I really appreciate the response I got so far! It's incredible how many people follow this story. I love the reaction I got for the previous chapter. Sorry for the cliffhanger, I just had to! :) Okay, hope you'll like this one.
Mistakes are all mine as usual.
Day 9
Gail was feeling a pair of eyes threatening to burn a hole at the back of her head. A pair of chocolate brown eyes. And she knew whose chocolate brown eyes it belonged to. Sleeping on her side, Gail opened her eyes and looked at the window in front of her. It was dark outside. She had no idea what time and how long she slept for. After Dov drove them back home and walked her to her bedroom, Gail had to convince him that she didn't need someone to watch over her while she sleep, because that would be creepy. Dov then went back out to the living room to wait for Holly. The moment Gail got comfortable on her bed, she was out like a light. Taking a deep breath and turning to look at the brunette who was sitting on a chair near the door, Gail braced herself for a lecture or something equally serious.
"You're awake." Holly stood up from the chair and took the few steps toward Gail's bed.
"What time is it?"
Holly checked her watch. "A little after two. How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine," Gail was surprised she slept for so long and so deep into it that she didn't realize Holly was there, probably the whole time, staring at her back. The lack of sleep from the past few days and the medication she took back at the hospital probably had something to do with it. "How long have you been sitting there?"
Holly shrugged, "A while," she had been at the apartment for almost as long as Gail was. She arrived minutes after Gail had fallen asleep. She interrogated Dov for answers, what happened and how badly injured was Gail. At that moment Dov understood what Gail told him back at the hospital. It was weird to see the normally calm and composed doctor to be feeling so distraught and worried. But it was heartwarming to see that Holly deeply cared for his friend. Dov told her in summary of what happened earlier, reassuring Holly that Gail was okay before making his way back to 15.
Henry immediately dropped the gun and turned towards the opposite direction in an attempt to escape though the door that led to the backyard. He didn't manage to get too far before Dov caught up and tackled him onto the ground. The two men landed on the ground with a grunt and Dov took out his handcuffs to tie the deranged man up. After ensuring the cuffs were secured with nowhere to run, he radioed for backup and EMTs on his way back to check up on Gail. He gulped as his feet moved on its own accord to rush to Gail's side. He didn't turn to look back at Gail who was on the floor as he went after Henry. It all happened so fast. Dov knew Gail was definitely shot at, just wasn't sure how bad it was. He ran past the injured woman and told her to stay where she was.
Gail's right hand was cradling her upper left arm, blood seeping through pale fingers but luckily there wasn't much blood. "Gail, Gail! Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Just a graze. My head hurts though. Did you get him?" Gail asked through gritted teeth.
Dov let out a relieved breath. 15 could do with enough gunshots for the moment. "Yeah, I cuffed him and help is on the way."
"Okay, good. Go check on the woman. I'll be fine."
Dov asked for a name after looking over the woman's head wound and assuring her that the ambulance was on its way. Alison was her name. She told him that she was supposed to be home alone, that Henry left for work but he caught her off guard and pushed her against a door jamb. Shortly after that back up arrived along with the EMTs to take Henry to the station for further investigation and the two injured women to the hospital in separate ambulances. Gail gave up protesting and let Dov ride with her to the hospital.
It was just a superficial gunshot wound just like Gail had confirmed. The doctor patched her up and told her that she was lucky to get away with just a graze on her arm and a couple of stitches. Even though Gail reassured the doctor that she felt fine and her head wasn't as painful as before, he ordered a brain scan and X-ray as a precaution to check for further brain damage. At the end of it Gail got out of her shift with a bullet graze and a swollen bump on her head. She couldn't wait to get back to the apartment and get some sleep.
"No, you're not leaving here alone." Dov warned the blonde and stopped her from getting up from the gurney.
"Watch me." She pushed Dov out of the way but failed.
"I'm serious, Gail. You shouldn't be left alone at the apartment with Chris and I both still on shift."
"Then what am I supposed to do, check in upstairs for the night? I don't have a concussion or anything serious, Dov. I'm not going to pass out."
"Still, it would be better if someone else could keep a close eye on you." Dov shrugged, not persuaded by Gail's reasoning.
Gail rolled her eyes. She just wanted to get some sleep in her own bed. "Are you going to call Superintendent Peck? Because I'm not going to."
