Jan showered and put on a t-shirt and flannel pants before falling into bed. It had been a rough night at the hospital and the only thing that had gotten her through the last two hours had been the thought of her soft, warm bed. The last few patients, in the ER, had been a stabbing victim, a woman that had found herself under her boyfriend's moving vehicle, and a multitude of fight participants, all bragging, "Ya shoulda seen the other guy". There must have been a full moon! Not that Jan would have had the time to look and see! What a crazy night...

The night shift was hard, but she preferred working, to sleeping alone. She didn't think she would ever get used to being on her own... Her kids kept pushing her to go on one of those online dating sites, but after being married to the love of her life, for 30 years, her desire to be in a relationship died when Tom lost his battle with cancer. After he passed, she sold the house and bought this condo, closer to the hospital.

Monday through Friday Jan got home around 6:00 o'clock, slept for about an hour, then awoke to Molly's sweet little girls, as they came out into the hallway. For the last two years, Molly left at 7:10 every morning, taking her girls to preschool before going to work. Today, Jan awoke to silence, glancing at the clock on her nightstand. It was 7:15 and Jan hadn't heard them leave. The pitter-patter of little feet in the hall normally woke her each morning. Today, it was the absence of it. The silence was so loud that it woke her, preventing her from going back to sleep.

Every morning was like clockwork; the girls would be giggling, and trying to tiptoe past Jan's door, because they knew she worked nights. Jan often wondered if Molly, or the girls, knew how much she looked forward to the sounds of the children each morning. Their hushed voices and giggles brought a smile to Jan's face and warmed her heart. Somehow, she found it easier to sleep once she heard their sweet voices. Sometimes Jan would hear them coming out of their condo, into the hallway, and she would wish them a good day, or she would bake cookies and put them into little baggies for their snacks. Molly always beamed from ear to ear when Jan gave her a little baggy, too. Jan knew that Molly was a hard working single mom, and that a small gesture, like chocolate chip cookies, really seemed to brighten her day.

Jan checked the clock again... 7:20... that was strange. They must be running late. She lay there for a little while, wondering if everything was okay...maybe one of the girls was ill. She decided to go next door and see if she could help. After all, Molly was on her own, and going to the doctor was expensive. Jan didn't know what Molly's financial circumstances were, but she was pretty sure there was no child support for Molly's four year old, twin girls. She had never wanted to pry, but Molly had mentioned once that she had purchased the condo with her share of the divorce settlement, and the help of her parents. Molly worked for an advertising firm across town and Jan had seen her bring work home, many times, so that she could be with her girls after school.

Jan stole another glance at the clock. It was 7:30 and still she hadn't heard any sign of Molly, or the girls. She jumped out of bed, throwing a sweater on before going next door. Quietly, Jan tapped on the door, just in case Julie or Jenna was sleeping.

"Molly? It's Jan, are you home?" Jan called through the door. At first, she didn't hear any sounds coming from the apartment. Within a few seconds, she heard footsteps come up to the door and stop. Then...silence. Jan listened for a moment or two, waiting for Molly to open the door. When she didn't, Jan became even more concerned.

"Molly?" Jan whispered through the door. "Molly? Are you okay?" Jan thought about going back to her apartment and getting her key to Molly's apartment... Just as she decided it probably wouldn't be good idea, she heard the lock slide and the deadbolt being unlocked. A relieved smile spread across Jan's face as the door began to open... but disappeared quickly, turning into horror, as soon as she saw Molly's face.

Molly's pale face looked stark white against the swollen black and blue bruises that surrounded her eyes and upper lip. There was a small cut on her forehead and a split in the middle of her lower lip. The cut on her forehead had been sutured; Jan's guess within the past few hours, and her lower lip looked as though it would start bleeding again, at any moment.

