Dempsey parked his car outside the hospital building and took a few minutes to compose himself. He didn't know what to expect there. After last night and seeing his partner hooked up to all sorts of machines, he feared being told she had taken a turn for the worst. He felt so drained, he wasn't sure whether he'd have the strength to put up with anything else going wrong after what had happened over the past few hours. He so desperately wanted to erase the last 6 weeks and get back to that blissful evening where he held his partner in his arms, felt her soft lips under his for the first time, the touch of her fingers on his skin was heaven. And now, all he could see was blood pouring out of her body, her glazed eyes fading away.
He walked up to the reception to ask for Harriet Makepeace's room and see if he could talk to her doctors. He was told that the doctor was actually with Ms Makepeace right now as she had just woken up so he should be able to see him there if he hurried up. He climbed up the stairs four by four. She was awake that had to be positive, right? He realised he was actually nervous. They had not seen each other properly for the past 6 weeks and a lot had happened in the meantime. She had been distant but was it to protect herself or was it because she had changed her mind about them? But then he remembered what Ada had said, he was Harry's guardian angel and would make damn sure she knew that he'd always be there for her, that she meant everything to him.
He arrived at her room's door, he could hear voices inside, he knocked, heard a "Come in!" and hesitantly entered. The doctor smiled at him "Ah Mr Dempsey! I must say you look a bit better than you did yesterday. You'll be relieved to hear that Ms Makepeace's operation was completely successful and she's on the route to recovery. We have removed all heart monitoring machines and breathing apparatus. She just needs lots of rest now and minimal movement over the next few days for the wounds to heal properly. I reckon she'll be back home by the weekend. I'll leave you two to it now."
"Thanks, doc. I'll make sure she rests, don't worry.", as he gazed towards his partner sitting up in her bed.
He walked up to her, they were both smiling at each other and unable to resist any longer, he sat on her bed and took her in his arms and held on tight.
"God Harry, you scared the shit out of me. I tell you right now that I'm never letting you go out of my sight ever again!"
"That might be a little impractical but right now I'd have you in any shape or form.", she giggled.
"Sergeant! Missed me then?" Dempsey's eyes all over her face, his hands smoothing her hair away.
"The longest 6 weeks of my life, lieutenant!" as she stroked the side of his face lovingly.
Dempsey's lips touched hers ever so slightly before deepening his kiss and tightening their embrace. He was back where he belonged and the relief was overwhelming.
"Jeez Harry, never again. I thought I was going to lose you. I need you so much, sweetheart."
"I'm right here, James. I'm not going anywhere. I'll be there, always."
He kissed her with so much passion, wishing they were back at hers so he could show her just how much he actually did miss her.
"You make me go crazy, Makepeace, you know that, right? Only you can do that to me. You're doing my reputation no good", he breathed in between kisses.
"Oh what a shame, Lieutenant! I've spoiled you for the other girls. I'm ever so sorry", her need for him increasing with each stroke, each touch.
"You don't sound that sorry to me", he smirked
"Not really, no. I like it when you can't think straight. Wait until we're back home, James, you won't touch Earth for days", she said while slowly kissing her way down his neck.
"Oh my god Harry, we're going to have to stop or I won't be responsible for my actions!", he was seriously struggling to breathe right now. That woman really had a strong hold on him!
"Glad to see I haven't lost my touch", she smiled
"Your touch is perfectly fine, angel, you can be sure of that", he laughed. "I'm so happy you're OK though. You have no idea babe. Did the doc explain what happened to you?"
"Yes, he did," she said with a sad smile.
"So you know that you will be resting and that I won't take no for an answer, right?"
"Yeeeees!", she sighed, "Anyone ever told you, you're very bossy?!
"You've seen nothing yet sweetheart! Oh, by the way, I stopped at your flat and brought you some clothes and some toiletries. And I also met Ada as you asked me to. Care to explain that one to me because I'm a bit lost here?"
"Best news ever! Thank you so much, James. I was really worried about her. She's too young to be involved in that sordid affair. She's been through too much and needs someone on her side."
"I agree with you but she's convinced you'll be looking after her? I said I would pop round to see her because she was really upset when I told her she wouldn't be able to see you for a little while. She knows you've been injured but doesn't know the severity of it and I didn't think it would help to tell her. However, I would quite like to know what I'm supposed to tell her." asked Dempsey
"To tell you the truth, I don't quite know. She looked so lost, so frightened when I was in the warehouse that my instinct just told me to protect her. And that's what I did. Ada didn't know that but O'Cryon has made a deal to sell her to some rich guy in Lebanon. A blonde, pale, virginal girl, you know what those men are like. They would have forced themselves on her. I couldn't let it happen and I'm not sorry I sent O'Cryon to his death." she replied with force.
