Title: Negligence
Author: Stepf
Disclaimers: I don't own them, and if I did..well nevermind.
AN: So much in such a short chapter. ( Enjoy everyone, there is only one more chapter left in this fic.
Thanks: To all those who have reviewed, thank you, from the bottom of my heart. I appreciate it to no end. It really keeps me writing. To my beta, E, she puts up with so much in my writing (horrible grammar, tense issues.), she's a saint. Maple Streeeeeet, you guys are THE BEST. Love you all.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Cold reality sweeps through her. She isn't in that hotel room anymore, she is sitting in an uncomfortable chair waiting to find out if the man she had given her body and soul to was..gone. Sniffling slightly, she places her face in her hands, praying that everything will be fine. In that instant Sam realizes she would give up their relationship in an instant if it meant he could live another day, another month, another decade. He means too much to her and so many others to leave like this. He has a family.
"Marie.Has anyone contacted her?" Sam's voice in the silence startles Danny and he jumps slightly.
"Yeah, someone did, and. she's on her way down. She was in Ithaca, but she should be here any time in the next two hours."
"Ok, good." Sam couldn't believe her selfishness; she hadn't even considered the other woman in all this. She was so focused on him and herself. Though considering what happened before he was..she couldn't say it, could anyone blame her for some selfishness?
"Sam, we need to take your statement," Danny says quietly, with a hint of sadness.
"After.I won't forget Danny.ever."
He nods at her. "Yeah, ok. After."
Getting up, Sam's underused muscles protest at the sudden movement. She paces in front of Danny, who she can see out of the corner of her eye, watching her carefully. She makes tight, quick circles, the anxiety apparent to anyone watching her. She is turned with her back to the door when Danny's hand reaches out and grabs her forearm, stalling her movements. She looks down at him and follows his gaze to a doctor standing just inside the doorway. Oh god. The doctor didn't have any expression on her face. Sam wondered if that was a class in medical school: "How Not to Give Away the Patient's Condition 101".
"You're here for Jack Malone, correct?"
Sam steps forward before anyone else can. "Yes. How."
"He should be fine. We repaired the damage to his liver -- it was pretty extensive. He lost a lot of blood. It's going to be a tough recovery, but he was a lucky man. If someone hadn't been on scene, he would have died." The doctor stops and replaces the chart under her arm.
"Can we.can we see him," Sam asks, quietly. She needs to see him, to reassure herself that he is alive.
"Someone will let you know when he has been moved to ICU and then two at a time for 10 minutes. That's it. I'm making an exception in this case anyway, considering the circumstances."
Sam just stands there, frozen to the spot. He is going to be fine. He didn't die, didn't leave her alone. Relief washes through her and she lets out the breath she has been holding. Lost in her own thoughts, she almost misses Danny speaking to her, until his hands on her shoulders bring her back.
"Samantha. Come on."
"No, no. Let everyone else go first. I can wait a bit. I think I need to settle down a little first." She can see Danny reading between the lines. She wants to wait so maybe she can squeeze out an extra few minutes of time.
Danny nods his assent, and he quickly confers with the others, easily deciding who goes first. Van Doren and Viv followed by Martin and Danny and finally Samantha.
She sits and watches as the groups take turns going into the room, almost dreading her own turn. Her emotions are a mixed bag of wanting to see him alive and the fear of seeing him lying in that hospital bed recovering from major surgery that removed a bullet that he wouldn't have taken if she had only managed to convince him not to go. She SHOULD have called Danny, Martin, even Van Doren, and told them what was going on. Maybe they could have stopped him from carrying out his foolish idea. But instead, she decided she would go with him and be his backup. A lot of good that did. Just as she is starting to go through the events of the day, Danny touches her shoulder lightly, indicating it is her turn.
"Thanks Danny." She means more than just letting her know about her turn.
He just nods. "You want me to come with you?"
"No, no. I'm ok. He's alive.how can I not be?" She gives him a strained smile and gets up again, heading out the door and following the signs to ICU 3.
Licking her lips and biting the lower one gently, Sam approaches the room, not looking through the wall of glass intentionally. She doesn't want to see him until she can touch him, and feel his warm skin against hers. Pushing open the door, Sam takes a deep breath and advances toward the bed, taking in his appearance.
