Path to Elysian

[BeachBum25]

Saturday turned out to be a much quieter night than Michael had expected. Yes, there was the stabbing incident, which turned out to be a domestic issue and a husband got stabbed with an ice pick after slapping his wife around. The injuries were not life threatening. After hearing all of the details, Michael thought the guy deserved what he got.

The next couple of days were relatively quiet. Sunday wasn't bad.. people were recuperating from Friday and Saturday nights and were getting ready for work on Monday. Monday was very quiet. In fact, it was so quiet that it made the 12 hour shift seem like it lasted 3 days.

Michael was tempted to stop by the hospital and see what Dr. Jackson's decision was, but he decided not to. If she wanted to press the issue, he was sure that she would contact the Commissioner's Office, or Internal Affairs. He didn't stop in, because he did not want people at the hospital talking. He had already heard from the security who thought he was stopping to see Dr. Jackson. He did not want any rumors being spread around the hospital.

As his shift was finishing up early Tuesday morning, Michael was dragging. He was still getting used to working 12 hour shifts. He thought about only having one more night to work and then getting 2 days off. Yes, he could get through that shift.

As he was waiting for the officers to report off , his mind wandered to Dr. Jackson. Probably seeing Thompson reporting off with a smug look on his face triggered the thoughts of the doctor. She hadn't reached out to him at the station, and he hadn't heard anything from the administration building, so, he assumed that she had decided not to proceed with anything. Well, that was her right. A part of him had hoped she would, especially with the attitude that Thompson had. Michael didn't think he could salvage Thompson, but he thought that he could bring Parker around. Maybe it was best that she hadn't pressed the issue. He could get Parker in line, and then just work on Thompson through various other issues.

He headed home to get some rest before having to be back in work. He decided not to stop for coffee or go for his run, He got home, showered and went straight to bed.

 

[zydrate]

It was just after 5PM when Paige was getting ready for work. She had worked an extra half shift when she had gotten back on Sunday night and so she didn’t get off until after 3PM on Monday but she was due back in a few hours. She had the TV on the evening news as she got dressed and getting packed up. She heard the weatherman say there was going to be an incoming snow store expected starting Tuesday afternoon. Like that was something to be news. It just meant for her, that the ER would be super busy with the usual weather-related accidents. Lots of snow. They had it before and they would have it again.

Arriving to work, it was crowded…not unusual but still, a lot of people for a Tuesday night. She clocked in, put her things away and started to do rounds, helping the nurses in triage. Some she approved to go to urgent care which was just 2 floors up only because their illnesses weren’t serious. In no time, she was in a rhythm with seeing patients, assessing some, discharging others. It wasn’t like she was the only one there as there were other doctors on staff, but it sometimes felt like she was the only one there.

It was well after 1AM when one of the senior attending physicians gathered some of the other doctors for a small meeting with Paige included as well as some of the nurses. It seemed there was a small riot at one of the jails and so they were going to be bring in some prisoners for treatment, possibly even admitting some, it just depended. It also included some of the guards, ETA being 20 minutes. Extra security guards were notified as well as the local police department. Some of the more distance rooms were secured off as a main treatment area just so they could all be kept in a centralized area. Mass Gen wasn’t the only hospital to receive the injured but other local hospitals included two of the Trauma 2 facilities.

She was glad for a busy night, well, not that people were but more of the fact that she was going to be busy and not have to worry about what happened on her night out with her coworkers on Saturday night. She was still a bit pissed about that. Of course, she didn’t tell anyone… at least not yet. She knew she had to but why?

What a fucking mess.

Mary nudged her as they were getting carts ready for the injured, “Did you see the media is here also? They’re setting up outside. Carl from security had said they tried to get to talk to some of the staff.”

Paige sighed and shook her head, “Oh great, just what we need.”

“Are you OK? You haven’t been yourself this week.”

Paige nodded as she kept busy, “Yeah, I’m fine. Come on, let’s get one more cart ready. Better to have a lot than not enough.”

***

A couple of hours had passed, and the staff were still working on some of the prisoners as well as some of the guards. Paige was listening to a guard as he told her about what had happened while she worked on a cut on his cheek, which was serious enough for stitches. Several times she had told him to keep still but he wasn’t listening. His adrenaline was running too high and of course, he was quite chatty. She let him drone on as she finished up.

Paige had noticed the senior doctors were keeping the females away from the prisoners as much as they could and she knew the reason why but she felt left out. Instead, she moved on to some of the non-prisoner patients that had come in. Dare she say it was a slow night again? Aside from the prisoners and guards it was a slow night.

Just as she thought things were going OK, near the back, a loud crash was heard and then some shouting. Paige didn’t have time to react when she realized she was falling after being grabbed and thrown down… hard! It knocked the breath out of her and before she had time to gather her bearings, she felt an arm around her throat and hold her neck hard as she was pressed against whomever held her... more shouting. She realized what had happened… one of the prisoners was using her to fend off the prison guards?!

Reaching up to grab the guy’s arm, he shouted in her ear telling her not move as his arm tightened around her neck to reiterate his threat.

Paige held up her hands before her, telling the guards and security, “Back off! Just… back off…” she then started to talk to the man but he was too riled up. She felt herself being pulled back and she knew not to fight it… what the actual fuck?! It was a literal stand off between the prisoner and the rest of the hospital. She tried to talk but the man’s grip got tighter when she struggled, so she stopped…

 

[BeachBum25]

When Michael woke up he looked out his bedroom window and saw snow falling. He had been hoping that it was going to be a fairly quiet Tuesday night, but the snow meant that there would be a lot of car crashes. People get stupid in the snow..... well, more stupid than normal.

At roll call that evening, as the storm had intensified, O'Flynn told the officers to be careful on the roads. In fact, he said, "Find a safe place and park your vehicle. Be observant, and only move when you have to. Stay safe."

Michael also decided that Thompson and Parker could not be walking beats in this weather. He assigned them to separate patrol cars in separate sectors. They would have no need to go to Mass General; they would transport to other hospitals if a situation arose.

O'Flynn was out on the streets during the shift, but did not move around much. He would check in with his officers and make sure they were okay, and then slowly move on to check with others. When the report came out that prisoners were being transported to the hospitals from the local prison after a minor riot, Michael had several cars change their locations so they were closer to the hospitals.... just in case.

Michael positioned himself close to Mass General, but did not go to the hospital. He did not want to cause ant problems by showing up there and having one of the prisoners get upset.

When the call came in for a hostage situation at Mass General, Michael reacted immediately. Before he put his vehicle in drive to make his way there, he notified police radio to call out the SWAT team. He said he would let them know the situation once he got there. Two other cars said they were heading to the hospital. Michael told them to meet him outside of the ER and not to enter until he got there.

He arrived at almost the same time as the other two officers. The three of them were met by a security guard who told them that a prisoner had taken a member of the ER staff hostage and was using her as a shield between himself and the guards. Michael noticed the security officer look in his direction and then nod his head. He wasn't certain what that meant, but Michael took it to mean that the hostage was Dr. Jackson. It seemed that a lot of people at the hospital thought they were a thing.

"Okay, let's do this. One of you come with me. The other stay out here and wait for SWAT. It will probably take them a while to get here, so, stay under cover and out of the snow."

Michael and one of the officers walked into the ER and looked around. He found one of the prison guards and asked where his supervisor was. Michael made his way to the supervisor and asked if all of the other prisoners were secured. He was assured that all other prisoners were now handcuffed to the beds they were in, including the ones who had been sent to urgent care. Michael found out that the prisoner's name was Peter.

"Okay, so, he is the only one we have to deal with then." Michael then found one of the ER doctors and told him to make sure all non-essential personnel were out of the area. "Only those dealing directly with patients who really need to be treated right now should be in there. I also want any patients who can walk and aren't that sick or injured to get the hell out of there right now."

Michael returned to the prison guard supervisor. "We need to keep him where he is. Put guards on all sides of him, but do not threaten him. Keep him contained and let's see if we can't calm him down."

Everyone cooperated, for the most part. The ER personnel wanted to put up a little stink about making patients move. Michael asked them if they liked putting their patients in risk of further harm. That shut them up and got them doing what they were told to do.

The other person that didn't cooperate was the prisoner. He became more agitated with his movement being restricted. At Michael's recommendation, the prison guard supervisor talked with him and tried to get him calmed down. Michael thought that it was better to have the guard supervisor than for him to talk to the prisoner.

It turns out, that it didn't matter. The prisoner started getting louder and louder and started making threats about harming the doctor. Michael decided he had to go in and try to do something. He moved next to the guard supervisor and made eye contact with Dr. Jackson. "Hey doctor, are you okay?" After seeing her nod her head, Michael looked into the prisoner's eyes. "Hey, I am Sgt. O'Flynn. I just want to make sure nobody gets hurt here. I don't want you to get hurt, and I sure don't want the doctor to get hurt, because she is just an innocent victim here."

