Disclaimer: These characters belong to Tess Gerritesen, Janet Tamaro and TNT. I make no profit off of them.
Chapter Eleven
Frost came around the corner of the building just as Maura made her leap. He looked up in amazement. Her name died on his lips as he couldn't understand what he just saw.
Maura was oblivious to Frost and the rest of the BPD task force. She retracted the cables into her palms and began looking for an air shaft or any other type of entrance into the warehouse. In the center of the roof she found a small opening. Prying open the lid Maura pulled it back and slithered inside. As she shut the lid her x-ray vision adjusted to the almost complete darkness.
It was an air shaft. Using her feet as her guides Maura flattened her hands against the sides of the shaft and cat-walked down the air shaft. She noticed more light coming up from the warehouse as she reached the end of the shaft. Turning herself around she listened for others. All she heard was breathing sounds she presumed were Jane's. They were harsh, as if the person breathing needed to take deeper breaths but couldn't. Maura's heart rate quickened as she thought of all the various injuries Jane could have that would cause that type of breathing.
Focus, focus, focus. Get Jane out of here first and you can concentrate on helping her breathe later. Hang in there, love, Maura repeated the phrase in her head as she concentrated on Jane's predicament.
Frost didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He wasn't able to make contact with Maura because she disappeared from the rooftop before he found his voice. He couldn't radio this close to the perimeter of the warehouse where Jane was being held because the force decided to maintain radio silence until the raid commenced. He couldn't tell anyone what he saw because he would be suspended from the force due to medical reasons. As in, "Frost lost it big time when he wet his pants from being tasered and never got it together after that." So Frost retreated back to his previous post and wondered what the hell he should say to the SWAT commander.
Rejoining Korsak, Frost decided to not say anything. The SWAT team needed his clearance to fire so Frost decided to make sure Maura Isles was protected or removed from the area before any serious moves were made.
Korsak noticed the stricken look on Frost's face as he rejoined him and wondered what the hell was wrong but didn't ask. At this point, concerning Maura, Korsak decided it was best to be left in the dark. He made a mental note not to shoot at any one dressed in black fitting Maura's description.
Maura studied the distance between the shaft and the beam where Jane was hanging from. Her heart skipped a beat each time she saw Jane's body swinging in the air so she tried to keep her mind on the task at hand.
Gauging the distance to be no more than fifty feet, Maura swung into action. She released the inside of the shaft and dropped quickly to the concrete floor. Not wishing to attract attention from Jane's kidnapper she clicked her heels together and rose off the floor a bit. Clicking them again she sped to Jane's side.
"Shh, Jane, it's me," Maura whispered. Jane whimpered.
"I'm going to climb up your body and turn you loose. Don't worry I'll catch you," Maura whispered and began to work.
Frost listened intently to the interior of the warehouse. Counting down to the original launch time he gave the signal and silently moved forward, Korsak following. The SWAT team fanned out a little more, encircling the warehouse. No one would have a chance to escape without notice and capture.
Maura continued to work on freeing Jane. The chains that bound the detective to the wooden beam were intertwined with each other making a quick escape almost impossible. Maura could also see the redness and blood trickling down Jane's arms from where the chains dug into Jane's wrists. Suddenly Maura heard a door open on the other side of the warehouse and paused briefly, listening. Strong steps clicked on the concrete floor. Maura felt trapped. She wanted to free Jane before tangling with her kidnapper.
"Jane, trust me," Maura said. She released her hold on Jane's chains and scampered onto the detective's back. Smaller than Jane, Maura held onto the other woman's back and scrunched her legs up. In the darkness or even with a flashlight Maura knew the man coming their way would have some difficulty seeing Maura at first. Maura wanted to use that element of surprise to overcome the man if possible.
A flashlight shone over Jane's body. "What the hell is this?" Maura heard a voice. The flashlight was directed over Jane's torso. Maura realized too late that her boot was caught in Jane's pocket and her foot could be seen. She had to act quickly.
Maura swung her left arm out around Jane's body and launched her cable. It caught in the man's neck just as he raised his firearm toward Jane. The cable attachment dug into the man's neck and he screamed. Dropping his weapon she fell to the concrete floor. The weapon discharged when it hit the floor.
In place Frost fired toward the shot just as Korsak yelled "No!" All of the warehouse doors were thrust open and the SWAT team swarmed in. Officers surrounded Jane and worked their flashlights so they could see what was going on.
Frost advanced with his weapon held high. He saw the figure on the floor, groaning and thrashing around. Korsak advanced with Frost and nodded at Frost to go ahead and cuff the man. Two other SWAT team members and uniforms came forward and started climbing the beam to get Jane down. As he rolled the man onto his stomach and cuffed him Frost thought of Maura.
