Regrets
By Linda Schwartz

copyright 11/99 by Linda Schwartz, I am borrowing these characters they will be returned in one piece, I think :-D

Part 1

Nancy Sanchez sat on the park bench watching the children playing on the swings nearby. She was smiling as she heard them giggling and then she felt the movement of her own little one inside of her. It wouldn't be too long before her daughter would be born.

She thought in two months she would be a mother! She already felt like a mother as she placed her hand on her belly as the kicking continued.

At the beginning of her pregnancy she thought she wouldn't make it through the morning sickness. A friend of hers recommended an apothecary in Chinatown. She felt so lucky to have met Caine. It was true what everyone had said about him he was so kind and his herbs helped her without harming her baby. She trusted him so much that she went to him not only for his skills as an apothecary, but he was also a priest and she sought his counsel.

She gazed up at the sky and notice it was getting cloudy. She had some grocery shopping she wanted to get done before it rained. She walked over to a neighborhood podaga that she liked to shop in. The owner knew her since she was a little girl. Her mother used to come to this store. She felt very sad at the thought of her mother, she passed away 3 years ago from a heart attack. She was grateful that her mother went quickly, but she missed her so much. That was especially so now that she was having a little one of her own.

"Hello, Nancy," Mr. Cordero said to her as she walked in his store.

"Are you all right, Mr. Cordero?" She smiled in the hope that it would cover her sadness. She just didn't feel like talking about her mother right now.

"I have some fresh peaches, just arrived this morning." Mr. Cordero treated Nancy like she was his own daughter and was trying to make sure she took care of herself and the baby.

Nancy loved Mr. Cordero like a father. She never knew her own father. He had abandoned his family when Nancy was two. Her mother was forced to raise the two girls alone.

She took a shopping basket and retrieved her shopping list that she had made this morning. She began filling the basket. Mr. Cordero was right, the peaches looked delicious, she took some of them. "Hmm, let's see did I forget anything? Oh, yes, the milk.'"She knew she was going to forget something.

The milk was in the back of the store. As she looked in the dairy case, she could hear an argument going on at the front of the store. Nancy glanced around a grocery shelf and saw two armed men with a gun on Mr. Cordero. She held her breath while one of them demanded money.

"Come on, old man, give me the money," one of the men said pushing the store owner towards the cash register.

Mr. Cordero was so nervous, he started pressing the wrong buttons. This made one of the robbers angry. He shoved the old man out of the way and got the register open. Mr. Cordero remembered he kept a loaded gun under the counter. He slowly made his way to get it. He heard a loud bang, then there was darkness.

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

Nancy wanted to cry out for them to leave Mr. Cordero alone, but she couldn't move, couldn't utter a sound.

She watched, horrified as one of the gunmen slammed the old man down to the ground, then raised his gun and shot him.

She stepped back, her whole body shaking. She spotted the emergency exit and ran out as quickly as she could.

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

Peter was working on clearing his desk of the never ending files lying in several stacks. He thought he had made a slight dent, when he noticed the chief approaching his desk. Peter cringed as he stopped in front of him. "Well, Detective Caine, it looks like you're going to be getting some fresh air for a while. There's been a shooting at a podaga on Willow Drive. You and Detective Powell check it out."

"Oh, Chief, I thought you wanted me here to keep you company." Peter was itching for an excuse to get out from under these files.

"Get out of here, Detective, before I change my mind!" the Chief quipped at him, walking back to his office.

Peter put his hand on Jody's shoulder. "Let's go, partner." And they took off in his Stealth.

Part 2

Nancy wasn't sure how she got back to her apartment. Somehow she had found her way here and now sat on the couch in the living room. Shocked by what had just happened, she could see the imagines of Mr. Cordero being brutally shot by these evil men. They were a blur to her, she couldn't focus on their faces. The only thing she could was her friend's face. She kept thinking about his poor wife, their two sons and the grandchildren. How shocked they will be if he should ...She didn't want to think about that happening now. Suddenly she heard a knock at the door. She was startled for a moment, her heart pounding in her chest. Then she heard a voice call out "Nancy? Nancy, it is Caine."

'Caine', she breathed a sigh of relief and went over to the door. She had forgotten that he had told her he would be stopping by to see her today.

She opened the door and quickly turned away. "Nancy, what is wrong?" Caine asked as he walked in and closed the door behind him. He could feel her distress. "Is it the baby?"

