said. "It's Libby. She's in hospital in Sydney."

Steeling himself, he started for the side of the boat again. "They don't know if she's gonna make it. I'm going down there now. You wanna go with me, then let's go."

Barth turned around and ran down into his cabin for a minute, grabbed a jacket and secured his boat. He hopped up on the dock, “let’s go.”

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

During the flight to Sydney, Frank had clued Barth Madison in on what little Richie had told him about Libby. About the rape, the beating...and the doctor giving her a 50-50 change of living. During the entire flight, Madison never said a word.

Frank saw his lips tighten and his face close down, but the other man didn't speak. It left Frank still wondering about his involvement with Libby. About what he felt for her, if anything. He was still wondering when the taxi they'd taken from the airport pulled up and let them out at St. Vincent's.

The more Frank told Barth about Libby’s condition and what brought her to her present state, the more it burned inside of him. It had been a long time since he’d felt such rage and that rage had only one outlet. He sat quietly, contained…but it was there seething beneath the surface of calm. Some men voiced their frustrations and rage but not Barth, he was quietly dangerous in his present state. He followed Frank into the hospital and stopped, Richie was walking toward them. He wasn’t the direct cause of his rage the man that attacked Libby was his target but Richie was secondary and certainly the reason she was in Sydney in the first place.

“Hey Frank, glad you made it,” Richie began and noticed Barth behind him, a little to the right. “What’s he doing here?”

Frank was still angry at Richie, but he was doing his best to contain it for the present. "He's here because HE cares about Libby." Frank was unable to keep some of the sarcasm out of his voice. "How is she? Any change? She wake up yet?"

Richie looked at him a moment, read the look on his face and tone of his voice, “No change, I’ll take you up if you want but only one in the room at a time,” he spoke quietly, “She’s in ICU.” He looked at Barth a moment, the man’s face was carved in stone, only his eyes betrayed the emotion behind that façade. Yeah, he wants to cut me up in little pieces, he thought.

“What room is she in?” Barth asked.

“310,” Richie answered, elevators are this way.

“I don’t need you to escort me to Libby’s room.” Barth said lowly and quietly. He brushed by Richie and headed for the elevators, he knew this hospital, knew it well.

Silently, Frank was applauding Madison's tone of voice and his attitude toward Richie, but he was still keeping his cool. It wasn't the time or place.. Not yet.

He watched until the elevator doors had closed behind Barth and then he asked, "You know any more than what you told me over the phone? The doctor or that detective tell you anything more?"

“Not really, they’ve got a guy but unless their forensic team comes up with something they can’t hold him much longer. They guy is a maintenance helper or something, been working in the apartment building where she was found. We don’t know anything right now, she hasn’t regained consciousness and can’t tell us what happened. They’re taking his photo around the airport, thinking maybe he might have grabbed her there because she had a plane ticket to New York in her purse. Libby’s just…just lying there.. I haven’t seen her doctor and don’t know anything else, she has internal injuries and so I think probably she’s scheduled for surgery, she’s pretty beat up, Frank.” Richie was emotionally wrung out. Just before Frank arrived he’d had a call from Nonnie, she was in Sydney too.

In Libby's room, a nurse looked up when Barth came in. Seeing the look on his face, she said quietly, "I'm sorry. There's been no change. But they're taking her in to surgery again soon."

She shouldn't tell him that, not knowing if he was family or not, but the poor man looked so worried, she thought to herself.... With just a touch of an encouraging smile, she told him, "You can have just a few minutes," as she left the room.

Barth had seen a lot of battered women in his time but this one…she’d almost been his... He moved quietly to her bedside and touched her face, her hands, he took one in his. “Hey Libby, it’s me old whatshisname. I got your letter this morning, I don’t know what you’re playing at luv, you know I don’t play games with you. You said…said you might could have loved me well I might could have loved you too. I’m gonna make you a promise, whoever did this to you is gonna pay, fuck the law, fuck anybody that gets in my way..” He leaned over and placed a kiss on her forehead. He heard the nurse at the door and moved away from the bed. “thanks,” he said quietly and left the room.

Downstairs, Frank was sitting quietly, thinking about what Richie had told him, as he waited for Barth to come back down. "Whatever they need to get this guy, they'll get it," he said with determination. "And if they don't do somethin' with him, I will.

Barth came out of the elevator and paused at the seating area, looking at Parker he nodded slightly, “You’d better hurry, they’re going to take her to surgery again.”

Richie rose and Barth stopped him with a look, “Only one at a time, you don’t know how to play that game. Who’s the detective you’ve been talking to?”

“Lewis,” Richie answered. He had little use for Barth Madison. “Keep your attitude to yourself, this isn’t the place or the time for it.”

“My attitude is my business…solicitor,” he turned away as Frank headed for the elevator and moved across the room.

In Libby's room, Frank sat down by the bed and took her hand in his. Holding it carefully in both of his, he said softly. "Whoever's responsible for doin' this to you, honey, he'll pay. I promise you that."

As he was looking at Libby's pale, unmoving features, a nurse came in.. "It's almost time," she told him.

"You hang in there, baby. Daddy will fix things for you." He didn't see the startled look on the nurse's face as he said it.

Back in the waiting room downstairs, Barth and Richie were studiously ignoring one another. Glancing at Richie and then moving his eyes to Barth, Frank said, "I think we need to talk to this Detective Lewis.."

“I got his number,” Richie pulled a card from his pocket, “He went back to the lab to see what had been brought in.” Richie walked out on the sidewalk and called Lewis, got an address for the forensic lab and went back inside, “There’s a taxi stand out here, he said to come on down to the lab. I can wait here, think somebody should be here ya know.”

"Yeah. Someone should." Frank just wasn't at all sure that that someone should be Richie. Libby had been hurt so much over him...

As the three of them stood together by the cab, he was looking at Richie uneasily. "If she wakes up..... when she wakes up... What are you gonna say to her? What are you gonna do?" He was looking for reassurance that Libby wasn't gonna be hurt any more.

Richie stared at him a minute, “I’ll be here for her.”

“Like the day she left The Glen?” Barth said. “Is that how you’re gonna be here for her? Or maybe it wasn’t her day…”

Richie wanted to hit him, he balled his fists at his sides.. “Don’t worry about it.” He spat out but even as he answered him he knew it was true. He hadn’t been there for her and he wasn’t sure what he could do for her now with Nonnie threatening to show up at the hospital.

Frank was watching Richie's face. Seeing the way he balled up his fists and listening to the tone of his voice when he answered Barth. Softly and a bit threateningly, he said, "Libby's gonna lose out again, isn't she? Girl'd give up the world for you, but she's gonna lose out. Through no fault of her own."

Richie looked away for a moment, “No it’s not her fault, it’s mine. It’s all my fault, I accept that as a fact. I can’t change what’s happened between us. It’s too late. God knows it would have been different if I’d known where it would lead. There would have been no ‘benefits’ involved in our friendship and truthfully I don’t know if that would have made a difference or not. I can’t…can’t help what she feels for me, I didn’t ask for it, didn’t go after it. It just happened with her…”

“But not with you, is that it?” Barth snapped, “You never gave a shit about her did you?”

“Yes I did, I do care about her, damn it I like her a lot…”

“You don’t love her…never loved her did you. You son of a bitch, she couldn’t love anybody else because of you.”

Richie took a step toward Barth and Frank came between them.

Right now, he would've been more than satisfied to watch Madison mop up the sidewalk with Richie Roberts, but there were more important things to be taken care of first.. As Frank stepped between the two other men, he sighed, his eyes solely on Richie.

"The last thing Libby needs right now is us fighting with one another. Madison, we need to go talk to the cops. Richie-"

For the first time, Frank's eyes on his friend were pleading. "She don't need your guilt or your feelings of responsibility. When she wakes up, what she's gonna need from you is some honest, genuine feeling. You damn well better be willing and able to give that to her."

He looked back with a threatening glare as he got into the cab. "Nonnie or no Nonnie."

Richie closed his eyes for a moment and dropped his head as the cab drove away. He almost wished Madison had hit him. He took a breath and pulled out his phone, at least he could call Nonnie and let her know what was going on, he really did not want her at the hospital.

Nonnie was understanding and thanked him for calling her. As he went back inside to the elevator he wished he was with her, anywhere but here at the hospital. He wished a lot of things but most importantly he prayed Libby would pull through.

He reached the surgical waiting area and found a seat, resting his head on his hands he wanted to cry but tears would not come.

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

A young man came striding into the waiting area looking around expectantly, with an air of someone who expected his orders to be followed. He spoke with a nurse at the desk, who left in a hurry, seemingly to do his bidding. Glancing quickly around, his eyes fell on Richie.

Running a hand through messy, dark blonde hair, he crossed over to the solicitor's chair and held out his hand. "Richie Roberts? I'm Brian Tyler. I'm Libby's brother."

Richie raised his head and blinked, standing up he shook the man’s hand. “How did you get here so quickly?” it had only been a few hours ago…

Brian Tyler gave a slightly strained grin. "Libby called me the other day and talked for awhile. There was something in the sound of her voice...something I didn't like." He dropped into a chair near Richie's, unbuttoning the jacket of his three-piece suit as he talked...

"There's an advantage to being the son of the man who founded the company. They let you use the jet whenever you want. So I got things rolling immediately." He spoke hurriedly, keeping an eye out in the direction the nurse had gone as he talked.

"Just before I landed, a call was put through to me from a Detective Lewis here in Sydney. He told me Libby was here at the hospital."

He was looking Richie up and down, taking a measure of the man his sister had talked about so much. "I knew who you were because Libby emailed me a picture."

Richie felt at a disadvantage, Libby had obviously talked to her brother about him but he knew next to nothing about Brian Tyler. He already surmised he was not a man to be taken lightly. “She never talked much about her family except her father, I knew she had a brother in Japan but that was it. They’ve taken her in for some more surgery. I assume you know what happened.”

"The detective gave me a quick rundown. The nurse just went to get her doctor for me, and they're going to let me in to see her before surgery."

Just then, the nurse came back, followed by a man in green scrubs.. Brian got up quickly to shake his hand. Then, with a quick smile thrown back over his shoulder at Richie, he disappeared through double doors with the doctor.

He had been gone for maybe ten minutes when he reappeared. Stepping over in front of Richie, he said, "They're postponing the surgery for a few more minutes. I told them there was someone else out here who needed to see her before she went in."

It surprised him, he walked back to the room where she was, she’d been prepped for surgery. He moved to her side and leaned over and whispered in her ear, “Live.” As he drew back she looked even paler to him than she had in the room, maybe it was the lights or something, he touched her face with his fingertips, there were several people in scrubs waiting, he didn’t want to hold them up and yet he didn’t want to let her go back beyond those cold doors. He held onto her hand for a moment, IV’s taped to the back of it, “Libby, I’m sorry.” He said so softly no one else could hear him. “I’m sorry I never told you…” he backed away, met several of the faces standing around and left the room, thoroughly shaken.

