Title: Cold Case – Hope Lives

Summary: Detective Lilly Rush finds a little more than the truth when the Squad investigates an unsolved murder.

Pairing: Lilly Rush & OFC

Rating: M for F/F sexual content.

Disclaimer: No profit or copyright infringement intended during the writing of this story. All characters other than original remain the property of creator Meredith Stiehm, Jerry Bruckheimer TV, Warner Bros TV and CBS Productions.

Chapter 10

I am two miles from home when my cell phone rings with a work number. Pulling over to the kerb, I reach for my phone in the middle console and flip it open, "Cooper."

"Hey Connie, David here," replies one of the FBI Agents I work with.

"What's up David?" I enquire fearing all my carefully made plans are about to vanish.

"Lucas is out sick and we need an extra body for the Mendez arrest."

"What about Stockwell?"

"He's down in Florida on another case."

"Ah shit, I just spoke to the Captain twenty minutes ago about the op and he didn't mention Lucas."

"Lucas only phoned in four minutes ago."

"He's sick my ass. He'll be shacked up with that new girlfriend somewhere."

The likable blond in his mid-forties chuckles, "That would be my guess and it wouldn't be the first time."

"No, but after today, it will be the last. I've already had a quiet word to him and now he has managed to piss me off. When have you organised to execute the warrant?"

"The team will be assembled for 17:00 and expected to hit Mendez's apartment no later than 17:15. We should be done by 18:00 at the latest."

"Okay, I'll be there in about fifteen."

"See ya then and thanks for stepping in."

Closing my phone, I shift my truck into gear and head home.

-0-

I run into the house and am met by a smiling Lilly dressed in Academy training shorts and tee shirt.

"Hey baby, I'm really sorry about being so late."

In answer, Lilly wraps her arms around my neck and kisses me soundly. I'm a trembling mess by the time we part.

"I missed you," utters a glowing Lilly.

"Oh god, I missed you too, but I'm about to really disappoint you."

"How so?"

"I've been called into work to make up the numbers on an op."

"What? No way, it's your weekend off."

"I know Lil, but Detective Lucas called in sick."

"That's the guy you spoke to about his lack lustre attitude to his career last month?"

"Yes and I intent speaking to him again, but this time I'm making it official."

"Serves him right."

"Listen, I should still be able to have dinner with you at 18:30. I'll pull rank and have the other three guys take care of the paperwork."

Lilly's face softens, "Sounds good to me honey."

"It should be a simple take down and interview Lil. I'll be home as soon as I can."

"Be safe and I'll be waiting."

"Oh god, I love you so much," I declare before kissing my girlfriend goodbye then running into the bedroom to collect my gun and equipment.

-0-

I take a slight detour to the office and pull into Brett Lucas' drive. The modest home appears to be locked up tight and Lucas' Chevy truck is missing. My anger for the detective's blatant irresponsibility to duty rises. Last month I had taken the thirty year old man into the lunch room and discussed his noticeable lateness and excessive use of sick leave. The handsome black haired Lucas had promised to improve and apologised for his tardiness. His word apparently was only good for three weeks.

My loud knock on the front door goes unanswered as does the one to the rear door. Pulling out my phone, I call his number.

An answer is slow in coming. "Oh hey Sarge," replies a croaky voice.

"I just called to see how you are doing seems you missed your 1600 shift start."

"Yeah, I think I'm coming down with a cold. I plan on staying in bed and trying to sleep it off."

"You're at home then?"

Predictably Lucas' response is a lie, "Yes Sarge."

"Did you notify Captain Sorrell?"

The dishonesty keeps coming, "Yeah about half an hour ago."

"Okay, look after yourself and go to the doctor if you don't improve. See you Monday."

"I will Sarge and thanks."

I close my cell then head to the office.

-0-

As I enter the bullpen, I am met by FBI Agents David Quail and Travis Jordan. Detective Valarie Cortez joins us moments later.

"Okay guys, give me a second to kit up then you can take me through the plan David," I say before moving to the locker room.

After donning my Kevlar vest and exchanging weapons, I grab my surveillance kit. Attaching the mike, I insert the audio implement into my left ear and carry out a radio check.

