Show: Homicide: Life on the Street
Title: Can't Live a Day
Author: Nubiangeek
Summary: Munch finds his one true love.     


John Munch was having his third cup of coffee that morning.  God,  he hated coffee.  He and his partner,  Bolander, were working on a murder that involved stolen jewels.
    Robert Murphy  - they had been tracking him for weeks now.  He always managed to elude their capture.
    They had received a tip that Robert Murphy was holed up in a motel room.  Munch and Bolander prepared to go and raid the hotel room.
    It was routine when they stormed onto the property of the Red Spot Motel.  They were headed to number sixteen.
    Bolander knocked on the door.
    "Baltimore police.  Robert Murphy,  we have a warrant for your arrest.  Open the door or we'll break it in."
    They waited only a few seconds before breaking the door in.
    What happened next happened very quickly.  As the door was kicked in,  there was a scream.  Munch saw a woman move toward one of the beds where there was a little boy.  She pulled him to the floor.
    The police officers' guns were drawn and the woman and child were screaming.  
    Munch jumped in front of them.
    "Hold your fire.  Put your weapons away."
     The woman was still screaming as she held the little boy.
    "It's okay."  Munch went to her and tried to calm her.
   "Get out, all of you."  Munch yelled.
    "They're gone now.  You're okay."  Munch spoke softly to the woman.  She was beginning to calm down.
    Munch was finally able to pick them up off of the floor and seat them on the bed.
    When Munch finally got her calm,  he was able to find out why the woman was there.
   "We're having our house painted.  I'm allergic to paint."
    So, from what Munch could gather,  the perp had checked out before this woman and her son had checked in.
    After such a huge mistake on their part,  Munch expected the woman to be upset,  but what he found was that she was very understanding.
    "I understand.  You were just doing your job."  She looked at the detective sitting before her.  He was speaking very softly to her.  He was no doubt trying to help her calm down.  She was fine now that she realized that her life and the life of her child were no longer in danger.
    Munch felt truly sorry for the mistake and he told her this.
    "Here's my card if you need anything."  He didn't know what had made him give her his card.  Of course,  she wouldn't call,  he thought.
   Before he left,  Munch made sure that the motel manager gave the woman another room - one with a locking door.
    Leslie Rhinehart and her son Ian had found themselves in the middle of a nightmare.
    Leslie had been sound asleep when she heard her motel door come crashing in.  As the people rushed into her room,  she thought for sure that she heard them identify themselves as police officers which made her feel a little better.  The next thing that she knew,  John Munch was sitting next to her on the bed.
    The first thing that she noticed about him was his voice.  His soft, smooth voice was very appealing.  The next thing that she knew was that he was giving her his card.
    Back at the precinct,  Munch thought about the encounter that he had just had with Leslie Rhinehart.
    One thing that Munch knew was women.  Let's face it.  He had enough experience.  But,  he had never faced anything like this before.
    He didn't know how to explain it.  Since he had returned to the station,  he couldn't stop thinking about her.
    He wondered about the card he had given her.  Did she throw it away as soon as he left?  Would she call him?  He couldn't stop thinking about that card.
    "Munch - Munch."
    Bolander attempted to capture Munch's attention.
    "What?"  Munch asked.
    "You know,  you've been acting strange ever since we came back."
    Munch didn't want to mention it, but Bolander was right.
************************************************************************
    When Munch finally got off work and headed for home,  he continued thinking about that card.  He was still thinking about the card as he drifted off to sleep.  Suddenly,  the phone rang.
    "John."  It was she.  Munch quickly cleared his throat.
    "Uh - hi. I - uh - didn't think you'd call."
    Leslie suddenly got nervous.
    "I thought - you gave me the card."
    Stupid, John, you almost blew it.
    "No,  I really wanted you to call."  He couldn't see her,  but Leslie was smiling.
    "I was wondering.  Would you like to have dinner uh - with me?"  This time it was he that was smiling.
    "Yeah,  I'd like that."
************************************************************************
    Robert Murphy staked out The Red Spot Motel.  He was hoping that the police had given up staking out The Red Spot.  The truth was, he hadn't checked into the Red Spot because he needed a place to stay.
    He got out of the car and approached room sixteen.  He had been watching, so he knew that number sixteen was unoccupied.  In fact, the proprietor hadn't even fixed the lock.
    He looked around.  There was no one in sight.  He slipped into the room.  He left the light off and used the flashlight that he had brought along.
  He went straight to the bathroom.  Behind the toilet, he lifted a square of tile which revealed an area where the exposed pipe could be seen.  He reached in and felt around.  Frantically he pointed the flashlight into the hole.
    "Damn!"  He cursed.