He leaned against the tiled wall in the hallway trying to get himself under control. He turned as they wheeled her out of the room and watched them take her through the doors. Slowly he walked back to the waiting area and her brother.

Brian Tyler was rubbing his face and running his hands through his hair when Richie came back out. Seeing the shaken look on Richie's face, he waited a moment before speaking. As the solicitor sat down, Brian told him, "I've got a volunteer bringing us a pot of coffee in here."

He had removed his jacket and was rolling up his shirt sleeves as though getting down to business. "And they're reserving this particular waiting area just for us for the time being.. Thought we might want a little privacy. I'm assuming Frank Parker's going to be here?" The question was thrown out matter-of-factly, as though he really didn't have any doubts about it.

It sounded almost like a board meeting, “He’s gone to the forensic lab with Barth Madison, left about forty minutes or so ago.” Richie looked at him curiously.

"Barth Madison?" The volunteer brought in the coffee pot and a tray of cups, as Tyler looked at Richie questioningly.

"Someone from the hospital cafeteria's bringing up some pastries for you, Mr. Tyler," she told him quietly.

"Thanks." Brian threw the statement out carelessly, not bothering to glance at the woman.

He poured two cups of coffee, took his and sat back in a chair with it, still waiting for Richie's answer.

Here was a man used to commanding, Richie took a breath, “Madison is…a friend of Libby’s.” Richie reached for the coffee, he was already running on caffeine not having eaten since breakfast. “She spent some time with him on his sail boat. He’s a bounty hunter.” He looked up to see how that went down, “I’ve had him checked out he’s from Sydney originally, quite a checkered past.”

Tyler was taking a long drink of his coffee. "That sounds like Libby," he said with a trace of a smile. "Friends with checkered pasts."

Crossing one leg over the other, he remarked, "I was surprised to find out she'd fallen in love with an attorney. Seemed a bit too tame and straight-arrow for her."

Richie looked at him for a moment wondering if he’d had him checked out, it was all out there, his past in Jersey. “Maybe we’re not all domesticated.”

In spite of his worry for his sister, Brian chuckled a little.. "I've met some who are and some who aren't. Overall, though, you seem to be pretty solid."

A tray of pastries was brought in and the younger man waved toward it. "Have some," he told Richie. "No offense, but you look like you've been living on coffee and cigarettes for the past few days. And I know I have. Been so worried about Libby."

He took a doughnut and a napkin and sat back again. "In case you're wondering, Libby told me about you. I didn't look you up or anything. She wouldn't like it at all if I did that. Probably wouldn't speak to me again for years, if ever."

Richie took a small pastry, sugar on top of all the coffee….”I haven’t eaten since breakfast…I got a letter from her and it quite frankly scared me., I wasn’t sure what she intended to do. Then the call from Detective Lewis…I’ve been here since I arrived in Sydney.”

Brian Tyler turned serious again. "I want you to know that I appreciate you being here with her. It would mean a lot to her, and it means a lot to me too."

He finished off the doughnut and emptied his coffee cup. Leaning forward to refill it, he said quietly. "Libby and I are close. At least, as close as two people could be, coming from a family like ours."

“She didn’t talk much about her family, I only know she was close to her father, she um sent this heart in the letter I received.” He pulled it out of his pocket and showed it to Brian. “I kinda understood it to be dysfunctional to some degree.”

Brian's business-like demeanor softened a little at the sight of the heart. "She told me she gave that to you. When she called a couple of days ago."

"To call our family dysfunctional is the understatement of all time, Richie. Do you mind if I call you Richie?" He ran a nervous hand through his hair again.

“No, Richie’s fine,” he leaned back in his chair and looked at the ceiling for a moment. “When she called you did you get the impression she meant to do something um meant to harm herself in someway?”

"Yes." Brian spoke without hesitation. "It's what scared me so much."

“Who does she know in New York or was that just a toss of the coin?”

"She probably knows several people there, but after I heard from Detective Lewis, I called the airlines there just to check. Turned out she was getting a connection to Kentucky. Probably going to Dad's cabin. He had one there. Used to take Libby and me when we were little. She loved it there."

He swallowed, one of his few hints of emotion. "Libby used to go there by herself sometimes right after he died. She felt close to him there, she said."

Richie ran a hand through his hair, “I can’t believe she’d even contemplate such a thing, she had a new job working as a private investigator, bought a house, she was all excited about that for awhile, and then…I don’t know it seems like after she confessed how she felt about me…well…I think I know.” He hung his hands between his knees. “I don’t know what she’s told you, Brian,” Richie didn’t ask if he could use the man’s first name.

"Richie, she-"

Before Brian could go on, they were joined by Frank, Barth, and Lewis. Recovering himself, Libby's brother rose and held out a hand. "Frank Parker. It's good to meet you."

Lewis approached him and said hello. "Detective Lewis, I recognize your voice," Brian told him.

"And, according to Mr. Roberts, you're Barth Madison." Brian stopped short when Barth merely looked at his hand.

“Who are you?” Barth asked, still steamed from being taken away from the police department, he wanted a look at the guy before he hit the street, because he knew he would eventually. He knew some detectives in the department but Lewis wasn’t one of them.

"Brian Tyler. Libby's brother." Brian said it steadily.

Barth took his hand and shook it, “I’m Madison.” He cast a look at Richie wondering just what he’d told Tyler about him.

Everyone was settling into seats when the doctor came in. Brian rose again quickly. When the doctor looked around at the little assembly, Brian told him, "Whatever you have to say, you can say to them as well. How is she?"

His eyes on Libby's brother, the man answered, "We've got the internal bleeding stopped.. She's stable now, but she's not out of the woods yet. As far as when she might wake up, there's still no way to answer that."

“Are you saying her chances are better now, she’s going to live?” Richie asked.

The doctor glanced over at Richie. "I'm saying we've got the bleeding stopped and she's got a slightly better chance. But I can't tell you definitively that she's going to live, no.. I'm sorry."

Looking back at Brian, he said, "It'd be good for someone to be with her around the clock. Given where she was and who she was with when all this happened..." He trailed off, reminding them of all of just how it was she'd gotten into this condition. "-it would really be best if a loved one is with her if...when...she does come around."

Barth knew he didn’t qualify, he looked directly at Richie, “Count me out, I’m not good at sitting around besides I got business elsewhere.” He fully intended to go back to the police station and if that bastard walked out…well then…

Richie didn’t say anything, it was Brian’s place to stay, fleetingly he thought of Nonnie back at the hotel. He glanced at Frank who’d been quiet since he got back from the station.

Brian glanced around at all of them, including Barth. "I'm thinking Libby'd count all of you as 'loved ones' from what little I know. So, if all of you are willing, we can take it in shifts. I'll go first." His businesslike attitude was back.

Richie looked at his watch, “If you don’t mind I’ll take third, it’s been a long day’s night.” It was well after midnight.

“I’ll take second, I got somewhere else to be in the morning.” Barth offered, he didn’t figure they’d let the guy out this late but come morning when his solicitor got there he’d walk.

Richie stood up, “I’m going to the hotel, Nonnie’s here, maybe I can get a few hours sleep,” he ran a hand over his face and looked around at the group.

Frank's lip curled at the mention of Nonnie, and he looked as though he were about to speak. Brian Tyler had no idea who Nonnie was, but he saw the look on Frank Parker's face, and intervened quickly.

"Good idea," he told Richie. "You look like you could use it." Holding out his hand, he went on, "I really do want to thank you for being here with her like this."

"Yeah," Frank said briefly. "You've done a good thing. But you will you be here with her later when she's really gonna need it?"

Richie stared at him a moment, “I’ll do what I can, Frank. I don’t walk away from friends, you of all people should know that.”

Barth looked at his watch, “I’m going to find a room somewhere and see if I can get in a few hours sleep, be back around four if that suits you.” He looked at Brian ignoring Richie and Frank.

"Four's good," Brian said. He was still eying Barth curiously, not knowing him as he did Richie and Frank, from Libby's phone calls. "There a number where I can reach you...just in case?"

Barth hesitated a minute, he didn’t like to give out his phone number to strangers and this guy was a stranger regardless of the fact he was Libby’s brother. He went over to one of the end tables and grabbed a scrap of paper off a tablet and wrote his phone number down. “You can reach me here and don’t hesitate to call me.” He looked Brian in the eye. “You might think you’ve got it all figured out here but you don’t know shit.” He turned toward the door without a backward glance.

Brian took the number. He glanced questioningly at Frank and then at Richie as Barth walked out. "Interesting guy."

“She never told you about him? Maybe you should ask yourself why. I think the guy’s in love with her.” Richie pulled a card out of his pocket and handed it to Brian, “You can reach me on the cell, I don’t have a number for the hotel.” He looked over at Frank, “see you in the morning?”

"Yeah." Frank's answer was short. He intended to see to a couple of things for Ben Wade and then go sit in a bar and have himself a nice, stiff drink. Maybe more than one. Probably more than one. And once Libby got out of this damned place--if she did--he would see to it that no one, including Richie Roberts, would ever hurt her again.

He shook Brian's hand again and left, without another word to Richie. This man that he'd considered his friend for so long, who had done so much for him, was someone he wasn't sure he could ever be happy with again.

Barth managed to borrow an old car from a friend of his; he’d had an hour and a half power nap and a shower. He was back at the hospital exactly at 4:00 am. He strolled into Libby’s room to see her brother sprawled in a chair. He quickly righted himself when Barth came in.

“Any change?” Barth asked quietly cupping a coffee in his hand.

Brian had spent the last few hours watching his sister's face for signs of waking and going over her last phone call to him, trying to think of something he could have said or done to change what had happened. He hadn't even noticed Barth coming in. When the man spoke, he jumped and rubbed his eyes.

"No," he said slowly. "She's still stable, but she hasn't so much as moved." He took a few steps to the side of the bed, squeezed her hand briefly in his before turning back to Barth.

"Here's my number." He pressed a slip of paper into the other man's hand. "I got myself a reservation at a hotel a couple of blocks away. Call me if there's any change at all."

Brian started out of the room, then turned. "How is it that you fit into my sister's life, Mr. Madison?"

“I’m the one bit of honesty she allowed herself.”

More curious than ever about him, Brian tilted his head, "How's that?"

“She always knew where she was with me. I was honest with her, we talked a lot you see. She painted this dream world for herself where Parker was her father, Roberts her knight in shining armor she thought one day he was going to turn around and see her, trailed around after him like a lost puppy grateful for the occasional pat on the head, willing to settle for anything he threw at her. I told her…told her what I thought of that, she knows what I think of him.” Barth set his cup down on the bedside table.

He’s got a woman living with him, she’s here in Sydney with him so you figure it out... She said in her letter to me that she could have loved me if she’d met me first, other words, if she hadn’t fallen for Roberts. He’s a bastard, first rate bastard but she wouldn’t hear anything against him. I love her, didn’t want to but…” he shrugged.

