Path to Elysian

[zydrate]

**** 4 years earlier - Boston, MA ****
Paige Jackson (25 y/o) - Med Student Graduate

The police department was busy... it was no wonder, it was a friday night after all. Paige held up an ice pack to the side of her face as she waited her turn to talk to someone regarding being attacked during her night out with her friends, celebrating their graduation from medical school. It wasn't a crazy night of celebration, it was more of a night out at a wine bar, just having some drinks.

Paige was on her way back to her apartment when she was attacked by some guy. She managed to fight him off but that was before he took her purse and left her with a shiner on her left eye. What a way to show up for her first day of residency training in a couple of days.

She sighed as she waited to make her report. Was it even worth it? Probably not. She had already cancelled her cards and would just need to get another ID on Monday. No, she didn't want to report anything. She just wanted to go home. Paige got up and tossed the ice pack onto the counter where some officers were sitting, taking calls and doing other stuff.

Why report it? She hugged her jacket to her, the only thing she had left right now... as she reached the door, she heard someone call her by her last name and she stopped. She groaned inwardly just then realizing she didn't have her apartment key... "Goddamnit..." she said, completely defeated as she turned to the voice calling her.

 

[BeachBum25]

Michael O'Flynn was a 28 year old, newly promoted detective sitting around the district headquarters trying to become accustomed to the routine. He had joined Boston P.D. after serving 6 years in the Marine Corps. He had enlisted in the Marines over the objections of his mother. She had wanted him to go to school and become a doctor. Michael knew they did not have the money for that and he had no interest in taking out hundreds of thousands of dollars in loans to do that. So, despite being number five in his graduating class, he left for boot camp the day after his high school graduation.

While in the Marines, Michael did three tours in Afghanistan, which he figured would prepare him for anything he saw once he joined the Boston Police Department. He was right. Nothing that he saw on the streets of Boston bothered him. He was able to do his job calmly and effectively, even when he saw people who had been shot, stabbed and maimed.

Being promoted to Detective was a big thing for him, and now, here he was on his first Friday night as a detective sitting around the district headquarters listening to cops tell stories and people complaining that nobody was helping them. He walked over to the desk and looked at the list of names.

"Paige Jackson" He didn't get a response. "Is Paige Jackson here?"

 

[zydrate]

Did she even have her apartment manager’s phone number? Oh yes, she did… it was in her phone… which was stolen along with all her other stuff in her purse. Thank goodness it was only her purse and not her bag from school.

Her name was called again and she could tell that last call was one of a mix of annoyance with irritation? No, she was just hearing things. It was going to be a long night, that was for sure.

“Here…” she said, still not looking at who called her. She felt like she did when she was in elementary, she even raised her hand and then quickly put it down. “Right here… sorry.”

She turned and looked to see who called her, still hugging her jacket to herself. “Sorry,” she said again and finally figured out who called her. A man holding a file was staring right at her. Well, he wasn’t that bad looking… actually, her heart did a little flutter as she walked toward him and before he could say anything, she started talking, “Look, I’m sorry to waste your time, but I don’t want to make a report. It’s just a simple mugging, that’s all. I’m sure you have more important things to do—” she could feel him staring at her hard… wha--? “Oh… my eye?” She felt it tenderly, “My fault, I shouldn’t have fought him off… is it that bad?” She touched it and it was tender but she didn’t feel any immediate swelling. She tried to stay calm because she knew that stress could make it swell more—that and the ice pack did help.

"I didn't even get a look at the guy..."

 

[BeachBum25]

"Okay Ms. Jackson, settle down." Michael watched as she approached him and how suddenly she was nervous and saying she didn't want to file a report. She had just a moment ago been angry enough to toss her ice pack on the desk as she started to storm out.

Picking the ice pack up off the desk, Michael handed it back to the woman. "Just relax for a minute. We can talk back here at my desk and if you still don't want to file a report, I will let you leave."

Convincing her to follow him, Michael walked back into an area that had a couple of interview rooms. Motioning for her to have a seat, Michael closed the door behind them. He sat across the table from her. "Okay..." he looked down at the name on the list, "Ms. Jackson, okay Ms. Jackson, you say it was just an ordinary mugging, well I am not quite sure what that is. Nothing is ordinary about someone ending up getting hit in the face and you are not wasting my time. So, why don't we talk a little about what happened."

He paused as he looked at the woman. "So, you say you didn't even get a look at the guy. You know what that is code for?.... my boyfriend or husband or the guy I am seeing did this to me. Is that what happened? If so, you need to do whatever you have to do to make sure it doesn't happen again, because if he hit you once, he will do it again. If that is not what happened, then you need to tell me exactly what did happen.... when and where and what was taken. If your purse was taken then he probably has your id, credit cards and keys. So, there are a lot of steps that you need to take to make sure you are safe."

Detective O'Flynn stopped and smiled at the woman. "Or, you could do nothing and not file a report. That is totally up to you Ms. Jackson."

 

[zydrate]

"Oh boy, you'll let me leave..." she said sarcastically before sighing and taking a seat, "I'm sorry... it's been a night..."

She listened to him, watching him as he read her report, she nodded at certain parts as she held the ice pack against her face. When he said the part about a boyfriend or husband doing this to her, she sighed again, "No, that's not what happened. I'd have to have one or the other but I don't. No... OK, here's what happened," she set her jacket down on the table and leaned her elbows on it, still keeping the ice pack in place, "I was on my home from the bar... you know, The Oak Tag on Oak and 4th just outside of the University. A couple of classmates and I got together because we wanted to hold a private celebration for graduation earlier in the week. Things had been too hectic to have something for ourselves and well, it was just a small get together and when it was time to leave, I started my walk home..."

Paige closed her eyes and pictured what she was doing, reliving in her head what had happened as she kept talking, "No short cuts, just a straight shot home. I only had to walk 5 blocks, nothing too bad and yes, I know it was late, around 12:30am-- which is why I knew I had to get home, Now, that's probably not late for some but it was for me, especially since tomorrow--well, today is Saturday and I had some things that needed to be done."

She opened her eyes and watched as the detective was writing somethings down so she continued, "Anyway, I'm walking and it's still early enough that people are out and such. So I didn't pay much attention. I was still on Oak and this happened between Marshall and 1st... thinking about that now, it was a bit dark..." she sighed once more, "This was my fault, I should have been more careful, more attentive the next thing I know, I felt someone grab my bag and I know, I should have let go but I reacted and pulled back, thinking that it was a joke, maybe someone from the bar just playing but when I saw him, and I know it was a him because of his hands, he had this ring on his finger--left hand ring finger, like a class ring, I'm not too sure.. anyway, he grabbed my bag, I yanked it back, he did the same and he proceeded to call me a bitch, reached out and punched me, which of course, caught me off guard and then... he was gone."

Moving her head to one side, she looked at her reflection in a mirror and made a face, "Wow... I look like shit."

"So, yeah, I can honestly tell you I don't know his height, he was tall... Caucasian.... wearing a dark blue hoodie..." she shrugged, "that's about it. It's all written down there. Unless I missed something.. but you're right about earlier, he has my keys but I can get my locks changed sometime tomorrow...well later today."

 

[BeachBum25]

O'Flynn gave her a look but did not say anything when when she made the smartass comment about him letting her leave. Another comment like that, however, and he would TELL her to leave.

While she rehashed the events of her evening, well, early morning, walk hoe from the bar, Michael filled in anything that may have been missing from her initial report. HE looked up when she said she looked like shit. "No, Ms. Jackson, you really don't look that bad at all considering what happened and what could have happened to you." Once she was finished, he looked back over the report and the additional notes he had taken.

"Okay, I just have a couple of questions for you. You say you don't know his height. Can you try to estimate it based on how much taller than you he is?" O'Flynn knew that, based on the description that the woman had given, there was no chance of catching him. He hoped to get a few more details that might help. He asked further questions about whether the man was wearing the hood up on the hoodie, were there any markings on the hoodie, and if she could estimate the man's age. Then O'Flynn asked her about the ring on the man's finger. "Did you notice the color of the stone on it or anything distinguishing about it?"

