Part 38

Traci set a coffee down in front of Holly as they sat in her kitchen. Dinner had been quiet and Steve was yet to get home. So now it was time to try and get her friendship with Holly back on track. If that was possible.

"Thank you for a least being willing to hear me out." Traci said.

Holly shrugged. "I think I owe you that much." The rest of it, the pressure put on her by Steven and Rosati, being made to wear that wire, the threats to her career, that, all of that, she wasn't so sure she could let go. "But I have to be honest, the Gail all of you talk about isn't the one I know."

That wasn't true, not completely. Gail had tied her to that chair in the morgue, put the hood over her face, and probably killed her partner from that night. Not to mention she'd broken into her apartment and followed her for god knows how long prior to that.

"How did you two meet?" Traci asked, although this was a question Holly had already been asked, on record.

Holly took a sip of her coffee and checked her watch for the time. She and Gail didn't have plans for tonight but that didn't mean she was eager to spend too much time facing another grilling from the detective in front of her.

"Like I've said before, I saw Gail around a club I'd been to a few times and then spoke to her at the café near my apartment block for the first time." Holly explained.

Traci shifted in her seat, her hands tightening around her mug. "And you don't think that she arranged that meeting? That it might have been Gail's intention all along?"

Holly snorted. "Yeah I do, I just think her motive was sex and not this conspiracy theory you all think it was." She told her friend bluntly.

Traci guffed a laugh at that, thinking it was entirely possible. "I didn't even know Gail was gay."

"Really?" Holly asked. "Because Gail, like, pings. Big time."

With a shrug Traci left it at that. Gail's sexuality had never been something she'd thought about before, or discussed until Steve gave them that connection. "You never mentioned her."

"I didn't know she was Steve Peck's sister until that night at the Penny." Holly hit back. "None of you stepped in and stopped Collins from arresting her." She went on still finding that whole night one of the more strange ones that she'd experienced since arriving in Toronto. Not the strangest by far but close, especially as to how it reflected on the cops at 15 Division.

Traci sighed. "It's… complicated."

"So you've told me," Holly replied, she was tired and she wasn't in the mood for more excuses. "What happened this morning with Gail?" She finally asked.

Traci stared at Holly for a long moment. "Sam happened."

"Explain." Holly pushed. "Is she okay?" It could explain why she hadn't heard from the blonde.

"Oh, Gail's fine." Traci answered with a laugh.

"What's so funny?"

Traci bit her lip and pushed her coffee away from her. "How can you trust her so much? You barely even know her." That was still a sticking point for everyone. Whether Holly was involved in the break in at morgue or not, it was hard to believe that Holly gave Gail so much of her trust already and so quickly.

"For one Gail's never threatened me." Warned her very strongly sure, but not threatened her. In fact as far as Holly can tell Gail had done more to protect her than her so-called friends had. "She's not fired a gun in my general direction." Holly watched Traci shift uncomfortably at that. "Not implied I was about to be arrested."

Traci didn't think this was a good turn for the direction of their conversation. "Gail is… I don't know what Gail is doing to be honest. When she quit I was dealing with the death of my fiancé and by the time I was back at work Gail was gone. No one talked about her. Certainly not with me."

Holly took in a deep breath. This was the Gail she didn't know. The Gail that had felt like her best option was to turn her back on everything and everyone that she knew. Did any of them even try and understand what Gail was going through at the time? Or had they all basically sided with Traci and her grief, and left Gail to deal with it all on her own.

"Then she shows up in a club down town mixed up with people we know work for Damien Wolf." Traci continued. "Hell at first we were scared for her, Steve tried to get her away from them, tried to help her but she wasn't interested."

Holly snorted, wondering just how hard Steve had really tried. Where had he been before that, before Gail had chosen to risk her life to work in Wolf's gang of thugs. Before Anan had beaten her half to death.

"But Gail blew him off, she didn't want his help, or anyone's help." Traci added with a shake of her head. "You have to understand that we can't ignore what she's part of anymore, getting her on something small would allow us to go easy on her."

"If she then did what you said you mean." Holly cut in. "Say what you mean Traci, you and half the police force here want to use Gail as a way to get to Wolf. He's who you really want, who Sam wants and who Superintendent Peck want caught."

"Taking Wolf's gang down has been a priority for head office for a number of years, they've never got close before, so yeah, Gail is an opportunity into something bigger." Traci admitted. "But even you have to see that Gail isn't safe doing what she's doing. Not from Wolf's gang or any of the others in Toronto."

"She's not safe with you guys either Traci." Holly replied. "I've always had so much respect for people that chose to put on the uniform and protect the rest of the citizens of this country, but right now that's not what I feel looking at you or Sam or Steve."