Jan didn't wait for an invitation... she gently pushed Molly back into the apartment, closing and locking the door behind them. Getting a closer look, Jan realized that Molly was favoring her right arm, and her fingers and upper arm on her left side were bruised and swollen. Jan put her arm around the younger woman's waist and guided her to the couch, sitting them both down.

"Molly, what happened?" Jan knew her years of being an emergency room nurse had kicked in, and right now, Molly needed a friend more than a health professional. But Jan had seen these injuries enough times to know domestic abuse when she saw it. Molly had begun to sob uncontrollably, wincing at the pain in her face. Jan softened her voice, taking Molly's hand, gently in hers.

"Molly, honey, talk to me..."

"J...Jan, I hate that you have to see me l...like this..." Molly's words came out in sobs.

"Just relax, and tell me what happened."

Molly took a deep breath. Jan waited patiently until Molly stopped crying enough to talk.

"You knew I was divorced... I was so embarrassed to tell you the rest. I married Jack as soon as I graduated from high school. He was five years older than me. He was so sweet and kind... then after a few months he became verbally abusive... but I always justified it... somehow. I thought it was because he couldn't find work and we depended on my income, which wasn't much. I was so naive... I didn't realize he was using drugs, or that he was knocking over convenience stores to feed his habits. I was so young... I just thought he was moody." Molly took a deep breath before she continued.

"I worked at a diner, close to our apartment, and one day I went home in the middle of my shift to change my clothes. I had collided with the bus boy and he dumped a tub full of dirty dishes down the front of my uniform. Anyway, I walked into the apartment and caught Jack sniffing some kind of white powder with two scary looking guys. I was horrified! I changed my clothes and tried to leave, but Jack grabbed my arm. I told him he was hurting me, and he laughed. I started to cry and told him to be out of the apartment by the time I got home. He slapped my face..." Molly hugged herself, reliving the painful memory.

"I think it surprised him as much as it did me, because he dropped my arm, giving me a chance to get away, and get out of the apartment." Molly paused, carefully blowing her swollen nose. Jan waited patiently for the young woman to finish with her story.

"I went back to work, and finished my shift. I didn't know what I would find, when I got home, but when I opened the door, Jack, and all his belongings, were gone. There wasn't a trace of him anywhere. I was relieved, but sad, in a way... I knew it was for the best. A couple of months later, Jack came into the diner, and he looked so handsome. He had gotten a job, and he said that he was completely off drugs. He apologized for everything and swore that he had changed." Molly put her head down, as though she were ashamed.

"And you took him back?" Jan said softly. Molly nodded, unable to answer.

"He moved back in and everything was great. I worked at the diner at night and went to school during the day, studying advertising. It was tough, but it seemed to work. I got an advertising job and I was so happy... I thought Jack was happy, too. Then, he started getting moody again. I confronted him and he admitted that he had started using drugs, but only because I was gone all the time and he was stressed. Somehow it became my fault. Things went from bad to worse... then, the day I planned on asking him for a divorce, I found out I was pregnant. I decided not to tell him, and I know it was wrong, but this protective instinct took over, and I knew that I had to protect the life that grew inside of me."

"When we went to court, I tried to hide my little "bump" with a loose shirt, but as soon as he saw me, he knew; I could see it in his eyes. He was furious! When we went before the judge, Jack demanded that I admit that I was carrying his baby and said that when the time came, he would fight me for custody. I was a basket case, but my lawyer said not to worry about it; that with Jack's track record, he would be lucky to get visiting rights. I still worried... but I had a little over five months to figure something out." Molly stopped, unable to speak past the lump in her throat. Tears ran down her cheeks. She buried her face in her hands and cried. Jan rubbed Molly's back and tried to calm her down.

"It's okay... take your time." Jan whispered.

