Trial by Fire

A UC Story

By Deana Lisi

Disclaimer: I do not own Frank Donovan (darn!) or any other UC character, however I do own Rose.

This is, like, the fastest story I have ever written! I started it on Sunday, March 24th, the day after the last two UC episodes aired, and here I am, finished and starting posting on the 29th! This one was inspired by 'Manhunt', you'll see why!

Story takes place after my 2nd UC story, 'Caught in the Middle'.

Thanks to my buddies Tracy and Karri for giving me opinions and suggestions!

"ACHOO!"

Everyone looked up as Frank walked into HQ, and watched as he walked over to the stairs leading to his office and climbed them, not saying a word.

They all exchanged glances. "What was that all about?" Jake asked.

"Uh, Jake," Cody said, from his computer. "I think when someone sneezes it usually means they have a cold."

Jake snorted, rolled up a piece of paper, and threw it at his back.

"He didn't even give us his usual, 'Good morning'," said Monica.

"Yeah," said Alex, looking towards the staircase, and then standing. "I think I'll go see if he's okay."

She climbed the stairs and approached the door, wincing when she heard him blow his nose and sniff loudly.

"Frank?"

She walked in to see him slumped miserably over his desk, blinking tiredly. When he saw her his face changed completely; so fast that it left Alex momentarily stunned.

"Yes, Alex?" he asked, looking surprisingly better.

She frowned. "How did you do that?"

"Do what?" he asked, knowing what she was talking about but playing dumb anyway.

She walked closer. "You—you looked terrible, but then when you saw me, you put on a…a mask of health, or something." She shook her head. "It would've actually worked, had I not seen you before you did it."

Frank sighed. It made him cough and he tried to hold it in. "I'm a master of disguise," he said.

She smiled. "You made a joke!"

He made a face at her and sat back in his chair. "I've been known to do that on occasion," he said, hoping to change the subject.

"Don't try to change the subject," she said, leaning on the front of his desk. "If you're sick, you should've stayed home."

Frank frowned. "Stay home? I was home enough a couple months ago."

Alex sighed, trying not to think back to the horrible situation Frank's mention brought to her mind. Frank had been a hostage in a bank robbery, and had been stabbed, losing his spleen.* He'd only just returned to work full-time a couple weeks ago.

She suddenly looked up at him, her eyes opened wide. "Frank! Go home! You have no spleen!"

Frank made a sound of annoyance. "I know that. So?"

"You remember what the doctor said! People without spleens get sick easily," she told him, noticing that he'd let his mask of health drop again, either because she already knew and there was no sense in maintaining it any longer, or maybe he did it accidentally. "You have no spleen to protect yourself against infection; you should rest."

"Hey," they heard. "You having a party in here or what?"

Cody came in, with Jake and Monica behind him. Alex watched with fascination as Frank replaced the 'mask' again.

"You okay Frank?" Monica asked.

Oh great, now I have to hear that question again for the next week, he thought, with a sigh. He forgot it would make him cough, and this one he wasn't able to hold in.

"Fine," he said. "You got me. I have a cold, all right?"

Cody tried not to laugh at his tone. "So go home."

"No. We have work to do."

"How do you know that?" Monica asked.

"I may not have shown awareness to your existence when I came in," he said. "But I did see the folder you were holding, Monica."

"So, we'll start the new case when you come back," said Jake.

Monica looked at him. It wasn't exactly a case you could wait very long on. Jake returned the look. She could imagine him saying, 'We'll do it without him. We're not incompetent, you know.'

"This is my job," Frank said, with another sniff.

"So?" Jake said. "You want your job to kill you?"

"A cold never killed me before!" Frank said back, almost an exasperated yell.

"But that was when you had a spleen!" said Cody. "Remember that? Small organ, fights infection? You lost yours!" He blinked, and smiled. "Well, you didn't exactly lose it but you know what I mean. You don't have one anymore! Any of that sound familiar?"

Frank shook his head, with a laugh. Then he groaned and scrubbed his hands over his face, leaning forward again in the chair. "People, I am not in the mood." He took a breath to sigh again, but caught himself when he remembered what that would result in. "Downstairs," he said, standing and walking towards the door.

Everyone looked at each other and shrugged.

"Oh well," said Cody. "We tried."

"What's the case, Monica?" Frank asked, sitting in a chair at the table.

Monica sighed as she stood at the front, and looked at him. "Senator James William's daughter has been kidnapped."

Frank's face registered shock.

"We don't do many kidnappings," Jake said.

"We were requested to do this one," Monica told him.

"Why?" Cody asked.

"Senator Williams is a friend of mine," said Frank.

They all looked at him.

"I…practically grew up with his daughter," he said, looking upset. "She's like my sister."

"Ohhh, Frank," Alex said, sympathetically.

Frank looked back to Monica. "Details?"

Monica clicked the button on her remote, and a picture appeared on the screen. "Rose Williams," she said, for the others' benefit.

The woman had spiraled reddish-brown hair, and blue eyes. She was smiling in the picture.

"Niiiice," Jake commented, elbowing Cody, who nodded agreement.

"Hands off, Agent Shaw," Frank quipped.

Cody laughed at Jake.

"You too Cody, unless you like typing with your fingers in traction."

Cody stopped abruptly.

"You were saying, Monica?"

Monica nodded. "Williams woke to find his daughter gone, but her car still in the driveway. The sheets on her bed were in disarray and there were things knocked onto the floor; signs of a struggle. When the cops arrived, they found a note left by the kidnapper. It said, 'How much is your daughter worth?'"

Cody whistled. "Wow."

There was silence for a while before a sneeze from Frank shattered it. He stood. "All right, we need to get to the William's home."

They followed as he headed for the door.

* My UC story, 'Caught in the Middle'. .?storyid=642601