LOUK Fan Fic: Out in the Open
Title: Out in the Open
Author: charlsie_esq
Fandom: LOUK
Summary: Over the course of 36 hours, a revelation, a confrontation and a quiet moment Character Pairings: Ronnie +Matt & Alesha
Spoilers: None. No references to any particular episode. These events take place some time in the possible future
Rating: PG (reference to gun violence)
Beta: diamondrocker
Disclaimer: The characters belong to Dick Wolf/ITV.
Author’s notes: Many thanks to diamondrocker for her generous beta work. This story was inspired by a Ronnie Brooks line in “Confession” and a scene in “Help.” For visual, the part of Margaret Devlin may be played by actress Eileen Atkins and Guy Flanagan as Piper. The paragraph in italics is not from Ronnie’s perspective.
Out in the Open
Ronnie considered turning his sirens on, but in all honesty, he wanted to go slow. He didn’t know what he was going to say to Alesha. Start at the beginning. As many times as he’d said those words to witnesses, today, it just didn’t sound right. Ronnie started thinking about how well the day had started only hours earlier.
. . .
Ronnie stood in Matt’s living room, casually studying its contents as Matt rambled on about some previously taken witness statements and was distractedly rummaging through piles of papers on his dining table. Ronnie had been to Matt’s dozens of times before but today, he couldn’t help but notice some things had been moved around. All in all, it was less disorganized, but something else was different too.
Matt had taken case files home the night before but had forgotten to bring them back to work in the morning, so the two detectives had just gone round to Matt’s place to pick them up on the way to getting some CCTV videos for a current case. Matt must not have been thinking about what could be lying around the flat when he walked in, Ronnie following him closely behind.
Then, something familiar-looking caught Ronnie’s eye.
Matt didn’t notice that Ron was pulling something out of the sofa ─ he just chattered on: “When you read the three statements together, there’s a timeline, right but they don’t match up. So I started marking it out one by one and . . . .” Matt had picked up the files and turned to see Ronnie holding a red-checkered scarf. Alesha’s red checked scarf.
Matt froze mid-sentence and Ronnie watched a bright red flush spread across his partner’s face.
Ronnie looked back and forth between Matt and the scarf with a quizzical expression was on his face. “Either Alesha left this here or you’ve nicked it and she doesn’t know you have it. I reckon it’s the former.”
Matt opened his mouth but nothing came out.
Now, Ronnie was grinning. “But what I really want to know is this: How long were you going to wait to tell me about the two of you?”
“Ronnie, I . . . .” Matt gestured towards the scarf but had gone mute again.
“And don’t think you can lie about it Matty. For weeks now, you’ve smelled of her shampoo.”
“How do you know that?”
Ronnie tossed the scarf for Matt to catch. “Well, you’ve been my partner for a couple of years now and as of recently ─ from time to time, I’ve noticed, you smell like lavender flowers.” Ronnie firmly put his hands in his coat pockets, raised his eyebrows and leaned forward, pausing for effect. “And so does she.”
He’d have to come out with it, but a weak “Ron. . . .” was all Matt could manage and he dropped his shoulders in defeat as he stood there awkwardly.
Ronnie smiled to himself. “Come along, Romeo. You can tell me all about it in the car.”
They were set for a stake out that day. Ronnie resolved to take every opportunity to zing Matt about this not-so-secret relationship while they waited. He’d have Matt trapped with no escape and thinking of it, made the smile stretch broader across his face.
Hours later found themselves sitting in the car outside a book maker in Southwark. They had been working an attempted murder for the better part of a week ─ the main suspect being Mickey Piper. Matt had arrested him before, and on more than one occasion. On paper, Piper was a career petty criminal who seemed to be taking his enterprise to the next level. The last time Matt had picked Piper up, it had been for GBH. A clever defense brief got the charge scaled back and Piper didn’t do much time. And that time away did little good, Piper hadn’t been out of prison for long and here he was the suspect in a murder.
They’d gotten a tip that he’d gone into the bookie and so the detectives were relegated to the car and to waiting for Piper to emerge. The end of their regular shift had come and gone, but the two stayed put, eyes fixed on the door. Ronnie took the discovery of Alesha’s scarf as a welcome respite from the monotony of the assignment. For hours, he’d had a captive audience and relished every comment that needled Matt.
