Explosion!

by ChristyK

Van and Deaq are trapped in a nightclub after a bomb explodes

Explosion

Van followed the man carrying the briefcase toward the hallway that led to the basement. He glanced back at Deaq and made a signal with his hands. His partner knew immediately what he meant. He wanted Deaq to stay upstairs and clear out the nightclub. If this was the bomber, they knew he could detonate the bomb at anytime. Damn! Deaq thought, he didn't like leaving his partner to deal with the man by himself. If this was indeed the bomber he wouldn't hesitate to kill anyone trying to stop him.

For the last few months L.A. had been held hostage by an extortionist. The man was using bombs as his means of getting the city to pay him millions to stop the bombings. Of course the city would not give into his demands and the bombings continued. After the first few explosions rocked the city the majority of the population hid behind closed doors and also tried to stay away from any event that might draw a crowd that could entice the bomber. So far he had destroyed two nightclubs and two large department stores, killing thirty-eight people and wounding countless others. He always struck at night and then disappeared into the darkness. The city was frantic. Uniformed officers and undercover police scoured the area but in a city as big as L.A. there were a million places the man could hide. No one knew where he'd strike next. The only description they had of him was that he appeared to be a man with tan skin, possibly Hispanic. They had no way of knowing if this man acted alone or had accomplices. The few people who did venture out at night were taking their lives into their hands. Deaq and Van had been in on the case since the beginning and this was the first time they thought they might actually be on to something. They had been sitting at the bar when they noticed a man come into the nightclub carrying a briefcase. This in itself wasn't unusual because the city was loaded with businessmen who stopped by a bar on their way home for a drink. The only difference was that this man didn't seem to want any company and turned away from attractive women who were obviously trying to flirt with him. He also kept his briefcase on his lap instead of putting it on one of the chairs next to him or checking it with the coat check girl which most of the businessmen did. The man also appeared to be very nervous and constantly glanced around the room. Beads of perspiration glistened off his skin. When he had gotten up and headed for the hallway Van and Deaq moved in behind him. They both knew there was no reason for the man to be heading that way unless he intended to go into the basement. They knew as a precaution the bar should be emptied, just in case this was their man. Van, knowing it would be easier for one man to follow him then two, had given Deaq a signal to empty the club. If he caught sight of them who knew what he might do. Van pulled out his gun and cautiously stayed a safe distance behind the man. The only thing he could think of to do was to hopefully sneak up on him and get the briefcase away from him before he had time to detonate it. Van hoped the man didn't have a remote detonator in his hand and would be able to set it off even if he was able to get the briefcase away from him. He tried not to think about that as he slowly closed the distance between them.

Upstairs Deaq flashed his badge and began to evacuate the building. He tried to do it as quietly as possible so as not to alert the bomber. His heart pounded as adrenaline flowed through his body. He hoped they'd be able to collar this man and his rein of terror would be over. He silently prayed everything would go smoothly but had a horrible nagging feeling it wouldn't.

Downstairs Van hid behind some boxes and watched as the man entered the boiler room and put the briefcase down on a bench. It was now or never. He stood up and quietly approached the man but the man suddenly turned around. He held his hand in the air and Van could see a detonator switch in it.

"Police! Hold it right there!" Van shouted as he pointed his gun at the man. He said a silent prayer that the man wasn't suicidal and wouldn't blow himself up along with the rest of them.

"Get away from me!" The man's eyes were wild looking as he pointed the detonator toward the briefcase.

"Take it easy. Take it easy." Van said as he raised his hands slightly and pointed the gun at the ceiling as he tried to calm the man. "You don't want to do this." Van took a few steps toward the man.

"I wouldn't have to do this if the city would have paid me what I wanted."

"Why don't you go with me and we'll talk to the mayor, see what we can work out." Van said gently hoping the man would be naive enough to fall for it. It seemed to be working. The man slowly lowered the detonator.

"You know the mayor?" He seemed impressed

"Yeah, I know him. He'd listen to me." Van took a few more steps forward and held out his hand.

