Fic: Steady As She Goes (10/86)
Title: Steady As She Goes (10/86)
Author: dak
Word Count: 1159 (this part)
Summary for Whole Fic: After Chris is shot by accident at the station, Gene struggles to keep his team from tearing themselves apart as Ray takes out his anger on Sam, Annie makes a decision which jeopardizes Gene's career, and Sam gets involved with a murder.
Summary for This Part: A late night at the hospital.
Rating: Blue Cortina
Warnings: mild swearing and sexual references in this part; major angst, some violence and violent imagery in the rest
Pairing: mild Sam/Annie refs throughout
Spoilers: references to 1.04, and non-plot related reference from 2.06 (just a bit of character bg I'm hijacking)
Disclaimer: Belongs to the brilliant minds over at Kudos/BBC.
A/N: Sorry this part is a bit shorter, but it just seemed like a natural stopping point. I hope to make it up with a longer portion next time.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20 Part 21 Part 22 Part 23 Part 24 Part 25 Part 26 Part 27 Part 28 Part 29 Part 30 Part 31 Part 32 Part 33 Part 34 Part 35 Part 36 Part 37 Part 38 Part 39 Part 40 Part 41 Part 42 Part 43 Part 44 Part 45 Part 46 Part 47 Part 48 Part 49 Part 50 Part 51 Part 52 Part 53 Part 54 Part 55 Part 56 Part 57 Part 58 Part 59 Part 60 Part 61 Part 62 Part 63 Part 64 Part 65 Part 66 Part 67 Part 68 Part 69 Part 70 Part 71 Part 72 Part 73 Part 74 Part 75 Part 76 Part 77 Part 78 Part 79 Part 80 Part 81 Part 82 Part 83 Part 84 Part 85 Part 86
Gene stormed into the hospital and made his way to the ward, not bothering to explain his presence to anyone. If an employee tried to stop him he simply flashed his badge and pushed on past. The wife had not been happy when their phone rang at three-fifteen in the middle of the night causing to Gene leave as soon as he’d pulled on his trousers. As he neared the quiet ward, Gene tried to think how to make it up to her. After all, Thursday nights were usually that night but they hadn’t gotten around to it before the phone rang.
Gene wondered when his DI became more important than sex with his wife. He opened the ward door and convinced himself it was only because Sam was a murder suspect.
Sam, who was missing from his bed.
“Are you Mr. Hunt?” Sam’s nurse asked from her station.
“DCI Hunt, Ms. Marple. Now where’s the bloke who’s supposed to be there?” Gene pointed to the bed.
“When he woke, Mr. Tyler was very adamant about seeing a...” she checked her notes, “Chris Skelton.”
Gene rubbed his tired eyes and left the nurse. Two minutes later he was standing over Chris’ bed, arms crossed, staring at a pale, unconscious Sam who was slouched in the chair opposite. Gene sighed and ran his hand through his hair. It was much, much too late for this.
“Don’ wake ‘im, Guv.”
Gene’s head immediately snapped downwards. “Chris?”
“Hiya Guv.”
“How you feeling?”
Chris stirred in his bed. “Bit tired. Me belly hurts a little. Said they gave me summat for the pain.”
“Looks like they pieced yeh together all right.”
“Guess so. Wha’ happened to the Boss? ‘E wouldn’t say.”
Gene shoved his hands in his pockets and looked away. “He jus’ had a little accident is all. Nothin’ to worry ‘bout. Prolly lost a few more brain cells, though.”
Chris closed his eyes. “Told the docs to leave ‘im when I heard you were comin’. ‘E was gettin’ pretty angry with ‘em. Figured you’d be able to convince ‘im to move.”
Gene put his hand on Chris’ shoulder. “Skelton, that’s the smartest thing any of my officers have done in the past two days.”
“Cheers, Guv...” Chris smiled and suddenly he was deep in restful sleep.
“Feel better you div.”
Sam moaned, his whole body tightening in the chair. He cried out again and Gene was by his side, crouching down, trying to wake him. “Sam. Sam! Wake up, Dorothy.”
