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Disclaimer. - I do not own or profit from this. I only own my own ideas.
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Hey people, yes it's an update and yes it's within the same month as the last one. I'm currently stuck in bed again with the pinched nerve in my back so I have plenty of writing time at the moment. I'm hoping to get the wedding chapter up soon, Anyway hope you enjoy this one.
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Chapter Twenty
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"Gail" Steve called as the blonde walked back into 15 from booking, she had been partnered with Dov for the night and they'd just bought in a drunk and disorderly.
It was Thursday night, she'd been on nights since Monday and was not in the mood "No" she said to him.
"Gail" he said again, this time he caught up with her and grabbed her arm "I just wanna talk"
She pulled it from his grip "I'm on duty, come over after 9 tomorrow and we'll talk" she said and left him standing in the corridor. She tugged her phone from her pocket, Holly was at her moms place for a family dinner, she sent her a text 'Talking to Steve after you leave for work tomorrow'
She put her phone on the desk, Dov was in booking with the guy, so she got started on the report, as she sat her phone vibrated 'Good, you need to sort it out'
'I know, how's your night going?' She sent back and started working on the report.
After a few minutes the reply came 'Good, mostly wedding talk, they agree about not inviting Jill'
'It would be just inviting trouble' Gail sent back then added 'I need to get back to it, text me when your home safe, I'll call you before you go to sleep if I can'
She answered almost instantly 'okay, I love you, stay safe'
'I love you too' she sent back and got into the paperwork. She had just finished when Dov appeared at her desk "You ready?" He asked.
"As I'll ever be" she said with a sigh.
"Have you seen much of Chris? he's hardly ever home anymore, he sleeps there that's about it, I'm starting to think he's fallen of the wagon" He said as they made their way through the station.
"He hasn't" Gail said as they opened the door to the car park "He's been hanging out at our place with Holly's brother Matt a lot" she said.
"Really? Why?" He asked as the reached the squad car.
"Keys" the blonde said, she was at the drivers side door, he tossed them to her and they got in "He's been through similar things, they actually have a lot in common" she started the car.
"Oh" he said sounding a little dejected.
Gail chuckled "He hasn't broken up with you Dov"
"Shut up Gail" he said "Do you have to make a joke about it?" He flushed red.
She rolled her eyes "Leave him be, he's just trying to work through his stuff, sometimes you need some one different to get through things"
"Why can't he talk to me?" He said with a pout.
"Don't be juvenile, he's the one going through this not you, try to understand" this night is going to be a long one if he acted like a little bitch the whole time "What's your problem anyway?"
"Nothing" he said and looked out the window.
"Fabulous" the blonde said under her breath.
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It was about 11pm when Gail heard from Holly, she was standing in an all night coffee shop not far from 15, getting coffee for herself and some of the other officers, when she got the text. She called her straight away "Hey Beautiful" she said when she answered.
"Hey sweetheart" The brunette said "How's your evening been?"
"Not too busy, a few drunks, a few scuffles, nothing major" the blonde said, she was sitting at a table waiting for their coffee order "How was your family dinner?"
"Not too bad, we talked about wedding stuff mostly" Holly said and yawned.
"You already in bed?" Gail asked.
"Yes"
The blonde smirked "I'd ask what your wearing but that will just tease myself"
"You'd probably be disappointed, I'm wearing my flannel pyjamas" the brunette said with a chuckle.
"I happen to find those sexy on you" Gail said with a smile.
"I was talking to Traci the other day" Holly said changing the subject.
"Should I be offended? I was just trying to talk you into phone sex and you bring up Traci" the blonde asked.
"Well officer, somehow I don't think you really were after phone sex since I would be the only one getting satisfaction from the arrangement" the brunette said with a chuckle, the other woman went silent, she knew she was picturing her "While you enjoy that visual, she asked me if I'd talk you into a bachelorette party"
"No" Gail said coming back "I don't..."
"I know" Holly said interrupting her "We can do it together a combined one, then we can sneak off early and leave them to the party"
The blonde considered it "I'll think about it"
"That's all I ask" the brunette yawned again "I should probably get some sleep, your off at six thirty aren't you?"
Gail got called over to pick up their coffee "yea I should be home by about seven, I'll bring coffee"
"I miss sleeping with you, I sleep better with you next to me" Holly confessed.
"I miss you too baby, thankfully after next week I'm on days until after the new year, oh and I found out tonight that Frank has granted me Christmas off, I might have to do the day shift on New Year's Eve but I'll be off in time to see midnight with you"
"That's great, I love you sweetheart, stay safe" the brunette said.
"I love you too, I'll see you in the morning"
They exchanged goodbyes and Gail pocketed her phone, feeling lighter, as she always did after speaking to her fiancee.
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Gail walked in the house just before seven to the smell of bacon cooking, she dropped her gear, coat and boots at the front door, put the coffee tray on the bench and slid up behind her fiancee, who was still in her flannel pyjamas cooking breakfast, she wrapped her arms around her waist and pulled her body against her "Morning" she mumbled as she kissed her neck "that smells wonderful"
"I thought you could use a good breakfast before your chat with Steve" Holly said, she moved her hand up to the back of Gail's head "How was your night?"