Once he was finished with the report and filling in anything else Ms. Jackson could remember, he looked up at her. "Well, I guess that is about it." He slid his card across the table to her. "If there is anything else that comes to mind, give me a call."

He watched Paige Jackson as she looked down at the card, picked it up, and wrap her hand around it.

"Why don't I give you a ride home. I can check and make sure that the asshole who did this to you isn't in your apartment and I can help you get a hold of the apartment manager. Also, it just so happens that my best friend has his own locksmith business. I can call him if you want. I am not soliciting business for him; I just know he will come out when I call. Just let me know."

As he drove Paige home, Detective O'Flynn drove past the place where she had been robbed. As he went down the street, he looked to see if there were any cameras that might have caught the incident. He saw a couple that might have, and made a note to stop back there after those businesses opened.

Once at her apartment, Michael looked at Paige. "So, what about the locksmith? I can have him here in 15 minutes. He might not be happy with me, but, he will get over it. That will give us time to walk up and make sure nobody has been in your apartment. Then, he can get your apartment secured and make sure that you have a deadbolt that keeps you safe."

Michael wondered why he was offering to do that for her. Was it because he thought she was attractive?

Without waiting for her answer, O'Flynn took out his cell phone and called Matt Collins. Matt wasn't happy to get the call, but was always willing to help Michael out. Michael had saved his life in high school when Matt went out on the ice covered Charles River, thinking it was frozen solid. Yes, they had been drinking. Michael told him not to do it, but Matt did it anyway and fell through the ice. Matt was not a great swimmer and struggled immediately in the freezing cold water. Michael did not hesitate and went in after Matt; lifting him up and pushing him up onto the ice and dragging him to shore. Matt would never forget it.

Michael led Paige Jackson up to her apartment, when they got there, the door was open. He extended his hand. "Stay here." Michael drew his gun and went into the apartment, violating protocol. There were signs that someone had been in the apartment, but it wasn't totally ransacked. There was nobody inside. Michael went out to Paige. "It isn't too bad, but they went through your apartment. I am glad you came to report your robbery. If you hadn't, you might have been here when they got here. I will do another report for the burglary."

Just then, Matt arrived. Michael talked to him for a little while and then Matt went to work changing the locks and adding an additional deadbolt to the door. Michael waited around while Matt worked. When Matt was finished, Michael looked over at Paige who was sitting on her sofa. "Matt is finished, so, I am going to be on my way. If you need anything, call me. You have my card."

Matt and Michael walked out together after making sure that Paige put both deadbolts on. Once outside Michael told Matt to send him the bill. "She lost everything in the robbery, and I want to make sure you get paid." Matt laughed and shook his head. "Would you be doing all this if she wasn't so good looking?" Matt then turned and got into his truck and drove off. Michael went back to the station to do an additional report for the break in at Paige's apartment.

 

[zydrate]

He asked again about the height of the assailant and Paige sighed. She knew details were important but she just didn't have any thing else, "Hmmm.. well, I'm 5'8"... so I would have to say about 5'11ish..?" Paige wished she could have provided more details, especially to the questions about the hoodie and the ring. She wasn't sure about either as she was busy trying to save her purse which should have been the least of her worries.

She took his card and looked at it and nodded about calling him if she thought of anything else. She slid the card in her jacket pocket when he offered her a ride home. She was going to decline but again, it was the middle of the night, she didn't have her phone and there were no buses running... and, she had no cash on her.

After the detective made sure her apartment was safe, Paige walked in and looked her place. She wasn't a messy person and at the same time, she wasn't materialistic. But she could tell what was moved and what was missing. She cursed under her breath and crossed her arms in front of her in frustration. What the fuck...

Paige was too busy taking in what wasn't there anymore. What she had lost when Michael and his friend were talking. In almost no time, she had new locks and hoped her landlord wouldn't get upset it would be unapproved locks. Luckily, the locksmith, Matt, had made both her door lock and deadbolt use the same key. The last thing she wanted were a lot of keys. She flopped down on her sofa and pouted to herself. This really sucked. She noticed her medical bag was gone. Her laptop... her phone charger... really?

She looked up from where she was sitting when he said he would be on his way. Paige nodded and got up to walk him to the door. She thanked him for everything, her mind still occupied with all she had to do in order to start getting her things replaced. She locked the door. After they were gone, Paige leaned against the door and sighed once more. OK, she'd just needed some sleep and then tomorrow, she would get to work. They were just items... things she could easily replace...

*** Present day (aka 4 years later) ***
Dr. Paige Jackson had just had one glorious day off before needing to return to work for her shift. It was only 8PM and she was scheduled from 8PM to 8AM, would go home and then return for another 12-hour shift. She had lived this schedule for a little over the last six months since starting full time as a full-time doctor at Mass General. It was her one place she had called 'home' since finishing med school just 4 years ago. Every day was different, and she loved it.

Her entire schooling was paid for by her grandfather and although her parents had supported her, they didn't agree with her going into practicing in the ER. They wanted something better for their daughter like Family Practice or even Sport Medicine.

No, she had wanted to train in Medicine since she was a child. Others, including her father, had advised her that she should do what her father did... politics. And to this day, she didn't regret it. Hell, she even accepted the hours that came with the role of an ER doctor. Even the dangers that had come with. No shift was the same. Sometimes, yes, it was quiet, but almost every night was full of chaos and different cases ranging from car accidents to privileged rich women wanting to be seen for a simple case of gas. Paige never discriminated. Each case as something that would teach her something new. Even if she had seen it time and time again.

No one on staff ever dared stated it was quiet. Hell no, that was jinxing the whole shift for everyone. The 'Q' word was never to be uttered.

Of course, Paige wasn't the only doctor on staff. There were at least 5 other attending doctors, with 4 Fellows and 4 Interns and of course, several medical students from the local colleges. Which was how she got interested when she was assigned to the ER department at Mass Gen, she found it exciting and challenging. When she was asked where she would like to intern upon graduating Med School at Harvard, Paige wrote down for her 3 choices, Mass Gen on each line.

Paige took report from one of her favorite nurses, Mary. She and Mary worked well together and knew what needed to be done. Well, each doctor knew what needed to be done but there was a wonderful work connection between herself and Mary… like a well oiled machine. Nothing too major, but of course, that was going to change soon, Paige knew. She took it all in and went on her rounds… soon, she found herself, as well as the others doctors, swamped with new incoming patients and as the night went on, the more chaotic it got. It made Paige wonder if one of the new medical students had said something about ‘quiet night’.

 

[BeachBum25]

Michael was sitting at an Irish Pub having a drink with his friend Matt. They were reminiscing about the good and bad times they had together. Matt was drinking slowly, tomorrow night was his first night as the newly promoted Sergeant O'Flynn. He had spent 4 years in the Detective Bureau and had done some good work, Now, he was going to be back on the streets, this time as a supervisor. Matt brought up something from the past. "You know Mikey." Matt was one of the few people that could call him that. "I am surprised that you never tried to get with that woman whose locks you had me change that one night."

Michael thought for a minute, trying to remember who Matt was talking about. Then he remembered who Matt was referencing. "What was I supposed to do Matt, knock on her door. and say "hey, I am the detective that took the report when the guy smashed your face in and then broke into your apartment. Would you like to go out and get a drink with me?"" They both laughed a little about it. "She was very attractive Matt, but, being a new detective, I couldn't take the chance that she would think I was trying to use her misfortune as a way of hooking up with her."

Michael called it an early night and Matt wished him good luck on his first day back on the streets. Michael got a good night sleep and spent the day going through what his first night as a supervisor would be like. He had been assigned to a 7pm to 7 am shift. Michael was happy about that. There was more action at night, which always made the shift go faster. Michael's mom was not happy about it. She wanted to know how he was going to make her a grandmother if he was working when all the girls were going out. Michael just shook his head at her.

