Posted by Dominiqua on 7/23/2001, 2:07 am Dominiqua --Previous Message--
Whew! I think I was as frantic as Mac! I was scared when Dara was just lying there. Thank goodness, she had the bulletproof vest on! I hope they find the SOB who shot her and please know, that I'm looking forward to Chapter 14! Bring it on! *g*
: Chapter 13 -
: As they ran in the parking garage Mac and
: Officer Allen saw a dark blue Lincoln
: Continental drive away from an area near
: Dara's parking space and head toward the
: exit. "Dara, are you in here?"
: Mac shouted as he ran toward the parking
: space where her car was still parked.
: There was no response to his question.
: Officer Allen raised her weapon to fire at
: the Lincoln but Mac ordered her to hold
: her fire because there was a possibility
: that the departing car contained Dara. He
: instructed her to immediately contact the
: parking garage attendant at the exit and
: have him detain the car as it tried to
: exit the garage. When Mac reached Dara's
: car he saw Dara's motionless body slumped
: on the garage floor next to the car. He
: didn't observe any blood but her body was
: completely still. "Dara," his
: voice cracked with emotion as he held her
: and turned her body from off of her side
: to her back. She was breathing
: laboriously as her eyes started to flutter
: open. Mac sat on the garage floor holding
: her.
: "Mac?"
: "Dara, stay calm for a moment."
: Mac examined the tweed winter coat that
: Dara wore. There was one bullet hole on
: the side of the coat near her waist and
: two bullet holes through the front of the
: coat in the chest area. Mac's right hand
: shook at he unbuttoned the five buttons on
: the front of the coat. Holding his breath
: as he opened the coat he was shocked and
: thrilled to see that Dara was wearing a
: bullet-proof vest. The three bullets were
: lodged in the vest and none of them
: completely penetrated the vest.
: "Thank God," Mac whispered as he
: saw the vest. "Dara, Dara, are you
: alright?"
: "Yes. Mac, I don't think that I have
: even been more terrified in my life."
: Dara swallowed as she relived that
: previous moment in her head. "When I
: saw the gun at the opened window of the
: car and it started to fire..."
: Mac interrupted her. "Stop, wait.
: Don't talk about it yet. Just lie here
: for a few minutes." Mac asked for
: those few minutes of quiet for himself as
: much as for Dara. He needed to calm down
: himself and he needed to steel himself
: before hearing the account of the
: shooting. Mac had never considered
: himself a religious person but during the
: next few seconds he fervently thanked
: whatever higher power existed for keeping
: Dara safe. The three moments Mac and Dara
: sat there in silence holding each other
: ended when Officer Allen and two other
: PCPD officers approached them. The
: officers helped both Mac and Dara to their
: feet and they relayed the most recent
: news.
: Officer Allen reported that the parking lot
: attendant tried to detain the Lincoln but
: it sped out of the garage breaking the
: barrier at the exit. The attendant
: couldn't get a good look at the occupants
: of the car, but a description of the
: Lincoln had been broadcast to patrol cars.
: When Mac told the officers that Dara
: hadn't been injured in the shooting,
: Officer Allen told him that Officer
: Richards had just given Dara the vest this
: afternoon. Also, Officer Allen reported
: the call that misled her to believe Dara's
: security had been eliminated was placed
: from a telephone in the squadroom. The
: phone belonged to an officer currently on
: vacation. Someone impersonating the
: mayor's assistant placed the call. Mac
: informed them that Officer Allen couldn't
: reach Mac by cellphone to confirm the
: status of the security because he was on a
: call with Councilman Reynolds discussing
: the very same subject of Dara's security.
: "This attempt was planned down to the
: minute," Mac noted. "But they
: couldn't be sure that Dara wouldn't return
: to the office with you. Joan, did anyone
: get on the elevator with you at the second
: floor of the parking garage?"
: Officer Allen's eyes widened as she
: remembered, "Yes, a man did enter the
: elevator with me. He continued on when I
: left the elevator on the ground
: floor."
: Mac told Officer Allen to get a description
: of the man to everyone so that he could be
: found, since it was possible that he was
: involved in this attempt on Dara's life.
: They all went up to Mac's office where
: Dara gave a limited description of the
: driver of the car. He had been wearing
: tinted glasses but Dara did her best to
: give the police artist a description of
: the shooter.
: Despite Mac entreaties, Dara would not go to
: General Hospital for a checkup. "I'm
: fine, just a bit shook up, " she
: said. It was obvious that she was still
: in shock but Dara believed that the best
: thing that she could do was to go home.
: Before Officer Allen and another policeman
: escorted Dara home, Mac pulled her aside
: to speak to her for a few minutes alone.
: Mac took both of Dara's hands into his as he
: said, "Dara, I know that you're o.k.
: and you want to go home. But I really
: don't think that you should be alone
: tonight."
: "There will be an officer watching my
: apartment as usual, right? And you don't
: really think that they'll make another
: attempt tonight, do you?" Dara asked.
: "No, I don't think so. But Moreno is
: desperate and who ever missed in this
: attempt may try again because his own neck
: may be on the line for failing. But it
: isn't just that." Mac paused
: speaking a few seconds so that he could
: gather his thoughts and prepare for a
: rebuttal in case Dara didn't agree with
: his proposal. "This was as you said
: yourself a terrifying event and I just
: don't think that you should be alone
: tonight. I want to come over tonight and
: stay with you in your apartment."
: Dara's eyes shined and she held Mac's hands
: tightly. She was so touched and happy
: that Mac made this offer. She had thought
: that he would. That's the kind of man Mac
: is - a caring and sensitive person. But
: she had been prepared to ask him if he
: could stay with her tonight before she
: left the office, just in case he didn't
: ask. She thought that there was a
: possibility that he wouldn't ask because
: he didn't want to hear her refuse his
: gesture of kindness. Dara replied,
: "I'd like for you to be with me
: tonight. Thanks for offering." She
: grinned slightly at the look of surprise
: that Mac could not suppress. "Oh,
: did you ask out of courtesy and didn't
: think that I would accept your
: offer?" Dara teased.
: "No, not, not at all." Mac
: stammered. "It's just...."
: Dara teasing expressive face turned serious
: as she looked at Mac and said, "I
: know that I'm still feeling the effects of
: what just happen. It isn't weakness or
: fright that is making accept your offer.
: It's not wanting to be alone for the rest
: of the evening and being grateful that
: someone cares enough to want to be with
: me."
: "Great," Mac said as he pulled her
: into his arms for a hug. "I just
: want to be near you tonight. I don't
: think that I could sleep one minute
: tonight if we weren't in the same
: apartment." Mac earnestly made the
: suggestion with the thought in mind that
: he would sleep on the couch in the living
: room. But the thought of possibility
: seeing Dara in nightwear started
: flickering through his mind and he
: honestly wondered if he could keep his
: feelings in check. But upon reflection he
: really didn't want the first time they
: make love to occur when Dara was
: emotionally raw after an assassination
: attempt. He really did just want to be
: close to her tonight.
: Mac kissed her lightly on the lips and then
: said, "I have some things to wrap up
: here and I need to pick up a few things
: from my apartment. I'll be with you in
: the next 90 minutes." He then turned
: her over to the officers who escorted Dara
: to her apartment.
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