Ty was almost bowled over by Liz as she come rushing into the locker room. "Whoa, Red! Where's the fire? And what's in the backpacks?"
Liz tried ducking around him but Ty kept moving to block her. "Move it, Davis, before I knock you on your keister!" she declared, finally faking him out to get around him. She ran around the lockers toward Sully and passed him one of the backpacks before disappearing around the corner.
"Thanks!" Sully called out. He tucked the backpack under his arm as he moved towards the door. He and Ty both glanced over to see Liz changing in a flurry of flying clothes.
Faith gave her partner an amused look. "How come you're running late?"
"I'll tell you later," was all Liz said as she strapped on her vest. "Save me a seat."
Faith headed out the door behind Sully and Ty, listening to their banter.
"What's in the bag, Sully?"
"You'll find out later."
"Come on! Why did she have two?"
"You'll find out later, Davis."
They went into roll call, Sully and Faith saving a seat between them for Liz. Just as Sgt. Christopher was shutting the door Liz pushed her way through. She and the sergeant eyed each other, neither one saying anything, before Liz slid past him and slipped into the seat next to Faith, tucking the backpack by her feet. Sully smirked at Liz, amused by the non-verbal exchange between her and Sgt. Christopher. Liz stuck her tongue out at him, causing Sully to chuckle. They heard Lt. Swersky clear his throat and they both looked to the front to see he was watching them very sternly. They gave him small grins then tried to look innocent, failing miserably. A ghost of a smile flitted across Lt. Swersky's face before he got down to business.
After roll call they all headed to get their radios, Ty giving Liz the third degree. "What made you late?"
"I was working on a project and lost track of time."
"By yourself?" Liz blushed and Ty had his answer. "Oh, ho! Is that what we're calling it now?'
Liz punched him in the arm lightly. "You do have a one track mind, don't you?"
"Of course."
"For your information we were working on something and it had nothing to do with sex, it had to with what's in the backpack."
"Was DK late too?" interjected Faith before Ty could continue his interrogation.
"I hope not. He'd brought his gear with him so when we saw how late it was we hopped in the car and boogied to work as fast as we could."
"I'm sure that's not the only boogying you were doing."
Liz gave a grunt of frustration but didn't reply. Instead she turned to Faith, "Grab a radio for me, okay? I gotta talk to Swersky," and hurried off.
"What'd I say?" Ty asked, a confused look on his face.
"You just don't know when to let up, junior," Sully replied as he steered his partner towards the door.
DK ran into the station, quickly stowing some of his gear down stairs before rushing up the stairs. Everyone was starting to congregate in the common area, waiting for their roll call, as he ran past. As Lt. Johnson came out of his office, DK was just starting up the stairs to the locker area. "I'll be right back, Boss!" he yelled.
"Make it quick, DK," Lt. Johnson stated as the others made quips at DK's fast retreating back. True to his word, DK bounded back down the stairs a few minutes later, pulling on his sweatshirt. Lt. Johnson glanced at him, saying, "Nice of you to join us."
DK just gave him a sheepish look. The lieutenant gave out their work assignments and the firefighters headed downstairs to start their chores. As they went down the stairs Alex nudged DK in the ribs. "What made you late? You and Lady Blue playing cops and robbers?"
Shaking his head, DK answered, "No, but I was with Liz."
"That makes every day this week, doesn't it?" Walsh replied, smiling.
"Yeah," DK stated simply before walking away to start cleaning hose.
Alex and Walsh watched him go. "He's got it bad, doesn't he?" Alex asked, an amused smile on her face.
"Sure looks that way." Walsh steered her towards the engine and the air bottles they were assigned to check.
"Doesn't it bother you?"
Sully glance over at his partner from the driver's seat. "What?"
"That DK horned in on your action?"
"He didn't horn in on anything, Davis," answered Sully with a scowl. "Why can't you understand that Liz and I are just friends?"
Davis put his hands up in supplication. "You two looked like you were getting a lot closer than that, okay?" At Sully's frown he added, "Besides, you've been a lot more cheerful lately so I thought you were falling for her."
Slowly turning a corner, Sully didn't reply for a minute. When he did his voice was very quiet, "Have you ever thought, Ty, that I'm not ready for anything like that yet?"
"No. Sorry, man, I didn't really think about it." After a pause, Ty asked, "Why have you and Liz become so close if you weren't having romantic feelings for her?"
"Because she's very easy to talk to, kind of like your mother." Sully smiled at the surprise on Ty's face. "I realize we've only known her for a little more than two weeks but I've become very comfortable with her, she's kind of on the same level of friends as Maggie. I've also found out that Liz and I have some things in common."
"Like what?"
"We both love some of the same kinds of music, we both like to cook, we've both been on this job a while, and we're both recovering alcoholics."
"Okay, you've got a lot in common, you're just friends, I'll drop it."
"Thank you." Sully finally smiled again. "Besides, you get to reap the benefits of having Liz around too."
"How so?"
