"And the sun will set for you. The sun will set for you. And the shadow of the day. Will embrace the world in grey. And the sun will set for you."- Shadow of the Day, Linkin Park

Episode 25: "Shadow of the Day" to listen the theme song please click here.
Written By: Kelly Zollo

Scene 1: WWest Lake Hospital; West Lake, NY

Making his rounds after dropping Liz off for her weekly appointment Peter is more than irritated, he should be out tracking down Austin. Instead, he is at the hospital finishing out an extra shift that he was asked to pick up. He couldn’t say no to it, it wasn’t like he was rolling in money or anything like that he could use the extra cash. He, was however getting annoyed that Jessica kept calling him over and over again maybe she would finally get the hint. Turning the corner he bumped right into Kate, sending her stack of charts flying in the air and her nearly tumbling backwards.

“Sorry. I wasn’t watching where I was going.” Peter offers, reaching out to steady her.

Even though she has been diagnosed as high risk in her pregnancy it was not going to keep her from finishing out her residency. Instead she has cut back on the stress and the days that she is supposed to come in. Today just being one of those that is not going as planned. The baby has been kicking like crazy for the last few weeks, she has gained a ton of weight. Bumping into Liz’s brother is the last thing that she was looking forward to doing.

“It’s fine, it’s been a busy day,” she offers, bending over to reach for the files when the baby kicks again and she grabs her stomach.

Watching her movements Peter leads her to a seat, as soon as he sees her discomfort making sure she is comfortable before picking up her charts. In his professional medical opinion she should be at home on bed rest, as per her her doctor’s orders. Not up and checking on patients let alone working full shifts in the middle of her final trimester. By the time he reaches her again, she is moving to get back up and he gently makes her sit down for a bit longer.

“Take a few minutes Porter. I highly doubt the eighty year old in your next round is going to be up and making a mad dash out of their bed to the door.” Peter offers.

Kate looks up at him, as the baby kicks again and a smile forms on her face, “Mr. Whitman already proposed twice today. In between him and the kid nothing could spoil my day. Do you want to feel her kick?”

Peter looks at her his face giving her a bewildered look.

“Shouldn’t you know Cade be doing all this?”

Kate shifts in her seat uncomfortably for a bit before it dawns on him why Cade has not been by her side throughout the pregnancy. Cade isn’t the father, which means that Austin is. He has nothing against Kate personally, but he knows of the strain between his sister and the woman sitting next to him.

“You can’t tell anyone especially not Liz. Austin doesn’t know yet, and I don’t want to cause more trouble for him and Liz.” Kate says, quietly pleading with him.

Peter considers her statement, knowing that it isn’t in his place to promise to keep her secret let alone even consider it. His sister’s marriage to Austin is already in shambles, she is supposed to be moving in with him later that day. Austin and Liz are barely speaking to each other and his loyalty should be towards his sister and not the mistress of Austin’s child.

“Listen, Kate. Liz is my sister and I love her...,” he begins only to be cut off.

“She’s my friend Peter, she’s been through enough with the drugs and with coming back home. Austin choose to marry her, we made a mistake nothing more and nothing less. I want to do what is best for her.”

Kate says looking over at him with pleading eyes, she can’t hurt Liz anymore than she already has. She barely has anyone left to lean on other than Shane, her mother, Vanessa on occasion, she feels alone with the baby. She wants things to go back to the way they were when she was Liz’s loyal bridesmaid and friend. Austin is married, she has accepted it, there is no need to hurt that.

“Listen Kate,” he starts.

“Dr. Jones to the nurses station. Dr. Jones to the nurses station.”

The call comes over the intercom and Peter rises from his seat next to her to answer the page, casting once final glance at her before leaving.

Scene 2: Harvell & Associates, West Lake, NY

Sitting in the conference room at the firm Sharon and Garrett stare at each other and then at Callie. Vanessa is seated at the table wondering why her sister would even call the meeting in the first place and now she knows why. Callie wants out of the firm, she wants to do to the DA’s office and neither of her parents are happy about. Moving from the table she makes an attempt to leave the meeting stopping short when Callie speaks.

“This is what I want. Deep down this is what you guys want too, Vanessa’s back now she can take over the firm.” Callie says, folding her arms over her chest.

Callie stares at her sister from behind the table hoping that Vanessa will understand why she is doing what she is doing. She wants to put real criminals away, she wants for once to be on the right side of the law. Helping Paige, a few weeks ago proved that she also doesn’t want to feel replaced by her sister coming back to the firm. She knows that it is irrational, both her parents love her and want her there, but she can’t help but feel the resentment.

