Prompt: I just read Code Red and loved it! I'm such a sucker for comfort fics. Could you write a story where it's Holly comforting Gail?


"I heard what happened this morning. Are you okay?"

"All good." Gail pushed past a worried looking Traci, desperate to make it to the women's locker room before she broke down in tears in the middle of the bullpen. The fatal crash scene she'd attended earlier in the day had shaken her to the core, and up until now, she hadn't had time to fully process the tragic event.

By the time Gail entered the locker room, she was running and headed for the closest toilet stall. Locking herself inside, she pressed her forehead against the door. A sob erupted from deep within her, tearing at her stomach, lungs and throat. She silently cried out in anguish, not only for the senseless loss of life, but for those they left behind.

She tried desperately to center herself, taking some deep breaths in, hoping the breathing exercises her therapist had taught her following her abduction would help calm the disquiet in her heart. She was in the middle of holding her breath for the third time when she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. With all that was going on today, she'd managed to neglect it for an entire shift.

She wiped away the tears blurring her vision and took out her phone. Ten unread messages awaited her – seven from Holly, and three from her mother. Knowing Elaine, she'd heard what had happened and was giving Gail advice on how to become a detached robot in these difficult situations. (Though some would argue she already was one.) While her mother, in her own twisted way, was probably making some good points, Gail wasn't in the right headspace to hear them, so she deleted the messages without reading them. Holly's messages, however, were a welcome distraction.

12:05 Want to come over and get take-out tonight?

12:10 If it's any incentive, I'll pay.

13:30 Wow! The world must be ending because Gail Peck can no longer be enticed by free food.

16:30 I guess I will be enjoying my own company tonight.

16:31 That sounded a little dirty, didn't it?

16:31 But maybe I'm on to something.

Gail chuckled before reading the last message.

16:45 Is everything okay? You're usually pretty prompt with the whole replying thing.

Gail couldn't help but laugh at how not okay she was, but unlike what she'd just done with Traci, she felt compelled to tell Holly the truth.

Sorry, I had a really rough day. I don't think I'd be very good company right now. Rain-check?

17:28 Of course.

17:28 Want to talk about it?

Gail sighed and wiped her nose with her sleeve. She was a mess and wasn't feeling worthy of anyone's support.

No. Thanks, though. I think I'm just going go home to Jose and drown my sorrows.

Gail pictured the bottle of tequila sitting on her dresser, waiting for her.

17:30 OK, if you're sure... Promise me you'll eat something with Jose?

Yes, mom, I promise.

17:30 Good. Get home safe, Officer.

Enjoy pleasuring yourself.

17:32 I always do.

~~/~~

That evening, after Gail had finished shedding what felt like a few layers of skin under a scolding hot shower, she heard a knock on her bedroom door.

"Gail, open up."

She pulled the extra long Blue Jays sweater she'd stolen from Chris over her half-wet, naked body before answering it. "What?" She was in no mood for a chat.

"Delivery person just dropped this off." Dov presented her with a box, which was similar in shape and size to that of a pizza box. It had a red bow tied around it and wedged under that was a small envelope with her name scribbled on it.

"What is this?" she asked.

"How should I know? I'm not Superman."

Gail stared blankly at him.

"Superman has x-ray vision? He can see through...Never mind, just take the stupid box." He handed it over. "Do you want some dinner? Chris is ordering Thai."

"Not hungry," she said as she was closing the door in his face but then remembered her promise to Holly to eat something. "Actually, tell him I'll have the Penang chicken curry and three serves of roti." Technically, she hadn't started drinking yet, but she would be rectifying that soon enough.

She closed the door and carried the box over to her bed.

Always one to open presents first and cards later, she tore off the bow with very little care. "Holy shit!" she exclaimed as she lifted the lid and saw what was inside. She'd heard about donut pizzas, had numerous dreams about them, but hadn't had the pleasure of eating one.

She reached for the card, wondering who she had to kiss for gifting her such a thing of beauty.

Dear Gail,

I'm always here if you need me. Take care.

Love, Lunchbox.

Gail couldn't help but read it aloud, to feel the words vibrate through her. She bit her lip, almost drawing blood as she tried to hold off a fresh set of tears. In that moment, it dawned on her that she didn't have to suffer alone, or more importantly, she didn't want to.

