A/N: For those that are reading my other story, Deep Blue..Yes I'm still writing on that one but this was like a story that just stuck out and I HAD to write it! Rest assured, Deep Blue will be updated soon!
This story kind of has mood changes, and can take you on a roller coaster ride of emotions..it's a one parter so enjoy it.
Rating: PG
Special thanks: Cosmic Castaway for helping me edit, revise, and add what needed to be added to make this a better story. Thanks girl, you rock! Thanks for your words of encouragement.
Summary: I'll let you summarize this one yourself!
Dust In The Wind
"Eyes and ears open out there!" Swersky dismissed everyone as he filed up his papers and walked towards his office. The role call room was sort of quiet today. None of his officers were the rowdy way they usually were, always talking and rambling on about God knows what. He hesitated as he got to his office, and stuck his head back in the room. "And everyone WAKE up!"
Ty stretched his arms out as he yawned. "I'd wake up if I didn't feel like shit." He stood up and tossed his beanie around. "I just want to be home in my bed. It's too damn cold outside."
Finney walked to the radio check out line and Ty followed. "Yeah it's cold, and in the dead of winter. How unseasonable!"
Ty slapped the back of Finney's head. "No need to be sarcastic."
"Yeah, I'm just joking around. Trying to liven things up a bit." He grabbed both of their radios and handed one to Ty. "Now, let's go find something to do."
"Preferably stay in the car where the heater is." Ty smirked as they opened the exit, the cold air blasting right at them. "How many days until spring?"
Finney shrugged. "I'll let you drive today."
"Why? What's the reason behind that?" Ty looked at the keys as if they were some foreign object.
"I thought maybe since you don't wanna get outside I can get out and do the chasing." He winked. "Stop questioning me and just get in."
Ty arched his eyebrow. "Yes sir! You'd think you were the superior officer in 55 David."
"5-5 David, respond to 1024 North 23rd, domestic dispute in progress."
Finney rolled his eyes as he queued his radio. "5-5 David, 10-4." He glanced over at Davis. "What a way to start the day."
"It could be worse. Hopefully they'll be inside their apartment and not out on the sidewalk." Davis looked out his rear view mirror and merged into oncoming traffic, the lights and sirens were turned on suddenly but that didn't seem to make people move out of their way.
They reached the apartment building a few moments later, the two people fighting were outside next to the street, each up in eachother's faces fighting about something to do with their children. Finney was the first out and he got in between the man and woman.
"Quiet down! What's the problem?" He looked at the man, but both began to talk at the same time, making it almost impossible for them to understand a single word of it.
Ty chimed in. "Ho ho, one at a time! Let the lady go first! Ma'am, what is going on?"
"This bastard is cheating on me with my sister! MY SISTER of all people! So I'm kicking him out. He won't leave!"
Finney took notice to some bruising around her eye and some around her wrist. "Ma'am, has he been hitting you?"
"Hell no I haven't been hitting her! The dumb bitch ran into the wall when she was pushing me out the door!"
"Would you shutup?" Finney glared at the man and turned back to the woman. "Let me hear your side of the story please."
She licked her lips and ran her hands over her hair. "No, he didn't hit me. In the heat of things I did run into the wall. I finally got him out here on the sidewalk but he still won't leave." She began to cry and wiped away her tears. "We can handle this from here."
Finney began to get aggravated. He wasn't sure if he should explode or be thankful that they could leave, but something wasn't right and he didn't want to leave right away. He looked at Davis who stood by, letting him handle it. "Why did you call us?"
The lady shot him a confused look.
"Why did you call us if you can handle it?"
The man lunged forward. "Because she's a fucking psycho, that's why!"
Finney put his hand on the man's chest, pushing him back a tad. "Sir, when you act like that it makes me believe your wife more and more. You aren't helping your case."
The lady wiped a tear from her cheek. "Officer, it's okay now. I acted in the heat of things. I'm sorry I wasted your time."
Davis grabbed Finney's arm. "Let's go. She's refusing us, there's nothing more we can do."
Finney kept his eyes on her, and then turned around. "This doesn't feel right Davis."
"They went back inside. Maybe they'll work it out." They both got back in the car. Snow began to rhythmically fall from the sky, almost making it seem peaceful outside. Only it wouldn't be. Snow only meant more wrecks, more crazy people out to cause problems.
