C S I (UNDER EDITING)

Chapter 33 - Old wounds

TW: ABUSE AND SELF HARM

Lauren's POV
It had been a few weeks since the ordeal. And I healed. Well physically I was healed. The toxin had left my system and I was not longer in danger. At least that's what the doctors said at my last checkup. Every morning since then, I woke, flashed a smile across my face, tried to ignore the ever constant screaming voices and go about my day. The dreaded anniversary grew closer and closer. Every morning, Nick would kiss me gently with a smile, asking me how I was and if I slept okay. And every morning, I would kiss him back and tell him I was fine and I slept okay. My nightmares began again, this time compiling like some sick movie on repeat. It was pitch black. Voice kept screaming at me but I couldn't reply back. As much as I tried to call out, no voice came out of my mouth. My chest got tighter and tighter, like a boulder was been slowly lowered down on it. Till I couldn't breathe.

Nick's POV
It had been a few weeks since we'd been back home. Lauren told me she was fine every time I asked but I knew, I knew she was not. The nightmares began again not soon after. Tonight was a particularly bad one. At first she tossed and turned. I slowly stirred awake. Then she started to heave and she stopped breathing completely. She clawed and grasped at her chest. "Babe, sweetie, Lauren! Breathe honey!" I try to shake her awake, grabbing her hands. "Lauren!" I panic when she begins to convulse. I was finally able to wake her up. She panted, taking big gulps of air. "Honey, breathe. You're okay. You're at home. Breathe baby." I sooth, rubbing her back. "I...I can't...b..." She pants. "Honey, breathe. In and out, in and out. Okay." I whisper, drawing her close. Her panting finally gives way to quick breathing and her heartbeat finally syncs with mine. "You alright baby?" I lift her face up to look into her eyes. "Yeah...fine." She mutters. "Hay, don't shut me out sweetheart, please." I push aside her hair, dropping a kiss on her forehead. "Nightmares...they're back...they're back Nicky..." She mumbles with a shaky voice. "I'm sorry honey...what can I do?" I ask. "...could we stay up for a little while? I don't really want to go back to sleep." She requests nervously. "Sure sweetie." I nod. We both lie back down and I draw her close, wrapping my arms around her, not to tightly so as not to exacerbate her panic further. She pulls herself closer, nuzzling against my neck. "I'm sorry baby...I know how hard the nightmares are on you." I whisper. "Do you maybe wanna talk about going back on the pills again?" I suggest gently. "No Nicky, I can't. Not after what happened last time. I can't, I can't do that to Kai, Sammy, Gracie and Stacey, I can't do that to the kids." She declines fervently. "Okay, alright. I just...I don't want you losing sleep again. But I won't force anything on you. It's all up to you. I'm here all the way." I state, kissing her softly. "...I didn't mean to snap at you Nicky, I'm sorry. I just...I don't want to put you guys through that again. I'm lucky I didn't OD." She sighs. "It's okay honey. And hay, if you're uncomfortable with it, we don't even have to talk about it anymore. Whatever you choose mi Amore." I sooth. It wasn't until 3 am that Lauren slowly fell asleep. I held her close, making sure she didn't have another nightmare. I hummed softly with her pressed against me. At 6 am when the phone rang, I gently detached myself from her, and took the call out on the deck. I sat facing the ocean as the sun rose. "Stokes." I answer. "Nick, hay. We got a case. Are you guys okay to join us? We could use the help." Steve requests. "...maybe. What's the case?" I ask tentatively. "Dead male vic, found at the 4 seasons resort in the city." He explains. "Suspicious cercs?" I question. "Yeah." He replies. "Maybe. Text me the address." I decide. "I wanna see how Lauren is feeling first. Her nightmares are back and I'm worried." I state. "Nightmares? What nightmares?" Steve asks. "Long story. But considering what she went through, I'm not surprised. But they've taken a toll on her. She's fragile. She may be physically healed but mentally? It's gonna take a lot longer. And I don't want to exacerbate it." I explain briefly. "Steve my wife has dealt with a lot. She's...strong, stronger than anyone I've ever met. But she's also very broken. And I don't want her to get any worst. I know she's your cousin and you're very close. But...that