"I was going to wait until dinner time and show you."
"Show me what?"
"That backpack Liz gave me has our dinner in it. We discussed doing a picnic a couple of days ago for our meal break and she thought of putting it in two backpacks in case one of the sectors gets tied up on a call."
"That backpack has food in it?"
"Plus plates, utensils, and glasses. All we have to buy is something to drink."
"Really? All that's in there?"
"Yeah. Liz got the backpacks as gifts from
different friends a couple of years ago."
"What's for dinner then?"
"I don't know but I'm sure it'll be good."
Faith
swallowed the bite of sandwich she'd been chewing on before asking,
"What's in this again? It's really
good."
"Roast beef, provolone, and mushroom pesto," Liz answered, handing her partner a napkin. They were sitting on the hood of their squad under a bridge trestle, enjoying the nice weather and eating their dinner that Liz had brought for them. "Too bad Sully and Davis got tied up on a call."
"Yeah." Faith looked the food over. "And you made the chips too?"
Liz nodded. "I had some potatoes to use up before they went bad."
"You'll have to teach me how to make them, my kids would go nuts for them."
"Any time you want just come over and I'll teach you. You could bring the kids along too."
Faith shook her head. "I don't think I'd want to inflict Emily on you again, I don't want to scare you away."
"Teenage girls are always sooo much fun," Liz drawled, smiling at her partner. Faith couldn't help but smile back. Just then she caught some type of unusual movement in her peripheral vision. Liz must have heard something because she turned her head to look too. As they watched, a dark green sedan tore across the grass, straight towards the bank of the Hudson.
"Oh, my god!" exclaimed Faith as the car flew off the end of the embankment. Liz jumped up, already pulling off her duty belt and shirt.
"Faith, can you swim?" Liz barked as she kicked off her shoes while ripping the velcro straps of her vest apart.
"Not very well," Faith answered.
"Okay. Call it in and throw my stuff in the squad." With that Liz ran for the shore, her baton in her hand.
Faith started calling it in as Liz dove into the water. "55-David to Central, we have a car in the water at west 56th under the trestle. Send us a bus and fire forthwith."
*10-4, 55-David*
Faith gathered Liz's gear and their dinner items quickly, throwing it all in the back seat and locking the squad. She rushed down the end of the cement bank to watch her partner's rescue attempt. Liz had reached the car as it was just starting to sink. Faith could see her trying the door handles on the passenger side, unsuccessfully. Liz swung her baton at the front passenger window, managing to crack it. Faith watched as Liz swung again, this time managing to break through the glass. Faith winced as Liz reached through the broken glass, not stopping to clear out the frame.
By now the car had sunk to the bottom of the windows. Liz managed to get in the back seat and Faith could see she was pulling on something. Liz's head then dipped into the front seat and Faith assumed she was trying to get to the driver. Faith could hear the sirens of the fire department and the ambulance closing in on their location as she watched her partner slide down into the back seat, pulling the driver over the seat with her. When Faith thought her partner was going to go down with the car, Liz got herself out, pushing a baby carrier in front of her while pulling the female driver behind her. Faith watched as Liz treaded water, moving the driver into the crook of her right arm so she could swim back to shore easier.
Fire and the paramedics screeched to a halt behind their RMP when Liz was about ten feet from shore. As they all came running Faith turned to yell at them, "Grab some blankets!"
She saw Lt. Johnson and DK stop mid stride to turn and do what she asked. Jimmy, Alex, and Walsh arrived at Faith's side at the same time Liz reached shore. All four reached down to pull the baby and the female out of the water. Liz waved them off when they reached down to her, telling them to tend to the victims while she clung to the cement wall. Faith, Alex, and Jimmy carried the victims over to the treatment area Kim and Doc had set up, Lt. Johnson bringing them blankets. DK walked over to where Walsh was still crouched down by Liz, his hand on her shoulder.
"Can you crawl up out of there?" Walsh asked.
DK dropped to his knees to help when Liz stuttered out, "N..n...no". He and Walsh each grabbed her by her under belt, lifting on the count of three. Liz had no energy left to help them so she landed like a sack of wet cement. Walsh helped her sit up while DK wrapped the blanket he'd carried over around her. They waited for Liz to catch her breath before DK inquired, "Think you can stand?"
"W..wi..th...a...lit..t..le...help." They each wrapped an arm around her waist and hauled her to her feet. Walsh moved his arm up to her shoulders to walk her over to the triage area while DK kept pace with them in case he was needed. They stopped to watch the victims being treated.
Faith was helping Kim with the baby while Alex was kneeling beside Doc. Faith wrote down vitals as Kim called them out, handing her items as Kim asked for them. Alex was putting an oxygen mask on the female as Doc started looking her over for any injuries. Kim had the baby ready to be transported when Doc sat back on his heels, puzzled. "Where did the blood come from?" he asked.
"What?" Alex looked up from grabbing an IV out of a bag.
