Okay, I re-read Chapter 3 and realize I left a tiny bit of dialogue out. It's not overly important, but I still felt like I should add it - so I re-posted that chapter. The bit I added is in the scene where Zack and Cody have a their heart-to-heart in Zack's apartment, just after Cody asks Zack who he lost his virginity to. You can go read it if you want to.
Anyways, I am sorry for the long wait for this chapter, but I was quite stumped on how to write some parts of it. I am so proud of myself for actually finishing this. This is by far the hardest chapter I have ever written. Thank-you so much Ellie for allowing me to bounce ideas off of you. Talking it out helped a lot. Also, Ellie, there is a tiny DC reference in this chapter for you to hunt for, which I will expand on in the next chapter. Also thanks to Wyntirsno for your suggestion revolving Cody. I liked your idea more then mine, so I used it.
A shout out to my good friend Reba Daly for allowing me to use your name. I hope you are satisfied with the way I exploited you
fanatic- esined - I like to personally reply to all of my reviews, but seeing as you have disabled PM I can't do that with you. So thank you very much for taking the time to read and review this story and "Fine Lines". And although I know this sounds cliché, I really really appreciate it.
I have noticed - depending on what you classify as swear words- that I use a fair amount of profanity in this story. That, along with a some what steamy scene in this chapter, is making me wonder if I should change the rating from T to M. What do you think?
I also noticed that there are quite a few OCs is this story and that there will be even more by the time it is done. But do not worry…you don't have to remember who most of them are. I just want to emphasize that the twins interact with other people beside those they grew up with. If a character is important they will become a regular ( like Anna and Zack's partner Vince). And if I reuse an OC from a previously chapter I will make sure to remind you of who they are and why I put them in this particular scene.
6 months later
Tuesday, March 12 2019 1:20pm
" Oh come on, Zack. What happened to that rebellious, wild and slightly crazy teenager who once wreaked havoc in the halls of this very hotel? He would have jumped at the chance to call in sick and waste away the afternoon just lounging around and enjoying the company of a beautiful women, such as myself."
Zack rolled his eyes playfully as he climbed out of bed and began to get dressed. Although he knew it probably wasn't the most logical solution, and he also knew that his brother had not been impressed when he made the decision, Zack had decided to put the incident evolving Chad Obie's death behind him and continue his relationship with Anna. He had never before done this well - or been this long - with a women and he didn't want to ruin it by causing them to break up, then later regret his actions when he was all alone. At least now he was in some sort of a relationship. And besides, as the months passed he found it a lot easier to forget the frustration and misery he had felt that weekend. " He grew up."
She let out a small chuckle. " He may have gotten older, but somehow I doubt he did much growing up."
He turned around and - in a very child like manner - stuck his tongue out at her. She giggled. " Okay, so maybe I'm still a little bit childish," he grabbed his shirt off a chair that was beside the bed and put it on, " but that doesn't change the fact that I have to go to work. And besides, I thought you had a plane to catch this afternoon."
She scowled slightly. " I do. But I would rather spend my time with you."
" You're going to Paris, for a week," he reminded her.
" Yeah, for my wedding anniversary."
He leaned over to kiss her lightly on the lips. " Don't be so negative. You never know, it could be fun."
She pouted her lips, causing him to chuckle slightly. Then she let out a annoyed sigh. " If spending time with Jon was fun, don't you think I would actually spend time with him."
Wow, somebody's grouchy . Zack frowned slightly as the meaning of this statement started to sink in. When he had met Anna almost 4 years ago, she had complained how Jon was useless, stupid and often cruel. But, Zack had long learned that perhaps her opinions were slightly bias. Yes, he did tend to expect others to do everything for him ( unless it was something that caused a big media hype - then he was all for it) and he wasn't the sharpest tool in shed sort a speak. And if not always following your ever demand and sometimes ignoring you was cruel, then the man was heartless.
