Number three! I'm not sure if we're going to find out what happened to Megan in this one. If we don't, it'll be in the beginning of the next. Be advised, there's some sexy time in this one.
A Turn for the Worse
"Where are you going?" He rolled over onto his back, his outstretched arms feeling the cool sheets around him. She'd been up for a while.
"Work. I'll only be a few hours." She said quietly, sliding on a smart looking, fitted boyfriend blazer overtop of a tailored cut out dress. She twirled her hair up into a loose chignon, a few pieces falling around her face.
"What? Why?" He sat up and ran his hand roughly through his hair.
"The server crashed last night. I've got to go in and make sure the techs don't lose any of our files from the past few collections. Damn archives." She slapped her purse down on the table. "I'm sorry. I'll pick something up on my way home, okay? I think I might stop by my place and grab a few more things, this is the only work outfit I have." She leaned against the dresser and carefully slid a high heel on one foot, and then the other.
"You don't even have an office there, yet they still make you dress to the nines on the occasions you do have to go in? Not cool." He rolled off his side of the bed and walked toward her. "You practically run the place. You should have an office." He slid his hands around her waist from behind as she looked in the mirror on top of the dresser, dusting bronzer over her pronounced cheek bones.
"I definitely do not run the place." She laughed. "Lisa runs the place. Lisa is the mastermind. I get Lisa her coffee." She turned to face him. "Who am I kidding? That woman depends on me. I liked this job better before she realized she could make me run all over town."
"It's amazing that you managed to keep the office running from home, it was a matter of time before she caught on." He sighed. "Hopefully this doesn't happen ever, ever again. And you can just stay home, with me, forever and ever." He grinned like a madman.
"How old are you?" She laughed, swatting his chest playfully.
"Old enough to know when I've got something good." His smile turned sincere. "How are you feeling?"
"Good, now that I have something else to think about. Later, will be truly revealing." She smiled. "Thank you, for coming in with me yesterday." She placed her hand delicately on his cheek and ran her other hand over his bare chest and shoulder, wishing she could crawl back in bed with him right that minute. The warmth that always emanated from his skin every night as he held her was easily the highlight of her day. It made her feel like she'd always be safe with him.
"Anytime, baby." He kissed her eyelids lightly, careful not to destroy any of her carefully placed makeup. "Now go, get out of here. Go keep Lisa alive." He swatted her on the behind as she giggled and hurried out of the room, laughing down the hallway.
"I'll see you later!" She called from the front door.
"I'll be here." He replied. "Take my car!"
"Bye, Dov." She laughed as she closed the door.
"Your feet will hurt if you don't." He said to himself, walking into the bathroom and stripping off his boxers. He stepped into the shower and smiled at the amount of products Megan had perched on the shelf that hung from the shower head. "There is no way she uses all of these." He laughed before turning on the water, and beginning to count down the minutes until she got back.
About fifteen minutes later, Dov reluctantly got out of the shower. The winter air always seemed to find him, even when he was indoors. He briskly dried himself off and quickly found clothes that he hoped would keep the heat in. He walked out into the living room, and shook his head and chuckled as he caught sight of his car keys, sitting on the table.
He stopped for a minute and contemplated his options. He had two more days of freedom, and he was going to make sure that he didn't waste them. He'd worked through the night twice last week and taken the paperwork from some of Shaw's old cases to keep himself busy, and Best had rewarded him with a long weekend, in the middle of the week. Smiling to himself, he grabbed his keys, his jacket, and his phone before heading out the door.
About fifteen minutes later, he pulled up in front of Toronto Grace. He fed the parking meter and jogged through the doors, hoping he'd be able to find his way back to Ms. Hayes' floor. When he finally did, she smiled at the sight of him and waved him over to her.
"Morning, Ms. Hayes. I mean, Leah." He winked at her as he pulled up a chair.
"And good morning to you, Dov." She returned graciously. "What brings you here?" She leaned forward and listened intently as he spoke.
"Megan had to get to work, and I wished that we'd had more time to chat yesterday. So here I am." He shrugged and smiled.
"Well that was very sweet of you!" She smiled gratefully and reached for the glass of wine sitting next to her on the table. Her voice was a little huskier, Dov noticed. He accredited it to the wine and that train of thought derailed.
