Beginning Again Together
Summary: Smithy/Kerry. When Smithy is critically injured on the job, he has the choice of life or being with the woman he loves the most. Which will he choose?
Inspired from a conversation with LightSpirit (who has been an amazing help as always!) about whether Smithy would be killed off in the finale of The Bill or not. When he wasn't, I decided to do it myself! But give him a happy ending.
Hope you enjoy and reviews are much appreciated! :)
This was not how things had been supposed to go down, and Smithy swallowed a lump in his throat as the gunman switched his concentration from Callum and pointed the weapon at him. From that moment, everything seemed to move in slow motion but yet it was over in a millisecond, and Smithy had never felt so powerless. He was aware of Callum rushing at the gunman with all his weight, trying to knock the younger man off his feet. He saw Jasmine's face turn from terror to shock and heard the click of the gun's safety being released as loudly as if a bomb had exploded.
"Easy son, easy." Smithy managed to force out, holding his hands out in front of him, palms raised in defence.
The bullet pierced through his protective vest and embedded itself in his body. If he hadn't been wearing the vest that would protect him against stab wounds, Dale Smith would have died instantaneously.
To begin with he felt very little pain, and only the shocked expression on Callum Stone's face made him realise the seriousness of his condition. He was on the verge of consciousness, vaguely aware of Callum instructing a shell shocked Jasmine to apply pressure to his wound. The edges of his vision began to blacken and he was aware of a bright, cleansing light. Over the sound of Callum's deep voice and Jasmine's sniffles, Smithy was aware of another sound; something much softer. It sounded like home; like belonging.
"Dale." There was no mistaking that voice, it sounded like honey to his ears. He felt as though he and the man on the floor were separate entities, that he was floating above the body he had occupied during his life. "Dale, honey." He could hear tears in her voice now and he wanted so badly to hold her, yet he was the one in mortal danger. "Not yet baby, it's not your time yet. I'll be waiting for you. I love you."
Smithy was suddenly aware of his pain now, and a tear slipped down his cheek. "I love you."
"Steady on mate." Callum laughed, but it was a hoarse sound and his eyes betrayed how worried he really was.
Smithy looked confused, but let it go. The pain he was feeling was too extreme now and he hoped it was the sound of an ambulance siren he could hear over the roaring in his ears. Was this how Kerry had felt about Gabriel had shot her? He hoped not, he couldn't bear to think of her in this much agony. He was vaguely aware of a brunette paramedic talking to him as two men carried him on a stretcher towards the back of the ambulance, but after that all he knew was darkness.
Callum Stone paced the waiting room, a cooling plastic cup of awful coffee in his hands. Many of the other officers had offered to stand vigil with him, but Callum wanted to be alone. He felt responsible somehow although he couldn't explain why. He and Smithy had been through a lot recently, and it was no secret that things had been awkward between them. Callum felt the least he could do was to wait here for Smithy to wake up, if he did wake up. His stomach churned, rejecting the bad coffee and he had to struggle to keep it down. He turned around abruptly as the door opened and a doctor came striding towards him.
"Are you Sergeant Stone?" The middle aged doctor asked, tucking his clipboard under his arm so that he could shake hands with Callum.
"Yes I am, how is Smithy doing?"
The doctor flipped open his clipboard and found the right section. Callum knew it was irrational, but the longer the doctor too, the more he wanted to hit the man.
"It was lucky that Mr Smith was wearing his vest but that doesn't mean he's out of the woods. I have to tell you now, Sergeant, that he may not recover from this. It might be a good idea to let his family know this, so they don't pitch their expectations too high." The doctor warned.
Callum nodded soberly. He couldn't believe this was happening. Of course he had known officers who had died in the line of duty before, but he couldn't believe that this time it might be Smithy.
"We managed to remove the bullet from Mr Smith's chest cavity but he has lost a lot of blood, and the bullet perforated a vital valve that stopped oxygen from reaching his brain. If Mr Smith does regain consciousness and recovers, he may sustain some serious mental trauma."
Callum let out a somewhat shaky breath, he knew Smithy wouldn't want this; wouldn't want to be the shadow of his former self. Callum understood, he felt the same way about his own life.
"Can I see him?"
"Briefly." The doctor conceded and led Callum through to the intensive care ward where Smithy was being cared for.
Dale had been unconscious went Callum went to visit him, the machines around him buzzing and whirring softly as they did their work. The nurses bustled around, barely making any noise and the near silence in the room disquieted Callum, who had seen far worse than this in his time on the force. Callum wasn't quite sure what to do, it would feel awkward to touch the other man and he didn't want to do anything to hurt him or endanger him further.
"I don't know if you can hear me, mate." Callum said, his deep voice little more than a whisper. "But we're all rooting for you. We need you to get through this."
"I'm sorry, we need you to leave now, sir." One of the higher ranking nurses told him and reluctantly he left the ward, but he promised himself and Smithy that he would come back later. If there was a later, anyway.
Kerry's bright blue eyes were filled with tears. She was both overwhelming happy and painfully sad at the same time. She had longed to see Smithy again for nearly six years, ever since she had died but it didn't seem fair that he was being taken from his life so early too. When he had first appeared to her, as the bullet had pierced through his vest, Kerry had truly believed that it was not Smithy's time and that it was just a brush with death. Being a police officer meant putting your life on the line every single day, but now Kerry was beginning to believe that Smithy had made the ultimate sacrifice for his job.
Dale was completely unaware of Callum's visit to his bedside, his consciousness was elsewhere. The bright light from just after the shooting had returned and he could hear the voice again. When he first saw her, he thought she was an angel until she came closer to him. Then it became clear to Smithy that it was the love of his life standing before him, her blonde hair loose about her shoulders and splaying over the ice blue silk of her dress.
