A Cut Above The Rest

A/N: I am still currently working on the epilogue for my other story but after seeing the episode "Rampage "the other night this story just came to me and so I went with it. It has always bothered me that we never saw what happened between the scene where he walked away with his cut arm and then appeared in the car with his arm in a sling visiting his friend Joe Joplin. Here is just my interpretation of what I think may have happened.

Chapter 1

Steve led the perp, Floyd Stahlbecker to a black and white that had newly arrived on the scene and having requested them to read him his rights they bundled him into the back of the police car and dutifully obliged. Then Steve rather shakily made his way over to their tan LTD car that was parked just across the road. His arm was starting to hurt like hell where the perp had sliced him and he noticed that he still had his navy jacket wrapped around it that he had used to finally disarm him. He hadn't needed to disarm a knife wielding perp like that single-handedly and without his gun since he had become a police officer and he had panicked slightly as a result. He really had to think back to his academy training and he had remembered his trainer showing him the jacket trick. In this instance that memory had proved invaluable and Steve was both pleased and relieved that he had managed to capture him without further injury to himself or any civilians.

He knew the knife had sliced him deep as he felt the initial sharp sting along his left forearm but he only hoped it wasn't as bad as he felt it was. Now as he leaned back against the car holding his arm still wrapped in the jacket, he was almost afraid to look at it. He felt blood oozing along his arm and decided that it was probably best to leave the jacket in place to try to stem the flow.

The street around him had turned crazy as several more black and whites appeared on the scene and attempted to both take statements from the onlookers and then quickly move them on. Others were trying to get the traffic moving again. In the midst of the chaos Steve decided not to be a further burden and instead he decided to wait until Mike arrived back up from the BART station to get him to drive him to the hospital but it seemed to be taking Mike a very long time to finish up down below.

Steve began to wonder if Mike was alright and if things had gone ok down below but right now he felt a little too shaky to go and investigate himself. He was feeling slightly strange. A cold sweat had broken out on his forehead and he was feeling slightly woozy. The stinging of his arm had turned into an intense throbbing and the pain was starting to intensify causing him to tense up and his breathing to get ragged. Where was Mike? God he began to wish that he would appear sooner rather than later as he figured his arm was perhaps worse than he thought at first. Shortly after that, the scene took on a surreal feel to Steve. The voices became one loud mumble and everything looked blurry around him. It was as if he was looking at things through a goldfish bowl. He knew then he was in big trouble.

Mike had been busy wrapping things up from down on the platform and a uniformed police officer had informed him that Steve had caught Floyd Stahlbecker up above and that the perp was on his way back to Bryant Street. No-one had thought to check on Steve though and as Steve hadn't been vocal in letting anyone know he had been hurt, Mike was as such, none the wiser that his partner was awaiting his arrival urgently and that his condition was rapidly deteriorating.

Luckily Bill Tanner arrived on the scene and while surveying the chaos around him he spotted Steve leaning against his car. There was something wrong about how he stood and looked and pushing his way through the crowd he reached Steve quickly. When he reached Steve his blood turned cold. The young officer was as white as a ghost and was visibly trembling. It was then Bill spotted the navy jacket wrapped around his left arm and then to his horror he noticed the red droplets of blood that were dripping from it and pooling on the ground at Steve's feet!

"STEVE! What happened? What's wrong with your arm? Have you been shot?"

It seemed to take Steve a few seconds to even realize that Bill was standing beside him talking to him and he appeared to be struggling to make out what Bill was saying. Finally making out his words he shook his head and shakily uttered.

"No ... cut."

Tanner gasped as he figured from the amount of blood he was losing he had been cut badly. Placing his hand on the young man's shoulder to steady him Bill didn't like the way Steve was acting or sounding. He tried to question him further.

"Steve? Has anyone called you an ambulance? And where is Mike? Does he know you've been hurt?"

Again Steve took a few seconds to answer. This time he sounded even worse.

"No ... not sure where Mike is ..."

"Ok, take it easy Steve. We're going to get you some help."

Bill was starting to feel panicked as he quickly glanced around to see if he could locate Mike. He was rewarded as he saw the familiar fedora clad detective emerge from the BART station doors across the road accompanied by two uniformed officers, one of whom was escorting a man in handcuffs and the other was carrying a box. Bill shouted over.

"MIKE!"

Mike heard his name getting called and looked around to see who had called him. He saw Bill Tanner across the road waving frantically at him and he was standing beside their car with somebody who seemed to be injured. As he came closer, he realized to his horror it was Steve! The older detective's heart skipped a beat as he saw his partner in difficulty and from Bill's frantic gestures it didn't auger well. Arriving behind Bill he looked in horror at his partner's ghostly pale features.

"Bill? What happened?"

"I don't know exactly. I just arrived but looks like he's been cut Mike, and bad!"

Mike took the words in and saw the bloodied jacket bound around his partner's arm.

"Steve? Buddy boy? What happened?"

"Mike ... He ... had a knife. ... Got my arm ..."

