Gil's phone buzzed as soon as he got into the driver's seat. Before picking up, he turned the ignition, leaving the car in park. "Arroyo," he answered.
Malcolm recognized J.T.'s voice on the other end, although it was too muffled to make any sense of the words being spoken.
"Central? You've got to be kidding me. I'll call. Thanks, J.T.." Gil ended the call and immediately started another.
Central? Malcolm didn't know any "central" that would apply to his current situation.
"Hello, Sir. Thank you for taking my call at this hour. I'd just like to clarify where I'm taking Bright. One of my detectives informed me you ordered Central Booking? There has to be somewhere else we can- Yes. I understand that, but- Sir, with all due respect, Central is a half a mile away from Major Crimes. Bright works with us. Do you know how many people at central will likely recognize him from the precinct?" That's like putting a cop in Gen Pop. We can't just throw him to the wolves, like- Yes. Of course I do. I just-"
The voice on the other end got louder, more stern.
"No. Yes. Crystal, Sir." Gil ended the call and threw his phone into the passenger seat, smacking his palms on the steering wheel, "Asshole!"
"Thank you for trying, Gil," Malcolm's voice was defeated, sullen. He still hadn't completely processed the fact that he was sitting in the back of his would-be-father's car, under arrest - at least one of the allegations against him being murder. He certainly hadn't even begun to consider what jail he was headed to for booking, or what it might mean if someone there recognized him. Oddly enough, none of these things were what was at the forefront of his mind, even now. All Malcolm could think about was the possibility that Dani might wake up and he wouldn't be there with her.
Gil shifted gears and pulled out of the parking space. "I'll talk to the unis at Central. Make sure that they do everything they can to keep you separated as much as possible."
"Whatever has to be done to get me processed, bailed, and back here as soon as possible," he responded quietly. "I have to be here when she wakes up, Gil. She can't be alone."
"I know. I'll have J.T. keep watch until you're out."
"Thank you." Malcolm leaned his head against the window, and watched as they left Brooklyn, leaving his heart lying in a hospital bed behind him.
Gil opened the door and helped Malcolm out, gesturing in the direction that he should walk. Once they were inside Central Booking, an officer Murphy greeted Gil. He led them to a metal table with a clear divider in the center. Gil removed Malcolm's cuffs and stood against the wall, allowing officer Murphy to begin the procedure.
"Please remove all personal items: watches, jewelry, belt, wallet, and electronic devices not including hearing aids."
Malcolm complied, placing his belt, watch, phone, and wallet on the table. The officer recuffed Malcolm's left hand, connecting the other end to the ring in the table, then collected his belongings and placed them in a bag. Murphy then grabbed a laptop and some papers and settled down on the other side of the divider. He skimmed the report and started typing the information into the computer. "Okay, 4:27am. You are Malcolm Bright, correct?"
Malcolm's reply was faint, "Yes."
"Formerly a criminal profiler for the FBI. Wow. Currently a case consultant for the NYPD?" The last sentence shifted into a question midway through.
"Yes."
"You're being charged with-," the officer looked up at Gil in shock. Malcolm's eyes fell to his free hand in his lap. "-murder, attempted murder, and assault with a deadly weapon. Mr. Bright do you understand the charges being brought against you?"
Each time Malcolm heard the allegations -truth be told, the list of sins he'd committed- the weight pressing down on his chest increased. He cleared his throat, "Yes."
After completing the rest of the paperwork, which consisted mostly of identifiable information and questions about scars and tattoos. Murphy took Malcolm over to the camera to take his picture.
Never in a thousand years had Malcolm ever thought he would have a mugshot. As he stood in the different positions, Gil watching from behind the camera, shame crept upon him. His mind boggled at the paradox of feeling shame for an action, but not necessarily regretting the action either. Try as he may to describe it, he couldn't put into words how it felt.
After the pictures, came the finger printing, DNA sample, and a full body search. The latter being far worse than anything Malcolm had expected. When he was finished, Murphy handed him back his stack of clothing. Malcolm was surprised, he had prepared himself for something more traffic-cone orange. "I keep my clothes?" he asked, taking them and redressing.
"Until we see if you're eligible for bail or not," he answered.
Malcolm looked up at officer Murphy confused, while buttoning his shirt, "If?" He had assumed he would be able to post bail as soon as the booking was finished. Even for a murder charge, if the suspect wasn't a flight risk, which he wouldn't have been even prior to Dani's condition, then there was a typically set bail amount. You paid it, if you could, and you left.
Murphy nodded, "According to your file online, your bail hearing is set for 1pm. The allegations against you are severe enough that they want you in front of a judge. Judges always reserve the right to deny bail if they see fit."
The weight on his chest pressed even harder. There was a chance he wasn't leaving at all. A decent chance, if he was being completely honest with himself.
Dani.