doesn't mean I love her any less." I state. "I know Nick. You're a good guy. She's the happiest and in the best state she's been since she's with you. I know how much she loves and I know how much you love her. I get it. Take all the time you need. Let me know if I can help with anything. And for the record, I care about both of you man. You're like a brother to me. You've had my back when it mattered, I got you." He replies with a assuring chuckle. "Thanks man. I'll let you know I suppose." I relax. "Kay, I gotta go. Gotta get to the crime scene. Shoot me a text whenever." He states before we exchange goodbyes and hang up. "Was that Steve?" Lauren voice behind me makes me jump. "You scared me babe." I let out relieved chuckle. "Yeah." I nod. "Case?" She prompts. "...yeah. But we don't have to go. Only if you're up for it." I state. "Why wouldn't I be?" She questions. "I'm just saying...considering what you went through, and what you're dealing with now, maybe work doesn't need to be a top priority right now." I gently explain. "Nick, I'm fine. So I was poisoned, add it to the list. I'd rather be at work then letting my mind eat me up." She mutters with a determined frown. "...okay, if you're sure." I agree hesitantly. "I'll wake Kai up and get her ready." I offer. And so while she takes a shower, I wake Kai, get her ready and get breakfast going. An hour later, we stand at the crime scene after dropping Kai off at daycare. "What have we got?" She asks the small crowd. "Male vic. Mid-20's. No ID yet. Max will run fingerprints and dental at the morgue to see if we can find anything." Steve answers. "What?" She looks up at the crowd. "Um, nothing. Just...a little concerned about you, that's all. We just wanna make sure you're alright be fully alright before coming back to work." Danny is the only one to voice the group's thoughts. "I'm fine. I'd appreciate it if your concern was reserved for the victim." She replies, lips pursed and an almost angry look in her eyes. "Uh, okay sure. Yeah. Back to work I suppose." Everyone mutters. Lauren and I ride with the body back to the morgue while the others split into two groups; half went back to the palace to use the info we had gathered already and the other half to finish up at the crime scene. We were the first to arrive and I used that to our advantage and pulled Lauren aside gently. "Babe, that was unnecessary." I state suggestively. "What? I'm getting kinda sick of everyone asking me if I'm okay and walking on eggshells around me." She mutters with an impatient frown. "Babe, they just care about you. As do I. We're just concerned and we wanna make sure you're not having a hard time or anything. We just care." I try to calm her down, stating in a gentle manner. "...I know. And I appreciate it, I do. But I am not some fragile china that breaks every time someone handles me. I've been through enough to know how to handle, to be okay. And I am. I just wished you all believed me." She huffs. "We do honey, of course we do." I nod. "I'm fine Nick. Really. I promise." She flashes me a smile. "Okay." I nod, finally convinced as the others arrive. We join the group around the main computer as the case information is put up. "Any ID?" I ask. "Not yet. Max said if our vic's in the system, he'll find him." Chin answers. "I can go and check on Max and the lab on the way." She offers. "Okay, take Kono with you." Steve nods. Kono and I take the elevator up to the labs first to see Fung. "Hay Fung, got anything for us?" I ask the young lab tech. "Do I?" He snorts. "Watcha got Fung?" I chuckle. "Well, some of the samples are still pending but I have got a few results for you. There was skin tags under the vic's nails and we ran that. No hits as of yet but I can tell you it's a female. There was also an unidentified substance on the vic's clothes, not unidentified now, cuz we ran it and it's silica dust. Did your vic have any contact or was at a construction site recently before he died?" He explains before asking. "Not that we know. We'll look into it." Kono shrugs. "That's all I have for you now. I'll send a text your way when I have more." He concludes. We wave goodbye to Fung before heading to the morgue to see Max. "Max? Max? Dr Burgman?" I call out as we walk in. "Officer Stokes, officer Kalakaua!!" He greets us in the same exuberant manner. "Hi Max. We're here for the autopsy. Got anything for us?" I ask. "Of course. Right this way." He nods, leading us inside. "I found several antemortem