The first night started off with a bang... literally. Not 10 minutes out of his first roll call, Michael rolled up on the scene of a shooting with several other officers. as one of the patrolmen gathered information about what happened and got a description of the shooter, Michael helped another officer secure the scene after the victim was loaded into the ambulance to be transported to Mass General. Once detective arrived on the scene, Sgt. O'Reilly left a patrolman to guard the scene and he put himself back in service.

It was only an hour into his shift and he was racing to another shooting. Nobody was hit on this one, but one of the officers was injured when he crashed his patrol car while rushing to the scene. Michael went to the scene of the crash and then to the hospital to check on the officer's condition. He parked outside the Emergency Room entrance and walked inside. He met up with the ambulance crew that had transported the officer and they told him where the officer was.

Michael walked through the ER and found the officer was being treated by several nurses, doctors, and other assorted ER personnel, so, he stood back and let them do their job. He was anxious to know the officer's condition, but would wait until the medical staff had time to do a thorough evaluation. While standing there, he noticed one of the doctor's who looked very familiar. He had no idea where he recognized her from, or if she just reminded him of someone else that he knew or had seen. He watched her work; she was very efficient and very much in control of what was going on. She obviously knew what she was doing and Michael was glad she was working on his officer.

After a while, the doctor took off her gloves and started to walk away from the officer. "Excuse me doctor, my name is Sgt. O'Flynn, I am the officer's supervisor. Would it be possible to get an update on how he is doing?"

 

[zydrate]

Gunshot victims, car accidents...they had people waiting and yes, most weren't very happy. But that was how it was unfortunately. It was the front end staff who went through this every night, the physicians wouldn't really hear about it until later.

It was only 2 hours into her shift when Paige moved onto her next patient. She was only aware of the time when she had to note charts. Mary approached her and redirected Paige's current patient to a resident and told Paige of an incoming car crash for one a police officer. She gave Paige what details she had and that the paramedics were incoming with an ETA of 2 minutes. It was nothing too serious yet but Paige would be the one to determine that once he arrived.

Mary stopped Paige and lowered her voice, "The paramedics think the officer was drinking before driving..."

"They think or he was?"

"When they arrived and were talking to him, the car reeked of alcohol."

"Shit..." Paige inhaled deeply, this was going to be a mess, "Well, we'll find out when he gets here."

When the officer arrived, everyone went right to work. They all knew what to do, what part they needed to play. The paramedics were calling out their assessment of the officer while Paige literally did 4 things at once. She was talking to the officer, Officer Wilson, asking him his name and did he remember what happened, then she listened to him and called out orders. To an outsider, it probably looked like chaos but again, everyone worked well together.

Officer Wilson denied drinking so Paige told him, OK, but still ordered for a blood alcohol level to be done.

Other orders were issued, MRI and he would be kept overnight for observation. He was fine so far, but he was going to be sore tomorrow.

They were waiting for radiology to come get the officer as Paige exited the room to move onto her next patient. She grabbed her tablet and exchanged looks with Mary when Paige was stopped by someone she had noticed was watching earlier but hadn't really had time to pay close attention.

He introduced himself as the officer's supervisor and that's when Paige looked up from her tablet and back at the man still on the gurney. "I'm Dr. Jackson.... well, he's OK so far. He's alert and talking, he's aware of where he's at, he--" she finally looked over at O'Flynn and stopped, cutting herself off. Paige narrowed her eyes briefly, as if trying to remember where she saw this guy before... "actually, why don't you talk to him yourself,.. he might have something to tell you." Paige left it at that.

She noticed the Sgt. had the same look she had, one of recognition. Damnit.. why did he look so familiar? O'Flynn...

That was it! He was the guy, well, detective that helped her out that night she was mugged after graduation. She watched him walk into the cubicle to talk to the officer. She would have stayed to answer any questions but another call came in... a gunshot victim had arrived through the ambulance bay, bleeding and holding a weapon in his left hand.

Security saw the gun also but Paige's immediate concern was where the man was bleeding. Perfect. It really was going to be one of those nights.

 

[BeachBum25]

While speaking with the doctor, Michael was trying to figure out who she was or who she reminded him of. It was starting to drive him crazy. When she had told him his name, it hadn't helped.

Dr. Jackson told him that he should talk to the officer himself. The look she gave him when she said that gave Michael a funny feeling. He thanked the doctor and walked in to see the officer; someone he had only seen for a couple of minutes at roll call.

Moving toward the officer, Michael did a quick assessment. Wilson was hooked up to an IV, but other than that, it did not look like he was in too bad of shape. "Hey Wilson, how are you feeling?" Michael noticed that Wilson's eyes got real wide when he approached the officer. Wilson immediately got defensive and asked his Sergeant why he asked that. "Well Wilson, you were just in a car crash and I am concerned about how you are doing. Is there a reason that you would be upset by me asking how you are." The officer continued to be defensive, but said there was no reason for him to be upset.

"Well, the Accident Investigation Team will want to speak with you, but can you tell me what happened?" O'Flynn had only briefly stopped at the accident scene, so, he had no idea of exactly what had happened. He wanted to see if Wilson could give him some details. Wilson was slow to respond.

While waiting for Wilson to answer, Michael looked down on the floor where the uniform that they had cut from Wilson's body was laying. Despite the fact that it was cut up, Michael did not like seeing an officer's uniform in a pile on the floor. He bent down to pick it up; when he did, he could smell the alcohol.

"You know what Wilson, don't answer that question. Wait for the Accident Team. They will ask you all of the same questions that I would ask you. No need to put you through it twice. You just rest and get better, so, we can get you back on the streets." Michael put the ripped uniform on the chair. He would tell the Accident investigator about it.

Michael spent a couple more minutes with Wilson. Neither of them said anything, until Michael said, "I am going to get back on the streets. It is crazy out there tonight. You take care of yourself, and I will check back on you later."

As Michael walked out, a member of the hospital security team approached him and told him about the patient with the GSW, and the gun in his left hand. Michael looked at him. "What? An ambulance crew transported someone with a gun in his hand?"

O'Flynn stopped a nurse. Speaking lowly to her so as not to set off any alarm with others in the ER, Michael told her that he needed her to go in and tell the doctor to come out immediately. "I don't care what you need to say to her to get her to come out here, but DO IT. Once the doctor leaves, I want you to motion everyone else in there to leave. Be calm."

It wasn't ideal. Michael didn't like putting another person in danger, but if he went in there the risk to lives increased dramatically. He needed everyone out before he went in.

The nurse agreed to do it. While Michael waited for the doctor to come out, he radioed for an additional unit to meet him at the hospital ER, and then he had hospital personnel start to relocate the patients in the nearby treatment areas.

 

[zydrate]

"So... Gerald..." Paige said as the man sat on the gurney, his left hand still holding the gun. Not pointing it at anyone but just holding it. "I'm Dr. Jackson... you can call me Paige..." she said calmly. "I need to help you, OK? You're bleeding..." There were 3 others in the room with Paige as they tried to get a hold of the situation. This wasn't something new. Sometimes patients wandered in through the ambulance bay because it wasn't as closely monitored as the other entrances and exits. "Can I have the gun Gerald?"

That was the name he had given the staff when he wandered in. No one had seen the weapon at first but he had pulled it out of his jacket pocket when they settled him on gurney.

He lifted the gun and others in the room gasped. Paige didn't. She kept moving toward the injured man. "Gerald... put the gun down..."

"I didn't shoot them. I was protecting myself... it was self defense."

"OK...Gerald, let's talk about it as I look at your wound OK? Please?"

It was then he pointed the gun right at Paige. She didn't flinch as she found herself looking down the barrel of a gun. She held her resolve. "Gerald, put the gun down." As she spoke, Paige waved to those in the room to get out. They didn't hesitate as they moved out slowly.

