A/N - Thank you all once again for your reviews and PMs and emails. I'm very grateful to you all for all the friendship and support -x-

One more chapter to go until we take a little break over the holidays! Hopefully it will be up on Wednesday or Thursday.

Chapter 9

Chain Reaction

Fran had been in no mood to put up with Brown today, not after everything that had happened. When they'd arrived at the Kingston Building, he'd looked so straight-laced and serious, immaculately dressed and as handsome as always. That had made her suspicious, considering what she'd had to put up with the day before. Right enough, as the Chief had spoken about Tim and Katie, Brown grew steadily more anxious and unsettled, which made Fran increasingly annoyed.

But when the news broke about a bomb, his reaction caught her off-guard.

Ed swerved past the officer, running directly toward the remains of the building. Ironside looked after him, mouth open in shock, and Mark was too busy with the Chief to follow. Then much to her own surprise, after a fraction of a second hesitation, Fran did exactly the same, avoiding the confused police officer and followed after Ed.

At first, she thought she was going to reason with him, but she was too slow to catch up. Then she just wanted to follow him, to stop him making a bigger mess in an already dangerous situation, if she could.

Brown had a head start, and was faster and more nimble, somehow manoeuvring past the rubble without slowing or slipping on the dusty ground. He reached the main building and dashed through to the inner area without the slightest pause, Fran still lagging behind, by now out of breath. For a moment, as she ran up to where the front doors had once been, she worried she wouldn't be able to see where he'd gone. But there was a noise from along one of the corridors behind a now-vacant doorway, and Fran followed the noise.

At the end of a short hallway Fran came to a set of stairs, and she raced down them as fast as she could. Ed had slowed, she could see him just ahead, and it was clear that he wasn't searching the building. It felt to Fran like he already knew where he had to go. She followed him into the basement, still too far behind to be of use, but determined to keep going in spite of the mess and the dust.

Ed rushed along the dark corridor and vanished into a room at the end. By the time she reached that door, Ed was already well inside, still too far away to speak to. He kept close to the nearside wall and looked around as if he was searching for something. The basement was dimly-lit, but it looked like they were in a boiler room, it smelt of damp and machine oil. There were cylinders stacked at the back, and sets of copper pipes along the walls that trailed up along the roof.

Suddenly Ed went very still, and she copied the movement, trying to stop herself breathing so hard, aware that he might be able to see more of the room than she could. Her annoyance at the situation hadn't lessened and she scowled at his back as he stood there, still furious that he'd gone charging in. He would probably scare the girl, then what? What about the bomb? What was he thinking?

There was an odd peacefulness for a few seconds and nothing happened. Fran started to wonder if Ed knew what he was doing. Maybe they were in the wrong place. She was about to move forward to ask him, when he spoke.

'Katie?' Brown's voice was quiet, but much more calm than she expected. He'd sprinted like he was going for a touchdown across to the building and down the stairs, but he gave no hint that he was out of breath. She looked more closely, her eyes growing accustomed to the gloom. His shoulders looked as if they were shaking and she noticed he was holding onto the wall, the other hand, down by his side, was clenched in a fist. Maybe the run had taken more out of him than he was showing. But why was he taking such a risk?

'Katie?' he repeated, a little louder.

There were soft scuffing noises from somewhere inside, Fran turned slightly to see if she could make out anything, but there were only cylinders and pipes. It occurred to her that Ed could still be wrong, it might have been a rat, or anything, scurrying around down here.

'Katie,' he said a third time, more confidently. 'I'm with the police.'

The shuffling noises stopped abruptly.

Fran frowned again at Ed, but didn't dare move now he had drawn attention to himself, as she didn't want to make things worse. Maybe the girl had been telling the truth, she could set off a bomb and everything in here would go. Including her and Ed. She gave a dry gulp. What had Brown led them into?

