Path to Elysian

[zydrate]

This time her body shivered for a different reason. Paige closed her eyes when she felt Michael come up from behind her and kiss her neck. She leaned into him as his hot breath sent chills through her. When he turned her to kiss her, Paige returned his kiss as her arms wrapped around his neck as she pulled him closer. They continued to kiss each other as they made their way to the stairs. If they continued like this, Paige was sure they were not going to make it to the shower at all. But to her, that would be OK because they would make it eventually.

Outside, the snow fell harder

It all seemed surreal. Things started off as two people connected by certain events, at least that's what it seemed like to Paige. She and Michael ending up here was partly her doing but then again, she didn't have to do what she did and that was help him out of that rehab center.

Now... well, she hadn't noticed the snow outside was coming down a little more intensely but things between her and Michael were getting hot and heavy... and fast. Soon, they both eventually made it upstairs to her room and her personal bathroom. She had a large shower and a separate tub in hers, yes a little over the top, but she loved it. The water was turned on and soon they started to undress each other...

 

[BeachBum25]

The trip up the stairs took some time. There was a pause on each step to make sure they maintained their balance as they continued to kiss. They were in no hurry to get up the stairs.. why should they be? They were alone, the locks had been changed. There would be no interruptions this time.

Once in the private bathroom in Paige's room, Michael slowly lifted the top of her running clothes over Paige's head; only momentarily breaking the kiss. After dropping the top to the floor, Michael pulled Paige in close to him and resumed the kiss; his hand caressing her back lightly... his fingertips moving slowly up and down Paige's spine... massaging each vertebrae.

Without breaking the kiss, Michael slid his fingers in the back of Paige's running pants and slowly moved them around to her hips. Then, he began to lower her pants... pushing them down to her knees before breaking the kiss again. Kneeling in front of Paige, Michael continued to lower the pants before untying her running shoes and removing them and then helping Paige out of the pants.

Spinning Paige around to face away from him, Michael remained on his knees and began to lower her panties. After helping Paige step out of them, Michael gave her a little kiss on each cheek of her perfect ass before standing up behind her. Kissing her neck and shoulders, Michael's hands moved to her wonderful breasts and began to caress them while rolling her nipples between his fingers.

Paige turned to face him and, as she did, Michael removed his shirt. With her breasts pressed against his now bare chest, they resumed the kiss. The steam from the shower began to fill the room, so, Paige finished undressing Michael.

Once they were both naked, they moved toward the shower. Michael looked out the window and noticed how hard the snow was falling and how much was already on the ground. Stepping into the shower with Paige, he smiled at her. "Looks like we might be snowed in for a while."

 

[zydrate]

Paige could only nod at what Michael said about the snow. At the moment, she really didn't care if they were snowed it. And if they were, then that would mean more time to spend together. She knew they wouldn't be bothered anymore because of the locks and mostly because of the snow.

The water felt wonderful as it splashed on their naked bodies. She had never done this before and although it was new, it just felt so right. There was no way in hell she was going to compare Michael to any one else she had been with. Their kisses continued as she ran her hands up his arms and wrapped her arms around his neck. She felt his hardness pressing against her stomach and so with one hand, she reached between them and started to stroke him.

As much as she wanted more more right now, she pulled back, still holding him in her hand as she reached for the bottle of body wash. She opened it slowly and poured some onto him before putting it down and running her hands over it and then over his chest, lathering him up. She pushed him gently against the wall and methodically washed his arms and chest... moving down his hips...

 

[BeachBum25]

The kisses between them were deep and passionate as their hands explored one another. They took their time. Nothing was rushed. They were both on the same wavelength; just wanting to savor ever moment, every touch, every taste.

Michael gasped a little into the kiss as Paige reached between them and took his hardness in her hand and started to stroke him. As Paige stroked him, Michael moved his hands up and down her sides; his thumbs brushing across her erect nipples each time his hands moved up to her perfect breasts.

Watching as she broke the kiss, Michael saw Paige reach for the body wash and pour some of it over his body. Damn, there was something so sexy about the way that she did that, it made him even harder. A wicked smile moved over his face as she pushed him back against the wall and moved her hands slowly over his body. He was surprised at how aggressive she was taking the lead like this, but he had to admit that he did not mind it. He had a feeling that there would come a time when they would battle for control, which would lead to something incredibly hot.

There were no words spoken between them as Paige moved her hands over his body. When her hands made their way to his hips, Michael reached out and placed a hand behind Paige's head..... running his fingers through her hair. He pulled her back in for another kiss, pressing their bodies together.

The kiss was deep and passionate. Michael then broke the kiss and whispered to Paige, "instead of your hands, move your hot body against mine. Spread the soap over both of our bodies. I want to use the soap you have spread on my body to cover your body Paige." Michael began to move his body a little... the bodywash that Paige had spread on his chest was now being spread over her wonderful breasts.

They moved their bodies together in an erotic dance; their arousal heightening to unbelievable levels. Then, Michael spun Paige around and pulled her back to him, making sure to cover her back with soap and allowing his aching hardness to brush over her firm ass while he kissed and nibbled her neck and shoulders.

 

[zydrate]

She didn't need any more encouragement as she listened to Michael's harsh whispers. Paige leaned again Michael and rubbed her body against his, lathering between them building as she didn't hold back. Yes, she wanted to feel him against her and also inside her again but she knew that would come later. Right now, she just wanted to feel him against her... supporting her, protecting her...

Pushing against him, Paige turned to face Michael as her hands reached up and rubbed up and down his sides before moving lower to his hips while her chest pressed and moved against him. Her hands moved lower and reached between them, her hands finding his bulging manhood and stroking it, her hands barely able to grasp it but she did and stroked it.... her other hand reached for Michael's hand and she guided it to her legs, more specifically to between her legs... the most tender place on her body...

Their lips met once more as they pleasured each other... she knew this shower wasn't their only time together... it seemed a few minutes later, they were on her bed, still naked and locked in a passionate kiss, their hands roaming each other's bodies. Once again, they were joined as one, not worrying about anyone interrupting their time together. With the snow falling outside, it was almost too perfect as they moved in unison, both in tuned with each other's wants and needs. Before long, they fell asleep in each other's arms, no care in the world. Right now, it was just the two of them in this world... worshipping each other's bodies....