He is pale, a ghostly shade of white she didn't think was humanly possible. There are numerous tubes and monitors coming from every part of his body. A respirator breathes for him until his oxygen levels even out. She can see the heavy bandage on his lower abdomen, concentrated on his right side over what is the.wound site. The blanket is pulled up to his waist, not covering much, but allowing easier access to the incision.
Mindful of the IV, she lifts his hand, placing her smaller one under it and wrapping her long fingers around the top. His skin is warm compared to the cold-looking color of his skin. It brings her some measure of relief. Stroking his forearm with her free hand, she speaks to him in low tones.
"Hey Jack. You.scared me, you know that?" She pauses and looks at his face, eyes closed, skin pale. It isn't a sight she is likely to forget.
Sighing, she shifts slightly in the chair she has moved closer to the bed. She couldn't think of anything to say. But their relationship was frequently like that. They didn't need to speak to each other to communicate. More than once, they'd had an entire conversation in front of colleagues without anyone else even realizing. It was that subtle communication that drew her to him. It had always been there, but it had refined itself as time wore on.
She reaches up and moves some hair off his forehead, letting her hand linger a little longer than it probably needed to. She needs the contact with him to reassure herself he is alive, that this isn't a dream she will wake up from and find that Jack is dead and she is alone. Just the thought of it sends a shudder through her body. Even though it had only been 4 years since they started working together and really just over a year since their relationship started, Sam couldn't remember a time when Jack Malone wasn't in her life. And that scared her. To think that at some point, Samantha Spade had made a man something more important to her than a casual date and maybe sex. Before Jack Malone, her relationships frequently burned hot for a short period before she moved onto the next one. What she and Jack had is the closest thing she ever had to a serious relationship...considering.
Finally allowing her body to relax a little, Sam puts her head down on the bed near his hip and closes her eyes. It was going to be ok, everything was finally going to be ok. And then the door opens.
She hears the noise and immediately snaps her head up, an instinct drilled into her from a year of pretending she and Jack weren't more than colleagues. But looking into Marie's eyes, she knows she has been caught. They have been caught. She stands quickly, a little unsteady on her feet initially.
"Marie." She starts before being cut off by the older woman taking a step toward her.
"Samantha" Her voice is..tense and Sam cringes when the woman says her name. "How is he?"
Sam can tell the other woman detested even having to ask her and she knows Marie would be more comfortable with anyone in the room but her. She watches as Marie moves around her and takes Sam's previous position. Grabbing Jack's hand carefully, Marie remains standing.
"The doctor said he should be fine. Umm.she should be around if you want more specific information. Jack..he'll be ok." She can't do it, can't repeat what she had seen; it was like seeing it happen over again. In this case, her ability to remember the smallest detail is a curse instead of a blessing.
"Samantha, what happened out there?"
And there it was. The one question Sam wanted to answer, but couldn't.
"I don't know." She answered honestly. Almost immediately, Marie bristled and got on the offensive.
"How can you not know? You were there, weren't you?"
Suddenly Sam feels like she is a teenager again, being interrogated by her mom about the most recent thing she's done wrong. She hates that feeling and quickly tamps it down, replacing it with anger at this woman. Marie has no idea what they go through on a daily basis, much less what happened that night. Besides, she isn't Sam's boss and Sam doesn't owe her an explanation.
"Yes." she starts tersely, pulling herself up to her full height. "I was there, but I was tending to the other victim when Jack was shot. I didn't see it happen."
"You left him with a suspect? Alone?"
Sam reads between the lines easily and her temper flares again. "We did what we could considering.you know, I don't have to explain my actions to you. Ever. All you need to know is he will make it."
"I'm sure its OPR's business. I think it's time for you to leave. You've caused enough trouble for this family already."
Sam is stunned, frozen to the spot. She didn't think this would be easy, but that was the last thing she expected Marie to say. Taking a confident step forward, Sam lowers her voice so only Marie can hear. "Don't think you can get rid of me that easily. I care for that man more than you can imagine. And that's why I was there, why I broke protocol and put my career on the line. You have every right to think whatever you want of me, but just consider what would have happened if I hadn't been there. He means the world to me and you may hate me for what happened between us, but I wasn't the only one there."
Standing tall again, Sam leans around Marie and squeezes Jacks prone hand, her eyes traveling to Jack's peaceful face. She speaks quietly to the silent figure on the bed.