The prisoner started shouting about getting everyone out of the way and how he was going to walk out of the hospital. "Listen, let's just be clear, you are not walking out of the hospital. That is not going to happen. Also, you are not going to hurt the doctor, because if you do, you will have nothing between us and you. I know you are not a stupid man, so, you are not going to give up your bargaining chip." Michael continued to stare into the prisoner's eyes; making sure the prisoner understood how serious he was.

Michael turned around to the officer who had come inside with him. "How long before SWAT arrives?" The officer relayed that SWAT was having trouble deploying because of the weather, and they were being told to contain the situation until SWAT could get there. "Great."

'Okay, Peter, here is the deal... SWAT is on their way. They are not the most pleasant guys and girls and they don't have near the patience that I have. When they get here, they are going to demand that you release the doctor unharmed. See, that isn't my style. I am asking you nicely to release her. You don't want to catch another charge for hurting her. Once they get here, this will end quickly, and it definitely won't end in your favor." Michael hoped that the threat of him getting hurt by others would make the prisoner trust him. Michael knew that SWAT would wait as long as there was the hope of a peaceful end to the situation.

Michael noticed that the prisoner seemed to be tightening his grip on Dr. Jackson's neck. He talked calmly tp the prisoner. "Peter, you need to relax. Nothing that has happened here is that bad. You don't want to turn it into something that is bad." Michael started to move closer to him. "Come on Peter. Let the doctor go. I promise you that you won't get hurt if you let the doctor go, now. I can't make any promises beyond now though. Once SWAT gets here, I am out of the picture." Michael moved even closer.

The prisoner looked at Michael. It was obvious that he was thinking. "Come on peter, I know you didn't plan to do this. I know you don't want anyone to get hurt. You just saw an opportunity and tried to take advantage of it. Now is the time to realize that it didn't work and it isn't going to work." Michael was now just a little more than an arm's length away from the prisoner and the doctor. "Let her go Peter. it is okay."

Michael saw the prisoner loosen her grip on the doctor. He reached out and grabbed he hand and pulled her away from the prisoner as guards rushed in, pinned him to the floor and cuffed him.

 

[zydrate]

The whole event seemed to end as quickly as it started. When Michael was able to yank Paige away from the prisoner. He still held her in his arms as she coughed and gasped for air. She didn’t see the other guards and officers tackle Peter, who not only suffered from a concussion from the riot but also several small, superficial stab wounds, which was what he was waiting for to be seen.

2 nurses quickly guided Paige away from the Sergeant and pulled her to an examine room. They placed an O2 mask on her as she was still coughing and gasping. This was different. Being the patient. Dr. Morgan came in and started to examine Paige’s neck, seeing the redness from the impressions of the prisoner’s arm. He wanted to have her stay for additional observation and Paige refused. She was OK, just a bit shaken up. Removing the O2 mask, she told the nurses she was OK. She still had a cough and her neck hurt.

Mary came rushing in as she was helping get the other patients to a safe area and finished as soon as she could. She hugged Paige, worried.

Dr. Morgan told Paige she needed to go home for the rest of her shift and that they would get someone from the hospital trauma unit to contact her and only they could clear her to return to work. As much as Paige wanted to argue, she knew this was all protocol. There was no going around it.

“Fine… I know you’re following rules… I would do the same for someone on the staff but really, I’m fine.”

Mary got mad, “No! You’re going home Paige. Don’t make me make you.”

“Paige, if you’re up to it… Sergeant O’Flynn needs to speak with you.” Dr. Morgan interrupted.

Paige coughed and nodded, “That’s fine… Sheesh… what a week so far… harassed by one cop on my night off and now this situation with the prisoner… I need a vacation.”

“Well, then, congratulations, you aren’t clear to come back until we review what happened, OK?” Dr. Morgan said. He was one of the senior attending and basically, the most senior leader on staff for the ER night shift.

Paige could only nod as she pulled the O2 mask up against her face. Taking deep breaths. It was then Sergeant O’Flynn entered, and Paige looked up at him as she sat on the gurney. She gave him a weak smile as she put the mask down, “Hey… thanks for all that out there. Just another exciting night in the ER.” She tried to make light of the situation… her coping mechanism, dry humor. “I didn’t realize you were so near… so, what do you need from me?” she asked as she put the mask back on, not fastening it, just holding it in place.

 

[BeachBum25]

After the doctor was led away by ER staff, Michael notified police radio that they could cancel SWAT. Then, he focused on the situation with the prisoner. He made sure the prisoner was treated for his injuries, and then spoke with the prison guard supervisor. O'Flynn let the supervisor know that detectives would be in touch with prison staff about the filing of charges against Peter. Then, he watched as, one-by-one, the prisoners were moved to the prison vans to be transported back to their cells.

Michael then turned his attention to the doctor. He wanted to check up on her and see how she was doing and he wanted to see the extent of her injuries so he could put it in his report. He waited for a couple of minutes before being led into the treatment room where Dr. Jackson was sitting.

"Listen, we have to stop meeting like this.... people are going to start to talk." He smiled at the doctor and laughed a little.

He did a quick visual inspection of the doctor; focusing on her neck. He could see it was bright red, and he had a feeling that there would be some bruising there. "How are you feeling doc?"

Based on the information that Doctor Jackson gave him, Michael was going to recommend aggravated assault charges to the detectives; ultimately, however that would be up to the detectives and the Prosecutor's Office to decide.

"So, tell me Dr. Jackson, have you decided what you are going to do about the two officers? I don't want to be pushy, but from experience, the longer it takes for a complaint to be filed the less seriously Internal Affairs takes it."

 

[zydrate]

When Michael said they’d have to stop meeting like this, that made Paige smile despite the situation. Paige put the O2 mask down, “I’m here… thanks to you,” she said sincerely. It was true, chances are it would have ended with the same outcome if it were anyone else, but it wasn’t. And Paige was glad for that. Yes, the staff were already talking about the two of them only because of Paige being single for so long. Everyone would try to see if she wanted to date a friend or another co-worker… it got tiring after a while.

When he asked about whether she decided on the other incident, Paige looked away and slid off the gurney. She did her best to control her breathing and gave him a shrug, “Yeah, I’m probably not going to do that. I just want that situation pushed under the rug.”

Paige opened a cabinet above the sink and looked at herself in the small mirror, "Wow... I look like shit."

It was then Mary entered and gave Michael a smile as she walked up to Paige, giving her an ice pack to take home, “Did you tell him?” She wasn’t being subtle. Paige yanked the ice pack from her and just gave her a look. Mary got the hint that Paige hadn’t said anything…

“Thank. You. Mary…” she motioned for her to leave now.

She could feel his stare burn a hole into the back of her head she wrapped up the ice pack, "So yeah... I was paid a visit by Thompson the other night. She quickly washed her hands and as she dried them and leaned against the sink, she thought back to that night, "Saturday night... I had gone out with some coworkers and when the evening ended, I was waiting for my ride home when he approached me... cornered me and proceeded to ask me out... to make up for asking me to change medical records, he said and when I refused, he just seemed... not happy I guess." She tossed the napkin in the trash and shrugged, "That's all. As long as he stays away from me, there's not much to worry about." And yet, she still wasn't going to go any further with it. Why? Paige wasn't sure, she just assumed it would be like adding gasoline to the fire.

“Well, if that’s all Sergeant, I have to get ready to get my ass home in this snow. Have a good…” she looked at her watch, “morning.”

 

[BeachBum25]

"Wait.... What? He asked you on a date? He actually contacted you? He was told not to even think about contacting you. He must be out of his mind."

Michael stood up. "Doctor, are you serious? Or is that just a joke? And, if you are serious, why are you not filing a complaint. You know that all he was trying to do was intimidate you, right?"

He took a deep breath. "I am sorry doctor. I am not angry at you. I shouldn't take it out on you. I am, however, going to take it out on Thompson. He is going to wish that he never met me in this life when I am finished with him."

He listened to the doctor say she was heading home. "DO you need a ride home doctor? I can make arrangements to have you taken home." He knew she wouldn't accept, but he had to offer.

Sgt. O'Flynn realized maybe he was getting too involved with the doctor and her situation. "I will respect your decision doctor, and I will not bring any charges against him for his interaction with you, but I am going to have a conversation with him. I hope you have a safe trip home and, if you have any problems getting home, call the station house and I will have someone come help you."

