Chapter 2


"The head was cut off?" Rachel asked as she sat in her seat absent-mindedly rubbing at her own neck.

"Cut off and missing, he must have taken it with him," Nick replied.

"It was disturbing," Alex chimed in. "I mean, the missing head actually wasn't the worst part of it. The way he mutilated the body…" She shivered a bit as she recalled the scene. "I know I'm gonna have nightmares tonight," She added and Nick reached over and rubbed her back consolingly as they all looked at her sympathetically.

"I'm sorry, Alex," Nick spoke softly to her from his seat right beside her. "Had I known it would be that bad or it would make you sick, I would have gone alone."

"No, it's all right, it's a part of the job sometimes, right? And I know we have dealt with some pretty sadistic and inhuman things over the years, but this…" She paused to collect her thoughts as she shook her head a bit. "It goes beyond anything I've experienced thus far since working here. I don't know if there is something eviler, then evil, but if there were this would definitely be it."

"Well, if it would make you feel any better you don't need to do any more field work on the case, Rachel or I can accompany Nick from now on," Derek offered and Alex quickly shook her head to the idea.

"No," She said sounding slightly annoyed. "I can handle it. It was just a shock to the system is all. And It cannot possibly get any worse than what I've seen today."

"Are you sure you don't want to stay home and work this case from the control room?" Rachel asked. "I don't have any patients to see this afternoon, so I don't mind picking up some field duties.

"Cooped up in the control room all day and night, no thanks," Alex replied with a slight smile as Rachel chuckled at her as she recalled how Alex would rant to her about Derek not allowing her out of the control room and into the field more. "I'll be fine. I promise, no more throwing up on Nick's shoes," She joked as she leaned over and nudged her friend and earned a huge grin from Nick.

"And my Doc Martins thank you," He teased and she giggled at the joke.

"Well, if you are sure that you will be all right out in the field, I have a new assignment for you and Nick," Derek spoke as he looked directly at Alex. "The Coroner just called," He added and Alex scrunched up her face a bit even as she smiled, already knowing what was coming.

"And you want Nick and I to head over there and see what they can tell us," Alex finished his words as she moved her chair back from the table and stood with a smile, as Derek arched his brow and smirked at her. "Right, Ok, Boyle let's go," She tossed out as she made her way to the exit with Nick chuckling as he stood and rushed out behind her. When they had made it a ways down the corridor, far enough from the control room, Nick grasped Alex's arm and stopped them.

"Hey, you sure you're all right with this? I can go alone or you can come but stay in the car if you want."

"No, I'll be fine," She answered. "I just have to desensitize myself and get used to it, right?"

"No, you shouldn't have to do that," He replied as he reached up and stroked at one of her chocolate curls. "There are some really ugly things in this world and I hope you never have to see or experience them."

"Thank you, but I'll be fine, Nick, really," Alex assured around a kind smile. "And I feel a lot better knowing you'll be around to protect me for the horrors of the world."

"Always," He confirmed as his hand that had been in her hair moved and gently grasped the back of her neck and then slowly pulled her closer. They both felt in a trance as they grew closer. Both stared at the other's mouth until they were so close, Alex could swear she could taste the coffee that lingered on Nick's breath. Before Nick could seal the deal, Alex spoke out stopping him.

"What is this, Nick, I mean, what's with all of the kissing lately?" She asked as she wrapped her arms around herself as he took a step back from her.

"I don't know, but it's really nice," Nick answered honestly. "And I thought you like it too, but I'm sorry if I read you wrong."

"No, you didn't read me wrong," She quickly replied not wanting to put him off or make him feel that she didn't want his advances. "It has been nice and I really do enjoy our little make-out sessions of late," She stated and could see him sigh a little in relief. "I just would like to know…" She hesitated some. "What does it mean, exactly?"

"Why does it have to mean anything?" He countered. "Or can it just mean that two friends really enjoy each other's company?"

"Yes, it can, but that describes our relationship before all the kissing. At least, I've always considered you my closest friend and I've always enjoyed your company," Alex said with a slightly nervous smile. "And we didn't even have to swap spit," She added jokingly to lighten the suddenly awkward moment between them.

"C'mon, Alex. You know what I mean," Nick huffed out as he then turned and continued walking down the corridor. His sudden mood change told Alex this was a conversation he didn't want to have, but she wanted to get clarity on what was really happening between them before her heart started acting foolishly.

"No, Nick, actually I don't," She replied as she now followed him down the staircase. "Where is this going because I'm not looking for a casual type of relationship with any guy. I have never done 'casual' very well."