Brian figured it took a lot for a man like Barth Madison to be able to use the word 'love'. He could appreciate the effort.

"According to Detective Lewis, Richie Roberts got on a plane and flew down here the second he heard about Libby. Left that other woman to trail down here after him. If he cares so little for Libby, why do you think he'd do something like that?" Brian wanted his honest opinion. "I mean- All I know about Roberts is what Libby has told me. I'd really like to know what you think.

“He’s on a guilt trip man. I saw him at a wedding reception a week ago, he was all over his woman right there in front of Libby.. She was standing around hoping he’d notice her. Libby was willing to do anything for him, just hoping ya know…he sent her after me, I was supposed to be some dangerous individual and he sent her to find out who I was. Lucky for her, I wasn’t but he didn’t know that. She eats and sleeps him and I reckon he thinks of her once in awhile…when he gets a hard on. Yeah, that’s what she is to him. From what Frank told me, he thought Libby meant to do a number on herself over him…now that wouldn’t look good on a man running for Town Solicitor now would it?” Talking about Richie left a bitter taste in his mouth, he took a drink from his cup.

“But now Libby wouldn’t hear a bad word about him, I tried to talk some sense into her…a waste of time. He’s got a track record where women are concerned, couple of marriages behind him, a kid he never sees, he knows most of the single women around here. He was out screwing several of them and when his wife left him, he starts crying to Libby. I ain’t got no use for him, probably you can see that. I know the last time he told her to get lost she came to me. I didn’t push her, just let her be ya know but she was hurt big time. She ain’t big enough to carry all that hurt, tiny little thing,” he looked at her lying in the hospital bed. “She deserves better…”

Brian was watching him closely. His dislike of Richie Roberts was more than plain. As were his feelings for Libby. For the first time, Brian wondered at his sister's having these three men caring about her so much. Because, despite Barth's diatribe, Tyler was sure that Richie felt SOMETHING for Libby besides guilt. He didn't know what, but something.

"Thanks for being here-Barth," he said softly. "I'm gonna try and get a little sleep now. I'll see you later."

“Yeah, sure..” Barth took his cup and sat down in the chair after checking over Libby. The more he looked at her the angrier he got. He was angry with Roberts and with the whole system that let guys walk out of jail that ought never to see the light of day again. It was people like the solicitor that let things like that happen. The detective seemed to think he had the right guy, gut feeling…yeah he knew about that kind of feeling and it was usually right. If he was Brian Tyler, he’d run Roberts out of here, bloody faker.

A nurse had checked on Libby twice, had come and gone and smiled at Barth, who still sat watching her. The room was quiet, except for the beeping of the various machines, letting him know they were performing their duties. Libby was quiet and still.

Somewhere deep inside, though, she was frightened. It was dark--a darkness so black she could see nothing, not even the smallest pinpoint of light. Libby was scared of that blackness. It closed in around her, almost like a solid object. A solid object which would engulf her and smother her if she didn't find her way out of it.. The problem was that she was also afraid to move. There was something in that darkness that would get her, she knew, if she did anything at all to attract attention to herself.

No, not some-THING.... It was some-ONE. A man. A man who'd done horrible things to her and would do them again if she didn't get away from him--and from the blackness.. With a whimper, she tried to move.

On the bed, Libby's face had taken on a frown. Her brow wrinkled and she stirred very slightly. With a superhuman effort, she opened her eyes, terrified of what she would see.

Barth jumped up from the chair, “Libby?” He touched her, watched her eyes widen and then shut tight again. He called for the nurse..

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

Richie left Nonnie asleep, he was thankful she’d brought his bag, at least he had clean underwear and a shirt. He caught a quick breakfast and took a taxi to the hospital. He was early it was only 7:15, he stopped at the nurses station to check on what had gone on with her during the night, no change but her vitals were good. That was a good sign he thought. He walked down the hall and waited until the nurse pulled her things out into the hallway and went into her room.. Barth was still there, reading a book he’d picked up in the gift shop.

“Hey, how’s she doing?’ he asked quietly.

Barth looked up and closed his book, using a gum wrapper for a book mark. “She’s holding on. She’s moved and made a little sound, opened her eyes for a minute.” He stood up and checked his watch, “early ain’t ya?”

“I don’t know am I?’

Barth moved to the foot of the bed and passed by him stopping at the door, “put on a good show, she’ll like that…her brother does.”

Richie stared at him but didn’t answer.

“How ya doin’?” he said softly leaning over Libby. “Looks like they got ya hooked up to everything they got.” He brushed her hair back from her cheek. He didn’t know whether she could hear him or not but he talked to her as if she could.

“You know, Libby you’ve pulled some pretty stupid things, running when you ought to stand and tell me what’s on your mind. I ain’t no mind reader. That letter you sent to me hit in all the right places except one, I’m not sure what Skinner has to do with me.” He took her hand in his, “I know I’ve been a real bastard, treated you badly. I was running around confused about what I felt. Maybe I still am but I know one thing, we started out as friends and we still are. I know you wanted it to be more than that, sometimes I think I wanted it to be too but it didn’t happen. I’m not going to turn my back on you now. I’ll be here until you tell me to leave. You got to get well, kid…fight this thing that’s trying to pull you under. We’re all here, the people who care about you and love you. Did I say that…I do love you Libby.” He bent his head down a minute, “we want to find this guy and make him pay for what he’s done to you but you gotta help me, Libby. You gotta wake up and talk to me.”

He looked up at the ceiling, he’d said it the words she always wanted to hear from him, he did love her. He squeezed his eyes shut, but what did that mean to him…he didn’t know…he wasn’t sure if he knew what love was. He loved Nonnie and Libby, that wasn’t right. He shook his head slightly.

Somewhere inside, Libby heard those words. "I do love you, Libby." It was Richie's voice.. But wait- That made no sense. It was Barth's face she'd seen, if only for a brief second. Barth was with her. It must have been him who'd said he loved her. And now, thinking of both Richie and Barth, she struggled hard to come back up out of the darkness. She frowned again, mumbled something. But she couldn't escape. The blackness had surrounded her once again.

“Libby…Libby…come on kid come on back to me you’re almost there,” Richie leaned over her touching her gently.

She was trying. Trying as hard as she could. But the fear was there. The fear of that other man. The one who'd grabbed her and put her into that car. Who'd hit her head with something--hard, causing her to black out and when she'd come to... When she'd come to, the place she'd been in had been light. It had been the man who'd caused the darkness. He'd done unspeakable things to her. And the pain- The pain had been horrible. Bad enough to make her black out at times. She could still feel that pain now. Now that she was struggling to wake up.

And then, there was that other fear. The fear that told her that Richie wasn't really here talking to her and touching her. That she hadn't really seen Barth's face in that second that she'd opened her eyes. In her desperate attempt to keep from going mad in that place with that man, she'd conjured up both those faces. Had seen in Richie the person who would go to any lengths to see the man who'd hurt her put in jail for the rest of his life. And in Barth, the person who would stop at nothing to kill him for hurting her. That was it. She was doing nothing more than conjuring both of them up in her mind--another attempt to keep her pain at bay.

"Richie-" She couldn't help it. His name came from her lips once again.

“I’m here, Libby, I’m here…nothing is going to hurt you again, nobody is, come on babe. I’m here.”

She tried. Her fingers sought out his hand and she gripped it a little. But between her pain and the medication she'd been given, she couldn't pull herself completely out of the darkness. She slipped back into it again.

Richie rested his head on the bedside rails, she had been so close. He looked up when the door opened, a technician was coming in, he sat back in the chair. “She almost came to, she said my name.”

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

He left the room and went downstairs, another cup of coffee and a cigarette outside on the sidewalk. Even if she did wake up she had a long road ahead of her, he’d seen it before back in Jersey. He took a drag off the smoke and saw Frank making his way across the street..

“G’morning, Frank. She’s trying to come out of it but keeps falling back.”

"Glad to hear she's tryin' at least." Frank had a haggard look, even though he'd tried his best to clean up before coming. His eyes were red and he a couple days growth of beard. He was still angry at Richie, but he was too exhausted to make anything of it.

"I spent last night, Richie, wonderin' what I could've done- I should've spent more time with her. Checked up on her more often-" His voice broke a little, a very unusual thing for Frank Parker.

Richie handed him his untouched coffee, “I’m not sure it would have made a difference, Frank. Libby only lets you know what she wants you to know.” He stamped out his cigarette, thought better of it and picked it up and tossed it in a trash bin near the door. “I’ve been beating myself up since yesterday when I got the letter. It doesn’t change a damn thing. Have you heard anything from Lewis?”

"He called me a little while ago." Frank took the coffee, sipping it with a grimace. He'd had so much coffee since yesterday. Probably part of what was making his head buzz right now. "Said he was coming over here later. Wants to talk to Brian Tyler some more and see how Libby's doing."

He looked angry again. "Said they might have to let the guy who's in custody out later today. Nothing they can hold him on without an ID from Libby."

Richie frowned, “God I hope she comes through, it ain’t going to be easy for her to ID him ya know but she’s got to.” He thought about Barth, “I got an idea he ain’t goin’ anywhere if he does get out. Timing…” he looked away for a moment, “gut feeling or not, we got to have a positive ID.”

They went back up to Libby's room together.. On the elevator, Frank took a long, hard look at Richie. "At some point we got to talk, my friend. Now ain't the right time for it, not with Libby... but soon."

“Yeah, Frank I know we need to clear the air.” Richie watched the elevator floors flash above the door.”I ain’t gonna let her down.” Not this time, he thought to himself…not this time.

Reaching Libby's room, Frank and Richie found Detective Lewis waiting for them just outside the door.. "Fellows," he nodded at them. "Talked to the nurse. She said Miss Tyler almost woke up earlier?"

Richie stepped into the room, “Yeah she did, she’s trying.. She spoke my name and pressed my hand.” He walked to her bedside, “waking up is not going to be easy for her, she’s going to have to face what happened…don’t expect her to jump right on ID’ing the guy......” He noted her color was looking better, the bruises not standing out quite so stark against pale skin.

Moving to the other side of the bed, Frank held Libby's fingers, squeezing lightly.. He'd tried to sleep after he'd left the hospital earlier, but it just hadn't happened. He couldn't keep his mind off the events of years ago, when he'd lost his first daughter at a very young age.. When he'd started to look on Libby as almost a child of his own, he'd given no thought to the idea that something like that might happen again. Now, it was haunting him, and he couldn't take his eyes off her.. One thing he'd make damned certain of was that the guy didn't get away with it.. Whether or not the law did anything about it.

Lewis, glancing back and forth at the two men framing Libby's bedside, shook his head slightly. This girl had certainly drawn some interesting characters as friends and family. Finally, he broke the silence in the room, saying, "I've called Miss Tyler's brother and Barth Madison back in here.. I'd like to talk to all of you, even if she isn't awake yet."

