The woman seemed so out of place in the corridors of a hospital. She was so lovely. A little drawn perhaps, a little tired, but other than that she looked like a movie star. In fact she resembled a movie star, she looked just like Veronica Lake. It was only when she smiled, as she did now at the nurses on duty at their station, that you realized that this woman's beauty went much deeper than looks. An inner beauty shone from her.

"He's sleeping now," she told the nurse, pointing back at the room she had just left. "I'm gonna run home, change before I stink up the place," she laughed. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

It was clear by their smiles, by their eyes, that the nurses liked her. "See you later Lynn," they told her.

She watched the woman, Lynn, walk towards the exit, finding it difficult to tear her eyes away, pay attention to the man who was speaking to her.

"Your late mother's patronage of the hospital has been more than generous over the years,.." The hospital administrators words drew her attention back to him.

"Stepmother," she said briskly. "She was not my mother."

"I stand corrected." He was eager to please this young woman, but unsure of his ability to do so. She seemed uninterested in what he was saying, almost distracted. Perhaps she was still in mourning for her stepmother, the plain black fitted suit she wore would indicate that, as would the fashionable hat with it's little veil. He would have liked to have seen her without the veil that partly obscured her flashing blue eyes from him. "News of her death came as a terrible shock, I had no idea she was in ill health," he told her, shaking off his own distraction. "She died of a heart attack I read?"

She nodded. "My stepmother was heavily addicted to both alcohol and cocaine Dr. Jansford," she explained. "Her death was less of a surprise than you might think."

His expression showed that her revelation had stunned him. "I, I had no idea," he shook his head. "That doesn't change the fact that her contributions to this hospital over the years were,.."

"Sporadic and woefully inadequate," she finished for him. "It is my intention to double her previous contributions, and to make that money available on an annual basis."

"Double!" He couldn't hide his surprise or his pleasure, and he didn't try to. "That's extremely generous of you Miss,.."

"The victims of the recent 'Victory Motel' shootings were brought here I understand?" She cut him off, and was unable to stop her eyes from straying back to the door of that hospital room.

"Yes they were," Dr. Jansford confirmed. "You read about that in the papers I presume, a terrible business."

She nodded, took a long slow breath. "I understand that one of the police officers involved was badly wounded, an officer Wendell White."

"Ah yes, officer White," he nodded. "He's had extensive surgery. We thought we were going to lose him, but the man has an incredible will to live," he admitted.

She swallowed nervously. "Is he out of danger?"

"It's still too early to say as yet, but he's making satisfactory progress." It was the standard press release reply.

"I want officer White to have the best of everything."

"We all do," he nodded. "A brave man."

"No," she said sharply, capturing the man's attention. "You misunderstand me doctor. I want him to have the very best of care, the best of treatment. I want officer White out of danger," she explained. "And I want him to make a full recovery, whatever it takes. I don't want his medical insurance touched. I will pay any and all medical expenses."

"That's incredibly generous of you," he told her. "I'm sure he'll be,.."

"He is never to know!" she insisted. "He is never to find out anything about this, or about me. If he does I will withdraw every last penny of funding from this hospital. This must be the hospital's best kept secret, is that clear?" She was lying through her teeth, she could never withhold money from a hospital, but she had lived in the shadow of her stepmother long enough to learn how to manipulate. "My secretary will contact you for a daily update on officer White's progress."

Walter Jansford stared at the beautiful young English woman standing in front of him. "May I ask you something, Miss Allen-Moncrieff?"

"You can ask?" she invited.

"Do you know officer White?" he asked her.

He watched her reach up and carefully turn back the hat's veil. "Yes I do," she nodded hesitantly. Her dark eyes softened, her whole demeanor changed as the tough facade evaporated. What remained was the heartbroken face of a vulnerable, and incredibly concerned young woman. The tough exterior had been a sham. "If he's sleeping," she asked softly. "Would it be possible for me to look in on him, just for a moment or two?"

"I don't see why not," he told her gently, suddenly liking this young woman. He gave her a warm smile as he led her to the door of the officers room. One of the nurses was just coming out. "Nurse Ryan, is officer White sleeping?" he asked her.

She nodded. "Yes doctor."

He led Felicia Allen-Moncrieff into the wounded policeman's room and saw her pale at the sight of him. Her large, beautiful, dark blue eyes filled with tears, and he knew in that moment that she loved this man. He couldn't imagine a circumstance where the two of them might ever have met, but clearly they had.

The young woman looked up at him. "Could I have a moment alone with him, please?"

"Of course," he squeezed her arm in reassurance. "I'll wait for you outside. You won't be disturbed."

"Thank you," she told him, gratefully.

Felicia walked closer to the bed, taking in the wounded, battered body, the plethora of tubes and wires. She couldn't stop her tears from escaping, from streaming down her cheeks, but she bit back her sobs in case she should wake him. She found his large hand and stroked it lightly with her fingertips. How often had she dreamed of touching him again, of seeing him, if only from a distance, but this! She had arrived back in LA to find the newspaper headlines about the 'Victory Motel' waiting for her. Reports of officer Wendell White being severely wounded leapt out at her. Her own people had done the rest, made discreet inquiries. In the end she knew more about the incident than the newspapers, knew the truth about Captain Dudley Smith, the man who had given Bud his 'muscle job'.

"Oh Bud," she whispered to him. She bent and placed a soft kiss on his forehead. "Get better soon my love."

For just a moment his eyes flickered open, and he seemed to almost focus on her, and then they closed again.

Reluctantly she headed for the door, turning back one last time before she forced herself to leave him, again. He belonged to someone else now, someone who clearly loved him and cared for him. There was nothing she could do about that, nothing she would want to do, but no one could stop her from helping him in this small way. No one could stop her from loving him still.

Dr. Jansford was waiting for her in the corridor. "Are you all right my dear?" he asked her sweetly.

She nodded, dabbing at her eyes briefly with a handkerchief. "Knowing that he's taken care of is very important to me," she told him.

"I understand." He nodded. "You have my word that he will be, that everything will be done, just as you request."

"Whatever it takes," she emphasized. "Whatever he needs."

He smiled the fatherly smile once more. "I promise you."

Bud White knocked on the door of Ed Exley's second floor apartment, and then leant against the wall beside it, exhausted. It had taken him forever to walk up the two flights, and he needed to rest. He just hoped Exley was in.

"Bud?" Exley's voice registered surprise and concern all at once.

He opened his eyes and was caught by the owlish stare of the younger man in the wire rimmed glasses.

"Are you okay?" he asked, but didn't wait for an answer. "Come on inside," he told him, scooping up Bud's overnight bag from the floor where he'd left it. He was grateful, he was pretty sure he couldn't have picked it up himself, at least not right at this moment.

Once inside Bud looked around for the nearest chair and sat down.

