Page 29 of Heat of Justice (Duty #3)

She drifted off for a bit, thankfully, then came to just as Ellie was pulling up in front of the ER doors. Everything felt a little too bright and a little too loud. Could be a lot worse, though, Cody knew.

“I’ll let you out here and go park the car,” Ellie announced. Then, obviously spotted her partner because her eyes took on the usual dreamy shine. “Hello, Doc.”

“Hello, sexy.”

The famous neurosurgeon, in maroon scrubs with a line of dancing brains around the collar, a pair of black silicon-framed glasses, and a stethoscope dangling from her neck, flashed her a megawatt smile in return. Then she turned to Cody.

“Hi, Detective.”

“Hi,” Cody acknowledged.

Leaning in, Janet laced her fingers around her wrist to check her pulse, and she eyed her critically at the same time.

“What’s that I hear about you hugging dynamite?”

“Ha.” Cody grunted, the best she could do.

“How’s the headache?”

“Getting a bit worse.”

“A bit, you say? Like going nuclear?”

“Yeah,” Cody admitted.

“Feeling a bit sick too?”

“A lot.”

“Aw,” Janet said in commiseration and pinched her lightly on the cheek. She then turned to Kim and proceeded to speak to her as if Cody were not there. “She’s definitely concussed.”

“Yes, I thought so.”

“We’ll take care of the cuts and bruises, check for additional wounds, and internal blast injuries. I do not anticipate any complication, but we’ll still keep her overnight—”

“No,” Cody said as firmly as she could manage.

“Overruled,” Janet declared and once again spoke only to Kim. “Don’t worry, okay? I’ll fix her up as good as new.”

“Thanks, Janet,” Kim nodded. “She was a little quirky when I got her, but I like her like that just the same.”

“Bet you do,” Janet laughed.

“Still here, you two. Still awake and hearing every word,” Cody groaned.

Ellie flashed her a sympathetic smile from the front seat but also did nothing to intervene. Cody resigned herself to being prodded and analyzed over the next however long this would take. She hoped it would include a few perks.

“Be great if I could have something for the headache,” she told Janet as she helped her out of the car.

“I’ll give you the good stuff, Detective, as soon as we get you admitted. Now, sit down for me.”

Appalled, Cody squinted hard at the wheelchair on offer.

“I can walk,” she assured, only to pitch forward when Janet briefly let go of her.

“I beg to differ,” the surgeon stated ironically. “Sit down. Don’t argue with me or make me force you.”

Oh, hell… Cody dropped into the chair with a little flare of temper for show and immediately regretted it when it made her eyeballs throb even more. She unconsciously shot out a hand to the side. Kim took it and squeezed.

“I’m here. I’m coming with you,” she promised.

“Chop, chop, ladies,” Janet instructed. “Let’s get this show on the road.”

◆◆◆

Her bedside manner bordered on rude, but Kim played along with it because she realized it was intentional. Their antics made Cody laugh in spite of her injuries, so it was fine. It also became clear that with Janet in charge, waiting times were annihilated, paperwork expedited, and the best care expertly delivered.

“You’re very welcome.” Janet grinned as Kim thanked her, then added with a dramatic and wistful sigh; “It’s a shame she doesn’t need brain surgery; that’s really where I’m at my best.”

Fortunately, indeed, Cody only required light treatment for smoke inhalation and a line of three stitches on her forehead. Janet placed a clear mask over her face while she put them in.

“Shut up and breathe deeply in and out,” she advised when Cody looked like she might protest. “We need to re-oxygenate your lungs. This’ll do it.”

Finally, Janet sorted out a private room for her. She stood at the side of the bed, arms crossed, and laid down the law.

“You’re in until tomorrow; that’s an order, not a suggestion. Also, just so you know, cops have been known to try to escape before, but they never get very far under my watch.”

“Cops?” Cody frowned.

“Your lieutenant. Your partner.” Janet snorted. “Ungrateful, the both of them. I expect better from you, Detective.”