"Well, I'm not looking for anything serious right now," He stated nonchalantly as they stopped just at the door, which he grasped and yanked opened. Alex noticed that he seemed to have grown irritated. "So, I guess we're at an impasse," His words and the cool manner he held towards her now hurt Alex's feelings a bit but she was successful at hiding it from Nick. "Look, I'm sorry for kissing you and if it made you uncomfortable-"

"I never felt uncomfortable, Nick," She cut him off.

"Nonetheless, I'm sorry and it won't happen again," He proclaimed and Alex could feel her heart break a little at his words but again she put on a brave face to cover. "You ready to do this, or should I just ask Rachel to come?" He said as he frowned up a bit a look that told Alex he was definitely irritated with her line of questions. There would probably be no more delicious Nick Boyle kisses for her, she thought.

"No, I'm ready. Let's go," She nodded and said around a faux smile as she walked across the threshold first.


They had driven in complete silence the entire way to the Coroner's office which spoke to the tension between them, as normally they would talk or playfully bicker over Nick's choice of music. When they arrived at the hospital and walked into the adjoining building that housed the Coroner's office Alex tried to broach their earlier conversation again. She always hated when they had disagreements and had always made it a point to make up whenever they did. They had always promised each other that they would never end the day mad at each other, and so far, they never had.

"Hey, Nick," She called to him as she reached out and touched his arm to stop him.

"Yeah, what?" He replied in a snappy tone as he stopped and turned his head to regard her. Alex flinched a little at the aggressive tone in his voice as she pulled her hand back from his arms and instead wrapped them defensively around herself.

"Are you mad at me about earlier?"

"No, why would I be?"

"I don't know, but you're giving me the silent treatment now, so I thought maybe our earlier conversation upset you, And if it did I'm sorry," Alex replied as she bowed her head a bit unable to keep looking at him and seeing the irritation in his eyes, and knowing it was because of her.

"Look, Alex, we kissed a few times, it wasn't a big deal. But I know now that it was a line that I should not have crossed with you," He stated. "I'm sorry, all right, now can we just drop it?"

"I was never bothered by us kissing, Nick," She said and her own anger at how he was acting towards her, was starting to get to her. "Hey, I was right there with you and I liked it too, Nick, and it was kind of a big deal for 'me'," She proclaimed and he regretted using those words as he could see they had hurt her. "Look, all I wanted to know … what I was trying to ask you earlier was whether you wanted it to be something more serious," Her voice grew a bit quieter. "You know, to see if maybe you were interested in me in a romantic way. If maybe you wanted to ask me out on a real date or something, which I wouldn't have objected to because, not that you asked or seem to care, but I am interested in you, Nick. But, hey, you've said you didn't want anything serious right now, and I get it. I do, really, but I don't appreciate the silent treatment from you or the way you're acting like I've done something wrong to you," She said in a huff and Nick suddenly felt remorseful as he knew he had been purposefully giving her attitude since they had left the house, and he honestly couldn't even pinpoint why he was so mad at her when she hadn't done anything to him. "You know what, forget it. Let's focus on the job and just get this done," She said as she threw her hands up in defeat and then moved around him as she continued down the long corridor to reach the Coroner's office at the end. Nick slowly trekked behind her.

"Alex, look I'm sorry…"

"Nope, now I don't want to talk to 'you'," She cut him off as she turned the knob and opened the door. "Oh my God!" Alex exclaimed as she raised her right hand to cover her mouth as she stared at the bloody scene she found behind the door. Nick rushed to where she stood and slid to a stop upon taking in the shocking scene.

"Jesus," He gasped out. The room where the coroner performed the autopsies was splatter with blood and on the table in the middle of the room held their headless corpse but it had been further mutilated.

"Where did all the blood come from, there's no way there was that much blood in that body, it looked like it had all been drained out at the scene," Alex questioned. Nick had wondered the same as he stepped further in the door while Alex stayed at the threshold, not wanting to venture further into the bloodbath. He spotted a foot on the floor where the dead female coroner's body lay hidden by the autopsy table.

"Felicia," Nick whispered out the Coroner's names as they had come to know her on a first name basis over the last couple of years of working with her.

"What?" Alex said as she then took steps closer to get a better look, but Nick turned and stopped her as he moved them back to the exit.

"No, you don't want to see that, and we don't want to contaminate the crime scene," He said as he moved them back outside the door. "I'm going to go find someone to get some help down here. Don't go back inside, just wait here for me, all right?" Alex could only nod her head as she locked her eyes onto the floor still trying to wrap her head around the fact that a friend had been murdered while helping them with a case. Nick then hurried back up the long corridor which housed no other doors. As he was just about to reach the end the overhead lights, which was all that illuminated the corridor, flickered off. He turned back to check on Alex just as the lights flickered back on. He was shocked to see a tall slender man standing just behind her, as the man would have had to pass by him and no one had in the narrow corridor. "Alex!" Nick yelled out to her as he took off running back down the corridor to her.