"I'll be back later. Get better, Jack." Turning back, she addresses Marie. "Goodbye Marie."
Walking stridently into the hall, Sam makes it to the waiting room before sitting heavily into a stiff chair; where her bluster quickly fades into shaking. She hadn't wanted to get into it with Marie here, but she couldn't stand back and let the woman fling accusations at her. Leaning over, she places her head in her hands and closes her eyes for a moment, willing herself to calm down. A hand on her shoulder causes Sam to open her eyes to reality again, and she looks up at the person looking at her. Danny.
"It's time," is all he says, and she nods her head slowly. She is not looking forward to explaining their actions. Taking a breath, Sam stands and follows Danny out of the room, hoping this day wont be her last as a federal agent.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
FBI Offices, Same Day
"I told you. We didn't see the extra car arrive. We only noticed it when the lights came on in the garage."
"Ok, lets go over this one more time."
Samantha shoots Van Doren and the OPR investigator nasty looks. She is tired of this. She has explained what happened already, answering their questions honestly and as best she could. She is tired of being treated like a suspect instead of a fellow FBI agent. She expected this treatment from OPR, but not from especially can't believe she is also getting this treatment from Van Doren of all people- one of her own. The OPR agent they sent is close to Jack's age, although not nearly as handsome. He is starting to go bald and his eyes are an unusual blue. Sam is sure they caught more than one woman's attention in his younger years. His blue suit is pressed to perfection; nothing is out of place.
Shaking her head, she looks directly at them. "We have already gone over this once. Why do we have to do it again?"
The OPR investigator speaks first. "Because Agent Spade, all the questions haven't been answered to my satisfaction."
"Are you people ever satisfied? You're no better then that weasel Farrell. Just higher up on the food chain."
"Agent Spade!" Van Doren snaps and gives her a look as harsh as the ones she had been sending to the other side of the table.
"Fine," she sighs and entwines her fingers together in front of her on the table. "Jack- Agent Malone and myself arrived at the scene about 1 am and watched the house. We suspected the victim was being held in until approximately 3:30 am, at which point we noticed a vehicle in the driveway that had not been there previously. Shortly thereafter, the victim was brought out kicking and screaming. We approached the suspects and ordered them to hold still with our weapons trained on them. One of the suspects started moving toward the back of the vehicle parked in the garage. Agent Malone ordered him to stop twice before firing. I then removed the victim from the suspect's possession and moved her to a more secure location on the driveway to ascertain if she had sustained any injuries. She had not. I heard two gunshots behind me and when I turned back around, both the suspect.." She had to pause, just remembering seeing him there brought it all back for her. Taking a deep breath, Sam blocks out the visual and continues. "And Agent Malone was on the ground. The suspect was dead. Agent Malone was bleeding profusely from a chest wound. I called for assistance and attempted to keep Jack alive until rescue crews arrived. Happy now?"
She hadn't even noticed the use of Jack at the end of her statement, but obviously the OPR investigator did.
"Why were you there in the first place? Didn't Agent Van Doren specifically tell you not to go near the residence because you had no probable cause?"
"Well.yes. But."
"No buts, Agent Spade. If your superior gives you a direct order, you should follow it."
"I am well aware of that fact, Agent Pedigrew, but Agent Malone was going out there. I decided it would be best if he had backup instead of going alone, regardless of Agent Van Doren's order."
"So you went out there to watch his back?"
"Yes."
"He didn't ask you to come?"
She pauses a minute, trying to figure out where he is going with this. "No. I went on my own."
"You're sure that your.relationship had nothing to do with your decision?"
Now Sam can feel her anger flowing. What exactly is this little prick implying? "I'm sorry? What?"
"Are you sure that your personal relationship with Agent Malone didn't influence your decision to disobey a direct order?"
"There IS no personal relationship between myself and Agent Malone," she states through gritted teeth.
He scribbles something on a sheet in front of him.
"You know.if you are going to accuse me of something, just do it. Don't dance around it," she practically spits at him. If he did ask, she would deny it yet again -- for Jack's sake more than hers.
"All right. Agent Spade, would Agent Malone have taken advantage of your personal relationship, past or present, to get you to go out there and breech protocol?"
"Never, and I am offended at the insinuation that I would be so malleable had there BEEN a personal relationship."
"So you state then that you."
