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  She ran, and she ran with all her strength. She couldn't die. She just couldn't. Neither could the precious child that grew within her either. She just couldn't. It wasn't easy for her in her eight months and two weeks pregnant, but she fought to survive. She just had to She had to get away from Shawn O'Sullivan. Before he killed her as well. She'd already lost her husband. Keith was dead, and he'd left behind a pregnant wife. Adrianna Riley had witnessed it worst of all. She had witnessed the murder of her husband.
  Shawn knew she'd seen to, which is why she was running. She ducked into a dead end ally and crammed herself against the corner as some of O'Sullivan's men ran past the alleyway. She wanted to cry, but she was afraid one wrong sound would attract O'Sullivan's men. She pulled her knees to her bulging stomach and bowed her head. She shifted as the discomfort in her back continued now that she wasn't running for her life. It had started a few hours ago, and it had yet to cease.
  Just then a back door opened and she looked up at an old and grizzled man. "Ma'am, you shouldn't be back here." He said gruffly but then he saw the fear in those deep, blue eyes.
  "I... I need to see... the police." She shakily choked out as she stood.
  "Aw, hell." He said when he saw her condition and walked over to help her. "You need to come in and sit down. Dry of a little." His voice had gentled, knowing that if she was scared then she was even more scared for her child she carried.
  "No, I need to see the police." She said frantically as he led her through a busy kitchen of a restaurant.
  "Alright, I'll get you the police, but while I do that, you need to sit and dry off." He said gently as he eased her down nest to a warm furnace in the kitchen. "Mary Kate, run and get me a few towels for the young lady." He said as a waitress came in with an empty tray. She glanced to Adriana then looked back to her father and nodded before she disappeared again.
  Jeremy walked in through the front of Pap's Dinner. He ate with Brad McKenna, the owner, many times, so it was easy for him to navigate to find Brad.  The old man had called as midnight and told him the situation. Jeremy figured it wouldn't hurt so he'd gotten himself dressed and dragged himself down to the dinner. He saw Mary Kate and she pointed him towards the furnace. He stopped a few feet off and studied her for a moment.
  She was heavily pregnant, but she was a beautiful woman nonetheless. Amazing chestnut hair, blue brooding eyes staring into the burning coals of the furnace. She was dripping wet, her chestnut locks curling into wet trendils as she sat wrapped up in a towel trying to dry off some. As if she could feel his eyes she turned to him and took in the man that was watching her. She turned away though, holding the towel closer. She just had to keep reminding herself that she was safe in the kitchen.
  He saw the terror. There was no mistaking it. Something had really shaken her. "She's kinda quiet. Hasn't said a thing since I sat her there and told her I would call the police." Brad said looking to Jeremy after studying her.
  "And you said tat she had been huddled up in the corner of the alley?" Jeremy asked looking Brad after a few more minutes of studying her. She looked like she was in pain to. Her back was probably bothering her. He looked back to Brad, who was nodding his head to answer Jeremy's question. "Hiding... who would she be hiding from?" He asked himself curiously.
  He slowly walked over and looked down at her for a moment. "Ma'am, I'm Leutenant Jeremy Connors."
  She looked up at him  before she looked back to the furnace. "Adriana Riley." She said softly as she watched the burning coals thoughtfully. She kept her gaze averted from him. If she didn't look at him she couldn't admire his lovely physique. All muscular and male. Tall, lean, well built. It was mouth wateringly sexy, and she felt like she was betraying Keith if she thought about a man like that. She couldn't help it though. He was gorgeous. Ocean green eyes and dark dark hair. Hair almost as black as night.
  He studied her for a moment before he sat down next to her. "Mr. McKenna told me he found you hiding." Her gaze fell to him after a moment, meeting those stormy green eyes with his. "Who were you hiding from?" He asked softly.
  "Shawn O'Sullivan."
  He frowned at this news. Why would she be hiding from O'Sullivan. The police department had been after him and his family for years. They were basically the biggest gang of New York and the department kept losing witnesses. "Why, Mrs. Riley?" He asked softly seeing that she was trying her best to keep herself calm.
  And she was. She had built herself a wall knowing she would have to go over everything with the police, but the wall she'd built was starting to crumble. She felt a tear trickle down her cheek. "He.... he... oh God... Keith." She hugged herself as she tried to keep herself calm. She didn't want to start crying infront of this complete stranger. "He killed him. He... he killed my Keith." She sobbed softly covering her face trying to hide her tears.
  Jeremy reached out to her and carefully pulled her hands away. "Keith...was your husband?" He asked softly, careful not to hurt her more than he would have to. She nodded as she sobbed, tears streaming down her face. He took his moment of weakness and he gently wrapped an arm around her. "We're going to get him. Okay?" He asked gently as he stroked her head. She nodded her head weakly. "I have to go make some calls for a minute, okay?" She nodded and calmed as she watched him walk over to a little corner to make his call.
  She reached to her back and gave it a little rub to try and ease the pain. She looked to Jeremy as he talked on his phone. She stood to give a little stretch hoping that would ease the pain a little, but she doubted it would.

