Retaliation

by adromir

When Steve shot someone's brother, that someone is bound to retaliate. A Steve-whump, of course.

SUMMARY: When Steve shot someone's brother, that someone is bound to retaliate. A Steve-whump, of course.

A/N: Hello, everyone. Like most of my other stories, this particular one takes place after Season 5. You can read this as a standalone, but I suggest you read the others first to better understand the characters and for plot continuity. Enjoy, guys. Or not…

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DS Steve Arnott was on duty that evening.

Or he had been until two bullets from a mobster's gun hit him point blank.

Over a hundred miles away, Major Shane Arnott was about to take his seat among his SAS squadron brothers at a local pub—winding down after a long hard day of a routine IED disposal exercise at the military base—when his mobile phone suddenly rang. He fished it out of his jacket pocket and smiled at the caller ID.

"Kate?" Captain Tony Griffith inquired, looking over Shane's shoulder. "Ooh…that your girlfriend, boss? That's why you're smiling like a horny teenager?"

"Sod off!" Shane pushed him away with a big grin, leaving the table amidst his teammates' hooting laughter to take the call in privacy.

"DI Fleming. How may I help you, my dear?"

Shane's smile slowly disappeared shortly afterwards. His team members watched with growing concern as his face slowly turned white.

"What's wrong, boss?" one of them asked.

"Okay, Kate. Thanks for telling me. I'll be right there ASAP," Shane told her before disconnecting the call. To his mates, he quickly said, "I have to leave. Stevie has just been shot."

The men grew serious on an instant because each one of them knew Steve personally, impressed by his bravery and steadfast dedication as a police officer. They also understood the sheer level of protectiveness Shane had over his younger brother.

"Shit," Tony muttered under his breath. "How bad is it?"

"It's pretty bad. He's currently in surgery." Sighing, Shane rubbed a tired hand over his face. "Look, guys. Sorry, can we do this later? I really got to go."

"Sure, boss. We understand."

"Yeah, go ahead, guv. We'll drink and pray to your brother's good health."

Shane needed no further encouragement. He rushed for the exit and headed straight towards his car parked out front. Within minutes, the powerful black Range Rover was speeding down the eastbound highway.

Despite his urgency, it took him over two hours to reach the city hospital, the one that Kate had said where Steve was currently given medical treatment. By that time, Shane's anxiety had soared to the roof. Aside from Kate's second call to inform him about Steve's being transferred to the ICU ward after the surgery, Shane received no further updates on his brother's condition during the entire long drive. The sudden heavy rain and a couple of RTCs along the way which caused intermittent delays to his journey had not help eased his state of mind either.

Cursing a blue streak at the foul weather, Shane left the warm comfort of his car and dashed into the cold drizzling rain towards the hospital entrance. He didn't bother waiting for the lift and took the stairs instead. Upon reaching the third level, he went searching for Steve's ICU ward.

It didn't take him long to find it. Easier for him to figure out the correct room by the presence of two armed policemen standing guard at the doorway. They had been expecting him, so he was immediately given entrance without any questions.

The moment Shane stepped into his brother's ward, Kate shot up off the waiting chair next to the bed and went into his arms.

"Oh, Shane. I'm so sorry this happened," she tearfully said. "We are still figuring out what went wrong."

He gave her an affectionate squeeze before pulling away to gaze down at her pale face. "Are you alright?"

"Me?" Kate blinked, her eyes red and puffy. "But I'm perfectly fine. It's not me who got shot."

Planting a brief kiss on her temple, Shane then fully turned towards his younger brother who lay still under the covers, connected via various tubes and wires to a vital monitor and IV drip. He was relieved to notice that Steve didn't need a ventilator, meaning that he could breathe on his own.

Taking that as a good sign, Shane asked, "How is he doing exactly? What did the doctor say?"

"Steve has lost an amount of blood, but they've taken care of that," Kate said. "The first bullet hit him dead center on the chest. But he was wearing a vest, so it didn't do much harm except for a real nasty bruise and several broken ribs. The second bullet however hit his left hip bone, just below the vest. The surgery went well though, and they've managed to repair the damage."