Exley crouched down beside him, and waited patiently for Bud to feel a little better. It took a while.

"Okay now?" he asked him.

Bud nodded. It had been a long, hard day, in more ways than he cared to remember, and it wasn't over yet.

"Would you like a drink?"

He nodded once more.

"Water, or something stronger?"

The question made him smile. "Water," he said, carefully forming the word.

Ed grinned too. He left him, came back a moment later with a glass of ice cold water. He handed it to Bud, and then pulled up a chair and sat opposite him.

It was strange, with anyone else Bud would have felt awkward, embarrassed by his incapacity, but not with Exley. There was no mockery, no pity in his face. There was concern yes, and curiosity, even pleasure. Exley looked happy to see him.

He drank slowly, relaxed a little more.

"You look better than you did the last time I saw you," Ed told him.

The day he left for Bisbee with Lynn.

Bud shrugged and looked doubtful. "It's been a long day," he told him slowly.

"Where's Lynn, did she come with you?"

He shook his head. "It didn't,.. work out." He formed the words slowly, carefully, the way the therapist had taught him. His speech was taking longer to come back than anything else. He found it hard to speak, awkward, but he wouldn't allow it to defeat him.

"I'm sorry," Ed told him, and it was clear he meant it. "Are you back here for good?"

"Don't know yet," he admitted. "I'm due at the hospital tomorrow, for a couple of days."

"Why, is there anything wrong?"

He shook his head. "Just checkups, see a specialist." He took another long drink.

"Where are you staying tonight?" Ed asked him.

He shrugged. "Motel." There were plenty of them around.

"Don't bother with that," he told him. "Stay here. I've got a spare room."

"It's not why I came here."

"I didn't think it was, but now you are here you might as well stay the night. I can run you to the hospital tomorrow." He grinned. "Besides, I could do with the company."

Bud smiled back, nodded. "Okay."

"So do you want to tell me why you came to see me right now, or do you want to tell me later, after you've had a rest? You look beat," he admitted.

"It's important," Bud told him. "But I, I could use a couple of hours."

Ed let Bud sleep for almost three hours before going into the spare room to wake him. He took him a cup of coffee. White had stripped down to vest and shorts, and gotten into bed. He had lost a little weight, but not too much. He looked tired though, really tired. That, and the slow, awkward speech, were the only two outward signs of what Bud had gone through. The scar on his face hardly showed at all.

Ed sat down on the edge of the bed, gave him a gentle shake. It took him a while to get his bearings, and he sat up slowly.

He took the offered coffee and drank some gratefully before putting it down on the bedside table.

"My bag?" he asked.

Ed handed it to him and watched him take out a couple of bottles of pills and a manila folder.

"Sorry I'm so tired," Bud apologized to him. He sighed. "Long fucking day!"

Ed laughed. "Don't worry about it. Did you come on the bus?"

He nodded. "Part way, just too long."

His speech was worse now, Ed noticed, than it had been earlier, perhaps because he was tired. "Never mind," he told him. "Drink your coffee, stay where you are for a while."

"Need some help," Bud told him.

"What with?"

He handed Ed the folder. "Medical insurance."

"Has it run out, come up short in some way?" he asked him.

"No," he shook his head. "Not been touched. Hospital bills all paid, everything paid for, not by me. I don't understand."

"Do you want me to take a look?"

He nodded. "See what I'm missing?"

"Okay. I'll go take a look, see what I can make of it. Why don't you drink your coffee, stay here and rest a bit longer. I can order us some Chinese food in later, when you feel like it. Maybe a beer?"

Bud grinned. "Allowed one or two."

"Okay." He got to his feet. "I'll read through this. You sleep." He went to the door.

"Ed."

He turned.

"Thanks."

Bud could have slept the clock 'round, but the beers were good, and so was the Chinese food. Exley had poured over the contents of his folder. It was spread out all over his table, neat and organized. A ream of notes jotted down on a pad.

"Who pays my medical bills?" Bud asked him.

Ed shrugged. "I don't know. When I drive you in to the hospital tomorrow I can talk with the hospital administrator if you like. See if he can shed some light on things.

Bud nodded. "Thanks. It's hard for me still, talking."

"Will you get your speech back fully?" Ed asked him.

"Therapist says yes, but maybe more surgery. I see someone at the hospital."

"A specialist."

"I guess."

"What about everything else?"

"Should be good as new. Just need time, rest. Do as I'm told." He shrugged and grinned. "Not easy for me. Don't like seeing so many doctors."

Bud may not have liked seeing so many doctors, but the nurses sure liked him. The nurse that checked him into his room at the hospital was one of the nurses who had taken care of him after the shooting. Within a couple of minutes word had gotten 'round, and the room filled with at least half a dozen others who had helped to look after him. They were pleased to see him, and they joked, teased, and flirted with him outrageously.

Ed leant against the wall beside the open door and laughed, enjoying his friends less than serious discomfort.

A pretty blonde head in a nurses cap popped around the door beside him, a smile on her face. "Hey Bud!" she gave him a little wave and then turned her eyes on Ed as she leaned against the door post. "Hey you, I seem to remember you too, it's Ed isn't it?"

He nodded, more than surprised. "That's right. That's quite a memory Nurse,.." He couldn't remember her name, though he remembered seeing her before.

"Ryan," she told him, turning her name badge a little so he could see it. "Colette Ryan. I'm Bud's nurse while he's here this time." She smiled, she had a lovely bright smile. " I suppose I ought to throw the others out, but we all became so fond of him last time he was here. I don't think any of us expected him to live you know, let alone make the kind of recovery he has," she told him. "How's Lynn? Has she come up with him?"

Ed considered for a moment before replying , but thought it best she know so she wouldn't bring the subject up with Bud. He shook his head. "It didn't work out."

"Damn but that's a shame. It can't have been easy for them though, not with Bud being so reliant and all, at first. I liked Lynn, she was nice. I didn't see much of his other girl, the dark haired girl, just the once I think."

"Dark haired girl?" Ed asked her. "What dark haired girl?"

"I never caught her name. She was with Dr. Jansford when she came to visit him. She was really upset, especially when she came out of the room," she remembered.

Ed frowned trying to think who it might be. Bud didn't have any relatives, he knew that for certain, just as he knew how loyal Bud had been to Lynn. It couldn't have been another girlfriend. Inez Soto, the Mexican girl who had been raped by the Negroes, it had to be her.

"The girl, was she Mexican?" Ed asked her.

"No. Her hair was really dark, but she wasn't Mexican. I remember she was well dressed," Nurse Ryan told him. "She looked wealthy, really wealthy."

Ed shrugged. "I can't think who it might have been," he told her, but his curiosity was piqued.

"Ah well, it can't have been important." She gave him a smile. "I guess I'd better go and break this up," she decided, laughing a little. "I don't think they can make him blush any brighter, do you?"

