Crash and Burn
Chapter 9 – Achilles' Heel
Knowing he couldn't stay by Dee's side whilst he was in Critical Care, Ryo decided the next best thing was to throw himself into work to bring the person that had done this to his lover to justice. Rose drove them back to the precinct in his sleek black BMW, glancing across at Ryo every so often, concerned by the other man's silence. As he calmly negotiated the early afternoon traffic, his mind thinking ahead to the inevitable press conferences that would follow this morning's turn of events, he was surprised when Ryo broke his silence and spoke suddenly.
"Sir?"
As they stopped at the traffic lights, Rose took the opportunity to look at Ryo, noting the serious expression behind his dark eyes. "What is it?"
Ryo faltered as he chose his next words carefully. "If… if we hadn't have found Dee this morning then what would we have done?"
The question hung in the air for several long moments, ominously waiting to be answered. Rose could feel Ryo's stare as he prepared his response but when he turned to look at the blond man, the hope he saw in those dusky orbs made him re-evaluate what he was going to say. "With the kidnapper giving us five days to make our decision I was always confident that we'd find Dee but if that hadn't happened…" Rose took a deep breath. "Then we'd have had no choice but to meet with his demands." The commissioner paused again as he pulled out of a busy junction. "I know you think I don't think much of Dee but I wouldn't have let him down."
In his seat Ryo nodded, satisfied by Rose's answer. "Thank you Sir. I just needed to know." Rose heard the other man sigh wearily and he glanced across to see him massage his temples with slender fingers. "I just hope all our efforts haven't been in vain."
Rose knew what Ryo was saying and he wasn't sure how to respond having been in the same room when the doctor had explained just how ill Dee was. In the end he replied, "Stay strong Ryo", knowing it wasn't much but not able to think of anything better.
They headed up to the offices on the fourth floor when they arrived at the station, passing fellow officers who smiled or said 'well done' to Ryo, having heard about the outcome of the morning's search. With a thin smile of his own, Ryo acknowledged their support, wishing that he was able to say that Dee would be fine and everything was okay again but not wishing to tempt providence with his words.
Drake opened the door as Ryo and Rose approached, his expression indicating he was anxious for an update of Dee's condition. Rose had phoned from the hospital to give a brief outline of the situation but it was clear that all those that knew Dee were waiting for more as conversation ceased when Ryo appeared. The last thing he wanted as he viewed the sea of expectant faces was to talk about Dee and how his life was hanging in the balance but they cared about him too and wanted to know.
"Ryo?" JJ said, rushing forward and clasping the other man's hand. "Is there any news?"
Smiling gratefully at the other man's gesture of support, Ryo shook his head. "I'm afraid not, but he's fighting." JJ nodded and took a deep breath as he let go of Ryo's hand and stepped back so the blond could come into the office. Sat and stood around the desks were most of the investigation team including Drake and Ted, all now looking even more determined to find the person that had hurt one of their colleagues so badly. As Rose left to go to his own office, the team began to brief Ryo on what they had learnt from the location Dee had been found at. "Seems the guy was pretty careful," Drake said, handing Ryo a copy of their preliminary report. "No finger prints on any of the stuff we found at the scene. Even old food cartons we found were clean. But we've got a team staking out the place if he comes back."
"What about the suspect we have in custody?" Ryo asked, scanning the type written page as he spoke. "Maybe we'll get more from him if he knows the game is up." He glanced up to see Ted shaking his head somewhat despondently. "We tried that already. He's still saying nothing."
Ryo sighed deeply as he sank into the nearest chair, massaging his temples as his headache intensified. "How can we have someone in custody and know nothing about them at all?" He looked up at the men around him to be met by equally frustrated expressions. "No previous record… hell, we don't even know his name!" The others looked surprised by Ryo's show of anger although they understood exactly where the emotion was coming from. Every time they'd tried to extract information from the sullen-faced young man, they'd been met by stony silence to the point where he refused to give the frustrated officers his name or even confirm that he understood the terms of his arrest. As his fingerprints returned no information on him, his identity remained a mystery.
Suddenly out of the silence that had descended, Ryo said, "I'm going to interview him." He stood and went to the door, looking back at the other men almost challenging them to try and dissuade him. His colleagues exchanged worried glances before Drake stood too and headed over to where Ryo was. "I'll second you," he said quietly, his own expression indicating that he would not have it any other way. Ryo paused, seemingly weighing up whether it was worth the argument before he backed down and said, "Fine."