'G-G-Go a-a-away,' came a small voice. Fran's heart went out to her, panicking and alone. Tim had told them she was scared, even with just the two words Fran had heard, she could tell Katie sounded absolutely terrified. If the Chief had been here, there was no doubt that…

'I want to help you,' Brown said quietly. Fran blinked in surprise at the utter conviction in his voice.

'L-Leave m-me alone.'

'I want to help you,' he repeated.

'A-Arrest me, you m-mean,' said Katie, her voice trembling.

'I want to help you.'

There was silence, Fran was taking short, shallow breaths, trying to think of a way to help, or a way to discretely go back out and get help, but she didn't dare. The atmosphere of the room felt delicate, tense and unpredictable. For the moment, Fran wasn't sure what to do. She looked expectantly at Ed.

'I know why you're h-here,' Katie said at last, her voice less tremulous and more agitated.

'I'm here to help you,' he said again.

'I know y-you're here because of the explosion. You think it's m-my fault. You're going to a-arrest me.'

'No.' Again there was total conviction in Ed's tone. 'I'm here to help you.'

Katie made no reply. Fran could hardly breathe. She couldn't see where Katie was, she wasn't close enough for that. Ed had turned slightly, his hand higher up on the wall beside him. Fran felt a flutter of confusion and panic. What in the world did he think he was doing? If he was wrong, this whole building could come down on top of them. Why was Ed taking such a ridiculous chance?

There was another soft scuffing noise.

'I-I recognise you,' said Katie suddenly. 'I s-saw you.'

Fran's chest tightened. The girl recognised him from yesterday morning; that was the only explanation. She'd been here. So had Ed. Even if his memories were hazy, maybe Katie might remember more. Another thought struck her, the Chief had been right to trust him.

'And I saw you,' Ed replied, still cool and composed, the diametric opposite of what he had been like interviewing the students.

There was a noise and Katie edged into view from behind a cylinder, not far in front of where Ed was standing. Her long brown hair was tangled and messy, and Fran could see blood on her face. Even in the dim lighting, the young woman was so pale she was almost blue. Katie looked desperately at Ed, then wiped the blood from her nose with the back of her hand.

'You said I'd be s-safe,' she said quietly.

'I know,' Ed told her. 'I'm sorry I took so long, I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner.'

An expression of forlorn hope spread over the girl's face.

'Can you help m-me?' she whispered. 'Please? I'm so scared that they'll f-find me.'

'I want to help you,' Ed insisted. 'That's all I want to do.'

'P-Please don't a-arrest m-me?' Katie murmured.

'No. I'm only here to help you. I'll help you and you can be safe.'

Fran had never heard Ed speak like that, his voice was calm and compelling, with a warmth she hadn't expected.

'I don't want to go to p-p-prison,' Katie said with a mournful sniff. 'I didn't mean for it to h-happen. I s-swear it wasn't me.' Words suddenly spilled out, jumbled up and running on from each other. 'I got scared when they locked the door I thought I couldn't get out I called the police I found the other door it was so hot and stuffy and so hard to breathe and the strange smell and I didn't mean to knock the canister and I didn't mean to break it I tried to stop it I couldn't I ran.' She drew a sudden breath, silent for a moment before continuing. 'And I ran, and, and…' Her voice became almost a whisper, Fran had to strain to hear it. 'I hid.'

'You don't have to hide anymore,' Ed told Katie, using that same calm, reassuring tone. He held out his hand. 'Let me help you. Please.'

For the first time, Fran heard a wobble in Ed's voice, desperation breaking through. He must have been aware of time passing and what must be happening outside. Backup could be here any second, maybe even armed police, and the illusion of calm would be shattered. Fran wasn't sure what they would do, would they try to surprise Katie? Move in from the side, to make sure she didn't have a chance to set the bomb off? Or would they fire first, before finding out what was going on? It was obvious to Fran that the girl in front of her was terrified and in need of help. But the longer it took to talk her into cooperating, the more chance there was of other people leaping to a different conclusion.

'There are no more explosives.' It wasn't a question, and the authority in Ed's tone made the girl look more scared.

