When Moments Count
Rizzoli and Isles are the property of Tess Gerritson and TNT. I am just borrowing them for a little angst. Just a little one shot while I finish the next chapter of Glazed Feelings. Ummm, have fun.
"Jane he's heading into the construction site." Barry said as he ran. Barry and Jane were running as fast as they could chase their murder suspect, Kyle Rowback. Hell, he had done it. Maura had the lab evidence. Korsak and Frankie had helped Barry and Jane chase down witnesses, banking information, and much more. Their attempt to nab him at his home had gone haywire when he had shoved Frankie over the back patio railing as they were entering. Korsak had stopped to help Frankie as Jane and Barry took off in pursuit. Now four blocks away they had entered a construction site where a six story apartment building was being built.
"Bang...Bang!" Jane peeled off left with Barry as the suspect began shooting at them. Hiding behind a trash dumpster used for construction waste Barry and Jane watched their suspect enter the building.
"We…have…to…follow…him." Jane said catching her breath. Jane watched as workers poured out of the building. Barry nodded trying to catch his breath. "Ready?" Barry nodded and they both broke cover heading toward the entrance. Barry and Jane entered the gloom of the downstairs floor with their guns drawn. They heard footsteps on the stairs and looked up. "Bang" Jane dodged shoving Barry out of the way. Two more shots bounced off the wall.
"Let's go." Barry said as he took the lead. Jane nodded they moved slowly up the steps checking each floor quickly. When they reached the fourth floor they notice the top two floors were skeletons not yet enclosed. Jane nodded to Barry pointing at him and to the right. She then pointed at herself to go left. Barry nodded. Jane counted with her fingers in front of Barry. One…two…three…they both leaped out looking around the fourth floor. There were piles of construction supplies all over the floor. The floor above had several open sections in the overhead ceiling. Jane moved away from Barry as he went in the opposite direction. Several girders poked out where the floor was finished and even the elevator shaft was not completed.
"Where are you? Where are you?" Jane thought to herself checking each pile. Just as she was heading past the south side of the building she heard timbers fall. Jane spun just in time to feel herself shoved toward the edge of the building. Then she felt a two by four strike her across the back sending her onto a girder. Jane stumbled falling forward into thin air. Desperately she tried to grab anything around her. Her hands found purchase on the girder holding her from falling even as the rest of her body flailed in the wind. "FROST! Oh Shit!" Jane said as she saw the murderer approach. Jane heard tires screech below as cars stopped to watch the drama unfold. She turned back watching Kyle Rowback, whom had murder three different banking employees to cover his embezzlement point his gun at her.
"You should have left me alone detective. You should have let me do my work. Now all you're going to know is the dark side of death." Jane stared him down even as he went to pull the trigger. She would never die a coward from some murdering piece of scum. Jane watched Kyle's sneer change into shock as Frost hit him from the side sending the shot wide even as the gun fell. Kyle and Frost fell into a heap. Frost struggled to get Kyle into the cuffs.
"Shit, hurry Frost." Jane's hands were sweaty from her earlier run. She was having difficulty holding onto the beam. One of her hands slipped causing her to flail. The arm had been tingling from where she was struck. Now it was numb and hard to force movement through it. Jane tried to grab the beam with her hand that hung at her side.
"Dammit Frost cuff him and get your ass here." Jane yelled. She was able to get a brief hold on the beam, but her hand just could not grasp tightly. Jane felt her other hand beginning to slip. Aww shit, sorry Maura. I really am sorry. I'm trying to hold on right now.
Kitty Carlisle jumped out of the TV8 News van as they pulled up. The camera man was already filming. "This is Kitty Carlisle live at Falcon and Ebony where two homicide detectives have chased a murder suspect of the three bank employees killed over the last four weeks." Kitty pointed to the top of the building where Jane hung precariously off the beam. "As you can see Roy one of the detectives is in a precarious situation, no doubt resulting from a scuffle with our murderer."
