In The Wrong Place
Chapter 2
When Steve felt the pain subside a little he mustered up whatever strength he could and shouted in a pain filled voice ...
"MIKE!... I'm in here...I'm...hit..."
When Mike heard those words his heart almost stopped... He ran towards the room where Steve's voice had come from and seeing Steve sitting on the floor he knelt down quickly and studied Steve carefully...It was very dark in the room but he could make out perspiration on Steve's brow and could hear him breathing and gasping erratically ...
"Where are you hit buddy boy?" Mike asked almost afraid of the answer...
"My left side...near my holster...shot from behind ." Steve gasped..."Hurts bad...don't know how Graves got behind me...I checked Mike...honest I did...did you see him?"
"Alright...Don't worry about that now...Take it easy...Let me see your side..."
Mike didn't quite know how to tell him that he had actually been shot by a fellow officer so for the moment he concentrated on checking Steve... He pulled Steve's jacket aside and in the dim light saw a growing patch of deep crimson that stood out against Steve's light coloured check shirt...Steve's hand was protectively covering it and Mike had to coax him to remove it so that he could fully see the extent of the damage that had been done by the bullet...
"Steve...You need to let me see it...Ok buddy boy?...Lift your hand for me..."
Steve dutifully obeyed his partner and lifted his blood soaked hand and gritted his teeth as Mike probed the area to find the bullet hole...
"Lean forward for me buddy boy...I need to check your back..." Mike instructed and as Steve bent forward wincing as he did, Mike lifted up Steve's jacket and could just about work out a matching patch of blood at the back of his shirt too...
"I think it went straight through Steve...but the light is too bad in here..Do you think you can stand and walk out of here with my help?"
Steve seemed to consider this for a minute ...
"With your help...yeah... I think so..."
First Mike placed his clean handkerchief inside Steve's shirt at the front and finding Steve's one in his jacket placed that around at his back under the shirt material...Although at the rate he was losing blood he feared that mightn't be enough...
"Ok...buddy boy...Let's give it a try..." Mike said as he put Steve's left arm around his shoulders and holding his right side with his other hand lifted him up off the floor. Steve helped as best he could and when they were finally upright... Mike shouted out the door..
"Joe, Get in here and give me a hand!..."
"Joe?" Steve asked Mike confused..."What's he doing here?"
Joe just at that minute appeared in the doorway looking guilty and nervous... Mike glared at him and the look between the two men was not lost on Steve who despite the pain he was in was beginning to feel that he was missing something...
"Wait a minute...What's going on here?...Mike...you want to fill me in please?" Steve said struggling to stay standing...
"It wasn't Graves who shot you...It was Joe!...He thought you were Graves..." Mike said never once lifting his steely glare from Landers and Steve could almost feel the rage emanating from his partner... Steve looked at Landers who looked very uncomfortable under the gaze of Mike Stone...
Steve tried to process what Mike had just said...Of course...That made sense... He HAD checked the corridor thoroughly...It had to be have been someone who had come in after them...As it sunk in that a fellow officer had carelessly and purposefully shot him he could feel his adrenaline rise again and anger ripped through him... Without warning he grabbed out with his free hand and caught Joe's lapels...
"What the hell were you doing man , you could have killed me...I've got a hole in my side because of you...What were you thinking?..."
Leaving Steve's left arm draped around his shoulders Mike used his left hand to push Joe away out of Steve's grasp and steadied Steve who had used more energy than he had left to vent his frustrations on the sorry-looking officer standing in front of him...
"Easy Steve...Watch your side...Come on now ...Let's get you out of here first.. We can deal with the rest later..."
"I didn't know it was you...Steve...I'm sorry..." Joe stammered and staggered on the spot an action not lost on Mike who immediately yelled at him and held out his hand towards Joe...
"Give me your gun Joe..."
When Landers was not forthcoming Mike yanked the gun out of Joe's hand stating...
" I SAID GIVE ME YOUR GUN!"...
Feeling angry and frustrated with the officer in front of him for endangering the life of the young man that he cared for like a son he put the man's gun in his trench coat pocket and turned his attention back to Steve...Knowing full well that the drunken man in front of him would be of no use helping him with Steve as he could barely keep himself upright.. He told Joe to go on ahead and he struggled on with Steve himself. They made it back down the corridor and out of the door they entered through and then Mike remembered the ladder type steps they had come up initially...How in God's name am I going to get you down those buddy boy he thought to himself. He could feel Steve getting weaker the further they went and the blood from his side had obviously already soaked the handkerchief and was now visibly trailing down Steve's trouser leg...probably as a result of the exertion of walking... Mike knew he had to get him lying down soon and work on stemming the blood flow.
When they reached the ladder steps Steve looked at Mike and seemed to understand the problem he was contemplating...
"I'll make it...You go first though...ok?"
"You sure buddy boy?"
"Yeah... I think so..."
Mike yelled at the officer down below to call an ambulance and then started down the steps and watched on helplessly as Steve turned and holding the rail at the top carefully put his foot down on the first step. The pain that movement caused was etched on Steve's face and he was unable to suppress the yelp of pain that accompanied it...however true to form Steve continued down the steps slowly regardless of the immense pain that was emanating from his side and Mike stayed close behind him just in case he blacked out or lost his footing...
When they were just five steps from the ground Steve just couldn't take another step...His breathing was becoming laboured and he felt light-headed... He stopped moving and put his head against the cold steel in front of his face and warned Mike...
"Can't go any further... Mike...sorry... feel...faint..."
Mike flew into action then and yelled at the officers to come and assist him... They reached up and between them grabbed Steve and eased him down until he was safely on the ground...Now in broad daylight Mike assessed the damage more clearly ...He tore Steve's bloodstained shirt and found the exit wound on his left side ...Then rolling Steve over gently he found the corresponding entrance wound in Steve's back. The bullet had gone through Steve's jacket and straight through the leather of his holster...The bleeding was easing up and starting to congeal but Mike was still very concerned about his young partner. He looked dreadful ... He was paler than normal and seemed to be in a good bit of discomfort. Mike talked comfortingly to Steve while they waited for the ambulance but all the while he was still glaring at Joe Landers who was now fidgeting uncomfortably near his car...
"Where is that DAMN ambulance?" Mike roared as minutes ticked by and Steve seemed to be losing his fight to stay conscious...
"Hang in there buddy boy...Hang in there!..."