************************************************************************
    Leslie and John had a wonderful meal.  Even though he was nervous,  he tried to sound halfway intelligent.
    What he had found out about her so far as that she was a third grade teacher and that there was no Mr. Rhinehart.  Her husband had died three years earlier.  She talked about her son Ian and how great he was.
    After giving this much information about herself,  she demanded that John talk.
    The only thing that he had to share was that he had been married twice - which might not have been the best thing to share.
    After dinner,  Munch took Leslie for a carriage ride downtown.  He felt really good as he held her hand.  He squeezed it as their eyes met.  Leslie smiled nervously,  but John's face held a more serious gaze.
    He leaned over and kissed her lightly.  He pulled back to gaze once again into her beautiful face.  His fingers lightly traced the curve of her cheek as he moved in once again to claim her lovely lips.
    This kiss was a bit longer,  but before they realized it,  the carriage ride was over.
    On the way home, they were both thinking about the kiss.  Leslie was glad that Ian was at home with the baby-sitter.  It would give her the excuse that she needed.
    At her doorstep,  she stopped him.
   "I had a wonderful time."  He could tell that she was not going to invite him in.
    This moment was always very awkward.  Munch was looking directly into her eyes now.  There was so much that he wanted to say,  but his mind went blank.  So,  he simply leaned forward and kissed her passionately on the lips.
    Leslie knew what was meant now when someone said that their breath was taken away.
    "I-I need to get inside.  The baby-sitter needs to get home."
    He knew that she was avoiding having him come in.  He knew that he wouldn't be able to trust himself.  Maybe that's what she was afraid of.
    "Can I see you again?"  John asked softly.  Leslie found that she could barely speak.  She swallowed hard and then nodded.
   "I'd like that."
    She had given him her telephone number.
    "I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"
************************************************************************
    "Okay Murphy boy,  where's the rock?" Murphy didn't have an answer except that the diamond was missing.
    "When I went back for it, it was gone.  That girl.  It must have been that girl.  She took the diamond."  He knew that it was a lame excuse.
    "Then you'd better get it back or your life ain't worth spit."
************************************************************************
    Munch felt differently as he walked into the station the next day.  Even Pembleton and Bayliss' arguing didn't bother him.  
   "So,  Munch how was your date last night?"  Munch was barely listening.
   "Huh?  Oh,  it was nice."  Bolander knew that something was wrong.  Munch was usually bragging about his conquests - so much so that Bolander usually had to tell him to shut up.
    "Well, aren't you going to tell me how great the sex was?"
    Again John was barely listening.
    "What?  I didn't have sex with her.  She's not like that.  She's a lady."  Bolander looked at him in disbelief.  This was not the Munch that he knew.  Something was up.
    Munch's phone rang.
    "Munch."  He answered.
    "John something's happened.  I need you."    
   Munch was off like a shot and Bolander was right behind him.
    When they arrived at Leslie's apartment, the door had been kicked in and Leslie's living room was a mess.
    Munch had not ever been in Leslie's apartment.  She had taken a taxi to the restaurant.  Being the mother of a young son,  she was always careful when she went out.

    From what Munch could tell,  Leslie had some beautiful things that were now destroyed.
   "Leslie!"  He called to her.  He could hear her crying upstairs.  Munch took the stairs two at a time.  He found her hiding in the bedroom.  He went to her immediately and held her.
    "Where's Ian?"  John asked frantically.
    "He's at school.  We didn't have school today,  so I went back to bed after seeing him off."
    By this time,  Bolander had joined them upstairs.
    "Munch, can I see you?"  John looked at her to make sure that she would be alright and then went over to join Bolander.
    "I don't think anything was stolen.  They were looking for something."  Munch didn't like what Bolander was implying.
     "What are you saying, Stanley?"  Bolander didn't like where this was going.  He knew that Munch had feelings for this girl.
    "I think that she took the diamond and Murphy came looking for it."  Munch went to slap Bolander,  but stopped short.  He wanted to think that Leslie was innocent,  but couldn't argue with Bolander's logic.  He went back over to talk to Leslie.
    "Leslie, I have to ask you some questions."  She looked as if this was okay.
    "My partner says that it doesn't look like they took anything."  Leslie seemed relieved,  but that could be an act.
   "Mrs. Altoni walks her dog every morning at 9:00.  I figured that she must have scared them away.  They must have seen me get Ian off to school, and thought that I was gone, too.  They left before they came up here."
     She seemed to be telling the truth,  but there was no way that Munch could trust his feelings at this time.  Leslie noticed the pause in his questioning.
   "What?  You don't think I'm lying,  do you?"  she asked.
   Munch couldn't answer.
   "John, I don't understand.  What could they be looking for?"
   Again John paused,  but went ahead to answer.