'I only w-wanted them to go away,' she said with a whimper. 'I-I don't want to go to jail. I don't want to be locked up. I only w-wanted them to go away.'

But Ed didn't move. He just stood there, waiting, his hand outstretched.

'Let me help you, Katie. Please.'

The tension was excruciating. Fran was torn between rushing in to help her and rushing out to warn the Chief. But she didn't move, finding a trust in her colleague that she hadn't realised was there.

She looked at Ed as he waited, taken aback at how calm he was, all of his attention focused on helping Katie. It was so different from what she'd experienced before, at least for most of the time. There had been occasions when the warmth of his personality had made her smile, even in the hard, dark, lonely days after her father was murdered. He had been there, a safe, if annoying, presence that she had needed.

Yes, safe was the word she was looking for, in spite of the awful undercover assignment. She couldn't have made it through the tough days without Ed Brown being a lightning rod for her anger, the easy target for her to take out all the frustration on. And he had never shied away from it. Watching him now, Fran realised how much his presence had helped her, being the one she could get mad at safely, without fear of retaliation.

It was an uncomfortable realisation. The Chief and Mark had both been there to comfort her and support her, making her feel at home and welcome as part of the team. She felt at ease in their presence in a way she didn't with Ed. A glimmer of understanding made her realise that part of the reason was the association with the sorrow and grief of her father's death. It hadn't been Ed's fault that it had hurt so much, he'd just been the only convenient and willing target.

She blinked, suddenly amazed. Did it really take a bomb threat and a terrified girl to make her see anything good about Ed Brown?

No one had moved. But after what felt like an age, and with no warning, Katie began to edge her way forward, out of the nook she'd wedged herself into. Ed didn't move, he waited patiently for her to come to him. She moved slowly, in timid, shuffling steps. When she was close enough, she reached out and took Ed's hand. With evident tenderness, he gently put his other hand over hers.

'I won't let anything else happen to you,' he said. 'I promise.'

The hope in Katie's eyes made Fran's heart almost burst once again.

'I'm so tired,' she said. 'I'm so scared. They're coming to get me, all I could do was hide.'

'No one is going to hurt you.'

'Where are we g-going?'

'Somewhere safe. I promise.'

'Safe?'

'You need to get to hospital. They can help.'

'And you p-promise?' She looked up at him, the terror lingering in the way she was shaking.

Ed nodded. 'They helped me, they can help you. I promise.'

Still hand-in-hand, Ed guided the girl past Fran and up out of the door, neither of them giving Fran even so much as a glance. Fran followed, struck mute for the moment, unable to think of anything to say, feeling completely out of place and that she should be doing more.

But as they moved toward the stairs, Fran felt a sudden spike of fear. Anything could be waiting for them out there. In the foyer, there could be a whole platoon of armed police officers. She wanted to call out and warn them, but she couldn't find the right words. She moved forward as fast as she could, following a few steps behind them.

To her surprise, the broken foyer was almost deserted and instead of armed policemen, Chief Ironside sat in his wheelchair just where the outer doors should have been. Mark was next to him. They had never looked so calm.

Ed guided Katie forward, making sure she didn't stumble over any of the rubble, toward the Chief.

'Who are you?' Fran heard the girl ask, her voice tired and scared, but steadier than it had been a few minutes before.

'He's my friend,' Ed replied.

The girl accepted that with a nod.

'The ambulance is here to take you to hospital,' the Chief said kindly, smiling at the young woman. 'They'll help.'

'They can keep you safe,' added Ed. 'I promise.'

Katie gave a long sigh, her shoulders relaxing as she breathed out.

'I want to be safe,' she said. 'I'm so scared.'

She leaned against Ed, her eyes closed and he supported her as if she were an exhausted child resting against her father's shoulder. Mark nodded to Ed, then moved a few feet outside, signalling to whoever was out there to come across.