“And if you think I’m the only one who’s noticed your romance, you are mistaken.”
“You can’t say anything to anyone,” Matt pleaded.
“I will speak my peace.” Ronnie was reveling in Matt’s discomfort. Now that the truth was out, he could openly tease Matt about his failed attempts at secrecy and about the pathetic lies to hide any evidence of the relationship. He was delivering on the promise of a large helping of teasing - the latest: about whether Matt would become Mr. Phillips. With each zinger, Matt squirmed and Ronnie grinned a bit broader.
“I’m serious Ronnie. The thing is . . . it’s . . . .” Matt looked over at Ron earnestly. “She’s important to me.”
Before Ronnie could respond, Matt had spotted Piper exiting the bookie. With a nod to each other, they got out of the car without saying another word and got back to work, the issue of Matt’s love life momentarily forgotten.
The procedure for bringing in a suspect was pretty standard - they’d done this dozens and dozens of times over the last few years. After Matt and Ronnie exited the car, Piper had caught sight of the two walking towards him and stopped. He stood at the corner, perfectly still -- almost as if he was waiting for them. They had asked Piper to accompany them to the station for questioning and Piper readily left with them. No fuss.
The arrest marked the start of a second shift. They’d been waiting in the car for hours and now both Matt and Ronnie were exhausted. Matt especially seemed uncharacteristically affected by the lack of sleep. A more alert pair might have been more suspicious at the ease with which they had apprehended Piper. As they made their way back to the car with Piper, Matt got a message from MIU with the go ahead for the arrest. Matt began to recite the lines as he had about a half a dozen times before: “Mickey Piper, I’m arresting you. . . .” not breaking eye contact. Piper had seemed calm and compliant - there was no hint of agitation. It was only when Matt reached in his coat to get the cuffs that Piper reached behind his back and pulled a gun.
A little more than two hours had passed, and Ronnie was heading back at the station. The evening had been so routine before the arrest, Ronnie thought to himself. Despite sharing grumbles at the assignment with Ron, Matt still loved the randomness of the all-nighters. The last thing Matt said before they spoke to Piper was “Game on.” In a flash, the routine was shattered. The sun was out now and Ronnie had no idea how to explain what had gone wrong.
Ronnie kept a change of clothes at his desk. It had been a habit he’d picked up in his drinking days and since then, the odd all-nighter made having a clean shirt stashed away at work a necessity. Now, he’d return to the station and he’d change out of his day-old clothes, covered in Matt’s blood. He’d hand them off to forensics and then he’d make his way to the CPU.
Ronnie was positive no one had called her; that no one would have known to tell Alesha what had happened. Just hours earlier, Matt had been forced to explain to him how, for a while, they’d been hiding their relationship ─ or at least trying to, because they hadn’t hid it from him, not really.
At first, Ronnie had noticed the look on Matt’s face when he spoke to Alesha on the phone at work. It would be talk of blood splatter patterns and evidence swabbing and there Matt would be, smiling to himself like a teenager. To Ronnie, it had been the first thing to give them away. Then there were other things - little things -- like how they whispered to each other when they were alone and thought no one could see them. Matt would smooth down her hair or she would straighten his scarf. It was all too familiar.
The confirming moment for Ronnie had been one morning when they’d both been late to a pre-trial meeting. They arrived separately, of course, with Matt arriving first, apologizing for being late with a murmur about traffic. Matt moved to take the seat to Ronnie’s left and when Matt passed him, Ronnie was perplexed by the smell of lavender and flowers that seemed to come off his partner. A couple of minutes later, Alesha arrived, also apologizing with a grumble about the Tube. And when she came into the room, she sat in the chair to Ronnie’s right and she also smelled of lavender and flowers. Ronnie looked back and forth between the two of them, as they sat on either side of him. He’d known for sure from that day forward and decided to wait patiently for the day they would come out in the open.
. . .
The memory of that day brought a pained half-smile to his lips. He kept driving slowly, searching for what he would say to her.
Ronnie arrived at Alesha’s office before she did. He stood in the doorway waiting for her, only nodding to the greetings lobbed in his direction by other prosecutors. This was just another morning to her yet, but he would soon crush that. Well before he wanted her to, Alesha came circling around the corner greeting him with a broad smile.
