Chapter Twelve
Lenny decided it was time to pull the last job. It had only started out to get a little money to finance a move for him and Sheila. But then it had turned into a game. And now it was time to declare the winner. He knew that it was much earlier than the others, but that would work to his advantage.
He looked at the two places that he had scouted out earlier. The convenience store wouldn't be as profitable but the chase would certainly last longer. However the chances of getting caught were more risky. That would ruin all the fun. The pawnshop would bring in a lot more and at this point he didn't want anything to go wrong. He wanted to lure that cop up on the roof of the hospital. His dad was some big shot doctor there so he was sure the cop was well known by the staff.
Lenny had done his homework well. There was a set of scaffolding on the side where they were adding a new cardiac wing. Lenny knew that if he could get the cop to follow him he could get onto the scaffolding and climb down. The cop would once again be left standing there with his hands in his pockets looking stupid. Only this time it might look more suspicious since he should know the hospital better than Lenny since his dad worked there. The reporters would have a field with that one for sure. Lenny smiled as he imagined what the headlines would read.
Yea the pawnshop was definitely the way to go. Now all he had to do was work out a few details and send out the invitations to Sloan and the reporters.
Steve sat at his desk finishing up the last of the paperwork on his last file. Nothing more had happened since the latest headlines in the paper two days ago. In order to keep his mind from dwelling on the events of the other day, Steve had tackled his unfinished paper work with uncharacteristic enthusiasm. It had been a long time since his desk looked this clean. He made a resolution right then to always keep his paperwork up and not let his files get backed up again. He smiled to himself knowing full well that when his dad gave him the all clear to go back to full duty that his desk would once again become a graveyard for discarded paperwork.
He was about to head over to the hospital to get the stitches out of his hand when the phone rang. "Homicide, Sloan."
"Good morning Detective. How's the hand?" The voice on the other end was mocking him.
"Who is this?" Steve demanded to know.
"Now that hurts. After all according to the papers we are partners in crime. I would think that you would at least recognize your own partner Lieutenant." The voice continued to mock Steve.
"What do you want Edwards?" Steve had nothing but contempt for the thief.
"Now if you are going to cop an attitude I may not let you play our game anymore. I was just going to let you know that I am about to take down the pawnshop. You know the one. It's right down from the hospital. I just knew you would want to be a part of this. But you come alone. Because if I see any black and whites or boys with badges I will just pack up my marbles and go home. And you will never catch me then. Now you better hurry because I have other things to do and I can't play games with you all day. Bye."
"Edwards! Edwards wait!" Steve tried to grab the thief's attention.
Steve quickly grabbed his jacket and made his way to the pawnshop in question. He pulled up in front just in time to see Edwards run to the little alley that led to the hospital. Steve immediately gave chase not even bothering to think about the consequences of his actions. He pounded the pavement as fast as he could, determined not to let the little germ get away from him this time. Edwards had managed to make a fool out of him for the last time. Steve was also determined to clear up the cloud that hung over him thanks to Edwards and the press. He ran as fast as he could but his hand slowed him down a couple of times when he had to scramble over a fence or push past debris that lined the alley. He never lost sight of Edwards however and he continued to run after the thief.
The hospital loomed in front of them and Steve knew that if he didn't grab Lenny soon he would be forced to make a decision that could impact his life forever. Steve didn't want to have to make that decision so he burst forth with a sudden blast of speed that got him almost close enough to take the thief down. Then fate stepped in and a dumpster shot out from an open door of a warehouse causing Steve to put the brakes on. He nearly collided with the big trash bin but managed to bring himself to a halt just in time. Steve didn't take the time to think about what could have been he just continued his pursuit of Lenny.
Lenny had managed to gain just enough ground ahead to disappear behind the corner of the hospital. Steve knew exactly where he was headed. Following close behind Steve continued his race in hopes that he could grab Lenny on the stairs. Lenny was almost to the third floor when Steve burst through the door that led to the stair passage that lead to all the floors and finally the roof of the hospital. He started the arduous climb up the stairs as he followed as fast as he could, hoping to catch up before they found themselves on the roof.
