CHAPTER
Two Days Later:
"LAPD! Open the door!" Tara yelled, banging fiercely on the door of the apartment of their primary suspect, Devon MacLeish. Harris' investigation into the sidewalk performer came back with not only an address but an extensive list of criminal charges. The offenses ranged from simple trespassing and shoplifting to more sever charges of resisting arrest and battery on an officer. Due to the suspect's history, Lt. Gordon had demanded a couple of police officers go with the two detectives as back-up.
It was complete silence until they heard the sound of glass shattering emitted from the other side of the door. Tara and Julian looked at each other for a second before simultaneously drawing out their handguns from their holsters in one swift motion.
Julian gave a nod to one of the officers, who kicked the door open. They carefully stepped into the apartment with their guns aiming. A movement in the corner of the room caught Tara's attention. "He's climbing down the fire escape!" she shouted as she slid her gun back into its holder.
Before any of her three companions could respond, Tara was already chasing after the suspect, squeezing herself through the open window and rushed down the fire escape.
"Call for back-up," Julian ordered the officers. He turned and ran out of the apartment, taking a different route of pursuit.
Tara ran down the metal steps of the fire escape as quickly as she could. She was on auto-pilot, her body coursing with adrenaline. She could see Devon MacLeish down below her about a few flights of stairs away. When she saw that he had nearly reached the ground, she stopped for a very brief moment. She looked around, thinking of the best option. Her eyes caught a closed-lid dumpster beneath. Without a second thought, she took half a step back, gripped the ledge and swung her legs over it. She could feel her heart in her mouth as she plummeted two stories down.
Tara landed on her back first, the force of the fall denting the metal lid of the dumpster before she tumbled onto the ground. Her breath got stuck in her throat as she wheezed helplessly in an effort to suck in air. Wincing in pain, Tara managed to squeak out a distressed, "Owww, fuck!" as she rolled around on the grim littered floor, her left hand clutching her right shoulder. With adrenaline still coursing through her body, she lifted her head up and noticed Devon was looking at her in shock. He stood dumbfounded for a while before he sprinted away as soon as he heard the distant sound of sirens. Tara gritted her teeth and pushed herself off the ground, resuming the chase once again.
Devon ran down the street, pushing away whoever was in his path of escape. "Police! Get out of the way!" Tara yelled as she pushed her way through the crowd, only a few innocent bystanders reacting quick enough to not get plowed over. She couldn't care less if it was an old lady or a little kid she pushed out of her way, she had her sights set on the target and she was determined to take him down. Devon dashed across the road and carried on with his getaway on the next street.
Without looking, Tara dashed across the street, the sounds of tires squealing assaulting her ears. A taxi driver slammed on the brakes of his cab just in time when he noticed the brunette about to run in front of his vehicle. Instead of stopping in her tracks, Tara used her momentum to lift herself up onto the hood of the cab and slithered off it. None of her pace was lost as she landed on the other side of the road, continuing her pursue. She felt as if she was floating on air, watching the whole scene unfold. Her legs carried her faster than her mind could catch up.
Devon turned his head back to steal a glimpse of his chaser's position. It turned out to be a bad move as he crashed right into a fruit cart that had just been wheeled out from a store. People on the street nearby shrieked and jumped back instinctively as the wooden cart smashed into pieces from the man's powerful impact. As an assortment of fruits flew into the air in all directions, Devon let out a painful groan. He laboriously got to his feet and hobbled off hurriedly. He was able to get a few feet away from the ruckus before being tackled to the ground, the brunette spearing him to the cobblestone-covered pavement like an NFL linebacker
He struggled around, limbs flailing in a desperate attempt to throw the detective off of him. His efforts were quickly brought to an end when an elbow whacked across his face, rendering him unconscious. Tara flipped her perp onto his front before bringing his hands behind his back and cuffing them together. She was straddling his lower back, too tired to move off of him as her chest heaved. She slumped a little on the lifeless body as exhaustion set in, her adrenaline rush subsiding.
"Are you nuts? You nearly killed yourself back there!" Julian yelled as he slid to a halt next to his partner, a few police officers in tow as they finally caught up to the heavily breathing brunette. He had been rushing behind Tara when she had almost been hit by the cab. Grabbing his partner by her upper arms, Julian gingerly helped the brunette to her feet. Guiding Tara away from the suspect's prone body, Julian made room for the other officers to hoist Devon off the ground and drag him away to an awaiting LAPD cruiser.
Tara was still panting heavily as Julian guided her toward the nearest store front, positioning her back against the brick wall. Trying to catch her breath, her heart still hammering profusely in her chest, Tara placed her arms on her knees as she leaned forward. "I'm also a nut-job that caught the guy," she replied breathlessly as she lifted herself back up. "I think I can live with that."
