Ugh, I hate the holidays. It tends to make the sad sadder and the lonely lonelier. And I must admit, we're nearing the end of our mile-long to do list on the farm here and it'll feel really strange not using my hands so much in the weeks to come. Thanks to my full-time job (because all us farmish people need a full time job to keep the farm going, sadly enough) I get to be super busy this time a year but it's nothing like playing with baby chicks or tilling the land. Just having a sad day today, I guess.
His grasp on the rifle was rock solid; left hand tightened on the fore-end, his index finger curled around the trigger, the stock safely tucked between his arm and chest.
Drawing in a deep breath, Steve slowly approached the surgery room, feeling Danny's eyes on him the entire time, wondering for the umpteenth time if the young man truly was trying to help them escape or if this was an elaborate plot to get everybody but himself killed.
Inside the room ahead, he could hear movement, but no voices.
Battling the panic he felt building up about the uncertainty of Mike's fate, he clenched his jaws, then used his foot to swing the slightly ajar door wide open.
Storming inside and raising his rifle, Steve felt his stomach churn at the sight that awaited him.
Several feet away, under an array of bright lights was his partner, strapped to a gurney, eyes closed, likely unconscious. Covered in a blue surgical sheet, he could see parts of Mike's chest uncovered, discolored from iodine.
Next to him was the Asian doctor, looking through his assortment of scalpels and freezing in his spot, when he noticed his unexpected visitor.
Steve could tell from afar that the man was taken aback, the dark brown eyes hidden behind a set of protective glasses narrowed to tight slots.
Stepping off to the right to get a better angle for a killing shot if needed, and to get Mike out of his direct line of fire, the young Inspector used his chin to point at one of the many open cabinets against the outer wall.
"Step away from my partner."
Steve's voice was a mere growl, his eyes trained intently on the man standing by his still partner, head cocked slightly to the side to get a better aim.
"I knew I should have killed you myself."
The change in the doctor's voice and the agitation filling the otherwise quiet room was enough to stir Mike back to his senses. Feeling a wave of relief washing over his weary mind, Steve glanced over in time to watch his partner open his eyes, a faint smile forming in the corners of his mouth.
"Move away from my partner. Now."
The doctor grunted in obvious dissatisfaction, before slowly shuffling his way over to the left, never taking his eyes off the young Inspector.
"You will not leave this place alive, young man."
"Neither will you, if you stand in my way.", Steve threatened, having effectively lost his cool, his hands beginning to shake, as he approached the gurney his partner was strapped on to.
Noting the cotton ties holding Mike down, he moved around the foot of the stretcher, his shoulders facing the doctor, as he let his eyes drift over the counter by the surgery area, looking for a scalpel to free his best friend.
"You eh…you doing alright down there?"
His concerned whisper was answered when he felt Mike's fingers on his hip, as if the Lieutenant had to convince himself that he wasn't a figment of his imagination.
"You do know how to keep up the suspense up, don't you, Smiley?"
Mike's voice sounded groggy, almost frail. Wondering if the doctor had drugged him, Steve dared to turn around and glance at him for a brief moment, flashing a relieved grin when he saw his partner's warm blue eyes stare back at him.
"I would have been here sooner but I was kinda tied up…"
Suddenly, Mike's smile disappeared, his eyes growing wide.
"Steve, watch out!"
