Sandy ruffled through the papers on her desk and tried to make heads or tails out of the information she had gathered. What she knew so far was this, Madeline and Justin had been together, then they had broken up and the victim had begun dating Madeline which made Justin very bitter, then the accident happened.

            What Sandy needed to figure out was why the two had split, all she knew is that it was a painful split that no one wanted to talk about. She also needed to figure out who was behind the wheel of the car that had hit the victim. Sandy had a sneaky suspicion that Madeline knew more than she was willing to share, but what?

            Sandy sighed and leaned back in her chair, this case was getting to her head and she had not really made much more head way. There were a lot of people that were hiding things, things they didn’t want to share with her.

            “Maddie, how are you holding up?” Karen asked her daughter in-law as she walked into the room, she noticed her son’s fiancée looking tired and worn out. “Why don’t you go home and get some rest? I’ll stay with Josh for a while.”

            Madeline smiled at Karen and shook her head, “That’s alright. I want to be here when he wakes up.”

            “I know dear,” Karen said placing a hand on her shoulder and looking at her son. “But you need your rest, and I’m sure Josh would understand. You’ve been here the whole time since the accident.”

            “I know,” Madeline replied softly and wiped away a stray tear. Karen wrapped her arms around the young woman and hugged her close.  “It’s just that going back to that house…” Madeline began to cry softly against the older woman’s shoulder.

            “Maddie,” Karen began softly, “You need to at least get some sleep, it’s wearing you down and you need to keep up your strength for Josh. If you don’t want to go home Roy can drive you to the hotel so you can sleep.” Madeline pulled away and looked up to Karen, shaking her head.

            “I don’t want to leave him,” she whispered, Karen smiled and wiped away the tears that had fallen.

            “I know honey. But please, for Josh, go get some sleep. Josh won’t be alone I’ll be here, and I promise not to leave until you get back okay?” Karen tried to assure her. Madeline sighed and tried to control her tears as she cast a look towards the bed.

            “Are you sure he won’t mind? I don’t want him to feel as if I want to leave him,” Madeline said and looked at Karen with sad eyes. Karen smiled and put an arm around her.

            “Of course he won’t. In fact I bet he’ll tell you himself to go get some sleep,” Karen confirmed, “Now why don’t you go find Roy and head on to the hotel? I’ll call you if anything changes I promise. Just come back when you’ve slept a bit.”

            “Okay,” Madeline said timidly but paused before she walked to the bed and kissed her fiancés lips gently. “Baby, it’s me Maddie. Listen, your mom says I need to go get some rest, so I guess I better do what she says huh?” Madeline smiled for a brief second as she spoke to him. “But I promise I’ll be right back okay? So don’t worry, and your mom will be right here with you the whole time so you won’t be alone.” Madeline turned to face Karen who smiled at her before finishing. “Don’t go anywhere okay? I love you.”

            Madeline sighed, and gave him another kiss before taking a step back and feeling Karen’s arm on her shoulder.

            “Come on honey, go grab some sleep,” Karen told her. Madeline nodded at Karen before walking reluctantly to the door.

As soon as she reached the door she turned back to Karen, “You promise you won’t leave him?”

            “I promise,” Karen nodded, “Now go.”

            “Okay,” Madeline answered, and looked one last time to the bed. “Please, if he wakes up; tell him I’ll be right back and that I love him.”

            “I will,” Karen nodded; as she noticed Madeline’s eyes fill up with tears. “We’ll see you in a bit okay?”

            “Yeah okay,” Madeline responded, as she turned and walked out the door before she could change her mind.

            Madeline left the room and shut the door quietly behind her. She had to force herself to walk down the hallway to the waiting room, in order to find her father-in-law Roy, so that she could get some sleep at the hotel. The thought of going back to the house haunted her, because every time she was there she could swear she had seen him wandering down the endless halls, so her next best option was going to the hotel that Roy and Karen were staying in.

            Madeline frowned slightly at the thought of leaving him, and was about to turn around and go back into the room when Roy walked out the waiting room and called out to her.

