Out for "Justice" Chapter Ten Part One:
Disclaimer: Don't own Rookie Blue.
A.N. Thank you for all of the reviews! A lot of repeating in this chapter from all the previous chapters – I'll be honest, this was one of the hardest chapters for me to write because I kept thinking about how I could have done certain scenes 'better'. A lot of this chapter is a repeat of chapters four and six - but told solely in Andy's POV - and of course, Sam gets to hear the whole story and react.
In the end, I had to split this chapter into two parts, I am really struggling with the end and it is over 5,000 words already so I decided to split - it will probably be about 3,000 and 3,000.
Finally - thanks to 3.06, I learned that I made a mistake - I'm going to pretend that after Nick's parents died, he went to live with his guardian, who happened to be the Chief of Police and Nick calls him his father - because the Chief was his father figure.
Enjoy!
Sam took a deep breath and then started. "Okay Officer McNally, tell me what happened towards the end of your shift yesterday."
Andy looked at him, willing herself to remember. "Where do you want me to start?"
Sam thought for a second. As much as he wanted to hear the entire story, from the end of her shift until he arrived, he knew that most of the information wasn't important. "Start from leaving the station to head to the Alpine Inn." He glanced at Nick and saw that Nick had a pad in his hand and his pen was opened, waiting for Andy to begin.
Andy nodded. "I stayed at the station, charting the maps and then told Frank I needed air. I headed to the car and avoided all of the checkpoints. It took awhile but eventually I reached the Alpine Inn. Gut feeling told me he would be there.
"I let the door slam shut behind me, probably not the best of moves, and Jamie Brennan noticed me before I noticed him. We spoke for a few seconds before we realized that people were watching us and he suggested moving to a more private location. I agreed and he led me into a side room. He told me to have a seat but I told him that I preferred to stand." She stopped and Sam handed her a cup of water.
"You're doing great sweetheart," he murmured as she drank.
She handed an empty cup back to him and continued. "I asked him where Ella was and he pretended he had no idea what I was talking about. So I knew I had to goad him into telling me the truth. I told him that I didn't believe the story he told me by Cherry Beach."
"What story?" Sam interrupted.
Andy glanced at Nick and a silent conversation of 'don't write this down' passed between the two partners. "Remember the second time I came to visit you? We never discussed what happened after the suspension but Brennan was waiting for me outside your cover apartment. I told him I was going downtown and he insisted I get into the car. We had a conversation and that was when he told me about his wife and daughter and how he didn't believe the accident report."
Sam nodded. He knew there was more to the story but it wasn't the time and place. He couldn't be mad, he hadn't told her everything about that undercover. "Okay. Continue. You told him you didn't believe him…"
Andy picked up the story. "He fell for it and asked why I would say that. I told him if he loved them, he wouldn't have kidnapped another man's child and that I wanted my baby back. I knew that he had Ella when he said 'you married him' and I asked him what he wanted.
"He questioned me aloud but he obviously believed me because he started writing on a piece of paper while he was talking. He asked if he could trust me while the paper asked if I was wearing a wire. When I nodded, he wrote that we would be having two conversations. He then challenged me, asking why he should believe that I could get him anything. I threw the challenge back in his face, saying that why should I believe that Ella was okay." She stopped again for water. "He called someone and I spoke to Ella for a few seconds.
"I told him that I could get him anything because I had done a few undercover stints and most of the people did not know I was a cop. He complemented me on my undercover work and then told me where to meet. On the paper it said Cherry Beach at sunset. Since he knew I was wearing the wire, he said that we should meet at some warehouse. I didn't even really pay attention to where, because I knew that I wasn't going there." She paused for a second and then looked at Sam. "I walked out and then I called you."
Sam nodded and handed her the cup again. "Drink. I know you called me. You can skip the rest of the day until you got to Cherry Beach." He knew that for her statement, they would only need the parts where she was with Jamie Brennan.
Andy handed the cup back. "I got to Cherry Beach a few minutes early. I left my jacket in the car, thinking that as soon as I got Ella back into the car I would be able to wrap her in my warm jacket since I didn't know if he even thought to bundle her up in this weather.
"There was an SUV hidden in the shadows. Jamie called out to me and told me I was early but my sole focus was on Ella and I asked him where she was. The car door opened and a man came out of the back seat, holding Ella.
"I took a step towards them; I needed to have her in my arms, when Jamie stopped me. He took my gun and then my cell phone, which he proceeded to drop and smash. Then he demanded the car keys. I refused to give them to him until he handed Ella over." She stopped and swallowed hard. "We did the exchange and Ella wrapped her arms around me as soon as my hands were on her.
"I asked Jamie whose coat she was wearing when he said…" she trailed off.
