Chapter 6- Chokehold
The room was stagnating in uncomfortable silence, the type of silence that reached into your mind and brought forth all the memories you had been trying to avoid. Hatti leaned back in her chair, a collection of Go Fish cards in her hands that she'd organised by type and from smallest to largest number. Across the table was Bull who puzzled over his own cards, eyes narrowed and eyebrows lowered. He bit his bottom lip, appearing by all means to be someone in the throes of a serious mental problem. "Got any two's?"
Hatti snapped to attention, "Go Fish," she said. The fact that he didn't say "do you have any" rather than "got" rankled her a bit, but she knew correcting him would put a damper on the game. The silence broken by their voices, several pairs of disinterested eyes all belonging to fellow Bailiff's flew to the two. Bull plucked a card from the deck, "Aha!" he declared, grabbing three more from his other hand and plopping all four two's onto the table. Hatti sighed, "You are too good at this… Bull," she fought to say the name, earning a pleased grin from her friend for making the effort. It shouldn't have been an effort, she reminded herself, but it was what it was. Bull tilted his head, "Aw," he voiced, "I used to play this game all the time with my family, that and chutes and ladders."
"Do you have any Kings?" The shorter Bailiff asked. Bull passed over a card.
"Do you have siblings?" Hatti inquired politely, keeping the conversation moving as any good person would. Bull nodded, "Three. Two sisters and a brother," he shifted in the small metal chair the lounge had provided, "Alice, Rosetta, and Ahab." He gave a thoughtful look to Hatti's right shoulder, suggesting he was thinking about his family. She wondered what they did and the relationship between them. But more importantly… "Ahab?"
Bull shrugged as though resigned to the oddities of his parents' naming choices, "Got any Aces?"
"Go fish," Hatti replied, though her attention had shifted far away from the game at hand. "Do you have any brothers or sisters Hatti?" Bull's cheerful voice seemed to fill the whole room and once again they brought a myriad of listless gazes to their table. Hatti shook her head, "I am an only child," she elaborated uselessly, "My parents weren't entirely interested in children."
Bull looked confused, "But… they had you," he said, lowering his voice slightly. Hatti sighed again, a soft, listless sound even to her own ears. "Yes," was all she said in return, then, "Do you have any sevens?"
Bull watched Hatti the rest of the day, during session and otherwise. She didn't seem terribly sad over their conversation earlier in the Bailiff's lounge, but if he were to be honest, it was kind of hard to tell with her. Hatti stood and did her job without saying a word, her gaze trailing mostly after her boyfriend Dan. Ugh. Bull had been present for three weeks of open affection between the two, and to be honest he was getting a little sick of it. Not that he disliked how "smiley" Hatti had become, which wasn't very but it was certainly more than before. He liked seeing her happy, her blue eyes positively sparkled when she was happy. She's too good for you, he reminded himself with more than a little self recrimination in mind. Hatti was smart and kind and accepting, she let him go on at the Museum (which reminded him, they had another museum outing planned) only adding something when she thought he was finished. He sighed wistfully.
Bull watched as a mustacheod Bailiff (Johnson?) brought in the next case. Bull immediately recognized the man, a seven foot brute by the name of James Oscarson. He'd been brought in several weeks ago for trashing another man's car. Bull stiffened his broad shoulders in preparation for a fight, the few things he remembered about the man weren't very good. Roz hummed from beside him, making no comment otherwise. She too looked ready for an attack of some sort, though she somehow managed to pass it off in a casual stance. Hatti approached and stood beside Roz, her blonde hair tied back in a ponytail. Bull couldn't help but stare briefly at her long neck.
"Final case your honor. Oscarson: assault."
Harry looked at the tall man with raised eyebrows, earning him a glower in return. Oscarson was wearing a red and white striped shirt that reminded Bull of "Where's Waldo", (the chuckle that escaped him earned him several bewildered looks) besides that he had dark brown hair and thick eyebrows, thin lips that pressed together and a square jawline that pulsated with unresolved tension. "Let's see what the damage is shall we. Fielding?" Harry waved the other man on with his left hand. Dan looked at his paper, "Well sir, it seems Oscarson The Grouch here was standing in long line for the movies-"
"They were re-showing ET, you think I'm going to pass that up?!" the taller man explained irately, crossing meaty arms over each other. Dan scoffed, "Seems you know a thing or two about freaks of nature," he huffed beneath his breath, though it was most assured that everyone in the room had heard, "Anyway, reports from several witnesses state that a man named Bell stepped into the front of the line and this walking ad for steroids over here decided to enact his own justice," he turned a contemptuous look at the giant. Oscarson's upper lip curled, "Why don't you just shut it beanpole," he snapped. "Mr. Oscarson, we already have a load of evidence against you, let's not add to the list," Harry pushed in. Bull looked between all four of them, the way Harry's hand twitched above his gavel and the pained crease between Christine's eyebrows. They wanted things to end quickly he supposed.
