Reckless
Part 22
Cassy sat at Tom's bedside and watched her partner sleep. Lyam and Margaret had been taken back to Tom's apartment by Frannie. Harry had gone to call Craig Alexander about the injured cop's status, which left Cassy alone. She had left the waiting room to check on Tom's condition. Now she sat in ICU, by herself, with no one around to divert her attention. Her mind drifted back to the events of the past two days. Her happiness at Tom's improved status was overridden by her fear that Tom would hate her. Her reckless pursuit of justice had almost killed him, and that, she knew, he would never be able to forgive.
"Is he asleep?" Harry whispered, shaking her from her thoughts.
She nodded, but did not reply. Harry moved to the foot of the bed. "His color looks a lot better."
"Yeah, it does," Her voice cracked with emotion.
"Cassy, the Doc says he's going to be okay."
"I know. . .but. . .," Cassy started and then stopped.
"The nurse says he doesn't remember what happened."
"What?" Cassy's blue eyes widened in disbelief.
"He had to ask her how he ended up here," Harry completed.
The knot in Cassy's stomach grew. "What did she tell him."
"The truth. That he had been shot."
Cassy turned and faced her boss. "By me?"
"No. I asked her. She said that she didn't feel it was appropriate for her to say anything about that."
Cassy returned her attention to Tom. "He's going to find out. And when he does. . ."
"Nothing will change," Harry finished.
"No, Harry, everything will change," Cassy spat. Angry at herself, she stood, pushed past the Captain and left the room. Harry, now alone, took a deep breath. He had no delusions about what was going to happen. He was forever grateful that Tom was on the mend, but from a professional standpoint, his battle as a police captain was just beginning.
He turned to the door. Before he could leave, a whispered voice froze him in place. "Harry, don't go."
Harry closed his eyes. God, he wasn't ready for this. He turned back to the injured detective. Tired hazel eyes stared up at him. "Tell me what happened?" Ryan begged.
Harry shook his head and approached the man's side. "No, Tom. Not now. We'll talk later."
Tom shook his head, a hint of anger on his face. "No. . .now."
"It's too soon. Let's give it some time and then we'll talk. You need your rest."
Tom closed his eyes. At first Harry assumed that the younger man was giving in to sleep. Then the eyes flew open and Harry realized that he had only been gathering his strength. "Damn it, Harry, tell me what happened," his voice strained.
Harry listened to the slight increase in the frequency of the beeps on the cardiac monitor and then glanced at the door, expecting to see the nurse come rushing into the room. However, there was no activity from the corridor.
Tom, voice still stressed, continued, "I heard you talking, but I couldn't. . .I couldn't hear everything. Cassy did something, I know that. It was in her voice. What did she do?"
Harry glanced at the doorway again, but still there was no sign of hospital personnel coming to rescue him from disclosing the truth. Sighing, the Captain settled heavily into the chair next to the bed. "I guess you'll find out anyway." He sorted through the facts, trying to decide where to start. "Do you remember anything of what happened?"
Tom closed his eyes and thought for a moment. Opening them, he frowned, appearing to divert all of his energy, all of his concentration, into discovering the past. "I remember Cassy calling me. She said that she was after Slater. I was in my car." Tom stopped as if remembering another detail. "I finally won the race. . .."
Harry tilted his head. "The race?"
Tom smiled slightly. "Never mind." He paused, taking a short breath, recovering his strength. "She said that. . .she said that she was following him into a warehouse."
Harry nodded, confirming to Tom that he was remembering the events. "I was late. I couldn't get there fast enough to stop her from going in," Tom admitted, guilt rising. "I was. . .I was so worried. It was just like before. . .just like when we tried to capture Slater the first time. She was. . .Jane Wayne. . .again."
Harry frowned, remembering Cassy's guilt about her stubborn pursuit of Slater at her partner's expense.
"The warehouse was so dark. I couldn't see Cassy. I heard gunfire. I thought that maybe. . .maybe Cassy was hurt. Then I heard her shout at Slater. I knew she was alive, but in trouble, but I still couldn't see her. I wanted to help her, but I didn't know where she was."
Tom's breathing had become more rapid. Harry placed a gentle hand on the injured man's shoulder, trying to calm him. "It's okay, Tom. Let's not talk about this now. The doctor said you need to stay calm."
Tom shook his head. "It's okay. Just need to catch my breath." He closed his eyes, forcing the scene from two nights before to play in his mind.
**Tom heard Cassy's voice echo through the building. He started to shout out to her but then bit his tongue, knowing that announcing his location would take away any element of surprise that the detective duo had on the man. So Tom pushed his way forward, cautiously scanning each row for either his partner or the murderer.
He then spotted a shadowy form running down an aisle towards him. By its tall, slim shape, Tom knew it was Slater. It was obvious the killer had not spotted him in the dark. Tom pressed his body between two columns of crates. He could hear heavy footsteps coming closer. Did he try to get off a shot at the criminal and take a chance of missing him in the dark or did he try some other tactic? Deciding to go with a sure thing, Tom waited for the man to approach. He pushed his gun into its holster and prepared to throw his entire weight at the criminal. Timing would be everything, but his football days had given him that ability.
He felt, rather than saw, Slater run by his position. Tom leaped from his hiding place and tackled the man, hitting him chest high and wrapping his arms around the thin man's waist. Surprised, Slater's finger tightened on the trigger of his gun and the sound of a discharged bullet filled the air. Simultaneously, a second explosion echoed in Tom's ears and a burst of white hot fire stabbed into his chest, taking away his breath and his strength.**
Tom opened his eyes again, making contact with Harry's. "I remember. . .I remember I tackled Slater and he. . .and he shot me."
Harry's gaze shifted to the floor. A stabbing pain played behind his eyes and he removed his glasses, rubbing at his forehead. Tom watched the worried face, curious as to why his Captain appeared to be so upset. "What happened to Slater?" Tom asked finally.
"He's dead. Cassy shot him."
Tom nodded. The man was a vicious murderer and no tear would be shed for the loss of his life. "So why's Cassy so upset? She hated Slater. She got her man."
"Tom, there's more," Harry finally answered.
"It was a righteous shoot, wasn't it?"
The older man nodded. "Yeah. Cassy's cleared of that shooting."
"Then what's the problem?" Tom pressed, his voice sounding more strained with frustration at Harry's uncooperative attitude.
"Tom. . .there's something else. . .," Harry started to explain, but then a woman's voice stopped him.
"Captain Lipschitz, no." Harry turned to find that Elizabeth Meyer and Bill Blane were standing in the doorway. "We need to interview him before he starts to hear other versions of what happened at the warehouse," the woman continued.
"There's no reason. I'm his Captain. It's my job to tell him."
"Sir, we're investigating the shooting. It's our job to make sure that we get his statement before you or anyone else has an opportunity to influence it," Blane said as he walked into the room and took up position at the foot of Tom's bed.
Tom's face was one of pure confusion. "What's IA doing here, Harry?"
Harry opened his mouth to speak and then stopped. "I can't talk about it, Tom. Give your statement to the detectives and then we'll discuss what happened." Harry stood and without looking back, left the room.
End Part 22
To Part 23