Michael left the doctor alone and went out to his vehicle. He immediately got on the radio and told Thompson to meet him at the station house. Once they were both inside, Sgt. O'Flynn told Thompson he wanted his badge and gun. Thompson looked at him like he saw a ghost.

I told you to have no contact whatsoever with Dr. Jackson, and I come to find out that you saw her the other night while you were walking your beat, and you asked her out on a date. Now, you and I both know what you were doing. You were trying to intimidate the doctor. You are lucky she doesn't want to sign a complaint. However, if I find out you come within 100 yards of her in a non-emergency situation, I will bring you up on charges myself. Am I clear? I thought I was last time I said it. I want to make sure this time."\

O'Flynn told Thompson to go home for the rest of the shift and to come back tomorrow night in the right frame of mind with the right attitude.

 

[zydrate]

It bugged Paige about how Michael had reacted. Was he mad at her? He said he wasn’t. He was probably just frustrated with her yes. A lot of people were, even Mary. Mary told Paige she needed to file the complaint and yes, Paige knew she was right. In fact, it was Mary who had given Paige a lift home in the morning and that was fine with Paige as she still had a lot of paperwork to finish up, charting and such that she had made Mary wait on her.

When she got back to her apartment in the morning, she was tired, sore, and cold. She wanted to take a hot shower and then have some tea before trying to get some sleep. After her shower, she turned the TV back on as she made her tea and a small breakfast of toast with cream cheese. The weather wasn’t expected to last. In fact, just as suddenly as it appeared, it would be gone later that evening as the system was moving out of the state. Perfect.

The trauma counselor called her, and they talked via virtual counselling. Paige didn’t want to go anywhere in this snow and had only agreed to talk with the counselor because of the requirement it was in order to be cleared to return to work.

After she was done with the meeting, Paige decided to file a complaint about Officer Thompson and that night. She only did it online not only for the convenience but for the length of explanation she needed to tell her side. Yes, she had a very good memory and gave word-for-word of what Thompson had said and implied. She sent it and decided it was time to get some rest. She was exhausted from it all.

***

Around 4PM, Paige was awakened by her phone going off. She was awake instantly and grabbed it off the nightstand, looking at the display. She let out a groan... it was her mother.

She contemplated not answering but knew if she didn’t, her mother wouldn’t stop calling until she talked with her.

“So, a very good friend of your father’s told us you were attacked last night in the ER, Paige.”

“Hello to you too Mother.” Paige said, not bother to acknowledge what her mother had said. “I’m doing good, thanks for asking. How are you and Dad?”

“Paige… answer me.”

Paige sighed, “Yes, it’s true. But nothing serious happened. I know the dangers of working in that department, it just goes with the territory.”

“Oh please, you work there to spite us.”

Paige rolled her eyes, “Yes Mother, I do it just to spite you both. Why not? I’ve got nothing better to do because my mission in life is to spite you and Dad.”

Her mother continued to drone on for another 10 minutes before Paige interrupted, “What is you really want? You never call me unless you want something from me.” It wasn’t financial but Paige knew something was up.

“I have a friend of a friend who’s son is also single, I-“

“Forget it!” Paige said, a little too forcefully, “You are not setting me up with anyone again, I thought we talked about this before Mother?!”

“Just this one last time Paige. You aren’t getting any younger and I would like some grandchildren.”

“No.” Paige said, not falling for it. Why did parents always think the ‘wanting grandchildren’ thing would work?

“Paige, this one last time, please? We hear he’s really nice.”

“If he’s so nice, why is he single?”

“Stop it. Paige, do this one favor and I won’t ask again.”

Yeah right. Paige was quiet as she mentally cursed her mother out. “Fine. One. Last. Time. After this, no more. No more setting me up with anyone.”

“But he could be the one, Paige.”

“He could also be a serial killer Mother, ever think of that? Send me the information. I have to go.. have a good evening.”

After Paige ended the call. Well, now she was up and awake. It was a good a time as any to make herself some dinner. As she cooked up a burger, her phone sounded, and she saw it was a text from her mother, with the information about the date. It was set up for Tuesday night at 6pm at Gloria’s on Silver and 8th.

Making a face, Paige sent the phone, “Oh yay.” She said sarcastically.

 

[BeachBum25]

When O'Flynn reported to work on Tuesday, there was a message that the Lieutenant wanted to see him. He went into the back room where the LT was sitting having a cup of coffee. "Hey Boss, I was told you wanted to see me."

The Lieutenant pointed at a chair across the table across from him. When Michael sat down, the Lieutenant handed him several sheets of paper. "I just received this Sergeant. What can you tell me about it? Apparently it was filed online the other night."

Michael went on to recount the story for the LT. He told him about the doctor's hesitancy to officially report it and to file a formal complaint. He told the LT about the conversations he had with both men and about the further conversations he had with Thompson about seeing the doctor and then asking her on a date.

"I am surprised that it came through though, Boss. When I spoke to the doctor after the incident in the ER the other night, she insisted that she wasn't going to file a complaint. Obviously, she had a change of heart... and it occurred rather quickly."

Looking again at the report, O'Flynn noticed something that he had not known about. "Boss, it says here that Thompson slapped the doctor on the buttocks and made a comment about "watching her ass and you never know what will happen if she needed him to rescue it." That could be an offensive touching charge... if not a sexual assault."

The Lieutenant said that he thought the exact same thing when he read it. "IAD is going to be here when both of these clowns report for duty. I have a feeling they will want Parker on desk duty for a while. I also have a feeling they are going to collect Thompson's badge and gun and tell him that there are going to be criminal charges filed against him through the Special Victims Unit. I am sure they will throw in something about witness intimidation, also. When you see them, tell them to report back here to me"

Michael acknowledged the Lieutenant's orders and went out to the roll call room. Parker was already there and he was sent to see the LT. Thompson was the last one to arrive. O'Flynn pulled him aside and told him to go see the Lieutenant. After roll call, Parker walked up to Sgt. O'Flynn and asked what his assignment for the night was. "Stop in the office and check with the Corporal. I will be there in a minute."

As Michael was walking out of the roll call room, several investigators approached him and asked for Parker and Thompson. "Parker just went into the office, I was going to put him on desk duty for the time being." One of the IAD guys commented that it was a good idea. "As for Thompson, he was meeting with the Lieutenant, and should be walking out here any second. If you want, you can use the room where the LT is meeting with him to do your interviews." They nodded, and Michael led them to the room just as Thompson was coming out. The IAD Captain told Thompson to go back into the room. Then he turned to Michael and thanked him and told him they would need a statement from him tonight, also. "Okay. I will be on the street. Just have them call me when you are ready to speak with me."

The streets weren't too bad; at least the major streets anyway. The snow had been cleared from most of them. The side streets were another story, and officers were told to avoid them as much as possible. It was a fairly quiet night. The cold and the snow on the ground kept most people inside. Of course, that led to domestic calls, which were the large majority of the calls that night. About 4 hours into the shift, Sgt. O'Flynn got a call on the radio to report to the station house. Once there, he met with IAD and gave them a full report of what he knew.

The IAD officers told him that Parker had handled the situation pretty well, and they would recommend keeping him on desk duty until they finished their investigation. Thompson was another story. He was told there would be criminal charges filed in addition to the departmental charges, and was told to surrender his badge, gun and id. Thompson didn't leave quietly; shouting obscenities as he went, which led to an additional departmental charge when he cursed out the IAD Captain.

After finishing with IAD, Michael rode over to the hospital to check on the doctor and see how she was doing. When he got there he talked to one of the doctors who told Michael that Dr. Jackson was off, but she seemed to be doing fine when one of the nurses spoke to her earlier. He thanked the doctor and went back out on patrol. As he walked out of the ER, he noticed several of the nurses looking at him. He wondered why. Maybe the doctor was right. Maybe people were already talking.

 

[zydrate]

Paige wasn’t happy. She had been called into the police station to in order to talk with one of the investigators regarding her report. At first, she was going to make some excuse to not come in only because she was tired. She had only gotten 2 hours of sleep and hadn’t wanted to break her somewhat normal sleep cycle. But she knew what might have occurred if she didn’t, so she reluctantly agreed.

Sitting in an interview room, she was reminded of the time she had come into report being mugged those couple of years ago. The least they could was add some color or some sort of decoration, right? In front of her, she had a big cup of coffee she had grabbed on the way to the station. She at least got to wear something other than her scrubs, like today, she just threw on some jeans and a t-shirt with a heavy coat. She didn’t have time to put her hair up, so she just left it hanging freely.

A large man had come in and introduced himself as the lead investigator. He had read her complaint and report she had submitted online. He asked her why she hadn’t reported it sooner…?

Paige thought about it. “I’m not sure. I’m a very busy person and I hadn’t taken it as seriously as I should have.”

