Date: Wed, 08 Oct 2003 22:10:05 -0700
From: RC in Sacramento <sacwriter@hotmail.com>
Subject: Becka the Beast, Chapter 14

This is a work of fiction from a first time author. It depicts acts of sex
and sexuality between two teenage females. If such content disturbs you, or
you are under 18, get out and stay out. As always, this story can only be
reproduced by consent of the author.

			Becka the Beast
			 by Sacwriter


Chapter 14***

	At the end of her shift, Jessie Evans took a detour past the nurse's
station on the third floor of the wing were she worked. At that time of the
morning there was no traffic to deaden the slapping sound of her walking
shoes on the linoleum floor, as they echoed down the hallway ahead of her.
The night had been busy, and Jessie's white uniform had long ago lost its
crisp edge. The only thing on her mind at this point was getting home to her
studio apartment and the comfort of its tiny hot shower. Still, she couldn't
resist the urge to stop by the Jackson girl's room and check up on her one
last time. And, if she happened to see him, maybe even have another talk
with the oh-so-hunky guy who had spent the night in a chair outside of the
young girl's room.
	Bobby Cameron looked up from his magazine as Jessie walked over, and gifted
her with a smile that made her heart skip a beat. Damn, but he really did
look like a movie star. At least half the nurses on her shift had openly
flirted with the handsome young Latino, but so far he hadn't given back
anything more than the polite responses of good manners. Jessie, however,
had managed to spend most of her lunch hour and all of her last break with
Bobby, and she was feeling pretty confident that there was definite dating
potential between them, much to the annoyance of her fellow nurses. Of
course it helped that Jessie's father was an architect, and Bobby had an
Architectural major. The fact that she knew the difference between Frank
Lloyd Wright and Orville and Wilbur definitely gave her an inside track over
the other girls on duty.
	Jessie sank into the chair next to Bobby, sighing in relief as the weight
left her tired feet. She reached over and gave the young man's arm a
friendly squeeze.
	"Alright Bobby, I'm outta here. What are your plans for the day?"
	"My brother George is going to be here in about half an hour, then I'm
going straight to bed. I don't have any classes until noon today, so that
gives me just enough time to grab a shower and some sleep. I'll probably be
back here tonight, though."
	"Great, I'm working tonight too, so I'll see you again. Hey, not that I'm
complaining, but are you and your family sure this is necessary? I mean, I
know that Becka went through an awful experience, but they've already
arrested her stepfather. Do you really think she needs a bodyguard?"
	Bobby's face seemed to harden, and Jessie noticed a glint in the younger
man's eyes, a hint of danger that generated pleasant rumblings in her
stomach. When he spoke, Jessie had no doubt that he meant every word that he
said.
	"'Probably' safe isn't good enough, Jessie, not in Becka's case. The cops
arrested Danning, but then they brought him here to fix up his face. How do
you think Becka's going to feel when she finds out that her rapist is in
this same hospital, just two floors away? It's not going to matter to her
that he's under arrest and has a police guard on him, but it might matter if
she knows that she's not here alone.
	"Besides, Becka isn't just going to testify against Danning. She's also
testifying against all of his pervert buddies who used her, too. They're
still out there. So until we can get Becka out of here and take her home,
there's going to be one of us with her every minute. I hope it doesn't make
you guys uncomfortable, but that's just the way it is."
	Jessie snorted. "Uncomfortable, hell. Half the candy stripers in this
hospital are going to cry themselves to sleep when you're no longer around
for them to moon over. And if your brothers are anywhere near as handsome as
you, the other half won't be far behind, either."
	Bobby grinned at the compliment. He'd been hearing comments like that all
of his life, but it sounded different when Jessie said it. He decided right
then that he was going to ask the pretty brunette out once this whole mess
with Gia and Becka was taken care of.
	Jessie cocked an elbow and laid her head against her palm, looking at Bobby
contemplatively. "You know, I just can't help being impressed by what you
and your family have been doing for her. I know that my Dad or my brother
will always protect me, but I can't see them going this far to help out one
of my friends. I mean, didn't you tell me that your sister just met Becka
just a couple of weeks ago, and that you guys never even met her at all? And
yet here you are, kicking in doors and taking on drug dealers for her. I bet
you're also paying for her medical bills, too. I think it's just so
incredible that you'd do all of this for a stranger."
	Bobby shrugged. "Yeah, I guess it is kind of over the top. I was the only
one who had met Becka before this, and that was just giving her and Gia a
ride home from the mall one night. We didn't know anything about her or her
problems, until Dad called us and said she and Gia were here. I guess it was
those hours of sitting in the waiting room and watching my sister fall apart
that got us all wound up. And then when Becka give her statement to the
police and we heard what that bastard had done to her ... hell, Jessie, I
don't think any decent man could have listened to that and not been
affected."
	"Emphasis on 'decent'. I still say that not many people would have gone as
far as you have, Bobby. And you know, despite all that she's been through, I
think Becka really lucked out when she met up with you and your family."
	Bobby nodded, accepting the older woman's praise, but glancing away a bit
shyly. It left him looking so boyish that Jessie couldn't resist, she
reached out and stroked a lock of hair out of his eyes. The contact
generated an electrical tingle, which they both felt and recognized for the
signal that it was. Suddenly they were grinning at each other, like a pair
of kids sharing a secret.
	Oh, yeah, girl. Definitely some potential here!
	"Uh, Jessie, before you go, can you to do me a favor? Could you look in on
Gia and Becka for me? I've wanted to check on them myself, but the doctors
said only one family member in there at a time."
	"Oh, sure, Bobby. Just wait right here." With a last smile Jessie rose from
her seat and made her way to Becka's room, and with the skill of experience
she slipped quietly inside. The lights were off but the sun had been up for
a while, and the room was already well lit. More than light enough to make
Jessie stop in surprise at what she saw in Becka's hospital bed.

