Thanks for your interest in my Third Watch fanfic. I hope you enjoy reading it. As with most fanfic writers, I love feedback of any kind – be it praise or criticism. Let me know what you think.
Just so that you're aware, this story most likely takes place in the second or third seasons, however, it does not coincide with any episode or timeline in particular. I just used the characters and locations from those seasons. Continuity is not going to be 100%.
Also, at first read this may come across a little on the Mary Sue side, but if you give it a chance, I'm sure you'll see that it's more than that.
I am nearly through writing this fanfic. Rather than post the entire thing at once, however, I'll post a chapter or two every week or so. This is so that I can proof and fine tune things as I post, as well as create a little suspense for you, the reader. So add this story to your update list or check back regularly.
Okay, enough from me… Enjoy!
Chapter 1
At four fifty-two, Tuesday afternoon, a New York Police Department Radio Motor Patrol unit pulled up in front of Esquina Mercado, which was, aptly, a small convenience store on the corner of Lexington Avenue and East 121st Street. A few moments later, two of New York City's finest climbed out.
Officer Faith Yokas pushed a stray strand of light brown hair behind her ear and looked over the hood of the RMP at her partner, Officer Terrisa Marie Swensen. Faith's regular partner, Officer Maurice Boscorelli, was on administrative leave because of a recent shooting. Rather than make her ride a desk until Bosco was able to return to duty, Lieutenant Robert Swersky had paired Faith with Terri in Five-Five-David and they'd been riding together for the last two days. She and Terri had become very close friends over the past few years and Faith enjoyed working with her. "So - what'd you think?" Faith asked, closing the passenger-side door.
Terrisa, or Terri as everyone called her, had been with the NYPD for seven years, all of them at the Fifty-Fifth Precinct. She stood five foot eight, had long brown hair, usually tied up in a bun, and pale green eyes. She was slight of build, but could handle herself and was always quick with a smile. She made friends easily and was respected by most everyone who met her, including, oddly enough, most of the criminals she dealt with regularly. "Lunch says its two kids under ten who got caught boosting bubble gum," Terri said.
They had gotten a call about a shoplifter about three minutes ago, just as they were wrapping up their forth call of the shift, a false alarm at a pawnshop a block away. It was only two hours into their tour, but it was already promising to be a long day.
"You're probably right," Faith said, putting her cap on. "Kids today, huh?"
"Speaking of kids," Terri said. "Did Charlie get the part in his school play?"
"Yeah, he did. They'll start rehearsals next week," Faith said as they walked into the store. "It's a musical, so it should be cute."
A female cashier directed them toward the manager's office in the rear.
"When are they performing it?" Terri asked.
"Around the end of June, just before school gets out." Faith glanced over at Terri with an odd grin on her face. "Maybe you and Bosco could come. You know, make it a date."
Terri smiled. She and Bosco had been seeing each other off and on for the past few months, mostly at Faith's suggestions. It was nothing too serious, but they'd had some good times together and Terri wouldn't mind seeing it go further. There was definitely something there. "Sounds like fun, but I'm not sure he plans that far in advance."
They put their conversation on hold when they reached the office, which was actually just a partially partitioned corner in the small storage room in back. As they approached, they could see an older man sitting in a folding chair next to a small desk covered in loose papers. This had to be the store manager.
"Thank you for getting here so quickly," he said, getting to his feet. "I'm Tony Alvarez, store manager." He spoke with a slight Spanish accent.
"What can we do for you, Mr. Alvarez?" Terri asked as she stepped around the partition, into the 'office'. She was expecting to see some young kid sitting in front of the desk with tears in their eyes. Instead, calmly sitting in a folding chair against the wall, was a white male in his late twenties. His head was covered with a backward baseball cap sporting a New York Mets logo and his hands were tucked into the front pocket of an over-large tan hoodie. He was completely relaxed and, with a slight grin on his face, he looked as if he found the whole situation amusing.
"We caught him stealing these," Alvarez said, pointing to a pack of cigarettes, a box of over-the-counter sedatives, and a package of condoms sitting on the table.
"Planning a fun night, huh?" Faith asked.
The guy shrugged. He still had a cocky grin on his face. He was really getting on Terri's nerves. "Alright, stand up and put both hands on the wall for me," she said. He stared back at her and, for a moment she thought she recognized him. She had probably arrested him before.
The man slowly got to his feet. As he turned to the wall, he glanced around, as if surveying the layout of the area and a warning sounded in the back of Terri's mind. There was something about this guy and the whole situation that was wrong, but before she had time to process it, the man suddenly lunged at her. He grabbed her around the waist and pushed her into the store manager. Terri and Alvarez fell into the flimsy table, which collapsed under them and they fell to the floor. The man ran from the room with Faith right after him.
