A/N: Hopefully I'm out of the negative temperatures and we can turn this weather around!
One of my favorite chapters if I do say so myself and a HUGE shift in a certain dynamic between characters...
Tori had the worst headache in her entire existence.
It was the first thing that struck her when she came to. First blinding lights and loud popping sounds and then total darkness and silence. Tori didn't know how long she was out, but her vision didn't return to full capacity straight away. Everything around her was incredibly blurry.
And her head was fucking killing her!
The Latina struggled to get herself to her feet, gently touching her face which was wet. She dared to look down and saw her hand was covered in blood. Her blood. The sharp stab of pain made her strain and suddenly her vision got so much worse.
(I can't see! I CAN'T SEE!)
She fumbled around in her own personal darkness. Eventually after seconds of blindly getting her senses, tan hands gripped hard to a sturdy branch. Tori recalled a tree that grew at an odd angle and feeling the incline with her feet surmised that this was the way out.
Biting her lip and firmly planting her feet, the detective who could only hear and smell her surroundings began the arduous task of getting herself out of this pit.
A lone yellow Jeep parked behind the Fiat. Jade recognized it as Vega's rental car.
She got out of her Jeep and walked toward the other vehicle.
After the sun goes down, during this time of year especially, the sky and the road and the trees start blending together. No lights of any kind and road signs were scarce. That only made her, and Tori's cars stand out all the more with their bright colors.
Had it not been for the painted lines on the asphalt, Jade would've felt like she was wandering through a great dark void.
Jade peered into the driver's side window of the Panda and saw Vega wasn't inside.
"The hell did she go?" she asked herself.
The blonde's ears perked up at the sound of twigs snapping and leaves crunching. And it was close by. Before she could make out footsteps on the road, Jade whipped around, and her heart stopped at the macabre sight.
"Where did he go? Where did he go?"
Tori looked terrible, covered in blood and more disturbing she was muttering that question over and over like she was in a trance.
"HOLY SHIT, VEGA!" the medical examiner exclaimed. "What happened to you?"
The taller woman's hands gripped Jade's shoulders but she just saw her as an obstacle.
"No time...no time...need to find him...find him..."
Tori let go of her and began staggering away from her, continuing to obsess over where this supposed man went.
Maybe she was speaking of her attacker but that wasn't important right now. She was bleeding bad, and Jade quickly went into doctor mode. She firmly grabbed Tori by the wrist and dragged her back toward her own car.
Jade coerced Tori into sitting down on the ground, leaning her back against the Jeep. She watched Tori's head as she opened the trunk, which shined a light above the cop. The sudden bright light made her flinch.
"Calm down!" she ordered. "Sit still."
She dug into her trunk and shifted blankets and roadside safety stuff aside until she found her medical bag. Jade had this handy, amidst the jumper cables and road flares.
"I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it!" she always said.
Jade threw open what looked like a tackle box but way cleaner. Speaking of cleanliness, the first thing she grabbed was a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a small squeeze bottle of hand sanitizer. But before all that, Jade got an unopened bottled water and twisted the cap off.
"Close your eyes," she said, licking her lips before dousing the detective with the slightly room temperature liquid.
The tan woman winced as Jade ripped open fresh gauze to try and sop up the oozing blood. Cuts and wounds to the face were the worst. Beyond tilting the head back, there was little you could do to alleviate pressure to stop the bleeding. You needed to quickly bandage the area and get the patient in for stitches ASAP.
Despite her preparation, Jade didn't have any materials to attempt some impromptu stitches right here. At that moment, she turned and narrowed her eyes at a fishing pole sitting in the backseat. The doctor had a crazy idea, but this was a crazy situation, and sometimes you needed to be bold when administering first aid. Finding a sewing needle wasn't a problem. Between closing up cadavers at work and wardrobe malfunctions at home, Jade always found needles the way most people found random buttons.
"Listen, you're bleeding like a stuck pig, Vega..." she huffed. "Keep your head back and hold this gauze right here."
Tori mumbled something incoherent in reply but did as she was told.
The blonde grabbed the pair of scissors from her first aid kit and cut a few feet of the thin fishing line. It was light like piano wire but at least this was easier to see in this shitty lighting.
"I'm going to try and close this wound. It's really bad and won't stop bleeding on its own. Okay?"