Calmly, Paige looked at the man in front of her, "Put the gun down Gerald... please. If you didn't shoot anyone then are you going to start with me? Come on... there are security and cops crawling around this whole place... please, put it down and let me look at your wound, OK?"

His hand was shaking and Paige could tell the shock was wearing off as he became more agitated. Paige knew people were looking at them from beyond the curtain that hadn't been closed all the way.

Paige moved a bit more toward him and she reached up slowly, her eyes locked onto his. She wrapped her hands around his big hand that held the gun and she pushed it slowly to the floor, "Give me the gun Gerald..." In what seemed like an eternity, the man let the gun go and Paige took it from him and set it on the floor by her foot and kicked it away. As she stood, the man slumped forward, passing out, probably from the loss of blood... Paige was able to hold him as she called out for help.

Two nurses rushed back in and came to Paige's assistance. They placed the man down onto the gurney and as they did so, two security guards rushed in, cuffing the man's hands to the gurney while Paige and the medical staff worked on him...

It all happened so fast, Paige didn't have time to feel scared. That would definitely happen later. Once they got the man stable and sent up for surgery, the Chief Medical Officer came to get Paige and pulled her to a corner, talking to her. Making sure she was OK. Which she was. He had even suggested she take the rest of the night off to deal with this emotionally. Of course, she had refused. Instead, she took a 10 minute break... she walked outside by the entrance of the ER, feeling the cool of the night and taking a deep breath of fresh air. She had held onto the edge of a bench and hung her head, her eyes closed. She was shaking and didn't realize it.

 

[BeachBum25]

Things did not happen as Michael had envisioned them happening. The doctor did not come out of the room, nor did any of the other ER personnel. In fact, the nurse he had sent in to get the doctor out did not come back out.

Then, he saw the gun on the floor and saw it kicked away. He moved quickly to retrieve the gun and remove the clip and the round that was chambered. When his back-up arrived, Sgt. O'Flynn informed the officer that the man was under arrest for the gun possession, and that, depending on the investigation, there could be additional charges. O'Flynn then contacted the detective bureau to report what he had and to let them know that there might be other shooting victims out there based on what he heard the guy say.

A detective that was already out on the street was sent over to the hospital. It was a detective who O'Flynn had worked with on several occasions. The guy gave Michael a hard time about his first day on the street and bringing all of the crazies out. After they chatted for a little bit, Michael gave the detective the rundown on what happened. Michael told the detective the suspect was up in surgery and there was an officer outside the OR.

After walking away from the detective, Michael saw the doctor standing outside the entrance to the ER. He walked outside and stood next to the doctor. "That was a very brave thing that you did in there doctor." He paused for a second. "What you should have done is come out of there and let me do my job."

Michael knew that the doctor probably wasn't going to take kindly to being lectured, so he paused there and did not go into the fact that she had put several lives in serious danger, including her own. He just stood there quietly next to her for a minute.

"There is a detective inside that is going to need to talk to you about what happened. He is a pretty nice guy. He won't give you the hard time that I just did."

Michael started to walk to his patrol vehicle, and turned back around. "I just want to tell you again, that was really brave what you did. Not many people would have done that." He turned around and walked to his vehicle and climbed inside.

 

[zydrate]

Paige was going to say something to the Sgt. but just then, Mary came out, slapping Paige’s arm, “What the hell were you thinking in there?”

“Ow…” she rubbed her arm, “Why is everyone upset with me? I wasn’t going just let him bleed out…” Just then, the alarm on Paige’s phone sounded, signaling her break being over. OK, time to get her head back into the game. She did quick look back and saw the Sgt. watching her. She guessed he hadn’t recognized her but that was OK. It was a long time ago.

As soon as they entered the back scenes of the ER, another, what she assumed was the other detective the Sgt. was talking about had approached her. She went over the details of what happened. He had said he was going to go talk with the supervisor of the security department also since the ambulance bay wasn’t that well attended to. He thanked Paige and asked if there was a way to contact her if anything else arose. She reached into her scrub pocket and gave him one of her cards. After thanking her, he walked off as she went back to work.

After changing into a fresh scrub top, Paige went right back to work as if nothing happened. Technically, not did happen. Yes, she took a chance on doing what she did but it was just part of the job and risks the ER department had to deal with on a daily basis.

Nothing let up when she got back to work. Finally, it was 7AM and things had slowed down somewhat, allowing her to catch up on some notes and other paperwork. She knew she wasn’t going to finish until well after 9AM. She had missed her lunch break, as always and knew she just wanted to go home, eat and then sleep until her next shift started in less than 12 hours.

Then she’d be back to do it all over again.

She walked out of the hospital, shouldering her backpack against her and putting her earbuds on, blasting some music. She had walked to work, as she did most times, and today was no exception. It was only 8 blocks to home… the same apartment she had had since she started medical school. She saw no reason to change where she lived. Most new doctors would usually purchase a house and she just didn’t want to do that. Truthfully, she didn’t have time to have one. At least not yet. Maybe a few more years…

On her way to walking home, Paige stopped at Central Park Bagels. She was starving. Her plan was to grab a coffee, a bagel and then head home. Her usual routine. In fact, when she walked in, Norman, the owner of the shop knew her and had her order ready. She thanked him and took her order with her.

 

[BeachBum25]

After about 3 am, things slowed down on the streets. There were still a number of calls for medical assistance that were turned over to paramedics and ambulance crews, but after the bars closed, things settled down.

Once it died down, Michael's mind wandered back to the doctor in the ER; for a couple of reasons. The first was the obvious reason; what was she doing putting so many people at risk? Yes, it was admirable that she wanted to save her patient, and he understood the oath that doctor's took, but he could not wrap his head around the number of people that she put in danger by doing what she did. She could have created more patients out of her friends and colleagues.. .and even herself.

The second reason he was thinking about her was that it was driving him crazy trying to figure out why she looked familiar. How did he know her? Who did she remind him of? He wondered if it was a celebrity that he may have seen on television, after al, she was extremely attractive, but he just couldn't place her.

At the end of the shift, he greeted every officer as they reported off duty. He thanked them for everything they had done, and thanked them for being safe. Then, he sat down and called Internal Affairs and got in touch with the investigator who was handling the police officer's car crash. Michael knew that he wouldn't get much from the investigator, but the coded words that the investigator used, including mentioning odors on the officer's uniform, told him that Wilson was in some serious shit.

Michael went into the locker room and removed his uniform shirt and pants and put on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. He removed his badge and other hardware from his uniform shirt and balled it up with his pants. "One night and already I need to change both pants and shirt. Hopefully the cleaners is open on my way home. I guess I am going to become a regular there."

On his way home, Michael decided to stop and get a cup of coffee. He was going to go for a run when he got home, so, he wasn't concerned about the coffee keeping him awake. He parked around the corner from a bagel shop he had noticed opening at 4 am. He figured that if the people cared enough to get up that early in the morning, it must be a good place to go.

As he reached for the door, it was pushed open by someone exiting the store. He held the door open for the woman and smiled at her. Then, he realized it was the doctor from the ER. "Oh, so we meet again."

They stood looking at each other for a moment. "I see you have crappy hours just like I do." He saw that she had a coffee and a bag in her hand. "Well, I won't keep you from your breakfast. I know you had a long night."

He wanted to say more to her. He wanted to know how he recognized her. Maybe, he even wanted to get to know her because of how attractive he found her. However, her body language said, "I am finished with your small talk."

"Enjoy your time off doctor. Get some rest."

 

[zydrate]

Get some rest... Paige sighed, giving him a small smile, "At least you're not lecturing me... you don't remember me, do you?" She asked, as she moved away from the door as other people needed to enter. Paige stepped outside due to the noise from the little shop was loud and after yelling orders all night, her voice needed a break.

He hid his puzzled look well. Paige was impressed and continued, "OK... think back to a couple of years ago, a newly graduated student... a medical student, but she didn't say that at the time, came into the police station because she was mugged..." Paige pointed at her eye, "with a black eye."

