DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but Allyson!
Cyrus looked at her and saw her shirt had fallen from her shoulder as she picked up a dish from the counter. He noticed the same spot on Allyson's shoulder.
The realization hit Cyrus like a punch to the gut. Allyson was the surviving victim!
"Wait, you're the surviving witness," Lupo asked. He never dreamed that this beautiful woman he'd spent the weekend with could have survived the horrible atrocities he'd been reading in the reports. When the police reports had been sent from London, he never imagined that Allyson was the survivor. Her name had been redacted from the records to protect her identity. When he'd first investigated these attacks in New York, he'd been horrified. He developed a sick stomach and had a hard time distancing himself from the victims. He'd wanted to find the animal and deal with him himself. Lupo looked at Allyson, who was standing by the window.
"Why didn't you tell me what happened," he asked.
"Not something you mention to anyone the first time you meet," she said.
"I'll be there with you," he said, nearing her.
She looked at him and offered a small smile. "I feel safer already," she said.
"You going to be able to handle this," he asked.
Allyson nodded. "Yeah. Just a lot to take in at the moment. All and I mean ALL the details of my attack are going to be laid out for everyone to hear," she said.
"What are you worried about," he asked.
"I'll remember it. I want to forget. I want to have a life, but I can't forget what happened. I know that's the one thing that is keeping me from having a relationship with Ma...anyone," she said.
Cyrus caught the slip and smiled at her. "Catching this guy will do a lot for you and your... relationships. Trust me," he said.
Allyson nodded and headed to the dining room.
Matt went upstairs to get his file and Cyrus had another revelation.
He jogged up the stairs and met Matt on the landing.
"You're the detective," Cyrus said.
"What," Matt asked, not getting the question.
"You're the one that found Allyson after that attack," Cyrus said.
Matt's expression darkened and he nodded.
"How do you know about Allyson," Matt asked.
"She saw one of the pictures. The one with the tattoo. I saw her tattoo and figured it out. That must have been horrible. For both of you," Cyrus said.
"Yes, I found her. It was the single most horrific experience of my life. Well, next to getting shot," he said.
"You were shot," Cyrus asked.
"Yeah. Tough recovery, but Allyson helped me back," Matt said.
"She seems like the type," Cyrus said, before turning around and into the dining room.
Matt and Cyrus were both eager to find the information needed to put this killer away.
"Ready, Ally," Mike asked.
She nodded. "Great. Matt, will you start with your information that you have for us and we'll go from there," Mike said.
Matt cleared his throat.
"Well, the first case crossed the desk at MIU four years ago. It was a young woman. Average height, weight. Brunette. Worked at Tenley Club as a hostess. Victim was found in a park, heavy damage to her face, broken nose, jaw and many cuts and contusions. Many bruises were found on the torso. The victim was stabbed 13 times. The sixth wound was the fatal one. The other seven were done postmortem. No DNA or any identifying evidence was found. The next five cropped up every few months. Same injuries to the victim, same body type, but the occupation was always different and the location was different. The injuries are what we used to connect these attacks. Then there was the seventh victim," Matt said.
"What was different about the seventh victim," Mike asked.
"She survived," Matt said.
Allyson's demeanor changed and Mike and Connie noticed it.
"She survived? There's a live witness? Have you spoken with her? What do you know about that," Mike asked Allyson.
Mike knew Allyson had been working with the CPS and the London police with regard to this case.
Allyson blinked and looked at Cyrus.
Matt turned and looked at Allyson. She nodded, giving Matt the signal that he could continue.
"The seventh victim was found by myself. She was found just outside a brownstone being renovated. The street was dark and quiet. The victim crawled out of the doorway. She must have passed out before she could make her way down the stairs, because she did a dead fall off the stoop. She literally fell at my feet. I did first aid until the paramedics arrived. She made it to the hospital. She spent a week in the ICU before she was put on the regular floor, under guard. She was lucky. I can give you everything about her attack," Matt said.