   "This guy Murphy,  the one we were after when we kicked your motel door in was also wanted for jewel  theft."
************************************************************************
    When Leslie and Munch picked Ian up that day from school,  the boy was understandably confused.
    "Mr. John, it's not that I don't like you or anything,  but I like my old room."
    Munch knelt down so that he was on eye-level with the boy.
    "I know my room isn't as nice as the one your mom has for you back at home,  but this will only be for a little while.  Okay?"
    The little boy relented.  He had come to really like this man that he called 'Mr. John'.
    Leslie watched the two of them together.  She felt sorry for the little boy without a father.  But,  she was also very fearful of Ian getting really close to someone she was dating.  This time,  it couldn't be helped.
    Ian went to check out his new room while Leslie went over and kissed Munch on the cheek.
    "What was that for?"
    He wasn't complaining;  he was just asking.
    "For being kind to a little boy who has been through a lot."  She then moved forward and kissed him passionately.
    Munch could barely control himself.  He wanted her.
     Leslie could tell the way his eyes went smokey exactly what he was thinking.
    "John,  I'm not ready for an intimate relationship."
    All he could do was step back and look at her.  She was probably the most perfect woman for him to come along, and she didn't want to have sex with him.  He felt as if he were being punished.
    As if she were reading his mind,  she said, "It's not you John,  it's me.  It's the whole situation.  It's everything."  They sat down as Leslie explained.
     "Only once since my husband died did I ever get really close to another man.  It ended disastrously.  I was okay,  but,  Ian was devastated.  He had begun looking at the guy as a substitute 'daddy'.  I swore I'd never do that to him again.  I want us to be absolutely sure of our feelings, first.  With this whole diamond thing,  I'm not sure if we're right for each other or that we weren't simply thrown together."  She was right even if he didn't want to admit it.
    "So, what you're saying is that we should wait until this whole thing is over to see if we really belong together?"  He was hoping that she would still want to see him when the whole thing was over.
    "That's exactly what I mean."  She kissed him lightly and he simply held her.  He didn't want to lose her.  He knew that he was falling in love with her,  but he didn't want to admit it.
      The next day,  Munch dropped Ian off at school and then drove Leslie to her school.  When he arrived at the precinct,  Bolander noticed that Munch looked down.
     "Hey,  she must have refused to have sex with you again."  Munch shot Bolander a murderous look.  Bolander,  who really hadn't really meant anything by it,  saw that Munch was quite serious.
     "Hey,  you really have feelings for her, don't you?"  Munch hesitated,  but his hesitation actually said a lot.
    "You do have feelings for her."  
************************************************************************
    The man in the car observed the playground.  He spotted the kid playing kickball.  He had the picture and checked to make sure that it was the right kid.  The trick was going to be getting him.  He was sure that someone had probably told the kid not to talk to strangers,  but he had a plan that he thought might work.
    He got out of the car and approached the teacher on the playground.  He showed her a badge.
    "My name is detective Myers.  I was sent here by Detective Munch to get Ian.  His mom has been hurt."  The teacher,  who knew Leslie as a fellow teacher,  was immediately sympathetic.  She practically handed the boy over to him.
************************************************************************
     "John.  Ian is gone.  He's been kidnapped."  Leslie was frantic.  She had wanted to keep Ian home until everything had blown over,  but he had insisted on going.
    On the way over to the school,  Munch filled Bolander in on the situation.
     "Someone posed as a detective from our precinct.  He even said that he was a friend of mine.  He told Ian that his mom was hurt."  Munch was really upset.
     "Admit it.  You're in love with her."  Munch looked as if he was going to cry.
      "Yeah.  I'm in love with her.  I've never felt this way before."  Bolander wanted to laugh,  but he knew that Munch was serious.
     When they arrived at the school, Munch immediately found Leslie and held her.  The uniform cop was getting a description from the teacher from the playground. But,  other than that,  there was nothing else to do.  
     "Bolander, I'm going to take Leslie home."  Bolander just nodded in response.
      When they arrived at Munch's apartment,  John suggested that she lie down and she took him up on it.  He had told Bolander that if there were any news for him to call.  Now,  he waited for a phone call.  He thought about Leslie and Ian.  He was beginning to think of them as his family.  Every time he thought about it,  he wanted to put the thought out of his mind.
      He reflected on his first two marriages.  Each of them had ended in disaster.  He certainly didn't want that to happen here.  He had been lucky with the first two marriages,  neither one of them involved a child.  This was breaking his heart.
      He walked to the door of the bedroom and watched her sleeping.  She was so beautiful.  He tried to wade through his feelings.  Was she really different from the other women?  Was he really in love with her?  He didn't know.  He didn't know.
