Fractured (Broken Part 2)

Face Value

"I'm sorry, Lily. I don't know what happened. I didn't know where else to go." Ainsley's eyes wide as she looked between Malcolm and I, blood covering her chest.
"It's okay. Everything's going to be okay." I assured her moving to sit on our coffee table in front of her.
"Lily's right, Ains. We don't know what happened and its not a lot." Malcolm's voice shook slightly.
"Malcolm. Call Aaron and Sophie." I instructed gently.
"What?" Ainsley asked looking panicked.
"I want Aaron to do a full forensic work up on the shirt and Sophie can run a search for any murders that could produce this kind of blood." I soothed her.
"We need to take some pictures and get you cleaned up."
I took her hand and lead her upstairs to the first bedroom on the third floor.
"Why picutres?" She asked as I took a few with her still in her jacket.
"It'll help Aaron figure out the whole picture." I answered gently.
"Give me your jacket, hon."
"Where were you when you realized you'd blacked out?" I asked gently.
"Sitting in my car near Central Park."
"I'll have Sophie start there." I nodded.
I couldn't help but notice there wasn't any blood spatter in her hair or on her face or her arms.
"Did you clean any of the blood off before we got home?" I asked after she'd taken off all her clothes.
"No." She shook her head.
"Okay. It's okay. Get a shower and I'll lay out some pajamas for you. Malcolm and I will check in with you in the morning."
"Lily?" She called after me.
"Why didn't Malcolm tell me sooner that I killed Endicott? If I had known what I was capable of, about my blackouts... I could've stopped this." She looked at me.
"Maybe, maybe not. Ainsley. When I got to the house that night, it looked to me as if you were defending Malcolm. Nicholas took a step toward him and you slit his throat. It was then that I realized you'd disassociated. Your face was completely blank. Emotionless. You stabbed him six times and he fell to the ground dead. I stood between you and Malcolm and you just stared at us holding that knife. Sophie rushed in raising a pistol at you. I called to her and it's like the mix of Malcolm's voice and mine snapped you out of it. You said he'd told you he killed me. Sophie and I put you in her car and she drove you home. I told Malcolm to call your father. I was certain that you wouldn't remember what happened. When you started to I told him we needed to get ahead of it but he's so scared of what learning the truth would do to you. To your mental health. We screwed up... I screwed up." I explained as best I could.
"I think I did, too." She mused.
"Shower, I'll get you a set of pajamas and lay them out for you. After you shower try to sleep. We'll talk more in the morning." I smiled sadly at her.
When I returned to the living room Sophie and Aaron were standing with Malcolm.
"Lily." Sophie said my name, her eyes concerned.
"Malcolm told us what happened." Aaron added.
"I need a full forensic work up on her clothes. I also took some pictures for you to look over. We need to know what happened." I explained handing him the bag with her clothes in it and the burner phone I took the pictures with.
"I'm on it. You'll be here?" He turned to Sophie.
"Yeah. I want to stay near Lily." She nodded.
He leaned over and kissed her before leaving.
"What's wrong?" Sophie asked me as I set her up in the room across from Ainsley's.
"The blood spatter doesn't make sense." I sighed.
"It's not like before. There's no blood in her hair or on her arms. I just don't get it."
"Aaron will find the truth." She assured me.
"Yeah. I know. Can you do a search for any murders that might produce that kind of blood?" I asked.
"Of course. Whatever you need. What did the doctor say?" She asked her eyes wide, expectant.
I couldn't help but smile at the thought of the extremely young life beginning inside me.
"Yeah?" She asked noting my smile.
I nodded.
"I told Malcolm earlier but we haven't told anyone else yet."
"Oh that's wonderful, Lily!" She gushed.
"Aaron and I will find out what happened with Ainsley. You focus on growing your new baby." She hugged me and urged me up to bed.
In our master bedroom, Malcolm sat on the edge of the bed staring out the window.
"Baby?" I said gently moving to stand in front of him.
"How can I be so wrong?" He muttered.
"Malcolm, honey. We don't know what happened. Please, don't be so hard on yourself. I  need you. We need you." I pleaded.
Malcolm looked up at me for a moment before reaching for me.
I stepped into his arms and he pressed his lips to my stomach gently.