The man started to hand the detonator to Van then suddenly stepped back and put his thumb on the trigger.

"You're trying to trick me!"

"No,no,no.................I want to help you." Van raised his hands again but didn't move any closer.

"You know I have another bomb in the building? I've learned one isn't enough to bring down the entire building." The man said giving Van a nervous smile.

"But you've always been able to leave the building before the bomb went off. I'm sorry but I can't let you do that today."

"Then we're both going to die today."

"No one has to die. Just give me the detonator" Van held out his hand again. "I'll tell you what.........."Van continued talking, trying to give Deaq time to clear the building. "Why don't you give me the detonator and this one time I will let you leave. You can walk out of here and I'll make sure nobody stops you." Van knew there was no way he would keep that promise. One way or another he was taking this man down.

Deaq watched as the dance floor emptied. The security guard for the nightclub seemed to have everything under control so Deaq headed for the hallway leading to the basement. As he headed down the stairs leading to the basement he could hear Van's voice talking calmly to the suspected bomber.

The man had seemed to calm down but all of a sudden the wild look came back in his eyes.

"I don't believe you! I don't want to go to jail!" The man turned back toward the briefcase and pointed the detonator at it.

Van knew this was it. He spun around and ran through the doorway into the hall. He looked up to see Deaq heading toward him.

"Deaq get out of here, it's going to blow!" Van shouted.

Deaq turned around and just made it back to the stairwell when hell broke loose. He actually felt the concussion of the blast before he heard it. He threw himself on the steps behind the wall and covered his head. Then everything went black.

Deaq had no idea how long he was unconscious. Was it minutes or hours, he had no idea. The next thing he knew he was waking up covered in debris and dust. He tried to look around but the dust was so thick he couldn't see more then a few feet in front of him. He had been lucky. The wall of the stairwell had been well built and provided him with some protection from the blast. He groaned as he moved around, checking to make sure everything worked. His left arm hung useless by his side and Deaq assumed it was broken even though the pain hadn't hit him yet. Other then his arm and the numerous cuts and bruises over his body he had been fortunate. However he was in a state of shock and couldn't think clearly. What had happened? Where was he? The last thing he remembered was clearing the dance floor for some reason but at first he couldn't remember why. Then it occurred to him. The bomber. He looked around on the steps expecting to find his partner lying near by. He shook his head trying to clear it. Where was Van? His eyes widened in horror when he remembered. His partner had shouted a warning to him then everything had gone black. Van was somewhere in the basement. He turned toward the opening to the basement a little too quick and yelped in pain when he tried to put pressure on his injured arm. There was debris everywhere. His partner couldn't have survived. Oh God no! He frantically started digging with his good hand. He had to find Van. When the ringing in his ears stopped he could hear sirens but the sound was muffled by all the concrete that had collapsed around him. At least help was on the way.

"Hang in there partner. I'm going to get you out of here." Deaq said softlyto himself as he blinked back tears of frustration.He had to find his partner, or die trying.

Outside Billie was one of the first officers to arrive. She had heard the 911 call over her police scanner and knew it was the club that Deaq and Van were working at. Her eyes scanned the crowd that had gathered praying she would see their faces in it. When she didn't, she began showing their pictures to people in the crowd till finally she reached someone that had seen them. It was the security guard who had helped Deaq empty out the club.

"Where's the last place you remember seeing them?"

"I don't remember seeing the white dude but the black guy flashed his badge and told me to help him clear the joint. Last I saw him he was running toward the hallway in the back of the club. I just got out when the place went up."

"Where's the hallway, show me."

The security guard led Billie to the left front of the building and pointed to the back alley. He couldn't go any further because of the barricades that were being put up.

"It's right down the alley. The hallway leads to the basement and also to a door in the back that leads to the alley."

Billie thanked the man then looked in disbelief at the debris that had crumbled in the alley from the explosion. The doorway must be completely covered she thought. She had to get help. She turned to a fireman giving out orders.

"I have reason to believe that two men are trapped in the hallway in the back of the building or possibly in the basement."