***

Both Paige and Michael had taken some time to have dinner and of course, open his presents. Paige had gotten him another tie, which was actually one of her grandfather's ties, as well as a Rolex watch. Yes, it was an expensive gift, but she felt it was more practical than expensive. She had taken her time in figuring out which tie to give him. She knew her grandfather would approve of Michael. It made her feel good to give him one of her grandfather's ties.

After dinner, they had watched a movie and of course, never finished it as they had made love once more on the couch before ending up in her bedroom and in her bed....

***

As far as Paige was concerned, she would have loved nothing less than spending the rest of the week in bed with Michael but that had to end, as they had to return back to work in the city by Monday. Of course, Paige had to return to work on Monday night but then, be present for her father's election results on Tuesday. Yes, he was guaranteed to win and she could have skipped it but he insisted she be there as he had to have his family's support... or at least make it look like it...

Paige hadn't had a chance to contact Michael until Thursday... she had messaged him but he never texted her back and she figured he was just busy... she had returned to work on Wednesday and he still hadn't returned her calls...

 

[BeachBum25]

He certainly enjoyed his time in the Winter Wonderland and wished that their time together could continue forever, but he knew that Paige needed to get back to work, which meant that she would have to return to the city.

Michael had to go back, too. It was time for his check-up with the city doctor who would determine whether he was able to return to work, or if he needed more time to recover. Michael knew that he was probably in the best shape of his life. He had spent all of the time not only recovering but working out... running, push-ups, sit-ups... he was physically ready to go back to work. Was he ready mentally? That was a different question.

After being wounded protecting Paige's father on the campaign stop, Michael had been promoted to Lieutenant and had been told that he was going to be on the mayor's protection detail. That was assuming that Jackson won the election, which was all but guaranteed. Now, obviously, his situation had changed. Yes, he was still a Lieutenant, but there was no way he was going to be on the protection detail once cleared to return to work.

The visit to the doctor was uneventful. The doctor reviewed his records and mentioned how Michael had left the rehab center without letting anyone know, which wasn't a good idea. However, when he checked Michael out, the doctor found that he was more than ready to return to work. The doctor said he would notify the administration and I would hear from them about when to return to work.

Michael nodded at the doctor and got dressed after the doctor left. As he walked out of the medical building, he was stopped by a patrol officer and a Deputy Chief. "welcome back to the force Lieutenant. I am sorry to do this to you after what a great job you did, but this came from the Chief." Michael took a piece of paper from the Deputy Chief. It contained his new assignment. He was transferred to Night Command.

Night Command was where ranking officers who had fallen out of favor with the chief were sent. You worked the midnight shift, and you made sure that commanders for the precincts were not disturbed while at home. It was not a welcome duty, however, Michael was not surprised by it in the least.

Not having the regular contact with Paige was somewhat upsetting to Michael. It wasn't just the physical attraction to her that he missed. He missed just being near her. He had fallen for Paige, and being apart from her was difficult. He did not, however, contact her. He knew that she had agreed to be with her parents on the night of the election, and Michael was not sure how much time she was going to be spending with her parents. He did not want to send her any messages, or call her while she was with her parents.

He did not notice the text message from Paige until long after she had sent it. Michael thought about responding, but chose not to, because he wanted to make sure he did not put Paige in a bad place with her father. He assumed that fences had been mended between the two, and now that he won the election that Paige would be back to making appearances with him.

 

[zydrate]

"Are you OK?" Mary had asked Paige during a lull in between patients. Even though she had been back for over a week, Paige didn't have time to tell her friend of what was happening or was it what had happened between herself and Michael.

It had a been a hard and fast paced 3 weeks and now, with Christmas coming up, a time Paige had thought she and Michael would spend some more time together at the cabin, she had a feeling that wasn't going to happen.

"Come on Paige, you haven't been yourself since you got back. I mean, other than doing your job, you haven't been yourself. Is everything OK?"

"It's... going. Listen, I know you're just concerned, but really, everything is fine..." with that, she had pushed her questions on to Mary and how she was going to spend her holiday with her family. Her husband had finally gotten time off to take her on a proper vacation so they were going to Hawaii. That must be nice... Paige never had been there and had planned to go one day also.

They talked a little more when they got the call that there had a been an accident and the victims from both vehicles were heading toward them. Paige pushed her mind to work mode and Mary started calling out orders to the nurses to get the rooms ready, there would be a total of 6 persons with serious injuries, they would get more when the ambulances brought them in.

"ETA, 2 minutes!"

Paige directed some 2 year students to help out when needed. There was already a trauma surgeon on stand by as well as the on-call anesthesiologist.

Before they knew it, the place was a mad house. It didn't help that there was a huge storm brewing out side and anyone driving in it tonight would be out of their mind.

The first primary victim came in Paige got to work as everyone around her had been calling out vitals and other orders. She had been looking at the injuries of the man laying on the gurney, he had been struggling to breathe. Looking up from his injuries to reassure him, Paige gasped quietly... this was the Chief of Police. She knew for sure it was him as he had spent a lot of time at her family's home many times.

"He was t-boned on the passenger's side and his wife was also hit... she's next door." With that, Paige called out for x-rays of his chest and then as that was being done, she looked in on his wife. Again, Paige knew the Chief's wife, she was a sweet woman...

She saw the woman, her dress in shreds and then saw her face.

That wasn't the chief's wife...

Paige didn't say anything. She looked at the doctor tending to the woman and asked if he needed assistance. He said no. Just then, the x-rays were ready.

"Nothing broken... a few fractured ribs..." it wasn't anything too serious yet, serious enough since he was up in age. They would have to keep an eye on him. "Let's get him upstairs for a C.T."

The doctor that was helping the chief's "wife" called out for assistance and Paige didn't hesitate as she went to help. They were losing her...

***

"Time of death?"

They called it...

"The poor guy... he just lost his wife..."

Paige spoke up, "That wasn't his wife."

With that, she turned and went to help out with the other victims... it was going to be a long night...

 

[BeachBum25]

It had been three weeks since Michael had seen or talked to Paige. It was an extremely hard time, but Michael was concerned about what would happen if he reached out to Paige at the wrong time. Her father had won the election, and Michael had seen several news reports of appearances the mayor-elect was making and Paige was seen at several of them. He knew that she was probably not happy to be attending them, but was doing it for family peace.