With no consideration for her appearance, Gail threw on the closest pair of pants she could find, which may or may not have been dirty, and stepped into her boots. She grabbed her bag and donut pizza and left her room.

"Hey, where are you going?" Dov asked from the living room where he and Chris were playing a video game.

"Out," Gail said as she made her way to the front door.

"But dinner will be here in fifteen."

"I'll have it for lunch tomorrow. It's better the next day anyway. Later." Gail lifted her car keys from the hook next to the door before jogging out to her car. Just knowing she'd be seeing Holly in a few minutes time was already having a positive effect on her mood, and she could almost feel the weight of the day starting to lift.

~~/~~

Holly beamed as she open her front door. "You changed your mind. I'm glad." She stepped aside, allowing Gail to come inside. They stood in Holly's hallway and starred at each other in silence. Gail suddenly felt her composure waning, her tears threatening to fall.

"I was worried about you," Holly finally said, her voice sounding a little shaky. "I saw you on the six o'clock news, holding that baby. I felt– I wasn't sure what to do but I felt I needed to do something. I had hoped that would bring you comfort if I couldn't." Holly pointed to the box in Gail's hands before momentarily staring at her own feet, looking a little embarrassed. "I know it's silly but–"

Gail dropped the box and her bag on the floor and launched herself at her friend.

Holly seemed almost ready for her, swallowing Gail up in her arms, taking on the full force of Gail's pain.

Gail cried into Holly's shoulder. "I can still hear him screaming."

Holly rubbed her back in soft circles and whispered, "You saved his life."

Gail squeezed her eyes shut as memories of the crash site flooded her mind.

When she'd first arrived on scene, she'd heard a baby crying bloody murder from the backseat of a car, which had careened down an embankment and wrapped itself around a tree after being plowed into by ute. Without any thought for her own safety, Gail had slid down the embankment to the wreck. She didn't even have a moment to check the driver- a young woman- before she was being begged to get the baby out of the car. Gail knew she should leave it to the paramedics and rescue team, who were five minutes away, but smoke was billowing from the hood of the car and the smell of leaking gas was potent.

After looking over the baby for any sign of trauma, she'd freed him from his carseat and wrapped him securely in his blanket before laying him on the soft grass a safe distance away from the car, but still directly in her line of sight.

The drivers seat door was badly damaged yet it fell off with barely even a tug. What Gail saw next was unlike anything she'd ever seen.

Blood. So much blood.

Gail's muscles screamed as she tried and tried to free the woman from her seat but she was pinned in from all angles. All Gail could do in that moment was offer her words of comfort as they waited for help. She assured the woman over and over that her baby, Jack, was okay, that he was safe, that she would be holding him again soon.

Gail watched in horror as the life started to drain out of the woman's body. "Stay with me," Gail pleaded. "You can get through this, just stay with me."

Gail had seen her fair share of dead bodies before, given the nature of her job, but she'd never witnessed anyone die, much less have them do so in her arms, and she knew that the woman's final breath–a whisper of her baby boys name–would haunt her in her sleep for nights to come.

"But I couldn't save her," Gail whimpered, holding Holly even tighter.

"With injuries that extensive, there was nothing you could have done," Holly tried to reassure her.

"Maybe if I'd tried harder... to get her out of the car or applied more pressure... I could have..."

"No." Holly shook her head as she pulled away. She cupped Gail's face with her hands and held Gail's gaze. "You did everything right, you hear me? You did everything you could."

Gail was having trouble reconciling that fact but nodded anyway for Holly's benefit. Holly pulled her in for another hug and Gail found herself slowly calming down, liking the way Holly soothingly stroked her hair and spoke softly in her ear.

When they finally parted, Gail found herself standing in the middle of Holly's living room. She never even noticed herself moving.

Holly handed Gail a tissue and directed her towards the sofa where they sat down, Holly anchoring Gail there with a hand on her knee. She swept Gail's damp hair from her forehead with her other hand.

"I hope I didn't interrupt your plans," Gail asked, remembering their last text exchange, her cheeks reddening at the thought of Holly "pleasuring" herself.

"No, I haven't started yet. You should stay and watch, if you like."