"Listen miss, you got to get out of here." The fireman said then turned and ignored her as he continued to give orders.

"You got to have someone clear the debris in the alley." She was starting to get impatient and grabbed the man's arm.

The fireman grabbed her by the arm and pulled her roughly over to the sidewalk.

"Listen miss you got to stay behind the barricade or I'll be forced to have you escorted out of here. Now stay here."

As the man started to walk away Billie went around the barricade and ran up to the man. She reached in her purse and took her ID out and held it up.

"I said I have two men who I believe are trapped in the back and I need all the help you can spare to clear the debris so we can look for them."

"Sorry Lieutenant I thought you were just a bystander. What makes you think two men are in there?"

"I have two officers working undercover and one of them was last seen in that area. I'm hoping that the other is there too."

"But you're not positive they were back there?"

"It's the best I have to go on. All I really know is that they haven't contacted me and they're not in the crowd. They're still in the building."

The fireman turned to a group of firemen heading toward the building and shouted over to them.

"We have a possible entrapment in the back of the building at the alleyway. Possibly two men." He grabbed the leaders arm as he ran by and added. "They're cops." He knew if it was one of their own, or a police officer, they would even try harder to get them out alive.

"Let's move it!" The fireman shouted at his colleagues.

Billie joined the firemen running toward the back of the building. They didn't try to stop her. If they were going to rescue the two men they knew they needed all the help they could get.

Deaq removed the debris from the entrance to the basement as fast as he could with his injured arm hanging by his side. It took a while but he finally had an area cleared enough for him to crawl through. When he got to the other side his heart sunk. There was no sign of Van, only hunks of concrete where the walls had collapsed. He started coughing as the dust began to choke him.

"Van!" He yelled, praying to get an answer but fearing it was unlikely.

He began to crawl through the area desperately searching for some sign of his partner but also dreading what he might find. He kept calling to Van praying for a miracle.

Van lay on a beach; he could hear the sound of water rushing up around him. A tall blonde in a flowing white dress stood over him smilingShe seemed to glow. He smiled back at her and tried to stand up but something was holding him down. He looked around but couldn't see anything. The more he tried to stand the more tired he became. Off in the distance he could hear someone calling his name. As the sound got louder the image of the girl began to fade. He tried to reach for her but she was turning into mist.

Deaq's eyes widened in disbelief. Down the hallway a bloody hand was reaching out of the rubble then suddenly disappeared. Was he seeing things? He crawled quickly toward the spot where he had seen the hand. It was gone; nothing was there except hunks of concrete. But as he knelt there he noticed a few drops of blood on top of the concrete.

"Oh my God!" Deaq began digging frantically. It took him a while but finally he uncovered an arm, then finally a face. It was Van. He gently reached down and felt the side of his neck. He could detect a faint heartbeat. He shut his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hey partner, wake up." He said softly as he continued to gently remove what he could of the rubble. Van groaned but didn't open his eyes. As Deaq shifted his weight on top of the concrete Van's eyes flew open and he gasped in pain.

"Take it easy Van, take it easy!"

Van stared straight ahead before slowly turning pain filled eyes toward Deaq.

"D.....Deaq." His lips moved but the sound hardly came out.

"Yeah, partner it's me. How're you doing?"

"What.........what happened?"

"You found the bomber."

"Bomber?" Van asked confused, his head was spinning and he couldn't think straight.

"Don't worry about him. He's gone." Deaq continued to carefully remove more rubble from on top of Van. When he got near the bottom he realized there was still a huge piece of concrete pinning Van's lower body to the floor and he had no idea how he was going to remove it. Even with two good arms it would be next to impossible. He heard the sound of water running somewhere and looked around. Water was slowly inching its way toward them from a broken pipe in the boiler room. Deaq knew he had to get his partner out of there. He had no way of knowing if there could be live electrical wires lying nearby and if the water touched them............He didn't want to think about it. Using all his strength he began pulling on the concrete but stopped when Van cried out in pain

"Stop! Oh God Deaq, stop!" Van was breathing heavy and his eyes filled up with tears of agony.