"It's no bother, really. I don't really meet a lot of people at work that I can have a decent conversation with. They're all criminals and hookers." They both laughed.
The laugh lines around her eyes gave her face incredible character, and her charismatic way with words simply drew one in.
"Speaking of meeting people, how did you and Megan meet again?" She raised and eyebrow and laughed.
"Funny story, actually." He got comfortable in his chair and she took another sip of her wine. "I had been drinking a little in excess, and decided to start going to those meetings. So the very first time I'm there, I'm standing outside the doors thinking 'shit, what am I doing here?'. I go to turn around and run back home, and instead, I quite literally ran into your daughter." Megan's mother clapped a hand to her mouth and laughed, her breath getting a little raspy. "She basically made me go to the meeting. I mean really, how can you say no to her?" The nurse looked over and smiled at the good natured chat they were having.
"Oh dear. And the rest is history, right?" He nodded, chuckling. "So, she was going to the meeting too?"
"Yeah. She pulled me out of my hole, and I kept her out of hers. She was three weeks in when we met, I believe." He clarified.
"Oh, my poor girl. She's had a drinking problem since the day she turned eighteen." Her mother shook her head. "Always so worried she'd disappoint me."
"Why is that?" He tilted his head to the side. "If you don't mind me asking."
"Well," Her mother contemplated her words. "I will only tell you this, because I know she never will." Dov nodded, understanding completely. "It was tough, at home in Timmons." The woman seemed to collapse into herself as she answered almost every question he'd ever had about his girlfriend. "Her father wasn't a real man. He always needed to prove how manly he was by fighting people. Guys at bars, random people on the street, me." She said quietly. "Megan was always a very strong girl. She had this friend, his name was Chris, and they were very close. She stayed at his house on the nights when her Dad was angry. He was God sent, that boy. Bravest child I ever knew." She waved her hand indefinitely. "Anyways, her Dad would come home after work drunk a lot, and I'd tell her to leave before he knew she was home. So she'd grab some things and slip out the back door. I assumed she always just went to Chris'; I never could manage to check. She'd come back the next day."
"Wow." Dov breathed, in shock. He didn't know it was this bad.
"One day, she refused to leave. We were in the upstairs bedroom and he was trying to get in. I told her 'you hide under the bed, right now.' But she didn't. She just went in the closet and came back out with a bat. I didn't know how long she'd hidden it in there." It was clear that she was getting a little flustered.
"You don't have to keep going." He whispered, putting his hand over hers.
"You need to know why she is the way she is." Her eyes were burning, he could tell that there was decades of hate buried deep inside this frail old woman. "She made me hide in the closet. She forced me to. So I did. I wish I hadn't. But I did. I heard the door open, and I heard her scream at him as she hit him with the bat. But she was only thirteen. She couldn't hit him hard enough." She exhaled heavily. "She opened the door and told me it was okay to come out, but he came out of nowhere and grabbed her from behind. I saw her teeth go into his hand and she kicked him as hard as she could, and I clawed his eyes. But he dragged her out of the room and locked me in. I was stuck. I hit the door with the bat, but I wasn't strong enough. All I could do was sit there until the screaming stopped and he came and let me out. We left a week later and moved in with Chris and his family for a while. I never found out what he did to her." She whispered.
"Oh my God." Dov shook his head. "Oh my God."
"The day my husband was arrested, he tried to flee. He came to Chris' house first, to try and get me to come with him. Chris put both of us upstairs and fought him. Chris' dad, you see, he was a prison guard. He taught Chris how to fight, how to shoot, everything. But we didn't know that at the time, so you can imagine our surprise as we watched from the upstairs window while fifteen year old Chris broke the man's arm and then pulled out a shotgun and took out the back window of the pickup." She shook her head and smiled a little at the young man she remembered. "I wish we stayed in touch, that young man is a hero."
"Actually, Leah," Dov smiled "he's one of Toronto's finest. We work together. He's one of my best friends." He began to laugh as her eyes went wide with amazement.
"No!" She gasped.
"Yeah." Dov laughed, nodding. He flipped open his phone.
"Diaz." Chris answered as he always did when on duty.
"Hey buddy, can you take a break? I'm with someone right now that would really like to talk to you." He winked at Ms. Hayes, who was beaming at the possibility.
"Who?" Chris asked suspiciously.
"Just come down to Toronto Grace. Third floor."