"Dov spent the entire time bitching that Chris doesn't hang out anymore and why does he talk to Matt and not him" the blonde said with a sigh.
"What did you tell him?" She asked.
"That he needs time to get through his things and that Matt is helping him because he's been through it" she said then added "I still think something's going on between them"
"Maybe, he is here a lot" the brunette agreed "but that's none of our business and.."
"We're staying out of it, I remember" she said, she kissed the brunettes cheek "Do I have time for a shower?"
"Sure, I haven't started cooking the pancakes yet" Holly said, she turned around in Gail's arms and wrapped her own around the blondes neck, she pulled her into a toe curling kiss, they kissed passionately, tongues tasting.
"Hmmmm" Gail hummed as she pulled back "Wanna come shower with me?" She asked, rocking them side to side, one hand slipping from her lovers waist to her ass, giving it a squeeze.
"I would normally say yes but if I do neither of us will eat" Holly said "just be quick"
"We could eat, just not food" The blonde said with a sly grin.
She shifted away from her fiancee but the brunette managed to slap her on the ass "Go shower you" she said. Gail chuckled as she made her way up the stairs.
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Gail was sitting on the couch watching TV, Holly had left for work and Matt had made himself scarce after eating breakfast. The blonde hadn't asked him to but he knew from a conversation they'd had earlier in the week that she had things to sort out with Steve. She yawned and looked at her phone, it was almost 10.30, she needed sleep before work tonight so she'd give him another fifteen minutes if he didn't show she would text him and put it off.
She tossed her phone down, got up and went in the kitchen, she pulled a bottle of water from the fridge as she did there was a knock on the door "Finally" she muttered.
She moved to the foyer and opened the door, her brother was outside holding two takeaway coffee cups "I know I'm sorry, I got caught up with a case" Gail rolled her eyes and walked into the house, Steve closed the door and followed, he caught up with her in the sitting room "Hot chocolate" he said holding out a cup "Figured it's better than coffee since your on nights"
She took the cup "You wanna say what you've come to say" she said going and sitting on the couch.
"I read the file" he said "I should have read it two years ago" he was still standing.
"Sit, your making the place look untidy" she said.
He moved over and sat on the other couch "How many people know exactly what happened to you?"
"If you read the file you know that I didn't pursue rape charges against him, so the only people that know everything are Holly and her family, Luke, Traci, Oliver, Frank and I'm fairly sure Mom and Dad know but we've never discussed it" Gail explained looking at her cup.
"I should have been here" Steve said "Should have..."
"And what would you have done?" She asked her brother "It was bad enough Jerry died, if you'd done anything to him you'd have been fired or in jail" she brushed away a few tears.
"I should have ripped the sick fuckers heart out, he hurt you, he's still hurting you. You should never have had to face him again, not for anyone" he said talking about when she had gone to the prison to beg information from him.
"That was my choice" Gail said "Is there any point to this or are you just going to sit here and keep wishing that you could have wrapped me up and protected me? Because if that's it I'm going to bed"
"Gail..." Steve said.
The blonde knew what he was going through, as Pecks they are taught to not show emotion, to be the strong ones, it makes communicating, even with each other, very difficult. Thankfully, both Holly and her therapist were helping Gail learn how to talk about things. She sighed "Look Steve, you were working, that wasn't your fault, I told them not to contact you. When I was found I didn't contact you, I didn't contact anyone. I did get therapy but I've really only wanted to get real help with it all since I've been with Holly, with her I can be myself, something I'm not even comfortable being with my own family" she looked at him, he looked terrible. The last week, learning what happened and her avoiding him had taken its toll. She decided he'd probably be much harder on himself than she could ever be "You can't beat yourself up about it" she said.
"I should have been there, or at least been more understanding over the last two years" he said.
"You can would have, should have, could have until the cows come home, it's not gonna change what happened, I was kidnapped and raped, it happened, I'm dealing with it" Gail explained.
"Is there anything I can do to help you?" he asked "Anything"
The blonde smirked, she was tempted to make him pay but knew she shouldn't "Two things, One, I want you to stand up with me and be my best man at the wedding"
He grinned at her "Really, you still want me to?"
"Yes, no matter what's happened your my brother, I want you right there with me" she said as she smiled back at him.
"Very cool" he said "Number two?"
Gail puffed out a breath, she'd been nervous about asking him this "Well first thing, this stays between us, you can talk to Traci but only because in a way it might affect her too" he frowned at her "After the wedding, Holly and I wanna try to have a baby, we haven't decided who will do it yet and we want the baby to be as genetically close to being ours as we can..."
She didn't get to finish when Steve simply said "Yes of course"
"I didn't finish" Gail said.
"You want me to donate the sperm if it's Holly's egg, sign away parental rights and all that?" He asked. She just nodded at him, he reached over and took her hand "I'd be honoured to help you two have kids"
Gail threw herself into his arms and held on tightly "Thank you" she whispered in his ear through the tears.