"Well that's the problem sweetheart, you didn't, he's not dead. They retrieved him from the Thames and he's in hospital. The prognosis is not great but to be perfectly honest, I wouldn't miss him much!"
"Typical! I need to work on my aim it seems! I have the feeling that O'Cryon's client is not going to let this rest until he gets what he paid for and I think Ada may need suitable protection. If they get their hands on her, we might as well wave her goodbye, we'll never find her again. I need to get to her Dempsey. I can't stay here while god knows who may try to take her. If you want to sit this one out Dempsey, you just have to say it, I'd completely understand."
"Wow, wow, wow. Calm your horses. First, you're going nowhere. It's bed rest for you, remember? And what do you mean by "sitting it out"? Since when are you going solo, head first? Look at you, Harry! 24 hours ago you almost died in my arms. Do you really think that I'm willing to let that happen again? For Fuck sake woman! Can you stop all this nonsense? What do you plan on doing? Running out of this hospital with a chance of bleeding to death and going into hiding with a 10-year old? What's wrong with you, Makepeace? Did the bullets court-circuit your brain too? You're really frustrating you know that Makepeace? »
"I have a plan obviously. I'm not some raving lunatic!"
"You sure? Because you sure sounded like one a minute ago!"
"Listen. What about I take her away to Windfield Hall? No one will think of looking for her there and with the staff and my dad, she'll be well looked after. I have my gun with me if the need was to arise. And at the same time, I can rest there and the fresh air will do Ada and me some good. We both need a change of scenery, so Windfield Hall would meet all the requirements, right?"
"Right, NO, not right! You're on your own there, in the middle of nowhere. You can't possibly be resting and be on high alert at all times. Those guys will eventually find you and you're not strong enough to carry this out. You need a proper safe house with 24/7 police cover. Harry, that girl has seriously got to you…. ! Can you hear yourself? Who is going to look after YOU, hum? Your 70-year old dad and his butler?", the stress was starting to eat him up.
"I can't believe it, Makepeace! I'm seriously pissed off Sergeant! You're not thinking straight! I won't allow it and that's that!". He was literally breathing fire. He had barely got her back and she was already planning to throw herself headfirst in the fire. "You're letting your feelings for that girl get to you and you're not thinking like a proper police officer here!"
"Dempsey! You don't get to tell me what I can or cannot do!"
"Makepeace! It's a NO, a big fat NO!"
And just then the hospital door burst open and Spikings stepped in with a frown on his face
"We can hear you two shouting at each other from the end of the corridor. I thought I had asked you to not stress the Sergeant, Dempsey?"
Both partners were fuming, throwing daggers at each other
"Yeah well, it would help, if she didn't have stupid ideas! You tell the Chief what your plan is, we'll see what he thinks, hey?!"
"Sergeant? I suggest you lie down first since you're supposed to be on bed rest. Let's try to minimise the risk of your abdomen spilling onto the floor, shall we?", sighed Spikings, already tired of his best two officers fighting. He had hoped they'd turned that page but apparently, that was just part of their dynamic…great!
"Yes, sir", said Harry lying back down in bed. "We need to offer protection to Ada. She was promised to a client of O'Cryon somewhere in Lebanon. He will want what he paid for. Those people don't take to no kindly. She's in danger sir and only 10. We can't just abandon her."
"Blimey, humankind is getting better and better every day! 10 years old now…..Jesus Christ! OK, what's your plan Sergeant?"
"I take her with me to Windfield Hall and we hide there until you track those men down. They're here in London. They came a couple of days ago to check the merchandise as they called it. So we need to act quick. Today! She can't stay without protection, she knows me and trusts me. She's psychologically damaged and will struggle to trust anyone."
Dempsey just couldn't keep quiet any longer. This was getting beyond ridiculous!
"It's NONSENSE Harry, you've just been shot THREE times, your heart stopped beating TWICE in the past 24 hours. You need your dressing changed by a nurse every day, you need round the clock care for the next couple of days and then you need REST. The last thing you need is to hide away and keep a 10-year old traumatised child safe who is hunted by a bunch of professional killers."
"I regret to say that he's right, Harry. You're on sick leave and not fit for duty so you're out of the picture." She was about to protest but he put his hand up, "however, your plan has some interesting redeeming features."
"WHAT? HAVE YOU ALL LOST YOUR MIND?"