“Good morning, Ron!” she trilled. “What are you doing here this early?” She looked past him into her office. “Where’s Matt then?”
He hated this bit. “Alesha.” He braced himself for what he was about to say. Nothing had come to him in the car ride or during his wait.
“Ron?”
“You need to come with me dear.”
“Why?”
He could see the uncertainty spread across her face. Then, he watched the fear begin to set in and grab hold of her. His voice had been soft and steady and even so, she froze. He thought that they usually freeze at times like this: the wives, girlfriends, daughters and mothers of officers. They live in some sort of mild terror until this kind of moment, when a captain or a partner or uniform arrive to speak to them. And then they freeze. Ronnie stepped forward and put his hands on her arms. At first, she just looked at his hands and he waited for her to look at up him.
“Ronnie, where’s Matt?”
“Alesha, I need you to listen carefully. Matt was shot early this morning trying to bring in a suspect. He’s in surgery -- he’s lost a lot of blood, but he’s strong. They’re working on him now, and I’m here to take you to hospital if you like.”
Her knees had buckled as he spoke. She was barely breathing, so all she could manage was a nod. Ron stepped aside to lead her forward, keeping a firm hand at her back and a light grip on her arm. She just kept nodding. Ronnie understood -- she was too scared to completely take in what he’d said. He led her to his car, and helped her inside.
As he drove, he told her what he could about what happened.
Matt saw the gun, but he only had time to push down Piper’s hand. He managed to redirect the gun’s trajectory away from his chest but not completely away from his body. He was on his knees before he felt the pain in his side. He wasn’t sure what had happened, but now he was on the ground, his cheek on the pavement and a warm puddle spreading around him. He tried to take a few breaths but could only manage a few shallow attempts at inhaling. He wasn’t sure how long he was down in that position ─ a few seconds, at most, it was hard to tell because he was having trouble keeping his eyes open. Ronnie was turning him over and seemed to be talking in slow motion. Ronnie’s hands were on the spot where the pain was coming from and the sound of his voice was far away. There was a tinny ringing in Matt’s ears and he felt flashes of hot and shivers of cold at the same time. Ronnie appeared to be calling out to him, calling his name but Matt found himself unable to answer. Instead, feeling the weight of his eyelids, he was suddenly very tired. Matt could feel his senses slipping away from him. His vision was blurry and his focus clouding, he was becoming less sure of where he was. Finally, he let his eyes close.
Ronnie was speeding back to the hospital. “It happened in a flash and Matt was down on the ground before I even knew what was going on. I heard the bang and Mattie hit the floor. I don’t even know if I saw what happened.” Ronnie looked at her, grieved.
Alesha was wringing her hands, but she didn’t make a sound.
“I didn’t even try to stop Piper from running away. As soon as I saw Matt on the ground, I went to help him. I turned my back on Piper - I wasn’t thinking -- he could have shot me too. But he just ran.” Ronnie kept talking, but it wasn’t getting any easier. “ARV’s picked up Piper already. I just got the message before I came to see you.”
By the time they pulled into the hospital drive, Alesha still hadn’t spoken. When he parked the car, she stared straight ahead out of the windshield but didn’t move.
Ronnie had to get her out: “Let’s go dear.”
Matt was still in surgery when they’d arrived at the surgical wing. The bullet had torn straight through his body. He’d lost a lot of blood and the surgical team had needed to give him a number of transfusions. The hospital corridors were teeming with uniform lining up to donate to the blood bank or eating cookies after having donated and waiting to hear the news. Some detectives from the MIU on Bow Street were there as well and nodded at Ron as he came in. One or two looked back and forth between Ron and Alesha. So much for keeping things quiet, Ronnie said to himself. Alesha’s presence in the waiting room could hardly be considered evidence, but the proverbial cat was closer to being out of the bag now.
Alesha had sent in some excuses at work and sat in a corner with Ron. For hours, they waited in ignorance. From time to time, each would grab the hand of the other for comfort and bracing.
The doctors came out after what seemed like days. Ron and Alesha, holding each other’s hands for support, held their collective breath. The pair tried not to fear the worst and the news was good: Matt would be okay. The .22 bullet had ripped through him but mercifully, it didn’t hit anything major along the way. They both breathed a sigh of relief at the news. Now, they were just waiting for him to wake up.