"I'm sorry partner but I got to get this off of you." Deaq said as he picked up Van's hand and squeezed it. Deaq fought to control the panic he was beginning to feel. If he couldn't move Van the water would soon reach him and if there were electrical wires..................Then he realized, even if the wires weren't a problem, once the water reached Van it wouldn't take long till it covered him. His only hope was that he knew he had heard sirens so at least there was help on the way. Or was there? Would anyone know that they were trapped down here? He hoped that the security guard he had talked to would realize that he hadn't made it out of the building. He once more tried to lift the concrete; he knew he had to move his partner over to the stairwell. At least there it would take a while for the water to reach them and any rescue attempt would have to be made from there. He knew there was an alley next to the stairwell and that would be the most likely place to attempt a rescue.

"No! Stop!" Van cried out. He reached over and grabbed Deaq's arm, his teeth were clenched in pain. "I can't feel my legs Deaq! I think my back is broken!"

"Okay, just try to relax, I'll think of something."

Deaq could feel his heart pounding. He hated causing his partner pain but he knew he had no choice. He sat back and tried to think. He knew there was no way he was going to watch his partner drown. But if he did move him and his back was broken he could cause more damage. As it stood now he didn't have a choice. The concrete was too heavy for him to move, especially with only one arm. He either had to find help or find something he could use as leverage.

"Deaq, is everyone okay? Did everyone get out?" Van said as he started to remember the last few hours.

"Everyone's fine. The building is empty, except for us." Deaq hoped what he said was true. He prayed everyone else had made it out in time but there was no way of knowing.

"Oh good." Van's eyes suddenly widened as he remembered something the bomber had told him "Deaq............there's another bomb."

"What?!"

"He said there was another bomb."

"Did he tell you where?"

"No, he just said there was another bomb."

"He could have been bluffing."

"Maybe. It was hard to tell............ I just don't know." Van looked up at his partner. "Deaq, if there's another bomb you got to get out of here. One more blast and this entire building will come down."

"We're leaving here together." Deaq said trying to sound confident but inside he was scared to death. What if he couldn't free his partner? What if he had to sit there and watch him die?

Van gave Deaq a small smile. Deaq winced when he saw blood covered teeth. Was it from a cut in Van's mouth or was he bleeding internally? There was no way of knowing.

"You're not superman Deaq. There's no way you're going to lift this. You got to get out of here if you can."

"We're in this together partner. When I go, you go."

"Deaq............I don't want you dying because of me. Billie would kill me if you did that."

Deaq gave a small laugh.

"She'd kill me if I didn't get you out. So I guess we either go out together or not at all. We don't want to have to deal with Billie separately." Deaq meant what he said. He knew he would never be able to live with himself if his partner died and he hadn't done everything he could to try to save him. He was worried as he looked at Van. He was getting paler. Deaq knew it was either from shock, or from bleeding internally, or maybe both. He had to get help, and fast.

"Van, you just take it easy for a little while. I'm going to go see if I can hear anything."

Van nodded. He didn't look good. Deaq quickly made his way back to the stairwell. He could hear the sound of jackhammers eating away at the wall. It shouldn't take them too much longer to punch through. God please let them get here in time to help my partner He started moving as much of the debris that was against the wall that he was able to. When he removed all that he could, he hurried back to Van.

"I can hear them partner." When Van didn't answer him Deaq swallowed the lump in his throat and leaning closer put his hand on Van's neck. Don't you go dying on me partner. Don't you go leaving me. The shallow pulse was still there. Deaq shut his eyes and let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding. Thank God Deaq looked back at the boiler room and could see the water coming slow but steady toward them. It would be only a short time before the water would start to pool around them. He looked back toward the stairwell. Oh Please God hurry Since there was nothing he could do for Van at the moment and he appeared to be unconscious Deaq decided to head back to the stairwell but first he reached down and squeezed Van's hand.

"You hang in there partner, I'll be back with help."