"Alright, man. I'll be there in five." Chris snapped his phone shut.
"Five minutes." Dov said in an almost sing song voice.
"Oh my goodness! He won't even recognize me, I know it." She folded her hands over her chest.
"Well, we'll find out, right?" He smiled at the woman, who took another sip of her wine.
As promised, five minutes later, Chris emerged from the elevator, looking confused.
"Diaz." Dov called out, professionally. Chris' gaze met his, before settling on Megan's mother.
"Leah?" He laughed in disbelief. "No way!" He jogged over to them and leaned over to hug the woman. "How are you?"
"Better for the moment! Chris, oh you're so grown up." She patted the shoulder of his blues. "You look just like your Dad."
"Yeah, well eleven years can change a person!" He laughed, grabbing a chair and taking a seat.
"I can't believe it's you!" She gasped, folding her hands over her mouth.
"And, Leah, there's something you should know about Chris." Dov interjected. Leah looked at the dark haired man with questioning eyes.
"What? Wait – " Chris caught on. "Guess what? I'm going to be a Dad!" Chris almost yelled.
"What?" Leah did yell. "No! Oh my God. Little Chris is going to be a father?" She gasped for the nth time that day.
"Yeah! My girlfriend is six months along." Chris beamed.
"Girlfriend? Oh honey, put a ring on it!" Leah advised, causing caused both men to burst into laughter.
"I missed you, Leah." Chris smiled. "Why are you in here?" He motioned to the building itself.
"Well, honey. That lung cancer seems to have won the battle. So I'm spending my last few days with a good book, great wine and even better company." She smiled gratefully, raising her glass in a sort of toast before taking a long sip.
"What?" Chris asked quietly, his face fallen.
"I know, I know. It's okay though, it's been a long time coming." She nodded sombrely.
"Oh." Chris stated, almost inaudibly.
"Christopher, don't you get upset on me." She warned, tapping the back of his hand. "You'll be fine. Everyone will be fine." She smiled earnestly.
"I'm gonna give you two a minute." Dov left the room.
"Leah, this can't be happening." Chris shook his head at her. "Isn't there anything they can do?"
"Christopher, look at me." She cradled his hands in hers. "You're going to be fine. I'm ready to go. It's my time, and that's alright."
"No it isn't." He stated simply.
"Chris, you're alright. You saved us so many times, even at such a young age. Because of you, Megan is alright. And because Megan is alright, I'm alright with whatever happens." She began.
"I wanted you to come to my wedding." He pouted. "And hold my little girl."
"You know I'll be watching over you, Chris." She smiled.
"I wish I could have done something, I wish I could have helped somehow." He whispered, to himself more than anyone. Ms. Hayes let out a hearty yet jagged laugh.
"Chris, do you hear yourself? You're a hero. You're the reason that I'm alive today. Don't blame yourself for anything. You deserve an award or something." She took another sip of wine. Chris just sighed. He opened his mouth to speak but the ringing of his phone cut him off. He pulled it out of his pocket and looked at the screen.
"It's work." He said quietly.
"You go, darling. Go save the world." She smiled. Chris stood, but was clearly conflicted. "Go, Chris. You have a job to do." He straightened his back and exhaled.
He turned to leave but stopped himself, and began digging around in his pockets. After a few seconds of searching, he pulled out his wallet and flipped it open. He pulled out a small black paper, folded in half and handed it to her.
"Her name is Abby." He whispered as she unfolded the paper and her eyes widened.
"Oh, Chris. I can't keep this. This is the original!" She tried to hand the ultrasound photo back to him.
"No. I'll get another one." He nodded, sure of what he was doing.
"You're going to make a great father, Chris." She said, gazing down at the form of his baby outlined on the paper in front of her. "Never forget that."
"I love you, Leah." He said quietly.
"I love you too, Chris." She nodded at him, giving him every ounce of strength she had. Not trusting that he'd keep it together any longer, he nodded and sombrely walked back to the elevator, where Dov was just emerging from.
"You leaving already?" He asked his friend as he stepped out of the elevator.
"Later, man." Chris pressed a button on the inside of the elevator and the doors closed, wiping his eyes profusely. Dov nodded to himself and decided not to pursue the subject. Turning back to Leah, he smiled brightly as he took his seat.
"I can't believe he's going to be a father!" She smiled.