But the fact that Anna may have been over exaggerated a bit had never really bothered Zack, until recently. He was starting to get the feeling that this relationship was merely one of convenience . You're just looking for trouble, aren't you? Keep thinking this way and you are really going to screw things up. Zack shook his head at his thoughts. He needed to practice what he preached and stop looking at things so negatively.
He grabbed his phone and wallet from the beside table. " Cheer up. And quite frowning, it'll give you wrinkles."
She rolled her eyes at him, but Zack swore he saw the side of her mouth twitch as he leaned in to give her a good bye kiss. " I'll see you in a couple of weeks, okay? And…" he gave her a mischievous smirk, " try not to have to much fun on your trip."
With that he took one more look around the room to make sure he had everything and then headed towards the door. As he opened the door to the hall he could not help but chuckle as he heard Anna grumble something that sounded an awful lot like ' cocky bastard.'
5:45 pm
" I am telling you , Waldy , this town is full of hooligans, just waiting to ruin my perfectly good afternoon." Zack pointed out as he opened up the passenger side door of the squad car and climbed inside.
" Hooligans?" Vincent entered the car and glanced over at his partner, slowly shaking his head. Who the hell says hooligans?
" Yes, hooligans. And frankly…." Zack paused as he heard a chuckle escape from his partner's lips. " Why are you laughing?" He narrowed his eyes at the older man.
" Oh come on, don't you see the irony of that statement? I mean you are like the former king of hooligans."
Zack raised a quizzical eyebrow. " The king of hooligans?"
Vincent nodded his head as he put the car into drive. " Climbing in vents, crashing weddings, taking the seats off all the toilets in the girls washroom. Any of this ring a bell?"
Zack rolled his eyes, but he couldn't help but grin ever so slightly. Those were the good old days. " I was young, Vince. I didn't know any better."
" Really? And what about the other day when someone switched the sugar with salt in the break room?"
Zack shrugged his shoulders innocently. " Why, I have no idea what are you talking about."
Vincent shook his head. He was not buying that.
"Two - Six David." The voice of someone at Central echoed through the car.
Zack smirked at Vincent. Saved by the bell…..sort of speak. He pushed the button on the radio unit attached to his shoulder. " Two- Six David."
" Two- Six David, what's your status?"
" Two-Six David available." Zack resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Although he knew it was procedure for Central to check in periodically he found it rather annoying.
" 10-4 Two-Six David"
"10-4" Zack confirmed into his radio before turning once more to face his partner. He could tell from the look on Vincent's face that the topic of his often childish behaviour was still up for discussion. He let out a sigh. " Why can't anyone except that I'm a mature, responsible adult?"
There was something in the tone of Zack's voice that told Vincent that his young partner was being serious. He put sarcasm on the back burner for a moment. " You do have a reputation for being a troublemaker. That's not something you can lose overnight, you know."
" Yeah, but still, it's not like I run around pranking people anymore. " At Vincent's look he added, " well, not very often, anyways. And I'm not out partying all the time like I did when I was 17. And I've only with one women for the past 4 years." Although Vincent didn't know who Anna was or much about her, he was aware of the fact that Zack was with a married women. When you spent 40+ hours a week in a car with someone, it's kind of hard to keep big secrets to yourself. And Zack knew that Vincent would keep his secret, even if his opinion on the situation was one that was similar to Cody's. Vincent was the one person he would talk to about things that happened at work - things he didn't want to burden the people he loved with. There were just somethings you never brought home.
" But she's married. I'm not sure that helps you case," Vincent pointed out. Zack shot him daggers and he dropped the subject.
" Look kid," Vincent reached over and patted Zack on the shoulder, " I can't speak for everyone, but I see a huge difference between the cocky rookie I first met and the officer who's sitting here. You may still have a lot of growing up to do, but you've also already done a lot of growing up over the last 3 years. I mean, you no longer ask why every time I tell you to flash the lights. And you've cut your jumping into situations without thinking in half, which is a good thing." He chuckled softly. " Hell, you may never fully grow up - and that's not necessarily a bad thing. Most likely you'll settle down once you find the right women for you."