cuts and scratches. All superficial and non-fatal. And of course the skin tags under the nails which I sent to the lab. He has a small tattoo on his ankle, an anchor. Other than cause of death which was a deep sharp stab wound to the abdomen, the victim was as healthy as a clam." He reveals before passing us the report. "Do we know with what he was stabbed?" I ask. "Most likely a knife. I can't be more specific without having the weapon to test." He answers. "Anything else? Tox panel?" I prompt. "No drugs, not even a painkiller. I checked his stomach content, what I can only assume his final meal before death; some sort of salad I assume and chicken." He reveals. "TOD Max?" I question. "Around midnight last night." He answers. "Is that all?" Kono asks. "For now. I will let you know if I find anything else probative." He shakes his head. "Okay, thanks Max." We wave a quick goodbye before rejoin the crowd upstairs. "Hay. We got results." I state, waving the folder in the air. "Whatcha got?" Danny asks. "Fung was still running some of the samples CSIs took but he said that there was skin tags under the vic's fingernails and it's an unidentified female. Still running DNA through the system. Max gave us TOD and COD. COD was sharp force trauma to the abdomen. He bled out. TOD was around midnight last night. His tox screen was clean, not even painkillers. And Max checked the stomach contents nothing probative, just his last meal." Kono and I reveal, handing the file around. "Not even painkillers? That can't be..." Steve mutters, a deep frown on his face. "Max ran the tox panel. This dude was squeaky clean. He said minus the sharp force trauma which was the cause of death, this dude was as healthy as a clam." I explain. "Did you run his prints? See if has a record or was reported missing?" I ask. "We ran his prints, nothing. We ran him through missing persons, we got a match. Micheal Teels. He was reported missing by his mother. I ran him again through the system, not even a parking ticket. This dude is squeaky clean, not just body-wise." Chin answers, throwing his missing person's file up on the big screen. "Why just his mum?" I ask. "Dad died when he was 6, his mum raised him all on her own. Never remarried, worked 2 jobs to make sure Micheal went to a nice cushy private school." Chin reads off the screen. "I can go talk to her." I offer. "She might know if he had any women in his life that had something against him." I suggest. "Sure, do you need someone to come with you?" Steve asks. "Nah, I'll be fine. Will let you know what I find out." I decline. I call ahead to the mother to let her know I was on my way. She lived all the way out in the north shore, in a gated community so it took me half an hour of driving to get there. I buzz in when I arrive and the security guard lets me in after inspecting my badge. "Mrs Teels? Hi, I'm Lauren Stokes from Five-0. I'm really sorry to be meeting under these circumstances." I greet her at her door. "Come in." She guides me inside. "Can I get you anything?" She offers once I'm sat in the living room. "No ma'am. I'm fine thanks." I decline politely. "Mrs Teels, when was the last time you saw your son?" I ask. "...a week before he disappeared." She answers with misty eyes. "Have you found him? Have you found my boy?" She questions, hope clear in her voice. "...I'm really sorry Mrs Teels. We have...you're son's body was discovered early this morning in a hotel in the city." I explain sombrely. "...no...my baby boy..." Her face falls as I relay the news, tears running down her face. "He...he was murdered?" She suddenly comes to the realisation, horrified. "We believe so I'm afraid." I nod slowly. "Mrs Teels, can you tell me a little about Michael? What sort of person was he? Was he sociable? Outgoing? Or was he shy and guarded?" I ask. "...Michael was a very friendly boy. Even when he was little he would make friends so easily. He wasn't a troublemaker though. He went through his rebellious phase like anybody else; got a tattoo, went out with his friends. Nothing too extreme. He was a good boy." She sniffles. "I read in the missing person's report you filed, that you worked two jobs to put Michael in a private school. Can I ask, was there a particular reason?" I begin my questions with a gentle tone. "...about 2 years into high school, Michael began acting up. He was shutting me out, disappearing for hours on end and I got worried. It was very out of character for him. We always