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"So he said yes?" Holly said into her phone as she prepared the room for an autopsy, she'd even to the scene but had left most of the work to the techs and headed back to the morgue, it was a suspected overdose, she should have finished an hour ago but wasn't much looking forward to going home alone so figured she'd stay and get the body done so she could take a little time with Gail in the morning, the woman in question had called her as she'd gotten back from the possible crime scene.
"He didn't even let me finished, just said yes and that he'd be honoured to help us" the blonde explained.
"That's wonderful, now I just need to talk to Matt" the brunette said, she put the phone on speaker and put it down.
"You still at work?" Gail asked hearing her lover move around the room.
"Yea, I've got a possible overdose coming in from 17, I thought I'd get it done now then take a couple of hours with you tomorrow" she explained as she got the trays she would need and put the coveralls and apron on she used.
"Sounds great" the blonde said, Holly could tell she was smiling, she heard the buzzer sound to let them in with the body "I've gotta go Hun, I'll text you once I'm home" she said.
"Okay, I love you baby" Gail said.
"I love you too"
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After the weekend, Gail was back working days and couldn't be happier, she'd spent much of the weekend sleeping, recovering from her night shift stint. Both women were sleeping much better now they were back on a similar schedule. It was almost lunchtime on Wednesday, Gail had a rough morning after the pathologist had dropped her at work. She'd been partnered with Chloe, who kept talking about how hurt Dov is about Chris, she'd explained to both of them that he just needed space but they didn't listen. They'd picked up a guy who was as high as a kite, which had been amusing until he'd puked all over the back of their patrol car, which they then had to clean. A quick shower and a fresh uniform later, she'd taken the squad car grabbed coffee and headed to the lab "Hey" she called to Holly when she found her in her office.
"Hey, I didn't think I'd see you much today" she said as she sat back in her chair.
"I left Chloe at the station after I showered" she said, she walked over and leaned down "Hi" she said with a smile.
"Hi" Holly said back and captured her lips, she kissed her passionately, as she slid her hand into the again very short locks at the back, the blonde had her hair cut again over the weekend "How long have we got?" The brunette said taking her by the hips as she stood back up.
Before Gail could speak her radio crackled to life "15-09, what's your 20? Chloe's voice asked "Gail where did you disappear to?" She asked.
The blonde swore under her breath, she took her radio in her hand "Made a quick drop off at the lab, be there in ten" she let it go "I'm sorry" she said to her fiancee.
"I'm just happy I got to see you" she said, tugging on Gail's duty belt, pulling her over between her legs "I've had a murder case that the courts bought forward to tomorrow so I need to prepare so I might not be home until late" she said hugging her around the waist.
Gail stiffened "You're suppose to come to my appointment tomorrow"
Holly pulled back and looked up at her "I can't help that the case was bought forward, I'll be there next week"
The blonde pulled out of her arms "I should get back" she said backing away.
"No" the brunette said and grabbed her hand and stood "What's wrong? You know I have no control over this, I can't go and ask for a continuance because it interferes with my fiancees therapy appointment" she said honestly.
Gail tried to pull her hand free, when Holly wouldn't let her, she stopped "I just..."
"Gail?" The brunette said running her thumb over the back of the officers hand "Talk to me"
The blonde sighed and went to speak when her radio crackled to life "15-09, your needed at the station" the dispatch announced.
"I've gotta go" she said, she kissed Holly "I love you" she said and took off.
"I love you too" the brunette said to her as she went.
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It was well into the afternoon, Gail had been silent ever since returning from the lab. They'd heard there had been a possible murder case around lunchtime, so she hadn't worried about taking lunch to Holly as she would have been out. Her and Chloe were silently eating a sandwich when a call came through that made the blondes heart stop "All units within the vicinity of the Morgue, please respond to a possible assault with a deadly weapon on staff, reports that one has been shot"
The blood drained from Gail's face, she dropped her lunch into Chloe's lap and started the squad car, the younger officer started the lights and siren as the blonde took off down the street "15-09 responding" she answered the radio call "She'll be okay" she said.
Gail didn't answer just concentrated on getting there as fast as possible. When she pulled up outside the lab, there were no other squad cars around, they both jumped out and went in the building "What happened?" She asked the woman at the front desk, who was sitting on the ground trying to stop the bleeding from a gunshot wound on the security guards leg.
"This guy came in raving" she said "Something about needing to see his brother, when Tom tried to calm him down, he shot him and took off towards the lab"
"Is Holly down there?" The blonde asked.
"Yea I'm sorry Gail" the security guard said.
"It's okay, has anyone come out?"
"No" the receptionist said "But the emergency lockdown might have been tripped it's meant to keep people segregated when there's a biohazard" she tugged the key from the security guards neck "this will open the doors"
The both made their way the corridor to the stairs which led to the lab, the elevator would alert the gunman to their presence "We should wait for back up" Chloe said.
"If it was Dov down there would you wait got back up?" Gail asked her.
The younger officer picked up her radio "15-09, requesting EMTs, we have a gunshot victim and other possible casualties, also requesting back up as gunman still at large"
"EMTs and back up on route 15-09" the dispatch answered.
