Disclaimer: I don't own leverage. Dean Devlin and TNT do. So don't sue.
PART ONE: 911 – Wyclef Jean feat. Mary J. Blige
PART TWO: Cops & Robbers - Bean
PART THREE: Raise It Up (Rabbit Heart) – Florence + The Machine
PART ONE: 911
"Parker? Parker!" Eliot hissed. "Don't you dare go to sleep on me now!"
The hitter was doing his level best to keep a healthy distance between them, but his efforts were getting him nowhere. He had done everything he could think of to get a response from her – but all he got was that same glassy eyed stare.
The plastered thief was still curled up on the bed, naked and shaking, unable to move. She looked worse than a crack addict going through withdrawals, and Eliot was going out of his mind trying to pinpoint the exact drug she'd been given. Never mind the fact that he had no idea when it would wear off, or what symptoms to expect when it did.
Taking Parker's hand to his mouth, he brushed his lips over her knuckles – staring directly into her line of vision as he tried to determine whether or not she was still with him. He was worried she might have a concussion – among other things - but it was hard to tell with her eyes so glazed over.
In any other situation, with any other person, he would have kept a level head. But this was Parker: a member of his team and closer to him than his own sister. She was hurt in a way that he couldn't fix with bandages, and it was taking everything within him not to panic. Truthfully, he was five seconds away from throwing her over his shoulder and making a break for it. Except moving her wasn't an option, and might do more harm than good.
This whole situation was just downright insulting. Five of the world's best thieves, and not one of them could do a damned thing except wait on Bonanno to quit dragging his feet and send in police backup.
At least with Caden out cold, the only real threat left to her was time.
But it was time they didn't have.
Down below, they could hear the sounds of a party being busted up over their earbuds.
People screaming...
Glasses breaking...
Money changing hands...
He knew Parker was taking in that last one because the swish of bills seemed to bring a little color back to her face.
Too bad he didn't have a wad of cash to distract her with…
Falling back on his military training, he forced himself to keep calm and keep her talking.
It's not like she ever listened to him anyways...why would this situation be any different?
Ironically, he discovered that cracking jokes was the best way to keep the light in her eyes from going out. So with a newfound determination, he set his mind to purposefully pissing her off.
"Eyes on me, Miss-Twenty-Pounds-Of-Crazy. Because if you even think for one second about closin' 'em, I'm gonna tell all your little thief friends how you fainted on the job like a freakin' pansy."
Parker blinked.
"I mean it Parker. You close 'em even for one second and I swear on this year's Kentucky Derby winner I'll tell Hardison to blast Disney over your earbuds. And I don't mean that Fantasia shit either. We're talkin' High School Musical 1 and 2. On repeat."
Parker's eyes went wide. For a heart-stopping second she looked like her old indignant self. It was like someone had flipped the switch inside the brain he wasn't quite sure she had. Clearly, she understood what she was up against.
Stifling the relief that flooded through him, Eliot began looking around for something else to cover her up with. Something better than the suit jacket, which he'd shrugged off earlier to use as a weapon. Naturally, he found nothing except a couple of dirty pillows.
"Can you lift your head up?" Eliot prompted. He didn't wait for a response, but he got one anyway.
"I think so." Parker slurred. It was a dumb move, since the slightest movement made her stomach flip into her mouth. But she at least let the hitter think he was helping as the world began to right itself again.
"Talk to me sweetheart. How are you feeling? Any headaches? Dizziness?
Parker carefully put her head to the side and looked directly at him, blinking twice for no.
"Numbness anywhere?"
"No…but, I think…I think I'm gonna be sick…"
The words came out in a rush, right before the vomit.
On reflex, Eliot made a grab, systematically yanking the thief over on her side and positioning her so that she lost her lunch all over Caden instead of him.
The hitter grunted in satisfaction before taking the farthest corner of the jacket, wiping Parker's mouth, and then guiding her back on her back.
PART TWO: COPS AND ROBBERS
By the time Bonanno and his squad busted in, Eliot had had enough time to plan a whole speech about their incompetence. But he scrapped it in favor of going postal on the police chief.
"Well it's about damn time! We could have used you a half hour ago!"
"You know as well as I do we couldn't move in until after the confession dropped. Where the hell is Hagan? Is she alright?" Bonanno demanded.