Ed laughed, Bud was an embarrassed shade of pink.

Nurse Ryan went over and dispersed the group of nurses, who said their farewells, slowly filing out of the room.

Ed gave him a grin. "I don't think you're going to be short of company while you're here."

Bud laughed, shook his head. "Guess not."

"Look, I'm going to go and see the hospital administrator, see if he can shed some light on this insurance business," he tapped the manila folder he held in his hand. "I'll get back to you as soon as I can, let you know what he has to say."

He nodded. "Thanks Ed."

Bud found himself left with the pretty Nurse Ryan. He remembered her from the last time he was here, and he was kinda glad to see her again, he'd liked her. She'd always been considerate, always seemed to understand how he was feeling.

She smiled at him. "Thrilled to be back with us, eh?"

It cracked a laugh out of him. "Oh yeah," he nodded. "Missed this place." Like a hole in the head.

She knew what he was feeling and squeezed his arm. "This will be a peice of cake compared to last time, don't worry. Now why don't I leave you to get changed, I'll be back in a few minutes."

Bud blushed a little, surprised that she saw his nervousness so easily. He gave her a shy nod. "Okay."

She left him alone. The room was pretty much like the one he'd had the last time, that didn't help too much. He almost expected to see Lynn, pale and drawn, sat at the bedside. Poor Lynn. It should never have got that far, and he shouldn't have let it go any further, shouldn't have become so dependent, so reliant, that wasn't love, it was just making life easier. Lynn knew, truth was she was concerned and she was caring, and she had done her damnedest to convince herself that it was more than that, just like he had, but it had been a mistake and it had cost them both. He knew what love was. Fuck, how many times had he stared at her face wishing she was someone else?

This damn place was getting to him already and he hadn't been here five minutes, there were just too many memories, too many things he would prefer to forget. The sooner this was over the better.

Ed sat outside the office of the hospital administrator and glanced, first at his watch, and then at the officious secretary. He had been waiting for over an hour now, and his patience was wearing thin.

He stood up and crossed the room to the unpleasant woman's desk.

"I told you," she said, not even looking up at him. "You'll have to wait, can't say how long."

"All right Miss,.." he looked at the nameplate on her desk. "Perkins isn't it? Now I'm telling you." He pulled out his badge and slapped it down hard in the middle of the papers she was working on. "My name is Captain Edmund Exley of the Los Angelese Police Department. Now, you will get out the doctor's diary, and you will make an appointment for me to see him tomorrow, is that clear?"

"Well I don't,.." she began.

"Wasting police time is a crime Miss Perkins, did you know that?"

She didn't answer but looked up at him, opening a large leather bound diary. "An appointment for tomorrow Captain Exley, what time would be convenient?"

Ed smiled to himself wondering how the good cop, bad cop routine would have worked on Miss Perkins. Bud would probably have shot her, then again he had a natural charm and comfort with women that he had never acquired. Perhaps with Miss Perkins he would have been the one to play bad cop?

He made the appointment and then went back to Bud's room. The bed was empty, but the lovely Nurse Ryan was in the room, straightening it.

She gave Ed a smile and he was struck once more by how pretty she was.

"You just missed him I'm afraid, he's already gone down so that they can get started on his physical. They have a lot to fit in over the next few days."

"Bud mentioned two days," Ed told her.

"Well I think that's wishful thinking on his part. I get the impression he's not been looking forward to all this."

"No, I guess not," but then Bud wasn't the type to avoid anything either. "He mentioned that he made need more surgery to get his speech back fully."

She nodded. "I'm told it's a possibility. We'll know more tomorrow after the specialist has had a chance to examine him. They say he's the best in his field, so Bud couldn't be in better hands. Don't worry huh?"

"Worry?"

"Yes," she smiled at him. "I remember just after the shootings, you spent almost as much time sat with Bud as Lynn did. Time you should have spent laid up, recovering from your own wound."

"Bud was wounded saving my life," he told her. "It's not something I could brush aside." Nor would he, ever.

"No, I guess not," she admitted.

"Look I have to get to work," he told her, wishing he could spend more time just standing here, talking to her. "Would you tell Bud that I'll call back later?"

She nodded. "I'll let him know."

Bud was pleased to see Ed at evening visiting. A familiar face was welcome after spending a day being pricked, poked, and prodded, by what seemed like an army of strangers.

"How did it go?" Ed asked him.

He shrugged. "Not the best way to spend a day."

"I don't think anyone likes these damned places," Ed agreed. "I picked you up a couple of magazines to pass the time on. I wasn't sure what your taste might be?" he confessed as he handed them over.

One was on football, the other was a gossip rag, something along the lines of the late, but unlamented 'Hush-Hush Magazine'. There was an article on the sexual preferences of the DA Ellis Loewe inside, and his picture stared out from the cover. Bud grinned at Exley.

"Yeah, I don't know what it was about that magazine that convinced me to buy it," Exley told him, laughing. He pulled up a chair. "I didn't have any luck seeing the hospital administrator today, but I've made an appointment to see him tomorrow, so I'll let you know the details after I've spoken to him."

Bud nodded. "You okay doing this?"

"Yep, just fine, don't worry about it," Ed assured him. "It seems strange coming back here," he told him. "Brings back a lot of memories."

Too fucking many! "None good!"

"No," he admitted. "Not all that good, apart from the nurses," he smiled. "That reminds me, after you were shot, do you remember Inez Soto coming to see you? You remember her, the Mexican girl who was raped by those colored guys?"

Bud remembered the girl, and he could see by the expression on Ed's face that he was remembering the faces of the three 'Night Owl' suspects, and the fact that he shot them. Dudley Smith, gone but not forgotten, the bastard. He owed a good few of his own nightmares to his ex Captain.

"Don't remember Inez," he told him. "But I don't remember much from when I first came 'round. Just Lynn. Why?"

"Nurse Ryan mentioned someone coming to see you. It sounded like it could have been her."

"Don't remember, things seemed blurred, confused." He even thought he had seen Felicia. It had seemed so real, and yet,.... It still hurt to think about her, hurt so much. It was a pain that he was pretty certain would never go away. He couldn't imagine ever feeling that way about anyone else.

He wished he had felt that way about Lynn. She had tried so damned hard to make it work between them. If anyone ever deserved to be loved, to be happy, it was her. They had been two lonely, unhappy people, and they had both needed someone, they just hadn't needed each other. Neither of them had needed Bisbee! For Lynn it had been a waking nightmare. Somehow everyone in the little town had gotten wind of what she had done to make a living in LA. Those that didn't publicly condemn her crossed the street to avoid her. For Bud, Bisbee had meant being an invalid for the first time in his life. Tired, in constant pain, unable to speak, and barely able to walk. They didn't stand a chance, they just drifted further and further apart. The last he'd heard of her she was working as a whore again in Texas, and he was back here again with an uncertain future. So what was new?