"I...um..." Molly began, slowly. "I was working late one afternoon... at the firm, the same one I'm with now, but in California. I was almost seven months along and was getting ready to go on maternity leave. I knew I was having twins at that point, and my doctor told me I needed to stay off my feet. I was going to move in with my parents, here in Washington, so that my mom could help me with the babies. I told my folks that I'd be fine... but my dad insisted I stay with them until I could get back on my feet. I gave in... I wanted the girls to be closer to their grandparents anyway, and I was a little scared of trying to take care of two babies on my own. The plan was for me to leave work and head straight to my parent's house." Molly took a deep breath.

"The movers had taken care of all my stuff in the apartment, and I had my car loaded down with my personal stuff, so all I had to do was hit the road. Some of my co-workers had gotten together and thrown me a going away party slash baby shower, so I ended up leaving a lot later than I had planned to. By the time I left the building, it was close to six o'clock and it was getting dark, so one of the guys walked me to my car. The garage was lit, but not very well...so he didn't want me walking by myself. We were talking, and laughing about something, when Jack stepped out from behind a concrete pillar. He started shouting at my friend and before I knew what was happening, Jack had pulled a gun and shot Rick. Then, he grabbed me and started accusing me of sleeping with Rick and... Oh my God! The next thing I knew, he punched me in the stomach, and the face..." Molly became hysterical as she recalled that horrible night. "I remember everything going black and falling to the blacktop..." A sob caught in Molly's throat as she tried to regain composure.

"When I woke up, I was in the hospital and my mom and dad were with me. I was hooked up to all kinds of monitors and there were wires everywhere... I remember holding my tummy and asking if my babies were okay. The doctor said that everything looked okay but that I had gone into labor so they had given me medicine to stop it, and so far everything looked good. I asked about Rick, and my mom said that he was fine. The bullet had barely grazed his arm so he was treated and released. I felt horrible dragging him into my mess. I was so relieved that he was okay. Apparently, I had been unconscious for almost eighteen hours, which was probably a good thing because if I had been awake, the stress would have made matters worse. My brother had come with my parents and was going to drive my car to Washington and I was going with my folks in their car." Molly chuckled. "My dad said I didn't have any choice. You know, one look at the worry on my parent's faces... I would have done anything they asked." Molly added softly.

"Is Jack responsible for this?" Jan gestured at Molly's face.

"Yeah... he lost all rights to the girls, and spent some time in prison. I got a restraining order against Jack that went into effect the minute he was out of prison. The authorities were supposed to notify me if he was released early, but apparently someone dropped the ball. He got out a week ago, two months early. He walked right through the restraining order and was waiting for me when I got off work last night. First, he asked for money and when I told him no, he got real angry and called me some horrible names... he said that I had kept him from his own kid. He didn't even know that I had girls, or that they were twins. He came at me and I pushed the alarm on my car keys... but before anyone could help me, he did this." Molly gestured to her face, then leaned against the back of the couch, staring at the ceiling. Tears rolled down her cheeks.

"You mean... he got away? They didn't catch him?" Jan's stomach knotted out of fear for Molly and the girls.

"No... he was long gone by the time police got there." Molly whispered.

"Where are the girls?" Jan asked.

"I didn't want them to see their mommy like this, so I called my mom from the hospital and had her and my dad go and pick them up from preschool. I asked if they could keep the girls 'til I knew it was safe for them here. I don't know if Jack knows where we live." Molly pulled her knees up to her chest wrapping her arms around her legs. She rested her chin, carefully, on her knees, and closed her swollen eyes.

"Molly, you need to get some rest. Why don't you go to bed?" Jan saw the panic in Molly's eyes.

"Don't worry... I'll stay here with you. I'll just sleep on the couch. I don't want you to be alone. I will need to run next door and grab a few things, but I'll be right back." The look of relief on Molly's face made Jan want to cry. No one should ever have to be that afraid of another human being!

Jan helped Molly into bed, and made sure she was as comfortable as possible. She quietly slipped out the front door, locking it behind her, before running next door to her own apartment.

