Title: Back To Basics (2/4)
This Part's Title: Downtime
Author: Snow'sLuckyCat aka Sharma aka ME
Author's Note: Sorry for the lengthy delay. :( Hopefully, this part and the successive parts, that are soon to join this one, will all be worth the wait, at any rate. :) See Part 1 for the complete header and disclaimer.
Special Thanks: To all 7 (so far, anyway) of my wonderful reviewers, Weimlady, MC1367, Guest, Esme, snowqueen05, Pegship, & bponder, I thank ya, each and every one, from the bottom of my heart and soul for your encouraging and kind words about this humble 'yarn' of mine. YOU ALL ROCK! 8c )
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Part Two:
Downtime
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Seventeen stitches and seventy-two hours of observation and countles cups of horrid hospital coffee for Lucy (and equally horrid lime jello cups for me) later, we finally reluctantly return to my...our...my home.
Surprisingly, the small puddles of blood that should still be there, are gone. In fact, it looks like someone's replaced the carpet entirely. The blood that had spattered the wall behind me on that fateful night has also been scrubbed away. The bullet holes? Plugged up expertly with spackling paste. Smoothed over, even.
Another invasion of my privacy, I can ill afford, especially in light of recent events. It's like someone simply erased my trial by fire from existence.
But, yet, I'm still standing here, aching and weary from dealing with the physical consequences of what had gone down.
The doctors had all said I should make a full recovery, but that it would take time. Dizzy spells are still frequent; migraines still sweep over me, like breaking waves of the nearby ocean. My side still burns too, but it's healing. The scalp lac is seri-stripped closed and bandaged up, with strict instructions for me to keep it dry, at least for another couple of days.
My chest is still a mess of different shades of black and blue. But, at least, I can no longer easily see it, since my whole torso's still hidden under a bunch of icy support bandages. Icy, to bring down the swelling.
At least, the bruise from the bat to my forehead have faded to a dusky pink and green and yellow, instead of the deep red and purple it'd been before. Small wonder.
Even though I am still suspended, and still with the continuing investigation hanging over my head, I really don't want to be alone just yet.
"Lucy, do you mind..." I mutely say into the air, willing her to read my mind and stay, without me having to ask her with words.
She doesn't let me finish. "My shift starts in an hour. I gotta go home and change. Bradford was not exactly happy when I told him why I couldn't come in, what had happened to you, and that I was staying with you at the hospital while you recovered. Anderson understood, as did Grey and Bishop, but they were about the only ones. I gotta get back to the grind..."
"Let me come with you?" I phrase it as more of a question than a command. I hope she takes the subtle hint I'm lobbing her way. But, my subtle hint goes similarly unheralded.
"Are you sure you should?" she instead asks me back. "After all, you'd only be sitting around twiddling your thumbs for six hours."
"Well, if Kyle shows back up at the precinct, I want to be there. I did give him another chance, remember? A chance to see exactly what I saw and form his own conclusions. With all of the evidence in front of him." A reasonable plan in my mind, if tenuous since it's reliant upon a guy who tried to kill me just over three days ago.
Lucy disagrees, worry coloring her tone. "No. You need to stay. Rest some more. You look like you need it. We can totally handle Kyle, and that's if he even takes you up on your very possibly illegal offer."
"Oh. Okay. It's just that I don't...I don't really want to be...alone, right now." I try to keep the tremor, a trace of irrational fear, I know, from my voice.
Lucy cocks her head to one side. Considering. Thinks better of it. Her face flashes through emotions like a camera shutter. I can see quick flashes of everything. But, finally, she settles on one mode. Tough love, it is then. "Listen. They already know you're hurt. That you're not coming in. That you're staying away until the investigation is completed. I'll only be gone a few hours. I got the locks changed and reinforced, so another home invasion shouldn't happen. Besides you, Ben and I are the only ones who have a key that works now."
"Was all of this you then?" I mutely ask, gesturing to the new carpets and cleaned walls, hoping that it wasn't complete strangers going through my things, rifling through and cataloguing my most recent trauma. Trying to also prolong her exit for as long as possible.
"No, that part of it was Bishop and Grey's doing. They processed the scene and then they fixed it up for you. They said what you did both shockingly heroic and supremely stupid. Said you were about the only one who could do something that's simultaneously annoying and inspiring. Said it must be a Nolan family gift."
"No, I wouldn't say what I did was especially heroic. I just didn't want to get my ass handed to me any more than it already had been. Nor is it a family tradition. My son is an academic who's never thrown a punch in his life. Except in jest. And he's always an inspiration, never an annoyance."
"Well, in that case, I'd love to actually meet him face-to-face one day."
"In light of what's happened, I don't know if he's gonna be that inclined to visit me out here. Or visit me at all, really. I always taught him killing wasn't the answer, that it never solves anything. And up until now, I've been a living example of that credo. Now, in light of what Montgomery told the press, he probably thinks I'm a monster. An unjust killer cop. And that's if he heard anything at all..." I trail off, not realizing I'm getting more upset as I go along. Not angry really, just properly resigned to my fate and ready to throw in the towel.
