XXV

Ryan sped along in the Hummer toward Fisher Bay Marina, barely noticing how fast he was going or how many other drivers he was pissing off by weaving in and out of them like a madman.

He didn't care. He just needed to get to Natalia.

And then maybe this whole nightmare would finally be over.

Ryan coughed thickly into his sleeve, a weird taste appearing in his mouth. He ignored it, just as he ignored the ever-increasing feeling of being out of breath. Just as he ignored the now profound chill that had settled beneath his skin, clinging to his very bones. Rescuing his best friend was all he could think about, all he could care about.

"All units be advised," came a woman's voice over the radio. "All units responding to the 207 at Fisher Bay Marina."

Ryan frowned, glancing down at the radio. The call was just issued, there shouldn't be any updates yet...

"We are at Code 11," the voice continued. "All units are ordered to keep to the perimeter until SWAT arrives."

"WHAT?" Ryan yelled. There wasn't time for that!

Ryan pressed even harder on the already floored gas pedal. He had to get there first.

Before anyone could stop him.

-()-

Natalia forced her eyes open.

It was slowly getting harder and harder to stay awake. The suffocating ache in her side was overwhelming. She tried to keep her hand clamped over it as hard as she could to help stem the bleeding, but her strength was quickly fading. The cold was beginning to seep into her core.

She forced herself to stare at the ceiling, clenching her jaw against the pain. Her vision was going fuzzy.

She knew she didn't have long.

One soft little tear leaked out of the corner of her eye, but it was no longer out of fear or anger or pain. She was too weak to feel such strong emotions anymore. Her addled mind couldn't quite name what she was feeling. It felt a little like...

Relief?

This would all be over soon. She could be at peace. She could be safe again. All she had to do was wait to fall asleep.

All she had to do was wait to die.

No one was coming.

Natalia wrestled her eyes open once more. No. I refuse to let it end like this. I deserve better than this, God damn it!

She forced her mind to think about the things in her life that were worth holding on for. Her sisters, Christine and Anya. They still needed some serious looking-after, especially Anya. Her parents. They had always worried about her so much, especially after she started working in criminal justice. They would be absolutely crushed if anything were to happen to her.

Her friends. Valera, Horatio, Walter, Calleigh, Eric, Frank, Travers, Tom, Dave, all the other cops and techs running around... None of them should have to handle losing one of their own again so soon.

Ryan.

Natalia's heart ached at the thought of her best friend. He would blame himself forever. She couldn't bear to think of him ever having to deal with that kind of pain. It would destroy him from the inside out. He struggled with enough self-loathing sometimes. She feared this would send him over the edge into that terrible place that few, if any, ever made it back from.

She just wanted to see him one more time. There were things to say to everyone in her life. She couldn't bear to leave like this. It simply wasn't fair.

Is this what all murder victims think about? she thought, her mind's eye replaying all the faces of people she'd sought justice for over the years. She supposed not all of them had time to think like this before they died. Most of their deaths were over in a heartbeat. Morbidly she wondered which was worse.

When death comes slowly, one had time to remember what they would be missing and who they were leaving behind without saying goodbye. But was that really a bad thing? Was it any worse than life being snuffed out too quickly for recognition?

She came to the conclusion that, as a rule, death pretty much just sucked in any capacity.

Natalia was no doctor. She didn't know just how bad the wound in her side was or how long she had until her lifeblood was spent. All she knew was that she had to hang on as long as possible.

Her eyelids flickered shut, feeling too heavy to keep open anymore. Her thoughts were growing fuzzier by the moment.

She just needed to rest for a moment...

-()-

Ryan shut off his lights and sirens before he got all the way to the marina. If Simon Clovis was there, he didn't want to alert him to his presence. He jumped out of the Hummer and drew his gun. Looking over his shoulder, he saw more cop cars as well as another Hummer speeding towards him. Ryan took off running toward the docks before anyone else could reach him.

He found the dock number he was looking for. He advanced cautiously down the wooden dock, reading the names of the boats.

Carry On.

Ryan's heart thudded painfully in his chest when he saw that name. This was it. This was Clovis' boat.

He wasn't a religious man, but Ryan suddenly felt the urge to pray as he quietly stepped off the dock onto the the deck of the boat.

All was silent.

Author's Note: Did Ryan really find the right boat? Is Natalia going to make it? ... Heck if I know. ;P More ASAP!