Jan gathered a few of her things and put them into an overnight bag. She called the hospital and told them she wouldn't be in... there was no way she was going to leave Molly alone tonight. She slipped her cell phone into her pocket and headed for the door. Just as she reached for the door, she remembered that she needed to grab the key to Molly's apartment.

Jan punched the code into the small safe she kept in her closet. She grabbed the key and started to close the door, but opened it again; eyeing the 357 Ruger that Tom had gotten for her, just a few months before he died. Tom had always loved guns, but when he passed, Jan had given all of his guns to their kids... except this one. This one, she kept, because she had made a promise to Tom. Jan wasn't all that crazy about guns, but Tom had insisted she have the pistol, and be well trained to use it. It was the one and only time he had used his illness for leverage.

"Jan, I need to know that you can protect yourself after I'm gone. I need to know that you will be safe." Even now, his words brought tears to her eyes and warmth to her heart. She had accepted the gun and practiced with it until she was actually a pretty good shot. Tom seemed so proud of her; his approving smile made it all worthwhile.

Jan carefully removed the gun from the safe and pulled it from the leather holster. She pushed the latch and opened the cylinder, revealing five bullets.

"Just in case..." Jan placed the gun back in its holster and put it in her bag. She locked the safe, turned out all the lights, and grabbed a blanket from her couch, before heading back over to Molly's apartment.

Jan quietly unlocked the door and let herself into Molly's apartment. She tiptoed into the hallway and peeked into the bedroom, checking on Molly. The sight of the young woman made Jan want to cry. She never realized before, how much Molly resembled Carri, Jan's youngest daughter. They were both in their mid twenties, had blonde, curly hair, and pale skin... they even had the same blue eyes. Carri was the only one of Jan's children that had inherited her mother's looks; the older three all had darker hair and brown eyes, like Tom. Jan wondered if that was why she had taken to Molly and the girls so quickly... they reminded her so much of her own daughter and granddaughter.

As Jan stood there, she wondered what she would do if it were Carri lying there; the split lip, cuts and bruises all over her face and arms. A lump caught in Jan's throat and she had to turn away. She made her way to the couch and sat down. She was tired, but thoughts of Jack, still out there somewhere, kept her from closing her eyes. She felt so protective of Molly...

Jan tried to switch gears from thinking emotionally, and tried to be logical. Logic told her that the building was safe. There was a security door at the entrance, which required a 5 digit code, each of the five floors had its own security system, and every apartment had a heavy duty lock and deadbolt. Maybe she was just being paranoid... After all, before she moved in, a couple of years ago, Jan had done a lot of research on the building and, in the ten years since it had been built, there had never been any kind of break in. The thought calmed Jan's nerves a bit. She curled up on the couch, covered up with her blanket, and closed her eyes. She didn't know what tomorrow would bring, but for now, Molly was safe.

A loud "thump" jolted Jan from sound sleep, to wide awake, in less than a heartbeat. She sat up on the couch, heart racing, and checked the door. The locks were still secure and nothing looked out of place. She quietly padded into the hallway and checked on Molly. Everything looked fine... Jan started to calm down. Just as she sat back down on the couch, she heard it again.

"Bang! Bang!" It sounded as though someone was trying to come through the wall. Jan went to the door and looked through the peephole. There were several men in the hallway, working on what looked like a pipe in the wall. Jan breathed a sigh of relief. She went back to the couch and curled up into the corner. She didn't know if she would be able to go back to sleep because of the noise, but it was reassuring to know that several burly men were right outside the door... just in case.

A knock at the door startled Jan, waking her with a start. She hadn't even realized that she had dozed off... With the guys working in the hallway, she felt fairly safe, but checked the peephole anyway. She recognized one of the maintenance guys from the hallway so she opened the door.

"Good morning ma'am." The young man showed Jan the I.D. badge that was clipped to his collar.