She saw the recognition in face... finally. "Yeah, that was me, don't worry about it, I have a forgettable face... anyway, as for crappy hours, I kind of like them." She raised her cup of coffee to him, "I should get going, I'm back on duty tonight... have a good one Sergeant."

Paige smiled again as she placed her earbuds back in her ears and turned to continue in the direction of home.

 

[BeachBum25]

"I knew it. I knew I recognized you from somewhere and it has been driving me crazy trying to figure it out. Beat up and then apartment broken into... had my buddy change the locks for you. Nah, your face isn't forgettable, it just took a little jarring of my brain to remember where I knew you from."

He watched as she raised her cup and walked away. "I guess she isn't one for conversation," he thought. "Okay doctor, have a nice day. Hopefully tonight won't be as crazy for both of us as last night was."

Michael went in and got a large coffee, and then headed home. Once back in his house, he started to sit down to finish his coffee, before thinking better of it. "If I sit down, I will not get up. I'll end up falling asleep and then I won't get my run in."

He took his coffee upstairs with him and changed to go for his run. Once he was out and running, he was glad he hadn't sat down. The run felt good; it got the blood flowing and it would be certain to keep him awake until it was time to go to sleep. While running, he started thinking of the doctor and the case he had handled for her. He never did find out who mugged her or broke into her place. She wasn't much help, because she really did not get a good look at the guy. Michael was never able to get any camera footage from the area where she had been robbed and the camera system at her apartment was not working that day, because they were in the process of putting in a new system. He remembered that he thought about calling her back then, but was afraid that she would be upset that he used her information for personal use.

After the run, he took a shower and did a few odds and ends around the house. Around noon, he laid down to sleep. He was going to get 5 hours sleep before another 12 hour shift. Michael thought that he was going to need to come up with a routine that could get him closer to 7 hours sleep.

Before he knew it, he was up and out the door and heading into roll call for his next shift. Yea, he definitely needed to figure out how to get through these long shifts and make sure he got enough rest in between. He just hoped that it was busy tonight to keep him awake, because slow nights could seem like they were never going to end. Of course, he didn't want it to be too busy.

Right after roll call, he was greeted by the investigator who was working on the crash involving Officer Wilson from the night before. The investigator wanted to know if O'Flynn had noticed anything at roll call before Wilson went out on the street yesterday. "Obviously not. If there was anything that was noticeable that would have put anyone in danger, I would never have let him on the street." The investigator told Michael that not only was Wilson facing departmental discipline, he was more than likely going to be arrested for DUI. Michael knew that was coming, and just nodded his head.

As O'Flynn was finishing up with the investigator, a job came out on the radio of a brawl in an intersection involving approximately 20 people. "Well, that didn't take long. I guess it is going to be a busy one."

 

[zydrate]

When Paige got back to her apartment, she quickly ate her bagel and downed her coffee. Her mind on the Sgt. as she did so. He never called her back with an update on her case. Of course, she didn't have any good information but he could have at least called her to say the case was just being pushed aside or whatever it was they called it... a cold case? Then she thought of him... him. Not the detective but the man... he was handsome, yes... well, shit, he was goddamn handsome and that suit and tie... that didn't help matters much, in fact, that just seemed to make him even more handsome.

She shook her head from those thoughts. Her dating history was just that... history. How long had it been since she'd been on a real date? 2 years? Maybe more? No, her last relationship was a bust. Only because the guy, Jonathan, an up and coming lawyer, didn't like Paige's work schedule. He had encouraged her to quit and even said it was him or her career.

Guess which she chose?

It was a little after 10AM and she needed to shower before bed. If she was lucky enough, she'd be able to get at least 6 hours before her next shift.

****
Arriving at the hospital that evening, Paige grabbed a call-room key. She had been contacted earlier as she was getting ready for work that one of the on-call doctors had contracted food poisoning and couldn't make it in and they asked if she could take over his shift... that meant, not only would she work her normal 8pm-8am shift but she would be on call from 8am to 8pm... 24 hours working. She had remembered doing this before as a senior resident so it wasn't a big deal, which was why she grabbed an on-call room so she could at least get some rest between calls.

In the on-call room, Paige tossed her backpack onto the extra chair and proceeded to change into some scrubs. Each level of the medical staff was assigned different colored scrubs so being her first year as an attending, Paige had on some red scrubs. She equipped herself with all she needed for her shift and headed down to the ER.

In no time, things started rolling... a nurse called out to Paige, who was talking some other doctors and attendings that there were going to be several patients incoming that were involved in a fight. Some were hurt but nothing too serious from what the EMTs could tell. Some with police escorts to get checked out before they were to be taken to jail. "Oh joy..." Paige said as she assigned some of the students to be ready to get tested on what they knew so far. That meant Paige would be mostly baby-sitting unless some were more seriously injured than previously thought. Not all those in the fight would be brought there, some would be taken to Boston Med also.

The first of the patients starting coming in. There were a couple of serious injured but those were directed to the other staff. The less injured were attended to by the students, whom Paige hovered over, offering advice and guidance to. She saw potential in some and others...well, they'd see.

A few of the brawlers were still a little combative but had settled down somewhat knowing that they were still going to jail no matter what. When she had finished up with one of the student's assessments and had signed off on it, Paige was beckoned over by 2 officers, asking if they could talk to her in private. OK, that wasn't uncommon... Paige agreed and let a nurse know she would be right back. She led the 2 men to an adjacent hall, which led to the linen closet and staff lounge.

"How can I help you gentlemen?" She asked, hoping they were fast because she couldn't leave the ER for too long.

One of the older officers spoke up, getting a little too close to Paige, "So, doc.. you were the one who worked on Officer Wilson last night, am I right?"

Paige made a face, "Excuse me?" She knew who they were talking about but why were they talking to her about it? Wasn't it in the police department's hands now?

"Listen Doctor... you worked on Wilson last night and you requested a blood alcohol test on him now... because of that, he's suspended without pay. In short, you put a man's future in jeopardy with his family because of your mistake. So... all you need to do is change your paperwork--"

"Are you kidding me?!" Paige interrupted, "Did I just hear you ask me to change someone's medical record?! I don't fucking believe this..." She was trying hard to keep from yelling. She shook her head and tried to push past them. The younger of the 2 grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back, almost slamming her against the wall.

"All you have to do is say you made a mistake."

"Get your hands off me. I am not changing anything for anyone. I'm sorry he's suspended--I had nothing to do with that. Maybe next time, he should have made better choices." She tried again to push pass them and this time, they let her go. Paige yanked the door open and walked through the nurses’ station, "Message me if you need me." She said, not waiting for a reply, she slammed a chart down the counter and walked through a different set of doors and up some stairs. She was completely worked up and fuming. She ran up the stairs to the 2nd floor where the cafeteria was located. Her heart was racing from anger and also running up those stairs. She grabbed cup and filled it with coffee, "just what you need...coffee to fuel your racing heart..." there were people around still, mostly staff as she found a dark corner and sat there.

What the hell was all that about? She knew... well, she heard stories of the cops taking care of each other, but she always thought that was something from the movies... but to have these two come to her, telling her to change something so a man could go back to work only to chance doing again in the future?! All she was doing was her job... that was all.

 

[BeachBum25]

Michael went out and got into his patrol vehicle. As he was making his way to the scene of the brawl, he heard on the radio that several combatants were being transported to local hospitals and that some of them were going to be arrested.

Instead of continuing to the scene, Michael decided to meet the officers who were escorting prisoners to Mass General to get a rundown on what was going on. When he walked into the ER, he saw that those involved in the brawl only had minor injuries and would probably be released soon. What he didn't see, however, were the officers who were supposed to be with the ones who were going to be charged. Michael had no idea which ones were going to be released from the ER and which ones were going to be going to the station.

As he looked around, he saw a couple of hospital security personnel and asked if they had seen the officers. The one security guard said she saw them go into an adjacent hallway with one of the doctors. As O'Flynn made his way toward that hallway, the officers came through the door and back into the ER.