Richie glance at Frank and then back at Lewis, “I hope you aren’t going to tell us the perp walked.”

Looking grim, the detective told him. "Not yet. But he will in-" He turned his arm to check his watch. "-in about two-and-a-half hours.."

"Shit!" Frank swore loudly... "That's what I always hated about the law!"

“What did Madison say when you contacted him, are you sure he’s coming?’ Richie asked, unsure himself because he knew what Barth had in mind, he could sense it when talking to him.

"Sounded like he would. He'd better be." Lewis had sensed Madison's state of mind as well. And he could tell that Frank Parker had the same mindset. He'd give the law it's chance, but if he didn't like the outcome....

"And Mr. Tyler's already on his way."

Barth was pissed, he’d had a word with some of his old friends in the police department, they knew him, knew he was on their side and an off duty policeman was ready to shadow the guy when his solicitor was finished. He exited the elevator on the third floor and walked to Libby’s room. Surprised to see it crowded with Roberts, Parker and Lewis.

“Somebody change the rules here too? I thought only one at a time allowed in here..” He spoke quietly but his anger was apparent.

Lewis gave him a sharp glance.. "Sometimes a badge helps out.. But I think we need to go down to the waiting area and talk."

He caught a glimpse of Brian Tyler, who'd just arrived in the doorway. "I'm sure a nurse will call one of you if something happens..."

Richie gave him a sharp glance too, his tone of voice caught his ear. They followed the detective down to the waiting area. Richie found a seat, Barth leaned against the wall.

Sitting down in a straight-backed chair, Lewis took out a worn folder, opened it, and tossed it down on the low table in front of him. "This is Carl Hayes, the suspect we have in custody. Wanted to check with all of you, see if you recognize him, or know of any dealings he's been involved in...."

Brian Tyler gave the picture the once over before shaking his head. "I've been in Japan for the last three years, so unless he's been there for something......."

Frank shook his head regretfully, while committing the picture of the guy to memory for later use. "Nope. Wish I did."

Richie and Barth both moved over and stared at the photo, Barth had a glimpse of the guy earlier being moved into a room to consult with his solicitor, he moved back and looked at Lewis. A quick shake of his head.

Richie shook his head, “Never seen him before.”

"And none of you ever heard the name in connection with anything?"

“I don’t know the name but I’ve seen this bloke before, I don’t forget a face. I was looking for somebody else about six months ago, he was in the loo at a bar called Coconuts. The reason he sticks is that he was washing himself in the fuckin’ sink.” Barth straightened up, hands in his pockets..

The detective's look at Barth was sharp. "You see him talking to anyone?"

“No, I just saw what he was doing and got out of there.” Barth looked directly at Lewis, “Nobody else in the loo, I didn’t see him come out, I was busy.”

Just then, a nurse put her head into the room. "She seems to be trying to come around again."

Richie stood up and then hesitated looking at Brian, did he want to go?

Brian had noticed how fast Richie came to his feet. He wanted to go to his sister, but there was the man whose name she had called... He nodded to Richie.. "You go. She did call out for you earlier."

Richie went to her room, the nurse left when he came in. He looked after her because he though Libby seemed to be in some distress, “Libby, hey Libby talk to me baby..” He took her hand in his.

Libby found herself once again trying to climb up out of the blackness surrounding her.. Again, she heard Richie's voice and, again, she thought that it couldn't be real, that she was merely hearing things. But this time, she could actually see some light. It must be real, because it was hurting her eyes. Squeezing her eyes shut against it, she said, "Richie-?" hesitantly.

“I’m here, Libby right here beside you, you’re in a hospital in Sydney.” He squeezed her hand gently....

The pain was so hard to fight. "Hurts......"

“I know it does babe but you’re gonna get past it, we’ll get you something for the pain, the nurse will be in here in a minute.” He pressed the call button. “Can you help me a little before she comes, can you look at something for me, a picture of the guy we caught?”

Her eyes fluttered open and then closed again. Her head ached and her vision swam. Everything was woozy. And the pain... Every part of her body seemed to hurt. Richie was saying something--asking her a question. She tried to focus.. She could feel his hand squeezing hers and tried to squeeze back. So weak. "Wh- what?"

“We need you to ID the guy, Libby can you do that for me, the sooner the better.” The nurse came to the door and Richie asked her to get Detective Lewis. He was hoping for something before the guy walked out of the police station. “Hold on Libby, hold on to my hand, I’ve got you babe.”

Opening her eyes just a crack against the light, Libby could see Richie's features, although they swam in her dizziness.. Suddenly, she remembered another face she'd seen. "Barth-? Her voice scratchy.. "He's here?"

“Yes he’s here too and Frank and Brian, we’re all here for you, Libby..”

Lewis entered the room, and he was followed by Barth, who had a grim look on his face. He wanted to hear Libby say that the man in the picture was the one who had hurt her. Lewis moved to the foot of the bed. "Miss Tyler?"

Libby was still fighting the wooziness. She looked toward her feet. "Who-?"

Barth moved to the other side of the bed noting Richie holding her hand he glanced up at him, “That’s the detective who’s trying to hold a guy he thinks might have hurt you, Libby. He’s got a picture for you to look at.”

“It’s okay, Libby.” Richie tried to reassure her.

“It ain’t okay, solicitor but she’s gotta do this.” Barth said.

Swinging her head around toward the sound of Barth's voice, Libby immediately winced. God, that hurt! Felt as though her head would go flying right off her shoulders.. But there was a look of fear on her face.. "Don't- Don't want to see him."

“I know you don’t luv, it’s only a picture the man ain’t never gonna see you again and you ain’t gonna see him again, I promise you that.” Barth touched her face and then withdrew his hand placing it back in his pocket.

Reaching out, Libby weakly pulled at his arm, wanting his hand out of his pocket and holding hers. Despite the fear and the pain, she felt somehow safe--safe and comforted--with Barth holding one hand and Richie the other. Taking as deep a breath as she could manage without more discomfort, she looked back down at Lewis. "Okay. I'll look."

Barth took her hand and held it, holding her arm with the other he looked down at Lewis.

The detective took a large plastic-encased sheet from a folder and held it up in front of Libby. "There's pictures of eight men on here, Miss Tyler. It's called a photo array, but I'm sure you're familiar with that term. I just need you to look and tell me if any of these are the man who attacked you..."

Libby squeezed both of the hands she was holding as tightly as she could. Trying to quiet the pounding in her head, as well as the pounding of her heart, she focused on the sheet the detective was holding in front of her. She scanned the pictures.

Then, suddenly, she sobbed and shut her eyelids as tightly as she could. "That's him!" Her voice was scared and breathless.

"Which one?" Lewis' voice was a bit sharp.

"The- the second from the left. On the bottom row." The sight of him brought all the memories flooding back and the blackness threatened to overtake Libby again.

“You’re sure, Libby, gotta be sure?” Richie prompted

Barth gently lay her hand down and slipped out of the door.

'That's him! I'm sure!" She sobbed again, only vaguely aware that Barth released her hand. "Take it away!"

“That’s enough,” Richie looked at Lewis, “She’s ID’d him that’s a positive.”

Libby pulled her hand out of Richie's and looked away from him.. "Go away, Richie. Please go away."

“Libby?’ Richie wasn’t sure he heard her right, “What is it babe?”

She heard the 'babe', heard something in his voice toward her that had never been there before. It should have made her happy. It would have made her happy, except....

"He-" Libby found it hard to say what she needed to say. "The things he did to me- I feel so-so dirty. You could never want me any more after this!" Her sobs had turned to quiet crying and she couldn't look at him.

Richie wished Frank and Lewis would leave, he wanted to take her in his harms and hold her, “There’s nothing dirty about you, Libby, nothing at all. You’re still the same woman I know.” He said softly.

Brian had come in, unable to remain in the waiting room any longer. "Hey, little sister," he said, his voice breaking slightly.

"Brian?" Libby had opened her eyes again, a look of surprise in them. "Brian! You're here! And Frank!"

"I'm here." Brian was grinning slightly, but awkwardly. He'd never faced a situation like this before. What was a guy supposed to say to his sister when she had just been raped? How was he supposed to act?

Frank was flashing a smile that he didn't really feel. He was happy to see Libby awake, but he was just itching to do something about the guy who'd done it.. "Where the hell else should a man be when his little girl's in the hospital?" he asked.

Joining Lewis at the foot of the bed, Frank asked him quietly, "She identified him?"

"She did," Lewis told him. "I'm gonna go make the call to have him held right now." Quietly, he slipped from the room. He was wondering where Barth Madison had gone off to in such a hurry.

Brian was holding Libby's hand now, on the opposite side of the bed from Richie. "It's good to see you awake."

Libby was holding his hand, but her grip was starting to weaken. "Tired..." she whispered. "So tired."

Barth checked under the seat of the borrowed car, the car wasn’t the only thing he’d borrowed. A quick call inside and he knew the guy was about to be released, he was collecting his things at the desk. Barth waited with a clear visual line to the door the bastard would walk out of. He wasn’t stupid the car didn’t rightfully belong to anybody, something put together from a junk yard. The weapon was untraceable, he knew people in all walks of life you never knew when somebody would come in handy. Carefully he wiped the gun down with his gloved hands, sure he’d have to disappear for awhile, maybe for a long time but that was cool, he could handle that. The payoff would be the guy lying sprawled on the sidewalk…dead.

At the hospital, Detective Lewis had barely cleared Libby's room before he was dialing the phone. He wanted to make sure that perp didn't walk, and he had a funny feeling about that Madison guy. He'd left Miss Tyler's room awfully fast after she'd identified the man who'd attacked her. And he'd had a very determined look on his face. Initially, Lewis had thought Frank Parker was the man who might be trouble if the suspect walked, but now he was thinking it was Madison.

When he got the desk sergeant on the phone, the man gave him the news that the suspect in the Tyler case had just been released. "Send someone after him," Lewis barked into his phone. "Now!"

Barth saw the door open, his solicitor was with him, damn…move you SOB…his hand was steady…waiting for the shot. They started to move off down the sidewalk and the door opened again, two uniformed officers approached the man and his solicitor. Barth lowered his weapon but kept his eyes on the scene unfolding. Handcuffs came out…they had him leading him back inside. It had been snatched away from him. He leaned back on the car seat and hit the steering wheel hard with his left hand. He’d wanted it so bad…now the fucking legal system would take over there was no justice in the world…none.

A nurse had come into Libby's room and was ordering the men out. "Miss Tyler needs to rest," she said firmly. "One of you can stay, but that's all."

They all looked at each other. Brian said, "I know it's your turn Frank, but I'd like to stay for awhile."

"Sure," Frank told him easily. "I can use some sleep, now that I know this one's awake." Going to Libby's side, he took her hand for a moment and leaned down to kiss her forehead.

"You rest," he said to her with a grin. "I'll be back later." He left with a smile on his face.

When he had gone, Brian and Richie looked at each other a little uneasily. Brian noticed that Richie seemed reluctant to leave.

