And then she was on the ground, her cheek and temple against the concrete. A huge silent heavy weight on top of her making it very difficult to breathe and slowly suffocating her.
Kate could feel something warm and wet spread quickly over the back of her shirt. A familiar metallic smell met her nose. It was the unmistakeable scent of blood. She'd been shot. Someone had taken out her captor but because he wasn't wearing a bullet vest the bullet had gone through him and in to her. He was the heavy weight on her.
"Kate!" she heard Steve's panicked shout as footsteps ran towards her. She felt him trying to lift the heavy weight off her, struggling to do so until he eventually prevailed. "Kate," Steve said again as he removed her blindfold.. "Are you ok?".
"I've been shot," Kate replied.
For the first time Steve looked at Kate's standard issue white police shirt and saw it covered completely in blood. "Hang on mate," he urged. "I need help! She's been hit!" Steve shouted as he undid Kate's handcuffs. Kate sighed gratefully once her hands were free. "Where've you been hit?" Steve asked urgently. The sooner Kate got medical treatment the better.
"I don't know," Kate admitted. She felt strangely ok for someone who had lost a lot of blood. Probably all the adrenaline coursing through her body. Without saying anything she undid her shirt and removed it completely leaving her in her black trousers and white bra but she didn't care. "Can you see?" she asked her friend.
Steve took his time examining the whole of her torso as she lay on the ground. He couldn't see any wound which thankfully made the blood staining her skin her captors and not hers.
"Is it bad?" Kate asked worriedly after Steve didn't say anything for a while.
"I can't see anything, Kate," he told her. "I think this is all his blood,".
"Are you sure?" she asked. She didn't get an immediate response. "Steve? Are you sure?" she demanded again.
"Yeah," Steve replied.
Kate sat up and quickly barrelled in to Steve with great relief, knocking him from his knees to his arse so he was sat in the floor with her. His arms reflexively came to wrap around her and they stayed in their embrace a while just breathing in each others scent.
Chaos reigned around them as AFO's made sure the scene was safe but Steve and Kate were in their own bubble just taking strength from each other after nearly losing one another.
"Where's she been hit?" a paramedic came over and disturbed them.
"False alarm," Steve replied somewhat gratefully.
"I'll get you a blanket," he said, looking at Kate's undressed state and disappeared.
Steve also became aware Kate was semi-naked. He released his hold on her just enough to remove his suit jacket before wrapping it around Kate's shoulders to provide her some warmth and dignity.
"Thanks," whispered Kate as he resumed his hug again. "I'm sorry," she apologised for her part in their recent argument and falling out .
"I'm sorry, too, mate," Steve echoed, putting their disagreement behind them.
"Everything ok?" Ted asked his best team. He got two nods in reply. Placing a hand on Steve's shoulder he left them too it.
Steve glanced up and saw Dot watching the pair of them and suddenly remembered something. "Should I swap places with Dot?" he asked his friend. It would hurt a lot but if Kate really felt something for Dot then it was only right he should be holding her instead of Steve right now.
"Why would I want Dot?" Kate asked.
"No reason," Steve said before kissing Kate's temple. Her reply had told him everything he needed to know.
"Here you go," the paramedic said as he wrapped a foil and woollen blanket around Steve, enveloping Kate as well who by now was starting to shiver.
"Thanks," replied Steve.
"You can sit in the back of my ambulance if you want," the paramedic offered. "It'd be a bit warmer for her,".
"You like that?" Steve asked Kate who nodded her agreement.
Slowly they both got to their feet and arms around each other, let the he paramedic lead them to his ambulance. Once inside, Steve got on the stretcher before Kate plonked herself on his lap before he hugged her again with the two blankets to try and warm her up.
" s cold," Kate said with her teeth chattering as she hugged Steve under the blankets to try and warm herself up.
"I think it's the shock," the paramedic said. "I'll try and find a sugary tea for you," he said.
"Thanks, mate," Steve said. He felt a bit bad letting the paramedic do everything but he didn't want to leave Kate alone.
He hugged his friend closer, hoping that would help stop her shaking but it didn't. He felt Kate pull at his waistcoat under the blankets before undoing his shirt. "Kate?" He asked, wondering if hypothermia was making her act strangely.
"Ss s s ski to skin," Kate managed to explain as she kept undoing his shirt buttons. " bod warmth,".
"Well leave the top two buttons done up," Steve suggested. "It won't look too suspicious then," he continued as he felt Kate hug his naked torso, bringing her skin next to his.
"How we doin?" Ted asked as he stepped in to the back of the ambulance with Dot.
Looking at the two partners cuddled together Dot realised he had failed very badly in his plan of splitting them up. It looked as though they were closer than ever before which was not what the OCG would want to hear. It was Like they were one whole person right now. So close physically and mentally that it was hard to see where one ended and became the other.
He was going to have to think of something else. Failure was not an option.