Facing Past Demons

Wicked Bluerose

06/19/2010

Disclaimer: I don't own The Listener or any of its characters – if I did there would certainly be more than 13 eps out right now! I suppose I created the character Ethan, but he is still a work in progress.

Brief intro notes: This story takes place after episode 8 "One way or Another" and sometime before episode 11 "Beginning to See the Light. In attempts to make it plain who is hearing what use the following key:

++ TEXT ++ = Toby is sensing with his gift

** TEXT ** = Other character is sensing with telepathy

+*+ TEXT +*+ = both Toby and other character sensing it with telepathy

Thank you to my Beta reader Joyce! Your input has been invaluable.

Chapter One

"Come on she was checking me out, right?" Oz persisted despite Toby's assurance that the woman at the sandwich stand was not interested.

"Give it up Oz." His gaze looked out at the passing city as the ambulance ambled on. A call came seconds later. Teenage girl was trapped in an equipment locker over on the south side. Arriving on the scene they could see the police car of the officer who had called it in. There were three other girls standing around in track uniforms and an older woman nearly in tears kneeling beside the locker with her head leaning against the door. The single story equipment locker was roughly nine feet by ten feet, and sat apart from the main school building with a metal security door on the front to deter mischievous students from playing 'let's see what equipment can disappear' pranks.

An officer strode up to the arriving EMS attendants and started running down the situation, "Cali Robbins, 14 years old. Didn't show up for gymnastics practice after school. When she didn't arrive home by normal time of 5:30pm the mother started calling friends and a quick search around school found her torn wristband on the ground outside the locker there. The girl who found it said she heard crying coming from the locker. Cali said she went in the locker to get some equipment, but the door locked and jammed. There should be plenty of oxygen inside a locker that size, but she became unresponsive about five minutes ago."

"Where's the keys?" Toby questioned as they neared the door, and could see the keyhole looked unmarred.

"Coach has them, but we have not been able to reach him." The officer responded.

"Excuse me ma'am, we're going to get your daughter out but I need you to back up from the door a little, OK?" his voice was gentle, and the woman just looked at Toby and nodded as she moved over to stand by the police. "Cali, can you hear me?" the shout only received silence in return. He reached out with his mind to the girl inside. ++ Blood drops on the floor. Cut on her arm that was starting to clot. Disorientation. Confusion. ++ Toby lowered his voice so only his partner could hear, "She's hurt and lost some blood. We need to get in there now. Let's pry it open." Oz nodded and ran back to the truck to grab a crow bar. ++ Leave me alone! Don't touch me! She was running from someone. ++

"Hey man.." Oz nudged him and pulled him from the images then they both struggled with the crowbar to get the door open. Finally the latch let loose and the door flew open. There she lay half conscious with a small puddle of blood by her right hand. Toby and Oz rushed in as the police officer held everyone else back to give the paramedics room to work. Cali started to stir as they bandaged her arm.

"Cali? Can you hear me?" Toby was checking her eyes as she started to become more alert.

"What? Where am I?" She looked around dazed and on the verge of fainting.

"Your arm is hurt; we're going to take you to the hospital to get you checked out. Can you walk?" She looked at the EMS uniform and then to Toby's face, and nodded. He helped her to her feet and tried to keep her mother from overwhelming them as they exited the locker.

"Cali! What happened? Are you OK?" Ms. Robbins crowded around them.

"She's going to be fine, but I need you both to come to the hospital while she gets checked out. Let's step up into the back here." Toby helped them both get seated in the ambulance as Oz hopped up front and started driving.

"How did you get locked in there? You didn't show up for practice and -" frantically the questions rolled off Ms. Robbins's tongue.

"Ms. Robbins... please let's get her taken care of first then there will be time for questions." The relief on Cali's face was obvious as she closed her eyes to shut out the world. ++ She slammed the locker door from the inside and grabbed up something to stick in the door to keep it from opening. Once safely inside the pain of her arm started to overwhelm her and she sunk to the floor in tears. ++ The hit told him there was more to this than accidentally getting trapped inside, but as Toby told her mother there would be time for questions later.