"Does she know who did it," Mike asked.
Allyson cleared her throat. She caught a nod from Cyrus and squeezed Matt's hand.
"She'll never forget the voice," Allyson said.
"Do you know the witness," Mike asked.
Allyson closed her eyes and nodded. "It's me," she said.
Matt was back to those days after Allyson's attack. As much as he hated hearing the medical description of her injuries, he knew he needed to know what happened to her so he could help her.
FLASHBACK TO THE ATTACK
That night, Allyson didn't realize it was as late as it was, but she didn't think anything of walking to her flat. Matt had promised to have her favorite for dinner and she was anxious to get home to enjoy it with her roommate. A roommate who was quickly taking up space not just in her flat, but in her heart as well.
She exited into the chilly London weather. 'Place feels like New York,' she thought to herself.
She scrolled through her email on her phone and headed toward home.
Her section of London, Southwark, saw its share of crime, but Allyson felt safe. She turned the corner to head down her block when she noticed the street lights were out. Figuring it was a bunch of kids out to vandalize, she continued on her way.
A man jumped out of the doorway of an unoccupied building and pulled Allyson into the doorway. Without the street lights, the entire area was dark and Allyson didn't know what was happening.
She kicked, screamed and threw punches, but nothing stopped the brutal assault. Her mobile phone was broken in the attack and her briefcase was discarded in the corner of the doorway.
When the man had finished his business, he kicked Allyson in the face, leaving her with a broken nose in addition to the other injuries he had inflicted on her.
She wasn't sure how long she was in the doorway, but she tried to crawl toward the stairs. The pain in her head was making her nauseous, but she knew she had to get out.
She crawled to the doorway and tried to stand up. She couldn't manage that feat, so she made her way to the stairs that led to the street. She got to the top, blacked out and fell down the steps.
That's how she was found. By none other than Matt.
Matt had become concerned when the typical fifteen minute walk had become twenty, then twenty-five. After 30 minutes, Matt left the flat and went looking for her. Matt knew Allyson often walked home after her day, so Matt decided to walk the route she might have taken.
Allyson made her painful crawl out of the darkness and unconscious tumble to the sidewalk as Matt neared the building.
Seeing the young woman tumble down the steps shocked Matt. He knew immediately it was Allyson and his heart stopped.
He quickly called 999 on his mobile, informed them he was a police officer and had an ambulance sent to his location. He then called Ronnie and he rushed to the scene. He knew he'd found his Lyssa.
"Bloody hell," Matt said, feeling the bile to rise in his throat. He wiped his face to keep the tears at bay, but he knew he was fighting a losing battle. "Oh, Lyssa," he said.
Allyson started to come around when she heard a voice call her name. She tried to open her eyes, but the pain was almost unbearable.
"Ally it's OK. It's Matt. Just relax honey. Please just relax," Matt said.
He surveyed her injuries and hoped the medics could take care of her.
"Cold," she whispered.
Matt took his jacket off and placed it over Ally. He knew it was ruined, but he didn't care. She was practically naked and it was a cold. He knew the coat would keep her warm and protect her privacy.
The ambulance pulled up a short time later and took over for Matt.
Ronnie arrived just as she was stabilized in the ambulance.
"Allyson," Ronnie asked.
"Yeah," Matt said, watching.
Matt and Ronnie stood off to the side as the crime scene techs made their way around the scene.
"Is she going to be OK," Alesha asked.
"She's going to the hospital," Ronnie said.
Matt ignored his two friends, his attention focused on the woman on a stretcher.
"I'm going to the hospital with her," Matt said.
"Call her family," Ronnie asked.
"She doesn't have any here. They're all in the States. Her father passed away from cancer. Her mother still lives in New York," Matt said, before hopping in the back of the ambulance and heading to the hospital with Allyson. Ronnie watched him go and turned back to Alesha.