“I’m grateful,” Cody said. “But—”

“Great!” Janet cut her sharply. “We’re done then. I assume you want to stay with her, Kim?”

“Yes, I’m staying.”

“No sex. Got it?”

“Got it,” Kim chuckled. “We’ll behave, I promise.”

“Right.” Janet checked her watch. “If you’ll excuse me then, I have to go slice into a brain. See you both later.”

With a final warning glance at Cody, she left the room. Still smiling, Kim sat on the bed and took her lover’s hand.

“She’s awesome, isn’t she?”

“Hmm...”

“How are you feeling, babe?”

“Smashed,” Cody admitted. “But the drugs are nice.”

“Good.” Kim gently caressed her hair. “Is there anything I can do for you?”

Cody convinced her to help with a shower and to wash her hair too, without getting the stitches wet. Then, Kim walked her back to the bed, kissed her softly on the lips, and replaced the mask over her face.

“Better keep this one on.”

“I need another favor,” Cody murmured.

“Babe. Don’t ask me to help you escape, okay?”

“No, not that. But can you come in with me?”

Kim did not see how this would hurt and also wanted to. She slipped into bed with her partner, passed one arm carefully around her shoulders, and pulled her close. Cody curled into her side with a contented sigh.

“Okay now,” she said. “So, how are you doing? Really?”

“Me? I’m okay… Why?”

“It sounds like you went through hard stuff as well.”

“Yes, but I’m fine now I’ve got you back.”

“Good. Me too. What happened exactly?”

Kim told her about the vision, her frantic call to Quinn, and rushing to the subway station.

“The lieutenant give you any trouble?”

“No, she was great,” Kim reflected. “Took me at my word, no question. I dread to think of the trouble she would be in for bringing the entire subway system to a stop if the threat turned out not to be real…”

“Yeah, but Wesley wouldn’t care about that. She didn’t rise through the ranks by putting herself first and avoiding taking necessary risks when she had to. Also, she knew you came true on the Winters case.”

“Yes. I do hope this latest vision was… helpful,” Kim stated with a light shrug. “Even though the bomb still went off.”

In her arms, Cody shifted to meet her gaze. Even wounded and loaded with painkillers, her eyes still shone bright and fierce in her pale face.

“It was vital, actually,” she declared. “The train had just left the station when it stopped again, with enough space between the tunnel wall and the carriage to evacuate everyone quickly. Three casualties are still three too many, but if we’d been on the move when the bomb went off, trapped inside, a hundred and fifty people would have been blown to pieces.”

Kim shivered violently at the thought of how close she had come to losing her. She understood now, with absolute clarity, how Cody must have felt when her partner was shot and killed in New York. What she probably endured in the aftermath.

“Ultimately, I am grateful for my gift,” she decided with a surge of energy. “I will get back in touch with the intuitive I worked with in Texas. I used to meditate twice a day without fail, but I got out of the habit. I’ll start doing it again.”

“Good idea,” Cody approved.

“I’m glad I could sense the bomber, otherwise he would have walked straight past us and out the door. Too bad I won’t be able to make him my first case as a prosecutor.”

“Why not?”

“Conflict of interest.”

“Oh, yeah. Of course. Sorry, I’m a little fuzzy in the head.”

“Then sleep, darling. You’ll feel better in the morning.”

“I’d rather stay awake and talk with you.”

“You need to rest. Don’t make me go and get Janet.”

Cody chuckled at the light-hearted threat, then slayed her with her next look; still a little fierce but plenty vulnerable and needy, too.

“Will you stay with me?”

Kim pulled the mask aside to rest a gentle kiss on her lips.

“Absolutely. I’m not going anywhere. Close your eyes.”

Cody did and dropped asleep within seconds. Kim rested for a while with her eyes closed as well. The feeling of having the woman she loved back with her and in her arms, safe and sound, was indescribable. A quiet knock on the door a bit later made her look up. Ellie popped her head in.

“Hey, Kim. Can I come in?”

“Hi. Yes, of course.”

Ellie carried a flat box in one hand and a bunch of flowers in the other.