Gene gently shook him. Sam’s eyes snapped open and he looked around terrified, as if he was expecting to be somewhere else. Gene could feel Sam’s whole body sweating and shaking through the thin hospital gown. Gene suddenly felt much older as Sam reminded him of Stu, of the times when his little brother would wake up screaming, nightmares of their dad’s beatings fresh in his fragile mind. Another second and the terrified look was gone, replaced by confusion, then relief as Sam slowly came to his senses.
“Gene. Guv. I...Chris. He was awake.” Sam tried to get out of the chair but Gene held him down, suddenly feeling overwhelmingly protective of his DI.
“I know. I spoke with ‘im. Looks like the little twonk will be copyin’ more of your Hyde habits after all. Long as he don’ start dressin’ like yeh, guess it’ll be alright.”
Sam didn’t take his eyes off Chris. “I didn’t apologize to him.”
“Sam. Tyler, look at me.” Sam did as he was told. “Now get this through that big crack in your thick skull - what happened to Chris was not your fault. It was that armed blaggard’s, prolly Litton’s too, but not yours. Okay? You should feel guilty ‘bout how you acted afterwards, but don’t you dare walk ‘round with this on your shoulders. It won’t be worth it Sam.”
Gene continued to stare into Sam as the weakened man shook his head. “Not my fault.” Sam let the words sink in.
“No. But that don’ mean you don’ owe ‘im a few bottles of scotch when ‘e’s better, either. Now c’mon. You need your beauty rest, Gladys. Don’ make me cuff yeh to the bed.”
Gene let Sam lean on him as he carefully climbed out of the chair.
“Already tried that, remember?”
Sam got to his feet, still clinging to Gene for support. The combination of drugs, concussion, and broken ribs still robbed him of most of his strength.
“You know you liked it, you kinky little shit.”
They hobbled down the cold hallway.
“Maybe if I had consented and hadn’t been drugged. God, it’s freezing in here.”
Gene looked at Sam’s back. “That might have summat to do wtih your backside enjoying a bit of fresh air.”
“What?” Sam tried to turn and force the very short gown to cover his naked bottom, but the twisting only angered his ribs.
“Easy there Deputy Dog. Don’ need to go chasin’ your tail. S’not like these birds haven’t seen their fair share of coppers’ arses.” They finally reached Sam’s ward. “Fact, I could point out three or four right now that’ve had close contact with Carling’s...”
“Guv! Please. I’m already ill.”
“An’ soon’s you’re not, you two are goin’ ta kiss an’ make up. Even if I ‘ave to lock you both in lost and found to make it happen. Now, into bed. An’ stay there til I come collect you in the morning.”
Gene helped Sam into bed. A nurse immediately rushed to his side and started to reattach his IV.
“Guv. I know Chris wasn’t my fault, but…I think Dom Buchanan might’ve been. I’ve been having these dream, and I realized it’s just my mind trying to reconstruct what happened--”
“Sam, it’s almost four in the bloody morning. Whatever you remember, it can wait five hours.”
Sam winced as the nurse clumsily pinched his skin with the IV needle. “But Gene, what if I--”
“You din’t kill anyone.”
The nurse looked back and forth between Gene and Sam, then quickly left.
“How do you know. What evidence--”
“Gut feeling.”
Sam rolled his eyes. “Because those are always so accurate.”
“I’m sorry. Did you want to be a disgusting, bastard, murderer?”
Sam leaned his head on the pillow and looked away. “No.”
“Then why do you have to keep arguing with me?”
“Wouldn’t be me if I didn’t.”
“Glad to see you’re gettin’ back to normal. Now go to sleep before I knock you out meself.” Gene gave him a nod and left his bedside. When he was sure Sam was asleep he pulled the nurse aside.
“Tell his doctor to sedate him. I do not want him wanderin’ off again. Got it?”
“Yes sir.” The nurse immediately left to make the phone call while Gene lit a cigarette and walked back to the Cortina.
