Disclaimer: This story is for fan purposes only. I have liberally borrowed and repurposed dialogue from the series. The original plot and characters are the property of their respective owners (not me!) and are used here without permission. Enjoy!
Author Note: Hmmm, I seem to have written another AU about Robbie not going to New Zealand. I guess that ending really bothered me to the point where I had to write three different alternate endings. There's Antipodes, Lewis and Clark, and this present story- consider it variations on a theme, or a 'what if' trilogy. Antipodes is probably my favourite because it's cannon until the end, but they all have their merits. This past summer in anticipation of the last Lewis broadcasts in the US, I wrote a Lewis themed rant for every letter of the alphabet on Tumblr. (Muffinzelda's Musings, if you're curious.) On the K is for Ken entry, CrazyMaryT commented that she wished that Laura and Robbie had been bound for Australia to see his son rather than the New Zealand boondoggle that we saw on screen. I hadn't thought of it that way before, but it makes so much more sense. It really stuck with me, so here is my version of what might have been.
The letter bomb had detonated upon hitting the window of David Capstone's flat though the explosion ripped through the entire floor. Robbie Lewis felt himself thrown against a wall then debris pelting him as he attempted to shield his face. He felt his way along the wall until he found a doorway and began to crawl until he found stairs. He couldn't hear a thing for the ringing in his ears and smoke had reduced all visibility, but he felt a hand feeling for him and then tugging him to his feet. James Hathaway.
The next moments were all a blur, but Lewis, Hathaway, and David Capstone somehow all made it out of the building alive. Emergency sirens were heard imminently. By the time Chief Superintendent Moody arrived on the scene, Lewis was almost able to hear again- much to his chagrin.
"What the hell were you thinking? You should have retreated to a safe distance and let the bomb squad take over. I don't like my men being blown up." Moody bellowed.
"I'm not a huge fan of it meself," Lewis retorted.
Moody was determined to be at the center of the investigation. "I will accompany Mr. Capstone to hospital and take a statement. You two need to get checked out as well." Miraculously, Lewis and Hathaway did not seem to be too hurt, but procedure dictated that they be cleared by a physician before returning to duty.
"Skip the hospital, just take me to the mortuary, Joe." Robbie decided to dispense with the 'sir' under the circumstances.
"Come on, Lewis. You're old but you're not dead yet."
Lewis glared at his boss. "We'll let Dr. Hobson be the judge of that, all the same."
"Perhaps you should compromise and have Dr. Hobson meet you at the hospital."
Sergeant Maddox drove Lewis and Hathaway to the John Radcliffe, where Dr. Hobson had been pacing the triage area waiting for their arrival. She ran towards Lewis; he breathed a sigh of relief as he expected her to throw her arms around him and kiss his pain away.
*Whump!* Hobson surprised them all by giving Lewis a whack on the arm for putting himself in harm's way and a second blow for leaving her a voicemail describing the incident as a 'small bomb.'
She turned her wrath to Hathaway. "And you, James! Is it too much to ask for you to keep him alive for two more days until we leave for Australia? Don't you have some paperwork he can do?" He braced himself in case Hobson lashed out at him physically as well, but there was no need.
Lewis wrapped his arm around Hobson from behind. He gently kissed her hair before breaking the bad news. "I'm sorry love; I'm not going to go to Australia. The case, you see…"
"What case, Robbie? You know who did it. Isn't it obvious?" She was treated to blank stares from the three detectives. "The bomber is David Capstone himself. How else would he have known that particular package was a bomb unless 'it's a bomb' was written on the envelope? This is ridiculous! You're being ridiculous!"
Lewis and Hathaway exchanged a glance, and then Hathaway and Maddox raced off to go to investigate Hobson's idea. Lewis and Hobson were then alone; or as alone as two people could be in a hospital waiting room.
Lewis lowered his voice. "I'm scared, Laura. I'm just a consultant. Moody doesn't have to renew my contract. If I go now, I'm not sure there will be anything for me when I come back."
"Well, what am I meant to do, go on my own? To see your own son?"
"What, you're still going?"
"Of course I'm still going! We planned this trip together, Robbie. It's the trip of a lifetime, and I for one want to see the world before we're too old to enjoy it. Besides, our plane tickets are non-refundable."
A nurse summoned Lewis, but he was locked on Hobson's steely blue eyes.
"Go on," Hobson nodded towards the nurse. "You'd best be seen by a doctor who doesn't want to kill you."