"What are you two doing? Who is guarding the prisoners? Did any of those being charged get up and walk out?" Michael was not happy. The officers were surprised to see him. He had heard that their previous Sergeant was very hands off and was rarely on the streets. That wasn't Michael's way. He was going to be on the streets... a lot.

The officers stammered a bit and then replied they were talking to the doctor about the people who were injured and when they would be released. "So, it took both of you to do that, and you left all of the people who are going to be charged all alone. Good decision." The sarcasm was evident.

"When you get the people back to the station that are being arrested and finish the paperwork, just stay there and we will have a little chat, gentlemen." The two officers were not happy, and their body language told Michael they were not happy. The truth of the matter was, Michael didn't give a shit. They may have done things differently under their previous Sergeant, but with him it would be by the book.

O'Flynn hung around in the ER until all of the combatants had been discharged and those being arrested were transported to the station house. He had hoped to see Dr. Jackson while he was there, and was surprised that he didn't; she had said that she was working tonight.

When all of those in the brawl were gone, Michael talked to a couple of the security guards for a minute, and then headed out of the ER to head back to the station to deal with the two officers.

 

[zydrate]

Paige had finished her coffee. She didn’t really need it, but she didn’t want to waste it either. She had just placed the paper cup in the trash just as her phone text sounded. Back to work.

By the time she had gotten back to the ER, most of those in the brawl had been discharged. It was a good thing too because the pace of the night started to pick up. By the time it was time for her to end her ER shift and move to her on-call shift. She thought she did a good job of pushing the incident from last night to the side and not letting it affect her job. It irked her every time she thought about it though.

Taking the stairs to the 4th floor, Paige settled into her on-call room to see if she could get a couple of minutes, if not at least an hour’s sleep… hopefully.

She was lucky. She was able to get 45 minutes of sleep before her pager sounded, calling her back to the ER. It was like that for the reminder of this 2nd shift. Get called to the ER, go back up to the on-call room and get some rest until she was officially done for the day… well, night. It was 6PM by the time she had changed back into her street clothes and went to the hospital cafeteria for some dinner. It wasn’t the world’s greatest food, but it was something. After running up and down the stairs for her shift, she called a ride service to take her home. It was a wonder why she hadn’t had a car yet. It wasn’t like she couldn’t afford it. She just always preferred to walk. Everything she needed was within walking distance and if it wasn’t, then there were the ride shares.

When she arrived home, she thanked the driver and gave them a cash tip. As she walked up to the door of the entrance of her apartment, something…well, someone caught her eye in the reflection of the glass door… that cop from last night. She turned to look back and there was no one… wow, she was losing it. Once inside her apartment, she locked up. Did she really see him or was she still worked up over what they wanted her to do…? She brushed it off. She had to. If she kept thinking about it, it would ruin her night at getting some real rest.

***
The next day Paige didn’t even get a chance to look at what previous cases had come into the ER before she was yanked from one emergency to another. It was Friday night and that could only mean one thing. Partying. It was also one of the other local colleges homecoming and when that happened, from previous experiences, Paige knew they were all in for a night of hell.

One of her first cases was a motorcycle accident where she had to reset a dislocated shoulder… and it just kept going from there on…stitches needing to be done, a bar fight and removing glass from a cut on someone’s head… and on and on…

She finally had a small break around 5AM as she sat at the nurses station, catching up on some paperwork, entering orders into some charts and sipping some water. As she did so, she thought about the 2 officers (only because 2 others had walked back escorting some guy) and wondered what the hell they were thinking. Did they really expect her to change medical records? Should she have reported them and gotten more cops in trouble?

With a deep sigh, she wasn’t sure. She had been threatened before by patients but they hadn’t been in their right mind at the time… this just felt different and she hated it.

 

[BeachBum25]

After the two officers were finished their paperwork on the brawl, Michael met with them in the roll call room. "I don't know how things worked around here before I got here, but I have heard that things were pretty lax. That is not going to be the case. We are going to do things by the book. Either do it right, or put in for a transfer and go somewhere else. I will back you up 100% as long as you do things the right way. If you don't do things the right way, I am going to be on your ass."

O'Flynn watched their reactions. One of them, Parker, seemed to be on board. The other, Thompson, seemed to be less than happy to be talked to. O'Flynn could have cared less. "You don't have to like the way I do things, you just have to do them the way I want. Now, we are going to blame what happened tonight on your previous Sergeant and the fact that he let some things go. There will be nothing put on your record about it, but if anything happens again, there will be no warnings. Am I clear?"

Once he was finished with Parker and Thompson, Michael sent them back on the street and he went out and rode around. Michael went in on a few calls, but allowed the patrol officers to do their jobs. He stayed in the background and observed as the officers did a great job in handling all of the calls, bit the crazy ones and the routine ones.

When it came time to report off, Sgt. O'Flynn was at the station house and met every officer as the finished in the morning. After they had all left, O'Flynn went to the locker room and changed. As he was finishing up, Officer Parker approached him. "Hey Sarge, I just wanted to let you know. We really weren't trying to shirk our duties at the hospital last night. We were just trying to talk to the doctor and see if she could change the paperwork on Wilson so that he might not get jammed up so bad."

Michael couldn't believe it. "You tried to get a doctor to change medical records. You wanted her to perjure herself? What the fuck were you two thinking?" parker said they were just trying to help their colleague out. "You realize that his BAL came back at .16... that is double the legal limit. What the hell are you thinking? You want to lose your job? I can't believe she didn't report you. Hell, she may still report you, it just might be to the Commissioner's Office. Get the hell out of here. We will see how we will deal with this tonight."

"What the fuck kind of mess did they send me to?" Michael thought about it. Most of the guys seemed awesome and did their jobs very well. Maybe it was just a few that needed to be weeded out.

He decided to go to Central Park Bagels to see if he ran into the doctor. He wanted to apologize to her for what the officers had done. Unfortunately, she wasn't there. he got a coffee and went home. He would stop at the hospital first thing tonight to see her.

After roll call that evening, Michael got in his patrol vehicle and headed over to the hospital. He walked into the ER and looked around for the doctor. He couldn't find her, so, he stopped one of the other doctors. "Excuse me doctor, is Doctor Jackson around? I really need to speak with her."

The doctor explained that Doctor Jackson had worked a double the previous day and therefore was off tonight. "She will be back in tomorrow night at 8." Michael thanked him and went back out to his vehicle. It was a fairly quiet night. Michael was upset still about the two cops approaching the doctor. He was off tomorrow, so, he would not be able to stop in and see her. He would have to do so the next time he was working.

**********************

Friday night should be a fun night after his first couple days as a supervisor. Well, that was what Michael thought. A couple of his friends had set him up on a blind date. He was the only single guy in his friends group, and they were always giving him a hard time about it. So, despite him always telling them not to try to set him up, tonight they did.

The plans were for him to meet the woman, Carolyn, at an Italian restaurant. Michael wasn't happy, but he went along with it. He put on a white dress shirt, blue dress pants and a blue and gray tie. They had told him to have a yellow rose on the table so Carolyn would know who he was. Yes, it was kind of corny, but they had told her what to look for. On the way to the restaurant, he stopped and bought 6 yellow roses. When he got to the restaurant, he gave his name and was escorted to a quiet table in the back. Yes his friends did all the planning.

Michael was there early; he was early for everything. He sat at the table so he could see the entrance. Part of him wondered if he sat in that seat because of the cop thing, or if he wanted to see if she was good looking, and if she was not he could escape out the back. He sat at the table sipping the water; waiting.

After an hour, Michael assumed he had been stood up. He got up from the table, handed the roses to the waitress, with a generous tip for taking up her table and left the restaurant. On his way home, he was driving past Mass general, and he decided to stop. He wasn't sure when he would get a chance again, so, why not?