Traci sighed, she had no idea where that left them.

"You say you want to protect Gail, but have you seen the scars on her already?" Holly asked, not just referring to the physical ones. "She's lost everything, her colleagues, her career, even her family."

Traci swallowed hard as Holly leaned across the table towards her, her eyes tearing.

"Where is your loss Traci?" Holly demanded.

Stunned at the question Traci shook her head. "That's not fair Holly."

"What you did, someone I thought was a friend, wasn't fair either was it?" Holly asked.

"I was doing my job Holly."

"And your fiancé was doing his when he died. Yet everyone seems to blame Gail for it, was Detective Barber so beloved, and Gail so hated that it was just easy for all of you to turn your backs on her?" Holly asked as she stood. She'd heard the gossip and the snide remarks. Heard what she expected to be half-truths and lies that painted Gail as the one at fault. The one to blame.

Traci wiped a tear from her face, but another quickly followed it.

"Do you know what I also remember from that night at the Penny when Gail sat at our table and you could cut through the tension with a knife?" Holly asked remembering back to that night.

"What?"

"No matter how all of you looked at her that night, like she was something you'd stepped on, Oliver Shaw welcomed her with a smile and open arms." Holly explained. They'd both greeted each other like long lost friends, and looking back on it Holly thinks that's exactly what they are. "I've heard all the stories about what might have happened to them that night, but Oliver Shaw doesn't treat Gail as if she played any part in it, yet you, Nick, Steve and Sam seem to want to play judge, jury and executioner for Gail."

Traci couldn't form a reply to that as Holly gathered her belongings.

"You all have already passed judgement, you're just trying to go in for the kill." Holly slipped her jacket on and felt for her car keys. "And I want no part of it."

Traci stayed in her seat as Holly left the room and a door slammed signalling she'd left the house.

A few moments later and Traci was seated in the living room with a glass of wine in her hand as she looked around. There wasn't a trace of Jerry Barber in this home, not even a picture. She'd been with Jerry off and on longer than she'd been with Steve.

Maybe it was easier for her to remove everything that reminded her of Jerry. Even the knife he'd given her to propose was locked away in a box somewhere at the back of a storage cupboard.

Her original excuse for doing that was to make it easier for her son to move on. And yeah, it was easier for her to move on that way too. To just forget about him and concentrate on Leo, and her job.

And yeah, maybe forgetting about Gail was part of that too.

Traci refilled her glass not comfortable with her thoughts. Holly was right though, Traci had never thought about how Gail was dealing with Jerry's death. Never reached out to her in the days after.

She'd gone to see Oliver in the hospital. They'd spoken together and cried together. She couldn't remember if either of them had mentioned Gail.

When she'd returned to work after the funeral Gail hadn't been around, and Traci had been relieved at that. She'd heard the rumours by then and in truth she had no idea what she would have done if she'd been face to face with Gail back then.

Would she have blamed her too?

Did she still?

xxxxx

"Took you long enough." The voice grumbled at Gail.

The blonde ignored the words as she turned the girl's face from side to side, the bruises catching the street light and standing out in stark relief.

"I want a name." Gail said, anger burning in her gut. "Was it that little punk you were sucking face with the other day?"

"No," Pulling her face away from Gail's touch the girl stood, her arms going around herself as she shivered. "It wasn't him."

"Then who?"

"No one."

Gail watched the girl's face close off, she clearly didn't want to talk about it but Gail was livid. Some asshole had hit the girl and Gail wasn't going to let that go. Not for long. "Have it your way then, but I'm gonna get that name."

The girl huffed.

"So what can I do?" Gail asked, her adrenaline still high after jacking a car and coming to look for the girl. "What do you need?"

A shrug.

"Emily, you called me for help." Gail reminded her. "Right now I'd prefer that help to be in the form of murder," That got a reluctant grin. "But I can do food, somewhere to stay, just tell me. Ask."

"You said I could call." Emily responded, staring at Gail and getting a nod. "I didn't really think you'd come." She added.

"I told you if you needed me I'd come." Gail said, ducking her head slightly to make eye contact.

Emily gave Gail a sheepish grin.

"Now, how about something from the café?" Gail asked, it was close, open 24 hours and it was neutral territory. She wanted to put Emily at ease and try and get the full story out of the kid. "Something hot."

Emily quietly considered it then her stomach grumbled. "Okay. Sure."

Gail tried not to smile too much as they started out of the park towards the café they often met at, she'd tried there earlier looking for the girl. "Come on, I'll even pay." She offered.

"Funny." It wasn't like Emily had any money on her to pay if Gail didn't.