She just hummed in pain.
First, Jade freshened up her own hands with the Purell before getting down to business. Next, she tied the line to the sewing needle. Jade bit her lip as she dipped another fresh package of gauze into the rubbing alcohol and held it in between her fingers while sliding the needle and fishing line through it. It was crude but some sanitation was better than none at all. This woman needed to get to a hospital, but her head was acting like a sieve with all of this blood. There was no time to wait, she had to act.
Jade took a deep breath and held it after telling Tori to remove the gauze slowly.
The Latina obliged with reluctance and the medical examiner commenced the sutures.
"Vega, could you?"
Tori groaned as she dabbed the area indicated by Jade. It was messy business closing up a gusher like this one. She was halfway done when she heard a defiant cry.
"AH, FUCK!" the brunette blurted out. "Take it easy, West!"
Jade smirked.
"You know, I've never heard anyone complain as much as you."
"Aren't your normal patients dead?" she countered.
"My point stands," Jade sighed. "Now sit tight, buttercup. I'm almost done."
Tori winced softer than before as Jade finished the patch job. She made fun but was impressed by the cop's stamina and tolerance of pain. Not everyone would be this docile while bleeding profusely from the noggin.
"And...one...more...tug...THERE!" Jade declared as she secured the suture with a knot and used the scissors beside her to snip off the excess. "Well, aren't you the prettiest ragdoll!"
Tori chuckled.
"You think I'm pretty? Was getting worried I lost the old moneymaker," she said, thumbing toward her face.
Jade paused for a second. She did tell Tori she was pretty. It just...tumbled out.
"Thank you..." the detective huffed. "For helping me."
The doctor shook her head.
"Don't thank me yet..." she warned before dabbing the final fresh batch of gauze in alcohol and started cleaning Tori's face. "This is gonna sting!"
The Latina screamed as soon as the white cloth made contact.
"Big baby," Jade muttered.
Once Tori was situated, Jade called Andre and told him to get the squad down here pronto.
Tori was surprised when Jade helped her to her feet so she could sit in the Jeep. Jade remained standing, keeping an eye on the road for help.
"So, Vega...what was so important that you decided to ignore the big hole in your head?"
Her headache was as intense as ever but at least the crimson wasn't pouring over her eyes anymore. Tori sighed and had nothing else to do until emergency crew arrived, so might as well make some conversation.
"I was looking for clues..." she pointed toward the ravine. "Down there."
Jade crossed her arms.
"Weren't you taken off the case?"
Tori grumbled, which was honestly endearing.
"You gonna rat me out, doc?"
The blonde chuckled and looked on at the windy road that ended at a sharp point.
"What do you think this is, Vega? A movie? Only after you are kicked off the investigation is when you solve it?"
Tori rolled her eyes.
"It's not like that, Jade" she huffed. "I hate the idea of sitting around and doing nothing."
That gave the medical examiner pause.
She wasn't on the clock, but Jade saw someone in trouble, so she acted. Was that really any different?
"Right when I was about to get out of there, a man pulled up in a car and fixed a flashlight on me. Then he started shooting. I dodged most of it but soon I ran out. He didn't. I remember him raising his pistol and then everything going black."
Jade rubbed her cheek with her finger.
"Maybe...the bullet only grazed you?" she offered. "Judging from what I could make out, I doubt the round went into your head."
It made a lot of sense. In both of their lines of work, they witnessed what a successful point-blank gunshot did to the human body. And it wasn't pretty. Sufficient to say, if the shooter was more accurate, Tori would not still have a face.
"I don't know if you're the luckiest bitch alive, or the unluckiest."
"I'll get back to you on that," Tori quipped in response.
The Langley Police Department descended onto the scene, Andre and Beck rushing to Tori who was still seated beside an impatient Jade.
"Where's the ambulance?" she spat.
"We contacted them," Beck explained. "But they said they were held up."
"Held up?" Jade sneered. "Vega was nearly killed execution style and we have to wait?"
She looked down at the brunette and sighed.
"Come on."
"What?" asked Tori.
"COME. ON."
Jade led her to the passenger seat and closed the door before stopping at Andre.
"This woman needs to get to the ER. We can't sit around and wait for the goddamn EMT's. I'll take her."
Before she could walk away completely, he put his hand on her shoulder.
