Part 27

Jo listened impatiently as Holly and Gail met up. This was the boring part, the small talk she had no interest in. But she did wonder in passing how Steve felt knowing his sister was gay. That had to be weird. But then the whole Peck family weren't exactly normal now were they?

She kept her thoughts to herself as she half heard the pair order their lunch from a waitress. That put her on alert. "Wes? You watching this?" She barked into the radio.

Luke scowled and watched Jo carefully wondering who the hell Wes was, and why he hadn't been told about him.

Jo noticed Luke's stare and held up a finger to delay his obvious question as she waited for a response from Wes.

"Placed their order, nothing changed hands." Wes replied, his voice nothing more than a whisper.

"You sure?"

"Affirm, no paper no pens, nothing."

Jo nodded to herself pleased with that. She had Holly's cell phone in her possession but that didn't mean Holly couldn't still pass on messages to Peck in the café. "Stay on it."

"Will do."

Jo sighed and put the radio down as she angled her head towards Steve.

Steve looked from Jo to Luke and shrugged. "I called in a favour." He informed the homicide detective.

Luke laughed. "So you what, have cops in the café? Don't you think that's a little bit risky?" Gail was sure to spot anyone paying more than a passing glance her way.

Andy stayed silent as she listened knowing her opinion meant very little to the rest of the people in the van with her.

"They're rookies so Gail won't know them, and all they have to do is keep eyes on them and make sure nothing goes wrong." Steve continued.

Luke shifted closer to the station where Steve and Jo were sat. "You sent a pair of rookies to spy on Gail and you don't think she'll notice?" He asked incredulously.

Jo rolled her eyes. "Peck's a little preoccupied with her girlfriend to care about anyone else in there. Now Traci or someone else from 15 and yeah I'd give you that, but two green kids from another division? That, she'll barely notice. All they have to do is make sure they don't sneak out the back or pass each other notes we can't see from here." She informed her ex.

Luke shook his head and forced a smile. "Let's hope for their sake that you're right."

Andy blinked as the van fell silent again and she couldn't help but feel a touch concerned for those officers in there.

Steve and Jo shared a look before concentrating on the conversation between Holly and Gail.

There was nothing either of them could do now unless they pulled the officers out, and that was just as risky. Any sudden movement from a customer was bound to draw Gail's attention.

For now they'd just have to wait.

xxxxxx

Gail intertwined her fingers with Holly's and brought the joined hands up to kiss Holly on the wrist.

She grinned as the pathologist blushed a little, ducking her head just enough for her hair to fall in front of her face. She gently pushed it back into place with her free hand and their eyes met.

Holly cleared her throat as a plate clattered at a nearby table and broke the moment, but she couldn't help but smile back at the blonde and tighten the hold they shared.

"I always knew I was going to be a cop, life at home revolved around my parents making sure my brother and I weren't going to embarrass the family name when we joined the academy." Gail began softly. She paused as their waitress returned with their drinks order and she took a sip from her glass.

"That must have been tough." Holly said, she'd heard a little about Steve being next in line of the generations of Peck policing in Toronto but she'd somehow just assumed that he had wanted to follow in his parents footsteps, not that there hadn't been a choice.

Gail shrugged. "It was what it was, it's not like I have anything else to compare it to. It wasn't all bad." She admitted, although she wasn't about to broadcast for those listening the parts that had hurt. "We both topped our graduation class so I guess it worked out."

Holly sighed, Gail didn't sound particularly pleased with that. "Did I tell you I was first in my class at medical school?" She offered as she noticed the waitress heading back their way with their food.

"Really?" Gail wasn't really surprised by that, she'd already gleaned that bit of information on the doctor from the background check she'd carried out. But there was no need to admit that right now.

"Hm." Holly picked up a fry from Gail's plate of burger and chips and chewed it, grinning when the blonde scowled at her and pulled her plate a little further away from her. She giggled and stole a second before Gail could get her food completely out of reach.

"I've killed for less Holly." Gail warned.

Holly snorted a laugh at that wondering how that comment was taken back in the van. "My bad, never get between Gail and her food, noted."

Gail huffed at the teasing and took a moment to take a bite out of her burger before the pathologist got any more funny ideas.