Shane nodded at her explanation. He reached down to gently stroke his brother's head. "How did this happen, Kate?"

"It was a raid gone wrong. It was my op, my responsibility." Kate was shaking her head, looking a tad guilty. "The target was an old mansion downtown where a DCI has been suspected to run an illegal poker tournament. A team of AFOs swooped in first. At the time, the tournament was in full swing. About fifteen people including the DCI were arrested on the spot. No shots were fired. It was done smoothly by the book without much aggression from the subjects. When the AFOs gave the all clear, Steve and I entered the premises."

"But?"

"Steve decided to look around the outside perimeter in the backyard. Alone. He was armed with a Glock, he wore a vest. So no worries, right?" She sighed. "I should have known better. I should have insisted he took an AFO with him. The next thing I knew, there was the sound of three shots fired coming from the garage behind the house."

Miserably, Kate added, "Apparently, a subject was lying in hiding there. We've identified him as Bobby Manzar. Somehow he noticed our arrival but was unable to make his escape in time. When Steve stumbled upon him by surprise, Bobby fired two shots. Steve returned fire as he went down, hitting the man's forehead. Bobby died on the spot. It was all captured by the bodycam attached to Steve's vest."

Shane's eyes were wide with surprise. "Wait, Bobby Manzar? 'Dirty' Harry Manzar's little brother?"

Kate nodded. "That's right. Harry Manzar, the head mobster that own half this town."

"Aw, shit." Shane closed his eyes, running a hand through his damp hair. "Not that I'm not impressed by Stevie's marksmanship, per se. But you know what this means, right?"

"Yeah, I do. The news of Bobby's death would have already reached big brother Harry's ears by now," Kate said. "We are expecting his retaliation, sooner or later."

"Those two are insufficient," Shane commented, jerking a thumb over his shoulder at the direction of the AFOs standing guard at the door.

"I agree. That's why I've requested a full security team to watch this hospital, but the powers that be are still figuring out the rota, as well as the budget. They promised to come back to me within the hour."

Suddenly, Steve stirred with a low moan in the bed. They both instantly went to hover over him.

"Stevie? Hey, kiddo. How are you doing?"

Steve's eyes fluttered open. Upon seeing his brother's face, he scowled back.

"I've been shot. How do you think?" he grumbled in response, albeit weakly.

Shane grinned. "Grumpy much, eh? There's hope for you yet, little brother."

"Piss off…" With a grimace, Steve sucked air through his teeth. "Shit. This sucks."

"Are you hurting, mate?" Kate asked, squeezing his hand in sympathy.

Steve closed his eyes and nodded. "Ah, jeez…"

Kate exchanged looks with Shane. "I think the anesthesia is wearing off. I'll go find the nurse. Maybe they can give him something for the pain."

As she went out the door, Shane crouched over his brother and drily commented, "Bobby Manzar, huh?"

Steve blinked. "Bobby who?"

"The guy you just shot dead. That was Bobby Manzar, Harry Manzar's baby brother. Didn't they tell you?"

Steve blinked some more. And then he cursed out loud, "Fuck!"

"My thoughts exactly," Shane responded with a smirk. "Nice shot, by the way."

"Sod it…" Steve groaned, draping an arm over his face. "I'm doomed."

"Oh, don't be such a drama queen. You'll be fine. They are guarding you like the Crown Jewel." Shane patted his brother's shoulder. "How's the pain?"

"Bloody awful." Steve wearily lowered his arm and gave Shane a beseeching look. "Please don't tell Mom and Da."

"Maybe Kate has already given them a call."

"No, I haven't called your parents yet," said Kate who had just returned with the Ward Sister. "You think I should?"

"It's fine. Leave it to me," Shane said, moving out of the way to let the Ward Sister inject a small bottle of solution into Steve's IV drip.

"Don't tell them!" Steve insisted, and broke into a guttural moan as he clutched his chest with a grimace. "Jesus…"

"There, there, Steven," said the pretty Ward Sister in a placating tone. With a benign smile, she smoothed the covers over him and gently plumped his pillow. "Don't get too excited or you'll bust all those nice stitches. Rest now, dear."

