Seeing Red
Evan stepped out of his car, focusing on the crash site ahead of him. He saw two shadowed figures by the wrecked car, one holding the other. "NYPD!" he called out. "Who's out there?" As he stepped closer, one figure crouched down and laid the second on the ground. Evan blinked and the second figure was gone.
He ran to the body lying in the middle of the road, his eyes going wide when he realized it was Kaitlynn. "Kait?" he gasped, kneeling down by her body. "Kait, can you hear me?" Evan glanced down and saw blood pooling beneath her from the gunshot wound in her shoulder. He lowered his ear over her chest, catching the faint breath sounds. "Catherine! Heather!" he called to the two sisters in his car. "I need you!"
The sisters wasted no time in scrambling out of the car and running up to Evan, their worst fears realized when they saw Kaitlynn bleeding out in the middle of the road. "Katie? oh God! Is she okay?" Heather cried, standing completely still.
Catherine collapsed on her knees and brushed some hair from her younger sister's face, "You're gonna be all right Katie." she whispered. The eldest Chandler glanced up to Evan, "She's bleeding everywhere."
"That's the least of her problems." Evan bluntly stated, shrugging off his jacket. "She's barely breathing. Decreased inhalation on the right side."
Catherine started digging for her cell, "Then we need to call an ambulance or so-" she was cut off when Evan took her hand.
"There's no time, Cat." the medical examiner halted the lawyer. "Her lung is collapsing." Evan turned to Heather, who was still standing still, eyes fixated on her dying sister. "Heather!" his loud voiced snapped the youngest Chandler from her daze. "I need you to go back to the car, get that flask of vodka that you had. Also, grab a pen, a knife, a glove and a rubber band."
Catherine took the jacket Evan handed her and kept pressure on the bullet wound in Kaitlynn's shoulder. "Hang in there Katie." she whispered through her sobs. "It's gonna be okay. You're gonna be okay." Catherine gently stroked her younger sister's forehead, glancing around the area for any signs of Vincent.
Heather returned with everything Evan needed and fell on her knees next to Catherine, "Please don't let her die, Evan." the youngest of the sisters sobbed.
Cat glanced down at Heather and took one of her hands, "Here, help me keep pressure on this, okay?" she spoke calmly. "We need to stay focused and do whatever Evan tells us to. For Katie."
Heather sniffled and nodded, "For Katie." she echoed, helping Cat keep pressure on the wound.
"Right, keep the pressure nice and tight." Evan instructed, "We can't let any more air get in."
Evan took the pen apart, leaving just the clear plastic tube and secured a finger piece of the rubber glove to one end with the rubber band. Heather glanced around, "I think I saw something." she whispered to Cat. "Over in the trees."
"I don't think there's anything out there." Catherine rebuked. Although she knew exactly who was out there and she said a silent thank you that Vincent was around to save Kaitlynn again.
Evan continued to work, replacing the pressure dressing of his suit jacket with the rest of the glove for the sisters to press down, while he sterilized his knife and make-shift chest tube with the vodka in Heather's flask. He pressed the edge of the blade into Kaitlynn's skin, making a small incision for the chest-tube, "Alright Kait, breathe."
The middle Chandler let out a labored gasp, much to the relief of everyone around her. Catherine dug out her cell phone and stood up, dialing 9-1-1. "Yes, this is ADA Catherine Chandler. I need a MediVac to New York General ASAP." she relayed over the phone. "My sister's been shot. She's NYPD. Please hurry!"
Kaitlynn's breathing was still labored and her eyes fluttered open ever so slightly. She saw various blurry figures around her as her head lulled to the side. By the brightness of the headlights, she saw a woman standing a few feet away from her.
"Everything's going to be all right Katie." the woman spoke. The voice was familiar and comforting for Kaitlynn, giving her a sense of peace. Her vision went dark as the woman's voice echoed in her ears, just catching her nickname "Katie."
The next time Kaitlynn's eyes fluttered open, she saw fluorescent lights above her and felt like she was moving. A sensation of someone holding her hand made her turn her head to the side, "You're going to be okay, Katie." the same woman's voice assured. This time her features were clearer; she was middle-aged with dark hair, brown eyes, and tanned-olive skin. "You're going to be fine, sweetie." she smiled, squeezing Kaitlynn's hand.
"Momma." Kaitlynn choked out in a barely audible voice. Her eyes fluttered closed as her gurney was rushed into an operating room.
Things started coming back into focus as Kaitlynn regained consciousness. She heard the steady rhythmic beeping of her monitors, followed by the dull pain in her shoulder, as well as the rest of her body. When her eyes opened, she was met with the brightness of the white hospital room and the fluorescent lights. The only dark color she saw was the black tuxedo worn by her father, who was slumped back in the chair at her bedside.
"Daddy, no." Kaitlynn groaned, her body stirring, reigniting the dull pain all over. The sudden movement woke Thomas, who let out a heavy sigh of relief and moved to sit on the edge of his daughter's bedside. "You're supposed to be on your Honeymoon. Not here."
Thomas let out a soft chuckle. "Katie, you think I could hop on a plane when my daughter was just shot?" he questioned, taking her hand in his. "Not a chance."
"But you and Brooke had this planned for months." Kaitlynn reminded.
"And Brooke is down in the cafeteria getting some coffee and breakfast." Thomas replied. "She was just as worried about you as I was. As soon as Heather called us, we left the airport and came straight here."
Kaitlynn licked her dry lips, "I'm sorry daddy." she mumbled, her eyes slowly readjusting to the brightness of the room. "Where are we?"
"New York General." Thomas answered, gently brushing some soft curls from his daughter's face.
"You were MediVac'd in last night." a redheaded nurse informed as she walked in, looking over the detective's chart. "I'm Alex Salter, your nurse." she gave a warm smile to the father and daughter duo. "I told some other nurses and doctors that the other bed was broken, so you could have some peace and quiet."
"Thank you, Nurse Salter." Thomas nodded to the redhead.