"NO. If you're done, I'll be leaving now." She starts to stand before Agent Pedigrew's hand lifts and stops her from heading right out the door. 'This guy is really starting to piss me off,' she thinks and sits back down defiantly.
"Just a few more questions. Why didn't you see the second vehicle? You stated you and Malone were surveiling the residence. What where you doing?"
"We were talking; neither of us really watching the house. That was our mistake. We should have been more observant."
"Yes, you probably should have been. What were you discussing?"
Sam is angrier now then she has ever been in her life, including the encounter with Farrell. Her normally chocolate brown eyes are closer to black than brown, and she tenses before snapping at the investigator.
"That is NONE of your business."
"But it is. Why you missed that car is relevant to this investigation. You state you and Agent Malone were talking. About what? That is, if you were indeed talking."
"We were discussing the last OPR investigation we had to put up with, if you must know. I'm sure that's in your file somewhere."
"Oh, it is indeed. Full of interesting information Agent Farrell dug up."
For a moment the two stare at each other -- a test of wills in a way. Knowing looks are exchanged in a second: he knew about the affair- or at least thought he did. She denies everything yet again. This time without saying a word.
"And you didn't see the shooting?"
Regret fills her eyes and her voice drops in volume. "No, I didn't. I wish I had. I wish my back wasn't turned. Maybe I could have done something to help him."
"Ok, Agent Spade, I think I have enough. As of now, you are suspended to desk duty until our investigation is over. I'll be contacting you if I need more information. Thank you," The older man carefully gets up and shakes her hand. She is loath to even touch him.
After he leaves, Sam turns to Van Doren, who doesn't look very pleased.
"Samantha, I don't blame you for lying to OPR, but do not lie to me. Is your relationship with Jack over?"
For the second time that day, Sam is stunned; apparently their secret isn't much of one. "I wasn't.yeah. It's over. Has been for a long time."
"Good. Keep it that way; it's better for all involved. You're lucky you both are still assigned to this unit."
"I know. Thank you." She takes a few steps to the door, opening it slightly before Van Doren's voice calls her back.
The older woman nods. "Get some rest in the next few days. I'll call you when I hear from OPR."
"Not sure I can rest anymore," Sam states, and walks out the door.
tbc........
Author: Stepf
Disclaimers: I don't own them, and if I did..well nevermind.
AN: So much in such a short chapter. ( Enjoy everyone, there is only one more chapter left in this fic.
Thanks: To all those who have reviewed, thank you, from the bottom of my heart. I appreciate it to no end. It really keeps me writing. To my beta, E, she puts up with so much in my writing (horrible grammar, tense issues.), she's a saint. Maple Streeeeeet, you guys are THE BEST. Love you all.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Cold reality sweeps through her. She isn't in that hotel room anymore, she is sitting in an uncomfortable chair waiting to find out if the man she had given her body and soul to was..gone. Sniffling slightly, she places her face in her hands, praying that everything will be fine. In that instant Sam realizes she would give up their relationship in an instant if it meant he could live another day, another month, another decade. He means too much to her and so many others to leave like this. He has a family.
"Marie.Has anyone contacted her?" Sam's voice in the silence startles Danny and he jumps slightly.
"Yeah, someone did, and. she's on her way down. She was in Ithaca, but she should be here any time in the next two hours."
"Ok, good." Sam couldn't believe her selfishness; she hadn't even considered the other woman in all this. She was so focused on him and herself. Though considering what happened before he was..she couldn't say it, could anyone blame her for some selfishness?
"Sam, we need to take your statement," Danny says quietly, with a hint of sadness.
"After.I won't forget Danny.ever."
He nods at her. "Yeah, ok. After."
Getting up, Sam's underused muscles protest at the sudden movement. She paces in front of Danny, who she can see out of the corner of her eye, watching her carefully. She makes tight, quick circles, the anxiety apparent to anyone watching her. She is turned with her back to the door when Danny's hand reaches out and grabs her forearm, stalling her movements. She looks down at him and follows his gaze to a doctor standing just inside the doorway. Oh god. The doctor didn't have any expression on her face. Sam wondered if that was a class in medical school: "How Not to Give Away the Patient's Condition 101".
"You're here for Jack Malone, correct?"
Sam steps forward before anyone else can. "Yes. How."
