A/N: I'm sorry my chapters are so short! My only hope is that they are at least enjoyable…
Disclaimer: Do! Not! Own!
Chapter 4
"So, let's get to our business".
Nicholas was looking at the trio in front of him, unwillingly catching a flashback to the day he was promoted to Sergeant and transferred to Sandford. In the past few days he had made a remarkable progress on his way to recovery. The doctors said he was very lucky. But it wasn't really his main concern. The entire situation was just too confusing. He wasn't allowed to contact anyone outside the hospital. He couldn't talk to Danny and make sure if he really was alright. But now he hoped to find out what was going on. He didn't take his glance away from the Chief Inspector, who seemed to be getting uncomfortable under the steely gaze.
"The gang you crossed your path with is quite well-known in certain circles," the older man went on. "They always seem to be showing off in front of our eyes…"
Angel sighed.
"Why aren't they in prison yet? Is it so difficult to take them out?" he asked.
"Nicholas, we know you took out an entire village, but this situation is different. We need to take them out more… discreetly".
"Discreetly?" Angel deadpanned.
"You see," the Met Inspector intruded, "we suspect they are connected to some more… serious organizations".
"Wait," Nicholas shut his eyes with an effort. There was a question he wanted to clear. He looked at the Met Sergeant. "I just want to know, why," he was getting progressively angry as he spoke, "why did you tell me about the bomb so late?"
The sergeant flinched, but it was the Chief Inspector who answered.
"And this is our main problem. We think that someone in the Met can be working for them".
Angel sighed once again. Fucking brilliant. He practically heard a coin fall into the swear jar in his new station. He really missed Sandford now.
"Well, I'm sorry to hear that, Sir… But I'd like to contact my officers in Sandford and go home," that's right, Nicholas, show them you don't care.
"You are dead to them," the oldest of the group replied.
"Sir?..." great, that's what he got from wanting to clear things up. More confusion.
"We faked your death and transferred you here almost immediately after the explosion".
Nicholas' jaw dropped. There was a pause as they let those words sink in. Nicholas didn't even want to think what Danny's reaction must have been. He felt a lump in his throat when he imagined Danny's childishly innocent eyes widen at learning the "news". He shook his head slightly and tried to look at it from a different point of view. If they did all that, it must be serious.
"Nicholas, you are the best officer I have ever known. We can't deal with this case on our own. We need your help".
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Danny had lost the count of days. They were all just the same. He tried to watch some action movies in his hospital room, but ended up either not paying any attention to them, or sobbing childishly as he remembered watching them with Nicholas.
There was one thing that was bothering him, however. It was a talk he had unintentionally overheard on the day of his release.
Two nurses were talking to each other.
"Finally that guy is leaving," one of them said. "And the entire police force…" ('service', said Nicholas in Danny's head) "… will stop mucking about in here".
"Yeah, I'm fed up with them, too…" the other replied. "Crowding the place, transferring whoever they like to wherever they want…" She fell silent, as if she wasn't supposed to be talking about what she had just said.
Danny felt there was something about those words but gave up on figuring it out after a while. Time went on, and nothing was going on… "There is always something going on," Nicholas' voice in Danny's head pointed out one day, and the Sergeant flinched, startled.