"Slowly and quietly" the blonde said as they made their way down the stairs, once they were on the floor with the lab and autopsy rooms, Gail saw people sitting, hiding in the corridor, among them was Rodney, he crawled over to the officer once her saw her.
"Who is in there?" She whispered and squatted down.
"Just him, Holly and the body she bought in" he said "it was a killing in a meth lab, she was just starting the autopsy when he barged in waving the gun around, he hit her with the gun a couple of times but Holly still managed to get us out here, we couldn't get out because in an emergency the doors automatically lock, only senior staff and security have the override key and Holly's the only senior staff on today, it's suppose to keep us safe not lock us in"
Chloe had the key and was holding the door to the stairs open "Get them out of here" she whispered to her partner.
Gail moved around so she could see into the autopsy room "Is Holly okay?" She asked Rodney.
"She's got a lump on her head and a split lip but aside from that I think she's okay" he said.
"Okay, go" she said to him, he went leaving the officers, they were both squatted down watching the room, the blonde couldn't see her fiancee but could see the man pacing..
"So what now?" Chloe asked.
Before Gail could answer she heard Holly's voice trying to reason with him, she got closer to the window and looked in, the brunette was in a chair, she had a split lip and a cut above the her eye, there was blood all down her face and shirt "I'm going in there" she said, she unholstered her gun and took a deep breath, she got back down and moved over to the door "Sir" she called our "This is the Toronto PD, is everyone okay in there?"
"Go away" he snapped.
"Unfortunately I can't do that sir, there's a man upstairs bleeding and you have our forensic pathologist in there" she looked over at Chloe, who shrugged at her. Her radio crackled and she turned it down "Can I come in there with you, see if we can sort this out?"
It went quiet for a few seconds and then the blonde heard the automatic lock on the door release, she holstered her gun, not wanting to appear threatening. She stood and opened the door very slowly, trying not to startle him, he raised his gun at her "Put your gun on the desk" the desk was behind her and she was between it and him so she complied.
Once the gun was down she leaned on the desk, intent on staying close to her weapon, should she need it "You doing okay, Dr Stewart?" She asked Holly, she didn't want to give away the fact they were in a relationship as he might use it.
"I'm okay" the brunette said, slurring slightly.
Gail could see her lip was swollen and no longer bleeding, but her forehead had a lump and a cut on it. Internally the blonde was holding herself back from attacking him, he'd hurt the woman she loved and she would love nothing more than to tear his throat out "So what's the problem sir?"
"Peter" he said he was twitching and started pacing again "My name is Peter"
"Gail" she heard her brothers voice on her radio, she turned it down, they could talk to Chloe. She did rest her finger on the button on her belt so they could hear the conversation.
"Okay Peter your obviously after something, what did you need?" She asked calmly.
"The key, I need the key" he said.
She looked at Holly who shrugged at her "Key to what?" She asked.
He laughed "I'm not gonna tell you, I'm not stupid" he rubbed his arm and looked at it. Gail knew what junkies looked and this guy was showing the classic signs.
"You need a fix don't you?" She asked.
"No I just need that key" he said "get me the key" he walked over in front of her, she put her hand behind her back and put her hand on her gun, then he stalked away from her.
There was a bang outside the door and everything seemed to go in slow motion, he lifted the gun and shot at the windows, they were reinforced so they didn't shatter, then he turned and aimed the gun at Holly, Gail whipped her gun around and shot the side of his knee, he dropped his weapon and went to the ground screaming and holding his knee. She picked up his gun as the officers outside came in and secured him, Gail went straight to the brunette "Holly" she said, lifting up her head, which had slumped forward during the take down "Holly, baby please" she said, as she brushed her blood soaked hair from her eyes.
Brown eyes opened to meet blue "Gail" she mumbled.
"I'm here" she said as the brunette fell forward into her arms "Steve" she called to her brother having seen him come in "I've got you" she said and kissed her head, with Steve's help she laid her on the floor, her bleeding head in her lap.
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They were at the hospital, Gail had refused to leave Holly's side, not even when the doctors tried to restrain her. They gave up and allowed her to stay with the semi conscious doctor, they had paged a neurologist, just to give her the once over, her lip and head had been stitched but she wasn't waking up fully and that was the concern. The brunette had a big bruise on her forehead that extended over her eye and her lip, chin and cheek were bruised, Gail was sitting next to her, holding her hand, resting her head in the bed next to their joined hands "How is she?" Wendy asked, startling the blonde.
She sat up "She okay I guess, she remembers me and who she is when she is awake, they're admitting her for the night for observation, they are pretty sure it's just a concussion, the neurologist will be here soon then they're sending her down for a CT" Gail looked at their hands, playing with the ring on her finger "She not very coherent when she's awake, it's like she's extremely drunk"
Holly's mother moved over and put her arm around her future daughter in law "I heard you saved her"
"I visited her earlier today and I was in a shitty mood, she said a court case moved up on her and I got mad because..." She shook her head "It was dumb"
"Did you fight?" She asked.
