"Stay back or she's history and I'll happily take the two of you with her as well." Sam edged backwards, trying to see over Mark's shoulder to see how bad the wound was, horrified to see blood trickling from Jo's mouth as she struggled to breathe.
"Jo, stay on your feet, it'll make your breathing easier." Sam didn't hold much hope that Jo would have the strength to regain her footing but was gratified to see her make some effort until Mark viciously kicked her feet from underneath her. The moment his back was turned, Phil pounced, bundling him to the floor with little mind for his own safety. Using the momentum to his advantage, Phil pinned Mark to the floor, grateful for Sam offering her own handcuffs in assistance. Between them they subdued their man before Sam turned her attention to Jo. Hearing footsteps on the stairs, she called out for backup, trying in vain to support Jo's weight until they could cut her down.
"Sarge, can you get Phil to turn his shirt down? It's hurting my head!" Jo's words were weak and stuttered as blood continued to trickle from her mouth, her breathing raspy and shallow but Sam was heartened by the familiar sense of humour. Sam stripped out of her jacket, caring little that the expensive fabric would be ruined as she pressed it against the gaping knife wound in Jo's side as the brunette whimpered in pain. Taking stock of her battered body, Sam was shocked to see the extent of her other injuries. Beneath the ropes, Sam could already see angry welts, despite Jo's bonds not having been in place for long. The angle of Jo's right shoulder also gave Sam serious cause for concern, it looking misshapen and misaligned.
"Shhhh, don't try and talk. I'm so sorry I didn't insist on you staying with me, you shouldn't have had to go through this." With her free hand Sam caressed Jo's face, careful to avoid the vivid purple bruising already evident from repeated beatings by her captor. One eye was swollen almost shut, her bottom lip cracked and bleeding and the knife wound on her neck still oozing small amounts of blood, her arms streaked with defensive slash wounds inflicted in the early part of Mark's attack.
"Sam, a word in my office?" Jack ushered his Acting DI inside, gesturing for her to take a seat. The weary blonde sunk gratefully into the plush seat, close to succumbing to exhaustion, the adrenaline from Jo's dramatic rescue finally wearing off. "You know there'll be repercussions from you going in alone." Sam nodded, a lump forming in her throat as she realised she might lose her job and the woman she adored. Jack saw the tears springing unbidden into Sam's expressive eyes. Softening his tone, he asked, "what's the word from the hospital? How is she?"
Sam took a moment to compose herself before responding. "Jack, he sprayed her with CS gas and beat her with a lead pipe before skewering her chest with a five inch blade, how do you think she is? She has a fractured wrist and rope burns from being tied up, her right shoulder was dislocated, multiple rib fractures, superficial knife wounds. The stab wound to her chest caused her lung to collapse but the doctors are more worried about her head injury. I never even noticed it. There's bleeding into the membrane surrounding the brain, they're keeping her sedated to let the swelling go down." Anger welled up inside of Sam. "She should never have been put in this position Guv. Tanner withdrew all backup with no thought to her safety, he was too intent on his one man mission to re-organise the team. I want his head on a plate for this."
"I can assure you, DI Tanner will not be giving anyone any more cause for concern. Mickey told me about what he said to Jo at the start of her last shift and he has handed over a written report to the DPS. Tanner was placed on immediate gardening leave pending the results of their enquiry. I'm sure there'll be no shortage of evidence and witness testimony to damn him… and not just from this station. That said though, Jo knew the risks when she volunteered to act as bait for Somerton. From what I hear, she turned down your offer of a room which would have put her out of harm's way."
"Don't you dare suggest that Jo is to blame for this. She is lying in hospital, her only crime is wanting to catch this guy so badly she was willing to put her life on the line for it." Sam stood, leaning over the desk, furious with her DCI.
"I'm not suggesting that she is to blame, merely that you can't hold Tanner entirely responsible for the whole situation. If you want to blame someone, blame Mark Somerton, he is the one who attacked Jo and the other women." Jack paused, wondering how to continue without adding more fuel to Sam's raging fiery temper. "There was a time, not all that long ago when you and Jo couldn't stand the sight of each other. I'm a little surprised with how personally you seem to be taking all this. Something I should know about?"
