Together

Harry walked into the family room of the Accident and Emergency department feeling like she was walking to the gallows. She had seen the extent of the beating Dempsey had taken, she couldn't even begin to imagine what deeper injuries she had been unable to see. The nurse, who she now knew was called Daniel ushered them to their seats.

"Does James have any family?"

"I told you." Spikings sighed.

Harry raised her hand. "His mother and sister are back in America. New York to be precise. I can call them but I'd rather not disturb them until I have concrete information to give them." She watched as the nurse nodded. "You didn't know he is American?"

"He didn't have any identification on him, I'm sorry." The nurse was genuinely sympathetic. Harry wanted to scream. Chas squeezed her hand.

"And he has ne said a word since he arrived?" Chas' soft Glaswegian accent filled the air. The nurse shook his head as the door opened. A young woman in a white coat with a stethoscope around her neck entered the room.

"I'm Doctor Ramini."

"How is he?" Spikings cut to the chase, not liking the solemn looks on the medics' faces. Harry tightened her hold on Chas' hand as Dr Ramini sat down.

"James has sustained multiple injuries. He's currently over in the CT scanner. We should know a little more when he gets back."

"Has he opened his eyes?" Harry asked. "He's got a fractured skull. I saw the blood in his ear and the bruising behind them. I've seen that injury before."

"Yes." The doctor nodded. "We believe he has a fracture to the base of his skull. It is serious but we also need to determine if there is any bleeding on his brain, his lungs and the other internal organs."

Chas nodded as he listened to the doctor spoke. He knew with every injury listed his friend was in worse shape than he had imagined. Dempsey had always seemed to be indestructible, the Yank with the luck of the Devil. Now all he could feel was anger. He had no idea why his friend had been taken and been attacked the way he had been. There had been talk of Swabey Junior and Coltrane but there was still no clear answers. He had a feeling that unless his friend recovered they would be hard pressed to get any. He glanced to his left to see Harry almost transparent with fear. The anger in his blood was close to boiling point. Surely the couple had been through enough?

"I think I should go back to the station." Chas stated as the doctor left the room. Harry nodded. She knew Chas well enough to know he needed to feel as if he was doing something. Spikings shot him a look.

"You have a head injury."

"Aye, and its been sorted. I'm more used to Dempsey and Harry if I am doing something to find the truth."

Harry looked away, knowing that in Chas' position she would want to be doing the same thing.

"Go, both of you. I'll call the station as soon as there is any news. I promise. No point in three senior officers being out of circulation, especially you, Sir." She paused as she felt the tears begin to fight their way to the surface. "Find the truth behind who did this. It seems Dempsey may be unable to tell us himself, for some time." She looked up as the nurse returned to the room.

"DS Makepeace?"

"Yes."

"You can see James now. If you want to follow me."

Harry nodded as both men glanced at each other. Chas couldn't shake the feeling Harry was preparing to say goodbye.

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The room was still chaotic as far as Harry could tell. She had no idea what was actually involved in a resuscitation attempt but knew the doctors and nurses had been doing everything to save Dempsey. She prayed it was enough. Sat next to his trolley she took in the bruises on his knuckles just below the IV line in the back of his hand. She smiled slightly, recognising a punch injury. She was glad he had fought back, it was what she would have expected from him. She let her eyes run down the bed, seeing a catheter snake out from under the bedsheet into the bag hanging on the end of the bed. She knew he would hate that. Her eyes travelled back up to his face, now a mismatch of bruises and wounds, with a bandage over his left eye and a neck brace holding his neck in place. A nasal cannula fed oxygen to him as she brushed his dark hair away from his face.

"Dempsey." She paused. "You have to beat this." She looked at his eyes, one closed and the other swollen tightly shut. "I need you to get over this." She brought his knuckles to her lips. Her eyes fell closed as she fought the tears, she knew she had promised not to let the tears fall. Her eyes snapped open as she felt his fingers curl around hers.

"Hey." She smiled slightly as he opened his good eye.

"Dempsey."

He smiled slightly before closing his eye once more, falling back into a natural sleep. Harry kept holding his hand, determined that she would be there when he woke up.

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