"No I just acted like a brat, we were okay when I left. Then we got the call over the radio that someone there was shot I was nearly sick" Gail explained in an even tone, she was holding in her emotions.
"Gail.." Wendy started but was interrupted when the doctor came in.
"So we have Holly Stewart here with a bump to the head" he said.
"Bump to the head" Gail said incredulously "She was pistol whipped you..."
"Hun" the brunette slurred from the bed, she squeezed her hand.
"Sorry" he said with a slight blush, he gave her a quick neurological exam "We'll send you down to CT but I'm fairly certain its a grade three concussion, she should be more herself tomorrow and back to normal in few days, I'll get you taken up to the neurology floor once the scans done"
"Thanks" Holly said closing her eyes.
The doctor motioned for them to come outside "She'll be here for about 24 hours, we'll need to wake her every hour and check her responses just to make sure there is no memory issues" he looked at her chart "I'm fairly confident there will be no lasting damage"
The blonde nodded "Can I stay with her tonight?"
He sighed "I'll see what I can swing, I'll talk to the nurse on the floor"
"Thanks" she said tiredly and he left.
"What can I do?" Wendy asked
"Can you stay with her for a while?" She asked "I need to change and take my gear back to the station, I'll wait till she's back from the scan"
"I'd be happy to"
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Gail walked down to the waiting room in emergency, she walked through the doors and everyone talked at once, she ignored them grabbed Matt's hand and pulled him aside "She's bruised and battered but no fractures or bleeds in her brain, she's got a grade three concussion and they're keeping her overnight. I need to go clean up at the station" she said gesturing to her bloody uniform "I've left your Mom with her for now, I'll drop in home and get her a few things"
He pulled her into a hug "Thank you for saving her speed bump" he whispered, he let her go and let her walk away, cutting off the others from following.
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The blonde had arrived at the station, given her statement, something she would have to do again with SIU before she would be allowed back on the street due to her shooting the suspect, even though it wasn't a fatal shooting. She had a quick shower, bagged her bloody uniform and was just finishing packing her gear when Oliver came in "I know, I shouldn't be in here but I don't care. How is she?" He asked.
"Not great" she said honestly, her shoulders sagged, she turned and collapsed on him crying "She got a grade three concussion" she said through the tears "stitches in her lip and head" he hugged her tight "when we got the call I thought the worst, it..."
"I know" he said he guided her down on the bench "We have to live this job and in a way so does she" he said "the man, Peter Jenkins, is a junkie, turns out the dead guy was his brother and they had a stash in a locker at the bus terminal, meth, money and heroin" he explained "Once he's able to be interviewed, your brother wants to try and find out his source, but don't worry he won't be making a deal for it. Every one agrees he goes down for the attack today, no matter what he gives them"
Gail managed to get her emotions back under control "Good, he's lucky I didn't shoot him in the head after what he did to her"
"I know Darlin" he said and kissed her head "Can I give you a ride?"
"No I'm good" she said, brushing the tears away "I've just gotta go home and grab her a few things then I'm headed back to the hospital" she moved away from him, stood and grabbed her bag.
"Gail" he said, he knew her walls were going up, it was something he hadn't seen since she had worked things out with the doctor, even during her accident.
"Yea?" She asked sounding tired.
"I'm here if you need me" he said, knowing he wouldn't be able to stop her retreat.
"Thanks" she said and left.
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Matt was sitting next to Holly in the hospital, the doctor was still under the effects of the concussion, she was in and out, when she was awake she was asking for Gail who had disappeared a few of hours ago, she'd said she was going to the station then home.
"How is she?" Wendy said from the doorway.
"Getting more coherent every time she wakes up, she's still asking for Gail" he said.
"She's scared, give her some time" his mother said.
"It's been three hours Mom, I called the station, she left two hours ago" he stood up "She's running" he kissed his sleeping sisters hand "I've gotta go find her"
"Don't you think you should stay out of it?" She asked.
"No, from what I know of Gail this is enough to send her into a full blown panic" he said "I'll call when I find her"
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"Gail" he called walking to the house, he'd contacted Steve in his way home to get them to look too. He looked around, she had at least been here, her bag was on the kitchen bench with her phone next to it. He pocketed her phone and headed upstairs, he had just made the landing when his phone rang, it was Steve "Hey, any sign of her?" He asked.
"Her car is at the Penny, no ones gone in, I figured I figured I'd wait for you" he said.
"I'll be there in ten" he said and took off back downstairs.
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Gail had meant to go straight back to the hospital but the silence at home was deafening, she had gotten Holly's things then sat on the bed. She could have lost her, she shuddered at the thought. Then she'd just got up and left, leaving her fiancees things, her phone and drove to the Penny, she need to drink, she needed to forget. She sat drinking, tears leaking out occasionally. She was on her fifth shot when someone sat next to her "So what happened, the doctor finally realised you weren't enough for her"
The blonde looked at him, it was the same man who had told her once before that he could get Holly to switch sides "Fuck off" she said and turned back to her drink, she threw it back and held out the glass.
The bartender walked up and placed a glass of water in front of her "That first" he said, he knew who she was and also had gotten a phone call from Steve asking him not to over serve her.