At the thought of her, the pressure against him became almost unbearable. What if this was it. What if he never again got to hold her, kiss her, wake up to her nestled into him. Malcolm struggled to take a breath, the early warning signs of another anxiety attack looming, as Murphy guided him out into the hall.
Gil was waiting outside the door. He saw Malcolm's face and knew something had happened. "What's going on?"
"My bail hearing is at one," Malcolm replied, winded. He tried to focus on steadying his breathing.
"Hearing?" Gil directed his next question to Murphy, "Why is there a hearing?"
"Apparently the higher ups flagged him for one, based on the charges."
Gil rolled his eyes, furious, and refocused on Malcolm. "They're covering their own asses, because of how many cases you've consulted on. This is insane. He's not a flight risk."
"It's not my call, Sir," Murphy replied, nudging Malcolm forward. "As far as keeping him away from the populace... I can put him in a psych watch cell until his hearing, if you want. That's the best I can do to keep him separated from general holding."
Gil looked to Malcolm for confirmation; he nodded in agreement. Murphy led him down the hallway to the right, to a solitary cell. Malcolm glanced up at Gil, who tried to comfort him, "I'll call Jessica, and get your lawyer up to speed. We'll be there at one. Hang in there, kid."
Malcolm didn't even nod in response. He simply turned and stepped into the cell, the solid metal door slamming shut behind him.
Malcolm entered the small courtroom, his hands cuffed in front of him. He'd only just met his attorney a few moments prior to entering. Jacob Stiver, had been hand picked by his mother, and approved by Gil, as one of the top defense attorneys in the city. His eyes searched the few available seats for the two of them. Jessica's hand went to her mouth at the sight of her son in handcuffs.
Malcolm remained standing at the table, as Jacob had told him to, and waited for the judge to address him.
"Case number 84602-4 The People of the State of New York v. Malcolm Bright. Mr. Bright you are being charged with Murder in the first degree, attempted murder in the first degree, and assault with a deadly weapon. You are not responding with a plea at this time. Do you understand the charges being brought against you, yes or no?"
Malcolm's mouth was a desert, "Yes, your honor."
"You have absolutely zero prior offenses, Mr. Bright, not even a parking ticket. That's quite a leap." The judge sat the paperwork down and looked at Malcolm, who didn't respond. "I have to be honest, it's been a long time since a list of charges like that have come across my bench. You're ex FBI, correct?"
"Yes, your honor."
"And you frequently consult with the Major Crimes division of the NYPD? You catch criminals for a living."
"I do, your honor."
Jacob interjected, "You honor if I may. My client understands the seriousness of the allegations against him. As you said, he has zero prior offenses. Additionally, there is no chance of him being a flight risk whatsoever. His close friend and colleague is in serious condition at New York Presbyterian in Brooklyn. The only place he intends to go upon being released is there to be with her."
"Is this true?" the judge glared at Malcolm over the rims of his glasses.
"Yes, Sir. Um, your honor."
The judge took a moment to ponder the dilemma before him, before clearing his throat. "Based on the severity of the allegations against you, Mr. Bright,"
Please no, Malcolm's stomach lurched.
"and in accordance with the standard rates per offense, bail is set at 1.55 million dollars."
A smile exploded across Malcolm's face. For a brief moment, the weight on his chest lifted. "Thank you, your honor!"
"Don't thank me. The charges against you are dire, Mr. Bright. I hope, for your sake, that you truly understand the gravity of this situation. You are hereby prohibited from leaving the state of New York for any reason. You are not permitted to possess any deadly weapon from now throughout the duration of your trial. And you are not permitted to step foot onto the premises of the Major Crimes division headquarters. Should you violate any of these mandates you will be immediately incarcerated until the completion of your trial. Do you understand these orders?"
"I do."
"Bail has been set. If you are able to pay it please see the clerk of courts after you exit this courtroom."
Malcolm followed Jacob out the door, still escorted by the officer that brought him there. Jessica and Gil immediately followed. He wasn't surprised to find that his mother already had the check filled out and handed it to the clerk as soon as they got to the desk. The officer uncuffed Malcolm and he signed the required paperwork.
Jacob shook Malcolm's hand, "We should plan to meet tomorrow to go over the details of the case. I'm guessing your plea hearing will be in a week or so. I'll be in touch with you later today."
"Thank you."
As Jacob left, Jessica took the opportunity to pull Malcolm into a hug. "Darling, how are you?" She held him at arm's length to inspect his condition.
"I'm fine, mother. Just ready to get back to the hospital."
Jessica looked surprised, "Right this instant? You must be exhausted. Why don't you stop by your apartment, get some rest, take a shower, eat something- I'm sure you haven't eaten nearly enough."
"I can do that later. Right now I just want to get back to Dani." Malcolm turned to look out the door of the courthouse.