talked about everything. Ever since his father died, we're all we have. It was more a preemptive move from me. I didn't want him ending up doing something bad. It was a good school and Micheal straighten out. His school counsellor suggested he maybe start seeing a therapist. I was hesitant at first but I agreed and things were good. Micheal was back to his old self. He was making friends again. His grades were back to all As, like always. Things were good. He'd been staying home for a few days right before he went missing. He had his own place but I got sick and Micheal came over and looked after me. Cooked meals, cleaned up. But then one night...he didn't come home. Micheal always called if he was going to come home late and if was moving back to his place, he would've taken his stuff, but he didn't; like his laptop, his clothes, his textbooks. That's when I knew, something was wrong and I filed the missing person's report. But the cops barely did anything. They just told me he probably ran away but I know my Micheal, he would never do that." She explains tearfully. "Well we won't stop until we find what happened. I promise you that." I place a comforting hand on her knee. "You said your husband's passed away, when exactly was that?" I question. "When Micheal was 6, his father, my husband Larry was in a car accident. We lived in Idaho then. After Larry's passing, I decided to move to Hawaii. Just needed a fresh start for me and Micheal. It's been the two of us since then." She smiles sadly, stroking a picture of the family from the mantle. "And you never remarried?" I ask. "No. I loved my husband. Larry and I met when I was in college. We dated for a year and once we graduated, he proposed and 6 months later we got married. 4 Years later, we had Micheal." She recounts. "Can I ask why?" I question. "You're married, aren't you Ms Stokes?" She asks, holding up my hand with the wedding ring. "Yes, for quite a few years." I nod. "Tell me, would you ever remarry if you lost your husband?" She asks. "No. My husband and I are very much in love. I could never love someone as much as him." I reply without hesitation. "That's why." She answers my early question. "Did Michael ever have a girlfriend? Female friends that you knew about?" I ask. "...female friends I'm not too sure about. I didn't know many of Micheal's friends. And girlfriend, I believe so. Stephanie. Can't remember the last name though. Perhaps his roommate and friends from college might know." She reveals. "Can you think of a reason why Micheal would be at the 4 seasons resort in the city?" I ask. "...no. No I can't. He has his own place. A small apartment near his college, with his roommate, Rory Armont. Maybe he knows. You should talk to him." She shakes her head. She scribbles the roommate's information a piece of paper before passing it to me. "Thanks. We will." I nod. "That's all for now. If I have any more questions I'll reach out to you or if you can think of anything else, call this number." I place my card in her hand before getting up. "Officer Stokes, you will find whoever did this to my boy, won't you?" She demands, desperation in her voice clear as she grips my hands. "We'll do our best Mrs Teels. I promise we will do everything in our power to bring the person who did this to your son to justice." I assure her. "Thank you." She chokes. The entire ride back, my mind is swirling storm of emotions and thoughts. And not all good ones. I try to ignore it, to push it aside. "Watcha got from the mother?" The group asks when I arrive. "Not much in terms of Micheal's character. He was a good kid, made lots of friends, straight A student. The husband died when Micheal was 6 in a car accident. They lived in Idaho at the time. After that, Mrs Teels and Micheal moved to Hawaii. He started been reclusive and showing depressive symptoms so she sent him to a therapist and that's when he went to private school. She said the therapy helped a lot and Micheal returned to his old self, starting making friends again. He lives in an apartment not far from his campus with a roommate, Rory Armont. Gave me the address and his information and everything. She said she didn't know much about his friends but that Micheal did have a girlfriend named Stephanie and her roommate or friends would know more about her so I got their info. Other than that, she said it was mostly her and Micheal. She'd gotten sick a little while before he went missing and so he stayed with her for a