The Hospital Later That Afternoon…
In the dark, quite confines of the private waiting room, Deaq sat with his head in his hands, staring at the floor. His mind was all over the place now that Van and Billie had finally been found. The investigation into what had happened to them in the three days they'd been missing was going full force. Johnson had stopped by earlier with Deaq's crutches, a cup of coffee, and some news into what progress had been made.
Aspen PD and the search team combing the community around the warehouse for Van and Billie had stumbled upon a house just off the west bank of the river with a broken door and two men that had been shot and killed within the last few hours. Before Johnson even told Deaq their names, he'd already said one of them out loud, "Xavier Rousseau." Johnson nodded then went on to explain how the Frenchman had gone about finding his victims. A fake Aspen PD badge had been found on his body, and several neighbors confirmed that two men matching their description had come to their door asking if they'd seen two escaped fugitives in the area. Another resident had reported gunfire near the house.
From that point on, bits and pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place. Deaq surmised that Van and Billie had run from their captors and somehow managed to find shelter in the house where Rousseau and Abney's other henchmen had been found. They'd stayed there for three days, their conditions slowly deteriorating to the point where they were now. Rousseau used the fake badge to find them, kicking in the door when Billie wouldn't let him in. He opened fire and all hell broke loose. Somehow, Van and Billie managed to take down both men, got into their car, and drove back to the hotel. Beyond that, everything else was uncertain.
The only thing Deaq knew for sure was that his partner and his boss were alive, albeit barely. He sighed, relieved to have seen them no matter how bad they looked. But what would haunt him for the time being was the look on Billie's face and the desperation in her voice as she cried out for Van after they'd taken him away. He'd never seen her so fragile and broken. Even after Alexa's death she hadn't been this emotional. Deaq's heart went out to her, now more than ever as Van lay nearly dying, the doctors doing everything they could to save him. He still wanted to know what had happened in the cabin to make her feel like she'd never been able to feel before. How had she turned from a cold hearted bitch to an emotional train wreck? He'd find out, sooner or later.
The door to the waiting room slowly creaked open and Deaq looked up sharply, his gaze falling on the man in his late 40's possibly early 50's with graying hair and dressed in sea green scrubs that had just walked in. The sullen look on his face told Deaq all he needed to know. "Detective Hayes," the man approached him with his hand outstretched in formal greeting. Deaq didn't stand up, but took the man's hand and shook it. "I'm Dr. Winslow," the doctor finally introduced himself. "I've been taking care of your partners. I have news on their conditions. Lt. Chambers…"
Deaq was quick to cut him off, hating the formality Winslow was using. "Call her Billie; same thing with Van. And please, call me Deaq," he corrected.
"No problem," the man replied, having taken no offense. "Billie," he continued, "will be just fine. She's in the beginning stages of bronchitis, but since we were able to get to her before it progressed, we'll be able to treat her with a course of antibiotics and some rest." Winslow paused for a moment, taking a deep breath before moving on. Deaq knew what he had to say next wasn't going to be good, so he braced himself for the worst. "Van isn't faring so well. He's very sick. We've taken an aggressive course of antibiotic treatment, but the future is still very uncertain. He might pull through or his body might shut down. We just don't know. He's in the OR right now. One of our top surgeons is repairing his shoulder. As soon as he gets out of surgery, he and Billie will be put in isolation."
"Isolation?" Deaq interrupted again, this time alarmed. He'd held Billie for quite some time and was now worried that she might have passed the bug to him as well.
"Don't worry," Winslow reassured him. He looked at Deaq's broken leg and asked, "You're probably already taking antibiotics, aren't you?"
"Yeah," Deaq muttered, unhappy that his doctor had prescribed so damn many pills for him to take until his leg healed. But now he was somewhat relieved that he'd been made to take all those drugs.
"You'll be fine. We have no need to isolate you."
"But when will I get to see them?" Deaq had to know. He'd been away from his partners for too long, and it was beginning to drive him nuts. They were like his second family, and seeing them hurt only served to make him feel worse for not being able to do anything.
"In about three days," Winslow surely answered.
"Thanks, doc," Deaq replied, slumping down into his chair as the doctor left the waiting room quietly. 'Better get comfortable,' he thought. 'This is gonna be a long three days.' Having been awake for three already, Deaq decided it was about time he got some rest. There was no better way to pass time than sleep, and that was his intention for the next eighteen hours; a nice, long nap. He curled up in the chair and was out cold a few minutes later, his exhaustion finally catching up to him.
Hi everyone! Glad you all liked that last update. I'm in a very giving mood today because I saw one of my bestest friends in the whole wide world yesterday after a 4 month absence. I've really missed him, as have my family and friends. Anyway, there's one more update after this, unless by some miracle, I get possessed to write an epilogue. Don't hold your breath. I still need to finish the Christmas story I'm working on with prplerayne. Anyway, I hope the holidays (and the malls) haven't killed you yet. I hope this update brought some much needed stress relief, even tho I still managed to leave things in the air. Sorry about that. Don't worry, the last chapter will be finished soon!
prplerayne: It just made sense for Deaq to think that Billie was delerious when she said she loved Van. How else could anyone really explain it unless they were there in that cabin? Hehe... Hopefully your questions will be answered in the next update. But you did make me think about what Deaq would say and if Van and Billie would ever hear the end of it, which is why I brought up an epilogue. Hmm... Many ideas are beginning to float in my mind. We'll see, like I said. Thanks for reviewing, as always!
Francesca: Unfortunately, the next story won't be about Van and Billie, but don't be discouraged, it'll be much more interesting and revolve around a new character I'm working on creating. And this time around, Van's gonna be accused of being shallow. Hehe, hope that gets you wondering what I have planned. Thanks for the review!
fan4fastln: OMG! Bring it on! DAMN! You MUST be in the holiday spirit! It didn't bother you that Billie used the "L" word! WHOA! I had to do a double take when I read that! Holy shit! I'd better crank out this last chapter real quick! Okay, better finish this quick too before I lose my inspiration! Hehe, finals weren't too bad, tho, unless you count my senior project class... Still in deep water with that, but the team is pulling together to get it done before grades are turned in. Wish us luck, because we SERIOUSLY need it! Thanks for the review!
Avillie: Okay, first things first, I WILL NOT KILL VAN OFF! HELL FUCKIN NO! I REFUSE to kill any of the characters unless my own life really sux that much and I just feel like it, which hasn't been in a WHILE! So don't worry, after a weekend like this, I seriously doubt I'll be writing any of those fics. And second, you'll see what I'm planning for the last chapter as soon as I post it. I hope it's done soon cuz I really want you guys to read it! I love what I've outlined and I hope you guys love what I end up with as the final product. Thanks for reviewing! Hope life isn't treating you any worse this holiday season than it already has been.
Shalimar: Awww! You're so welcome! Thanks for catching some of my mistakes and booboos! I really appreciate the wonderful reviews! Thank YOU! Just one more chapter left now before this story is finished. You'll find out what happens between the three of them in the next update. Hope you liked this last one, even tho it left most of you guys wondering what the hell is going to happen in the next update. Hehe, I'm so awful! But don't worry, the chapter should be finished soon! Thanks for reviewing!
The Unsigned: You guys are so wonderful! Thanks for reading my story. I really appreciate it. I hope I'll hear from you guys soon.
Well, that's it for now. Gotta finish the holiday shopping... Humbug... I hope this doesn't turn me into Scrooge. The malls certainly do suck this time of the year... That's why God created valet. Hehe. Happy Holidays everyone!
More story coming soon!