Chapter 10

Elise left John sleeping after the exertion of his shower while Zoe said she'd stay and look after him. Elise knew she should feel guilty about taking advantage of a wounded man, but the thought of John as a poor defenseless guy had her laughing, especially after his performance in the shower. She also made a note to talk to Zoe about what was happening between John and herself. Zoe seemed ok with it, but Elise valued her friendship too much to take things for granted.

By the time Elise got to the marina, Carter and Fusco were already down there and had the boat checked out and ready to go. Elise had made arrangements to rent the fastest boat available.

"Hey there sunshine!" Fusco greeted her.

Elise just rolled her eyes at him rather than getting defensive about it as she might once have. "Hi, Detective."

"So, you think Glasses is being held out on a boat huh?" Fusco asked. It took Elise a second to put together 'Glasses' with Harold. She explained to both detectives why she thought that Harold was on a boat as they moved away from the boat slip.
"So where'd you learn to shoot like that?" Fusco asked after they had been out on the water for an hour. Carter swung her eyes over to them and listened for Elise's answer.
"I used to be in HRT. Things went down wrong one day and my partner was killed. I decided that I needed a new line of work." Elise felt uncomfortable telling them about her past before she had a chance to tell John about it. Then again, these two were cops. They probably knew what it was like to lose a partner and she doubted they'd mention anything to John about it.
Two hours later, they still hadn't seen any sign of Harold. There were very few boats out this way. Not too many people wanted to pleasure boat around the area where the former trash dump was located. They'd stopped a few boats but none of them contained either Root or Harold. 'I know I'm right about this! I just know it.' As dusk fell, neither Carter nor Fusco said anything to her but she could see them exchanging looks. 'Just a few more minutes.' Elise told herself.
Just ahead, the bow and stern lights of a large boat came into view. Elise said a silent prayer that Harold would turn out to be on this boat. She wasn't sure if she could convince Carter and Fusco to come out with her for another day of fruitless searching. It was now or never.
As they slowly approached the boat, Elise kept a sharp eye out for any movement. She noted that there were lights on in the cabin and a small boat was tied up to the stern. They pulled alongside the boat just as they had all the others they'd encountered today and Carter yelled out, "NYPD! Permission to come aboard." There was no reaction from anyone on the boat. "NYPD! We need to speak to the captain!" Carter yelled again.
From the forward cabin, a young dark-haired woman appeared. "What seems to be the trouble officer?" She asked. Elise stiffened as she thought she recognized the only she could see her in the light, Elise could be sure. In the next instant, she got her wish. The woman stepped into a pool of light from one of the lights on the side of the boat.
'Fuck! It's her! It's Root!' Elise pointed her already drawn weapon at the woman. "Where the hell is Harold, bitch!" At that point Elise was ready to shoot now and ask questions later, but she remembered her training on hostage taking and reined in her emotions. Carter and Fusco, upon hearing Elise's exclamation, also drew their weapons.
"I'm sure I don't know what you mean officer. Who's Harold?" Root asked innocently. Elise saw her eyes shift to the stern of the boat for just a brief second.
"You sure, Sunshine?" Fusco asked, never taking his eyes off Root.
"YES!" Elise hissed. All of a sudden, Root drew a weapon and fired it at them, diving for the floor. All three of them returned fire, diving for cover but when there was no response, they ceased fire and Elise pushed the boat up against the larger one and Fusco proceeded to tie them up to a cleat while Carter covered them all. As soon as she cut the engine, Elise leaped aboard the other boat and waited for Carter to come over as well. "Fusco, can you watch out for her while we search the boat?"
"Yeah, just be quick, I don't like the way this is goin' down."
Elise and Carter started with the forward cabin that Root had come out of. Inside they found a bed that had obviously been slept in and they cleared the small bathroom that was attached as well. Next they proceeded to what looked like a galley. Pots and pans were everywhere and there were several dirty dishes in the stacked in the small sink. There was still no sign of Harold or Root.
In the next cabin, they found him. Elise ran to the bed where Harold was tied up and unconscious. She almost didn't recognize him, Harold's face was so swollen and bruised. Elise quickly but gently ran her hands down his body assessing the damage. When she reached his right side and lightly pressed on his ribs, Harold groaned and his eyes fluttered open.
"E…Elise?" Harold groaned again. "What are you….? Where's that woman?" Just then they both heard shots being fired.

