A/N: Set during the episode "The Wrong Man".
...
"Michael Webb, arrested on suspicion of rape."
Mickey felt like he was still dreaming. He'd woken up naked in a strange bed, the memories of the previous night hazy at best. There had been a club, drinks, a barmaid, then another girl, more drinks, a fight at some point. He'd dressed and shuffled into the living room of the girl's flat, ready to exchange insincere "I'll call you"s before going home to get ready for work. He'd found the girl - Jenny, her name had come back to him in the panda car - terrified and covered in bruises. Next thing he knew, the front door had burst open and he'd been arrested by a DC who looked about twelve, accompanied by two uniforms. Jenny had been taken to hospital while he'd been brought here, to a nick in the West End not far from the club where this had started.
The duty sergeant barely looked at Mickey as he took down his name and address. Mickey gave his full details and handed over his phone, wallet, keys and warrant card, determined to show that he was cooperating.
"Any watches or jewellery?" asked the desk sergeant, sounding bored. Mickey slid off his signet ring and his watch, then took his necklace off and handed that over too.
"Any medical conditions we should be aware of?"
"No."
"Do you have any alcohol in your system?"
"Probably."
"We'll get you checked out by the FME, make sure you're fit to be interviewed," said the young DC. "Plus we'll need your clothes for forensics."
Mickey nodded. "Can I make a quick phone call?"
"I don't think so."
"I've got the right to one call."
"This isn't Phone a Friend," said the DC, presumably thinking he was being witty. "However, you do have the right to have someone informed of your arrest."
"Fine, then I want my DCI informed. Jack Meadows at Sun Hill."
"I'll call him. You also have the right to representation. Shall I get a solicitor from the Federation?"
"Yeah." Mickey thought he might as well play this by the book.
Once the FME had confirmed he wasn't too drunk for interview and he'd been given a paper suit to wear instead of his clothes, the DC asked if he'd be willing to give an intimate sample. He could have refused, but it wouldn't look good and he wanted this cleared up quickly. After the samples had been taken he was photographed and had his fingerprints taken. He'd been through this procedure many times with suspects, but being on the other side was surreal.
To his relief, he wasn't put in a cell, but told that he'd be interviewed immediately. As he was led to the interview room, he saw Zain approaching the front desk. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm your Fed Rep, remember?" said Zain, loud enough for the other officers to hear, in a tone that left no room for argument.
"Yeah," Mickey said without missing a beat. Jack had obviously sent Zain down to bullshit his way into the interview. Part of him wished Jack had come himself, but still, it was nice to see a friendly face.
The woman sergeant in charge of the interview made no attempt to hide her opinion of Mickey. The male DC seemed more sympathetic now in comparison. Zain sat in the corner while the Federation solicitor sat at Mickey's side. He hadn't been on this side of an interview room since CIB had grilled him about working with Beech.
Being interviewed about the night before was humiliating, but not as much as his cross-examination by Delaney's barrister. He could feel Zain behind him wincing with every personal question asked. He would remember that later, when the rest of the nick was crucifying Zain as a bent copper.
By the end of the interview, Mickey had to admit that it looked pretty bad for him. Jenny had been attacked while Mickey had been asleep. There was no one else in the flat that he knew of. The front door had been locked from the inside.
"How is she?" he asked, finally, when the tape had been turned off.
The sergeant looked him straight in the eye. "How do you think?"
Mickey was afraid that he'd be charged straight away, but instead the DC informed him that he'd be released on bail pending further inquiries. At last, he was allowed to change out of the paper suit and into the clean clothes that Zain had brought him. After collecting his belongings from the front desk, he saw that Jack had finally arrived to join Zain, and appeared to be arguing with the woman sergeant. Mickey met Jack's not-angry-just-disappointed look with a mixture of shame and defiance.
"Let's get back to Sun Hill, shall we?"
Jack drove Mickey back to Sun Hill, mostly in silence. Back at the station, Mickey handed over his warrant card to Jack, who'd had to suspend him. It felt like the end of his career.
Zain joined them in Jack's office, having driven back in his own car. It turned out the other station already knew about the fight that Mickey had had last night in the club. Mickey remembered the rage he had felt as he had lunged at the bloke giving Jenny hassle. He couldn't even explain to himself why he had got so angry now.
"At least it gives us another suspect," Zain pointed out.
"Another?" Mickey repeated.
"Sorry, man," Zain apologised immediately.
Jack sent Zain to investigate the other man, telling him to keep up the Fed Rep pretence. Mickey was told to go home, as he couldn't help with the investigation. He got the tube, surrounded by oblivious commuters, wondering how his life had reached this new low.
Once he got home, he poured himself a drink and looked in the fridge, but there was nothing to eat. He slumped on the sofa and watched TV for a while, trying not to think about Jenny's bruised face.
...
Jack arrived later in the afternoon, to update Mickey on the investigation. They'd eliminated Jenny's friend's boyfriend, who'd had access to the spare flat keys, as a potential suspect. That left the man from the club, Kelvin Hughes, who couldn't have got into the flat without keys. Mickey fell listlessly back on the settee while Jack discreetly scanned the empty bottles that were lying around.
"So what's going on, Mickey?" Jack asked directly, determined to get to the root of this behaviour. Mickey insisted that there was no problem, that he was just young and having a good time, but Jack pointed out that he didn't look happy at all.
Mickey sighed and closed his eyes. "Make us a cup of tea, will you?"
"Alright, but then we're gonna talk."
They sat at the kitchen table, a cup of tea in front of them both. At last, Mickey started to open up. He was still traumatised by what had happened with Delaney. It had screwed up his relationship with Mia. He even blurted out that he had slept with someone else. Jack wished that he had seen what was going on with Mickey before it had reached this point.
It was time for Jack to get back to the nick and find out if Zain had made any further progress. Mickey showed him out, still seeming utterly defeated and hopeless.
"I just wanna make someone else hurt like I hurt," he said, quietly.
That hurt Jack, more than Mickey could know. "But you didn't hurt Jenny."
"No. I didn't do that."
Jack assured Mickey that he wasn't alone in this, then turned to go, fumbling his car keys and dropping them on the floor. As he bent to pick them up, Mickey's expression changed as the final piece of last night fell into place. Jenny had dropped her keys outside the flat before kicking the door shut. The rapist only had to pick them up.
"I'll let Zain know. He can pick Hughes up, bring him into Sun Hill."
"Let me know what happens, yeah?" Mickey said desperately.
"I'll call you as soon as I know anything." Jack turned to look at Mickey again. "You'll be alright, won't you?"
"Course I will."