A secret we couldn't hope to keep for too long.
The next morning I dressed in an ankle length burgundy maxi dress with a casual U neckline and casual flats before finding Sophie in the living room on the couch her laptop open in front of her.
"Find anything?" I asked sitting down next to her.
"Nothing." She sighed shaking her head.
"Here, babe." Malcolm said handing me a mug.
"Coffee is unhealthy for pregnant women." Sophie objected.
"Coffee is okay in moderation. What's unhealthy is trying to keep me uncaffinated for the next nine months." I glared playfully at her.
"You told her?" Malcolm asked.
"She made the appointment for me while we were still in Cabo." I answered.
"Consider me Lily's personal assistant." Sophie chuckled.
"That's actually a wonderful idea." I looked at her.
"I'm in. When do I start?"
"Now?"
She smiled at me again.
"How are you feeling?" Malcolm asked Ainsley as she walked into the living room.
"Like I've been hit by a train. You?" She countered.
"Getting hit by a train might be better." Malcolm muttered looking down at his phone.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"We caught a new case." He looked up at me.
"Is it something I could've done?" Ainsley asked, almost too eager.
Sophie glanced at me catching it too.
"I can't believe I actually have to ask that." She shook her head.
"It doesn't sound like it, but we should go." Malcolm looked at me.
"You're leaving me?" Ainsley asked looking between us.
"The only advantage we have is acting normal." Malcolm explained.
"Also, if we go to work, we can try and figure out what happened last night." I added.
"What am I supposed to do?" Ainsley asked as I looked at Sophie.
"Nothing. Stay here, you call in sick to work, and don't talk to anyone. Promise me." Malcolm insisted.
"Promise." She nodded.
Malcolm hugged his sister.
"I'll stay with her. Don't worry." Sophie assured me.
I nodded and followed Malcolm out to my car in the garage.
"What've we got?" I asked as Malcolm and I walked into the third floor condo.
"Vic is Dr. Nicole Zhang, head of plastic surgery at Saint Anthony's." Gil said motioning us through to a home office.
A woman's body in the desk chair facing away from us.
"That's a public hospital. They have a plastic surgery department?" Malcolm asked.
"Everything's done pro bono or at personal cost." Gil answered.
"You don't get a condo in this building working pro bono." I said.
"She made her money in private practice. Founded the Lexington Collective with Fred Chabra and Flynt Donahue. Does all of the housewives." Dani said joining us.
Malcolm and I walked around to the front of the body.
"Oh God." I muttered grabbing his arm my stomach flipping.
Her face swollen and a sickly shade of yellow-green.
"You're not normally squeamish." JT teased lightly but his eyes betrayed his concern.
"I'm not. I just... That's grotesque." I muttered touching my stomach.
"I'm okay." I assured Malcolm forcing back my urge to gag again.
Thanks, little one.
"What have we got, Edrisa?" He asked keeping close to me.
"To put it in fun terms, she was Botoxed to death."
Gil tossed her a disapproving fatherly glare.
"I mean, in less fun terms, her death was excruciating. Based on the bruising, this is the first injection. I suspect that the killer dosed Zhang with a paralytic agent." She explained pointing to an area on the victim's neck.
"So she was conscious the whole time. Which means this isn't just murder, it was torture." Malcolm muttered glancing at me.
"According to everyone at Saint Anthony's, this woman was an angel." Dani shook her head.
"Awards say the same thing." JT confirmed.
"So, who would want to kill her?" Gil asked.
"Someone from before the awards. Someone from her past." I answered with a shrug.
"There's nothing from her private practice days, even though it was a massive success." Dani said looking at me, her eyes concerned.
"Which means her decision to give back may not have been arbitrary. She could be atoning for something. But our killer knew the truth. That's why they disfigured her. To show us what she truly is. A monster." Malcolm said.
"Are you sure you're okay?" He asked once we were back in my car.
"Yeah. I think so. We need to see your mom." I sighed pulling out into traffic.
"Why?" He asked.
"Because we work with the best detectives in New York and if she isn't the first to know about the baby she'll kill you."
"Why me?" He asked, eyes wide.
"Because I'm pregnant. If she kills me she kills the baby."
