"Why is it always us that has to question a suspect and bring them in if we need to?" complained Colby as he navigated the streets of downtown Los Angeles,
"Because we're the junior Agents on the team and you know how it goes the rookies or juniors do the jobs no one else wants" replied David,
"This just sucks" grouched Colby,
"What's up with you? You don't normally act like this when we go to talk to a suspect" asked David as he turned in his seat to give Colby a look that said 'I want an answer and there is no way you're getting out of it'.
"I'm just tried and you know how I am when I'm tired" sighed Colby,
"Don't I ever" muttered David. Colby glared at him and David just shrugged while smirking at him.
Colby stopped the car and as he got out said "well lets go talk to Jimmy Hollis and I just hope he doesn't decide to run"
"Well if he does I wouldn't want to be him with you in the mood that you are"
"Thanks David" said Colby his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"It's ok" smirked David.
They walked in step towards a man in his mid-twenties that was walking out of his apartment building towards his car.
"Jimmy Hollis?" asked David,
Jimmy looked around and replied "who wants to know?"
"FBI" said Colby as he held up his badge; it only took a second before Jimmy took off running in the opposite direction.
"Oh come on! Really?!" grouched Colby as he ran after Jimmy, after seeing the direction Jimmy was going David went down an alley to cut Jimmy off with Colby quickly gaining on Jimmy.
As he ran down the alley David heard Colby yell angrily "Hollis stop!" David snickered to himself as he ran, Jimmy wasn't improving Colby's mood. If Don or Megan was here he would bet twenty bucks that Colby would 'accidentally' push Jimmy into a wall. David knew that by the time he reached Jimmy Colby would have already caught him, but he then heard a series of gun shots, this made him sprint harder towards the alley that he heard the gunshots come from, knowing that Jimmy must have opened fired on Colby. He neared the corner to see Jimmy trying to crawl away with a gunshot wound in each leg. David chuckled to himself now Colby was really annoyed, David cuffed Jimmy radioing dispatch, he looked towards the entrance of the alley and called out "Colby?"
"Here" replied Colby, David walked the corner of the alley entrance to see Colby slowly making his way towards him.
"I know you're tried but you never let a guy get enough distance between you for me to have to cuff him" said David jokingly,
"Hmm" replied Colby, David looked closer to see Colby favouring his left side.
"Colby what's up with your left side?"
Colby looked at David with a dazed look, he dropped his right arm away from his left side and David could see Colby's right hand was covered in blood and the left side of Colby's shirt had a growing red patch on it. Colby staggered to his right and leaned against the wall and began to slide down it unable to hold himself up.
"Colby!" exclaimed David as he surged forward and helped ease Colby into a sitting position leaning against the wall. David pulled off his jacket and scrunched it against Colby's wound, Colby hissed in pain and tried to move away.
"I'm sorry Colb but you know I gotta do it" comforted David, he then radioed for help and ignored Jimmy's calls for assistance, David had something more important to worry about. His best friend's life.
"Di – did you…get him?" panted Colby,
"Yeah I got him; I can't believe you shot both his legs!"
"Shouldn't…have been…running away a – an – and shooting at…me"
"Remind me never to annoy you when you're tired again"
"I'm…tired…now" whispered Colby as his eyes began to slide shut.
"Nonono!" chanted David as he leaned closer to Colby, "you gotta stay awake!"
"Hard" said Colby as he opened his eyes to half slits to look at David.
"I don't care Granger! You have to stay awake!" David urgently replied as he pushed the jacket harder against Colby's wound. "Where is that damn ambulance?!"
"They'll…get here…when they…get here" murmured Colby,
David looked sharply at Colby and only just managed to stop himself from saying 'but you don't have a lot of time before you bleed out Colby' and instead replied "well I'm impatient"
"Don't I…know…it" Colby tried to laugh but ended up coughing and it took a little while for him to catch his breath but his face had drained of what little colour it had.
David felt hope surge through him when he heard the distant sound of sirens, but the hope soon vanished when Colby's eyes slid shut and he slumped to the side.
David held him up while desperately trying to get Colby to reopen his eyes. "Colby! Stay with me! Come on open your eyes! Colby!"
~ Ten days later ~
David walked into the hospital ward where Colby had been for the past ten days since getting shot, he smiled when he walked into Colby's room to see Colby sat on his bed, jacket on and bag packed next to him on the bed.
"Guess I don't need to ask if you're ready to go" he commented,
"Where have you been?" demanded Colby,
"Huh?" asked a confused David,
"You're late" replied a frustrated Colby,
David checked his watch and the clock in the room, "its four o'clock and I said I'd pick you up at four"
"Well whenever you say a time you always arrive five minutes earlier so really you're late"
"Jeez anyone would think you didn't like it here"
"Would you? Getting poked and prodded at all hours of the day or night and not getting any decent food!"
"Well I'm here now so let's go"
Colby didn't need telling twice and was up on his feet, but jumped off the bed to quick and jarred his side causing him to grimace and hold his side. David quickly walked over and placed a hand on Colby's shoulder, "you sure you're ready to leave?"
"I'm getting out of here" confirmed Colby; he went to grab his bag but was beaten by David, "I can carry my own bag"
"Just humour me and anyway the nurses would kill me if they saw me letting you carry your bag out of here"
Colby just grunted and followed David out, once they reached the outside Colby raised his arms and exclaimed "freedom!" he looked sheepish when he caught sight of the look David was giving him with raised eyebrows. "Too much?" asked Colby,
David just shook his head and got in the car with Colby climbing in after him. Five minutes of comfortable silence was broken when Colby asked "what happened to Jimmy Hollis?"
Immediately David tightened his grip on the steering wheel and didn't answer.
"David?" asked Colby as he sat up to look at his friend, "you didn't do anything stupid did you?"
"No. Don dealt with him while I was with you at the hospital"
"Good" sighed Colby in relief,
"Good?"
"Yeah good, I don't want you risking your job because you've gone after some guy who shot me"
"That 'some guy' almost killed you Colby! What was I supposed to do? Just say and do nothing?" spat David,
"Yes David, I admit it doesn't seem fair, I'd feel the same way if he had shot you, but the rules are there for a reason. And I wouldn't want you to lose your job because of me"
"Colby" said David exasperated "you're my partner and best friend, if someone messes with you they have to deal with me and if I was to lose my job for whatever reason I wouldn't care if was about beating up some guy who shot you"
"Awww I love you to honey" joked Colby, as a way of driving the conversation away from the serious tone of the subject he knew that was upsetting David,
David caught onto what Colby was doing "yay you finally caught on!" laughed David, but he knew besides the joking Colby was saying thanks. "So I'll take you back to your place-"
"No!"
"Huh?" asked David as he shot Colby a confused look,
"We need to get pizza! I haven't had any decent food in ten days and I intend to celebrate eating normal food again with pizza!" exclaimed Colby,
David laughed, "Pizza takeout it is then", he and Colby made the rest of the journey joking and laughing as they always did.