If he was lucky maybe the missus would still be awake.
_______
Part 11
Author: dak
Word Count: 1159 (this part)
Summary for Whole Fic: After Chris is shot by accident at the station, Gene struggles to keep his team from tearing themselves apart as Ray takes out his anger on Sam, Annie makes a decision which jeopardizes Gene's career, and Sam gets involved with a murder.
Summary for This Part: A late night at the hospital.
Rating: Blue Cortina
Warnings: mild swearing and sexual references in this part; major angst, some violence and violent imagery in the rest
Pairing: mild Sam/Annie refs throughout
Spoilers: references to 1.04, and non-plot related reference from 2.06 (just a bit of character bg I'm hijacking)
Disclaimer: Belongs to the brilliant minds over at Kudos/BBC.
A/N: Sorry this part is a bit shorter, but it just seemed like a natural stopping point. I hope to make it up with a longer portion next time.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20 Part 21 Part 22 Part 23 Part 24 Part 25 Part 26 Part 27 Part 28 Part 29 Part 30 Part 31 Part 32 Part 33 Part 34 Part 35 Part 36 Part 37 Part 38 Part 39 Part 40 Part 41 Part 42 Part 43 Part 44 Part 45 Part 46 Part 47 Part 48 Part 49 Part 50 Part 51 Part 52 Part 53 Part 54 Part 55 Part 56 Part 57 Part 58 Part 59 Part 60 Part 61 Part 62 Part 63 Part 64 Part 65 Part 66 Part 67 Part 68 Part 69 Part 70 Part 71 Part 72 Part 73 Part 74 Part 75 Part 76 Part 77 Part 78 Part 79 Part 80 Part 81 Part 82 Part 83 Part 84 Part 85 Part 86
Gene stormed into the hospital and made his way to the ward, not bothering to explain his presence to anyone. If an employee tried to stop him he simply flashed his badge and pushed on past. The wife had not been happy when their phone rang at three-fifteen in the middle of the night causing to Gene leave as soon as he’d pulled on his trousers. As he neared the quiet ward, Gene tried to think how to make it up to her. After all, Thursday nights were usually that night but they hadn’t gotten around to it before the phone rang.
Gene wondered when his DI became more important than sex with his wife. He opened the ward door and convinced himself it was only because Sam was a murder suspect.
Sam, who was missing from his bed.
“Are you Mr. Hunt?” Sam’s nurse asked from her station.
“DCI Hunt, Ms. Marple. Now where’s the bloke who’s supposed to be there?” Gene pointed to the bed.
“When he woke, Mr. Tyler was very adamant about seeing a...” she checked her notes, “Chris Skelton.”
Gene rubbed his tired eyes and left the nurse. Two minutes later he was standing over Chris’ bed, arms crossed, staring at a pale, unconscious Sam who was slouched in the chair opposite. Gene sighed and ran his hand through his hair. It was much, much too late for this.
“Don’ wake ‘im, Guv.”
Gene’s head immediately snapped downwards. “Chris?”
“Hiya Guv.”
“How you feeling?”
Chris stirred in his bed. “Bit tired. Me belly hurts a little. Said they gave me summat for the pain.”
“Looks like they pieced yeh together all right.”
“Guess so. Wha’ happened to the Boss? ‘E wouldn’t say.”
Gene shoved his hands in his pockets and looked away. “He jus’ had a little accident is all. Nothin’ to worry ‘bout. Prolly lost a few more brain cells, though.”
Chris closed his eyes. “Told the docs to leave ‘im when I heard you were comin’. ‘E was gettin’ pretty angry with ‘em. Figured you’d be able to convince ‘im to move.”
Gene put his hand on Chris’ shoulder. “Skelton, that’s the smartest thing any of my officers have done in the past two days.”
“Cheers, Guv...” Chris smiled and suddenly he was deep in restful sleep.
“Feel better you div.”
Sam moaned, his whole body tightening in the chair. He cried out again and Gene was by his side, crouching down, trying to wake him. “Sam. Sam! Wake up, Dorothy.”