"My name is Dave, I'm with building maintenance, and we have a leaking pipe in the wall, so we're gonna hafta turn off the water to the building so we can fix it. If you need to use water for anything, you need to do it in the next thirty minutes, okay?" Dave sounded like he had already given that spiel a few hundred times.

"Oh, of course, thank you. Do you have any idea how long it might be off?" Jan hated to wake Molly if it would only be a little while but if it would be hours, Molly might want to shower or use the bathroom.

"No, ma'am. We don't know how bad it is, yet. Could be an hour, or more... no way of tellin' for sure, 'til we get in there."

"Oh, I see, well thank you." Jan closed and locked the door. She decided she should wake Molly up and at least give her the option of using water if she needed to.

When Jan turned around, Molly was standing behind her. Jan jumped and a little squeal escaped.

"Oh Jan, I'm so sorry; I didn't mean to startle you! I know I look scary, but I didn't think I was that bad!" Molly smiled.

"Oh, honey... I guess I'm just a bit jumpy. I thought you were still asleep."

"I was, but I heard voices. What's going on?" Molly stifled a yawn.

"There's some kind of broken pipe in the wall so maintenance is working on it. They're turning the water off, so if you need to shower or anything, now would be the time."

"I think I'll draw a bath. I'm kind of sore everywhere. Do you think I have time?"

"I think so... Maintenance said it would be about thirty minutes. Just be careful not to get those sutures wet, okay?" Jan slipped easily into nurse-mode.

"Okay, nurse." Molly chuckled then cringed when it hurt her lip. "By the way, thank you for staying with me... I really didn't want to be alone." Molly's voice broke and tears formed in her eyes. "I'm really scared."

"I know you're scared... you have every right to be. I'll stay with you as long as you need me to." Jan hugged Molly. "And, now we know that several muscle bound guys will be working right outside the door... for who knows how long. Makes me feel safer... Now, get your tushi in there and take a nice hot bath. It'll make you feel better."

Jan used the hall bathroom, then went into the kitchen and filled a kettle with water, for tea, and a pitcher with drinking water. It was getting close to noon, so when Molly finished her bath, Jan would make them both lunch. In the meantime, a few more minutes of sleep would be wonderful. Jan curled up on the couch and closed her eyes, the sounds of saws and banging, lulling her to sleep.

A loud banging sound awoke Jan. She listened for a moment and realized someone was banging on the door. Looking through the peephole, she recognized the man's shirt as one of the maintenance workers, but he had his back to the door. She looked past the man and saw that the maintenance workers had left.

"Who is it?" Jan called out through the door.

"Maintenance." Was the short reply.

"May I see your I.D. badge, please?" Jan stayed calm, but something wasn't right. Suddenly the man turned toward the door. Jan saw the badge on his collar, with a picture of a blond haired, fair skinned maintenance worker. This guy had very dark hair and a darker complexion.

"Let me in, Molly!" The man looked angry. Jan knew it had to be Jack. She grabbed her cell phone from her pocket and dialed 911. When the dispatcher answered, Jan gave her the address and a quick description of the man at the door, and who he was. Once dispatch said that officers were on their way, she asked Jan to stay on the line until they arrived. Jan went over the events of the previous night with the dispatcher and told her that Jack was extremely dangerous.

"Molly, I know you're in there! I want to talk to you. Let me in, now!" Jack was getting louder and louder. Jan took another peek through the peephole, just as Jack pulled a gun from the back of his pants and pointed it at the door. Jan ran away from the door, grabbed her bag, and headed for Molly's room.

"Molly! You whore! Let me in, now!" Jack's words were slurred and Jan knew that he was either drinking or on drugs... maybe both.

Jan continued to talk to the dispatcher, telling her that Jack had a gun...

Molly came into the bedroom, a towel on her head, wearing her robe.

"What's...?" She looked terrified.

"Molly! I'm gonna to kill you! Open the door, bitch, or I'll open it myself!" Jack was screaming through the door.

"Jack! Oh my God! He found me!" Molly's face went white.