" What if I've already found her?" Zack knew that statement wasn't fooling anyone. He frowned slightly. Was he truly still I love with Anna? Or was he just trying convince himself he was to avoid letting go and moving on with his life?
Vincent shook his head sadly. " Trust me, being in love is great. But having the person you love actually love you back unconditionally is even better."
Zack didn't know how to respond so instead he opted to take a sip of his cold coffee. He shuddered at the taste. " We need to me a coffee run."
" Fine. But you're paying this time," Vincent replied as a dark blue van pulled out in front of them. " Hey flash the lights will ya?" He added when he gotten a closer look at the van and noticed that the license plate was expired.
Zack flashed him a mischievous grin. " Why?" he asked as he reached forward and flicked the switch which turned on the lights.
" You're such a cocky bastard, you know that?" Vincent chuckled.
" You know, that's not the first time someone called me that today."
Vincent shook his head. " Why am I not surprised?" The van pulled over to the right and Vincent followed suit.
Zack once again reached for his radio and pushed the button. " Central this is Two-Six David. Pulling over a routine traffic violation in the 500 block of River Avenue."
" Copy that."
" I got this," Zack said as he unbuckled his seat belt. His legs were starting to get cramped from sitting in the car for the last hour and he was starting to a bit antsy. Getting out - even if it was just to remind someone that they needed to renew their license plate and perhaps issue them a ticket - would do him good.
He moved to open the door, but Vincent suddenly grabbed his arm to stop him. " Hold up. Somethings not right."
Zack was slightly confused, but he stopped anyways. He trusted Vincent with his life. If he said something was wrong, Zack listened.
" His back-up lights never flashed."
" What?"
" When you go from drive to park your back-up lights flash on and off. He's still in gear."
Zack felt slightly ashamed. He should have noticed that. He hated it when his impatient nature lead to him missing things that could be crucial . It was something he was most definitely going to have to work on.
" Just wait a second, see what he does."
Zack nodded and buckled his seatbelt back up. They only had to wait a few seconds before there was the sound of tires squealing as the van took off. It seemed that whatever they had planned to do if Zack had actually gotten out of the car and walked over to the van was now scrapped , and the two men inside were going for plan B - run for it.
" Two- Six David now in pursuit of a dark blue late 90's Chrysler van license plate Kilo Hotel Adam 2-9-4 heading westbound on River," Zack informed Central as Vincent put the car back into drive, turned on the siren and took off after van.
" 10-4 Two- Six David"
At the first intersection the van shook a sharp left turn. The squad car followed.
" We are now heading northbound on 53rd street, Central, northbound on 53rd," Zack relayed.
The van just kept on speeding down the street.
" Watch the intersections," Vincent said as they approach where St. James Ave crossed 53rd. Watching for traffic while still trying to keep tabs on the vehicle you were pursing was rather difficult, usually requiring two sets of eyes on the road.
Zack nodded, his head automatically going from left to right and then back to left, scanning for other vehicles and pedestrians. " Clear," he called out as they entered the intersection.
" Two-Six David, what's your position?" Central asked after a minute had pasted.
" Still northbound on 53rd, coming up to the intersection at Westwood."
" Copy, Two-Six David."
Zack once again scanned the area and then cursed out loud. " Holy Shit!" Despite there being a red light up ahead at the Westwood intersection, the blue van had ploughed on through, nearly hitting a Volkswagen in the process. Zack resisted the urge to shut his eyes as they approach the intersection. He hated crossing an intersection when there was oncoming traffic. Luckily all drivers crossing on Westwood had heard the sirens ( or saw the lights) and stopped to allow the squad car to speed on through
" You okay?" Vincent asked, a concerned look on his face.
Zack nodded. " Yeah, I'm fine." That's something else I have to work on. He shook his head, there was no time to let his mind wonder. He was supposed be looking out for hazards on the road.
Up ahead the intersection of Carlson street was approaching and the van suddenly the hung a left. The squad quickly followed.
" Two-Six David now going eastbound on Carlson."