She headed over to the window, knowing it was no use trying to hide anything from this man. He could sense things about her, look into her very soul.

"No, Caine, the baby is okay." she said, watching the people passing by below.

"If you are distressed your baby will be as well..." Caine went to her, putting his hand on her shoulder. "You are trembling."

Suddenly she turned around and wrapped her arms around the Shaolin. "Oh Caine," she began to sob. Caine enfolded his arms around her. Guiding her to the couch, they both sat down.

Caine held on to her as she laid her head against his chest. He rested his cheek against her head and gently rocked her, waiting for her to calm down. Finally, he pulled away and gently wiped the tears away. "Can you tell me what is wrong?"

"Caine I don't know how to start," she replied, her body shaking.

Caine took her hand and she looked into his eyes. "Start at the beginning," he said gently.

Nancy felt safe with him, like nothing bad could happen to her. She started to tell him what happened.

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

Peter and Jody arrived at the crime scene just as the paramedics were putting Mr. Cordero on the stretcher.

"What have you got?" Peter asked one of the officers on the scene.

"A robbery gone bad. Three guys with guns came in to rob the place. Store owner tried to go for his gun, then the creeps shot him," the officer told Peter.

"Anyone see anything?" Peter queried the officer. Jody started questioning the bystanders.

"Yeah, umm, the couple over there were in the store just before the robbery." The officer pointed at a man and a woman, each looked to be in their fifties.

The officer and Peter walked over to them. "Mr. and Mrs. Lorenzo, this is Detective Caine, he has some questions for you."

"Mr. and Mrs. Lorenzo, can you tell me what you saw?" Peter asked them, notebook and pen ready.

"We went into the store for some groceries, then we chatted with Mr. Cordero. Then I went with my wife and started shopping. That's when we heard them, some scum asking for money."

"Did you get a look at them?"

"No, when I heard the commotion I grabbed my wife and we ran out of the store," Mr. Lorenzo replied.

"Maybe Nancy saw something," Mrs. Lorenzo pointed out.

"Who's Nancy? Is she here?"

Jody came over during the exchange.

"She is the young pregnant woman who was also in the store shopping during the robbery," Mr. Lorenzo told the cops.

"I didn't see any pregnant woman in the crowd," Jody commented.

Peter and Jody began asking about the woman and where she lived. They managed to get an address and headed over to her apartment to talk to her.

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

Caine began to wipe the tears off Nancy's cheeks. He was such a comfort to her now.

"Oh, Caine. What should I do?" She sat back on the couch, her hand going to her belly. She thought about how close she could have come to loosing her life and the life of her unborn daughter.

"You must report this to the police," Caine advised her, searching in his pouch for some herbs. There was a knock at the door. Nancy got up to answer it.

"Isabel!" she let her friend in and introduced her to caine.

"So this is the man you were speaking about, the apothecary?" Isabel remarked,shaking Caine's hand.

"Caine, this is my friend and neighbor Isabel. She's been like a surrogate sister to me."

"It is good that you have someone who cares a great deal for you," Caine responded.

"Ooo, I like him, Nancy." Isabel sat down on the couch.

"Nancy I must leave you for a short time.There are some herbs that I must get that will help you." Caine stood.

"You go on, Caine, I'll stay here with Nancy," Isabel reassured him. Caine bowed to the two women and left. Isabel turned back to Nancy, sensing her friend was upset.

"What's wrong, Nancy?"

Nancy told her what had happened.

"Oh, you poor thing! Do you know how Mr. Cordero is?"

"No, I don't, I ran straight home afterward," Nancy said.

"I'm going to call the police and report it."

"That's not such a good idea. Suppose the guys who did it come looking for you?" Isabel commented.

"But, what happens if they go and do it again to someone else?"

"Nancy, you've got to think about yourself and the baby. Let someone else come forward. I think you should stay out of it."

"I gotta think about it, Isabel."

There was another knock on the door. Nancy opened the door, revealing a man and woman standing there.

"Hello, we're looking for a Nancy Sanchez. I'm Detective Caine and this is Detective Powell. Can we come in?"

"What is this about, Detectives?" Isabel asked from behind Nancy.

"Are you Ms. Sanchez?" Peter asked.

"No, I'm Nancy Sanchez," Nancy identified herself, permitting them to come inside. "This is my friend, Isabel Lopez."