I return to the bullpen and listen intently as David goes through the tactic. Four uniformed officers are backing us up and will meet us a block from the suspect's home address.

"Do we have any Intel on the brother?" I enquire, knowing Caesar Mendez's older sibling would pose a threat to us if at that location. Carlos Mendez has an extensive criminal history involving violence and is well known to the Task Force.

David nods, "That was Lucas' department. He assured me yesterday Carlos was currently out of town and living in Chicago."

"Speaking of Lucas, what exactly did he tell you on the phone when he called in sick?"

"Said he'd called the Captain and was in bed at home."

"Thanks David," I say while checking my watch for the time. There is a good twenty minutes before we need to leave so I call Frank and am informed Lucas has called him less than five minutes ago. I tell Frank about my visit to Lucas' and our subsequent phone conversation.

"That little shit," exclaims Frank. "Well, you gave him the chance to tidy up his game Connie."

"Yeah I know and my report will be on your desk before we leave for the op."

"Okay and I'll leave it up to you to speak to him Monday morning."

I laugh, "Gee, thanks very much Captain."

"You're welcome and good luck with Mendez. Talk to you later."

"Bye."

-0-

When David and I enter Caesar Mendez's apartment, the hair on the back of my neck instantly bristles. Something doesn't feel right and the metallic aroma in the air definitely doesn't dissuade that instinctual feeling.

Two unis along with Travis and Valarie spread out behind us as we exit the short hallway. The other two officers are positioned at the rear exits of the building.

Caesar is slumped over an armchair with blood still oozing from a cut throat. I hear the shower running and motion to the others to remain quiet. I check Caesar's pulse and find none. I hand signal for David and Valarie to approach either side of the bathroom door. The rest of us fan out into a semi-circle in the living room and aim our weapons at the door and wait.

Seconds slowly tick by before the shower is turned off and a police radio squawks to life.

"Fuck!" I think as one of the uniformed officers turns it off. My glare is enough for him to realise he's made a rookie mistake. Nanoseconds later, we all know it has been a serious error in judgement.

Six foot four man mountain Carlos Mendez comes smashing through the closed bathroom door with guns blazing. I open fire as a bullet impacts my vest and the force causes me to stumble back slightly before regaining my footing. I discharge my weapon again as I feel a hot pain in my right bicep. My adrenalin keeps me focused and I take cover behind a worn sofa.

Mendez is being hit repeatedly, but doesn't go down. It is obvious the man is high on some kind of narcotic and not reacting accordingly.

There is another stab of heat to my left thigh which is quickly followed by another to my shin. I watch in slow motion as my next shot enters the center of Mendez's temple. He finally falls to his knees and the loud explosion of gun fire ceases.

"IS EVERYONE OKAY?" I yell as David and Valarie kick away the two 9mms from Mendez's lifeless hands.

There is an answer of affirmation from the others while I struggle to stand. "That's good," I announce before toppling forward and sliding into a surprisingly comforting darkness.

-0-

I look down the aisle and smile broadly at my bride. Lilly's blonde curls are framing her beautiful face and piled atop her head. Her long graceful neck is adorned with a golden necklace and a drop diamond pendant.

As her eyes connect with mine, I feel my heart beat faster. The love of my life is wearing a strapless white gown that hugs her bodice then flows outwards from her slim hips. Tears fill my eyes as my darling Lilly stands beside me.

"I love you," she whispers.

The brilliant sunshine surrounding the outdoor setting begins to fade as does Lilly. I reach for her, but can't feel anything. "NO!" I scream as darkness envelopes me once more.

My eyelids are heavy and I try repeatedly to open them. I can hear someone whispering in my left ear, but the words make no sense. The sound is too jumbled to decipher and I allow the exhaustion I'm experiencing to overtake me. I give up trying to prise my eyes open, but the darkness starts to brighten when I understand one of the mumbled words ... love. I struggle once again to fight through the haze and hear.

"I love you Connie."

"Love you baby," I murmur in response as a shard of light pierces through my fluttering eyelids.

"Oh honey, you're back."

