Law & Order CI: Redemption Song Part Nine.
A/N: Geez, are you all SO gullible? Do you honestly think that I would kill Detective Goren off? Just before his wedding? COME ON! I might be cruel, but I'm not heartless! You can put the tissues away.
Anyway, without further ado, I present chapter nine of Redemption Song.
The LOCI characters are owned by NBC and Dick Wolf. I own the rest. Redemption Song is owned by Stevie Wonder. All references to Harry Potter are the copyright of JK Rowling and Warner Bros. Can't wait for Guy Sebastian's gospel album...
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The next few hours were absolute hell for Maria, Deakins, Alex and Daniel. The cold steel walls of the hospital were little comfort to the small group. Deakins paced the tiled floor quietly and Alex had spent most of the time quietly crying into Daniel's shirt. Only Maria sat alone; her arms tightly crossed, eyes staring blankly ahead.
Alex looked at her niece through blood-shot eyes. She sniffed and wiped at her nose.
'She blames me, I know she does,' she whispered to Daniel. Daniel stroked her hair.
'Of course she doesn't. It wasn't your fault that Bobby was shot, it was Robby Strickland who fired the gun.'
'We both know that, but it's going through her mind: How can a top-notch cop miss a shot to a perp who fired on your partner?'
'Alex, it isn't your fault. You need to stop blaming yourself.'
'I can't,' Alex said, looking over at her niece.
'I can't forgive myself for what I've done to her.'
Deakins sat down next to Maria. Without shifting her gaze or moving from the desk that she was staring at, Maria said sharply;
'Any more Dumbledore-esque words of wisdom sir?'
'No, but I am thankful that you are venting on me instead of your aunt.'
'I idolised her, sir. She couldn't even bring down a teenage perp. My fabulous aunt, partner of New York's most ingenious cop couldn't even bring down a kid.'
'It happens to the best of us, Eames. As a matter of fact, it happened to me when I was a few years younger than your aunt is now. I've never seen her miss a shot before.'
'But sir, with all due respect, your niece wasn't dating your partner.'
Deakins scratched at his chin thoughtfully. Dum-ble-dore, DUM-ble-dore... Maria thought to herself sarcastically. Deakins looked at the junior detective.
'True, my partner wasn't dating my niece. But Maria, you have to understand, when you've been in this job as long as I have, as long as your aunt has and as long as Bobby has, it eventually takes it's toll on you. At that point, you have to consider your options. You can either go back to work with a fresh sense of direction or you can leave.'
'Sir?'
'Yes?'
'Which one did you pick?'
Deakins smiled.
'If I had left, I wouldn't be sitting next to you right now, Eames,' he said gently. Maria grinned half-heartedly.
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A tired surgeon plucked off his latex gloves and pushed open the doors to the O.R., ready to face the family of the wounded cop. He didn't quite expect the group he found waiting outside. A young woman, barely out of her teens, a couple and an elderly cop who sat with his arm around the young woman waited in the otherwise empty room.
'Are you Robert Goren's family?' the doctor asked. The young woman leapt up. The older woman, her face red and blotchy from crying, looked up and gave him a watery smile.
'Close enough,' she croaked.
'How is he?'
The doctor took a deep breath.
'It was touch and go for a while. Robert isn't as hale and hearty as he used to be. If he's going to keep himself alive, he's going to have to quit smoking.'
The younger woman's face shone with relief.
'Then... does that mean...?'
The surgeon nodded.
'He came through the surgery fine. He's in recovery and is expected to make a full one.'
The younger woman swayed slightly. The old cop rushed forward and caught her as she half-collapsed, sobbing with relief. The couple on the chairs threw their arms around each other. The surgeon turned and walked back into the Operating Room, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. It was always good to give the family of a patient good news, especially when they were obviously so loved.
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Maria sank onto a chair with the aid of Deakins, still sobbing in relief.
'He... he... he's al-alright,' she hiccoughed into his front. Deakins smiled tiredly.
'Yeah, he's fine. You heard the surgeon. I can't say that he'll be too impressed with being forced to give up smoking. He never had much will to quit.'