Dov immediately shook his head, that was a terrible idea. "No freakin' way." He stood in front of Gail with his hands in his hips, eyes staring hard at the floor, thinking. "Oh! What about Holly?"
Now that, was a terrible idea. "No no no. Absolutely not! She'll freak! Plus I'm sure she's busy packing and getting stuff done for San Francisco." Gail thought about the Ford shooting, how worried Holly was when she heard that the blonde was being shot at. Imagine her reaction at actually getting shot, even if it was just a graze?
"I'm sure she won't mind. You're important to her. That's it, I'm calling her. Give me your phone and I'll get her contact number."
"No, you can go get her after sending me home. I don't want her speeding through traffic. No need for the two of us to land in the hospital today."
"Okay, but I'll get Chris to go."
Gail relented. She really wanted to sleep. The headache was killing her. "Whatever. But I suggest you get out of there once you dropped me off. You won't want to deal with Holly."
"Fine. Give me her address, I'll tell Chris and then we can go."
When Holly turned and left the room, Gail's stomach sunk and she immediately thought the worst. Maybe she just came to check if Gail was alive and since she was, it was time for Holly to leave. But those thoughts were squashed when Gail heard the sound of the tap running. She let out a relived breath, Holly just went to the bathroom, apparently to clean her hands so she could examine Gail's arm. "Let me check your wound and I'll get some clean bandages." said Holly as she sat on the edge of Gail's bed.
Gail moved her arm away, feeling a bit nervous that Holly was being so calm with her. It was unnerving. "You don't have to."
Holly simply tilted her head slightly and glared at Gail. Suddenly feeling bashful under such an intense look, she swallowed hard and offered her injured arm to the brunette almost instantly. Holly removed the bandages, studied the stitches under close scrutiny before reaching out to the bedside table for the antibiotic ointment given by the doctor to clean the wound. After doing her thing, she set Gail's arm gently down on the bed. Gail's headache went away after the long nap she'd taken and she shouldn't feel any pain unless she touched the bump on her head.
"I leave you for one day and you go and get yourself shot." The tone Holly used was one of resignation.
That was not the tone Gail was expecting. The words, maybe, but not the way Holly said it. Gail should be glad that Holly wasn't going to freak out on her and over worry about her well-being. But she secretly wanted it to happen because if it did, Gail would know that the brunette cared for her. Gail immediately thought that was quite a sick way to want people to care. She knew Holly cared, though.
"It was just a graze, Hol. I wasn't shot."
"If the bullet made contact, even if it was just a graze, you've been shot. At least to me." Holly shrugged but kept her tone as calm and casual as she could.
The silence was getting to Gail. "You're not mad?"
"You're waiting for me to flip out, aren't you?"
"Well, maybe just a little."
Holly sighed and stared at Gail's blanket. "When Chris appeared at my front door and told me you've been shot, I stopped breathing and I thought I was going to pass out. Working with dead people on a daily basis pretty much made me assume the worse, I honestly thought you were dead." Holly's voice cracked at the last few words. She reached forward to grab Gail's hand and linked their fingers together. She took a shuddered breath as she recalled the exact moment her heart stopped beating for a few seconds. "And a part of me died, too."
Gail's heart clenched tightly at the sight of Holly feeling so upset. She quickly raised her other free hand to catch the stray tear that almost rolled down Holly's cheek, refusing to let it fall. Diaz, you idiot. Gail mentally scolded Chris, wishing he could've something less serious, starting with 'everything's okay' or something. She squeezed Holly's hand tightly. "But I'm not dead. I'm here. Very much alive." When Holly still hadn't looked up from her staring contest with the blanket, Gail pulled their linked hands over her own chest, pushing the tanned palm over where her heart was at. "Feel this." And Holly felt it. The strong beating of the blonde's heart, working hard to pump blood through her veins, keeping her alive and breathing.
Holly closed her eyes and tried to concentrate on the beating of Gail's heart, it was calming her nerves and she offered Gail a small smile. "When I arrived here, Dov told me what happened. And my mind went into overdrive. What if the man who shot you hadn't missed? What if you were standing half an inch closer to the left? What if the bullet managed to hit your artery and you bleed to death on scene? So I started freaking out when Dov left but you were sleeping and I thought, maybe I should wait until you wake up to freak out on you. But I had time to think and digest everything. I tried to focus on the good, to be extremely grateful you're okay instead of thinking about the what ifs." She took a breath and continued, "But I don't know if I could handle it the next time you get shot."