Gene gently shook him. Sam’s eyes snapped open and he looked around terrified, as if he was expecting to be somewhere else. Gene could feel Sam’s whole body sweating and shaking through the thin hospital gown. Gene suddenly felt much older as Sam reminded him of Stu, of the times when his little brother would wake up screaming, nightmares of their dad’s beatings fresh in his fragile mind. Another second and the terrified look was gone, replaced by confusion, then relief as Sam slowly came to his senses.
“Gene. Guv. I...Chris. He was awake.” Sam tried to get out of the chair but Gene held him down, suddenly feeling overwhelmingly protective of his DI.
“I know. I spoke with ‘im. Looks like the little twonk will be copyin’ more of your Hyde habits after all. Long as he don’ start dressin’ like yeh, guess it’ll be alright.”
Sam didn’t take his eyes off Chris. “I didn’t apologize to him.”
“Sam. Tyler, look at me.” Sam did as he was told. “Now get this through that big crack in your thick skull - what happened to Chris was not your fault. It was that armed blaggard’s, prolly Litton’s too, but not yours. Okay? You should feel guilty ‘bout how you acted afterwards, but don’t you dare walk ‘round with this on your shoulders. It won’t be worth it Sam.”
Gene continued to stare into Sam as the weakened man shook his head. “Not my fault.” Sam let the words sink in.
“No. But that don’ mean you don’ owe ‘im a few bottles of scotch when ‘e’s better, either. Now c’mon. You need your beauty rest, Gladys. Don’ make me cuff yeh to the bed.”
Gene let Sam lean on him as he carefully climbed out of the chair.
“Already tried that, remember?”
Sam got to his feet, still clinging to Gene for support. The combination of drugs, concussion, and broken ribs still robbed him of most of his strength.
“You know you liked it, you kinky little shit.”
They hobbled down the cold hallway.
“Maybe if I had consented and hadn’t been drugged. God, it’s freezing in here.”
Gene looked at Sam’s back. “That might have summat to do wtih your backside enjoying a bit of fresh air.”
“What?” Sam tried to turn and force the very short gown to cover his naked bottom, but the twisting only angered his ribs.
“Easy there Deputy Dog. Don’ need to go chasin’ your tail. S’not like these birds haven’t seen their fair share of coppers’ arses.” They finally reached Sam’s ward. “Fact, I could point out three or four right now that’ve had close contact with Carling’s...”
“Guv! Please. I’m already ill.”
“An’ soon’s you’re not, you two are goin’ ta kiss an’ make up. Even if I ‘ave to lock you both in lost and found to make it happen. Now, into bed. An’ stay there til I come collect you in the morning.”
Gene helped Sam into bed. A nurse immediately rushed to his side and started to reattach his IV.
“Guv. I know Chris wasn’t my fault, but…I think Dom Buchanan might’ve been. I’ve been having these dream, and I realized it’s just my mind trying to reconstruct what happened--”
“Sam, it’s almost four in the bloody morning. Whatever you remember, it can wait five hours.”
Sam winced as the nurse clumsily pinched his skin with the IV needle. “But Gene, what if I--”
“You din’t kill anyone.”
The nurse looked back and forth between Gene and Sam, then quickly left.
“How do you know. What evidence--”
“Gut feeling.”
Sam rolled his eyes. “Because those are always so accurate.”
“I’m sorry. Did you want to be a disgusting, bastard, murderer?”
Sam leaned his head on the pillow and looked away. “No.”
“Then why do you have to keep arguing with me?”
“Wouldn’t be me if I didn’t.”
“Glad to see you’re gettin’ back to normal. Now go to sleep before I knock you out meself.” Gene gave him a nod and left his bedside. When he was sure Sam was asleep he pulled the nurse aside.
“Tell his doctor to sedate him. I do not want him wanderin’ off again. Got it?”
“Yes sir.” The nurse immediately left to make the phone call while Gene lit a cigarette and walked back to the Cortina.
If he was lucky maybe the missus would still be awake.
_______
Part 11