A/N - Heehee, hello you lovely people! Happy Monday, enjoy this little bit of amusement. Nice to see Hale and Swift together, maybe she has more friends than she realises...

"Jesus Christ, that's bad."

Hale watched as Swift twisted like a pretzel back around on herself to examine her leg. She pulled a face as she looked at the back of her thigh, what she thought had been nothing but a graze was a full-out bullet in the back of her. She groaned, it was going to be messy. Putting some pressure on it with her hand, she looked at Hale for a little sympathy.

"You don't have some towels, do you? Forceps? Mine are all in my other bag." David nodded and slipped away to the bathroom for a moment. Swift winced as she hopped across the kitchen to find herself a drink, she was definitely going to need one now. At least she was sure she could let go in a cop's house. She took a long swig of vodka and swallowed it down just as he returned, extended what she needed to her. Hale immediately ran some hot water into a bowl and carried it over.

"Let me call a doctor," he insisted. "Or get you to a hospital. I'm sure-"

"No." Swift was short and sharp with him. "No doctors, no hospitals, I can do it myself."

If it had been anywhere but in such a difficult place to deal with, she probably would have been able to but Hale could already tell she was going to struggle. He started to wipe off some of the blood, ignoring her insistence that she didn't need his help, and his nose wrinkled as he studied it carefully. The bullet had fragmented, tearing her skin in a dozen directions, it was going to take some serious focus to clean that up, let alone stitch it.

"I can take it out," he said, looking at it carefully. "But I haven't got the stuff here to stop it from bleeding properly, I'm not a medic."

Swift hesitated, she knew that Chibs would be able to do it but asking him for help would come with having to answer questions about what had happened. She sighed as she took another drink before raising the bottle. "Hope you weren't saving this." Hale laughed and gestured for her to continue as she looked back at her leg. No way could she do what she needed to do by herself, they were going to need help.

Hale could see her thinking about it and nodded slowly. "Here, let me call someone. One of your friends," he added teasingly. "I can just call Clay and-"

"No, definitely not Clay." Clay would have called someone himself by now, she was sure of that. He was a proud asshole of a man, but even he wouldn't risk bleeding out. "Chibs, you can call Chibs."

Hale noticed her instant reaction and frowned. He had found her not all that far from the lot, it wouldn't surprise him if someone from there had taken the shot at her. He pushed his lips together as he called Chibs quickly and summoned him. He watched Swift as she took another sip of vodka, she was obviously needing it to suppress the pain. Most people would be roaring in agony at such a sensitive spot being hit, but she was overpowering it with spirits.

"Are you going to tell me what happened?" he asked as he urged her to lie across the couch. Swift groaned as he pressed her to rest, lying her on her stomach and exposing the wound to the light. She knew that she couldn't exactly tell him - although she didn't doubt that word would get around Charming soon enough.

"Do you really want to know?"

She looked at him with a mischievous smile and Hale couldn't help but laugh. "No, I probably don't." She twisted onto her side, keeping her leg carefully away from the back of the couch. Last thing she wanted to do was bleed all over David Hale's furniture. She pressed her hand against her head, maybe she should just tell him. He'd find out.

"Clay Morrow shot me." She smiled. "That's off the record, by the way, so you can't use it in your little investigation."

Hale's eyebrows furrowed, that wasn't good. This woman didn't seem to realise that that, right there, was really, really bad news. "What did you do?"

"Is it like he needs a reason?" She laughed, she already knew he didn't. She gave him a petulant frown. "And why is it my fault? He started it. Fucking pervert. You going to tell me it's because I'm dressed like this? I was asking for it?"

David's face paled a little and he sank to his knees on the floor beside her on the couch. "No, I would never say that, nobody ever deserves anything." His eyes flicked anxiously over her. "Christ, what did he do to you? Did he touch you?" If she hadn't already been bruised, maybe he would have seen the markings of the clout Clay had given her. "If he hurt you, Effie, you've got to tell me, there are things we can do-"

"Just usual man stuff," she said coldly. "And don't call me Effie, that's not my name. I'm Swift, Swift Jameson." She smiled a little. "Like a quick drink."