"Please don't ever do that again. Ever" Julian pulled her into a hug, letting out a relieved sigh. At the sensation of the brunette tensing in his arms, Julian pulled back instantly, catching the tail-end of a grimace washing over Tara's face.
"You okay? Where are you hurt?" Julian asked in quick succession as concern took over him. Tara pointed to her right shoulder, her features scrunching together in agony. Now that the adrenaline had worn off, she was starting to feel the full effect of the injury. Her whole body was also beginning to ache from the two story free-fall earlier. She knew she was very lucky to get away with just an injured shoulder and full-body ache.
"Let's get you to the hospital," Julian said. He wrapped his arm protectively around Tara and led her back to the car.
888
Tara sat on a bed in the ER at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, with her right arm in a sling. The x-ray showed a lateral sprain and her doctors examination uncovered several minor lacerations on her upper torso, all of which were bandaged. As she sat in the bleak room that smelled of antiseptic, her mood sour from the long intake procedure, she waited impatiently for Julian to finish up with the discharge papers at the nurses station.
Restlessly, she fiddled with a stray string dangling off of the sling absentmindedly as she stared blankly at the tiled floor. "Heard you caught the guy. Congratulations." A familiar voice jolted her out of her dazing.
She snapped her head to the side and saw Willow standing at the foot of the bed, her face unreadable.
"Yeah," Tara let out softly before dropping her gaze back to the ground.
Willow moved slowly from her position to stand beside Tara, but kept a small distance between them. "So, how are you feeling? I see you've got that sling around your arm." She asked tentatively as she pointed to the aforementioned item. She mentally braced herself for any witticism from the standoffish detective. Or maybe even backlash from their near kiss encounter several days ago.
Tara felt butterflies flutter around in her stomach at the concern. She could feel her cheeks slowly heating. Her eyebrows pinched together as confusion washed over her at the feelings fluttering around inside of her. The same fluttering she felt in the morgue; pressed up against the redhead. Another flutter erupted through her, starting in her stomach and rushing upward as she recalled nearly kissing Willow. Her heart thudding in time with the cold shiver that rushed down her spine.
"Oh my god, what was that!" she exclaimed in a mix of horror and disbelief, leaping off of the bed in the process. Willow jumped back a couple of steps in shock at the sudden action and exclamation from Tara. The whole ER seemed to cease its activities at the brunette's loud outburst.
"What was what?" Julian asked as he flung the dividing curtain back, approaching Tara's bed in the process. He looked in bafflement at Tara's horrified expression and Willow's startled one. "Is everything okay?" he questioned again when neither of them answered. A sense of dread washed over him at seeing the medical examiner, her face unreadable as she stared at the injured detective. His mind instantly went on overdrive, speculating the worst. Dr. Rosenberg was filling a harassment complaint … a hostile workplace grievance …. a protection order.
"Yeah … yeah." Tara said slowly as she shook herself out of her stupor. Impatiently she asked, "Can we go now?" She needed to get the hell out of the OR and more so away from Willow. She headed for the exit hurriedly, not waiting for Julian's response.
Julian turned to look at Willow inquisitively. Silently hoping she would answer his unasked questions. She gave him a shrug in return, not quite sure what just happened herself.
"What are you doing here?" Julian asked perplexed before quickly amending himself for his brash questioning. "Not that you can't be here or anything. Just … you know, with everything that's happened …. Plus, I thought you were stationed out of UCLA."
"I am," Willow said, smiling reassuringly at the lanky, dusty haired brunette. "I'm just filing in for Dr. Ferguson while he's out on vacation. I heard your names through chatter in the halls and wanted to check in, see if you guys were okay."
"Oh," Julian said sheepishly as he ran his fingers through his hair. A small blush made its way up his neck, spreading to his ears. "That's really nice of you. I'm good. Tara took a nasty spill … well, fall really, but she's fine."
"I'm glad you're both okay," she said honestly, glad that the gossip from the nurses in the hallway hadn't been as bad as she originally perceived.
"Thank you," Julian replied, a cheeky smile gracing his lips. "Umm, I wish I could stay and chat longer but Tara's got the car keys and with the amount of painkillers they pumped into her she really shouldn't be driving."
"Oh, yes, yes of course," she sputtered out as she watched Julian hitch a thumb over his shoulder in the direction of his partner. "I'll see you around."
As Julian exited the hospital, he cranked his head from left to right, searching for his partner. Tara paced around the parking lot a few yards away from the ER, mumbling to herself. Her mind was running out of control and she reflexively ran her left hand through her hair. She wondered whether she had imagined those feelings or if they were a side effect of the morphine she had been administered; but she knew the answer without a doubt. If she was being honest with herself, she'd known all along. God, this isn't happening. I like Rosenberg?
