↞ Chapter Seven ↠

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Season Five, Episode Five


"God I hate assaults." I muttered mostly to myself as Danny and I walked into the hospital.

Danny gave a reply, but I wasn't really listening.

I hate assaults, because of the violent nature of them, because of how the victim always seems more broken than any other victim of a crime. But I hate the hospital even more, spent to much of my time here while being a Detective, and even more when I was a teen and child. They smell so specifically like a hospital, and I always feel as though the air is too clean, and that I can't really breathe it well.

Danny noticed my discomfort, but I just waved him off, shoving my hands into my pockets as we walked towards the emergency room.

It was chaotic, as usual, but two NYPD Detective's dressed in suits drew attention fairly quickly, and a nurse approached. It took me an embarrassingly long time to realize that it was in fact Linda. I smiled at her, and asked after her as she led the way to our victim.

"It's one of those days." She said it with a proud smile and a shrug, Linda looked wonderfully comfortable in her scrubs and at home in the chaos of the ER. "Female assault victim, broken arm, broken rib, concussion, probable internal bleeding-"

"And then some." A doctor continued, glancing at Linda before looking at the two of us. "Doctor Frankenfurter."  (If you get this reference I will cry).

"Detective Inspector Howards," I held my hand out to the man, and he shook it. "My partner, Detective Reagan."

The Doctor reaches to shake Danny's hand, before nodding his head towards the bed behind him. "Hope you two can get her to talk. Only thing she's said so far is that she deserved this."

And those words broke my heart.

I knew what it was like, to be in a relationship that was all about the manipulation rather than the actual relationship itself. To feel as though an injury belonged to you, that in some way I deserved it.

I nod to the doctor in a way of saying 'thank you' before passing the doctor and walking to the bed with the young woman, and she looked bloody awful. Her nose was definitely broken, and with all the wires and bandages she looked impossibly small.

"Hullo," I smile in a way that I hope is comforting. "I'm a Detective Inspector with the NYPD, will you talk to us?"

The second I stepped up to the side of her bed she turned away from me the best she could, despite the obvious pain that she was in. "Leave me alone." It was almost like she was trying to disappear into the bed, her voice tiny and scratching.

"Hey, hey," My voice was light as I spoke. "It's alright, you're in good hands now, okay? You're safe."

By the way she ways eyeing me, she felt the same as I did all those years ago, like anyone and everyone was a threat. I took into account the way that I was standing next to her, my height and build could be taken as threatening, as well as the fact that I was bent over the bed to look her in the eyes. I muttered an apology, moving to kneel beside the bed, and place both hands palm down on the itchy sheets, to show that I wouldn't make a move to grab her. That seemed to help her relax ever so slightly, and she turned her face to my direction, if only slightly.

"Can you tell me your name?" My voice seemed impossibly accented as I spoke lowly to her.

"Tina." Her voice cracked, and she cleared her throat. "Tina McDermott."

I smile, nodding in a way of saying thank you. "Tina, can you tell me who did this to you?" She started to shake her head, looking away from me as she did. "I know you're afraid, but I promise you. If you tell me who did this, we will find him, and he will never hurt you again."

It was the first promise I had ever made to a victim, and one that I would be damned if I didn't go through with it.

Tears started to pour down Tina's face, and she shook her head. I tried to coo, to help her relax and try to take some deep breaths. "He will kill me, and the, the other one who tried to help."

I glanced over my shoulder at Danny, motioning to her wallet on the little swivel table in a way of asking him to look through it. "You already spoke to the police?" I asked, readjusting my knees on the ground.

She nodded, her face shriveling up in what I assumed was in pain. "That's why he did this." Tina swallowed thickly, looking very pale all of the sudden. "He has friends who'll help him kill whoever."

Tina heaved to take a breath, and I stood suddenly, starting to call Linda over, when all the machines around Tina started to go nuts.

"She's coding!" Linda's voice sounded from across the room, and she and a few other nurses came running over, promptly shoving Danny and I back a few feet. I watched in a panic as they tried to help the woman, but I could tell she was to far gone.

I spoke to Danny over my shoulder, not taking my eyes off of Tina as they continued to work, . "Another cop tried to help her. We gotta figure out who-"

"I think I know who the other cop is." Danny interrupted, "And you know him even better."

I looked away from the unresponsive form of Tina McDermott, as Danny prodded me with his finger, a business card in hand. I grabbed it, feeling a flash of panic after reading the name.

"Jameson." I muttered, a flat line sounded and Tina McDermott was dead. I sent a prayer for her, feeling a strong resolve to find whoever did this. "I'll call him to the 5-4, him and his partner."

"We'll find who did this." Danny put a hand on my shoulder in a way of comforting me, I just nodded, pulling my phone from my pocket and starting to dial the number as Danny and I left the Emergency Room.

We better, otherwise I couldn't be sure where all of this would go.

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