Only the men who were closest to her, her husband and her partner, could have predicted what happened next and they both jumped into action at the same time. Nick dropped the pad and pen and quickly and carefully scooped Ella into his arms, rocking her gently when she started to stir. Sam waited for Nick to take Ella before shifting so that Andy was in his arms as she burst into tears.
One Ella settled against his chest, Nick grabbed the pen and paper before sitting down, using a small table to balance the pad as he cradled Ella with one hand. He had a feeling that part of the story was going to come out while Andy sobbed…and sure enough:
"Oh, Sam, I, he, I, he, he had a gun to her head and he was laughing about it."
"He what? !" Sam could barely breathe.
"He had a gun to her head." She bit her lip, swallowing some of her sobs. She had to finish talking before she broke down completely because she knew that she was drained. "He told me that the coat was Gracie's coat. I don't think he even realized how much Maggie still affects him.
"He told me that I had to pay him. He wanted information. All he was told was that the cover up for the death of his wife and daughter was dealt with.
"I gave him Elmore's name, I figured 'why not? The man is no longer alive'. I also told him that his crew dealt with it.
"He seemed to know that there was more. He wanted to know who the person on the force was. I had to Sam, I didn't have a choice."
Sam held her close and whispered, "its okay, you're going to be fine, just finish your statement."
Andy took a deep breath. "I told him that his name was Donovan Boyd but you made me stop following the case and he believed me. He smiled, that smile that means he is probably going to hunt Boyd down. Then he told me that he hoped I got back to civilization soon because Ella is cute. He jumped into the SUV and I turned to where I parked the car to see his two men driving off in it. He pulled away as well. I waited for them to leave and then I called you." She stopped, tears still streaming down her cheeks. She pulled away from Sam and turned to Nick. "Can I have her now?"
Nick stood and handed Ella to her. Andy held Ella close as she rested her head on Sam's shoulder, tears running down her cheeks unchecked.
Sam cleared his throat. "It's going to be okay Andy."
"I know," she whispered.
Nick closed the pad and capped the pen, realizing that if Andy had anything to add, it would have to be done at a later point. She was exhausted; mentally, emotionally, and physically. "I'm going to head back to the station to get this typed up. I'll see you later." He waited for their nods. "If you remember anything else –"
"I don't care who needs to clear me! My husband is in there already so just let me go in."
Nick sighed. "Guess Gail discovered that I'm here. I'm going before she riles up the security guards. Listen, Andy, you're exhausted. Sleep, and if you remember anything else, call me." He left the room to find his wife and catch a ride back to Fifteenth so he could type up Andy's statement. From Sam's pointed look, he also knew that he should get copies to Frank and Guns and Gangs, even before Andy signed. They needed to know what Andy said, especially about Boyd being in danger.
Andy waited until the door closed behind Nick before glancing at Sam. "I'm sorry."
He shook his head. "Don't be. There are a lot of things surrounding the Brennan case that we did not discuss. There was no reason for you to get me worked up about it when it was all said and done."
Andy nodded. She knew that he had deliberately left some things out of his report when Jerry had gotten his statement because he knew Andy would read it. When they got back together, three months after the ordeal, they avoided the topic, except for when Sam told Andy to stop following Boyd's case.
Sam touched her forehead. "You're exhausted. Sleep."
"Promise you won't leave."
He kissed her lips gently. "I'm not going anywhere."
Andy settled against his chest, in the same position she had taken before he pulled away to take her statement. Sam slipped his arm around her. With his arm around her, she drifted off.
Sam waited for her to drift off before brushing away a lock of hair. She had been through so much in the past twenty-four hours (well, if he wanted to be exact, it was more than twenty four hours), and he knew there was still more to come. She was pregnant, that she was sure of now, but they had no idea if her heroics would affect the baby.
He watched the way she cradled Ella in her sleep. It brought him back to when Ella was a baby.
Flashback
He was exhausted, happy to finally go home after a long day at work. Although Andy was able to take a year off in total, Sam only had a certain number of vacation days and he had cases that needed to be dealt with. He had only been able to take two weeks – those two weeks were not long enough and every time he came home, he wondered what he would discover.
He opened the door and quickly slipped inside, rolling his eyes when the alarm didn't sound. Ever since Ella was born, Andy was constantly forgetting to reset it.
He reset the alarm and headed up the stairs.
Right away he noticed that the light in their bedroom was on. He found Andy in the bathroom, giving Ella a bath.
The four month old saw her father and smiled. Andy kept one hand on Ella as she glanced over her shoulder. "Hey. How was your day?"
"Good." He pulled off his shirt. "Mind if I finish?"
Andy waited for him to slide next to her and place a hand on Ella before standing. She used a towel to wipe off her hands before taking a seat on the edge of the bathtub. "Just good?" she teased.
"Mostly paperwork, so boring. But it means I can come home to my family at a normal hour. Why are you using our room?" Normally she bathed Ella in the other bathroom.