"There won't be a next time. You can't think like that."
Holly sighed. "There will always be a next time, you might not get shot but there are other ways to get injured, or even die. Your job is extremely dangerous and I always forget until something happens and I worry all over again."
"I'm applying for the detective rotation. Once I become a detective it'll be a lot safer."
That did make Holly feel a bit better. But just a little bit. She wondered if she would ever stop worrying about the blonde, even if she was in another country. "I don't know if I can leave yo—"
Gail shook her head violently. She knew where Holly was going with this. "No. don't say it, you're going. I'll personally escort you onto the plane if I have to. I'll be okay, I promise. Besides, I have a bunch of people that'll always have my back."
"But—"
She covered Holly's mouth with her own hand to stop her from having this discussion. Gail would never forgive herself if Holly missed such an amazing opportunity because of her. "No buts, end of discussion." She waited for Holly to nod her acknowledgement before retreating her hand. When Holly remained quiet, Gail leant forward to kiss Holly softly on the lips, lingering a little. When she pulled back, she attempted to move from her bed to go to the kitchen. Holly stopped her.
"Where are you going?"
"To the kitchen. I'm thirsty."
"It's okay, I'll go get you some water. Just stay put."
Gail thought about objecting, but decided against it. She nodded and leant back down against her pillow. Holly was almost at the door when Gail called out for her.
"Hey Hol,"
Holly spun back to face Gail. "Yeah? You need anything else?"
Gail's heart swell against the confines of her chest. The amount of love she felt for Holly was more than she could contain. More than anyone else she had felt for. Holly was the only person who cared so deeply about her that she even questioned her decision to leave the city, leave Gail. No one ever cared enough to give up anything for her — not that she would ever ask for anything — not even her own parents. She didn't know what she did to deserve such an amazing person, but the undeserving feeling she felt at the same time proved her right once again because Holly would be leaving her in a few days. Gail smiled nonetheless. To have Holly in her life even for a minute was better than not having Holly in her life at all. Gail Peck looking at the brighter side of things, even surprised Gail herself. This was one of those times when she finally let herself truly believe that she'd grown and changed for the better. But Holly, on the other hand, always knew Gail had such positivity in her, she just hadn't found the right time to show it yet. What Gail deemed as changes and growth was already there, Gail just had to dig deeper to find it and not hide under the surface of snark and guarded walls.
"I love you," Blue eyes shone with adoration and soft pink lips curved into a sweet smile.
The overwhelming emotions Gail felt for Holly was palpable. Holly was taken aback by the sincerity of the moment and she didn't want to break it. Her lips automatically pulled to the side of her face into her trademark lopsided grin, the one Gail never got tired of seeing.
"I love you, too."
It was around four in the morning when Gail and Holly positioned themselves comfortably on the couch in the living room. Gail complaint she was hungry and Holly managed to whip up a snack for the blonde with what was available in the fridge and cabinets. And after devouring her ham sandwich — which Gail was grateful for because the last time when she wanted to make some grilled cheese the bread was mouldy — she found herself feeling too alert to fall back to sleep. So Gail turned on the game console, adjusted the volume low enough not to wake anybody up and promised Holly not to get too agitated while playing if she doesn't wish to feel any pain. She stayed in the same sitting position with Holly's head in her head lap even though she told the brunette she could sleep in her bed if she wanted to, but Holly refused to leave Gail's side. She convinced Gail the couch was just fine. So after a couple of hours of gameplay, Gail switched the console off trading it for some morning rerun of whatever sitcoms or reality shows that was available as the sun finally rose. Her body clock was screwed up. But if she could fit in a nap at the right time, it should be able to get back to normal.
Gail got the day off thanks to her injuries, but her roommates didn't. So when Chris emerged from his room to get ready for his shift, Gail quickly turned her head around to look at him with her index finger on her lips to tell him to keep quiet, afraid of waking Holly. She felt bad for keeping Holly up until four in the morning. Chris walked to the couch and peeked over the back cushions to see a sleeping brunette in Gail's lap. He smiled, nodded then went to the kitchen for some breakfast in silence. Gail returned her attention back to the TV and resumed rubbing her thumb gently across Holly's arm. She felt Holly snuggled closer towards her and smiled.