"Fair enough." He muttered.
"Mrs. Whitly will be right with you." Zoe said leading us to the living room.
"Thank you." I smiled at her.
I glanced at Malcolm who looked nervous.
"This is a good thing. She'll be happy." I assured him.
"Lily. Malcolm. What a pleasant morning surprise?" Jessica greeted us with hugs.
"We brought you a little gift." I smiled handing her an elegantly wrapped box.
"Oh my. I do love gifts." She smiled at me.
A white teddy bear lay in the box wearing a pastel green T-shirt embroidered with,
'COMING SOON: BABY BRIGHT DUE SEPTEMBER 2021'
Suddenly, her head shot up to look at me.
"You're pregnant?" She asked.
I nodded.
"Oh my God! You're pregnant!" She gushed moving to hug me.
"I'm going to be a grandma. Oh my... we'll have to find something else for them to call me." She hugged her son tight.
"Who knows?" She asked.
"Just you and Sophie. Only because she made the appointment for me while Malcolm and I were still in Cabo. We wanted you to be the first."
"I'm honored. I must go shopping. There's so much you'll need." She smiled before rushing off.
"That went well." I teased my husband before we made our way back to the precinct.
"What do you got?" Gil asked walking into the conference room Malcolm and I sat in that afternoon.
"We've been talking about killers who mutilate and torture." Malcolm said looking up at him.
"So, a regular morning for you." He teased glancing at me clearly concerned about my reaction to the body earlier.
"They all grew up hating themselves. Gacy for his sexuality, Kearney for his height, Miyazaki because of a birth defect. When they mutilated their victims, it was projection." I explained ignoring his questioning look.
"You think our killer is deformed?" Gil asked.
"Uh-huh. Or at least they feel like they are." Malcolm nodded.
"Sometimes the most monstrous people are the ones hiding in plain sight." I added.
"Excuse me. Mother. Everything all right?" Malcolm said walking out of the room.
"Are you okay?" Gil asked when we were alone.
"I'm fine." I nodded.
"I've never seen you react to a body like that." He said almost accusingly.
"I..."
"Hey. Edrisa got toxicology back on the paralytic and the murder weapon." Dani walked in and cut me off.
"The paralytic was surgical grade, and the neurotoxin was a patented blend." Dani continued.
"The Lexington Collective's Radiance Solution?" I asked.
She nodded.
"So, the killer literally gave Zhang a taste of her own medicine. I'll take Malcolm and talk to Nicole's old partners." I said standing up and walking out to find my husband.
"You should know, my aunt Birdie is in town. She'll be at dinner." He said with an uncomfortable smile as I drove.
"Oh, you mean the aunt that blew off our wedding to stay on a yacht in Greece? I assume attendance is mandatory." I sighed.
"I'm not terribly fond of her either, baby."
"How can I not be fond of her? I've never met her."
I pulled up outside the office building.
Malcolm and I walked up and met with the receptionist. A stunning blonde woman with bright green eyes.
"Can I help you ma'am?" She asked me.
"I'm Dr. Lilian Bright with the FBI and this is my partner Malcolm Bright. We need to speak with Dr. Donahue and Dr. Chabra about the murder of Nichole Zhang." I told her.
"One moment, please." She said walking away from us.
"And suddenly I feel super insecure." I muttered touching my stomach.
"That's the point. Plastic surgeons make money on insecurity. Anxiety and dysmorphia is their core business model. In this world, nobody can feel good enough. Even when they're as beautiful as you. Which could be what the killer was trying to tell us." Malcolm rambled.
I leaned over and kissed him.
"What was that for?" He asked.
"Nothing. I just love you."
"I love you." He smiled at me.
"Mr. and Mrs. Bright. The doctors will see you now." The receptionist returned to us.
I considered correcting her but ultimately decided it wasn't worth it.
"Dr. Donahue." I greeted the older man behind a large oak desk.
"Chief Dr. Bright. It's a shame about Nicole. I mean, we haven't spoken to her in a while, but the three of us go all the way back to med school." He motioned for us to sit in two chairs in front of him.
"Why did you fall out of touch?" Malcolm asked.
"You know..." Dr. Chabra began to answer.
