Chapter Ten
And So the End
Shawn couldn't remember the last time he'd been so lost for words.
He'd been carrying on for about an hour now, mostly rambling, and though Shelby had gotten aggravated, she hadn't stopped him yet.
This was not at all how he'd planned it to go.
In his mind, after him making jokes and acting like an idiot for about ten minutes, Shelby would have gotten upset and begun beating him to a pulp, giving Lassie the chance to attack Jones. Of course, Shawn himself would get rid of the crazy woman… well, ok. After Lassie was done with Jones, he would take care of the crazy woman.
But now, it'd been at least an hour and Shawn's brain was shutting down on him. It was becoming more and more difficult for him to come up with quirky quips and jokes. Slowly, the pain had begun to rip through him. Minute by minute he felt his body failing and the corners of his vision had began to darken.
And still Shelby stood there, her eyes fastened on Lassie.
It was sickening.
Why couldn't she just get mad already?!
Still talking, he turned his eyes to Jones who had been looking increasingly bored. In fact, he had begun to look more aggravated than Shelby.
But now, to Shawn's joy, instead of looking peeved, he was snoring!
Softly, albeit, but he was snoring, none the less.
Still speaking, Shawn worked to make the wheels of his head turn.
He had to find a way to get he and Lassie out of there- preferably before he fainted!
Juliet stood anxiously, her eyes focused on the warehouse.
A part of her wished she had some sort of x-ray vision so she could shoot the entire building down and quickly rescue both Shawn and Carlton from their doom.
Of course, she had no real idea what would happen to Carlton. It seemed to her that so long as the kidnapper got to marry him, Detective Lassiter might go on to live a happy life. But Juliet knew that Shawn wouldn't be so lucky.
Though he tried, the man had no charm to speak of- alright, not the real kind of heroic charm. It was more of the I'm-an-idiot-don't-you-love-it charm. At least, that was what she thought of it and, though he was a bit aggravating at times, he wasn't always a pain.
Sometimes- very rarely- she enjoyed his humor and quick tongue.
Sighing, the detective tapped her shoe against the gravel, finally running out of patience.
Carlton had been inside the warehouse for at least an hour!
Scanning the surrounding area, she stopped when her eyes landed on a large wooden box. It was tall enough to fit her and just large enough around that she could stand in it.
With a smile, the detective left her car and began to trot towards the warehouse, her eyes never leaving the front doors.
"I have a story to share with the happy couple…" Shawn feigned a cough and began. "Once there was a pineapple. The tasty yellow fruit was sad because it had no one to love. Well, one day, it met a… Papyaya- yes! A papaya! The Pineapple loved the papaya and-"
Shelby turned slowly, looking at him with fire burning in her eyes.
"Excuse me." she hissed. "Does this have anything to do with Calrton and I? I didn't hire you for story time!"
"Well, if we are being technical- you didn't hire me at all… But if you are wanting to start a business transaction, I will take pineapples as a form of payment." Shawn smiled and when he did, he saw something in Shelby's eyes snap. Unfortunately it wasn't a sane snap- it was a very mind bending, fire-breathing, in-need-of-a-straightjacket-snap.
With a growl, the woman turned from Lassiter, who was blinking rapidly, obviously confused by the sudden change in events, and made her way toward Shawn.
Gulping with a nervous smile, the man limping backward, knowing that when you could see your own coffin reflected in a woman's eyes that it could not be a good thing.
Shawn felt the world swimming around him and the colors began to melt around him into a swirl of vibrant tie-died hues. Black was rimming his vision and the pain from continuing his backward escape was taking it's toll. The adrenaline was fading and he knew that if someone didn't step in, this woman ripping apart piece by piece would be the last thing he saw.
"Lassie!" he called out for the detective weakly, but when he looked back, he saw that both he and Jones were dueling it out. Unfortunately, with two guns at his disposal, Jones was winning. This was not how things were supposed to end!
With his concentration distracted, Shawn felt the back of his feet connect with something. Grunting, he felt head first over a crate, his body crashing to the ground in a single overwhelming thud.
Everything that had been in his vision disappeared momentarily and Shawn was left, laying blindly on the floor. Sounds echoed in his ears and it was becoming suddenly difficult to breath. He felt something grabbing him by his torn clothing and pulling him away from the box, but he could do nothing but let them pull him.
In an instant, his sight returned and he was met face to face with a very angry kidnapper/murderer.
Shawn gasped and tried to move, but he had no energy left in his broken and starved body. What he wouldn't have given for a Monster or Rockstar drink right now!
