Chapter 14: The first shoe…
Less than an hour later there was a knock at the door. Sara froze, and prayed silently that it wouldn't be Jake. She would take a homicidal maniac over Jake at this particular moment or a 40 minute discussion about The Watchtower. She slowly made her way down the stairs to the door, and peeked through the peephole.
"Thank God" she exclaimed and opened the door.
"Hey Sara" said Gabriel following her in. "Sorry to drop by un-announced…but I was in the area so I thought I'd come see how you're doing."
She led him upstairs "No problem Gabe, I was just….watching TV."
Gabriel looked over at the television, it was off and covered in clothes.
"Reading" said Sara quickly, I meant reading. She grabbed a book off of the coffee table that Vicky had forgotten a couple of days ago and held it up. The cover had a blonde Adonis complete with heaving chest, grasping a dark haired woman. "You know me and trashy novels," she said with a grin. "Just can't get enough."
Gabriel smiled back at her knowingly, "I brought a gift" he said holding up a bottle of wine.
"What's the occasion?"
"Nothing really, a client short on cash traded it for a Mayan prayer bowl." Gabriel examined the label as Sara went into the kitchen to get glasses and a bottle opener. "Apparently it's worth $2500."
"Your kidding" she said, coming back into the living room and sitting next to him on the couch.
"That or I've taken a loss on that bowl." Gabriel opened the wine and poured Sara and himself a glass. Placing the bottle on the coffee table in front of them he turned towards her. "So what up Pezzini? It's been a while."
Sara smiled. "Not much Gabe, it's been pretty much routine around here…eat, work…
"Sleep?" Gabriel added.
Sara nodded and gulped her wine. "Yup" she said into her empty glass.
Gabriel re-filled it. "That case you were working on…the serial, how's that going?"
"It's going I guess…we haven't got any leads just yet" she lied, "but at least we haven't had another body turn up." She knocked on the table in front of them. "Knock on wood."
Sara drained her glass and Gabriel re-filled it. "Are you trying to get me drunk Mr. Bowman?"
"Absolutely Ms. Pezzini" said Gabriel clinking his glass against hers. "So that I may have my way with you."
"Really?" Sara snorted. "And which way would you like me?"
"Honest" said Gabriel, suddenly turning serious. Sara's smile slowly slid from her face. "I mean we haven't talked" he continued. "…I mean really talked since the accident."
"What do you want to talk about?" asked Sara, a little exasperated.
Gabriel didn't answer, he searched her face for something, but Sara was not sure what.
The blade sensing her tension began to swirl on her wrist. "Look Gabe, I'm fine really." She put down her glass and stood up, pacing the living room as she spoke. "I mean yah, maybe I'm not completely over it, but I'm doing a lot better, I'm just trying to concentrate on my work. You know, getting things back to normal." She felt that familiar fog begin to form in the back of her head. Perhaps if she hadn't forgotten to eat today, the wine wouldn't have hit her so fast.
"I'm glad Sara" said Gabriel, not missing the increasing activity of her bracelet or the way she subconsciously rubbed her wrist below it as she paced.
She sat back down on the couch and leaned against the back. Gabriel leaned back beside her. "There's nothing in the world you can't handle right?"
"Damn straight" said Sara closing her eyes.
Gabriel placed his hand on her thigh. "But should you ever, come across something, that seems… arduous…"
Sara smiled. "Ooh Good word usage."
"I mean it Sara, I want you to know that I'm here for you."
Sara placed her head on his shoulder. 'He was here for her" she thought "just like Jake." Foggy as she was she didn't miss the subtle pressure of Gabriel's hand on her thigh or the implied intimacy in him brushing the hair off her cheek and tucking it behind her ear. Still she didn't pull away, though inside she knew she should have. Instead she silently chastised herself for not being able to find what she was looking for in Gabriel's arms or Jake's for that matter, and constantly pushing away the man in whose she suspected she would.
She awoke a couple of hours later, dream free thankfully. A note from Gabriel promised to call and told her that she could keep the wine. She pulled the blanket he had placed over her tighter around her body, frowning at her toes which refused to stay under the blankets warmth.
"Are you cold Lady Sara?" Ian's voice carried over from the window, it was just above a whisper.
"For goodness sake," said Sara. "Is there an 'Open House' sign out front?"
"I do not believe so my Lady, are you planning to move?"