“But you decided to do so now? Nearly 3 days later?”

Taking a long, slow sip of her drink, Paige shrugged as she set it down, “OK.”

“Why did you wait so long?”

“Well, I wasn’t going to report it at all but after talking with a coworker and a trauma counselor, I-“

“A trauma counselor? For this?” He held up the report.

“No, for a different issue at work.”

“So, you’ve had some work issues since this incident with Officer Thompson had occurred?”

“Yes, I was attacked at work.” Why did it feel she was the one being accused?

“So, what if, and I’m just spit balling here, what if whatever happened at work clouded your memory with what happened with Officer Thompson? Maybe this attack at work recently made you remember things in a more… spectacular way than it originally happened?”

Paige just made a face, “No… wait, am I being accused of something here? Are you implying that I made this up or in some way, embellished it because of a separate incident at work?”

“I’m just trying to make sure you’re positive all you’ve submitted in this report is true. I just need the facts.”

“Well, I gave you the facts.” She sat back in her chair and took another drink from her coffee cup. “You know, this is a reason why attacks aren’t reported by women. The way you’ve presented yourself and turned it all around to make me think I’m going to doubt something I’ve submitted on that report.” She shook her head, “Why was I even brought here? To be treated like a criminal? I wasn’t the one who made the intimidating threats against anyone. If you don’t want to believe me, fine. You want to think I made that statement under some sort of altered state of mind…? Whatever. Are we done? I would like to leave now.”

The detective just sat and looked at her. “Yeah, we’re done. But I may have some questions for you later.”

Paige stood, “You have my number.” She was pissed. It wasn’t often she got mad, but she was mad. Storming out of the police station, she did start to question why she even submitted anything.

 

[BeachBum25]

When Michael reported for work two nights later, he was told by the Lieutenant that IAD was going to be stopping by to talk with him. They had a few follow up questions to ask him. Michael had no problem with it, and he told the Corporal in the office to just call him in when IAD arrived.

Approximately two hours later, he got a call over the radio to report to the station house. Once inside, he met with two IAD investigators and sat across the table from them.

One of them looked like he was mad at the world; his name was Evans. The other looked like he had been dragged along just to be a witness to the conversation. He said his name was Charles. Evans took the lead with the questioning, and started out by asking O'Flynn if there was anything about his original statement that he wanted to change.

Michael stared at him. "So, tell me Evans, what would make you ask me that question? Why would you think I wanted to change anything from what I said when I was originally questioned?"

He continued to stare at Evans, waiting for his reply. "Well, Sgt O'Flynn, it has come to our attention that you and the doctor have a little something going on."

It took all of his strength not to go off on Evans. Michael took a deep breath. "Well Evans, I see that you are not recording this interview, so, that tells me you are on a fishing expedition." Michael took out his cell phone and found the app to record the conversation. He opened it and started recording. "

Since you are not recording it, and I don't trust you or your sidekick, I am going to record it myself for my own protection. I have let you know I am recording it, so, by you continuing to have this conversation with me would indicate your consent to this recording."

Smiling at Evans, Michael continued. "Now, let me get this correct Evans. You are saying that you have information that there is something going on between me and Dr. Jackson who filed the complaint against Parker and filed multiple complaints against Thompson. Am I correct in stating what you said just prior to the start of this recording?"

Evans sat quietly; not responding to Michael's question. "Nodding your head won't work Evans. Either all communication is verbal, or this interview is over until I have representation." Evans didn't appear to know what to do next. It was obvious that he usually got his way by being a bully during interviews. It wasn't going to work with Sgt. O'Flynn and Evans was trying to figure out how to continue or how to get himself out of the current situation.

"Well Sgt. O'Flynn, I was just asking you about something that I picked up in talking to some of the officer's on the platoon." Michael nodded to him. "Okay then Evans, ask your question again, so, I know exactly what you asked."

Michael gave him an evil grin. He knew he had Evans in a bad spot. If Evans accused him, or even gave the impression that he was accusing Sgt. O'Flynn of conduct unbecoming an officer without any real evidence, it could cost him... a lot. Evans was obviously trying to figure out how to rephrase the question so that it did not seem to be accusatory. Evans decided to cut bait. "You know what O'Flynn, I no longer consent to being recorded."

Nodding his head, Michael stood up, with his phone still recording. "Then, this interview is over. Any future interviews conducted by you or any member of IAD will be recorded or they will not take place. Also, all future meetings will take place while I have counsel representing me. Oh, and yes, I will be reaching out to the IAD Captain about this meeting. Have a great night gentlemen." Michael left the recorder running until he left just in case they had some comment for him. They didn't.

Michael went back out on the street. He was happy that it was a quiet night, because it gave him an opportunity to settle down, and to get his temper in check before having to deal with anyone. Fortunately, he didn't have to interact with the public. The calls that he rolled in on were minor, and Michael briefly spoke with the officers handling the situation.

When he was finished work, he decided to get a cup of coffee on the way home and then go for a long run to work off his anger and frustration.

 

[zydrate]

Even though it was cold. Very cold. Paige found herself at the park fountains. Yes, they were turned off as most of the water was still frozen from the past few nights. She sat the edge, sipping at her now cold coffee. She sighed heavily... she hated cold coffee... but worse, she hated how this all seem to have taken a turn. She should have never filed that report. Of course, it was still the right thing but goddamnit, it just created a mess.

And that cop... were they all just a bunch of jerks? Yes. She decided. They were.

Paige held her now, cold coffee and dripped some of it on the frozen water. Her mind was lost elsewhere.

It bugged her that she couldn’t return to work for another 2 days. She had never had so much time off before, forced or voluntarily. At least the last time she had things to do. She had taken a trip with an old classmate, and they had flown to Florida for the week... Disneyworld to be exact. Yes, it was immature but neither she nor Amber had ever gone as children. So, they treated themselves to something special. It was also a way for Paige to congratulate herself for finishing her residency since no one else did. Her parents didn't attend her graduation or any school function.

Her mind then shifted to this stupid blind date she was supposed to go tonight. All she knew was that the guy's name was Patrick Fitzgerald. Yeah, she wasn’t going to go… In fact, she was just going to cancel it. In her state of mind, she didn't feel like going out with anyone her parents set her up with.

Of course, as soon as she had sent that message to her mother, she started blowing up Paige’s phone with calls and texts to call her back. Paige refused. She was almost 30 damnit, and she was not taking orders from her parents.

Maybe it was time for another vacation?

Getting up from the edge of the non-function water fountain, Paige started toward home. She stopped at a small local deli on her way and grabbed a huge sandwich.

Her phone sounded again… it was guy from the police station and she groaned inwardly. She just watched it ring… No, she wasn’t in the mood for talking to any one from the station anymore. At least not today. She turned off her phone. Once inside her apartment, she locked her door and potato’d herself on her couch, putting on a movie and losing herself in it. Just for today, she wanted nothing more to do with the world.

Paige jerked awake. Someone was knocking on the door. She had thought it was on the movie. She forced herself awake and looked at the time. The knock came again. She didn’t say anything and just shrugged to herself. “Go away,” she said softly as she pulled the small blanket on the couch on to her and over her head while she tried to go back to sleep…

 

[BeachBum25]

Work over the next few days was rather routine. It was cold out, and there tended to be fewer people out when it was cold. However, with most people spending time at home, there was an increase in domestic disputes. Domestics were always a nightmare, and very often resulted in injuries to police officers. They had been fortunate not to have any police officers injured to this point in the cold spell.

Sgt. O'Flynn kept himself busy. He was backing up officers on calls, especially the domestics. Many of the officers under his supervision were surprised to see him so active, and commented on it to him. He just told them that he wanted them to know that he was willing to do everything they were doing. He also told them that he could not make it through 12 hour shifts just riding around "supervising."

Tuesday started with a bang.. literally. There was a report of gunshots not long after they hit the streets. A man was found on the street with a graze wound. He was transported to the hospital, but everyone was sure he would be okay. O'Flynn drove over to the hospital to check on the man and his officer taking the report. He had been staying away as much as he could, because he knew people at the hospital were talking, and, obviously, based on the comment from the IAD guy, so were some of the police officers.

After finding out that the man was going to be discharged, Michael was heading back to his patrol car. As he approached the exit, a nurse walked up and asked if she could talk to him. They stepped into a back room. The nurse said her name was Mary. "I am worried about Paige.. uh, um.. Dr. Jackson. I have been trying to get a hold of her and I can't. When I call her, it goes right to voicemail. She never turns her phone off...ever. I am really worried about her. Is there any way you could go to her place and check on her for me? I don't want to make it a big deal by calling 911, but I thought that maybe you could."