"There's been a shooting at the podaga. A witness said that Ms. Sanchez was in the store at the time of the robbery."

"I was in the store, Detective, but I left before the robbery took place. I didn't see anything." Nancy avoided looking at the cops.

"Are you sure you didn't notice anything?" Jody asked her. "No, I didn't. How is Mr. Cordero?" Nancy inquired, fear for her friend clearly showing on her face.

"He was still alive when he was taken to the hospital. We haven't heard anything about his condition yet," Jody told Nancy.

"Are you sure there isn't anything you want to tell us, Ms. Sanchez?" Peter asked Nancy again, sensing she was hiding something.

"Look, Detective, I told you I didn't see anything, I left the store BEFORE the shooting!" Nancy's voice rose in agitation.

"Can't you see you're upsetting her? She told you she didn't see anything." Isabel came over to her friend and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Well, I don't think she HAS told us everything. I think there's more she's not telling us." Peter started pressing for information. His gut feelings were telling him that Nancy saw something.

"I think you both better leave now." Isabel began ushering the detectives to the door.

Peter noticed a hat sitting on a table next to the door. He recognized it as his father's hat.

"That hat belongs to my father. He's been here?" Peter demanded.

"Your father is Kwai Chang Caine? When you mentioned your last name was Caine, I didn't realize you two were related. Your father has been helping me through my pregnancy. He's been giving me herbs to help with the morning sickness and the backaches. He is so kind. And is a good listener." Nancy opened the door to let the detectives out.

"I know. Have you told him what happened? Has he said anything to you?" A frightening thought crossed Peter's mind.

" Please leave, Detective. I can't talk to you anymore. Please," She insisted, closing the door behind the cops.

Part 3

As Peter and Jody were making their way back to Peter's Stealth, they ran into Caine, who was on his way back with herbs for Nancy.

"Pop, I just spoke to Nancy Sanchez. She's a patient of yours?"

"Yes, I have been helping her with her morning sickness, What are you doing here, my son?" Caine explained.

"I'm investigating the shooting at the podaga. Did Nancy tell you what happened?"

"We talked about many things." His father was being typically cryptic. "Pop, I need to know what she saw. If she is a witness, she has to come forward." Peter was beginning to lose his patience.

"I can not tell you what she saw, only Nancy can tell you that." Caine started to continue on towards the building. Grabbing his father's arm, Peter stopped him.

"Here you go again, Pop, sticking your nose into my case," Peter exploded. "Why can't you just butt out! You know, I liked those six months, Pop. Remember when you abandoned me to find yourself? At least then I was able to get my work done in peace. I wish you never came back!"

"Peter..." Caine whispered softly, reaching out for Peter's arm.

Peter jerked his arm away and walked off to his Stealth in a huff. He couldn't look at the pained expression on his father's face.

Jody gave Caine an embarrassed shrug and ran after her partner.

"Would you mind telling me what that was about?" Jody asked Peter when they got into the car.

"What was what about?" Peter started the Stealth and headed back to the precinct.

"That little performance you just pulled with your father. You really hurt him."

"You saw it, Jody, my father is constantly involved in my cases," Peter blurted. "I feel like I can't do my job when he's around. Look what he's done now. Nancy Sanchez won't cooperate with us and I just bet my father has something to do with it. He probably gave her some of his Shoalin wisdom and told her to keep her mouth shut."

"You don't really believe that your father would tell her not to cooperate with us. That doesn't sound like him, Peter."

Peter sighed. "Maybe you're right. I was a little rough on him."

"A little? You really laced into him."

"Okay, Jody, I'll talk to him later and apologize," Peter promised. He drove into the precinct parking lot.

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

Caine returned to Nancy's apartment. He made some tea that would help with the nausea and the body aches she was experiencing.

"Caine, your son was just here,." Nancy told him while he was making the tea.

"I know. I met him downstairs. Did you tell him what happened?"

"No, I-I couldn't. What happens if these men come after me? I can't risk getting involved, Caine." Nancy sat next to her friend.

"She's right, let someone else come forward." Isabel added.

"Evil can only succeed if good people do nothing," Caine advised. He left Nancy with the herbs and instructions on how often she should make the tea.

"I know I should've said something, but I just can't right now. Please, I have to have time to think." She took the herbs from him, putting them into the kitchen.