The fight drained from Sam, far from the reaction Jack had been anticipating. She slumped back into the chair she had recently vacated. "I realised that it wasn't her I disliked. It was how she made me feel." Looking up at Jack through watery eyes, Sam continued in a voice thick with emotion, "she confuses the hell out of me, drives me mad, irritates me but no matter what she does I still want to spend time with her. When Tessa disappeared, I saw a different side to Jo, a vulnerability that she doesn't let anyone see normally. Over these past few weeks, I've been given a chance to get to know her, properly, without the job getting in the way. I care about her, Jack, more than I've ever cared about anyone before except Abi. I think I love her."
Jack tried to hide his surprise, he had suspected Sam had feelings for Jo but not to that extent. "Is it going to be a problem for you, working with her when she gets back? Given that, temporarily at least, you're going to have be her supervisor and she never has taken authority well from you."
"I can't speak for Jo but I have no problem with her being part of my team. But that's a long way off Jack, her condition is critical. If she does pull through, it's going to be weeks before she's back at work." Tears trickled from Sam's eyes as she addressed the possibility that Jo wouldn't return to Sun Hill. "What will I do if she doesn't make it?" She looked like a small child, looking to her father for advice, the chair suddenly seeming huge around her, her body so tiny and fragile as her fear took hold.
"Jo Masters is never one to give up on anything, certainly not on life when there's so much left to do. You'll see, she'll wake up and wonder what all the fuss is about." Jack spoke with more confidence than he felt, his mind already turning to thoughts of a team without a woman who had transformed the department.
Sam sat beside Jo's bedside, holding onto one heavily bandaged hand with both her own, whispering words of support and comfort to the comatose DC, regaling her with tales from CID, messages of goodwill from her colleagues and reassurances that Mark would be made to pay for his crimes. Four days had passed since Jo's dramatic rescue but the young brunette showed no signs of regaining the consciousness she had lost shortly after Sam had reached her. Despite a reduction in sedation, the only progress Jo seemed to have made was that she was breathing unaided, having been reliant on a ventilator previously.
"Don't you dare leave me now, Jo Masters, not when you've just let me into your life. Damn it woman, I love you and I will not lose you like this. Please Jo, fight this, hold on. I need you." Sam allowed the tears to fall as she gave voice to her innermost fears. Leaning forward, she gingerly rested her head against Jo's thigh, soon succumbing to her exhaustion following days spent solidifying the case against Mark Somerton, evenings visiting Jo's bedside and nights taking care of Abi and her new son.
Jo's consciousness of the world around her grew and with it came pain like she'd never experienced. Her head felt like she had drunk the world's alcohol supply dry, a pounding that refused to cease. Gingerly, she tried opening her eyes, grateful for the subdued lighting. She allowed her sight to adjust, scanning her surroundings as far as she could without moving and breathing in the unmistakable scent of the hospital. Taking stock of the rest of her body, she moved her fingers and toes relieved when they complied. Next she tested her arms, the right one refusing to move, the left sluggishly rising from the bed. Plucking up all her courage, she raised her head from the pillow to see what was preventing her arm from moving, seeing it heavily strapped and contained in a sling. Another sight caught her eye making her heart swell and a lump form in her throat. Sam's head rested on both her arms on the bed beside Jo, leaning against Jo's thigh. Shakily, Jo reached out to Sam, not meaning to disturb her but needing the reassurance that she was really there, in one piece, not having been hurt in her impetuous rescue mission. She soothed the silky soft hair brushing it away from the slumbering blonde's face. Jo gazed at her, wishing she could show Sam just how much it had meant to her when she walked into that nightmarish room.
Sam's dream felt so real, the pressure of a hand against her head so tangible. She allowed a small smile to creep across her face as the Jo in her dream pulled her head closer, moving in for a kiss. Slowly, her conscious mind took over, a disgruntled frown replacing the smile as Jo's kiss faded from her mind. Confusion soon overtook all other emotions as the pressure remained. Opening her eyes, she took in the surroundings she could see without moving, her main focus the outstretched, bandaged arm of her wounded friend, so carefully and tenderly caressing her hair. She revelled in the feeling for a few seconds longer before realisation dawned that the spontaneous movement could only mean one thing.