"Oh. Is that so?" When he wasn't looking, Jessica gave Gil a quizzical look, which he answered by raising his eyebrows and smiling mischievously. "Then I'll have Adolpho pick us up."
Gil patted Malcolm on the shoulder, "I have to get back to the precinct. I'll call to check on Dani a little later."
Malcolm nodded, barely comprehending what he had said. His mind was preoccupied. The only thing he could focus on was getting back to Dani.
When they got to the hospital, Dani had been moved to a regular room. Malcolm anxiously bounced for the entirety of the elevator ride, while Jessica silently noted her son's behavior with amusement. J.T. was scrolling through his phone in the chair, when Malcolm stepped into the room.
"Hey," the detective said, jumping out of his seat. "How you doing?" At that moment, Jessica entered behind him and J.T. found a reason to excuse himself. "I'll run downstairs and grab a bite. We can catch up later," he hinted, exiting Dani's room.
Malcolm stood next to the bed, once again taking Dani's hand in his. Jessica took the few steps forward required to join him and watched the tenderness with which he held onto her.
After a few moments of quiet contemplation, Jessica finally spoke what she'd been holding in since they'd left the courthouse, "What happened Malcolm? Why on Earth would you…" She paused to adjust her tone. "Gil said Detective Powell was shot? That you were trying to make a trade for her life, and the man shot her anyway."
Malcolm nodded, never taking his eyes off of Dani. "She was covered in blood. I held her as she took, what I thought was, her last breath." He wiped a stray tear from his cheek. "I snapped."
"And you shot all three of them?" Jessica's voice was a chiding whisper. "Malcolm, you killed a man."
Malcolm gazed up at the ceiling, fighting back more tears, "I know. Believe me, I know." Then he turned and looked at his mother, his eyes filled with turmoil, and whispered, "I thought she was dead." Another single tear slid its way down Malcolm's cheek.
Jessica's scorn seemed to melt away. Suddenly her eyes were filled with joy and compassion, "You're in love with her."
Malcolm was caught off guard by his mother's astute observation, "What?"
"My darling child. You thought Dani was dead, and it provoked you to violence the likes of which you've never even hinted at before in all your life. Only one thing can drive you to that kind of madness - Love."
He looked back at Dani, surviving on tubes, and IV drips, each breath she took powered by a machine, "Yeah."
"I'm happy for you," Jessica smiled, lovingly caressing his arm. "Now we just have to get these charges straightened out and the two of you can live happily ever after."
Is that all? Malcolm thought.
"Listen, you've had an absolutely horrific thirty-six hours. Go home. Get some rest. Come back fresh in the morning. I'd be happy to drop you off on my way home."
"Thank you. But I'm not going anywhere."
Jessica thought about pushing the subject further, then took one look at her son, and knew hell itself couldn't keep him from her in this moment.
"I'll swing by your place and pick you out a change of clothes then. Adolpho can bring them to you a little later."
He nodded and again thanked her as she left.
Ten minutes later, J.T. returned from the cafeteria. Malcolm was lost in thought, still standing at Dani's bedside gently caressing her hand where he could.
"Hey," he said walking up to the side of the bed as well.
"Hi."
After a moment of slightly awkward silence, J.T. continued, "So, how are you?"
Malcolm genuinely thought about it for a moment. He wasn't sure that even now he could correctly identify the mixture of emotions that were consistently pouring through him. "I'm not really sure how to answer that." Then Malcolm remembered that he and Gil weren't the only ones dealing with fallout from the events of the past two days. "How much trouble are you in for letting me leave with the cartridges?"
J.T. chuckled, "No idea. Truth be told you're everyone's main focus right now. Well, you and Gil. They haven't exactly gotten to me yet."
A fresh wave of guilt washed over him, for the mess he'd gotten both of his teammates into.
"I'm sorry, J.T.. Truly I am."
The detective waved him off, "You don't need to apologize to me. I could have kept you in that parking garage. I made my decision. If there's consequences for that decision then they're on me, not you."
Malcolm thanked him with an affiliative smile.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"Bright, did you go to that marina for the ammo, or to make them pay for Dani?"
The profiler slowly turned his head, trying to read his face, "Is this Detective Tarmel asking?"
"No. This is your friend J.T. asking - off the record."
Malcolm paused and again turned to look at Dani before he spoke, "We got the cartridges back, and that's great. But I knew we would, if none of them were still standing. J.T., I thought I'd watched her die in my arms. The rage that coursed through me… They deserved justice for what they'd done." Once he'd finished his confession, Malcolm anxiously awaited the detective's response. After a few minutes of complete silence, he started to worry.
Then, J.T. uncrossed his arms, and slowly extended his right one out toward Malcolm, to shake his hand.
At first Malcolm was confused. But as his teammate nodded in appreciation, he understood the gesture and shook J.T.'s hand.
