Chapter 38
Dinner at the Bray's was a silent affair. When the awkwardness eventually grew unbearable to him, Sully decided to break the news.
"Hey, sweet girl," he addressed his daughter who was sitting across from him in her high chair, clutching her spoon and staring at her soup. "I gotta tell ya somethin' real good."
But Hannah didn't want to look at her dad. She was confused and didn't know what to think. She loved her dad; he was her hero. Tonight, however, he was the reason that her best friend, Dr. Mike, had left her. She knew it was because of her dad because Dr. Mike had carried her across the yard when they both spotted him with his friend standing next to his car. They were hugging each other and it looked as if they were kissing. Dr. Mike froze for a moment before she said in a strange voice they better leave them alone. All that Hannah understood at this moment was that her friend was hurt because of what her dad had done.
Hannah was too young to analyze her thoughts but if she could have, she would have known that her small world had just got its first serious crack. She had been disappointed by her father before, but that had always been about her and him. This time he had upset somebody else, someone very dear to her and that had damaged her trust in him.
Before Sully could start another attempt to cheer up his daughter the muffled sound of sirens was heard, and everyone listened for a moment. Even Loren looked up from his plate, frowning. "Probably another accident," he grumbled and then resumed eating.
Yet Olive shook her head. "I think I heard somethin' like a shot a few minutes ago," she said, looking concerned now. "Sounds like a robbery rather than a car crash."
The kitchen was at the back of the house but despite the distance from the street the noise from there was audible now.
Sully pushed back his chair and got up. "I'm takin' a look," he announced.
On his way to the living room, where the windows looked out onto the street, an uneasy feeling began to settle in his chest. For some reason he was convinced that this wasn't about one of the stores nearby. His inner voice told him that the clinic was in trouble, and as soon as he spotted two police cars in the parking lot he knew he was right. But it was worse: the lights in Michaela's practice were on. Hoping against hope that she wasn't there he dashed out of the room, shouting towards the kitchen that he needed to go to the clinic and already left the house while his words were still ringing through the corridor.
As he ran around the corner Sully's view was blocked by the crowd of onlookers, and so he pushed his way through until the yellow police tape stopped him. He was rooted to the spot now anyway because he was finally able to see what the ruckus was about: a man with a gun was holding Michaela captive.
Sully barely noticed that someone grasped his arm, clutching to it tightly. Only when the burglar yelled something unintelligible and fired his weapon into the air did he come back to his senses. Frantically looking around he tried to find somebody familiar who was able to get him closer to the house where the policemen did their best to take cover in order to avoid that anybody was shot.
Hank used this tiny moment of distraction and broke loose from the grip of the cops, retreating back into the hallway of the clinic. Before he had been dragged out he had made a few important observations, and one of them was that one of the thieves searched the cabinets rather than participated in threatening Michaela and challenging the cops. It was this man he was after.
Ever so slowly he crept along the wall, cautiously looking around the corner. The waiting area was empty and he crossed it with a few long strides. Next to the open door of the examination room where Michaela had tended to his hand he pressed his back against the wall. Peering in he saw the burglar pulling out drawers, rummaging through them carelessly. His movements grew more impatient by the minute, and Hank knew it was now or never. With two steps he was behind the man, getting in position before he said, enjoying the moment, "Hey!"
As the burglar turned around, Hank's fist landed with a heavy punch on his nose. Without any sound the man passed out. Before he hit the floor Hank caught him, throwing him over his shoulder. All the while he had listened to the noise from the room next door and he knew it was time to retreat. That guy there had a gun and Hank had no intention to put Michaela in even more danger than she already was. Driven into a corner, addicts were even more unpredictable than normal. All that he had wanted was to get rid of this second guy which was easiest done by knocking him out. Knowing that cops weren't allowed to punch even the worst jerk Hank had seen it as his task to do just that.
When he appeared with his burden on the threshold of the entrance to the clinic the two policemen from before were at his side instantly. They were a seasoned officer with his rookie, and while the older man glared at Hank the young one grinned at him openly. However, their reunion was disturbed by someone from behind the cordon yelling Hank's name. This, however, put two other people in motion who rushed towards the caller whom Hank now recognized as Sully.
Daniel was furious when he approached Sully. While the latter was confused about his friend's anger the former didn't pay any attention to him. He was in Catherine's face before Detective McKay could hold him back.
"That's all your fault!" he screamed at the young woman, "Who the hell are these guys?"
"Hey!" Sully shoved his friend back as Catherine hid behind him. "Leave her alone."
"Miss Wild?" asked Detective McKay.
When she fearfully nodded, he said, "I'm Detective McKay with the CSPD. We need the name of this man and any information you can give us about him." With that he held up the tape for her to get into the cordoned off area. "Can Sully come with me?" she implored and the officer nodded curtly. There was no time for arguments.