"Korsak you see the doc anywhere?" he asked.
Korsak shook his head. "No, not yet." He swept his flashlight across the floor. A few feet away lay a crumpled figure matching Maura's description.
"Dr. Isles!" Frost called. He ran over to Maura just as Jane was being released from her chains. "Maura…" Jane called out weakly. She passed out on the concrete.
"We need a bus, two victims, STAT," Korsak radioed. As Frost reached Maura she groaned lightly. Gingerly he rolled her over onto her back. A small amount of blood trickled from her upper arm.
"GSW left upper extremity," Frost called out to the paramedics. He nodded to Jane. "Kidnap victim, just released, injuries unknown."
"How long down?" one EMT asked. Frost nodded to Maura.
"Five minutes max." Nodding to Jane he answered, "She's been held captive approximately twenty-eight hours. Presume no food or water, we do know she took some blows to the mid-torso and ribcage."
Two stretchers were brought in. As Maura was loaded onto one she saw Jane lying prone on the concrete.
"Jane, are you okay?" the doctor anxiously called out.
"She'll be fine, doc, you know Jane," Frost said. Maura felt dizzy. Trying to lie back against the stretcher she felt the burning pain in her arm. "I can't go to the emergency room-" Maura tried to say as she passed out. Frost nodded to the EMTs to go ahead and load the doc in the ambulance. He looked over and saw Jane being loaded onto her stretcher.
"Are you going with them, Korsak?"
"Yes," Korsak answered quickly and jumped into the passenger seat of the ambulance. "I'll call Frankie and let him know so he and Angela can meet us at the hospital."
"I'll be there as soon as we wrap this up here," Frost said and turned his attention to the man on the concrete floor. He waved off the EMTs, explaining that the man's injuries were not life-threatening. He intended to question Jane's kidnapper before allowing him to go anywhere.
Maura opened her eyes and blinked to clear her vision. She stared up at ceiling tiles and bright white lights. Her turtleneck sweater had been removed and a hospital gown covered her upper half. Her right arm was strapped to a board with an IV in her arm; her left arm was extended out, a gauze bandage covering her wound. She heard a nurse in the background, arguing.
"I'm telling you this equipment is not working properly," the nurse argued with someone over the phone. "I'm trying to take a chest x-ray of a patient and getting nothing but pictures of wires. This is crazy. Your company manufactured faulty equipment." The nurse sighed in frustration as she slammed the phone down. She looked up and saw Maura watching her.
"I'm sorry Ms. Isles we're having a problem with some of the equipment. One of the orderlies has been sent to the OR to bring back another portable chest x-ray machine. When he gets here we'll be able to take your chest x-ray before sending you to OR to have your bullet removed."
"Is that what happened to my arm?"
"Yes. You must have lost consciousness and that's why you don't remember getting shot."
"I've never been shot at before so I wasn't sure what it felt like."
"A tremendous burning sensation, like someone stuck a hot poker under your skin?"
"Yes, exactly," Maura answered. The nurse nodded.
"That's what all the cops who've been shot say it feels like. I'm a nurse, I prefer to be on this end of the action." The nurse smiled at Maura. At the mention of cops Maura remembered Jane had been brought in.
"Is Detective Rizzoli okay? I think she was in the same ambulance."
"She is. She's a little bruised with a couple of fractured ribs but she'll make a full recovery."
"No surgery for her?"
"No, just for you, Ms. Isles. I'm beginning to think Detective Rizzoli has a bullet-riddled guardian angel following her. We had to start a new chart; the first one was too large."
"Doctor."
"Hmm?"
"I'm Doctor Isles, the chief medical examiner."
"Oh, right. Sorry, Dr. Isles. I'll mark your chart. Do you have any allergies to any medicines?"
"None known," Maura replied. As the nurse moved in to take her vital signs once again Maura discreetly looked around the hospital room she was in.
"Am I still in the emergency department?" she asked.
"Yes, sorry, but we didn't want to move you to the OR before we got that chest x-ray."
"I understand. You're looking for residual damage before operating so that I don't unexpectedly bleed out when a procedure is started."
"Yes, but your vital signs are not good, Dr. Isles. I'm going to go see what is taking that orderly so long to bring that portable machine. You rest here, I'll be right back." As the nurse closed the door behind her Maura sat up. She waited for a minute to see if anyone else came in as well as to let her head adjust to being upright. When no one came in and she felt stronger Maura pulled off the hospital gown. She saw her turtleneck sweater on a chair in the corner and she grabbed it, pulling it on as she opened the door and checked for hallway traffic.
All clear. Maura moved down the hall at an efficient pace, heading for the stairwell at the end of the hallway. She had to get out of here before the surgeons opened her up and noticed that the wiring on the chest x-ray actually existed inside her chest.
TBC