Michael thought about it for a while. He really didn't want to get involved in this, because of the impression it might give to others. However, he thought, "I could just do it without putting it out on the radio. If she is okay, no harm, no foul. If not, well, I'll deal with that if it comes to it."

Looking at Mary, Michael nodded. "Okay, give me her address and I will do it."

Mary gave Sgt. O'Flynn Dr. Jackson's address, and he headed over there. He was paying attention to the radio calls, and there was nothing really going on. Instead of parking in front of the apartment building, O'Flynn parked in the back, and entered the building through the rear door. He didn't want to draw any attention to a police presence, especially if there was nothing wrong.

He went up to the apartment and knocked softly on the door. Once again, he was not trying to draw any attention to himself or to the doctor. He waited, and heard nothing. After a couple of minutes, he knocked again; harder this time, and he waited. He didn't hear any sound from inside the apartment. He started to wonder what he should do. Kicking in the door was not an option. He had no reason to believe that the doctor was in danger. He was just there because a co-worker couldn't get a hold of the doctor. Maybe she was out and didn't want to be disturbed.

Michael decided he would knock one more time. If he got no response he would let the woman at the hospital know, and would tell her that if she didn't hear from the doctor by morning to call 911 for a welfare check.

Stepping close to the door, O'Flynn banged loudly on the door. It was loud enough that if there was anyone inside, even if they were asleep, they would hear it, and hopefully, respond.

 

[zydrate]

Paige groaned when the knocking wouldn’t stop. What the hell could be so goddmamn important?! “Better be a fucking fire…” she said, throwing the blanket off of her. She rushed to the door and without looking to see who it was or even asking, she yanked it open, “What?!”

She saw Sergeant O’Flynn and out of instinct, shut the door in his face. After a second…or 10, she opened it, her look not softening, “What is it now? Here for more good advice at filing another report?! Or are you here to doubt what I reported? Whatever it is, I’m not in the mood.” And that was when she closed on the door on him.

It was then she heard him call out that Mary had sent him because her phone was off and she was worry about her.

“Shit, I forgot!” She said and ran to grab her phone, turning it back on.

After it powered back on, there were a list of missed calls from not only Mary but also the hospital, her boss… sure, other times, no one called her. Do one thing different and the whole world needed to talk to her.

She walked back to the door, and realized he was still standing there, she didn’t invite him in, “You didn’t have to come here. I would have answered the phone eventually. But…” she held up her phone to him, “It’s on now… thank you, have a good day."

 

[BeachBum25]

Michael nodded his head, and turned and left. Based on her response, he assumed that the IAD dicks had given her a hard time and tried to convince her that she should not have filed the report.

He got in his patrol vehicle and headed back to the hospital. He wanted to let Mary know he had talked to the doctor just in case the doctor hadn't called her. Then, he would not have to worry about the doctor anymore.

Once back at the hospital, he found Mary and told her. Mary thanked him and said that Dr. Jackson had called her. "I am glad she got in touch with you. I just wanted you to know that I had a brief encounter with her."

After leaving the hospital, Michael went back on patrol. About an hour later, he got a call to report to the stationhouse. Once he got there, he was told that the Lieutenant needed to see him in the back office.

O'Flynn found the LT sitting at a table with paperwork in front of him. The Lieutenant looked up when Michael walked in. "Hello Sarge, have a seat." Michael sat across from the LT and found out that he was being transferred.

"What, I just got promoted, I just started here, and now I am being transferred. What the hell is going on, Boss?" The Lieutenant shrugged his shoulders and said he had no clue. He told Michael that he had enjoyed having him under his command for the short time and he thought they would do good things together. "The orders just came down. You can have the rest of the night off and report to your new assignment tomorrow. Guess where you are going..... " The Lieutenant shook his head. "Internal Affairs."

"Get the hell out of here.... I am going to IAD? What is up with that?" The LT just shrugged his shoulders, held out his hand and said, "good luck."

Michael went to the locker room, cleaned out his locker, and headed home. After changing, he turned on a sports channel and watched some talking heads drone on about the latest antics of a professional basketball player who had been ejected from a game. He fell asleep on the sofa and woke up early the next morning when his cell phone rang.

When he answered it, he found that the Captain in charge of IAD was on the other end of the call. He asked Michael to come to his office at 10 am. "dress casually. We are just going to have a little talk."

Michael thought, "oh this is going to be fun," but responded, "Okay Captain, I will see you at 10."

O'Flynn got up and changed and went for a run. He needed to work off some frustration. After his run, he showered, and dressed for his meeting. The Captain had said to dress casual, but Michael did not want to give him any excuse to give him a hard time, so he dressed in a shirt and tie.

When he got off the elevator for the Internal Affairs Division at the Police Headquarters, he saw Evans. the investigator who he had interacted with before. "Great, can this day get any better," O'Flynn said to himself. He proceeded to the Captain's office where an aide told Michael to have a seat and that Captain Jones would be right with him.

When Sgt. O'Flynn was shown into the office, the Captain greeted him with, "so, I hear you are pretty smart." Michael had no idea how to take that and hesitated to respond. "It came to my attention what happened between you and Evans." Michael nodded his head.

All he could think at the moment that this was how IAD was going to get their revenge on him. They were going to bring him in here and give him a hard time.. give him all the shit tasks... make his life miserable.

The Captain continued. "There are not many men of any rank that have been able to get the better of Evans. It is my understanding you left him speechless and that he left the stationhouse with his tail between his legs." Michael suppressed a little smile. "I was just informing Evans of the fact that I was recording the conversation for my protection, and he was free to ask me any questions as long as he agreed to the recording. I do not appreciate someone making things up and trying to get me to change my story to protect a bad cop. I respect the job too much."

Captain Jones nodded his head. "That is why you are here. I like people who can think on their feet and can react appropriately in a tough situation. You are going to oversee the investigators, and you will answer only to me. Evans will probably get his panties in a bunch, but he will get over it. I want to get rid of bad cops, and you will help me with that task. Now, you will work the night shift since I am here during the day. So, you will be back here at 7 tonight, but, you will be on call 24/7 just in case there is an emergency."

Michael left police headquarters with his head spinning. This isn't what he wanted. He wanted to work the streets. He thought about stopping at a bar and having a few drinks, but that wasn't possible. He decided he would get a coffee and a bagel and head home.

 

[zydrate]

Paige was finally back at work. She had asked to return a day early and of course; her request wasn’t denied. The ER was currently suffering a surge of patients. It was basically a all hands on deck sort of thing. The first thing she was asked was to see if she could work a several doubles this week. That usually meant a 24 hours shift with a six hour break and then back on 24 hours. It was going to be tough, but she knew she could do it. Thank goodness for the call rooms where she would be able to sleep in between pages. She would mostly be busy during the night and be able to rest during the day, even if it was only 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep.

She was glad she had kept her sleep schedule constant when at home after the attack.

Her phone would ring at least once a day from that guy at the police station. He had more questions for her, so he said.

Finally, during one call attempt, Paige was on her way up to her assigned room and decided to answer.

He wanted her to come down when she could and that’s when Paige declined. She stopped on the top of the stairs and told him that she wasn’t going to pursue any further charges and had just wanted to let it go. It didn’t mean she was lying but she just wanted to deal with. They all took care of themselves, didn’t they? So what would it matter if she retracted her statement. As far as she was concerned, it was over with… except with how she got mad at Sgt. O’Flynn. She should have apologized to him. He was only there to check on Paige on behalf of Mary’s concern. Well, when she saw him the next time, she would tell him.

Thank goodness tonight was her last of her 24-hour shift. The only thing was the surge continued. It was like that sometimes. The surge was mostly because of the last snowstorm. It just went with the territory. People had been cooped up inside and in close proximity of one another and of course, being close the holidays, germs were everywhere.

Nearing the end of her shift, Paige was finishing up some paperwork while in between patients. Mary had come up to her, a look of worry on her face. Paige raised a brow, “What’s wrong?”

“Room 3. Male with several cuts and bruises on his face, says he got into a bar fight and well,” she looked at the board and saw it was Paige’s turn to take the next patient. “Listen Paige, I can ask Tracy to see if Dr. Lewis can see this guy…”

“No, I can do it.” Paige said as she took the tablet from Mary and looked at the man’s name.

Jack Thompson. Former Officer Jack Thompson.

Paige stopped and looked at Mary and she just gave the look saying, ‘I told you.’ Paige sighed and brushed her feelings aside. She was a professional and this man needed her help.

Paige didn’t say anything as she patched up the man. He was still a little drunk. He wasn’t driving. His mode of transportation to the hospital had been via taxi. When she was done, with Mary never leaving the room, Paige told him he could go. He stood up fast and his eyes locked with Paige’s. He didn’t say anything to anyone when Mary gave him his discharge papers.