Terri got to her feet, hastily made sure the manager was okay and then sprinted after her partner. She turned the corner just in time to see the man shoulder Faith into a rack of potato chips and take off running toward the other end of the store. Terri ran over to Faith, who was trying to get to her feet.
"I'm fine, keep after him," Faith yelled, as she waved Terri on.
Terri saw the man make a beeline toward the side of the store, away from the front entrance. "Stop right there!" she called as she ran after him. Behind her, she could hear Faith calling this odd turn of events in to central dispatch.
As the man turned down the last isle, he turned his head and Terri could see a smile on his face. Where is this guy going? Terri thought. She pushed herself and sped up toward the fleeing man. When she was within a few feet of him, she lunged at his back, caught him around his waist and dragged him down to the floor.
They wrestled around for a moment. He jabbed her in the ribs with a sharp punch. The blow landed in the gap between the front and back of her Kevlar vest. It knocked the wind out of her and she fell back, losing her hold on him. He scrambled to his feet. Determined not to let him get out of the store, Terri managed to kick out her leg and catch it between the man's legs. He stumbled, fell, and hit the floor on his stomach with a soft grunt.
Terri moved over to him. She pulled his elbow up toward his head and pressed her knee hard into the center of his back. In this painful position, he decided not to struggle any more. She was pulling out her handcuffs as Faith ran up.
"Terri, you okay? You got it?"
"Yeah," Terri said, clicking the cuffs closed around his wrists. She slowly got to her feet, taking a deep breath. "Let's get this jag-off into the squad."
They each grabbed an arm and pulled the man to his feet. He must have been winded himself, because they were able to walk him out of the store and over to their RMP without too much trouble. As Terri pushed him into the back of the car, she neglected to remind him to watch his head and there was a solid crack as it made contact with the hood of the car.
"Oops," Terri said, flatly. "Watch your head." She slammed the door closed. She turned to Faith. "You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." She noticed that Terri was holding an arm to her side and wincing slightly. "What about you?"
"The bastard punched me after I tackled him. The nerve, huh?" Terri said. In truth, her heart was racing, her vision was becoming slightly fuzzy and her side where he punched her was burning. "I just got the wind knocked out of me is all. I'll be fine."
"You want to go get checked out?"
"You know how I feel about doctors and their needles. No thanks." She had developed an irrational hatred of doctors and hospitals in her youth and did whatever she could to avoid them. Including talking herself out of going, even when she knew she needed to. Like now. Terri managed a weak smile. "I just need to catch my breath."
"You sure? You look a little shaky."
"I'm fine," Terri said, a little too forcefully. When she saw the look on Faith's face, Terri softened. "Look, I'm sorry, Faith. I got a little dinged up, but I'm sure filling out all the paperwork at the hospital and having to report it and file an incident report to the captain will only aggravate me - I mean my condition."
Faith smiled. "Fine, but you're gunna take it easy for the rest of the day, okay? We'll stay off the radio as much as we can."
"You mean duck calls?" Terri asked, feigning shock. "Why Officer Yokas, I do believe a certain partner of yours may've corrupted you."
"Just give me the keys so I can drive," Faith said, holding out her hand.
Terri checked her pockets for the keys. "Are you sure I've got them?"
"You were driving."
"I must've lost them back in the store."
Faith nodded. "You wait in the squad. I'll go back in and look for them."
"I'm fine, Faith," Terri said, pointedly.
Faith decided not to argue.
They walked back into the store. Terri went toward the isle where she'd had her scrimmage, while Faith walked back toward the manager's office.
As Terri neared the spot were she'd tackled the guy, her head began to swim in earnest. She stopped, blinked a few times, tried to take a few more steps, but had to stop quickly and use the shelf for support. She took a few deep breaths and tried to focus on something other than her spinning head. This was more than just having the wind knocked out of her. There was something seriously wrong.
She looked over the shelves and saw Faith coming toward her, holding her hands up to show she hadn't found anything. Terri held out a hand. "Faith - I - something's wr -" but before she could finish, she was overcome by a wave of dizziness and lost her balance.
As she fell, the side of her head smacked against the shelf, and then made contact with the floor, with a sickening crack.
Everything went black.
The blackness around her started to fade. Faceless voices surrounded her. Terri tried to open her eyes, but when she did, she couldn't focus. Everything was a blur. She couldn't move her neck and there was a ringing in her ears. Her entire body felt heavy. Adrenaline started coursing through her body. She tried to sit up, but two strong hands pushed her back down.
"Whoa, Terri, just relax. You're okay."
She recognized the voice. "Doc? What's going on?"
"You're in an ambulance. Everything's fine, don't worry." A female voice.
