Disclaimer: I own nothing and only borrowed the characters for a little while.
Author's Note: With the uncertainty of Unforgettable's future, I've written a scene that ties up the series to my romantic satisfaction.
Time moved slowly.
There was so much blood.
"Come on Al. Stay awake. Stay with me."
Pressing down on the wound, she could hear the sirens getting closer.
"You hear that Al? The ambulance is coming - it's gonna be okay."
His eyes fluttered closed.
"No, no, no. Don't leave me. I need you. Stay with me Al!"
The ambulance arrived and she was pushed to the side. Grasping at his hand, she refused to let go as they pushed him into the waiting van.
"Ma'am..."
"I'm his partner, I'm coming with you." Her tone brooked no argument.
Stay with me Al.
The sirens pealed and lights flashed.
Don't leave me.
The doors of the emergency department flew open and medical personnel rushed forward.
I need you.
"Ma'am, we've got it from here."
I love you.
Her hand slipped from his as he disappeared from sight and she couldn't fight the sinking feeling that it would be the last time she saw him.
Always have, always will...
Carrie couldn't stop the tears that ran down her cheeks.
"Ah, excuse me ma'am, but we need to..."
She turned on the young intern. "Don't touch me!"
"Carrie?" She vaguely recognised the voice on the edge of her grief.
"Carrie?" The same voice repeated softly. "Look at me."
Her vision cleared as the familiar face of Delina came into sight.
She broke. "Al is... He's... " She gestured wildly at the doors he had disappeared through.
"I know." Steady hands rested on her shoulders. "And he's in good hands with an incredible team working on him." The calm voice helped regulate her breathing. "And in the meantime we need to get you checked out."
"There's nothing wrong with me."
"Carrie, you have blood on you."
"It's not mine. It's A... Oh God." She slid down a wall, head buried in her hands. "Oh God."
"Carrie..."
"I want an armed presence here immediately." The commanding voice carried across the room. "Detective Wells, pull yourself together. We have a crime to solve."
Carrie looked unseeingly at the figure of Captain Sandra Russo stood before her.
"It's time for your memory to put a stop to this."
She reached out a hand and Carrie obediently grasped it and was pulled upright.
"I can't leave him..."
"Don't worry, you're staying right here."
Shell shocked, she allowed herself to be ushered into a small room and urged to sit down.
She barely saw Jay and Denny setting up the camera as Russo entered her line of sight once again, dropping down to her eye level.
"I know that this is an exceedingly difficult time for you at the moment, but the quicker we get the whole story from you, the quicker we can nail the bastard that shot Al."
She struggled to breathe. She couldn't do it. She couldn't treat this like any other case. This was her partner fighting for his life and she was supposed to...
"We need to do it. For Al."
For Al.
It took several deep breaths for her to grasp some semblance of control over her emotions. Taking strength from her grip on the arms of the chair, she entered her memory.
When she looked at the camera, they all recognised the familiar glint in her eye.
"My name is Detective Carrie Wells and on 20 October 2006, without my knowledge or consent, I was part of a mind control experiment delivered by Doctor Whyte under orders of Brian Fenton..."
Seconds turned to minutes turned to hours.
Unable to sit still, Carrie paced the short length of the room. Her attention flew to the door each time it opened, heart stuck in her throat, but still there was no update.
Gnawing at her nails, she commenced pacing once again.
She spared a glance at the clock, ignoring the policeman at the door. It had been five hours, seventeen minutes and forty two seconds since Al had been rushed into surgery. Five hours, seventeen minutes and forty two seconds too long.
The door opened again.
She spun around, but it was Jay who stepped in.
Gesturing at his phone, he spoke. "That was Captain Russo. They've just arrested Whyte and Fenton and brought them in for questioning."
"Any lead on the hit man?" It was Denny who asked.
Jay winced. "It was another civilian Whyte activated. They found the woman on the bridge - she'd shot herself."
She turned away.
A tense silence settled as the clock continued to tick, time passing impossibly slowly. What did it mean that it was taking so long?
Caught up in her thoughts, she didn't hear the door open or see the unfamiliar woman step in, but she did hear her voice.
"Anyone for Al Burns?"
Her response was instant. "I'm his partner."
"It was touch and go, but he's out of surgery. He's still in a critical condition, but we'll let you know once he's been moved to a room so you can see him."
She choked back a sob. "He's okay? He's gonna be okay?"
"He's still got a long way to go, but it looks like your man is a fighter."
She grinned tremulously as she clasped her hands together and brought them to her lips. "Yes he is."
"They're together?"
"Seriously dude, what planet have you been on?"
Later, much later, she would remember and laugh at Denny's obliviousness and Jay's incredulous response, but at this exact point in time she just really, really, really needed to see her partner.
He looked so pale.
Brushing his hair from his forehead, she grasped his hand, carefully avoiding the tubes and bandages adorning his body.
Pulling up a chair, she dragged it as close as she could to the bed. Looking at his face, she was determined to commit his features to memory all over again.
Tracing his familiar lines, the exhaustion of the past 24 hours caught up with her and she couldn't fight the urge to sleep. Resting her head on their intertwined hands, she spoke the words she never thought she'd be able to say again.
"I love you too Al."
Next chapter: Al wakes up.