Working midnight shift was not his favorite thing. He was working when most people were sleeping and he was sleeping when most people were working. It also made it difficult to communicate with Paige. Since they hadn't been in contact since they left their Winter Wonderland, Michael had no idea what Paige's schedule was like at the hospital. Several times he was tempted to stop by the hospital while he was working, but decided not to, because he didn't want to make things uncomfortable for Paige at work. He had no idea if she had mentioned them being together to anyone she worked with.

Hearing the call for a major car crash, Michael really didn't think much of it. It was one of many crashes that occurred at this time of year as people were out celebrating the holidays. He heard where the injured were being taken, and, for a moment, thought about stopping there to check on it. That would give Michael a reason to go in and see if Paige was working.

While contemplating that, Michael received a call over police radio to contact the precinct where the accident occurred. He dialed the number from his cellphone and the Corporal answered. "This is Lieutenant O'Flynn, Night Command. What can I do for you?" Michael listened as the Corporal told him that it was the Chief of Police that had been involved in the car wreck. "Okay, I am heading to the hospital. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT make any other notifications until you hear back from me. Am I clear, Corporal?" The Corporal acknowledged Michael's order.

As he drove to the hospital, Michael reached out to the Inspector who was the highest ranking officer in Night Command. He told the Inspector what was going on and that he was heading to the hospital. The Inspector, who had a long-running feud with the Chief told Michael that he was going to stay away, because he didn't want to be seen as interfering with something involving the Chief. Michael didn't say anything about his own feud with the Chief, which really wasn't with him, but with the guy who was going to be the Chief's boss in a couple weeks.

When he entered the Emergency Room, Michael saw several nurses and a doctor working on a woman. The patrol officer who was handling the accident report told Michael that it was the woman that was in the car with the Chief. As the patrol officer put it, "his wife." Michael looked at the officer and said, "make sure that you confirm identities of all the parties. We want to make sure that the names are reported accurately."

Just then the scene around the woman turned to chaos. For the first time in weeks, Michael saw Paige. He saw her as she ran into assist with the injured woman. If she saw him, Paige gave no indication of it. Of course, Michael knew how she was when she was in the zone; he had seen it before. "When Michael heard Paige call TOD, he knew things were about to get much more interesting.

Michael backed away and called the Inspector to let him know about the woman and the fact that she had died. "I just thought that you might want to know about that.... in case you wanted to be the one to break the news to the Chief, or maybe just be present when he found out." Yes, Michael was giving the Inspector some ammunition to go at the Chief. This could possibly get the Inspector off Night Command, and Michael helping him out could be useful to Michael in the future. Since Michael's feud wasn't with the Chief, he couldn't benefit as much at the moment as the Inspector could.

When he finished the call with the Inspector, Michael approached the patrol officer doing the report. "Where is the Chief?" After hearing that he had been sent for a CT scan, Michael approached one of the nurses. He recognized the woman from before and knew that she was friends with Paige. "When the Chief is finished with his CT scan, will he be coming back here?" She nodded to him and gave him a funny look before moving away. Michael wondered if Paige had said something to her.

The Chief returned from the CT scan at the same time as the Inspector arrived in the ER. Michael conferred with the Inspector who told him that he wanted Michael to be the one to share the news, and that the Inspector would remain in the background, but in plain sight of the Chief.

Michael made his way toward the area where the Chief was being treated. He told the doctor and the nurse that he needed a few minutes alone with the Chief. At first they objected. Michael made it clear that he wasn't asking. He added, "when you go tell Dr. Jackson that I threw you out, tell her that it was Lieutenant O'Flynn that sent you away."

Watching them both leave, Michael and the Inspector went in to see the Chief. Once the Inspector closed the curtain behind him, the Chief looked at them. "What the fuck do you two want?" Michael's approach changed immediately. "Well Chief, it seems like you have problem.... a BIG problem." Michael let a smirk move over his face.

"You see, I originally came in here to let you know that we needed to do some damage control. Your attitude changed all that. Now, I would tell you that you probably need to start thinking about how you want to word your resignation letter and how you are going to announce it to the press. You see, the woman that was in your car, who, I might point out, was not your wife... you see, she didn't survive. She is dead. Now, either me or the Inspector are going to have to do notifications to the woman's family. That is going to be really uncomfortable... especially when the ask what happened. It will be hard to tell them that she was in the car driven by the Chief of Police.. who happens to be married."

Michael could almost feel the smile on the Inspector's face behind him. "Oh, and yes, we are going to have to notify your wife that you were involved in a car crash. It will be so hard when she asks me about the details." He paused for a second. "Oh, and one last thing Chief.... we are going to have to have to send a sample of your blood for BAL testing. You know... standard procedures in a fatal car crash. Have to make sure that neither driver was under the influence."

As he finished, the curtain was pulled back. Michael turned and smiled. "Hello Dr. Jackson. I figured they would go running to you. The Inspector and I were just finishing up with the Chief." Turning back to the Chief, Michael smiled. "Feel better."

After leaving the Chief, Michael spoke briefly to the Inspector. "Let me talk with the Doctor for a second, and we can discuss how you want to move forward." The Inspector nodded and told Michael he had handled the Chief perfectly.

"Paige. Um, I mean, Dr, Jackson, can we talk for a second, please."

 

[zydrate]

The ED was a madhouse. Something Paige had been used to and now, it was something she just fell in step with, almost like she had never left. Just because one emergency happened didn't mean other emergencies were put on hold. Deep down, she wondered if Michael would be part of the those other officers that were going to show up because of their injured boss.

Not wanting to sound heartless but knew they would need the space, Paige had some CNAs take the body of the woman who had been with the Chief and had them take her down the mortuary where she would stay until family were notified and further arrangements could be made.

Paige was on the phone with the OR for a different patient when one of the techs came to her. She was on hold and she nodded her head for the tech to speak. He told her that a Lieutenant O'Flynn had told the medical staff to leave so he and another guy could talk to the chief. Paige cursed under her breath. He hadn't bothered to call or reply to her texts in over 3 weeks and now, here he was, ordering the staff around. If she could, she would have hung up the phone but this needed to be done before anything else. She let the OR know of 2 patient's coming up and gave them a report and put the orders in for them.