Gail shrugged. "I try."

xxxxx

Gail wasn't stupid. She'd watched Emily's eyes light up at all the food choices only to settle for a coffee and bowl of soup, even forgoing the bread roll that came with it. Add to that there was also the ridged way the girl was holding herself in her seat as she ate.

"When you're ready to tell me the rest of what happened, I'm here." Gail said after she'd waited for Emily to get done with most of her food.

"I don't know what you mean."

Gail sipped her coffee. "You sit like you're sore, you flinched when I touched your back on our way in here, and who buys soup when you could have ordered anything you wanted off the menu unless you'd rather not have to chew through the pain."

Emily's eyes dropped to the table top.

"So I know that you got hit a lot more than what I'm seeing on your face." Gail concluded.

"I'm not going to the hospital and you can't make me." Emily replied quickly. "I'll be fine."

"Yeah you will be." Gail assured her. "But you still need to get checked out."

"But-"

"But no hospitals. I heard." Gail cut in. "Well lucky for you I've got a friend that's a doctor. When you're done we'll go see her."

"Fine." Emily sulked.

It didn't escape Gail's notice that Emily only relaxed a fraction after hearing the doctor friend was female.

Gail was going to find out who'd beat Emily up and make them very sorry. As painfully as she could.

xxxxx

"So what kind of doctor are you?" Emily asked as she walked around the apartment she and Gail had just been let into. She wasn't sure what she expected a doctor's home to look like but this wasn't it.

Holly glanced at Gail who had wandered towards the kitchen.

"I'm a pathologist."

Emily sat down on the coach and picked up the remote to change the channel from the animal documentary currently on. "What's that mean?" She asked as Gail banged something in the other room and the doctor friend came in and sat across from her.

"It means she works with dead people." Gail answered with a grin as she joined Emily on the coach and tucked into the bowl of cereal she'd helped herself to. Then she swiped the remote from Emily while she was staring at Holly in horror.

"She's not looking at me!"

Holly cleared her throat and adjusted her glasses. "Gail? A little help here please." She still had no idea what was going on. When she'd heard her door she'd been expecting Traci to be on the other side, not Gail and some young girl that looked to have been in a fight.

"Holly meet Emily, she's being rude but I figure that's the pain talking. I just need you to make sure she's not about to join your other patients down town." Gail explained as she concentrated on the news channel.

Holly stared between her two guests. "You didn't?"

Gail frowned, glancing at Holly and then taking a look at Emily who stared back at her confused. She turned back to Holly. "I didn't do that to her Holly." She said evenly.

Blowing out a breath, Holly got to her feet. "Then why not take her to a hospital, if she has more injures she probably needs x-rays. Why bring her here?"

Emily leapt to her feet, glaring at Gail. "I already told you, no hospitals! You can't make me!"

Gail quirked an eyebrow at Holly as Emily continued to protest the need for a hospital.

"Okay, okay." Holly held her hand up to the girl still ranting at her. "I can give you a quick check here, just to make sure nothing's too serious."

Emily bit her lip still unsure. She glanced at Gail who shrugged at her. "I guess that'd be okay."

Holly nodded and stood to go get her things. Despite what she'd just said if she thought the girl needed to go to a hospital she'd drive her there kicking and screaming if she had to. "Good. Then sit and I'll go get my bag." She could check vitals and see if anything was broken, but she didn't keep much here in her home.

Of course having Gail around was quickly changing her view on that.

Gail grinned as Emily sat down beside her again, this time a little closer than before. Gail just watched the news, a report of another dead body being found across town caught her attention because that was in Hill's territory. Wolf's warning came back to her and she did have to wonder if criminals were just too stupid.

They didn't release a name but Gail would get Chris to check it out for her, if none of her other contacts knew anything yet.

"Emily, can you come into the kitchen please?" Holly called out after a few minutes. "The light's better in here."

Emily swallowed then stood up. "When you said doctor I thought you meant a real one."

Gail chuckled. "Holly is a real doctor."

"She works with dead people." Emily protested.

Gail rolled her eyes. "Stop stalling and just go get this over with."

"Fine. But if she screams when she hears my heartbeat that's on you." Emily warned as she walked away.

Gail just laughed.

After a moment, and sure that she was alone, Gail took out her cell phone and dialled. When it picked up she spoke quickly and quietly. "Emily Reed. Fifteen. Get me everything you can find." And with that she hung up.

If Emily wasn't going to tell her who'd hurt her, Gail would find out another way.

But she would find them.

xxxxxx

AN/

Another chapter! Go me.

Don't think that conversation went how Traci wanted it but meh, not sure how she was going to pull that off anyway.

Shame though. Holly still needs to find herself a friend.

I'm voting for Ollie but we'll see.

Thanks for reading!

Next up is On the Job.