Of Many Things
Chapter Seven
'But if i had been there, or stopped you from being there, then you wouldn't be... you wouldn't be here.' Dying. That is what she wouldn't be. Teresa Lisbon was dying, right in front of his eyes. Even though he had known it from the minute he saw , it seemed definite now. It wasn't a presumption; a clever guess. It was the truth. The whole, damn heartbreaking truth. All he
wanted was to swap places with her. To be the one lying amongst the sterile sheets. Lisbon had far more living left to do than he did. His life was over the moment he saw that smiley face, hauntingly spread across the wall of his once adored home. Lisbon wasn't like him. She had so much that she was still supposed to be.
'No, Patrick, you listen to me. This, this is not what i imagined my death to be, but that it what it is. It isn't my fault, it isn't the doctor's fault, and it most certainly is not your fault. Now you will stop thinking like that, and will give me the goodbye that i deserve. I don't want my last memory of you, to be this. I want to die knowing that you, that all of you, are strong enough to carry on. To keep living. Because, now, you have to do it for me too. You have to be great, and those are not the words of a great man.' Shock vibrated out across the room. A stunned silence. No one knew where Lisbon's strength of character came from, but they would all be eternally grateful for it. Even in her last hours she had the ability to be exactly who they needed her to be. She gave them the strength to go on, and in turn, they would make sure that Lisbon had all that she needed from them. When the reality of her fate truly set in, and her strength shattered. When all she had left was fear, her team would come through; they would be her hope, and her laughter, and her love.
Cho received a text asking him to call immediately on news of Lisbon's shooter. Not wanting to do so in front of her, he excused himself from the group and stepped out into the familiar corridor.
'Agent Cho.'
'Are you certain?'
'We will be right in.'
Hanging up the phone, he re-entered Lisbon's hospital room. He gaunt complexion taking him by surprise; had he not noticed before, or had he simply not wanted to? Maybe knowing what was ahead of them had adjusted his perspective. Whatever it was, seeing Lisbon like this, it caused pain like no other. It radiated throughout his entire being. Boiling over. Turning into anger. Determination. He would make sure the people responsible would pay. Revenge had never seemed a useful emotion to Kimball Cho, but perhaps that was because he had never lost anyone of such importance to him. He loved Lisbon. It didn't matter that they had different blood flowing through their veins, he loved her with the same heart that he did his family.
'Boss, we've got a lead.' Most people would have thought it odd, still talking to Lisbon like they were sat in the bull pen, but it was what they all needed. To keep a little normality. To stop the weight of the day from destroying them completely. And Lisbon, she needed to feel involved. Of Course, her life as a senior agent was in the past now, but it didn't make her any less of a cop. It was something she was born to do. Something she would, inevitably, do until her last breath.
'Go. You're in charge now. Rigsby, VanPelt, you are to answer to Senior Agent Kimball Cho from now on.' They looked at her, outwardly begging to stay with her. 'I have Jane to keep me company, and i'm not.. i'm not going anywhere yet. You will get your chance.' They all knew what she meant. Their chance to say goodbye. Something that was too horrendous to even think of doing. How can you say goodbye to someone, who you don't ever want to let go of? But that was to come later. Right now they had a job to do, and with Lisbon's blessing, they set out to bring down the bastards that had done this. One way or another, Lisbon's team would make sure they got their man.
Jane turned to Lisbon, his special 'Teresa Smile' spread wide across his face. The unfixable man had bandaged himself up. He was going to be all that Lisbon needed him to be, for as long as they had. And at this precise moment, her felt that some lighthearted relief was definitely called for.
'Teresa my dear, i thought they would never leave. Now, where can a man get a good old cup of tea from around here?' Patrick Jane was back, and Lisbon's heart felt a little lighter than it had done before. The end could wait, for now, she was going to have one last evening of fun with the four people she loved most in the entire world.
Thankyou again for reading. I do hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Katie