Takes place during The Cortex Connection after Fry and Dempsey are injured. I've assumed that Demsey and Makepeace are senior to him and he's not yet carrying a gun. The thought of someone who'd get a bucket of steam being armed is a bit alarming, sorry Fry! Don't recall Dave as a character.
Fry holds the pad above his eye and waits, watching people as he does so. He hates hospitals, they remind him of his dad getting drunk and the pointlessness of late-night fights. He wonders why it's so busy here on a Thursday at eleven in the morning, what brings them all here?
Dempsey has returned from an x-ray and is studying the vending machine offerings and for reasons that Fry can't establish, not chatting up a nurse.
"The coffee is…." Fry doesn't have words for it. His superior nods with a wry grin. Fry declines the offer of another cup. He's not that brave.
"Dumb as rocks," Dempsey observes of the two pissed men arguing with the staff at the desk. There's no sign of security. With a sigh, he gets to his feet, walks over and flashes his badge making sure they see the metal of his gun. "Sit down and stop giving these people a hard time. I can arrest you and it'll be a whole lot less fun."
Somehow Dempsey has managed to get them to behave whilst threatening them. Fry likes to think he'd be able to do the same but fears he'd get a punch for his troubles, like most people. He is 'most people' albeit hidden behind a police badge, hoping that one day he'll carry a gun and have Dempsey's authority.
"Humans," Dempsey sits down again, deliberately facing the men.
Fry doesn't have much to say to this unless it is to remind the man that he isn't a superhero, and not always the best-behaved example. It's partly why they are here. That sounds a bit like something Sergeant Makepeace would say, and get away with.
'You okay?" Dempsey eyes him with kindness that is unexpected and Fry reassesses the situation.
"I'm thinking up excuses to tell my mum. I'm taking her out for her birthday tomorrow." Fry looks at the bandage, he's still bleeding a bit. "Sorry…"
"What for?" Dempsey winces at the coffee.
"At least I get to see my mother," Fry treads carefully. They don't do personal chat, that's Harry's department.
'Yeah, but if she was here, she'd be saying the same as yours. Secretly, she's proud of you." Dempsey gives Fry a nudge before he can form a thank you for the unexpected reassurance. "Looks like you're on."
Fry is taken to a small, curtained cubicle deep inside the busy Accident and Emergency department of Guys and St Thomas' hospital. He has an awful headache and a few palpitations from the state of the Rover. His arm is aching from where Dempsey hauled him across the seats to safety but he's alive. This is good.
He's never going out with Dempsey and Makepeace again. Well, Makepeace would be fine but she seems to only go out with Dempsey these days.
Fry smiles at the young nurse who has arrived with a tray armed with frightening instruments. They agree with a series of frowns and nods that the language barrier might be too great. This is good he thinks, he doesn't want to know what will happen anyway. 'Sofia', her name, is about as much as he manages. She's rather pretty.
He lies down and tries not to think about the needle of local injection that's about to… hurt. Instead, he listens to Dempsey walking past.
"I'll be fine, a few cuts. You know what I think, live..."
"James Dempsey?" A male voice firmly interrupts the monologue and Fry tries not to snigger. "Your x-ray shows you've torn the ligaments on that finger and dislocated this one."
Fry can't hear the rest of the conversation but gets the idea that they want to re-set the dislocation. Ouch. He looks at Sofia with sad eyes and she pauses to pat his hand. He sighs.
"Do you have someone to drive you home, a wife?" There's a female voice, a nurse, Fry assumes. Though these days it could be the doctor. Harry is a sergeant and his senior after all.
"That's inappropriate… and she'd kill me." Dempsey lightly curses and the woman laughs. Fry is shocked.
"Girlfriend I guess, but doesn't sound sufficient," Dempsey says after a pause.
Fry wonders if Harry knows. He feels a bit disappointed for her and annoyed by Dempsey. He's not sure he wants to listen anymore.
"Five foot, seven, blonde hair, blue eyes. Absolutely beautiful and occasionally invincible," Dempsey continues.
"Perhaps that explains why you're here, and not her?" says the mild voice of the man and Fry can hear Dempsey chuckle.
His senior colleague is always teasing his workmates about their love lives. But now Fry thinks about it, he hasn't said much about his own for ages.
"You must've met her," Dempsey observes.
"She's American too?"
"All British, but she can do a very sexy American accent... Jeez!" Dempsey curses loudly and Fry winces at the audible crack.
'Sorry," The male voice replies, "I expect you've floored men for that."
"Had my moments. Is that it?" Dempsey heaves a sigh.
"Just got to tape them up and we're finished. You'll need a painkiller prescription, no drinking when you take them. I hope you're not planning on getting married to her soon. No wedding rings, Mr. Dempsey until the swelling goes down in a few weeks."
Sofia is singing under her breath. Fry holds his.
"Not immediately, soon maybe," Dempsey comments.
Fry tries not to open his eyes in surprise.
"Not sure she'll want me for life," Dempsey adds. "Hey look at that, all new. She'll never notice."
"Oh I think she will," The woman replies with a knowing tone.
There's a shuffle of feet as they leave but not before Dempsey yells for him, "Fry you somewhere here, or do I have to rescue a nurse from a maulling?"
Fry imagines Dempsey would probably yell his marriage vows and hopes his girlfriend has enough patience. He thinks about Harry. Fry thought they were dating during that A40 case. Sofia pats his hand and he realises it is also his time to leave too.
"Look at the tits on that," Dave says by way of greeting, waving page three of The Sun at his colleagues. He is sitting in another nondescript pool car waiting to drive them back to SI-10.
"Nothing like the real thing." Dempsey says knowingly, sitting in the back seat, 'Ain't that right, Fry."
He keeps quiet, nobody much cares what he thinks about tits and he's not keen on these sorts of conversations, they don't feel very respectful.
Dave throws the paper on the passenger seat and finally enquires about their health. "I'd have come in but I'm too hot, nurses can't resist me. Did you pull, Fry?"
Fry sighs, he hates working with Dave. He always acts like big man in front of Dempsey, it's pathetic. "Mind your own business."
"That's a no then. At least you can keep your focus on Makepeace." Dave steers the car through the traffic. "She's gonna have to drive you about, Dempsey, maybe help you with something else, depending on which hand you use…" He makes an obscene gesture just to ensure that his passengers have understood.
Fry looks in alarm as Dempsey stirs in the seat beside him. The American does wait until Dave has pulled up at the traffic lights and applied the handbrake, before he cups his hand around his colleague's neck. Like Dave, Fry knows Dempsey's history with gangs and violence.
"If I hear you speak about her like that again, I'll squeeze harder. Ain't nothing wrong with this hand. Got that?"
Dave nods and they continue the drive in silence. Fry thinks about the conversation he overheard. Blonde. Blue eyes. Five, seven. He does wonder he's cut out to be a detective as it is only when the car pulls into the yard that he realises it's the woman waiting for them, well Dempsey, to be honest as she walks over. Harry. Even he, as inexperienced as he is, can see the look of relief and affection on her face.
"I did actually," Fry says to Dempsey as Dave leaves the car and wanders off out of earshot. "The nurse who saw me, gave me her phone number."
"Hey, you're all grown up," Dempsey beams at him. Fry resists reminding him that they are only just ten years apart in age, "Taught you all I know. Actually, ignore that, took me two years to date Makepeace, don't tell her I was terrified."
Fry grins, he thinks that Dempsey just wanted to tell someone. "Your secret is safe with me."
He wonders if Dempsey can speak Spanish. When he turns to ask, they're close, with their heads together. He waits. He's got into enough trouble for one day.