"Kerry?" He asked, before he could stop himself. He didn't want his voice to shatter this illusion, which surely had to be a dream. But then she was in his arms and he could feel the warmth of her body against his chest and the softness of her hair on the side of his cheek. "Am I dreaming?"
"No, this is real; I'm real." Tears began to slip from her eyes, yet she was still not sure if she was crying from joy or from sorrow.
"Where are we?" Smithy was suddenly aware that he could see his body; his Earthly vessel laying unconscious in a hospital bed.
"The Afterlife." Kerry replied, and by the way that she said it, Smithy knew she was completely serious. "I've been waiting for you, and if you want; if you think it's the right time, you can come with me." She suddenly looked uncertain and pulled away from him. "Or, you can go back to your life."
Smithy laughed a little harshly. "What life? Living without you isn't really living at all, Kerry. I've just been existing these past few years, doing my job and trying to get by. I've tried to have other relationships, but being with someone else always reminds me how much I still love you. I'm tired of trying to pretend I'm happy, I've survived without you for more than five years, but I can't do it anymore. I need to be with you again."
Both of them were crying now, tears streaming down their faces.
"I want you to stay too Smithy, I've missed you so. I've been watching over you but it's not the same; it's not enough. I love you so much, but I don't want to be selfish. If you choose to go back to your life I will understand and I'll keep waiting for you."
Smithy shook his head, gathering her in his arms again. "I'm ready to let go, I'm ready to come with you." He kissed her softly, her lips moving under his. Oh, he had missed her so much.
She kissed him back, pouring everything she had into the kiss she had waited for so long to receive. She melted against him, reaching for him as his hands moved over her body, rediscovering territory they had not explored in so long.
"Can we? Can we do this here?" He asked, sounding uncertain.
"Of course, Smithy. We can do anything we like." She smiled.
They slowly undressed each other and Smithy laid Kerry out on the warm, soft grass. They moved together, making love more tenderly that either of them could remember. As they reached their peak together, Smithy held onto her tightly. He never ever wanted to let her go again.
They dressed again and stood holding each other. He broke away from Kerry as his unconscious body came into view again.
"My mum is here." He told her. "I have to say goodbye to her first, but I want to come with you so badly."
"It's okay, I'll still be here whenever you're ready to let go." She kissed his cheek. "I love you."
"I love you too."
Callum Stone was back at Smithy's bedside a while later, this time he was joined by Dale's mum Pauline and Gina Gold. The all noticed Smithy stirring and the way he began to come round, blinking his eyes as he took all three of them in.
"Mum," He managed to croak in a voice far less stable than the one he spoke to Kerry with just moments again.
"Dale, oh Dale, you're awake." She took his hand and squeezed it in her's. Her grip on his hand relaxed as nurses and doctors returned to Smithy's bedside.
It all seemed to pass in a strange blur for Smithy, and it was hard to concentrate over the pain of his injuries. He longed to be with Kerry, to be free and be happy but he knew he owed it to his mother and to Gina, to say goodbye. It suddenly dawned on him that Callum was there too, and this surprised him. Of course Callum had been there when he was shot, but still Smithy hadn't expected to find him at his bedside.
He painfully spoke to his mother and Gina, telling them how special they were to him and how much he would miss them. Pauline cried silently, tears dripping down her cheeks but she didn't want her son to suffer any longer than he absolutely had to.
"Could I have a moment alone with him?" Callum asked, as Pauline turned away from the bed with Gina's armed wrapped around her shoulder.
"Of course," Pauline leaned over Smithy again and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "I love you, Dale."
"I love you too, mum." He croaked out.
Gina led Pauline from the room and Callum took in a seat in the uncomfortable plastic chair beside the bed.
"I'm so sorry, Smithy." He began, not able to able to look at the dying man. Instead he fixed his gaze on his hands, which were clasped in his lap. "I should be the one lying there; I should have taken the bullet not you."
"Don't be ridiculous." Smithy replied. "This is my time. I get to be free of all the pain and I get to be with the love of my life again. For good, this time."
Callum still looked grief stricken. "I'm sorry for all the times I disobeyed you and the way I behaved. It wasn't anything personal, I'm just not very good with authority figures."
Smithy managed a laugh, although it came out sounding very week. "I'd noticed. But listen Callum, you are a great copper and don't let anyone tell you any different. I can see you becoming Inspector one day, maybe sooner than you think."
"Smithy, I don't...I couldn't..."
Feebly, Smithy reached out and placed his hand on Callum's arm. "You'd be perfect for the job. I never thought I'd be capable of it either, but I was proved wrong and you will be too."
"Thank you." Callum's throat was feeling very dry and he wasn't convinced he would get through the rest of this without crying.
"I need to get some rest now Callum. You and Gina will make sure my mum is okay, won't you?"
"Of course." Callum assured him, standing up and patting Smithy's shoulder.
He left the ward, knowing that if he turned back that one tear burning in his left eye, would fall.
Smithy closed his eyes and let his exhaustion wash over him. He was aware of a few quiet beeps and a bustle of energy, and those fateful words.
"Time of death: 19:51"
Suddenly he saw that brightness and felt the same sense of incredible freedom as before. Kerry was standing before him, grinning from ear to ear as she flung herself into his arm again.
"I'm so glad you're here."
He hugged her back, pressing kisses into her soft hair. "I love you."
"I love you too," She let go of him and took his hand instead. "Are you ready to start out new life?"
Smithy nodded, he'd never been more ready for anything. He let her lead him away, their fingers entwined together as the bright light engulfed them and they finally moved on. Together forever.