"Yes, dear. Shut up and go to sleep," Shane laughingly said, earning him a feeble glare and a shaky middle finger from the invalid. The analgesic worked so fast that Steve promptly drifted off soon afterwards.

"Right. That will put him under for several more hours," said the Ward Sister as she headed for the door. "Try not to disturb him, okay? He needs the rest."

"Thank you, Sister," Shane replied before turning to Kate, "You also need to get some kip. Go home, Kate. You look exhausted. It's getting late anyway."

"But Steve needs protection."

"I'll be here to look after him. He'll be perfectly safe, I promise."

After a fleeting consideration, she nodded. "Of course. You are the badass SAS. Not even an oil tanker can break through you."

Chuckling, he leaned down to kiss her lips. "So true. Now go home to your son and…ugh…husband."

Kate pulled away with a sad smile. "See you tomorrow. I'll inform you when they've finally assigned a full security team for Steve."

After she left, Shane sat down by the bed. Gazing at his dozing brother, he softly said, "You're lucky I'm doing this for free, you little bugger. I would have been a billionaire by now if I had charged you by the hour since you were in diapers."

Receiving no response, Shane grinned. He gave Steve's shoulder a squeeze before leaning back against the chair to begin a long vigil.

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Hours later, about four o'clock in the morning, Shane was stirred to full awareness by the sudden buzzing commotion outside the door. The two AFOs standing there were excitedly conversing with each other. Straightening up in his seat, Shane cocked his ears to try to catch the words when one of them spoke urgently into his radio.

Shane rose and hurried to the door. "What's going on?"

"There have been a disturbance at the A&E downstairs, Major," one of the AFOs said. "Two armed men just broke in. They are now harassing the medical staffs."

"A status zero has been called," the other AFO said next. "We're the closest officers on scene, so we need to get down there to control the situation until backups arrive."

"But that means we need to leave our post here."

Shane frowned as he pondered. "The full security team for DS Arnott hasn't been deployed yet?"

"I'm sorry, Major. We haven't receive any information on the status."

Stifling a sigh, Shane said, "No worries. Go. I'll stay here with my brother."

"Major." They nodded in response before rushing off towards the nearest staircase.

Still frowning, Shane lingered at the doorway for a little while, deep in thought. He then made a quick decision.

Turning around, he hastily returned to Steve's bedside and switched off the vital monitor. Gently, so as not to disturb his sleeping brother, Shane took off the wires that were plastered to Steve's chest under the hospital gown he wore and proceeded to unfasten the IV line from the crook of Steve's arm. After taking out some extra blankets from the lower cabinet of the night stand, Shane draped them over his brother. With great care, he then gathered Steve into his arms, blankets and all, effortlessly lifting him off the bed.

Steve stirred with a moan, his eyes fluttered open at half-mast. "The hell…?"

"Shh…it's okay, Stevie," Shane soothed his brother as he carried him through the doorway. "Everything's fine. Go back to sleep."

Mumbling incoherently, Steve closed his eyes and went out like a light once more.

The hospital was eerily quiet at the time of the night. The corridors were completely empty as Shane headed towards the service staircase at the very end of the wing. He had a feeling that the disturbance by the armed strangers downstairs was not a chance incident. His gut instinct was telling him that it had been planned, a distraction to lure Steve's guards away from their post. The attack on his life was imminent.

Shane needed to move fast to get his brother out of harm's way.

And he just knew the perfect place to keep him safe.

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Kate shot upright in bed when the ringtone of her mobile phone suddenly blared on the night stand. Sleeping next to her, Mark Fleming rolled the other way with a muttered oath and slapped a pillow over his head to block the loud annoying sound.

Stifling a yawn, she made a clumsy grab for the bloody thing to stop its ringing. Her heart skipped a beat when she discovered that the call was from the Control Center.

"DI Fleming," she tentatively answered, and instantly came fully awake after hearing the despatcher's following report.

"Shit," she cursed, already swiping off the covers to leap out of the bed. "How bad is it? Is anyone hurt?"