	It wasn't unusual for the hospital to allow traumatized patients to have a
relative spend the night with them, especially in cases involving sexual
assault. To that end a cot had been wheeled into the room, where Gia had
been sleeping the last time Jessie had been here. But now the cot was empty,
and two forms instead of one were under the covers of the bigger bed. The
girls were asleep in each other's arms, their cheeks touching, their lips
bare inches apart. It was a candid picture of intimacy, and anyone seeing it
couldn't help but realize the true nature of the girl's relationship, that
they were much more than just friends.
	Jessie Evans was surprised at this revelation, but hardly shocked. She had
grown up in the permissive and open environment of southern California, and
when she was Gia and Becka's age she and some of her girlfriends had done
some hot and heavy sexual experimenting on sleepovers. In college, Jessie
once had a pretty torrid affair with her roommate, although she hadn't been
with another woman since. Jessie considered herself to be a heterosexual,
but she had no regrets about her past couplings with members of her own sex,
and no trouble at all accepting that the two young girls were lovers. But
she was also well aware of the risks involved in such a relationship, and
considering all of the high emotions involved in Becka's current situation,
she thought it was probably best that they avoided any additional stress for
right now. Jessie reached out and touched Gia's shoulder, waking her up.
	Jessie found herself gazing into a pair of eyes as deep and as brown as
Gia's brother's. She smiled, feeling a small tug at her heart at the young
girl's look of innocence.
	"Hey, Sweetie. It's morning; you'll be getting some visitors soon. I think
you might want to return to your own bed before that happens."
	Gia looked around with a start, and then turned her eyes towards the other
girl in bed with her. For the first time Jessie realized that Becka was also
awake. The two girls exchanged silent looks that seemed to speak volumes in
mere seconds, ending with Becka giving the other girl an affirmative nod.
Gia reached out her hand, fingers splayed, and Becka quickly entwined them
with hers. They seemed to finger wrestle for a short while, and then without
a word Gia slipped out of the covers and onto the floor, padding softly into
the small bathroom. Jessie noticed that the young girl was still wearing the
borrowed hospital scrubs from last night, over a pair of white cotton
panties.
	Jessie looked at Becka and found the girl was sitting up and already
staring back at her, an expectant look on her face. Jessie tried to give her
a reassuring smile.
	"Hey Becka. How are you feeling this morning?"
	Becka took a deep breath and stretched, wincing as she did. "Stiff. Pretty
sore, too. I'm alright, though. When will the doctor be here?"
	"Sometime later this morning. Gia's brother Bobby is still outside, and her
brother George will be here soon. I think he'll be bringing you two some
clean clothes and things."
	Becka blinked. "You said Bobby is still here. Do you mean he was here all
night? Where?"
	"In a chair right outside this door. And no, he wasn't here all night, just
since about midnight. Before that it was Johnny, Gia's other brother."
	"Oh. That's probably 'cause Gia was here, huh?"
	"Ummm, I don't know, Sweetie. I think it's also for you. Bobby said there'd
be someone here until they bring you home, even when Gia is at school."
	Becka looked at her, frowning in consternation. "But why? Is it because Gia
asked them too?"
	"No, I don't think so. I think the Cameron's decided to do this all by
themselves. I think they really care about you."
	"But they don't even know me!"
	"I guess they know as much as they need to know. Some people are like that,
they see somebody who needs help, and they just want to help them. The
Cameron's are good people, Becka."
	Becka obviously didn't know how to deal with this thought. The young girl
pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, resting
her chin on her knees. It made her look even younger than she was, like a
small, lost child. From the bathroom came the sound of a running shower.
	Jessie stood there patiently, giving the girl time. Finally Becka seemed to
pull herself together with an effort, and turned back to Jessie.
	You know about me and Gia, don't you? How we feel about each other. You
knew it when you found us in bed together."
	"Yes, I think so. It was pretty obvious, the way you were holding each
other."
	"But you won't tell anybody?"
	"Now why would I want to do that? Becka, what you do and who you love is
none of my business, or anybody else's, for that matter."
	"Do we - I mean, does it freak you out? That me and Gia are  lovers?"
	"No, Becka, it doesn't. I know that it would 'freak out' some people, but
not as many as you think. People are a lot more accepting of that kind of
thing these days."
	Becka sighed, burrowing her chin deeper into her knees. "That's what Gia
says. She thinks we should be more open about us, and that we should, you
know, tell her family. But Gia's like a little kid, she likes to think the
best of everybody. She just doesn't know how mean people can be."
	Jessie reached for the other girl's arm, touching her lightly. "Or maybe
she just knows her family better than you do."

