Thank you so much for your overwhelming support on the beginning! To be honest, I was completely shocked at how many of you clicked on this and faved/alerted/reviewed. I didn't think it would go over that well. So, thanks again. I really means a bunch!
Also, prayers go out to everyone near the hurricane. My thoughts are with you and stay safe.
Warning: (I figure I should put this up now.) Mentions of torture/abuse in future chapters.
Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Rookie Blue.
Leaning heavily against his locker, Sam couldn't stop staring at the phone clenched in his hands. Boyd had stopped by to hand him back all of his old things and gave him another congratulatory grin before he left for a new op. The package had consisted of his cell phone, some mail, his keys and his wallet. The first thing he had done was store the mail, wallet and keys in his locker for later when he got home and he had been about to put his phone away too, but had noticed one missed voicemail. Frowning to himself, he had flipped it open and pressed play.
As he listened to her voice resonate through the speaker, he felt his heart warm, before freezing. It was the first time he had heard her in months, the sound of her bringing him back to life. The happiness and hopefulness sparking something within him. But then he had tuned in to what she was saying. What she asking. When it was finished, he frantically checked the time stamp and date, only to feel something break inside of him. She had left this message barely an hour after he had given up his life and gone under. It tore him apart knowing how close she had been and that he had let it slip away by wanting nothing more than to escape from his life a few weeks earlier than intended.
Resisting the urge to hurl the phone at the opposite wall, he shoved it to the back of his locker and hurriedly changed into his uniform. Best wanted him back on duty as soon as possible, but first he had to find her. There weren't that many places in the precinct to hide, as he had noted that she was on desk duty for the day. He had to explain things to her. No matter what Nash had said, he needed to do this.
The first thing he did was check the desks for her, but wasn't that shocked that she wasn't there. McNally couldn't follow orders to save her skin. He did note the angry glare that Diaz was giving him, and strode over to the younger man. Chris did have the smarts to look down, returning to the paperwork he was filling out, but the dark look didn't fade from his eyes.
"Diaz, where's McNally?" Sam asked, casually leaning against the desk.
"Does it matter? You aren't her partner anymore. Sir." Diaz glanced up at him, disgust twitching across his lips, before he went back to what he was doing. The tone that he had used stunned Sam more than anything else, knowing how much Chris respected command and order. And Sam couldn't help but noticed that the sir sounded more like an insult than anything else.
"What are you talking about? I just want to speak to her." Sam replied, a sick feeling starting to pump through his veins.
"Respectfully, I don't think that would be a good idea. Now, if you excuse me, I have work to do." Diaz promptly went back to filling a report and leaving Sam in a stunned silence. The warning Nash had given him had been confusing and a bit worrying, but Chris' actions toward him added a new layer of fear. He would never have thought that Diaz had it in him to show that much scorn for a senior officer and the fact that he had told Sam more than any words had.
Something terrible had happened during his undercover work. That much he was sure of. Something that even her friends seemed to believe he had a part in, even when he had no idea what was going on. Something that had people banding around her, making sure that he stayed away. And he needed to find out what. Because, more than anything, he needed to talk to her, to tell her the things that had been clawing within him for so long it began to physically hurt.
So he went to the one person he was sure he could get answers from. He found Oliver down in booking, hauling a very drunk creep in along with Peck. He received a frigid look from Gail as she brushed by him without a word, and Oliver tried to do the same before Sam stopped him.
"Where are you going Oliver?" Sam asked quietly, deceptively.
"To work. Where I'm pretty sure you're supposed to be Sam." Oliver snapped back, though not as harsh as would be expected.
"Touché. What happened when I was gone?" Sam sighed.
"A lot of things happened Sammy. Peck and Epstien got together, Zoe is contemplating renovating the house and Jerry is considering getting hitched with Nash." Oliver shouldered his way past Sam, heading toward the bullpen. Sam followed, as determined as a bulldog.
"You know what I'm talking about. What happened with McNally? And don't say nothing, because I know her and you, and I know that something is up." Sam hissed, adrenalin starting to spike within him as he continued to be evaded.
Oliver stopped in his tracks, halfway through the bullpen and turned to face him. His normally bright green eyes seemed to dull, shooting a feeling of panic straight into Sam's soul. "Sammy, there are just something's you should let lie. This is one of them. Leave her be because there is nothing you can do for her. There's nothing anyone can do for her."
Tamping down at the sudden onslaught of emotions, Sam grabbed Oliver's arm when he friend turned to walk away. "Come on. You know I can't do that. I have to talk to her. Please, Oliver." He let a note of desperation seep into his voice, knowing that Shaw would hear it. He was regarded by those cool green eyes for a long moment before Oliver nodded and shook himself.
"Fine. Just, whatever you do, do not touch her. I'm serious. It's up to her to tell you, no one else. So don't try and get it out of anyone." Oliver paused and placed a comforting hand on Sam's shoulder. "Try up on the roof. More often than not, she's up there."
"Thank you." Sam breathed and rushed away.
Watching his friends retreating back, Oliver murmured to himself sadly. "I'm so sorry Sam." But his words were lost in the general clatter of the precinct.