"You wanna grab some lunch before the snow gets too bad?" Davis asked as he glanced over at Finney from the driver's side.
Finney nodded. "Just go wherever you want to go, I don't care where we eat." He leaned his head against the cold window, watching as his breath fogged it up. He hated leaving things unresolved like that, but staying there would probably make it a lot worse.
"You okay?" Ty parked the car in front of a small Chinese restaurant. "You got all down on me all the sudden."
Finney smirked. "I'm fine. I just hate when it snows."
"You are living in the wrong damn city then. Maybe you should move to Texas or something, where they get like two inches of snow a year."
"Very funny." They got out and went in and immediately everyone that was in there eating turned to stare at them, except for the owners who knew both of them.
"Hey officers, what'll it be today?"
"Our usuals." Ty replied as they sat down. He took a drink of the iced tea, feeling really uncomfortable at the people looking at them.
"You know, people that stare at us make me think they are guilty of something," Finney replied loud enough for mainly everyone to hear. A few people turned away at that comment, but a few continued to stare as if they were the eighth world wonder.
They got there plates and they both scarfed it down as if they had never eaten before, but that's what you had to do on that job, eat when you could before you got called away from it. They both scooped up their last fork full when the radio went off again.
"5-5 David, need you to respond to 1024 North 23rd."
Finney shot up from his seat. "You recognize that address? That's the one from earlier, the domestic." He grabbed his radio. "Central, what are we responding to?"
"Domestic."
"10-4." They both ran to their car, not even taking the time to pay for their meal. "I told you Davis that we shouldn't have left. Bastard probably killed her."
Ty jerked the car around the corner quickly, growing angry at Finney. "Spare me Finney, the last thing I need right now is you telling me 'I told you so.' Don't make it worse."
Finney didn't even wait for the car to come to a complete stop before he jumped out and ran into the entrance. Ty quickly caught up, trying to slow Finney down before he did something he'd regret. "Calm down Finney." Finney didn't reply as they looked around.
"Let's not wait on the elevator." Finney walked over to the doors leading to the stairs when he heard Ty's voice ring out.
"Finney!" They turned to see the man come off the elevator, his shirt soaked with blood and his hands dirty from it. He quickly ran out into the street, hijacking the first car he could find. "Central, we need backup at this location." Before he finished he saw Sully and Monroe drive up. "Sul, call a bus!" With that he and Finney got in the car, taking off in the direction the man was going.
Ty took the driver's side so Finney could jump out at any time to chase the man if need be. "I lost him!" Ty yelled as he turned the corner. Finney's eyes searched for the maroon car.
"He's down the block!" Finney pointed as they sped through traffic, weaving in and out of people that would not move out of their way. "Dammit GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Finney yelled out the window, trying to figure out a way to get this man trapped. "Central, he's going west on 42nd." He continued to call in so other cops could help with the situation too.
"Dammit, come on, crash you stupid fuck." Ty spoke as he concentrated on everything in front of him. "Okay Finney, we are coming up to an intersection. Spot to the right and in front, I got the other side."
Finney nodded as his heart raced out of his chest. They were so close to the car, yet it seemed so far away. He just wanted to reach out and grab the man, but like everything else in life, it wasn't that easy. He felt the car swerve, and he looked out his window to see a truck flying straight at them. "Ty we've got a TRU.." Before he finished his sentence it collided with them, causing a harsh crash sound so loud it could be heard blocks away from where it happened. Horns could be heard as people honked, as well as the sirens from the RMP still going.
The truck was going so fast that it made the squad flip. It rolled a count of 5 times before it came to a halt on its roof, where Finney was half way hanging out from the impact.
Everything fell silent as everything finally ended. The siren was off, the honking subsided, and the truck seemed to not even be damaged, just in the front where it had hit 5-5 David. Ty felt the warmth of his blood pour out, stinging him in his eyes. He looked to his side to see Finney worse than him. "Finney!" He moved and finally worked his way through the jumbled mess of what used to be a car. He ran to the side where Finney was, immediately checking his pulse. "Central, we have a wreck on 42nd and 3rd. We were involved, and we need a bus on a rush." He then averted his attention back to Finney.
Finney slowly opened his eyes. Everything was a blur to him and it seemed all was moving in slow motion. "Ty.." He cut himself off as he tried gasping for air.