"Detective Hagan went undercover to get the alibi you should have been getting from all those jackasses downstairs. Every last idiot in the place would have given you the name of the guy she left with."
Eliot was past done. Their "bait" had been through enough already and the last thing she needed was the fuzz getting in her face about it. Putting himself between her and the fucking cavalry, Eliot raised himself to his full height and stared the police chief down.
Bonanno rose to meet him. "Look, I know you're a friend of Nate's, but you can't impede an official investigation."
"You just watch me." Eliot growled, standing his ground. "You can collect your evidence later. I need an ambulance up here now."
"Look, I'm on your side here. But I need a report from the both of you before I can release anyone from the crime scene."
Eliot addressed Bonanno head on – kicking the mark with his foot and pointing.
"Detective Hagan, tell this Officer what he wants to know so we can get the hell out of here.
"Hagan. Report please." Bonano demanded, not unkindly. "I need you to identify the culprit that we all heard over the tape. Your word will suffice."
Parker stayed squished between Eliot and the back of the bed. She had no desire to come out from behind him, even as the police chief stepped forward to get her statement. The whole situation was humiliating. For one thing, she was barely dressed - and, for another she still didn't have control of her own body.
Bonanno tried to ignore her predicament as best he could, but even he was feeling the shame of not having come sooner.
Eliot's entire body stayed planted firmly between them. But he kept his mouth shut in favor of getting Parker the help she needed.
The thief glared daggers at the narc before her, but eventually found her voice (even though it cracked and broke, making her sound like a frog).
"This is the guy you want. He tried to buy me for the night and then took me by force without making the payment. You've got his confession on tape. At least you better because I did NOT go through all this for nothing."
Satisfied, Bonanno finally backed down.
"Detective, you took one hell of a risk. In my book, think that makes you one hell of a detective. Don't you worry now. We got everything we need to put this sleazebag away for good."
Yelling into his radio, the man wasted no time barking orders.
"JACKSON?! SEND ME AN AMBULANCE! AND YOU TWO – GET THIS PRICK OUT OF MY SIGHT!" He commanded the other officers.
While the policemen went about marking the crime scene and arresting the soon-to-be-conscious-Caden, Parker kept her place beside Eliot. Some part of her, longed to get up and stand her ground – acting like the FBI agent she was supposed to be. Unfortunately, the nut job being hauled away on a stretcher had stolen her confidence as well as her clothes.
Just thinking about it made her vision go hazy again. White noise roared past her ears, mingling with the static of the police walkies. She'd been naïve to think she could just walk away from this job. Leaving in a get away ambulance was one thing. But she was just now starting to realize that Nate might actually send her to the hospital. The thought alone filled her with unspeakable horror.
As the EMTs entered the room, Parker tried taking a swing. Only she couldn't get past the hitter to do it. With the way she was feeling, she'd be lucky if it connected.
Eliot didn't budge an inch. He just start arguing – for the EMTs' safety - as much as hers.
"Listen Bubba, you either let me get her on that gurney and ride along or she won't be the only one getting admitted to that hospital. I'm here to ensure she gets a full evaluation, and until she sees the doctor, you ain't getting within five feet of her."
Parker resisted her instincts as the techs lowered a gurney towards her and backed away. The only reason she didn't follow through was because Eliot was the one helping her, touching her, lifting her up. She knew better than to swing on him.
After she was comfortable, Eliot backed off and let them buckle her in. At least he'd been able to cover her with a sheet – something that the stupid bed had failed to provide.
Just before Parker started to panic again, Eliot got right up in her face, grabbed her hands and looked straight in her eyes. Telling her that whatever she was about to do was a dumb idea, without saying one word.
With one tech at her head and the other at her feet, Eliot stood in between them, escorting her all the way to the elevator and down into the awaiting ambulance. His eyes never left her face, and his hands stayed glued to her – a silent pact that he wasn't leaving her side. Not now. Not ever.
PART THREE: RABBIT HEART
Sophie met them at the hospital entrance. She had already managed to secure a small private room where Parker could hide from the rest of the patients. It was practically the size of a broom closet – just the way she liked it. Eliot knew though, if they let her, she would have been settled into the ventilation shafts by now.