Another hour passed and Ronnie watched as the activity in the waiting room seemed to pick up. Natalie arrived and with her, Matt’s mother Margaret, who looked panicked as they came through the doors. Ronnie had met Margaret a few times over the years. Ronnie felt a pang of guilt as he remembered that whenever she saw him, her parting words would always be, “Keep my boy out of trouble.”
Margaret went directly to the nurses, who called for the doctor. When the doctor had come out, he went to her and she’d followed him through another set of double doors and out of sight. Meanwhile, Alesha had been slowly ripping several napkins to shreds during the endless waiting, but picked up the pace once she’d seen his mother. Matt had told Ronnie the night before that he planned for the two to meet the following week. Ronnie thought, that Alesha must have recognized Margaret from the pictures Matt kept in his apartment. This was no time for introductions.
Ronnie was on his feet now, and pacing between the surgery doors and the nurses station. It was about 30 minutes before Margaret came back into the general waiting area and when she did, she made a bee-line for Ron. Alesha looked on as they embraced for a moment and mumbled soft words of comfort to each other.
Margaret came to give Ronnie good news: Matt was awake and wanted to see him. Ronnie followed her out of the waiting area, and Alesha watched silently as he walked away and disappeared behind the double doors.
Ronnie opened the recovery room door to see Matt fighting to keep his eyes open. The drugs hadn’t completely worn off and he was struggling to move. He’d only been awake a few minutes and muttered a few words to this mother when she’d come to get Ron on his instruction. When Ronnie got close to the bed, Matt was trying to take deep breaths and wincing with every attempt. Even in this state, he was stubborn, Ronnie thought to himself. Ron had no doubt that Matt wanted to get up and get out of there as quickly as possible.
Matt’s face twisted in pain as he tried to sit up. His eyes were closed when he spoke. “I can’t remember what happened.”
Ronnie smiled at his partner when Matt finally opened his eyes again. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, son. All you had to do today was open your eyes.”
Matt smiled and then drifted off.
It was another hour before he stirred and opened his eyes again. His mother and Ron were standing at the foot of the hospital bed. Still groggy, a single word escaped his lips: “Alesha?” But he was asleep again before Ronnie could get anything else from him.
Ronnie sat down in the chair by the hospital bed and stared at the young detective. Matt took chances all the time and he never listened to Ronnie’s advice to take it easy. But right now, Ronnie couldn’t be mad at him. He was just grateful that Matt had survived. Moments later, he remembered Matt’s request. When he stood up, his chair squeaked across the hospital floor and Matt opened his eyes.
“What’s happened?”
“Well. You’ve finally succeeded in making yourself the center of attention.” Ronnie smiled.
Matt returned the smile.
“I’ll get her.” Ronnie left Matt’s room and walked into the general waiting room. Alesha looked sick. She had stayed in the corner with Natalie was sitting next to her in Ron’s place. At the sound of shuffling footsteps on the tile, Alesha looked up and caught Ronnie’s eyes. For a moment, she seemed to hold her breath but Ronnie smiled, then nodded. He jerked his head towards the doors, meaning for her to follow him. She quickly picked up her coat and bag and followed him feeling all the eyes turned onto her. As she followed him down the corridor, they caught sight of Margaret headed towards the nurses’ station. Alesha smiled sympathetically to Matt’s mother and Margaret nodded back. It seemed to Ronnie that it was only at that moment that Margaret had worked out that the young woman in the corner was who Matt had been asking to see.
Ronnie put his arm around Alesha and led her back to the recovery room. He opened the door for her and nudged her inside, then stepped back into the hall, giving them their privacy. But for a moment, he allowed himself to peer through the window in the door and he could hear their voices, soft and low.
Matt smiled at her as she walked over to him. He held out a hand and when she placed her hand in his, he pulled it to his heart and closed his eyes, sighing contentedly. “Don’t be cross, that shirt you bought me is ruined.”
Tears bubbled up over the surface and ran down Alesha’s cheeks as she let out a slight chuckle. Matt was still smiling, eyes closed as she whispered to him. “You gave us quite a scare.” Then, she stopped talking and leaned down, kissed his lips then his forehead and finally rested her forehead on his. They remained there, eyes closed, in a comforting and relieved silence.
Ronnie stepped away from the door and left them alone.
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