Disclaimer: This is the property of CBS, Abrams, and Nolan. Thank you once again SWWoman for the beta.
Chapter 6 - Ambushed
The brisk December air greeted her once again as Joss got out of her car. She had arrived at the park in record time because of how anxious she had become. As she looked around, she saw that the sky had almost become pitch black. She searched around a bit more to find the entire area had been deserted. There were no cars parked outside or any noises from chattering pedestrians. This had been the scenario she was afraid of. If she was in trouble, there could be chance that back up wouldn't be able to get there in time or she wouldn't be able to get to her phone.
She then scolded herself for jumping the gun when it came to this call and not being more careful. Her judgment was probably clouded because she had wanted to have something, anything, so bad that could help with the case that she jumped at the first chance that something legitimate finally came up.
She walked over to the entrance to the park, outlined by a brick walkway. It housed a beautiful sight to her as she looked at the snow covered trees that littered the area along with the lightly packed snow on the ground. From what she could tell, there was no one around anywhere. The crunching of the snow under her shoes was louder than normal as she began walking closer. The lights in the park eased her tension a bit but she decided not to take any chances because only a small part of the park was illuminated.
She took out her cell phone as she began her trek inside. She dialed the number for Fusco's phone. While waiting for him to pick up, she looked around to find any sort of indication that someone else was around. It really did look to be deserted as she followed the path past a statue and made her way to a wooden pedestrian bridge she saw in the distance.
After a few rings, he picked up. "Detective Fusco?"
"Hey Fusco, it's me. I'm going to need you to come right now. I think I'm in way over my head."
"Carter wait, I got to tell you that…" It was then that the surroundings lights that she was in the middle of gone out and the area became pitch dark. Joss was suddenly on her guard as she took out her weapon and tried to get her eyes to adjust.
"Fusco, you better get here quick" she said before hanging up the phone, not hearing Fusco's words about John being on his way.
She returned the phone to her coat pocket and gripped her pistol. She took a stance and pointed the weapon in front of her. She did her best to scan the area and look at any possible hiding spots that she could make out. She had been in situations like this before. The sudden outage was meant to scare her, possibly throw her off her guard and fluster her. She recognized this tactic all too well because she had run into it quite a few times in her career.
She tried to control her breathing so that she would be able to hear anything out of the ordinary with range. The cold air filled her lungs to capacity as her eyes looked through the groves of trees. It was then that the same eerie feeling began to creep up her back like it did when she left Lauren's house. She had brushed it off as her imagination the first time, but now she knew that this person had it out for her.
In the dead of night, it was so silent that you could hear a pin drop a block away. Joss slowly creeped her way over to the bridge as it would be a tactical advantage for her. If she were to be ambushed, the culprit would have to come from one of two sides and she would be able to see them coming sooner. She would have to be careful since backup would take at least twenty minutes to get to her location in minimal traffic and she didn't want to move too quickly.
Her heart was picking up the pace as she continued to inhale the freezing air. The December chill didn't help with her grip. She began to shake involuntarily as she continued to move to her objective. As she reached the edge of the bridge, she could hear the sound of movement coming from behind her getting louder.
She then tried to deter the ambusher. "I'm Detective Carter from the NYPD! Whoever you are come out with your hands up and I will not shoot you!" Her sight was obscured for only a second and that was the opportunity that the unknown assailant needed.
He silently drew closer to her. He managed to stay out of her line of sight long enough to close the gap between them as she drew closer to the bridge. When she turned her back to him for a longer period of time, he took the chance to attack.
The moment happened so quickly and Joss never saw it coming. The sudden sound of another pair of feet crushing the snow reached her ears too late. The blow to her neck was hard enough to render her unconscious and she fell to the ground dropping her gun. Carl stood over her, almost invisible thanks to the black coat and pants that he wore.
"Such a shame, you really are a looker. Oh well, business is business" he said coldly as he lifted her limp body up to his shoulder. He went up to the bridge that she had intended to go on. The water would be freezing and it was deep enough that it would look plausible enough to fit the story. The body would be found the next day and Cal's problems would be solved.
He stood up to the railing. He didn't hesitate as he slid her off his shoulder and dumped her over the railing.
The sound of splashing water was deafening.
Carl dusted his hand, his work done. When he turned around to head home however, something was blocking his way, more like someone.
In front of him stood a man that was about six feet tall with graying brown hair. He was wearing an expensive suit, jacket and shoes. There was something he saw in the man's eyes. It was indescribable but it looked as if they were glowing even in the dark.
"So who the hell are you?" Carl asked, quite surprised that there was going to be a small hitch in his plan.
"A friend" he said simply before stepping up to him.
"Look buddy, you picked the wrong time and place. When I'm done here, maybe I'll add you to the water too."
John didn't answer. He couldn't be bothered to waste time now. He had managed to arrive at the park and saw Joss' car in the front. He followed the path nearby, becoming more anxious as he followed the path of footprints until he heard the splash of water in the distance. Making it to the bridge, it didn't take him long before he realized what had happened. He had to take care of this guy quickly and get her out. He put his hands up, ready to engage in close range combat.