"Lieutenant! Thank you for your input but I'm not finished yet! I was saying, some redeeming features. First, we'd need Lord Windfield's approval, yours to get Sergeant. I could potentially free a couple of men to provide round the clock protection to your father and the Hall's staff. Dempsey, you'll join them in the Hall and act as Harry and Ada's bodyguard. Chas will install a direct phone line between the Hall and my direct line. And I'll be in constant contact until this is over. As for your Harry, you will still be on sick leave so you need to follow the doctor's orders and arrange for your dressings to be changed as appropriate. So rest as much as you can, and let your partner do the hard work. I'm sure you can come to an arrangement without killing each other. So…lieutenant?"
"If I get to protect them both then, perhaps. But I want state of the art artillery, cameras everywhere, motion sensor alarms and lights and I get to pick the team working at the Hall. Would your dad's family doctor be able to deal with the dressing, Harry?"
"I'm sure he can do it. I'll get my father to ask him when I call him."
Dempsey was very restless and pacing the room scratching his hair, wanting to shout out in frustration but giving in nonetheless,
"Jesus, I don't know why I'm agreeing to this. But OK if all the conditions are met BUT if there's any, and I mean absolutely ANY hint that it's becoming too dangerous, we're moving you and Ada to another safe house immediately."
"OK, Sergeant, then it's settled. Call your father and arrange the paperwork with the hospital. I'll talk to social services and get that side of things sorted. Dempsey will be letting you know once everything has been arranged. I'll post an officer at your door for your own safety. And I strongly suggest you get as much rest as possible in the meantime because it's your chance to recover and get the medical help you need. I don't need to remind you how serious your situation was last night and it's far from ideal for you to be so quickly in the thick of it again. Good luck Sergeant and don't take any unnecessary risks. Listen to your partner, I must acknowledge that he's quite good at these kinds of things. See you tomorrow, Dempsey. Sergeant." and on these last words, Spikings walked away, leaving the partners to finalise their plans…or argue.
"Have you had any lunch yet?", asked Dempsey out of the blue.
"Lunch?...errr no, I didn't think about eating anything to be fair" answered Harry slightly puzzled "why?"
"I'll go get you a salad or something" and he walked out.
He was angry but knew he needed to calm down. He needed space away from her. Why did she have to do that, why did she need to put herself in danger? Did she still think she needed to prove herself to him? When will it stop? When she's finally dead and he'll have to bury her? Didn't she understand what it did to him each time? They needed to talk because falling out wasn't an option, certainly not when her life was at stake, but he couldn't just keep quiet. They needed to find a middle ground if they had a future together and god he knew he wanted one with her.
He quickly grabbed her a chicken salad from the hospital cafeteria and walked back to her bedroom knowing that he couldn't this conversation anymore.
« Here you go. At least you'll have something in your stomach. You will need all your strength it seems! », added Dempsey struggling to hide his frustration.
« You're angry. » It was not a question but a statement rather.
« You twisted my arm, Harry. And I'm really annoyed, yes. Do you have any idea at all what I went through in the past 24 hours? Any idea at all! I have watched you bleed to death in my arms. I was told your heart stopped beating not just once but twice. I didn't even know when I came here today whether you'll be breathing on your own. For god sake, I went through hell and back. », his voice was getting higher and higher as he spoke. « I thought when I first came here, that things could finally go back to normal and that we could get to spend some time together you know. That's all I ever wanted and now you tell me you're willing to throw yourself in the deep end again? I am disappointed, yes. I'm tired of it all. I just wanted to be with you, nothing more than that Harry. But it seems you didn't want that as much as I did and it hurts, it fucking hurts to be honest with you. », his voice breaking and his eyes filling with unshed tears.
Harry was absolutely gobsmacked and her voice was trembling as she spoke next « I didn't want that? Are you serious? The only thing I could think of for the past 6 weeks was you! It's knowing that at the end of it, I'll be safe again in your arms. It's all I ever wanted, us together. And we can still have it. Yes, it's not ideal and there'll be some stress but at least, this time we'll be together. Please, don't give up on us James. Please… » , she begged tears falling on her cheeks.
« Don't cry, princess, I'm not giving up on us. I never would do such a thing », reassured Dempsey.
« Come here, babe », as he held her in his arms, « I'm just scared of losing you and yesterday came real close you see. It's just that I realised how much you mean to me and, oh god Harry, I…. » he took a deep breath and looked in his partner's eyes, « I love you, Harry ».
« James… » she looked at him with so much tenderness, eyes brimming with tears, stroking his hair, « I love you too. It's you and me together now. But remember we're stronger together, we've always been. Come here, come lie down next to me. Hold me in your arms please. »
And when their colleague Watson arrived to take up his shift as Harry's guard, that's how he found them, asleep in each other's arms. With a smile on his face, he left and took a seat outside Harry's room to start his shift.