Act Of Remembrance
A/N : I am not a Spanish speaker so I apologize if any of the Spanish dialogue in this chapter is incorrect. I did my best to get them right.
Chapter 15
Having Steve collapse on him was the last thing Mike wanted so he quickly sat Steve down on the last few steps.
"Alright, sit down here and try to stay with me buddy boy. I'm going to try to get someone to let me use their telephone to see where that back up is and to get an ambulance. Ok? Look at me now? Can you stay with me?"
Steve nodded unconvincingly which only worried Mike more. Heading for the first door nearest to where Steve was Mike knocked loudly. After a few moments an elderly hispanic woman opened the door on a chain. Mike produced his badge and spoke.
"Good evening Ma'am. Police. I'm sorry to disturb you this late but my partner's been shot and I really need to use your telephone to get some help. Can you help me please?"
The old lady looked frightened and looked blankly at him and in that moment Mike wasn't sure if she fully understood him at all. Trying to remember the few words of Spanish that he knew he continued.
"Hablas Inglés por favor?"
The old lady shook her head.
"No ...very ... little."
"Ok ... Policía! " Mike said pointing to his badge. "My partner is bleeding ... sangrando!" Again Mike pointed over to where Steve was." I need to use your telephone ... el teléfono por favor?"
Looking over at where Mike said his partner was she saw the pale young man sitting on the stairs and then saw the bloodied shirt he was holding on his side. Gasping with shock the elderly lady covered her mouth with her hand and exclaimed.
"Dios Mio!"
Then looking back at Mike she saw the worry and concern that was etched on his face. Taking the chain off and opening the door she took Mike's hand.
"Si ... teléfono." and the lady pointed into her living room.
Mike squeezed the old lady's hand, thankful to her for trusting and helping him.
"Gracias!"
Just as Mike went to hurry in and use the phone, Steve called out to him weakly.
"Mike?"
Mike doubled back and bent down to Steve. Not liking the glazed look in his eyes he spoke firmly but tenderly.
"Steve! This kind lady's letting me use her phone. I'm just going to call for help and I'll be right back. Ok? Hold on! Everything's going to be alright. Ok?"
As Steve nodded, Mike checked his side and could see that the wound was still bleeding.
"Steve! You need to press this tightly on the wound no matter how it hurts. Ok?"
Mike felt a light touch on his shoulder and turned to see the kindly lady handing him a towel. Touched by her kindness Mike smiled at her and accepting the towel gratefully he again thanked her. Mike put the towel in Steve's hand and pressed it against the wound. Then standing up he spoke to the lady again.
"Could you stay with him for me while I go call for help please? Em ..."
Mike didn't know how to say any of that in Spanish and was getting frustrated but the lady touched his arm and answered him in broken english.
"Si ... You go ... I stay."
Mike smiled his thanks at the woman and raced in the open door to use the telephone.
The old lady stood beside Steve and watched him closely. Steve felt very uneasy and uncomfortable . His side was really painful and Mike had left him for the time being. The old lady stood beside him with her hand on his shoulder. Steve's spanish was on the same par as Mike's so he didn't feel in his current weakened condition able to attempt a conversation so instead he just smiled his gratitude to the older woman and prayed Mike wouldn't be too long.
As he sat on the steps, he looked around. The building was very old and run down and poorly maintained. The plaster was peeling off the walls and there was a damp and musty smell that was making him feel nauseous. The landing was very poorly lit and Steve felt great empathy with the people who had no other choice but to live in such wretched conditions. He noticed that there were five doors on the landing and reckoned the inside of the flats probably weren't much better maintained. He noticed graffiti on the walls and then his eye caught something on the floor just a little ways in front of him. There was something spilled and leaning slightly over it appeared to be blood! It was too far away from him to be his and as he squinted his eyes more he could see a trail of it leading up the landing! It was still wet so it was fresh and as he followed the trail with his eyes it led to a doorway and on the frame was a distinctive bloody hand print! Steve's heart skipped a beat as he realized that it had to belong to Fernandez! Dear God! Their suspect was just yards away from them. He had to alert Mike! He was in big trouble. Panicking slightly while at the same time keeping his eyes fixed on the door the danger possibly lurked behind Steve let out a panicked yell.