He'd had his chance and life had fucked him over, left him with that godamned note! He let out a shuddering breath and looked down to find that he had ripped off the front cover of the sports magazine, balled it up in his fist.

"You okay?" Ed asked him.

"Yeah, sorry." He pulled himself together. "Just memories," he told him, feeling suddenly very tired. "Nurse Ryan, was asking about you."

"Really?" Ed sounded surprised.

Bud nodded, trying not to smile at the sudden boyish expression on his friends face. "She likes you," he told him.

"I kinda like her," Ed admitted to him.

"Yeah?" He'd never have guessed!

"Captain Exley, I'm Dr. Jansford," the hospital administrator told him, shaking hands over his littered wooden desk. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to see you yesterday, my secretary told me that you'd waited for some time. As well as my administrative duties I still practice medicine, and one often tends to get in the way of the other I'm afraid. Now tell me, what can I do for you?"

"I'm here on behalf of one of your patients, Wendell White."

"Ah yes," he nodded. "He's back with us for a short stay I believe. What can I do to help him?" he asked.

Jansford was a good choice for administrator, Ed decided. The older man was distinguished looking, something of a dandy in his style of dress, but with a likable manner that was very hometown and charming.

"Mr White has asked me to look into his affairs." He handed the doctor a letter giving Bud's written permission for Ed to act on his behalf. "He's a little concerned about his financial dealings with the hospital, and I was hoping you might be able to help."

"I'll do my best son," he assured him. "What seems to be the problem?"

"The problem is that despite the extensive treatment he's had, and continues to have at this hospital, his medical insurance hasn't been touched."

"Not touched! That's a nonsense. No doubt it's a simple administrative error, nothing Mr White should be concerned about." The reply was too smooth, and too fast, it set alarm bells ringing in Ed's head. Dr Jansford was nervous, and he was hiding something.

"That's what I thought, an error of some kind," Ed told him.

The doctor was nodding, smiling.

"But perhaps we should take a look at Mr White's file, get to the bottom of this. Just so that I can reassure him."

The older man nodded, but his face had paled significantly. He picked up his phone and asked his secretary to bring Bud's file through, which she did, very quickly. The administrator flicked through the file and was about to speak, but Ed cut him off.

"Could I take a look doctor?"

"Well, this is confidential, I,..."

"Just to confirm that there's no evidence of wrongdoing you understand?"

"Of course," there was a defeated look in his eyes as he spoke. He handed over the file.

Ed saw immediately that all Bud's medical expenses were being met by something called the 'A-M Foundation', and he challenged the doctor on it.

"Ah yes, the Foundation, it slipped my mind." The man was a dreadful liar. "They must have been impressed by officer White's bravery at the time of the incident."

"More than impressed," Exley pointed out, stunned at the figures he was looking at. "The figures involved here, are they correct, because they seem incredibly high?"

"I assure you that there is no wrongdoing involved here," Dr Jansford told him. "There's no attempt at fraud on the hospital's part. The figures are correct. The costs involved reflect the quality of the treatment Officer White has received. The specialist who is seeing him today is probably the best in the world. He's had, and continues to have, the finest treatment money can buy."

"I see." Ed didn't doubt the administrator's sincerity for a moment. It just left him with one question. "Why?"

"Why?" He shook his head, not understanding.

"Why would a charitable foundation spend so much money on one individual?" he asked him.

"That's the Foundation's business Captain Exley. I really can't say, you'd have to take that up with them."

"I intend to." Ed took out his notebook and jotted down the Foundation's details before handing back the file. "One more thing Dr Jansford. Not long after the 'Victory Motel' shootings, can you remember taking a young, dark haired woman to see officer White in his hospital room?"

"No, I'm sure I would recall,..."

"I have numerous witnesses who say you did." Ed lied far more easily than the doctor.

"Wait, wait, yes I do remember now, vaguely. One of the hospital's patrons, she wanted to look in on the brave police officer she had read about in the papers." He stood up suddenly. "Now Captain Exley, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave. I have patients to see you understand?"

"Of course." Ed let him off the hook, at least for now. "Thank you for your help Dr. Jansford."

Ed went back to Bud's room, mulling the administrators replies over in his head. He decided against telling Bud, at least until he had all the facts. Shit, he was beginning to sound like one of those idiots from 'Badge of Honor' he decided, laughing to himself as he went to knock on the door of Bud's room.

"Laughing to yourself now. You're in the right place if you want treatment."

Ed turned to see Nurse Ryan behind him and gave her an embarrassed smile. "Sorry, I was miles away."

"Clearly." She smiled back into his eyes. "There's no Bud I'm afraid."

"He's with the specialist?"

She nodded. "You won't be able to see him today, they have to put him out for part of the examination so he'll be pretty much out of it when he comes back up, and he definitely won't feel like talking."

"Oh right. I'll come by sometime tomorrow then. Whilst I'm here there's something I wanted to ask you." Truth be told there were a couple of things, Colette Ryan had been on his mind quite a lot lately. He wished he had the nerve to ask her out. "The dark haired woman you told me about, the one who came to see Bud, do you think you could describe her in detail for me?"

"I'll do my best," she told him. "I don't have much time now though. What about after my shift, maybe we could meet for a drink or something?"

"Sure," Ed nodded, trying to hide his excitement at the prospect of having a drink with her. "I could pick you up here."

She gave him a slow smile. "The nurses entrance is around the back of the building," she told him. "I'll see you there just after six."

"Just after six," he confirmed.

Ed drove back to police headquarters with what he knew was a goofy smile plastered all over his face. A drink after work with Nurse Ryan, it sounded good to him. Maybe he should send some flowers, or,... No! They were meeting to talk about Bud and the mystery woman over a drink, this wasn't a date, it was almost business. He didn't want to make it into anything it was not. It's just that he couldn't help smiling at the thought, that was all.

"Ginger!" His civilian aide was one of the best around, and she wasn't afraid of a little hard work. She picked up her pad and followed him into his office.

"What can I do for you captain?"

"I want you to have a dig around, find out anything and everything you can on something called the 'A-M Foundation' I think they're some kind of medical charity, but I'm not sure."

She jotted down notes on her pad. "I'll get right on it."

It was four in the afternoon when Ginger tapped on his office door and stepped inside, folder in hand.

"What do you have for me?" he asked her.

"Quite a bit captain," she told him. "The 'A-M Foundation' turns out not to be a charity at all, it's the parent company of the huge Allen-Moncrieff Group. The company was founded by an Englishman William Allen-Moncrieff, who was killed a few years ago in an auto accident, control passed to his second wife, Meredith."

Allen-Moncrieff Petroleum, he should have put the two together. "Do they have any connection with medical charities?"

