Logan pulls up to the apartment building just as the second ambulance arrives. He leaps out of the car and runs through the maze of sheriff's cars and flashing lights. No one has had a chance to set up a police barrier yet, but building tenants have spilled out onto the sidewalk.
"Veronica!" Logan screams before he realizes he is yelling. He finds a paramedic as he pulls a gurney from the back of the ambulance. "What's going on?" he asks the man frantically.
"Sorry sir, I'm gonna have to ask you to step back over to the sidewalk," is the canned response.
Logan can't help himself. He reaches out and grabs the man's arm, spinning him around. He drops the arm immediately, hoping his panic didn't cause him to actually leave a mark. The last thing he needs is another bystander with a cell phone leaking the footage to TMZ. Logan lets his guard drop, hoping to convey the absolute terror he feels.
"My girlfriend," he starts. "What happened? She was in there, and-"
"Sir," the man has taken a step back and shrugs his arm, although Logan has already let go. Logan uses his arms to indicate that he will keep his space.
"Please, man," he begs, "please tell me what you know."
"Is your girlfriend a cop?"
"No," Logan replies. Not really, he adds.
"Good. The first call that came in was for an officer down. Then neighbors called in with reports of shots fired. I don't know anything else, and I have to get in there." Logan tempers the bile that has risen in the back of his throat.
The paramedic gives a pointed look at Logan. "Now please go stand over there so I can do my job." The man turns back to the gurney, throws a duffle bag on it, and heads towards the doors. More squad cars pull up. Logan needs more information, but he doubts the regular channels are going to do it. He makes his way over to the crowd. He wants to hear what the witnesses know, he is sure that Veronica is in that building. Logan digs his hands into his jeans pockets and keeps his head down.
"Four shots-" he hears as he mulls around the outside of the crowd.
"I heard six" comes the chittering voice of a woman holding her Pomeranian.
He puts together enough information to know that the activity is in Gia's apartment and her storage space. Logan's stomach is in knots while his brain flashes back to the roof, to the night with Mercer, to the every fight they had about her safety. He tries to stop his mind from getting ahead of him. Of jumping to that place where he's angry at her. Nine years have passed and he knows they aren't the same people on the outside. But is it the constant push and pull between them going to drive them apart before they can even get started this time?
Logan's phone dings in his pocket.
It's a text message with an attached zipped file. Tears spring to his eyes when he sees who the text is from. He tries not to holler in excitement, but he throws his head back and something between a sigh and a laugh escapes, expelling the nervous energy that has been building for the last hour.
He opens the file and it asks whether he wants to save it to his Dropbox. He does, because he thinks that's what she wants him to do. It's too loud to try and play it out in the open like this, and his bluetooth is attached to his car. As the file uploads, another text comes in.
Don't listen to the news. I'm OK. Giving a statement. Keep the file.
His legs feel weak with relief. His thoughts are beginning to clear. He has to move his car. Get it out of the way of the paparazzi. He has to keep a low profile, but get as close to the door as possible. He needs to see Veronica, hold her, prove to himself that she really is OK.
First things first. He moves his car around the corner. The paparazzi has started to swarm and Logan hides among the crowd, keeping a low profile. Flashing lights illuminate the space and Logan keeps his eyes trained on the front door. A body bag comes out on a gurney. Logan has to use self-talk to prevent him from doubling over. It's a trick a therapist taught him along the way. He knows Veronica is OK. He knows that's not her. He knows she will be coming out soon. He repeats his new mantras to himself.
Just to be sure, he texts her back. You certainly know how to keep a guy waiting. Any chance you can put me on the guest list? He hits send and crosses his arms, still holding the cell so he can feel it vibrate if she responds. When she responds, he corrects himself.
Ten minutes later, a deputy nudges his elbow. Logan recognizes his face, but can't place his name. He's one of the few left from Logan's frequent teenage run-ins.
"Mr. Echolls?" the deputy asks, his voice low. Logan nods in response.
"Come with me, sir," the man says, and walks them along the edge of the crowd, lifting the police line tape that one of the new officers put up minutes before. Logan ducks under the tape and follows the man to the lobby of the building.
"Wait here, please," the deputy tells him, and continues to move through the lobby and up the stairs. Logan thrusts his hands into his pockets. It's brighter inside, the modern marble lobby reflecting the industrial lighting that hangs high above him. There is a few couches in a corner, and Logan migrates toward the furniture, still watching the staircase the deputy escaped to. He perches on the arm of the couch, suddenly aware that his muscles have been tensed for most of the day.
Lamb and a deputy come through a different part of the lobby, and Logan can see there is a man cuffed between them. Another deputy follows behind. Logan makes an effort not to catch Lamb's eye. The cuffed man has his head down as they lead him through the lobby, but Logan recognizes Cobb. He feels his hands curl into fists, and notices the man looks a bit dazed. Logan hopes someone got at least a few good hits in on him. As soon as they cross the threshold, the camera flashes light up the lobby. Logan surreptitiously shifts himself away from any windows. It's an old habit, but one that is clearly a benefit right now.
The deputy that brought him to the lobby is coming down the stairs, and after him, Logan hears the click of her heels on the marble before he can see her. As she descends the stairs, he takes note that there don't seem to be any injuries that he can see. At the bottom of the stairs, she stops the deputy for a moment.
"Thanks, Tim," she says, and leans up to give him a peck on the cheek.