"Frost, where are you?" Jane yelled. She really hoped this wasn't going to hurt too badly. She closed her eyes sending Maura, her wife one last loving thought as she felt her hand slip from the beam. Strong hands enveloped her hand at the last second. Frost had caught her five inches off the beam.
"I got you. I got you. Hang on Jane. Hang on." Frost said even as he strained to pull Jane's hands back to the beam. Frost hung over the beam with his legs grasping both sides. He had lurched forward at the last moment as Jane lost her grasp. Frost got first one hand and then another of Jane's hands on the beam. He then reached down with one hand grabbing her belt on her pants yanking to pull her onto the beam.
"Frost? Where did you cuff the murder suspect?" Jane asked seeing a shadow behind Frost.
"He was out cold Jane after we struggled. I cuffed him and came after you." Frost said attempting to get Jane on the beam.
"Frost, let go." Frost looked at Jane confused. "Let go Frost, he's behind you."
"No, I won't let you fall." Frost said desperately trying to figure out how to save them both.
"Frost, save us. Let me go and shoot him." Frost saw the determination in Jane's eyes.
"You be here when I turn back." Frost said as his heart lurched at the choice he had to make.
"Right here partner. NOW!" Frost let go and turned while pulling his gun. He fired emptying his gun into the suspect. Kyle Carlisle died in that moment his face composed of shock and disbelief. Frost turned back holstering his gun, desperately grabbing for Jane's hand as she slipped again.
"You are not going anywhere." He yelled at Jane even as one of his hands missed. Jane and Frost struggled in that moment. Held by one hand Jane eyed her partner. Moments of time with Frost, Korsak, Frankie, and Maura ran through her mind. Happy times that she cherish when dark moments threatened to take her over in her job. Just like now.
"Tell Maura I love her even more than the day I married her. Promise." Jane said looking her partner in the eye.
"No!" Frost responded gruffly as he hung from the beam holding his partner. "You'll tell her yourself. You are not going to die on me." Jane smiled at Frost a look of serenity came across her face.
"I'll hold on as long as I can. But my other arm is dead. I think he did something to it when he hit me across the back with the two by four." Frost strained finally getting a hold with the other hand. Both detectives were straining, but gravity and time were beginning to turn against them. "I remember when you met me on your first crime scene." Jane laughed softly. "I felt so bad for you. I knew how bad it could be to see your first dead body."
"Jane, don't. Please don't. We're both gonna get out of this together." Barry's hand slipped. The fire truck pulled up down below even as cop cars came to a stop. Barry concentrated on Jane's eyes and hand. "Dammit Jane just a little longer." Barry willed the firemen to work faster.
"Tell mom sorry. Take care of Frankie. Don't let him get killed. You're a good partner Frost." Jane felt Frost's hand slipping from the perspiration. "Tell Tommy I love him. Tell him to take care of Maura."
"No….No…NO!" Jane's hand slipped from Barry's grasp. In that moment Barry could have told anyone that it was like watching a film in slow motion. Barry watched as Jane fell toward the ground below. Moments later she landed in the fire man's catch net. "Oh Thank God, thank God." Barry broke down on the beam even as Korsak came through the door opening.
"Come on buddy. Come on. She's gonna be okay." Korsak pulled Barry off the beam with the help of two other firemen. The firemen wrapped Barry in a blanket even as Korsak told him he was going to the hospital. Barry reached the ambulance to find Jane on a stretcher and Maura hugging her. Maura looked up at Barry. Barry looked away in shame feeling like he had failed Jane and Maura. Maura grabbed Barry in a tight hug.
"Thank You. Thank you so much Barry. Come on; let's get you two to the hospital." Maura whispered. Jane was loaded in the ambulance. Then Maura and Barry went in next. Korsak watched from the roof as the ambulance pulled away. He looked up at the sky and said a silent thank you once again.