"Not that I know of," Ginger told him.

"So what about second wife Meredith?"

"Also dead, heart attack. Gossip has it that the woman was not only an alcoholic but a drug addict. Sole heir to the estate is now Felicia, William 's daughter by his first wife."

"Tell me about her," Ed prompted.

"In LA at the moment. She spurns the limelight, unlike her socialite stepmother."

"Where is she staying?"

"No hotels, she likes her privacy too much. She's rented a house in the hills."

"Do we have an address?"

She pulled it out of the folder for him.

"What about a photograph?"

"Easier said than done," Ginger told him. "She's camera shy, she goes to great lengths to avoid having her photograph taken." She showed him the grainy and distant newspaper photo, the only one she could find. It could have been anyone.

"A description?"

"That's easier. By all accounts she's quite beautiful, black hair and blue eyes, that's quite a combination. It makes you wonder why she avoids the cameras."

Rich, dark haired, it had to be a coincidence didn't it? Ed merely nodded at his aide. "Good work Ginger."

It was fifteen minutes after six when Colette Ryan left the hospital. Usually she was so tired after her shift that she wouldn't even bother changing out of her uniform, other than to take off her cap. Tonight though she had made the effort, changed back into her dress, straightened her hair, and took time to put on a little make-up, not too much though.

She liked Captain Edmund Exley, he was kind of sweet. He looked more like a school teacher than a cop in those glasses, and she would certainly never have taken him for a police captain. She liked the way he looked, the shy way he smiled, the way he would push those glasses back up his nose with one long finger when he was embarrassed. there was an awful lot about him that she liked.

Most of the girls at work were crazy about Bud White, and envied her the job of taking care of him. She liked Bud, he was friendly, real good looking, and an easy patient to take care of. He just didn't do it for her though, whatever 'it' was. Ed did, and Bud knew it, encouraged her.

She saw his car neatly parked and gave him a little wave before going over. They didn't have too much to say to each other in the car, both of them were nervous, but Colette sensed that he was far more on edge than she was.

Ed took her to a nice quiet little cocktail bar in the city and bought her something called a fruit cup, ordering a beer for himself.

"So how did things go for Bud, with the specialist?"

"He'll be grateful it's over," she told him. "He's feeling pretty much under the weather tonight."

"Under the weather?"

"He had a hard time of it today, the doctors really put him through it." His patience, toughness, and forbearance had impressed everyone. "He'll be feeling much better tomorrow."

"Will he be well enough to leave?"

"No, he still won't feel up to it. The day after at the earliest, the one after that would be even better. He needs to take it really easy for a while. Maybe you could help talk him into that," she asked him.

"Well I'll do what I can," Ed told her. "Bud has a mind of his own though."

"Maybe so, but he respects you."

He laughed. "You think?"

"I know. He's said a lot of nice things about you."

"Does he know whether he needs more surgery yet?"

"Not yet. The test results will take a few days."

"Let's hope it's a no, Bud's been through enough in the past year," he told her.

"You like him a lot, don't you?" she asked him.

Ed began to laugh.

"What's funny," she wanted to know.

"What you said," he gave an awkward shrug. "The truth is that Bud and I used to hate each other. I thought he was nothing more than a mindless thug, not fit to be a police officer, and he thought I was more interested in getting my picture in the paper than doing my job. I was wrong about him, Bud White is one of life's good guys, I was just too pigheaded to notice."

"And was Bud wrong about you?" she asked him.

"No, not entirely, but he helped me to remember why I became a cop in the first place." He gave her a half, and decidedly sad, smile. "Long story."

And clearly not one he wanted to tell her right now. Colette let it go. "So you wanted to ask me about the woman who came to the hospital?" she askedhim.

"That's right. I know it's a long time ago, but if you could try and remember."

"It's important?"

He nodded. "I think it might be."

"I remember things quite well from back then." It had all been kind of exciting, a little like a movie in fact. The dreadful shootings, the brave, handsome policeman who no one expected to live, and Lynn, who looked more like Veronica Lake than Veronica Lake, keeping vigil at his bedside.

"It was the day after Bud first regained consciousness I think. Lynn had just about been living at the hospital. Bud was sleeping and she felt comfortable about leaving him. She'd just left," Colette told him confidently, as her memory sharpened. "I'd just checked on Bud, came out of his room, and Dr Jansford was there with a woman." She tried to focus on the woman, remember her face, she was good with faces. "He asked me if Bud was sleeping," she told him slowly, as she pictured the woman in her minds eye. "The woman wore a black two piece, really elegant, really expensive looking, and a hat, she had the veil turned up." That little veil, it had stuck in Colette's mind because she had admired the hat so much. As she pictured the hat the face beneath it was recreated vividly in her mind. "She had the most lovely face, a peaches and cream complexion, and big beautiful eyes," she remembered, they had been so sad. "They were an unusual shade of blue. Her hair was really dark. I think it was black."

"That's a good description."

"Well in a way she was like Lynn you know, difficult to forget."

"She resembled a movie star?" Ed asked her.

"No, but she could have been one, or a model in a magazine, she was so pretty," she said, with a tinge of envy.

"Did you hear her speak?"

"No. The next time I saw her was when she came out of Bud's room. She was alone with him for a couple of minutes while he was sleeping, and when she came out she was crying."

"Crying, you're sure?"

She nodded.

"So this wasn't some rich woman looking in on the brave police officer?"

"No! She didn't just have a tear in her eye, she was really upset, Dr Jansford had to comfort her."

"And you never saw her again?"

"No, never."

"Did you mention it to anyone, Lynn maybe?"

"I thought about it, but I decided it was best not to. Maybe I would if I'd seen her again. I mentioned it to the other nurses, but none of them ever remembered seeing her."

"Would you do me a favor and not mention this to Bud. I want to get to the bottom of a mystery before I talk to him about it."

"Okay," she agreed.

The two of them made small talk for an hour or so, and Ed found himself beginning to relax with Nurse Ryan. She wasn't just pretty, she was sharp and funny, easy to be with. He drove her back home and walked her to her door.

"Thanks," she told him, smiling. "For the drink, I enjoyed it."

Ed nodded. "Thanks for the information, and the company," he added quickly. "I err, I can't remember when I was last in such lovely company," he told her, hoping the words didn't sound as stupid and awkward as they felt. "Maybe we could do it again sometime?" he asked her.

"I'd like that," she told him. "Sometime soon maybe?"

"Really?" Now he knew he was grinning like an idiot.

She nodded, smiling at him. "Well, goodnight Ed."

"Goodnight."

She didn't move to open the door, she just smiled at him.

Ed took a chance and planted a soft kiss on her lips. To his surprise and delight she kissed him right back.

She liked him, Ed realized as he drove back to his apartment. She liked him and she wanted to spend time with him. She felt the same way he did? She had given him her home number. He would see her again, he was sure of it!