"There's blood on her shirt but I can't find where there's any bleeding."
Alex looked down at the woman's shirt and saw what had Doc puzzled before glancing up at Faith and Kim who'd paused in heading to the ambulance. Kim shrugged so Alex looked over to her right. She saw Walsh, Liz, and DK standing together, watching them. It took a moment before Alex realized only Walsh and DK were actually watching, Liz was staring straight ahead. "Hey, Magnuson!" she called.
Liz didn't move. Walsh and DK both turned their heads to look at the bedraggled officer between them when she didn't reply to Alex. In turn, Alex was already on her feet, moving towards them. "Liz?" said Walsh as he squeezed her shoulders.
All three firefighters realized something was wrong. Alex noted a bluish tinge to Liz's lips as she reached out to pull the blanket open. Liz had been clutching the blanket closed with her left hand while her right arm dangled at her side and they now saw why. Blood was dripping from Liz's fingers, running from numerous deep cuts on her forearm and bicep. Walsh and DK quickly scooped Liz up to lay her gently down on the ground as Alex hollered at Lt. Johnson, "Call for another bus, we've got another victim!"
Alex ran over to the trauma bag that sat next to Doc. "Doc, I need pressure dressings and an IV. Can you handle your patient by yourself?"
"Yeah, she's ready to go. Jimmy, bring me the stretcher."
"Lieu, we need some more blankets!" Alex yelled as she rushed back over to the downed officer. DK had put on his latex gloves so he started putting pressure dressings on the wounds while Alex started an IV in Liz's other arm. Walsh helped elevate Liz's injured arm while DK wrapped. Lt. Johnson dropped to his knees at the officer's feet, lifting them to place a folded blanket underneath. He tucked another blanket around her legs then handed Walsh one to put under her head.
"Taylor, are you okay over there?" Doc yelled as they started to move the stretcher towards the ambulance.
"Yeah, we got another bus coming." They could hear other sirens approaching so they knew more help was not far off. Doc quickly gathered up the rest of his equipment before heading to his bus.
As Adam 55-3 pulled out, another ambulance pulled in, cutting their siren as they rolled to a stop with 55-Charlie right behind them. Sully and Davis got out of their squad as the paramedics grabbed their bags and they helped carry equipment over to the crowd.
Just then Liz started to come around. She moved her head and when she found she couldn't move her arms she really started to fight them. Liz wrenched her arms out of Walsh and Alex's grips, pulling out the IV in the process. Jimmy had knelt by her feet with Lt. Johnson so he tried to grab her flailing legs. Liz drew her right foot back then kicked out hard, catching Jimmy squarely in the left side of his jaw. Jimmy found himself falling, landing on his back while holding his jaw.
Once her arms and legs were free, Liz tried to scramble backwards, away from the crowd around her. Her injured arm wouldn't support her so she fell on her right side. DK touched her shoulder and she let out a keening sound, like that of a scared animal. It suddenly dawned on Walsh what the problem was. He motioned for everyone to get back as he crawled closer to the down officer, who was now in a fetal position, clutching her injured arm.
"Beth, it's okay. It's me, Billy Walsh. You're safe now, no one's gonna hurt you," he said gently into her ear, still not touching her. He saw Liz's eyes open but they still weren't focused on anything. He put his hand on her shoulder and she jumped but didn't make a sound. He whispered in her ear again. "It's okay, mi cheri, no one's going to hurt you. Let us help you, mi cher 'tit chou."
His words penetrated the haze of fear in Liz's mind and she turned to look at him. Recognition and relief flooded into her gaze as she looked at him. Walsh reached out to push a wet strand of hair out of her eyes. "Billy?" Liz whispered.
"Yeah, it's me. We just want to help you, can you lay back down for us?"
As Liz looked up at the others, her face flushed in embarrassment. She straightened out, lying back down so the paramedics could treat her. Lt. Johnson had helped Jimmy up, took one look at the swelling already starting, and told him to go to the hospital too.
Sully had watched the whole scene. Liz's cry of fear was still ringing in his ears as he watched the paramedics put her on a stretcher. He saw Walsh was talking to his lieutenant, appearing to be asking for something to which Lt. Johnson nodded, agreeing to what ever Walsh was asking him. Walsh then pulled Taylor aside, talking quietly to her so the others could not hear. She looked at him before nodding, just as the lieutenant had. Alex hurried over to the ambulance and climbed in behind the paramedics. As Walsh started to walk toward the engine Sully grabbed him by the arm.
"Walsh, you gotta minute?" Sully motioned for him to follow. They walked out of earshot of the others with Walsh's back to the group. What Sully had just seen and all the other little clues he had picked up over the last few weeks had finally added up and he needed to have Walsh verify his conclusion.
"What do you need, Sully?" Walsh asked, giving the officer a puzzled look.
"Liz is Beth Faust, isn't she? She's the arson investigator that was kidnapped and raped two years back by an obsessed fireman."
Walsh looked down at his feet for a moment before quietly saying, "Yes, she is."