They stood for a few minutes in silence as two ambulance men rolled a stretcher towards the group, and Katie let herself be helped onto it. Only when they had put a blanket over her and fastened the strap across her chest did she let go of Ed's hand.

For a moment, Fran watched Ed as he looked at Katie, his expression one of such bitter loss and regret, showing a sorrow that she had no way to describe. Then he stroked her hair back from her forehead, tucking it behind one ear, a gesture so tender that Fran was once again lost for words.

The ambulance men gently rolled the stretcher out and Ed, Mark and the Chief followed close behind. Fran couldn't move for a moment, then the Chief looked back, motioning her forward to join them.

The ambulance was as close to the cordon limit as it could get, and Fran was pleased to see Tim standing beside it, holding the towel to his head. When he saw Katie an expression of relief washed over him, and when she was close he took her hand, staying by her side as she was lifted inside. The ambulance doors closed, and then it weaved its way off in the direction of the hospital.

Only once the vehicle was out of sight did anyone of the group speak.

'Good work, Sergeant Brown,' the Chief said, looking up at his sergeant.

Ed nodded, and Fran noticed how dazed and drained he looked now. She was sure he was still shaking.

'I keep losing people,' Ed murmured, holding his hand over his eyes. 'I couldn't lose her as well.'

Ironside accepted the comment with a small nod, Mark clapping his friend on the shoulder. They stayed silent for a moment longer, then the Chief gave a huff, shifting in his chair.

'We need to ask her some questions,' Ironside said. 'As soon as we can.'

Ed nodded but there was no enthusiasm in the gesture. With every passing moment he looked increasingly tired, almost shell-shocked at what had happened. Fran wondered how much of an effort it had taken to keep his cool and not panic. The Chief was also looking at Brown with an expression of deep concern.

'Ed?' he asked quietly. 'Are you alright?'

Again, Ed nodded, but Fran didn't agree. She was half-expecting him to pass out there and then.

'I'm sorry Chief,' Brown said suddenly, his distress clear. 'I still can't remember. I don't know what happened. There's nothing. Nothing. I can't remember. I don't know what's wrong.'

The Chief patted Ed reassuringly on the arm.

'Take it easy, Sergeant,' he said. 'You've done your job, and that's all you can do.'

Fran saw how uncomfortable Ed looked at the statement, but the Chief had turned away and didn't notice the reaction.

'Mark,' Ironside called. 'Get the van.' He looked at Ed and Fran. 'You can both get back to the office and make a start on the paperwork there.'

Fran nodded but Ed hesitated, glancing between Fran and his boss.

'Look, Chief,' he said, with an obvious effort to sound more composed than he was, 'I'll be okay on my own.'

'Is that right, Sergeant Brown?' Ironside looked highly sceptical of that statement. Fran agreed.

'I'm okay,' he said. 'Fran doesn't need to baby-sit me. She needs to help you, and do her job.' He looked round and gave her a confident smile, one that she'd rarely seen before. 'She'll be of much more use helping you at the hospital, rather than sitting in an office with me. And I need…' Fran saw him swallow hard. 'I'd rather be on my own.'

Ironside didn't look like he agreed, at least for a moment, and gave Ed a hard stare as if trying to figure out an unfathomable puzzle. Then he gave a sharp nod.

'Fine, Ed. Get a car back to headquarters. Write a statement before anything else gets forgotten. Write down everything Katie said to you. Then go over anything you can remember from the day before.' He gave Ed another hard glare. 'And then stay put until we get back, Sergeant Brown. Understand?'

'Okay.'

'And don't worry, Ed,' Ironside continued. 'The hospital will look after her. And we'll be there as well. We'll give you regular updates.'

After a moment's hesitation, Ed nodded once more. He took a step towards Fran, and gripped her forearm gently.

'Thanks for being my backup,' he said with a tired but warm smile, giving her arm a slight squeeze. 'Just… just, thanks.'