"Your Honor, the defendant merely went up there to talk to Mr. Bell, but the man proved to be… difficult, so my client attempted to bring him to the back of the line," her voice weakened the further she went. The Judge sniffed, "Where exactly is Mr. Bell right now?"
Christine cleared her throat, "The hospital, it seems there were a few broken bones involved and-" Suddenly Dan's voice erupted from him, filled with derision and hate, "Broken? Try shattered! Your honor this man is a menace to society, I say we lock him up and throw away the key before he does any more damage!" he flopped his file down onto the bench. "Hey, I told you to shut it!" "Oh yeah, what are you going to do, take me down like you did Bell? I guess that's all meatheads like you are good for," he tilted his chin upwards in an attempt to look down his nose at the other man. Bull was unaccustomed to Dan fighting back against anyone, much less a seven foot weight lifter type like Oscarson. Still, though a worried knot formed between the shorter man's brow he stood his ground. That still didn't mean things were going to end well. Oscarson unexpectedly lunged for Dan like a wild animal, one giant arm wrapping around the ADA's neck and tightening around it. All of the Bailiff's reacted quickly, Bull moving to grab the taller man's shoulders whilst Roz took out her gun and made her way to the front of the aggressor so that he knew he wouldn't be getting away. The problem, was that Dan was in the way, his face rapidly turning purple as he pathetically attempted to pry the stronger man off of him.
"Let him go Oscarson!" Harry demanded, on his feet and looking angry, hiding how frightened he probably was. "Not until he passes out," laughed the terrible man who no longer resembled Where's Waldo in the least little bit. Roz hissed, "I can't get a clean shot." Bull tried harder to get the man off of his friend, prying at the man's arms. Dan let out a strangled, "Halp!", several other Bailiff's ushered in and pointed their guns.
And then, everything seemed to stop.
Hatti Digger stood behind Oscarson, landing a sharp kick to the back of one knee which caused him to lower himself to her level against his will (unfortunately dragging Dan with him), then with more speed than Bull thought possible for the short, somewhat chubby, woman, she pressed a gun to the back of the man's head. "Let. Him. Go." she said, emotionless. For a moment Bull thought it wouldn't work, Oscarson's expression not changing from the look of utter hostility... Then arms snapped apart like opened handcuffs. Dan stumbled then collapsed, coughing and gasping for breath. Christine knelt beside him, unsure of what to do so she gently rubbed one of his shoulders. "Take him," Hatti said, jaw clenched. Roz did the honor, grabbing the man by the collar of his shirt so that he had to stand hunched to her level, "You're coming with me," she said dangerously. It was no use for him to struggle against the woman and likewise there was no doubt in anyone's mind that they would never see Oscarson again. Bull smirked, then followed the ever growing group of people surrounding Dan.
"Dan, are you alright? Should I call a doctor?" Harry asked gently. The ADA shook his head, croaking out a "No". Thankfully the original color had begun to return to his face. Bull knew a thing or two about neck injuries and strangulation (on roughly eighty-seven species) and didn't think avoiding a Doctor was the best option. Harry rushed back up to his bench and slammed the gavel on it, "Recess! Take a break for… well, until we get things sorted out!" he called. A few people still lingered, some of them looking mildly concerned while others appeared more excited than anything. Mac crouched down in front of Dan, "Harry, how about you go get him some water?" he asked, the use of his real name not escaping Bull's attention. He found it odd that he hadn't been the one to fetch it, except maybe the Clerk thought he would mess it up? Bull humphed to himself silently. "Sure thing Mac," The Judge nodded and rushed off to find a cup. A movement out of the corner of his eye had Bull turning to find Hatti standing away from the crowd, her expression oddly blank in the face of her boyfriend coughing up his lungs. Her blonde hair and dark clothes made her stand starkly against the dull grey surroundings, like a little light shining in the dark (hm… he would have to write a poem about that.) The tall Bailiff tilted his head a little and approached her, trying to appear gentle in front of her. "You ok?" he asked in a voice he usually reserved for children. Hatti nodded, not speaking until Dan had been brought to his feet,"Yes, thank you Bull."
He was surprised to find no hesitation when she spoke his first name.