"Next time, you do not leave the patient alone with any officers, understand?!" She said, fuming. Although she was wanting to know why he hadn't contacted her, this was all beside the point. Paige was more furious that they could just come in and question whomever.

Pulling back the curtain on where the Chief was, Paige looked at him and the two officers, who wisely started to leave. She barely cast a glance at Michael as she walked up to the Chief and looked him over. His eyes were closed and Paige, to her surprise, spoke in a calm voice, "Hey Phillip...how are you feeling?" She reached over and held his hand.

"Lorraine is going to kill me."

With a sigh, Paige shook her head, "Well, we're going to have to call her but only give her the minimal details. Is there someone else you want us to call also?"

He sighed, "You were always so sweet Paige... if you could, can you call your father for me, I have some damage control to do and since he's an old friend, he's best to help me right now."

Paige cringed inwardly, but forced a smile, "Of course. Listen, I'd like you to stay overnight for observation, OK? We're getting you a room right now. A nurse will come in shortly and get things ready." He just nodded and closed his eyes once more.

It was then after she closed the curtain back, she saw Michael and there was fire in her eyes. He asked if he could speak with her and as much as she wanted to say 'oh, now you want to speak with me?', she didn't. Instead, Paige looked up at him, "Talk? You want to talk? OK, how about talking Lt., how about you not throwing the medical staff out for doing their job, that is not your place. And the next time you want to speak to a patient then a nurse or doctor will be present when you do so. That poor man in there just went through something traumatic and you're already over here harassing him." Her voice wasn't loud but it still caught a crowd. Was she harboring some resentment toward him for not calling her and letting it bleed into her frustration with him tonight? She didn't think so but then again... perhaps she was.

As she was going to lay into Michael more, a code blue was called and Paige immediately bailed and just like that, she was on autopilot, heading to the curtained off room where the code blue was called.

It didn't stop from there as one thing after another came up. Paige had hoped Michael had left because she was afraid she would let him really have it. When she had time in between patients, Paige called her father and told him that the chief was in accident and wanted to see him. Her father didn't question her. He just said he'd be right there.

That was a first. She thought for sure he'd get after her for calling at such a late/early hour. Paige didn't think any more of it as work continued...

****

The snow stopped. It was easily 6AM and she was just now getting off work. Paige just wanted to go home, make some breakfast and get some rest. She had a couple of days off and intended to spend them sleeping. She had thought about going to the cabin for the time off but there were memories there she didn't want to relive. At least not like this. She felt awful because as much time they had spent together, Paige thought there was something there between herself and Michael.

She felt so stupid for thinking that. She didn't think he was the one night stand kind of guy but yet, look what happened to her.

Finally, at home, she had promised not to cry about it. But in the end, she couldn't help it. As soon as she closed the door and locked it, she slid into a sitting position onto the floor and let the tears flow. Jeez, she was an idiot...

After about 10 minutes, she managed to pull herself together and then take a shower, in hopes it would wash the night's events away.

When she was done, she proceeded to make some breakfast, diving into some comfort food of oatmeal, brown sugar and milk, along with some toast with grape jelly. She then closed all the blinds and blackout curtains. She wasn't on call so she turned her phone off because she knew that after finishing her breakfast, she'd be out like a light.

 

[BeachBum25]

Michael stood there and took it from Paige. He was not going to make a scene by going back at her. He was not going to tell her that despite the fact that she may have been in charge of the Emergency Room that she was not going to tell him how to run a police investigation. He also wasn't going to tell her that he was going to require blood to be drawn from the Chief for testing to see if he was under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Knowing that the Chief would not willingly consent to the blood draw, and not trusting the hospital staff to preserve blood until it could be tested later, Michael made a phone call after Paige went sprinting away on the Code Blue. The call was to an Assistant District Attorney. He told the ADA that he needed a warrant for a blood draw because he knew that the person would not consent. The ADA was shocked when he heard the name, but understood the need for the warrant.

Fifteen minutes after the phone call, Michael received a text that the warrant had been signed by a judge. It was forwarded to him electronically, but Michael didn't want any problems, so, he sent the patrol officer doing the investigation to pick up the hard copy of the warrant. In the mean time, Michael found one of the other ER doctors and showed him the warrant on his phone. "The hard copy will be here momentarily. You will make sure that this blood is drawn. If it is not, I will make sure that you are brought in front of the judge and made to answer for your failure to adhere to what the warrant is for."

Once the hard copy of the warrant arrived, Michael went in to see the Chief. He was followed in by a tech who was going to draw the blood. Michael handed the Chief a copy of the warrant. Saying nothing, Michael just stood there and watched as the Chief read the warrant. As he finished, Michael told the tech to draw the blood. While waiting for the tech to finish, the curtain was pulled aside, and in walked the mayor-elect. Michael smiled at him as he entered.

Mr. Jackson looked at the Chief, then the tech, then at Michael. "What are you doing here?" Michael stared at the mayor to be. "Just here doing my job. Having been transferred to Night Command, it was my duty to be here when I was informed that the Chief had been involved in a motor vehicle crash. Now we are just following the procedures established by Police Directives to make sure that a fair and equitable investigation is done on the cause of said crash; especially since that crash involved a fatality."

Michael nodded to tech as he finished drawing the blood for the warrant. After the tech left, Michael looked to the Chief and then to Mr. Jackson. "I will leave you two alone. I am sure that you have a lot to talk about, and you are going to want to get your stories straight before the shit hits the fan and the news gets the details of who was in the car with the Chief. In the mean time, I have a notification to make to the dead woman's family. Have a good evening gentlemen."

Walking out of the ER, Michael noticed that news vans were pulling up. He hastily moved to his vehicle and pulled away before anyone could come and ask him any questions. He went out to notify family of the dead woman. It wasn't an easy conversation to have with them. Her husband and daughters had a lot of questions. Michael told them that investigators were still gathering information, and that they would be kept up to date of information as it became available.

After finishing with the notification, Michael went back to headquarters and turned in his vehicle and got in his car. He thought about what had happened. The one thing that bothered him the most was that Paige had not given him an opportunity to talk to her. She was the old Paige that he had known. The one who was the boss in the ER and wanted everyone to know it. She couldn't even give him two minutes to explain himself.