She listened some more while rummaging through the closet for a clean blouse and some pants. "Where are the backups? They've just arrived? That's good. What about the security team for DS Arnott at the ICU Ward? What? Still not deployed? Are you kidding me? Bloody red tape!"

Sighing, she yanked her nightgown over her head and started to get dress one handed. "Never mind. Who is the SIO? Okay. I'll go talk to him. Send the nearest patrol car to come and get me, fast. You know my address."

Ringing off, Kate was about to throw the phone onto the bed—so that she could pulled on a pair of dark grey slacks—when it chose that moment to ring in her hand.

"Bugger." She tapped the answer pad without bothering to look at the caller ID. "Yeah, what?"

Hearing the familiar voice on the other end of the line caused her to stand absolutely still, consumed by a sudden sense of dread.

"Shane? Oh, God…Please don't tell me something else has happened to Steve. Wait, what do you mean, you have to hide him?"

Her eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets when she heard him explained further.

"You put him where?" she cried out in shock. "Are you bloody insane?"

To her utter frustration, Shane abruptly hang up on her after saying that he needed to urgently take care of something.

"Arghh! Bollocks!"

Fuming, she quickly finished dressing and went into the bathroom to splash some water onto her face and brush her teeth. Next, she grabbed her purse and rushed out the door to wait for the patrol car.

She didn't even notice it when her husband turned around to stare in silent sadness at her hasty departure.

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When she arrived at the hospital about fifteen minutes later, Kate had been expecting the very worse.

There were several patrol cars and a couple of black police vans parked near the main entrance, their blue lights flashing merrily against the dark gloom of early morning. A large white transit van was pulling in, and she watched as dark clad AFOs herded a group of six men towards it. They were all in handcuffs.

A plain cloth police officer approached her, carrying a heavy looking plastic bundle filled with confiscated firearms, all tagged and bagged. He gave her a tired smile and said, "DI Fleming. Glad you could join us."

Kate raised her eyebrow at the package he carried and greeted back, "DI Parsons. Busy night for the SCU, huh? Looks like everything is already under control."

"Yes, thank God. The trouble started at the A&E. A man with a minor gunshot wound was brought in. He insisted that no one report it to the police. When the doctor on duty said that she had to report it as per procedure, he completely went mental. He took out a gun and waved it around, threatening to shoot everyone on sight. So did his equally mental companion. They created such a panic that someone had to call 999."

"It was a status zero call and they had to pull away the AFOs guarding DS Arnott. Yes, that's what I've been told."

"Well, those two officers are in the immediate vicinity, the nearest first responders." Parsons shrugged. "By the time my team and the AFOs gang arrived, things have gone mighty interesting."

"How interesting?"

"Those two troublemaking bozos suddenly fled the A&E before the first AFOs could apprehend them. Then there were some reports of suspicious looking men entering the hospital from various points of entrance. They marched up and down the corridors, poking their heads into each room and ward. As if they were looking for someone."

"I strongly believe they were looking for DS Arnott," Kate said.

Parsons sighed. "Right. I gathered as much. But Steve is missing from his ward. We've checked, he's not there. What we found instead was a giant of a man standing over the unconscious forms of two armed thugs. I think he just knocked their heads together with his bare hands."

Despite it all, Kate grinned. "That man you called a giant is Steve's older brother, Shane. An SAS Major."

"I know. Damn, he's a real scary bloke. Anyway, the AFOs proceeded to sweep all the floors for the rest of the thugs. We then caught four more. And there they are, all six of them." Parsons pointed at the large white van, now pulling out of the hospital drive. "They'll be taken to the nearest station for processing. We're gonna put mighty pressure on them to discover the mastermind behind this incident."

"I wouldn't be surprised if this has everything to do with Harry Manzar. I knew he would retaliate after Steve shot dead his brother. I didn't expect it would be this soon."

"Dirty Harry Manzar is a nutty old guy, Fleming. Maybe his plan fails tonight, but he will never stop chasing his brother's killer. Your team needs to hide Steve somewhere safe until the coast is clear."

"Funny that you mention about hiding Steve. Here's someone who actually knows where he is," Kate said, nudging her chin towards a tall hard looking man quietly approaching behind Parsons. "Major Arnott."