Kaitlynn mustered a soft smile, looking around the room, "Where're Cat and Heather?"
Thomas let out another chuckle, "They were here for a while, but Catherine took Heather back to your apartment. I promised I'd call them when you were awake. Which I guess I should do right now while your nurse does her job."
"Thanks daddy." Kait smiled.
"I love you, Katie." Thomas leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "I'll be back soon, okay?"
"Kay." the detective muttered, struggling to sit up without wincing. She touched the dressing over her shoulder, the flesh feeling tender to the touch.
"You did great in surgery." Alex complimented. "Both of them."
Kaitlynn arched her brow, "Both?" she repeated.
Alex nodded. "The police said you crawled out of a mangled car." she informed. "Apparently, some do-gooder doctor found you, performed a Needle Thoracostomy on you in the field, with a pocketknife no less. If it wasn't for him, you'd be dead."
Kaitlynn flashed back to when Vincent helped her with the two Bosnian girls, watching him be a doctor firsthand-then to the two of them dancing just recently. A smile had unknowingly formed on her lips, which Alex had noticed. "And I'm guessing from that look, you know who he is." she chuckled, jotting down notes in her file and adjusting the flow of her morphine drip. "He must be special."
"And then some." Kaitlynn added without a second thought.
Alex glanced out the window, a longing look in her eyes. "I had someone like that once." she muttered. The nurse sighed and regained her composure, "And as much as I'd like to over-share, I have rounds. The doctor will be in shortly." She gently patted Kaitlynn's arm. "Hang in there, Kaitlynn."
"Thank you." the brunette returned the nurse's smile and watched as she left.
Her cell vibrated on the bedside table and Kaitlynn reached over, the screen lighting up with a missed call and voicemail from KC. She tapped the voicemail notification and listened to her best friend's message, "Kait, I'm so sorry. I just got the message from Evan. I should have been there for you. I'm on my way now with Clint Eastwood movies and Gummy Bears. Love ya."
Kaitlynn couldn't help but smile at her best friend's apology, but was grateful for it nonetheless. She glanced up to see someone in a white lab coat close the curtain around her bed. Her eyes lit up when she caught a small glimpse of a scar down his right cheek. "Vincent." Kaitlynn smiled as he removed the surgical mask. "What if someone sees you?"
"Playing doctor is kinda in my wheelhouse." he replied, matching her smile with one of his own. "Besides, I needed to see you." Vincent sat down on the side of the bed, looking into her brown eyes. He saw the faint bruise on her forehead surrounding the gash from when her head hit the steering wheel at the moment of impact. Aside from her skin looking slightly paler than normal, Kaitlynn was fine. Safe and alive, which was all he cared about.
"Thank you." Kaitlynn's eyes locked with his. "My nurse told me about that procedure you did. The amazing roadside save." She smiled, her hand inching forward, closer to his. "Vincent, I'm alive because of you." a light chuckle escaped her lips.
"It wasn't me." Vincent rebuked, swallowing the lump in his throat. Kaitlynn's brow furrowed in confusion. "It was, uh, Evan, actually." he elaborated. "I just ripped the car door off, got you out, and I wanted to stay to help. But I couldn't, you know, get back to...being me." He glanced down at the small distance between their hands, remembering how he felt holding her body in his arms, the feel of her blood on his hands. "Evan pulled up, so I had to make a choice. He was your best option."
"Vincent." Kaitlynn breathed out, getting him to look back to her. "You still saved my life. If you hadn't got me out of that car, Evan never would have gotten to me in time."
"Well, if he hadn't shown up though, then what?" Vincent questioned, his eyes never leaving hers. "Sure, I can pull a car door off, but you needed a doctor and..." he swallowed the lump in his throat. "I couldn't help you; you know. In that moment, all I could do was...watch you slip away."
He took her hand in his and caressed the back of it, "You know, I thought I lost you." he admitted, his voice catching in his throat.
Kaitlynn glanced down at their hands, interlocking her fingers with his before looking back up and meeting his eyes, "You didn't lose me." she reminded. "I'm right here." She gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "Even though your DNA is changing, that doesn't have to change things between us." she admitted.
"You know you say that now, but just wait until I sprout whiskers and a tail." Vincent chuckled, his thumb caressing the back of her hand.
"I'll still be here, no matter what." she squeezed his hand again. "We're in each other's lives forever, whether we like it or not." Kaitlynn giggled. "You're stuck with me, Keller." She glanced at her morphine drip and let out another soft laugh.
Vincent couldn't help but laugh as well, squeezing Kaitlynn's hand. The sound of her laugh, even if slightly influenced by the painkiller she was on, was music to his ears, reminding him she was alive. Using his free hand, he brushed some hair from Kait's face, and she turned her cheek into his palm, "I accept all of what you are." she breathed out, her eyes meeting his.
Vincent leaned down and kissed her forehead, caressing her cheek with his thumb. Kaitlynn's eyes closed and her heart rate sped up by a few beats. Her head inched down as she opened her eyes, and she felt heat rise to her cheeks as she saw how close her, and Vincent were. Maybe it was an involuntary reflex or perhaps the morphine in her system, but Kaitlynn found herself inching forward, the tip of her nose brushing against Vincent's, when suddenly her cell phone vibrated by their interlocked hands, breaking the pair out of their daze.
Kaitlynn grabbed her cell and checked the message, while Vincent let out a small groan, his vision flashing red for a brief moment, followed by a dull ache in his forehead. "It's Evan." Kait sighed, glancing back up to Vincent, "He's on his way up."
Vincent blinked away his slightly blurry vision, regaining his focus and glancing back to Kaitlynn, "You know if I could stay, I would." he admitted, running his knuckles down her cheek.
She turned into the touch, "I know." she glanced up and met his eyes, "And you know I'd want you to stay if you could."
"I know." he mirrored her smile and got back to his feet. "You should probably know that Evan might have seen me on the road last night." he added, glancing back to Kait.