Gail wasn't sure if she'd heard Holly right. "You want me to watch?"

"It will be good for you. I think you need the distraction."

"I mean yeah but..." Holly reached for the remote and settled into the couch and Gail realised they were talking about completely different things. "Oh, you meant watch TV..."

"What did you think I meant?"

Gail shook her head and shrunk into the sofa cushions. "Nothing. Doesn't matter."

Over the next thirty minutes they devoured Gail's donut pizza, opting to have it for dinner instead of ordering take-away. Holly seemed surprised that Gail was willing to share her food. Gail told her it was the least she could do after getting boogers all over Holly's cardigan. Now Gail was laying along the sofa with her head in Holly's lap, feeling delightfully stuffed.

She looked up at her human pillow who was enamored by the nature documentary on the television.

"You're staring," Holly said with a smirk, her eyes never leaving the screen.

"I'm just...admiring the hair on your chin," Gail lied. She was actually admiring Holly's...well, everything.

Holly pinched Gail's ribs causing Gail to squeal and squirm. She didn't have time to retaliate because Holly began frantically tickling her everywhere she could reach- her tummy, neck, ribs, and knees. It felt wonderful and excruciating at the same time. "Stop, stop! Oh my god, stop!" Gail begged through tears of laughter as her body flailed. "You'll make me pee my pants."

Holly was laughing too. "And it would serve you right!"

After the laughing stopped, they both relaxed into their previous positions– Holly watching the TV, Gail watching Holly.

"Could you do me favour?" Gail asked, the volume of her voice echoing her lack of surety.

"Sure, honey."

"Would you come to the hospital with me in the morning to visit Jack, the baby?"

Holly looked down at Gail and smiled softly. "Or course I will. I would do–" Holly stopped mid-sentence, her face growing serious.

Gail squinted. "You'd do what?"

Brown eyes pierced curious blue. "...Anything for you."

Not moving a muscle, Gail let the weight of Holly's words sink in. "Anything?" She gulped.

Holly nodded as she stroked Gail's cheek with the back of her fingers and ran a thumb along her jaw. The intimacy made Gail's heart beat faster, made her feel like there was nothing outside of them in that moment.

She desperately wanted to kiss her, pull Holly's body down level with her own but couldn't decide whether that was a good idea considering her current state of mind and ultimately opted to ease the tension between them a different way. "Would you kill that barista at the Starbucks near 15 who keeps putting almond milk in my lattes?"

"But it tastes so..." Gail covered Holly's mouth with her hand, "good", Holly finished, her voice muffled through Gail's fingers.

Holly removed Gail's hand. "Fine. But will you break me out prison when I'm sent there for life?"

"Mmm," Gail bobbed her back and forth. "I'll have to think about it."

Gail could see a wicked glint in Holly's eye.

"Don't you fucking dare!" Gail said as Holly's hands went to tickle her again. Gail struggled to catch them, and before she completely lost control of her own body, rose up and forcefully pressed her lips against her torturers lips.

Holly stilled for a moment before placing here hand on the back of Gail's head and deepening the kiss.

The kiss only lasted five seconds but it was long enough to steal Gail's breath away and she shook her head in disbelief.

"I'm sorry," she said inches away from Holly's face, "you just had to stop tickling me."

"Oh. My. God," was all Holly said in response. Gail had no idea whether that was good or a bad thing; the dumbfounded look on Holly's face was inconclusive. Gail tried not to think the worst, though.

"Oh my god, good?" Gail asked.

"Oh my god I just realised that earlier you thought I was asking you to watch me touch myself." Holly's eyes widened then she covered her face with her hands and groaned.

Gail chuckled and got up, repositioning herself over Holly's lap. She pried Holly's hands away from her face.

"Smile," Gail said as she pushed up the corners of Holly's mouth with her fingers.

Holly obliged, however, reluctantly and Gail leaned in and kissed her softly.

"And what was that one for?" Holly asked, her nerves apparent.

"For my donut pizza."

Holly nodded, at first seemingly content with Gail's answer but then looked down between them, breaking eye contact.

Gail couldn't stand the loss of connection and lifted Holly's chin. She caressed Holly's cheek tenderly, wanting to make sure she understood her.

"For being you."