Podie1 - Hey if you wanna beg, just click on my profile and do so :P Thank you so much for your reviews, as always they are muchly appreciated :D
Thank you to sg who beta'd this chapter for me. You are a star, honestly:D
Tight Bonds and Loose Shackles
Impatient and demanding were the two words that had already begun floating around the ward where Mike Logan and Megan Wheeler were staying; although Megan's time in the hospital would not be as long as Mike's. Mike didn't want to stay, he detested the idea, as soon as he recovered from the anaesthetic he knew that he wanted to go home as soon as possible but it seemed everyone else had other ideas. Friends, nurses, doctors and Alex were all saying that he couldn't go anywhere; he had to stay in bed because his ribs needed time to heal.
Mike didn't want to feel useless, he hated being sick and the hospital did nothing but make him feel worse than sick. He felt lethargic, sluggish and fed-up but it seemed no one was leaving him alone long enough for him to sign himself out. He'd only been there for two days, asleep for most of it, and already he was bored. Tiptoeing on the edge of insanity, he finally decided enough was enough and as soon as he had managed to convince Alex that she could use some coffee (and that did take some convincing) he was free to try and sit up.
Pulling himself up onto his one good elbow was more difficult than he imagined; feeling like he was an old, wrinkled and soon-to-be-dead man, he continued on anyway, ignoring the strong ache in his rib and the screaming agony in his arm. Feeling dizzy, a witness to the world spinning round the moment he was in a seating position; he considered this a success despite the overwhelming vertigo. He slowly, and timidly swung his legs from the bed the moment he'd managed to peel back the blanket from his legs. Now all he had to do was remove the wires and tubes that made him look robotic and he was home free.
He'd just begun tugging at the drip attached to his arm when he heard a cough at the door. He stamped his eyes shut and swore inwardly at himself for both being caught and for being unable to leave. When he opened them he found that the person had already crossed the room to meet him and he looked up at her with a regretful but determined look on his face. "What?" He asked, innocently, trying desperately to ignore the fire raging in his chest.
Alex's face was almost stone, her eyebrow raised and she did not look amused with him. "Just what the hell do you think you are doing?"
"Breaking out." Mike replied quickly and simply.
She shot him a hard look, upset and he didn't dare to consider she might even be angry with him - he didn't want angry. "No." She sternly told him.
"No?" He asked, incredulous that she was telling him what to do.
"You heard me." She replied in the same stern manner before her face softened and she lowered her shoulders. "Mike, if you get off that bed I guarantee you'll be on the floor."
"Yeah?" He asked, not sounding as sure as she. "Because I got this far."
"And I'm impressed." She told him, honestly, "But you're not well enough to go home yet. You have fractured ribs and had surgery; don't tell me that that doesn't hurt!"
Without moving his head, Mike lowered his gaze to eye his ribs suspiciously. He looked back up at Alex, "So?" She sighed in response to his question, "When was the last time you went home? Or slept in a bed for that matter?"
Alex was surprised by the question, her health wasn't the issue here, his was. "That's hardly the..."
"-I disagree." Mike interrupted, cutting her off. "Let's go home."
She crossed her arms flat across her own ribs in response to that. "We're staying." She spoke with an air of finality that did not work.
"Alex, I'm gonna end up crazy here. You're gonna end up visiting me in a white padded room." Mike complained, moaning yet having to hold himself up with his good arm.
"Then I'll visit you in the loony bin, you're staying here until doctors say otherwise." Mike smirked a little at the way she said that with such a serious look on her face but his smirk was replaced with a grimace as pain shot up his body like a shockwave. He knew he had been defeated when he felt himself fall towards her and she allowed herself to take his weight; instinctively wrapping his good arm around her torso as she held onto him carefully. "Now, see, you're staying." Alex softly told him, losing every edge she had with this 'argument' but she knew that her point had been made.
Mike tried to shake his head in the negative but all he managed to do was bury his face in her shoulder. Suddenly finding comfort in the scent that was Alex; natural due to the fact she'd not been spraying herself with feminine fragrances for the last few days but it didn't matter because she didn't have that nasty smell some people acquire. He pulled her tighter, slightly aware of the fact she was resistant to hold him tight, not wanting to hurt him. But she allowed him to take strength from her by holding her and she slowly but surely found herself burying her own face in the nape of his neck. Still leaning together they remained that way. Finding comfort in each other and suddenly realising that they had not done this, they had both just been there; numb. Mike found that his vertigo was fading in her arms at the same time he felt something cold yet warm and wet start to plaster his skin.
In response to the fresh tears he pulled her closer, wanting to offer her some comfort. "I'm sorry." He whispered, so quiet it was barely audible but her ear was so close to his lips that she heard it loud and clear. Standing so close to the edge of relief, sadness and understanding they both just held on. Alex nodded, accepting his apology even though she felt he didn't need to give her one. Annoyed at herself for starting the waterworks, she pulled back a little and wiped her eyes forcefully. Mike smiled at her, and then slowly laid himself back down.
Alex carefully pushed his legs back into bed and then pulled the covers over his body. "I'll stay one more night." Mike agreed.
She smirked, "Till the doctor says." She argued in a hushed tone of voice.