"Okay, I'll take care of it." Kaitlynn replied. She watched as Vincent tied the surgical mask around the lower half of his face and pulled the curtain back. With one final glance, he turned and walked away.
As she watched him leave, Kaitlynn closed her eyes as various of memories played through her mind; from the first time Vincent ever saved her to when they first met, the first time they held each other, when he saved her from Remy on Halloween, and finally their dance at the wedding. Each memory made Kaitlynn's heartbeat just a bit faster and a new feeling spread through her body she hadn't felt in over a decade.
"Kaitlynn." Brooke's voice snapped the brunette from her dreams, and she turned her head to see her stepmother on the brink of tears as she rushed towards the bed and gently hugged her. "Oh, thank God you're okay."
"Brooke." Kaitlynn whispered, patting the older blonde's back with her hand. "I'm fine. A little doped up, but fine." She cleared her throat as the blonde sat back. "I'm sorry this put a damper on your Honeymoon."
Brooke shook her head, "Oh, that doesn't matter. We can reschedule." she sniffled. "The only thing that matters is that you're alive."
"Catherine and Heather will be here in about half an hour. They were both relieved to hear you're finally awake." Thomas added in a soft voice, placing his hand on his new wife's shoulder.
"Then you guys can go home and get some sleep." Kaitlynn advised. "Evan's on his way up as we speak. He'll keep me company until Cat and Heather get here."
"Are you sure, Katie?" Thomas arched his brow in slight confusion.
"Yes." the brunette nodded her head. She glanced between her parents and saw Evan standing in the doorway with a large bouquet of flowers. "See, right on time."
Thomas sighed, feeling his exhaustion set in at being by his daughter's bedside all night. "Alright, we'll come by later then." he promised, taking Brooke's hand as she stood up.
"We love you, Katie." Brooke smiled.
"You too." Kaitlynn returned the smile and watched as they left, while Evan took the spot at her bedside where Vincent was just a few minutes prior. "Someone's feeling good about themselves." she joked, seeing the smile on Evan's face as he looked at her.
"Just thinking about how much you owe me for saving your life." the medical examiner joked back.
Kaitlynn arched her brow, challengingly, "Didn't I just save your life?" she retorted. "Wasn't that you a couple months ago...psycho subway killer?"
"Statute of limitations on that expired days ago, darling." Evan chuckled.
The two friends shared a laugh, Kaitlynn wincing slightly from the ache in her ribcage. She cleared her throat, "So..." she met her friend's eyes. "you are a roadside surgeon. You know, if I could make six figures a year doing that, I would not be in a basement cutting open dead people." Evan lowered his head. "And, the way that you pulled me out of my car..."
"Pulled you out?" Evan quirked his brow. "No, I just bravely slammed on the brakes, so I didn't flatten you."
"Wait, so, I was already on the road when you found me?" Kait continued to play stupid about how she got from her car to the road.
Evan nodded in confirmation, "Yeah, you must have crawled out before you lost consciousness. You did lose a hell of a lot of blood and have a concussion, that could be why you don't remember much."
"Yeah, maybe." the brunette muttered, licking her lips. "So, guess I'm a living, breathing miracle then, huh?"
Evan took Kaitlynn's hand and interlocked their fingers; the same way Vincent had done when he visited her minutes earlier. "You are to me." he agreed, his blue eyes never leaving her brown ones.
Before Evan could make another move, Catherine knocked on the door, sighing in relief when she saw Kaitlynn for herself. "Sorry, am I interrupting?" she questioned, catching a slightly hurt look in Evan's eyes.
"Not at all." Kaitlynn cleared her throat.
Evan put on a smile and got to his feet, "I'll give you two some time. Take care, Kait." he leaned down and pecked her cheek before leaving the room.
Catherine set her purse down in the chair where their father had sat, before leaning down to hug her sister, "You had us all worried, Katie."
Kaitlynn sighed, leaning forward to return the embrace, "Yeah, I've heard that a lot. From you, dad, Vincent."
"Vincent?" Catherine repeated, pulling back and sitting in the chair. "Vincent was here?"
"A little bit ago." Kait reached up and probed her forehead. "Between my concussion and the morphine, my sense of time is a bit fuzzy. Seems like everyone's coming in all at once."
At that moment, Alex walked in looking like she had just seen a ghost. The two sisters looked at her and immediately saw the deer-in-the-headlights look she had. "Hi, Alex." Kaitlynn greeted. "Cat, my nurse, Alex. Alex, my older sister, Catherine."
"Hi." Alex waved, trying to make sense of who she had seen in the crowd earlier.
Seeing the nervous look from the redhead, Kaitlynn quirked her brow, "Uh, there's not something wrong with my X-ray, is there?"
"Oh, no. No, no." Alex rebuked, shaking her head as she walked up to the bed. "Everything's... everything's fine with you. Just, a weird question." she scratched the back of her head. "The doctor that came in here earlier, do you know him?" The question part came out a bit harsher than she had intended. "Tall, was wearing a lab coat, had a scar on his face." she elaborated when Kait took too long to answer. "Another nurse saw him walk out of your room."
Kaitlynn swallowed the lump in her throat and placed her hand over Catherine's. "Um, I think a doctor did come in here to check my chart. I didn't recognize him though. Why?" she played dumb, wondering where this line of questioning was going.
Alex sighed and sat down on the stool on the other side of the bed. "Still cool to over-share?" she asked, and Kait nodded. "Okay. I know this is going to sound crazy, but...the doctor I saw is supposed to be dead." she admitted, staring blankly into space. "It was Vincent Keller."
Alex left the room ten minutes later, after composing herself. "Text Vincent and tell him not to come back here." Kaitlynn to Catherine, handing over her phone, just as Heather came into the room.
Kaitlynn walked around the hospital floor with Catherine and Heather on either side of her. Heather was going on about how Evan saved Kaitlynn's life, stumbling into her sister every few words or so.