"Thank you, Veronica," he replies, "if we need anything else, we'll give you a call." He gives her a squeeze on the arm. "And you tell your dad I'm rootin' for him," he says with a smile.
"Sure will," she says and the two exchange a glance before the deputy cranes his neck in Logan's direction. He's stood up by now, and the butterflies that started to calm are beating against his chest.
Her face falls for just a moment when she sees him, and he isn't sure if she thinks he'll be upset or if she's let the mask drop. He smiles and opens his arms to show her that he's relieved, not mad, and they meet in the middle of the lobby. She wraps her arms around his body, her head buries into his chest. Veronica is shaking as his arms fold around her and he kisses the top of her head. He turns them so his back is to the lobby doors. Hopefully the paps are following Cobb's trip to the Sheriff's station, not hanging back to see the other players in the game, but Logan will always do his best to protect her.
They stand in the lobby, holding each other until it becomes clear they are in the middle of the traffic pattern for the various officials that come and go. Logan leads her over to the couch, and they sink down into it. She curls tightly to his side. Her face is red and she sniffles more than once. Logan leans to his side and digs down into his back pocket for the handkerchief he's gotten into the habit of carrying. She takes it from him, mumbling a thanks.
He continues to place kisses to her temple, his arms wrapped around her until her breathing becomes more regulated and the gaps between the sniffles come out almost as hiccups.
He's learned enough from his time in therapy to know not to start with an accusation. He knows his most pressing questions involve how she could put herself in such danger, but he also remembers quite clearly how those conversations turn out with her. Instead, he gently lifts her chin towards him. "Are you hurt?" he asks, because he still doesn't understand what happened.
She shakes her head. "No, I was…" she seems to think about what she wants to say, "I'm okay, they checked me out upstairs" she amends. "But can I use your phone? I need to call my dad, make sure he knows I'm fine."
Logan nods and reaches into his pocket for his phone. He's going to ask what happened to hers, but the confusion must be written on his face. "They took mine as evidence," she explains as she takes the phone he offers her.
"Oh," he says, and suddenly it makes sense. Given what she told him about evidence being planted or disappearing under Lamb's watch, she sent him a copy of the recording since she couldn't keep her own.
Veronica punches the hospital number and waits to be connected to Keith's room. "It's ringing," she tells Logan, and he nods mutely, since it seems the right thing to do. One arm is still around her and she takes his other hand, threading their fingers together. After a few moments, he feels her sit up a bit straighter and adopt the persona she used with Tim, a smile moves across her face. "Hey dad...sorry, did I wake you?" She pauses. "Sorry, I didn't mean to. I just didn't want you to catch the news and be worried." Pause. "No, dad, I'm fine. Good news is that I pretty much exonerated Logan. And I might even have made a personal enemy of Lamb," she finishes, her voice lower as she looks around the lobby to make sure no prying ears can hear her. "You know the news channels, always one for the dramatics. Seriously, we're fine. Go back to sleep, OK?" Pause as Veronica rolls her eyes. "Love you, dad. I'll see you tomorrow, OK?" And with that, she hangs up the phone. Her body slumps into Logan's side.
"It's okay, you know," he says to her quietly, and he feels nervous to broach the topic.
"Huh?" she asks.
"To not be fine, it's okay," he clarifies, and squeezes her hands. He can feel her shoulders square. He doesn't want to start a fight, so he backs down. "We don't have to have this conversation now, but I want us to have it soon." He kisses her temple again and lets her curl up against him.
After a few minutes, she moves to stretch her legs out, and lets out a hiss of discomfort as she shifts. "Are you sure you're okay?" Logan questions, his concern evident. "Should you go to the hospital? I happened to become quite acquainted with what I can assume is only Neptune's finest paramedic while I was waiting for admittance to this exclusive club thing you have going on. Which, by the way, I think you'll find my online review to be fair but honest. It attracts great company, but the service here sucks." She grins at him, and he smiles in return. Gallows humor, it's their thing.
"I'm fine. Just a little leg cramp. Must be the adrenaline finally leaving my system." she responds. He makes the decision that it's time to go home.
"So what do you say we take you home," he asks, moving his arm from around her so he can pat her thigh. "Are you free to go or do we have to stick around and take some souvenir selfies?"
"They said I can go, they'll call if they need me," she tells him. Logan looks around for a deputy. He appreciates when Tim walks by on his way back to the apartment.
"Is there a service entrance to the building," Logan asks him, and he looks to Tim, and then Veronica, trying to convey his message.
"Yeah, take the elevator one flight down and turn left. Past the boiler room there's an exit that leads to the alley." He pauses for a moment while Logan repeats the directions quietly. "In fact, I'll walk you out, make sure you don't go anywhere you shouldn't."
Logan stands and reaches out a hand to Veronica. As he pulls her up, he smiles. "I take back what I said about the service here," he tells her. "I'll definitely have to add a star."
They quietly move through the building and Tim leads them, as promised, to the door. Logan's car isn't parked far away, and he continues to hold her hand as he leads her to it. He only breaks contact when he closes the car door and moves around the car to get in himself. After he starts the car and shifts his way to fourth, he takes it again, placing a kiss on the back of it. Veronica leans on the door, staring out the open window.
Logan doesn't ask, he just drives to his place. When they arrive, he looks at her and she just nods. He opens the door and leads her inside.
AN: OK, so I said 3 chapters, but this one ended up being longer than I thought it would, so now I'm leaning in the realm of 4-5.