Deaq prayed he'd be right. If there was a second bomb it could explode at any minute. Deaq knew that wasn't his first worry, his first worry was the water. It kept inching its way closer and soon it would reach his partner. With only one arm that worked, Deaq knew there was no way to remove the huge piece of concrete that held his partner prisoner. He also realized that shock or blood lose could also claim him. Tears welled up in his eyes and he brushed them away with the back of his hand. He didn't have time to fall apart. There would be time for that later. Right now he had to get help. He went back to the stairwell and put his ear against the wall. They seemed to be getting closer. He picked up a piece of concrete and began to bang on pipes that were hanging nearby. He hoped the workers would hear him and knowing that someone was alive dig faster.

Outside one of the firemen put up his hand as a signal to shut off the jackhammer. He put his head against the wall and listened. He could have sworn he had heard a clanging sound coming from behind the wall but with the loud jackhammer he wasn't sure. At first he heard nothing but then there it was again. He smiled as he turned around.

"Someone's alive in there! Let's get moving!" He shouted.

Everyone seemed to go into overdrive as they began hacking at the wall. Now at least they knew there was a purpose to their work. Tears stung Billie's eyes as she frantically dug with the other men. Hopefully it was either Deag or Van. She prayed it would be both of them.

Deaq breathed a sigh of relief. He could hear the increase in work. Apparently they had heard him. Soon they should be breaking through, but would it be in time. He looked down the hallway. Most of the dust had settled and he looked in horror at the water he could see starting to pool at the end of the hall where Van was. He quickly hurried back to his partner. Van's head was tilted slightly to the side and Deaq could see that the back of his head was already wet. He removed his jacket and gently put it under Van's head and shoulders. At least it raised him a little and would bide him a little more time. He sat with his partner gripping his hand. The thought that he might have to sit here and watch his partner die caused his eyes to well up. He looked toward the stairwell. Oh God please hurry! His partner stirring caused him to look back.

"Deaq?" Van said weakly.

"Yeah buddy." Deaq gave Van a smile he didn't feel.

"I'm not going to make it, am I?"

"Don't say that, of course you are." Deaq took a deep breath trying to control the panic he could feel building in him.

"I'm cold............I'm so cold............I can't feel anything."

Deaq could see the fear in Van's eyes. He gripped his hand tighter.

"You just hang in there. They're almost here."

"Deaq.............you need to get out of here. If there's a second bomb.............."

"There's no bomb. The bomb squad checked out the building upstairs and I checked it out down here." Deaq hated lying to his partner, he had no idea if there was a bomb or not.

"Oh good...............oh good." Van shut his eyes and once more slipped into unconsciousness.

Deaq left go of Van's hand and crawled into the boiler room. He had to find some way to turn off the water.

Van could feel himself floating. He looked toward the ground and could see himself lying there. At first he was scared and tried to go back to his body but then suddenly he saw the glowing women again and relaxed. He attempted to walk toward her but he felt like he was stuck in mud. He reached out his hand toward her but she only smiled back at him. A warm feeling of peace surrounded him. He wanted to stay here. It was so peaceful and there was no pain.

"Damn!" Deaq shouted. If there was a shut off valve it was covered in debris. Here the water was deeper and already past Deaq's ankles. He crawled back to his partner and sat beside him. His arm was starting to hurt badly and he cradled it as he rocked back and forth. He had to hold it together. He had to be strong. They would get to Van in time. He had to hang tough until they did. A noise in the stairwell caused him to look over. They had finally broken through. It wasn't much but Deaq could see the drill bit poking through the wall.

"Hang tough buddy." Deaq said to Van as he crawled back to the stairwell.

The bit finally pulled back and he could hear voices.

"Anybody in there?" A voice yelled to him.

"Yeah, two people. My friend's hurt bad. He's trapped under concrete and there's water pooling around his head. You gotta turn the water off or he'll drown."

"Get this water turned off now!" The fireman yelled back over his shoulder.