"Life. Different paths. Nicole wanted to do the whole pro bono thing, and, Chabra and I have different goals. Work hard, play hard. YOLO, you know?" Donahue cut him off.
"You're stressed about something." He turned to Malcolm.
"Who isn't these days?" Malcolm sighed.
"You're holding tension in your jaw. Could lead to premature jowling. I could get you some product samples to help..."
"I'm good." Malcolm cut him off.
I reached over and touched his arm gently.
"Speaking of product, Dr. Chabra, you're head of the lab, right?" I asked.
"That's correct." He nodded.
"Our killer had access to surgical-grade materials, and your Radiance Solution is our murder weapon. Has any inventory gone missing lately?" Malcolm asked.
"Absolutely not. Summer takes stock every morning. We have nothing to hide." Donahue answered instead.
I knew I wasn't going to like him but he was worse than I'd thought.
"Excuse me. Who's Summer?" I asked.
"She's a new surgical assistant." He answered.
"We're going to need to speak with her."
"Of course."
"Summer? I'm Dr. Lilian Bright with the FBI. We need to ask you some questions about the inventory." I said walking up to a gorgeous brunette holding a tablet in the stock room.
"I'm sorry? What is this about?" She asked.
"Dr. Nicole Zhang was murdered using the Lexington Collective's Radiance Solution. Has any of the Radiance Solution gone missing?"
"Oh, This is just all so horrible. I mean, I didn't know Dr. Zhang. I've only been here a few months, but if anything was missing, I would've told the doctors. I mean, especially Dr. Donahue. He's always checking up on me, if you know what I mean." She explained.
"Unfortunately, I do. Will you send over your records, and we'll call if we have any questions?" I instructed.
"Okay." She nodded.
"Thank you."
Malcolm and I walked back down to the car.
"I want Donahue to be the bad guy." I sighed.
"Yeah, anyone who says 'work hard, play hard" definitely has a coke problem. And he clearly has hegemonic masculinity."
"And that's why he works so well with Dr. Chabra, who's complicitly masculine. He will tell us the ugly truth." I nodded.
"Let's isolate him with our own alpha males. See what he has to say."
I called Gil who had a uni pick up Fred Chabra for an interview with him and JT.
Malcolm and I stood in the viewing room watching.
"I really can't say anything without my lawyer." Fred said looking between the men in the room with him.
"Why not? You afraid you might confess now that Daddy's not around to protect you?" JT asked.
"You think I killed Nicole?" Fred looked incredulous.
"You tell me, man!" JT pushed.
"Hey. Hey. Hey, I have nothing to hide. Just tell me what you want to know." Fred answered, breaking just as easily as Malcolm and I knew he would.
"Our killer has a grudge against Zhang, your business, and the medical knowledge to pull it all off. Who fits that bill?" Gil stepped up.
"Hey, hey. The second I found out about this, one person came to mind. Francine Depaugh. A former patient." Fred told him.
"What's the story there?" JT asked.
"She was one of our best clients. But then she got addicted to the work, always wanting more. Zhang wanted to cut her off, Donahue didn't."
"That's when Dr. Zhang left your practice?" Gil asked.
"Yes. But after that, Francine got to be too much, even for us. She sued. It got messy. She fell off the map about six months ago. I assumed she just gave up." Fred shrugged.
"Or maybe she pivoted to plan B... Murder." Malcolm said next to me.
"If Chabra's telling the truth, Francine Depaugh has body dysmorphic disorder." Malcolm said when we met the others in the conference room.
"Does that fit your profile?" Dani asked.
"Like a glove." Malcolm nodded.
"No matter what the doctors did, all she could ever see was the ugliness she felt inside." I added.
"That's a sad way to live." Dani muttered.
"Can you take Malcolm to talk to Francine?" I asked her standing up.
"Of course, is everything okay?" She asked.
"Everything's fine. I'll be back in an hour or so." I leaned over and kissed my husband.
I drove to 'Something New', a local bakery that specialized in fast but elegant cookies and bought two dozen heart shaped cookies covered in a pink and blue swirled royal icing in six identical packages.
The bottom cookie read, 'I'm pregnant' followed by a cookie that read, 'September 2021' then one that said, 'coming soon' and finally topped with one that said, 'surprise' wrapped in clear cellophane and tied with a red bow.