Deciding that he was going to speak with her and get her to hear what he had to say, Michael drove to Paige's house. He knocked on the door. When Paige didn't answer, Michael knocked harder. He was determined that he wasn't leaving until he had a chance to talk with Paige and straighten things out. When the door finally opened, Michael moved his foot to a position where she couldn't close the door on him. "Paige, we are going to talk, and you are going to give me a chance to tell you my side of things. After that, if you want me to go away, I will do so... willingly. I won't be happy about it, but I will do as you wish."

 

[zydrate]

She never heard the first knocks. In fact, it seemed to part of her dream. It took her another few minutes to wake up fully and realize someone was knocking. She sat up and rubbed the side of her head... she had a massive headache and that's what seemed to be matching the pounding at the door.

It was then she heard Michael's voice and she rolled her eyes but that was a mistake as it made her head pound harder. She begrudgingly walked from her bedroom and to the front door. Her apartment was dark which was in contrast to the brightness outside that blinded her, making her groan more as the brightness hit her more than Michael standing in the doorway. He had blocked the door with his foot and told her that he was going to tell her his side of the story...

Paige shook her head and backed up as he walked in and closed the door behind him, "Ohh, no need to tell me anything Michael. Your silence over these past few weeks spoke volumes!" She said louder than she wanted. With another groan, she walked to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle from the frig as well as some aspirin from a cabinet, "So... talk." She told him as she took the meds and then walked back to the living room and flopped down on the couch and pulled a pillow over her head. Where the hell did this headache come from?

"Well?" She said, her voice muffled under the pillow.

 

[BeachBum25]

"So, the fact that I stood up to your father for you means nothing..... obviously." Despite the fact that he had come here to apologize to Paige, the way she was acting had Michael quite upset. That, on top of the way that she had acted at the hospital made Michael wonder if he was pushing for something that Paige really didn't want. Maybe it was just the fact that they had been isolated that led to what happened between them, and now that they were back in the "real world" Paige wasn't interested in anything between them.

"I saw your message, long after you sent it. I didn't want to message you while you were at meet and greets or public appearances with your father. Not reaching out to you was an attempt to reduce friction between you and your parents because I didn't know when you were with them. That plus the fact that your father made sure I was transferred and working this awful shift probably to make it more difficult between us."

He took a deep breath. "Since you are hiding under the pillow, I will take that as a sign that you do not want to discuss anything and have a conversation about how we can move forward and continue and strengthen the relationship we developed while at the cabin. I thought we had something, and I thought that you hearing why I haven't reached out to you would help you understand that I really cared for you."

Michael turned and headed for the door. It seemed like Paige was okay with them moving on.

 

[zydrate]

Paige listened to what Michael had to say. Even though she had the pillow covering her face didn't mean she wasn't trying to ignore him. Her head really was pounding from... from what? Everything. Michael... her work... what happened overnight and then her father...

She heard him head toward the door and she yanked the pillow off her head and ever so briefly debated to let him go. One thing resonated with her and that was he said he cared for her...

"You call this caring for me? You could have at least told me why you didn't want to answer too much. I'm not a mind reader Michael." The door didn't open or shut so that was a good sign. Paige sat up and looked at him, "And as for standing up to him at the cabin, you know I appreciate you for doing that. I told you so. As for what goes on between myself and my parents, all I can say is not to worry.. I can handle them and have been for my whole life."

"I am trying to be a good daughter and no matter what, I can't please them. I've come to accept that. Why do what my father says? Because it's a lot easier than arguing. Stupid, I know. This is why I throw myself into my work. It's all I have...had...until you came along."

"But you know, you don't need this. Like I said, I appreciate what you said to my father. But the very least you could have done was tell me why you didn't want to talk to me. You say you want to strengthen our relationship? Try talking to me and not assuming something is the right thing to do. I have been beating myself up these past few weeks wondering what the fuck I did to mess this all up! Maybe I have too much going on in my life and it scared you."

 

[BeachBum25]

Stopping with his hand on the door knob and listening to Paige's response, Michael became more and more frustrated. He had tried to explain to Paige at the hospital why he had not been in contact with her. Yes, it had been a long time since they had been together, but, in his mind, he was doing what he thought was in Paige's best interest. Obviously, she didn't agree with that.

"Paige, I tried to talk to you at the hospital, but you would not give me a chance. You immediately cut me off and went on your tangent before you got called away for work. Maybe it is something that I should have said to you before, but like I said, I did not want to cause any friction between you and your parents... well, not any more friction that is. I wanted to reach out to you. I wanted to talk to you. I wanted to be with you. I was just unsure of what your schedule was. That, and then I found out about my transfer and the shift I was assigned to and I knew that if I contacted you at the wrong time it would cause fireworks."

"No, Paige.. what you have going on in your life does not scare me. If that scared me, I would never have gone off on your father like I did. The more I think about it, the more I wonder if it was the wrong thing to do, because it may have made things worse between you and your parents. Maybe I should have just stayed out of it, but that is not my style. I do what I have to do to protect and defend the people I care about."

He paused for a second to catch his breath. "Yes Paige... I said that. I care about you. Maybe I overthought the whole not contacting you because I didn't know if you were around your parents, but I did it because I care about you. I know it is tough on you being part of your parents public life. I have my own opinions about that, but those I will keep to myself, because it is not my place... at least not now."

 

[zydrate]

Tangent?!

Paige stood up and walked over to Michael, to face him, "You are so... frustrating! You know I don't talk about personal things at work. I got upset because you and your team immediately went in on that poor patient! He's had enough to deal with and I don't know what you told him but I'm sure it wasn't to wish him well."

"If were there to explain to me about why you hadn't talked to me before, that seriously could have waited a little more since you've already waited damn near over 3 weeks."

Backing off, Paige just shook her head, "Listen... I understand what you're trying to say but I still don't agree with it. No matter what, you could have at least told me why we shouldn't talk. I'm not made of glass, Michael. I can handle things. You care about me but..." She stopped before she said anything worse. The last thing she wanted was to lose him but they both needed to cool down also.

