A/N: I'm so sorry this has taken me so long to write guys. I really wanted to do a good job with this story, and I became a bit disenchanted with it for a while because of all the writing I had to do for Uni and because I had no Mentalist to inspire me for a while. Looking back on previous chapters I also realise that I could have written them much better, and that there are a couple of minor continuity errors that need sorting, but if I am going to rewrite them I'll do so later.
I want to apologise in advance if I treat some of the subjects in this fic poorly. I am in no way trying to offend anyone, and I take these issues very seriously.
Again, massive apologies for this taking such a long time. Life has been... eventful the last few months. I went through a pretty rough patch with friends having breakdowns, me nearly having breakdowns and stress from coursework, but things are looking up, and I finally found the courage to write this thing again. Thank you all for your patience. I hope this will have been worth the wait.
Review responses (carried over from the Author's Note):
Guest: Yes, Patrick will be in this story. He won't be coming into it for a while yet, but he will definitely make an appearance eventually. The whole team will, as will many of the other members of the CBI and other canon characters.
Anon: Don't worry about it - these things happen. I'm glad you enjoyed the story so far and I hope that you'll continue to enjoy it.
Chapter 6: Luther
Teresa jolted awake to find herself sat at the canteen table. Kimball was sleeping soundly beside her, his head resting on a pillow that she had propped on the bench during the night. Her heart pulsed in her throat and ears as the tail-end of whatever nightmare she had been having left her. She glanced at the clock. Virgil would be awake soon. A groan escaped her lips at the thought of having to speak to him. He would probe and poke until she told him what was going on. Not to mention the fainting spell.
The fainting spell. Damn it. He was going to call Luther in. Granted it would mostly be to patch up Kimball, and make absolutely certain that he wasn't too badly injured, but she could tell the attention would somehow drift to her. Once Luther started asking questions everything would start to unravel. She sighed. Why couldn't anything ever be plain sailing?
Movement on the other side of the canteen doors caught her attention, and shortly after they swung open to reveal Virgil, already fully dressed and ready to start the morning meal. Teresa glanced down and felt suddenly self-conscious as she realised she still had her dishevelled clothes on from the night before. She stood, careful not to disturb the boy sleeping on the bench next to her, and brushed herself down as though it might sharpen her appearance. Across the room Virgil threw her a discerning glance before disappearing into the kitchen.
Teresa took a deep breath and followed her mentor. She gave him a fake smile as she grabbed an apron from the hook on the door and slipped it on,
"I called Luther," Virgil said, grabbing the egg box from the fridge and placing it on a work surface, "he's coming to give Kimball a check-up after breakfast." The older man opened a cupboard and pulled out a frying pan,
"Oh?" Teresa took a packet of bacon from the fridge,
"I want him to give you a quick once over too," she winced as she placed the pack on the side,
"Virgil, I'm fine, it was just a fainting spell. I – "
"Don't give me that bull, Teresa. I know what a panic attack looks like," he said dangerously. Teresa opened her mouth to speak, but before she could say anything Virgil cut her off, "and don't even pretend you're over it. I can see you barely slept a wink last night." She sighed, she really didn't have the energy to argue,
"Okay," she said, "I'll let him check me over." Virgil released the breath he had been holding,
"Thank you."
Kimball was on edge from the moment Luther Wainwright arrived at the shelter. Teresa watched the boy's body tense as he entered the canteen. Despite her own apprehension she gave Luther a smile as he walked over to them and returned his hug,
"Teresa, you're looking well," The doctor said, releasing her. She raised an eyebrow,
"We both know that's a load of crap, Luther," Luther shrugged,
"It was worth a try,"
"You, on the other hand, are actually looking good. How do you manage that with all the double shifts you pull?" Teresa said with a smirk, Luther shook his head,
"Are you going to introduce me, or not?" He said, noticing Kimball fidgeting nervously,
"Kimball, I'd like you to meet Luther. He's a doctor at the free clinic down town," the boy tensed at the word doctor and shuffled back a few steps,
"Ah," Luther said, realising instantly what he was dealing with,
"It's okay, Kimball. Luther's a good friend of mine, we met here when he was a little younger than you," Teresa sighed, noting that Kimball's body was still tensed up, "he's just going to check you over, make sure you're not badly injured from yesterday, okay? He's going to do a check-up for me too," the boy seemed to relax a little at this, "and I'll stay with you the whole time if it helps." Kimball nodded reluctantly,
"Hey, Kimball," Luther smiled as he approached, "it's okay. I didn't like doctors when I was your age either," he sucked in a breath as he began to notice the purplish marks on the boy's arms and face, "Wow, you've got some impressive bruises forming there."
After he had finished checking Kimball over, Luther took Teresa to one side,
"His jaw is pretty badly bruised, and one of his shoulders had some swelling, so I've given him a sling as a precaution, but nothing seems to be broken," Teresa let out a sigh of relief,
"That's good. Thanks, Luther," the doctor smiled,
"You know I'm always happy to help," he said, "now, what's this I hear about you fainting?"
"It was nothing, just a panic attack," Luther raised an eyebrow, "it's the first I've had in years, Luther. I'm fine." A look of concern passed over his face,
"Teresa, you know as well as I do that just one panic attack can set you off again," Teresa rubbed her arm, "Virgil seemed pretty worried when he called."
"Kimball just reminded me of Tommy, that's all," she said, shifting in place, "things just kind of came flooding back."
"Virgil mentioned your… um… outburst." Luther said, watching as Teresa's shoulders slumped,
"Oh…"
"How long have you been feeling like that?"
"Josh got ill again, just before Sam…" Teresa trailed off, clenching her jaw and fidgeting with her hands,
"I'm sorry, Teresa."
"It's okay… can we just get this check-up done?"
"You know I'm here if you ever need to talk, right?"
"I know." Luther sighed,
"Okay."
A/N: I know I said I was going to be moving on from Kimball last chapter, and I will be soon. This chapter took a hell of a lot of redrafting, this is probably version seven or eight. I'll explain who Josh is later in the fic, for now I'll leave you to guess.
Thanks again for waiting guys - I hope it's been worth it!
Kindle x