Mary had tried to give additional instructions but he just walked out, never taking his eyes off Paige.

 

[BeachBum25]

Sgt. O'Flynn went home and sat down on the sofa. He still could not believe what had happened in the last 24 hours. Why the hell was he in IAD? He wasn't convinced about the Captain's motives for having him transferred there. Of course, he had no reason to doubt what the Captain told him.

The coffee and bagel sat on the coffee table untouched as Michael ended up falling asleep. A few hours later, he woke up and, once again, his thoughts went to the assignment with IAD. "Damn, just when I thought I was finished wearing shirts, ties and suits, now I am back into them. I guess I am goung to have to get my suits dry cleaned." It wasn't a real big deal, but Michael had looked forward to just wearing a uniform to work and not having to worry about what to wear to work each day.

Around 5 pm, he started to get ready for work. He put on his navy blue suit with a light blue shirt and a navy blue tie with a black and gray pattern on it. When he arrived at Police Headquarters and went up to IAD, he was surprised to find the Captain was still there. Jones called him into his office. "I just wanted to be here when you arrived. It is not very busy on the night shift here. The only time it gets crazy is when there is an officer-involved shooting. Other than that, most of your time is going to be spent reviewing investigative files and making recommendations for next steps. Not very exciting, I know, but it needs to be done. Some of the guys here are slacking a little."

Michael acknowledged what the Captain told him. He wasn't thrilled about being a paper-pusher, but there wasn't much he could do about it right now. Captain Jones took Michael down the hall to what was now going to be his office. It already had his name on the door, which was surprising to Michael. The Captain asked O'Flynn if he had any questions, and when Michael said he did not, the Captain said goodnight.

Michael went around the IAD office and stopped at the cubicles of the investigators on the night shift. He talked with them and got an understanding of the work they did in IAD at night. Instead of going back to his office, Michael sat at a large table that was right near where all the night investigators were working. He picked up a couple of files and started to look through them. For the most part, they were very thorough. Michael took a pad of paper and made notes on recommendations for follow-up.

He opened another file..... Jack Thompson. He read through the file, and when he came to the final recommendations, O'Flynn was shocked. "Recommend Officer Thompson be returned to duty." Michael went back and read through the file more closely. He saw that Dr. Jackson said she no longer wished to pursue the complaint. There was also a comment that the DA had been contacted and was going to drop the charges.

Sgt. O'Flynn did not put any notes on paper for this case. He had been involved in it, so, he was going to keep his written comments to himself. He decided he would talk to the Captain in the morning.

After a long, boring, uneventful night, Sgt. O'Flynn said goodbye to the investigators that were leaving. He hung out and introduced himself to those who were arriving for the day shift. When Evans walked in, O'Flynn simply nodded to him and smiled as Evans went to his cubicle.

When the Captain arrived, Michael greeted him and asked if he could have 2 minutes of his time. Michael told him that he had made some comments on the cases that were close to being closed out. "The only one I did not comment on was the Thompson case. I was interviewed by Evans on that one. I don't disagree with what his conclusion is since the complainant is no longer cooperating. I would make one recommendation, however. I think he should be transferred. If he remains there and has any interaction with the doctor, it could be bad for him." The Captain agreed and said he would tell Evans to put that in the file.

With that taken care of, O'Flynn said goodbye to the Captain and headed home. He was going to stop for coffee, but changed his mind. He was concerned he would bump into the doctor and that she would go off on him again. Michael went straight home and went to bed.

 

[zydrate]

Finally, off after finishing that marathon of working nonstop, Paige was finally on her way home. She had clocked out, gathered her backpack and headed out the door. As much as she liked what she was doing, she often wondered if she was over doing it. Probably.

She shoved her hands in her jacket pockets and headed toward the direction of her apartment. Lately, she had been thinking more and more of getting someplace closer to work… or just a house in general. But it just seemed like a lot of commitment right now…

It was a useless thought that kept her mind occupied as she walked home. The walk did her good and she enjoyed most days. But they were deadest in the middle of winter and soon, it would be freezing in the mornings. But, like always, she had dealt with it before and would deal with it again. She was lost in her thoughts when she turned the corner to the bagel shop to get her morning breakfast and drink. Just as she turned, a figure stepped in front of her. Paige gasped in surprise and gave a nervous laugh, not really looking to see who it was, just figuring it was almost an accidental collision of 2 people walking. She stepped aside and the person matched her step. Finally, she looked up and was face to face with Jack Thompson. His face still showing her patch up job from his bar fight incident earlier.

Paige’s look darkened, “Excuse me.”

“Yes, excuse you doc… but it’s OK, I don’t mind you following me.”

She was taken back, “What is that supposed to mean?” She tried once more to step around him and again, he stepped in front of her. “Can I get by, please.” Why the hell was she asking his permission?

There was, unfortunately, no one else around… perfect. This time, Paige looked up at him. She was tired of this guy, “Can I ask what your problem is?”

He just laughed, “I had no problems until I met you.” He moved toward her, and she stepped back from him, “I asked for you to do one thing and you just had to do it. That’s it. But no, you’ve been trouble since. I’m not sure why you women just can’t listen and do as you’re told…”

Paige rolled her eyes, “I can see you’re probably still drink and judging by your injuries; the other guy got the better of you.” She knew better than to taunt him, but she was tired of this bullshit. “Now, move out of the way or else I’ll scream and that will alert Paulie, owner of the bakery there,” she pointed, “That someone is in trouble, and he’ll beat your head in first before asking what happened.”

They stood there, facing each other, eyes locked. Paige wasn’t standing down. Sure, maybe she lied about Paulie, but she knew the last thing this jerk wanted was attention drawn to him and what he was doing.

“I’ll see you later.” He said it so casually and walked away. Paige just stood there and watched him. OK, now she was pissed. She had dropped the charges only because of the harassment and dropping the charges were supposed to mean the intimidation would stop… right?

“No, dummy.” She said to herself as she entered the bagel shop and got her order. Instead of going home, she sat there and ate her bagel and drank her coffee in some sort of piece. The truth was, she didn’t want to back out there and chance running into that man again.

Paige called Mary and asked if she could pick her up and take her home when she was done with her own charting and morning reports. Later when Mary picked her up, Paige didn’t say why she was needing a ride and had only told Mary she was cold and tired, that’s all. In payment of giving her a ride home, Paige got her a hot cocoa and a bagel.

***
When Paige got home, she saw her apartment door opened a bit. What the hell?

She knew she should have called someone but didn’t. Instead, she pushed the door open carefully and grabbed the bat she kept behind the door. Slowly and carefully, she checked out each room to make sure no one was there.

It was empty. Nothing was missing. Her bed… that was moved. Paige was a stickler for making her bed each and every time (thanks to an overbearing mother who wanted things to be perfect). Her covers were a mess… what the fuck.

She stood there in complete shock for a good 10 minutes before deciding to call her landlord to come and see if he could fix the locks or have them changed…. Something.

As she waited, she checked again and saw nothing was missing. The only thing amiss was the bed.

Later, when her landlord arrived, he said he had called a locksmith to come replace the locks and asked Paige if she called the police. Of course she didn’t. Nothing was missing. The only thing messed up was her bed. How would they handle that? Probably make her feel stupid again and say, ‘are you sure you made the bed?’

A few neighbors had come by when they saw the locksmith had arrived. They asked Paige what had happened, and she said she had been at work and came home to this. The neighbors were concerned and told Paige they hadn’t seen anything or anyone unusual. Of course they hadn’t.

Again, her landlord suggested she call the police and again, Paige declined.

What the fuck was going on?

 

[BeachBum25]

The first few days in IAD were uneventful. Michael didn't have much to do. There were no call outs, so, he just sat around the office talking with the night shift investigators and reviewing the cases that they were wrapping up. The investigators were very thorough, and Michael only made small recommendations. It made Michael wonder why he was really here.

It was about 3 am when one of the investigators came walking into the IAD office and asked who had the black Ford Explorer in the parking lot. O'Flynn looked up, "I do. Why?" The investigator told him that his alarm was going off. Michael thanked the investigator and went down the steps and out the back door to the parking lot.

Stepping into the parking lot, he felt something crack across the back of his head. He fell to the ground hard. It was the last thing he remembered.

Waking up in the hospital Emergency Room in a confused state, Sgt. O'Flynn looked up and saw the IAD Captain and two of the investigators from IAD. He also saw one of the Night Command Deputy Chiefs standing with them.

He tried to sit up, but his head was killing him. The Captain asked him, "What happened Sarge?" All Michael could do is look at him and shrug his shoulders.