She walked around him and opened the door, "Listen... just go, OK? I'm not asking you to leave my life, I just think we're both set in our own way that we're at an impasse right now."

When he left, she leaned against the door and sighed.

Suddenly, she felt enclosed... trapped. She had to leave..

2 hours later, Paige threw an overnight bag into her car and started the car. She only had tonight left to be off and would return tomorrow evening just in time for her shift. There was supposed to be a gala that night she was supposed to go to in order to show support for her father but she sent him a text telling him she wasn't going to make it. She then had called Mary and told her she was going out of town tonight and would be back tomorrow. She usually informed her friend of something like this, just in case.

Paige took her time driving... and thinking... mostly thinking really... had she ruined things with Michael? Probably. This was why she was still single. She thought about what he said and tried to look at it from his side but right now, her mind was too focused on why she thought she was right...

 

[BeachBum25]

He could not believe what Paige was saying. "Poor patient? Who are you kidding? He is out driving around with a woman that is not his wife, and I can almost guarantee you that his BAL will come back way over the limit. Despite the fact that he was hit broadside, it was his fault because he blew the red light. To hell with that poor patient. The other person is the one you should have been more concerned about."

Paige told him to leave. She masked it by saying that she didn't want him to leave her life. however, he wasn't sure she really meant that. "Fine Paige. You have my number. Call or text me when you are ready to talk. I will respond right away."

He left Paige's and drove straight home. He jumped into the shower and then went into the living room and turned on the television. He roamed through the channels mindlessly. Then, his phone rang. He looked at it and it was Paige's father calling him. "What the fuck does he want. Forget him. I am not answering his calls. I am off duty."

 

[zydrate]

It was early afternoon when Paige drove into the small town nearest to her place. The cabin was a good 12 miles south of town but she needed some groceries in order to get by tonight and half of tomorrow. Even though it was just a short stay, she would use every moment to try to clear her mind and try to see things from Michael's side. She wasn't giving up on him and she, deep down, hoped he wouldn't give up on her. She really wanted this to work between them.

After she gathered a few food items, she set her basket on the counter as she listened to the clerk talk to the lady ahead of her, "Oh yeah, the bank was just robbed this morning, two men got away. The sheriff had to call in some help from the town over. They are looking for the robbers and the Sheriff's son is sure he was able to shoot one of them."

Paige only half listened to them as she was lost in her own thoughts. When it was her turn, she thanked the clerk and got her bag of stuff and walked out to her car. It was only then she noticed a few police cars at the bank. How crazy. She was so oblivious that she mentally scolded herself and promised to pay more attention to things... at least until she got to the cabin.

***
Shutting off the car, Paige looked around and with the upcoming storm, it was darker quicker than usual. She was going to start a fire and get some dinner going. At least here, she was going to have some peace and quiet.

With the way the cabin was situated, the place where Paige parked meant that it was easier to get into the cabin through the backdoor.

She walked up the slushy steps and readied her keys while balancing her groceries in the other arm.

Unlocking the door, she noticed right away that it was cold... unusually colder than it should be even if the heat wasn't on. She put the bags on the island in the kitchen and went around the cabin to see that maybe they had left a window open. She checked the front door and saw that one of the 9 window panes had been broken... the one nearest the doorknob.

"Shit..." she said and as if happened in slow motion, she then saw the blood on the floor that trailed off toward the living room. She should have stopped and gotten out of there but curiosity got the best of her and she followed it... it was then she saw a man lying on her couch, a blood soaked stained cushion holding up his left leg.

Paige gasped and turned only to run into a hard chest. She backed up and that's when the man, a blond haired male reached out and grabbed her by the throat, a sinister smile on his face. Paige tried to kick at the man but he seemed to anticipate it and stepped out of the way. He then reached back and punched Paige square across her jaw, sending a hard pain up against her head and before she could feel anymore, it all went dark...

****
With a hard groan, Paige gasped from a pain that radiated against her face and head. It was dark... well, no, it was dark but there was a light on in the other room. She tried to move and that's when she realized she was handcuffed to the man on the sofa... was he dead?!

She sat up as best she could and reached for his neck to see if she find a pulse...

There was none.

Oh God... what now?

 

[BeachBum25]

Going back to watching television after not answering the phone call from Paige's father, Michael became more aggravated. He was upset with Paige and her unwillingness to talk about what had happened between them. He was pissed off that her father had the balls to call him after having him transferred to Night Command and meeting with the Chief at the hospital.

He was certain that the mayor was calling him about the incident with the Chief. Michael felt confident that the mayor was going to try to get Michael to support the Chief in some way and to cover up the real facts of the case. Of course, there was nothing Michael could do with anything now. The Patrol Officer was submitting the report and the Inspector on Night Command was the ranking officer involved.

His phone rang again. It was the mayor again. Michael did not answer it this time either. he was not going to get caught up in any nonsense with the mayor and chief. He was certain that they would throw him under the bus if it was discovered that the investigation had been tampered with in any way.

The phone rang for a third time. "What the fuck is it with this guy?" He thought about just letting it go to voicemail again, but Michael knew that Mr. Jackson would just keep calling. So, he answered the call. "WHAT?"

Michael had been wrong about what the mayor was calling about. "Are you with Paige? Did you talk her out of going to the gala?" For some reason, he started to worry about Paige. The rantings of her father didn't cause his worry, but the fact that she had left her place bothered him a little. The more he thought about it, though, the more he figured she just went to the cabin.

Looking at his phone, he decided to call her. Maybe she will take my call. I will check on her and then call her father back and let him know she is fine. There was no answer, and the call went to voicemail.

 

[zydrate]

"You are one popular person." The man held up Paige's cell, showing her that there were several missed calls. "Who is this Michael? He's called an awful lot.... husband? Boyfriend?"

Paige wasn't sure what time it was, but it must have been pretty late because she kept falling asleep. She had done her best to try to stay awake but everything that had happened so far was catching up to her. The cut on her lip had stopped bleeding and but it still hurt like hell.

"You're the ones that robbed the bank, right?" The flicker in the man's eye told Paige she was right.

"Listen, take my car and leave, OK? I won't tell anyone. Just go... there's nothing here to steal but if find something, take it and leave."

"I'll leave when I'm good and ready... and just think, I might take you with me... you know, a little insurance policy...if you get my meaning."