"Hang on Harold!" Elise grabbed her gun where she'd dropped it on the bed and she and Carter rushed out of the cabin and towards the stern where they'd left Fusco. When they got to him, he was down on the deck, clutching his shoulder and there was blood between his fingers.

"Fusco!" Carter exclaimed, leaning down and helping him up, taking off her jacket to wrap around Fusco's wounded shoulder.

"Sorry guys, she snuck past me and started up that extra boat. I shot at her, don't know if I connected but I went down when she shot back. Did you find Glasses? Is he alright?" Fusco asked.

"He's alive," Elise answered. "I need to go finish checking out how bad he is. Have you got Fusco?" This last was said to Carter who nodded at her.

Elise ran back to where Harold was and drew her knife, cutting him free. She then finished checking him over for injuries. When she discovered the three swollen fingers on his right hand, she began to cry.

"It's ok…Elise…." Harold gasped around the pain in his side. "They're only….. dislocated. She was bound….. and determined to get me… to tell her…. But I didn't…I didn't…." At that point Harold mercifully passed out again. They were going to have to move him, something that was bound to cause him a lot of pain. Elise dashed the tears from her eyes. At least his injuries seemed to be non life-threatening.

Elise dialed Reese and Zoe next. "We've found him but he's…he's bad…she dislocated his fingers. He's not going to be able to use a computer for awhile…." A sob escaped her at the thought of that cruelty.
"Elise. Elise sweetheart, focus. What else is wrong with him?" Reese's voice on the line calmed her a bit and she explained Harold's other injuries.

"Oh, and Fusco's been shot in the shoulder. I don't know if the bullet's still there." Elise's voice broke again as she looked down at Harold lying so still on the bed.

"Bring Harold home Elise, bring him to the library. We have everything we need here, you know that." Reese's voice continued to quiet Elise's rising panic. "He's alive, you saved him...he will be ok". Holding onto the phone for dear life, Elise pressed it to her ear trying to get closer to Reese. She needed to hear his voice, to feel he was close. She'd been so strong, for so long...she had reached a saturation point. "Let me go so Zoe and I can get things ready for you when you get here. Be strong a little bit longer Elise...Harold needs you."

Elise snapped the phone shut and looked at Harold. Her heart ached for the damage that crazed woman had done to this gentle man. He was not a fighter. He shouldn't be exposed to such ugliness. Taking his swollen, beat up hands into her own, she took a moment to examine them. It was much easier with him unconscious. None of them seemed actually broken, they were just dislocated like Harold said. Taking a deep breath and holding it, she clenched her teeth and took his right hand in hers. With a quick, smooth motion she snapped the first finger back into alignment. Harold barely registered the pain. Surprised at her good luck, she quickly snapped the other two fingers back into place. Gently placing it down on his chest she took his left hand and proceeded to snap all four dislocated fingers back into place. Now his hands looked normal except for the swelling and that would go down with ice packs.

Carter ducked her head back into the cabin, taking in Elise sitting by Harold's side, holding one of his hands and staring at him intently.

"Hey, Elise...you ready to get him out of here? Can he walk under his own power?"

Never taking her eyes off of Harold, Elise answered, "He's unconscious right now but I think I can bring him around enough to at least get him off the boat."

"Good, make our job a whole lot easier. Fusco! Give us a hand here." shouted Carter.

Fusco replaced Carter in the doorway, holding his left arm. "I'm here, don't know what I can do with only one arm. " Groused Fusco. That caused Elise to look up and see the blood seeping through Fusco's fingers. She immediately went to him to check the wound.

"It's not too bad, looks like a bad graze. I can patch that up pretty easy at the library." Said Elise as she pulled his shirt away from the wound. Seeing that the bullet had passed between his arm and the Kevlar vest, she looked around for something to bandage it up temporarily. Finding linens in a cabinet she ripped one into strips, tying one onto Fusco's arm and using another one to tie around Harold's hands to keep them immobilized for the ride back to the library.

Elise rode on the back bench with Finch propped up next to her. She was holding his arm to steady him and in all honesty, to steady herself. The depth of her feelings for this man had been a surprise to her. After cutting herself off from any involvement with anyone for so long, she felt swamped with the strength of her feelings for Harold...and John. It was almost too much at one time. She was almost overwhelmed by it all. She had barely been able to accept how she felt about John and now added to that, were her feelings for Harold and what had been done to him. Different emotional connection for each man but at the center of each was her love for them.