Dan had been put in Harry's office to rest a bit on his couch. When Hatti entered he was supine atop the green cushions, long legs curled up so that his feet didn't hang off the end. One hand cradled his neck, idly rubbing at pale skin that had begun to bruise slightly. It was lucky Oscarson hadn't used his hands she thought bitterly. "Dan?" she spoke softly, hoping not to startle him. His eyes opened, "Sup?" he choked out with a dry cough, moving into a sitting position with a wince. "Are you alright?" Hatti inquired, approaching him as though he were something that might explode. Dan looked up at her, "No," he spat, "I was just strangled by an ogre!"
Hatti's amusement at Dan's name for that wretched man fought with the sympathy inside of her. "I imagine that ogre will be spending an extensive time in jail for doing so, that is not to mention his assault of Mr. Bell," she fought the urge to reach out and touch him, maybe stroke his cheek or run fingers through his dark hair. She had never been comfortable touching anyone, unless it was for a handshake or (on the other end of the spectrum) a moment of intense passion. It always felt awkward and false.
Dan looked at the wall with a faraway gaze. Hatti wished she knew what he was thinking, how he felt. Was he shaken? Scared? Angry? Shellshocked? She bit the inside of her cheek, recalling her own past encounters with violent people and eventually settled and sitting next to him. She let his arm press gently against hers and few seconds later his foot bumped gently against her own. Hatti raised an eyebrow, "What are you doing?"
Dan shrugged which rumpled the shoulder of Hatti's uniform, "I'm being playful," he explained with a lopsided smirk, a hand still present on his neck. How odd, Hatti considered as she managed to toe the side of his polished shoe, that he had somehow come out of being strangled with as much enthusiasm as he'd had that morning. How on earth did he manage it? Without warning Dan let his head drop onto Hatti's shoulder, startling her and actually causing her to emit a small yelp of surprise. She immediately countered it with an awkward clearing of her throat that definitely didn't make things worse. Dan didn't seem to care though, and merely sighed contentedly through his nose mingled with a pleasured rumble that sounded like he was getting ready to fall asleep. Hatti uncomfortably let her cheek rest against the top of his head. His hair smelled kind of nice, she thought in some vain attempt to force herself to be happy with the situation. A hand extended and landed on her knee, "Thanks for saving my life," Dan murmured in a voice so quiet it took her a good amount of time to work out what it was he'd just said.
"You are very welcome Mr Fielding."
Dan felt solid beside her, a heavy weight on her. It struck her just how big he was, not in the sense that he was fat (the idea was laughable), rather the general size of him. His hands consumed her, he stood a good foot taller than her, and it fascinated her every time they kissed the size of his head in comparison to her own. If she were to voice that thought, she knew she would be looked at like a crazy person of course. The short Bailiff had just begun to relax when the door suddenly flung open and a man she didn't recognize shuffled into the room. Her first impression of him was as follows: Homeless. His face was dirty and covered in stubble, his eyes though filled with concern also held a level of sleeplessness that came with taking up refuge on the street. He had dark hair that had receded, and wore clothes that had holes and dirt seared into the fabric. "Dan, oh Dan!" he cried desperately, then he caught sight of the two together and gaped, "Ah,I'm sorry. I'll leave you two alone!" He turned to leave.
Hatti immediately took it upon herself to stand, brushing creases out of her skirt with an air of dignity she didn't feel. "Phil come back here," Dan snapped, looking more than a little put out that his pillow had left.
The bum looked back around the door, "I heard what happened," he explained, "Are you alright Boss?" the way he said "boss" was interesting, like "bow-oss", Hatti had to take a moment to let the word sink in. "Where the hell were you anyway?" the ADA huffed angrily, "I had errands I wanted you to do."
"Sorry Boss," Phil the homeless man whimpered like a puppy that had been kicked, "I heard that they hadn't cleaned the garbage cans last night, I was feeling a little bit peckish," he smiled sheepishly. "Ugh, spare me the details. Just, go get me a cup of water or… something," he waved the other man off, "Uh, on the other hand, go tell someone else to get me a cup of water, I wouldn't want to drink out of anything you've touched," he quirked his mouth into an unpleasant smirk.
Phil departed as quickly as he'd arrived, with a nod and a "You got it Boss!" that was far too perky. Hatti looked back down at Dan who stretched out his legs like a cat, "Care to join me again My Dear?" he purred (again, like a member of the feline family). Hatti hesitated to answer him, confused over everything else. She bit the inside of her cheek, "I… should return to the Bailiff's lounge and retrieve something," she lied, "Please excuse me." She didn't wait for him to answer before she left the room and started aimlessly down the halls.
Boom! I got a chapter done on a Saturday! Suck it self-doubt!
I noticed in quite a few fanfics about Night Court, a lack of Phil. If you're going to write about Dan, you have to put Phil in there somewhere! I definitely want to write a Phil POV at some point, hmmm...
Reviews are my favorite, but if you are only reading I shall not hold a grudge. X)