Lenny started to have second thoughts about this whole thing as he started to feel the affects of climbing the stairs. It was not the same as climbing a few steps up a fire escape. Community General had at least ten floors and that meant a whole lot of climbing. He was just about to think that he had really messed up when he saw the sign that read 'To The Roof' up ahead. The sign gave him a renewed burst of energy and he plowed forward.
Steve never once gave any thought to how tired he might be getting. He solely focussed on catching up to Edwards before he got to the roof. He was disheartened when he saw the sign up ahead and Edwards suddenly disappear through the door that led out onto the roof. With out flinching or slowing down Steve continued to plow on ahead. He burst through the door just in time to see Edwards climb over onto the scaffolding that was set up on the side of the building. He yelled at Edwards to stop.
Looking up Edwards did stop and smiled at the Detective. "No problem Sloan. What ever you say."
Steve drew his gun and pointed it at Edwards and said. "Just climb back over to the roof. I'm not going to let you get away this time. I will shoot you. Get back over here! NOW!"
Steve knew that his voice sounded desperate. But the truth of the matter he was. Both Steve and Edwards stood and stared at each other for at least a minute then the thief smiled at Steve again and said. "You want me you're going to have to come out here and get me. And we both know that you can't do that now don't we?"
Steve swallowed the lump that had suddenly appeared in his throat. "Don't make any mistakes Edwards. I will shoot you where you stand."
"I don't think you will Sloan. You see I know a lot about you. And I know that you won't shoot me unless I threaten you with harm. It's not in your nature to harm unless you or someone else is threatened. Now why don't you put that gun away and just come over here and get me?"
"You didn't do your homework very well. I WILL shoot you if you do not climb back over onto the roof! Now!" Steve cocked the hammer on his gun for emphasis.
For the first time Lenny wasn't so sure about the Cop. Everything he had read about Sloan indicated that he would not take a life unless threatened or defending others. Maybe he had pushed Sloan too far. Maybe the detective had reached a point where he was so desperate that he was willing to kill in order to stop the nightmare that Edwards had engulfed him in. Both men just continued to stand and stare at each other.
Mark and Jesse were standing at the nurse's station pouring over some test results of a patient that they both were worried about. Suddenly an orderly ran up to them and tried to tell both doctors something but he was so excited and so out of breath that all that was coming out was a bunch of incoherent babbling.
"Slow down Pete. Take a minute and catch your breath. You're not making any since." Mark tried to sooth the distraught orderly.
"I don't have time Doctor Sloan. I just saw Steve chase a man around to the side of the hospital and disappear into the stairwell. I tried to follow them but they were too fast. I knew I needed to tell you so I came to find you and let you know. Steve was really after this guy. I figured it was that man that was causing him so much trouble. I knew you would want to know."
"Thanks Pete. Jesse call the station and tell Steve's Captain what's happening." Mark tuned to go to the stairs and catch up with his son if he wasn't too late.
Jesse started to dial the phone and called after the retreating doctor. "Where are you going?"
With out even turning around to answer his young friend Mark answered. "To find Steve before he does something we both regret!"
Mark pushed his way through the door just as Edwards once again began to taunt Steve. "Come on Sloan come and get me. The air is great out here. What's the matter? You scared?"
Steve never let his eyes move away from Edwards. He slowly started to creep closer to the thief not sure what he would do once he got to the scaffolding. Edwards watched the cop as he slowly advanced towards him. He wanted the cop to get closer so that he would have a good view of him as he shimmied down the side of the scaffolding and made his escape for the last time.
Mark watched the drama as it unfolded before him. He knew his son was feeling the pressure to take Lenny down. He only hoped that Steve would not do anything stupid like go after the thief.