"One more night." Mike repeated. He looked at her, smiling, "Where's the coffee?"
"Coffee?" Alex asked, confused. Using her index finger to wipe her bottom eyelid. "Oh yeah. I didn't get any."
Mike frowned, as he tried to get comfortable but couldn't because of the pain he'd caused his ribs by moving in the first place, "Why?"
"I got halfway there before I realised what you were doing." Alex replied, calmly, knowing full well that he had thought she'd bought the whole thing and not figured him out at all. "You won't be left alone again, Mike Logan."
Mike rolled his eyes in mock disappointment, he'd figured as much. "As long as the doctor says I can go home tomorrow, it'll be alright."
Alex sat down in the bedside chair, "And if he doesn't?" She asked, already knowing the answer. Mike just looked at her and she shook her head.
"I'd rather go home."
Alex looked down at her hands for a moment and considered what Mike would think of as home - the apartment he'd been living in for the past couple of years or that house of hers she'd just allowed him to move into. She really wanted it to be the latter but for some reason she was coming up against the wall of doubt and she couldn't understand why. She had to put it down to her over tired mind and the emotional state she was in right now. "Home?"
He twisted his neck slightly to look at her, "Yeah, home. Y'know? That house I just moved into." He confirmed it for her, and he knew he was doing that. He smirked, "I believe you live there too." Alex let out a small laugh and Mike sighed with accomplishment.
"Yeah." Alex whispered, unnecessarily replying, "I'd like to go home too."
Mike grinned, "So let's go." Alex shook her head and he just sighed. It would be an on-going battle with her that he knew he would win, he just had to hold on. She placed her hand on his; the one attached to his good arm that was actually useful. He held onto her fingers, and stroked the back of her hand with his thumb and for the first time since he'd been 'rescued' he finally took in her tired expression, her weary look and he could see the worry behind her eyes. "You didn't sleep, did you?" Mike asked, coughing slightly when he felt something tickle his throat.
She shook her head in response and looked at him with a sorrowful look on her face. "No." she replied, softly, "Did you?"
"Well," Mike started, coughing again, "It was more of a choice less moment of unconsciousness." Alex frowned at his choice of words and he smiled, "No, not really."
She sat up and leaned on the bed, looking into his eyes she finally asked the question burning on her mind, "What happened?"
Mike closed his eyes, squeezing his vision shut, as he tried to determine what had happened and if he actually wanted to discuss it. He really knew the answer to both but there was something in her voice, something there that made him re-open his eyes and speak softly, "Wrong place, wrong time." When he stopped, she just nodded, not expecting him to say anymore but he surprised her by speaking up again with a louder voice. "Well, I can't say for sure but they seemed to have a gang structure." She looked at him whilst he spoke, noticing the report style, "We'd only turned up to ask him some questions, but I guess he had other plans."
"He? Corin Ford?" Alex asked, fully aware that interrupting him might just stop him from continuing altogether.
"Yeah." Mike replied, "Him." The last word was spoken with venom, and was almost spat out like a piece of bad food.
"What happened to you?" Alex whispered, daring to ask, wanting to know.
He looked at her out the corner of his eye, "Just beat the crap out of me." He looked at his plastered arm and then added, "A lot." Alex knew what he was doing, he was trying to put on a brave face and cover up his hurt with jokes and nonchalance but she knew there was nothing she could about that, this was Mike Logan and she didn't want to change him. He had to handle this his way.
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Further down the hall, Megan stared at the ceiling. Noticing the plain, white and simple decoration but unable to focus on it because the image of Corin Ford rushing through her mind. The rippling sound of gun fire teared through her ear drums and the slow motion sickness rumbled in her stomach as she tried to hold onto it's contents and block out the feeling of guilt and remorse. A hard thing to do when you're doing nothing but staring at the hospital ceiling, forced to stay in bed and no one with you to occupy your thoughts.
Her mother had visited her already but had had to leave because of commitments, Megan didn't expect her to stay but was annoyed at her for leaving because it meant that the only person with her was Corin Ford.
And of course, she'd had visits from colleagues; Captain Ross, Bobby Goren and several former work colleagues and partners had already turned up hence the fabulous array of flowers, cards and gifts. But these gifts did nothing to silence the echoing bang of the weapon she had fired at a man's body, killing him instantly. It's sound resonated in her ears like torture and played with her every emotion until she was out and then continued on anyway. The coughing she'd been doing to clear her lungs only punctuated the sound, helping it along to keep her a victim of her own action that saved her partners life; her only comfort was the fact that her partner was still alive, breathing, and sleeping several rooms down the hall.
There was a knock on the door and Megan turned her head slowly to look at the intruder. "Hey." The woman said.
"Alex?" Megan spoke quietly, speaking her name as if she wasn't sure that that was who it was. Alex nodded and walked over towards the bed. "Who's with Logan?" Megan had heard about his demands, his need for escape and it had made her laugh briefly.
Alex smiled softly, "My father is with him." Megan snorted laughter at the thought but then she just stopped altogether. "I just came to say that I understand what you're going through." Megan looked at her, curiously, not sure where this was coming from, "And if you need to talk... well..."
"Thanks." Megan nodded, sincerely. "Thanks."
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