He cringed as Shelby moved closer, her blazing eyes connecting with his swimming vision.
"Oh, I've been waiting for this moment!" she hissed. "You've been a thorn in my side for long enough, Spencer. Now, it's time for you to go and meet those spirits you talk to so often! Say hello to them for me!"
With a flash, Shelby had pulled out a knife and he could see her eyes aiming straight for his heart.
He gulped, breathing deeply what would be his last breaths. He tried to make his mind work to come up with some quick quip that would stop her, but his brain wouldn't focus and his eyesight was fading fast. He could feel his heart thumping against his breast and his life began to flash before his eyes.
He wasn't too old, but his life had been filled with so much. Not a lot of important things- but all had been fun and well worthwhile!
Shawn blinked, looking up once more to see Shelby watching him, waiting for a reaction. But he would give none and she could obviously see that now.
"Say goodbye Spencer." her voice boomed, much like the shot of a gun.
She plunged for him, but something stopped her. Shelby halted with a cry. Something began to drip from her lips and her eyes grew dull. And yet, even as her sight grew dull, she aimed and began the plunge again, her body growing lifeless as she fell.
Shawn felt the blade pierce him and everything sparked, sending flashes of light everywhere. His hearing began to fade and his sight blurred to blackness. Even as he was lost to the world, he could hear someone calling his name, someone touching him. He tried to hold onto life, he held tightly as he'd never before! But in the end, even though the voices screamed for him to come back, he couldn't make his body obey him.
"Shawn?" Juliet called, running for him, her gun still smoking from the shot. "Shawn?! SHAWN!" Quickly, she grabbed Shelby's body and threw it aside.
Beneath Shelby lay Shawn, his eyes shut and breathing shallow and raspy. She looked him up and down, barely able to take in all she saw. Her eyes stopped as she saw a knife protruding from his chest. She gasped, not daring to touch it.
"SHAWN! Come on Shawn! Shawn! Can you hear me?"
Lassiter, already on his cell phone, which had been confiscated form Jones, was already with 911 and was talking urgently to them.
"I need an ambulance at 2354 North Wibley Road- now! We have a man down. He has multiple critical injuries including a knife to his chest!" Carlton bent down, gently pulling away any of Spencer's clothes that he could, searching for more wounds. "Yeah, he has multiple bullet wounds as well."
Juliet just sat, willing Shawn to come back to them, to jump up and tell them he was fine, like he normally would have. But he was in no condition to do that and she knew it. Something wet slid down her cheek and she moved quickly to wipe it away.
What kind of person could do this to a man like Shawn. Sure, he was obnoxious sometimes and a little nosy, but he was altogether a friendly guy.
"Juliet, the medics are on their way. I need you to stay with Shawn. I need to make sure the area is secure."
Juliet nodded mutely, not meeting Carlton's gaze.
"Hey!" she felt someone touch her shoulder and Juliet looked up to see Lassiter looking at her piercingly, his blue eyes worried but strong. "He'll be alright. Don't worry. Spencer's too strong-willed to give in to death this easily. Just stay with him- I'll call you if I need you." he nodded firmly and she did the same, though in her heart she was shaking like a leaf in the autumn.
Shawn had been moved to the hospital. He was a medical miracle to the doctors who couldn't see how a man so abused and broken could've made it this far and still be breathing. Juliet was thankful for this. He'd stopped breathing twice on the way to the hospital, but they'd brought him back.
Spencer was laying in the ICU now, hooked up to so much junk that neither Juliet or Carlton could find tell where one tube began and another ended. Not to mention that he was a mere shadow of a man underneath all the blankets. It was definitely not the Shawn they remembered when either of them walked into his room.
And though it was hard on the two of them, it was almost deadly for Henry Spencer and Gus. Gus had taken off time at his work to stay with Shawn, afraid of what might happen if he was gone. And, though Henry wouldn't admit it, he stayed with Shawn as often as the doctor's would let him. Sometimes he would even stay the entire night, and if the doctors wouldn't let him do that, he would sleep in the waiting room.
It had been a week since Shawn had been rescued. Jones was in custody, awaiting a trial and his boss, Shelby was dead and buried. She'd had no family to mourn her death, so Lassiter did the most noble thing he could and paid for everything. He hadn't been fond of the woman, of course, but something inside of him couldn't let her death go unnoticed.
One evening, Lassiter had just come back from the office, putting the rest of the case in order. All they needed was Shawn's testimony, but at this point, none knew if they'd ever get it.