" 10-4 Two-Six David"
Zack groaned as another voice come onto the intercom, that of Jason Walsh - the cop who 6 months ago had to do a month behind a desk for having sex in the back of his squad car. " Two-Six David this is Two-Six Echo heading westbound on Carlson. We'll block the bastards off for ya."
Vincent gave Zack a ' play nice' look and he rolled his eyes in response . Although he was thankful for the fact that someone was going to block the run away van, he wasn't to thrilled that it was Walsh. Not so long ago Zack had actually not minded the guy. Although he could sometimes be vulgar and cruel, some of his antics and jokes were amusing. Plus, waiting to hear how " the infamous Jason Walsh" had screwed up this time, gave him something to look forward to on days that were dead. But all that changed at Chad's funeral. After the service everyone had gathered inside the church for some coffee and cake, and just to share stories about their times with Chad. Zack had made a comment about how this had been the first time someone had died since he started working at the 26th precinct, and Jason had replied with something along the lines of how that reminded him of a horror movie because the black people always seemed to be the first to die. If Cody had not been standing right beside him, Zack didn't think he would have stopped himself from seriously hurting the man - never mind the fact that they were surrounded about hundreds of officers and other law enforcement officials. Zack grimaced as he glanced out of the window and noticed flashing lights off in the fast approaching distance. But right now he knew that he couldn't think about how much he loathed that man. He had a job to do. "CopyTwo-Six Echo. I have you in my sight."
And apparently so did the driver because he quickly pulled the van sharply to the right, entering an abandoned parking lot behind a movie rental store .But despite avoiding a head on collision with a cop car the men inside the car were not so lucky. They took the corner way to sharp causing the van to spin out of control and land on the driver's side.
Walsh and his partner Davis pulled their car into the parking lot first, moments later followed by Vincent and Zack.
And then everything seemed to happen at once.
Vincent called into Central and told them to rush a bus to their location just as the suspect on the passenger side - a Middle Eastern man in his late 20's from the looks of it - jumped out of the window and ran off towards a back alley a couple of hundred feet away. It appeared that driver of the van was pinned beneath the steering wheel and unconscious. Upon seeing the suspect flee, Walsh jumped out of his car and ran after him, yelling for him to stop. " You come back here, you god damn towel head. You just wait until I get you!"
Asshole.
That was Zack's only thought as he too got of his car and ran in the direction of the alley - Vincent's calls for him to come back ignored.
How can he be so ignorant? We don't even know if the guy is armed or where he is heading.
As he closed the distance between him and Walsh, Zack's rage just kept intensifying and he found himself completely forgetting about everything that was going on around him - something that was extremely dangerous. The only thing on his mind was reaching Walsh and ….well he wasn't sure what he was going to do once he reached the man, only that it wouldn't be pretty.
How can he just run like that after what happened to Chad? Oh yeah, I forgot. Chad's just some black guy who got shot.
Walsh turned around when he heard footsteps, no doubt expecting to find someone who was going to back him up. He was most definitely wrong.
Zack slammed his body into the older - and considerably bigger - man, pinning him against the side of a parking garage. " What the fuck is your problem?" He could no longer contain himself. He was sick and tired of Walsh's attitude, his disregard for rules, his bigot views and pretty much everything about the man . And despite telling Vincent only 6 months prior that he didn't think Captain McNally should sack him, Zack wished nothing less for his fellow officer. There was only so much of this he could take. And in the past six months he had slowly began to realize there was a big difference between what he did - the occasional prank and snide comment- and what Walsh did. He no longer found his comrade funny or even worthy of his respect.
Walsh was momentarily stunned at Zack's sudden attack. But he quickly got over his shock and pushed him back. " Get off of me you punk."
Zack held stead fast. He wasn't going to back down, not today. Far off in the distant he heard the sound of approaching sirens - the ambulance was one it's way. But that didn't matter. All that matter was getting his point across - and giving Walsh a good ass kicking. " How could you…how could you just run after him without even checking first? You may not have gave a damn about Chad, but his death should have taught to something. You make me sick. " He stopped shouting for a moment to catch his breath and gather his thoughts. He wasn't sure if he was getting through, but somehow this felt like the right thing to do.