"What happened, Jade?"
"She gave me the lowdown, just..." she pointed to where Tori indicated earlier. "Have Cat look down that ravine. Look for bullets, look for tire tracks nearby, SOMETHING!"
The blonde stormed away and got into the driver's seat to peel out of the scene.
"You don't have to do this," Tori sighed.
Jade scoffed.
"Anybody tell you that you've got a real issue with asking for help?"
"Kind of hard when your whole career was plagued by people questioning your ability and your motives."
The doctor swallowed.
"Fair enough."
She continued to drive on into the blackest of pitch, her headlights the only way of making sense of it. Tori looked up at the visor above her and unfolded it, an illuminated cosmetic mirror facing her. Now she was confronted with just how bad it looked for the first time. Before, she could only go by what she felt and what Jade described.
But it was more than just her words. Tori was mesmerized by Jade's face. You would think that she had seen her share of gory scenes, so to have that look of panic in her eyes upon finding her was unnerving. You never want to frighten a medical professional. They're supposed to "have seen it all" and find your problem mundane.
Jade was being a medical MacGyver back there using fishing line and a sewing needle to heal her. Tori resisted the urge to touch her handiwork in fear of undoing it. Not that it looked shoddy. Yes, the medical examiner was rushed and she had to work fast but it looked pretty good. Tori never had stitches, so she wasn't an expert. But these looked decent given the circumstances.
Blue eyes glanced over at the weary passenger.
"Not gonna lie, Vega...you're gonna have a scar."
Tori just hummed in the affirmative.
"Hey, that's alright" Jade shrugged with a smirk. "Chicks dig scars."
She turned over to the driver who was being way more cordial than previous times they interacted.
"Tell me..." Tori pointed to her bandages head. "Will this get me a drink?"
Jade laughed which made Tori laugh as well. She inadvertently alluded to the cop's queerness and Tori just rolled with it. Either she was completely out of it, or didn't pick up on what was said.
After the giggles died down, the Latina focused back on her personal paramedic.
"Jade?"
"Yeah?"
"How did you know I was out there? How did you find me?"
The blonde slowed the Jeep down to a stop at the red light. They reached civilization, finally away from the back roads, which meant they were closer to the hospital.
"Yeah...I've got a confession to make," Jade sighed.
Tori lifted the brow on her good side.
"What?"
"I may have...planted a trace...on your car."
Her head was target practice for a sledge hammer for the last hour but Tori was sure she heard right.
"Say that again?"
Jade bit her lip.
"I had Robbie plant a trace on your car. Anytime you moved, it sent a message to my cellphone."
There was a minute long pause, which was very uncomfortable.
"You WHAT?" Tori asked with bass in her voice.
She gently put her foot on the gas and went on.
"Jade...explain!"
"Look...um...I didn't know you or..."
"THAT'S RIGHT!" Tori snapped. "YOU DON'T KNOW ME!"
The doctor felt heaviness in her stomach. She felt so self-righteous when she told Robbie to do this and now, she began to regret it.
"Stop the car."
Jade blinked like she didn't hear that.
"Stop the fucking car, West!"
The yellow vehicle grinded to a halt and Tori quickly got out.
"Vega, wait! Tori!"
She ignored the blonde and just kept going, following the blue "H" sign for the hospital. Jade creeped alongside the trudging detective, passenger side window rolled down.
"Come on, get back in."
"FUCK OFF!" Tori grumbled, refusing to make eye contact.
"WILL YOU STOP!" pleaded Jade.
"We both know you wanted me out of here," the Latina fumed. "I just didn't think you would stoop this low!"
Jade sped up and took a hard turn, blocking Tori's path. She got out of the Jeep and locked eyes with her.
"What are you talking about?"
"Did you send that picture and all of those lies to the FBI?! Was that also your doing?"
The medical examiner shook her head, trying to calm her down.
"Vega, listen...I had NOTHING to do with that shit!"
"Why did you bug me?!" Tori pressed. "HUH?"
Jade breathed in deeply.
"There's a lot to unpack there. If you get back in the car I can explain on the way."
Tori put her hands on her hips.
"You expect ME to trust YOU?" the brunette scoffed.
The paler one pressed her lips together and sighed.