"I must go. I will return tomorrow. Please think about what I said." Caine bowed to the ladies and left.

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

Caine returned to his apartment. Peter's words had hurt him, his son was always quick to anger. This time the words pierced his heart. He didn't realize just what his leaving for those six months did to Peter and he felt guilty about it. He knew Peter was angry and the war of words came from that rage. Yet that understanding didn't make it hurt any less. He needed to center himself, to reflect on how to relate to his son. Caine went to the mediation room. Just as he was about to assume the lotus position, a visitor showed up. It was Justin Hong.

"Master Caine, I am sorry to intrude. It is my grandmother. She is sick and is asking for you. Can you please come?"

"I will come with you." He grabbed his pouch and checked inside to make sure he had the herbs he would need. He knew Justin's grandmother. Ming Hong had been a patient of his for a while. She was an elderly lady of eighty, he was treating for arthritis. She had just had surgery on her hip and he was going to show her Tai Chi when she was ready.

Justin led Caine to his car and drove them to his grandmother's house on the other side of chinatown. They rode in silence. 'We are lucky' Justin thought, 'all the traffic lights are green.' Suddenly, all chaos broke loose. Justin could feel his car being hit as they crossed the intersection. A car ran the red light and struck them, hitting them broadside on the passenger side. Everything went black.

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

Peter was waiting for Jody to come back from the ladies' room. He thought that she'd been in there a long time. He did notice she was looking a bit pale. The flu bug was going around the precinct.

"Hi, Partner." Peter looked up and saw Jody standing in front of his desk. She looked like she was ready to collapse. "Come on, Jody, you'd better sit down." He helped her to a seat.

"I think I got the flu, I'm sorry to have to do this to you, but I'm going to have to go home," she croaked wearily.

"It's okay, Jody. Just take care of yourself." Peter put a hand on her shoulder.

"What about the case? You can't go out there alone."

"He won't be alone." They turned to find Kermit standing at the doorway to his office.

"Kermit, I thought you never left the precinct,." Peter commented, shocked at the offer to ride with him.

"Hey, I gotta get some fresh air sometime," Kermit respondd with a slight grin.

"Look, I don't have to go home now, I can tough it out." Jody looked at the two men, but knew from their expressions that there was no room for argument.

"Okay, okay, I'm going home. Peter, call me and let me know if you get a break in the case."

"Okay Partner, take care of yourself." Peter watched a moment while Jody left, then turned to Kermit.

"So fill me in. What have you got so far?" Kermit asked Peter, moving into Kermit's office.

Peter told Kermit of his frustration with Nancy Sanchez and how he knew she was hiding something.

Kermit had brought up the names of some drug dealers that worked in the area. One of them, named Patch, was a snitch. Peter and Kermit decided to go back to the neighborhood and question him. They figured if they shook the trees, something was bound to fall out.

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

Justin could feel the pain shooting up his leg as he started to regain consciousness, hearing himself moaning. His head was leaning against the driver's side window. He turned his head to look at Caine, who was slumped over the dashboard. His head had hit the windshield and blood was dripping from a deep wound on his forehead. They had been hit on the passenger side and the window was smashed. Glass laid all over Caine's body. He was laying so still Justin thought he might be dead.

He slowly reached over and checked for a pulse. At first, he felt nothing then he felt a faint throb against his fingers. He hoped someone called an ambulance, In the meantime, all he could do was wait.

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

Peter and Kermit met up with Kermit's snitch, Angel Perez, aka Patch, because of the patch that he wore on his left eye due to a drug related shoot out. Angel was a known drug dealer who made several "visits" to the 101st precinct. He'd been in and out of jail like a revolving door.

"So, Angel, you got anything for me?" Kermit asked him. He and Peter stood in Angel's shabby apartment.

"Those podaga murders, it was done by some gang members throwing their weight around. The old man didn't want to pay protection money so they blew him away."

"You got any names? " Peter demanded.

"Man, you know I can't do that!" Angel shouted fearfully.

Kermit threw Angel against the wall and pushed his arm against his throat. "Let's try this again. I need a name, Angel!"

Angel wasn't sure who he was more afraid of the gang or Kermit. Looking into the sunglasses, Angel could feel Kermit's icy stare.

"Okay, okay, man. One of the guy's names is Scar and the other is Gus. That's all I know, man, honest."

Kermit backed off and gave him a $20 bill.