The two men left the office and headed down to the custody floor in silence. As they neared the main doors that led to the corridor where the holding cells were situated, Drake caught hold of Ryo's arm before he could key in the code. "Stay cool Ryo," he said calmly, hoping it sounded more like advice than a warning. For a moment Ryo seemed to bristle before he decided to take the words the way Drake had intended them. He nodded his acquiescence as Drake's hand dropped away, allowing him to open the door and continue to their destination. As he walked along just behind the blond detective, Drake couldn't help but think that Ryo was in the wrong frame of mind for what they were about to do. Normally Ryo could be relied on for remaining unflappable even with the most difficult of suspects but this time Drake feared, things were much too personal for Ryo to stay objective.
They completed the necessary paperwork to say they were removing a suspect from a cell for interviewing purposes before the desk sergeant took them to the correct cell and unlocked the door. The suspect was lounging on the uncomfortable metal frame bed, looking as if he was enjoying a stay at the Hilton when the detectives entered. His demeanour was clearly designed to annoy his captors and it seemed to be working as Ryo barked, "Get up now," in a tone far more aggressive than Drake had ever heard him use before. The suspect did as he was told, shooting a sneer at both men as he allowed Ryo to handcuff him and lead him from the cell. They entered the interview room, Drake guiding the suspect to his seat as Ryo connected up the tape recorder, his dark eyes barely leaving the face of the arrogant youth across from him.
He was a handsome young man, roughly around nineteen years of age with deep brown hair and eyes and a lightly tanned complexion. He was so attractive that Ryo couldn't help but think he could have made a better life for himself on his looks than he seemed to have achieved so far, seeing as he was under arrest on suspicion of attempted kidnapping. The blond detective sat down and turned the recorder on as Drake took the seat next to him, the other detective's anxious gaze flicking constantly between the two men in the room, unable to miss the animosity that surged between them.
"Tape recording commenced at fourteen hundred hours. Present Detectives Parker and McLain of the Twenty-Seventh precinct interviewing suspect, identity unknown." Ryo spoke the words in a clear, authoritative tone before he fixed the suspect with a stony stare. "As you are aware, you have been arrested and placed in custody for the attempted kidnapping of Henry Goldsmith Senior and his family. Do you wish to refute these allegations?"
Silence.
"Let the records show the suspect did not respond to the question non-verbally either."
"Were you hired to kidnap the Goldsmiths by the De Luca family or someone associated with them?"
Silence.
Ryo scratched a spot on the table as if he couldn't care less, despite the fact that he wanted to reach across and punch the suspect until he stopped moving. "Let the records show that the suspect has again chosen not to respond."
Several more questions followed, each provoking the same response, or lack of it, from the suspect. Even when they informed the youth that Dee had been found and there was no bargained chip to guarantee his freedom, the other didn't flinch. Eventually, Ryo reached across and stopped the tape recorder, his dark eyes blazing with frustration. "My partner may die because of you," he growled through gritted teeth as Drake stood, pushed his chair under the table and turned away to unplug the machine from the wall, glad that the interview was finally over.
"So? Shit happens I guess…"
Surprised to hear the suspect finally speak, Drake spun round just as Ryo launched himself across the table and dragged the smaller man towards him by the throat. "You will care," he hissed into the face he hated so much, "if anything happens to him, I swear you'll pay."
"Ryo!" Drake yelled, trying to pry the detective off the other man and make him see sense before he did something he'd regret. They struggled for almost twenty seconds, the suspect able to do very little with his hands cuffed behind him as Ryo shook him like a rag doll. Eventually Ryo let him go, shoving the suspect hard as he released his grip, sending him crashing to the floor as he became entangled with his chair. Drake caught hold of Ryo's arm again, fearful that he was about to attack the other man again.
"Ryo!" he said firmly, "Just go. I'll sort this out."
Breathing heavily, his eyes still flashing with anger, Ryo stared at the floored suspect for a moment before he nodded his reluctant assent. He was almost at the door before he felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned to see Drake who looked at him sadly. "Go home or go back to the hospital Ryo," he said gently. "We can manage here."