Harold faded in and out of consciousness. He knew the nightmare was over but the wave action of the boat made him feel like he was still a captive. His thoughts were chaotic. Attractive young woman with big brown eyes and long hair smiling at him, talking animatedly to him and then he'd feel extreme pain in his fingers. He'd try to pull away but she was so strong. Feeling his fingers pop, one by one was pure torture. Then the woman would apologize and bring ice packs to put on his hands. The fingers were still dislocated but the ice did seem to numb the pain. She kept smiling and talking and talking and smiling, then she'd take the ice packs off and start working on another finger. The memory of the pain was enough to make Harold moan and softly cry "No, please no, no more".

Feeling him jerk and mumble in obvious pain, upset Elise. The more Harold cried out as he drifted in and out, the angrier she got about what had been done to him. She comforted him as best she could, whispered softly in his ear that he was safe with her and she was taking him home to the library. Over and over she kept telling him that she and John would not let anything else happen to him. As they neared the dock, he finally calmed down. His breathing was more normal and the tension she had felt in the arm she had been holding had finally eased. Gently waking him, she made sure he was cognizant of his surroundings and of her. She explained that they needed to get off the boat and into Detective Carter's car so they could go home. In a daze Harold looked at Elise and then looked at Carter and Fusco already on the dock. He finally realized he was actually safe. He tried to grab Elise's hand but gasped with the pain. He couldn't seem to move his hands or his fingers at all without a great deal of pain. Turning concerned eyes to Elise, he looked to her for reassurance.

"It's ok Harold. Your fingers were dislocated but not broken. I, um, popped them back into place but there is still some swelling. It will go down with more ice packs but you are OK. Do you understand me? You'll be able to use your hands again in a few days."

Looking down at his bandaged hands and then back into Elise's blue eyes, Harold saw compassion, concern, anguish and…..love. Something he had not seen in a very long time. In his heightened emotional state it almost undid him. But years of hiding himself from everyone, served him well and once again kept him from losing control. Giving Elise a small smile he nodded that he understood.

The drive back to the library was relatively quiet. Elise kept a firm hold on Harold's arm, to comfort him as well as her. Harold sat upright, trying to find a comfortable position in the car but gave up after five minutes. With the limitations of his neck and back and the abuse he had endured the last eight days he didn't think he'd ever feel the same. Then again, he was stronger than he appeared. He'd endured numerous surgeries and years of therapy to get where he was today and he'd done it all alone. But now he had Elise and John...he sighed and relaxed a bit more.

Getting Harold up to the 4th floor of the library, John and Zoe met them at the door. John took charge and helped get Finch to the hospital bed. Seeing Harold's bandaged hands and the bruises on his face, John's rage at his inability to keep Harold safe or even rescue him before this damage was done, knew no bounds. He owed Harold so much and he felt that he had failed him. He had to bite down on his frustration and anger and help Elise tend to him and Fusco.

Elise immediately went to the cabinet with the medical supplies and told Fusco to sit down in a chair. She cut away the sleeve of his shirt and cleaned the wound with antiseptic.

"OW!" Fusco exclaimed. When everyone turned to look at him, he got a sheepish look to his face and mumbled, "Sorry." Elise continued to clean out the wound and verified to Fusco that it was indeed a bad graze.

"I could stitch it up a little if you'd like me to, but I don't think it'll need it if I bandage it tightly enough."

Fusco just nodded, grateful to be spared the experience of having his flesh pierced by a needle. He was brave and all, he just hated damn needles! Once Elise was done, he and Carter took their leave.

Next Elise turned to Harold. Having him on the hospital bed helped her to better determine the extent of his injuries. Thank goodness that woman's torture was for not for an extended duration. Other than his hands, some bruised ribs and a few cuts on his face, Harold seemed to have gotten through his ordeal without too much physical injury. It was his emotional state that had Elise worried. She'd come to know Harold very well in their times together. Learning to 'read' him had become a challenge. She knew when he was tired, when his neck and back were causing him pain, she'd learned to tell when she was getting too close to something personal, she knew when he was reliving moments of his life that she was not privy to. Seeing that look in his eyes now, knowing it had to do with what he had experienced at the hands of that woman, caused Elise's hands to ball up into fists. She had an insane urge to hit something, anything to make that woman pay for what she had done to such a kind and gentle man as Harold.

Walking away from the bed, she reined in her anger to a more manageable level. That woman would pay...and pay dearly. No matter how long it took...she would pay...with her life if necessary.

