Nancy Gillian has become one of my favorite characters to write and I absolutely adore her friendship with TK. I had so much fun on this one and I hope you all enjoy it as much.
Thanks writeallnight for all the help. I couldn't do this without you!
Nancy groaned when the call came in for a fight at a known biker's bar, knowing she was in for a long and grueling night. She had nothing against the hangout or people that hung out there, they just weren't the type that accepted help easily, much less from two female paramedics.
"Ready?" Tommy asked, giving her a knowing smile as she climbed into the passenger seat of the ambo.
"As I'll ever be." It was more resignation than readiness, but that was the job and Nancy just wanted to get it over with. So she wasted no time turning on the siren and pulling out of Paragon's bay. The name of the private company mocked her in her rearview mirror as she drove away from headquarters, the word tasting bitter in her mouth as she remembered the 126 and all that had been lost.
"I never thought I would miss TK the one shift he's off," Nancy said when they arrived, eyeing the crowd outside of the bar warily. She would die rather than admit it out loud but having TK by her side always made her feel better during tough calls, especially after the whole kidnapping fiasco. She might tease her partner relentlessly, but there was no one else she wanted at her side when things went wrong.
Tommy nodded and gulped back her own apprehension. "Everything will be fine. Come on."
Nancy didn't feel as confident but still followed her boss out of the ambulance. While Tommy went to talk to the responding officers, Nancy walked to the back to grab their med bags, hanging them over her shoulder.
"So, what's the plan, boss?" Nancy asked when Tommy returned.
"Good news! It's not as bad as we first thought," Tommy said, cheerful for the first time since the call came in. "It wasn't a full on brawl. Apparently some guy started provoking a group that was playing pool and they turned on him. Most patrons were too distracted watching the football game so they didn't have time to join the fight. Oh, and apparently the guy that started it all has medical training and stayed to help, whatever that means."
"Lucky for us," Nancy mumbled. "But how much help can we expect from someone dumb enough to start a fight at a place like this? Serves him right to get his ass beat."
Tommy chucked at her antics and started walking to the door. "The bartender called it in, and the cops responded quickly. They already got everyone else outside and just left the few injured inside waiting for us."
"Thank God for football," Nancy rolled her eyes and pushed the door open. "Who would have guessed that's the only thing that stops crime in Texas."
"We should thank the Cowboys for finally having a decent team, or this whole place would have joined in." Tommy really was grateful to see the bar was almost empty. Of the patrons inside, only a handful looked injured and she knew that was unusual for a brawl. "I'll take that group over there. Call if you need anything."
Nancy nodded and turned towards a group of about five people that were seated, or slumped, on the barstools. She noticed a guy already tending to a man that had a gash on his head and probably one hell of a concussion and did a double take when she recognized a surprisingly familiar hoodie and a mop of brown hair.
"TK?" Nancy asked, jumping back slightly when he startled and turned around with wide, dazed eyes.
"Nancy," TK breathed out, green gaze wild and panicked.
"What are you doing here? What the hell happened?" Nancy cried, taking in the state of her friend. There was a cut over his eye still bleeding freely, a split lip and the beginnings of what would be a nasty black eye.
"I just came to watch the game," TK said lamely, gesturing to the TV that still played the Cowboys-Eagles game.
"Want to try again? It seems like you did a lot more than just watch. And besides, how can you call yourself a New Yorker and root for either of these teams? I know you're a Giants fan. Or maybe it's the Jets. I honestly don't care." Nancy narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest, telling him in all but words that she wasn't buying his bullshit.
Having no answer to that, TK started playing with the string of his hoodie, his nervous energy seeking release.
"Sit down, let me clean you up," Nancy directed, not wanting to push TK into closing himself off even more. He already looked like a caged animal ready to bolt at the first opening.
"That's not necessary. I'm okay really." His words would have been more believable if not for the blood stuck to his hair and skin, and the bruised knuckles Nancy could see as he continued to twist the string in between his fingers.
"Sit," Nancy said, her voice taking on a no nonsense tone as she turned around to get supplies out of her bag.
"Hey, lady. He was treating me first," a man slurred from behind, then tried shoving her to the side. Tried being the key word as TK jumped in between them and pushed the man hard against the counter, earning himself a swift punch to the face and possibly another black eye.
"You touch him again and I swear you will regret it," Nancy hissed when the guy pulled back looking to hit TK again. "And I'm sure you're not about to assault two paramedics that have lots of friends in the APD."
The man stopped at that, looked behind his shoulder at the cops that were taking statements from the few patrons still inside and took two tentative steps back.