“All knocked out, eh?” She grinned in approval after a look at her sleeping partner.

“Yes, she finally stopped fighting it.”

“Well, I won’t bother you too long—”

“You’re no bother at all, Ellie,” Kim assured her.

“Okay, cool. I just wanted to check on you both.”

“That’s very sweet of you. Um… Is that pizza?”

“Yes, it is. Cody’s favorite from her favorite place across from the station is pepperoni and black olives. I thought it might be too late for this now, but it can turn into a breakfast thing… She likes leftover pizza best.”

“I know she does, yes.” It was, Kim reflected, one of these endearing little quirks she adored about her lover. It made her smile. The smell of that thing was pretty divine too. “May I have a slice now?”

“Sure!” Ellie chuckled and passed her the box. Cody did not even stir. “She does sleep like someone knocked her out.”

“Or a load of TNT gave her a hard slap, as she said.”

“Totally. Forty pounds of Semtex will have that effect.” Ellie lingered with her eyes on her instead of Cody this time, looking both thoughtful and admiring.

“What?” Kim prompted.

“I hope you won’t mind me saying so, but it’s one hell of a superpower you’ve got.”

Kim considered herself surprised to feel so at ease at the mention of her unusual ability. It was a first for her, and there was no longer any denying it.

“I don’t mind you saying. You’re right; it's a hell of a good thing, especially today. Thank you, Ellie.”

“No, thank you .” Ellie briefly rested a hand over her own heart. “There is a guy in the next room; his name’s Jim. He asked me to tell Cody that he was okay and that he wanted to share a beer with her at some point. He helped her with the evac.”

“I’ll pass on the message.”

“Cool.”

Janet walked in, looking fresh from a shower and dressed in regular clothes now. She immediately sniffed the air and narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

“I smell illegals in here.”

“Just pizza, amore mio,” Ellie advised.

“Not allowed.” But the good-looking neurosurgeon nodded to Kim. “Hear that? What can I do when she speaks love to me in Italian? That’s how she gets away with things.”

Ellie flashed a goofy grin, prompting an amused smile from her lover, which held plenty of heat. Meanwhile, Cody did not wake up despite the sounds of conversation around her. Janet checked her pulse, listened to her breathing, and nodded in satisfaction.

“Out cold, but she’s doing well. Lungs sound good. I gave her an extra shot of drugs so she should sleep well the rest of the night. Are you okay, Kim? Anything you need while I’m here? Don’t say drugs.”

“No, it’s alright.” Kim smiled and inclined her head toward her sleeping partner. “I’ve got all I need right here.”

“Excellent. I’ll be back at six A.M. to check on you both. For now…” Janet shot her partner another loaded glance, the kind that must be illegal in some parts of the world. “Take me home, mia cara.”

More cops trickled in from Cody’s team, bringing flowers and well wishes. Demi came by accompanied by her wife, who had just started her shift. Carole promised to be on hand if they needed anything during the night. Though her partner remained asleep, Kim was touched at this show of care and support. Not surprised, as she had witnessed the tightness of the community before and knew that Cody was well-loved and appreciated, but touched, yes. Definitely. Quinn Wesley showed up at nine P.M. in the same clothes she was wearing before. Obviously, she was working late after the events of the day.

“It’s starting to look like a jungle in here,” she remarked.

The no-nonsense lieutenant did not come bearing flowers, but a practical wash kit which included two toothbrushes. Now this, Kim decided, was extra thoughtful. She offered her a slice of pizza, which Quinn promptly accepted.

“Miller saved a bunch of lives today, so I put in for a special commendation,” she announced in between hungry bites. “For bravery. She deserves it.”

“I agree totally, but I don’t think she’ll like it,” Kim quietly remarked.

“No, I know. I’m getting one for you too, Ms. Reed.” Quinn laughed when Kim stared in disbelief. “You don’t like it either, do you?”

“For me, it’s really unnecess—"

“I disagree,” the lieutenant said, still smiling but in the kind of tone that said arguing would be futile. “Looks like the two of you will have to suck it up, won’t you?”