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

Richie left the hospital reluctantly now that Libby was awake. Her statement about feeling dirty bothered him and he wondered if she might need some therapy. He caught a taxi and headed for the hotel remembering at last that he needed to talk to Nonnie. He called from the taxi.......

Nonnie had just walked into his house with the two men who were to move her things back to the flat above her shop..

“Hey Nonnie, sorry I didn’t call earlier this morning has been kinda intense... Libby woke up and identified the man that attacked her.”

“Well, I’m glad for that at least.... I hope he gets what he deserves.”

“I’m on my way back to the hotel, anywhere you’d like to have lunch?”

“I’ve had lunch, such as it was…Richie I’m back in The Glen.”

Richie was quiet a moment, “Why…I thought you were going to stay here with me?”

“You don’t need me there and Libby is taking your time so I came home. I’m at your house right now arranging to have my things moved back to the flat. I think it’s best for now. You gave me a pretty clear picture of where your mind is. Maybe when you get back here we can talk or not depending…”

“I’m sorry, this thing has just blown my mind…Nonnie don’t move out, honey I love you I need you.”

Nonnie was distracted for a moment by the movers, “…sorry um Richie I don’t think you know what you want at this moment and I don’t want to discuss it over the phone. When I moved in here…we were so happy, you remember that day, we’d come back from Sydney and so in love with each other? The next week you were in Coffs with Libby…so don’t tell me how much you love me or need me.” Nonnie hung up on him........

“Nonnie?...” he folded his phone as the taxi pulled up in front of the hotel.. Suddenly he didn’t want to go up to that empty room.. He called Frank Parker.

“Hey Frank, had lunch yet?” He lit a cigarette and paced back in forth in front of the hotel.

Frank had been in a better frame of mind since Libby had awakened.. And now that she'd ID'd the man who'd hurt her, he was hopeful that the law would take care of things. Years ago, he'd been a cop. Things hadn't worked out for a lot of reasons--some having to do with the death of his wife and daughter, some having to do with Sid 6.7 (or Sid Harbor, as he was calling himself in the Glen), but Frank knew that the law itself did work at times....... Knew that from both sides, he thought to himself with a grin, thinking about Richie's arrest and prosecution of him.. So right now, all they could do was wait and see. He'd take action later, if it became necessary..

He was trying to decide what he wanted to have for lunch when his phone rang.. Richie. Frank was still pissed off at him, but not quite as bad as he had been. "Yeah?" he answered the call.

"Was just tryin' to decide where I should eat," he said, when Richie asked him about lunch. He arranged to meet Richie in front of his hotel.

When his taxi pulled up, Richie was pacing and smoking... "Them things'll kill you one of these days." He gestured toward Richie's cigarette..

Richie took a last draw and threw it in the gutter, “I think I’m trying to kill myself anyway.” He was in a gloomy mood since talking to Nonnie.. “There’s a little place two doors down the guy behind the desk recommended...” Richie and Frank set off down the street to the little restaurant and tavern. “I asked for a place where you could get a quiet drink, God knows I need one.” Richie pushed the door open.

"What's up?" Frank knew Richie was still upset about Libby... They all were, but he didn't think that was all that was bothering him..

Richie found a booth and sat down heavily, they placed order for drinks and he opened the menu, “Nonnie’s moving out…with all that was going on at the hospital this morning I forgot to call her, actually didn’t wake her this morning when I left. She went home to The Glen,” he looked over the menu. “I know it’s my fault, I’m trying to burn the candle at both ends.” That was the first honest thing he’d realized and said aloud.

Frank was quiet for a moment. "I'm sorry," he said, when he finally spoke. "I really am. I know she means a lot to you."

“Yeah she does, she’s the first woman since Toni that I’ve felt this way about. I know…what you’re thinking about Libby. I love Libby too, Frank but as a friend.. We’ve shared a lot between us and believe me I’ve tried to get there…to where she is but I can’t.... I thought when I went to Brisbane and got her that maybe if I took a different approach it might be different for me, you know I wanted to take her out like on a date or something but it never happened. I didn’t know at that time where I stood with Nonnie, she was pissed because I went after Libby and she’s pissed again and has every right to be. I said I’d be here for Libby and I intend to be,” he ran a hand over his face, “I…hope I can get Nonnie sorted out when I get home.. Right now I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck, had the wind knocked out of me. On top of that now I missed my own divorce hearing in court and I’ve got another case coming up this week and I don’t see how I’m gonna make it. What the fuck am I doin’, Frank?”

"Sounds to me like what you need to sort out is your priorities," Frank observed. He moved his water glass around on the table, thoughtfully. "Make a few things clear. To yourself and to everybody else."

He took a sip of water, looking at Richie over the rim of his glass. "Work's always been my first priority.. That is.....ever since...." His voice trailed off. "What's your first priority right now, Richie?"

“Work was always mine too, it came first. It was so important that it cost me my first marriage and my son. I know how it can take over I was focused.... I’ve lost my focus.... You know me I never missed a court appearance…it started when I went to Brisbane…I wish the fuck I’d never gone..” He picked up the drink that had been set before him and took a long swallow from the glass. “Maybe I need to go home…get my life sorted out and my priorities in line.”

He covered his face with his hands for a minute, “I can’t do that…I told Libby I’d be here for her. Frank somehow I’ve got to make her understand where I am without hurting her again. Every time I back off she takes off and this time…it nearly killed her. I don’t know what to do…Nonnie says I gotta make a choice, ya know and I understand that.” He looked away for a moment, “You know what I think I’m gonna do…go back to Jersey...get the fuck out of it. I came out here with Toni to start a new life and that went in the toilet. I’m drowning here.” He looked at Frank with a pleading look in his eyes.

Frank gave a long sigh. He'd felt torn between Libby and Richie for a long time now. He began what he wanted to say carefully... "You know, Richie, your trouble with Libby is that you never really decided that you wanted to be friends with her before. She was always willing to accept that It was you that thought a real friendship with her was impossible."

“Well…that was because of the benefits I didn’t see her as a friend she was…willing and able ya know? I don’t mean that to sound cold, Frank. You know me, she’s young, she’s pretty…and she was available anytime. We had a lot of fun together, I don’t deny that but it was always gonna end up in the bed. I met Nonnie and things changed for me, I felt like I couldn’t see her anymore because I knew what was gonna happen. Then she goes and tells me how she feels about me, the one rule we had at the beginning…no strings, no relationship just a fun time and she couldn’t hold up her end of it, she went and fell in love and I’ll tell ya I never encouraged that…not ever.”

He looked down swirling his drink around, “I looked at her all battered up in the hospital and I felt like I’d caused it. I want to be her friend but with the past we’ve had I don’t know how that’s possible.. I can’t be running off every time she screws up to bail her out not if I want to have a relationship with Nonnie and it‘s because of the benefits. I took advantage of that.. I’m not going to back off now, she needs support I know that but somehow I gotta tell her you know there ain’t gonna be anymore benefits. I’m not the man for her...” He met Franks eyes, “she don’t see that but I do.”

Another long sigh from Frank. "Libby will live without the benefits, if that what she's gotta do. But I'll tell you right now Richie--and I know this from talkin' to her, from knowin' her as well as I do--she'll always be in love with you. That's just how Libby is. And when she recovers from this...mess-" He paused a second, his voice almost breaking.... "She'll still be there for you, and if you ask her to go to bed, she will. So if there's not gonna be anything physical, then that's gonna be up to you, pal."

"As for the rest of it--" A touch of the anger he'd been feeling was back in Frank's eyes and his voice. "Seems like you broke a few rules yourself. You started up a relationship with Nonnie and you pretty well abandoned Libby friendship-wise. You promised to be friends with her, but you didn't hold up your end of that."

He gave Richie a sharp look. "And Libby never asked you to bail her out......... You went after her in Brisbane and brought her back, tellin' her you still wanted to see her. And this time- It was your own feelings brought you down here, Richie."

“You’re right I went to Brisbane all by myself because she took off under strange circumstances and because I’d hurt her. Same thing now, I had no idea what had happened to her in Sydney when I caught a plane here, all I knew was the letter she wrote and that she was in hospital and they were looking for next of kin. I thought she’d done a number on herself this after I told her I didn’t need…didn’t need. I met her in Coffs, called her took her to an apartment I rented from Michael Stanley, I had an attack of conscience, yeah me and I told her I didn’t need to be there…doing that, Nonnie had just moved in with me.”

He took another drink from his glass, “We can’t be just friends, Frank.... Every time I look at her I know what she’s feeling, it’s a fucking turn on. I can’t do it I don’t want her there for me. I’m sorry it hurts both of us because I do care about her, there are a lot of things about her I love but not like she loves and she knows it. It ain’t fair to her and it ain’t fair to me. I’ll help her out here until she’s on her feet again but you gotta know where I’m coming from…you don’t have to like it but that’s how I feel.”

Suddenly, Frank shoved back his chair. He'd heard all this before. And what it amounted to was more hurt for Libby. Watching Richie hang over that hospital bed, worried sick over Libby, holding her hand, looking at her the way he had... Frank thought he'd finally come to his senses. That almost losing Libby had finally made Richie Roberts aware that she was something special to him.

But no. Here was just something else to break Libby's heart and she couldn't take that right now.. "I used to think I understood you, Richie, but I ain't got a fuckin' clue. You say she turns you on, and that there's things you love about her. Maybe you should have taken her out on a date sometime.. Why the hell didn't you? Why couldn't you treat her as good as you treated Nonnie?"

His flare-up was attracting attention, but Frank didn't care. He'd actually been feeling sorry for Richie, seeing how worried the man had been and knowing he was putting work and everything else on hold to be here for Libby. And Frank put all of his own worry into his words. "Did you ever stop to think that if you gave Libby a real chance you just might fall in love with her?"

Richie rested his head in his hands, elbows on the table…he couldn’t take much more, he felt like his whole life was falling apart everything he’d worked for…”I can’t do this anymore,” he stood up intending to leave but he caught sight of someone coming in the door looking around , “Madison..” He said quietly..

Looking back at Frank, he sat down again. “I’m not trying to fall in love with anybody it either happens or it don’t…you don’t try to fall in love Frank. We spent the better part of a year together if it was there I woulda recognized it...”

Barth saw them at the table, he thought Richie looked like he felt, he went straight to the bar and ordered a drink.

Frank had seen Madison too, but he was still wound up..... "I didn't say 'try' to fall in love with her, Richie I said give her a chance. There's a big difference there. You never took her out, treated her like a real woman."

“What the fuck am I supposed to do with Nonnie, Frank?” Richie’s voice rose, “I’ve got somebody else, I’m not looking for more.”

Frank's voice was cold. "Too bad that, when Nonnie came along, you never thought that way. Never said to yourself, 'I've got Libby, I'm not lookin' for more."

“No I didn’t we didn’t have that kind of a relationship, we were both free to date other people and I did. We were just friends, Frank.”