"Tired Lil, so tired," I manage to say before my eyelids close. I feel my lover's gentle touch on my brow.

"Then sleep darling, I will be right here when you wake."

"Thank you Lil," I whisper as I am taken by the blackness yet again.

-0-

Carlos Mendez comes bursting through the door and I fire repeatedly, but nothing happens. There is no blast, no discharge, no bullet and no stopping the hulk of a man. I feel the agony as a bullet tears into my chest.

"Where's my vest?" I ask myself.

Realising I'm dreaming, I open my eyes with a start and am relieved to see Lilly's blonde hair spread out across the left side of my chest. I take my time and assess my present condition. I can feel the oxygen prongs in my nostrils and take a deep breath. That is a bad move. The right side of my torso shouts out its protest at being disturbed and delivers a short sharp bolt of pain.

"Shit," I whimper as I shut my eyes and wait for the ache to subside.

Lilly wakes and lifts off my chest. Her smile is radiant, but the dark circles around her eyes are not. "Good morning honey," she says in a croaky voice.

I try to reach up with my left arm and discover the cannula in the back of my hand. I sigh as my fingers make contact with Lilly's arm, "I feel like crap."

Lilly titters softly, grips my wrist and plants the gentlest of kisses on my palm, "You don't look so hot either honey, but I'm just glad you are okay."

The I.V. bolus beside my bed beeps and the pain on my chest eases. Turning my head slightly, I ask, "So how bad is it and how long have I been out?"

Lilly's light blue eyes mist over with tears and I lower my hand to grip her right, "I gather it's not too good."

Wiping away a stray tear, Lilly composes herself, "You are going to be fine now. I'm sorry, I'm just a little emotional."

"Baby, it's all right, go on."

"What do you remember?"

"I'm aware I got hit in the vest, which would explain the pain in my chest."

Lilly nods, "You've got a cracked rib and bruising."

"I recall a shot to my right bicep and two to my left leg."

"The one in your arm was a through and through that didn't cause too much damage and you went into surgery to remove the two bullets from your left leg and three from your right leg."

"Shit!" I whisper in response to the news of how badly I was injured.

Lilly squeezes my hand tighter, "You'd lost a lot of blood and they had to revive you during the operation."

"Oh sorry baby, I guess I scared you a little?"

"Yes, so don't bloody well do it again."

"I'll try not to my love and I promise to make it up to you while I'm off work recuperating."

"I look forward to that and to answer the second part of your question, it's Tuesday morning. You have been in and out of it for nearly three days."

"Oh, have you been here the whole time?"

"Of course I have."

"Thank you Lilly."

"By the way, your new car arrived yesterday. Do you care to explain?"

"Ah not right now Lil, it's not the right time."

"You sure?" inquires Lilly with a sneaky smirk.

The jig is up and my secret is out. The bolus beeps again and saves me for a second. "I didn't hide it very well, did I?"

"No, I found it while packing a bag for you Saturday afternoon. You need to know I haven't looked at it and when you are ready the answer is yes."

I titter before saying, "Thanks and now I want you to go home, shower then get some sleep. You look exhausted baby and you can bring the found item back with you."

Lilly gives me a coy smile, "You asked dad, didn't you?"

"I certainly did, I want to do it right."

Standing, Lilly gently kisses my lips, "Dad was here last night and I figured out he was keeping some thing from me. Connie, I love you, but I'm not going to sleep at home until you are there with me, so I'll be back soon."

I smile, "I love you too and your idea sounds much better than mine."

While Lilly is gone, the surgeon who operated on me makes his rounds and updates my condition.

"You'll be weak for several days, but none of your injuries will be long term. Your recovery will be slow and physical therapy starts on Friday. Hopefully, we'll be able to remove your drains and catheter then too."

"Thank you Doctor Rollins and I look forward to the torture on Friday."

Once he leaves, a nurse enters the room. "Hello there, my name is Sherry. How's your pain level?"

"Not too bad."

"If it gets worse, just let me know and I'll have the dosage increased."

We are joined by two other nurses who just stand at the bottom of the bed and gawk at me.