Sully scowled. "Why didn't she tell us?"
Walsh looked at him in disbelief. "You're kidding, right? That's not something you go around telling people. She didn't want you all to think of her as damaged goods." He stopped, scuffling one of his toes in the grass for a moment. Finally he spoke again. "She knew she'd have to prove she was a good cop before you guys would trust her. If she had told you who she was she felt she would have had to work twice as hard to prove herself still able to do the job."
Sully's face softened. "And she would have been right, unfortunately." His hand came out of his pocket in a pleading gesture. "After all I've told her about myself, why didn't she tell me?"
Walsh could hear the pain in Sully's voice. "She wanted to very much but she still wasn't sure how you'd react. If you hadn't figured it out I think she was going to tell you soon, just so you'd understand that she really did know what you were going through."
Sully nodded. "Thanks for telling me."
Walsh shrugged. "You figured it out, I just confirmed it. I just hope it doesn't change things for you." Walsh walked away, heading back to the engine where his coworkers were waiting for him. Sully watched him go before he decided to round up his partner and head to the hospital.
In the back of the ambulance Alex assisted Gage Michaels in treating Liz by holding her injured arm up to slow the bleeding. Alex also made sure she stayed within Liz's view so the officer wouldn't panic, though Alex really didn't think that would happen again. Liz was quiet, only answering questions with terse answers, her head turned away from Gage. Jimmy was sitting in the front of the bus, holding a cold pack to his jaw.
Alex thought back to what had happened back on the riverbank. She had never heard another human being produce the sound that had come from Liz's throat and she wondered what had happened to the woman in the past to make her react like that. The sound still echoed in her ears. Alex wanted to ask Liz but knew that would be stepping over the line. She could tell the whole thing embarrassed Liz since the officer wouldn't make eye contact with her.
Alex felt the ambulance slow, then stop. She helped Gage gather what he needed as the doors were opened by Jimmy and Bob Fulton, Gage's partner. As the wheels of the gurney hit the ground, Liz reached out to grasp Jimmy's arm. Mindful of the IV in her arm, Jimmy told the others to stop. Jimmy looked down at the bedraggled woman lying there. "Yeah?"
"I'm sorry about your jaw," Liz stated quietly, remorse written all over her face.
Jimmy gave her a smile then winced at the pain it caused. "It's okay, forget about it. These things happen."
Liz released his arm and they wheeled her inside.
Faith couldn't believe she was once again worrying about a hurt partner. She thought she'd put that behind her when she and Bosco had broken up since Liz was not reckless and headstrong like he was. Faith was still shaking her head as she pulled up outside the precinct. She was surprised to see Lt. Swersky was waiting outside already and he rushed over before she even had the squad stopped, pulling open the passenger door. As he sat down he asked, "What happened, Faith?"
"Liz hurt her arm pulling a mom and baby out of a sinking car, Lieu," she answered as she backed the squad up. As she turned the car towards the hospital, Faith added, "She also had something like a panic attack."
"What? When?" Lt. Swersky was watching Faith closely, as if the story was written all over her face.
"After they pulled her out of the river. She didn't even let on she was hurt, she went into shock while we were helping the mom and baby." Faith glanced at her superior and saw his face was set in the hard mask he put on when he was upset. "Taylor started treating her and gave her an IV which brought her around. I don't know if it was being surrounded by so many people or the fact they were holding her down, but Liz panicked. She managed to pull out her IV and kick Doherty in the jaw before she collapsed again. Walsh calmed her down and made sure Taylor went in the ambulance with Liz to the hospital."
Faith stopped to take a deep breath. "Lieu, I've never heard anyone cry out like Liz did. It scared the hell out of me."
Lt. Swersky rubbed his hand over his face, not looking at Faith now. "Not as scared as she was though," he whispered.
Faith frowned at him. "What was that?"
He just shook his head. "Nothing. Just get us there as fast as you can, okay?"
Silence settled into the car.
Sully and Davis pulled up to the hospital right as they were wheeling Liz inside. "Sul, are we here officially?" Davis asked, the radio mike in his hand.
Sully nodded. "Yeah, we're here on follow up since we're probably gonna have to write this thing up."
Davis frowned at him. "Why? Faith and Liz saw everything, we didn't."
"I doubt either one of them is going to be in any shape to write anything up, that's why. They'd do the same for us."
Davis just nodded in agreement as they got out of the squad. When they entered the ER they could see the flurry of activity going on in two treatment rooms. In a third treatment room Doherty lay on a bed, holding another ice pack to his jaw. They walked in to talk to him.
"Hey, Jimmy, how's the jaw?" Ty asked, reaching out to pull the ice pack away for minute. He winced in sympathy when he saw the dark bruise already forming. "Ouch!"
"Painful," was Jimmy's reply.
Sully pulled out a notebook. "Did you see much of what happened?"
Jimmy went to shake his head but stopped when it hurt too much. "No, Magnuson had both of the victims almost to shore by the time we got there. We just pulled all three out of the water."