The man was still weak from all he'd been through and he had yet to awaken. And even if he did, the doctor had informed them that his mental state may not be the same. In fact, they had assured the four that it wouldn't be the same. Not to mention the physical damage done to the man's vocal cords by Shelby's collar, well, it would be a wonder if he ever spoke again.
Carlton moved to the ICU room that Shawn was in and, seeing Henry there he tried to smile, but his smile turned to a frown when he saw how haggard Henry looked. He was hunched and looked exhausted.
"Why don't you go and get something to eat. I'll watch over Shawn." he coughed a little, feeling awkward. He had never been extremely close to the Spencer's and so it was strange to be so.. Well, friendly to them. Mr. Spencer was a good man, and he'd been excellent on the force. He was almost like a hero to Lassiter, but of course, Lassiter would never admit that.
Henry stretched a little and shook his head.
"I can't leave him." Henry looked to Lassiter. "We've never been terribly close. It's sad that it takes something like this to bring a father and son together."
Carlton nodded, not knowing what to say.
Henry rose to his feet, moving to the solitary window and watching as the sun began to set.
"Well, do you mind if I sit. I can't go home, not with this case so fresh in my mind."
Henry nodded, not saying a word, but staring out at the world as the sky turned blood red.
Pain, Dulled, but still very present washed over his body as he felt himself press into the realm of consciousness.
Shawn wanted to breath deeply, but each time he tried, he felt constricted. He began to cough lightly, feeling his throat and vocal cords shudder hard against their sudden use.
He opened his eyes, trying to focus as the world came into a blurry existence. All around him was a bight whiteness that was stifling and stale. Shawn groaned, closing his eyes and opening them again, taking another slow even breath.
He could hear the raspiness in his breathing and frowned, suddenly feeling like he'd been run over by a semi-truck. Shawn was sure he was dead, probably in hell. This place seemed horrible enough from what he knew of hell.
He turned his head to look to the side and saw someone familiar sitting beside him. He blinked and opened his mouth, his voice coming out in a very harsh, crackling way.
"Lassie?" at the sound of his name, the detective jumped, blinking. "I didn't know you died too?"
Lassiter blinked a few more times, standing to his feet and looking around the room.
"Who? What?"
"Down h-here, boy." Shawn whistled, a smile coming to his lips.
Carlton stepped back, bumping into the bed side chair as he stared with wide-eyes at Shawn.
"Spencer? Y-you talked? You-you're awake?!" he looked as though he'd seen a ghost.
Shawn didn't really know what to say to that so he just shrugged.
"You're alive!"
"If you say so. Back to haunt you forever."
At this, Lassiter smiled, something Shawn hadn't known he could do.
"You are!" Carlton jumped and hugged the prone man tightly. "You're alive!"
All the breath was pressed from Shawn and he gasped as his injuries were pressed. He tried to press Lassiter away, but he was still quite weak and so he just had to lay there and take it.
"L-Lassie. Please. Can't breathe." the man leapt back, obviously realizing how much emotion he was showing. He coughed and straightened up, his face placid again.
"Well, it's good to see you. It'd be so much more work to have a casualty to report."
"Thanks, Lassie. Good to see you too."
"Shawn?!"
Spencer turned his head to the door and saw as a lovely woman entered, her eyes brimming with tears. She ran forward, ready to envelope him in a huge bear hug, which Shawn wouldn't have necessarily minded- but lassie stopped her.
"Let's not kill him with emotion, ok."
She smiled with a nod, still staring at Shawn.
In behind Juliet had walked Henry Spencer. He had watched the whole in silence and now, he approached the bed, his eyes smiling, but everything else about him was stoic and unmoved.
"Well, Shawn. I see you finally decided to wake up."
"Ya, thanks for the welcome Dad."
"Not a problem. Wouldn't have to if you'd get a normal job like Gus."
"Well, let's face it- I'm special. A normal job just wouldn't be able to handle my awesome skill."
Henry rolled his eyes and Juliet just smiled. Shawn was back to his normal self- though, she couldn't help but wonder if there was a part of him that had been affected by such a traumatic experience.
"Should somebody call Burton Guster, let him know Spencer is awake?" Lassiter asked, feeling a little awkward.
Shawn smiled.
"Nah. He'll figure it out sooner or later."
THE END
A/N: So sorry for the long wait. I kept meaning to finish this, but then something would come up. Plus I had to come up with an appropriate ending. J Hope you all enjoyed it. Blessings!