"Lana Anders, student from the UK. Went to med school with Donahue and Chabra. Star of the class. Bound for greatness." Malcolm said facing the group as I leaned against the doorframe.
"Our Neanderthal Donahue convinced her that she would never have a career unless she 'looked the part'." Dani added.
"He wrangled Chabra and Zhang to perform a malar augmentation... A lifting of the cheekbones. But Donahue was young, inexperienced. He screwed up. Left Lana disfigured. She dropped out soon after." Malcolm continued.
"Disfigurement. Betrayal. Sounds like she'd have every reason to want revenge. Where's Lana now?" Gil asked, the first one to realize I was there.
"I'm still trying to figure it out. She left the country after her student visa expired, and there is no record of her reentering the States." Dani answered.
"Well, Francine's alibi checks out. And Lana's nowhere to be found. So who else do we have?" Gil pushed.
"Donahue fits. A controlled perfectionist who molds people. What if Zhang felt troubled by her past? Covering up her partner's crimes? The weight of it all could have become unbearable." I said walking into the room.
"Dr. Jekyll couldn't have everyone finding out he's Mr. Hyde." Malcolm agreed reaching for my hand.
"Two good suspects. Dani, go see what Chabra knows about Lana. I'll be waiting for Donahue when he gets home." Gil nodded.
"Bright, Jessica's called me twice. Hurricane Birdie has touched down, and you two are due at dinner. Let me know if I need to call in SWAT." Gil teased.
"Don't. Birdie would eat them alive." Malcolm sighed before leading me back out of the room.
"Lily! Malcolm! Thank God!" Jessica greeted us in the foyer.
"Where is she?" I asked.
"In the dining room." She sighed.
"Ainsley? I've been calling you all day." Malcolm exclaimed as Ainsley walked into the room.
"Have you?" She asked.
"I thought you were feeling sick." He pushed.
"I'm feeling a lot of things." She glared at him.
"Okay, enough. Malcolm..." I looked pointedly at him.
"We need to support each other through this." I insisted.
"Malcolm." A red headed woman stood in the entrance to the dining room.
"Looking more like your father every day."
I instantly disliked this woman but Jessica put her hand on my arm.
"Birdie." Malcolm nodded at her.
"Dinner is served, Mrs. Whitly." Rosalie said walking into the room.
"Thank you. Come." Jessica insisted urging Malcolm and I behind Birdie and Ainsley.
"How long have you been back in the states?" Ainsley asked.
"Since quarantine ended. I got this invitation to a wedding on New Years eve of all days. I don't know who even decides to do that." Birdie rambled as the family tried to eat.
Jessica caught my eye apologetically as I focused on biting my tongue. She'd tried more than once to introduce us but her sister kept cutting her off.
"So, Malcolm, I hear you're profiling murderers for the NYPD." Birdie asked him.
"Yes, I'm with Major Crimes." He answered.
"That's quite a demotion from the FBI, isn't it?"
Malcolm's left hand rested on my thigh in an attempt to continue to calm me.
"Well, if we all took ten years between career attempts, the family trust fund would run dry." Malcolm retorted.
"You're so... peculiar. If my father was a serial killer, I'm not sure I'd be leaning into it quite so much."
"I guess the difference is that he killed people and, I save them."
"Most of the time, anyway." Ainsley muttered.
I kicked her under the table and she looked at me.
"How about we go grab a nice Bordeaux, Ainsley? One of Birdie's favorites." Malcolm asked his sister.
"Juice or anything?" He asked me.
"Sure. Thank you."
Finally, Birdie turned her attention to me.
"Are you sober?" She asked.
"No. I'm driving though." I answered.
"I didn't think you associated with people that drive themselves." She looked back at her sister.
"It's a choice." I shot at her.
"Who even are you?" Birdie hissed at me.
"Dr. Lilian Bright, Chief of the FBI's New York field office and Malcolm's wife. The one who's wedding you're so proud to have skipped on New Years eve." I growled.
Jessica dropped her head into her hands.
"I've known Malcolm for over twenty two years but I've never met you and now I can see why. You've done nothing the entire time we've been here dismissing me and degrading my husband every chance you got. It's not our fault you're miserable." I narrowed my eyes at her.