little while, helped around the house. He didn't come home one night and didn't take any of his stuff so that's why she filed a missing person's report. Said HPD didn't do a damn thing." I explain. "Danny and I can go talk to Stephanie." Steve suggests. "Chin, Kono, talk to his roommate Rory Armont. Lou and Nick go to his college. Talk to her friends, classmates, see what they know about them. Jerry, dig up the original HPD investigation for Micheal Teels missing person's report." He delegates before heading off with Danny. It was an hour and a half before they returned. Jerry found the investigation report which unfortunately didn't have much to it. It was 2 pages. Two damn pages. I took myself down to HPD headquarters in search of the bright detectives who sat on their asses while Micheal Teels was been murdered. "Duke, I'd like to speak to a detective Hamala, and Erinson." I demand when I arrive. "Uh, sure. If you'd wait here, I'll bring them out." He nods. I pace in the waiting area, full of people with missing mothers, fathers, uncles, aunts, grandparents, sons and daughters. Missing a loved one and not knowing. Not knowing whether they were alive, or hurt or worse... "Detective Hamala and Erinson?" I greet the pair stoically when Duke brings them out. "I'm here about a case you worked on. Actually, let me rephrase, a case you were given that you decided wasn't a priority and tossed. Micheal Teels. Sound familiar?" I frown. "No, should it?" The pair shrug. "This!" I snap, holding up the semi complete report. "His mother reported him missing but you didn't do a damn thing. You didn't interview family and friends. You didn't trace his steps to find where he was last. You didn't do your damn jobs!" I exasperate. "But no need to worry. You can relax now. Micheal was found dead today. Evidence showed he fought his attacker. He probably thought why is no one coming to help me?!" I can't seem to stop myself as my voice raises with each sentence, grasping the attention of the crowd in the waiting room. "Your incompetence cost this young man his life and his mother a lifetime of grief. She already lost her husband now she's alone. Because you couldn't be bothered to do your damn jobs." I snap. "Officer Stokes, calm down. I'm sure we can talk about this." Duke tries to calm me down. "No Duke! There's nothing to talk about! How about you make sure your detectives do their damn jobs!" I even snap at Duke. "Calm down lady! We did all we could, the kid was gone and the trail was cold. You got no right to snap at us." Erinson grunts. "It's Officer. And I do." I grit, facing him off. "Officer Stokes, detectives! In my office, now!" Duke pulls us apart with an uncharacteristic frown. "Officer Stokes, I understand that you're frustrated. We all are when things like this happen. And I'm sure my detectives did all they could." Duke takes a breath before stating calmly. "This, is your detectives best work?" I question, tossing the two page, incomplete report on his desk. "Erinson, Hamala, explain." He turns to them with a serious frown. "Boss we did all we could. The kid's trail was cold. No evidence that he was kidnapped or taken forcibly." They mutter. "No interviews with the family or friends. No one checked his apartment. No one talked to the roommate or went to his college to talk with classmates, friends and professors. I'm starting to think Officer Stokes is right." Duke sighs, flipping through the report. "His mother is all alone now. Do you two knuckleheads understand that? She already lost her husband to a car crash and now her only child because you couldn't be bothered to do a little police work." I sigh. "It would've taken you a day to complete all of these interviews. One day. Could you not have spared 24 hours to, oh I don't know? Do your jobs that you're getting paid and benefits for?" I berate. "Erinson, I know for a fact that you have 5 year old at home. How would you feel if this was her? How would you feel if your family was gone and the one person you expect to care and find answers basically tells you, your loss isn't worth my time?" I question. "...but it's not her." He frowns dejectedly. "Could've been." I shrug. "Micheal Teels was someone's baby too. And he was all they had left." I mutter. "I'm sorry Officer Stokes. This is completely disgraceful. I don't run my force to pick and choose what cases get priority." Duke frowns at the pair. "Hamala, Erinson. You're both suspended. 