"Have you heard why the woman drove into the river?" Ty asked.
"She had an insulin reaction," came the answer from the door. Doc stood there, hands on his hips. "Guess she hadn't eaten in a while and she blacked out at the wheel. She and the baby are gonna be just fine."
"That's good," answered Ty.
"Any word on Liz?" Sully asked.
"Dr. Fields is looking at her right now. She might need surgery on her arm, she cut herself up pretty good."
"If she hadn't the mom and baby wouldn't have made it," Jimmy added quietly. The others turned to look at him. "The car had sunk to its roof by the time we got there, you saw that, Doc."
Doc just nodded. Sully turned back to him. "You got the name of the mother and the baby?"
"Yeah, my run sheet's out here." Sully followed Doc out of the room, leaving Jimmy and Ty alone.
"You know Liz didn't mean to kick you, don't you?" Ty asked.
"Yeah, she already apologized to me." Jimmy shifted on the bed, trying to get more comfortable. "Do you know why she reacted the way she did?"
"No clue."
"Walsh knows but he won't tell us," Jimmy stated.
"Well, I guess that's their business." Ty reached out to pat Jimmy on the shoulder. "Hang in there. I'm gonna go see what my partner's up to."
"See ya, Davis." Ty gave him a wave as he left the cubical. Jimmy shut his eyes and sighed.
Lt. Swersky and Faith were entering the ER when Davis walked up to Sully and Doc. Sully put up a hand to head off any questions. "Dr. Fields is looking at her right now. Doc says she might need surgery because some of the cuts are pretty deep."
"Dammit," uttered Faith, hanging her head.
"When can we see her?" Lt. Swersky asked.
Doc reached out to put his hand on Lt. Swersky's shoulder. "I'm sure they'll let you in as soon as Dr. Fields is done examining her." He looked around at all the tense faces. "You guys want some coffee? Come on, Davis, let's go get them some."
Doc motioned for Davis to follow him as Sully started questioning Faith about the incident. When she asked why he wanted to know, Sully told her and the lieutenant that he'd write up the report so Faith could stay with her partner.
"Thanks, Sully," Faith said after she told him everything.
"You'd do the same for me," was all he said.
Just as Doc and Davis were coming back with coffee, Dr. Fields came out to talk to them. "I'm having her prepped for surgery. I don't think she cut any tendons but I can't be certain. There's an OR and a surgeon waiting for her. She was going into shock but the IVs helped reverse that. She's going to be fine but she's gonna be out of service for a month or two, depending on how fast her physical therapy goes."
"Can we see her?" Lt. Swersky asked.
"Sure but she'll be a little groggy from all the pain killers we've given her." Dr. Fields pointed out which room she was in then walked away.
Lt. Swersky surprised both Faith and Sully when he put his arm around Faith's shoulders. "Come on, Faith, let's go see her."
Faith didn't say anything; just let her supervisor lead her to her partner. Sully watched them walk away, his mouth slightly agape.
"Something wrong, Sully?" Doc asked, puzzled by the big man's reaction.
"Naw, just never saw Swersky do that before," Sully answered. "Took me by surprise."
"Looks like it took Faith by surprise too."
"Yeah, but I think it was meant to comfort the lieutenant more than Yokas. He and Liz were partners a long time ago."
"Really?" Doc frowned. "I didn't think Liz was that old."
"No one did. She wears her age well."
Doc and Sully both heard a swell of voices coming from the entrance and turned to the see the firefighters trooping in. Doc pointed to Jimmy's room. "Doherty's in there, still waiting to be looked at."
Lt. Johnson raised a hand in thanks and headed in to talk to his man. All the others followed except Walsh and DK, they stopped in front of Doc and Sully.
"How's Liz?" Walsh asked, his face a mask of worry. DK's face was carefully guarded, showing no emotion what so ever.
"She's getting prepped for surgery," Doc answered. His radio went off, sending him in search of Kim.
"Surgery? Is it that serious?" DK asked, worry in his voice.
Sully nodded. "Dr. Fields said he didn't think any tendons had been cut but he couldn't be sure so a neurosurgeon's gonna take a look and sew her back up. I guess some of the cuts are pretty deep."
DK hung his head. "Why didn't she wait for us?"
"From what Jimmy told me, she didn't have a choice. If she'd waited the woman and baby probably wouldn't have made it." Sully stated, putting his hand on DK's shoulder. "She's a strong woman, she'll pull out of this just fine."
"He's right, you know," said Faith as she joined them.
Sully thought she looked much better than she had when she arrived. "How does she look?" he asked.
Faith gave them both a grateful smile. "Better than she did earlier. She's really quiet though."
"Lieu still in there with her?" Davis asked.
"Yeah, they're going over a few details of what she needs him to do for her at home."
"Is it okay for us to go see her?" Sully inquired.
"Sure, she'd like that," Faith answered.
