Complicated

Chapter Fifty Four: Turning Tables

Close enough to start a war
All that I have is on the floor
God only knows what we're fighting for
All that I say, you always say more

Adele – Turning Tables

Gracie was asleep on the couch in Mac's office. Donald Flack Snr had been watching over the exhausted woman for over two hours now. She was family and so was the tiny little grandbaby nestled inside her. His wife was away with Sam caring for her cancer stricken sister in Hawaii. He hadn't been able to make contact with her since she had turned off her cell phone to board the plane.

Gracie was curled in the foetal position, her pale face buried in the couch cushions her delicate hands resting protectively upon her stomach. Mac had covered Gracie with a blanket when he had dropped in to check up on them. Donald thought she had underestimated the toll pregnancy took upon her body. Gracie was used to being active and participating, he had watched her fight her fatigue valiantly but in the end the baby had won out. Her body was working too hard under the pressure not to be worn down, she needed to recuperate her strength.

Donald rubbed a hand over his own weary features. As the police commissioner he had heard of such things happening over the years, he had attended hospital bedsides and funerals to cops who had fallen prey to the very people they hunted down but he had never once imagined that it could happen to his own son.

He prayed for his son every night before he slept. He prayed that St Michael would keep Don and Gracie safe in their jobs and that God himself watched out for Samantha because damn that girl needed more guidance than most people some days. She had been the child that had given him every single grey hair on his head. Girls were supposed to be easier than boys but he thought that's what came with being the youngest in the family. Don was always more mature for his age and he took the role of being the oldest very seriously.

Now his eldest was out in the world alone, God knows where, having God knows what done to him by someone they knew to be a complete sadist. Commissioner Frank Reagan was already pooling every single resource they had into finding his son, Frank was a good man with a family of cops of his own to worry about. He knew what went down on the streets and his expectations of the situation were refreshingly realistic. He had their best working on this case, every single member of the NYPD was shaking down their contacts for information while the crime lab processed the evidence to hand. There were no other cases on their desks until Don had been found Frank had reassured him.

"How's she doing?" The head of the New York City Crime Lab asked quietly as he closed the door behind him.

"She's hanging in there." Donald told the other man, his fingers clasped together as he rose his gaze up to meet Mac's. "You have news?"

Mac shook his head grimly.

"We're running the second set of fingerprints off the Taser through AFIS right now, we're waiting for them to get a hit. Detective Bobby Goren is out running down all the leads coming down from the tipline and Detective Danny Reagen from Major Crimes is leading the task force. We're fortunate enough to have access to FBI resources so things are moving faster than usual." he informed the other man.

"Agent Beth Stevenson's pulling out all of the stops just like she promised." Donald stated, feeling relieved at the prospect.

Hopefully that would buy Don some more time in the long run. The brunette had come to visit him and Gracie a few hours ago when Donald had first arrived at the crime lab. She had taken his daughter in law's hands in her own as they perched on the couch in front of him and informed her she would do everything in her power to aid the investigation.