"I don't think you're going to make it in time. I need help to get this concrete off of him." Deaq could see that the walls were very thick and it would take time to make a hold big enough for a man to crawl through. Meanwhile the water had risen significantly.

"Stand back. We're going to try to make this hole big enough to get a jack into you. If you can slip it under the concrete you might be able to raise it far enough to get your friend out."

"What if he's busted up inside? If I try to move him without a paramedic nearby it could kill him."

"It could take us another hour or two to get this hole large enough to get someone down to you. Plus who knows how long it will take till we can get the water turned off. It's gonna be your call buddy. If the water gets to him first he'll die anyway."

"Okay, get the jack in here, fast."

Deaq went back to sit with Van. He kept his eyes on the wall. He knew he'd have no other choice but to use the jack if the water got too deep. He also knew trying to pull his partner out from under the concrete without a paramedic by his side might kill him. He was not sure he'd be able to anyway with only one arm. He looked down at Van's pale face. Images of the past few years flashed in his head. He tried unsuccessfully to hold back the tears that ran down his face. He wanted more years, he needed more. He remembered the pain of losing his brother; he didn't want to lose Van too.

"Damn you Van, don't you die on me!" He said softly as he brushed a strand of wet hair from his face.

Van could see a figure approaching behind the woman. He squinted his eyes trying to get the image in focus. A look of disbelief crossed his face. It was his old partner Andre.

"Dre!"

Andre stood next to the woman smiling.

"Hey Van, I missed you."

Van looked on in awe. He could hear him but hadn't seen his lips move. It was as if he was reading his mind.

"God partner it's good to see you." Van shook his head slightly as he remembered. "But..........you're dead."

"I know buddy."

Van's eyes widened

"You mean...........I'm dead?"

"You're in limbo. You got to fight real hard if you want to go back."

Van looked around. He could see other figures standing in the background. It was so peaceful and there was no pain.

"I don't want to go back. I'm so tired, I just want to stay here."

The water slowly rose around them. Deaq watched as Van's lips moved as if he was talking to someone. He lowered his ear towards Van's mouth.

"What is it partner? I can't hear you."

Deaq pulled back and looked at Van's face. He knew he wasn't talking to him, but if not him then who? He shook his head sadly. He's delirious He thought. At least he didn't seem to be in pain. It was a small consolation but it was all he had.

Outside Billie was starting to get frantic. She paced back and forth as the men attempted to widen the hole.

"Hurry! Please hurry!" She kept repeating. At least Deaq seemed to be okay, but what about Van? If he didn't make it, it would tear Deaq apart. She knew it would destroy her world too. She had always tried to keep some distance between herself and the officers that worked for her but it was hard with Deaq and Van. There was something special about them. As much as they frustrated her most of the time, she had learned to care for them. She knew she worried and cared for all her officers but with them it was different, it was a deeper caring. She tried to hide it, to let them know that she was the boss, but they had both seen through her tough exterior.

As the water continued to rise Deaq knew they wouldn't have time to wait for a paramedic. Van's breathing was getting shallower, he was dying. Deaq knew he needed the jack and he needed it now. He put his face near his partner's ear.

"You hang in there. You fight with everything you got you hear me? I'm not going to lose you."

As much as he hated leaving Van he knew he had to go back to the stairwell and make them hurry. He gently squeezed his partner's shoulder then went back to the stairwell. The noise was deafening. He picked up a rock and pounded it on a pipe hoping they would hear him. Finally they did, the noise stopped. He leaned in close to the opening.

"My partner's dying! I need that jack now!" Deaq knew even if he managed to get Van out from under the concrete slab it might not do any good. He also knew if he didn't get the slab off of Van he would drown, that was for certain. The water already was licking at his chest and if it were not for Deaq's jacket under his head it would only be a matter of time before the water claimed his face as well.

"Just a few more minutes!" He heard them shout back.

The men began frantically digging to enlarge the hole. Within a few minutes the jack was passed through the hole. Deaq grabbed it and hurried back to his partner. The jackhammer outside once more started up as they continued to make the hole large enough for a body to pass through.