“Callie this is absurd, your father and I both want you here. Along with your sister, this is a family firm.” Sharon says, pleading with her daughter.

Garrett looks over at his estranged wife for a moment before looking at Callie and speaking, “I do not understand where this is coming from, you have everything you could ever want here at the firm. The clients respect you and you have done nothing but a stellar job here.”

Callie braces herself for a moment, neither of them understand what she is feeling at the moment with Vanessa being back at the firm. The whispers of the other associates that soon, Vanessa will be taking the better cases. The insecurity that it is causing her at the firm and now her relationship with Tyler, which is now all but on the rocks.

“You both know that having Vanessa here is what you have always wanted. You said so yourself right before she went to jail, that you wanted her to take over the firm.” Callie says first to her mother and then staring at her father.

“Callie that was a long time ago.” Garrett says quietly.

Vanessa isn’t sure what to make of the spectacle that her sister is putting on, she had thought the jealousy would have subsided over the last few years. No one was pushing her out of the firm, hell she didn’t want her to leave the firm on her account. Callie had worked too hard to get where she was, she was a good intern, a good lawyer. She watched the exchange between her sister, and her parents talking as if she wasn’t even in the room.

“Callie this is ridiculous, I want you here at the firm. Me coming back to work here has nothing to do with wanting to push you out of the firm,” she finally says looking at her sister.

Callie takes a moment to look at her parents again before looking at her sister.

“You know I don’t even care anymore, you’re going to do what you want to anyways, you never even told me you had re-applied to school. I had to find out from the DA’s office. You were supposed to run the firm and everyone here knows it is only a matter of time. I’d rather just not embarrass myself by sticking around to be laughing stock of the board.”

Her tone is clipped and on the defensive as she finishes the statement.

“Callie Lilian Harvell that is enough!” Sharon finally interjects.

“You’re right mother it is. I’ll have my things out by the end of the week.” Callie finishes, leaving all them open mouthed in the conference room on her way out the door.

Scene 3: West Lake Hospital Peter's Office; West Lake, NY

Walking into his office the last person Peter wants to see sitting across from him is Jessica, looking quite well and very pregnant. He knows she’s not, or else she wouldn’t be here in his office, glaring at him from the chair. He’s had a long day and the last thing that he wants or needs is her antics in his office. He considers throwing her out, but is stopped from doing so when she rises from the chair to shut his office door behind.

“What, did you do get lost on the way back from the mental ward?” he finally asks.

Jessica has run out of time, Alan will be telling Jake her secret and she has to act fast in order to get plausible evidence. No one else will help her, going out of town to another doctor would look suspicious. She knows Peter’s secret and if he had kept his mouth shut from the beginning of their meeting this wouldn’t have to happen. Instead, she is here and she will get him to help her, it’s hardly something that he will be thrilled about.

“You called Jake.”

“Sweetheart someone had too. You were downing drinks at the bar, I do have to commend you on the padding though. It nearly looks real.” Peter replies, placing his hand on the door to open it.

“You’re going to help me. I’m going to make an appointment for a regular check up and you’re going to play a sonogram for me. You’re going to forge my chart and if you don’t, well the medical board will be getting a very unpleasant call.” Jessica snaps, removing his hand from the door.

“I’m not going to do anything for you, not now. Not ever.”

“I think you will I’ll go to the medical board, I’ll tell them about the drug dealing in Iraq about that tainted little mess of an investigation. I’ll make sure Liz is caught with a considerable amount of cocaine to be sent away for a few years,’ Jessica says coldly, watching is eyes rise to met hers at the mention of framing Liz, ‘That’s right I’ll make sure dear little sister is sent away.”

“She’s your friend. You stood up for her at her wedding!” he shouts at her.

“You’re smart Peter, you won’t have a career they’ll be lucky if anyone in town will even hire you afterwards. Forget about making it up the ranks to Chief Of Staff one day, you’ll never touch another patient for the rest of your life. I don’t like repeating myself you’re going to do this.”

Peter is sure if there was a mirror in front of him he would be able to see his own refection shaking in it at her sheer nerve. He has never seen her like this before so far off the deep end, so desperate for attention or whatever else it is that she thinks she is going to accomplish. At one time he cared for her to some extent, she was never this cunning, so cold or so uncaring.

“You’re sick. I can’t just go whip out an ultrasound because you are demanding one. My job is going to be on the line, my reputation.”

“Use Kate's, she is supposed to be about as far along as I am.”

Peter stares at her, “How do I even know that you have evidence?”