The next day Ed drove out to the address Ginger had found for Felicia Allen-Moncrieff. The area was out of town, beautiful, dotted with large, but relatively isolated properties. The one she was staying in was a surprisingly modest affair by comparison, but Ed preferred it. It was discreet, Spanish in style, and perfectly in keeping with it's surroundings.

The door was answered by a maid. "Can I help you?"

He nodded. "I'm Captain Edmund Exley, I'm with LAPD," he showed her his badge. "I'd like to speak with Miss Allen-Moncrieff."

"One moment sir, I'll see if she's in." The maid had a British accent he noticed. She came quickly back. "Would you like to come this way sir?"

She led him through the house to a bright airy sitting room with open French windows looking out onto a terrace with a large swimming pool. The room was luxurious, but not ostentatious.

"Captain Exley ma'am." The maid introduced him.

A woman got to her feet from her place on a large couch. "Captain, how do you do? I'm Felicia Allen-Moncrieff."

Ed found himself shaking hands with probably the loveliest woman he had ever seen. She was stunning, her face heart shaped, her complexion flawless. Her mouth was generous enough, but a perfect bow, her nose was small and pretty. She had short, silky looking hair that was clearly black, and a mass of large curls. Really she had a pretty face, but her eyes made it something more, something beautiful. They were so large, and the dark blue color was astonishing in eyes that seemed so filled with light. They smiled at him.

"Won't you take a seat Captain?" she invited. "Tell me what it is I can do for you."

Ed sat down opposite her on one of two large, comfortable couches.

"Thank you," he told her.

"Would you care for some refreshment, a drink of some kind?" she offered.

"No, thank you."

She turned her warm smile on the maid. "You can leave us then Emily, thank you."

The maid left.

"Now Captain, how can I help you?"

"I'd like to ask you a few questions about the 'A-M Foundation'. I understand you own that company."

"I do yes. It was founded by my late father."

"And it's business is oil?"

"It is yes. It's the original company, the foundation stone, hence the name."

"But your business isn't just oil anymore?"

"Well not exactly. Oil, oil based products, distribution, pipelines particularly." She frowned. "Is there some problem with the company?" Her clothes were very casual, tailored trousers, a simple blouse, no jewelry, no make-up, and nothing in anyway extravagant about her appearance, or her manner. She had a nice, friendly, open way about her that Ed found very engaging.

"Why does your company pay Wendell White's hospital bills?" he asked her suddenly.

The large eyes betrayed her the moment he said Bud's name.

"I'm sorry Captain Exley, you've lost me." She was immediately uncomfortable with the lie, that was clear.

"Your company not only pays those bills, it also pays for specialist treatment for him."

"We have charitable links with a number of hospitals, it's possible that we may have paid,...."

"I'm not talking charitable donations, I'm talking the best specialized treatment that money can buy. You went to the hospital to see him, didn't you?" he asked her.

"You must be mistaken, I,.."

"You were dressed all in black, still in mourning for your stepmother? You went to the hospital just after the 'Victory Motel' shootings, didn't you? I don't really see you as some kind of voyeur, and I know how upset you were when you came out of that room, so perhaps it's time to tell the me truth?"

"You're wrong, you have the wrong,.."

"So if I mention your name to Wendell White he won't know you?" Ed pressed her.

Tears sprung into her eyes, and for the first time Ed noticed the trace of darkness beneath them. "No please, you mustn't do that?"

"Give me a reason not to," he said gently.

"There's nothing untoward in my wanting to help him, I assure you. All I wanted was the best for him." Large tears began to roll down her cheeks. "Mentioning my name, telling him about this, it will hurt him,.."

Ed reached in his pocket and handed her his clean handkerchief as he came to sit beside her. "I'd already guessed that your intentions were good, and I promise you, so are mine."

She wiped her tears. "I don't want to see him hurt, and I don't want to take the chance that Lynn might find out." She looked suddenly mortified. "Lynn hasn't found out has she?"

He shook his head. "There is no Bud and Lynn. He doesn't say much about it, but I get the impression there hasn't been for a while. Do you know her?"

"No, I've never met her. I just saw her, that day at the hospital, but she struck me as a good person, as someone who loved him, who would care for him."

The thought that they were no longer together clearly saddened her, and it made Ed realize just how deeply this woman must love Bud. "Bud White is my friend, and I don't like seeing him like this. He's alone," he told her. "He 's having a hard time getting well, he seems lost. Miss Allen-Moncrieff,.."

"Felicia, please," she told him.

"Felicia, it's obvious that you care for him, more than care for him."

She nodded. "I always will," she said quietly.

"Pardon me for prying like this, but the two of you, were you lovers?"

She blushed quickly and deeply. "Yes."

"How? I mean, how did you meet, you don't exactly mix in the same circles. I wouldn't have thought so anyway."

"Bud doesn't know about this," she glanced around the room. "About any of it. That's why you mustn't tell him about me, if he finds out the truth it would hurt him so much."

"So who did Bud think you were?"

"My stepmother's maid. Most people thought that was what I was anyway. That's how she treated me, so I just pretended that I was."

"Do you want to tell me about it?" he asked her. "Tell me what happened between you?"

She nodded.

It felt good to Felicia to finally be able to tell someone about her relationship with Bud, and Edmund Exley was a good listener. She told him the whole story, right from the beginning, to her leaving that awful note for him. As nice, and as understanding as he was, it was difficult to tell him the rest of it, but she had to tell someone, tell him what had happened in Cannes, tell him how Meredith died.

She found herself wrapped in Exley's arms, finally finding comfort and understanding in the arms of a stranger.

"I'm so sorry Felicia, truly sorry," he told her, as he gently stroked her hair.

Bud had let Ed and Nurse Ryan talk him into staying in hospital for a few extra days, to be sure he was rested. Part of him hadn't wanted to stay in that place another moment longer than he had to, but he had to admit that he needed the rest, and the doctors had made it clear to him that if he didn't do as he was told he might fuck up his chances of ever really getting well. Besides where the hell else was he supposed to go? Ed had taken care of that for now, insisting that he come and stay at his place, at least until he decided what it was he wanted to do. He'd found a friend in Ed he had never expected, and he was grateful. The insurance business that had worried him had turned out to be some clerical fuck up by the hospital, all being sorted out and nothing for him to worry about. At least that was one thing off his mind.

Bud thanked Nurse Ryan for taking care of him, giving her a kiss on the cheek before getting into Ed's car. The kiss she shared with Exley was something else entirely, and it made him smile. She was nice Colette, and she and Exley looked real good together.

As Ed got in the car beside him Bud grinned over at him.

Exley laughed and blushed. "We've been out a couple of times."

"So I heard. She's kinda nice," Bud told him.

"You think so?"

