Heartbeat – Danger on the Moors

Disclaimer: Heartbeat is not my creation and doesn't belong to me. I merely wish to play around with a few marvelous characters for a while and hopefully contribute with a good story to the archive. Maybe I can inspire someone else to write a story because there's far too few out there.

Characters: I like to involve as many of the regulars as I can but it centers on Nick and Kate.

Genre: Hurt/comfort, romance, angst, crime, drama

Time/Spoilers: Set in season two with spoilers for Manhunt/End of the Line/Bitter Harvest

Summary: Kate and Nick are planning a nice and quiet evening by the fire but a traffic accident rudely interrupts their plans. Nick is injured while helping out and Kate is worried that there is more to it than he lets on.

Beta: Thank you NuGirl and Rollieo 122 for taking time to help me with grammar and such.

OOOOOO

Chapter One – The Calm before the Storm

Kate Rowan walked briskly into the kitchen and put the kettle on. She sliced some bread and then walked over to the refrigerator to retrieve a couple of eggs and bacon. Ten minutes later she sat down at the kitchen table, poured a cup of tea, placed the eggs and bacon on a plate and hungrily took a large bite of her sandwich. She sighed noticing the time, she had to hurry or else she would be late. Not really having time to read the newspaper she put it aside and reached for her tea as she heard Nick padding through the living room.

"Morning," Kate greeted cheerfully as she took one last bite of her sandwich.

Nick yawned and ran a hand through his unruly hair as he sat down at the kitchen table, dressed in his dressing gown. "Morning," he said with a tired smile as she leaned in for a kiss.

"When did you get home last night?" she asked softly and walked over to the counter to pick up her medical bag.

"Around four, I think," he said and looked at her as she retrieved her coat, making herself ready for work. "I kissed you and said good night," he added.

"I thought I was dreaming," she offered mischievously. "I'll be out most of the day, again. These last few days have been unbelievably busy."

Nick chuckled slightly. "You think? We've hardly seen each other. It's almost worse than London," he complained mildly.

Kate looked at him slyly. "I tell you what, tonight, when I get home, we sit down next to the fire and have a glass of wine, just you and me and no work," she suggested.

OOOOOO

It was late afternoon and chilly outside when PC Nick Rowan finally managed to excuse himself from the widow at High Cottage Farm. She was a nice older woman but she'd become very lonely since her husband passed away a month ago. She'd reported several mysterious sightings over the past weeks and he could have sworn she called the police just to get some company. Today was no exception, she claimed she'd seen a man prowling around the premises and that she was feeling threatened by it. After two hours of running around the farm and trying to assure her there was no one there he'd sat down to have a cup of tea and then he was finally on his way home.

Nick took a deep breath and smiled to himself as he accelerated towards the main road, heading for Ashfordly and then Aidensfield. As he neared the junction a delivery truck rushed past with such a speed that Rowan had to cling to the brakes. Annoyed at almost ending up on the windshield of the truck he revved the accelerator and took off after it.

The delivery truck continued to speed through the landscape and Nick had trouble staying on its tail. He frowned slightly as he spotted a lonely cyclist a bit further down the meandering road but gave it no further thought.

The green delivery truck raced down the hill and neared the cyclist just as the road inclined once again. Taken by surprise at the break-neck speed the truck had, the drunken cyclist veered into the roadway and crashed down on the hard asphalt. Equally surprised by the action taken by the cyclist, the delivery man slammed the brakes and spun the wheel around avoiding the cyclist with only inches to spare.

The delivery truck went over the hill, out of control, and when it was almost out of Nick's sight, as the road declined again, it went over the middle line. PC Rowan felt the hair at the back of his neck rise as he caught the red roof of the local bus coming from the other direction. There was no way to avoid it, the crash was inevitable. The noise of metal scraping and screeching tires seemed to echo around the moors as the speeding delivery truck clipped the front of the bus with its passenger side. Nick automatically gripped the brakes, managing a full stop, a few meters before the accident site. He reached for his radio, knowing full well that every second counted.