"He should be fine. We repaired the damage to his liver -- it was pretty extensive. He lost a lot of blood. It's going to be a tough recovery, but he was a lucky man. If someone hadn't been on scene, he would have died." The doctor stops and replaces the chart under her arm.
"Can we.can we see him," Sam asks, quietly. She needs to see him, to reassure herself that he is alive.
"Someone will let you know when he has been moved to ICU and then two at a time for 10 minutes. That's it. I'm making an exception in this case anyway, considering the circumstances."
Sam just stands there, frozen to the spot. He is going to be fine. He didn't die, didn't leave her alone. Relief washes through her and she lets out the breath she has been holding. Lost in her own thoughts, she almost misses Danny speaking to her, until his hands on her shoulders bring her back.
"Samantha. Come on."
"No, no. Let everyone else go first. I can wait a bit. I think I need to settle down a little first." She can see Danny reading between the lines. She wants to wait so maybe she can squeeze out an extra few minutes of time.
Danny nods his assent, and he quickly confers with the others, easily deciding who goes first. Van Doren and Viv followed by Martin and Danny and finally Samantha.
She sits and watches as the groups take turns going into the room, almost dreading her own turn. Her emotions are a mixed bag of wanting to see him alive and the fear of seeing him lying in that hospital bed recovering from major surgery that removed a bullet that he wouldn't have taken if she had only managed to convince him not to go. She SHOULD have called Danny, Martin, even Van Doren, and told them what was going on. Maybe they could have stopped him from carrying out his foolish idea. But instead, she decided she would go with him and be his backup. A lot of good that did. Just as she is starting to go through the events of the day, Danny touches her shoulder lightly, indicating it is her turn.
"Thanks Danny." She means more than just letting her know about her turn.
He just nods. "You want me to come with you?"
"No, no. I'm ok. He's alive.how can I not be?" She gives him a strained smile and gets up again, heading out the door and following the signs to ICU 3.
Licking her lips and biting the lower one gently, Sam approaches the room, not looking through the wall of glass intentionally. She doesn't want to see him until she can touch him, and feel his warm skin against hers. Pushing open the door, Sam takes a deep breath and advances toward the bed, taking in his appearance.
He is pale, a ghostly shade of white she didn't think was humanly possible. There are numerous tubes and monitors coming from every part of his body. A respirator breathes for him until his oxygen levels even out. She can see the heavy bandage on his lower abdomen, concentrated on his right side over what is the.wound site. The blanket is pulled up to his waist, not covering much, but allowing easier access to the incision.
Mindful of the IV, she lifts his hand, placing her smaller one under it and wrapping her long fingers around the top. His skin is warm compared to the cold-looking color of his skin. It brings her some measure of relief. Stroking his forearm with her free hand, she speaks to him in low tones.
"Hey Jack. You.scared me, you know that?" She pauses and looks at his face, eyes closed, skin pale. It isn't a sight she is likely to forget.
Sighing, she shifts slightly in the chair she has moved closer to the bed. She couldn't think of anything to say. But their relationship was frequently like that. They didn't need to speak to each other to communicate. More than once, they'd had an entire conversation in front of colleagues without anyone else even realizing. It was that subtle communication that drew her to him. It had always been there, but it had refined itself as time wore on.
She reaches up and moves some hair off his forehead, letting her hand linger a little longer than it probably needed to. She needs the contact with him to reassure herself he is alive, that this isn't a dream she will wake up from and find that Jack is dead and she is alone. Just the thought of it sends a shudder through her body. Even though it had only been 4 years since they started working together and really just over a year since their relationship started, Sam couldn't remember a time when Jack Malone wasn't in her life. And that scared her. To think that at some point, Samantha Spade had made a man something more important to her than a casual date and maybe sex. Before Jack Malone, her relationships frequently burned hot for a short period before she moved onto the next one. What she and Jack had is the closest thing she ever had to a serious relationship...considering.
Finally allowing her body to relax a little, Sam puts her head down on the bed near his hip and closes her eyes. It was going to be ok, everything was finally going to be ok. And then the door opens.
She hears the noise and immediately snaps her head up, an instinct drilled into her from a year of pretending she and Jack weren't more than colleagues. But looking into Marie's eyes, she knows she has been caught. They have been caught. She stands quickly, a little unsteady on her feet initially.
"Marie." She starts before being cut off by the older woman taking a step toward her.
"Samantha" Her voice is..tense and Sam cringes when the woman says her name. "How is he?"