  "Yeah, I'm sure she said Shawn O'Sullivan." Jeremy said frustratedly. There were times when anyone in the NYPD department could shoot their chief inspector.
  "What are you doing talking to me then, Connors?" Johnathan Garbey's voice boomed over the line. Two years. It's been two years since they'd been after the O'Sullivan group and now he had one of them right on the tip of his fingers with the coming of Adriana Riley. "Bring her down here. I want her in an interrogation room as soon as possible." He said feeling excitement rise in him. This girl was the key to what they needed.
  "Yes sir. I'll have her there in about an hour." He glanced over to Adriana thoughtfully. She was hurting. He could see it in the way she rubbed her back.
  "Good. Get her here fast. I want to talk to her myself."
  "Boss, you may want to be a little delicate with her." Jeremy cautioned, but he was cut off before he could tell Garbey.
  " I don't give a damn, Connors. Just get her here." He barked before the sharp click of the phone hanging up sounded. Jeremy shook his head and looked back over to Adriana. That didn't look very good. She was cradling the large bulge of er stomach with one hand and the other was pressed against her back.
  He walked over and brushed a hand over her shoulder. "Are you okay?" He asked gently studying her.
  "Yeah... but uhh," She looked up at him wincing when she felt the first contraction. "My water just broke." She said softly looking up at him.
 
  If anyone told him earlier that he'd spend the wee hours of the morning waiting outside the delivery room of a hospital, he would have laughed, but he wasn't laughing now. He was brooding over the situation. He had been amazed at how calm she'd been on the trip. He'd offered a hand and she took it, squeezing whenever she had a painful contraction. He appreciated the woman body. Not only did they carry the child for nine months, but they went through great pain to have the child. He looked up at the sound of a squalling child and he thought he heard the faint laughter of Adriana. He could imagine her smiling face when they handed her the baby. A nurse came out and informed him of the situation and he nodded.
  He would have to wait for a little while before he could visit with her. So he decided he would make his calls he needed to. When he'd been writing down the info they would need to have her admitted a few things caught his attention.

  Adriana looked down at the small newborn in her hands. Katherine Anne Riley. Just like her and Keith had discussed. She softly stroked a finger over the red chubby cheek, down her arm. She smiled softly when a tiny hand wrapped short chubby fingers around her own finger. "Welcome to the world, Katherine Anne." She murmured softly.
  "Knock, knock." She looked up at the sound of Jeremy's voice and she greeted him with a weak smile. "Can I join you two?" He asked with his head poking through the doorway. She nodded her head softly before she looked down at Katerine, soothingly bobbing her up and down. " What did you name her?" He asked as he eased down in a chair next to her bed.
  Adriana looked to him thoughtfully for a moment. "Katerine Anne. It was something Keith had picked out." She murmured softly looking down at at the baby that was dozing in her mother's arms. Jeremy studied Adriana and Katherine, wondering if she knew the dealings of her husband's with the O'Sullivan gang. He noticed the tears as one trickled down her face. "What am I going to do, Mr. Connors?" She asked weakly.
  "Jeremy."
  She looked up at him for a moment then down at Katherine. "What am I going to do... Jeremy?" She said hesitantly. She looked back up at the man, tears falling down her cheeks. "I have no clothes, for me or her. No place to stay. Only a couple hundred dollars in the bank." She said as she looked down at the child in her arms. She would use that money for Katherine first though. For the things that were needed.
  "You'll be staying with me for the week, and for that week, we'll be looking for a safe house for you to stay in until you can testify against O'Sullivan. That is.. if you want to." He said carefully, studying her with those deep green eyes. Her gaze met his, and he could see the internal debate in them as she looked down to the baby.