"Thanks for all the details, Heath." Kaitlynn smiled, almost tripping over her feet when her younger sister nearly fell into her. "Okay, am I holding you up, or are you holding me up?" she groaned. "Are you still hungover?"
"Possibly." the youngest Chandler admitted.
The three sisters stopped by a storage closet. "I'm just gonna run to the pharmacy real quick. Coffee plus aspirin and I'm good to go. Promise." Heather pecked her older sister's cheek before stumbling off.
"Yeah, I'll just be holding this wall up." Kaitlynn groaned. "Cat, go with her. Make sure she doesn't fall down and hurt someone, or herself."
"You sure, Katie?" Cat asked, keeping her sister steady against the wall.
"Go, I'll be fine for a few minutes." Kait smiled reassuringly. Catherine reluctantly agreed, pecking Kait's cheek before following after their youngest sister.
Just as Catherine disappeared from sight, Kaitlynn saw Vincent, now in jeans and a hooded sweatshirt, walking towards her. He quickly grabbed her arm and led into the supply closet where they could talk in private.
"Didn't you get my message?" Kaitlynn questioned. "What part of 'Don't come back, not safe' do you not understand?"
"What's going on?" Vincent questioned back, pulling his hood down. "Evan trying to hunt down the vigilante again?" he chuckled, jokingly.
"More like my nurse." Kaitlynn replied, remaining serious. Her eyes met Vincent's, "You might know her. Alex Salter." She saw the look in his eyes and knew he recognized the name. "Who is she?"
Vincent felt his throat go dry, just as it did when he first saw Alex after leaving Kaitlynn's hospital room. "We were just friends. We grew up together." he answered the brunette's question. "Her, me, JT, my brothers, you know...and, uh, and later, we-we were pretty close." His eyes wavered from hers after mentioning the last part.
Kaitlynn sighed, "That explains everything." she noted, her profiling training kicking in. "Why she was such a wreck earlier, after claiming she saw you."
"No." Vincent shook his head, leaning against the wall. "You're just misreading her. It's been over ten years. She saw a ghost."
"Don't patronize me, V. I do this for a living, remember?" Kait arched her brow. "I know I'm not misreading her." she licked her lips, "Just like I know that there's more to the point of how 'close' you two actually were." She brushed past him and exited the closet, leaning against the wall and waiting for her sisters.
Later that night, Catherine laid in bed next to Kaitlynn, her arm around her shoulders and her fingers brushing through her hair. "I shouldn't be surprised though." Kaitlynn sighed. "I know he had a life before me. Just like I had one before him. So, it's no surprise he was with someone like her."
Catherine placed a soft kiss on her little sister's head. "You're prettier, Katie." she reminded, making both girls laugh.
"Not my point, Cat." Kaitlynn shifted herself, her eyes now on Heather, who was currently asleep in the second hospital bed in the room. "Take her home. I'll be okay until Kimberly gets here."
"You sure?" the eldest Chandler asked, ceasing the stroking of her sister's hair.
"Yeah." the middle Chandler nodded. "Just hand me my laptop before you go. So I can start my insurance claim about my car."
Catherine sighed and gave Kaitlynn another quick peck before helping her youngest sister from the bed and out to the car.
Instead of staring on her car insurance claim, Kaitlynn surfed Facebook for any new information on Alex. She saw someone walk into her hospital room and discreetly lowered the top of her laptop, seeing Kimberly walk in with balloons, an armful of Clint Eastwood DVD's and a stuffed animal from the gift shop.
Kaitlynn flashed her best friend and partner a slightly pitiful smile, "A stuffed bear? That's how pathetic I am?" she mock-whined.
"You, not even on the Richter scale." KC rebuked, setting the balloons by the bedside chair and the teddy bear in the crook of her partner's injured arm. "Your loser partner, closing in on a ten."
Kaitlynn glanced over the DVD stack, "Wait, no Gummy Bears?"
KC sighed and lowered her head, "Who knew 11 was even possible?" she walked around and looked over Kait, seeing the bandage around her hand holding her IV in place, and the gauze dressing on her right shoulder. She bit her lip to avoid crying, "I'm sorry Kait." she apologized, her voice cracking.
"Kim." the brunette took her partner's hand. "There is no way we could've known what would happen to me. Don't beat yourself up, okay?"
Kimberly nodded, but Kaitlynn could tell something was bothering her. "What's up with you, KC? You said you were staying late to work on stuff. But from the look on your face, something else was going on."
KC sighed, "Ya know, sometimes having a profiler for a partner, kinda sucks." she half-mocked. "Last night in the precinct, Joe and I had a couple drinks, maybe more, and it got... weird."
Kaitlynn arched her brow, "Weird, how?" she prided. "Naked weird?"
Kimberly shook her head. "He's married." she reminded. "And even if they're having problems, I don't want to be sloppy seconds. You know, the other woman thing sucks."
Kait nodded in agreement, "Yeah, you never know where you stand."
"Okay, if we don't drop this, I'm going to break out into a rash." KC ran her hands through her hair. "What's on the laptop? Porn?" The dark-skinned female climbed into the space beside her partner, looking over the Facebook searches. "Alex Salter. And he's..."
"A she. My nurse." Kaitlynn corrected. "I don't know, a little detective thing. I couldn't help myself."
Kimberly just scoffed and closed out the window. "If you want to know who's changing your bed pan, ditch the social media crap, and get on the NYPD database." she informed, already typing in the name. "Got a hit. She doesn't have a record, but she filed six police reports in three months."
"Wait, seriously?" Kaitlynn gaped, looking over the notes on the screen.
"She complained of someone following her, checking her e-mails, wiretapping, and breaking and entering. But there's no signs of forced entry." KC read aloud.
An uneasy feeling began to stir in Kaitlynn's gut, "Any leads?" she asked, swallowing the lump in her throat.
"Well, it's Precinct 86. Those stooges haven't even looked into it yet." Kimberly scoffed. "Only thing they did was make notes. 'Paranoid and delusional.'" she rolled her eyes. "That's pretty big words for those guys. But, then again, your nurse does sound a little 51/50."