"Born in New York. Lived with her grandmother, Emma Barrett, in London. She was educated here in the UK and graduated from Oxford," Alesha said.
Ronnie jerked his head up at the mention of the name. "Emma Barrett? Of the Barrett textile fortune? I don't know why I didn't see it before, that's little Ally Rose," Ronnie asked.
"Rose is her middle name. Do you know her," Alesha asked.
"I knew Emma. Went to her funeral. She's was one classy dame, that one. Had two grandsons as I recall and a granddaughter she talked about a lot. Little Rosey, she called her. Met the girl when she was just a child. Saw her at the funeral. She's changed her hairstyle since the last time I saw her. That's why I couldn't figure out how I knew her" Ronnie said.
Ronnie turned to the crime scene tech. "Joy, send me the report as soon as. Come on, Lesh. I need to get to the hospital," he said.
"I'll meet you there. I'll let Jake and Henry know what's happened," Alesha said.
Ronnie waved and got in the car. He rarely drove but since Matt was at the hospital with Allyson he didn't have much choice.
Matt sat in the front of the ambulance, wishing he knew what was happening behind him. He knew the medics were working on Allyson, but it didn't compare to actually being there to see.
They soon arrived at A&E and he jumped out of the ambulance as the doors opened and Allyson's stretcher was taken out and wheeled inside.
Matt was stopped as he got to the entrance. "DS Devlin. We'll get you when we're finished," the nurse said.
Matt shook his head. "I'm not here officially. That's my... girlfriend," he said.
The nurse nodded her head. "Stay in the back," she said.
Matt rushed to catch up to the stretcher.
Allyson was unloaded onto a stretcher and the medics gave the details. They rushed out as the flurry of activity flew around Allyson.
One of the physicians on duty recognized Matt as an officer because he and Ronnie had been there frequently to interview witnesses.
"Detective, you have some information for me," the doctor asked.
Matt looked up and saw the doctor looking at him.
Matt shook his head. "All I know is she was attacked. She fell down the stairs in front of a brownstone. She was unconscious when I found her. She woke up briefly before the ambulance arrived," Matt said.
The doctor nodded. "Do we have a record of Ms. Briscoe's allergies," the doctor asked.
"Don't know. She's never been here before," the nurse called out.
"She's allergic to morphine," Matt said.
Everyone looked at him. "Are you quite certain," the doctor asked.
Matt nodded. "That's my girlfriend," he said, without really thinking.
"OK, Ms. Briscoe is allergic to morphine," the doctor said.
Matt watched as blood was drawn and imaging studies were ordered.
The physician came over to Matt and gestured toward the hall.
"You're not here as the police," he questioned.
Matt shook his head. "I found her. She's my girlfriend," Matt said for the third time and it felt wonderful to say it, despite the circumstances.
"We're ordering films of her hand, face and chest. We'll get a cat scan of her abdomen, spine and head. We'll give her pain medication and get surgery to see her and take her to theater. I think she's going to recover Mr. Devlin, but it's going to take time," the doctor said.
The doctor started to walk away, but turned back around. "Do you think it's the person responsible for those other six attacks," he asked.
Matt nodded his head. "As much as I don't want to admit it," Matt said.
"We'll document and take photographs," the doctor said before walking back into the room.
Allyson was whisked away to xray and Matt didn't set eyes on her for several more hours. They rushed her from her imaging studies to theater. Ronnie and Alesha joined him at the hospital. The whole scene gave Ronnie a sense of deja vu. He flashed back to when Matt was fighting for his life in the hospital.
They sat in silence, Matt staring out the window, watching the London traffic.
Four hours later, the surgeon came into the waiting area.
"Mr. Devlin," he asked.
"Yes," Matt answered.
"Ms. Briscoe is out of surgery. We've removed her spleen and repaired some damage to a kidney. We'll have to watch that closely and see if it will need to be removed. She's in intensive care. She's got a cast on her right arm and her right knee is immobilized. She's got a long road ahead of her, but you should understand that, Mr. Devlin," the surgeon said.