"Fine" she said and had a mouthful.
The guy hadn't given up "So did she dump you is that why your crying like.."
He didn't finish his sentence, Gail was in his face "Shut your fucking mouth or I'll shut it for you" she turned back to the bar.
"I'd like to see you try" he said with a smirk.
The blonde struck out with an elbow, hitting him in the face, he stumbled back "I don't have to try" she mumbled. She stood and stalked after him, everything she felt over the course of the afternoon was coming out at him, she got a few good punches in before he struck back, he punched her twice then tried to restrain her.
The bartender finally managed to get between them, he was helped when someone grabbed Gail from behind, she struggled against them until Matt spoke "Gail, it's okay"
She heard his voice and stopped, she sagged against him and sobbed.
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"What the hell?" Matt all but yelled as pushed Gail into the house. Once she'd recovered, she had walked out of the bar without speaking, Steve tried to talk to her but she'd told him in no uncertain terms to fuck off. Holly's brother managed to get her into her car and had driven them back home, Gail was bleeding and would need a change of clothes before going back to the hospital.
Once inside the blonde made a beeline for the alcohol. He grabbed her arm "No, no more"
"Really" she said pulling her arm away "You want to fight with me too?" She asked.
He grabbed her, threw her over his shoulder and took her to the downstairs bathroom, she was yelling and hitting at him the whole way, he turned on the cold water in the shower and dumped her on her rear end in the spray, she screamed and he walked out. Closing the door behind him. He went and sat in the sitting room, he knew the cold water would jolt her into sobriety, it had for him on many occasions. He heard her stomp up the stairs muttering after about ten minutes. He waited another ten then went to check on her. He found her sitting, dressed in a hoodie and jeans on the bed in the bedroom she shared with his sister, looking at her hands "How are you doing?"
He watched her flex her jaw "My face hurts" she said softly not looking at him.
"Is your hand okay?" He asked.
"Yea I didn't bust it this time, just bruised" she said showing him she could move it.
"I know your scared" he said.
She glanced at him "She could have died, he hit her with his gun then was going to shoot her in the head" she was wringing her hands "if we didn't get there when we did..."
"Gail" Matt said and took her hand "you of all people know you can't spend your life saying what if"
"But..." She started but he stopped her.
"No, you just disappeared on the woman who loves you more than life itself because of what ifs, did she deserve that?"
"No" Gail said softly "I'm sorry"
"You don't need to apologise speed bump but we do need to get you back to the hospital, she needs you right now"
"Your right" she said then she looked at him.
"Your already getting a black eye" he said "And a bruise on your cheek"
"And thanks to you my ass hurts too" she said with a pout.
"You'll live" he said and got up "Come on, we'll clean up your wounds and get you back to Holly"
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By the time they got back to the hospital it was getting near the end of visiting hours, Wendy watched her now bruised future daughter in law came in, she sat gingerly next to Holly and picked up her hand, she kissed it and muttered an apology "What happened?" She asked Matt.
"She got drunk and got into a fight" he said "She's a little freaked out"
"She just shot the man who was threatening her fiancee, I can understand"
The nurse came in to check on Holly "Visiting hours is almost over, I'll need you guys to leave shortly" she said.
"Can I stay please?" The blonde asked tearfully.
"Are you Gail?" She asked.
"Yes"
"I talked to the surgeon, you can stay but only if you stay quiet and don't cause a fuss" she said, she could see how upset she was and figured letting her stay would be easier than making her go.
"I'll be quiet" Gail said and sniffed, she looked back at her sleeping love.
"Is she okay?" The nurse quietly asked Matt and Wendy.
He nodded "Well she's her fiancee but she's also the officer who saved her so she's pretty distressed"
"Has she seen someone about her eye?" The blondes eye was already bruising and the white part of her eye was red.
"I'll get her to get it checked tomorrow" he assured her.
She nodded and turned to the bed "I need to wake her up to do her neurology check" she said to Gail, who nodded "Holly?" She said softly, giving her shoulder a gentle shake.
"Hmmm" she muttered, her eyes fluttered and she said "Gail" sleepily.
"Yea beautiful I'm here" the blonde said squeezing her hand.
The brunette looked over at her "Hey" she said, she frowned slightly and winced at the pain "last time I checked, you didn't have a bruised cheek, black eye and from the look of it a burst blood vessel in your eye" she said as she sat up slightly in the bed.
"It doesn't matter" Gail said, she was still teary "I'm sorry I was such a brat this morning I know your job..."
"No sorry needed" Holly put her hand on her cheek "What happened to your face?" She asked.
The nurse cleared her throat and the Doctor knew she'd have to wait to talk to her about it "Sorry Holly I need to do your check"
The brunette gave her attention to the nurse for the five minutes it took to do the tests. Gail watched, as she did it.
Once the nurse was done, Wendy said good night to her daughter and left, asking that they call tomorrow when she's discharged.
"I should get going too" Matt said standing.
"Can I have a word?" Gail asked. He said good night to his sister and Holly watched them go out of the room.