Fran was so surprised and embarrassed that she didn't reply, and stared at him blankly, not sure what to say, or how to explain her actions. Being his backup was the last thing that had been on her mind when she'd followed him, she wasn't sure she'd had any other motivation other than to stop him from making such a huge mistake. Her cheeks flushed, ashamed now of her ill-considered assumption. She hadn't thought, just reacted in anger, as usual. Ed held her arm a moment longer, then quickly moved away.

The Chief turned to Fran.

'Ready?' he asked. She nodded, pleased to be able to move on and focus on something else, now that the immediate drama was over.

As they turned to get in to the van, Fran noticed Ed reach for his handkerchief, it looked like there was blood on his top lip. She even leaned forward to ask what was wrong, but a noise from the Chief distracted her as he got into the van, and Ed moved away. She frowned after him, watching him walk slowly towards the group of patrolmen at the cordon with a vague sense of unease in the back of her mind, unexpectedly torn between helping the Chief and going after Ed.

Instinct, wasn't that what the Chief kept talking about? Just for a moment, her instinct was telling her that Sergeant Brown needed her help more than Ironside. But then she looked back at the Chief, knowing she had work to do at the hospital. With a sigh, she turned and pulled herself up into the van, closing the door behind her.

'So, Officer Belding. I need a report,' Ironside said, hiding his concern beneath the formal title. Fran looked up at the Chief, surprise mixed with confusion on her face.

They were in the van, Mark was driving it to the hospital, and the Chief wanted to hear what had happened with Katie as concisely as possible. He could have asked Ed, but the incident had clearly taken a toll on Sergeant Brown, and his statement would be better being written sooner rather than later. Besides, thanks to Fran's impulse to help, she could give the Chief the main details right now. Slowly, Fran shook her head.

'He just said he was there to help her,' she said, amazed. 'And that she'd be safe.'

'And?'

'That's all he kept saying. I'm not sure why it worked.' Fran blinked, the confused expression on her face fading.

'What about Katie herself?' Ironside asked.

'She was terrified,' Fran said. 'Just how Tim described her. But she said she saw Ed.'

'Ah,' murmured the Chief. That was a relief, more than anything else. They confirmed each other's story. Ed had seen her, she had seen Ed.

'And I think Ed knew where she would be hiding,' said Fran. 'I was surprised.'

Ironside nodded encouragingly.

'Maybe he was down there before, yesterday morning?' he suggested.

'And he's forgotten?'

Again, the Chief nodded. Fran thought for a while longer.

'Katie talking about hiding,' she said slowly. 'And people trying to find her. People being out to get her as if she was being followed. And she was worried about being arrested for causing the explosion.'

Ironside raised his eyebrows, surprised.

'Because she did something to cause the explosion?' he asked. 'Or she thought she did something?'

'Thought,' replied Fran. 'I think.'

'Interesting,'

'She mostly spoke in short sentences,' Fran said. 'Usually repeating herself. But at one point she broke down, saying all sorts of things in a big rush.' She frowned, trying to remember. 'She was scared, someone locked a door. It was getting hot.' Fran looked up Ironside suddenly. 'She said she was the one who called the police.'

'And?' Ironside asked, encouraged that they were at last making some progress with their muddled timeline.

'She said she broke something. And then she said she ran. And then hid.' Fran was silent for a few more moments, then gave her head a quick shake. 'I think that was all.'

Ironside gave her an approving smile.

'Good work, Officer,' he told her. 'It's not easy remembering the details when under pressure.'

'I should probably write it down too,' she said.

'You can put down some notes while we wait at the hospital,' the Chief suggested. 'It might help pass some of the time.'

'Time?'

'I want to speak with her as soon as I can,' he said. 'So we'll stay there and wait.'

The office was suspiciously quiet when Ed walked in. After the tension of earlier he'd needed to be on his own, unable to stand the concern of his colleagues. But now he was here, back at the office, the silence was unsettling. He usually enjoyed being there on his own when he got the chance. It was a good place to get on with work, not like the busy offices downstairs in Homicide, or Narco, or Vice. There the desks were packed together, and those departments were always full of noise and bustle.

