AN: My first Mentalist fanfiction, enjoy. :)
It was a sweltering afternoon in Sacramento; air conditioners were on high and pools were crowded with families. It was a day to stay indoors as the thermometers went higher and the thermostats went lower. However, crime didn't stop for the heat and neither did the agents of the California Bureau of Investigation or its consultants.
After weeks of investigation, Lisbon and her team had finally tracked down the hide out belonging to Rob and Ryan Wilhelm. Two notorious robbers and murders that had escaped from prison over a month ago. It was a case that had taken the attention of CBI, one that had plenty of media coverage. People were scared knowing that these two men were on the loose and they depended on the agents of CBI to recapture the criminals and put them behind bars.
Rob and Ryan were careful to cover their tracks this time around, and the trail they did leave behind was anything but simple to follow. The investigation led them all over before realizing that the brothers were throwing them off track on purpose. In the end, it was Jane who discovered the clue needed to locate their hiding place. To him it seemed to easy, the Wilhelm's had been meticulous so as not be found. He believed the clue that led the CBI straight to the brothers was going to be a trap. Lisbon had convinced him otherwise. People became lazy and sloppy, it was only going be a matter of time until one of them slipped up, and that time was now. After using the credit card information that Van Pelt had gathered, once Jane informed her that she should search under previous aliases and possible alternate names used by the brothers, the agents suited up, loaded into their SUVs, and headed for their destination.
The drive went by quickly; Jane sat in the passenger seat of the car Lisbon was driving and Van Pelt was in the back seat securing the Velcro of her bullet proof vest. Rigsby and Cho were in a separate car right behind their boss. Several other agents of the CBI and local law enforcement officers were in pursuit, this was a big bust and everyone wanted to be involved.
Lisbon swiftly pulled up to the curb and threw the car in park. Within the blink of an eye the lead agent was out of the car and grouping with the other officers. Jane stayed in his seat and watched as the agents draw their weapons and readied themselves for the invasion. He knew very well that he wasn't an agent, detective or any sort of police officer and had no business being on the front line with the trained agents trying to execute their job with no interference. That didn't mean he had to stay in the car.
Hopping down from his seat, Jane left the door open to the vehicle like the others had done. At this point the agents were slowly making their way across the yard to surround the house. Jane watched from afar, observing as some of the local officers went around to the rear of the property. Knowing to keep out of the line of fire, the consultant found a tree to take cover behind. Jane peered out from between the split in the trunk. The CBI agents were almost in position to take the house.
Jane watched the agents intently, the uniform manner in which they moved was slightly mesmerizing. His attention was broken by a sudden flash of light in his eyes, Jane squinted against the abrupt brightness. He shaded his eyes as he looked around for the light source. The tree he was behind provided more than enough shade from the intense California sun. Jane furrowed his brow in confusion, his eyes wondered to the top of the tree and he figured a breeze must have moved the leaves allowing a ray of light through. Repositioning himself for a better view of the front door, the consultant waited for the agents to enter the home.
It seemed that everyone was ready to go, what was stalling them, Jane didn't know. With a quick sigh through his nose, Jane scanned his surroundings once more. It was then that his peripheral vision caught the source of the light from earlier. On his chest was a small, glowing red dot. Quickly his eyes flicked upwards, his line of sight locked with a sniper on the roof of the house that the CBI was about to break into. Jane didn't let himself think. He started scrambling from his spot, anywhere to get the laser point off of his person. He couldn't move fast enough, and the next thing he knew there was a pain in his shoulder as if someone was pouring molten iron into his skin. Grabbing the injured area he crashed against the side of the tree and slid to the grass.
Blood was already starting to seep through his fingers, staining his suit and skin red. Jane looked towards the house. At the moment that sniper fired his rifle, the agents had forcibly entered the home. The sound that was created from the door giving way and the officers shouting as they worked their way through the house covered any sound that the silenced gun might have created. The shot went completely unnoticed by everyone except Jane.
After the agents swept threw the house, they came to the disappointing realization that there was no one there and, more than likely, never had been. With their weapons lowered and their guards down they all filtered out of the house and back towards their cars. Lisbon reached around her side to peel off the Velcro to remove her vest and then holstered her weapon. As she neared the car she saw that the passenger side door was open and Jane was no longer inside. Lisbon tossed the vest into the back seat and did a quick scan of the surrounding area for her consultant.
Lisbon pursed her lips when she didn't spot his blonde curls right away. "Hey, Cho, have you seen Jane?" She asked her agent.
"No." Cho's reply was short but to the point, like usual.
