Gone But Not Forgotten

Chapter 7

Mike followed Steve slowly up the many flights of stairs. He had purposely let the young man go first just in case and without drawing unwanted attention to the fact he was already watching the young man closely for signs of dizziness or trouble of any kind. Nearing the last flight of stairs, Steve had made a sudden move that Mike hadn't expected and almost grabbed him thinking he was stumbling but realized in time that the young man was merely discarding his jacket as he often did coming back to the office from the car. He watched as his partner slung the jacket over his right shoulder and then followed him out the stairwell door and down the corridor to the Homicide Department. Entering the bull pen they were surprised to see only Bill at his desk and Sekulovich on the phone.

Steve greeted Bill and headed towards his desk while Mike stopped to talk to Bill momentarily.

"Sorry we are so late back Bill. Has there been any problems? Where is everybody?"

"Hi Mike, no everything's been fine. Healy is down in Records and Harris and Norm are attending a crime scene over at the docks. That just leaves Art and me holding down the fort. But the phones have been fairly quiet, and there's not much else to report really."

Then he turned towards Steve who was placing his jacket on the back of his chair and moving very slowly, something Bill didn't see very often as normally the youngest member of their team was a hive of energy.

"Hey Steve, I replaced your typewriter with Lee's one while you were out as per Mike's instructions and put your broken one in Mike's office."

"Thanks Bill" came the subdued reply as Tanner watched his colleague place paper in it and pull his chair closer and began to type halfheartedly.

Concerned by his colleague's earlier angry outburst and now by his very unusual lethargic demeanor, Bill Tanner turned back towards Mike and lowered his voice.

"Is he ok Mike? No offense or anything but he looks worse now after lunch than he did before it. Did something happen while you guys were out?"

Mike sighed.

"You could say that ... but it's a long story. He'll be ok. Were there any calls for me?"

"Yeah, Olsen called about twenty minutes ago. I just told him you were out of the Office but I didn't say where or why. He asked if you could go up to see him when you came back. Something about filling him in on the latest cases before his meeting with the top brass tomorrow?"

Mike frowned.

"Damn, I forgot about that. That could take a while knowing Rudy."

Then looking over at Steve and seeing him engrossed in his typing he leaned in and whispered to Bill.

"Listen, come into my office for a minute and bring that file you're working on with you, will you please?"

Bill looked puzzled but stood up and followed his Lieutenant into his office as he was requested to, noticing that Steve stopped typing and turned his head to look at them both curiously as they did. Mike entered first and held the door open for Bill to enter. As Bill went in, Mike closed the door and saw Steve watching him. He pretended not to notice Steve's stare and then removing his hat and coat he hung them up and gestured Bill to take a seat while he went around and sat on his own seat, still noticing from the corner of his eye that Steve was still watching both men intently through the glass.

Leaning forward he spoke quietly.

"Listen Bill, while I'm upstairs with Olsen, keep a close eye on Steve for me will you please, but try not to let him in on the fact that you're keeping tabs. You know how he hates fussing of any kind. He's watching us as we speak and he probably suspects that's what I'm asking you to do so hand me that file and pretend you're telling me about it."

Bill smiled broadly, knowing his back was to Steve and at the cloak and dagger lengths Mike was going to, to make sure Steve was ok. Opening the file and handing it to Mike, he leaned over and pointed to the page it had opened up on and leaned forward as if he was discussing it for effect. But instead he spoke candidly.

"Sure Mike, but what should I be watching out for exactly?"

"Like I said, it's a long story Bill and most of it is Steve's own business but while we were out he fell and hit his head and left shoulder. That's what delayed us, as I insisted he get checked out down at San Francisco General."

"God Mike. Is he ok? "

"Yes, he'll be fine Bill. Thankfully there was no major injury but he has a doozy of a bump on the back of his head and he's going to be sore for a day or two. However his balance is a bit off as a result and if he moves too fast he gets dizzy so that's why I need you to keep an eye on him for me. Think you can handle that?"

"No worries Mike. I'll keep my eyes peeled."

Steve's curiosity got the better of him and he was getting increasingly suspicious as to why Mike needed to see Bill. He decided to go and get himself some coffee and see what was going on and so he got up slowly and headed for the coffee table in front of Mike's office. Mike saw him getting up and knew what he was up to and quickly alerted Bill.

"He's heading to the coffee table, quick, tell me about your file and make it sound good."

As Steve reached the coffee table and started pouring himself a cup, he glanced briefly up into Mike's Office just as Bill began talking animatedly to Mike.

"So that's what we have on him so far. What do you think we should do next Mike?"

Mike saw Steve watching and took up his glasses from the desk and putting them on, he pretended to study the file in Bill's hand.

"Well I think it's worth looking into Bill. I think you had better keep a close eye on him at the very least, ok?"