			* * *

	A few minutes later Gia came out of the bathroom, wearing the same borrowed
hospital scrub shirt and the pair of jeans she had worn the day before. Her
hair still glistened wetly, as she tried to ease out the tangles using her
fingers as a comb. She smiled politely at Jessie, but then like a protective
parent her attention went immediately to the girl in the bed.
	"There's still plenty of hot water in there, if you want to take a shower.
Do you need help getting to the bathroom? Do you want me to get you
something to eat?" Gia bent over and started rummaging under the bed. She
quickly came back up clutching her sneakers with the socks balled up inside
them. Becka blushed and turned away before answering.
	"Umm, no thanks, Gia. I'm not hungry yet, and Jessie can help me do that.
You, uh, you can go see how your brother's doing while you wait, okay?"
	Gia frowned, looking at the other two women. Jessie had the bland,
unflappable look of the professional caregiver, the kind of look that gave
away absolutely nothing. But Becka still wouldn't meet her eye, and was
almost squirming in embarrassment. Gia was becoming more than a little
annoyed; taking care of Becka was supposed to be her job. She started to say
as much but Jessie quickly stepped in and stopped her.
	"Gia, Becka's wounds are still pretty raw. For the next couple of days at
least, she's going to have to use a catheter to relieve herself."
	Gia blinked, her ire doing a quicksilver turn around as Jessie's words sank
in. From the bed Becka moaned, burying her face in her hands.
	"Oh God, Gia. I can't believe you actually made her say it!"
	"Umm, I, I ahh..." Gia stammered, totally at a loss for words.
	Becka waved her hand, her face still buried in her arms. "Gia, go! Call
your Dad, see how Bobby's doing, just GO!"
	Gia grabbed her shoes, and without another word padded outside the room on
bare feet.
	Jessie looked over to Becka, and found the blond girl already looking at
her with one blue eye, peeking through a tangled matt of curly hair. Becka's
face then split into a mischievous grin, which caused the older woman to
laugh.
	"Oh, you little brat! Well, I guess she was getting a bit overprotective."
	"Try smothering", Becka said, as she swung her legs over the edge of the
bed. "I really do love Gia, but there are just some things that I don't need
to share with her."
	She tried to stand up on legs that wobbled like rubber, and Jessie hurried
over to help her.