Sam can tell the other woman detested even having to ask her and she knows Marie would be more comfortable with anyone in the room but her. She watches as Marie moves around her and takes Sam's previous position. Grabbing Jack's hand carefully, Marie remains standing.
"The doctor said he should be fine. Umm.she should be around if you want more specific information. Jack..he'll be ok." She can't do it, can't repeat what she had seen; it was like seeing it happen over again. In this case, her ability to remember the smallest detail is a curse instead of a blessing.
"Samantha, what happened out there?"
And there it was. The one question Sam wanted to answer, but couldn't.
"I don't know." She answered honestly. Almost immediately, Marie bristled and got on the offensive.
"How can you not know? You were there, weren't you?"
Suddenly Sam feels like she is a teenager again, being interrogated by her mom about the most recent thing she's done wrong. She hates that feeling and quickly tamps it down, replacing it with anger at this woman. Marie has no idea what they go through on a daily basis, much less what happened that night. Besides, she isn't Sam's boss and Sam doesn't owe her an explanation.
"Yes." she starts tersely, pulling herself up to her full height. "I was there, but I was tending to the other victim when Jack was shot. I didn't see it happen."
"You left him with a suspect? Alone?"
Sam reads between the lines easily and her temper flares again. "We did what we could considering.you know, I don't have to explain my actions to you. Ever. All you need to know is he will make it."
"I'm sure its OPR's business. I think it's time for you to leave. You've caused enough trouble for this family already."
Sam is stunned, frozen to the spot. She didn't think this would be easy, but that was the last thing she expected Marie to say. Taking a confident step forward, Sam lowers her voice so only Marie can hear. "Don't think you can get rid of me that easily. I care for that man more than you can imagine. And that's why I was there, why I broke protocol and put my career on the line. You have every right to think whatever you want of me, but just consider what would have happened if I hadn't been there. He means the world to me and you may hate me for what happened between us, but I wasn't the only one there."
Standing tall again, Sam leans around Marie and squeezes Jacks prone hand, her eyes traveling to Jack's peaceful face. She speaks quietly to the silent figure on the bed.
"I'll be back later. Get better, Jack." Turning back, she addresses Marie. "Goodbye Marie."
Walking stridently into the hall, Sam makes it to the waiting room before sitting heavily into a stiff chair; where her bluster quickly fades into shaking. She hadn't wanted to get into it with Marie here, but she couldn't stand back and let the woman fling accusations at her. Leaning over, she places her head in her hands and closes her eyes for a moment, willing herself to calm down. A hand on her shoulder causes Sam to open her eyes to reality again, and she looks up at the person looking at her. Danny.
"It's time," is all he says, and she nods her head slowly. She is not looking forward to explaining their actions. Taking a breath, Sam stands and follows Danny out of the room, hoping this day wont be her last as a federal agent.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
FBI Offices, Same Day
"I told you. We didn't see the extra car arrive. We only noticed it when the lights came on in the garage."
"Ok, lets go over this one more time."
Samantha shoots Van Doren and the OPR investigator nasty looks. She is tired of this. She has explained what happened already, answering their questions honestly and as best she could. She is tired of being treated like a suspect instead of a fellow FBI agent. She expected this treatment from OPR, but not from especially can't believe she is also getting this treatment from Van Doren of all people- one of her own. The OPR agent they sent is close to Jack's age, although not nearly as handsome. He is starting to go bald and his eyes are an unusual blue. Sam is sure they caught more than one woman's attention in his younger years. His blue suit is pressed to perfection; nothing is out of place.
Shaking her head, she looks directly at them. "We have already gone over this once. Why do we have to do it again?"
The OPR investigator speaks first. "Because Agent Spade, all the questions haven't been answered to my satisfaction."
"Are you people ever satisfied? You're no better then that weasel Farrell. Just higher up on the food chain."
"Agent Spade!" Van Doren snaps and gives her a look as harsh as the ones she had been sending to the other side of the table.
