The Antagonist

And waited for quite a while she did. He seemed to be trying to piece together his own memories. He wanted to tell it to her in some kind of order to avoid the 50 questions that was sure to follow his explanation. Alex was at on the edge of the sofa, angled so that she was almost facing him. He was sitting back trying to lessen the pain in his ribs and back. "I used to work with him. He was my partner back when were rookies." He finally told her, "We were partners for quite a long time and of course, he became a good friend." Alex nodded, understanding that, she still spoke to all her previous partners as well. "But-" he paused, "we - uh - got called to a disturbance in downtown Brooklyn where it seemed several guys were having a shooting match." He stopped talking, his face distant as he remembered.

"You were called in to try to difuse the situation?" Alex asked. Mike nodded, her voice bringing him back to reality.

"It seemed we were only making it worse." he sighed. "Turned out that a cop shoot-out was what they were after."

"Is that what happened? You all just started shooting?" She asked, and he began rubbing his mouth in frustration.

"Not straight away. Harris thought we had complete control of the situation so he moved out into the open, talking to them." Mike sat forward a little, as he was becoming uncomfortable. "I didn't like it because he was allowing himself to be a target and I'd tried to pull him back." he laughed, sarcastically. "He even holstered his gun." pausing again as he remembered, "That's when they started shooting at us. Harris tried to duck out of the way but he'd been shot-" a beat, "by me."

"By you?" Alex asked, unsure of the truth of that fact.

Mike nodded, "I shot him in the arm because I missed my actual target."

"I'm sure it wasn't your fault." Alex said, trying to comfort him but she realised that was an impossibility.

Mike shook his head, "I tried to say sorry when he was in hospital but he said he didn't care." He looked at Alex, his face showing his guilt momentarily. "I really was sorry and I didn't blame him for asking for a new partner."

"But?"

"But he seemed to get more and more angry with me as time went on." he paused, "I eventually was sent to another precinct just so we could be seperated." Mike really wanted to stand up and do something, anything but he couldn't move. "I didn't see him for years and then I got sent to Staten Island."

"He was there?"

Mike shook his head, "No, he was just one of those that showed up to gloat, to shove it in my face and have a good laugh out of it."

"So what? He showed up today just to reignite a feud?" Alex asked, incredulously.

Mike shrugged, "I don't know. I remember him saying something about a 'big shot' and 'don't blow it'. I guess that he was trying to make me look bad, not that I need any help with that." Mike turned to look at her, his regret so apparent that Alex was taken back. "What if I have blown it?"

Alex shook her head, "I doubt that." she told him. After a moments thought she then added, "We're both on report so what happens to me will happen to you." Mike sighed, not enjoying that prospect at all. He didn't want anything to happen to her career, she was a better cop than he was, in his mind, and she deserved better than that.

"What he said to you..." Mike started to say, but he was unsure. "About you, I-"

"You don't have to say anything." she interrupted, putting her hand on his face. "I know."

He took her hand from his face and he just held onto it, "When you were standing in the middle of us and trying to stop us... I was gonna leave it." His voice was deep and rough. "But then he hit you." Mike stopped not wanting to say anything else. He couldn't understand why Rob had chosen to hit her, it had been the right move on his part if what he wanted was to enrage Mike into a beat down between each other but how did Rob notice that? He noticed how Alex seemed somehow disappointed with that and he knew why. She was a cop and she felt she didn't need protection. "I'm sorry but it's in my nature to protect and ... I do know where you're coming from but..." he let his sentence trail off, unable to find the right words.

She gave him a kiss to say he was forgiven. "Just try not do it all the time. I'll go mad." she told him, with a smirk. "I don't want you to keep getting into fights because I don't like the idea of travelling on a ferry everyday to see you!" she joked, hoping to lighten his mood and it had the desired effect because he gave her a grin.

"It's alright, I don't think he'll be back here." Mike said, in a low but amused tone of voice.

"Why?" Alex asked, curious as to why he was so sure. He came back once already why not for a third.

"Because trust me, he's way worse off than me!"

"You won?" she asked, incredulously. Looking at his injuries, "This is what the winner looks like?"

"Yep." Mike confimed, grinning at his victory. He'd promised himself he would and he did it, without even having to go out of his way to do so.

"Well for his sake he'd better not come back." Alex mumbled, watching as Mike smiled at her.

"Now look who's being protective." he said, grinning. She sat back into the sofa and put her head gently onto his shoulder, the only part of him she could see that wasn't injured.

"Yeah, it's in my nature too." she told him, calmly. "Which is why I'm about 10 seconds away from dragging you to a hospital."

He turned his head to look at her as best as he could from the obscure angle. "I don't think so."

"Oh?" Alex asked, sitting up a little to get a better look of his face. "Want to challenge me to that?" she knew he couldn't, which just proved her point.

"I hate hospitals." he told her, hating the very thought of stepping inside one.