"Look, you're really hurt. We need to get you checked out. If a bullet grazed your head, it could mean a concussion. We need to be sure! You can hate me as a person. I know I'm a bitch! But believe me as a doctor. Now get in the car and let me take you to the ER. You shouldn't be doing something as strenuous as hiking two miles!"
The cop exhaled and grunted before pulling the door open with swift force. Jade sighed and got back in.
"Okay, go!"
"Right," Jade cleared her throat as she got back on the path. "The thing is...the last eighteen months have been a lot for me. It was a real shit show"
Tori shrugged, "And this has what to do with me?"
"Nothing!" she confessed. "That's the point. I came back from Louisiana hurt, scared, exhausted and...paranoid."
The Jeep turned onto the main road. They were a couple minutes away.
"I'm trying to keep it short but basically outside of my whole dreary sojourn back home, you were the first person I saw." Jade licked her lips, gripping the steering wheel. "I dunno...I...just unloaded all of my frustrations and negativity onto you. And I guess it was so cathartic to get all of that out that you became this lightning rod for what I've been feeling. That shitty day and a half getting home was the straw that broke the camel's back."
Her eyes glanced over to the intense brown ones staring back at her in meditative quiet.
"I'm sorry," Jade added with a sad tone.
Tori didn't say anything further until they got to the hospital.
Cat was down in the bottom of the ravine, examining the tree with more bullet holes than a Texas tannenbaum after Christmas.
"A-HA!" the redhead smiled.
With her trusted tool, she extracted an intact bullet. She was mostly finding fragments wedged into this tree. Seemed that the shooter favored this spot on the left side, which harbored a stubborn knot in the wood. This caused the bullet to break up into pieces. Broken up bullets weren't a deal breaker but they were a pain in the ass.
Using a lighted magnifying glass, Cat saw similarities between this bullet and the one found on the ground. That first one was suspected as the beauty that carved a canyon of crimson across Tori Vega's forehead. But she bagged both and would have them checked under the microscope to be certain. If they find the owner of the gun that these bullets belong to, they can have the shooter on the hook for attempted murder at least.
That shot was at point blank range; no way he would have figured she'd survive it. Thank goodness the creep took off and didn't try to "finish the job."
"How are we looking?" asked Beck.
Andre was back up there conversing with his peers as well as the feds.
The petite scientist noticed the dirt on his knees. He clearly had issues getting down here. Beck noticed that she noticed and smirked.
"I tumbled a couple of times on the way," he sighed.
Meanwhile Cat had nary a smudge or stain on her white outfit.
"Are you part mountain goat?"
The redhead just brushed past him to move onto the next thing.
Topside, Andre was getting a call on his cell.
"Hello?"
"Agent Crowley here. What's Vega's condition?"
He wasn't expecting the concerning question.
"Stable...I think. She's being taken to the hospital."
Andre could hear the typing of keys.
"When she's able to talk, please get a statement and...have her contact me, please."
The senior detective double-checked his phone to make sure the number was correct.
(He certainly sounded like Crowley.)
"Um, sure. Yeah."
"Good. Thanks."
The call ended and Andre stood there, wondering when the thing that crawled up his ass finally die?
Jade had a special parking placard that allowed her to leave her car in reserved spaces, for emergencies. She led Tori through the entrance as she knew this place pretty well. The tan woman had been here a couple of times but not nearly as much as Jade, plus her wits were probably fuzzy following her ordeal.
"Excuse me?" the blonde asked the receptionist.
"Hey, Jade..." the woman smiled before setting her sights on Tori. Her face immediately dropped. "Oh, my Jesus! What happened?"
The medical examiner signaled for an orderly to fetch a wheelchair and assisted Tori getting into it.
"Hold on..." the receptionist held up her hands. "We need to do some paperwork first."
"Lady...she's a police officer. She's got insurance, if that's what you're worried about."
"Doctor West, that's policy of..."
She was having none of this and wheeled Tori closer to the counter.
"LOOK! This woman was shot at! She needs HELP! I already had to give first aid because her ambulance never showed up! So, get some nurses down here before I go back there and do THEIR JOB myself, too!"
The older woman apologized and called in for immediate admittance of Tori.
Twenty seconds later, two professionals came in to escort Tori to triage with Jade following close by.
"Sorry, ma'am" the one male nurse said. "But are you family?"
"No," answered Jade.