"Molly, the police are on their way! Come on; let's go in your bathroom." Jan pushed Molly into the bathroom, and locked the door. She helped Molly into the tub, which was almost drained, then got into the tub with her.

"Stay down, as best you can. He has a gun." Jan sounded a lot calmer than she felt, as she pushed Molly down into the tub, then reached into her bag and got her gun.

Shots rang out through the apartment as Jack shot at the front door. Within seconds, he was banging on the bathroom door.

"Molly, you can't get away from me. Open the door, bitch!" He continued to rant, outside the door, going on about time spent in prison and Molly cheating on him.

"Jack, the police are on their way. You need to leave, now! I have a gun, and I will shoot you." Jan shouted, trying to sound as undaunted as she could. She reached for her phone, so that she could let the dispatcher know that Jack was in the apartment, but she had dropped it in the middle of the bathroom floor, about four feet away.

For a few seconds, Jack was silent. Jan and Molly thought maybe he was going to leave... then, a blast filled the small bathroom and the door flew open.

"Stop! Don't make me shoot you!" Jan aimed her weapon at Jack.

"I don't know who you are, but this is between me, and my whore of a wife." Jack snarled at Jan.

Molly started to get out of the tub and Jan pulled her back.

"Jan, this isn't your fight. I don't want you to get hurt. Jack, I'll go with you, just put the gun down!" Molly's voice shook as she started to stand.

"Go with me? Is that what you think? Oh... baby," Jack laughed; a haunting, diabolical laugh. He stared at Molly through glossy eyes, a hateful look on his face. "I don't want you to go with me; I want you dead." He waved the gun around as he spoke, his finger on the trigger.

"Molly, don't move. The police will be here within seconds. You need to stay here with me." Jan sounded a lot more confident than she felt. She kept the gun trained on Jack, never taking her eyes off of him.

"But, Jan..." Molly sobbed, scared for her own life as well as Jan's.

"It's okay... just stay here." Jan whispered. Molly looked torn, but did as Jan asked. Jack was furious when Molly crouched back down in the tub.

"You bitch! Now I'll just kill both of you!" Jack took a step forward.

"Jack, this is your last warning... take another step and I will shoot you!"

Until this moment, Jan hadn't known if she could pull the trigger on another human being. She heard Molly's sobs, and felt the young woman trembling beside her, and at that moment, instincts took over; she knew that she could do whatever she had to, in order to keep Molly safe.

Jack laughed, raising his gun as he lunged towards the two women. Jan aimed at his thigh and pulled the trigger. Jack stopped in his tracks, looking down at his bleeding thigh. When he looked up, he was furious.

"You're dead, bitch!" Jack raised his gun, pointing it at Jan.

Before he could squeeze off a round, Jan put another well placed bullet in Jack's abdomen, causing him to drop his gun and fall to the floor. She stood, slowly, never taking her eyes off of the writhing man.

From nowhere, two police officers appeared at the bathroom door, weapons drawn. Jan leaned over the tub, and placed her gun on the floor. She turned towards Molly, who fell into her arms, sobbing. The older officer helped the women out of the tub while his partner checked to see if Jack was still alive.

"He's breathing, but barely." The officer called for an ambulance then put cuffs on Jack.

"Dispatch has everything recorded, thanks to the open phone line, but we still need to take your statements. Are you ladies up to answering a few questions?" The older officer spoke gently, as he led the way into the living room.

Jan started to shake, as reality hit, and she realized she had actually shot someone. When the EMT's arrived, they worked on Jack for quite a while, trying to get him stable enough to transport. When Jan heard one of them say, "Call it", she knew she had ended a life. She should have felt remorse, or sadness; after all, she was trained to save lives, not end them. Instead, all she felt was relief. Relief that Molly, and her girls, could live in peace and not constantly be watching over their shoulders. Relief... that Jack would never be able to hurt anyone again.