A nurse came over and chased everyone away from Michael. "Okay, he is awake now, so, I have some work to do with him. You can go back to the waiting room and I will call you when he can talk to you.

Michael looked over at the woman. He recognized her. He couldn't remember her name, but it was the woman who had asked him to go check on the doctor when she wasn't answering her phone. Michael nodded to the woman. "Thank you. I really do not feel up to talking to them right now."

After answering several of the woman's questions, and telling her that his head hurt like hell, it was O'Flynn's turn to ask questions. "How did I get here, and how long have I been here?"

 

[zydrate]

It was starting to snow again and the ER was, as per usual, over capacity. Not just at Mass Gen, of course, but all over. Some of the smaller, private urgent care clinics had decided to stay open late, not only to help out with the more minor stuff, but also so they could fill their pockets... it was a win/win for everyone.

Yeah right. Paige didn't have time to worry about others financial gain in all this, she was just glad for what little help could be offered by others.

But it did slow up a bit just enough for Paige to get a small break. She knew it wouldn't last as she quickly finished up her lunch. Just as she tossed the take out container, her pager went off. Was she only physician on duty today? It sure felt like it...

No, it was radiology with the results of O'Flynn's CT. Just after that, she got a page from Mary saying that O'Flynn had woken up, this time for a longer time. He had come in and out of consciousness several times since arriving. He was one person that Paige never expected to see in the ER in this state. She did notice he didn't come around any longer. Not that she was watching for him. It was a good thing because the rumors of him and Paige had long ago died down, thankfully.

Paige called the radiologist on call, spoke briefly with him about the results and he said that all seemed normal, CT wise. That was good, but the rest was up to Paige. She was more concerned it had taken him this long to fully become aware.

She then went to O'Flynn's small curtained off 'room'. She smiled when she saw him sitting up and holding a hospital ice pack against the back of his head. "Well, hi again," Paige said, "Glad to see you fully awake." She then proceeded to ask the same questions Mary had probably already did, this time though, Paige asked the questions as she waved a pen light across his eyes, watching his pupils for their reaction.

"Well, 2 pieces of good news. First, your CT is normal meaning no swelling or bleeding detected. Second good thing, no stitches needed. Although I'm sure it feels like a basketball, it's more of a oblong bump... like someone hit you with a handle of something or something oblong. Yes, it did cause a wound, but nothing requiring stitches."

"Now... bad news. We're admitting you overnight for observation." Before he could say anything, "I know, it stinks but considering how long it took you to wake up, this is for the best on all sides. Better safe than sorry. In the meantime, we'll give you some pain meds, nothing heavy, just some tylenol to help relieve the pain. But other than that... any questions?"

When he didn't have any, Mary spoke up, "His bosses want to talk to him still."

Looking at Michael, Paige took a deep breath, "No, he needs rest. They can come back in a couple of hours."

Mary nodded and started to get things going to get Michael up to ICU for overnight OBs,even though it was almost 6AM, he would still stay overnight.

With that, Paige went out to talk to Michael's bosses. She told them she was going to admit him for observation. They had wanted to talk with him first. And she said no. They could come back later today and talk with him if they wanted or they could wait until he was out tomorrow morning. She spoke in a tone that said 'Don't even try to fuck with me right now.'.

Once Michael was moved up to ICU, he was no longer Paige's patient. She just patched them up and sent them where they needed to go...

***

Thankfully the next day there were no incidents with Paige. At least personally. She had already started to look for a new place to live. She had told her mother this and well, her mother quickly forgave her for missing that blind date if it meant she could nose her way into Paige's life in a different manner.... by looking for a nicer place for her to live.

"Sure Mom, go for it..." she didn't want to say that it would save her time but it would. That and it would get her out of her hair for some time.

Going in for her next shift, Paige arrived a little early. She put her gear away and grabbed her essentials for work. Before going to the ER, Paige stopped by the ICU to check on O'Flynn. She never did that--never checked on a patient after they've been sent from ER and admitted to another department.

She talked with the nurse on staff, who told Paige that O'Flynn was actually going to be discharged within the hour. Paige went to his room and knocked softly on the door, "Wow... looks like they gave you their best room." She said, giving him a small smile, "I just wanted to see how you're doing. I heard you're leaving a few also."

 

[BeachBum25]

Michael was not happy when the doctor said he was being admitted. "No, doc, just send me home. I will be fine. You said there is no real damage and I don't need stitches. What possibly could there be that has to be observed. I am fine."

Just the exertion to talk left his head spinning a little, but Michael did not let on to the doctor about his dizziness. Also, the doctor did not give in. She insisted that he be admitted. O'Flynn knew that he could decline treatment, but after feeling dizzy, he decided that it wouldn't be that bad.. actually it would probably only be a couple of hours.

He was surprised when he was moved to the Intensive Care Unit. He wasn't sure that he really needed to be in ICU. He had anticipated just being moved to a room on a Med-Surg floor. He settled in and decided to just relax, as much as possible. While in ICU, he spent the majority of the time trying to figure out what happened. After being hit on the head, he remembered nothing. Well, almost nothing. He wasn't sure if it had been part of a dream while he was unconscious, but he thought he remembered somebody saying, "that will teach you to fuck with me."

His thoughts were interrupted by a steady stream of nurses, doctors and techs coming in to see him. He insisted with each and every one of them that he was fine and that they should just let him go home. When the neurologist came in, O'Flynn told him, "You need to let me go. There is nothing for you to do for me. Why don't we use this bed for someone who really needs it." The doctor said he would review his chart and that someone would be in to see him shortly. "If we let you out of here, you will not be able to return to work until cleared by the city physician, and I am going to recommend you don't see her for 7 days." Without waiting for a response from Michael, the doctor left the room.

About 20 minutes later a nurse came in and told Michael that he was going to get his wish. "Give us about a little while and we will get everything squared away and get you out of here." When Michael asked why it would take time to get him released, the nurse chuckled. "You are in a hospital that makes sure that all the paperwork is thorough, and then they check it again. I'll get you out of here as quick as possible, although some of the other nurses are going to be disappointed to see you go." Michael nodded his head and watched the nurse leave his room.

A short time later, he heard a knock on his door and looked over and saw Dr. Jackson entering. "Hello doc, I didn't know you made rounds in ICU as well as keeping the ER in top notch shape." He smiled when the doctor talked about him getting the best room. "I think I just got lucky. I just hope the person that was in here before me got moved to a different floor and didn't kick the bucket." He paused, "sorry, that probably wasn't appropriate to say here or to a doctor who works hard to treat people."

Shrugging his shoulders, "anyway, thanks for checking on me. Yes, they told me I am getting out when they finish the paperwork.. whenever that might be. I feel fine other than the headache. I think I will be okay resting at home. I am going to have plenty of time to recuperate at home. The neurologist won't clear me for work for at least 7 days, and since this happened while I was working, I have to get cleared by the city doc. So, I get to do something I love to do..... sit around and do nothing." The dripping sarcasm was quite evident.

"Sorry Dr. Jackson, you don't need to hear about my problems. You deal with plenty of your own downstairs. Thanks for taking care of me when they brought me in, although, I don't remember any of it. I guess I was pretty out of it."

He looked at the doctor. He had forgotten how attractive she was. It was probably why he had stopped around the hospital so often. Well, that wouldn't be happening anymore with his transfer.... probably for the best. It was obvious that her colleagues had been talking and thinking they had something going on. He didn't want to make work difficult for her.

 

[zydrate]

“Hence the reason for observation. I know ICU was an odd choice, but the other general OBs rooms are packed. We’ve had an influx of patients these past few days.” Paige shrugged, “But it works, it was either here or pediatrics,” she smiled at him, hoping he would get the joke, “I hope you have someone coming for you, I-“ just then, her pager went off. Looking at it, she sighed quietly, “Well, I need to get going now. I hope I don’t see you around again in my ER… at least not in a patient capacity.” She reached into her side pocket of her scrubs and pulled out her business card, “Here, in case the city physician wants to get a hold of me. Their turnover is crazy and they usually don’t know who to contact when they need more information. She patted his arm and walked out.

As Paige reached the main entrance of the ICU, she pushed opened the door and almost ran into someone she had seen before…but couldn’t quite place him.

“Hey, it’s you!”

Stopping, Paige faced the man, “I’m sorry?”

“No, I’m sorry…” he laughed slightly, “I didn’t mean to blurt that out like that, I just mean, I changed your locks the other day, remember?”

Paige just nodded, “Ohh, yeah,” she didn’t really remember who was who, as there were a lot of neighbors in and out that day, making sure she was OK and also, she had been a bit shaken up, “Well, thanks! I have to get going…” she said, hoping she wasn’t being rude about it, but she really had to get going.