He was sure that Walsh had responded to him verbally, but the sound of his heartbeat pounding in his eardrums seem to drowned everything out. And it really didn't matter what he had said anyways. The bigger man once again tried to push away, and Zack once again pushed him back. " And do you ever think before you do anything? Or do you think that you're so great, so wonderful that you are invincible? I mean, god, you have no idea what's going on here, you do? You could have been…you could have been -"
Zack stopped mid- sentence as he simultaneously heard a loud bang and felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. And suddenly felt himself falling forwards, right into the arms of a man who only seconds earlier he had so desperately wanted to hurt.
6:35 pm
Bailey let out mix between a gasp and a moan as her back roughly hit the living room wall, Cody's eager body pinning her against the hard surface. It had come as quite a shock to her to discover on the night of their high school graduation, that when it came to making love Cody liked to be in charge. Generally he had more of a subdued personality - more so when he was a teenager then now- and preferred to just do what others told him to do and avoid conflict ( unless this conflict involved his brother- but that was a whole other story) But time and suddenly being thrown into the world of Corporate Businesses had caused him to change that. He had gained both confidence and assertiveness from working for Tipton Industries. But still, aggressive was not the first word that came to mind when someone was describing Cody Martin. Passionate, definitely a possibility - he did tend to get really passionate about the things he loved. But he wasn't really aggressive or hostile about it . He was not one to let his emotions impact what he thought and rarely did he take drastic - often stupid - measures to make a point ( unlike Zack who had an almost ' act now - think later' policy) He preferred logic and calm reasoning - something that had been both an asset and a liability in his success at TI.
But behind closed doors - that was a different story. And Bailey had to admit she kind of liked this more dominate side of his personality.
She felt her body being to tremble as he placed his lips against her skin and fervently began to trace her collarbone. As he reached the base of her neck and began to ascend upward she let out a soft moan causing him stop and let out a husky laugh. He rather enjoyed getting such raw reactions from her.
" Cody…" she whispered the moment he stopped," please…."
" Please what?" he mumbled into her neck as he started to kiss her again.
" Please…don't….don't…" It was impossible for her to think as his lips ravished her skin. " …..stop."
" I wasn't planning to," he growled into her ear and then stifled a moan against her neck as he ran his right hand through her hair, the mixture of the scent of her strawberry shampoo and vanilla body spray overwhelming him. "…. oh god …" he whimpered, taking a moment to regain his composure before wrapping the fingers of his left hand around the waistband of her jeans - pulling her even closer to him. And then in one swift move he lifted her up so she could wrap her legs around his waist - his lips now finding hers.
It was moments like this that made Bailey thankful for Cody's new job. When he was still the Junior- Vince President of TI he was never home this early in the afternoon. A couple of days after Jon Harrington's party - and more importantly Cody's heart to heart with both his brother and then later Bailey - he had uncharacteristically called a conference with Wilfred Tipton and informed him that he was quitting his job. Mr. Tipton had been understandably shocked and upset - he thought very highly of Cody and his opinions. But Cody was prepared for this. He assured the man that although he no longer wanted all the responsibilities of being at the top of the company - he was willing to negotiate a deal. Cody knew that Mr. Tipton would grasp at the chance to still keep him close, even if he was not longer his right hand man. After a considerable amount of debating Mr. Tipton agreed to let Cody remain as an official advisor for TI , making the occasional business trip or consultation. And Cody also some how convinced him - despite never actually taking any formal training in the culinary arts - that he was the prefect candidate to become a second head chef at the Boston Tipton Hotel. To convince him further, Cody actually arranged to cook Mr. Tipton and a select group of guests a four course meal. By the time the entrée was being served, he had the job. Because he shared the kitchen with Chef Palo, Cody was now able to take days off and spend more time with Bailey. Something they both enjoyed immensely. Particularly on days like today.