As Steve got a little closer Edwards started to back up a little heading for the farthest corner of the scaffold. He was watching the detective so intently that he didn't see the pile of rope and the bucket that were in his path. He stepped into the middle of the equipment and lost his balance. He fell through the bars that served as a safety barrier and only barely managed to save himself by grabbing onto the floor of the scaffold. Edwards screamed as he went through the bars.
With out even giving it a second thought Steve holstered his gun and climbed onto the scaffolding to grab Edwards before he fell to his death. Somewhere behind him he heard his father yell his name as he went over on to the scaffold. Steve managed to grab the thief's wrist and with all of his strength he began to pull him up to safety. Edwards wasn't a big man but he had nothing to use as leverage and so was unable to help his rescuer pull him up. Steve strained with all his might but with one hand still sporting stitches and a broken bone it was a while before he could manage to heave Edwards up enough so that he could help pull himself up onto the floor of the scaffold.
Both men just sat there and caught their breath for a minute. When Steve looked up he saw his father looking very worried at him. Then out of no where two Hospital Security Guards appeared and took the thief into custody.
Steve continued to sit trying to catch his breath as the guards carted Edwards off to wait for the police to come and take him into custody. Steve thought he was going to loose him again but luck seemed to be on his side after all.
Steve heard his dad calling to him. He looked up into his father's face and saw real concern written all over him. "I'm fine Dad. I got him."
"I know you did son. You're going to be just fine so let's get you inside ok." Mark knew that if he could keep Steve distracted he had a better chance of getting his son back onto the roof with out panicking him. He doubted that Steve even realized where he was at the moment. He reached his arm out to grab Steve's hand and just as Steve reached up to take a hold of it the scaffolding swayed a little.
Steve felt the scaffolding sway and suddenly he was brought back to reality. He grabbed the bars of the scaffold and hung on with all his might. Mark realized that he had lost his opportunity to get Steve back onto the roof without any trouble. He looked at his son who at this point had shut down unable to move.
A/N: Sorry about the delay in posting this chapter. Sometimes real life can be a pain. Any way thanks again for all the wonderful reviews. They mean so much to me. Only one more chapter after this.
Lenny decided it was time to pull the last job. It had only started out to get a little money to finance a move for him and Sheila. But then it had turned into a game. And now it was time to declare the winner. He knew that it was much earlier than the others, but that would work to his advantage.
He looked at the two places that he had scouted out earlier. The convenience store wouldn't be as profitable but the chase would certainly last longer. However the chances of getting caught were more risky. That would ruin all the fun. The pawnshop would bring in a lot more and at this point he didn't want anything to go wrong. He wanted to lure that cop up on the roof of the hospital. His dad was some big shot doctor there so he was sure the cop was well known by the staff.
Lenny had done his homework well. There was a set of scaffolding on the side where they were adding a new cardiac wing. Lenny knew that if he could get the cop to follow him he could get onto the scaffolding and climb down. The cop would once again be left standing there with his hands in his pockets looking stupid. Only this time it might look more suspicious since he should know the hospital better than Lenny since his dad worked there. The reporters would have a field with that one for sure. Lenny smiled as he imagined what the headlines would read.
Yea the pawnshop was definitely the way to go. Now all he had to do was work out a few details and send out the invitations to Sloan and the reporters.
Steve sat at his desk finishing up the last of the paperwork on his last file. Nothing more had happened since the latest headlines in the paper two days ago. In order to keep his mind from dwelling on the events of the other day, Steve had tackled his unfinished paper work with uncharacteristic enthusiasm. It had been a long time since his desk looked this clean. He made a resolution right then to always keep his paperwork up and not let his files get backed up again. He smiled to himself knowing full well that when his dad gave him the all clear to go back to full duty that his desk would once again become a graveyard for discarded paperwork.
He was about to head over to the hospital to get the stitches out of his hand when the phone rang. "Homicide, Sloan."
"Good morning Detective. How's the hand?" The voice on the other end was mocking him.
"Who is this?" Steve demanded to know.
"Now that hurts. After all according to the papers we are partners in crime. I would think that you would at least recognize your own partner Lieutenant." The voice continued to mock Steve.