Kaitlynn nodded and pretended to stifle a yawn. Kimberly noticed and closed the laptop, "It is pretty late. I'll let you rest and come by tomorrow." she gently nudged her best friend's arm, grabbed her purse and left.
Once she knew no one else was coming or going, Kaitlynn grabbed her phone and quickly dialed a number. After a few rings, J.T. answered with a slightly harsh "What?"
"I think that Alex is being watched." Kaitlynn informed, jumping right in with her theory. "She says there's some faceless person following her. They tapped her phone, broke into her apartment."
"Well, it wasn't Vincent." J.T. clarified. "He never went to see her; he always said it was too painful. He cared about her too much."
Kaitlynn bit her lip, "Well, does it sound like someone else we know?" she continued, ignoring the slight twinge in her heart. "Walks around without a face...taps into electronics without being detected. J.T., what if this is Muirfield?"
"Oh, God." the professor groaned on the other end.
"Put Vincent on the phone. I need to warn him." Kaitlynn begged.
"I can't." J.T. informed. "He's not with me."
"Then where the hell is he?" the detective snapped.
With an exaggerated eyeroll, J.T. answered, "I'm guessing he's with Alex."
"Damnit Vincent." Kaitlynn cursed as she hung up. She slid the IV needle out of her hand and climbed out of bed, wincing as she pulled the curtain closed around her.
As Alex crossed the street to her apartment building, she was grabbed from behind and had a knife pressed to her throat. "I saw you with your little soldier boyfriend. That was him, right?" the knife-wielding man demanded, tightening his grip around the nurse. "I bet he's gonna miss you." he gripped the hilt of his knife. "I've been thinking about this for a long time."
Before he could make another move, the sound of gunshots rang out. The man turned around and saw Kaitlynn standing by the brick, holding her gun in the air, and broke into a run.
"NYPD!" Kaitlynn yelled out, taking a step forward only to wince in pain and brace herself against the building, her right shoulder throbbing.
Seeing her in pain, Alex ran to her patient and helped her inside.
Kaitlynn sat on the living room couch as Alex changed the bandage on her shoulder. "I don't even know how to thank you." the redhead smiled, tearing off a piece of medical tape. "How did you know I'd be in trouble?"
Kaitlynn winced as a bit of pressure was applied to her shoulder, "I didn't, actually." she lied. "I was just stopping by to say thank you for the great health care."
"Or maybe you started keeping tabs on me, because of Vince?" Alex guessed, with a slight quirk of her eyebrow. "Of him coming to see me, I mean." Kaitlynn opened her mouth to say something but couldn't find the right words. "It's okay. Vince told me everything." the nurse continued. "Obviously, that's just what you do when you're somebody's handler."
The detective arched her brow, "Right." she agreed with a slow nod. "Um, Alex, who was that guy?"
Alex shrugged her shoulders, "I'd never seen him before, but he seemed to know me. he said something like, he's been thinking about doing this for years." she answered. "Detective Chandler, he might be the person that's been watching me. I had a break-in a few weeks ago."
Kaitlynn nodded along, "Really? Did they take anything? Is anything missing?" she asked, trying to get more information.
The nurse just shook her head. "No, nothing." she admitted. "I know it sounds weird, but I think whoever it was just went through my closet."
"Do you mind if I take a look?" Kait prided, "A set of fresh eyes couldn't hurt, right?"
"Not at all, go right ahead." Alex showed Kaitlynn her bedroom and left to go make some coffee.
Kaitlynn took a deep breath and walked into the closet, searching for anything that looked out of place to show that someone had been in there. Of course, if Muirfield was behind the break-in, then there would be nothing to show for it, and she knew that. Her hand grazed over a long, cardboard box and she gently pulled it out, sliding the lid off and setting it on the end table. She thumbed through the contents, finding nothing but opened envelopes and old pictures.
"How do you like your coffee, Detective?" Alex called from the dining room.
"Splash of cream and two spoon-fulls of sugar." Kaitlynn answered back. She pulled a folded picture from the box, seeing it was of Vincent, shirtless on a beach, with sunglasses and an open-mouthed smile, as if he were laughing. Kait felt herself smile as well, setting the picture down. She found more pictures of Vincent and Alex, and her smile faltered when she saw how genuinely happy they were together.
Kaitlynn pulled out the last letter from the box and skimmed over it. Her heart sank to her stomach when she read a sentence talking about a wedding and seeing the word fiancé and the words 'I love you'. She felt her eyes well with moisture as she put the letter back in the envelope, her heart feeling as if it were in a vice grip.
She heard Vincent's voice, which only added to the ache in her chest. She could hear Alex's too, saying things like, "Your handler, she saved my life." and "I wasn't sure if I was gonna see you again."
Then she heard Vincent's reply, "Yeah, well, I'm here now."
Then she heard footsteps coming towards the bedroom. Kaitlynn quickly put the box back in the closet and composed herself, slipping the photograph of Vincent into the pocket of her leather jacket. With a deep breath and dry eyes, Kait turned the corner and was face-to-face with Vincent. "Handler?" she questioned with a sharply quirked eyebrow. "Really, V?"
"I didn't know what else to say." Vincent admitted, seeing the slightest look of hurt in her eyes.
Before another word could be spoken between them, Alex came back with two cups of coffee and some aspirin for Kaitlynn. "Sorry, no trace of the perp." Kaitlynn admitted, popping the pills and chasing them down with a swig of coffee.
Alex ran her hand through her hair, "Well, they already dusted for prints, so I figured it was a long shot." she sighed. "Thanks anyway, Kaitlynn."
"Wait, he was in the apartment?" Vincent questioned, looking between the two girls.
"Yeah, we think a couple weeks ago." Kaitlynn answered with a nod. "So, any scent of him is probably long gone." she put emphasis on the word to let Vincent know that beast-tracking was out of the question. She turned to Alex, "They find any other evidence?"