"DI Fleming." Shane nodded with a small smile at both of them. "DI Parsons, right? Your team did a grand job tonight."

"I could say the same to you. You caught two for us."

Shane shrugged good-naturedly. "My pleasure."

He gave Kate a critical gaze, up and down, noting her uncombed hair and slightly rumpled appearance. Her face devoid of makeup. He found the sight totally adorable.

"You look cute."

She glared back, and hastily ran her fingers through her unruly hair. "Shut up. Where is Steve?"

"I told you, I put him somewhere safe."

"Take me to him."

Leaving Parsons to deal with the scene, Shane led the way back inside. He took Kate down a stairway to a floor below ground level on the south wing. They walked silently down a long empty corridor, past the Pathology Department, towards a double door at the very end with a "MORTUARY" signage above it. He pushed open the doors, stepping aside to let her go through first.

"I can't believe you hide him in here," Kate commented with a shake of her head, staring at the row of drawer coolers lining up one side of the four walls. "Okay. Which one is it?"

"Go on. Guess."

"Shane."

Chuckling, Shane headed towards the farthest drawer on the right, second level from below. He pulled at the heavy steel door before yanking the rolling rack out. Steve was lying inside, a cocoon of blankets wrapped around him to ward off the chill. Unlike the occupants of the neighboring drawer coolers, his chest was steadily rising up and down while he slept, as peacefully as a baby.

"Steve!" Kate gasped. She quickly reached down to place the back of her hand against his cool cheek. "Thank God, he's alright."

Turning around, she smacked hard at Shane's arm. "Have you lost your damn mind?"

"Ow." Shane rubbed his bicep. "Look, it was spur of the moment idea. I had to get him out of impending danger real quick."

"By sticking him inside a body cooler?" She hit his arm again. "He could have suffocated or…or frozen to death!"

"It was only for temporary until—"

"What the hell is going on here?"

Both Kate and Shane whirled around at the sudden male voice. A mortuary technician was standing in the doorway, pushing a gurney in front of him. On top of the gurney was a still body covered entirely by a white sheet. Another customer to join the other decedents, obviously.

"Don't mind us. We're just leaving," said Shane, who quickly turned his attention back towards his brother. The younger Arnott had now come around by the sudden commotion.

"But…but who are you? What are you doing?" the technician protested, coming closer towards them.

"DI Fleming, Central Police." Kate showed him her badge. "Police business, sir. Give us a moment."

Meanwhile, Shane was smirking down at his younger brother. "Good morning, sunshine."

Steve scowled in response. He curled tightly around himself under the blankets and closed back his eyes. "Piss off, you dick."

"Okay." Grinning mischievously, Shane shoved the tray in and slammed the heavy door shut.

"Hey!"

Kate rolled her eyes. "Shane."

Meanwhile, the technician's mouth had dropped wide open, his face turning as white as sheet. "He…he's alive!"

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Half an hour later, Steve had returned to his bed inside the ICU ward. While the Ward Sister was busily reconnecting him to the vital monitor and IV drip and whatnots, he glared at his older brother.

"I still can't believe you stuck me inside a body cooler," he weakly grumbled. "You're an arsehole, you know that?"

Leaning against the window sill, Shane grinned in response. "Yeah, I know."

"Anyway," Steve said, looking slightly sheepish, "Thanks, man. I owe you one."

"Don't mention it. And I really mean it, Stevie. Don't you ever mention it again, especially not to Mom. She would flay my hide if she finds out what I just did."

Despite it all, Steve chuckled. "Ooh, imagine the numerous amount of your dirty little secrets that I can use to blackmail you with."

Standing next to Shane, Kate perked up. "That sounds interesting, mate. Care to share them with me?"

"Definitely." Steve then broke into a yawn. "But another time, I think. Having problems keeping my eyes open..."

Seconds later, he drifted into sleep.

Done with her task, the Ward Sister stepped away from the bed. "He's still in a lot of pain. And the recent excitement has clearly worn him out. We'll keep a close eye on him, see if his conditions improve. But he's young and fit, so I'm sure he'll quickly recover."