Ed gave a long sigh, still shaking after the intense effort at the Kingston Building. The turmoil of emotions kept coming back to him. Relief, surprise, determination, but all tinged with confusion.

Katie Marshall was safe. At least he had managed to get her to safety, like he said he would. The thought sent another powerful wave of relief through him that made his head feel light. Katie wasn't dead, she was in the hospital and someone would take care of her. She was safe.

It had surprised him that he'd known where to look, following his instinct and finding her straight away. Maybe he had been there before, that would explain it, but when he tried to pull a memory from yesterday, there was nothing there but the more recent ones, from after the explosion.

He had been so determined to save her, there wasn't anything he wouldn't have done to help her and get her to safety, even taking risks he wouldn't normally have taken. He had never believed there was another bomb, but he'd had no proof. He could have been wrong. Then what would have happened?

Ed frowned. He hadn't been wrong. She was safe. Making sure she was safe was the only thing that had mattered to him. But now the specifics of what had happened were already beginning to get less clear. It was like trying to remember a dream, each time he focused on one detail, the rest faded away, just out of his reach. What was wrong with him? Why was it getting so hard to remember? The feeling was infuriating.

Still frowning, Ed made himself a cup of strong, black coffee, hoping that would help him feel better. While he was in the kitchen, he grabbed a couple of slices of bread. He wasn't sure when he'd last had something to eat, he couldn't remember either breakfast or lunch, and though he wasn't very hungry, it felt like a good idea.

Walking to the window table, he picked up a blank pad, and a pen. For a long time he stared out of the window, alternating between chewing on the end of the pen, taking mouthfuls of bread and sips of hot coffee, unable to let his mind rest on any one thing.

The office was warm, so Ed pulled off his jacket, and tossed it over the arm of a free seat, loosening his tie at the same time. He wriggled, uncomfortably aware of the way the gun on his belt was digging in. With a sigh, he leaning forward to rest his chin on his hand as he stared out of the window. Maybe he was never going to know what happened yesterday morning. Maybe there were no more memories to find. So he'd better get the details of what had happened with Katie this afternoon down on paper before it all disappeared. He glanced at the blank pad in front of him for a while, wondering about the best way to start, feeling vaguely uneasy but unable to put his finger on why.

By now, the coffee was colder and easier to drink but, in spite of the caffeine, he was feeling more tired, and the warmth of the office combined with the stress of the day made him sleepy. He stretched back, feeling all the aches in his body again, and gave a long yawn.

As he yawned, he tasted blood. Reaching up to his face, Ed felt blood on his lip again. There were drops on the pad of paper as well. With a huff, he pulled the top sheet off and scrunched it up, leaving it on the table, thinking to throw it out later. He pulled out a handkerchief and carefully cleaned the blood from his face.

This was happening too often today. Earlier, beside the Kingston Building, he had only just managed to hide it from the Chief before they had left for the hospital in the van. There was no way Ironside would have let him be part of the case if he suspected there was anything wrong. If the Chief had seen the blood, Ed would have been back in hospital before he could catch his breath.

He looked down again at the blank piece of paper and gave a deep frown. None of this was helping him at the moment. Somehow, he had to remember enough to get some sort of statement written.

It was going to be a long afternoon.

The hospital waiting room was quiet. The Chief had Mark and Fran to keep him company, and they chatted on and off for a while, about the case and about what else was going on, never going in depth about any topic.

They were all on edge. Ironside knew this was one of the hardest parts about police work. Waiting in hospitals was a familiar way to spend an afternoon. Mark brought them coffees and a sandwich each, Fran sat and wrote down all that she could remember about what had happened at the Kingston Building. At some point an officer had dropped off a rushed-looking statement from Todd Chadwick and Poppy Preston. There was nothing new to add, but at least they had that base covered.