"This info better check out or we'll be back," Kermit said threatened. He and Peter left.

"Gee, Kermit, remind me not to get on your bad side!" Peter remarked. "We got what we wanted, didn't we?"

Peter and Kermit made their way back to Peter's Stealth. They could hear a commotion going on around the corner and decided to check it out.

They came upon an accident scene, two cars were sitting in the middle of the road. Peter and Kermit joined the crowd of onlookers.

Peter stood with Kermit watching the firemen working to free the passenger of the car. They were able to free the driver with no problem and took him to a waiting ambulance.

Out of the corner of his eye, Peter noticed something laying in the grass. He turned to take a closer look. His heart was suddenly filled with cold terror as he picked up the object and saw it was his father's pouch. He looked up at the twisted wreck and realized the person they were trying to free was his father. He got up and started to run towards the accident scene. Kermit stopped him from getting any closer.

"What is it, Kid?" he asked.

"Kermit," Peter gasped, his breath coming in short spurts. "My father is in there, he was the passenger in that car!" He tried to break free from Kermit's grasp but his friend held him fast.

"Look, Peter, you won't do your father any good if you fall apart. We gotta let the rescue workers do their job." Kermit tried to get Peter to calm down.

Peter managed to bring his breathing under control. His eyes were glued to the car, he could not see his father, the firemen blocked his view.

They brought in the jaws of life to pry open the door. As soon as the door was finally freed, the paramedics rushed in to take vitals. Peter was finally able to get a look at his father as they put a cervical collar on his neck and readied a backboard. They carefully positioned Caine's body onto the board and slid him out of the car.

Peter noticed several cuts from the glass on his father's face. Peter hurried over to the paramedics and a police officer tried to stop him. Kermit showed him his badge and barked, "We're from the 101st. This is Peter Caine. That man is his father"

"Okay, go on then." The officer let Peter and Kermit through.

Peter followed the gurney to the ambulance; he held onto his father's hand.

"I'm sorry, but you'll have to ride up front," one of the paramedics told Peter.

"My father needs me, I'm riding with him." Peter pushed the paramedics aside, helped them load his father into the ambulance and sat down beside him. He took his hand again and began talking to his father.

"Pop, I'm here. You're going to the hospital." He kept talking to his father, holding his hand the entire time and stroked his father's hair with his other hand.

Kermit followed the exchange, deciding to allow Peter to handle it. He got into his car, waited for the ambulance to leave and followed it.

Part 4

The ride to the hospital felt like it was taking forever, but it only took ten minutes.

The back doors were pulled open and Peter helped them take his father out. He got as far as the doors to the ER.

"I'm sorry, sir but you can't go in there," a nurse stopped him.

"Okay," he reluctantly agreed, his breathing raspy. "Pop, I'll be here, waiting for you." Peter kissed his father on the forehead. "Come back to me, Father," he whispered in Caine's ear, then watched them take him away. His heart sank, he felt like his whole world was slipping away from him......again.

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

FLASHBACK

Peter wandered around the ruins of the temple, he'd never felt so lost in his whole life. He had returned from visiting his father's grave. He felt empty, like a dark void had opened up beneath him.

Ping Hai left him alone, knowing he needed some time to himself.

Peter tried to find where each of the rooms used to be. He managed to find his room. He rescued some pebbles he had collected from the lake.

Then he spotted something familiar sticking out from the rubble. He picked the object up and dusted it off; it was the ceremonial knife that belonged to his father. He stared at it, running his fingers over the dragon that adorned the top. He could feel the tears running down his cheeks as images of his father ran through his mind. He clutched the knife tightly against his chest, wondering how he would go on without him.

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

Peter felt a hand on his shoulder while he continued to stare at the ER doors. He turned and saw Kermit standing there, silently offering moral support.

Kermit had called the precinct to let them know what had happened. He knew the chief would let everyone else know and that they would be making their way to the hospital the minute they could.

He had come back to see how Peter was doing.

Peter could never sit still and now that his father laid injured in the ER, he was climbing the walls.

Kermit came over to him, bringing a cup of coffee for Peter.

Peter stared blankly at it. "No thanks, Kermit. What's taking them so long? They've been in there forever."

"Take it easy, Kid, it hasn't been that long. I'm sure the doctors will be out here soon."