Lucy smiles cryptically at me once I'm silent. A lovely, sly half-grin of an expression, one that perfectly mirrors the look I normally aim her way. "I have an idea about all that, babe. Instead of worrying about that asshole who almost killed you or wondering about what Henry is thinking, why don't you just call him? Get the conversation going? I bet it will do you both wonders."
"How are you so sure that he'd talk to me, that he'd even take my call?"
"Because I know, from what you've told me of him, that he's just as sweet and considerate as you are. And I'm sure he understands a lot more than you give him credit for. Plus, it'll keep you calm and busy, while I'm away."
"Ah, I knew there was an ulterior motive. You just want to be rid of me, Officer Chen," I joke. Hoping that there's not really any truth to that offhanded comment.
"Just until my shift ends. Then, I'm all yours again," she explains quickly, her half-grin growing to a full one that actually reaches her eyes. "Talk to Henry. Take a few more naps. I'll be back before you know it."
Turning away, she goes off into the bedroom, to gather up her gym bag and dirty clothes. But, she quickly returns.
"Forget something?" I ask, imagining it's something she's left out here in the den.
Her answering blaze of a kiss sears itself into my brain. Smothers my doubts and insecurities into smears of mere nothingness. It's over before I can even lace my fingers through her hair. Or lean into this sublime feeling of momentary happiness.
She still loves me, my mind shouts to the rooftops. If only she can hear it.
She lowers herself down from her tip-toes, steps back, satisfied.
"I love you, you know."
She answers me with the simple quirk of another smile at me. Playfully twirls away back to the bedroom.
Wistfully, I bet that she was a dancer in another life. A less violent life.
Within three minutes, she's back again. Only, this time, she has her gym bag and purse with her. This time, she's leaving for real.
"Okay. I'm heading out. Remember what I said. Call Henry, then get some rest."
As I'm about to open my mouth to protest, tell her I'm fine without doing either of those things, that I'm fine just spending the next 6 hours staring off into the middle distance, she just frowns. "Nuh-uh. That's an order, mister. When I get back, if you're not in bed resting or on a Skype call to Henry, I'm calling in the cavalry."
"Yes, ma'am," I nod, slightly bobbing my head for emphasis, and get a mighty big twinge of discomfort for my trouble.
"...Who'd be the cavalry though?" I ask, wincing as my voice easily slides an octave higher and becomes reedy, because of the odd sloshing sensation currently going around within my skull.
Lucy picks up on it immediately. "No sudden movements. Remember?"
"Got it. Adding 'nodding' to my Do Not Do list, as we speak," I reply, keeping as still as possible, once my brain steadies. "That was, in fact, one of the least fun nods of my life. For a second there, I felt like my brain was gonna slosh right on out of my ears."
When I blink, everything tilts a bit. But only a bit. Plus, Lucy's right there, an arm wrapped around my waist, steadying me. Keeping me upright. Only to lead me into the bedroom just a few feet away and off to the right.
"Sit down," she states, once we've made it to the bed. "Slowly."
Carefully, I do as she requests.
"Lay down," she says. "Slowly."
Again, I try to obey.
"Okay. Good. Now, here's the remote. You can watch television, but leave it on a low volume. Not the loud cacophony of noise pollution that you usually use. A sensible level. If you drift off to sleep? All the better. But, even if you can't, try to stay down for at least another 30-45 minutes. If you feel a little better by then, skype Henry. Even if it's only for a few minutes. Girlfriend's orders. Got me?"
"So, we are going steady again?"
"We'll see. Let's just take it one day at a time. And let's keep it secret. Like super secret. 'Cuz, right now, I'm just helping a fellow officer through a crisis. We're not quite back to badge bunny levels yet."
"Understood." I carefully salute from my comfy pile of pillows, and she's off again, expertly taking her temporary leave of me like a pro.
I strain to hear the door open before her and close and lock behind her. But, it's barely perceptible. I blame my concussion. Luce would too.
Or maybe the real fact is that she's secretly a ninja. So, that reasoning can share the blame, I think.
I idly flip through the channels, only to settle on an old rerun of Raiders of the Lost Ark that's just starting.
The white noise of the television sends me packing to slumberland quicker than usual, even before I get to the good part with Indy escaping the giant boulder trap in that Peruvian temple.
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To Be Continued...
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A/N: So much for a semi-short 3-parter, eh?! Instead you all are getting a longer 4-parter. Think of this chapter as being the relative quiet before the storm. And things are gonna get rather stormy and explosive really quickly. In more ways than one. So, watch this space and please stay tuned, 'cuz another two parts are coming your way very soon. :) Still, I hope you still like what you see... ;) Do you? :s