Suddenly Bailey felt her left leg vibrate slightly( somebody was trying to call Cody's phone which was in his pants pocket)- sending chills down her spine and causing her to get excited . And apparently the vibrations were having the same effect on Cody. But much to her displeasure he stopped kissing her and - after pressing her hard against the wall to make sure she didn't fall- reached into his pocket for his phone.
You better not answer that! she thought as she tried to grab it out of his hand.
He grabbed her wrist before she could get a firm grasp of the phone and gave her a cocky grin, as if to say ' uh uh, I'm the one in charge here', before tossing the phone over his shoulder. It landed with a soft thump on the couch behind them. Then he grabbed a hold of her head and pulled it towards him, crushing her lips once more with his.
6:03 pm
Shit, shit, shit, shit ….come on Zack just think about something else, come on….don't think about the pain…everything's going to be alright….ahhhhh damn that fucking hurts…
" Zack?"
What do you want? Wait, that voice sounds so familiar…
" Come on, pretty boy open your eyes for me."
Pretty boy? That must mean….
" Reba?" he called out hoarsely.
Wait, what did she mean by open up my eyes? Whoa, whoa, whoa…where the hell am I?
" That's right, Zack. Come on,"
Slowly Zack opened his eyes, the sun blinding him for a moment. Once he regained his vision he looked around and felt his heartbeat suddenly increase. " Why…why…why am I lying on my side? Why am I on the ground? What is going on? Reba? What's…what's happening?" Suddenly he felt rather cold. He tried to get up - to get a better look at what was going - but found that he was unable to.
" It's okay, Zack. You were just out cold for a few seconds. You were shot while you and Walsh chased a suspect down an alley." She didn't see the need to add that everyone that had been by the accident site prior to the shooting had heard Zack and Jason's confrontation. She didn't want to worry him any further. Rebecca ' Reba' Daly and her partner Kyle Barkhouse worked " third watch" ( the 3pm-11pm shift)at the fire station across the street from the 26th Precinct and often ended up crossing paths with Vincent Zack on a daily basis. Their jobs were so inter-mixed that - despite the almost sibling like rivalry between cops and medics- Zack considered them co-workers and friends. More importantly he trusted them just as much as he trusted his partner. Although Reba was happily married and Zack was in a " relationship" the two of them always enjoy innocently flirting with each other. It was just a part of their outgoing personalities and meant nothing.
Shot? Whoa…that explains the pain….wait did she say Walsh? Imagines of what had happen moments before he lost consciousness flashed in his mind, making his anger return. He turned his head slightly, his mobility limited considerably, and noticed that Walsh was not in the immediate vicinity. " Where is that son of a bitch? I'm gonna…I'm gonna to kill him!"
Reba put her hand on his side to prevent from attempting to get up and shook her head at him. " You are not going anywhere mister. Now calm down, okay. I can't take your vitals if you are moving about. And the more you move the more you are going to screw up that shoulder of yours. Now come on, relax"
Zack stopped moving. He knew there was no way Reba was going to let him get up. But didn't stop him from wanting to.
Zack began to take slow breaths, trying to calm himself down and forget about killing Walsh. But he found that more he cleared his mind, the more he felt the pain. And it was beginning to become unbearable. " Can you give something for the pain?" He winced.
" Just hold on a second, okay? Let Kyle relay your vitals and then he'll make a request for morphine."
Zack slowly nodded even though he didn't know if he would be able to stand the wait. But he also knew that they - also like the cops- had protocol follow and that he had no choice. He took another deep breath.
" Hey," Reba said as she took his pulse, " isn't your brother getting married this weekend?" She was hoping that getting him to talk about Cody's wedding would be a distraction while they waited for the hospital to give the okay on the morphine. She turned to her partner. " Pulse 110, Respiration 35, BP 85/50"
Kyle nodded and relayed the message.
Zack really had no idea if that was good or not, but he figured if something was really wrong they would tell him. " Uh…yeah…yeah he's finally getting married."
" How long have they been together anyways?" she asked as Kyle nodded his head and then handed her syringe. " Okay, this should help with the pain."
Zack cringed slightly when he saw the size of the needle. He greatly disliked them. He gulped as she injected him.