"Yeah, he's pretty excited." Dov laughed. "How are you feeling?"
"Honestly, I am a little tired." Leah smiled demurely.
"Say no more. I'll get someone to take you to your room. It was great seeing you again, Leah. I'll probably see you tomorrow." He kissed her on the cheek and flagged down a nurse before hopping back in the elevator and heading home.
Megan made it home two full hours later. Dov was lying on the couch, watching the news.
"There were two shooters! God! Get it right!" He shouted at the anchor woman. "I worked that case, I would know." He shook his head as Megan opened the door, her arms full of Chinese food. "Whoa!" Dov laughed as he helped her into the kitchen, closing the door with his foot.
"Tell me about it." She sighed, leaning against the counter. She reached up and unpinned her hair, and Dov physically had to restrain himself as her brown locks curled around her shoulders.
"Good Lord, you're beautiful." He smiled.
"Funny." She shook her head. "How was your day?"
"Actually, I hung out with your mother." He smiled. "And Chris came down to chat with her too."
"Really?" She wrapped her arms around his neck in response to his hands sliding around her waist.
"Yeah." He touched his nose to hers. "I didn't realize they were so close."
"Oh yeah. We were a family of sorts, the three of us." She smiled at him. He placed a sweet kiss on her lips, and the fire was only fanned when she slid her hands down to his jaw and pulled him into her.
Within seconds, a kind kiss had turned into one of hot, fiery passion. She moaned into his lips as he lifted her legs up around his waist, her dress riding high up around her perfectly shaped hips.
Carefully, he walked backwards into the hallway where he pressed her back up against the wall, his lips still connected to hers. She raked her fingers through his hair, their heavy breathing only intensifying the anticipation. His lips trailed down her jaw and to her neck, nipping at her collarbone before soothing it gently with his tongue. Almost every kiss elicited a breathy mew from the woman clawing at his back, which only encouraged him.
Eventually, they made it down the hallway into his bedroom, where he gently lay her down before going to work on her neck once more. She wrapped her legs around him and rolled them over, so she was straddling his clearly eager body.
His hands found their way up her back to the tag of her zipper, forcing himself to not rip it right off of her. The zipper hit the bottom of its track and she slid out of the top of her dress, revealing her perfectly rounded breasts. Dov let out a slight gasp before rolling them over again. He'd seen her before, but not at this capacity.
"Get this off of me." She struggled with her dress, not able to think clearly enough to get it off alone. He happily pulled it off of her long, toned legs and only then did he pull off his own shirt before settling himself on top of her. Still working on her neck, he ran his thumbs over her breasts, both revelling in the others touch. His hands trailed down her sides before settling near the waistband of her underwear.
She bit her lip and unconsciously clenched her fists as his fingers slowly began to play with the bow at the center of her underwear. He smiled to himself. He'd waited this long, it was going to be great. It was going to be amazing.
"Jesus Christ." She whimpered as his tongue circled her belly button. They'd both fallen into such a euphoric state that they almost didn't hear the phone ringing. But when they did, the reaction was less than thrilled. They both stared at the phone, the only movement in the room their heaving chests.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Megan shrieked. Dov looked up, his tongue still lingering on her stomach. Exhaling sharply, he pushed himself up and reached for the phone on his night stand.
"It's Toronto Grace." He looked at her, his stomach doing flips both in curiosity of what the call held, and at the sight of the woman. She was in the same position, her back arched, arms above her head. Her chest was still heaving, as was his. She held out her hand and motioned for him to pass the phone to her.
"Hello?" She answered, breathlessly. "What?" Her eyes snapped open. "Oh my God. Uh, okay. We'll be there in fifteen minutes." Her voice grew desperate.
"What's going on?" Dov asked as she scrambled off of the bed.
"Mom, can't breath. They're losing her." She forced out as she slid on some shoes before realizing she wasn't wearing any clothes. Dov slid his shirt back over his head and thought about sad things to calm himself down. "Dov, dress." She pointed. He grabbed the dress off the floor and slid it over her head as she hurried down the hallway, zipping the back as they walked out the front door.
"Someone should get that on tape. Dressing on the go." Dov pointed out as he pulled out into traffic. He turned to look at her. She was sitting with her knees up to her chest, chewing on her nails. "It's okay, love."
"I really, really hope so." She whispered.