Turning to Shane, she gave him a frown of disapproval. "You could have warned us before you decided to turn off the monitor and whisked him away. When we discovered him missing, we thought some bad people had come and abducted him."

Shane looked utterly chastened. "Sorry, Sister. I didn't mean to give you trouble."

"Hmm…" Staring at him some more, the Ward Sister added, "The body coolers are not exactly hygienic. Let's hope Steve doesn't catch anything from there. He's ill enough as it is."

With that, she whirled around on her rubber sneakers and went out the door with her nose in the air.

"Wow." Shane breathed out loud, rubbing the back of his hand against his perspiring forehead. "That woman can be real intimidating. Just like my mother!"

Kate was sniggering with mirth. "Serves you right. Nurses are very protective of their patients, if you should know"

"Remind me to never cross them again."

Still smiling, Kate approached the bed to gaze at her dozing partner. "Superintendent Hastings have just texted me. They've finally authorized a full security team for Steve, round the clock. Especially after what just happened."

"That's good to hear, but for how long?" Shane asked, coming to stand on the other side of Steve's bed.

"Until the whole thing dies down?" Kate shrugged.

"But what if it took longer than we thought? This could take days, maybe weeks. Imagine the cost of manpower needed to simply watch over one man."

Sighing, Kate reached down and brushed an errant lock of hair off Steve's forehead. "I don't know, Shane. I guess we just have to wait and see."

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Three days later…

Shane stepped into the ward, dragging along a wheelchair with him. "Alright, Shortlegs. You carriage awaits. The discharge papers are all signed and done with. Let's get you out of here."

Perching on the bed, Steve turned away from the BBC News that was blaring from a plasma TV hanging on the wall. He made a face at the wheelchair.

"I hate to sit on that thing again."

Shane propped both fists against his waist as he gave his brother an exasperated look. "You don't expect me to carry your heavy arse all the way to the car, do you?"

"You know I used to spend weeks in a wheelchair. Weeks! It drove me crazy."

"Stevie, it's only for a few days to relieve the pressure off that sexy but busted Adonis belt of yours. You don't need to sit on it for the rest of your life. Hey, you listening to me?"

Steve's attention had been dragged back towards the television screen. The grim broadcaster was reciting a report about a nasty criminal gang war between two opposing OCGs that had erupted at an old industrial unit near Moss Heath the night before. When Harry Manzar's name was mentioned as one of the many casualties, Steve whipped his head around to stare in astonishment at his older brother.

Shane blinked and stared innocently back. "What?"

"Was that you?" Steve jerked a thumb towards the TV. "Did you do that?"

Shane scoffed. "Don't be silly."

He pushed the wheelchair closer next to Steve before plucking the remote control out of his brother's hand. Switching off the television, he ordered, "Now sit your butt down. We are out of here."

As Steve let Shane helped him into the chair, he still wouldn't stop asking, "Tell me the truth. Did you have anything to do with the gang fight that killed Manzar?"

"No comment." Shane proceeded to push his brother towards the door.

"Oh my God, you did..." Steve gasped. "How the hell did you do it? You sent crossed signals to both Manzar and his rival's camp or what?"

"No comment."

"Shane…"

"I said, no comment. Shut your trap or I'll dump you on your face right here."

"You're a real dickhead."

"Right back at ya, now shut up."

"You shut up."

The Arnott brothers were still at it even as they emerged into the sunshine.

What a start to a beautiful sunny day.

THE END

Stay tuned for more LOD stories. And stay safe out there. Let's fight this pandemic together. Later, guys.

.

"What do you expect when you unload an automatic rifle at someone?" – DS Steve Arnott

.

* ABBREVIATIONS:

A&E - Accident & Emergency

AC - Anti Corruption

AFO - Authorized Firearm Officer

ASAP - As Soon As Possible

DCI - Detective Chief Inspector

DI - Detective Inspector

DS - Detective Sergeant

ICU - Intensive Care Unit

IED - Improvised Explosive Device

OCG - Organized Crime Group

RTC - Road Traffic Collision

SCU - Serious Crime Unit

SAS - Special Air Service

SIO - Senior Investigating Officer