			* * *

	When Gia went out into the hallway, the first thing she saw was Bobby and
George standing in a corner talking. At the same time they both looked up
and saw her, and in an instant she found herself enveloped in their strong
arms. She hugged them back, fiercely, soaking up their strength and concern
like a dry sponge. For a while she allowed herself to just revel in the
strong family connection.
	"Hey, you," murmured her oldest brother, his head buried in her damp hair.
"Picking up stray cats again, are you? Where are we going to keep this one?"
	"Your room. We're going to put up a cot for you in the garage, you spend
all your time out there anyway."
	George laughed, giving the beloved young girl one final bone quaking
squeeze, and then let her go. He showed her that smile that all her brothers
saved just for her, then handed her a brown paper grocery bag with the top
rolled down, it's sides bulging with a load of soft objects.
	"Clothes, shampoo, toothpaste and toothbrush. We also got some of Becka's
stuff out of her book bag in your closet, just like you said. And how's she
doing, by the way?"
"She's okay, one of the nurses is helping her get cleaned up right now. You
can see her after eight, when visiting hours start. Where's Daddy?"
	"At the courthouse with Benny. They want to file that petition for custody
as soon as they open. Benny says that it's best to get all of it on record
before Danning gets arraigned."
	"They better lock him up and throw away the key," Gia growled, her face
crinkling up in a scowl. "I swear, Jorge, if he ever comes anywhere near
Becka again, I'll --- I'll ---"
	"Shuusshh," George whispered, cutting his sister off with a finger on her
lips. "I can imagine what you'll do, sis. And I'll hold him down while you
do it. But Ralph Danning is in jail, and it doesn't look like he'll ever get
out. Dave Caruso says that he's been in prison twice before, so this is his
third strike. And if they can get him on drug trafficking too, the bastard
is never coming out."
	"Good," said Gia, her voice grim. "And they've got him in custody now,
right?"
	George hesitated, not wanting to be the one to explain to Gia that Danning
was being treated in the same hospital as his victim. He was saved from this
by his brother, who coughed into his hand to get their attention.
	"Uh, guys, I hate to break this up, but I've got to go home and get some
sleep before class today. Tell Becka and Jessie that I'll be back tonight,
okay?" With a nod to his brother and a final kiss on Gia's cheek, the tall
heartbreaker strode down the hallway and was gone. George turned to his
sister with a question on his face.
	"Who's Jessie? Do I know him?"
	"Short for Jessica, you chauvinist. And she's the nurse who's inside
helping Becka. She's kind of got the hots for Roberto."
	George snorted. "Another one, eh? So what else is new?"
	Gia smiled impishly. "What's new is that 'Berto likes her back!"

			* * *

	When visiting hours started at eight o'clock George moved his chair into
the hospital room and got to really meet Becka for the first time. The
bruises on her face had darkened overnight, but the swelling was down
considerably, and the blonde girl's natural beauty was already beginning to
show through. She smiled shyly and shook his hand when Gia introduced him,
but there didn't seem to be any of the fear he had half expected to see.
Hopefully it was a sign that her phobia about men was cured, which would be
a really good thing. It would be pretty inconvenient having a new member of
the household who had panic attacks each time one of them entered the same
room.
	As the morning wore on, George found himself becoming more and more
enchanted with the idea of the young girl coming to live with them. He found
Becka to be intelligent, with a quick mind of surprising depths, and a sense
of humor that surprised him, considering what she had just been through. She
was inquisitive, and asked him questions about classic cars and how he went
about restoring them, the subject always nearest to his heart. And when she
borrowed paper and pen from the nurses station and sketched a portrait of
him sitting in a chair, she had him totally won over.
	But what George found most amazing about Becka Jackson was the affect she
had on his sister, Gia. When the two of them were together, Gia seemed so
much more, well, 'feminine'. Since their mother died Gia had been raised in
a roughhouse, all male environment, with the natural result that she had
become a hard core tomboy. George was used to seeing Gia with grease on her
face from helping him rebuild a trany, or on the mats at the dojo holding
her own against adults twice her size. It was an almost Twilight Zone
experience to see this fearless little scrapper sitting still while Becka
brushed out her long dark hair, or to hear her trying to talk the other girl
into letting her paint her toenails. George began to wonder if Rod Serling
was hiding under the bed with a film crew.
	From nowhere a flash of memory swept it's way through George's mind.
Several times a week his mother and his little sister would sit in the
living room on an evening, and while the male members of the family would
watch TV or play cards the mother and daughter would brush each other's
hair. One would kneel on the floor, while the other took a seat on the couch
behind her, and slowly draw the brush through the long, silky strands of
black, as they talked in soft whispers about everything under the sun. It
was a totally female bonding ritual, absolutely no boys allowed, but young
George had always loved to watch it.
	George felt a lump in his throat, as he realized just how much he had
missed such touches of femininity in their home, since Lupe Cameron had died
five years ago. He decided that it would be pretty nice after all, having
another little sister in the house.