"I'm sorry about earlier" she said as the door closed "I know better than to get drunk and in a fight when my almost wife is laying in hospital"
"We all slip up Gail, trust me, there have been a few times it would be easy for me to use again but I'm stronger than it and your stronger than you think" he pulled her into a hug "no apologies needed" he rubbed her back as she gripped his shirt "What happened this afternoon can stay between us if you want it to"
Gail sniffed and pulled back "No, I get in enough trouble for not being completely honest in therapy, I think I need to tell them I lost it, got slightly drunk and into a fight"
"Cold water works wonders on drunks" he said with a grin.
She let him go and hit him on the shoulder "Did you have to drop me, my ass is killing me"
He grinned at her "I'll take your car so call me if you need anything or if she gets out and I'll come get you"
"Thanks" she said, giving him one last hug.
"Anytime, speed bump, anytime"
They said their good nights and Gail headed back into the doctors room, she closed the door, expecting Holly to be asleep, she leaned her head against the door "What happened?" The brunette asked, making her jump.
"What?" She said, the blonde turned and moved over to the bed.
"What happened when you disappeared?" Holly asked again and took the blondes hand.
"We can talk about it later, you need rest" Gail said and slowly sat in the chair next to her bed.
"I'm okay, I'm a little more with it now" the brunette slurred slightly as she laced their fingers.
The officer grinned a little then winced as it hurt her cheek "When you can speak without slurring like a drunk, I'll believe you" she reached out and brushed her hand over her lovers unhurt side "I thought I'd lost you today" she said, the tears coming back.
Holly touched the hand on her face and Gail's face screwed up in pain, she pulled it back and looked at it "Really?" She asked and kissed the bruised knuckles "What happened Hun, please just talk to me"
The blonde sniffed back the tears, looked at their joined hands and kissed the back of her fiancees "Like I said, I thought I lost you today, when I went to get cleaned up at the station, they took my statement, I had a shower and talked to Oliver then went home" she still wasn't looking at the brunette.
"Gail?" Holly said, she looked up at her "Don't feel guilty, things happen, we'll work through it"
The blonde skipped forward in her story "I was home and I don't know I just... I needed a drink so I went to the Penny"
"Well that explains the slight smell of tequila" the brunette said with a smile.
"Sorry" the blonde said with a blush "I'd had five shots when that guy who said he could get you to change teams started on me, I told him to fuck off a few times and eventually I lost it, I elbowed his face then punched him a few times, he hit me back a couple of times trying to stop me, the bartender tried to stop u Matt came in and grabbed me from behind and I fell apart" Holly just let her talk, running her fingers up and down her arm, trying to reassure her "he took me home and I tried to fight with him so he picked me up and literally dropped me in a cold shower"
The brunette chuckled "He learnt that from me"
"Yea well it did the trick" Gail said "I..." She sighed and rested her head on Holly's shoulder "I was so scared" she whispered.
"I know sweetheart, so was I" the brunette shifted over "Come up here with me"
"No" the blonde said shaking her head "I don't wanna get kicked out"
Holly smiled "Get up here, Rocky" she said.
Gail sighed, she pulled off her boots and got up on the bed next to her, once the brunette was settled against her, she relaxed "How are you feeling?" She asked as she ran her hand up and down the doctors back.
"Like I'm in a thick fog, my lip and head hurts" she said "I'll be okay though, a few days off resting and I'll be back to normal"
The officer kissed her head "I'm sorry"
"What for?" Holly asked.
"For trying to climb the tree again" Gail explained.
"That's okay, Matt pulled you back down"
"Yea right on my ass, it still hurts"
Even though it hurt, the brunette couldn't help but laugh.
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The nurse came in an hour later, Holly was awake, curled against Gail "She shouldn't be on there with you" she said.
"I know" the brunette said "She's been through a lot, she has PTSD from an abduction by a serial killer, she was run over by a another one then today, she had to shoot the man who did this to me" she said pointing to her face "I'm actually really surprised she's still even remotely sane right now"
"Wow" the nurse said "You really shouldn't judge a book by its cover, I must admit I thought she was just..." She stopped "anyway I'm sorry for thinking badly of her"
Holly shrugged "You weren't to know" she kissed the blondes hand she was holding.
"I can see she loves you very much" she said as she took Holly's blood pressure.
"That I know" the brunette said "the fog in brain seems to be lifting, my thoughts and memories are a bit sharper"
"That's good a quicker recovery means your less likely to have lasting issues, but you'd already know that" she said with a grin.
"I did go to med school" the doctor said.
"Stop flirting with the nurse" Gail mumbled tightening her arm around her.
Holly rubbed her hand on her arm "I wasn't, she's doing my check up"
"You were, you were doing your nerdy thing that I like" the blonde said sleepily.
The nurses raised her eyebrow "Sorry" she said with a blush.
"So you should be" Gail said and went back to snoring.
"I don't think she was awake" the nurse whispered.
"Me either" the brunette agreed.
"Shall we get this done so you can both get some rest?"