As Deaq neared Van his eyes widened in horror. Van's face was under the water. He threw the jack down and knelt by Van's body. Pinching Van's nose shut Deaq leaned down and placing his mouth over Van's gave him a breath of air. As he did it he placed his fingers along side Van's neck and detected a faint pulse. Thank God! He knew he didn't have time to waste. He had to let Van's face sink back into the water as he positioned the jack as far under the concrete as he could. He then gave Van another breath of air and started to jack up the concrete. He yelped in pain as he tried to move his broken arm. As often as he could he would breathe air into Van's lungs praying that it was doing some good. It seemed to take a lifetime but finally the concrete was far enough above Van that Deaq could reach under and grabbing his belt, pull him out. Another horror greeted him. As soon as the pressure of the concrete was off of Van, a severe cut high on his thigh began to bleed profusely. The water began turning red as the blood from the cut artery pumped blood out of Van's body. Deaq swore as he quickly removed his belt and tied it around Van's thigh. He briefly shut his eyes in relief as the bleeding slowed down. He then checked Van's breathing and could detect his chest rising shallowly.

"Thanks." He said looking toward the ceiling.

He carefully pulled Van back to the stairwell and cradled him in his arms. Now all he could do was wait. For the next hour he watched as the hole got bigger and bigger. His attention was drawn back to Van when he felt his body suddenly go limp in his arms. Deaq could feel his heart pounding in his chest.

"No! Don't you do this to me Van!"

Tears of grief and frustration ran down Deaq's face as he gently laid Van down the best he could and began to perform CPR.

"Stay with me partner, stay with me." He chanted over and over as he pressed on Van's chest.

Van slowly walked toward Andre. When he was standing in front of him he stopped and smiled at him.

"I missed you too Dre. I'm.......I'm sorry I couldn't have helped you. I'm sorry you died."

"Things happen for a reason Van."

Somewhere in the background Van could hear Deaq calling to him. He turned his head toward the sound then looked back at Andre. He was confused.

"Why's Deaq calling me? Why doesn't he come to see you?"

"It's not his time yet."

"But it's my time?"

"You have a choice Van. You can stay............or go back. It's your choice."

Van looked over at the glowing women who only smiled back at him.

"Who is she?"

"She will take you with her if you decide to stay."

He took a step toward her but stopped and looked back when he heard Deaq calling out to him again. He looked back at Andre.

"I........I can't leave Deaq."

"I know, he needs you."

"But I want you to come back with me."

"I can't."

"I don't want to leave you. I've missed you partner."

"I'll be here when it's your time. Right now you have another partner who needs you. You need to decide."

Van knew what his decision would be. Deaq had already lost a brother; he didn't want him to go through the pain of losing a partner too. As soon as the thought crossed his mind he was back in his body and in considerable pain. He gasped, opened his eyes, and looked into Deaq's tear streaked face.

"Oh God, I thought I'd lost you." Deaq said as he sunk back.

"Deaq............"

"Just hold on. They're almost here."

Van wanted desperately to tell Deaq about Dre but he was too tired. He closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

Two hours later Billie and Deaq sat in the waiting room waiting for word on Van.

"You got to get that arm checked." Billie said worriedly.

"Once I know Van's okay I'll have someone look at it." Deaq kept looking at the clock. How long would it be till they heard something about Van?

Billie knew not to argue with him. Even if she ordered him to see a doctor she knew he wouldn't until he got word on his partner.

"I don't know how you got that concrete off of him. I heard them talking when they were loading Van into the ambulance. It should have taken two men with good arms to jack that up and pull him out of there."

"I don't know Billie, I just knew I wasn't going to let him die in there."

"He owes you his life."

"And I'm gonna make sure he pays for it." Deaq said giving Billie a little smile.

"I'm sure you will." She couldn't wait to have both her men back in the Candy Store arguing with each other. As much as it usually drove her nuts, she knew most of their arguments were in fun.

The doctor came out of the examining room and walked over to them. They both stood up bracing themselves to hear bad news but relaxed a little when he smiled at them.