"A hair, some mud from shoes." Alex answered. "But I never heard back."
The detective simply shrugged, ignoring the tenseness in her wounded shoulder. "They probably booked it into Properties without ever analyzing it." she admitted, sadly. "Sometimes it's easier to call someone crazy rather than face the facts." She knew that feeling all too well, being labeled crazy when you know for a fact something had happened. "You stay here with her." she said to Vincent, casting a quick glance in his direction. "I'll be back."
Kaitlynn brushed past him, setting her coffee down on the table. Vincent followed her to the door, "Sure you're okay to do this?" he asked in a low voice, while Kaitlynn buckled her gun holster on her hip.
"Totally." she answered, though partially lying. She pulled out her cell phone and sent a quick text to Catherine, asking her to pick her up by the apartment building. "I'll look into the evidence and get back to you."
"Kaitlynn." Vincent reached out and took her wrist, getting the brunette to look back at him. "Are we okay?" he could see the mixed emotions swirling behind her deep brown eyes.
Kaitlynn pulled her wrist back, "This isn't the time or place to talk about that right now." she told him, opening the door and walking out, biting her lip to avoid the tears she felt stinging at the corner of her eyes.
After calling in a favor with Evan to look over the evidence, Kaitlynn walked into the crime lab. "What the hell are you doing here, Kait?" Evan asked, shocked to see her standing in his lab. "I thought you were actually calling in the favor. Not calling to ask and then show up here." He walked closer to the young detective and could see she was a bit wobbly on her feet, and her bandage was bleeding. "Did your doctor release you?"
"Yep." Kaitlynn answered. "Said he was fine with my recovery."
Evan didn't buy it but went along for the sake of his friend. "Your bandage is bleeding through. Take down your jacket and let me change it."
"Evan, you don't have to." the brunette rolled her eyes, leaning against the desk. "I'm fine, really."
"Look, if you're not going to look after yourself properly, I sure as hell am." Evan argued, holding a fresh gauze pad and medical tape.
"Fine." Kait caved, shrugging down the right side of her jacket and her pale grey sweater. Evan sat on the stool opposite her and removed the bandage and then proceeded to clean the wound, his eyes casting a few glances down to the detective's red polka-dot bra. "By the way-" her voice snapped his eyes back to hers, "-my nurse said your work was 'exquisite'. She said that only the best-trained surgeon could have pulled that off." Evan glanced down and focused on applying the new dressing. "Not a medical examiner-"
"Another time, Kait. Alright?" he cut her off, not wanting to explain how exactly he knew how to perform what he did on the road the night before last.
"Sorry if I struck a nerve." Kaitlynn apologized, wincing as the bandage pinched together the skin around her bullet wound. "Get a match on that hair yet?"
"Actually, yes." Evan answered. "I was just about to call you." He stood up and grabbed the file off his work desk. "Why are you digging around in an old case from Precinct 86?" he questioned.
"Just a favor for a friend." Kaitlynn cleared her throat, readjusting her sweater and jacket. "And because it's Precinct 86." she chuckled, taking the file Evan handed her. She flipped it open and instantly recognized the mugshot, seeing it was the same man that attacked Alex the previous night.
"Connor Sorvino." Kaitlynn informed Alex and Vincent when she returned to the apartment, showing them the case file. "He was shot twice in the had three months in recovery, and the hospital records I pulled, they showed you as the nurse on duty."
Seeing the mugshot made Alex realize she had seen him before and remembered him from the hospital. "We used to call him 'Con Man'. He thought he was in love with me and kept asking me to marry him, but I said..." she trailed off, glancing between Vincent and Kaitlynn.
"What?" the detective prided. "Over-share, remember?"
Alex swallowed the lump in her throat. "I said I was already in love." she finished. "That my heart belonged to someone else." She glanced up at Vincent, who stood there with his hands in his coat pockets.
"Okay, Kaitlynn, you got to put a call out on that guy." he suggested. "He's pretty dangerous."
Kaitlynn folded her hands on her knees, "It's not as easy as that, Vincent." she rebuffed. "Forensics will sweep this place and Alex's car." They shared a knowing look that the official way was not the way to do this.
"Meaning they'll find Vince's DNA?" Alex questioned, shaking her head. "No. We can't have that. Use me as bait." she suggested. "I'll have you two looking out for me. If we could draw him out."
Kaitlynn shook her head, "That's not a good idea."
"Connor's hacked my e-mails, I know it, and sometimes he forgets to mark the new ones unread." Alex informed. "If I write to a friend and say that I was taking off after a shift to be with the guy I love."
"Alex, we can't be sure he'll take that bait." Kaitlynn reminded.
Vincent arched his brow and looked to the detective, "Are you saying that this is a good call, Kait?"
"But it's not either one of your calls to make. It's mine." Alex looked between the two, and everyone in the room knew this was the only option without the fear or risk of exposing Vincent.
Later during her shift, Alex went about work as usual, sitting at the main nurse's station in the Emergency Waiting Area. Among the crowd sat Kaitlynn and Vincent, who kept their eyes open for any sign of Connor.
A sudden explosion rocked the waiting room, sending people scrambling in all directions. In the chaos, both Vincent and Kaitlynn lost sight of Alex, giving Connor the opening to drag her through the doors leading to the basement. Vincent weaved his way through the crowd, while Kaitlynn struggled to keep up due to her recent injury.
"Ma'am, you need to come with me." one of the doctors said as he halted Kaitlynn.
The detective flashed her badge and gun, "I'm NYPD in pursuit of a dangerous suspect." she informed, shoving past the doctor and following Vincent through the basement doors.
The alarms continued to blare in the basement as they tried to follow any trace of Alex. "Damn it." Vincent cursed under his breath. "This place is a damn echo chamber. I can hardly hear them." he glanced down to the detective beside him. "It's gonna be quicker to find her if we split up."
"Or you find Connor first. Then what?" Kaitlynn questioned; a bit harsher than intended. "I don't think I can cover up for you again."