"That's what I thought. Now, my friend here already took care of that so get the hell away from us." Nancy gestured to the man's head, threw him a roll of gauze, then pointed to the door, smiling when he backed away without a word. But the smile fell as soon as she turned back to look at TK.
"I'm not a damsel in distress, TK," Nancy quipped, eyeing him worriedly. "I don't need saving from a knight in shining armor who looks about ready to keel over. So, now sit down and let me take care of you."
TK tried to protest but his grasp on reality began to slip as darkness pushed at the corner of his vision, and instead he stumbled and fell back towards the counter.
"That's it, I'm calling Carlos," Nancy said, already reaching for her phone.
"No!" TK shouted, putting a trembling hand on Nancy's wrist as he tried to stop her. "That's not necessary. I promise I'm okay. No need to worry him," he explained, more calmly this time. Maybe too calmly.
"I'm not going to be the target of your boyfriend's wrath when he sees you're hurt and I didn't call him." Nancy shook TK's hand away and pushed him softly into a stool, keeping a hand on his shoulder.
"He's not my boyfriend anymore," TK said under his breath, looking at a fixed spot on the wall far away from Nancy's eyes.
"What?" she asked, completely taken aback as she took a step away from TK even as she squeezed his arm.
"I said we broke up. So no need to call him or worry about him being mad at you." Her heart broke right along with the crack in TK's voice. His face was schooled to indifference but she could see the sadness swirling underneath.
"I'm so sorry, TK," Nancy said, her eyes softening as the reality of the situation began to sink in. "What happened?"
"I don't want to talk about it," TK croaked, as the façade began to slip and his eyes misted. He ran a shaking hand through his hair and turned around to swipe at his eyes with the sleeve of his hoodie.
"Do I need to kick Carlos' ass?" Nancy asked sincerely.
TK gave her a shy, grateful smile but shook his head. "That won't be necessary, Nance. He didn't hurt me."
Nancy eyed him warily. "Do I need to kick your ass? Although I think your new friends here already did that."
TK let out a mirthless laugh, lowering his head as he avoided Nancy's gaze. "Some things just don't work out," he said vaguely and shook his head again.
"The hell they don't, TK. What happened? You and Carlos are perfect for each other, you give the rest of us hope to dream of someday finding that kind of love." Nancy wanted to shake him and make him see reason, but above everything she just wanted to hug him and tell him everything would be okay. For now she settled on taking care of his wounds even if she knew his pain had nothing to do with the physical injuries.
"Sometimes love isn't enough and perfection can be overrated," TK said sadly, wincing at the sting of the antiseptic. Nancy noticed and softened her touch, not wanting to hurt her partner when he was already in enough pain.
"Stop it with that! I'm sure whatever went wrong can be fixed. You just need to talk." Nancy knew it wasn't that easy but she had seen TK and Carlos together and knew how rare that kind of love was so she would be damned if she was letting them give it all up without a fight. "That boy loves you! And I know you love him back. And don't give me crap about love not being enough. If not for love then what else do we have?"
"I didn't peg you for a romantic, Gilian. But really, it's over. We tried. Now I just want to go home," TK murmured, trying to sound nonchalant but failing miserably.
"Nuh-uh," Nancy warned, "you're still bleeding. Besides, I think your other new friends have some questions." She pointed to the group of cops looking at them from the bar's entrance and smiled sympathetically when she saw TK swallow down hard, his face going a shade paler.
Silence fell on them as Nancy continued to carefully treat his injuries. She dabbed at his mouth and eyebrow, cleaning all the blood as best as she could and coated the worst of the cuts with a good layer of antibiotic cream, then she closed the cut over his eyebrow with butterfly strips. "Wait here. Let me try to fix this," she said when she was done, pointing with her head to the cops still waiting by the door.
Nancy had her partner's back every day of the week, even when it meant talking some cops out of arresting him when his only crime was having a broken heart. He had been an idiot, she knew, but all injuries were minor and he had even stayed to help instead of running. That had to count for something.
It took cashing in three favors, promising to buy the first round the next time they ran upon these cops at a bar (which she would make sure TK paid for) and apologizing to the men TK had provoked, but eventually Nancy managed to convince them not to press charges and the cops agreed to let him go home with just a warning. He had been lucky this time, and she would damn make sure he knew it. Any other company had responded tonight and he would be in cuffs and on his way to the precinct right now.
"You're lucky, Strand," Nancy muttered, when she returned back to his side.