The double meaning of Mike's answer was not lost on Bill and he smiled and nodded, closing the file in his hand and standing up to leave. As he did he spoke sincerely.

"Will do Mike, don't worry."

Bill Tanner turned then and left Mike's office, leaving the door open as he went. Steve didn't catch Bill's eye but was smiling as he rummaged in his trouser pocket for a dime and put it into the coffee tin on the table. Then he put cream and one sugar into his cup and stirred it slowly. Then he leaned sideways and peered around Mike's door.

"Mike? You want a coffee?"

Mike who was in the middle of frantically sorting through papers on his desk, looked up at Steve only briefly.

"What?"

"I asked if you wanted some coffee?"

"Oh, no thanks. "

Mike looked back down at his desk and seemed grumpy and distracted. Steve put his coffee over on his desk and then walking slowly he went into Mike's office.

"Is something wrong? What are you looking for?"

"Yes, something's wrong. I have a meeting up with Rudy to fill him in on the latest caseload and I had the report on my desk and now it's missing. Have you seen it?"

"No, not since I typed it up for you yesterday morning. Have you tried your desk drawer? You sometimes put the important files in there in case they get mixed up."

Mike pulled out his top drawer and smiled as he saw the report he was looking for just where Steve had thought it might be. He visibly relaxed and taking the report out, he then smiled warmly up at his partner.

"Thanks buddy boy ... Just as well you know what I'm doing half the time, huh?" he said jokingly.

Then standing up he crossed the office and stood in front of Steve and lowered his voice.

"Look Steve, I don't know how long this meeting is going to be but you know how Rudy is. It could take a while. Are you going to be ok?"

This time instead of being annoyed at the question, Steve smiled gratefully.

Yeah, I'll be ok. Stop worrying. I'm just going to sit quietly at my desk and finish those reports and as you can see, they're going to take a while too."

Mike looked past him at his partner's desk and saw the pile of reports still to finish and winced at the thought of the amount of work involved.

"Ok, but don't overdo it alright? If you don't get them finished I'll get Dan or Bill to finish them up. Ok?"

"Ok ... Now you better get going. You know how Olsen hates to be kept waiting."

"Don't I just ... Alright, see you later."

"Ok, good luck."

Mike headed out past Steve towards the squadroom door while Steve slowly ambled towards his desk. Reaching the outer door Mike cast a quick concerned glance back at his partner as he watched him gingerly sitting back down. Steve caught the look and started to chuckle.

"I'm sitting ok? Now get outta here."

Mike laughed and headed out but not before he received a reassuring nod from Bill that he was leaving Steve in good hands.

The next two hours dragged by and Steve waded through the towering pile of reports. The back of his head and his shoulder were sore but not annoying him too much and the pain meds he had been given in the ER, had kept the headache at bay but the endless clackity clack of the typing and the small black print were starting to take their toll. Steve glanced at his watch and saw that it was coming up to seven pm. He leaned back in his chair and closing his eyes he rubbed at his temples. The dull ache was starting to return and he tried to remember what time he had received the pain meds earlier. Figuring it was roughly around three, he knew they were probably starting to wear off and opened his desk drawer to look for his usual supply of paracetamol and frowned when he suddenly remembered giving Norm his last two, after he had arrived at work three days ago suffering from a hangover, from a retirement party he had attended the evening before.

Steve had been right and the reports had kept his mind off tomorrow's anniversary but now as he searched desperately in the hopes of a forgotten hoard of painkillers somewhere at the back of his desk drawer, his fingers had alighted on a photograph of his parents that he had even forgotten ever putting in there and it threw him for six. As he stared at the faces in the photo, memories came back into his mind and he sat frozen to the spot, his breathing becoming a little quicker and while it startled him a little when it came, he wasn't fully surprised when Bill's voice tore him from his thoughts.

"Steve? You ok?"

Bill had been watching his colleague closely and over the first two hours he hadn't noticed anything worrying or unusual. Even when he had sat back and rubbed his temples, it was an action he had seen Steve perform many times when he was tired or after a marathon typing session like he had just had. He had watched while Steve had searched his desk drawer and again didn't think much of it until Steve had stopped suddenly and seemed to be staring at something in the drawer despairingly. He looked as white as a ghost and Bill became concerned at that point. He hadn't wanted to draw attention to the fact that he had been observing him but he felt the question needed asking.

Steve flustered at the fact that Bill had noticed something amiss and closing the drawer a little too hard, he winced and regretted the action as his head throbbed. Speaking more shakily than he had intended to, he answered Bill.