After parking the car, he walked into the ER. He saw one of the security guards he had dealt with before. After showing the guard his badge to remind him of who he was, Michael asked if he could see Doctor Jackson.

 

[zydrate]

In the employee lounge, Paige stood in front of the microwave as she heated up her ‘lunch’ when one of the nurses came in. She had assumed she was just there to take their break also but the nurse spoke, “Excuse me Doctor…there’s a police officer here. At least he says a cop but with the way he’s dressed…” she faded off and shrugged, “Anyway, he’s been waiting for about 5 minutes.”

Paige muttered a curse under her breath as she watched her food spin slowly in the microwave. “I don’t want to talk with anymore ‘officials’ this week. Tell him, I’m not here or I’m in a meeting, my head is pounding and the last thing I need is to be harassed…”

The nurse gave Paige a puzzled look, which Paige didn’t see. “Yes Doctor.”

When the microwaved beeped, Paige took out her meal. It was part of a dinner she had ordered earlier that night but didn’t have time to eat until now.

What she had said was true, she had a headache from too much stressing. She was going to tell her supervisor when he came in the morning about what happened the other night. It was the only thing to do. It didn’t matter who those guys were threatening her…asking her to change a patient’s medical record. Paige was going to stand her ground no matter what. She wasn’t one to be pushed around from anyone or anything for that matter, it was something she had learned to do when she started medical school. There were people, other students really who would say she wasn’t going to make it and that she was only there because of her grandfather.

Paige never denied it. But she did fight the doubters and she excelled. While most of those that had said that to her had flunked out, she didn’t give up. She didn’t back down when ganged up on.

Just as she took her first bite of her meal, the nurse came back in, “I’m sorry doctor, he’s insistent to talk with you.”

Poor thing, the last thing Paige wanted was to have the nurse play receptionist. With a sigh, Paige relented, “Fine… let him come back here I guess…. Thanks.”

Suddenly, she wasn’t hungry anymore so she pushed her food aside and yanked her hair out of its ponytail before putting her head down on the table and a couple of minutes later, she heard the nurse direct someone in the room.

Paige didn’t look up, “Make it quick, I only have 5 minutes left on my break officer…” She said, although she sounded more like she mumbled it. Then she heard the officer respond and that’s when she finally looked up and saw it was the Sgt… Wilson’s boss. Oh great… she could only assume he was there since the previous two officers couldn’t get her to change anything… She crossed her arms across her chest as she saw what the nurse was talking about…why was he so dressed up? Not that he didn’t look too bad…

Focus Paige…she mentally reminded herself, “Sorry, Sergeant… I didn’t know it was you.. how can I help you?”

 

[BeachBum25]

"Please tell her I need to see her. I know she is here. I am willing to wait around if she is busy, but it is important I speak with her."

When the nurse came back the second time, she told Michael that he should follow her. The nurse led him to an employee lounge where Dr. Jackson was sitting with her head on the table. He heard her mumble something about her break.

"Doctor, I am sorry to bother you on your break but I had to talk to you about something that is really concerning to me." He saw her raise her head and look at him. He could tell by her reaction that she recognized him, but was surprised to see him out of uniform.

He looked down at his clothes and then back to the doctor. "Yea, well, I am not on duty right now. I was out on a failed attempt by some friends at setting me up on a blind date. I knew it was a bad idea, and when she didn't show up, well, it confirmed it."

Michael shrugged his shoulders. "Anyway, yesterday I stopped in to see you but they told me you were off because you had worked a double previously. I was driving past here, well, not too far from here, on my way home and I thought I would take a chance and stop in to talk to you."

O'Flynn pointed at the chair across from Dr. Jackson. "May I?" Michael sat across from the doctor. He ran his hand down over his tie; straightening it. "So, the reason for my intrusion on what I am sure is a busy night for you..." He looked down at his watch. "I better hurry up with this, my 5 minutes is almost up." He smiled at the doctor.

"The night after the officer was brought in after crashing his patrol car, you spoke with two officers privately." He did not ask her, he told her he knew it happened. "Did they try to get you to do something inappropriate, immoral, or illegal?"

Sitting with his hands folded on the edge of the table, Michael watched the doctor for her reaction. He was looking into her eyes, which were quite captivating, by the way. He noticed her divert her eyes from his when he asked the question. She remained quiet.

"Doctor, I am not here to make the same request. I am here to find out if you wish to file a formal complaint against them."

Michael then sat quietly and waited for the doctor to respond.

 

[zydrate]

Paige did her best to keep her expression neutral. He had mentioned the other officers and she looked away. Goddamnit... her immediate thought was he was here to to ask her do the same...

But his next statement made her look back at him, locking her eyes with his. He wasn't here to ask the same thing? He did ask if she wanted to file formal charges.

"Really?" she said and quickly corrected herself, suddenly feeling a bit relieved. His look said he was serious. Paige was a little surprised, "I honestly can't say right now... I mean, it is something I haven't talked with my boss yet and I would need to heed his advice because of the seriousness of the situation." She was getting technical and quickly shut up as she thought for a moment more.

She stood and grabbed another fork from the counter and handed to him, not realizing what she had done as she sat back down and kept talking, “To be honest, I wasn’t sure what to say… all I know is that I blew up at them for even asking. No one has ever asked me to do that before.” She shrugged and noticed he wasn’t eating. It never occurred to her that he was just being polite. Paige had ordered loaded mac & cheese for dinner. She was sucker for pasta… usually she and the other medical staff would divvy up their dishes when there was a lot to go around. Paige reached over and took his wrist in her hand, “You just put your fork into the food like this…” she said and showed him, a small smile playing on her lips. She wasn’t being condescending, at least she didn’t think so, she was just trying to get him to eat. “Like this…” she showed him, “See, easy.”

“As for charges…” she brushed the memory of them making her stay to listen to them. They hadn’t outright threatened her, just asked her. Nothing else happened. Yes, it was an uncomfortable moment but that was it. “Personally, I’m not going to press charges.” She took another bite and thought for a minute. “I do appreciate you coming down here on your night off.”

Before anyone else could say anything else, a Code Blue was called to the ER. Paige tossed her fork down and jumped up, “Sorry, I gotta go..” she said as grabbed her hair tie and ran out of the room and down the hall as she put her hair back up.

Her break was officially over, and she was sorry that she didn’t get to say goodnight to Sgt. O’Flynn, but like always, duty called. After the code blue, which they were successful at getting the patient to breathe again, the night started to roll and patient after patient came in.

Later that morning, after Paige had told her boss, Dr. Stanton, about what had occurred the other night in the ER with the two officers, she said she would find out what to do but it was still up to Paige if she wanted to file charges. And Paige said she didn’t. She just wanted to know that those two officers would do that again, not with her or anyone else on staff at Mass Gen.

After clocking out, she changed into her regular street clothes and left the hospital for home. She was exhausted and her headache had just about gone away. Right now, she just wanted to get a hot shower and then a few hours of sleep. She would be off for the next few days, and she was glad. It would mean a time to catch up on sleep and then from there, she wasn’t sure. Some of the ladies at work had invited her out but she wasn’t sure yet. Maybe she’d join them or maybe she’d just stay home.

 

[BeachBum25]

Michael chuckled a little as Dr. Jackson tried to teach him how to eat. He listened to her as she seemed to be trying to talk herself into, or out of, pressing charges. He did not say anything, because he didn't want to influence her in any way. However, her decision would determine how he handled the two officers.

As he watched Dr. Jackson go through her thought process, he could almost see the wheels turning in her head. She was reliving the night in her head and some of her expressions told Michael that it was not a very pleasant experience for her.

She no sooner told him that she was not inclined to press charges, then she was running out the door saying goodbye. Michael sat there for a minute and picked at the doctor's loaded mac & cheese. He thought about how their jobs were similar... one minute sitting all calm and then the next minute running into some type of emergency with your hair on fire.