Peter walked slowly towards the waiting room and leaned up against the wall, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Kermit, what happens if he dies? I'll never get a chance to tell him." His head dropped forward.

"Tell him what, Peter?" Kermit asked, his hand on Peter's shoulder.

"Tell him how sorry I am for what I said to him. I got angry cause I thought he was interfering in my case. I told him that he shouldn't have come back, that I was better off without him. I didn't mean it, Kermit! I didn't mean it." Peter broke down sobbing. Kermit put an arm around Peter's shoulders guiding the young man to a chair in the waiting room.

Peter wiped the tears from his eyes and got up as he saw Dr. Sabourin approaching him.

"How is he, Doctor?" he asked, worry clearly showing on his face.

"Your father is a lucky man, he was wearing a seat belt, otherwise it could have been much worse."

Peter started to breath a sigh of relief, when he noticed the doctor's face turned grave.

"Your father isn't out of the woods, he's got a concussion, he had a deep gash on his forehead that required some stitching and he has a broken leg. He'll have to have physical therapy for that. And there was some bruising on his back. We're waiting for the x-rays to come back. We want to make sure nothing was broken." The doctor crossed her arms in front of her.

"Can I see him?" Peter anxiously questioned.

"We're moving him to a room now. As soon as he's settled, you'll be allowed to see him."

The doctor walked down the hall and out of sight.

It felt like an eternity, but the nurse finally came over to Peter.

"I'll show you to your father's room."

She led the way to the elevator. They entered and the nurse pushed the button. Peter leaned against the wall as the car moved upwards, his eyes fixed on the floor. Kermit stood by watching his friend, wishing there was something he could do to help. The elevator doors opened and Kermit noticed Peter didn't move.

"Come on, Kid, let's go see your father." He put a hand on Peter's shoulder and guided him down the hallway.

The nurse went into room 909, checking on Caine's vitals. Peter stood at the door, looking at the sight before him. His father was laying in the bed nearest to the door. He could hear the steady rhythm of the heart monitor as it kept track of his father's heart. There was a cannula under his father's nose that was feeding oxygen to his injured body. Peter walked slowly over to the bed. He couldn't believe this all wasn't one of his many nightmares that he would wake up from at any moment. He stood motionless at first.

"It's all right, you can touch him," the nurse reassured Peter." Talk to him, he'll know you're here." She finished writing in the chart, patted Peter on the arm, and left him alone with his father. 

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

Kermit leaned against the doorway, watching for a few moments before deciding that father and son deserved some time alone. He would wait for the other members of the 101st to arrive. He went back towards the elevators.

Kermit was heading for the vending machines to get his third cup of coffee when he noticed Skalany, Jody and Captain Simms coming from the elevator.

"Kermit, how is Caine?" Skalany asked anxiously.

"He's stable, but unconscious. He's got a broken leg and he might have some back injuries, too. Peter is with him now, Kermit told them.

Captain Simms went to stand next to Kermit as Skalany and Jody went to get themselves coffee.

"What happened, Kermit?"

Kermit told Karen about the accident and how he and Peter happened to be at the scene.

"Talk about coincidence. How did Caine end up being in that car?"

"I don't know, Captain. We'll have to wait for Caine to regain consciousness." Kermit's cell phone was rang. It was Angel, Kermit's snitch. He told Kermit he'd heard a hit was going down, the gang had found out about Nancy Sanchez. Kermit closed the phone.

"Karen, my snitch just told me the gang found out about the Sanchez girl. They're going after her."

"Let's get down there." She waved over Skalany and Jody and filled them in on what was going down. T.J. had just come off the elevator as they were going to board. The captain told him briefly the situation and instructed him to stay with Peter. Simms didn't want him to think they had abandoned him.

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

Peter put his hand on his father's chest, feeling the steady heartbeat against his palm. His other hand was on his father's cheek and moved up to stroke his hair. Peter leaned down and kissed his forehead.

"Pop, it's me, it's Peter." He sat down in a chair by the bed and took his father's hand, squeezing it gently. "I'm here Father, you're not alone." The room was silent except for the beeping of the heart monitor and the hiss of the oxygen pump.

'I wish he'd open his eyes and look at me' Peter thought. Peter remembered one of the first things he said to his father when they were first reunited was about his eyes. His father expressed himself so much through them. Peter felt a pressure on his hand as his father squeezed his hand softly.

"Pop?" Peter moved closer and ran his other hand to stroke the top of his father's head.