"I'm afraid we can't let you..."
Jade rolled her eyes.
"DON'T GIVE ME THAT!" she shouted. "I'm a doctor!"
Two hours later, after some x-rays and a redressing of Tori's sutures, they found she had no internal bleeding, physical brain damage, or any debris from the bullet inside. It was one in a million, one of the doctors acknowledged. She was very lucky, indeed.
Jade leaned back as the discharge papers were being drawn up.
(Guess that settles that.)
"Am I good to go?" Tori queried.
"Looks fine," the grey haired doc said. "But I advise you to sleep in an elevated position, not flat. Can you do that?"
Tori nodded, feeling a bit better since they gave her something for her killer migraine. And her wound was as cleaned up as it could get.
"Ready to go?" Jade asked.
Tori tilted her head. "Go where?"
"Home," she shrugged. "You live at the motel on the other side of town, right?"
Jade wheeled her out of the hospital, one house rule that she decided to follow. Vega didn't need to traverse the whole place to leave in her condition. The elevator opened and they made their way to the parking lot where little else was out there besides the Jeep.
"Oh, wait!" Tori coughed. "My car!"
"Andre already called me," Jade sighed. "He said that he owed you one and would make sure it got back to the motel."
This was really weird, having Jade West of all people taking care of her. And what's more, getting her back to home base.
While they pulled out of the medical center, the blonde kept her focus primarily on the road while stealing fleeting peeks at the Latina who sat in silence.
"So, how'd you do it?" Tori finally asked.
"Do what?"
"How did Shapiro get to my car without me knowing? And where did he plant the tracker?"
Jade couldn't help but expel a bit of air from her mouth to resist a giggle.
"No, actually. What he did was he...hacked...into your GPS."
Tori did a double take.
"Seriously?"
"Yeah," Jade nodded. "He figured most modern rentals had one and lo and behold, it...did."
Her mind was blown learning about this.
"Remind me to kick that nerd's ass next time I see him."
"I talked him into it, Vega. Don't blame him."
"OH, PLEASE!" Tori huffed. "He didn't have to go along with it! He's a grown man after all."
Tori narrowed her peepers at the medical examiner.
"And nobody's that persuasive."
"I dunno..." Jade smirked. "Talked you into getting into my car. Twice."
The tan woman grumbled and massaged her temple.
"Touché."
"Can I ask you something?"
Without looking at Jade, she replied "Go for it."
"When Andre said he owed you, what did he mean?"
"Nothing," Tori yawned. "He was drinking one night, had a few too many, and I drove him home."
Jade was surprised by that. Her friend was known to partake now and then but she never saw him fucked up. Imagining Andre in that state was impossible. It was like picturing your parents and grandparents as children or teenagers. It just didn't compute.
"Did...anything else happen?" she asked Tori.
Now the cop turned to face the driver.
"Um, not really. Wasn't sure he was going to be sick or not, plus I drove his car to the house so there was no ride for me."
"Sounds like you have a nasty habit of abandoning your wheels," Jade grinned.
"Guess so," Tori shrugged.
Jade cleared her throat before going on.
"So, what did you do?"
"I told you...he was looking green as well as tired. Figured if he got sick, someone needed to make sure he didn't...I don't know...I couldn't leave without knowing he was alright. Sounds dumb in hindsight."
The blue-eyed woman was speechless.
Tori barely knew this guy, only that he was her new partner, and just stayed with him just because?
"You really hung around...all night?" Jade asked in disbelief.
"I'm beginning to see why you two are friends."
The blonde really had this chick all wrong. Once she stopped being so hostile and actually had a conversation with her, Tori Vega had more going on beneath the surface. Suddenly the chasing down of the fleeing car made more sense. She cared about others more than herself. How many people would be nearly killed and bleeding like mad, only to worry about losing the perp over her own well-being?
Now, Jade began to feel even worse for spying on her. And being plain rude from the outset. Her own hangups were why she did it. Tori didn't deserve that. She did nothing to warrant such a response.
"Hey...Tori?"
"Mm-hmm?"
"I..." Jade struggled with what to say and chickened out with, "How's the head?"
"Oh..." Tori barely touched it, avoiding the stitches. "Not bad. Think I can sleep tonight."
That last declaration was punctuated by a strong yawn. Jade found herself doing the same.
