Thank you to everyone who's reading and reviewing! I think the last chapter was a bit confusing, so I've quickly written this to make it a bit clearer! Keep Reading and Reviewing please!
"Find the connection…you need to find the connection…'' I'm groping about in the darkness, trying to find a door or something to take me away from this. There's a ringing in the distance, "find it, it's the key'' I move towards the ringing, away from the voice. Fluttering my eyes open as they adjust to the light seeping in from my curtains, I reach over and grab my phone as it continues to ring.
"Matthews,'' I groggily answer the phone, rubbing my nose in tiredness.
"You're needed at the Rockefeller plaza.'' Flack's voice filters down the phone, not sounding his usual cheering self.
"Don't I even get a good morning?'' I yawn, throwing the covers off my bed and making my way to the shower.
There's a slight pause at the other end, "Good morning.'' He says like it hurts him to say the words, and the line cuts off. Wonder what's wrong with him?
"Morning sunshine,'' Stella calls to me as I duck under the tape at the crime scene.
"Nothing says good morning like a good old-fashioned mob hit.'' I yawn, still tired from waking up at 5am. The vic is lying face up in the middle of the plaza, frozen eyes staring up at the dark cloudy sky. "You want me on photos, trace, blood?'' I ask as I set my kit down.
"Photos, I'll finish off trace.'' Stella says, as I take out my camera and start snapping the scene. There's a few minutes silence as we work, I could really do with a coffee. "I didn't know you were married?'' Stella asks innocently as she seals some evidence bags up containing small white specks of paint.
"I'm not;'' I give her a questioning look, why is she asking me if I'm married? "Unless I blacked when drunk, if so my husband has never gotten round to telling me.'' I laugh, trying to put her more at ease at her mistake.
"Oh sorry, it's just when I saw you with Deacon Matthews I just assumed…'' I can see Stella looks a little uncomfortable at her assumption.
"Deacon?'' I laugh, "No, he's my brother.'' I explain as I continue to snap my camera.
"It's just you guys don't look alike,'' Oh no, I close my eyes, I'm going to have to explain the whole family situation.
"It's not like I'm ashamed of it or anything, but I'm adopted.'' I explain, lowering my camera to my side, Stella mouths a silent 'oh'. "We all are, me, Deacon, my other brothers James and Charlie. My parents, well adopted parents couldn't have kids, so they got us lot instead.'' I smile, just because we're not related by blood doesn't mean that I love my brothers any less than I would if they were. "Deacon's parents were killed when he was two, my parents adopted him as they were his godparents. They loved it, so when the adoption agency asked them if they wanted James and Charlie they jumped at the chance. Then they got me. Honestly, there's no need to be embarrassed.''
Stella smiles back at me. "You're really lucky, I was in care for years.'' Now it's my turn to mouth the silent 'oh'. "Again, no need to be embarrassed.'' We both let out a nervous chuckle, and continue working and then head back to the lab to process up.
My phone lets out another ring later on when I'm in ballistics. "Matthews,'' I answer in my usual way.
"You're needed at the Harry Sinclair House, East 79th and 5th.'' Flack says in the same flat tone as before, not even letting me answer before the line goes dead.
"I'm needed up at East 79th, what's up with Flack today?'' I ask Stella from across the room as I flip my phone shut. "He's not even letting me speak to him, just saying where I'm needed and hanging up.''
"Oh, you might wanna explain the whole Deacon thing to him.'' Stella says, looking a bit awkward as she test fires a gun into the water cage.
"What's it too Flack?'' I ask slightly puzzled, what's it got to do with Flack who my brother is?
"I think, like me, he got the wrong end of the stick.'' Stella says, fishing for the bullet from the bottom of the cage. I don't bother to question her as I leave and head for the locker room to collect my kit, I really can't be bothered with drama today.