"I'm sorry, Jessica. I need to go." I turned on my heel and walked out of the room.
"I can only keep you out of trouble if you listen to me." Malcolm told his sister as I turned the corner.
"I'm leaving. You're welcome to join me or I'm sure Aldolpho can bring you home." I said and walked out to my car.
"Lily. Lily, wait!" Malcolm called after me.
"Gil said Donahue never showed. I think Chabra's in trouble." He told me climbing into our car.
"Let's go."
Malcolm glanced at me when we found the front door to The Lexington Collective's offices open.
"I don't suppose I could talk you into staying here?" He asked.
"Nope. I'm in my vest. We'll be fine." I answered pulling the pistol from my hip holster.
"Dr. Chabra?" Malcolm called after insisting he lead despite me being the one carrying a gun.
"Dr. Chabra!" He exclaimed when we caught sight of him.
He ran and slid under the table so he sat on his knees next to him. Chabra lay on his back, a syringe sticking out of his neck.
"Who did this to you?" I asked crouching next to them, my pistol still in my right hand.
"Didn't see. I think... Donahue. I betrayed him. Giving you Francine." He choked out a response.
"We're gonna get you to a hospital, okay? Dr. Chabra?" I said as Chabra lost consciousness.
"The solution's setting in already. His systems are shutting down. We need to get him back, now!" Malcolm explained looking around the room.
"Is there some kind of antidote?" I asked.
Malcolm had read up on the solution but I hadn't.
"Yes, but... No. An antitoxin will slow the neurotoxin, but it won't counteract the paralytic agent. We can get his heart rate back up with a stimulant, like, um... Cocaine!" He explained running off.
"Malcolm!"
"Babe! I need saline and lidocaine!" He called back.
I got up and rushed around the lab looking for what he needed.
"Is that a paperweight?" I asked noting the cheetah statue in his hands, returning a bag of saline in one hand my pistol in the other.
"Not just a paperweight. It's Donahue's secret stash." He answered slamming it against the floor.
"What else would you hide in a cheetah?" I muttered mostly to myself.
"Okay. Uh, let's see. Um... About a gram of cocaine. Any luck with the lidocaine?" He asked looking up at me.
"I couldn't find any."
"Cool. No big deal. Just shake this up." He said looking away from me.
"Malcolm, is it a big deal?" I asked suddenly anxious.
"No. No. Only if I got the dose wrong... Which I'm sure I didn't. Lidocaine helps prevent a fatal arrhythmia." He explained.
"Malcolm, he could die?" I asked.
"Well, he's gonna die anyway. We can't kill him twice." He assured me.
"Okay. There... Okay. Right. All right! Beautiful." He muttered filling a syringe with the cocaine concoction.
"Okay. Now, next step: We're gonna fast-track this right into his heart." He looked back up at me.
"This is the worst cooking show ever." I sighed.
"Don't worry. This will work. Maybe." He smiled slightly and looked back at the syringe in his hand.
"Okay." I reached over and touched his hand.
He looked back at me and I nodded.
Finally, he jammed the syringe into Fred's chest and sent the liquid into his body.
We sat looking at one another just waiting for it to work. The seconds felt like hours until Fred finally gasped, drawing air back into his lungs.
I let out the breath I was holding as Malcolm and I collapsed to the floor.
"Donahue's bank accounts have all been cleared. JT's still posted at his apartment, but I think our guy skipped town. And do we need to talk about what the hell that was earlier?" Gil asked as Malcolm and I sat in his office.
"Chabra's alive. And I was mostly sure he was gonna be okay. Like... 72%." Malcolm looked at me causing me to shake my head slightly trying to hide my smile.
"Donahue's a famous surgeon. Easily recognizable. So he has to know that making it as a fugitive is unlikely." Gil shook his head.
"I know, but he's arrogant. Maybe he's delusional." Malcolm answered.
"But not stupid. His picture's in every agency across the country. He's never getting off this island without us knowing." I reminded him.
"Okay, let's think this through. Put ourselves in Donahue's headspace." Malcolm suggested.
"That is a terrifying thought." I shivered.
"Humor me." He insisted.