In the ER, it was chaos. Seemed a Greyhound had overturned, hitting a semi-truck and several people had been injured. Another all-hands-on deck situation… a common occurrence for this time of year, that was for sure.

She had been busy for most the night and even though she should have been done with her shift, she had stayed a few more hours to help out with the overcapacity. Just another day in the books and she was exhausted.

 

[BeachBum25]

"Pediatrics? There are a lot of people who would tell you that pediatrics would have been the appropriate place for me." He chuckled as he thought about it.

He was thinking about the fact that the doctor had dropped the case against Thompson. There was no way that he was going to ask her about it, and, even if he wanted to, he would not have been able to. Her pager went off and he knew she would be running off to a crisis in the Emergency Room. Before she left, she handed him his card. Taking it from her, he thanked her and then smiled as she patted his arm before walking out.
After the doctor left, and while he was waiting for all of the discharge orders to come through, Michael sat there thinking about Dr. Jackson. Specifically, he was thinking about the fact that she had touched his arm before she left the ICU. Touching was a good thing, right? Was he overthinking it? Was the touch on his arm more than a doctor-patient kind of good luck tap? Yes, he found the doctor to be very attractive, but had never pursued anything because of how much they worked together; still, however, people both in the hospital and the stationhouse talked about them as if there was something going on between them. Now, they didn't work together. Was that why she had tapped his arm? Wait... she had no idea he had been transferred. "Stop it Michael, you are reading too much into it."

He was snapped out of his thoughts by a nurse standing next to him, "Do you always talk to yourself?" Michael looked at her. He chuckled. "Yea, a lot of times I am the only one that wants to talk to me." She handed him discharge papers and went over them with him. Included in the orders was that he couldn't return to work until he was seen by the city doctor and that could not take place for 7 days. Then, he saw that he was not supposed to drive until cleared by the city doctor. "What is that for? I had a little concussion, I will be fine to drive by tomorrow." The nurse shook her head and told him that he had more than a minor concussion, and that the doctor was adamant about the no driving. Reluctantly, he signed the paperwork. The nurse said transport would be in to pick him up in about 20 minutes and then she pointed out where the bag of his clothes were. "Unless you want to go home in that sexy gown." Michael just shook his head as she walked away.

Taking out his cell phone, Michael called a couple of his buddies to see if he could get a ride home from the hospital. They were all shocked that they were just finding out he was in the hospital and were mad at him for not letting them know. "I didn't even know until a few hours ago when I woke up here." Unfortunately, everyone was at work. They all offered to stop by on their way home to pick him up, but Michael said no, thanks. "I need to get out of here now." Michael decided to use a car hire service to get him home.

Once transportation came to pick him up, Michael insisted that he could walk. The attendant just shook his head and pointed at the wheelchair with a smile. "Hospital rules." Michael just nodded and sat in the wheelchair. He thanked the nurses as he was wheeled out and chatted idly as they waited for the elevator. Michael saw the man that Dr. Jackson was talking to as she left him in the ICU. He thought about what he over heard. "Excuse me sir. Did I hear you say that you changed the doctor's locks the other day?" The man nodded to him. "I sure did. Somebody broke into her place and the building super called me to change the locks for her."

The elevator doors opened and he was pushed onto the elevator. When they got to the lobby, he was pushed outside where the car he hired was waiting. He thanked the attendant, got out of the wheelchair and into the back seat of the car. His mind went back to the doctor, and the fact that locks had to be changed in her apartment, again. "Do me a favor boss; hold on for a second. I have to ask the doctor a question, I will be right back."

Michael got out of the car, and walked around to the emergency entrance. The security guards recognized him, so, they said nothing to him. He saw the chaos that was going on, and changed his mind about talking to Dr. Jackson. He went over to the security guards and asked for paper and a pencil. He wrote his name and number. "Do me a favor. Give this to Dr. Jackson. Ask her to give me a call about my discharge orders when she is free." He looked back at the chaos. "That will probably be a while." He thanked them and headed out of the hospital.

Once home, he sat down on the sofa and turned on the television. His phone was blowing up now as his friends and their wives were talking about him being in the hospital... it was one text after another. He answered the first couple. Then, feeling exhausted, sent out a group text that he was fine, just very tired and he would be in touch with everyone soon. Before he knew it, he was sound asleep.

 

[zydrate]

The extremely early morning was finally winding down and Paige felt a glimmer of hope that perhaps she'd finally be able to get a break soon? Sure, if she finished up her notes perhaps. Hell, she hadn't even been able to have lunch yet. Oh well, there had been days that were worst than this.

As she was in the middle of her notes, one of the overnight guards came up to her, giving her a piece of paper.

"What's this?"

The man shrugged, "It's from your police friend, he came in late last night and was going to talk to you about something but asked to give this to you instead. He wanted to talk to you about his discharge."

At first, Paige's heart sank when she heard 'police friend' and the first thought she came up with was Officer Thompson and maybe he had found a way to harass her at work. But when she opened the paper, she saw Michael's name and number on it. "Ahh, OK, thanks."

"You OK?"

Paige nodded, giving him a small smile, "Yeah, just tired is all." Was she really that transparent?

The guard nodded, "OK doctor, have a good morning, I need to get going."

"OK, thanks, you too." She said and went back to her notes.

***
Later that morning, Paige had just reached her apartment when she remembered that she was supposed to give Michael a call. She hurried up the steps of her apartment building. After she got to her apartment, she set her stuff down and found her phone and then patted her scrub pants, finding the paper. She pulled it out and punched in the number to Michael. The phone rang several times before it went to voicemail. She had made sure it wasn't too early but it was after 9AM so she was sure he should be awake.

"Hi Michael, it's Dr. Jackson.. I got your message saying you might have some questions about your discharge orders and well, I'm not the doctor on call who discharged you, that would have to be who ever signed the papers given to you by the nurses in ICU." She continued to talk as she walked to her bedroom so she could get ready to shower, "So, if you don't mind, I could gi--" she stopped and saw her bed was unmade, again, she always made her bed, no matter what... and that it had been cut up? Or rather, slashed? Her mattress was cut up and covered in muddy footprints...well, boot prints really. She swore to herself and wanted to scream but remembered just in time she still had Michael's voicemail going, "I'm sorry... I can have Dr. Williams call you about your discharge orders. Thanks, bye."

She made sure she ended the call before she covered her mouth and screamed. Not a scream of fear but of frustration. What this Thompson's doing? Duh, of course it was... did she really piss him off this bad that he had to keep bugging her?

Should she call the police? No. Of course not... like that did any good last time. Well, she wasn't going to be pushed out of her place... Paige let out a few choice curses before she got to cleaning up.

***
Paige was exhausted as she sat on her couch and gave the report the police officer. She had decided to call and give another report, this time, reporting everything. She was tired of what was going on. She had called to make a report and was surprised when the department said they would send an officer over. Thank goodness they had sent over a female officer...at least they would be understanding and actually listen to Paige.

When the report was taken, Paige took that quiet moment to lay down on her couch. It was a good thing her couch was comfortable when she needed it. Her knew bed wouldn't be there until tomorrow...

 

[BeachBum25]

Michael woke up on the sofa and looked around trying to figure out where he was. He relaxed once he realized he was in his living room. He had passed out, and had no idea how long he was asleep.

He looked at his phone. Despite the group text that he sent out, there were multiple texts from friends checking up on him and there were several missed calls with voice messages. He just shook his head.

He listened to the messages, including the one from Dr. Jackson. It was obvious that she assumed he was calling for medical advice. He decided he would call her back later.

Getting up off the sofa was a little bit of a challenge. He still had a massive headache. Yes, he had lied to the doctors and nurses and told them that his headaches were gone. When he stood up, he had to overcome a bit of a dizzy spell before heading into the kitchen to get a bottle of water and something to eat. He looked through the refrigerator and threw out some leftovers that had been in there too long. Michael ended up settling for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Sitting at the kitchen table, Michael returned several text messages; telling everyone that he was fine. He returned a couple of calls and spoke briefly with friends.

After finishing the sandwich and cleaning up, Michael went back out and sat on the sofa. He decided to call Dr. Jackson back before it was too late. He called the doctor's number. He really didn't expect her to pick up considering the tone she had when she had called him back, but it was worth a try. If she didn't pick up, he would leave a message explaining the true meaning for his call.

Surprised that she answered the phone, Michael told the doctor why he was calling. "Dr. Jackson, I am sorry to bother you, but I had a question to ask you and it has nothing to do with my treatment or my health. The reason I am calling is because of something I overheard at the hospital after you visited me in the ICU. A man said he changed your locks. Tell me, is this related to the situation with Thompson? I am starting to wonder if my headache is related to that, too."