Meanwhile, Alex had her head buried in Daniel's chest.
'Thank God he's okay, thank God he's okay... I promise that I'll start going to church every Sunday,' Alex repeated over and over again as Daniel gently brushed her blonde hair away from her face.
'I'm glad your partner's fine. Come on, let's go and get something to eat down in the cafeteria,' he said softly. Alex gave him a look that plainly said How can you be so insensitive? I'm sure that if we wait another hour out here we can get into the theatre to see Bobby, but dropped it and followed Daniel quietly out into the corridor to wait for the lifts.
Silence again settled on Maria and Deakins' shoulders. The only sound in the cold, air-conditioned room was that of the ticking wall clock and the buzzing of the muted television set. Maria took a deep breath, stretched and rubbed her face. Deakins looked over at her.
'Why don't you go and get something to eat with Eames?' he asked softly. Maria looked tiredly at him.
'I could ask the same of you, sir,' she replied. Deakins smiled.
'Go on, I'll keep watch over the door. I'll come and get you if there's any movement inside concerning Bobby,' he said kindly. Maria stood up and stretched her aching joints. She padded quietly down the hall towards the staircase and vanished up to the next floor. Deakins got up from his chair and switched the sound back on the tiny television set that sat in the top left hand corner of the waiting room. He sat back down and listened, closing his eyes...
'And in other news, New York's premier MCS detective, Senior Detective Robert O. Goren was shot earlier today in a downtown church. Investigators believe that Detective Goren was there answering a distress call made by a priest with partner, fellow Senior Detective Alexandra Eames. Goren was taken to hospital immediately and is currently undergoing surgery. The teenager perpetrator was apprehended by police but is thought to be dead after a three-way shooting involving a junior detective...'
Deakins sighed. Somehow, he was sure there was going to be a LOT of paperwork to be filled out after Goren returned to work...
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Half an hour later, Maria sat picking at the remnants of hospital-made sushi as Alex sipped on a piping-hot instant coffee and Daniel gnawed his way through the last of his small egg sandwich. The three sat in silence, listening to an old radio that was playing tinny tunes that floated sinisterly across the empty space that filled almost the entire room. The door clicked open and Deakins looked in. Maria looked up.
'He's out. We can see him, but we can't go in just yet,' he said. Maria stood up and walked silently out. Deakins held the door open for her like a gentleman. Daniel finished his sandwich and looked at Alex.
'Well, you wanna go see him?' he asked.
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Maria stood outside the room, watching Bobby breathe slowly and deeply. At least, she thought, he's breathing on his own now. At least it isn't those rotten machines keeping him alive...
Alex stood beside her, watching her partner's chest rise and fall rhythmically. She cleared her throat.
'I'm sorry I couldn't stop Strickland. It shouldn't have happened. If you hadn't been there, neither him nor me would have walked away from that situation.'
'Don't worry about it. I spoke to Deakins earlier. I'm over it.'
'No, I'm serious. I'm not the super-cop that you think I am, Maria. I doubt I ever was. But you... you have the makings to be the best cop that was ever on this or any force.'
Maria stared at her aunt and for the first time truly understood what she was saying. Maria dipped her head humbly, searching for words.
'Thanks,' she muttered. Eames smiled softly.
'No problem.'
Bobby stirred in his hospital bed, sending the interns into a hive of activity. Maria let a half-formed thought flit across her mind. She chuckled mischievously, causing her aunt to shoot her a look.
'What's so funny?' Alex asked her niece. Maria gave her a full-blown smile; the first since the trio had begun working the Delafontaine case, which was a miracle.
'Why do I get the feeling that Bobby is going to make it hell for this staff while he's under their care?' she asked innocently. Alex grinned broadly, glancing over her shoulder at Deakins and Daniel, who were chatting casually.
'Oh, I'd say that the odds were fairly good on that score,' she replied playfully. Maria dug in her pockets and pulled out five dollars.
'Five bucks says that he has a new doctor by the end of the day.'
'Alright, but I say it's in the next five hours.'
'Deal.'
'Oh God,' Deakins sighed. Daniel grinned as the pair spit-shook on it.