" Alright, now let's check out this wound, okay?"
He slowly nodded as she turned him so his back was facing her and pealed back his tattered uniform. She clucked softy and then laid him back on his side. " I'm going to need to take off your shirt, okay?"
" If…if you really wanted to see my chest, all you had to do was ask," he weakly smiled up at her, " you didn't have to wait for me to get shot."
She chuckled softly. His playful side was surfacing, a big indication that the pain medication was working. She ripped the sleeve of his uniform off and took a look at the front on his upper arm. " That's actually a pretty clean exit wound," she observed.
Exit wound? Wait….what? What about Walsh? Why was he not hit.
" But if…if there is an exit wound why isn't Walsh here beside me?" he asked her, his heart rate starting to pick up again.
" The bullet hit him in vest. He's pretty damn lucky. If he hadn't been wearing his vest it would killed him."
The reality of the situation suddenly dawned on Zack . Never mind the fact that Walsh was lucky, he was one that was pretty damn lucky. He turned his head to the side and threw up.
8:30 pm
" You're late," Zack said as he glanced up from his seat on the edge of a hospital bed in an examination room just off the emergency entrance of the hospital. The doctor had finished his examination about and hour ago and was just keeping him here as precaution. He had already been visited by Vince - who was just grabbing a bite to eat before he returned - his mother and Captain McNally. The only person who had yet seen him was Cody, who had just walked through the door.
A blush began to form on Cody's cheek as he looked down and mumbled. " I was distracted."
Zack took a look at his brother and then laughed. He had a good feeling he knew exactly what his brother was talking about. " That's awesome."
Cody raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything as he walked over to his brother's bed.
Upon closer inspection Zack noticed that his brother looked terrible. " You look like shit."
Cody scowled slightly. " I just spend the last half hour in a state of panic because I missed being by my twin brother's side at one of the worst moments of his life." He shook his head and added. " I should have answered that damn phone when it rang the first time."
Zack smirked, as to way to insure his brother that there were no hard feelings. " Well, you were preoccupied."
Cody glared at him. " Is it really the obvious to you that I was having sex?"
" I can read you like an open book little brother."
A small smirk formed on Cody's lips. " And yet you can't read an actual book." He then looked his brother over, noticing for the first time the actual state of his body. If Zack thought he looked like shit, what did he think of his own appearance? " How are you feeling?"
" Great."
Cody frowned. " Now is not the time for sarcasm, Zack."
Zack shook his head. " No, seriously. I feel great. Morphine is a drug of many wonders."
" Right. So did…did they have to put you under?" Cody deeply regretted the fact that he had not been here and therefore did not know the answer to this question.
Zack once again shook his head. " They just put my right side to sleep. Actually, I'm kind of afraid to get off this bed right now, you know, I still feel kind of numb."
Cody nodded. " And what about the shooting? Will there be an investigation."
" Yeah." Zack sighed. " And I'm screwed."
" What? Why?"
" Because I picked a fight with a fellow officer during a run, putting both ours lives at risk. That's a big no-no."
Cody's jaw dropped slightly. " You and Vince had a fight?" He thought Zack really like his partner and generally respected him.
" No, it was with Walsh."
" Well, I would picked a fight with him too. That man is despicable."
Zack raised his eyebrows. Cody didn't often promote violence. " Anyways, that probably won't be for another year - you know how long all that crap takes- so I have time to build up a case."
Cody nodded. He would help his brother prove he his case, no matter what it took. " And what about after you get out of here? How long before you go back to work?"
Zack groaned. " Six weeks."
" Well that's not that bad."
" Not bad! Are you kidding me?" Zack put on a ridiculous pout.
Cody rolled his eyes. Sometimes Zack still reminded him of a child - only one who could legally have more fun. " Well, we are going on a cruise in a couple of days. So at least your first week and a half is covered."
" But what about the other 4 ½ weeks?"
" You'll find something to do, you always do."
Zack nodded. " Yeah, you're right. I'll probably end up staying in my suite though. Interacting with guests is far more entertaining then trying to engage in a conversation with the crazy cat lady that lives down the hall."