"I do. Can I see her," he asked.
"They're getting her settled. Stay as long as you need," the surgeon said.
Without another word, he exited the room, leaving the three friends relieved Allyson was going to be OK.
"Need anything, Mattie," Ronnie asked.
"Can you bring me a change of clothes? I'm going to stay here. Right now, I just want to make sure Allyson's going to be alright. I don't want her to wake up and me not be there," he said.
"Right. Ring me if you need me before I come back. Give Ally my love," Ronnie said before walking out of the waiting area.
"I'll stop by later. Need me to bring you dinner," Alesha asked. She knew Matt would refuse because he was worried about Allyson.
Matt shook his head. "No. I'll get something after I see her. Our dinner didn't happen the way I planned," he said.
Alesha hugged her friend and followed Ronnie out the door. Matt took a deep breath and sat in a chair. He ran his fingers through his hair and closed his eyes.
"Mr. Devlin," a nurse said from the doorway.
Matt jerked his head up and said, "Yes."
"The doctor said you can see Ms. Briscoe," she said.
Matt was out of the chair quickly and followed the nurse to Allyson's room.
He entered the room and was alarmed by how she looked.
Her face was puffy from the injuries. Her leg was in what looked like a cast, as was her arm. She had IV lines in her unaffected arm and she had oxygen in her nose.
Her hair was matted from the blood and Matt longed to clean the blood from her hair. He wondered if Allyson had this same feeling when seeing him for the first time after his shooting. The anxiety at seeing her was tremendous. His rage toward this person was almost too much for him.
Allyson hadn't remembered much about what had happened to her. She woke up in a sterile room in a hospital and had no idea why she was there.
She had the notion she should stay still, but that seemed silly. She moved her arm and pain radiated like fire up to her head. 'Yep, stay still,' she thought to herself. She flinched. She willed the fire that radiated through her to disappear.
Matt noticed her movement and immediately grabbed her hand.
"Ally? It's me, Matt," Matt said.
"You always call me Lyssa," she said.
Matt smiled. "Yeah. Do you remember what happened?"
"My head hurts," she said.
"I'm sorry. Do you want me to get you something," he asked.
"What happened? I remember walking home and getting pulled into a doorway. I can't remember much. Just some bits and pieces," Allyson said.
"It's OK, Lyssa. You need to rest. You just relax and let that pain medicine take care of the pain. It's OK to go to sleep. I'm not leaving your side. We'll talk about what happened when you get better," Matt said.
"OK," she said, before giving in to the pain medication. When her breathing became deep and even, he got up. He leaned over and brushed a feathery kiss to her cheek.
He stepped out into the hallway and talked with Ronnie.
"Did she tell you anything," he asked, handing him the small case that contained a change of clothes for Matt.
"She doesn't remember much. Her head and side were hurting," Matt said.
"Can't believe that's little Ally Rose," Ronnie said, looking at his younger partner.
"How exactly do you know her," Matt asked.
Ronnie cleared his throat. "Her mum and I met when she was visiting one summer. Had a little romance before she went back to the States. Lovely girl, Ally. Her grandmother kept in touch with me and showed me how her daughter was doing. Extremely proud of her granddaughter. Hadn't seen Ally since she was a child," Ronnie said.
"Ron, you cad," Matt said.
"I had a life before I became old, Sunshine," Ronnie said.
A slip of a smile graced Matt's face before he slipped back into his concerned cop/boyfriend mode.
"I'm going to head back in there with her. Thanks for the clothes. I'll see you later," he said.
Ronnie watched his friend and partner go back into Allyson's room. He knew Matt would stay by her bedside, just like Allyson had for him. And, like Allyson, would refuse to leave until he was certain she would wake up and be fine.
Matt sat in the chair beside her bed and grasped her hand. "I love you, Lyssa. And I'm going to make sure you know it," he whispered as he kissed the top of her hand.