2 weeks without pay. Go home and think about how your incompetence cost an innocent life and come back with a better attitude or I'll make it permanent." Duke reprimands the dejected pair. "Prick." Hamala mutters. "Sanctimonious bitch!" Erinson hisses, swiping past me with a passive aggressive shove. "Erinson! Don't make me make it permanent!" Duke warns. "Sorry boss.." He mutter sheepishly, leaving with his head hung low. "Lauren, are you okay?" Duke places a friendly hand on my shoulder. "I'm fine Duke. Just wished all the officers with the badge actually followed through with the oath they swore to." I sigh. "There's two types of law enforcement you don't want on your case. The rookie and the burnt out almost retiree." I repeat what Nick and I had heard from Grissom and D.B so many times. And I think now, it finally sunk in. The entire ride back, the memories are running through my mind. I wince as the shooting pain travels up my leg when the the memories flash by. I grip the steering wheel tight as the pain intensifies. "Damn it..." I hiss, ready to pull over. I finally arrive at the palace and hobble up the stairs. "Hay, oh god! What's wrong?" Nick runs to me when he sees me hobbling. "I...I'm fine. Leg just cramped up from driving." I mutter. I hold the big table for support and try to push aside the pain. I pass on all the information and voiced my disgust about the lack of work on the detectives' part. "I'll be back in a sec." I state before hobbling half walking to the bathroom. As soon as the door closes behind me, I collapse. I try to silence my moans, clutching my leg. "Oh god..." I groan. I pull up my pant leg, panting and heaving. "God! Make it stop!" I sob. "I'm fine, I'm okay..." I repeat, staring at my leg. I run a shaky hand over the healed scars. "I. Am. Fine." I grit, trying to regain control. The pain subsides somewhat which lets me take a few breaths. "Lauren? Sweetie? Are you okay? Is everything alright?" Nick's knocks bring me back to reality. "I uh, I'm fine Nicky. I'm okay. I'll be out in a sec." I reply. I'm finally able to get up and walk. I splash some water on my face to get some colour back before walking out. "Hay, you okay? I could hear groaning. Are you feeling okay?" Nick hovers around me worriedly. "I'm okay honey. Like I said my leg cramped up from driving but I'm fine. Gave it a little massage and I'm good to go." I nod, demonstrating by walking the length of HQ without hobbling. "...okay. So long as you're okay." He finally eases. "What's everyone got?" Steve questions once we all gather around the big screen. "We talked to the girlfriend; Stephanie Arlow. She said her and Micheal were very much in love. They had been dating for 10 months. Met at college, and having been dating since. Stephanie met Micheal's mother a few months ago. No recent spats, no recent arguments." Steve and Danny recount. "But, she said Micheal's last relationship. A Laila something. Couldn't give me a last name. But what she said about her was interesting. Stephanie said Micheal told her that she was very odd. Like, off her rocker odd. He found her once, watching him sleep, even went so far as to stalk them when they were dating. Said she was jealous, vindictive and when they broke up, she harassed some of his friends and coworkers at the time when he used to work at the college press. She even tried to stalk Stephanie once. Did a lot of possessive and crazy things like that." They reveal. "Friends and classmates both said the same thing." Lou nods. "Roommate said the same thing. He said she even trashed their place once after Micheal and her broke up." Chin and Kono also relay the same story. "She's starting to look like a pretty good suspect." I comment. "Jerry, can you find any Laila in Micheal's life? We need to find out who she is." I turn to our resident information finder. "I'm gonna go ahead and assume she also goes or went to the same college. If I don't pan out there, I'll widen the search." Jerry suggests. "Sounds like a plan." We all agree. He digs up every Laila that attended and/or continues to attend the same college as our vic. "Okay, I have 6 Laila's on my list. Got anything I can narrow it down with?" He turns to us. "Let's go by physical description." I suggest. "Well the friends all said she was a brunette. Average height, maybe 5'6." Lou states. "Okayyyy...3 of the Laila's on my list are blonde so it's not them." Jerry removes 3 from the list. "Anything else?" He prompts. "Do they know what she was studying?" Nick