Lisbon turned on her heel to search the surrounding area. Jane couldn't have gone far. He was very excited for this of bust, especially when he'd been the one to lead the team there. In fact, as Lisbon thought about it, she realized that Jane hadn't come into the house after it had been cleared.
"Has anyone seen Jane?" She asked loud enough for everyone to hear. The agents and officers around her shook their heads. They appeared to be making an effort to locate him, but they were all disappointed from the failed raid. Rigsby and Van Pelt looked around the area, but Lisbon could tell that they just wanted to head back to headquarters.
"Jane!" Lisbon called as she walked down the street a bit. She hadn't the faintest idea where he would have wondered off to. She didn't even know where to start looking for him. She called out his name once more. By now he should have called back or randomly appeared behind her.
Lisbon stopped and put her hands on her hips, she wanted to get out of this ridiculous heat, but she couldn't do that when Jane was playing hide and seek. "Damn it, Jane." She said out loud, even thought there was no one in ear shot to hear her.
"Of course he would disappear the one time he was wrong about something." Lisbon muttered as she turned around to head back towards the SUV, a part of her was tempted to leave him behind. Jane was an adult. He could make his way back to work. It wasn't like he hadn't just abandoned her a few times before. The senior agent started walking back towards the car when she caught a glimpse of Jane's golden hair. He had been sitting on the ground against a tree, he appeared to be napping. Lisbon rolled her eyes as she walked through the yard towards the consultant.
"Well there you are." She said as she approached him. When he didn't respond she assumed he was actually sleeping, but as Lisbon came closer she realized how wrong she was.
"Jane!" She yelled and ran the last few yards that was between them. Lisbon crashed to her knees and immediately felt for a pulse, she found one but it was weak. "Officer down!" Lisbon shouted, getting the attention of several other agents in the area. "Rigsby, call 911, Jane's been shot!"
Rigsby almost instantly had his phone out and was talking to an operator. Lisbon looked Jane over. His hand had fallen away from the wound, showing the bullet hole in his shoulder. Blood was still slowly trickling from the injury. Lisbon pressed her hands against the wound to apply pressure.
"Jane, can you hear me? Jane!" She said his name over, she wanted his eyes to open. If she could get him to wake up now she could get him to stay awake, at least until the paramedics arrived. "God, Jane!" Lisbon shouted as she continued to press against his shoulder. She heard Rigsby call to her, the ambulance would arrive in five minutes. "Wake up, Jane!" She was pleading at this point. She wouldn't let him die.
Seconds passed and Jane's eyelids started to flutter. Slowly they opened and he was staring straight at Lisbon. He swallowed and with his uninjured arm motioned for Lisbon to come closer. She leaned in, leaving only six inches between their faces.
"You don't have to yell, I'm right here." Jane said weakly as he let his head fall against the trunk of the tree. Lisbon's worried expression disappeared from her face and was replaced with one of annoyance.
"What the hell happened?" Lisbon demanded. She moved backwards but made sure to not let up on the weight she had on his shoulder.
Jane shook his head against the bark. "Well," he paused as he gathered the strength to talk. "I'm going to do something I don't normally do: make a completely uneducated guess. I'm going to have to say I was shot." His voice was stronger now.
Lisbon glared at Jane and huffed. "That's not what I meant. I mean, how did it happen?"
"I believe with a gun." Jane quipped. Lisbon's jaw clenched, she almost considered removing her hands and cancelling the call to the ambulance.
"Damn it, Jane," Lisbon took a deep breath to calm herself. "I mean, do you know what happened? Why?" She asked, keeping her voice even.
"Oh, yes. I know what happened. I saw the whole thing." Jane said as he blinked lazily. Lisbon made a face as to indicate that she was waiting for his reply. "But I'm not going to tell you right now." Lisbon's expression went blank again.
"And why not?" She asked, not sure if she wanted to know the answer.
"Because I'm going to pass out. I'll tell you later."
Jane's eyes slid shut once more as the ambulance pulled up to the scene. Lisbon couldn't help but to shake her head.
"Over here!" She called to the paramedics that had jumped out of the ambulance. Within minutes they had come to Jane's aid, taken over for Lisbon, strapped him down and lifted him into the back of the ambulance and off to the hospital. Rigsby, Cho and Van Pelt came to stand behind their boss.
"Is he going to be okay?" Van Pelt asked, the worry obvious in her voice.
Lisbon nodded her head slowly as she watched the ambulance speed away. "Oh, oh, he'll be just fine. I promise." There was a hint of annoyance in her voice that the team picked up on, but no one questioned. "Let's get washed up and back to work." Lisbon said as she wiped her hands on a towel that paramedics left with her and started for their cars. Their case had just become a lot more complicated.