John stood to the side watching Elise tend to Harold. Handing her gauze and wipes, holding Harold's hands while she splinted each finger, he was amazed at her control. Every move was sure, strong and steady. Now he knew how she'd been able to take care of him so well. His shoulder ached a little but he knew that the reason he was not in more pain was because of what she was doing now. He looked at Elise with a new appreciation and knew Harold was receiving the best care.

Once both hands were splinted and resting on ice packs and his face cleaned up, Harold finally drifted off to sleep, comfortable in the knowledge that he was with people who would protect him at all costs and that he no longer had to be stoic and guarded. He relaxed and let the tension flow out of his battered body, letting it get the rest it sorely needed.

Seeing that Harold was finally resting comfortably, John noticed the tired slump to Elise's shoulders. It dawned on him that while he'd slept after that ...amazing moment that he'd shared with Elise in the shower...she'd had to go out, doing HIS job in tracking down and rescuing Harold. She'd had no rest at all.

Walking over to her while she leaned on the desk with her head down, he reached out to touch her shoulder but paused, not sure of her reaction. The angry frown on her face told him she was still 'in the moment' of Harold's rescue.

Knowing her now as he did, he spoke quietly "We'll get her Elise. We WILL get her and she WILL pay for this."

Turning to face John, Elise's blue eyes now dark with pain, filled with tears. Hearing her own thoughts come out of his mouth finally broke the tenuous control she had. John reached out and pulled her into his embrace, wrapping his arms completely around her small frame. She buried her face in his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist. The sobs coming from Elise were muffled but her shoulders shook with the intensity of her crying. Leaning his head down, John kissed the top of her head. His left hand came up and buried itself in her hair and held her tightly.

Feeling her legs tremble as the tension from the night slowly unwound in her, John reached down and scooped her up in his arms, wincing only slightly as she didn't weigh very much and carried her to a chair off to the side of the hospital bed. Elise's arms reached up around his neck and pulled herself closer in his embrace as she buried her face in the crook of his neck. Backing up to it, he slowly sat down with her in his arms. Adjusting herself to fit more closely in his lap, she finally completely gave into all the events that had happened over the last several days.

John hugged her tightly. He was amazed that she was actually so small. She always seemed to be bigger than life, so full of spit and vinegar. Her anger and fire gave the appearance that she was larger than she actually was. Cradling her with his left arm, he used his right hand to brush her hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear, as was his want. That tingle that affected Elise every time he did broke through her anguish and caused her to look up into his clear blue eyes. The understanding of what she was feeling, without her having to put it into words, was welcome.

Closing her eyes once again, she sighed deeply and snuggled closer into John's welcome embrace, murmuring 'Harold?"

John quickly answered. "He's resting. We're right next to him. If he needs us, we'll be here for him." The rumble in his chest as he spoke quietly, calmed Elise even more and she gave into her exhaustion. Gently resting his head on Elise's, John also felt the tension drain out of him. Harold was safe, Elise was safe and for the moment, he was content.

Zoe let herself back into the library using Reese's keys. He'd asked her to get something to eat for all of them. Noticing the unusual quiet, she walked silently to the area of the hospital bed. Once again she was met with an unexpected sight. Elise and John were sitting in the stuffed chair next to the hospital bed. She was curled up in John's lap, nestled up under his chin. His long legs stretched out in front of him, his left arm holding onto Elise like he'd never let go and his head was resting on hers. But it was his right hand that caught her attention. It rested lightly on the bed, not touching Harold. Puzzled, Zoe put down the bags of food she'd brought in.

The sound of the rustling bags must have roused Harold slightly and caused him to move his arms. That slight movement was felt by John's hand resting on the bed. His head came up and his eyes opened immediately. Hugging Elise tighter with his left hand, he turned his eyes to the bed. Seeing a frown on Harold's face, he leaned over and whispered in Elise's ear. Her eyes flew open and she scrambled off John's lap.

"Harold, Harold...can you hear me?" Elise asked softly as she began checking the bandages on his hands and his face. "Harold, it's me, Elise, can you hear me?" She almost begged. The longer he took to respond to her, the more worried she became. 'What if there was more wrong with him than I thought? What if I haven't done enough? What if I'm wrong and we should have gotten a REAL doctor to treat him?' The faster the questions came the closer she came to hysteria.

Seeing the wildness return to her eyes, Reese stood up and walked quickly around to the other side of the bed. "Harold, open your eyes. You need to wake up now and show Elise you're ok." Speaking calmly and quietly, he shook Harold's shoulder very lightly.