asks. "One of Micheal's classmates said she was a physics major." Lou answers once again. "Wow, that narrows it way down. Laila Manning. Physics major at Oahu state. Same college Micheal attended. She has a pretty hefty disciplinary file. Lots of infractions. Damage to school property, DIU which she has a nice little rap sheet for, disturbing the peace, violating several ethics codes. And they just keep popping up. She was forced to attend therapy as part of her condition for been allowed to stay at the college. Therapy did do some good. The college shrink put her on some mood stabilisers. And she was good for a while but for some reason she stopped taking them and she returned to old habits which got her kicked out of the college. I have her residence, her place of work and just in case, her parents' address." Jerry reads through her files. "There's even still pictures of her and Micheal while they were dating on her social media profiles with captions like why did you leave me? Was I not good enough? Or calling out Stephanie for quote "stealing her man". Jerry reveals, pulling up the photos. "Danny and I will take the residence. Chin, Kono, take the work place, Lou, check the campus just in case and if she's not there, head over to the parents' residence. Take Lauren and Nick with you." Steve delegates swiftly before we all gear up and head off. We arrive to find the usual hustle and bustle of the campus, students rushing off to class or taking a break in between classes in the midday sun. "She won't be here. There's no reason for her to be." I huff as we walk around. "Let's head to her parents' place then. Although I don't think she'll be there either." Lou shrugs. Turns out we were both right. She was at work, as if nothing had happened. As if she hadn't just stopped another life. Chin and Kono brought her in. We stood outside the interrogation room, waiting for Steve and Danny while she screamed her head off inside. "Let me out!" She screamed. "Took your time." I huff when Danny and Steve finally arrive. "We found some interesting stuff at her place." Steve states. "What's with you today?" Danny frowns. "Nothing." I shrug. "What did you find?" I ask. "Photos. Of Micheal. Of Stephanie. Looks like she was stalking them both. Her walls were full of their photos. And lots of angry messages she sent Micheal. Not to mention a lot of knives which we sent to the lab to get tested for blood and DNA." Steve explains. "I suppose we should try and talk to her." I huff. "We have to do it at some point." Steve shrugs as we all walk in. "You can't keep me in here! Let me out! I have right!" She snaps. "Not now and not here you don't. Sit your ass down." I snap back just as ferociously. "You're cops. You can't just keep me in here." She mutters, sitting back down. "Actually, we have full immunity from the governor so yeah we can." Danny shrugs. "Tell us what happened and that may change." Kono tries to coax out the truth. "Yeah right." She rolls her eyes at the suggestion. "That wasn't a suggestion. Tell us what you did to Micheal and save the taxpayers some money." I grit. "You seem to already know your answers. And if you don't? Figure it out." She smirks smugly. "You know what? Don't tell us. We already have your DNA, and soon enough the murder weapon. You're just gonna make it harder for yourself." Nick shrugs before we all walk out. "Let's hope the DNA pans out." Steve comments as as head to check in on the lab. "Fung, tell us some good news." Steve greets the lab tech. "Well...I have good news and bad news. Good news is, I ran the DNA from the skin tags under Micheal Teels fingernails against our femme fatal downstairs and they match. Bad news is, I've swabbed every knife you brought, no dice. There isn't a single trace of human DNA let alone Micheal Teels or the suspect's." He explains. "She did it. We got her." I state. "Yeah but we still need a weapon. Without it, the skin tags are just circumstantial. The defence could say it happened in rough sex or since it wasn't the cause of death, we can't prove that Laila assaulted and killed Micheal Teels." Steve huffs. "Hay, who's side are you on? We got the perp, and we have evidence. I don't much care what lie the defence wants to weave." I frown. "Lauren I'm just saying, we need our case to be airtight. If we're gonna put away a killer, let's make sure we do it right." He reasons. "...you're right. I'm sorry." I breath. "Was there any other sharp object at her residence?" I