"Anyway." Holly went on as they let go of each other's hand in favour of eating. "You'd think that was something to celebrate but when my dad found out what I'd chosen as a specialty we had a huge falling out. He thought I was throwing away years of hard work."

Gail stared at Holly questioningly.

"We made up later, but I don't think he's ever really gotten over it." It had been one of the reasons she had accepted the job offer at Toronto. She missed her mother and sisters like crazy, especially now when she could have used her older sister to confide in.

Gail guessed there was still tension between them even today. It made her sad that her girlfriend wasn't completely supported by her family, she knew how that felt. "Does he care that you're gay?"

Holly quickly shook her head. "No, that was never an issue growing up. My uncle's gay so I guess in that sense I was pretty lucky." Being gay in her family wasn't anything to be ashamed of, both of her parents had guessed that she was attracted to girls before she had consciously figured that out for herself.

Even her sisters had rolled their eyes when she had confessed quietly to them in her bedroom. Simply asking if she was happy and then Megan, her younger sister had asked if she wanted to double date at the weekend with her and her boyfriend and life went on as normal.

"What about you?" Holly asked, forgetting for a moment what was really happening. But then she remembered the wire and the people in the van and she snapped her mouth shut giving Gail an apologetic look wishing she could take back the question.

Gail patted Holly's hand. "Nothing much to say. My sex life has never been anyone's business except my own. Despite what my mother wanted for me. I guess I've never stopped embarrassing her." Gail added with a chuckle, pleased that she could still rub her mother up the wrong way.

Holly let out the breath she was holding grateful Gail hadn't gotten upset at her for prying.

"But speaking of the she-devil," Gail's tone changed completely as she shifted to watch Holly closely. "If she's giving you a hard time, tell them you were supposed to be on leave, they've no right making you work there after what you went through." She said angrily.

Holly winced wondering how that would go over later, no doubt Elaine would demand to listen to what went on today. "It's not so bad." She replied weakly.

Gail rolled her eyes. "Right. And you didn't just go through a traumatic event." She snorted in disbelief. "I can't believe they had the balls to demand you go back so soon. That shit has my mother written all over it. I'm telling you, fuck them! Let them deal with their own shit for a few weeks, no sane person would be back in there after going through what you did, no one."

Holly moved her salad around on her plate doing her best not think about that night. "It's not so bad." She whispered. And truthfully it wasn't because she wasn't back at the morgue. She wasn't sure she could go back anytime soon even if she wanted to. But Gail wasn't supposed to know she had been at 15 all morning instead of the morgue. "I'm just in the office sifting through the paperwork."

"Then they won't miss you." Gail insisted.

Holly frowned and kept her eyes down. Gail was right, under any other circumstance there was no way she would be at work having gone through being tied up and having her life threatened like she did. "Maybe you're right." She muttered.

"Of course I am." Gail winked at Holly when the pathologist raised her head.

Chuckling Holly pushed her food away still not interested in eating.

Gail eyed the plate then looked around the café. "You want to get out of here?" She asked.

Holly bit her lip at the concern in Gail's look. She didn't deserve that, not from Gail, not knowing why she was here in the first place. It made her feel incredibly guilty.

Making the decision for them Gail stood and put her hand on Holly's arm to tug her up to her feet. "Let's go." And with that she pulled out a twenty to cover the bill and put her hand at the small of her girlfriends back and guided her outside.

Holly was panicking inside wondering what this change in location was doing to the detectives in the van.

"Where are you parked?" Gail asked pulling at Holly's hand to get her attention.

Holly held Gail's hand tightly as she pointed over the street to where her Range Rover was. "Do you want to just walk?" Holly asked as she ran her free hand nervously through her hair. She couldn't help but worry about Jo Rosati doing something stupid if they took off in her car right now. Traci was watching them from somewhere nearby and the very last thing Holly wanted was to be put in a similar position as she had been in with Romi when that rookie officer had started waving his gun at them.

Gail weighed up their options, they could go for a drive, which she thought would be fun considering, or they could even go back to Holly's apartment.

"The parks just there, we could just sit outside for a while." Holly asked she wasn't up to having this getting out of hand. And the café hadn't been the best place to talk anyway.