			* * *

	At twelve o'clock Becka's room suddenly seemed to swell with visitors.
First came her doctor, who told her that her condition was improving
rapidly, and that with a little luck she could go home tomorrow. Then Gia's
youngest brother Johnny arrived to relieve George on guard duty, bringing
with him an acoustic guitar which Gia swore that he really did know how to
play. But before he got a chance to prove it, Phil Cameron and Detective
Caruso arrived together, and the tone of the conversation got serious.
	Becka sat on the bed with Gia, Indian style. They were no longer holding
hands, but their knees were touching unobtrusively, as if it were important
that they always share some sort of physical contact. Gia's Dad and
Detective Caruso stood before them, the first with a smile on his face but
the latter was wearing an angry scowl. It made Becka a little nervous at
first, until she realized that the cop was only glaring at Phil Cameron, who
acted totally unconcerned. Becka decided to take a cue from the big man and
didn't worry about it anymore. Phil smiled at her, and started to talk.
	"Becka, I've got some good news, or at least I hope you think it's good
news. Before he was arrested we had a little talk with Ralph last night, and
he wrote out a letter granting us temporary custody over you. This means
that you don't have to go to a foster home, and when the doctors let you go
tomorrow you can come and live with us. If you want to, that is. We want you
to, all of us, we'd like nothing better. But it's your life and your
decision, and you have to tell us what you want to do. I promise, we're all
behind you, and we'll respect any decision you make. But please, say you'll
come home with us."
	The offer was so unexpected that it seemed to have appeared from nowhere.
She knew that Gia wanted her, but to hear the same sentiment from someone
else, from Gia's Dad... Becka felt her throat swell, as she looked around
the room and saw George and Johnny nodding in agreement with their father's
words. For the first time in her life someone was actually allowing her to
make a decision regarding her own fate, asking her  what she wanted to do.
The flood of gratitude she suddenly felt for these people, for Gia's family,
was almost overwhelming. Her eyes were glistening with the tears she was
trying not to shed, and she felt as if another piece of her soul was being
returned to her, as she looked in the big man's eyes and answered him.
	"Thank you, Mr. Cameron. I'd ... I'd love to come live with you and your
family."
	Gia lunged across the bed and wrapped Becka in her arms, and the room was
suddenly full of a lot of grinning teeth. George and Johnny whooped and high
fived each other, while their father wiped at his suddenly blurry eyes. But
Caruso was still scowling, and when all the sounds of celebrating had died
down, he made sure that Phil knew why.
	"Yeah, congratulations, I'm real happy for you, Miss Jackson. You too,
Phil. Although I'm still thinking about hauling your stupid fat ass
downtown!
	"And don't give me that wide eyed innocent look, either! You promised me
that if I gave you a chance to talk to Danning, you wouldn't try to hurt the
guy. Well I did, and now he's in the god damned trauma ward. Do you care to
explain that to me, Cameron?"
	"Hey, Dave, that's not my fault. I told you, his face was already like that
when we got to him, just ask George here. It was all done by Becka when she
got away from that bastard."
	"Oh, is that so? Then how come he's missing two front teeth and was
unconscious when you brought him in?"
"Hey, he resisted, okay? What else could I do?"
Gia and Becka exchanged an uneasy glance, remembering what George had told
them that morning. He had described their encounter with Danning the night
before, and had explained what Phil considered "resisting".
	'After we got him to sign the temporary custody papers, we just sat Danning
down and glared at him for about an hour, until Caruso  called us and said
that the arrest warrant had been issued. I think the little prick was
actually relieved when we told him we were taking him to jail. Which I guess
is why he said the stupid things he did.
'Danning started getting all puffed up and saying that he hadn't done
anything wrong. He wasn't saying that he hadn't broken the law, he was
saying that Becka deserved what he did to her. And when he called her, well,
some bad names and said that she had 'asked for it', Dad just turned around
and popped him right in the mouth. Knocked him right across the room and out
like a light! We had to carry him to the car, he was still out when we
turned him over to the cops.'
	Caruso was glaring at Phil, and it was obvious that he didn't buy his
explanation. But when he finally turned away with a disgusted snort the
girls heaved a sigh of relief, glad that he wasn't going to pursue it.
Instead he put on an officious manner and turned his attention back to
Becka.
	"Miss Jackson, Ralph Danning has been charged with sexual assault on you,
and assault on Miss Cameron. And based on your statement, he will probably
also be facing charges of child abuse and non consensual sex with a minor.
We haven't as yet found any corroborating evidence for the drug dealing
charges, but it's early yet, and we are confident that they will be filed. I
talked to the D.A.'s office this morning, and they've agreed to ask the
court not to grant bail at his arraignment.
	"Now you might have to testify at that arraignment, and you definitely will
at the trial. It might get pretty rough. Are you prepared for that, Becka?"
	Becka nodded, and her face mirrored the determination in her words. "Yes
sir, I am. I just want to make sure that Ralph never hurts anybody else,
ever again. What about his friends, though. What about all those guys that
he made me do it with? Are they going to jail too?"
	"We're going to try, Becka," Caruso said. Gia noticed the 'Miss Jackson'
had given way to 'Becka', and decided that Caruso's pique at her father was
now over. "But first we'll need you to identify them. Can you give us any
names?"
	"Some of them, the ones who usually hung around with Ralph. There was about
four of them, and most of them I only know their street names. But sometimes
there were guys who just stopped by, I think they were people Ralph did
business with. He'd make me do them, too. I never did know their names, I'm
sorry."