Upon arriving at the hospital, Oz and her mother accompanied Cali into the ER with Toby staying back a moment. He picked up his phone and dialed Charlie Mark's number glancing around as he did. It was always a struggle to determine what information to pass along; what would be useful rather than ineffective.

"Marks… " she sounded mildly distracted, but that was not unusual as he tended to catch her while she was in the middle of concentrating on a case, but her focus shifted as soon as she heard Toby's voice.

"Charlie… just pulled a girl out of an equipment locker. Story she gave to the officer on the scene was that she accidentally got locked in, but there is more to it. She was running from someone, and deliberately jammed that door from the inside." His voice was kept low to keep others from hearing.

"Do I even need to ask how you came about this information? Don't answer that. It's not much to go on. We've been over this before. You have to give me something solid. Was she injured? " Charlie wasn't exactly an 'ends always justify the means' kind of cop, and although Toby had come through with information that helped solve cases before it was frustrating to be brought in with so little to go on.

"She has a pretty nasty gash on her right arm, but other than that seems to be fine." He was walking to check on the girl as the conversation continued. Olivia was with her by the time Toby caught up. "I gotta go. Will let you know if something more comes up."

Charlie stared at the phone for a few moments after he had hung up. It's a good thing you can't read minds through the phone or I would be a head full right about now for wasting my time.

"Outside of a few stitches for your arm, you seem to be in good shape. Does anything else hurt?" Olivia asked.

Cali shook her head still a little out of it. "No I'm fine. It was just a stupid accident." ++ Coach wants you to meet him over by the equipment locker before practice." ++ She started to stand up then fell forward on wobbly legs.

"Whoa… sure you're OK?" Toby caught her and helped her back up on the stretcher.

"Little dizzy is all… skipped out on lunch today, but will be fine once I get something to eat." Cali stammered unconvincingly. ++ Let go of me! ++ The mental shout caused Toby to sway and take a step back.

"I think you should stay overnight at least to make sure you are indeed all right." Olivia turned to Ms. Robbins. "The admitting nurse can get you the needed paperwork while I get a room assigned."

"I'll be right back." Ms. Robbins kissed her daughter's forehead and patted her uninjured hand before walking off with the doctor in the direction Olivia had indicated.

Cali seemed to still be a little off balance even when sitting back down. Instinctively Toby gently placed a hand on her arm to steady her, but she flinched and pulled back almost causing herself to fall off in the process.

"It's OK… you just seemed a little unsteady. I'm sorry I startled you. Can you tell me what happened back there at the locker?" He opened his mind to see if he could get more of the story.

++ "Coach wants you to meet him…" There was a man in a uniform with a whistle. She hesitantly walked over to him as he opened the door to the locker and motioned her inside. "Can you help me get the extra mats out to the gym?" He asked. That's when She panicked. ++

"Like I said… it was a stupid accident. Must have pulled too hard on the door." Her eyes frantically darted around looking for some distraction.

"Pulled it shut?" He puzzled, "Thought you were taking stuff out." There was a discrepancy that had slipped by Cali who was still in a state of shock.

"I mean it slammed shut… must have been a strong wind or something." She stammered.

"Do you remember how you cut your arm? " Again he was fishing to put the missing pieces together.

She shook her head. ++ Cali struck out with her arm up to push the coach back as she escaped into the locker and the keys he was holding scraped her arm. ++

A nurse came over with a wheelchair just as Ms. Robbins returned to her daughter's side. They helped Cali down, and Toby watched them wheel her off to her room. Ducking back down the hallway a bit he dialed Charlie's number again.

Charlie glanced at her cell phone this time before picking it up. "Toby I told you I can't do anything without – " but she was cut off.

"She was trying to get away from the coach. Can't tell why but she is hiding something, and I bet he knows whatever it is." With his voice not much above a whisper the other people in the hospital wouldn't be able to make out what he was saying..

The coach? A rush of bad memories flooded over Charlie, but her voice stayed calm. "All right I'll go over and check it out in the morning." She took down the information on the school and tried to focus on finishing up the paperwork on her desk, but her thoughts from the past were determined to prevent any further work being accomplished. Finally after reading the same report three times, and still not being able to absorb the details she packed it up and went home.