AN: Another short update for now but I wanted to get something up - it's the least I could do for my loyal readers who have waited so patiently for me to update this story. Thank you for your ongoing support.
Tanith
Chapter 55
Steve felt like a deer caught in the headlights of the oncoming car. Somehow he managed to tear himself away and force his body to cooperate through his natural instincts of survival and leap out of the way at the last moment. He fell to the ground and rolled toward the curb while the sedan skidded to a halt nearby.
The shaken-up driver climbed out of the car and hurried to check on the careless pedestrian lying sprawled near the gutter. "Hey buddy, you okay?"
The winded and bruised detective was helped to his feet by the good Samaritan who attempted to check him over for injuries but the younger man brushed him off.
"I'm fine. I'm okay! Let go of me!" Steve attempted to shrug away from the man who almost ran him down by accident.
"Stop struggling, I'm a doctor. Listen, you really shouldn't take these things lightly," the physician cajoled. "Let me drive you over to General…"
"Look, I said I'm…wait a minute, you're a doctor?" Steve said, taken aback by his sheer luck or rather was it a miracle?
"Yes, I'm just heading home," the middle-aged doctor answered. "I've had a long, stressful day. I'm so sorry, I should have paid more attention to the road."
And to think I just ran away from there, Steve thought ironically. "Listen, I'm a police officer. I'm off duty but you gotta help me out here. Someone just fell through the apartment window over there. Please we have to hurry! A woman….she's….I think she's badly hurt!"
Seeing the distress in the young man's features, the physician nodded and when he was satisfied that the cop wasn't going to fall flat on his face, he followed him at a run to the apartment block in question.
With sirens blaring and neon lights flashing, Bill Tanner drove Mike to the location of the shootout which had taken down one of their own. There was still no news as to who the casualty was and every second that ticked by raised the anxiety levels that coursed through Mike's being. He had warned Irene to be careful. Why didn't she listen, damn it! Mike berated in his thoughts, feeling angry toward Irene, though he knew he couldn't really blame her.
"Mike, we don't know if it's Irene," Tanner said, trying to give the older detective more than just a glimmer of hope.
Mike remained silent and stared out the window, focusing on the street names they drove past.
"Mike?" Tanner said in a louder voice.
The Lieutenant whipped his head around and snapped, "Irene was on her way to the Lee's address when we parted ways! She was meeting up with her partner there. Who else could be at that location tonight? Don't you think it's a bit of a coincidence?"
Tanner had to admit that the odds were not in their favour but what else could he say? Gritting his teeth together, Tanner decided silence was probably the best answer he could give the Lieutenant right now.
When they finally drew closer to the apartment block where the Lees resided, there were already five other squad cars and two ambulances parked outside. Two of the cars were blocking the road and officers prepared to divert traffic.
Tanner brought the LTD as close as he could to the scene then braked hard. Mike already had a hand on the door release and was out of the car before they had stopped completely. He raced over to the officer he assumed had taken charge of the crime scene while Tanner hurried to keep up.
"What happened? Who's been hurt?" Mike grilled breathlessly. Before the officer could answer, his eyes caught sight of a stretcher being carried to the back of one of the awaiting ambulances. Whoever was on the stretcher was no longer among the living. A sheet covered the body from view.
As the officer began to fill Mike in on what transpired, the Lieutenant started to walk away toward the ambulance. His mouth parted in an almost silent scream, the officer's voice echoed faintly in the background while Mike's ears rang and his heart pounded frantically inside his chest. Could it be Irene underneath that sheet? No, please don't let it be her! He pushed through a group of officers talking to potential witnesses and sprinted toward the van. Ignoring the paramedics' questioning him and pulling away from a set of hands trying to grasp his arms, Mike climbed into the cramped confines of the ambulance. The hands that grappled to seize control of him, yanked him back harder and this time it came with a strained shout in his ear.
"Mike! Mike, it's me!"
Mike turned to face the young man who had handfuls of his coat twisted in a tight grip. "Steve!" He gasped hoarsely.