"Yeah, I'm fine ... Thanks ... "

And then he pulled his chair back closer to the typewriter to suffer on in silence. Mike should be back soon he hoped, and he normally had a supply of painkillers in his desk that he would ask him for when he arrived. He was sure Mike wouldn't have minded him looking for some in his absence but he didn't feel right rummaging through Mike's desk so he decided to wait. His in-tray was down to one file and so he hoped to finish his work before Mike returned, headache or no headache. As he picked up the last file and opened it and then opened his notebook on the correct page he placed new paper in the typewriter and started typing again but this time the clackity, clack sounded more to his tortured head like thumpity, thump.

As if things couldn't get any worse Norm's booming raucous voice filled the bull pen as he shared his latest unrepeatable joke with Harris as they came thundering into the squadroom in Norm's unique inimitable style.

Steve groaned under his breath and prayed that Norm wouldn't engage him in conversation but as his run of luck would have it, Steve was the first person Norm spotted. In a loud voice he approached Steve who visibly cringed and tried to steel himself for what was ahead. Before Steve had a chance to react defensively, Norm arrived behind him and had slapped both the young man's shoulders in a friendly greeting, and he had to choke the yell that threatened to escape as a burst of pain exploded through his left shoulder.

"Hey kid, you're back. Bill said the Boss took you to lunch. You guys go anywhere nice? Did you bring me back any leftovers? "

Steve didn't reply straight away as he dealt with the waves of pain that were assaulting him and when he did, his voice came out raspy.

"No ... sorry ... Norm."

"Aw ... No fair. " Norm teased, squeezing Steve's shoulders unaware of the pain he was inflicting.

Thankfully Bill saw Steve's reaction and remembered what Mike had said about Steve having a sore shoulder and rescued the young man from Norm's antics.

"Hey Norm, leave Steve alone. He's trying to finish those reports. Besides there's a doughnut on my desk going a begging if you want it?"

At the mention of an unwanted doughnut Norm released Steve's poor bruised shoulder and headed for Bill's desk, and as the pain subsided a little, Steve shot a grateful look in Bill's direction. Norm took his proffered treat and thankfully returned to his own desk to eat it.

Now with his shoulder pulsating and his headache worsening Steve felt terrible. The renewed discomfort made his stomach churn and as he threw a glance over at Norm devouring the doughnut, and watched as jam dripped down his chin and he spoke with his mouth full, the half chewed contents of his mouth displayed for all to see, Steve felt overwhelmingly nauseous. Despite having practically nothing except a few bites of the earlier sandwich, a soda, a chocolate doughnut and two cups of coffee in his stomach, his body was determined to make sure he rid himself of its contents. In his alarm at how quickly the nausea struck, Steve stood up too fast and grabbed the desk as his head spun. He righted himself and then decided that dizzy or not, he needed to reach the restroom quickly so he stumbled purposefully towards the squadroom door, thankful that everyone except Bill was now around Norm's desk while he repeated his latest humorous joke and weren't noticing his hasty exit. As he exited into the corridor, he congratulated himself for remaining upright and with a hand on the wall for added support, he made his way without delay to the restroom. To his added relief the restroom was empty and he headed for a cubicle and slammed the door over quickly, just in time as the heaving began.

Bill noticed that something was terribly wrong and when Steve started bailing for the exit Bill stood up quickly to follow him, determined to carry out Mike's instructions but a strong arm arrived around his shoulders unexpectedly and drew him into the huddle behind him.

"Hey Bill, you're missing the joke. Wait until you hear it, it's a riot. "

"Norm, not now. "Bill protested as he tried to extricate himself from Norm's grip as he saw Steve disappearing out of the bullpen.

"Aw come on Bill, you know what they say, all work and no play makes Bill a dull ... "

"NOT NOW!" he shouted, finally freeing himself and racing out after Steve.

Norm looked shocked and then shaking his head incredulously he yelled after Bill.

"HEY, what the hell's wrong with everyone today? "

When Bill exited into the corridor there was no sign of Steve and he cursed his luck. He didn't fancy having to tell Mike that not only had he managed to NOT look after Steve but he had also managed to LOSE him in the process so he took off down the corridor determined to find him before he had to face his Lieutenant's wrath.

As he reached the end of the corridor and passed the restroom door he heard the tap running inside and wondered if that's where Steve had ended up. Not wanting to tip his hand if it was, he straightened himself up and calmed himself down before entering the restroom nonchalantly. As he came in and saw Steve washing his hands at the sink he had to refrain from sighing with relief as he caught Steve's eye in the mirror. Not wanting it to seem too obvious that he had been following the young man, he headed for the sink purposefully and turning on the tap he proceeded to throw cold water up at his face and then grabbing a paper towel to dry it with, he spoke.

"Man, is it just me Steve or is it very hot in the squadroom this evening? The air conditioning must be on the blink again, huh?"

Steve smiled and finished drying his hands.

"It always is. Besides it's was fairly hot outside today. Hey ... thanks for rescuing me from Norm back there."

Bill chuckled.