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He had lost the battle; that's what was going through Mike's mind as they were in the ER at the hospital. He'd been stripped down to his vest and boxers whilst Alex was with him in the cubicle as she tried desperately not to notice but, of course, because she was trying not to, she was noticing. A doctor had already examined him and they were waiting for him to be taken to X-ray. Mike had told the doctor he didn't need one but he'd discovered that it was apparently the doctors decision... and Alex's, who sat there telling him that he should do as the good doctor suggests.

"How long does it take?" Mike grumbled, as he was at on the bed whilst Alex was sat on the chair as they waited for someone to take him to X-ray.

"As long as it takes." Alex replied, watching him as he grew more and more restless. She was also beginning to feel tired but she wouldn't leave him because she was the one who'd insisted he go in the first place. Mike was tapping the side of the bed, making a clanging noise as his ring hit the metal material.

"God." Mike groaned, "I hate doctors!"

Alex rolled her eyes. "Is there anything in this place you don't hate?"

"Well, yeah." he replied and she looked at him curious as to what that answer could be in the hopes she could get it and stop him from moaning. "You're here." She just laughed at that answer, she should've known it wouldn't have been something that could've been helpful.

The curtain was pulled back and a young porter arrived with a wheelchair. "Mike Logan?" he asked, holding a file. Mike nodded, "I'm here to take you to x-ray." the man said cheerfully. Mike didn't feel so cheerful, he looked at Alex silently begging her to save him from this horror but she just smiled.

Mike stood up and shook his head as the porter pointed to the wheelchair. "No." he said simply but were more than just determination. The porter looked at Alex who shrugged, she wasn't going to try that one.

The porter smiled cheerfully again, "Alright then Mike, we'll take the chair with us incase you need it." He pulled back the curtain further to allow Mike to get through. Mike groaned at the man's cheery attitude. The porter looked at Alex, "Is your girlfriend coming?" Mike nodded and Alex followed.

The porter continued pushing the wheelchair as Mike and Alex walked with him as he led the way. Alex could swear she could hear Mike saying he was going to 'throttle that man for being so damned happy so early in the morning'. Another thing he must have hated about hospitals then.

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It turned out that Mike had a fracture in his rib and some bruising on his back, and was quite lucky not to have a broken nose. He'd been ordered to go home and sleep and not go into work for several days at best a week if he could manage it. Alex had intended to phone Deakins as soon as it wasn't so early in the morning. Mike was now in his bed, comfortable and very glad to be away from the hospital because he was sure he was going to implode if he'd stayed there another moment longer.

But he was thankful Alex had taken him there because he was told that he could've made his injury worse. Now he was wrapped up in tight support for his ribs and was hopefully on the road to recovery. All he hoped was that Rob Harris also had broken ribs, he'd certainly heard something crack on the man. Rob definitely had severe injuries on his face and it gave Mike great pleasure to know that he wasn't the only one suffering.

Mike wasn't really suffering because Alex was still there. Although he'd tried to get her to stay in his bedroom with him she refused simply because she didn't want to hurt him. He could hear her doing something though but he wasn't sure what. He called out her name and she came in to find out what was wrong. "What are you doing?" he asked, once her head peered around the door.

"I'm making a drink. Did you want one?" she asked. Mike shook his head.

"Alex, why don't you go home and get some sleep?" Mike asked, although he knew the answer to that already. She walked into the room fully, shaking her head. Sitting down on the bed she looked at him.

"I'd rather stay here and make sure you do as you're told!"

Mike chuckled, "And what happens when you go to work later?"

Alex shrugged, "I'll call you to check up on you."

Mike shook his head, he hadn't meant that, "No, what happens when you fall to sleep at your desk?"

Alex shrugged again, not bothered, "I'll take a pillow."

Mike laughed at her and held out his hand. "Come on, just lay down here." she looked at him and shook her head. "You won't hurt me, I can't move." That also meant that couldn't do anything exciting either. Alex sighed and laid down beside him, taking his hand in hers. Smiling as he turned his head but not his body to look at her. "Better." he said, satisfied.

"How come you hate hospitals so much?" Alex asked, after they'd been silent for a little while.

"I don't know, I just do." he replied, stroking the back of her hand with his thumb. Thankful that it wasn't his broken hand. "Do you wanna know what I do love though?" he asked.

Alex had her eyes closed as she said, "Mmmm, what?"

Mike looked at her as she was falling to sleep, he smiled. "You." was the only answer he gave and it was enough to open her eyes as she realised what he'd said. She looked into his eyes but she couldn't say anything. She could see the sincerity in his eyes and she could tell from the way he'd said it but it had taken her by complete surprise. She wasn't even sure she'd heard it.

She looked at him and she finally made a movement with her mouth; she smiled at him. Finding her voice she said, "I love you, too." He grinned at that and all he could do was lay there as she leaned in to kiss him. If it weren't for his injuries she was certain they'd have been more enthusiastic with their kiss but she just pulled away and smiled at him.

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