Warning for an F-bomb in this first section. Colby's kinda pissy.
Part I - Immediate
Events are temporary but the consequences which come next will last forever.
i.
Colby has a head start and beats the ambulance to where he can still hear barking, every muscle in his body screaming as he skids to a halt. He doesn't know why, but his eyes take in the huddled civilians with the dog first. His eyes stay on them for what must easily be a minute before sliding towards a huddled mass of shadows.
The blood that soaks the pavement and the clothes of the three men doesn't really register in his mind as he concentrates, seeing the slight rise and fall of a chest (Ian thank god). His gaze moves to the next figure that is really two. Billy's hair stands in stark contrast to the darkness and he must move forward because then he's kneeling beside the other man, reaching a hand out for the long, exposed throat and silently urging the familiar features to do something, to fix this.
He doesn't know how long he keeps his fingers there waiting for something that's never coming because the next thing he remembers is a pair of hands closing around his shoulders and pulling him to his feet and away from Billy who doesn't budge even when hands reach for him too, and away from Don who doesn't open his eyes, doesn't do anything to stop the men trying to take him from Billy's arms, doesn't do anything.
He hisses, spits, demands that Don wake up and fucking fix this.
There is still no response and the keening sound that splits the air is the last thing he remembers as his knees hit the ground and a tremor travels the whole way up his spine.
ii.
Tommy McLean can't spare the brainpower to process the scene as he slowly tries to remove a completely unresponsive Cooper from the body, as Caruso hauls Granger a few metres away and then crouches by the shivering, terrified looking couple on the corner.
He manages to get the other man's hands free and then uses them to tug him to his feet and towards the fence as the EMTs descend in flashes of fluorescent clothing. The Fugitive Recovery agent's legs don't appear to be able to hold his weight as he slides down the fencepost, eyes fluttering and hands glistening with blood falling against his legs.
Granger growls something, hunching forward with arms half outstretched and then makes a strangled sound before his knees give out. Caruso leaves the couple and grabs the other man's shoulders, yanking him up.
He keeps one eye on Cooper as Betancourt, Sinclair and Warner arrive on scene, pulling his phone out as the EMT closest to him tilts his head towards the gurney and shakes his head just slightly. He gives himself ten seconds to breathe before he hits the number that had never been deleted from his phone, counting down, because getting emotionally involved right now is not even an option.
Megan Reeves picks up on the third ring and he tells her, short and sharp and clipped, that she should probably start heading to the hospital now, and to tell Eppes' family that there are no happy endings in store for them tonight, because Cooper and Granger aren't going to be in any state to explain.
iii.
Megan's knuckles are white around the steering wheel, the tight grip the only way to stop the bone deep chill from making her entire body quake. Alan's eyes are closed, forehead resting against the glass and low, deep breaths misting the window. Charlie's position is twisted, his face in the curve of Amita's shoulder and neck as tremors visible even in the rearview mirror run down his spine.
Larry is leaning over and has his hand, a single spot of warmth, closed around her knee.
The drive is a blur as the sun rises, sending fingers of light streaking across the road and buildings and reflecting from the panels of the car. If anyone asked how long it took or which way she drove, she wouldn't be able to say.
iv.
The intern on duty takes in the pinch around the doctor's eyes with a nervous look as he asks if there's something that should be done about the latest DOA. He's never seen a body so battered before and realises that not all deaths are sudden or quiet and easy.
The finger shaped and mottled bruises, the cuts and scrapes and angry looking bullet wounds, it all tells a story that shows how much a human being can hurt another, screams of deliberation and intent. Med school doesn't really prepare you for torture, he realises, and swallows thickly.
Tightly, the doctor says that the man's family is en route and they really should clean him up a little, she just needs a moment. He nods and sets some warm water running with a dash of antiseptic, lays the cloths beside the basin, and returns to her side.
It isn't until he's rinsing the blood from the man's face that he recognises him and feels a sudden tightness in his chest. The doctor is diligently cleaning the shoulder wounds but he doesn't miss the tension that hasn't left her eyes.
Without commenting, he reaches for a razor and takes extra care to keep his hands steady.
All the pictures on the news and in the paper showed him clean shaven, after all, and it might be a little less heartbreaking for the family.
He thinks that the man would probably appreciate the small kindness and is glad that he can give it.
v.
A quiet litany of desperate pleas are the only sound other than the wailing emergency sirens and Liz can only hear it because she and Nikki are pressed tightly together in the back seat of David's SUV.
Her hands are folded neatly in her lap, nervous energy gone, and she concentrates on her breathing as Nikki shudders beside her. Colby is ramrod straight in the passenger seat, glassy eyes focused on the road and hands under his thighs.
Billy hadn't even made it into the SUV. Gary Walker had taken over from Tommy McLean and waved David away, shouting that they should go with Edgerton. Her fingers twitch just a little as her hip hits the side door on a particularly sharp turn but then the car is pulling to a stop and Nikki is out almost before it even completely halts.
David's hand closes around her elbow as she grips Colby's forearm and the blinding white lights make her blink. They're sitting down, pacing, sitting down, pacing, her head spins.
All she can think of is the fact that they're in the same building as Don and Ian again, but not really (Don's gone), maybe not for long (Ian could still leave us), and she has to bite her lip hard enough for it to bleed to hold back the sob.
Colby scratches furiously at his wrists and hands until a passing nurse realises he's broken the skin and seizes his wrists while another guides them towards a smaller room. Liz makes sure that she holds tightly to Colby's hands after they use antiseptic wipes to remove the dried blood.
Megan almost collides with the pacing David when she arrives. Larry and Amita are right behind her and they take seats as no one speaks until David asks where Alan and Charlie are.
Softly, Amita says that they're with Don as a doctor arrives. The sudden interruption, the obvious guard around the man's words, draws all of their attention.
vi.
Some time later, Billy brings Alan and Charlie into the room and all three men have the same weary, glazed, red-rimmed eyes. Liz almost retches but she can't bring herself to even move an inch while Colby's hands shake steadily in her grip.
It takes another few hours, but eventually another doctor arrives, looking weary.
They've done all they can, they say, and the rest is up to Ian.
Alright, back to it. Might be a couple days with the next one, I have training tonight and what will probably end up being a twelve hour work day tomorrow but this is kind of going somewhere. I think. There were a few tears here, but nowhere near SSS standards.