Sherry finishes writing down my obs on my chart, "Is there something I can help you two with?"

The blonde replies, "Ah no Sherry, we just dropped in to see if you needed a hand."

"No, I've got it covered, but thank you."

The other nurse waves to me before leaving.

"Sorry about that Connie. They're the second pair who has offered to help."

I smile at the attractive redhead, "I suppose word has gotten out about my resemblance to an actress."

"Yes it has. Actually it's rather startling and your girlfriend looks like one too."

"Yeah we do."

"Are you up for a sponge bath and dressing change?"

"I am and I wouldn't mind getting a look at my wounds."

"I must warn you it's not a pretty sight. Lilly cried the first time she helped me bath you. She'd been very stoic up until then."

"That woman is my rock."

"Well you'd have to be blind not to see how much she loves you."

"That's very sweet of you to say so, thank you Sherry."

"Don't mention it. My wife is on the job too and I'd hate to see her hurt like this."

"Yeah it's the horrible downside to the job."

"My wife Chris knows you."

"She does?"

"Yeah, Christine Jenkins," replies Sherry as she prepares the water.

"Oh wow, small world. I knew Chris over at Narcotics. You've got yourself a good one there Sherry."

"Don't I know it?"

"How long have you two been together?"

"Seven years and married for four. What about you and Lilly?" Sherry pulls back the sheet and blanket.

"Seven months." I look down and wiggle my toes.

"Gee, I would have thought longer."

"Yeah we fit well together. I had planned on proposing to Lilly Saturday night when I got called to work."

"Damn, that is a shame."

"Lilly found the ring, so the element of surprise has passed."

"Too bad," says Sherry as she finishes unclipping the front of my gown. "If it hurts let me know."

"I will." Lowering my head, I take in the black and purple discolouration on the right side of me chest, "Shit, he didn't miss."

"No and may I say, you were damn lucky."

"Trust me I know." My eyes roam to my right arm and the bandage, "Doctor Rollins mentioned drains, where are they?"

"You have one in your left thigh and another in your right. The bullets did a bit of damage to your quads, so no ice skating for you for a while."

"I can live with that."

-0-

Ten minutes later, I am clean with fresh dressing, gown and an emptied catheter bag.

"Would you like to brush your teeth?" asks Sherry.

"Yes please."

I spit out the rinse water as Kat and John tap on the door.

"Lil called and said you were awake," explains John with a grin.

"Hello and thanks for visiting."

Sherry leaves the room and Kat gives me a kiss.

"Don't you dare cry Miller," I order.

"Wouldn't think of it Princess, but I'm so glad you're okay."

"Yeah, I am too."

The two detectives stay until ten o'clock when Lilly returns carrying a sports bag. She is dressed in denim jeans, navy sweater and brown leather jacket.

"You look good Lil."

"Thanks and you look a lot brighter."

"I feel better too. I've had a bath and brushed my teeth, so I'm kissable now."

"You are always kissable Connie. Did you have breakfast yet?"

"Yep, but I'm still hungry."

Lilly hangs up her jacket then pulls a paper bag from the sports bag, "Lucky for you I bought some chicken noodle soup."

"Oh I really do love you."

-0-

After eating, Lilly helps me brush my teeth again just before Frank, David, Travis and Valarie arrive. My work colleagues don't mention Mendez or Lucas and I am grateful. I will deal with that situation at a more convenient time and place.

Once lunch is over and a check up from Doctor Rollins is complete, I yawn and Lilly suggests I get some sleep.

"Will you join me?" I ask optimistically.

"Oh honey, I might hurt you."

"No you won't, there's plenty of room."

Lilly gives me a devilish smile and gently climbs onto the bed. She snuggles into my left side and I tell her all about Sherry and Chris before closing my eyes.

Lilly kisses my neck and I turn to mush, "Sweet dreams darling."

"Mmm, they will be if they are about you, love you."

"I love you too."

"I missed you Lil."

"Oh honey."

"Lilly, will you marry me?"

"Yes Connie, but not today, maybe tomorrow."

I giggle along with my girlfriend then drift off into a peaceful slumber.

-0-