CHAPTER TWENTY ONE (CLOSING THE DEAL...)
Vincent sat on a console at the foot of Haley's stretcher. His steel grey eyes observing her without seeming to. "...How you doing, kid?" His voice was low, scratchy..like he had partaken of a wee too much whiskey in his life.
Truth is, Duvalier was a scotch kind of guy, in reality. He sat, patiently now. His stare a straight forward one. He sensed something amiss with his agent. She was too quiet..too reserved. This one? She wasn't bouncing back as well as she usually did.
"..Better than Angel Faye or any of the others." She watched the paramedic take her pulse, her thoughts, obviously not with that particular task. Haley lifted troubled eyes. "...Why didn't someone come rescue them, Vincent?"
This wasn't like her. The bastard had rattled her badly, Duvalier surmised. "I have no answers, Haley..." He told the truth. "Only more questions."
The silence, for once, was uncomfortable between them. The man hated the fact. "He won't hurt any more women, at least." He could offer something positive maybe.
The silence returned. Duvalier sought desperately for something to say to make her feel better. That bastard, Brass, would know what to say.
"...He ..knew about my dad." She scowled darkly, her voice breaking. "How..did he know about my dad, Vincent?"
The man cast a hasty glance at the paramedic. "Work through it, Meadows." He hardened his tone a bit, reminding her..they were not alone.
She lost the moment, thankfully, closing her eyes briefly. She opened them hastily, however her eyes holding a vacant quality. She was here..but, she was back in that fucking room as well.
She focused on this reality determinedly, finding something with which to occupy her thoughts. "You look tired." She smiled wanely. "You should take better care of yourself..you're not getting any younger, you know."
"Thanks..." He shook his head at her brand of teasing. "Bitch."
The paramedic cast him a stern look.
Duvalier ignored it. "What'd ya want to hear? That I haven't slept in three days, smell like a wet dog and that I would kill for a drink, smoke and a long screw? Does that make me ancient in your eyes?"
"It makes you surprisingly human." She seemed better. "But, not that new blonde in Communications..she's uppity. No one on the team likes her." She wrinkled her nose with distaste. "Pick someone else."
"I think the whole point, is for ME to like her."
"You were always so selfish." She shook her head woefully. "Do you want my report now?"
He rubbed his eyes with his thumb and index finger. "Nah...I'm too damned tired for that shit right now." He sought her out. "We'll talk later."
She nodded, and seemed relieved.
"Why don't you close your eyes and get some rest?"
Haley cut her eyes to him hastily, her expression bemused. "You ARE tired, aren't you."
"Go on..get some rest."
"...I can't ..if I close my eyes.." She suddenly looked haggard...depressed...defeated. "I'm afraid this will all be a dream and I'll wake up back in that damned...."
"Not gonna happen, Meadows. I'm real." He cut her thoughts short. "Want me to fuck you to prove it?"
The paramedic's head came up, his interest caught in spite of his attempt to be discrete. The man frowned hard at Duvalier.
Haley chuckled, the sound rather an infectious one. "Thanks, I needed a good laugh."
"I'll keep the monsters at bay.." Vincent tried again. "Trust me to do that?" He met her gaze, his own an open challenge.
She..closed her eyes and..slept the rest of the way to the hospital.
Once there, however, the jolting of the van awakened her. For one brief second, Duvalier saw the fear, stress and unease in her eyes once again.
He sat, making no pretense of doing anything else but..stare at her. "You got get tits, Meadows.." He motioned, sensing a way to snap her out of her doldrums. "Been sitting here thinking....wonder if she'll wake up if I cop a feel."
She smiled at him. "You are a nut bar." She sighed lightly, sitting up. "This is stupid. Why can't I walk in? The guys are going to razz me for being a wuss."
"The guys aren't here yet..they are returning the equipment and spying on your boyfriend just in case something happens we don't know about." He told a partial truth. "Jimmy sends his love, though and wants to know if he can keep your Ipod."
Her mouth fell open, her expression changing quickly enough. "That little ass! Did he get into my stuff?"
"Well, be objective, Meadows...we all thought you were worm food."
"Geeeesh!" The paramedic did not think the 'joke' was in the best of taste if his expression was any criteria. "That's cold, man!"
Haley waved the issue aside. "Ohh, I'm lucky they didn't have a garage sale to get rid of my furniture and shit...you didn't have a garage sale..did you??"
"How you paint us." The man jumped out of the back of the ambulance, turning with a grin. "I made them put it all back."
She narrowed her eyes at him. "I hate you..." She was pretty sure. "I hate you..all!"
"Yeah..I'll alert the media..that's a fresh one." He stood back as the paramedics unloaded the stretcher. "Haven't heard it before."
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