After Chris waved his goodbye, Gail's eyelids started to droop as sleep made its sneaky return. She switched off the TV, leant further into the cushion and closed her eyes. She wasn't sure how much time had passed by the time she heard Dov's yawn and him stretching. It could be minutes or hours. Holly started to stir too.
"Oh, hey guys. Good morning." Dov walked into the living room and plopped himself onto the armchair. Holly straightened herself and rubbed at her sleepy eyes. Gail automatically reached for the glasses on the coffee table and handed it to Holly.
"What time is it?"
Dov answered through another yawn. "Eleven thirty. Glad I have today off. I slept for a really long time. It feels good."
"Good morning, Dov. Yeah, you went to bed quite early last night." Holly said while slipping her glasses on.
Gail had a questioning look on her face. She turned to look at Holly. "How did you know what time Dov went to bed?"
"When he came back last night he came to your bedroom to check on you. Then he told me he was going to bed."
"Oh."
"So how's your arm? And your head? Still hurts 'like a fucking gorilla stomping on it'?" asked Dov.
Gail closed her eyes and took a deep breath to brace herself for what was to come. She was sure Holly was going to flip out this time. Holly whipped her head towards Gail. She didn't know about that. "What's with your head? Why does it hurt? Why didn't you tell me about it?!" She then turned towards Dov. "And you didn't tell me about it yesterday?!"
Dov raised both of his hands up in the air. "I thought Gail would've told you herself." When Holly arrived at the apartment yesterday, Dov simply explained that Gail got hurt on the job, they were responding to a 911 call of a deranged husband threatening to shoot his wife and the gun went off. Gail got checked out at the hospital and she was fine, that Holly shouldn't worry because it was nothing serious.
Holly immediately placed both of her hands on either side of Gail's head gently, running her fingers through short blonde locks. When she felt a bump at the side of Gail's head, she gasped. She parted the hair around that area to get a better look at the contusion. "Why didn't you tell me!"
Gail winced slightly at the contact. She quickly took Holly's hands into her own. "I knocked my head against the wall before I fell to the ground. It's just a bruise, it doesn't hurt if you don't touch it."
"Did the doctor give you an X-ray and MRI?"
"Yes, Hol. Relax. It's all good."
Holly took a deep calming breath and nodded her head. Then she narrowed her eyes at Gail. "Are there any more injuries you're not telling me?"
"Nope, I promise." Gail said as she brushed her thumbs across Holly's knuckles. Holly nodded her head again. She then decided to make herself useful around the apartment.
Dov watched on with an amused smile plastered on his face. It was rather entertaining to see Gail behave all reassuring and obedient towards Holly. None of her exes ever got that kind of treatment from the blonde but at the same time none of her exes had such power over her. And they definitely wouldn't dare to speak to Gail like that. When Dov learnt that the doctor would be moving away, he honestly thought Gail would've cut off all ties and hide from the brunette till she was on the plane. Gail ran from sticky situations and this definitely counted as one of them. Dov was surprised Gail had actually stuck around. It was evident that she loved Holly. Gail wasn't really hiding it either. Dov's heart went out to her friend. It sucked that Holly would be leaving.
Holly stood up and stretched. "You guys want some brunch? I saw a waffle machine in one of the cabinets and enough ingredients to make us some. What about Chris? Is he home?"
"He already left for his morning shift. It's alright, Holly. I can make it. You're the guest." Dov smiled at the brunette and stood up too. Gail just sat still and let the two nerds fight it out.
"No no, I insist. I've got it." Holly smiled kindly and moved to the kitchen without giving Dov the chance to disagree. She turned back abruptly towards Gail. "Oh and Gail, I'll check on your stitches after brunch, okay?"
Gail just nodded and switched on the TV.
Dov followed Holly to the kitchen. "Well, the least I could do is make us some coffee."
The sunny afternoon found them cuddling in bed after brunch. The bump on Gail's head wasn't as big as it was the previous night. Holly had changed the dressing on her arm and they were lying in bed enjoying the peacefulness of the apartment. Dov went out to get some groceries since the only thing Chris bought was some bread.
"Hey, you almost done with the packing?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
"Oliver offered his cabin to me since I have a few vacation days left to spare. So I was thinking, maybe, if you feel like going up to the cabin with me for a couple of days? I mean, only if you feel like it." Gail wanted Holly all to herself without the disturbance from the outside world. Just some more time to spend with her.