"What's his move? He knows we're onto him. So his only shot at a new life... is a new face." Malcolm continued.
"You think Donahue's gonna get a surgery before he hits the road?" Gil asked.
"Yes, and I know where he's gonna go to do it." Malcolm looked at me again.
His face betrayed his concerns.
"Gil, we need Dani to go with us." I said simply.
"Okay. Why? I know you're more than capable of taking care of things if something happens." He shook his head.
"I am but... We wanted to do something special but Malcolm's going to have an aneurysm if we don't do it now." I muttered.
"What's going on, Lily?" Gil pushed.
"I'm pregnant. A little over six weeks, now.
"Really?" He looked between us excitement laying behind his eyes.
"We told mom this morning after Lily's issue at the crime scene." Malcolm nodded unable to hide his own excitement.
"I'd wanted to get everyone together and have a big thing but with how this job is..." I smiled slightly.
"Of course. Of course." Gil nodded.
"We'll take care of you."
He stood up and hugged Malcolm and I in turn.
"This is wonderful. I'm so happy for you." His eyes glistened with suppressed tears.
"Dani!" Malcolm called as she walked passed the window.
She paused looking in at us before doubling back to the door.
"What's going on?" She asked.
"Malcolm and I need you to come with us to Francine Depaugh's surgery suite, because I'm pregnant." I told her.
"Let's go." She nodded before shaking her head and focusing back on me.
"What did you say?" She asked.
"I'm pregnant. Six weeks." I said again.
"Lily! Oh, my! That's incredible!" She rushed over to hug me.
"We can't celebrate too long. The surgery will only last so long. We'll have everyone over say as soon as this is over and officially announce. Celebrate then." I smiled.
"Let's go." She repeated.
I reluctantly let Dani and Malcolm take the lead when we got to the door.
Dani knocked before Malcolm tried the door handle.
"I think it's unlocked." Malcolm looked at me.
"We still need a warrant." Dani reminded him.
"Even for consultants?" He asked looking at me.
"Go. Be careful." I nodded.
Malcolm pushed against the door but it barely moved.
"There's something leaning against the door. Take a look." Malcolm stepped back to me allowing Dani to look.
"It's one of the surgeons. Push harder." She instructed.
Together they pushed against the door until it opened.
"He's alive." Dani said after checking the doctor's pulse.
"Francine!" Malcolm called before rushing into the next room.
"That bitch." She muttered as I joined them.
"What happened?" I asked pushing back my urge to gag when she looked up at me.
"Donahue's recovery nurse. The moment we put him under, she went ballistic."
"What nurse? What's her name?" Malcolm asked.
"I don't know. A brunette. Blue eyes, five-five, pounds. Teardrop Cs, if I had to guess." Francine said.
"That's Summer." I sighed.
"Where are they now?" He asked.
"In surgery." She answered as Dani joined us and a heart-stopping scream pierced through the loft.
"That's not surgery. That's murder." I looked between Malcolm and Dani.
"Go up the main staircase and I'll go up the back just in case you can't talk her down."
"Lily..."
"Malcolm. Trust me." I urged.
He nodded and they ran off.
"Stay here." I told Francine before taking the back staircase up to the surgery room.
My loft in DC had looked just like this one.
"Summer! Step away from the chair, and put the needle down." Dani's voice came from behind the door at the top of the stairs.
"I can't do that." Summer answered as I pushed the door open silently, my pistol held out in front of me.
"Why are you doing this, Summer?" Malcolm asked catching my eye discreetly.
He knew I wouldn't engage unless he or Dani were in danger.
"You would never understand." Summer spat at him.
"Give me a chance. I might surprise you. I know a thing or two about murder." Malcolm said gently.
"Not like this." She insisted.
"I guess you're right. Oh, and by the way... ...it's nice to finally meet you. Lana." Malcolm figured.
It made sense. Why would Summer want to kill Flynt Donahue? Because he was an asshole? No, but Flynt disfigured Lana. That's a damn good reason for murder.
"Lana, put the needle down and talk to us. We can help." Malcolm pushed.
"No, you can't." She responded her distinctly English accent suddenly apparent.
"Bright, that's Lana?" Dani asked looking over at him, her pistol still trained on her as was mine.