     The next morning,  Leslie came into the kitchen to find John already there.  He had made coffee and was attempting to make breakfast.
    "Do you like your eggs scrambled or scrambled?"  he asked jokingly.
    She smiled and came over and kissed him on the cheek.  He shuddered.
    "John,  why did they take him?  I don't have the diamond.  Why are they so sure that I still have it?"  She was looking directly into his eyes.  He had a hard time looking at her now.
   "I don't know.  For some reason, he thinks that you have it."
     Leslie's eyes went blank.
     "Oh no. . . "  Leslie ran into the guest room and started rummaging through the things that Ian had brought with him.  One of the things he brought was a stuffed bear that his father had given him.  Leslie began squeezing the bear.  She enlarged a little hole that Ian must have sewn.  Out came a diamond.  She turned to find John standing behind her.
     "It was Ian that took it from that hotel room."  She stood and dropped the diamond in John's hand.
************************************************************************
    "Hey Mister,  I'm gonna sue you! My mom's boyfriend is a cop and he'll arrest you and you're gonna rot in jail."
     Murphy definitely had a headache and frantically looked for the aspirin.
     Ian was now singing at the top of his lungs.  Murphy had already questioned the boy to see if he knew where his mom had the diamond.  Ian just laughed.
    "Hey Mister,  I want some food!  Fooooooooood!"  Ian was being a holy terror.
    "Look kid.  I'll go and get some food if you'll be quiet."  Murphy grabbed his keys and headed out the door.  He locked the door from the outside and went to get food.
    Ian went to work.
    "I don't watch educational T.V. for nothing." He said.  He looked around the room for a moment and spied a thin magazine.  He slid the magazine under the door and stuck a pencil through the keyhole and the key dropped onto the magazine.  Ian pulled the magazine back into the room.
    "Bingo."  Ian was gone in a flash.
************************************************************************
    There was a knock on John's apartment door.
     "It's probably Bolander."  John went to open the door and quite surprised at what he found.
     "Mom!"  Ian ran over to his mother and jumped into her arms.  Leslie was surprised to say the least.
     "Oh,  hi Mr. John."  John was surprised and very happy.
************************************************************************
     John called in to the precinct and they went to the address that Ian had given him.  Murphy was apprehended.
     Ian was with the baby-sitter,  while Leslie and John had a quiet night alone together.
      "John,  I want you to make love to me."  He wasn't expecting that,  but he was happy about it.
    John was waiting for her in bed.  She had told him that she had not been with anyone in over a year  not since the one relationship that she had told him about.  He knew that she was nervous.  He didn't want to scare her.
     Leslie was in the bathroom changing into a negligee.  She was nervous.  She could tell that the really liked sex.  Would he like her?
     Leslie came out of the bathroom.  John looked at her.  She was wearing a sexy nightgown.  Her hair was down and she was beautiful.
     "Oh. . . "  He said softly.  She was still nervous,  but she loved him.  She wasn't sure until just this moment.
    Leslie walked over and sat on the edge of the bed.  She leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the lips.  John just sat there at first not knowing what to do.  As Leslie deepened the kiss,  he could no longer take it.  John wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.  He moaned as she opened her mouth allowing him to stick her tongue in his mouth.
    He slipped the strap of her negligee down as he caressed her.  She was so soft,  oh, so soft,  and she smelled good.  She slipped his glasses off and placed them on the side table.  She had to lean across him to do it.  He moaned again as her breasts rubbed against him.
    She ran her fingers through his hair as she continued kissing him.  He couldn't stand it any longer.  He lifted the negligee over her head.  She was now naked before him as he took in her beauty.
    "I want to undress you."  She said softly.  He was shaking as she unbuttoned his pajama top.  She continued kissing him as he stood up so that she could take off the bottoms.  He was breathing hard now with the anticipation.
    They were both naked now as they fell to the bed.  This time,  John was on top of her as he continued kissing her mouth.  His hands moved freely over her body caressing every curve.  Her hands were moving as well.  He was thin,  but she enjoyed touching him.  Her touch sent waves through him that he had never felt before.
    They made love.  It was soft and sweet and wonderful.  As they each reached that beautiful release,  John felt pure joy.  It was unlike anything he had ever felt before.  He was truly in love with this woman.
     As they lay there afterwards, he held her and stroked her hair.  He thought that she was asleep when he said, "I love you," ever so softly.  Leslie, who was indeed awake, smiled and looked up at him.
     "I love you,  too."  He looked at her in disbelief.
     "Are you sure?"  She thought that his disbelief was very amusing.
      "Yes,  I am sure."  He pulled her closer as he thought about how funny life can be sometimes.  Over a week ago he didn't even know Leslie Rhinehart,  and now he was head over heels in love with her.  Funny.