On the verge of tears, Ryo nodded gratefully. "Okay, but ring me if you find anything out."
"Likewise," Drake replied as he ushered Ryo out of the door before turning his attention back to the suspect.
Ryo headed back up to his office in a daze. "What the hell am I doing?" he muttered to himself before he heard someone approaching behind him. Like a flash, his 'coping' face was back in place as the uniformed police woman smiled in greeting. "Are you going up to the fourth floor?" she asked the handsome blond. When he nodded, she held out a sheath of papers to him. "Could you pass these on to Commissioner Rose then? He left them with Lucy downstairs but she wasn't sure what he wanted her to do with them and his phone's permanently engaged." She rolled her eyes but then smiled when Ryo agreed to take them, handing over the documents before she turned and went back down the corridor. He reached the fourth floor, intending to take the papers to Rose before collecting his coat and briefcase but was distracted when one of the detectives on the investigation team that he didn't know particularly well began to press him on how the interview with the suspect had gone. Flustered and anxious not to talk about what had just happened, Ryo threw the papers into his briefcase with his own documents, made his excuses and left. Drake was right; he needed to get away from work for now.
Back at his car, Ryo debated where he should go. Home was so empty whilst Bicky was at school but sitting in the waiting room at the hospital wasn't particularly appealing either. He was about to climb into the vehicle when he heard his name being called and he turned to see Ted hanging out of one of the fourth floor windows. "RYO!" he yelled, seeing the man was about to leave "The hospital's just rung, Dee's regained consciousness!"
Ryo's eyes widened as he launched himself into the car and started the engine. Wheels span as he floored the accelerator before the car found its purchase on the tarmac and it shot out of the parking lot and onto the street. Fortunately the traffic was fairly light as Ryo raced back to the hospital, overwhelmed with feelings of guilt that he hadn't been there when Dee had awoke. His anger intensified as he thought of the interview with the suspect and he cringed inwardly at how unprofessionally he'd acted. He knew Drake would smooth things over but he was angry that he had put his colleague in such a position. Maybe Rose had been right about the case being too close to home…
He abandoned his car in the parking lot at the hospital and sprinted towards the main doors like a man possessed, ignoring the receptionist on the main desk as she looked up from her computer to address him. Too impatient even to wait for the elevator, he raced up the stairs, taking them two at a time until he reached the appropriate floor that he had left a mere matter of hours ago. Seeing a nurse approaching he rushed towards her before she could disappear into one of the side rooms, her expression one of surprise at the flustered looking man hurrying towards her.
"Dee Latener," he panted as he stopped in front of her, gulping in huge amounts of air to refill his overworked lungs, "the detective that was brought in this morning. You phoned to say he was awake, can I see him?"
Quickly processing everything the harassed man told her, the nurse directed him towards the waiting room. "If you'll take a seat, I'll go and find Dr Sims."
"Thank you," Ryo replied gratefully as he did as he was told and went to sit in the appropriate location. As he waited for the doctor to arrive, he allowed himself to experience a moment of calm as the relief washed over him. Dee was awake already! He now had to put his efforts into bringing his lover back to full health. His dutiful carer fantasy was interrupted as the door opened and the physician stepped into the room, acknowledging Ryo with a quick nod of the head. "Detective McLain?" he said, recalling the other's name. "I wasn't expecting you back."
"I was told Dee was awake and I thought he might need me." He lowered his head suddenly, as if ashamed by what he was about to say. "To be honest I feel very guilty that I didn't stay and wait for him to regain consciousness."
The doctor smiled as he shook his head. "There was no telling when he'd come round," he replied reassuringly before his expression grew serious. "But I'm afraid it's not as straightforward as you might think. He's still very ill and the hyperthermia caused by the infection is making him quite disorientated. He pulled some of the tubes out of his arms and was lashing out at the nurses so we had to sedate him after you left before. He's probably coming round again about now."
Ryo looked worried and made to stand up; needing to see Dee that instant, but the doctor caught his arm. "You can stay with him," the older man said, "But I warn you that he may not realise it's you so don't be surprised if he's aggressive towards you."
Ryo looked as if he was about to dispute the medic's words; to say that he knew Dee and that he would never react like that before he nodded his understanding, reluctantly accepting the other's advice. The two men stood together and headed towards the private room where Dee was supposed to be sleeping however the loud, angry voice that echoed down the corridor as they approached was clear indication that the injured man was very much awake.