"I wouldn't call that luck. More like a guardian angel, which is more than I deserve." TK's tone was bitter, and Nancy wondered if his anger was directed at himself or his ex-boyfriend. Or maybe he was upset with her for getting involved. "But thank you. Spending the night in a cell wasn't in my plans."
"Should have thought of that before you decided to be an idiot and almost got yourself killed," she said honestly, softening her words by rubbing a hand over his arm.
"Same, Nance," TK whispered, setting his hand over Nancy's and squeezing once.
Nancy looked at him with sad eyes, wishing her healing skills also worked on a broken heart. She turned around to get a pair of instant cold packs out of her bag and handed them to TK, shaking her head at his questioning look and gingerly setting one over his eye and the other one over his bruised knuckles. "Not sure you have looked at yourself in the mirror but I don't think you'll be seeing out of that eye tomorrow."
TK shrugged but still replaced Nancy's hand keeping the ice pack in place, and tried to show his appreciation through a half smile and squinted eyes.
Giving TK a stern look that she hoped told him to stay put, Nancy left him sitting on a stool next to the counter and went to help Tommy take care of the rest of the injured. All wounds had been minor so quicker than expected they were ready to head back to headquarters.
"Is he okay?" Tommy asked, as they kneeled down, setting all their supplies back in the medkits.
"Physically? Yeah." Nancy sighed and told her boss what TK had said.
Tommy's gaze instantly softened and her usual smile faded as she finally understood what happened here tonight. "Did he tell you why they broke up?" she asked softly.
"No," Nancy said, equally dejected and frustrated. "But I will keep trying to get it out of him. I'm half tempted to drive him to Carlos' house and just leave him there."
"Nancy," Tommy admonished, shaking her head like she did with her girls. "Don't meddle. They need to do what they feel is right for them, even if it doesn't seem right to us."
Nancy turned to look at TK and blew out a frustrated breath. He was slumped face down on the counter, his shoulders shaking softly and she knew it had nothing to do with his physical injuries. "Then what can I do, Cap?" Nancy asked. She was a woman of action, not the wait and see type.
"You're a good partner, Nancy. Just be there for him. I'm sure he just needs a friend, not a therapist." Tommy caught Nancy's gaze as they stood up, making sure the younger woman understood.
"I'm sure he could use one of those too," Nancy said under her breath, but nodded nonetheless. "TK, time to go, dude!" she shouted towards the bar as they walked outside, giving him a moment to get his emotions under control.
"Cap," TK greeted when he joined them, voice clipped. "I don't need an ambulance, I'm alright." He said the last part to Nancy, knowing that even if Tommy was the boss, his partner is the one he needed to convince.
"We know, but it seems like you need a ride." Tommy looked around the almost vacant parking lot as if to prove her point and climbed into the back of the ambulance, shooting TK a look that dared him to protest.
"We only have an hour left on shift, wait for us, then you're coming home with me," Nancy told him, as she closed the ambulance's double doors, the resulting bang as final as her words.
"Not sure if you have noticed but I'm gay," TK tried to tease, even giving her his signature cocky grin, but it didn't reach his eyes.
"What I have noticed is that you're a dumbass. We can pick up some takeout on the way then have a chat about how calling your friends is so much better than self-destructive behavior. It will be fun." Nancy scowled at him defiantly and opened the passenger door, her fake-cheerful tone telling him that she wasn't kidding at all.
TK fought the urge to glare at her, knowing he deserved it. Instead he tried for an innocent smirk and said, "Don't you have anything better to do? Just drop me home, Nancy. Please. I promise I won't do anything stupid."
"Nope, too late. And this is for your own good. We already saw what happens when you're left without adult supervision." Nancy smacked TK's arm for good measure, then swung her arm around his shoulder and pulled him close as she led him to the door. "I've got your back, TK," she promised, hugging him briefly before she carefully pushed him inside.
Nancy had loved serving under Michelle, and would always miss Tim, but in Tommy and TK she had finally found family. So tonight as she stared at him through the window, noticing his bloodshot eyes and slumped shoulders, she vowed to herself to take care of her partner. And as she got to her seat and began to drive back, she thought of Carlos, deciding to pay him a visit tomorrow to also make sure he was alright. Because there were two sides to every break-up and when both sides were your friends you simply had to take care of them and make sure they survived individually long enough to find their way back to each other.
Pulling into Paragon's garage, she also decided to call Marjan and start planning how to get the boys back together. TK's words were making her question everything she knew about love, because if TK and Carlos didn't make it, who even had a chance?
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