Dr. Scott sighed as he signed off on some patient charts. He hoped that whatever Paul had needed Fenton’s address for, worked out. Like his son, the doctor was worried over Laura’s continued depression and refusal to talk to anyone.

He assumed it had something to do with Fenton, and although he wasn’t upset at the thought that Fenton seemed to be out of her life right now, the surgeon was not prepared to see his daughter in this continued misery. So he gave Paul the address…or rather, Joy – his receptionist, did.

He was just reaching for his coffee cup when Joy buzzed him, telling him he had an urgent call on line 1.

One minute later the surgeon was bolting through the door.

Paul had been abducted!

* * *

“Hardy residence,” Francis Hardy said, as he answered the phone, and then passed it to Fenton. “It’s Gerry.”

“Hey—”  Gerry cut his partner off, and minutes later, Fenton was struggling to his feet – he needed to see Laura.

* * *

Laura Scott was inconsolable. That man had taken her baby brother, and she blamed herself.

Why had she left him there?

After she had called the police, Laura had run to her father’s study and, after much rummaging, found the small handgun he kept. But by the time she had gotten back to the stable, there was no sign of her brother or the guy he had been struggling with.

Frantic, she had mounted Apple and tore out of the barn, hoping to see some sign of the kidnapper’s car… something…anything!

But it was futile, and she had been forced to return to the house when she heard the approaching police sirens.

Then she had called her father.

* * *

Gerry Moore and his temporary partner, Mike Batten, had responded to the call, and Gerry was stunned when he saw Laura and realized it was her brother who had been abducted.

He debated calling Fenton, but in the end decided that someone needed to console the distraught young woman. As much as he would have liked the job, he wanted to find the missing kid first – he could already see the headlines: “Hero Cop beats odds and Saves Surgeon’s Son.”  And Gerry was a glory hound.

So he called Fenton, who showed up, with his father in tow, a few minutes after the famous Dr. Scott.

* * *

Dr. Scott recognized Gerry from the hospital, but only gave him a cursory greeting as he went to find his daughter.  He wanted to know exactly what had happened, and who had taken his son.

* * *

But Laura couldn’t tell him anything.

She was in shock, sitting on her bed, staring straight ahead and berating herself over and over again for leaving him.

Dr. Scott tried to get her to talk to him, but she wouldn’t. She had already told Gerry and Mike everything she knew… what pathetic little there was… and right now, she was tormenting herself about what might be happening to Paul as everyone wasted time devouring the crime scene.

Finally the father gave up, and went downstairs to get something to help his daughter relax – he felt helpless, and didn’t know what else to do.

Someone had tried to take his daughter…a someone who had succeeded in taking his son.

* * *

“Where is she?”  Fenton demanded, as soon as he saw his partner.

“Her room, upstairs – you’ll know it… its pink”, Gerry said, and then went over to see if the CSI guys had come up with anything yet.

Fenton met Dr. Scott on the stairs, and the surgeon stopped him. “You shouldn’t be here.”

“I’m sorry, sir,” Fenton said tersely, wondering how that man could be so hot and cold – they had been getting along fine when he was in the hospital, “but nothing, not even you, is going to keep me away from Laura right now!”

The older man shook his head as he smiled weakly.  “You misunderstand me. I only meant you shouldn’t be up and around. You don’t want to be bursting those stitches.”

Fenton smiled sheepishly. “Sorry, sir.”

“It’s okay,” Dr. Scott said, and then added, “But I am glad you are here. Laura could use someone now… a someone that isn’t me. And, well, with Paul…” his voice trailed off, and Fenton squeezed his arm supportively.

“We’ll find him sir…. I promise.”

Dr. Scott nodded his head as he looked at Fenton intently.  “You know, son – for some odd reason I believe you.” And then he continued past Fenton to get something for his daughter.

* * *

“Laura?” Fenton said softly, as he saw the miserable figure sitting on the bed with her legs drawn up so she could rest her cheek on her knees.

She looked up when she heard his voice, and the look on her face would haunt Fenton for the rest of his life. She looked so lost…and so afraid, he just wanted to scoop her up in his arms and protect her from the world….

“He’s gone,” she whispered, “Paul’s gone.”

“Oh Laura,” Fenton moved towards her quickly, and then gently wrapped his arms around her. Gently, partly so it wouldn’t pull on his stitches; but also gently because he wasn’t sure how she would react to him.

But she surprised him by curling up against his chest and pressing her face into the warmth of his embrace.  “I want him back, Fenton. I want my baby brother back.”

“I know you do, honey,” Fenton said, surprising himself by the use of that endearment, but it felt so natural…so right.

“I just don’t know where to start looking,” the girl admitted a moment later.

“Well,” Fenton hesitated before continuing, “I don’t think you should even consider looking for Paul, by yourself….Let the police take care of it. Gerry will find him, he’s a good cop.”

The girl shook her head.  “Paul’s my brother…. I got him into this… I need to help find him!”

“Laura, let the police handle this,” Fenton pressed, wishing he was back on duty.  “They’ll find your brother…. I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“Too late,” Laura shot back, “I’m already hurt. That guy came after me, Fenton! He only took Paul because Paul saved me! Don’t you understand that? IF the police don’t find Paul and I don’t even try to look for him, how can I ever live with myself?  I have to do something….I need to look for my brother!”

“Laura—”  Fenton tried again. He didn’t want her chasing down a potentially dangerous guy. They didn’t even have any idea yet why this guy had gone after Laura…or why he had taken Paul. He could have just left the kid there.

“You don’t understand,” Laura said, with a conviction in her voice that Fenton had never heard before.  “This is my little brother we’re talking about – I’ll do whatever it takes to get him back. That’s what big sister’s do!”

The cop opened his mouth to say something, but she cut him off, her blue eyes flashing with fury.  “So either you’re with me or you’re against me. And trust me, against me isn’t where you want to be!”

Again Fenton opened his mouth and again she cut him off, “You don’t understand….You don’t have a baby brother!”

Fenton cocked his eyebrow when she paused to take a breath.  “Are you finished?”

Laura thought about that for a moment and then nodded. “Yeah, I think that pretty much sums it up.”

“Okay then,” he said, “let’s go get your brother.”

“You’re going to help me?” Her voice was incredulous, and he laughed at the look on her face even as he said, “Duh!”

He was sure that his father was going to kill him once he found out, but Fenton would do everything in his power – recuperating or not – to find Paul and bring him home, for Laura.