A/NFirst of all profuse apologies for not finishing my first fic "Worth Waiting For". I hated the last chapter I wrote and then in an attempt to rescue it I had what I like to call 'idea-diarrhoea' (lots of them - all utter shit!). So now I return with a new story about my two favourite boys because all the Lewis/Hobson stuff isn't really my cup of tea. I hope you enjoy it and I'm determined to finsh it this time.
Summary - Lewis/Hathaway. After a burst pipe ruins his flat James calls his boss for help but how long can Hathaway keep it all together before it all gets too much.
Disclaimer:The characters of Lewis do not belong to me. I make no money from this. Reviews would be appreciated.
Chapter One - That Sinking Feeling.
Lewis didn't have that feeling most people get when the phone rings in the early hours of the morning. He didn't worry that a family member had died or someone close to him had been in an accident. He was used to being called at all hours. It was part of the job. That day when he got the call about Val it completely blindsided him.
These days it was almost always be Hathaway on the other end of the phone. Someone had died or someone had had a terrible accident but it was never anyone he knew. There was just an address, a field, a riverbank, an abandoned garage or some corner of a disused car park and an investigation to start.
So Lewis wasn't perturbed by the call at nearly 5am and as expected the screen on the phone told him that it was Hathaway so he sat up in bed, switched on the light and got his notebook ready before answering.
"Good Morning Sergeant!" He said with mock cheerfulness "How are you this fine Sunday morning?"
"In crisis" James replied, his voice sounded frantic and angry "I need you to come to mine as quick as you can. Can you bring suitcases and bags and bin liners, lots of bin liners?"
"What's happened?" Lewis asked but he could hear Hathaway talking to someone else and then a loud crash.
"You better get here quick, that was my kitchen ceiling."
It didn't take long for Lewis to get dressed, retrieve the suitcases from on top of the wardrobe in the spare room. At that time of the morning the traffic was non-existent and he was driving into Hathaway's road within 20 minutes of the call. As he parked up he could see the commotion. The asian family who lived above James were standing on the pavement apart from Mr Sharma who along with James was carrying a sofa out on to the driveway.
Lewis got to work straightaway. Hauling Hathaway's and the Sharma family's worldly goods outside. The water was about waste deep in Hathaway's flat, the culprit was a burst water pipe between the two flats. Anything left in there was ruined by now but Hathaway hadn't yet admitted that to himself yet and was trying to retrieve books, records and sheet music that was floating on the surface of the water.
Someone over the road brought tea out to them all and finally James sat down on the wall in front of the property. A sea of possessions lay behind him on the driveway and beyond that was what seemed to him to be a small ocean in what was his pristine and well kept abode. He sighed loudly as Mrs Sharma draped a blanket over his shoulders as he sat there dripping wet to keep him warm as dawn broke and the cool February air started to bite. Lewis sat on the wall too and Mrs Sharma did provided another blanket.
"Thanks" said Lewis and then he turned to his colleague "Did you get your warrant card and security pass out?"
"Yeah, they're safe. I locked them in the car before the trickle turned into a torrent. I got my guitar out too but..." James paused and looked over his shoulder "It's all ruined, isn't it?"
"Yep, pretty much. We'll pack up what we can and then go to mine, you can stay there, call the insurance and we'll get ourselves warm and dry, eh?"
"I suppose" James replied and smiled weakly "Do the Sharma's have somewhere to go?"
Lewis nodded and then they sat in silence drinking tea until a few minutes later when the Sharma's extended family arrived bring with them tea and breakfast and a small army of people just as willing to help Hathaway and Lewis as they too were members of the family.
After awhile, as all the neighbours in street began to wake and come outside to see the drama a strange change in atmosphere occurred. It took on more than a slight social gathering feel to it. People stood around and joked and talked as if this was a summer barbeque in someone's back garden. Of course everyone offered to help but James and the Sharma's knew that really they were all well meant empty gestures.
The reason they called the people they called when it first happened was that they knew these would be the people to whom helping out wouldn't be a burden. Lewis was to Hathaway what the extended family was to the Sharma's. They were the people you can count on and the people who, if the situation was the other way around, you'd do exactly the same for them.
It was nearly 9am when Lewis and Hathaway got into their cars, the heating on full blast and every available crevice of both vehicles brimming with James' belongings. They waved to the Sharma's and gave them their best wishes but as he drove away James had that sinking feeling you get when you know you're never going to see someone again.