Hale couldn't help but smile at her little joke, at least she was trying to keep her sense of humour. "I'm serious, Swift." He took her hand in his, it was an affectionate move that made Swift blush a little. She had barely come across David Hale but he seemed like he could be a nice enough guy if he weren't so close to her real identity. "What did he do?"

She shrugged. "He wanted to have sex, like they all do." She tried to act calmly about it, but Hale could tell that her apparent nonchalance made her uncomfortable. "And I… didn't." There was an awkward moment of silence before she shrugged. "Doesn't matter, really. I've found ways of getting around that shit. First time I've actually taken action, though."

Hale was about to respond as Chibs banged on the door fiercely. He stammered for an answer but then got up and went to let the Son in. Chibs moved quickly, straight across the room as he made his way to Swift. "Oh, mother of Christ, what have you done to yourself?" He frowned as he pressed her flat to the couch and started to pull a few things out of his bag. He lay them out on the floor and immediately set to work, defragging her skin and wiping away the oozing blood. "Jesus, Swifty, I left you for an hour and this happens?"

"It was an accident," she said, giving Hale a look that demanded he keep his mouth shut.

"You shot yourself in the leg by accident?" Chibs' eyebrows furrowed and he looked at her curiously. Swift gave him a hopeless, lopsided sort of smile and he softened instantly. Hale rolled his eyes, Chibs was besotted, that was clear. "Juice was on watch, you should have told him, he could have helped you with this. Not that I mind," he added, caressing her calf gently. Swift murmured contently and Hale edged back.

Going back towards the kitchen, he pulled out his phone and dialled St Thomas. It rang twice before the hospital administrator picked it up. "It's David Hale," he ventured quietly. "I need to know if Clay Morrow's been brought in."

"Just a few minutes ago." The woman's voice was clipped, she sounded put out. "He's in surgery now."

Hale rubbed his jaw. Swift had made it clear that the shooting was off the record, but she hadn't been so specific after that and Clay's sexual attack was something he could definitely use to lock him down. "Keep security on him until a police official arrives," he insisted. "I don't want any Sons of Anarchy near the building, you keep him isolated. Gemma Teller too," he added firmly, "She doesn't go anywhere near him."

"I don't think she'll want to," Margaret smirked. "Half of his penis is being re-attached at the moment, I'm going to hope that was nothing to do with her."

Hale grimaced instantly and looked back towards Swift. Chibs was leaning over her, kissing her gently as he caressed her leg, trying to soothe the pain that she was feeling. Swift was smiling beneath his touch, giggling as the alcohol overtook her and trying to ignore the practical side of what he was doing as he pushed some gauze into her skin. Fuck, this girl was dangerous, Hale had no doubt in his mind about that. She clearly didn't realise the trouble she was getting herself in, Clay would be murderous by the time he got out of there - if he didn't send out a hit before that. Hale rubbed the back of his head as he hung up.

"You'll take her home?" he asked Chibs, patting his back lightly. Chibs nodded.

"Aye, thanks for picking her up. Trigger-happy," he added, giving her a teasing slap across the ass. Swift snorted with laughter, drunk on the vast amount of spirit she had consumed. "I've got her, thank you."

David nodded a moment then beckoned Chibs to step aside with him. Chibs frowned and pushed a comforting kiss onto Swift as he got up. David pushed his hands in his pockets for a moment and looked at her before he murmured, "I think she might have got in a bit of trouble, on your lot. I need you to make sure you keep an eye on her, Chibs, I don't want her getting hurt."

Chibs laughed as he glanced over at her. Swift was toying with some tassels on a cushion on the couch, winding them around her finger and talking to them absently. "She'll be fine. I'd have kept her at mine but Clay, he gets worried about attachment."

Hale couldn't help but laugh at the word. "Yeah, well, I'm not too surprised." He nodded towards her. "I just don't want to see anyone killed, you know that. Keep her close to you and take care of her, I think she needs it."

Chibs smiled at that. "Aye, I will."