"Alex's life is at stake. Just be careful." Vincent gently patted her back before turning back the way they came.
Kaitlynn rolled her eyes and unholstered her weapon, clicking the safety off and clutching it tightly in her non-dominate hand. "Yeah, you too." she muttered, knowing Vincent couldn't hear her over the alarms.
She kept her back braced against the wall, following the hallway. She heard the faint sounds of a scuffle and Alex's voice pleading with Connor to let her go. "I was good to you. I took care of you."
"That's why you would've been the perfect wife." Connor snapped back, holding his gun in the air. "All you had to say was yes." He tightened his grip on Alex's arm, the vein in his temple bulging from his angered state. "When I saw you with that Army grunt, I knew you'd never love anyone else, that no one could take the place of, your first love."
Kaitlynn bit her lip, keeping her own emotions in check. She tightened the grip on the hilt of her gun and ran around the corner. "NYPD!" she alerted, her gun aimed and ready to fire.
Only Connor fired first, missing Kait, but causing her to stumble back and fall to the ground. She let out a loud cry as pain radiated up her right shoulder from when she fell. She rolled onto her left side, her hand gripping her shoulder to try and reduce the pain even a little. Her eyes opened and she saw her gun had slid towards the opposite wall, and she was in no shape to move to retrieve it.
A pair of combat boots came into her view, followed by a low growl. She looked up, seeing Vincent fully transformed and looking down at her, gold eyes meeting brown. He kicked the gun into her waiting hand before taking off after Connor and Alex. "Vincent, wait!" Kaitlynn called out, but he was already around the next corner.
Kaitlynn let out a few staggering sobs as she tried to push herself up to a sitting position. She let out some labored breaths as she braced her back against the wall, her hand shaking as she held her gun. She sat there for a few minutes, memories flashing through her head; all of her and Vincent.
A sliver of moonlight revealed glowing gold eyes and Kaitlynn's breath hitched in her throat, but something inside told her not to be afraid.
Kaitlynn let out the breath she was holding and turned around, her eyes meeting Vincent's. "You're him." Kaitlynn realized in that moment that Vincent was the one who saved her and Catherine the night their mother was murdered.
"Kaitlynn Chandler, NYPD Homicide Detective." This time Vincent was the one who smiled, and he shook her outstretched hand, "Vincent Keller, former United States Army and ER resident."
Kaitlynn sighed, looking away for a moment before meeting Vincent's eyes. "I get it. In order to be in contact with you, it has to be on your terms. It's just hard. But..." she placed one hand over his, lightly rubbing the back of it, "I'd like to make this friendship work."
Kaitlynn reached over and placed her hand over his again, getting him to look her in the eyes. "Vincent, that first night in the woods, the first time I saw you, I knew that you would never hurt me." she told him. "That was my gut telling me that." she gently squeezed his hand, "I trust you with my life, Vincent. No reservations. No fear."
"You have a life, Kait." he reminded, their brown eyes locked with one another's. "Go live it." Vincent leaned forward and gently placed his lips against her forehead, his hearing picking up on the breath hitching in her throat and her heart fluttering against her ribs. He could feel the heat in her cheek against his palm, and he gently caressed it with his thumb. Kaitlynn opened her eyes when Vincent pulled back, their eyes meeting one another's.
"Who you are...makes everything worth it." Their eyes locked with each other's, and Vincent nodded his head, before closing his eyes and turning his face into Kaitlynn's palm as she caressed his cheek. She touched her forehead to his again, before placing her lips to his forehead. This time Vincent's breath hitched in his throat, and he interlocked his fingers with hers. In that moment, all he could feel was the softness of her skin against his, the warmth of her lips and the steady rhythm of her heartbeat.
The moment his eyes faded from gold to their normal brown, Kaitlynn sighed in relief and ran right to him, looping one arm under his and wrapping the other around his shoulders. "It's okay." she whispered, turning her face into the nape of his neck, her right hand holding the back of his head. "You're okay." Vincent relaxed and returned the embrace, wrapping both of his arms around her back and taking a deep breath as he inhaled her scent. In that moment, it felt like they were the only two people in that loft, and he didn't want to let her go.
"I would make that same choice again if it meant that I could be in your life. Maybe now it's time to ease up on the past."
"What if I can't do that?" she sniffled, another tear falling down her cheek.
"You can." Vincent assured, reaching out and wiping the tear away. His palm lingered there, and he caressed her cheek with his thumb, "Because I'll do it with you." Vincent leaned down and kissed her forehead, his hand cupping her cheek. His lips lingered on her skin for a few, long seconds, before he pulled away.
Kaitlynn exhaled the breath she held and couldn't help but smile. Vincent pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her, and she let herself relax against him, her arms snaking around his waist and embracing him. "I don't know what I'd do without you." she admitted in a low voice, though she knew he could hear her.
This time Vincent couldn't help but smile. "I promise, I will always be here for you." he vowed, kissing her temple and running his fingers through her hair.
After letting a few tears fall down her cheeks, Kaitlynn got to her feet, ignoring the throbbing pain in her shoulder and followed after Vincent.
As she neared the level where the hospital's power was housed, the lights suddenly went out. The emergency lights kicked on and Kaitlynn followed the hall to dented door, hearing gunshots not too far in the distance. She heard Vincent calling out Alex's name and turned down a narrow hall.
Just as she ran through the door, she froze at the sight before her; Alex and Vincent wrapped in each other's arms and pulling away from a kiss. Her breath hitched in her throat and her heart sank for the second time that day. When Vincent turned to look in her direction, it took all of Kaitlynn's willpower not to let the tears she felt coming fall from her eyes. She kept her expression neutral and unreadable, hiding the face her heart was splitting in two.
Kaitlynn sat on the edge of her bathtub as Catherine changed the bandage on her shoulder. Her damp hair was pulled into a loose braid that draped over her uninjured shoulder. "There, all done." Catherine sighed, taping down the edge of the gauze. "That should be good for tonight."