"What do you want Edwards?" Steve had nothing but contempt for the thief.
"Now if you are going to cop an attitude I may not let you play our game anymore. I was just going to let you know that I am about to take down the pawnshop. You know the one. It's right down from the hospital. I just knew you would want to be a part of this. But you come alone. Because if I see any black and whites or boys with badges I will just pack up my marbles and go home. And you will never catch me then. Now you better hurry because I have other things to do and I can't play games with you all day. Bye."
"Edwards! Edwards wait!" Steve tried to grab the thief's attention.
Steve quickly grabbed his jacket and made his way to the pawnshop in question. He pulled up in front just in time to see Edwards run to the little alley that led to the hospital. Steve immediately gave chase not even bothering to think about the consequences of his actions. He pounded the pavement as fast as he could, determined not to let the little germ get away from him this time. Edwards had managed to make a fool out of him for the last time. Steve was also determined to clear up the cloud that hung over him thanks to Edwards and the press. He ran as fast as he could but his hand slowed him down a couple of times when he had to scramble over a fence or push past debris that lined the alley. He never lost sight of Edwards however and he continued to run after the thief.
The hospital loomed in front of them and Steve knew that if he didn't grab Lenny soon he would be forced to make a decision that could impact his life forever. Steve didn't want to have to make that decision so he burst forth with a sudden blast of speed that got him almost close enough to take the thief down. Then fate stepped in and a dumpster shot out from an open door of a warehouse causing Steve to put the brakes on. He nearly collided with the big trash bin but managed to bring himself to a halt just in time. Steve didn't take the time to think about what could have been he just continued his pursuit of Lenny.
Lenny had managed to gain just enough ground ahead to disappear behind the corner of the hospital. Steve knew exactly where he was headed. Following close behind Steve continued his race in hopes that he could grab Lenny on the stairs. Lenny was almost to the third floor when Steve burst through the door that led to the stair passage that lead to all the floors and finally the roof of the hospital. He started the arduous climb up the stairs as he followed as fast as he could, hoping to catch up before they found themselves on the roof.
Lenny started to have second thoughts about this whole thing as he started to feel the affects of climbing the stairs. It was not the same as climbing a few steps up a fire escape. Community General had at least ten floors and that meant a whole lot of climbing. He was just about to think that he had really messed up when he saw the sign that read 'To The Roof' up ahead. The sign gave him a renewed burst of energy and he plowed forward.
Steve never once gave any thought to how tired he might be getting. He solely focussed on catching up to Edwards before he got to the roof. He was disheartened when he saw the sign up ahead and Edwards suddenly disappear through the door that led out onto the roof. With out flinching or slowing down Steve continued to plow on ahead. He burst through the door just in time to see Edwards climb over onto the scaffolding that was set up on the side of the building. He yelled at Edwards to stop.
Looking up Edwards did stop and smiled at the Detective. "No problem Sloan. What ever you say."
Steve drew his gun and pointed it at Edwards and said. "Just climb back over to the roof. I'm not going to let you get away this time. I will shoot you. Get back over here! NOW!"
Steve knew that his voice sounded desperate. But the truth of the matter he was. Both Steve and Edwards stood and stared at each other for at least a minute then the thief smiled at Steve again and said. "You want me you're going to have to come out here and get me. And we both know that you can't do that now don't we?"
Steve swallowed the lump that had suddenly appeared in his throat. "Don't make any mistakes Edwards. I will shoot you where you stand."
"I don't think you will Sloan. You see I know a lot about you. And I know that you won't shoot me unless I threaten you with harm. It's not in your nature to harm unless you or someone else is threatened. Now why don't you put that gun away and just come over here and get me?"
"You didn't do your homework very well. I WILL shoot you if you do not climb back over onto the roof! Now!" Steve cocked the hammer on his gun for emphasis.
