Sydney stepped out of the shower and grabbed the ringing phone. “Hello?”

Click.

Sydney stared at the phone and shook her head. Must’ve been a wrong number, she told herself. She wrapped the towel around herself and stepped out into the dressing area with the phone, which she set on the counter. She was not on-call today, so she was taking a little R and R. Steve was supposed to pick her up at eleven for lunch at her favorite restaurant. As she was letting the towel slip off and reaching for a sundress in the closet when the phone rang again. She reversed the direction she was reaching, and grabbed the phone again. She punched the ‘talk’ button as she lifted it to her ear.

“Hello?”

A deep raspy voice on the other end startled her. “We’re going to ruin you, bitch.” And then it was gone. Sydney stared at the phone in her hand, trying to comprehend what she had just heard. She didn’t know why anyone would be making threats against her, but it had her shaken. She was suddenly more than glad that Steve was going to be there in a half hour.

~ ~ ~ ~

Steve rang the doorbell and waited on the porch. He waited for a count of twenty seconds before he rang the bell again. Another twenty seconds and still nothing. Steve looked back over his shoulder, and he saw Syd’s Explorer in the driveway. Turning back, he knocked on the door, deciding that if she still didn’t answer this time he was going to go inside. Again, nothing, and Steve reached for the doorknob and slowly pushed the door open, carefully drawing his gun with his other hand.

“Sydney?” he called as he stepped into the foyer. No answer, but he did here a muffled sob in the direction of the living room.

“Syd?” he called again as he edged down the hallway. He emerged in the living room and looked around to find Sydney huddled in a corner. He quickly holstered his gun and stepped across the room to her. He knelt down and brushed the hair out of Syd’s face. “Sydney? Are you okay? What happened?” he took another glance around the room as he asked the last part. Nothing seemed to be out of place. She sniffled and looked up at him, her eyes puffy and red. Tearstains trailed down her cheeks and she looked like she had been crying for quite some time.

“Oh god, Steve!” she grabbed him and started sobbing openly against his chest. He held her, stroking her hair and trying to soothe her. “Shhh… It’s going to be okay, Syd. Just tell me what happened.”

Syd sniffled and Steve felt her nod against his chest as she struggled to stop the sobs that wracked her petite body. Steve found a Kleenex box on the end table next to them. He took a few and began to wipe away the tears on her cheeks. “I received a call when I got out of the shower, but it was a hang-up, so I assumed it was a wrong number. So I didn’t think anything of it. Then a few minutes I got another call, with some weird voice telling me that they were going to ruin me.” She sniffled and shook her head. “Why would someone want to ruin me? I just don’t know. Then right before you showed up, the same guy called back and told me to watch my back, and that he could show up at any time.” The sobs started again, and Steve gathered her into his arms, holding her tight. “Why, Steve? Why?”

Steve stroked her hair, hugging her close to him. “We’ll find out who’s threatening you, Syd. I promise, and I won’t let him hurt you. Ever.” A sudden protectiveness came over Steve. He hadn’t felt so protective of anyone before he met Sydney. Could it be that he had finally found the one?

~ ~ ~ ~

Steve drove the both of them back to his place after they had had lunch on the boardwalk. Mark was in the kitchen making himself a sandwich when they walked in.

“Hi! Did you have a good lunch?” he stepped forward to hug Syd and his good mood dissipated when he saw her puffy eyes.

“What happened?” he asked, suddenly concerned. Steve spoke up before she could answer and told his dad the event’s that had transpired. “I promised her that we’d find the guy.” said Steve, smiling down at Syd, whose puffy eyes sparkled as she smiled back. They had only been going out for three weeks, but even Mark could see the sparks between them.

“Wow,” remarked Mark after hearing the tale. “Do you have any idea who it could be?”

“No, I don’t really have any enemies that I know of. Mark, I’m a pediatrics doctor. I work with kids. Why would someone want to get me for that?”

“I don’t know,” replied Mark, looking from her to Steve. His son’s face held a determined look. “But we’re going to find out.”

~ ~ ~ ~