"Faith?" Terri asked.
"Yeah, I'm right here," Faith said. She was holding one of Terri's hands and she gave it a small squeeze.
Terri tried blinking her eyes. "My eyes."
"There's a bandage on the laceration over your right eye that's obscuring your eyesight," Doc said. "And you hit your head pretty hard so probably have a concussion, so you may have double or blurry vision."
Terri's head was spinning. "What?"
"You fell back at the store and hit your head," Faith said. "You've been unconscious for almost twenty minutes."
Back at the store? It was slowly coming back. "That guy-"
"Sully and Davis got it. Don't worry about it," Faith said. "How do you feel?"
"Terrific." Terri did a quick systems check. She finally realized the ringing in her ears was the siren on the ambulance, but there were still a few things that sent up flags. "I feel kinda queasy and my hands are numb."
"Once we get to the hospital-"
"Aw, man," Terri moaned.
"What's wrong, Terri?" Doc asked. "Do you need something for the pain?" Doc could see that she was trying to smile in spite of any pain she was in. "What?" he asked.
"Not pain," Terri mumbled. "Hospital. I'm allergic."
Doc smiled back. "Well, you're going to need some sutures, at any rate, so I don't think there's any getting around going. Besides, we already have you in the bus. I don't think I'm allowed to pull over and let you out."
"I won't tell anyone if you don't."
Doc chuckled. "We're less than a minute out. Just relax and enjoy the extra attention."
"How is she?"
Faith forced her voice to remain steady. "They're treating her now, but she should be fine."
She was talking to Bosco on her cell phone. He was on his way over to the hospital. Somehow, Bosco had heard what had happened and he'd called her just as the doctors and nurses were pushing Terri into the trauma room. Faith stayed just outside and watched through the glass.
"Do you know what happened?" Bosco asked.
"I'm not really sure." Faith tried to keep her voice even, but she was still a little shook up. "One minute she seemed fine - a little winded, maybe, but then she just -" her voice cracked. "She just fell."
"Is she awake?"
"Yeah. She woke up in the bus on the way to the hospital."
Bosco let out a sigh of relief. "I'm only about five minutes out." When he was met by silence, he added, "She's gunna be fine, Faith."
"I know," Faith said. One of the nurses gave her a stern look and mimed handing up a phone. Faith nodded her understanding. "I gotta get off the phone." She forced a smile into her voice. "Don't break too many laws trying to get here in a hurry, okay?"
"You know me."
"Yeah, I do," Faith said, a genuine but very slight smile played around the corners of her lips. "See you soon." She pushed the end button and put her phone back in her jacket.
The glass door slid open and Doc and Carlos came out, pushing their stretcher. "You doing okay, Faith?" Doc asked.
"Yeah, considering," Faith answered. "How is she?"
"She's alert and responsive," Doc answered. "And making sure everyone in there is board certified and doing their jobs right."
In spite of herself, Faith let out a small laugh. "Sounds about right."
Doc put a hand on Faith's arm. "She's going to be fine. They're taking good care of her."
"Yeah, not to mention that it'd take more than that fall to crack open her hard head," Carlos said.
Doc and Faith both looked at him.
"What?" Carlos shrugged. "I heard Terri say that to the doctor as we rolled her inside the trauma room."
Again, Faith couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, that sounds like her too."
They stood in silence for a few moments, watching as the doctors and nurses administered to Terri. Faith looked down at the blood covered bandages littering the floor around Terri's bed. Without really thinking, she started speaking.
"We were joking around, talking about simple things. Then the guy ran and -" She paused, running the scene through her head. "It all happened so fast." Again, she paused. For some reason, she had this nagging feeling that this was far from over, but she pushed it away. "There didn't seem to be anything wrong before she fell. She had to fight to get the guy in custody, but I didn't think she got hurt too bad. When we went back in, she just passed out or fainted or something."
"People slip in grocery stores all the time," Carlos said. "They do it so they can sue the store and collect insurance."
Doc threw Carlos a look, but it wasn't caught in time. His comment broke the spell.
Faith turned away from the window and advanced on Carlos. "Are you saying that Terri fell and cracked her head open on purpose? 'cause that's about the stupidest thing I've ever heard you say and you've said some pretty stupid things in your time."
Carlos raised his hands in defense. "That's not what I meant."
Doc stood between the two of them. "He didn't mean it, Faith. Just relax."
Faith knew she was over reacting, but for some reason, she couldn't help it. Deep down, she blamed herself for Terri's accident. It was her fault Terri had to chase after the man alone. She shouldn't have let him push her into that display. She should've had him in cuffs before he even had the chance to run.