“You guys are causing a scene, why don’t you take it outside,” Barth walked over.

“Butt out Madison this ain’t got nothing to do with you.” Richie didn’t even look at him.

“You’re raising your voices and Libby’s name was mentioned so I guess it does…have something to do with me,” he took a sip of his drink.

"I'd say it's got as much to do with him as it does with you, Richie." Frank was surprised to find himself defending Madison. "He's been there for Libby when she needed somebody too..."

“I wasn’t able to keep a promise I made to her today and that’s too bad” He took a drink and pulled a chair up and sat down without being asked. “So what’s your problem?” He looked at Richie

“None of your business,” Richie picked his drink up and looked at Frank.

“Fine, just don’t be shoutin’ her name all over. This ain’t hit the papers yet but it will, Lewis can’t stop the presses for long ya know?”

“Where did you disappear to this morning?” Richie asked him.

“None of your business…” Barth threw back at him.

"Just what promise did you make to her?" Frank was still suspicious of the man... "She don't need anybody breakin' more promises to her, especially right now.."

Barth set his glass down on the table, “I promised her she would never have to look at that bastard that raped her again and that he would never see her again.... But I missed my chance, they’ve locked him up again for the law to take over and spit out justice. That ain’t justice in my book...... There’s all the courtroom drama yet to come and if you’ve got any balls at all, Roberts you’ll keep her out of the courtroom, all they need is a recorded statement from her.”

“You a barrister now too?” Richie looked at him raising a brow. “I’ll do what I can for her, find the best Barrister I can to represent her in court. She may not have to testify,” he took a sip of his dwindling drink.

"Damn, I hope not." Frank put his head in his hands. "That's another thing she don't need."

Frank's phone rang and, recognizing Brian Tyler's number, he answered it quickly. "Everything okay with Libby?"

He hung up a few minutes later, looking at Richie and Barth in turn. "Brian Tyler wants to see both of you back at the hospital when you can make it," he told them.

Richie downed the rest of his drink, “I’m ready.”

Barth stood up looking worried, “Let’s go, I got a vehicle.”

At the hospital, Brian met them downstairs in the lobby. Looking at their worried faces, he said, "Relax. Medically, she's doing fine. They've sedated her again, so she can get some rest. I just wanted to talk with the two of you about.....her recovery."

They found seats in a corner seating area, “What about her recovery?” Richie asked.

Barth sat quietly looking from one to the other.

"Mr. Madison," Brian said quietly.. "Would you excuse us for about ten minutes? I need to talk to you, too, but I think what I need to say to Richie might best be said in private."

Barth smirked and walked out of the waiting area.. Richie watched him leave and then looked at Brian, “What’s up?”

Brian Tyler fixed him with an intense, but not unfriendly look. "Richie, my little sister considers you the love of her life."

Whatever he had been expecting…that wasn’t it. He looked down at his hands lacing them together, “I know,” he said softly.

"Libby has always talked to me a lot." Brian ran a hand through his already messed-up hair.... "I just had a long talk with a staff psychiatrist about her emotional recovery from all this."

"Richie- I need to know where you stand with Libby. She's told me that you don't love her, but I need to hear from you just exactly how you do feel about her."

Richie looked up and met his eyes, “I love her as a friend, Brian,” he took a breath, “and that presents a problem for me because of our past history. I have a girlfriend who naturally objects to Libby and rightfully so. I have to tread carefully here. I have no desire to hurt Libby, I’ve done enough of that but at the same time I can’t promise anything more. We’ve had some good times together and I was blind as to how she felt about me but now that I know it serves no purpose for either of us to continue seeing each other. I don’t want to lose the woman I have because I love her. I’ve not been…I’ve taken advantage of Libby but that’s going to stop.. I think that’s what caused her to be in Sydney in the first place. I let her know it had to stop. I care about her and care what happens to her but as hard as it might sound, she’s not the love of my life....”

Brian held Richie's gaze and listened to every word.. "If keeping your girlfriend is going to be your main objective, then I think it's best that you step out of Libby's life," he said firmly. "Now.."

Richie stared back for a minute, he didn’t have it exactly right but what the hell, he was tired of trying to explain, first Frank and now Brian.. Of course Libby was their main concern. He looked away for a minute, “Maybe you’re right…maybe I do need to step out of her life.” He’d brought her nothing but pain anyway and if he ever hoped to have any kind of a life with Nonnie he had to step out…let her go completely. It would probably be better for her anyway not to see him again. He nodded slightly.

"I want to make sure you know, Richie, that I do appreciate your being here for Libby." Brian was in business-like mode again. "Normally, I would never step into the middle of Libby's life like this... Not only would she hate me for it, but she wouldn't allow it. But there's nothing normal about what's going on now."

He sighed. "I don't know if I'm making the right decision here. If Libby finds out that I told you this, it could make things a lot worse for her."

Looking up at Richie again, he went on. "I know that when Libby came to Sydney, ready to get on that plane, it was because you had told her you didn't want her any more. She told me that during that last phone call she made to me. Oh, she didn't mention any of her plans, but she told me what you'd said and I could tell how hurt she was. Not crying or anything. It might have been better if she was crying. But she was talking in this strange, emotionally detached sort of voice.. It gave me chills.."

“The letter she wrote gave me chills. That’s why when the detective called me I thought…well that she’d tried to harm herself in some way. The last time I saw her in Coffs Harbor I told her I didn’t need this, meaning I didn’t need to be seeing her like that anymore, that I couldn’t see it going on for much longer and I can’t it’s affecting every aspect of my life. I understand your main focus is Libby but I’ve got other things to think about; other people in my life that are suffering too. Libby’s got some problems, Brian and they’re not all related to me. Did she tell you about the miscarriage she had? Shortly after that she wanted me to go through some complicated procedure so she could have my child. I’ve had a vasectomy... I refused outright.. She gets some crazy ideas sometimes…she didn’t want a husband or a boyfriend she just wanted a baby. I honestly should have pushed her into some kind of therapy after that but I didn’t.”

"Therapy...." Brian's lips had tightened a little. "I know about therapy. Spent a little over a year in it myself after my dad died. Libby tried it too. Didn't work too well for her."

"You ever try therapy, Richie? Say, for your problems with women?"

“No,” he said sharply.

Brian noticed his tone. "I'm not being critical here, Richie. I'm just trying to say that therapy's not for everyone, and it's not always all it's cracked up to be."

He sighed.. "Yeah, Libby told me about the miscarriage, and she told me about asking you to father a child for her. I don't think that was so much a long-term problem as just a tough reaction to the miscarriage itself. She settled down a little after that."

Brian settled back in his chair. "Don't be too tough on Libby, Richie.. When it comes to love, she and I didn't exactly have the best examples to follow and that's putting it mildly.. I know she told you some things about our family--our mom's alcohol and drug problems."

“Yeah, she did we all got problems, Brian I didn’t know my mother until I was 8 years old. I’m not trying to be tough on her I’m just sayin’ she’s got some problems and probably more now, that she needs to work out. You said you wanted to talk about her recovery...” Richie didn’t want to delve into his family’s problems he had enough of his own. He studied Brian for a moment and thought he had a few himself.

Brian had stopped trying to wear his boardroom face. It just didn't fit here... "I'm worried, Richie. I'm worried sick about her and, like I said, I've got no idea if I'm doing the right thing here by telling you to walk away. I'm trying to save her more hurt, but I could be hurting her even worse."

"I know how she feels about you and I saw how she was looking at you, how she was holding onto your hand like it was a lifeline. It seems to me like there's three options here, but none of them are good. If you stay and tell her you don't love her, that hurts her. If you stay and don't tell her that, then there's more hurt down the line when she finds out. And if you walk away, with all the pain she's in right now and everything she's facing, then does she feel she's got no reason to face it, no reason to even try to recover...?"

Surprisingly, tears had come into Brian's eyes. "You put me in a boardroom or anywhere in a business situation, I know exactly what to do. But this- I've got no clue."

Richie closed his eyes a moment, “you’re putting a heavy load on me, like it’s all up to me whether she recovers or not. I want to see her happy and healthy, Brian as much as you do. She already knows how I feel, God knows I’ve let it be known to her. She thinks that’s fine, a one sided love and it ain’t fine. I don’t want to be a party to that anymore because it hurts her. I’m not going to lie to her and say I love her and set her up for more pain. She’s got to find the strength to stand on her own without me. I can’t devote my life to her. I love her as a friend, Brian, nothing more.” He saw Barth milling around the doors hands on his hips.

“I don’t want to let her down and I think the best thing is not to put myself in a position where that could happen. I told Frank earlier, regardless of what she thinks, I’m not the man for her. I don’t’ know what to do either maybe it needs to be put in the hands of a professional. I’m willing to do what I can for her but I’m not going to lead her on thinking something that’s not gonna happen.”

"I'm not trying to put any load on you, Richie. The load's not yours to carry.. I know that." Brian was running his hands through his hair. "All I want to do is get her past this crisis.. Get her stronger before another load of pain is dropped on her."

Libby's brother had noticed Barth too, knew he still had to talk to the other man, and he had something important to say to him too. Brian straightened, trying to look professional again. "When I called you two down here, it was to tell you something specific, and I've gotten sidetracked. I talked with Libby while you were gone, and then I spoke with some guy on the phone named Max Skinner. I believe he's the president of the bank in the Glen?"

At Richie's nod, he went on. "Seems before Libby came down here to Sydney, she made some arrangements with him." Brian glanced toward Barth again. "She paid off Mr.... Madison's bar for him, free and clear, and opened a college trust fund for his son.."

His eyes returned to Richie. "She also paid off your house and some flat in a place called Coffs Harbour for you. You own them now, free and clear.. You also own the house she bought for herself, and all the money left in her bank accounts, checking, savings, and investments."

Richie’s mouth dropped open, “What? No…no she can’t do that, that was her trust fund…what the hell was she thinking? I won’t accept it. Brian you’ve got to talk to her this is crazy. I don’t want her money,” he was shaking his head still not believing what Brian had told him, his mind went to the letter again, she had mentioned Skinner. “She was planning to do away with herself wasn’t she?” It made him angry.

"We haven't talked yet about what she was planning. The psychiatrist I talked with suggested it was best not to get into that with her yet. All I know is, she told me about it and then I talked with Skinner and he confirmed it.."

"And it's not a matter of you accepting it. It wasn't done as a will or anything like that.. Just straight transfers from her to you and Madison. It's already done."

“Well I’ll un-do it then, transfer it back…how the hell did she? I’m not going to accept it she had no right to do this.” Richie was clearly angry. “I don’t want her money and Skinner…oh wait until I see that bastard…” he ran a hand through his hair. “He shoulda told me what he was up to and I would have put a stop to it.” He was trying to spread his anger over Skinner but it was Libby that caused it and it was her that he was really angry with..

