UnspokenFaith - if only it were possible for me to set Hawkes and Maddy up together... but I think the only way is to kill Hawkes...!
Swede85 - Yup, when I created it ages ago it was Norwegien. I hope you're looking after Danny!
RK9 - Aw, really? Does that even exist?? You're right - there are very few of those ships, but they are usually well written when they are! I've been having a half empty spell recently - hence Nixon. But I think I've made my mind up on that ship now!
Volonta forte - A pregnant Tay? Um, still not considered that one yet! Too much to get through first. Besides, I'm worried about 'losing it' if I go down that road!
sparkyCSI - okay, I promise - no more pregnant Mac fics! I'll just turn Lindsay into a Terminator! Mwahahahaha!... Please, please, please get my muse to rehab...!
demolished-soul - I have a bit planned with this. I also intend on being very mean! (:p)
Aphina - but of course! You can never say never, because it always happens! And I shall come up with some form of challenge for you... you will regret saying that!
meadow567 - Nope, this is one of my own crazy concoctions! And I'm sorry to make you wait! I'll try to get an extra chapter in this week!
Trizzy - It's not Taylor you have to worry about... dun dun duh! (:D) Can't say I want a PB Twix. Though you now have me craving Reese's... and they don't sell them in the UK. I may have to sulk now!
Wolfsong98 - don't worry about it! I know that time runs away. I'm just glad you're still reading!!
No spoliers, just thanks to sparkyCSI for betaing!
What The Eyes Can't See
Chapter 124: And they know they killed our heroes too
The CSIs and the O.C.C.B. team moved out (without Eirik) right on time. Taylor was waiting for them in her car, and pulled out after them as soon as they left. Traffic was moderate and they came to a stop in one of the poorer neighbourhoods on Staten Island only half an hour later.
The eight of them burst into a bar, all dressed in protective gear and armed to their teeth whilst Taylor sat fidgeting, waiting impatiently in her car.
'Be careful.'
Taylor jumped in her seat. She glanced in the mirror and found Davin and Maddy staring back at her. As the officers began leading various handcuffed men out, Taylor leapt out heading over.
'Taylor?' Ikaia stared at her in surprise as he pushed a suspect into the back of the van. 'What are you doing here?'
'Something doesn't feel right,' she told him.
'Ms. Turner, we have just arrested nine men with outstanding warrants without a single shot being fired.'
And then the world went crazy.
Ikaia had barely finished his sentence when the air was broken by gunfire.
Taylor turned, then was pushed to the ground behind the van by Ikaia, as he took shelter beside her, his gun already out. With her hands clamped down on her head, praying that none of the bullets would find her, Taylor rolled under the van and hid.
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Lindsay was still in the bar when the firing began. She pushed the handcuffed man she had been leading out to the side and quickly and cautiously made her way over to the door. A black Escalade was driving past, the back window rolled down far enough for the muzzle of a gun to poke out, firing wildly as the car drove slowly by.
It was like the scene before her was playing in slow motion. She ducked behind the wall just in time as the glass from the bar window on the other side of the door exploded into several million pieces. She peaked out, noting bodies slumped on the floor, but she wasn't sure if they were dead, alive or wounded, or if they were good guys or bad guys. She dashed out of the building, ducking behind a car, and peaked out, training her gun on the SUV.
The Escalade changed direction, sped up, and charged at a woman who was shooting at it. Lindsay shouted at her to move, but her voice was lost over the sound of the gun shots and the squeal of the tires. It wasn't until the woman hit the ground, unmoving, after flying off the hood of the Escalade, that Lindsay realised it was Stella.
She screamed for help and ran over, not caring if the Escalade was still there – it had actually squealed off before Stella had hit the ground, but Lindsay hadn't realised – to see if Stella was alright.
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Taylor remained frozen underneath the van until the screaming of the sirens were right beside her and someone was crouching down, trying to coax her out.
'Come on Taylor, you can come out now,' the owner of the voice sighed and crawled under the van, pulling her hands away.
Taylor screamed and jerked back as the person held tightly to her hands.
'Taylor!' Flack's voice was calm, reassuring, and authoritive.
'Don?' Taylor looked up at him with her tear-streaked face.
'Come on, baby. Let's get you out from under here.'
Taylor nodded and together they shuffled out. He helped her to her feet, and for the first time, Taylor surveyed the carnage around her. There were three body bags, bullet holes everywhere, and paramedics wheeling someone onto a bus. Her heart plummeted into her stomach as she realised that the person on the stretcher was Stella and she didn't look good.
'Taylor?' Lindsay ran over and wrapped her arms around her, 'I'm so glad you're alright,' she told her, her voice clearly relieved.
Taylor allowed the woman to squeeze her as she stared over her shoulder at the three new ghosts who had appeared alongside Davin and Maddy. One was Eirik. The other two, Taylor didn't recognise but assumed were some of the men that had been arrested.
'Be careful,' they chorused at her.
Taylor blocked them out and shrugged Lindsay off her. 'How's Stella? And where's Sheldon?'