His father moaned and the eyes fluttered. "Come on, Pop, open your eyes. I need you to open your eyes for me." Caine obeyed, gazing at Peter.

"Hi. I know you still don't like me calling you Pop. I figured if I kept calling you that, I'd get your attention." Peter grinned broadly.

Caine had a small smile on his face. "My son." he struggled to get the words past his dry throat.

Peter took a cup of ice chips off the table, put some on a spoon and offered them to his father.

"Better, Father?" Peter asked.

"Yes, thank you," he answered groggily. He looked around, in confusion.

"Pop, you're in the hospital. Do you remember anything?"

"Car accident," his father replied with a concerned expression.

"Yeah, What were you doing in that car?" Peter moved the chair closer to the bed.

"Mrs. Hong had taken sick, Her grandson came to my apothecary to take me to her. Then a car hit us and....." he paused for a moment, a flash of pain came across his face. "I I can not remember anything further. All went dark." He turned his face towards Peter, a hint fear in the eyes.

"It's okay, Pop, you'll be all right." Peter took his father's hand again.

"How is Justin Hong?" he asked Peter.

"He's going to be all right, He only suffered some bumps and bruises."

"And the driver of the other car?"

"Ah, um, I'm sorry, he didn't make it." Peter responded softly.

Caine closed his eyes and sighed.

"He was drunk, he ran a red light and plowed into you. He was killed instantly."

"So, I see my patient is awake," the doctor interrupted. "Hello Caine." she greeted a small smile on her face. Dr. Sabourin told him about his injuries "Your x-rays came back, they didn't show any breaks in your vertebrae. How are you feeling?"

"I am sore. There is some discomfort in the middle of my back," Caine explained.

The doctor grinned at what passed for Caine's understatement. If he was admitting to any "discomfort" it was his way of saying he was in a lot of pain, He would never admit how much pain he might be in.

"Well, Peter, I'm going to have to ask you to leave for a few minutes so I can examine your father."

"Okay. I'll be right outside." Peter gave his father's shoulder a gentle squeeze and stepped outside the room.

Peter ran into T.J. outside.

"Hi, Peter. How's the old man doing?"

"His doctor is with him now." He looked around the hallway. "Where is Kermit?"

"They all took off as I was getting off the elevator."

"They?" Peter questioned. He'd hadn't left his father's side and had no idea who had been at the hospital.

"Yeah, Kermit, Captain Simms, Skalany and Jody."

"Why, where....."He was confused.

"I don't know, Peter. They said they had something to check out. I figured I'd stick around to make sure you were okay and if you needed anything."

"Thanks, T.J," he grinned. Peter was wondering if there had been a break in the case. He didn't have time to think about that right now. The doctor came out of the room.

"You can come back in now," she encouraged. Peter hurried back into the room.

"Well, Peter, your father is a very strong man. If all goes well, he should be released by the end of the week. He's going to need some physical therapy and someone will have to stay with him during his recovery."

"I'll be staying with him,." Peter stated, staring at his father for a reaction.

"Peter, I can not ask you to do this, my son."

"You don't have to ask me, Pop. I'm going to take care of you for a change."

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

"Man, did you find out who saw us in that podaga?"

Scar asked Gus. Scar was the leader of the southside gang, who spread terror amongst the merchants. They'd been able to elude the police and eliminate any witnesses to their crimes. They knew that someone had seen them. Word on the street was that a pregnant woman was in the store.

"Yeah, Scar, I asked around. Some chick named, Nancy Sanchez. We got her address, too."

"All right, man, get Monty and Bano and have them whack her.

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

Monty and Bano knew if they whacked this chick, they would move up in the ranks of the gang. It wasn't hard to find out where Nancy lived. They had waited until late at night, until she went to bed. They crept in through the living room window, trying to make as little noise as possible. They had their guns drawn, silencers already on the barrels so no one would hear the shots. They spotted the figure asleep in the bed and crept closer. Monty raised his gun, his finger poised on the trigger.

Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his hand as the gun was shot out of his hand. A scream from his partner told him that Bano had suffered the same fate.

The lights were switched on and they were realized they were facing the barrel of a Desert Eagle. The man in the sunglasses behind that gun sent shivers down their spines. They glanced around the room and saw there were other officers in the room, their guns also trained on them.