"Yep. The brilliant young surgeon Donahue disfigured." Malcolm nodded.
"He told me after he 'fixed my bone structure', I would be unstoppable. I lost my friends. My identity, everything." Lana almost growled.
"You're not disfigured. You're beautiful." Dani said confusion coloring her face.
"Ignore the pretty face. The body can't tell the difference between elective surgery and a knife wound. Donahue nicked my fifth cranial nerve." She explained.
My stomach flipped at the thought of that kind of pain.
"What does that mean?" Dani asked.
"When you cut a nerve like that, you create a neuroma. The more you try to fix it, the deeper and stronger it grows back." Malcolm explained.
"It's like an invisible, white-hot pain that constantly runs like acid beneath this pretty face." Lana sighed.
"It's enough to drive anyone insane. This wasn't about beauty. It was about pain." Malcolm reasoned.
"It's about suffering. Whatever Zhang and Chabra felt, it is a fraction of what I endure." Lana shot at him.
"Then why let Donahue off easy?" He asked.
"What are you doing?" Dani asked him.
"She wants revenge. If you want to get even, Lana, get even. You've turned him into everything that he hates. So let him live. Like this. A monster who will wake up every day trapped in a nightmare. Unable to recognize himself in a mirror. Believe me. I know. That's real pain." Malcolm said firmly.
I could read the pain behind his words as he caught my eye again.
"The best revenge is letting him live like this." He muttered as Lana dropped the syringe and took a step back.
My cellphone vibrated in my pocket as Dani arrested Lana.
"Go." I answered reading Aaron's name on my phone.
"You're not going to believe what I found." He said before telling me the results of the tests he ran on Ainsley's clothing.
"You're not serious..." I sighed.
"I ran it twice." He said.
"Okay. Thank you." I hung up the phone and looked up at my husband.
The look on his face told me he already knew.
"What do we do?" He asked.
"I have an idea." I sighed.
Malcolm stood in the dark of Jessica's dining room while I hid in the hallway, out of sight.
I heard the door open and Ainsley's heels click on the hardwood floor.
"So... did you figure it out?" She asked, her voice cold.
"I did. And the DNA test Aaron ran on your shirt proved it. The blood was porcine. Pig's blood, Ainsley. Really?" Malcolm asked his sister, pain in his voice.
"Oh, come on. It was a little funny." I could hear the smirk in her tone.
"This whole thing was just a prank? Do you have any idea what you've put me through? What you put Lily through?" He exclaimed.
"Do you? You lied to me. Underestimated me for months!" She exclaimed.
"We have given up everything for you! I don't even know who I am anymore. Because of what I have done to protect you." He yelled.
"Protect me? Or control me? You know, for someone who spent the last few decades trying to recover from being gaslit, it's ironic how quickly you resorted to it." She maintained her composure.
"That's not the same. I was trying to save you pain." He tried to explain.
"That's exactly what Dad would say." She shot at him.
I bit the inside of my cheek to control my anger.
"I'm sorry." Malcolm sighed.
"I appreciate that." Ainsley answered.
"But... this whole thing was... completely deranged. You realize that, right?" Malcolm pleaded.
"Okay. It was... a little over the top, but I had to make sure that you were never gonna mess with my head again. Seriously, though, you need to lighten up. We got away with it." She smirked again.
"You don't know that. You don't know what this could do to Lily." Malcolm sighed.
"Lily's strong, besides we're Whitlys. No one does this murder stuff better than us." She smiled again.
"Lily's pregnant. This kind of stress could really hurt her. It could hurt our child." He told her.
For a moment, there was silence.
"I didn't know that." She muttered.
"There's no way you could have. I'd barely told Malcolm when you showed up in our home covered in pig's blood." I said stepping out into the room, my hand resting on my stomach.
I could tell she could read my anger and disappointment.
"Lily, I'm sorry." She tried.
"So am I."
I reached up and picked up the camcorder off the shelf where I'd hidden it.
"Have a good night, Ainsley." I said reaching for my husband's hand.
We walked out together.
"What are we going to do with that?" He asked.
"Give it to Aaron. He'll keep it safe in case we need it." I sighed as he gently wrapped his arm around me, resting his hand on my stomach.