AnnaBeth was hiding out in the bunk room for a little quiet time. She was reading a romance novel Connie had recommended and it was certainly an interesting read. Herrmann had been on a rampage about the failing of Molly's two and his yelling had reached a whole new level. Chief Boden kept asking everyone's opinion on his wife was their unborn son to have a hyphenated last name.
"How come you're in here all alone?" Kelly asked stopping on the way to his office.
AnnaBeth just looked over to the common room as Christopher's voice carried through.
"Ah I see" He said with a grin.
"I don't know why I'm trying to read this I can't concentrate at all" She sighed setting the book back down "I heard you at Matt had a good time the other night"
"Yeah Casey was a little rough" He said running a hand through his hair "I think he just needed to let off a little steam"
"And how are you doing?" She asked "I didn't want to ask so soon after but I'm here if you ever want to talk"
"I'm ok" He nodded "We helped each other through a lot"
"Then that's all that matters" She said.
"How's your dirty book club with Connie?" He asked.
"It is not dirty" She laughed "At least not the latest one"
"Well if you ever need to get away from the noise my door's open" He told her.
Peter came through looking for her so Kelly went into his office to do some paperwork. She smiled at him as he shut the door before turning back to her partner.
"Peter Mills what can I do for you?" She asked as he sat on the edge of the bed.
"I got you something" He said handing her a little box wrapped in Christmas paper.
"You didn't have to do that" She said putting a hand to her heart "That is so sweet"
"You really stepped up as a partner and I wanted to thank you" He shrugged "I know I was a little harsh when you first started"
"Don't be silly" She said shaking her head "You helped me"
"And you stood by me with my decision not to press charges against Lullo, I know everyone thinks I'm stupid with that" He added.
"You're the one he threatened and apologized to" She shrugged "It's all down to you, no one else, you're a good person Peter Mills"
She was about to open the gift when the bells went off for a man in distress.
"That's just round the corner" Peter said recognizing the address.
AnnaBeth set the gift on the side table and made her way to the ambulance with Peter.
He pulled up down an alleyway. There was a man on the ground screaming in pain.
"What happened sir?" She asked kneeling down beside him.
"My legs" The man cried out.
"He was run over" Peter said looking at the marks on the mans sleeping bag and the dump truck further in front of them, but it looked abandoned.
Peter lifted the blanket. There was an open fracture and it was obvious why the man was screaming in so much pain. They managed to get him up onto the stretcher. He went silent.
"He's passed out from blood loss" Peter said "We need to hurry"
AnnaBeth nodded and looked up as a car pulled up blocking the exit.
"What's going on?" She asked confused as two men out of the car.
"Hey guys we need you to move the vehicle" Peter said.
AnnaBeth flinched as the two men who had exited the black town car pulled out guns.
"Hands in the air, keep your mouths shut" The taller man said.
"Oh God" She said stepping back slightly.
"Turn around" The other man yelled.
"Shut up" The first man said grabbing AnnaBeth's arms behind her back "Put your hands behind your back and no one gets hurt"
Her hands were tied together with zip ties.
"Leave her alone" Peter said "It's just me he wants"
"Who's he?" The man in charge said "Get in the car"
"We have a patient" She said as she was dragged towards the car "We can't just leave him here to die"
"Just take me" Peter said "AB don't get in that car"
AnnaBeth tried to pull back but she was shoved roughly into the side of the car.
"I will blow your head clean off" The man with Peter said holding a gun to his head.
"Ok just don't hurt her" Peter said.
AnnaBeth was forced into the front seat while Peter was thrown into the back.
"Where's your phone?" The driver asked once they had pulled out of the alleyway.
"Left hand jacket pocket" She replied.
He pulled her phone and radio while his partner passed forward Peter's and threw them out the window. AnnaBeth tried to stay calm but she had no idea what to do.
"Jason Lullo sustained fatal injuries before we arrived" Peter started as the driver kept going.
"I don't know what you're talking about" The driver said.
"At least let her go" Peter pleaded.
"Shut up" The other man yelled holding a gun to Peter's head.
"You're going to kill us is that it?" Peter asked.
AnnaBeth closed her eyes trying to hold back tears and stay strong. She felt sick and helpless.
"AB" Peter said "Brace yourself"
Peter managed to subdue the man in the backseat kicking him in the face and throwing his body against him pinning him behind him with the gun knocked out of his hand. He put his foot against the drivers neck and they began to swerve out of control. The crashed through a fence into a junk yard headed straight for the back of a trailer. AnnaBeth managed to get down at the car went underneath it taking the roof clean off.
The world felt like it was spinning, and she must have been out of it at least for a little while. Her head hurt but she was alive.
"Peter" She called out realizing they were trapped.
"AB" He said, "Are you ok?"
"I think so" She said looking around "But the driver's in bad shape"
"You better get us out of here" The other man said pulling a gun on Peter "And help him"
Peter managed to get them out of the car. Peter helped carry the driver who was still holding a gun to a nearby abandoned warehouse. The other man was holding a gun to both of them. AnnaBeth knew she couldn't run or they both might die, and she couldn't abandon Peter. She had a pocket full of antibacterial prep pads in her pocket, so she started dropping them like breadcrumbs.
The driver was suffering from internal bleeding. They had spent a long time doing temporary fixes, but his breathing kept getting worse.
"He needs a hospital" She tried again.
"Do that thing you did already" The man said holding a gun to her.
"That's just a temporary fix" Peter explained "That lump in his neck is just going to keep getting bigger and it's cutting off his airway, he'll die without a hospital"
"Isn't it your job to fix things like this" The man said.
"We're paramedics not doctors" She said shaking her head.
"No hospitals" The driver said.