"Your friend should be fine as long as we don't have any unforeseen complications."

"Thank God" They said in unison.

"He has some broken ribs and a bad gash on his leg which we've taken care of and should heal nicely. We've taken x rays of his back because we were worried he might have a spinal injury but that came out negative. The compression of the concrete caused him to lose sensation in his legs. Over all he's a very lucky man."

"Can we see him?" Deaq asked.

"He's very tired. I'll let you see him, but only one person in at a time, and don't stay too long. He needs his rest."

"You go first." Deaq offered Billie.

"Thanks, I'll just be a few minutes."

Billie quietly entered Van's room. He looked very pale lying on the bed with his face turned toward the window. His eyes were shut and at first she thought he was asleep. Her face wrinkled in sympathy when she saw the bruises on his body. His injured leg was bandaged and elevated on a pillow, his ribs were wrapped tightly. She didn't want to wake him so she started to leave.

"Billie." Van had heard her and turned to face her.

"Hey buddy. How're you doing?" She softly said as she walked over to the bed.

"I'm fine. Is Deaq okay?" He winced in pain as he tried to push himself up.

"He'll be fine now that he knows you're okay. Got himself a broken arm though."

"Guess we'll both be out of commission for a while."

"Looks like it."

"Anyone else hurt?"

"Just cuts and bruises, nothing major."

"Thank God. I tried to talk him out of it but..............." Then he remembered. "Did they find another bomb?"

"They were still checking when we left."

"At least everyone got out." He relaxed back on the pillow.

"You need to get some rest but there's someone that needs to see you first." Billie leaned over the bed and gave Van a kiss on the cheek then left the room. Deaq entered, cradling his broken arm against his body.

"Hey." He said as he walked over and stood next to the bed.

"Hey." Van gave a small smile.

"You scared the hell out of me partner."

"Sorry.........you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"You don't look it."

"Well you do have a way of aging a person."

Van gave a little laugh then immediately regretted it when a sharp pain shot through his side. Deaq grabbed Van's hand and squeezed it till the pain let up. Van's green eyes looked up at him.

"Deaq............." He didn't know quite how to say it. "Deaq, I saw Dre."

"What?" Deaq wasn't sure if he had heard Van right.

"I saw your brother. I was with him."

"You saw Dre?"

"Yeah, first I saw this beautiful woman, then I saw Dre. Deaq, it was beautiful, I wanted to stay." Van's eyes lit up as he talked to Deaq reliving the peaceful feeling he had felt.

"Why didn't you?" Deaq wasn't sure what to believe. He thought his partner had been delirious but................

"I didn't want to leave..............you. Dre told me it was up to me whether to stay or not, but I heard you calling for me."

Deaq smiled down at his partner.

"I'm glad you decided to stick around."

He wasn't sure what to believe. He had heard of these experiences before but had never met anyone that had one. He felt a little pain in his heart as he thought of his brother. Thank God he still had Van. If he had lost both of them he didn't know what he would have done. He could tell Van was tired and knew he needed to rest. He wouldn't tell Van but Deaq knew where he'd be spending the night. He looked over at the chair that sat near a window and wondered how comfortable it would be.

"You get some rest now. I'll see you in the morning." Deaq put his hand on Van's shoulder and squeezed it gently.

"You get that arm looked at." Van told Deaq as his eyes closed. Between feeling totally exhausted and the drugs he was given, he lost his battle to stay conscious. His head rolled to the side and he fell into a peaceful sleep.

"I will partner." Deaq said quietly. He stood looking at Van for a while, thankful to still have him. Now that Van appeared to be in good hands he knew it was finally time to get his arm checked out. He also had to remember to stop at the nurse's station for a blanket and pillow for the chair. Deaq walked over to the window and looked up at the sky. Dawn was breaking and the clouds were giving way to a few rays of sun. His eyes started to get misty as he gave a small smile toward the sky.

"Thank you Bro." He said before turning and heading out the door.

Andre smiled Anytime little brother He turned and followed the woman back into the glowing mist.

The End