"Don't do that, Vega!" the doctor chuckled. "It's contagious!"
"Can you blame me?" Tori snidely asked. "I've been scared to close my eyes because I thought I was concussed!"
Jade pulled up to the Langley Motel right next to Tori's black and white Fiat.
Tori stopped by the car and checked the visor. The keys came tumbling out and she caught them in her hand. The Latina couldn't help but smile at Andre's thoughtfulness. No partner of hers back home would have done this. He was a real one.
She was grateful that the keys were in there as her room key was in there as well. Jade was impressed how they didn't use key cards here.
Jade took in the accommodations, realizing how her apartment in New Orleans looked like a palace by comparison. But she didn't mind Tori's room. This was cozy, a nice mix of rustic and modern. It actually reminded Jade of the house she grew up in. Though she wasn't in love with the red seating.
"I'll be one second..." Tori told her. "Just need to use the bathroom."
The pale woman nodded and surveyed the rest of the space. Jade paused at a watercolor featuring highland cows in a field. Hearing the toilet flush, she turned to see Tori emerge from the door. Jade's eyes darted toward the bedroom and followed Tori inside.
The doctor encouraged Tori to sit on the bed while she propped up the pillows so they could keep her in a semi-seated position for the night. After testing it out with a couple hard pats, helped Tori lean back.
"How's that?" the blonde asked.
"Good," Tori nodded. "Thank you."
"On the bright side if you have to pee in the middle of the night, you just have to swing your legs and BOOM, you're up!"
Tori smiled.
Jade looked over at the lamp and turned it on so she could pick it up and illuminate Tori's wound. She was giving it one final check for the day. The medical examiner didn't want to deal with the huffing and puffing of the staff to evaluate their handiwork right in front of them. But that wasn't why she was doing it. It's been at least a half hour since they left and Jade wanted to be sure everything held together on the ride back to the motel.
She needed to know that Tori would be all good for the night.
Tori shut her eyes as the light was too much. She did her best to keep her breathing normal as the sensation of Jade's capable hand was on her face. Her left hand was holding up the lamp, so her right roamed the Latina's features. Initially, she cupped the other woman's chin as she hummed in focused study. Jade then leaned in closer, resting her thumb and forefinger near Tori's eye.
Jade was so close now that Tori could smell her. It was a sweet kind of aroma. Was she wearing perfume? She must be because Tori sensed it the strongest by her appendages and neck. Jade must dab a bit on the wrists and collar so she didn't leave work smelling of formaldehyde or something.
Between the pleasing scent and soft touch, Tori realized why Rosalinda's kiss had unnerved her so much. Same reason she kept avoiding the lockers at the gym. The detective found the clue that would break the case wide open that...
...she preferred a woman's touch.
And not "preferred" like Tori favored strawberry ice cream the best but would settle for vanilla if that was unavailable. More like having an attractive, strong woman this close to her made Tori's heart burn like a campfire. Keeping her eyes shut, the cop was thinking of Jade. Instead of inspecting her injury, she was preparing to kiss her. Tori was glad her pulse wasn't being checked right now.
"Um..." Jade trailed off. "Looks okay. You'll be okay."
Tori dared to open her eyes and the two just stared at one another.
"I should go," the blonde smirked. "You're probably tired."
Brown eyes blinked in disappointment.
"Oh! Guess I am."
"You have a goodnight, Tori."
The good doctor smiled serenely at her. Tori quickly took back her accusations about her bedside manner. Jade certainly put her at ease.
"You, too" the tan woman nodded.
Once Jade was close enough to the door to leave, she turned back.
"I'm sorry again, Tori. About...the whole spy thing. I'll tell Shapiro to call the damn thing off."
"I appreciate that, Jade. Thanks."
Jade took one more look and quietly left, closing the door behind her.
Tori exhaled before eyeing the sleep aids on the nightstand.
She would need those or it was gonna be one sleepless night!
A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I had writing it! I actually wrote the BULK of this one in a day. That's how long my mind was working on this moment between Tori and Jade.
I also have to sing the praises of "11 Reader" once again. For this chapter, I saved my progress as a text file and used the app to have it read back to me. This way I could spot any grammatical or structural issues. It's way more objective than when I'm reading it to myself. It's like having my own digital secretary!