Chapter 8
As they raced through the streets of LA looking for the psycho that took Sharon, Assistant Chief Howard had ordered all traffic or actually all LAPD officers to be on the lookout for the white van and to call him if they spot the vehicle or the suspect. While Provenza drove, he tried to talk some sense into Flynn about rushing into the action when they find the idiot and getting himself shot. "You know the Captain will kill me if that happened!"
Andy looked at him, "since when do you care what Sharon thinks?" he snapped.
Provenza gave him a quick glance then kept his eyes on the road. "Have you seen that woman shoot? She can hit a guy between the eyes with a beanbag gun and as you know those things have a nasty recoil...and she still held her ground in high heels no less!" Andy turned and stared out the window. He knew that his partner was trying to distract him but it wasn't working. He was constantly wondering how Sharon was holding up and what kind of things the scumbag was doing to her. He was shaken out of this thoughts by a patrol officer coming over the radio saying they had spotted the van in front of an abandon house and were waiting for backup.
They arrived with the rest of the Major Crimes team right behind them. At the scene, they met with SWAT and began setting a plan in motion of getting Captain Raydor out alive and with little to no bloodshed if possible. The team got into place with members of the SWAT circling the van and tried talking to the suspect, "Clyde, we don't want this to get out of hand." It was quiet as everyone waited for a response before proceeding.
After moments of a pause they saw Clyde moving around in the van. He rolled down the window as he spoke, "I want to talk to Andy Flynn and only Flynn."
Everyone looked at Andy as he gritted his teeth to say, "ok, I'll talk to the asshole…" He started to approached the van but stopped suddenly when the door opened and Clyde got out. He had his arm around Sharon's neck and a gun to her head. Andy was horrified at what he saw. His heart fell into his stomach at the sight of his wife standing there with this lunatic holding her hostage. She had black eye, a split lip, her clothes were torn and her body looked battered and bruised. The longer he stared at the scene before him the madder he got. The only satisfaction he received was that the scumbag looked to have the same injuries as her. Captain Raydor must have gave as good as she got. He watched as Clyde's grip on her neck got tighter and her struggle lessened, he noticed that Sharon was fading fast. Andy knew, he had to do something quick.
"Well, well Lieutenant I see you finally caught up with me, even after I told you to leave me alone." Clyde sneered as he taunted him. He pressed the gun harder to Sharon's temple as he continued, "I must say you have a beautiful wife. She's feisty, I like that in a woman." Then he kissed her cheek, causing Sharon to shake even more. He looked back to Andy and with an evil grin he asked, "What makes you think you can stop me anyways?"
As the punk was talking Andy had slowly moved his suit jacket aside and placed his hand on his gun. He wanted to be ready for anything this guy was going to do. With barely a movement he flipped the snap on his holster. "It's over, just let her go."
"Why should I? After all this woman, has done to my family I should just put a bullet through her pretty little head and be done with it." Clyde again tighten the arm around Sharon's neck. "No, I
think I'm going to stand here and watch you squirm."
Andy shouted, "let her go, she's been through enough! You can see she's not going to last much longer at this rate. Why not let her go and take me instead?" He could see Clyde was thinking it over in his head.
Instead he pulled the hammer back on the revolver he was holding against Sharon's head, "yes I think I will just put a bullet through her head and end all of this now!" He shouted back at Andy.
Not being able to watch her mentor like this anymore Amy stepped forward, set her weapon down. With her hands held up in surrender she offered, "Clyde, I was the one that shot you brother let the captain go and take me instead."
With Sykes distraction Andy pulled his gun and leveled it on Clyde but he couldn't get an angle at him since he was using Sharon as a shield. With one wrong move, she would be shot at point blank range and there would be no way for her to survive.
Clyde let out a laugh as he said, "wow that's very honorable of you but don't worry Detective Sykes, you are on my list of who to kill next. This bitch was the brains behind the operation so she's first."
The rest of the team stared horrified at the scene unfolding before them. They watched as Clyde moved further away from them all while holding on to Sharon with each step Andy moved closer. It seemed like an eternity of playing this cat and mouse game with the scumbag. Flynn kept a close eye on Sharon, he could see that she was exhausted and wasn't going to be able to stand there much longer. It was time to act, so to make sure he had her attention Andy asked with concern, "Captain, are you ok?" All she could manage was a small nod. He continued keeping eye contact with her and he could see that she knew what he's thinking. They always had that connection, with just a look from one told the other what they were thinking. Andy gave her a smirk as a sign and that's when Sharon used all the energy she had left to elbow the idiot in the stomach! When the grip was loosened off her neck she ducked down, Andy shot the scumbag in the shoulder while avoiding hitting his wife. Just as Clyde stumbled backward Sharon started to fall forward. Andy, Julio and Mike ran to her to try catch her before she hit the ground. Amy gasped when she saw the condition her captain was really in.