"Why are you so angry?" Brian looked at him curiously. "Libby did what she did out of love. She wanted to make life easier for you. To give you something that would help you."

“I don’t need her help especially financially. She knows me well enough to know this is something I would never have taken from her. She shouldn’t have done it, Brian. How much more evidence do you need…she’s lost her mind.” He felt for his cigarettes and realized he was inside a hospital and slipped them back in his pocket.

Finally, Brian realized that he was angry. Like Libby, he had learned to control angry feelings and not let them show, but now he was angry. At Richie, at the world, at himself. "You know, Richie, I don't think it's Libby who's crazy as much as it is me and you. And yes, I said me as well as you."

"Libby and I have had a few conversations in the past about whether we thought we could ever love anyone, given what we went through. Neither of us thought we could ever feel that way." He smiled a little. "When Libby told me she was in love with you, I was surprised, but I was happy for her. There was so much happiness in her voice. I'd never heard her so happy, had never thought I would. She opened herself up to it, and she said it was the greatest feeling she'd ever had. And to Libby, loyalty and devotion are part and parcel of being in love. To her, if she gives up loving you, then she gives up something she believes in deep down."

"So this is the way it is. And I'm not trying to lay a guilt trip on you or anything. I'm just laying it out for you. You can go away and never see Libby again, but it won't make her stop loving you. Not seeing her may end your problems, but it won't end how she feels. No matter where you are- No matter where she is, she's still gonna be in love with you."

“I can’t help what she feels, I didn’t encourage it and I can’t accept it. I’ve already wallowed in guilt I know what it smells like, what it tastes like and what it looks like. How can you love somebody like that and not want it returned…she does want it returned but it ain’t there for me. You think that makes me crazy? You think turning your trust fund over to some asshole that you love and who doesn’t love you is sane? No Brian it ain’t. She’s got this fantasy going about me…it’s not real. In the real world I’m with another woman that I do love.. I’m sorry, sorry for the whole mess this has turned into. It would be better if I just disappeared from her life, better for her and better for me because she needs somebody that will make her number one in his life and give her the love she deserves. I’m gonna talk to Skinner and see what can be done to return her trust fund. I appreciate what she was trying to do but I can’t accept it.”

"I'm sure it'll be better for you, Richie, but I'm not sure at all that it'll be better for her. Not at this particular point in time. I'm afraid of what it will do to her right now, to have you walk out and never come back. But you have to do what you have to do."

"As for her money, and that little heart she gave you- Please do me and her one last, huge favor, Richie. Don't try and give them back. She won't take them. She really, really wants you to have them. At least give her that much, Richie."

"And I'd really appreciate it if you'd go up and tell her goodbye. I don't know how to tell her that you won't be back."

Richie gave him a hard look, he was as bad as Libby. Yeah lay it all on him, if she don’t recover it’s all his fault for walking away from her if she does recover then it’s his fault she faces the pain of knowing he’s walking. “You’re not doing her any favors…brother. It seems to me you ought to be up there trying to convince her she’s barking up the wrong tree. Trying to show her a life that doesn’t include me instead of continuing the myth that somehow I’m going to see a shining light and say oh, I was wrong all along. I’ve known her for a year, Brian, we had what I think was a brief affair and I moved on. She ain’t moved and that’s not my fault and I can’t fix it for her. She’s a sweet girl and like I told her, I’ll be here for her as long as she needs me to be but not like that, not as a lover. She needs to understand that and if I have to tell her face to face I will but you…are not helping her.” He pointed a finger at him.

“If that was my sister up there I’d be telling her what a bastard she hooked up with and that she was well rid of him instead of sympathizing and making it worse for all concerned. And…and I will tell her I won’t accept the money, she’s gonna need that herself.” Richie had about had enough.

Brian's look was puzzled. "But I don't think you're a bastard, Richie. Why should I think that? You've told me that you did nothing to make her think you were in love with her, and she's told me the same thing. She just fell in love with you. That's not your fault or hers. It just happened."

"And I know my sister. Sure, I could go in there and tell her what a big mistake she's making, calling you a bastard and all kinds of other names. I could've done that a long time ago over the phone. But she wouldn't listen, and she'd hate me for it. It'd push her even closer to you, if that's possible, because she'd automatically start defending you. You must have noticed that about Libby. That if someone she cares about gets attacked, she's gonna defend them and protect them at all costs..."

"Frank Parker attacked you and it caused a lot of grief between him and Libby, or didn't you know that? He told me she got so angry for awhile there, she didn't even want to speak to him. She's passionate about things she believes in and she believes in you.. I can't talk her out of that and neither can anyone else. Believe me, if I thought it'd do any good, I'd try. 'Cause I think if she would just get angry at you instead of being hurt, it would do her a world of good."

Richie thought for a moment, “maybe I can accomplish that, she needs to get angry with me. I’m going to try my best not to hurt her again but she and I need to talk and speaking of talking, Madison is about to burst open over there.” Richie noticed him with his arms crossed over his chest scowling in their direction. “I don’t know how he’s gonna take the money, I got an idea he ain’t gonna be pleased either. I talked with him a little today when we rode over here together. Did you know he was gonna take the guy out this morning? Oh yeah, he was prepared to kill for her. It was going to cost him big time but he feels that strongly about it. There’s something between him and Libby, I don’t know what it is or how strong it is but it bears paying attention to.”

"He told me before that he loves her," Brian said, looking over at Barth himself. The man had actually been ready to kill for his sister? "What do you mean he bears paying attention to? You think he'd do Libby any harm?"

“No,” Richie said thoughtfully, “on the contrary, he’d probably do her a lot of good. He doesn’t play games with her, he’s a straight talking guy and he’s smart.”

"I'm surprised to hear you say that," Brian told him. "You haven't acted as though you liked him very much. And wasn't he the one she was with in Brisbane, when you went and brought her back?"

Richie smiled a little, “He and I ain’t never gonna be best friends and yes she was with him in Brisbane but she went with him of her own accord. We don’t see eye to eye on a lot of things but I’ve got some newfound respect for him..”

"Right now, I need to talk to him." Brian was still looking at Richie. "And if you wanna go talk to Libby..." He trailed off. "Go easy on her, Richie.. She's been through so much.. And she's still got so much to go through."

“I’ll talk to her, “ Richie stood up, but first he was going to have a cigarette. He walked past Barth, “Your go,” he said and opened the door and walked out on the sidewalk.

Barth insisted on standing and Brian knew it was to make him feel more in command. He'd used the same tactic many a time in business. He didn't let it rattle him. "Mr. Madison," he began. "My sister talked to me all about Frank Parker and Richie Roberts, but she never once mentioned you. You're an unknown quantity to me."

“Good then you don’t have any preconceived ideas about who I am or what I am. You wanted to talk to me you said and I been coolin’ my heels for long enough, so get to it.”

"Libby feels something for you. You have some sort of hold over her. I don't quite know what it is, but it's there." Brian waited, watching his face.

His eyes softened but gave nothing away, “I think it’s the other way around.”

Richie had his cigarette, pacing back and forth along the sidewalk oblivious of people coming and going... He was going to talk to Libby and try and explain where he was and hoped like hell she would understand. It was the phone call to Nonnie that brought him to his senses. He was in danger of losing everything he held dear. He’d been letting his emotions rule instead of his head. Speaking of his head, he had a headache after drinking his lunch instead of eating. He was wrung out emotionally and physically tired however this had to be done... He stamped out his cigarette and went back inside heading for the elevators he glanced over at Barth and Brian.. Barth looked like a thundercloud that was about to rain down on somebody..

Quietly opening her door he went inside, her eyes were closed but opened when he came near, “Hey, Libby you feeling any better?”

Her eyes lit up very briefly at seeing him, but then her expression went flat again. She didn't speak.. A psychiatrist had been in to talk with her a little earlier, and she hadn't spoken with him either. What was there to say?

In between waking and sleeping her mind was filled with images, smells, sounds of those two days she'd endured. It had been not quite 48 hours that had seemed like a lifetime. And it had changed her life forever. She'd never be the same.

Richie looked at her for a moment saying nothing, she didn’t seem to be behind those eyes. “I’ve been downstairs talking with your brother,” he pulled up a chair and sat down running a hand over his face. “He was telling me some pretty disturbing things, like how you paid off my house, bought the flat and left all your money, your house and holdings to me. I have to wonder why you’d do a thing like that, knowing it would piss me off, knowing I couldn’t in all honesty accept it.. It was a nice thought though. I’m going to see Skinner and see what we can do to undo what you’ve done. You’re going to need those funds, Libby and you know I don’t and wouldn’t take it if I did.”

It was a great effort to speak, but she did it, her voice dull and flat. "It's only money. It doesn't matter.. Doesn't mean anything."

“Yeah it did mean something, meant something to your father when he was working hard making it, putting it away for you someday. I don’t imagine he ever thought you’d just give it away.” He said quietly.

"I didn't 'just' give it away. I gave it to the person I wanted to have it. To the person who meant the most to me in the world."

Richie sighed, “Well he don’t deserve it and he’s gonna make sure it gets put back where it belongs. The last time we saw each other in Coffs…we need to talk, Libby cause it was right after that that you left after giving your money away. I got a feeling the two are tied together and I need to explain something to you. When I brought you back from Brisbane I thought,” he sighed again, “thought I could more or less lead a double life. Nonnie had just moved in the weekend before I met you in Coffs. I realized while I was there with you that I couldn’t do that, couldn’t be two people…one for you and one for Nonnie. It literally made me physically sick on the way home.”

“This is probably not the best time to do this but I don’t know if it will ever be better for you or for me. You and I have been friends and had a lot of good times together, Libby. You know I’ve always thought of you that way, as a friend I’ve loved you as a friend. I think the benefits screwed us up a long time ago and I want to tell you this, I wouldn’t change a thing we’ve shared together. But you know life moves on, I moved on with Nonnie.. I’m in love with Nonnie and I’m going to do everything I can to make sure that love grows. I’m really sorry you had to fall in love with me, I wish you hadn’t. When you think of all the people you know…to think I mean the most to you is kinda sad. It doesn’t make me feel good, it makes me sad..”

“You’ve got the whole world out there to conquer don’t be so blind that the only thing you can see is an asshole like me. I ain’t worth it and you deserve better. I’ve had Frank all over my ass today and I’m sorry I can’t say or feel what he seems to think I should..” He took the little heart out of his pocket, “I think you should take this back, find somebody that can return the love that’s in it because I can’t. My heart belongs to someone else and I’m through collecting hearts.” He lay the heart across her hands.

"No." Her voice still flat, Libby pushed the heart back into his hand and curled his fingers around it. "It belongs to you. It always will." His words to her before she had left for Sydney had made her physically sick too. She'd be that way now, if she wasn't so numb from everything that had happened.

"And you might as well stop saying all these things about being an asshole, and not being worth it, and me deserving better. I don't believe them. And if you really believed all that about yourself, then you'd want Nonnie to have someone better too. You're saying those things to get rid of me."