Carl couldn't hold the snort that escaped him. "Are you kidding me? Whatever guy, your funeral." He put his hands up in response. Nobody made the first move for about ten seconds. The timer for Joss' was ticking louder and louder in John's head.
The first move was a straight punch to the assailant's wrist. The force of the blow would deter him for a moment. When his fist made contact, he struck a nerve and Carl pulled the hand back, shaking the pain away or at least tried to. He attempted to take a swing only for John to avoid it easily, giving him a chance to hit Carl in the side of the neck. Carl stuttered backwards, the small blow causing some serious damage and bringing a bit of blood to his mouth. Carl began to grow impatient, which was exactly what John was looking for. Having enough of the games, Carl charged forward with his full weight into it. John waited until the last possible second so that Carl couldn't dodge before slamming his fist point blank into his face.
John felt the force of the blow break Carl's nose and jaw. He watched as the man fell backwards onto the bridge, clearly unconscious. John then shifted priorities and ran to the outer edge of the bridge. When he reached the water, his eyes began searching while he removed his jacket and earpiece. He could make out a part of the water where there was a dark shadow. He quickly dove in and made his way over to the spot. The freezing air began to burn his lungs, but he didn't care. He knew that he would endure any sort of hardship for her.
He dove down as he got near. While swimming through the quiet and freezing water, he could make her out sitting near the bottom. The trek to reach her felt so long to him. He couldn't help but wonder if he was too late. His arms felt like they were fighting through miles of cold needles and he could feel every inch of his body beginning to absorb it. He had to try his best not to falter or he would never be able to get to her. He bit down the pain and paddled through the water, going deeper with each stroke. When he finally reached her, he didn't hesitate as he hooked his arms under her shoulder before swimming back up to the surface.
He had to let go of one side to get some sort of leverage to reach the surface as his legs were pumping to move two people through this freezing situation. Finally, for what seemed like decades, he broke the surface. He sucked in the frigid air because he had been on the brink of running out of air while bringing her back up. He swam backwards while trying to keep her face above the water using a free hand. She was extremely pale, her skin actually becoming quite blue and he saw that she wasn't moving or breathing.
He began to panic when he got them to the shallow end and he carried her out of the water. He laid her next to his things and he began to examine her. His first move was to begin searching around for a pulse.
First he checked her wrist. It was silent and still.
He next moved his fingers to her neck. The vain was unresponsive there as well.
"Joss…come on" he begged as he began removing her soaked jacket and unbuttoned the top two buttons of her shirt.
Once her chest was exposed slightly, he began pressing against it with the palm of his hands as he began to do CPR. He pressed against her chest ten times then performed the next step. He pinched her nose and then pressed his lips against her mouth, hopefully breathing life into her body. He couldn't help but be intrigued for a moment because despite how long she was in the water, her mouth was still as hot as fire.
He continued repeating the process, savoring each time he made contact with her mouth. Each time he had to start over began to eat away at him internally. He would silently beg that he wasn't too late. He would never have forgiven himself if she was gone.
A few attempts in, he began to grow more frustrated. "Come on Joss, breathe" he begged as he breathed into her again after an unknown number of times. He refused to give up, it wasn't in his nature. He wasn't sure how long he was at it before he had finally broke ground. While breathing life into her for what seemed like the hundredth time, he felt the overwhelming sense of relief as he heard her coughing and spitting up water.
"Thank god" he whispered while bringing her into his arms. "Carter…Joss, can you hear me?" he asked once she settled down. Her body continued to shiver involuntarily because of the cold. There was no other movement to indicate that she had heard him.
Looking around, he reached for his earpiece. Putting it back into place, he put a call through to Finch.
"Mr. Reese, is everything alright?" he asked as he heard loud coughing in the background.
"I'm fine Finch. I got…got here just in time" he said out of breath. His little swim had taken a bigger toll on his lungs then he thought.
"What about Detective Carter?"
"She's starting to get hyperthermia. Finch, the guy threw her in the lake and tried to make it look like an accident." He looked down at her unconscious form, delicately brushing away some of her wet strands of hair away from her freezing face. "I have to get her out of here" he remarked.
"What about the threat against her?"
"Fusco should be on his way soon. Let him know that the guy is having a nap on the bridge closest to the entrance."
"On it John, update me if anything should happen."
John pressed the ear piece to end the call. He was right about the sense of urgency noticing the color of her lips were now a shade of blue that matched his own eyes. He grabbed his jacket and wrapped it over her. Right now, he didn't care if he froze all of his damn fingers and toes off. He was only worried about her. After seeing her for the first time in weeks, it sprouted up the feelings that he didn't want to confront just yet. For now, he would have to focus on getting her out of here and warm before the department showed up.
She may have been breathing but she wasn't out of the woods just yet.
A/N: Thanks SWWoman for being an awesome beta. Your edits made these chapters much better. Now unfortunately there won't be updates for the next two weeks because I'm going to be on vacation in Puertio Rico. I promise that things will be back on schedule when I get back. Enjoy the wait Mwhahahaha:)