"MIKE?"
The old lady kept a firm hold on his shoulder and alarmed by his shout tried her best to calm him.
"Back soon ...Mike back soon."
"No ... you don't understand. You need to go back inside. Please get Mike for me and stay inside."
The old lady looked at him puzzled and placed her hand on his forehead obviously assuming that his current rant was as a result of a fever due to his wound. Frustrated and greatly worried about his predicament he tried again to explain.
"Mike ...por favor."
"Si ... Mike back soon!"
Seeing that she was not understanding him he gave up trying to calmly explain as at any second Fernandez could reappear.
"You're in danger! You need to get back inside. Please! Listen to me! It's not safe out here!"
But before he could say another word he heard a creak and turning his attention back to the door he saw it start to open slowly! Then Fernandez burst through it with his weapon drawn and pointing it directly at Steve he shouted.
"Die Pig!"
Steve had only seconds to react and with his reflexes slowed due to blood loss he had to use every ounce of energy he had left and dragging himself up and dropping the bloodied towel in the process he shielded the old lady pushing her with him around the side of the staircase just as Fernandez' bullet discharged and hit the step where he had sat just seconds before. As the old lady screamed Steve turned to see Fernandez pull a knife and charge towards him with pure hatred and madness in his eyes. Steve drew his gun and what happened next almost seemed like slow motion. Steve shouted for Fernandez to freeze but as he kept coming Steve fired with deadly accuracy and Fernandez fell to the ground not far from where Steve and the old lady were pushed into the corner. Steve had kept the lady safely behind him and heard her sobbing hysterically. Fearing that he had hurt her when he had pushed her clear of danger Steve tried to turn to check if she was alright but the stress and strain of the past few minutes had taken their toll and his knees buckled and he fell down to the floor on his knees in a crumpled heap just as Mike appeared in the doorway beside him with his weapon drawn.
"STEVE!"
Mike had heard Steve calling him just as he was giving his location to the ambulance service and felt anxious to return to his injured partner. However next he heard Steve's raised panicked voice followed by a gunshot! Unsure as to what had happened he quickly hung up the phone and drew his weapon racing through the flat all the while praying that Steve was ok. Next he heard the lady's screams, Steve shouting "Freeze!" and a second gunshot and he arrived at the doorway ready to assist in time to see Steve fall to the floor. A quick glance to his left saw Fernandez' prone body on the floor and although his first instinct was to check on Steve he knew through experience that he must check the suspect first to make sure that the situation was made safe.
Mike knelt down and checked Fernandez for a pulse and found none. Then Mike noted that he had a gun and a knife in his hands and feared for Steve even more. Then racing over to where Steve was kneeling on the ground bent over, he gently grabbed his shoulders and asked worriedly.
"Steve! Are you ok? What happened?"
"He was in that flat over there!" Steve said shakily pointing to the doorway across and down the hall. "I saw a blood trail. He came out and shot at us. I managed to get us out of the way but he came at me with a knife. I didn't have a choice Mike!" Steve explained starting to get upset.
"I know you didn't. Don't worry about that now."Mike consoled.
" Did you get hurt again?" he then asked all the while checking him for signs of further injury.
" No ...but Mike. Check the lady. I think I might have hurt her when I pushed her out of danger." he said cross with himself for causing harm to someone who had been so helpful and trusting.
Just then another shooting pain tore up his injured side and feeling the blood drain from his face, his vision blurred again and darkness overtook him as he finally gave in and pitched forward into the waiting arms of his partner and best friend.
The old lady screamed again as Steve passed out and alarmed at Steve's collapse Mike checked his pulse and breathed a sigh of relief to feel it still beating steadily albeit weakly.