"Fine," she sighs and entwines her fingers together in front of her on the table. "Jack- Agent Malone and myself arrived at the scene about 1 am and watched the house. We suspected the victim was being held in until approximately 3:30 am, at which point we noticed a vehicle in the driveway that had not been there previously. Shortly thereafter, the victim was brought out kicking and screaming. We approached the suspects and ordered them to hold still with our weapons trained on them. One of the suspects started moving toward the back of the vehicle parked in the garage. Agent Malone ordered him to stop twice before firing. I then removed the victim from the suspect's possession and moved her to a more secure location on the driveway to ascertain if she had sustained any injuries. She had not. I heard two gunshots behind me and when I turned back around, both the suspect.." She had to pause, just remembering seeing him there brought it all back for her. Taking a deep breath, Sam blocks out the visual and continues. "And Agent Malone was on the ground. The suspect was dead. Agent Malone was bleeding profusely from a chest wound. I called for assistance and attempted to keep Jack alive until rescue crews arrived. Happy now?"
She hadn't even noticed the use of Jack at the end of her statement, but obviously the OPR investigator did.
"Why were you there in the first place? Didn't Agent Van Doren specifically tell you not to go near the residence because you had no probable cause?"
"Well.yes. But."
"No buts, Agent Spade. If your superior gives you a direct order, you should follow it."
"I am well aware of that fact, Agent Pedigrew, but Agent Malone was going out there. I decided it would be best if he had backup instead of going alone, regardless of Agent Van Doren's order."
"So you went out there to watch his back?"
"Yes."
"He didn't ask you to come?"
She pauses a minute, trying to figure out where he is going with this. "No. I went on my own."
"You're sure that your.relationship had nothing to do with your decision?"
Now Sam can feel her anger flowing. What exactly is this little prick implying? "I'm sorry? What?"
"Are you sure that your personal relationship with Agent Malone didn't influence your decision to disobey a direct order?"
"There IS no personal relationship between myself and Agent Malone," she states through gritted teeth.
He scribbles something on a sheet in front of him.
"You know.if you are going to accuse me of something, just do it. Don't dance around it," she practically spits at him. If he did ask, she would deny it yet again -- for Jack's sake more than hers.
"All right. Agent Spade, would Agent Malone have taken advantage of your personal relationship, past or present, to get you to go out there and breech protocol?"
"Never, and I am offended at the insinuation that I would be so malleable had there BEEN a personal relationship."
"So you state then that you."
"NO. If you're done, I'll be leaving now." She starts to stand before Agent Pedigrew's hand lifts and stops her from heading right out the door. 'This guy is really starting to piss me off,' she thinks and sits back down defiantly.
"Just a few more questions. Why didn't you see the second vehicle? You stated you and Malone were surveiling the residence. What where you doing?"
"We were talking; neither of us really watching the house. That was our mistake. We should have been more observant."
"Yes, you probably should have been. What were you discussing?"
Sam is angrier now then she has ever been in her life, including the encounter with Farrell. Her normally chocolate brown eyes are closer to black than brown, and she tenses before snapping at the investigator.
"That is NONE of your business."
"But it is. Why you missed that car is relevant to this investigation. You state you and Agent Malone were talking. About what? That is, if you were indeed talking."
"We were discussing the last OPR investigation we had to put up with, if you must know. I'm sure that's in your file somewhere."
"Oh, it is indeed. Full of interesting information Agent Farrell dug up."
For a moment the two stare at each other -- a test of wills in a way. Knowing looks are exchanged in a second: he knew about the affair- or at least thought he did. She denies everything yet again. This time without saying a word.
"And you didn't see the shooting?"
Regret fills her eyes and her voice drops in volume. "No, I didn't. I wish I had. I wish my back wasn't turned. Maybe I could have done something to help him."
"Ok, Agent Spade, I think I have enough. As of now, you are suspended to desk duty until our investigation is over. I'll be contacting you if I need more information. Thank you," The older man carefully gets up and shakes her hand. She is loath to even touch him.
After he leaves, Sam turns to Van Doren, who doesn't look very pleased.
"Samantha, I don't blame you for lying to OPR, but do not lie to me. Is your relationship with Jack over?"
For the second time that day, Sam is stunned; apparently their secret isn't much of one. "I wasn't.yeah. It's over. Has been for a long time."
"Good. Keep it that way; it's better for all involved. You're lucky you both are still assigned to this unit."
"I know. Thank you." She takes a few steps to the door, opening it slightly before Van Doren's voice calls her back.
The older woman nods. "Get some rest in the next few days. I'll call you when I hear from OPR."
"Not sure I can rest anymore," Sam states, and walks out the door.
tbc........