The door to the room opened and Nurse Mary Proctor came out. Yokas forgot about Carlos and walked over to her. "How is she?"
Mary handed Faith a large plastic bag. "Here are Terri's clothes and personal items. Does she have any family that needs to be called?" Mary asked.
Yokas felt the air leave her lungs. "Why? What's wrong?"
Mary held up her hands. "Nothing, she's fine. I'm sorry. She's all patched up and resting comfortably."
Faith closed her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. "God, Mary. That's a good way to give me a heart attack."
"I'm sorry," Mary said. "I was just going through her medical file and I noticed that she doesn't have anyone listed for her next of kin or any family medical history."
Faith shook her head and thought about it for a moment. Terri rarely spoke about herself. "I think she mentioned once that both her parents have past and that she was an only child, but I don't know for sure."
Proctor nodded. "Terri needed seven stitches to close the laceration above her eye and she has a mild concussion. Also, because of her symptoms; elevated heart rate, dizziness, numbness in the hands; they took a glucose reading and found that she's at a 43, which is very low. We're going to admit her for observation and to run a few tests, to make sure we didn't miss anything, so we're going to move her into a private room upstairs."
"I bet she's thrilled about that," Faith said, under her breath.
"There might have been a few words exchanged between Terri and Dr. Fields," Mary said with a slight smile. "You can go in and see her, if you'd like."
Faith nodded. "Yeah, I would. Our Lieutenant is on his way over and Bosco's gunna be here soon. They'll both want to see her too."
"You can use our locker room down at the end of the hall if want to wash up a bit first," Mary said with a slight wink. "There are also some lockers in there if you want to store her things."
Faith looked down at the front of her uniform and realized it was covered with Terri's blood. "Yeah, thanks, Mary."
Doc put a hand on Faith's shoulder. "We've got to get back out there. You let us know if you need anything, all right."
"Yeah, sure, Doc. Thanks."
Officer John Thomas Sullivan stood with his arms crosses over his chest, staring down at the pool of blood left by his fellow officer. He had seen plenty of blood during his tenure with the NYPD, but when it belonged to someone he knew, it was always more real and harder to stomach. And yet, he seemed unable to pull his gaze away.
When Yokas's "Assist Police Officer" 10-13 call went out over the radio Sully and his partner, Tyrone Davis, Jr., were the first officers to respond, arriving there just as Doc and Carlos were taking Terri out to the ambulance. The scene was still playing over and over in his head.
"Faith? Is Terri okay?" Davis said as he got out of the RMP and jogged over to the gurney as Doc and Carlos pushed it out of the store. He saw Terri. "Oh, my God."
"Sully, get the doors," Doc said.
Sully went over to the ambulance and made sure the back doors where opened wide and helped lift the gurney into the back once they got there. Sully's stomach twisted and a dull pain shot through him as he saw Terri. She was unconscious, her face was covered with blood and she was very pale. "Faith?"
"I'm going to ride with her," Faith answered. "There's a prisoner in the back of our RMP." Her voice sounded oddly hollow.
"We'll take care of it," Sully said with a nod. He made sure everyone was in and secure, then closed the back doors, slamming his open palm on the doors a few times to indicate they were cleared to leave. They watched silently as the ambulance speed away.
"Hey Sully, CSU just pulled up."
Davis's call brought Sully around. Davis had been standing near the entrance, both keeping an eye out for CSU and securing the store. Sully looked down at his watch. "It's about time," he mumbled as he went to meet them at the door. There had been no update on Terri's condition and he was very anxious to get to the hospital. They had been here for over thirty minutes.
Three additional units had answered the 10-13. The first two that arrived after Sully and Davis were from the twenty-second precinct that had been on a meal break not too far away. They left once they saw the situation was in hand. The third, Five-Five Frank, offered to take Faith and Terri's RMP and their prisoner back to the stationhouse. When they went into the store to look for the keys, Sully found them under the shelf right where Terri had gone down. He'd also found the item that had prompted the lock down of the scene and the 10-85 CSU request call.
Sully watched the two CSU guys get their gear out of the back of their car. He recognized one of them as Jason Price.
Sully only liked a handful of people. "Crap." This guy was not one of them.
"You guys called us to a shoplifting? We've got three other calls stacked up behind this one. What makes you guys think you need Crime Scene?"
"Can it, Price," Sully said. Yep, still an arrogant SOB. "Officer Swensen got hurt here and we want to know why."
The CSU officer's demeanor changed instantly. "The 13 was about Terri?"
Sully nodded.
"What've you got?"
Sully exchanged a quick look with Davis. "We found something that we need processed."
Price nodded. "Whatever you need. We'll put you up first."
Sully's opinion of Price was changing a bit. "Come on. I'll show you where it is."