He wrapped up the mac & cheese and put it into the refrigerator, and then headed home from his "date night." What an interesting date it was.... getting stood up by a blind date and then talking with the doctor about a work situation. "Damn O'Flynn, you lead one hell of an exciting life."

While driving home, Michael's cell phone rang. It was the couple who had set him up on the blind date. "Thanks guys, that wasn't too embarrassing." They were calling to tell him that the woman called them from the restaurant. She got cold feet and wasn't going to show up, but then decided to go after all. They tried to convince him to go back and meet with her.

Michael laughed. "Sorry guys, it isn't going to happen. I already gave away the yellow rose and I just had dinner with another woman, so, I am just going home." They both asked how it was possible that he had dinner with someone else, because it wasn't that long after he was supposed to meet his blind date. "It was just a quick bite.. it wasn't a date or anything. Tell her I am sorry, but I am not going back across town."

He listened as they tried to convince him, but they were wasting their breath. He thought about Dr. Jackson, and if it was her they were trying to get him to go back and meet, he would turn around quickly. "Sorry guys, I appreciate what you tried to do, but, you know how I am with first impressions. There is no way it could work.. not now, not in the future. Have a good night, and I will talk with you soon." Michael disconnected the call and made his way home.

After changing and turning on the television, he spent the remainder of the night flicking back and forth watching a couple of ballgames.

When he got into work the next day, he made it a point to let Parker and Thompson know that he needed to meet with them after roll call. At roll call, Sgt. O'Flynn did something that nobody in the squad had seen in years. He assigned parker and Thompson to walk foot patrol for the shift. Nobody assigned officers to foot beats on the 7 pm to 7 am shift. That was usually reserved for day shifts when there were a lot of people around to interact with. O'Flynn assigned the two to areas far apart from one another and in areas with a lot of bars and nightclubs.... should be a busy Saturday night.

After roll call, Michael met with the two unhappy officers. "I don't care if you are pissed off at me. Right now, the two of you are lucky that you aren't suspended without pay." That stopped both of their bitching for the moment. It was obvious that Parker knew what the Sergeant was talking about, but Thompson appeared to be clueless. Michael had decided that he was going to protect Parker and not let anyone know that Parker had told him what happened.

"It came to my attention that the two of you tried to get a doctor to change medical records. You two must be out of your fucking minds. I don't want to hear the shit that you were just trying to protect Wilson. Wilson put himself in the bad position he is in. Now, you two assholes decide that you want to risk losing your jobs trying to get a doctor to falsify a report and lie."

He was getting madder and madder as he talked to them. "I have spoken with the doctor, and she is not really interested in filing a formal complaint against you. That is probably a good thing. You see, every area of that hospital has cameras... WITH SOUND.... so your entire conversation was recorded. You better hope that her supervisor agrees to go along with her and not file the complaint."

He took a couple of deep breaths trying to calm himself down. "Now, if I find out that either of you have any interaction with that doctor... on duty or off duty.... I will make sure that not only are the charges about trying to get a doctor to falsify records brought against you, but I will make sure that additional charges are brought. Am I clear?"

Parker nodded his head and gave Michael a look that said, "thanks for not throwing me under the bus." Thompson, being ever the hardhead, just nodded. "Is that a yes Thompson, because I don't speak in grunts?" Thompson finally responded yes. "Now, the two of you will walk a beat until I am sure that you understand that we are going to do things the right way as long as I am here."

After dismissing the two, Michael went and prepared for a long Saturday night. It turned out not to be too bad... well, after the bars had closed and the people went home it got quiet. He stopped by the hospital to check in with officers who were handling a stabbing incident. When he walked in, one of the security guards said to him, "Dr. Jackson is off tonight, Sarge."

Michael looked at the security guard with surprise and then smiled. He thought about what people must have thought when he showed up last night dressed up and with a tie on. "Thanks. I am just here to check in with my guys and see how their stabbing victim is doing."

 

[zydrate]

Saturday night and instead of staying home and resting, Paige had decided to join her work friends at a small local bar in the bar district. There would only be about 4 others having dinner at a nearby restaurant and then head to a small dive bar for after dinner drinks. Even though it was against her better judgement, Paige needed some time outside of the hospital… it was just a small thing they all did together outside of work.

Paige was dressed in a black flowy top that had one off the shoulder sleeve. She paired it with a pair of jeans and her black ankle boots. Nothing too fancy but again, nothing too under dressed to match up with the girls. She let her long hair down and was glad it would a night she didn’t have to put it up in a twist or bun.

The 5 ladies had a couple of drinks and spent the evening talking about life and such. It was just a good time to catch up on things outside of work.

Mary nudged Paige, “What about you and that cop, Paige…”

Sipping her drink Paige gave her a puzzled look, “What are you talking about?”

“Girl don’t play dumb. Tanya said that new guy… what was his name, O’Flynn? Well, he came by last night and you two disappeared back in the lounge.”

Of course, this got the others making shocked sounds and Paige just rolled her eyes, “Oh wow, no, no… it was nothing like that. He came back to talk about… an issue, that’s all.” Of course all their looks were obviously saying they wanted to hear me. “I swear…” of course they weren’t taking her seriously, “Please…” She wasn’t about to divulge anymore as they were all drinking and Paige didn’t want to start anything that wasn’t true. The issue about the incident wasn’t something to discuss with others.

It was getting late as the night when on and slowly, the group started to dwindle down until it was only Paige left. One of the other ladies had offered to drop her off at her apartment once her husband picked her up but Paige refused. She was going to have one more drink and then call a cab or something. She was glad she wasn’t working tonight. Usually, she didn’t drink much but tonight was an exception. As she polished off her drink, she called for a rideshare and waited inside the bar until she got an alert her ride was 5 minutes away. Paying her tab, she left a tip for the poor bartender that had to deal with her and her friends.

Stepping outside, the nightly crowds were dying down and in the faint distance, Paige could hear sirens, which made her quickly think of work. She wasn’t scheduled to go back in until Monday night so she’d be able to get another night off and she mentally plans of things that needed to be done around her apartment… errands, yay, adulthood.

“Good evening, Doctor.” Paige looked up and came face to face with that officer from the other night… Officer Thompson. Her heart skipped a beat… a fearful beat. She didn’t show it, at least she hoped she didn’t.

“Officer.” She replied, “Here to get me change the rotation of the Earth?” she said sarcastically.

He chuckled and shook his head, “I wanted to apologize for that. I was out of line and shouldn’t have asked that of you. I hope you can forgive me.” Paige was going to say something but he kept going, “How about I buy you dinner?”

Seriously? He was asking her out after asking her to do something against the rules?

She could only shake her head, “No, thank you officer.” A car pulled up to the curb and sounded their horn. That was her ride. “I have to go.” She started to go but the officer put his hand on the arch way, his arm blocking her way, “Listen here you little bitch. I understand you said something about what I asked you to do and because of you, I’m out here, watching the drunks and—”

“Excuse me? Are you blaming me for your stupid ass mistakes because that’s what they are. Now move your arm or else.”

A moment passed and Thompson only smiled before moving his arm and as Paige walked away, he slapped her ass, “Make sure you watch that pretty little ass out there, doctor… you never know what could happen if you need me to rescue it one day.”

The car horn sounded again and Paige looked back, giving him a hard glare. What the hell? She got in the car, not realizing she was shaking with fear. What a fucked up ending to what was supposed to be a good night.

***
It was hard for Paige to sleep. She kept trying but she was used to being up all night and sleeping in the day… that and well, she kept thinking about what happened last night. At first she was scared, but then, the more she thought about it, the more she was pissed. If she wasn’t going to press charges before, now she was.

It was nearing 6AM when she was finally able to get some sleep. She knew what she wanted to say so before going to sleep, she had typed it up in an email to herself so she wouldn’t forget what she wanted to say, that way, if needed, she could send it to her boss also. First she wanted to hear what she and the director had decided on how best to guide Paige with the initial problem with the request of changing records.

This was a mess and after last night, it was just getting messier.