"You're welcome. Norm's harmless but he's sure full of energy today, isn't he?"

"Yeah ... well those reports won't type themselves. Better head back. See you back there."

Bill nodded and watched in the mirror as Steve left. The young man looked as white as a sheet. He didn't want to follow him back immediately so he hung back a moment or two, happy that Steve was heading back to finish his reports so that at least he knew where he was going. He wondered if the young man had been sick, when he considered the speed in which Steve had left the squadroom and especially knowing that he was under Doctor's orders to move slowly, but there was no give away odor to speak of in the empty restroom. He pushed open each cubicle door and as he pushed the last one open the small frosted window at the top was swinging wide open, the evening breeze blowing in strongly and his gut instinct told him that he had been right to wonder.

Much to Mike's annoyance, Olsen's meeting had dragged on relentlessly just as he thought it would. Unbeknownst to Mike, Olsen had changed the meeting to an interdepartmental one, so Mike had to sit tediously through every other Department's update before finally being able to deliver his own. He had spent most of the meeting in a trance thinking about what tomorrow would bring or checking his watch but thankfully nobody had seemed to notice and when it finally wrapped up, Mike stayed behind momentarily to request the following day off from Rudy. He didn't give a reason why and as he rarely asked for time off, Olsen agreed without argument or inquiry. Mike told Olsen that he would leave Bill Tanner in charge of keeping things running smoothly in his absence and then after the normal pleasantries were exchanged, Mike took his leave and hurried anxiously back down to the Homicide Department. As he got out of the elevator at the end of the corridor he saw Bill exiting the restroom and called him over.

"Bill. How were things while I was gone? "

Bill crossed over to where he was and smiled at Mike's question, knowing exactly the main "thing" he was referring to.

"Well he was fine for most of the time Mike, but in the last half hour I think he's showing signs of not feeling too good, not that he'd ever let on. "

"Don't I know it? " Mike joked but then turned serious again. "What kind of signs?"

"Well he was rubbing his temples and then Norm arrived and grabbed his shoulder unknowingly and seemed to cause him a bit of pain. I managed to distract Norm away from him but then he raced off to the mensroom. I followed him, but by the time I got here he was just washing his hands. Mike ... Look, I'm not sure about this but I ... well I think he might have been sick."

Mike's face fell at those words. He looked thoughtful for a few minutes. Bill could see that Mike was worried so he spoke again.

"Mike, I could be wrong. But he looked a little green around the gills when I saw him."

"Ok. Thanks Bill. Listen, I hope you don't mind but I'm taking tomorrow off and I've told Olsen I'm leaving you in charge to keep an eye on things for me. I hope that's ok with you?"

"Sure Mike, that's fine. I'll take care of things."

"I know you will. Listen can you do me just one more favor please?"

"Sure, what? "

Reaching into his pocket he took out his wallet and handed some notes to Bill.

"Head over to Tony's will you and pick up three or four pizzas for the squadroom. Everyone could use a bite to eat and Steve has hardly eaten all day, maybe that's why he's feeling sick. You know which pizzas the guys will eat. Oh and Bill, just make sure that whatever one you get for me and Steve has no anchovies on it, ok?"

Bill smiled.

"Ok, will do. No anchovies. Got it. Thanks Mike. I won't be long."

Mike watched Bill head into the elevator and then turned quickly to hurry back and check on Steve.

Steve had made his way back to the squadroom slower than he had left it. His stomach felt strangely better after its recent purge but his head was pounding and he felt a little weaker than he had before. As he came in through the squadroom door he was pleased to see that the other detectives all appeared to be taking phone calls and so didn't even look up when he entered. He made his way back to his desk and sat down.

Checking his notebook he saw that he still had roughly three or four pages left to type. He pulled his chair back to the typewriter and stared at the last line he had typed. As his headache pounded and the back of his head throbbed, the small typed words blurred and Steve blinked his eyes to try and clear his vision. It was no use. He needed pain relief and he couldn't wait for Mike to come back. It was taking too long.

He stared into Mike's office and tried to convince himself to go in and look through Mike's desk for some paracetamol. As he stood up, his pen rolled off the desk onto the floor and he bent down to get it. As he grabbed it off the floor, he stood back up too fast, forgetting for a split second that he wasn't supposed to do that and his surroundings started to spin alarmingly. The notice board in front of his desk seemed to take on a life of its own and was tilting back and forth and he felt himself falling backwards. Steve made a grab for his desk to stop his fall but missed it. He put his hand behind him to grab for his chair instead but the casters on it meant that as he made a grab for it, it wheeled backwards and much to Steve's horror he landed on his rear end on the floor, the bump on his head hitting the chair as he landed. As his head protested the new knock and the pain increased, Steve looked up as the fluorescent lights on the ceiling faded in and out and he heard a commotion around him and several shouts of his name.