Andy shrugged. "My back was bothering me. Traci suggested using our bathtub because it is less strain on the back."
Sam gave her a long look, keeping a firm hand on Ella.
"I'm fine Sam. Trust me. If it gets any worse, I'll go to the doctor." She saw that he was almost done. "I'll be back in a few minutes."
Sam looked at his daughter. "Just you and me baby girl." He lifted her from the tub and dried her off before dressing her in her pajamas. He knew Andy was probably grabbing a quick snack.
Sure enough, Andy was sitting on their bed, munching on cut vegetables. She held out her hands for their daughter. "Go eat. I just warmed up dinner for you."
Sam saluted her. "Yes ma'am." He gave her a quick peck on the lips before heading down the stairs to eat.
Obviously, whatever she had done during the day had exhausted her. He came back up the stairs and found Ella asleep on Andy's chest. Andy's arms were curled protectively around their daughter, even in sleep.
Not one to miss the opportunity, Sam snapped a few photos on his phone before gently lifting Ella. Deciding against bringing her to the nursery, he gently set her down in the bassinet next to Andy's side of the bed.
He crawled into bed next to Andy and pulled her close, joining her in slumber the second his head hit the pillow.
End Flashback
He was pulled out of his memories when Ella stirred. He lifted her and paced the room, gently rubbing her back, letting her wake up without waking Andy in the process. After a few minutes, she lifted her head. "Daddy, juice?"
"Sure pumpkin." Sam placed her in the chair he slept in and poured a cup. He held it with her as she drank.
"More?" she asked as soon as she finished.
Sam poured a second cup, noting that he should tell Monica that she was drinking.
When she finished, she looked at Sam. "Run 'round?"
"Sh, pumpkin, Mommy's sleeping so we have to be quiet."
She woke hours later. The first thing she noticed was that Sam was no longer holding her and Ella was no longer in her arms. She heard his soft voice. "Sh, pumpkin. Mommy's sleeping so we have to be quiet."
"Mommy sweeping again?"
Andy turned to face them. "No sweetie. I'm not sleeping anymore." She reached out and Sam handed Ella to her.
"How're you feeling?"
"Ready to get out of here." She started to shift with Ella so she could stand. She hated being cooped up in bed.
Sam pushed her back down. "Stay in bed. You need to wait for a doctor to clear you. Understanding his concern, she scooted back until she was sitting totally on the bed. "If I get cleared, we can go home tonight. I just want to sleep in our bed."
Sam nodded, studying her carefully.
They had been together for enough time that she noticed his scrutiny. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I'm just wondering if you're going to be okay going home."
She was about to ask why when she realized what he was referring to. "What happened, happened. Nothing can change that. However, I'm not going to run away. Our house is our home. It is in a good neighborhood and we have good neighbors. Why should we pick up and leave – unless you want to?"
"No. My home is wherever you are."
She rolled her eyes. "You know that sounded really cheesy."
"It's the truth."
"I see you two are still going at it and haven't lost any of your humor," said a voice from the doorway.
Andy looked up, startled. "Doctor Kelly?"
Doctor Grace Kelly smiled at her. "Doctor Dunn told me she had a special patient who needed an OBGYN."
Sam nodded at Monica, who was standing next to Doctor Kelly. They had used Grace Kelly when Ella was born and he was happy Monica was able to find the same doctor.
"So, listen, I have a new mommy-to-be upstairs. Within an hour, I should be done and then I'll call Doctor Dunn to send you up so that I can examine you."
"But…I thought you only do examinations at your office."
"And hopefully all of your other appointments will be in my office Andy, but for now, all the equipment I need is available and you need a checkup before you can be discharged. So I'll see you later." Her pager went off and she left.
Andy glanced at Monica. "How's Ella doing?"
Monica came over to the bed. She did a quick exam of Ella. Ella seemed to realize what was happened and looked at Monica, holding her hand out. "Out?" she asked.
Monica glanced at Sam and Andy. "Has she been drinking?"
Sam nodded. "Yeah. As soon as she woke up she asked for juice and had two cups."
Monica looked at him. "Distract her." While he distracted Ella, she removed the IV line. "If she stops drinking or if you notice her fever climbing, you need to let me know right away."
They both nodded.
Sam's phone went off. "Yeah?...Hang on, let me ask." He covered the mouthpiece. "Are visitors allowed to come up?"
"Who?" Monica asked.
"Oliver and Zoe, friends. He was here last night."
Monica glanced at Andy and Andy's eyes were pleading with her. "Fine."
"Yeah. I'll meet you in the hallway," he said into the phone as Monica slipped out of the room. He hung up and glanced at Andy. "Stay in the bed."
A.N. Next up - Zoe and Oliver bring some necessities to Sam and Andy, and maybe help out their friends. The chapter is almost done so hopefully it will be up in the next few days.