He watches her, as she pulls out a tape recorder. Playing a tape with a man’s voice on the end that he recognizes as one of the privates in his unit. Telling another man about his activities in Iraq his face pales, as he realizes he has no choice. When she is sure that he has heard enough she stops the tape.

“Like I said you will do this for me. I will set up the appointment on my way out,” she finishes.

Opening up the door and exiting his office leaving him standing in his office, hands shaking realizing he has to do it. The door quietly shuts behind her, he can feel his chest heave for a moment before picking up the vase of flowers in the room, throwing it against the wall.

Scene 4: Unknown Warehouse; West Lake, NY

Sitting outside of a warehouse on the South side of town, Tyler nervously checks the windows and doors of the building again. He and Jamie had gotten the call a week ago, someone had spotted Ryan Davidson around the building. Now camped outside the building, his eyes are tired from the stakeout and he is adjusting them.

“See anything yet?” Jamie asks, looking over at him as she climbs into the car coffees in hand.

They’d been on the case for a week long hours, many of which were stuck together in the cramped surveillance van. She had adjusted to West Lake over the last few weeks, adjusted as best she could. It wasn’t Manhattan, it wasn’t where she was comfortable her mother wasn’t there. At best she had her father, if you could even call him that he was more a fill in when it was needed. He still hasn’t told her what her reasons were for even being in West Lake, but if she has to guess it has to have something to do with Callie Morris and her mother.

“Nope, same as it has been for the last two nights.” Tyler says, taking a sip of his coffee.

“Maybe we’ll get lucky or something. I’ve been meaning to ask, did you and your date work things out?’ Jamie asks, already knowing the answer.

He and Callie have barely spoken since she informed him that she was going to work for the DA’s office and he kissed Jamie. He doesn’t want to give up on her, or on them but on the other hand there is only, so much that he can do. Greg has him working a lot of hours and Callie has been working non stop for weeks. He hadn’t had a chance to talk to Jake about it, Jake is dealing with his own mess, leaving him with Jamie.

“I think that is a conversation better left for someone else. Our kiss is part of the reason, it is what it is at the moment,” he offers.

“It was a kiss for the job Tyler, if she can’t handle that then...,’ she replies only to get cut off when the movement inside the warehouse causes them to stop.

Tyler is already drawing his gun, seeing the black shadow dart across the upper landing, it may not be a party but it is breaking and entering. Jamie follows his lead, turning down the radio to call it in before they head into the warehouse. Reaching the door Tyler tries to flicker on the lights to get nothing, it’s still dark and they will have to make due with the light coming in through the windows.

Walking to the main area of the floor Jamie is on guard since the shooting with her previous partner, she hadn’t expected to be in this type of a situation so soon. Instead she focused back on the situation at hand, as they hear a crash on the second floor. She watches cautiously as Tyler takes the lead, turning her head when she hears the other sirens in the distance. Back up is on their way, so if something does go wrong she won’t be alone.

By the time he reaches the top of the stairs his breathing is slow and unsteady, mentally kicking himself for not bringing a flashlight. Instead, he is greeted with a prompt hit from a metal bar across his left shoulder, causing him to cry out and drop the gun in his hands. The attacker gets a few more hits in on his rib cage, as he struggles to reach the gun. Hearing Jamie’s feet hit on the steps and the sound of a bullet ringing through the air. He watches as the assailant dressed in a black hooded sweatshirt, a silver watch on his left hand drops the bar, a bullet piercing his right arm.

Jamie’s fingers are steady on the trigger by the time she races up the stairs, her heart racing when she sees Tyler on the ground scrambling for his gun. By instinct the shot rings out, shocking her and the attacker. The attacker cries out, leaping off the stairs and onto the boxes of cardboard underneath the metal stairs. Jamie runs to Tyler, waking sure her partner is safe.

“What are you doing go after him!” Tyler instructs her through a painful breath.

It takes her a moment to get her nerve back before racing back down the stairs, to realize he is no longer in the warehouse. She takes off out of the warehouse, running into the other squad cars, cursing as she slams her hand down on the hood of one of the cars. Glancing back over her shoulder to see Tyler emerge from the warehouse holding his shoulder and side.

Scene 5: Club 90; West Lake, NY

Making his way towards the bar at Club 90 he still can’t believe how quickly his life has taken a downward spiral, Liz has left him. His sister is scared out of her mind with having Ryan out on the loose and there is nothing he can do about it. He debates about calling Jake to come and meet him for a few drinks, deciding that it would awkward. Even if their friendship is still in a semi awkward state, meeting for drinks to discuss the horrible state of their lives doesn’t sound appealing to him.

