If the Fates Allow

1:15pm, PCPD

"Dude, are you sure I can't give you a ride home? You look exhausted."

Nathan shrugged off Dante's offer. He wasn't quite as tired as he had been at the hospital. After the confrontation with Liesl, he felt a second wind and even asked Dante to make a stop for coffee.

"I'm fine," Nathan replied heading over to his desk. He picked up his phone, stuffing it in his pocket while he looked for his jacket. "Do you remember seeing my coat before we left this morning? Can't seem to find my keys either. Might have been in the pocket of my jacket."

Dante shook his head. He took his own coat off and threw it over the back of his chair. "Well if you don't need a ride home, you want some lunch? I could order some Chinese food."

"I appreciate it but I really want to get home to-"

"Maxie," Dante finished for him with a grin. "You're a broken record, man."

Nathan glanced behind Dante and grinned back. "You have a better lunch date than me anyway." He nodded at Lulu who had come up behind Dante and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Hey what are you doing here?" Dante asked pulling her down on his lap.

"I heard you and Nathan had quite the exciting day so I thought I would come make sure you were all right. And since it seems your excitement is over for the day, I thought maybe I could steal you away for lunch," she replied.

"That would be perfect," Dante answered. He glanced up at Nathan and added, "Why don't you call Maxie and join us? You can tell her everything over lunch and I can back you up. Just in case."

"Tell Maxie what?" Lulu interrupted. Dante and Nathan exchanged a brief glance before Nathan shrugged in approval.

"Turns out, Judge Walters was keeping Maxie and Nathan from seeing each other at the request of one Dr. Liesl Obrecht," Dante answered.

"What?!" Lulu exclaimed turning to Nathan. "Dr. Obrecht was responsible for it?"

"It's true. We both heard her. She admitted it to Nathan."

"Oh my God, what was her reason?"

Nathan shrugged. "To hear her tell it, Maxie isn't good enough for me. So she used the custody hearing and Judge Walters to keep us from getting closer. Just when I think she might be okay, she does something insane like this." He looked again for his coat. Talking about it again only furthered his resolve to get home to Maxie. "Anyway, I need to get home so I can tell Maxie."

"Haven't you spoken to Maxie today?" Lulu asked, her brows pulling together in a frown.

"Not yet. I haven't been home in a while," Nathan answered.

Dante pointed at Nathan accusingly. "This guy has been working since Christmas Eve."

"But Lucas said Maxie was coming to find you." Lulu stood up from Dante's knee with a puzzled expression. "He said she was determined to find you and basically ran out on him. You didn't see her at all?"

Nathan shook his head. "No. But I haven't been here most of the day." He looked over at the desk where Officer Martinez was working. "Hey, Martinez! Did I have a visitor while I was out?"

"Yep, two," he called back. "Dr. Obrecht and your roommate."

Nathan exchanged a concerned frown with the Falconeris. "Do you know where my roommate went?"

Martinez laid down his pen and looked thoughtfully at Nathan. "Let me think for a second. Your mother was here first. No offense, Detective, but she was on a rampage trying to find you. She went to speak to Commissioner Devane and that was when your roommate came in. She asked for you; I told her you were out and she said she would wait at your desk."

"Was that the last time you saw her?"

"No. She was arguing with Dr. Obrecht when Detective Falconeri called. I told them both that Detective Falconeri had taken you for treatment at the hospital. Obrecht took off right away," Martinez added.

"And Maxie?"

"Don't know. I got called away. She seemed pretty upset about you being in the hospital though. Maybe she went there."

Nathan thanked the officer and turned back to Lulu and Dante. "If she went to the hospital, I never saw her."

"Could your mother have scared her off?" Lulu asked. The three of them looked at each other over that before replying in unison, "No."

"She wasn't there that I know of," Dante put in. "I was there with him and Walters all morning. Most of it I spent in the waiting room. I would have seen her."

"So, if she wasn't at the hospital maybe she went home. All the more reason I should get out of here," Nathan added with a hint of hope in his voice. Lulu was shaking her head. "What?"

"She's not there. I went by there before I came here," Lulu added. The air between the three of them changed distinctly from casual to tense as the same thought crossed each of their minds. Where was Maxie then?

Dante got to his feet as well, crossing his arms over his chest in detective mode. "So according to Lucas, Maxie was determined to find Nathan, she shows up here and runs into Obrecht. They have an argument over something, presumably you," he said with a nod to Nathan. "Martinez comes over and tells them you're being taken to the hospital. Obrecht clears out immediately and heads off to the hospital, but Maxie doesn't. Why not and where does she go instead?"

Lulu chewed her lip thoughtfully. "If she knew you were okay, she could have gone somewhere else. But if she thought you were really hurt..." Lulu fell silent looking away from them for a moment. She glanced at Dante. "You should find out exactly what Martinez told her and Obrecht." Dante nodded and stepped over to the desk, speaking to Martinez in quiet tones.

"Is there something I should know? Something about Maxie?" Nathan asked finding himself suddenly afraid for Maxie.

"You aren't the first cop Maxie has dated. There were others."

"I know."

"Do you? Did she tell you everything about them?" Lulu pressed quietly. Nathan got the distinct impression that Lulu was doing her best not worry him or sound scared. "One of them, Jesse, died from a gunshot wound in the line of duty. Another, Coop was killed by the same serial killer that murdered her sister. Nathan, if she thought you were hurt like them I don't know how she could deal with it."

Dante returned looking grim. "Martinez mentioned the gun going off. No wonder your mother tore out of here."

Nathan reached for his phone and dialed Maxie's number. He put the phone on speaker and waited. Three rings and then Maxie's voice filled the space between them asking her caller to leave a message. "Max, call me when you get this. I need to know you're okay." He hit end and turned to the others. "I need your help."