As soon as the gurney was wheeled in and the EMTs left (as quickly as they could), Sophie nudged Eliot out of the way and placed herself by Parker's side.
"I am so, so sorry Parker. I never should have left you alone up there – evidence be damned." Sophie kept going on, but Parker didn't hear half of it. The woman's mascara was dripping and it was all the thief could focus on. She didn't want to upset her best friend. Besides, it wasn't Sophie's fault she got hurt.
It was Hardison's.
He had gotten her all distracted her with this new girlfriend stuff. And it had interfered with her performance in the field. She still didn't know how to act around him – what with being hurt and all. But she really wanted to see him. She wanted to make sure he was okay.
"Where's Hardison?" She slurred. "And Nate?"
Sophie took a finger and smoothed back a strand of hair from her face. "They're still clearing things up with the police. I'm afraid they won't be here until later."
"They are coming aren't they?"
"Yes…but…Parker, there's something we need to take care of before you can see them."
"What happened? Did something happen? I mean – besides to me? Are they hurt too?"
"No! No. Everyone is fine. It's just that…I told them to wait."
Parker's face scrunched up in confusion. "Why?"
"Everyone wants to see you Parker. They do. But you have to be cleared by the doctor before the hospital will release you."
"But I don't want to see a doctor. I want to go home."
She was starting to act like a five year old, and Sophie was forced to take on the role of a placating parent.
"Parker, the evidence that this man left – well, it's still inside you. We have to get it out before you can go home."
"Get it out? Get it out?! No one is going in to get anything out. Do you hear me Sophie?"
"The entire hospital can hear you Parker." Eliot observed from his place against the wall. He rolled his eyes as the grifter widened hers, imploring him to show a little tact.
Tact had never been his forte, but bargaining he excelled at. "Look Parker, you want to go home right?"
The thief nodded, still distrustful of them both.
"Well so do I. But as long as you're here, we can't do that. Because I'm not leaving you, and neither is Sophie. So if you really want what you say you want, you are going to let the doctor check you over."
"Or else what?"
"Or else I'm never cooking anything for you again. No pancakes. No cakes. No gingerbread houses…"
The way Eliot was looking at her, Parker knew she wouldn't be able to get out of what he was asking her to do. He was merely giving her the courtesy of explaining everything before they stuck her with a needle and gave her the small mercy of sleep. Even if she wanted to use her skills to slip away, she'd never get past Eliot, and they both knew it.
"Dammit Eliot!" She swore. "What are they gonna do to me?"
Her eyelids were already beginning to droop as the hitter came around to the other side of the bed, opposite Sophie.
"They're going to ask you some questions. Then they'll let you go to sleep. While you're asleep, they're going to clear away whatever nasty gunk that man left on you. When you wake up, it'll all be over, and they'll have the evidence to prove he was the one that attacked you."
"You swear you're not gonna leave me?"
Sophie's face weighed with guilt as she answered for the both of them. "Of course we're not going to leave you. We'll be here with you every step of the way. And you know who else is going to be here?"
Parker scowled miserably until Sophie pulled a worn stuffed animal from behind her back. In an instant, the thief's face lit up, and Eliot had to stifle a smile as she clutched Bunny to her chest. Any sign of weakness from him and she'd bolt on them.
"Anywhere you go, we go." Sophie promised.
"That's right Parker. Me and Sophie and Bunny are going to make sure the doctors do their job right. And then we can go all home and yell at Hardison. I know that always make me feel better."
"It does, doesn't it?" Parker mused. She sighed one final time before giving up what little leverage she had. "Okay, fine. I'll do it. But you have to cook me pancakes so we can eat and yell at Hardison."
Eliot gladly nodded his consent. "You just wait until we get home…He deserves everything he has coming. Except the pancakes."
Parker yawned. She was tired of this conversation. It's a wonder she hadn't passed out on the way to the hospital. But Eliot had kept talking and talking. He wouldn't let her get any sleep.
The hitter watched her eyes close before pushing the call button to signal the doctor. As soon as they ruled out a head injury, they could begin to put her under. It was the best thing for all concerned.
He didn't want to have to hold Parker down. Not after what she had just been through. Better the doctors do the exam first and ask questions later.
He knew they would make her tell her story all over again anyway, and that was going to be more painful than any test they could do.