Looking at Hank and then motioning for a shot, after the first one his hand begins to wave more his way. Three hours later and he is already slipping off of his stool, Hank the bartender has officially cut him off and when he turns in his chair he is shocked to see Kate standing there. Rubbing a hand over his face and then through his hair to make sure that he isn’t seeing double, as Hank hands her his car keys.

“What are you doing here?” he slurs.

Kate takes the keys from Hank, as she gently puts his arm around her shoulder, “Paige called to let me know that Hank called her about you wasting away. She tired to call Liz, who I guess isn’t speaking to you now. Let’s get you home.”

Helping him off the stool she is still surprised that she even came after getting the call from Paige, who had assured her that she had called everyone else. She had finished her shift at the hospital and was planning on going home for a long hot bath for her sake and the baby. Now helping escort him out of the club, she can’t help but feel guilty for the situation that he is in. It is her fault that he and Liz are on the outs, telling him about the baby will only add unnecessary fuel to the fire.

“Liz hates me,” he says angrily, as they reach the club door.

“No she doesn’t, she’s just hurt right now.”

“Yeah? Well you’re not the one married to her, it’s our fault that this is even happening in the first place, we should have never...,” he replies his voice trailing off, as they walk towards her car.

Kate remains silent for the walk towards the car swallowing when he mentions their affair unlocking the door before speaking, “I know.”

“Then why did we?”

The question makes her look at him and she doesn’t have a good answer other than she was still in love with him, that he was perhaps still in love with her. That Hannah dying may of changed dynamics years ago, but it hadn’t changed feelings. Even if they both wanted to deny it to the world, their friends and each other.

“It was a mistake,” she finally offers, the lie escaping easily from her lips.

Leaning his head back against the seat rest he closes his eyes, trying to remember how everything had gotten so screwed up. He and Kate had broken up at the time for what he had thought were legitimate reasons, only to find out that none of it was at it had seemed. Then he began to date Liz falling for her in the process to propose, yet in that tuxedo shop with Kate something was still there.

“Maybe it was, maybe we both just want to think it was instead of facing something else. Kate, the baby,’ he finally says, when they reach his house, ‘Is it mine?”

He’s drunk, she knows that and even if she were to tell him the truth about the baby now there is no guarantee that he will remember it the next morning. She parks the car in front of his building get out of the car to help him towards the door of the house. She can’t bring herself to tell him that it’s his child she is carrying, when she opens the door. Flicking on the light to see the house is a mess, more so he has been a mess without Liz, leading him to the bed she helps him into it.

“Get some sleep Austin,” she whispers, watching him shut his eyes and drift off to sleep.

Scene 6: 6784 Rainer St.; West Lake, NY

The house is quiet when he enters from his shift at the hospital, medical records in his hand for his appointment with Jake and Jessica the following morning. Turning on the light in the living room, before moving to the wet bar and pouring himself a drink for what he has to do. None of it is sitting right with him, unfortunately for him Jessica has his nailed to a wall, if he doesn’t she’ll go after his career and Liz. He simply cannot let her do that, he has worked to hard and hurting his sister just isn’t an option.

“Long day?” Liz's voice from the doorway breaks his thoughts.

Her brother looks tired and that is the first thing she noticed when he walked in the door, after unpacking the last of her bags in her old room. Their mother is on a much needed two week vacation in Cancun courtesy of her children. It feels odd to her being in her childhood home, when she is supposed to be at her home that she shares with Austin. Or she used to share, she isn’t really sure anymore about it divorce or not divorce it’s all too blurry at the moment.

“It was alright.’ Pete manages to answer, taking a sip of his drink before looking at her. ‘How are you?”

Liz shrugs for a moment in the doorway, “Hanging in there.”

“You talk to Austin yet? He’s been calling most of the week for you.”

Liz isn’t sure what she is supposed to say to her brother about it, he slept with Kate before their wedding. Lied to her face about it, yet she was made out to be the bad guy by him with her drug addiction. She still has her suspicions about Kate’s baby too, Cade isn’t around for the pregnancy leading her to a logical conclusion. That Austin is the father, her husband having a baby with another woman is just not something she can handle.

“He made his bed.”

Peter looks at her not sure how to comfort his sister, to let her know that everything is going to be all right that she and Austin will work things out. Deep down he doesn’t want them to work things out, in his opinion the last thing that Austin deserves is his sister. He has to give Liz credit for the situation, calling it as she sees it Austin did make his own bed out of the situation and now he can lie in it. When her cell phone rings and he sees Austin’s number flash on the screen he raises his eyebrows at her.