At long last, one of the doctors confirmed that Katie Marshall had been admitted and they were starting the difficult task of trying to find out what had happened.

'But she's okay?' Fran asked. 'She's safe, she's not too upset?'

The doctor nodded.

'She seems calm at the moment,' he said. 'That's a start.'

Once the doctor had left, Fran paced for a few minutes before Ironside stopped her.

'Why don't you call Ed at the office and give him an update,' he suggested.

Ed had finally almost started writing when the phone rang. He got up from the far desk and picked up the receiver.

'Chief Ironside's office.'

'Ed, it's Fran.'

'Oh. Hi.'

She sounded suspiciously pleased to hear him. Had they been thinking he hadn't stayed? Was she checking up on him? He didn't like the thought that they didn't trust him.

'Katie's alright at the moment,' she said. Ed felt a rush of relief. 'The doctor says she's calm and they are working out what happened to her.'

'Right.'

'The Chief, Mark and I are going to stay on here for a while longer. We'll get to talk to her as soon as she's able. We'll let you know right after, okay?'

'Right,' Ed repeated, not sure what else to say.

'How's the statement? All done and dusted?' she asked.

Ed glanced to the other table, to a pile of crumpled up sheets and a new blank page waiting for him when he finished this call.

'Um, yeah.'

'Good,' she said, 'and I told all that I could remember to the Chief on the way over.'

'Ah.'

'Later!' she said, and the call clicked off.

Slowly, Ed replaced the handset, and stood looking at the phone for a few moments. Fran had sounded happy. That was good. Katie was safe, and that was good too.

He glanced to the table and the papers all over it, and pulled a face. He was finding it increasingly difficult to remember any details. That phone call from Fran had distracted him long enough to make it that much more awkward.

Everything with Fran was awkward. Ed gave a sigh. He missed Eve. It would have been a different story if Eve had been here instead of Fran. Not that he didn't like Fran, but this afternoon he missed Eve. He thought about her, wondering what she was doing, where she was rather than being here, working on this case with him, Mark and the Chief.

Then he shook his head, walking slowly back to the other table and sitting down. He was just lonely with no one to talk to. They'd left him there to get on with this on his own. The thought made Ed frown, uneasy once more. He didn't like feeling like this.

Besides, it was a waste of time just hanging around in the office. No one else was here, they were all still out doing their jobs. There was a moment when Ed felt he should go home, get away from this oppressive place and get a bit of perspective, get some proper peace and quiet. Maybe get some rest. They'd let him come here to get him out of the way, and home would be just as good as place for that, not trapped in the office with just a blank pad and a garbage can full of scrap paper for company.

The longer he spent here, then less comfortable he felt. He wanted to get on with the job, and find a way to get rid of this infuriating, fuzzy feeling in his memory. Why was it so difficult to remember anything?

But he didn't feel safe in the office. It was a feeling he couldn't articulate, and if anyone had been here to challenge him, he wouldn't have been able to explain it. It was hard to sit down and concentrate. His third (or was it the fourth?) cup of coffee probably hadn't helped, but at least now he didn't feel quite so exhausted.

Ed thought of what the Chief would say if he was here, and was asking why that flamin' statement wasn't finished. That was a conversation he wanted to avoid. He leaned his elbows on the desk, twisting and rubbing his hands together, agitated. There was only one thing he could do: Finish the statement.

At the thought, Ed tipped his head back and let out a loud, annoyed sigh. That damn statement was gonna kill him.

Ironside looked back at the clock. They had been here for hours. At first, the doctors had been pleasant and cooperative, but over the afternoon they had become decidedly less communicative. He'd thought that they could speak to Katie quickly, then get on with the rest of the investigation. He was sure she would know something that would help. But they had just waited, and he had better things to do than hang around the hospital all day. He'd been doing that too much over the past few months. Now, he could sense something was going wrong. Fran and Mark felt it too. Why was it taking so flamin' long?