"Thank god you're here!'' I say as Holly walks through the door, kit in hand. Flack's been walking round like a bear with a sore head, snapping at everyone. I've made a decision. "You need to tell Flack that I'm here.'' She looks directly at me, shakes her head and walks over to Flack who's standing over the body.
"What we got?'' She asks.
"Stabbed in the back, vic's Eli Colefield.'' Flack's snaps, he is in such a foul mood today. I've been following him since the hospital last night, since I had nowhere else to go, he's really broken up, he needs to know I'm still here, that I'm still fighting.
"What's your problem?'' Holly asks, a slight resentment in her voice.
"Just tell him that 'I won't flirt with the nurses'.'' I tell her, as Flack rounds on her face full of thunder.
"Nothing,'' Flack spits. "Just do your job, and I'll do mine.'' He then proceeds to storm out of the room.
"What's his problem?'' She whispers to me, as to not be overheard by the uniforms at the door.
"Look, he needs to know. He deserves to know.'' I change the subject, Flack's just in a bad mood because of the whole Deacon thing. "Tell him that 'I won't flirt with the nurses'.''
"Yeah, because he's not going to find that odd at all,'' she snaps at me. Damn is something in the air today; is everyone in a bad mood? "I'm not going to flirt with the nurses, get real Danny.''
"Fine, tell him that I'm still here, whatever I don't care.'' I keep talking, I can see I'm annoying her but I don't care.
"Just shut up.'' I whisper back to Danny, why does he have to be so annoying? Why is Flack taking his bad mood out on me?
"Tell him, 'I'd live forever on beer, chips and hockey'.''
"Tell him your god damn self.''
"Tell him that just because he never told his father, he knew he loved him.''
"Danny just shut up about parents yeah?'' I'm still trying to process the scene an hour later, and Danny is still going on at me, but at least the uniforms have moved from the door and I can speak louder than I whisper to him.
"Just tell him.''
"Shut up!'' I shout at him, at the most inappropriate moment. Flack has just walked through the door as I shout 'shut up' to, from his point of view, an empty room. He looks quite taken back as I'm stood there, not too sure what to do myself. "Flack, I…'' I tail off as he takes off back down the hall of house, I quickly follow, practically running in the ME who I direct to the room to collect the body. I find Flack out alone by his car. "Flack, let me explain.''
"You know what Holly, just leave me alone.'' He snaps in my face.
"Tell him now, say 'every so often some comes along who steals your heart, and all you can hope for is that you or nobody else screws it up, because life after losing that person is like the world without the sun, pointless and worthless'.''
Damn it Danny if he smacks me one or has me locked up I'm taking it out on you. "Every so often some comes along who steals your heart, and all you can hope for is that you or nobody else screws it up, because life after losing that person is like the world without the sun, pointless and worthless'' The words fall out of my mouth, I see the look of absolute horror on his face.
"I don't know how the hell you know that,'' he angrily whispers, "but if you think you're being funny screwing with me, you picked the wrong day.''
Oh he is not taking this well. "The tattoo, he has a tattoo, only got it a few days before I was hit.''
"You have a tattoo,'' I whisper, Flack's temper is actually beginning to scare me, he's right up in my face. "You got it a few days before Danny's accident.''
"A small tribal symbol between his shoulder blades, means peace and protection.''
"A small tribal symbol, between your shoulder blades meaning peace and protection.'' Flack's looking confused and angry, if looks could kill I think I'd be six feet under.
"You need to shut up and back off.'' He spits at me, he's practically got me pinned against the wall now where I've back up to get him out of my face.
"There's no need to blame himself, I'm glad it's me not him, and tell him thank you for looking after my Montana for me.''
"He says don't blame yourself, that he's glad it's him not too, and thank you for looking after his Montana for him.'' I have no idea who Montana is, but Flack's face is hard to read, apart from the anger and confusion, I can't tell if he believes me.
"Just stay away from me,'' he says, turning back to his car, practically ripping the door off in anger and speeding away from me. I can feel tears welling up in my eyes; I think I've just made the biggest mistake of my life.