"John?" Elise whispered, looking at him for support. "What if...what if I..." she trailed off looking back at Harold. Checking the bandages again on his head, she tried to determine if there was any new swelling, any possible bump on his head that she had missed previously. But nothing seemed any different from her first examination, bruises, scrapes, and cuts, none bad enough for stitches. Carefully checking his shoulders and arms, she made sure that she hadn't missed a broken bone. 'Why isn't he waking up?' She thought frantically.

All of a sudden Harold took a deep breath, and slowly let it out. His eyes opened up and he flinched. A stifled moan escaped his lips as he tried to pull away from Elise's touch. His eyes took on a wildness that neither John nor Elise had seen before. Without his glasses he wasn't sure where he was or who was leaning over him. Elise laid one hand to the side of his face and quietly called his name, "Harold, it's me, Elise. John's here. You're home, you're ok." She repeated it over and over, softly and slowly until she could see understanding show in his face. His rapid breathing had slowed down to a more normal rhythm.

"Elise? John?" Harold blinked and squinted. John reached over and picked up his glasses and placed them on Harold's face. The faces leaning over him came into focus. "That woman...that woman, she..." Harold whispered.

"She's gone Harold. She got away. But we'll find her. We'll find her and she will pay for this!" Elise said hoarsely.

"No ...No...you know I don't like violence. Please, no violence!" Harold said in an agitated voice. "Please no more violence...not for me."

Stepping into the conversation, John put his hand on Elise's shoulder and squeezed, causing her to look up at him. He barely shook his head at her, telling her without words to back off and not pursue it at this time. Elise looked back at Harold and smiled. Taking a deep breath she shook off the need for revenge... for the moment. "Ok Harold, let me finish checking you out. Tell me where you hurt."

Watching the three of them, Zoe almost felt like an intruder in a private family moment. That gave her pause; because that's what they were...a family made up of three lonely, damaged people. She found herself actually envying the obviously strong feelings the three of them shared. It made her realize how lonely her own life had been until she'd met Elise. But they'd never developed this kind of closeness, at least not until the night of the gala.

Zoe stepped forward and made her presence known and that she had food. Everyone was apparently hungry and immediately dived right in. Elise took on the job of feeding Harold who was having trouble with his damaged hands. She could tell he was frustrated with his inability to touch things.

"Don't worry Harold. You'll be back to normal in no time. Otherwise it'll be John playing with the computers." She teased.

Harold smiled at her, "Then I best heal fast hadn't I or we'll ALL be in trouble!"

As things returned more and more to normalcy, Harold relaxed and seemed more himself. The trauma of his experience had marked him but he was a survivor. Looking at his bandaged hands he remembered those moments that Root had tortured him. He wasn't ready to tell John everything that had happened, not yet. And seeing the obvious concern in Elise's eyes he wasn't sure he'd ever be able to tell her.

After eating, Zoe noticed the shadows under Elise's eyes and the weariness in John's shoulders. Stepping up to be a part of this 'family' she made a decision. "John, why don't you take Elise home? I can stay here with Harold. Since Elise patched him up so well, I think I can handle any problems that may come up." She said with a smile.

"Is that ok with you Elise?" She knew it was always best to include Elise in any decision that involved her BEFORE she got her back up about being excluded from the decision making.

Looking at Harold to make sure he was ok with it, Elise glanced at John and saw the tiredness she felt. He was still recovering from his wounds and looked like he was at the end of his tether. "Ok, we'll leave, but you call me for anything Zoe...anything!" Leaning over she kissed Harold on the cheek and whispered to him "I love you Harold Finch and don't you ever leave me again." Squeezing his shoulder she went to gather her things. John stood over Harold for a moment and said nothing. Reaching out with his right hand he also squeezed Harold's shoulder and turned and left before too much showed in his face. He wasn't quite ready to deal with the depth of his feelings over what had happened in the last couple of days. He needed to work that out himself, by himself.

Meeting John at the door, Elise had her bag full of dirty, blood stained clothes and a backpack filled with her weapons that she'd used during the warehouse raid and Finch's rescue, an interesting assortment to be sure. John grabbed her by the arm and propelled her down the hall, effectively stopping her from saying anything else to Zoe or Finch.

"I'm taking you to my place. You've never told me where you live and I'm too damn tired to try and pry it out of you." He said gruffly. Nodding her head, Elise let John guide her down the stairway to the street.