Gail pouted for a moment before shrugging and starting towards the park. "Sure."

Holly sighed and squeezed Gail's hand. She still felt sick to her stomach but maybe out in the open she could try and forget why she was really here with Gail. "Thanks, not sure I'm up to going back to work anyway." She admitted.

Gail glanced at her girlfriend as they both walked to the end of the street and crossed over and into the park silently. She was tempted to glance around to see if she could spot anyone following them but she was more worried about Holly's state of mind right now than she was with playing games with 15 Division.

They walked further into the park passed a few benches before Holly tugged Gail down onto the next one with her.

Sitting there quietly with Holly's hand in her own Gail wished things weren't so complicated, once again she wondered at the sense of getting Holly mixed up in her mess but she'd already tried to chase the older woman away once. She wasn't going to try again. If Holly wanted to stay, even after this, then Gail was just going to hold her closer and do her best to never let the other woman regret that choice.

"Someone put a gun to my head Gail." Holly said after a long moment of silence.

Gail turned her head to study her girlfriend. She didn't say anything because Holly wasn't looking at her and she figured there was more to be said.

Holly scowled at the space between her boots. Her thoughts were all over the place, she knew what was expected of her from the detectives in the van but then there was Gail sat right there beside her. Gail, who had saved her life, and quite possibly killed for her.

Tears spilled from her eyes suddenly and she wiped at them furious with herself for not being able to keep her emotions in check. She had no idea how Gail could remain so calm and controlled next to her. She was falling apart and the blonde looked like she didn't have a care in the world.

"I could have died." She said in a whisper, the horror of that night twisting her face as she put her hand up to her mouth as a sob escaped.

"Come here." Gail quickly gathered Holly into her arms and held her close. She tightened her hold as the pathologist cried into her shoulder. "It's okay. You're okay Holly." She whispered into her ear as she rocked them both gently.

It took another few minutes before Holly could compose herself enough to pull away from Gail and talk again. She did her best to wipe the tears away as Gail handed her a napkin she must have taken from the cafe.

When she was a little calmer Holly started to rip the napkin into smaller and smaller pieces. "I almost died and today I was at 15 and they, your brother and a detective Rosati, they accused me of having something to do with it! That I was involved!" She told Gail not faking the distress in her voice.

Gail could see the genuine fear in Holly's eyes and wondered once again how such an amazing woman could be interested in her. Maybe 15's idea of using Holly against her wasn't so crazy after all. If she didn't know better Holly could easily get information out of her.

She remembered the way Holly had touched her back at the café, how tentative and unsure she was and it made her hate her brother for the first time. During all of it, the raids on the club, being followed and accused of being no better than a corner street pusher from one of the projects for working with a man with Wolf's reputation, she'd never hated Steve for it, because when it came right down to it he was still her brother.

Seeing how easily it was for 15 to tear Holly's life apart with these threats they were holding over her made her absolutely livid.

"We need to get you a lawyer." Gail informed Holly.

Holly's eyes widened. "But I haven't done anything wrong!" She protested frantically.

"I know you haven't but they obviously don't care."

Holly looked to the sky then pulled her glasses off and rubbed her eyes wearily.

"I mean you told me yourself Hol, you said that the night guard found you tied up. So what, do they think both of you are lying? They haven't a clue what they're doing and going after you like that just proves it." Gail continued.

Holly took a deep breath and tried to calm her emotions down again but it was getting harder the more she thought about Steve and Jo. "They said the guard's gone...left the country. He's in Florida, I think they said."

Gail made a noise. "That's got 15 all over it." She scoffed.

"What do you mean?"

Gail rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, Holly. I know you haven't been there long but even you should have noticed by now just how thin the line is between them and some of the people they lock up."

Holly stared at Gail not sure what to think about that even as the image of Sam Swarek flashed into her thoughts.

"It systematic, the illegally gathered evidence the interviews without lawyers, taking a pay-off and turning a blind eye. That doesn't even touch on the way they hand out promotions. Ask your friend Traci how she got hers, or better yet ask how long it took her before she was in bed with my brother and if she's still sleeping with Dex." Gail rambled off heatedly. If she had to list every officers at 15 she knew she'd probably have something on each of them.