	"Ahh, that's alright, Becka. We'll, ah, get you some mug books to look at."
Caruso stopped to rub his fingers through his hair, a nervous habit. Even
his tough cop detachment was beginning to wear thin, the more that he heard
about how this girl had been used.
	Five regulars and whoever the hell happened to be in town. Christ, he was
using the girl as a God damned party favor! 'Have a beer, try some chips,
screw my teenage daughter'. Now I'm glad Phil kicked his ass.
	"Becka, we'll take what street names you can give us, and see if we can
find out who they really are. With a little luck, we might be ready to bring
some of them up on charges by the time Danning gets arraigned."
	"Alright. When is that going to be? The arraignment, I mean."
	Caruso smiled grimly. "Probably not for a couple of weeks. I talked to Dr.
Lorne, and he said it'll be awhile before Danning is fit to stand trial. You
messed him up pretty bad with that beer bottle."
	"Good," put in Gia. "I hope he's scarred for life. He deserves --- Hey! Did
you just say Dr. Lorne told you? He's one of Becka's doctors! Are you saying
that Ralph was brought here?"
	Caruso shifted uncomfortably. "Yes, Gia, he was. I'm sorry, I thought you
knew, this was the closest hospital with a detention ward. You don't need to
worry, though, he's locked down tight and there's a twenty four hour guard.
He's as secure there as if he were in lockup downtown."
	"Are you saying he's still here?!" Gia's voice snapped, her words rising in
outrage. All of her protective instincts for Becka, never far from the
surface, were once again rising up. Caruso rolled his shoulders nervously
and began to think about lines of retreat, and noticed that Phil and his
sons were already edging away. The tension in the room had risen like a
barometer just before a storm, and from the look on Gia's face, David Caruso
was about to be rained on.

	"Gia, stop it."
	The sentence came from the one person in the room who could have calmed the
girl down. Gia looked to were Becka's hand was now gripping her arm, and
then looked up into the other girl's eyes. She was surprised, almost
shocked, when she saw how calm her lover was. Didn't she realize what they
were saying?
	"Becka ... he's here."
	"Gia, I'm not afraid. He can't hurt me anymore, not ever again. I know that
now. Just let it go, okay?"
	Gia had to take a deep breath to do so, but she did, she let it go. She
held Becka's hand and entwined their fingers in the gesture that was fast
becoming their way of saying 'I love you', and then fell silent. But if she
thought that Becka had no more surprises for her, she was soon proved wrong.
	"I want to see him," Becka said to the police detective.
	There was a stunned silence in the room, quickly shattered by everyone
trying to tell Becka why that wasn't a good idea. Becka patiently waited for
the crowd of concerned people to wind down, and then just as firmly she
repeated her last words.
	"I want to see Ralph. I have to face him. I know, Gia, I said that I'm not
afraid of him anymore. But if I don't face him now, than part of me will
always be waiting for him to show up again. I'll be like a little kid,
scared of the boogie man coming out of the closet. If I'm ever going to get
rid of Ralph, I have to do it now."
	It was strange, but all the adult eyes turned toward Gia, as if she had the
final word in this decision. With a sigh almost of defeat, Gia looked up at
Caruso and nodded. The tough cop nodded back and turned toward the door.
	"I'll go get the doctor."
(continued)