Sully handed her his untouched cup of coffee. "Here, you look like you could use this."
"Thanks." Faith took a sip before turning her attention to the firemen still there. "How's Doherty?"
"We don't know, we stopped to talk to Sully and Davis first," stated Walsh.
"Liz was asking about him."
DK motioned towards Jimmy's treatment room. "Why don't we go find out so we can give Liz an update?
The three headed into the already crowded room.
Lt. Swersky looked at the door when he heard a male clear his throat to see Bill Walsh standing there, a worried look on his face. "Can I come in?" Walsh asked.
Waving his hand for the firefighter to come over, Lt. Swersky replied, "Sure, if you don't mind talking to a groggy patient." He patted Liz on her good shoulder. "I'll see you after surgery, kiddo."
Liz gave him a lop-sided smile. "Okay," she whispered.
Walsh waited until the lieutenant was out the door before he moved to her beside, leaning on the side rail. "Hey, darling, how you feeling?"
"A little fuzzy."
"You should with all the pain killers they've put in you." He reached down to grasp her good hand with his. "Liz, you need to know something."
"What?" she slurred, trying to focus on him.
"Sully knows."
Liz went completely still when Walsh's words penetrated the haze enveloping her thoughts. "How?"
Walsh shrugged. "He put all the pieces together and figured it out. Your reaction at the scene was the last piece he needed to put it all together; he asked me and I couldn't deny it." Liz closed her eyes and was silent. When Walsh saw a tear trickle out of the corner of her eye he reached out to wipe it away. "Oh, honey, I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault," she whispered. She opened her eyes to watch his face as she asked, "How did he take it, finding out?"
Walsh squeezed her hand. "Okay, I think. He seemed to be a little hurt that you hadn't told him, considering everything he's told you about himself, but he seemed to understand when I explained why you hadn't said anything. I told him you were going tell him when you thought the time was right and that seemed to make him feel better."
Liz nodded. She tried to move her bad arm and grimaced, the pain shooting holes in the veil of painkillers in her system, causing her to grip Walsh's hand tightly. "It would have come out sooner or later," she ground out between clenched teeth.
Walsh wasn't sure what to say. When her grip loosened on his hand he asked, "You up to seeing anyone else?"
"Who?"
"DK. He's really worried and would like to see you."
"Yeah, he can come in."
Walsh leaned down to kiss Liz's forehead. "I'll stop in and see you as soon as I can tomorrow, okay?"
Liz just nodded as she closed her eyes again. Walsh squeezed her hand before releasing it then shuffled his way out the door. He found DK standing outside, leaning against the wall where he'd left him earlier. At DK's hopeful gaze he said, "Go on in, she wants to see you."
DK moved quickly past Walsh into the room, causing Walsh to smile. That boy's got it bad, he thought as he headed towards the waiting room.
DK stopped just inside the door to look at Liz. She was lying with her eyes closed, her hair lying in tangles on her shoulders. He walked softly to the bed, reaching out to take her good hand in his. Her hand felt so cold that he reached up to see if her cheek felt as chilled. This touch caused Liz to open her eyes. "Hey there," DK said quietly.
"Hi," she whispered back.
"How are you feeling?"
"Like I'm wrapped in gauze."
"Part of you is," he stated, eyeing her bad arm. When Liz rolled her eyes he chuckled. "Well, it's true."
"I know."
DK stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. After a few minutes of silence he finally decided to ask her about what had happened back at the rescue scene. "Liz?"
"Yeah?"
"What scared you so much when you woke up? I've never heard a sound like that before; it made the hair stand up on the back of my neck." Liz tried to pull her hand from his grasp but he wouldn't let her. She tried to push herself up a little, momentarily forgetting about her bad arm. When the pain reminded her, she let a whimper. DK reached out to stroke her cheek, making shushing sounds. "It's okay, you don't have to tell me."
Liz finally looked at him. "You deserve to know, more than anyone else. I've wanted to tell you but didn't know how to bring it up." Her eyes drooped shut and it was a moment before she opened them again. "Tell Billy I said it was okay for him to tell you."
"Okay."
Liz gripped his hand hard. "Derek, I'll understand if you don't want to see me after he tells you."
"Why would I do that?"
Liz turned her head away, not looking at him. "You'll know why when he tells you. I'm sorry I can't tell you myself."
DK was going to ask her again what she meant but he saw her eyes drift shut again. He decided he better not upset her anymore so he leaned down to kiss her cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow," he whispered in her ear before straightening up. Liz didn't react as if she had heard him but he was sure she had. He quietly left the room
Sully walked into the waiting room to find Faith sitting in a plastic chair, staring off into space. When he sat down beside her she jumped, startled. "Welcome back," he said quietly. "Where's Swersky?"
"He's making a few phone calls. They just took Liz up to surgery."
"Yeah, I saw her go by on the gurney. Bucket boys leave?"