Holly blinked, Gail sounded really pissed.

"Or start with Steve, ask him about his partner from the drugs unit and see how he explains why Bibby got demoted yet he ended up shifting over to guns and gangs." She snorted again at that memory. She knew her mother had pulled those strings but what really burned was her brothers holier than thou attitude over that whole thing when McNally and Chris went over his head.

"Rosati's just as bad, but at least as far as I know all she does is spread her legs if she thinks it'll get her something. Just like Sam and his CI's that aren't on the books. He puts in requests for money for them and Best just signs off on them no questions asked." She continued with a shake of her head.

"Sounds like you could go on all day." Holly muttered deep in thought. She'd never really considered how easy it would be for cops to just bend the rules a little, and usually that would be a good thing if it got a criminal off the street and into jail where they belonged. But now she wondered how simple it would be for someone like Detective Swarek to use evidence that would never hold up in trial to get a confession out of a suspect. That way the evidence was never put under closer scrutiny by a defence lawyer.

Gail chuckled darkly. "I do happen to know where some of the bodies are buried. Like who my mother promoted to Captain to get Steve out of that little fix he found himself in."

"Is everyone at 15 corrupt?" Holly asked, astounded by what she was hearing. Could she really believe a Superintendent was capable of that? Her experience of Elaine Peck over the last few days certainly didn't help the woman's case for innocence.

Gail grinned and offered Holly a shrug in answer.

Holly rolled her eyes at Gail's playful look. "Well thanks for the enlightenment but I really need to be getting back." She said standing from the bench. She had heard enough to know that the less she had to do with the cops at 15 the happier she would be. She needed to get this wire off her body and she needed that to happen right now.

Gail got up too and caught Holly's hand again. "I'll walk you to your car."

They made their way back out of the park and along the street towards the black Range Rover. They stopped next to it and Gail manoeuvred them until she had Holly in her arms and pressed back against the passenger's door. "You going to be okay going back in?" She asked softly as she studied her girlfriend carefully. "If Steve gives you a hard time tell him to give me a call, I'll sic IA on his ass for you."

Holly wrapped her arms around Gail's neck and chuckled. "I have no idea why that makes me feel better but it does."

Gail wiggled her eyebrows then leaned in and pressed her lips to Holly's. They kissed for a long moment then Gail pulled back and brushed some of Holly's hair back behind her ear. "I'm serious, you haven't done anything wrong and they shouldn't get away with treating you like this. If I have to file a complaint about the Superintendent and have her conduct investigated I will, and I'll give them enough to bury her career."

"You'd do that to your own mother?" Holly asked. She knew the relationship between Gail and her family of cops was strained but could she really turn her own mother into internal affairs?

"They're threatening you because they can, Holly. And because it's the easy thing to do. God forbid they actually try to just follow the evidence." Gail told her, and if they had followed the nice little trail Gail had left they wouldn't have made Holly's life such a misery these last few days. "You need to get a lawyer and call their bluff."

"Won't getting a lawyer involved make me look guilty?"

Gail shrugged. "If they're treating you like a suspect when we both know you had nothing to do with what happened at the morgue, then you need to look after yourself Holly. And if you won't I will."

Holly bit her lip still very conscious of the ears listening to every word she and Gail were sharing. "Let me think about it."

Gail sighed then stuck her lower lip out. "Will you come by when you finish up?"

Holly nodded and pressed close for another kiss as she tightened her hold on the blonde. "I'll come to the bar, I shouldn't be too long."

"Yay!" Gail squealed a little before stealing a final kiss and letting Holly go, watching as the now happier woman slid into her car and drove off after a wave.

She watched the car disappear around the corner then turned and headed for the nearest bus stop.

It wouldn't take her exactly where she was headed but it would put a stop to Chloe's husband following her.

And in the mean time she could start planning where to take Holly later.

It felt like they had something to celebrate.

xxxxxx

AN/

Not sure if any of that made sense to you guys or if it was just a sleep deprived ramble but if you haven't figured out why Gail didn't freak out it'll be explained next chapter.

Thanks for reading.