'I don't know how Stella is, and Sheldon is over there,' she pointed to a bus where Hawkes was sitting in it, on a stretcher, with a paramedic attending his arm. 'A bullet grazed his arm.'
Taylor felt like she was going to throw up.
'Taylor, we should get you to a hospital,' Flack told her gently, 'you're bleeding.'
Taylor glanced down. It was only from a couple of scrapes where she had been pushed to the ground, but even they weren't registering. She allowed Flack to drape a jacket over her shoulders – she hadn't even realised how cold she was – and led her to his car.
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Flack was pacing back and forth past the doorway to the private waiting room they were in. He glanced over at Taylor. She was sat in the same position she'd assumed when she got there, her legs curled up under her, nursing a cup of coffee she hadn't touched, her hands still shaking. He sighed and continued on his well worn route.
Finally the door burst open and Danny flew in, followed by some girl he had never seen before.
'What happened? Is Stella alright?' How's Hawkes? Where's Lindsay?' Danny demanded.
'Stella's in surgery. I haven't heard anything since we got here. Hawkes is being checked out in the ER – he's coming up here as soon as he's patched up, and Lindsay is still at the scene with Angell and Mac, so I don't really know what happened. There was a drive-by and somehow Stella ended up getting knocked down.'
'When we catch the bastards that did this, I'm going to line them up and use them as target practice,' Danny growled venomously.
Flack frowned as Danny began cracking his knuckles.
'Hey, Blue Eyes, quit doing that and sit down. You're not helping anyone.'
Flack switched his attention to the woman who Danny had entered with. 'Excuse me?'
Nixon arched an eyebrow. 'Not you, this time, BFG.' She pushed Danny over to the couch opposite Taylor and sat him down. 'You can sit there and take five minutes.'
Flack watched in disbelief as Danny actually remained seated and ran a hand through his hair. 'I should be out there,' Danny muttered.
'You called the Boss-Man, and he said you weren't allowed near this case because of your past with the people they suspect did the shooting.'
'I know,' Danny said in a strained voice, 'but I feel so useless.'
'You're here for your Stella, showing your support. That's far from being useless. Useless would be going out there in a rage, arresting every Tom, Dick and Harry in sight, and then having to watch as the guys walk off Scot-free because you've not gone by the book.'
Danny simply sighed.
By now, Flack's eyes were all but bulging out of his head. Who was this chick? And would she teach him that trick, because, damn, getting Danny to listen to the voice of reason was like drawing blood from a stone. Flack sighed – this was all feeling like a very surreal dream. Until Hawkes stepped in, sporting a very stark white bandage on his upper left arm.
The four of them stared up expectantly. He shook his head, 'I haven't heard anything.'
'You okay, man?' Flack asked him.
Hawkes nodded. 'Just grazed me. The vest stopped the other one.' He walked over to Taylor and sat down beside her. 'How are you?' He glanced up at Flack when he got no response.
Flack shook his head. 'She hasn't said anything since I put her in my car,' he said softly.
'Has someone checked her out?'
'She wouldn't let anybody.'
Hawkes got up, pulled the cold coffee out of Taylor's hands and walked over to Flack. 'She's going into shock. Lie her down and elevate her feet. I'll be right back.'
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Taylor awoke in a semi-darkened room.
'Lie back down,' came Flack's voice as she tried to sit up.
Taylor relaxed back into the pillow as Flack pulled her hand into his. 'What happened?'
'You had me a little worried,' Flack told her. 'You went into shock. Remind me not to rely on you in an emergency,' he finished, forcing a smile at his attempt at a joke.
'I managed to save your life, didn't I?'
Flack's smile was genuine this time. 'Yeah.'
'How's Stella?'
Flack sat back. 'She came out of surgery a while ago. They had to reset her leg and remove her spleen, but other than a couple of cracked ribs, she is fine.'
Taylor let out a large sigh of relief. 'Thank God.'
Flack squeezed her hand. 'Are you alright?'
Taylor turned her head. 'It was carnage, Don. There was blood, and bodies and shell casings everywhere. And all I did was hide under a van like I was-'
'The civilian that you are?' Flack finished for her. 'Taylor, you weren't armed, you're not a cop, and there were bullets flying everywhere. What exactly were you going to do?'
'I saw the Escalade,' she told him in a strained voice. 'The ghost showed it me, and I didn't work out what he was trying to tell me.'
Flack sighed and brushed her hair behind her ear, 'Taylor, I've seen you trying to decipher these clues – the ghosts don't make it easy. If it's anyone's fault, it's theirs for being too cryptic.'
Taylor stared at him and nodded as Flack wiped a stray tear away. 'Can we go home?' she asked him.
Flack nodded, 'I think that would be a good idea.'
Well, it's getting to that time of year (Freshers week) where life is going to explode. I'm ahead on the chapters, so I shouldn't have a problem updating, fingers crossed. Hopefully I'll be able to stick and extra chappie in for you this week.
Well, you know where that 'lil purple button is... (:D)