Faith nodded. "Jimmy finally got out of x-ray. His jaw wasn't broken but slightly dislocated; the doc manipulated it back into place and gave him some painkillers. Guess he's gonna have one hell of a bruise."
"That was one hell of a kick Liz gave him," Sully replied. He gave Faith a steady look. "Faith, did Liz ever tell you where she was before she started floating through precincts?"
"No."
"I know where she was."
"Where?"
"She was an arson investigator out of the two-seven. Her name was Beth Faust at the time."
Sully could see that name meant something to Faith but she wasn't quite sure what. He could tell when she finally remembered why she knew the name and the look of shock that settled on her face. "Oh, my god, she's the one that was abducted!"
Sully nodded. "I figured it out today after she panicked at the scene. Walsh confirmed it for me. I guess she didn't say anything because she was afraid of how we'd react."
Before Faith could say more Ty walked in the door with Lt. Swersky right behind him. "Hey, Sul, ready to go?"
Sully stood. "Yeah." He looked at Swersky, "Everything squared away, boss?"
"As soon as I get back to finish up the paperwork. Think you can get that report done in the next hour?"
"Yeah, if nothing major comes up."
"Put yourself busy on paperwork, I'll call central and okay it." Lt. Swersky turned to Faith. "Ready to take me over to Liz's place?"
"Sure." Faith rose from her seat, still looking distracted. Lt. Swersky held out his hand to her. "What?" she asked.
"Give me the keys, I'll drive." Faith didn't hesitate in handing the set of keys over, she knew she wasn't in the right frame of mind to drive at the moment. Swersky started herding everyone towards the door. "Come on, people, we've got things to do."
They headed out of the hospital to their respective squads and duties.
The rest of the night had been quiet for the fire crew. Jimmy had gone home on doctor's orders though he had grumbled he could still work. Lt. Johnson had reminded him he couldn't work under the effects of the narcotic the doctor had given him and he had finally submitted to his superior's order. Powell had come in for him and had to be filled in on how Jimmy had been hurt in the first place.
"He got kicked in the jaw by a cop?" Powell asked incredulously.
Doc nodded. "Yeah."
"What the hell was her problem?" This comment drew glares from Walsh, DK, and Alex. Powell held his hands up in supplication. "Sorry, I guess that was the wrong thing to ask. Tell me what happened before Doherty got walloped."
As Alex and Doc started to tell him Walsh slipped up the stairs, heading to the roof. He went to lean his arms on the wall, looking down at the street between the fire station and the police station. It wasn't long before he felt someone walk up beside him and he knew without looking it was DK.
"You okay, Billy?"
"Yeah, how 'bout you?"
DK leaned over with his elbows on the ledge, mimicking Billy's posture. "I've been better." They stared out into the night together in silence for a few minutes before DK spoke again. "Bill, what happened to Liz? Why did she cry out like that? She told me to ask you and told me to tell you it was okay to tell me."
"She did?"
"Yeah. She said she wanted to tell me but didn't know how. She also said she'd understand if I didn't want to see her anymore after you told me. Why? What happened?"
Walsh turned around to lean backwards against the wall. He ran a hand through his hair before crossing his arms against his chest. "Do you remember two years ago hearing about Todd Crossley?"
DK frowned as he searched his memory for the name. "Wait a minute, was he the firefighter that was stalking some detective downtown?"
"Yeah, he was and Liz was the detective, though she was known as Beth Faust at the time."
"Wait a minute, didn't Crossley-"
Walsh interrupted, "Yes, Crossley stalked Beth, I mean Liz, for months before he totally snapped and abducted her right off the street while she was working. Both departments had fair warning but never took Liz's complaints seriously. He abducted her, beat her, and-" Walsh paused for a moment, having a hard time saying the word, "-and he raped her. She escaped by crashing through a window, cutting herself up pretty good."
"Oh, man." DK started pacing on the roof, his hands stuffed in his pockets. Walsh watched him as he passed back and forth, waiting to see if his friend was going to say anything more. Finally DK stopped to look at Walsh. "Liz went through all that? Is that why she's divorced?"
Walsh nodded. "She told me that her husband couldn't handle it and he thought of her as damaged goods. She started to believe it too."
"She did? She seems to be pretty self-assured to me."
"Yeah, now she does. Right after it happened she wasn't and she lost herself in the bottle."
"That's why she doesn't drink now?"
"Yeah. I guess Swersky and another detective friend held an intervention or she would have drunk herself to death. She told me that she and Jack Daniels became bosom buddies because so many of her friends abandoned her, including her husband. She felt scarred inside and out and no one was telling her otherwise. It took her a long time to rebuild her self esteem to what she has now."
"Did
she sue the departments?"
"She sure did and they
both settled quickly to keep things out of the paper. Both departments tried to
keeps things quiet, even while she was abducted. She was missing for a little
more than a week at the hands of that monster."
They heard a gasp come from the near the door, turning to see Alex was standing there. She gave them a sheepish look. "Sorry, but Lieu was wondering where you guys were, I didn't mean to eavesdrop. I now understand a conversation Liz and I had a while back though."