0-0-0-0-0-0
Holly had been released from hospital the next morning, she was recovering quickly, she would be off work for a week and the blonde had to wait for clearance from SIU and the division shrink before she would be back. Gail had spent the day making sure Holly was resting and taken care of. The brunettes parents had visited in the afternoon. They'd headed to bed early, both still exhausted from the day before.
It was early hours of the next morning when Holly woke with a start, she sat up, the nightmare was still clouding her brain, she held her head in her hands and winced at the pain that shot through her brain "You okay baby?" Gail's sleepy voice asked from beside her, she was also sitting rubbing her hand up and down the brunettes back.
"Bad dream" she said and sighed shakily.
"Can I do anything?" The blonde asked.
"Just..." Honestly the doctor didn't know what she needed in that moment but all she wanted was the woman next to her "I just need you" she said and sobbed.
"You've got me Hol, I'm right here" she tugged the brunette back and they laid together while the brunette cried.
0-0-0-0-0-0
Gail appeared first the next morning "Hey" she said to Matt who was pouring coffee from the machine.
"Whoa" he said upon seeing her "And I thought Holly's face looked bad"
"I know, and my eye makes it looks worse" the blonde grumbled as she got a mug down.
"Yea, you got that devil eye thing going" he said as he sat at the bench "You guys want some breakfast?" He offered.
"It's okay I'll make us something" she said and yawned.
"We're suppose to help her heal not poison her" he said with a chuckle.
"Smart ass, I can cook" she said
"I'll make you something once she's up" Matt said "Chris is coming over after his shift this afternoon, is that cool?" He asked.
Gail frowned "He's a friend of mine and he's here all the time, why the sudden need to ask permission?"
The brunette man blushed and looked at his cup.
"Is there something going on between you two?" She asked.
Before he could answer her cell phone rang "Dammit" she said and tugged it from the pocket of her robe, it was Frank's extension at the station "Don't think this is over" she said and answered "Hello"
"Morning, how's the doc this morning?" He asked.
"Getting better" the blonde answered.
"SIU will be here today, can you come in about 12 and bring Holly with you so we can get this closed and you back on duty"
"Sure, we'll be there at 11.30 so you can give her a heads up on how to handle the interview"
"Sounds good, see you then Gail"
"Thank you sir" she said and ended the call.
"SIU?" Matt asked, he was beginning to understand the inner workings of the Toronto police force from his conversations with Chris and Gail.
"Yea, they need to talk to both of us about what happened" she said putting her phone back in her pocket "So you and Chris?"
"No" Holly walked in the kitchen and came up behind the blonde leaning on her, she kissed her unbruised cheek "You don't have to answer that" she said to her brother "and I told you not to get involved" she said as she moved back and slapped her on the ass.
"Owww" the blonde whined "My ass is still sore from him dropping me on it" she said rubbing it with one hand and pointing at Matt with the other.
"Don't be a baby" The brunette said "So what are we doing today, since neither of us have to work?" She asked as she got a mug from the cupboard and filled it with coffee.
Gail walked over and took the mug from her hand "Nope, they said you can't have caffeine or any other stimulants until at least your check up" Holly pouted at her, Gail kissed her healthy cheek "We need to go to the station by 11.30, SIU want to interview us both about the incident"
"Yea we knew that was coming" The brunette said.
"Okay so breakfast" Matt said and stood "Waffles?" He offered.
"Sounds good" Holly agreed.
"I'm gonna have a quick shower" Gail said and disappeared.
"I can talk to you guys about Chris you know" he said to his sister once her fiancee was out of ear shot.
"Only if you want to and feel comfortable, sometimes she's too pushy, coming out for you. Then for Chris, dealing with his addiction and if there is something happening, his sexuality, you don't need Gail pushing you about it" Holly said, sounding angry.
Matt walked over and got some headache pills from the cupboard, put them in front of his sister then placed a glass of water next to it "Take something" he said and started moving around the kitchen, making breakfast for them all.
"How did you know?" She asked picking up the pill bottle.
"You always get crappy about random shit when you've got a headache" he explained "And for the record, there is nothing currently going on between Chris and I. He's told me he's bisexual, its part of the reason he got into the drugs, that and Christian. We've talked about how we feel about each other, we like each other a lot but since he's only just out of rehab and I'm not ready, nothing is happening, we're friends"
The brunette gave him a smiled after she swallowed the pills "I just want you to be happy little brother, I'll support whatever you decide"
"I do like him Hols, he's a good guy" he said "He's having Christian this weekend, he isn't even his kid but he wants to be his Dad"
"He's a great guy, Christian's real father is in jail for kidnapping him" the brunette thought for a second "Isn't it better for him to have a clean break from the boy though, couldn't it set back his recovery if Denise rips him away again"
"Well, technically she named Chris as his father on the birth certificate and it hasn't changed, as far as the government knows he's the father" Matt said "he's in contact with his therapist about it, with Gene in jail things are easy and when he does get out he'll have restricted contact with him"
"Hopefully he won't get out until Christian is old enough to decide who he wants in his life" Holly said.
"We can only hope"
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Sorry had to cut this in two again as it was too big to post in one go. Rest following straight away.