"I'd love to, but you're hurt, Gail."
Gail offered a reassuring smile. "I'm fine. Really. The wound is healing and my head doesn't hurt much anymore. A bit of headache here and there but nothing some painkillers can't fix." Then she added, "I just, I really want to spend some time with you. Away from all the craziness. Just the two of us."
Holly thought Gail's sudden shyness was adorable. It sounded like a great idea too. She was almost done with tying up loose ends back at home anyway. "Alright. But if you're hurting, you have to tell me."
Gail nodded eagerly. "I promise."
"Okay then. I'd love to spend some alone time with you too."
Gail beamed at Holly's quick affirmation. "Great. I'll get the key from Oliver tomorrow at work." Holly turned her head to glare at Gail. She knew what the brunette was thinking. "Just desk duty, I'm sure. Oliver probably won't let me go out onto the streets tomorrow."
When met with silence, Gail spoke again. "And after work, I'd like to take you out to dinner. Some place nice." She really wanted to spend as much time with Holly as possible.
Holly sat up at Gail's words and raised an eyebrow. "Like a date?" Gail nodded.
Holly smirked. "Officer, I'm sure you wining and dining me and bringing me out of the city for a getaway is just to get into my pants."
"Well, that's true… But I'm pretty sure I don't have to do all these to get into your pants. You'll probably take them off willingly because you just can't keep your hands off of me."
The brunette snickered but couldn't disagree with Gail though. "So arrogant, Officer Peck. But you're right, I can't." She nuzzled her nose into Gail's neck and kissed the soft skin there.
Suddenly, Gail remembered it was almost a week since she last saw Sophie. Shit. So much had been going on and with her injuries Gail almost forgot about their weekly meet ups. She jumped off of the bed to get her phone from her bag. Maybe she could drop by at the home for a visit instead of the park this time? She called the social worker and arranged a time as Holly continued to lie on the bed. When Gail hung up the call, she returned to the warmth of her bed to resume their cuddling session. Once Gail got comfortable, Holly rested her head on Gail's chest, listening to her steady heartbeat.
"What time are you going to visit Sophie?"
"In an hour. I'll borrow Dov's car when he comes home and drop you off first. He's not going anywhere, at least for the rest of the day." She thought about asking Holly along, but she knew it would be best not to let Sophie get too attached to the brunette.
"There's no need, I can take a cab home. It's not on the way."
Gail squeezed Holly's arm that was resting on her stomach. "Don't be silly. I want to." Holly just nodded.
"Damn. I should probably get a car soon."
"I'll give you mine, if you want." Holly was going to bring it over to Rachel's sometime soon. It was a Ford sedan she bought two years ago.
"Are you crazy? This is not some game show and I'm not winning a car." First the house and now her car?
"Of course not. You're not winning it, you're receiving it. No games necessary."
"But still, I can't accept it." Gail shook her head. This woman must be crazy. Who knew moving would get her into such a giving mood? Maybe Gail would feel the same when it was her time to move out of the apartment. Except the only thing she had worthy of giving was the blender she bought for the house. And she would definitely bring that along with her.
"Gail, you're buying a house and you need a car. Just take it. Save some money for yourself and Sophie. If you decide not to have it, hand it over to Rachel. That was my initial plan."
Gail contemplated Holly's idea for a few minutes. That would be one less thing to worry about. Maybe she could use it for a while until she was sure she had enough money to buy a decent car. "If only you're sure about it."
Holly smiled. It was the least she could do for the blonde. "Of course."
"I… I don't know what to say. You're too generous."
"You don't have to say anything. I love you." Holly looked up to place a quick kiss on Gail's lips.
Gail hugged Holly tighter in her arms. "Thank you. I love you too."
Reviews are always welcome :) Let me know if you liked this chapter!
P.S. I never wanted Gail to get shot in the neck and land in the ICU or anything that serious. I actually wrote the 911 call, Gail and Dov at the hospital and Holly coming over in one chapter but decided to split them and add in the breakfast with Steve part in the beginning of the chapter. I've already had the whole story planned out before I even started writing the first chapter and I know how I want it to end, so I hope you'll trust me with this! I hope it'll be worth it!