ask Danny. "Well since we found the knives, we didn't really look. CSI's should still be combing the place, maybe they found something." He replies. Nick, Lou and Kono stay at HQ with Jerry to go over Laila's file while Danny, Steve and I head to her residence. We checked in with the CSI's and ended up helping them look for another possible weapon. It wasn't long before one of the CSI's found what may have been our smoking gun. Not inside the home, but tossed in the trash outside. She swabbed it with her field kit to make sure and just like that, the double line appeared on the little stick, indicating not only presence of blood, but human blood. All that was left was to send it to the lab to make sure it was Micheal Teels's DNA. We all used this time to take a rest in our respective offices. "Lauren, are you sure you're alright? You've been acting really odd today and I'm really worried." Nick suddenly questions. "I'm fine. Why?" I assure him. "You've been really agitated today. And then limping into HQ and saying your leg cramped because of driving. The moaning I could hear from inside the bathroom." He clarifies. "I promise honey, I'm fine. I just...one of those days. I got the urge..." I answer, semi truthfully. "And are you...feeling better now?" He asks tentatively. "I'm fine now Nicky, I promise." I nod. "And I wasn't lying about my leg. It really did cramp up when I was driving. There was a fair bit of traffic and you know how I get when there's traffic." I state. "Come here." He sat on the recliner, tapping the spot next to him. I sat and he faced me, taking my arms gently. He pushed up my sleeves, rubbing up and down them gently. "I know...sometimes, it seems like they're yelling at you, all these lies. But they're lies flower. All lies." He soothes, kissing each scar lightly. "Okay?" He looked deep into my eyes with a soft smile. "Okay." I nodded, letting myself smile. "... I just get worried. You know? After what we've been through, I get worried." He huffs. "I know. But I promise you I am fine." I smile assuringly. "News?" I turn to Danny who poked his head into our office. "Lab just called. The blood matched. We're booking Laila right now." He lets us know. "Mind if I do the honours?" I ask. "Sure." He nods. We all head back to holding to find her just as pissed off. I slip out my hand cuffs. "Laila Manning, you're under arrest for the murder of Micheal Teels." I state as I handcuff her while she protests. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say, can and will be used against you in a court of law. You're entitled to an attorney and if you can't afford one, one will be provided for you. Do you understand these right as I've said them to you?" I mirandise her, escorting her outside. "That son of a bitch deserved it!" She hisses. "I'll take that as a yes." I shrug. I hand her off to the HPD officers who arrived to book her before we all head inside. "Nice work everyone. Go home." Steve states. "Don't have to tell me twice." Kono sighs. The drive home is silent as my thoughts run wild. The rest of the day was uneventful. We had dinner, Nick and Greg played with Kai while I cleaned up and around 7 as usual, I took Kai to bed. "All comfy sweetie?" I ask as I tuck her in. "Yup." She nods. "I love you." I smile. "I love you too mummy. She flashed me a sleepy smile. "Night pumpkin." I kiss her goodnight. "Night mamma." She mutters sleepily. I close the door gently behind me. "Hay, you need anything?" I ask Greg. "Nah, I'm all good. Night." He declines. "Night big brother." I chuckle. "Night little sis." He replies with a smirk. "Hay, come to bed." Nick whispers, kissing my neck softly as I sit on the couch, my laptop balanced on my outstretched legs. "Yeah, um, I just have to finish this. You go ahead." I nod. I did not. It was another restless night for me as I tossed and turned. I ended up falling into an uneasy sleep around 3 am on the couch. And around 7 like I do every year on this day, I woke with a jolt. I tiptoed into my daughter's room. She looked so peaceful. I stroked her hair gently, tears welling up in my eyes. I kissed her softly, tiptoeing back out. I left a note for Nick saying I was taking a little trip and I'd be back tonight. I made breakfast and headed off to HQ. I took off my gun and badge from my waist, placing them on Steve's desk before heading off. I drove, I don't know for how long or where. I just drove. Tears fell down my cheeks as the memories flooded my mind.