x
8:03pm
"There has to be something I've been missing…" Marlo thought out loud as she approached the board and continued to examine the documents and surveillance pictures of Ford.
"I don't think you'll find what you're missing on that board there, Cruz." Gail muttered under her breath, receiving a glare from Marlo.
"We should be out there like Diaz and everyone else." Nick stood up and began pacing. "Not cooped up in here."
"Speak for yourself, my name wasn't on the list. I'm a free woman." Gail smiled, sitting back in her chair.
"Then why don't you leave?" Marlo faced Officer Peck with her arms crossed. "You're not contributing to anything anyway except for my headache."
"I'm sure I can find some more pills to help with that."
"Just go." Nick breathed out, touching his forehead.
Gail sat for a moment, eyeing the other two officers before standing up. "Fine. You losers were boring me, anyway." She sighed as she left and headed toward the coffee table. Pulling out her phone, she dialed Holly's number. After a few rings, it went to voicemail.
"Hey, it's me. I was just wondering if you were, um… still around the station. I'll be stuck here for a few hours and… Give me a call or something. You know, if you want..." Gail paused, furrowing her brow and hanging up the phone. "I'm such an idiot." she mumbled to herself as she walked toward the locker rooms.
x
8:06pm
"I need to ask you again about Marcus." Tracy took a seat across Abe Ford in the interrogation room.
"That weekend I was up at my cabin with my brother." the man crossed his arms.
"Yes, you said that before." Tracy opened the envelope in front of her. "But what I don't understand is why you would be lying about where you were that weekend to protect your brother."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying we know it was you." Tracy deadpanned. "This whole time we were looking at your brother, and you let us believe it was him."
"You have no proof."
"We have two eye witnesses saying they didn't see anyone at the cabin the whole weekend and you just told us that your brother hates people that are child molesters… So why would he do it himself?" Tracy folded her hands. "Abe, it's over."
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Tracy stood up and opened it to find Kevin Ford standing in front of her. Before she could react, he cracked her in the face with the butt of his pistol.
"Kevin, what are you doing?" Abe stood up with his eyes wide open. "Why are you dressed like a cop? Why do you have a gun?"
Raising his hand, Kevin pointed the gun at his brothers head. His hand was steady and his eyes were cold as he looked down the barrel of the silencer. "You let them think it was me."
"Kevin, I can explain-"
Abe fell to the floor before he could finish his sentence. There was no bang, no echo, no sound other than the thud of his brothers lifeless body hitting the floor.
x
8:08pm
"McNally…"
"Don't." Andy stopped flipping through paperwork. "I'm not having this conversation with you right now…"
"Andy." Sam stared directly into her eyes before looking around the squad room. "Do you hear that?"
"Hear what?"
"Exactly." Sam whispered, looking behind him. There was no one else in the squad room with them, which wasn't unusual since nearly everyone was out rescuing Oliver and looking for Kevin Ford. What was unusual was that there wasn't any noise coming from booking where two drunk and disorderly's were being held. "Come on." he said, standing up from the desk. "I'll check on Tracy and you check out booking. Meet back here in 5."
x
8:09pm
"Holly, hi." Gail smiled. "What's up?"
"You called me, remember?" Holly chuckled into the phone.
"Right… I was just curious if you were still around and, uh, wanted to…"
"I was actually about to leave…"
"Oh, okay." Gail cleared her throat. "Nevermind then, just forget I-"
"But I haven't left yet." Holly interrupted. "I guess I can let you buy me a cup of 15 Division coffee."
"It's free." Gail rolled her eyes.
"Even better for you, then."
Gail bit her lip as she ended the call and looked into the mirror in her locker, fixing the stray strand of hair behind her ear.
x
8:10pm
"Hello?" Andy called down the hall. As she approached the booking area, she saw a man sticking out from behind the desk. Running up to the fallen officer, she checked his pulse, but found none. Standing up and drawing her gun, she looked over to the cell and saw two more lifeless bodies on the floor.
Reaching into her pocket, Andy searched for her phone. "Damn it." she scolded herself as she remembered she had left it in the squad room. Picking up the desk phone, she didn't hear a dial tone, so she decided to find Sam on her own.
x
8:11pm
"Tracy?" Sam opened the door to the interrogation room. When he saw Detective Nash and Abe Ford laying on the floor, he rushed to check their pulses. "Thank god." he sighed as he felt a steady pulse on Tracy's neck. Standing up and pulling out his phone, he dialed Andy's number. "Come on, McNally…" he mumbled impatiently. After a few rings, Sam shoved his phone in his pocket and turned to leave.
"Hello, Officer Swarck."
x
8:13pm
Resting her back against the wall, Andy took a deep breath before turning the corner with her gun drawn. She quickly noticed one of the doors to an interrogation room was propped open by something. Andy holstered her gun and ran toward the door.
"Sam!" Andy crotched down, touching one hand to Sam's face and the other to his abdomen.
"He's… He's here."
"Shh…" Andy whispered, putting pressure on Sam's wound. "Don't talk."