Looking at the bed ,only they saw dark haired woman was NOT Nancy Sanchez.

"Well, well, look who we have here," Skalany commented, getting off the bed, pulling the pillow from her belly.

"Good work, Skalany," the captain praised. Uniform officers came into the room, arresting the bewildered pair.

"Gee, I think that's a good look for you," Kermit joked. Mary Margaret gave him a dirty look.

"Don't you say anything either,." Skalany warned Jody, wore and innocent expression.

"Let's get back to the station." Simms told them.

They had taken Nancy to Isabel to stay while they did their stakeout. After she had heard about Caine's car accident, Nancy had decided to come forward to testify against the gang. Karen remembered Nancy's reaction at hearing about Caine being in the hospital.

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

FLASHBACK

Karen and Kermit arrived at Nancy's apartment, they wanted to make sure they moved her to someplace she'd be safe. Nancy opened her door a crack, they could see her peeking out warily at them.

"Ms' Sanchez I'm Captain Simms, this is Detective Griffin. We are about make an arrest and we don't feel it would be wise for you to stay in your apartment. We're here to take you to a safe place, do you have someone you can stay with?"

She thought for a moment. "Yes I can stay with Master Caine, he has been so kind to me, I think he would let me stay with him."

"Um, Ms. Sanchez I have some bad news. Caine was involved in a car accident, he is in the hospital."

"OH NO! Is he...is he..." She couldn't continue.

"No he's going to be fine," Kermit assured the shocked woman.

"He has been helping me, he has stayed with me when I have been ill. He has always been so patient, listening to me. And when Mr. Cordero was shot, he didn't force me to come forward, he let it be up to me." Suddenly a look came over Nancy's face, a look of conviction. "I am going to testify, put those bastards away so they can not do this to anyone else. I think that is what Master Caine was trying to get me to realize."

They escorted her to her friend, Isabel's Apartment.

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

"Um, I'm going back to the hospital to check on Peter," Kermit insisted.

"Okay, tell them we'll get back there as soon as possible. I'm sure Caine will be happy to know that Ms. Sanchez is going to come forward to be a witness."

"Oh, yeah," Kermit nodded, leaving. 

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

It was past visiting hours at the hospital and most people would not have been able to get by the nurse's station. Most people were not Kermit. Entering Caine's room, he noticed the priest was sleeping. Peter's head was resting on his father's chest, Caine's arm draped around Peter's shoulders. Kermit smiled at the peaceful scene.

At the end of the week Caine was let out of the hospital. Peter had prepared Caine's apartment for them. Peter helped his father up to his room, helping him settle unto his futon. Avoiding his father's questioning glances, Peter assisted the injured man in undressing and putting on a pair of silk pajamas. The young man was trying to control the guilt gnawing inside him like a disease twisting his stomach.

"My son, what troubles you?" Caine broke the silence, taking a hand and gently cupping Peter's chin.

"Nothing, Pop," Peter tried to lie, but knew that his father was picking up on his emotions like radar. His father's hand traveled upward to touch his cheek. He looked into Caine's warm eyes, feeling the warmth of a father's love...a love he didn't believe he deserved.

"Peter, the argument we had still troubles you," Caine said matter-of-factly.

Peter nodded, the tide of anger and guilt boiling within him. "The things I said to you..." he choked, clearing his throat a moment before continuing, "the angry words...I-I didn't mean them, Pop. I almost lost you, and the guilt I have is eating me up inside. If you had died..." Peter could not go on as the tears welled up in his eyes and fell down his cheeks. he turned away, trying to control himself.

Peter felt his father touching his shoulder. "You were afraid I was going to die before we could reconcile." The hand moved to his face, moving it so Peter would meet his gaze again. "You have much anger within you, my son, from many years of hardship. Your anger toward me--"

"I'm sorry, Dad, for becoming angry with you," Peter interrupted. "You don't deserve to be treated like that." Peter embraced his father, glad the man was alive. "I don't know what I would have done if I had lost you again. I don't think I can live through your death a second time."

Peter closed his eyes, feeling his father return the hug. "I act like such an ass sometimes, Pop. I don't know how you put up with me."

"It is the function--"

Peter disengaged himself from his parent's arms, "Of a father...yes, I know."

Together, they laughed, Peter placing a kiss on Caine's forehead. He intended to stay with the man for as long has his father needed him. 'Or do I need him more?' He thought

Fini