Both sisters were dressed in flannel pajamas and shared a smile as they walked into the living room, where Heather, also sporting pink flannel pjs, had finished setting up the couch for Kaitlynn. "You two didn't have to do this, you know." the middle Chandler reiterated.
"We know, but since we're both gonna be looking after you while you recover, we thought it best to try and make it fun." Heather grinned, shrugging on a long, white cardigan. "I have some snacks in my car so this can be real slumber party." Heather pulled Kaitlynn into a hug, careful not to jerk her right shoulder too much. "I love you, Katie."
"You too, Heath." Kaitlynn replied.
Heather pulled back with a groan. "You always do that." she pouted, grabbing her car keys from her purse. "Every time anyone ever says, 'I love you' to you, you always reply with 'Yeah, me too' or 'you too' or 'me too'. You never say, 'I love you' back, to any of us."
Kaitlynn blinked in slight confusion, not realizing she'd been doing that at all. "You know, I thought you almost dying would somehow change that." Heather ranted on, opening the door, letting it slam behind her.
"I never realized." Kait muttered, walking around the living room and leaning against her armchair where her leather jacket was tossed over. "How long has that been going on?"
Catherine sighed and leaned against the side of the couch, "Since mom died." she answered, honestly.
Kaitlynn bit her lip, "I'm sorry, I had no idea."
"It's alright, Katie." Cat soothed, placing her hand on her sister's thigh. "Mom's death hit both of us hard, and for a while I closed myself off too. It's just taken you a little longer to open up again."
Kaitlynn sighed, looking to her older sister, "I'm the one with the Psychology degree, remember?" she chuckled.
Catherine echoed the chuckle and smiled, getting to her feet. "I'm gonna go grab the rest of the pillows and blankets from your room." She leaned down and kissed the top of her sister's head.
As soon as Cat left, Kait stood up and pulled the folded picture of Vincent from her jacket pocket. She gently ran the edge of her thumb over the image, staring at Vincent's wide smile, the type of smile she hadn't seen on him since they've met. She rubbed her shoulder where a bruise was forming from her earlier fall, wincing at the muscle tightness.
"I can help with that." Vincent's voice caught Kait by surprise and she turned to face him, holding the picture behind her back. "The dressing, I mean."
"No, it's fine." Kait cleared her throat, leaning against the doorframe of her balcony. "Cat just changed it, actually." She moved her left hand to further hide the picture.
However, Vincent saw right through it. "What'd you got there?" he asked, giving the girl a warm smile. "Show me." He reached forward, taking whatever, it was from her hand, and she willingly let him. When he saw that it was a picture of him that he remembers sending to Alex all those years ago, he looked at Kaitlynn, wondering why she had it instead. "You took this?"
"I didn't mean to." Kaitlynn defended. "It really was an accident." she cleared her throat, taking back the photo when he offered it. "I guess I...just wanted to know him." she admitted, looking up to meet his eyes.
A smiled crossed Vincent's lips as he saw the way Kaitlynn looked at the photograph, the softness and warmth in her eyes. "Hey, that guy isn't completely gone, okay?" he assured her, leaning against the balcony door.
"Not when you're with her." Kaitlynn reminded with a light sniffle. Their eyes locked again, and she felt the same vice grip on her heart. "You and I, we came together out of some pretty dark places."
"It doesn't mean that this isn't real." He argued, gently caressing her wrist.
"It doesn't mean that it's good, either." she rebuffed, keeping her eyes locked with his.
Vincent lowered his hand and slipped them into his pockets. "Is this your way of dodging you and me?" he questioned, sensing her pulling away. "Think about it, Kait. Why are we still stuck here? Why don't you and me move forward?"
"It..." Kaitlynn sighed, licking her lips. "It's complicated, Vincent."
"No, I think it's convenient that it's complicated." Vincent argued, keeping his eyes locked with hers. "Remember that I've watched over you for years. I know your patterns, and you like to pick bad boys, so you don't have to get serious and can keep your distance." Kait rolled her eyes at the fact she was being psychoanalyzed again for the second time that night. "And I guess, in a way, I am the ultimate bad boy. Because I'm not really an option for you, am I?"
Kaitlynn sighed heavily, "You want me to believe that your ex-fiancé showing up doesn't change everything?" she questioned, her eyes brimming with moisture.
"It doesn't change us." he assured. In that moment he wanted to caress her cheek and pull her close, but he could sense her hesitation and reservations about the topic, so he kept his hands in his jacket pockets, his own heart feeling like it was in a vice.
Kait bit her lip, letting out a shuddering breath. "I get it." she sniffled, letting a single tear fall down her cheek. "Maybe I don't remember how to be close with somebody." she meets Vincent's eyes once more. "But can you look me in the eye and tell me that you don't still have feelings for Alex?"
This time, Vincent couldn't hide the moisture in his eyes, and the vice grip on his heart began to feel like it was being torn in half. With a heavy sigh, he looked away from Kait, answering her question without a word.
Kaitlynn's shoulders sank, "She still loves you, Vincent." she admitted, feeling her own heart sink. "Maybe you need to find out if you still love her." She pushed herself off the doorframe. "And I need to focus on my family. I need to focus on letting them in, just like I've let you in." Vincent glanced back up and met her eyes, seeing she wasn't even bothering to hide her tears. "What I said at the hospital is still true. We're in each other's lives for good." With a shaky hand, Kaitlynn reached down and took Vincent's hand, "And that's never going to change."
A/N: I know, such a long time since I last updated. I am so incredibly sorry. Life has just been so hectic and crazy. I moved places (again) and started a new job and only have two days off, and lately I've been under the weather to where I spend my days off catching up on sleep and binging different tv shows. And even though I was on vacation for a couple weeks, that was all family focused and I had no time to write, despite bringing my laptop and flash drive with me. Anyway, hope ya'll enjoyed this chapter, lots of VinKait scenes, but this time ones that tug on the heartstrings a little bit. As always, reviews are appreciated.
Next time: On Thin Ice