            “Maddie,” the older man smiled, Madeline felt her heart stop beating then, he looked so much like his son. “So Karen finally convinced you to go get some rest?”

            “Yeah she did,” Madeline nodded and approached Roy, whose eyes twinkled in the dim light of the hallway.

            “Well I’m glad,” Roy said and gently put and arm around her waist, “You need the rest Maddie. Josh wouldn’t like to see you like this.”

            “I know,” Madeline nodded and allowed Roy to lead her down the hallway to the elevators before she could stop and turn around. They walked a few minutes in silence until the y reached the elevators and Roy pressed the down button before turning to Madeline.

            “So I talked to Heather a few minutes ago,” Roy commented and Madeline felt her stomach dropping. She shrugged slightly and kept her eyes in front of her.

            “What did she say?” she asked, Roy sighed as the elevator dinged and the doors opened.

            “You saw the driver of the car that hit my son didn’t you?” Roy asked, Madeline felt herself tense up as they stepped into the elevator and Roy’s grip tightened on her so she couldn’t turn and run. “Maddie, you have to…”

            “I can’t Roy,” she whispered and shook her head. The elevator doors closed and Roy pressed the button for the ground floor.

            “Why not Maddie? Why are you protecting him?” Roy asked, there was a hint of anger to his voice.

            “Why not?” Madeline asked and looked at Roy.

            “Heather told me what happened a few years back, why they all went their separate ways,” Roy said softly and bowed his head, “Josh deserves justice do be done Maddie.”

            “And it will Roy,” Madeline nodded, and pushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m just not going to be the one everyone blames when it happens.”

            “They won’t blame you Maddie,” Roy assured her and looked up, “You’d be doing the right thing.”

            “What is that Roy?” Madeline questioned and bit her bottom lip. “What is the right thing?”

            “Telling the truth Maddie,” he said and nodded as the elevator reached the ground floor and the doors opened, “That’s the right thing.”

            Roy slid the key into the lock and opened the door. He gave Madeline a slight push to get her to actually enter the room before stepping in behind her and shutting the door.

            “Well then,” he sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, “Here we are.”

            “Thank you Roy,” Madeline smiled and made her way further into the room, before kicking off her shoes by the end of the king-sized bed and sitting down on it.

            “No worries,” Roy nodded and approached her, “Well, I guess I better leave you to it then eh? I’m heading back to the hospital, I’ll come back and pick you up in a few hours okay?”

            “In one,” Madeline whispered quietly and looked down at her feet. “Can you come back in an hour? I want to be back by then.” Roy shook his head and clicked the roof of his mouth with his tongue.

            “Maddie…” he began and she sighed, closing her eyes.

            “I know, I should get enough rest. But what if something changes? What if h wakes up?” she asked and Roy leaned in to give her a hug before standing up straight again.

            “If he wakes up I’ll come back and get you okay? And I’m sure Karen will explain to him where you are and that you’re on your way back. Now please, get some rest,” Roy told her and walked to the head of the bed, pulling back the covers. “Come on, in you get.” Madeline smiled slightly at the way he was, he was acting as if she was his own daughter, like she’d seen him be with Heather before.

            “Fine,” she sighed and crawled the length of the bed to climb in between the sheets and lie down.

            “Good,” Roy smiled and tucked her in, “Now try and get some sleep.”

            “I will,” she said and found herself yawning, as Roy kissed her forehead and began making his way to the door. “Roy?”

            “Yes dear?” Roy asked turning around to face her with a small smile.

            “You promise to come get me if he wakes up right?” she asked, and Roy nodded.

            “I will Maddie,” Roy answered, “I’ll head on over the minute he wakes up okay? If not I’ll see you in a bit.”

            “Okay,” she smiled and felt her eyes closing. “Bye.”

            “Bye,” Roy answered and turned back around to leave the room. As the door shut behind him Madeline’s eyes finally drifted shut, and she was swept away into the darkness, not realizing how tired she really was.