At hearing Nick call out to her, Alex turned and looked up from where she still stood at the office door. She could hear the panic in his voice. When she shot her eyes up to where she expected to see Nick, she instead saw another man, dressed in all black, wearing a long wool coat with a fur collar and a top hat. His clothes clearly out of date with the current style. His black, greasy hair cascaded down from beneath the hat and down to the tops of his shoulders, and the mustache that covered his top lip curled up even more at the tips as he smiled and stared at her lecherously. Alex opened her mouth and she wasn't sure if it was to ask the man who he was and what he wanted or if it was to let out a scream, but in the end, neither came as the man lurched at her.

Nick felt as if the corridor stretched out longer to keep him from reaching the end fast enough. He nearly faltered as he watched the man grasped at Alex. Just as he was within a few feet of them the man turned, cast Nick a smile as he reached down and grasped a chained pocket watch with his bloodied hand.

"I wasn't finished yet, you interrupted me," The man spoke out in a sneer. Nick then watched in amazement as the lights flickered again and then the man disappeared before his eyes. He finally reached Alex, who leaned against the doorjamb with her eyes enlarged in fear.

"Alex, are you okay, shit, did you see that? Where did he go?" Nick spoke as he grasped on to her arm while letting his eyes scan inside the open office for any signs of the man who had just been there.

"Nick," Alex whined out as she began to slide down to the floor. Nick turned back to her and it was then that he noticed the blood that now wet her blouse and covered both of her hands, which she clutched to her abdomen.

"Alex!" He yelped out as he crumbled to the floor along with her, taking her body and weight into his hands. "Oh God," He cried out mournfully as the blood seemed to gush from her and spill out onto the floor around them. He had seen enough wounded soldiers during the war to know that this was a bad wound and if he didn't stop the bleeding and get her help she would not survive. "Hold on Alex, hold on sweetie," He said to her as he leaned her up against the doorway and then reached out and stroked her hair. He then stood back up and rushed inside the Coroner's room, sliding on blood as he moved to the many cabinets in the room. He opened them until he found towels. He grabbed several until his arms were full and then hurried back to kneel beside Alex. "All right, it's okay, you're gonna be okay, Alex," He reassured but it was mostly for himself than for her as she sat gasping for air while blood now spilled from her open mouth. "This is gonna hurt but I have to put pressure on the wound," He then pressed the towels against her stomach and she groaned out in agony. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, just hold on as tightly as you can," He instructed as he pulled at her hands and placed them on top of the towels which were already soaked through with her blood.

Nick then reached into his pocket and yanked out his cell and pressed one, after a couple of rings Derek greeted in his usual fashion, but Nick quickly cut him off. "Derek, we need help, Alex is hurt! You need to get someone down here to the Coroner's office, and hurry!" He then ended the call and shoved his phone back in his pocket. He had not wanted to waste any more time trying to explain things to Derek as he knew Alex didn't have it. She had already taken on an ashy tone as the blood drained from her. The tears that poured from her eyes competed with the ones that also streamed from Nick's eyes, though he hadn't even noticed he was crying. "Alex, I need to leave you for just a second, I need to go get you help," At his words, Alex's frightened eyes bulged out even more from their sockets. She lifted her left hand and gripped his right arm.

"N…Nick," She sputtered out around all the blood that filled her mouth. She had even spat a little blood onto Nick's face as he was so close to her now, but he hadn't even seemed to notice. "Nick, do…don't…" She continued to try to speak to him.

"I know you don't want me to leave you and I don't wanna leave you, Alex, but sweetie I need to just run to the exit and get some help. Just hang on, all right?" He said just as the hand she had a hold of him with, went limp and slid to the bloodied floors. Her eyes lost focus as she stared off at a far wall, and her already labored breaths slowed. "Alex, no, no, no, stay with me, stay with me, Alex!" Nick coaxed and pleaded as he grasped her shoulder and shook her a bit. She lifted sad eyes onto his once more and opened her mouth to try to say something else, but only a long gasp of air fell from her lips. Her now dead weight caused her head to fall to the side and her upper body to fall over some. Had it not been for the support of the doorway she would have completely toppled over onto the bloodied floor. "No, please God, please no," Nick mumbled out as he reached out and grasped her limp body and pulled her to him until her upper body now rested up against his chest and her head lay upon his shoulder. He moaned in his despair as he rocked them from side to side. "Alex, please wake up. Please wake up, please, please," He spoke to her softly even though he knew she was already gone. Suddenly anger overtook him and he roared at the top of his lungs. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! SOMEBODY HELP ME! GOD, PLEASE HELP MEEEEEEEEEE!"