"Delta-Alpha-Two-Four to control, please respond," he said into the mouthpiece, willing for one of his colleagues to make a run for it.

"Delta-Alpha-Two-Four to control, please respond," he urged, unintentionally raising his voice.

"Delta-Alpha-Two-Four, this is control receiving," PC Ventress calm voice carried over line.

Nick breathed a sigh of relief and a tiny smile spread on his lips. "Alf, there's been an automotive accident up on the moors. It involves the local bus, you better send someone quickly!"

The urging in Nick's voice caused Alf to quickly forget the tea and egg lying in wait for him at the desk. Something really bad had apparently happened. "Look, Nick, do you need any medical assistance?" he asked almost reluctant to know.

"Most definitely," he replied almost instantly. "But, Alf, Kate is supposed to be out most of the day," he added remembering that his wife had told him so early in the morning.

"Let's hope she's back," the older copper replied darkly. "I'll phone the surgery and Phil is on his way as we speak," he added reassuringly.

"Thanks, Alf," Nick replied in appreciation.

"Just be careful, Nick," Ventress returned and let go of the transmitter button. "Just be careful."

OOOOOO

Dr. Kate Rowan exhaustedly parked the car outside the surgery. She killed the engine and retrieved the key before slowly leaning back in the seat, closing her eyes. It had been such a crazy day, she'd hastened from farm to farm, tending to sick people and she was running late, again. She blinked her tired eyes open and glanced at the door to the surgery, wondering if she had been in her right mind when she'd set up appointments in the late afternoon when she'd known she would be out the whole day.

Alex had gotten home the day before but she hadn't really had a chance to speak with him since then. She hadn't had time to explain why she had changed the surgery hours or asked him how his trip had been. Kate groaned; she didn't really feel up to it at the moment either. The doctor took a deep breath before she finally opened the car door, grabbed her medical bag and headed for her office. She hoped Nick was having a better day.

OOOOOO

An eerie silence spread over the area as he jumped off his motorbike and half-ran, half-jogged, towards the bus. Pieces of shredded tires and twisted metal lay on the road, including a rear mirror which lay upside down with the surface crushed and the smell of petrol was ominous. Nick grimaced as he grabbed hold of the buckled front right door of the delivery truck and tried to pry it open. The driver lay slouched over the steering wheel with a rather nasty looking head wound to his temple. Rowan cursed under his breath as the door wouldn't budge and then tried again, more forcefully. The twisted hinges screamed in protest as he pushed it aside and leaned in to have a look. When he was satisfied that the man was still breathing he made his way over to the bus. Having helped Kate on a number of occasions, he knew that the delivery driver shouldn't be moved without medical personnel present.

Nick swallowed and felt the bile rise in his throat as he stepped into the bus. The air was heavily scented with a mixture of puke, blood and gasoline. For a moment he stared at the bus driver, who lay sprawled over the wheel, his head smashed through the window, which had shattered into a million pieces. His features hardened at the sight as he then moved further into the cabin, trying to assess the situation.

Small children sat on the floor, crying, and a mother sat with her newborn child in her lap, rocking it slightly, while a single tear escaped her eye. An older man lay in a heap at the back of the bus, bleeding heavily, and a few hikers sat together staring into nothingness, seemingly in chock. Nick froze as a bloody hand locked around his wrist as he momentarily stopped. He instinctively turned around only to stare into the blue eyes of a fairly young woman.

"Constable," she said with forced calmness. "You've got to help me, I think my husband is dying," she managed in a quivering voice.

Nick smiled politely and knelt beside her in the aisle. He noted sadly the state her husband was in, the clammy skin and the pale complexion, the blood soaked coat.

"I'll do the best I can," he assured her softly. "I'll try and help everyone the best I can until further help arrives."

Glancing around and seeing the unhappy faces, the battered people, he really wished for Kate to be there, she could make a difference.

OOOOOO

1/9

To be continued