"Don't let her go," he told him quietly. "Not if she makes you happy." He turned away and looked quickly out of the car window to hide the way he was feeling from Ed.

"I don't intend to. Some things are just too good, too important to lose, don't you think?" he asked him.

"Yeah," he swallowed. Unable to say anything else he stared sightlessly out of the window.

They drove on in silence, and it wasn't until they'd been on the road for some time that Bud realized they weren't heading for Exley's apartment, in fact they were headed out of the city and into the hills.

"Where are we going?"

"Well, I know those two flights of mine got to you the last time, so I arranged to borrow a friend's place for a while. I think you'll like it, but it's out in the hills a way."

"You shouldn't have gone to any trouble Ed."

"No trouble. It's a nice place."

Nice was an understatement. Ed's friend must be worth a bundle, this place put Pierce Patchett's home in the shade. The Spanish style house was almost hidden in the hills, and it looked large and beautiful. Ed had the keys and let them both in.

"There's a housekeeper, Emily, she's English. She does all the cooking, so we don't have to worry about that," Ed told him as he showed him 'round. "A pool," he said, grinning at the expression on Bud's face.

"This place looks like something from the pages of one of those movie star's homes magazines. Who's your friend Ed, you make friends with Lana Turner without telling me?"

"Lana Turner and I will never be friends, trust me Bud," Exley said, chuckling at some joke he clearly wasn't privy to. "I'll introduce you to my friend later. Come on, this is your room."

He led him into a large comfortable looking bedroom.

"Here you go," Ed told him. "I'll leave you to settle in, you've got the run of the place."

"Where are you going?" Bud felt suddenly unsure whether he wanted to be left alone here.

"I've got to work. I should be back for dinner. We'll have a couple of beers then. I'll see you later Get some rest huh?"

"What about your friend?"

"Won't be back 'till later, I told you, I'll introduce you. Now relax, put your feet up, laze around like the doc's told you. I'll be back in a few hours," he grinned and then went out, shutting the door behind him. Bud was left standing in the middle of the room wondering what the hell he was doing here.

Bud felt a little weird at the thought of wandering around from room to room in someone else's home, so after unpacking his few things, and being suitably impressed by an en-suite bathroom that was about the size of his old apartment, he took off his tie, rolled up his shirt sleeves, and went out to sit in the shade by the pool for a while. On a table beside one of the sun beds he found a selection of newspapers and started to work his way through them.

At some point he must have dozed off because when he opened his eyes again the bed was in full sun, and someone was shaking him gently.

"Wake up," he knew the voice, recognized the English accent. "Come on, it's time for you to go inside for a while."

It was taking him a while to come 'round, focus, but he knew deep down it had to be a dream he was having, or the maid. Ed had said the maid was English.

The concerned face of the woman crouched beside him didn't belong to any stranger, and there was no mistaking the slow smile that lit up her face as his eyes fully focused on her.

"Felicia?"

She nodded. "Come inside Bud, out of the sun," she urged him, standing and holding out a hand to him.

Bud could feel his heart pounding, and his senses reeling as he sat up. this was real, not some dream, she was here! Fuck, he didn't know whether he wanted to laugh or cry. He reached out and took the offered hand, but just held it in both his own, his eyes working their way slowly from her hand, along her arm, and up into the lovely face.

"How?" he asked her. "How did you get here?"

"I'll tell you inside," she urged him, tugging a little on his hands. "Come on, out of the sun."

She was right, he didn't want to add sunstroke to everything else, not now. He got to his feet, a little embarrassed that he did so so slowly in front of her. He blushed, looked away, but no amount of embarrassment could keep his eyes from her for more than a moment. He didn't see any surprise or pity in her expression, all he saw was warmth and pleasure, though maybe she looked a little nervous.

Holding hands they walked into the large lounge, sat down on one of the couches. On the table was a tray with a pitcher of lemonade, two glasses. she released his hand to pour them both some.

Bud had a million questions flying around inside his head, and suddenly he was afraid to voice them, not wanting her to see the struggle he had to speak. He took the lemonade from her and stared into a face that, if possible, was even lovelier than before.

"I didn't want you to cook, out in the sun," she said, a little shy, a little awkward.

He took a long drink. "Felicia, I,... You, you work here?" The English maid Ed had spoken of, that must be her, but hadn't he said her name, Emma, Emily, something?

She shook her head. "No." She put down her glass and then looked up at him, her gaze burying itself deep in his eyes. "I need to tell you something Bud, it's important."

She was married, he should have know. He took her hand, knowing the ring would be there.

"There's no one else," she told him softly, holding up her hand so he could see, reading his thoughts so easily.

He put his glass down, reached out to take her into his arms, but she pulled away from him.

"No wait, just listen Bud, please?"

He nodded reluctantly. "Okay."

Her eyes fastened on his once more. "I lied to you. I'm not the person you think I am, I'm not the person I pretended to be. I didn't do it to hurt you,

I did it because I wanted you to know me, to like me, just me, and you did,"

she swallowed. "That made me so happy."

He shook his head. "I don't understand."

"My name isn't Felicia Allen, it's Felicia Allen-Moncrieff. the rich woman I told you I worked for, she was my stepmother."

He frowned. "So you, were rich?" Fuck, Allen-Moncrieff petroleum, she couldn't be that rich, surely?

She laughed at his words. "Actually no, she didn't allow me to have any money, and I wasn't due to inherit from my father for another year. I should have told you the truth. I wanted to tell you, but I was afraid to," she shook her head. "I didn't want to lose you. I'm sorry Bud."

He attempted to take in all that she was telling him. "What are you doing, here now?" Fuck! Fuck this godamned struggle with every word!

"Ed, Ed found me," she told him nervously. "This house, I'm the one who's renting it."

This made no sense, how did Ed know about Felicia, unless? "You! You pay my hospital bills?"

"I found out what happened and I' I,..." she reached out for his hand and he snatched it away.

"Don't need your fucking pity!" He pulled away from her, got to his feet. This was a joke, a great big joke! He shook his head, unable to look at her. Not knowing what to do, where to go, he retreated into his room.

she had used him, lied to him, now she pitied him. What the hell did she want from him now, did she want him to feel grateful?

The anger that might once have made him break up a room now just made him feel exhausted, and he sat down on the bed.

She was crying, he could hear her, that felt painful too. Just for a moment it had felt like he had back the most important thing in his life. All he'd ever wanted was his job, and someone he could love and care for who might feel the same about him. He had seemed close to having those things, once upon a time. He ground the heels of his hands into his eyes before laying back on the bed. Fuck, now he was turning into a self pitying loser, what the hell was wrong with him? And why did he want to go out there and hold her until she stopped crying?

Ed's eyes asked the question of Emily, the maid, the moment he came through the door, but it was pretty clear from her expression that things hadn't gone according to plan.