"You… You need to find him." Sam grabbed Andy's hand and sat up slightly. "Find him."
Tears started to fall down Andy's face. "I'm not leaving you."
8:14pm
Kevin Ford began making his way through the empty squad room. He heard faint voices toward the detectives offices. One of them made his blood burn with hatred. Gripping the pistol harder, he marched hard in the direction of the voices.
Rounding into the doorway, Kevin watched Nick and Marlo discuss his case for a moment before his presence was known. Nick stood up and got Marlo's attention.
"Mr. Ford…" Nick addressed the man calmly, placing his hand on his sidearm.
"Shut up." Kevin lifted his gun toward Nick.
Nick moved his hand and put both in the air. "Alright… Alright."
"Officer Cruz." Kevin's eyes met Marlo's. "I told you to leave me alone." he seethed.
"We know you're innocent." Nick tried to get Kevin's attention. "We know you didn't do anything to Marcus."
Suddenly, Nick fell to the floor. Blood began pouring from a single gunshot wound to his head. Marlo let out a gasp.
"In my defense…" Kevin sighed, pointing the gun in Marlo's direction. "I told him to shut up."
"What do you want?" Marlo asked, hands raised.
"I want you all to leave me alone."
"You just shot a cop. You're not getting out of this alive."
"Neither are you." Kevin pulled the trigger. click. He pulled the trigger again. click.
Realizing the man was out of bullets, Marlo hurried toward Nick's body for his gun. However, Kevin had the same idea. Knocking the gun away from Marlo, Kevin pinned her to the ground and wrapped his hands around her throat. He squeezed harder and harder until finally, Marlo stopped struggling.
x
8:17pm
Gail tapped her fingers on the coffee cup as she paced back and forth, waiting for Holly. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of something down the hallway.
"Holly?" she called out, walking toward the corridor. Suddenly, a man appeared at the far end.
"Hello, Officer…" he began. "I'm sorry, I don't know your name."
"Peck." she replied, studying the man. "Officer Gail Peck. What's yours?"
"Kevin."
"What do you have there, Kevin?" Gail sat her coffee cup down and slowly entered the hallway.
"Stop." Kevin brought the gun up and pointed it at Gail. "Don't come any closer."
"Okay." Gail nodded.
"Put your gun on the ground." he ordered. "And kick it to me."
Gail shook her head.
"Do it, or I'll kill you."
"Alright." Gail showed Kevin her palms as she reached for her gun. Lowering it to the ground, Gail placed it on the floor.
Suddenly, Holly turned the corner. "There you-"
"Holly, get back!" Gail tried to yell, but it was too late. Kevin had already seen her and aimed his gun. "No!" she lunged toward Holly.
*bang*
Gail and Holly crashed to the floor just beyond the corner.
*bang*
*bang*
*bang*
Gail held Holly down until there was silence again. Rolling to her side, Gail threw her head back and took a deep breath. They were safe.
"Gail…" Holly came into view.
Locking eyes with her, Gail smiled.
"Gail…" Holly whispered again.
"Yeah?" she breathed out.
Holly brought her hand up to Gail's cheek. It was shaking and covered in blood. "You're hit."
Lifting her head up, Gail looked down her torso. "What?" She couldn't see the wound. All she saw was blood. "Shit."
"Gail… Why did you do that?" Holly scolded. "Are you crazy?"
Gail rested her head back on the floor. "Holly… I-I…"
"Don't you dare say it's because you're a police officer."
"I didn't do it because I'm a cop…" Gail folded her lips and winced at the pain she was beginning to feel. "I did it because… I didn't want it to be you."
Their eyes locked for a moment before Holly heard footsteps coming closer. Moving her body over Gail's, Holly braced herself.
"Are you guys… Oh my god, Peck?!" Andy rushed to Gail's side. "You're shot!"
"Again… With the impressive… detective work, Officer McNally…" Gail managed to say.
Andy ignored Gail's comment and grabbed Holly's wrists. "You… You need to hold your hands here…" she said, placing them on Gail's wound. "Don't let up. I'm going to get help."
"Holly…" Gail sighed. "Her name's Holly."
Andy paused briefly and nodded to Holly before looking back at Gail. "I'll be right back."
Lifting her head up and glancing down at her abdomen, Gail took another deep breath. "Holly, you need to know that I-I…"
"Shh…" Holly tried to stop Gail from talking. "We'll have all the time to talk when we get you to the hospital, okay?"
"In case I-I…" Gail swallowed hard. "If I don't-"
Holly leaned down and kissed Gail. Breaking away, she looked directly into Gail's eyes. "I'm sorry…" she sighed, a small smile on her face. "But you just needed to stop talking."
xxxx
*Edit* Thank you all for so many great reviews! However, a lot of you are asking me to continue this story. I'm sorry to inform you that this is it. I love you all for the reviews and messages, though! If you aren't satisfied that this is the ending, just imagine this is the story Holly tells their children of how Mom saved her and they started dating, got married, bought a house, had children, and all that fun fluffy stuff that I don't write. ;)