Thrown by Daniel's open hostility and his assumption that Catherine knew something about this break-in Sully didn't hesitate to follow, not as much for Catherine's sake but because he could finally get closer to Michaela. The robber had taken her with him when he retreated from the window as soon as he noticed that his companion had been captured. It was quiet inside the practice now, far too quiet for Sully's liking and he decided that when Hank had managed to enter the clinic he could certainly do the same.
However, his attention was drawn back to the detective and his friends when he heard Catherine saying the burglar's name.
McKay instantly sprang into action again, leaving the three of them alone as he gave new orders to his men.
Sully was incredulous. "How do you know him?" he demanded. "Are ya in this?"
"Of course not!" Catherine defended, tears threatening to fall. "How can you think something like that?"
"Then how come they referred to you when they attacked Michaela?" Daniel growled, not believing her at all. He wasn't a violent person but at the moment he felt he could hit her. He wasn't interested in her excuses and needing some spatial distance between her and him he stepped away, watching how McKay organized his men for them to free the hostage.
Still waiting for an explanation Sully continued looking at the woman by his side, wondering for the first time since she'd arrived if he knew her at all. The vulnerable look on her face didn't move him, not before he could be sure that it wasn't her who had put Michaela in such grave a danger.
"Sully, you have to believe me," she began, her tone imploring. "I met Jimmy and Dave at the YMCA. One day, they saw me taking my pills and asked me where I got them. I told them from Dr. Quinn and they wanted to go to her right away, but it was already after her opening hours," the words started to spill out of her, begging him to trust her. "I told them she's at her practice only till 6pm; that they would have to wait for the next day. They never mentioned it again and then I met Daniel and lost touch with them."
Sully let out a sigh of relief; she hadn't known that her information would be used in a criminal way. He would still have a word with her later but his focus was on Michaela's rescue again as the activity before the clinic increased. Some cops vanished inside the building while Detective McKay called the burglar's name, using a megaphone.
Sully thought that strange since nowadays kidnappers were called via telephone when they were inside of a building, but he quickly understood. Obviously taken by surprise at hearing his name the man appeared at the open window again, pressing Michaela against him and wielding his gun. "What?" he yelled but before he knew what was happening he was overwhelmed from behind. The cops had used the distraction created by their superior to get into the room.
It was over.
The crowd still lingered though, watching paramedics with a stretcher rushing into the house and how the criminal was led off to a police car. They weren't allowed closer to the building for the cops still had to secure evidence, but at least they had the satisfaction of witnessing how Hank was questioned by one officer and Daniel by another one.
Yet what they were really waiting for was for their doctor to appear, wanting to see with their own eyes that she was fine. Well, as fine as one could be after such an ordeal.
Sully was fixing the entrance with his eyes as if staring there would bring her out sooner, and when she was eventually carried out on the stretcher he was at her side immediately. He winced at seeing her damaged face, wanting to take away all the pain.
"Hey," he said tenderly, "ya alright?"
Instead of responding to his question she asked without meeting his eyes, "Where are Daniel and Hank?"
Looking over his shoulder, his gaze fell on Catherine who stood behind him like a shadow. Somewhat irritated he frowned at her, fearing Michaela would draw the wrong conclusion by her proximity to him. This was not the time for worrying about that though and so he called for the two men she wanted to see.
"No need for yellin' around a lady," Hank drawled as he approached the stretcher from the other side, grinning down at Michaela.
"What's up, Doc?" he asked, willing himself to sound tough. He knew that sympathy would not help for her to maintain her composure.
One corner of her mouth moved in an attempted smile. "Thank you, Hank," she said lifting her hand for him to take it. He did, giving it an assuring squeeze, "Anytime. Just make sure I'm at Grace's again the next time."
A chuckle escaped her and she instantly winced in pain. The paramedic who was carrying the upper end of the stretcher grew impatient, "We gotta take her to the hospital. She needs stitches." He gestured for his partner to move on but Michaela asked, "Wait, please. Where is Daniel?"
"I'm here," he said, stepping around Hank. "And ya should listen to them. We can talk later."
But stubborn as she was, Michaela offered her hand to him, too. "First I need to thank you, Daniel," she insisted.
As Daniel took her hand, covering it with his other and assured her that it had been nothing, Sully cringed inwardly. Michaela acted as if he wasn't here, and a bout of jealousy blinded him momentarily. But when the paramedics eventually carried Michaela to their vehicle he realized that Catherine was clinging to his arm again. Unnerved, he shook her off.
"What's wrong?" she asked startled as she looked at his angry face.
"I don't want for Dr. Mike to think me and you are a couple," he set her straight.
"Why not?" she asked baffled.
Sully considered her for a moment, and judging her expression she really didn't understand. Daniel had been right about her being in love with him all the time. He hated to hurt her, but he had no choice. If he wanted to have a chance with Michaela he had to tell Catherine the truth so she would stop interfering.
"'Cause I love her," he told her quietly and heard how Daniel commented through clenched teeth, "It's about time ya finally admit it."