She shook her head. "They're both in their rooms," she said sadly. "She's been crying for hours. Not a peep out of *him*."

"Damn!" He shook his head. "I'll go and speak to her."

Ed knocked and went inside at her answer. She sat on the edge of the lace draped bed, her eyes puffy from crying. He went and sat beside her, put an arm around her shoulders and gave her his handkerchief.

She let out a little laugh at his gesture. "This is getting to be a habit," she told him as she wiped her eyes.

"One we need to break," he said gently. "What happened?"

"I told him you'd been the one to find me, and he put two and two together, realized I was the one who was paying his hospital bills, and he got upset,he was so hurt."

"He's a proud man, and he's a stubborn idiot," Ed added. "You didn't tell him everything, did you?"

She shook her head. "No, I didn't get the chance."

"Let me go and speak to him."

"There's nothing you can do," she told him, taking his hand. "I know your intentions are good but,..."

"Just let me try," Ed cut her off. "You can't leave it like this."

There was no answer when he knocked on Bud's room door, and for a moment Ed thought he might have left. When he went inside he found bud asleep on top of the bed. He reached down and shook his arm, took a seat in a nearby chair as he slowly woke up.

"Didn't know if you'd be back," Bud told him sitting up.

"You fucked up Bud," Ed said simply.

"I, what?"

"I used to think you were a mindless thug, did you know that?" he asked him, not bothering to wait for a reply. "You proved me wrong. Right now I think you're a damn fool, care to prove me wrong again?"

"You don't know, what happened," he began.

"Don't I? You know, getting the two of you together wasn't Felicias idea, it was mine. she thought you and Lynn were still together."

"She knows, about Lynn?" He was clearly surprised.

"Felicia loves you Bud. All she's ever wanted is for you to be happy, even if that had to be with another woman. She saw Lynn at the hospital, just after the shootings. It wasn't Inez Soto who snuck in to see you, it was Felicia."

Bud shook his head. "Wasn't a dream," he said quietly.

"You saw her?" Ed asked him.

He nodded sadly.

"Bud, there are some things you need to know about Felicia. She told me all about how the two of you met, about your time together, and she told me some other stuff too. I checked out quite a lot of what she told me with the French police authorities, just to be sure, and they were able to give me a good deal more information."

"Police?"

He nodded. "Felicia's father by all accounts was a good man, and he and his first wife were a devoted couple. After her death he made a point of bringing Felicia up himself, no servants doing the job for him. He did a pretty good job too from what I've seen. He met his second wife Meredith about two years before he died, and they had a whirlwind courtship and marriage. Things turned sour between them pretty quickly. She wanted everything, he preferred the simple life style he and Felicia had always lived. Meredith proved to be a big embarrassment to him. She spent lavishly, had very public affairs, and drank herself into the gossip columns. Rumor had it that William was planning to divorce her just before his death. The French police aren't sure that the crash that killed him was an accident."

"She did it?" Bud was all cop now.

"It's possible she paid someone to arrange it. The French haven't closed the case on the so called accident. William wasn't a fool though. He didn't leave everything to Meredith, only maybe a quarter of his wealth, all the rest went to Felicia, but she couldn't touch a penny of it until her twenty-fifth birthday.

"Meredith had always hated Felicia, but according to the servants she treated her like dirt after William died. She was rarely allowed out, never seen in public, she couldn't have friends. She treated her like a slave. If she tried to rebel then she'd beat her, and the beatings got worse as her drinking got heavier and she began using drugs.

"Meredith knew that she'd met someone in LA. She'd met someone too, but when that turned sour she rushed them back to Cannes." Ed stared at his friend for a moment before continuing. "Bud, Felicia was pregnant."

"Pregnant?" He was clearly shaken. "The baby?"

Ed shook his head sadly. "She was six months pregnant when her stepmother attacked her with a golf club. Felicia fell down the staircase, trying to get away from her. Meredith went after her in a rage to finish off the job, triggered off a heart attack, and died. The autopsy showed that she was swimming in alcohol and there were drugs in her system. Felicia was badly hurt, she lost the baby. I'm sorry Bud."

Bud got up and went to look out of the window, his back to Ed, he didn't say anything.

"Bud, she loves you. She always has, and I think she always will. She never intended to hurt you. She met you and she liked you, she wanted you to like the person you met. She didn't want to make the same mistake her father made, can you blame her? Paying for your medical expenses, she did that out of love, not pity. Why would she pity you when she can't feel it for herself?" Ed didn't know what else to say.

"Where is she?" Bud asked him.

"In her room, end of the hallway."

It was a beautiful wedding. The bride and groom looked perfect together, made for each other.

She couldn't take her eyes off the little flower girl, she was just a toddler, maybe a little young for the job 'cos she was beginning to get a little antsy. She was a beautiful child though, stunning. She'd clearly had enough of all the people and the posing for photographers. Lord there were enough of them, newspaper and magazine people outside the church. You'd think some big movie star was getting hitched. The little girl had center stage, in front of the bride, but she was looking 'round.

"Mommy?"

Within scant moments of crying she found herself scooped up in large powerful arms and twirled around in the air until she was laughing fit to burst.

"Do you want Mommy?" the man laughed with her.

Bud White! Even all dressed up in a morning suit there was no mistaking him, and as the little girl placed her hands either side of his broad neck there was no mistaking her either. The eyes, the mouth, she was his daughter all right. He looked so good. She had never seen him looking better, or happier.

He was moving in her direction so she ducked out of the way a little so he wouldn't see her.

He made his way over to a woman who, although heavily pregnant, was probably the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. He planted a tender kiss on her lips and his eyes looked at her as though she were all the world. His free hand coming to rest lightly on her full belly.

"Felicia!" Ed Exley was moving towards them. He hadn't changed much either. He had a great big grin plastered all over his face. "Will you come and have a photo taken with us?"

"Come on honey, after the length of this engagement we have to prove that we were here at the actual event," Bud laughed.

Felicia, she could finally put a face to the name she had heard so many times. It was the name he had always said in his dreams, the name he had cried out more than once during their lovemaking. He had finally found her.

"Lynn, are you coming, or do I leave you standing there with your mouth open like a fuckin' idiot."

"Oh be quiet Sonny," she shushed him. "I used to know the bride and groom."

"Yeah? Then how come you're not invited to this fancy shindig?"

"It was a long time ago. He was just a police lieutenant then. His bride was a nurse at the hospital, she was nice, she helped look after a friend of mine who was real sick."

"How'd you know the cop?" Sunny asked her. "He bust you?"

"No, nothing like that."

Sonny began to laugh. "You fucked him, right?"

Her mind went back to a day all those years ago, to a face wet with tears and rain. "You fucked him!" he had asked her.

"Yeah," she linked her arm through Sonny's. "Yeah I did. Come on baby, lets get outta here."

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