For the first time Lenny wasn't so sure about the Cop. Everything he had read about Sloan indicated that he would not take a life unless threatened or defending others. Maybe he had pushed Sloan too far. Maybe the detective had reached a point where he was so desperate that he was willing to kill in order to stop the nightmare that Edwards had engulfed him in. Both men just continued to stand and stare at each other.
Mark and Jesse were standing at the nurse's station pouring over some test results of a patient that they both were worried about. Suddenly an orderly ran up to them and tried to tell both doctors something but he was so excited and so out of breath that all that was coming out was a bunch of incoherent babbling.
"Slow down Pete. Take a minute and catch your breath. You're not making any since." Mark tried to sooth the distraught orderly.
"I don't have time Doctor Sloan. I just saw Steve chase a man around to the side of the hospital and disappear into the stairwell. I tried to follow them but they were too fast. I knew I needed to tell you so I came to find you and let you know. Steve was really after this guy. I figured it was that man that was causing him so much trouble. I knew you would want to know."
"Thanks Pete. Jesse call the station and tell Steve's Captain what's happening." Mark tuned to go to the stairs and catch up with his son if he wasn't too late.
Jesse started to dial the phone and called after the retreating doctor. "Where are you going?"
With out even turning around to answer his young friend Mark answered. "To find Steve before he does something we both regret!"
Mark pushed his way through the door just as Edwards once again began to taunt Steve. "Come on Sloan come and get me. The air is great out here. What's the matter? You scared?"
Steve never let his eyes move away from Edwards. He slowly started to creep closer to the thief not sure what he would do once he got to the scaffolding. Edwards watched the cop as he slowly advanced towards him. He wanted the cop to get closer so that he would have a good view of him as he shimmied down the side of the scaffolding and made his escape for the last time.
Mark watched the drama as it unfolded before him. He knew his son was feeling the pressure to take Lenny down. He only hoped that Steve would not do anything stupid like go after the thief.
As Steve got a little closer Edwards started to back up a little heading for the farthest corner of the scaffold. He was watching the detective so intently that he didn't see the pile of rope and the bucket that were in his path. He stepped into the middle of the equipment and lost his balance. He fell through the bars that served as a safety barrier and only barely managed to save himself by grabbing onto the floor of the scaffold. Edwards screamed as he went through the bars.
With out even giving it a second thought Steve holstered his gun and climbed onto the scaffolding to grab Edwards before he fell to his death. Somewhere behind him he heard his father yell his name as he went over on to the scaffold. Steve managed to grab the thief's wrist and with all of his strength he began to pull him up to safety. Edwards wasn't a big man but he had nothing to use as leverage and so was unable to help his rescuer pull him up. Steve strained with all his might but with one hand still sporting stitches and a broken bone it was a while before he could manage to heave Edwards up enough so that he could help pull himself up onto the floor of the scaffold.
Both men just sat there and caught their breath for a minute. When Steve looked up he saw his father looking very worried at him. Then out of no where two Hospital Security Guards appeared and took the thief into custody.
Steve continued to sit trying to catch his breath as the guards carted Edwards off to wait for the police to come and take him into custody. Steve thought he was going to loose him again but luck seemed to be on his side after all.
Steve heard his dad calling to him. He looked up into his father's face and saw real concern written all over him. "I'm fine Dad. I got him."
"I know you did son. You're going to be just fine so let's get you inside ok." Mark knew that if he could keep Steve distracted he had a better chance of getting his son back onto the roof with out panicking him. He doubted that Steve even realized where he was at the moment. He reached his arm out to grab Steve's hand and just as Steve reached up to take a hold of it the scaffolding swayed a little.
Steve felt the scaffolding sway and suddenly he was brought back to reality. He grabbed the bars of the scaffold and hung on with all his might. Mark realized that he had lost his opportunity to get Steve back onto the roof without any trouble. He looked at his son who at this point had shut down unable to move.
A/N: Sorry about the delay in posting this chapter. Sometimes real life can be a pain. Any way thanks again for all the wonderful reviews. They mean so much to me. Only one more chapter after this.