“You going to answer that?” he asks, she shakes her head no and he takes a drink from his glass.

“You know he’s probably pretty torn up about everything that is going on with the two of you, everything that is going on with Paige. You should talk to him.”

“I’m not stupid Pete so quit acting like I am. He and Kate made their mess they can lie in it, I’m sure they’ll be one happy family with the kid in tow.”

Her statement makes him look up at her trying to figure out how she knows.

“It wasn’t very hard to put two and two together, her due date is about right and Cade wants nothing to do with it. Hell, I bet she hasn’t even ventured to tell him yet.”

Taking a sip of his drink Pete looks at her again, “I’m sorry Liz. Doesn’t always come down to the love of a woman with men?”

Liz considers her brother’s statement for a moment, the love of a woman should be the defining moment in a relationship. She is Austin’s wife, she should have his love and devotion yet she feels like she doesn’t. The only woman that she thinks does is Kate, which given circumstances of Hannah's death. If everything had been revealed years ago they could have avoided all the pain of the current situation.

“Maybe but he needs to figure out which of us that is for him. Get some sleep, you look tired Pete.”’

Peter watches his sister retreat out of the doorway and back to her bedroom, wondering how they all got where they were. Pulling out Jessica’s file, as he takes a seat on the couch to work on her chart. Knowing deep down he has just signed a contract with the devil herself by doing so.

Scene 7: 514 Greystone Dr., West Lake, NY

Gathered around the living room of the Alexander’s, Kate apologizes for being late, as she takes a seat on the couch after leaving Austin’s. Her brother is sitting next to Paige on the sofa, her mother is sitting in one of the chairs by the fireplace. James is in his study, making a few phone calls and there is an eerie silence that seems to engulf the room. They all look sad and crestfallen, the only thing going through her mind is that the news cannot be good.

“Your mother is coming home.” James says, when he emerges from the office tears swelling in his eyes looking at his Paige.

Paige has to swallow the bitterness that she wants to let out she simply nods her head, as she grips Shane’s hand tighter. The news isn’t good after he had told her and they told his mother, they had told James. Kate will be the last to know and the last thing she knows that her fiance wants to do is cause Kate more stress with the baby. Helen finally gets up from the chair, the search for Ryan has left with them no leads and she fights back tears, as she squeezes her daughter’s shoulder for support.

“I need to tell you something.” Shane says, folding his hands and resting his head on them for a moment.

“What is it?” Kate quietly says.

“The treatment isn’t working, the chemo isn’t working.” Shane says quietly.

Kate can hardly believe her ears at her brother’s statement, before she looks around the room and sees the tears beginning to flow. They’re doctors, they should have some sort of treatment in order to fix her brother. Her mother is already reaching for a tissue and Paige is already wiping her eyes. Her brother is dying, the cancer is spreading and she can feel the sting of tears behind her eyes.

“How long?” she manages to choke out.

“A few more months give or take. They have me on the donor list and depending on how that goes if we find a donor in time, I can go into remission.' Shane says, reaching over and taking his sister’s hand in his. ‘I know this is hard for you to hear. We're going to be okay as a family, you’re going to give me a beautiful niece and we’re going to make the best of the time I have left.”

Kate jerks her hand away from him as the tears stream down her face and she looks at her brother with disbelief, “No, there has to be something we can do another treatment we can seek, a second or a third opinion that we can get. You can’t just simply give up.”

“Kate that is not what I am doing...,” Shane says only to be cut off by her again.

“Then what would you call it? Living life to the fullest while on your pending death bed.”

Helen’s hand grips her daughter’s shoulder at the outburst and she finally takes a seat next to her on the couch. She is supposed to be outliving both of her children and now she has to face the fact that her son will die without the transplant. Reaching over and drawing Kate to her, her eyes met with James’s pleading with him to help find Ryan faster. James can only let a few tears slip out, when Helen looks at him and he glances over at his daughter who has let a few tears fall as well.

“I’m going to be here, as long as I can I’m not quitting Kate and I don’t want you stressing about this okay?” Shane finally says, quietly meeting his sister’s eyes.

Kate can’t manage to get anything out, as she simply nods her head at her brother before burying her head into his shoulder and letting more tears flow. She can’t believe this is happening, that she could be losing her brother. Paige manages to get up from the couch to move into the kitchen, deciding to put on a pot of water for tea. James gets up from his chair walking towards Helen to lean down to her ear.

“I’m going to call alan and Garrett see if they can’t help us track Ryan down,” he whispers, before moving to join his daughter in the kitchen

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