With that Steve's legs buckled and he slumped downwards. Luckily as both men were so concerned by his appearance they were prepared for a collapse and both men grabbed him and lowered him gently until he was sitting on the ground. Mike came around behind Bill and proceeded to try to assess the damage. Steve was looking very flaky but hadn't lost consciousness although Mike reckoned in his current state that probably wasn't far off. There was a fair amount of blood loss from what Mike could determine without fully unwrapping the jacket and Mike began to worry if the knife had nicked a major blood vessel. That would explain Steve's rapid deterioration.

"Ok Steve. Take it easy. You've lost a lot of blood."

Removing Steve's tie for two purposes, one to give the young man some air and secondly to use as a tourniquet , he proceeded to tie it around Steve's arm and pulled it tight. Steve winced and gritted his teeth as the tourniquet tightened.

"Sorry buddy boy. We have to stop this bleeding. Hang in there now and try to stay with me. Ok?"

Steve nodded feebly but Mike wasn't sure if he would be able to oblige so turning to Bill he asked urgently

"Was an ambulance called?"

"I don't think so Mike. I don't think anyone knew that he was hurt."

"Alright then we can't wait. He's lost too much blood. We'll take him ourselves. Help me get him in the back. I'll get in beside him. Bill, you can drive."

Between the two men they lifted Steve up off the ground and managed to get him in on the back seat. Mike went around the other side and climbed in beside him.

Steve was feeling very dizzy but out of the haze that was filling his brain he suddenly remembered that he had dropped his gun in the BART station. Getting agitated he grabbed at Mike's coat sleeve and tried to form the words he needed.

"Wait Mike ... my gun ..."

Mike saw Steve getting alarmed and worried about what was causing his distress. When Steve mentioned his gun Mike looked down at his left side and noticed that his holster was empty.

"Steve. What happened to your gun?"

"I had to drop it ... on the stairwell. He ... had a knife to a lady's throat ..."

Explaining where his gun was took its toll and Steve breathed raggedly .

"Ok, ok... try not to talk buddy boy. Don't worry now. We'll get it."

Mike got back out of the car and called over to the uniformed officer who was directing the traffic a short way from them.

"Jack! Steve dropped his 38" on the stairwell in the station. Go find it for me will you? We're taking him down to San Francisco General. Ring me there if you have it ok?"

Hearing Steve groaning from inside the car he glanced back in and saw him shivering and shutting his eyes tight, his whole face etched in pain and trembling violently and then turning back to the uniformed officer he spoke urgently again.

"Jack can I borrow your padded jacket? Steve is shivering. I think he's cold from the blood loss."

Without any hesitation, the middle-aged officer removed his padded police-issue jacket and racing towards the LTD he handed it to Mike.

"I'll find his gun. Now get him to the hospital quick Mike! He doesn't look too good." Jack said alarmed at the distress the young inspector was in and quickly stopped the traffic both ways to allow Bill to maneuver the LTD safely on its way to San Francisco General.

"Thanks Joe. Bill put the siren on and let's move it!"

As Mike climbed back in and slammed the door, Bill didn't have to be told twice and placing the flashing light on the roof, he drove out into the traffic and raced off expertly weaving around other cars, the siren blaring. Picking up the radio receiver he then informed Police Headquarters that an officer had been injured and requested that they inform the hospital of their imminent arrival with Inspector 81, suffering from a knife wound to the arm and signs of severe blood loss.

While Bill drove and radioed in, Mike covered a shivering Steve with the police officer's jacket and spoke encouraging words to keep his young partner conscious. Only minutes from the hospital, Steve suddenly sucked in a deep breath and squirmed in the seat, as if struck by a sudden intense pain much to Mike's horror.

"Steve! What's the matter? Talk to me now buddy boy."

"Mike ... loosen the tie ... too tight ... pains really bad ... my hands going ... numb"

Mike knew that didn't sound good and while the tourniquet would stop the bleeding, he couldn't allow it to cut off circulation to Steve's hand so quickly he loosened it and pressed down on the jacket instead to try to stem the blood loss.

"Is that better?" Mike asked deeply concerned and Steve did his best to answer, but blackness was beginning to threaten to close in around him.

" ... Uh-huh ..." was all he managed to say but it had helped a great deal. The tight tourniquet had caused his arm to throb like crazy and he had started to lose feeling in his hand. Now that it had been loosened the sensation of pins and needles began in his fingers and while it was equally irritating it did signify a welcome return of blood supply to his left hand. However he felt cold. Mercilessly cold. He couldn't control the shakes that racked his body or the way his teeth began to chatter. He felt Mike pulling the jacket up tighter around him but he was losing the battle to stay conscious.

He heard Mike chastise him as he closed his eyes.

"Steve! Stay with me now! Hold on! We're almost there."

He struggled to reopen his eyes but was rewarded for his efforts by Mike's warm smile.

"That a boy! Just keep looking at me now. You'll have plenty of time to sleep later on. Let the Doctor get a look at you first. Ok?"

Next he heard Bill yell.

"We're here!" and pulling up outside the ER department he blurrily saw Bill exit the car but try as he did to stay with Mike, the blackness won and he let oblivion pull him to a restful place while Mike's frantic voice calling his name rang in his ears and gradually faded out.