"Go away!" he yelled as Ryo flung open the door to see his lover lunging wildly at the two nurses by his bedside. The lights were dimmed as they had intended to remove the pads protecting his eyes but there had been little progress as he had begun to swing his fists blindly. He was sweating profusely, his ebony hair plastered to his head as his body went haywire, in the throes of fever. To add to the general atmosphere of chaos, the heart monitor was beeping furiously, its erratic rhythm displayed on the monitor as series of sharp peaks and troughs.
"Dee!" Ryo cried, rushing into the room and up to the bed, narrowly missing the fist that whizzed past his head. "Stop it! These people are just trying to help you!" His appeal went ignored as Dee began to kick wildly with his one good leg, giving Ryo and the nurses no choice but to stand back out of harm's way until his energy was spent and he collapsed back onto the bed breathing heavily, still muttering incoherent curses under his breath. Ryo turned to the doctor, his dark eyes wide with fear after witnessing first hand his lover's current physical and mental state. Seeing the blond man was about to crack under the strain, Dr Sims put down his files and placed a firm hand on Ryo's shoulder as he spoke in a clear, loud voice. "Dee? My name's Dr Sims," he said addressing the patient although his eyes never left Ryo's anxious face. "I know you're in pain but we want to take the bandages off your eyes so please try and keep still."
A squeeze of encouragement from the hand on his shoulder was enough to spark Ryo into life and he took a tentative step forward, speaking to his disorientated lover in soft, soothing tones. "Dee, it's me." He paused suddenly; acutely aware of the three medical personnel behind him before he swallowed his embarrassment and continued. "It's okay baby, they just want to help you so let them, please?"
Whether Dee heard and decided to listen to his lover or he was just too worn out to fight anymore wasn't clear as the doctor advanced and gently began to peel back the pieces of gauze taped to his battered face as Ryo hovered close by in case he became aggressive again. When both pads were off, the doctor carefully swabbed Dee's eyes, allowing the cool sterile liquid to wash over them as they struggled to adjust, even to the dim light. After a succession of rapid blinks, the orbs seemed to focus as his gaze fell on Ryo, but there was little in the way of joyful recognition as the fever took hold once more and Dee started to writhe in confusion and pain.
"Please!" he cried, startling Ryo with the fear in his tones, "Someone help me!" With the sterile solution running down his face it looked as if he were crying and Ryo's heart wrenched at the sight before him.
"It's okay Dee," he said, trying to catch one of the injured man's hands as they flailed wildly, "Ssshhhh. You're safe now." But Dee was not to be placated. To him, the hallucinations he continued to experience were completely real and as various pairs of hands tried to touch him, he did the only thing he could think of and fought his imaginary enemies with all his might.
Eventually, seeing that Dee was either going to injure himself or someone else, Dr Sims instructed the nurse to prepare another sedative. Ryo looked as if he was about to object before a stray fist caught him squarely in the stomach, knocking the words and the wind from him in one sudden movement.
"I'm sorry Detective McLain," the older medic said to the blond man, now doubled up in pain, "But I think it's best if we keep him sedated until the fever breaks."
With one hand resting on the wall for support as the air slowly found its way back into his lungs, Ryo looked across at Dee sadly and nodded. "But I want to stay with him," he stated breathlessly, his expression, if not his voice showing his determination. It was the doctor's turn to nod his agreement as the nurse returned and handed him the prepared sedative, which he quickly injected into Dee's right arm while there was a lull in his movements. After a few moments the drugs took effect and his eyes closed, his expression instantly becoming more peaceful.
"I'll get one of the nurses to bring you a chair," Dr Sims said, watching as Ryo took up Dee's slack hand and cradled it between his own. "And I'll be back to check on him in an hour or so."
"Thank you," Ryo replied gratefully before his mind thought of something else. "Is there any chance I could make a phone call?"
The nurse that hadn't gone to look for a chair directed Ryo into the small office and pointed him towards the telephone before closing the door to give him some privacy. He dialled Cal's aunt and was relieved when she answered and agreed to have Bicky over to stay for the night. He promised he would call back later to speak to Bicky personally, knowing the boy would be anxious for news of Dee before he ended the call and returned to the private room off the hallway.
TBC…