He had leaned in toward Paige and she could back up as she was still handcuffed.

"You know he's dead, right? And you're not scared... why? Another woman would probably be screaming her head off right now." With that he laughed and shook his head, "I checked the place out and it's pretty nice... So, I'm going to take one of the upstair bedrooms... why don't you join me?"

Before Paige could protest, he grabbed her handcuffed wrist and took a key out, unlocking her from the body. Paige pulled back against him, fighting him off before she was met with another slap across the face, "Now be nice and I just might let you share the bed with me."

He laughed again, "I'm not going to try anything, don't worry...at least not yet. But we'll see how I feel in the morning. Hopefully the snow has stopped by then. I just need you sight so you don't do anything stupid."

 

[BeachBum25]

Michael called several more times, but Paige did not answer. He started to worry. If Paige was okay, she would have answered and told him to stop calling. Had she been in an accident? The possibilities were endless. Michael thought about going to the cabin to see if Paige was there, but reconsidered, because she could have been anywhere.

He thought about the people at the hospital. Maybe someone there would know where Paige was going or what she was doing. There was the one woman.... Mary.... she was friends with Paige. Maybe she knew.

After getting dressed, and grabbing his service weapon, Michael drove to the hospital. He didn't know why he grabbed his weapon, but something told him he should. When he arrived at the hospital, he went to the ER and asked if Mary was working. Shortly thereafter, Mary came out to the waiting room. Michael explained the situation. "Would you mind calling her. She would answer your call. She isn't mad at you...is she?"

Mary shook her head. Taking out her phone, she called Paige. No answer. "She said she was going to the cabin. Needed to get away for a little, but would be back for work tomorrow."

At that moment, Michael decided he was driving to the cabin. He exchanged cell numbers with Mary; both agreed to call the other if they heard from Paige.

Michael drove quickly toward Paige's cabin. When he pulled up, he saw Paige's car. That was a little relief, but why wasn't she answering the phone. He got out of the car and approached the front door. He saw the window broken in the door. He took out his service weapon. Before going inside, he looked around.

Seeing nobody on the exterior, Michael quietly entered the cabin. Moving quietly, Michael saw someone on the sofa. He made his way toward the sofa, his gun pointed at the person. He pressed the muzzle of his gun to the guy's cheek. There was no movement. That was when Michael saw the blood. He looked around. "where are you Paige," he said to himself.

 

[zydrate]

Paige did her best to stay awake. She didn't want to be caught off guard if this guy tried anything. She could have asked his name but she didn't want to. She didn't want to have his name in her mind... it was bad enough he was evading her safe space and left his dead friend on her couch. He had handcuffed her to the foot of the heavy oak cabinet that held her TV and some of her clothes she had left there in case for the times she came here spur of the moment.

Like today. For once, she wished she had just stayed home.

He had left her alone in the room.. her room and had disappeared for a few minutes before returning.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, he looked at Paige, "So, who are you? I guess I should have asked that before. But seriously, I had other things on my mind."

Of course Paige didn't answer. She looked away from him as she didn't want to memorize his face but still, she knew what he looked like.

"Don't want to talk? That's fine. Tell you what, we'll be gone in the morning so you might as well rest up, I--"

He stopped as there was a flash of lights in the distance... they both saw it at the same time. The man sighed, "Now what?"

Quickly unlocking the cuffs, he dragged Paige to her feet, "Let's go... not a word or you're dead...got it?" He pushed his gun into Paige's side and she gasped as she felt it press against her ribs. Pushing her in front of him and out of the bedroom...

 

[BeachBum25]

Hearing movement upstairs, Michael retreated into the kitchen and knelt behind the kitchen island. He knew that he would not be seen from the upstairs or the stairway where he was positioned. Having spent a great deal of time here helped make sure he knew the best places to conceal himself.

Although Michael knew there was one dead guy on the sofa, he had no idea how many more were upstairs. He also had to assume Paige was up there, also. At first, Michael thought he should charge upstairs in case Paige was being violated.. or worse, but he remained in his position when he continued to hear movement.

When he saw Paige walk out of the bedroom, he paused. Then, he saw someone else come out behind her. There was not much light, but there was enough for Michael to see that the guy had a gun pressed to Paige's ribs. "Patience," Michael told himself.

Michael realized that the man must have seen the headlights to his car as he pulled up to the cabin. "It is okay. He doesn't know you are in the house. He is probably thinking you are outside. He might even think you are calling the police because you saw the broken window. Let him make his move. He won't hurt Paige. She is all he has right now."

Waiting, Michael saw the two descending the stairs. Paige moved slowly. The look on her face didn't show fear. She had to be afraid, but she was doing a great job of hiding it. She was certainly a tough one.

As the got to the first floor, the guy directed Paige toward the front door. They moved slowly. As they passes in front of Michael, he had a perfect shot, but he did not take it. He was afraid that when the bullet struck the guy, that his body would react and he would pull the trigger of his gun and shoot Paige.

There was a glass on the counter above Michael. He slowly moved to grab it, and then, while pointing his gun at the criminal with his right hand, and tossed the glass back toward the stairs with his left hand, hoping the guy would turn and point his gun in that direction and give Michael a clear shot at him.

The glass crashed at the base of the steps and did exactly what he had intended it to do, but....

 

[zydrate]

The sound of the glass made the man whirl around to see what was going on.. even with the gun pressed against her side, he had a death hold around Paige's neck and she was slowly unable to breathe. She tried her best to push against his arm so she could at least catch her breath. She knew it was Michael that was trying to distract the man but she wasn't sure where he was.

The man called out, "Show yourself... or else--" that's when Paige had a good angle and she leaned her head forward and she bit the man's arm. He cried out and threw Paige down hard, knocking the wind out of her. He pointed the gun at her and she just looked at him as two shots were fired and it didn't register to her where they came from. She just watched as the man fell at her feet and all she could do was stare at him. Never did she hear her name being called, nor the man groaning.

She was in shock but hadn't realized it until she felt a pair of arms wrap around her, causing her to scream and fight but she heard a familiar voice and she relaxed as she faintly heard Michael. Finally, looking up, she realized he was holding her and directing her attention to him, away from the man. After several more minutes, she relaxed into his arms, her heart pounding. Did all that just happen? What had happened exactly... her mind was a jumble of frighten thoughts about what could have happened.