"Don't talk man, the ambulance is on the way." He looked over his injuries, seeing that he was in extremely bad shape. His face was completely bloody from the windshield, his arm was bent in ways that were very unnatural, and he was bleeding from pretty much his entire torso. That's when he heard the sirens come, and he sighed a sigh of relief when he saw that it wasn't Grace that responded. It was Carlos and Levine.
"What the hell happened?" Carlos asked as he knelt down to look at the almost unconscious Finney.
"We were on a chase, some moron blindsided us in the intersection."
Levin threw Carlos a c-collar, which he put it on immediately. "We are going to have to wait for the other ambulance to show up to move him. His injuries might be too harsh to do it right now."
Ty almost threw up right where he stood. Maybe Grace was on another call and wouldn't show up. She didn't need to see him like this. His hopes were shot to hell when he saw 5-5 Adam drive up, and of course Grace jumped out. She realized who the officer was, but didn't let it phase her at first.
"Okay, let's get him moved." Grace replied as she put on some gloves. Deep down inside it was bothering her that it was him, but this was her job and letting the situation effect it would be nothing but bad for Finney.
Carlos grabbed his head to stabilize it. "Okay, on my count. One…two…three." They rolled Finney on his back beside the car, revealing more injuries than Ty picked up from looking at him before.
Finney's eyes rolled to the back of his head. He coughed up some blood before he spoke. He could see Grace over him but she was a blurred mess. "Grace.." More blood came up with his comment.
"It's me Brendan. We are going to get you to the hospital." She grabbed some gauze and applied as much pressure as she could to his injuries, without causing more trauma to them. It didn't look good for him, but she still tried to bottle it up inside that was hurting her badly.
Finney tried taking the c-collar off but Carlos grabbed his hands. "What are you doing?"
"I don't…don't want this…this on." He replied. "Just take..it off."
Grace grabbed his hand and squeezed. "Keep it on. Please." She finally let a tear run down her cheek. "Brendan, keep it on." They rolled him onto the backboard and put him in the ambulance where Grace continued to do what she could for him.
"Let me take over Grace." Carlos said, trying to push her aside.
"No, I want to do this. Let me do it Carlos."
He moved back. "Are you sure…"
Before he could finish she cut in. "Believe me, I can." She turned back to him, squeezing his hand again that was caked with blood. "You'll be fine Brendan."
Finney tried to say something else, fighting hard to spit out the words. "I love…love you Grace." He tried to smile but his eyes rolled back again, and the heart monitors were sent into overtime.
Grace ran her blood-soaked fingers through her hair, grabbing the defibrillator and going to work. She shocked him continuously but he was now flatlining. She began to sob, putting her head on his chest. "Dammit Brendan!" That's when the ambulance came to a stop. They had reached the ER seconds too late.
Carlos opened the doors to reveal a very unhappy Grace, and a motionless Finney lying on the cot. "Oh my god."
Grace stepped down from the back as the doctor's wheeled him in. "He's…dead." Grace said as she stared down at the asphalt.
"The doctors have him now. Maybe they can get him back."
She shook her head. "No, he flatlined. I did what I could. He bled out." She pointed to the back of the bus. "Just look at that! Look at all that blood. He's gone." She turned to walk away but Carlos stepped in front of her. "What Carlos?" She was fighting extremely hard to hide her emotions and now Carlos was making it that much harder for her.
He shook his head, seeing the pain written all over her face. "Nothing."
Ty was in total awe of the whole situation. Finney was gone, just like that. He and Finney were beginning to click and get a good rhythm going, and within seconds all of their hard work was taken away, like taking candy from a baby. Guilt suddenly overtook him. He was the one driving so he immediately thought this was his fault.
"Ty?" Carlos saw him just staring. "You okay man?"
"I should've spotted traffic better."
Carlos shot him a confused look. "What?"
"I was driving.."
Carlos cut him off. "Woah, don't go blaming yourself for this. That jagoff that hit you should've yielded."
Ty ran his hands over his head. "Should've, but they didn't. Now Finney is dead." He saw a car drive up, knowing that instant that it was his mother, here to find out the harsh news yet again about one of her family members.
She got out, approaching Ty. "Davis, what happened?" Her voice was shaky as she walked towards the entrance of the ER. Ty tried steering her away from where most of the blood was that was almost impossible.