He hated to do this, “What Nonnie and I have is different from what you and I had, Libby. You think I’m so great, I used you, you never refused me and I knew you wouldn’t. You were good sex. I told you I didn’t need it anymore because I’ve got it with Nonnie. There’s nothing out there for us, no future for you with me so you need to find somebody else to give this heart to, forget me and the sooner the better for both of us. I’m not trying to get rid of you like an unwanted pet, I’m just telling you it’s over, no more…you need to move on Libby make a life for yourself, look around at the world you can do anything. This thing of running away and disposing of all your goods, what the fuck did you think you were doing? Get a grip on yourself kid nobody is worth that, nobody.”

He moistened his lips. “I’m really sorry for what happened to you here in Sydney, I’ve blamed myself for upsetting you in Coffs and causing you to take off again. But then Brian tells me what you’ve done with your trust fund and I’m thinking you’ve lost your marbles. I can’t deal with it anymore I’ve missed one court appearance and another one will go by tomorrow because I’m here in Sydney thinking you tried to kill yourself over me. It didn’t happen thank God but what did happen was pretty bad.. I’ll do what I can for you legally and get you the best representation I can but I’m through feeling guilty.”

"I never wanted you to feel guilty." There was still no inflection in Libby's voice, but tears were in her eyes. It was thinking about Richie, holding on to his face and his voice and the feel of him that had gotten her through the nightmare she'd endured.

Libby's physical pain was worse now and she could feel a now-familiar blackness swirling at the edge of her consciousness. Trying to fight it, she said, "You don't have to go to all this trouble, Richie. I knew that you wouldn't want me any more after this. I don't blame you. I'm just--dirty."

A man in suit and tie came striding into the room... "Miss Tyler," he said, checking the few monitors which were still attached to her. He took her fingers and squeezed them briefly. "You just try and relax now."

Glancing over at Richie, his voice was brusque and commanding, "I need to see you outside for a moment. Now.."

Richie looked at Libby a moment and followed the man outside, he knew he’d upset her he hoped he made her angry but again she didn’t see what he was trying to tell her, wouldn’t understand.

Outside Libby's door, the tall man in the suit turned to Richie. "I'm Dr. Barry, staff psychiatrist. I'm treating Miss Tyler while she's here."

Without waiting for Richie to speak, he continued in a firm, almost angry tone. "I don't know what you're doing in there, but it needs to stop right now." His eyes flashed. "That young woman in there escaped dying by this much." He held up his thumb and forefinger.

"She's still very ill and, on top of that, she's in the most fragile state she'll probably ever be in in her life. I've been working with rape victims for the last 15 years. Being raped is bad enough, but to be beaten the way she was? She's in no state to deal with anything else emotional right now.. She's going to need all her strength to deal with what's already happened to her."

The doctor crossed his arms. "I was keeping an eye on her monitors. While you were in there, her blood pressure went up and her heart rate increased alarmingly. I've got a nurse giving her a sedative right now." He looked down at the little wooden heart that Richie was flipping through his fingers.

"Now, the sedative should put her out again in a few minutes. She needs your patience, your love, and your support, not anything else to upset her. And that's what she's going to be needing for a long while. If you think you can go in there and tell her something that will help her instead of hurt her, you can go back in and sit with her until she falls asleep. If you can't, then maybe you should leave. This is the wrong time to be putting her under any more stress."

“I’m sorry, Dr. Barry, I know she’s in a bad way, I guess we’re all under a lot of stress. I’m not unfamiliar with rape victims, I need to leave her alone, nothing I can do right now is going to help her.” He knew what he had done, unconsciously he had reverted back to his days as a detective, speaking without actually touching, keeping that distance, that emotional distance. He was spent anyway. “I’ll just sit quietly until she’s asleep.”

"Fine." The doctor had turned to go when he looked back at Richie. "Are you by any chance the 'Richie' she was calling for before she woke up?"

Richie closed his eyes a moment, “yes.”

"She obviously feels very strongly for you. The best thing you can do for her right now is to give her support. Be there when she needs you."

“Right,” Richie went back into the room and sat down again. The nurse was just leaving after shooting a sedative into the IV.. Richie looked at Libby, she had her eyes closed, face expressionless. He’d been hard but he had to be, it was the only way he could let her know how it was with them. He didn’t want her holding on to some belief that there could ever be anything for them in the future. He thought it best to get it all out in the open and save her from being hurt again later on when she was recovering.

“Sorry, I know I upset you once again, I seem to be sorry a lot lately.” He ran a weary hand through his hair. “I want you to know, Libby that what happened to you has nothing to do with what I said earlier. You’re still a very desirable woman and always will be and if you think about it the break between us happened before anything in Sydney.” He wasn’t sure she was even listening to him she hadn’t moved. He sat back in the chair and rubbed his eyes. Maybe he should just shut up, he seemed to be saying all the wrong things anyway.

The sedative had Libby firmly in it's clutches. Once again, ugly pictures were swirling through her head about all that had happened to her when she'd been trapped in that flat for two days with the man who'd attacked her. And once again, it was picturing Richie that she turned to to help fight off the ugliness, to deal emotionally with what was happening to her. Although she heard his voice, she had no idea what he was saying. Only knew that the sound was comforting to her. As the drugs took effect and she fell asleep, Libby put out her hand, found his on the arm of the nearby chair and clutched it.

His fingers closed around hers and he held her hand until the pressure relaxed. She was deep into her drugged sleep. He placed her hand back on the sheet. He still had the heart in his other hand, for now he slipped it back in his pocket, time enough to give it back.

Back at the hotel he fell across the bed, moved a little pulling his phone out of his pocket, he’d had it turned off in the hospital and now turned it back on checking for messages. A text from Michael, he was excited about coming out in a week. A week, Richie turned over on the bed, one week to get his life back together. A voice mail from Miss Peeg, he’d better call her back. He checked the bedside clock, it was after five she was probably at home.

“Mr. Roberts, I do so hate to call you but it’s the Chalmers case isn’t it?”

Richie pulled a pillow under his head, “Is it, Miss Peeg?”

“Mr. Chalmers would very much like to meet with you before the court date and that is next Tuesday morning at 9:30. You will be back…won’t you Mr. Roberts?”

“Yes, Miss Peeg I should be back by then, go ahead and set me up for Monday morning.” He sighed and closed his eyes. “I’m sorry about Johnny…”

“That’s perfectly understandable, I contacted Travis McGee since he’s had a lot of experience purchasing property in this area and he put me in contact with a solicitor in Nana Glen who will be handling it now. I sent the folder on with Johnny.”

“Miss Peeg somehow I’ll make this up to you.”

“Oh Mr. Roberts, there is nothing to make up, how is Miss Tyler?”

“Not good but at least she’s awake most of the time and talking some.”

“Mr. Roberts, Michael would like to speak with you I believe concerning the flat in Coffs.”

“Okay…”

“Richie, sorry to hear about Libby Tyler, nasty business that, I hope they’ve got the culprit.”

“Yes, they’ve got him, thanks Michael.”

“Well, I wanted to talk to you about the flat, Max Skinner from the bank contacted me and I went down and found a check waiting for me. So I asked how I could sell it when it was let, but then we didn’t have a formal agreement and so the sale cancelled it out. It’s sold and the new owner is anonymous. You may have to make other arrangements. A nice profit too I must say.”

“Yeah I know, I’m the new owner. Nothing to do with me Michael I didn’t ask for it…”

“What are you saying, Richie?”

“I’m saying I didn’t ask for the flat, it’s all Libby’s doing, she’s been in my mortgage account too and somehow I need to fix all this.”

“I’d say Richie that you need to fix more than accounts. This is highly unusual…is it legal?”

“Yeah, as far as I know it is. I’m in Sydney when I get home I’m going to see what I can do to straighten all this out.”

“I don’t mind about the sale.”

“No of course you don’t and it’s binding…the only thing I know to do is to sell it again and return her money. She went off the deep end there for a bit and right now I don’t know where she is.”

“Winnie has talked to Nonnie and also to Toni I thought you might want to know that.”

“Thanks, always good to know what I’m walking into.”

“You’ve gotten yourself into a right mess, Richie.”

“Yes sir, I know. I hope I can straighten it all out given a little time and I’ve only got a little time, my son Michael is due in here next week.”

“Well if there is anything I can do you know you’ve only to let me know. I still think of you as family.”

“I appreciate that, not much family left on my side.

“If you need me Richie I’m here.”

“I…thanks I might take you up on that, I’m about at the end of my rope.”

“Tie a knot and hang on until you get home, I’ll be waiting to talk to you.”

“Good night, Michael.”

“G’night my boy.”

Richie ended the call and turned over laying the phone on his chest, he still had a call to make.

“Nonnie?”

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry about today it seems like everything is turned upside down…”

“You need to right it again Richie and only you can do that.”

“You’re back in your flat?”

“Yes I am, I don’t like being here alone, it’s funny after you live with someone even for a short time the hours seem to drag on when you’re on your own again. Silly I guess, it’s only been a day but when I look across the street I know you aren’t there and it bothers me.”

“It bothers me that you’re back in your flat again.”

“I’m comfortable here, I feel safe and secure. I couldn’t feel that way at your house because I didn’t know from which way it was going to come. I love you Richie but I won’t let you use me and abuse me by being with another woman whatever the reason. It’s because I know what kind of relationship you had with her and maybe still have that I can’t ignore it, it won’t go away it stands between us like a wall.”

“It’s over, Nonnie I told her that today. Yesterday it was all such a shock and I was running on raw emotion. I’ve had time to think and I know for certain where I want to go, where I want to be and that’s with you. They’ve all been over me today about how I should be feeling toward her, because of how she feels about me. That’s why I had to tell her how it was. It wasn’t easy because of her condition and I’m afraid I may have upset her again and she really didn’t need that right now but I had to set it straight. I didn’t want her thinking it was going to be any different. She’s still not right and it may take some time for her to come to herself. I can’t just walk away from here right now although I’d like to, I’d like to come home right now and be with you.”

“Why can’t you walk away?”

“Because I feel responsible for her. Because she was here in the first place. I don’t like the way I’ve treated her, Nonnie. I can’t go back and change anything but from now on it’s going to be different. I said some pretty hard things to her today and sometimes honesty is a hard pill to swallow. I’m not sure understands she seems to think it’s all because she was raped but that has nothing to do with anything.”

“How long do you think you’re going to be responsible for her? She’s old enough to be responsible for her own actions. Unrequited love can drive people to do strange things, what will you do the next time she runs away? It has to end somewhere Richie. It has to end or there will be no room for me in your life and I very much want to be there.”

“I want you, Nonnie and this thing with Libby is going to end. I just want to see her through the next few days and then I’m coming home to you. Be there for me…”

“You know where I am.” Nonnie ended the call.

Richie pulled the pillow around and held it to him, he didn’t know when the tears had started but he let them run their course and fell into a restless sleep.