Andy got there first and had his wife in his arms, he stood up holding her tight against him. He carefully carried her to the awaiting ambulance. When they were a few steps away he heard her weak voice say, "Andy, you can't leave the scene of an officer involved shooting."
He looked at her with a lopsided smile as he said, "just try and stop me!"
The EMT's loaded her into the ambulance and she stared up at Andy. As he held on to her hand he could see from where he's sitting that her injuries are a little more extensive than he first thought. She gently squeezed his hand and tried to say his name but everything went black.
"SHARON! Sharon, stay with me baby," he shouted as he watched the paramedics work on her.
When they arrived at the hospital he held onto her hand as they wheeled her into the emergency room. A nurse stopped him just outside a long hallway to the back of the ER. "I'm sorry but you
must wait out here for the doctor. After we run test and find out all that's wrong with your… Oh is she your wife?"
"Yes, I'm her husband," Andy said proudly. Now he knew how Sharon felt when he was taken to the hospital after all his dust ups. He was happy that he finally got to say she was his wife not just his girlfriend.
"That's good then we can give you all the information we find. It would be helpful if you stay out of the way while they work on her. Someone will be here as soon as possible to talk to you." She pointed over to the counter, "you can fill you the necessary paperwork while you wait." The nurse turned around leaving Andy standing there staring at the closed doors as he watched Sharon being taken away from him once again.
He was lost in his thoughts when he heard someone calling him, "Lieutenant, Lieutenant," Andy turned to see Julio, Amy and Mike standing there with him. Sykes walked over to him and grabbed him by the arm, walked with him to the chairs that line the waiting room and had him sit down. "The Captain will be alright, she's a tough lady. She can handle anything," she spoke softly.
Andy looked at the young woman sitting next to him and agreed, "you're right, Sharon is a tough and a fighter. I know she'll be alright. I can't help but worry after everything that has gone on with past year." He paused to rub the back of his neck, "I thought things were finally starting to look up for us and now this happens." He looked back to see her listening to him intently. He smiled, "thank you Amy, I appreciate it. She smiled warmly back at him as she got up and went to talk to Sanchez and Tao.
After an hour or so Provenza showed up and sat down next to his best friend he sighed heavily, "any news?" he asked as he studied his friends face.
Andy looked at him for a second, slid his hands up and down his face in frustration as he said, "no, I haven't heard anything since we brought her in. Aren't you suppose to still be at scene?"
Provenza tried to smile as he said, "well, I guess having Chief Johnson's husband in the LAPD is good for something. He practically kicked me out of there. You still need to fill out the appropriate forms and give statement, or you know your wife, the former head of FID will have my head, but that can wait until tomorrow."
Unable to stay still Andy stood up and began to pace the room again for the upteenth time. He was grateful for Louie's distraction but again it wasn't working. Earlier he had tried to send the team home. They refused to leave, but he wanted and needed to be alone so he was corner of the room. The team all knew Flynn needed time on his own to process everything that had happened the last few days but they also knew he needed support. It may be Andy's wife in there but it was also their captain and they all came to care for her too, so they stayed in the main waiting room area.
He again sat trying to calm his nerves. Andy had been alone with his thoughts and this was how Louie found him when he finally got away from the crime scene to find his partner looking lost and upset. Just after Provenza had sat down and talked to him the ER opened and a doctor walked out. "Mr. Flynn?" Andy nodded, quickly jumping up from his seat to walk over and shake the woman's hand. "Hello, I'm Doctor Boeckman. I've been treating your wife since she was brought in."
"Is my wife ok?" Andy couldn't hold back the anguish in his voice.
Needing to explain everything the doctor started at the beginning. "It took us a while to run all the necessary test to see if there were any internal injuries."
He didn't want to wait any longer. This time Andy's voice was much stronger as he said, "I repeat, how is my wife?"
The doctor looked down at her hands then back at him before requesting, "Why don't you sit down so we can talk?"
Andy didn't want to move. He wanted the answer right now and he was about to ask the same question again, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see standing behind him was the entire team. He could see the worry on their faces. He had been so wrapped up in his own misery that he had forgotten that Sharon had meant something to each one of them. Andy had to take a deep breath to calm all the emotions that were running through him at once. He almost let a tear slip out of his eye to know they were all for her, but also for him too. He looked at the hand on his shoulder and let Provenza lead him back to the chair he just vacated. As she spoke the doctor sat down between the two lieutenants. The rest of the team stood around them impatiently waiting for what they all needed to know.
Was Captain Raydor going to survive this ordeal?
{TBC}