The doctor met her as she entered, taking her aside. He could see in her eyes that she already knew what was going on, but it was his duty to tell her anyway. He paused, and then started.
"Mrs. Finney, your son was involved in a collision today. They were in pursuit of a suspect when a truck in an intersection failed to yield the right of way to the emergency vehicle. The truck blindsided them, sending them into a roll." He saw her look away. It hurt him so much, this was the part of his job that he wished he didn't have to handle. "He died on the way to the hospital."
She suddenly felt her knees give out as those words hit her like a ton of bricks. The lighting in the room grew dim as her tear ducts opened up like floodgates. The doctor grabbed her, noticing that she nearly fainted. "My son is dead?" She looked at the doctor through her soaked eyes.
He took her to the nearest chair and sat her down. "We did all we could. I'm sorry."
She then let out a small yelp and continued to cry. The doctor knew what question was next, the same question most people ask. "Did he suffer?"
The doctor knew that he pretty much did suffer since he didn't die right off, but he of course would not tell her that. "No, he didn't."
She let out more sobs as she stood up. "Can I see him?" She wiped her face with a Kleenex. "I want to say goodbye to him."
The doctor nodded. "Okay, he's in exam room 4."
She felt like she couldn't get her legs to work as she got closer and closer to the door. She knew what was beyond it, her son, the boy she gave birth too and raised up to be such an excellent person. She wasn't sure if she could handle seeing him lifeless, spread out on a hospital bed, gone from the world.
She gasped as she exposed exam room 4, seeing the blood soaked sheet that covered him. More tears flowed down her cheeks, smearing all that was left of her makeup. She grabbed the sheet, showing his face. He was already pale, but somehow he looked at peace. She ran her fingers through his hair.
"Oh my God Brendan." Her voice cut out as she slid down into the chair next to him. She wasn't sure what to say next, all she knew was that this was way too much for her to take in at the moment. "I love you Brendan." She felt his skin that was growing cold. "I know you are in heaven. You were always such a sweet kid, always trying to do good." She paused. "I don't know what else to say, but I love you, I'm going to miss you, and I hope to see you again in heaven. Bye my son. Goodbye Brendan." She leaned over and kissed his forehead, touching his skin for the very last time.
The funeral was scheduled four days later. Everyone showed up, dressed in their formal blues. There wasn't a smile on anyone's face as they all gathered at the cemetery to bury Finney with honors. Ty couldn't stand to even look at Grace, or his mother at that.
"She just lost her husband, and now her son." Ty replied as he spoke to whoever would listen. Grace wiped a tear from her eye, trying to be strong but she couldn't help it.
She was also asked to speak at his funeral, which was going to be the hardest thing she had ever done in her life. She walked up to the podium, adjusting the microphone. It made a small squeal, but stopped when she got it right where she needed it.
"Officer Brendan Finney. He was young. It was his first year on the job." She paused as she felt more warm tears flow down her face. "If you knew Brendan on a personal level you'd know that he loved this job." Her voice cracked. She looked down at the casket that had the American flag draped over it. "He grew up around cops, he practically lived and breathed it. Ask anyone who knew him, and they'd all tell you that this is the way he'd want to go. In the line of duty." She looked at his mother who still looked to be in awe over the whole situation. "Brendan, if you can hear me right now, I just want to say, that I love you too. You made a place in everyone's heart, and your time was cut way too short. You'll always be remembered."
With that last comment the 21-gun salute rang out as everyone saluted Finney's mother, and presented to her the flag. Grace looked down and ran her hand over the casket as she looked at the picture of him taken just after he graduated the academy. How proud he looked. She walked to his mother, giving her the longest hug she had ever given anyone…she didn't want to let go.
Well I close my eyes,
Only for a moment
And the moment's gone.
All my dreams
Pass before my eyes of curiosity.
Dust in the wind:
All we are is dust in the wind.
Same old song,
Just a drop of water
In an endless sea.
All we do
Crumbles to the ground,
Though we refuse to see.
(Ah-ah-ah)Dust in the wind,
All we are is dust in the wind, Oh..
Now, don't hang on;
Nothing lasts forever
But the earth and sky;
It slips away,
And all your money
Won't another minute buy.
Dust in the wind:
All we are is dust in the wind.
Dust in the wind:
Everything is dust in the wind.
(Everything is dust in the wind.
In the wind...)
Kansas: Dust In The Wind
The End