"H-how did you know...?" she asked, realizing how cold it had gotten, probably because of the storm out and the front door still having a broken window.

 

[BeachBum25]

After kicking the perp's gun away Michael moved over to Paige. Holding her close, Michael tried to get Paige to relax. "We will talk about that later Paige. Just take it easy. First thing I need to do is make sure you are okay." He loosened her grip on her momentarily just to check on her. "Did he, or should I say, did they hurt you in any way Paige."

When he was convinced that she was alright, Michael took off his coat, wrapped it around Paige, and walked her out to his car. He started the engine and turned the heater up full blast before taking out his phone and dialed 911. "Yes, my name is Michael O'Flynn and I am a Lieutenant with BPD. There has been a break-in and a shooting...."

When the Sheriff Deputies arrived, Michael put his hands in the air. "I am a Lieutenant with BPD. My service weapon is in the waistband of my pants in the back. It has been fired. The bad guy's are both in the living room. One was dead when I arrived. Dr. Jackson, the owner of the home, is sitting in my car."

Shortly after the arrival of the deputies, the Sheriff arrived. A deputy had already secured Michael's weapon and had taken Michael's wallet, which contained his badge. The Sheriff talked with the deputy for a moment before approaching Michael.

"Sheriff, is there a reason that none of your deputies have checked on Dr. Jackson? None of them have asked whether or not she is okay. They haven't checked to see if she was injured in any way. They haven't asked whether she needs medical attention. All they have done is trampled through a crime scene, which I had already described to them."

The Sheriff didn't have an answer for him. It seems that the deputies were so focused on Michael that they hadn't even thought about Paige. "I told them that Dr. Jackson was sitting in my car. She still is, but nobody seems to care whether or not two criminals harmed her in any way. Seems like you need to do some training with your people. Oh, and if your people are going to keep treating me like a criminal, then I am going to need to speak to a lawyer before I answer any of your questions.

The Sheriff told Michael he would be right back. He walked toward the front door of the cabin. There was nobody guarding the crime scene, but there were several deputies inside the residence. The Sheriff started screaming at them about contaminating a crime scene and asking what the hell they were doing. After ordering the deputies out of the house, and reading them the riot act for several minutes, the Sheriff returned to where Michael was standing next to his car. The Sheriff opened the door and spoke quietly with Paige; asking her if she was okay and if she needed any medical attention. Paige assured the Sheriff that she was fine.

"Sheriff, where can I get a room for Paige for the night. She obviously can't stay here after what happened, and I don't think she should drive back to the city." The Sheriff said that there was a B&B in the center of town that was very nice, and he offered to call the proprietor to make sure they had a room.

Once it was arranged for Paige to have a room, Michael told the Sheriff that he was going to get Paige settled and he would stop at the Sheriff's Office after that. "It will probably be a few hours before I get there. However, I am sure your crime scene people will need the time to go through and figure out what your deputies did to disturb the scene."

The Sheriff shook his head; knowing Michael was not going to let him forget what his deputies did. As Michael started to get into his car, he called to the Sheriff again. Make sure that the deputy that took my service weapon and badge has properly cleared the weapon. I don't want another body on that gun tonight."

Driving Paige to the B&B, Michael placed his hand on her hand and squeezed it lightly. At the B&B, the owner was waiting for them and showed them to the room. Michael told the proprietor that he was just going to get Paige settled and then would be going to meet with the Sheriff. The woman just nodded and left them alone.

Once they were settled in the room, Paige asked again how Michael knew. Michael explained the multiple phone calls he made to her after her father had called him. He told her about going to the hospital and talking to Mary. "It was a good thing that you told her where you were going."

He explained that he saw the broken window on the front door and knew something was wrong. "Now, I want you to close your eyes and relax. We can talk more about this in the morning."

As Paige closed her eyes, Michael's phone rang. "Yes, she is fine. Yes, I figured your lackey of a Sheriff would call you. Maybe if he spent more time training his deputies and not worrying about calling you all the time, the people around here would be safer. Paige is sleeping now. I will have her call you when she wakes up."

Michael disconnected the call without saying goodbye. Looking over at Paige, he smiled at her. "You can call him back now on my phone if you want, or you can wait until the morning and call him. I will leave you my phone when I go to see the Sheriff."

 

[zydrate]

She wasn't sure if it was exhaustion or just relief but Paige just nodded as Michael told her he would leave his phone with her while he went to talk to the Sheriff. She had wanted to ask him why he needed to go now because she needed... but deep down, she knew there was a lot to be cleaned up with what had happened at the cabin. Her home... her grandparents home had been broken into and it felt dirty.

Her last thoughts before she fell asleep was that she would have a lot of cleaning to do to make it feel like home again. And some serious work on the security system....

***
Paige wasn't sure what time it was but a semi loud thud woke her from a restless sleep. She rose, leaning on an elbow and looked around.

Michael wasn't there. Was he still at the station? What time was it?

She had realized that it was a door, probably down the hall, that had been closed loudly and waking her. She sat up and caught sight of her wrists. They were cut up from the cuffs and there was also some bruising. Then she remembered her lip and reached up to touch it, only to gasp at the pain from the cut felt tender.

Getting up, she went to the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror... she only groaned at the sight of her injuries. Her lip was cut and she had a long bruise on the side of her face. Her eyes had dark circles under it... with a loud sigh, she turned on the shower water and waited for it get hot.

After her shower, which just comprised of standing under the hot water and enjoying the warmth. She finished up, wrapped a towel around her and grabbed a washcloth and ran it under some cold water and made a cold compress and put it against the side of her face.

Michael still wasn't back so she laid down in bed and held the compress against her face before dozing off again... this time falling into a deeper sleep.

****
Getting some much needed rest, Paige started to wake up and swore she could smell food. She slowly opened her eyes and saw that there was a cart of food and Michael was laying next to her, holding her.

She sat up, the towel still wrapped around her. The clock on the wall told her it was after 9AM.. how long did she sleep? Although she needed, she had to get up as the food was making her even hungrier. Michael sat up too and she looked at him, "Is everything OK? I mean between you and the Sheriff?"