"How much did you hear?" Walsh asked.
"Just this last bit but I know what you're talking about. I followed the case closely because of my own. I never found out the outcome though."
"Well, Liz got a nice chunk of change and the PD pretty much let her decide what she wanted to do. She decided she wanted to go back to patrol for a while, even though she was just promoted to lieutenant and was going to be in charge of her own division of detectives."
DK gave out a whistle. "She turned down being a lieutenant?"
Walsh nodded. 'Technically she still is a lieutenant, she has the option of taking an opening when it comes up. She's turned them down three times because it was divisions she didn't want to work in. Liz said she wants to be back in arson when she goes back to being a detective."
"That explains all the fire books on her bookshelves," stated DK.
"Guys, Lieu wants us downstairs for something."
As she turned to head to the door Walsh put his hand on her arm. "Alex, you'll keep quiet about this, won't you?"
Alex nodded. "Obviously Liz didn't want it advertised and I can understand why. I won't say a thing."
"Thanks." Walsh stopped DK from following Alex. "DK, I want you to know I'll understand if this changes things between you and Liz. I hate to admit it but I was one of those friends who didn't know what to say to her so I wasn't there for her either."
"Looks like she forgave you." DK frowned. "I have to think about this a little, get a handle on it, you know? I'll let you know how I feel after I figure it out and tell Liz."
"Fair enough."
They headed downstairs in silence to find out what Lt. Johnson wanted.
At the end of shift Sully and Davis found Lt. Swersky in his office, filling out paperwork. Sully rapped his knuckles on the door frame to get his boss' attention. "Boss, can we come in?"
The lieutenant waved them in as he signed a form in front of him. When he looked up he gave them a small smile. "The hospital just called, Liz is heading from recovery to a room."
"That's great."
Sully nodded his agreement. "Did they say how bad the damage was?"
"She did cut one tendon but they were able to repair it. She'll be on light duty for a couple of months though. The doctor wants to keep her in the hospital for a few days to make sure no infection sets in since she was in the river when she cut herself."
"I'll stop by to see her tomorrow when I'm out running errands," stated Ty as he gave Sully a light punch on the arm. "Maybe I'll see you there?"
"Probably. Goodnight, Davis."
"Night,
Sul. Good night, Boss, give Liz my best
when you see her."
"Will do." Ty left the room but Sully remained,
watching his boss. Swersky raised an
eyebrow at him. "Is there
something else, Sully?"
"Yeah,
are you going back over there tonight?"
"As soon as I'm done
here. I want to check on her, she hates
hospitals."
"Is that because of the last time she was in one?"
Swersky paused in writing something on the form in front of him, putting his pen down slowly before looking up at Sully. "What do you know about that, John?"
Sully sat down in the chair next to the desk. "I figured out who Liz is, boss. I know she's Beth Faust."
Rubbing a hand over his face as he sat back in his chair, Swersky was silent for a moment. Finally he looked at Sully again. "How did you figure it out?"
"From little clues here and there, things Liz said, things you said, things Walsh said. Her reaction at the scene today clinched it and I asked Walsh for conformation."
"I
see. What else do you want to
know?"
Sully looked down at his
hands. "Was she ever going to tell
me?"
"Yeah, she was."
"Really?"
Swersky sat forward, resting his elbows on his desk. "Yes, John. We had lunch together a few days ago and we talked about it. She said you were beginning to trust her and had started opening up to her a little and she thought it was time she did the same." He paused, looking at the officer beside him. At the leery look on Sully's face he added, "Don't worry, Liz didn't tell me what you guys were talking about, just that you have been. "
Sully nodded. "Liz is easy to talk to, kind of like Maggie Davis."
"Yes, she is." Swersky gathered up his papers, shoving them into a couple of folders. "How 'bout we go check on her so we can both go home and get some sleep."
"Sounds good, boss."
The shift had ended and the crew was just going to head out when the phone rang. Being the closest, Lt. Johnson picked it up. "Squad 55, Lt. Johnson speaking."
Everyone stopped to listen, wondering what the call was about. "Hi, Mike." "Yeah, they are." "Do you want to speak to him?" "Really? That's great news, I'll tell them. Thanks for calling."
Lt. Johnson turned to hang up the phone while his crew waited, curious. There was a small smile on the lieutenant's face when he turned around. "That was Lt. Swersky, Officer Magnuson is out of surgery and in a room."
"Every thing went okay?" Walsh asked.
Nodding, Lt. Johnson answered, "Yeah but Magnuson did cut one of her tendons so she'll be out a couple of months. Swersky said she'll be in the hospital a couple of days so they can watch for infection. Mike said she'd like a lot visitors because she hates hospitals."
Walsh chuckled. "Yes, she does. Thanks for telling us, Lieu."
"My pleasure. Now let's get out of here."
A much happier group headed down the stairs, into the mild spring night.
~*~*~*~*~*~