Sara turned her head to look over at him, "It's called…sarcasm, I was trying to be… oh just forget it Nottingham." Even though his back was towards her as he stared out the window, she felt him smile slightly at her frustration…and then something else. "Nottingham?" she asked. "…are you alright?" Standing up quickly she started towards him, the blanket sliding to the floor behind her. She had always felt some sort of connection to him, since that day at the museum, but it had become stronger since that night with Genesis at the church, and right now it was telling her that something was wrong. She placed her hand on his shoulder and turned him towards her. A bruise was developing around his right eye and there was blood in his nose and at the side of his mouth.
"What happened to you?"
Ian wouldn't look her in the eye, his head dropped to his chest as he mumbled. "I was… in a fight."
Sara, now noticed that he was covered in dirt, his usually impeccable attire was torn and disheveled. "I'll say" she breathed. "I hope you gave back as good as you got."
Ian opened his mouth to answer, but then thought better of it and said nothing.
"Come on" said Sara leading him to her bathroom. "Let's get you cleaned up.
Sitting him on the closed lid of the toilet she reached for her first aid kit under the sink.
"I thought you were infallible Nottingham… looks like this guy worked you over good."
"I mistakenly allowed my emotions to get the best of me".
"Anger is your enemy and such…"
"Yes" said Ian. "Among other things."
She carefully wiped the blood from his nose and lip, and cleaned the cut on his cheek with antiseptic. She was standing so close to him, he found it difficult to breath. He was concentrating so hard on fighting the urge to pull her down on to his lap, that he missed what she had asked him. "I beg your pardon Lady Sara?"
"I said, what was this fight about? I mean… you don't really seem like the bar brawl type."
"I'd rather not say" said Ian softly.
"Well if it was about the Knicks game," Sara offered. "I completely understand. How anyone can live in this city and be a Shaq fan is beyond me." Smiling she, dropping the face cloth she was using into the sink and turned to leave. "Let me get you some steak for that eye."
Ian exhaled deeply but silently as she left the bathroom. His head was swimming, not just from the pleasure of the wielders touch as she tended to his wounds, but also from the level of concentration it was taking to block out the pain. His thoughts were interrupted by the phone ringing, and Sara cursing quietly, after viewing the call display Ian figured. She came back into the bathroom a moment later, with a package of sirloin that she began to unwrap.
"I can administer the meat to myself Sara, if you are wanted on the phone."
Sara smiled at his phrasing. "No it's alright, it was just Jake… and I'm kinda not really looking to speak to him right now."
"Really?" said Nottingham. "He led me to believe otherwise."
"We kinda got into this…thing at work" Sara mumbled. "And I…" She stopped suddenly and turned to look at him. Ian felt himself pale as he realized he had spoken aloud.
'I should have gone home' he thought 'or better yet, just lain in a ditch, better to die in a ditch then here with her hating me.'
"What do you mean he led you to…when did you see him?
Like a reflex Ian began to mentally count backwards, it's how he controlled his fear when Irons was angry with him. Only now the numbers were getting mixed up and he couldn't remember what came before 7.
"Nottingham?" Sara called, from what seemed to him like very far away. "Nottingham?!" she said louder.
"Yes lady Sara?" said Ian coming back into focus.
"Tell me this isn't what it looks like."
"What what looks like my lady?"
Sara closed her eyes. "You didn't get into a fight with Jake tonight did you?"
She didn't even give him time to answer. "Are you insane?" she yelled. "Don't answer that? I already know the answer." She slapped the steak against his eye angrily and used his hand to hold it in place. "Here" she said tersely "Administer this."
Sara's hands went to her hips and Ian frowned in anticipation of the lecture he was about to receive.
"Sara?" said Ian softly.
"Is he hurt?" she asked. "Cause, so help me Nottingham."
"Sara I.." Ian tried again.
"Did you forget that he's a cop, that he can press charges against you."
Ian opened his mouth and Sara walked out of the bathroom. She went over to grab her cordless phone and began to dial Jakes number. 'He must have been watching' she thought. 'He saw us kissing and then went after Jake'.
She came back into the doorway of the bathroom as Jakes phone began to ring. Nottingham's head was down, his chin pressed against his chest.
"I can't even imagine what goes through that head of yours." He didn't move or acknowledge her presence at all. "I mean honestly" she said looking him over. "Your lucky he didn't just sh…" Sara's voice tapered off as Jakes answering machine clicked in and he cheerfully informed her to leave a message. She barely heard it. Right now her concentration was on the small puddle of blood at the base of the toilet, it's origins seeming to come from somewhere underneath Ian's torn jacket. "Nottingham?" she whispered, and as if on cue, he slumped of the toilet and into her arms.