Any moment Fran would be here with Tim, after he'd been seen by the doctor downstairs. Mark had been standing by the window. He had watched the Chief as he'd rolled back and forward, and then came over to sit on a seat nearby, deliberately getting in the Chief's way.

'Hey,' Mark said. 'The department's not going to spring for another set of wheels for at least another year. And I don't think the hospital wants to replace the carpet, either.'

Ironside stopped, angrily looking away at the interruption. But he knew what Mark was doing. After a moment, he looked back around.

'Chief,' Mark said. 'It will be okay.'

'What's taking them so long?' Ironside asked. 'We shouldn't be here, there are other places we need to be.'

'It will be okay. No one is going anywhere,'

'That's my problem,' Ironside said. Mark leaned forward trying to look at his face.

'I know you're worried. We all are.'

There was no need to ask what Mark was talking about. Ironside smiled, grateful to his friend for bringing up the subject.

'What was he like when you picked him up?'

Mark considered the question.

'So tightly strung I thought you could reach a high C on him.'

Ironside gave a huffed laugh at Mark's apt and perceptive description.

'Did you speak to him?'

'A little on the way over. Whatever went down yesterday really took it out of him.'

'That and everything else.'

Mark nodded. He was his legs, but he was so deeply part of the Chief's life that there was no need to clarify. Mark had been there all through that mess with Richards. Without him, Eve would be dead, so would Ed, and probably the Chief himself. He'd done a tough job, falling in with the Chief's plan, but it had been close. Too close.

'Hey man, I didn't see it either.'

'But I'm his boss,' Ironside said.

'And I'm his friend,' Mark replied. 'Maybe we both should have been looking harder. Not that he makes it very easy.'

Ironside accepted that observation with a nod. Ed was a good cop, and as good undercover as any of the professional undercover officers, sometimes a lot better.

'Besides,' Mark continued, 'you know what Ed's like, he takes it all too personally.'

Ironside nodded again. The man had lived through some dark days, dealing with grief and loss in his own quiet, private way. That mess with Tom Dayton's release, and after Elaine Moreau in Vegas. Even when Viv had chosen principals over passion, just when they might have had a chance to start something, Ed never let his personal life interfere with work. Not that he was cold and unemotional, they could all see the sorrow, but he had done his job and not let it consume him the way grief had done the first time, when Dayton had killed Anne eight years ago.

Eight years before, he'd watched Ed in the painfully recovery after his fiancée's murder. Once the work was over, once his obsession with getting the job done was no longer needed, Ed had given up. Only the Chief's intervention had halted his slide into oblivion. The aftermath of Elaine had been just as difficult, but at least the Chief had known what would help, his friendship with Ed having grown much deeper by then.

'This conversation is not making me feel much better,' Ironside said heavily.

'Me neither.'

'So what did he say? Anything more?'

Mark shook his head.

'I'm not sure he will ever remember. His memory is like swiss cheese. Except with more holes.'

'That's no help.'

'I don't think it's going to get any better.'

Ironside agreed. And if it didn't, then that made speaking to Katie all the more important. Maybe she could throw some light on the gaps, give more detail. But that was unlikely, considering the state they'd found her in. His lip curled in anger. Drugs. Why did the kids think getting high was such a good way to spend their lives, when they were such easy prey to be exploited?

'We need answers, Mark,' he said. 'We need them quickly.'

Mark nodded.

'Want me to go see who I can find to give you some?'

'Yes,' Ironside said after a moment's hesitation. 'Try and find someone who can tell us how Katie is doing. Impress upon them the urgency.'

Seeing Katie was urgent. Getting on with this case was urgent. Getting back to the office was urgent. All these things needed his attention, as Ironside could sense time rushing past. It felt uncomfortable, as if he was missing an important piece of information, something small and insignificant at the time, that had slipped past him when he wasn't looking.

Then Ironside looked up at his friend. Mark nodded.

'Sure, Chief,' he said.

Mark rose, and the Chief was left to stare out the window and brood all on his own.