"Dios Mio! Is he ...?" the old lady asked still sobbing.
Still holding Steve where he fell Mike looked up reassuringly at the kind old lady and took her hand.
"No. He just passed out. He's lost a lot of blood. Are you ok? Are you hurt?"
The lady shook her head, still staring at Steve with a worried face.
Laying his partner back on the floor he then retrieved the towel and pressed it heavily against the wound. What happened next stunned Mike. The old lady very carefully and with some difficulty knelt down on the floor and removing her cardigan she rolled it up and lifting Steve's head very gently she placed her cardigan under his head. She made the sign of the cross on Steve's head and then reaching into the pocket of her skirt she produced a rosary beads and started saying prayers in spanish all the while watching Steve. Mike was very touched by the scene and swallowed back the lump that appeared in his throat at the kindness and sincerity of this sweet lady. Next Mike heard footsteps on the staircase and prayed it was medical assistance but a young spanish girl appeared instead.
She wasn't more than late teens, early twenties, Mike reckoned and when she saw the scene on the landing she gasped in shock and ran past Mike to the old lady on the floor.
"Abuela! Qué pasó?"
A spanish conversation took place between the two and the young lady hugged the older one tightly. Mike didn't understand what was said but reckoned that the older lady was recounting what had happened to the younger one. All the while he kept a watchful eye on the rise and fall of Steve's chest and on the staircase getting frustrated at the length of time their back up was taking to arrive.
The young lady was the next one to speak.
"This is my grandmother. She told me what happened. She would like to know your partner's name. The young man who saved her life? She is praying for him."
Mike smiled at them both.
"His name is Steve. Steve Keller."
The young lady relayed the name to her grandmother but before they could say any more Steve let out a loud groan under the pressure Mike was exerting on the wound to stop the bleeding. He didn't fully regain consciousness though.
"Take it easy buddy boy. Help's on the way!"
Just as the words left Mike's mouth a commotion could be heard from the lower floors and to Mike's relief within seconds Lee Lessing appeared at the top of the staircase leading a team of detectives and paramedics. Seeing the bloody scene in front of him Lee's heart skipped a beat as he raced over to where Mike was administering to Steve.
"Mike! Sorry we got delayed. There was a car accident along the way. We couldn't get through! How's Steve?"
"He's got a wound on his side. It's been bleeding pretty bad. Get the coroner up here for that guy over there" Mike said pointing at the lifeless body of Fernandez." And get a forensics team up here and seal this area off will you please and I'll need a spanish speaking detective to take this woman's statement too."
"Sure I'm on it Mike." Lee replied and then the paramedics surrounded Steve and assisted Mike in taking care of him.
An IV was set up in Steve's left arm and an oxygen mask was placed over his face. Mike had done a good job of stopping the bleeding and within minutes Steve was on the gurney being taken down the stairs to the waiting ambulance. Before Mike followed he assisted the young woman in helping her grandmother up off the floor and spoke to her.
"Perhaps your grandmother should come with us to the hospital. She's had a nasty shock. We can take her statement from there. You can travel with her if you like?"
The young woman nodded in agreement and again relayed in spanish to her grandmother what Mike had suggested. The old lady accepted without fuss and as the young woman picked up the cardigan from the floor and draped it around her grandmother's shoulders, she closed the door to their flat and all three then followed Steve downstairs.
The drive to the hospital was an anxious one for Mike. As only one person could travel in the ambulance Mike had allowed the old lady's granddaughter to travel with her and had driven behind the ambulance instead. He hoped that Steve hadn't been asking for him and prayed that he would be ok. At the hospital, Steve was quickly taken into the ER while Mike was left to his customary wait in the waiting room. A glance at the clock revealed that it was just after ten o'clock as Mike sat heavily onto a chair. He was soon joined by the lady's granddaughter who chose to sit beside the older detective who had showed such care and respect for her elderly grandmother and together they waited in silence for news of the people they cared about.