"This is all your fault with that stunt, you fix him, or I'll kill you" The man said "You can tie off the bleed"
"No why can't" She said holding the bloody rag to the driver's neck trying to control the bleeding.
"Maybe" Peter said, "Will you let us go if we do?"
The man looked at the driver who nodded his head.
"All we've got is a first aid kit" She hissed.
"All we do is make an incision and clamp above the bleed, it won't be pretty, but it will work" Peter said.
"He is not going to let us go" she said shaking her head as the man answered a call.
"He's not in charge" Peter said looking at the driver "You are"
"I just want to get out of here" The driver said.
"Fine" She said stepping back.
Peter took a Stanley knife and brought it to the drivers neck to make the incision. The driver raised his gun up to Peter.
"You're going to have to put that gun down" Peter told him.
The other man took the gun and set it down on the side furthest away from them.
"This is going to hurt a lot" Peter warned him, and the driver nodded for him to continue.
The man screamed out when Peter made the cut and then passed out.
"What did you do" The man with the gun demanded as Peter placed the clamp.
"He just passed out from the pain" She explained.
Peter had handed her one of the blades from the knife and she placed it up her sleeve.
"We just need to find something to suture him up with" Peter said going to the first aid kit.
"Yeah well we'll see" The man said grabbing her arm and tying her hands behind her back with zip ties to a pole.
"That wasn't the deal" She said.
"When I know he's ok" The man said.
The driver coughed opening his eyes.
"See" She said "He's ok"
"You bandage him up" The man said holding the gun to Peter.
AnnaBeth looked at the gun on the table beside her and worked the blade she had to cut the ties while Peter wrapped bandages around the driver's neck. Once Peter was finished the man pulled him away putting the gun to his head.
"You said you would reign your partner in" She said to the driver "Well how about it"
"Will you shut up" The man yelled pointing the gun at her.
She grabbed the gun while he was busy putting Peter's hands behind his back ready to tie them.
"Drop the gun" She said holding the gun in front of her trying not to shake.
When he raised the gun to shoot at her Peter knocked it away, so it went off away from them. He ran towards her and covered her as the man shot again. She dropped the gun as they ran towards the back-room Peter shielding her the whole way and bolted the door behind them.
"There's no way out" She said looking around the room.
She screamed and ducked as bullets started flying through the door and Peter put himself over her. She honestly thought she was going to die in that room. Peter grabbed what he could as they could hear the man kicking down the door.
The door burst open and the gun was aimed straight towards them.
"Chicago PD drop your weapon" They heard.
The man paused looking between them and the police and set the gun down.
"Mills, AB" They heard Matt yell.
"Yeah" Peter said coming out of the room.
"Is anyone hurt?" Matt asked.
"No, we're ok" Peter replied.
Matt helped her out of the room as she walked past Jay putting handcuffs on the gunman.
"Are you ok?" Jay asked
"Fine" she replied quietly feeling completely drained.
"Oh, it's good to see you two" Gabby said throwing her arms around Peter as the two men were escorted out.
Matt hugged Mills as well and AnnaBeth just felt a little out of it.
"Hey" Kelly said putting his arms around her as her eyes started to well up "You're safe now"
AnnaBeth closed her eyes. She felt a huge mixture of things. Relief that she was alive, angry that it had happened. Scared and exhausted but also a little proud that she had held herself together so well. She didn't think she could have done that without Peter.
Peter came over as Kelly let her go and hugged her tightly. They were escorted to the police station by another officer to take their statements.
"I feel like this is all my fault" Peter told her as they sat in the intelligence unit break room "I'm so sorry AB"
"This is not your fault" She told him taking his hand "You've got a big heart and that's a beautiful thing"
"If something would have happened" He started.
"But it didn't" She said "We're both ok, you were already one of my good friends, but I think when two people go through something like that they're bonded for life"
"Yeah I think so too" He nodded giving her a small smile.
"That puts you up to best friend level" She said giving him a hug.
"I've got your back partner" He said making her smile.
Jay came back from questioning the two men. They hadn't given them anything, but they were going to bring Lullo in for questioning.
"Do you need a ride home?" Jay asked.
"Yes please" She replied "I want to crawl into my bed and not get out of it again until next shift"
"Mills you're coming too" Jay told him "No arguments, you need to keep a low profile"
Jay dropped Mills off first and then made his way to AnnaBeth's. She was quiet on the way back still processing the days events.
"We're going to do what we can" He reassured her.
"They ambushed us in an alley and left a man to die" She said shaking her head "This is all just so crazy"
"If you need anything you can call me any time" He told her.
"Do you maybe want to come up for a while?" She asked "I don't really want to be alone"
"Sure" He replied.
Jay walked her up to her door and came inside for a coffee. He was a perfect gentleman the entire time. Her body felt like it didn't know what was going on with all of the adrenaline. Sitting down with a sweet tea was helping to calm her slightly. Jay sat watching TV while she jumped into the shower and changed into her yoga pants and a tank top.
They watched the highlights of the Black Hawkes game and AnnaBeth warmed up some leftover lasagna.
"Did you make this?" He asked.
"One of my many hobbies" She replied.
"This has got to be one of the best things I've ever eaten" He said.
"Well it's no second date" She laughed "But thank you for sitting with me"
"We can still do the second date" He said.
"You'd still want to?" She asked.
"Why wouldn't I?" He asked confused.
"Well apparently I now come with the added drama of having a target on my back" She replied.
"That was me not to long ago" He said putting an arm around her "That girl you saved in that bar, that bullet was meant for me"
"Thanks for staying with me" She said softly as his face was so close to hers.
Before she was even aware that she was doing it, she was kissing him.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" He asked pulling back slightly.
"Absolutely" She nodded slightly breathless.