Cody frowned, trying to picture Zack's neighbour. " Isn't she like in her early 30's?"
" That doesn't change the fact that she is slightly crazy and owns a hell of a lot of cats. Actually, now that I think about it, she kind of reminds me of Tutweiller."
" Really? She's coming to the wedding, you know."
" Sweet," Zack nodded his head as he thought something over. " Now I can stick it in her face. She always thought I would be behind bars before I turned 21. Ha, won't she be shocked to learn I am actually the one locking people up. Who else is coming?"
Cody mulled this over for a second. " Well, Maddie and Kerr of course, and Woody and a friend…"
" A friend?"
Cody shrugged his shoulders. " That's all he said. ' I'm bringing a friend.'"
" Odd," Zack scrunched up his face as he remembered Cody's awkward roommate in high school.
" I know. Anyways….who else is coming? Some friends of mine from Harvard, but you don't care about that…." he paused for a second and then rolled his eyes, "…oh and like half the state of freaking Kansas."
Zack busted into laughter. " It's your fault you married into such a big family. You should have thought about that before you decided to fall in love with her."
Cody grimaced slightly. " Well to late now."
" You could always call off the wedding," Zack suggested with a cheeky grin.
" No way!" Cody shook his head. " I love her too much to do that. No, I am most definitely going to marry Bailey, regardless if she is related to pretty much everybody in Kettlecorn."
Zack glanced at his brother and smiled. He was truly happy that Cody was happy and ready to settle down and start a new chapter in his life. But that smile suddenly became a frown as something dawned on him. Would he ever be this happy? He knew that he and Anna were never going to get married and settle down. And he doubted that the feeling of always being second in her mind would ever truly go away.
" What's wrong?" Cody asked, noticing Zack sudden mood change.
" Nothing, it's nothing. Don't worry about it."
" Zack?" Cody wasn't going to buy that nothing was wrong. Something was clearly bothering him.
Zack sighed, really hating the fact that he had such a worrisome bother. But he knew Cody wouldn't let it go. " I just keep thinking about me and Anna. That's all. All this talk about weddings is making me realize that I most likely won't have that."
Cody turned and gave him a stern look. And right then and there he decided he was going to do what he should have done 6 months ago, the night of Jon' party, tell Zack exactly what he thought of the situation. " You need to leave her. Or she needs to leave him. You can't go on like this for the rest of your life."
" But…but…"
" But what Zack?"
He sighed. " I don't know…it's just, complicated."
Cody shook his head. "No, it's not complicated, it's hard. And your afraid of getting hurt."
Zack frowned. Cody pegged that one right on the head. He was afraid, afraid of being alone.
" You need to start acting like the adult you are and take some responsibly."
Zack sighed. Cody was most definitely right. " I'll…..I'll call her and we'll talk when we both get back to Boston." At Cody's look he added, " she's in Paris right , celebrating her wedding anniversary."
Cody raised his arms in the air, not really believing the situation. " Wow Zack, that right there should be a clue as to why this isn't working out. And you better call her, or I will."
Zack nodded. " I'll….I'll call."
Cody glanced at his brother and sighed. Then he shook his head. " And while you plan on what you are going to say, ask yourself this question. If you had died today, would she have flown all the way back here for your funeral?"
Zack closed his eyes and slowly shook his head. He knew the answer to that, and it wasn't the answer he wanted to hear.
Finally I am done!!!!
Anyways I am excited about Chapter 5 because it's more upbeat then this one ( or the previous). But I am even more excited about Chapter 6 because what happens in that chapter is the reason why I am writing this story in the first place. Anyways, I don't know when I will post the next chapter, but it most definitely won't take me as long as it did to post this one ( I have Chapters 5,6 and 7 pretty much memorized so all I have to do is type them). But I think I will update "Fine Lines"( my other suite life fic - which you should definitely check out if you haven't ) before I update Bliss.
Reviews keep the voices in my head happy, and trust me they need to be kept happy. LOL