Fic: Inadvertent (Diagnosis Murder fandom)
(Don't look at me like that, Tin Man fandom. DM was one of my fandoms ~way~ long ago and occasionally, these things happen. Just a little indiscretion. You know how it is. And I'm fully aware that no one here will read this - I posted it to my DM mailing list group yesterday and felt the need to post it somewhere more permanent.)
Title: Inadvertent
Author: Surreal
Characters/Pairing: Steve/Jesse, Mark, OCs
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Hurt/comfort, first time romance
Summary: Steve makes a discovery in the wrong place at the worst (yet best) possible time.
~*~
”Team two, do you have a visual on the suspect?”
“Affirmative. Suspect is approaching the bar. We have visual on Officer Warner, he’s sitting right where the suspect can see him.”
Steve scratched behind his ear, taking a moment to readjust the radio earpiece as he listened to the chatter. It was nearly midnight on a Friday and he was looking forward to this case coming to an end. Three dead men, last seen being picked up from the bar in front of him, all three tortured and violated before having their throats cut.
It was a case that had given Steve nightmares for the last two weeks. Every one of those men fit the same profile: young, gay, and blond. Too familiar for his comfort.
“Team one, suspect is on the move with the bait. Get in position, they should be coming out the back door in a moment.”
“Sergeant, this is team two. Confirm identity of suspect; we still have a visual on Warner at the bar. Bait is still in place.”
This last bit caused Steve to stutter a step. His fellow members of team one were also looking at one another in confusion even as they continued to move into positions. They all realized what this meant; the suspect had not taken the Vice officer put in place to bait him. He had taken an innocent civilian instead.
They didn’t have time to consider a change of plan; they would have to get the potential victim out of harm’s way as they took their guy into custody.
It all sounded so simple, so clean and by-the-book. But Steve’s heart thudded hard in his chest, his mind whirling with possible outcomes. He knew the three other men with him were just as terrified of what could go wrong.
The door swung open and two figures stumbled out, one supporting the other. There wasn’t a second to spare as two of the officers moved in behind the pair, guns at the ready and keeping the door blocked. The third officer taking the suspect’s arm roughly and flipping him around, informing him that he was being arrested.
And Steve...he had moved in fluidly, pulling the drugged and disoriented civilian out of harms way and over to a reasonably clean patch of cement, sitting him down and propping the nearly unconscious man against the wall. Over the radio, he was already calling for an ambulance and informing the Sergeant in charge of the bust that they had done their jobs.
It wasn’t until after doing his job as trained that Steve allowed himself to begin to process whom, exactly, he had in his care.
Quickly pulling off his jacket, Steve folded it and tucked it around Jesse’s shoulders and curled his hand around the back of Jesse’s head, cushioning it from the brick wall. “What are you doing in the middle of my bust, kiddo...”
~*~
Behind the two men, red and blue lights reflected all around and officers from both teams and the surveillance van milled around, clearing the scene. Steve looked up from his charge reluctantly when the medics arrived, one hand still holding Jesse’s head while the other was pressed firmly to the now fully unconscious man’s chest. “He’s been drugged with Ketamine, most likely a high dose. Breathing is shallow and rapid, heart rate is fast. He’s a doctor at Community General - take him there, I’ll call his personal doctor and have him meet us there.”
“You’ll ride with him, sir?” one of the medics asked as they got Jesse up off the ground and settled onto the gurney. Blood pressure cuff was swiftly wrapped and an oxygen mask was placed over Jesse’s face. He was pale, almost grey, and Steve fought to keep his focus.
“Yes, he’s a friend of mine,” Steve confirmed with a sharp nod.
When everyone was loaded, the doors slammed shut and they took off in a flurry of lights and sound. Steve pulled out his cell phone, not in the least guilty for waking his father at this time of night. Not for this. Not when he needed Mark right now almost as much as Jesse did.
~*~
Steve looked up at the sound of approaching footsteps. He glanced at his watch as he stood; nearly three hours had passed since the bust at the bar. It felt like days.
“Dad, how is he?”
Mark waved at Steve to retake his seat, the doctor claiming the one next to his son’s. “Stable now, thank heaven. There’s a lot of Ketamine in his system and it will take at least twelve hours to work its way through. He hasn’t regained consciousness yet and probably won’t for a while. Even then, he’ll be disoriented to the extreme, unable to control his motor functions...well, the list of possible reactions is quite long, to be honest, and naturally everyone reacts differently. Right now we’re monitoring him for the more dangerous side effects because of the dose he was given.”
Taking all of this in wasn’t easy, especially at this time of morning, but Steve slowly nodded when his father stopped talking. “The worst part is, it was all a mistake. We had a man in place, an officer undercover from Vice who fit the killer’s profile. The son of a bitch didn’t see him at all, he thought Jesse was the one meeting him there. The Vice cop has a good four inches and forty pounds on Jess. It was an accident.”
“Steve, Jesse’s going to be fine,” Mark told him softly. “The important thing is, a killer is off the streets and Jesse wasn’t hurt. No one could have predicted something like this happening.”
“I just want to know what Jesse was doing there in the first place,” Steve shook his head in frustration. “Did you know he was gay?”
Mark huffed a short breath of amusement. “If I’d known, I would have set the two of you up years ago.” Ignoring his son’s look of disbelief, he slowly climbed to his feet with a groan. “Come on, let’s go keep an eye on our wayward young friend.”
~*~
Steve had been reluctant to leave his post, but he was reassured by his father that Mark would stay with Jesse while Steve took care of some phone calls to work. He had stepped outside, grateful that he had the weekend off after the scheduled bust, and that his captain was understanding.
When he returned, it was to find Jesse’s room filled with not only Mark but another doctor and two nurses, alarms on machines still being switched off.
Heart in his throat, Steve watched from outside the door as the medical staff spouted off orders, pushed needles into IV ports, and generally gave Steve the fright of his life.
“Dad? What - “
Mark looked up and made his way over to Steve, hands up in a calming gesture. “It’s all right, son, he’s okay. One of those side effects I mentioned - Jess started having convulsions a few minutes ago but we’ve taken care of it.” He gently pulled Steve just inside the door to show him. “See? He’s just sleeping now. No harm done.”
“Oh, god,” Steve uttered shakily, rubbing a hand over his tired eyes. “He’s okay?”
“I promise,” Mark assured him confidently. “Come on. Dr. Thomas has everything under control and the nurses need to take care of some things that I’m sure Jess would appreciate you not having to see. Let’s get some coffee.”
Steve shivered and took one last glance at Jesse’s unmoving body before allowing himself to be led away.
~*~
“Now that we know about Jesse, what are you going to do about it?” Mark asked casually before taking a long sip of fresh coffee in the doctor’s lounge.
Steve sighed and held his own mug between both hands, staring into the dark liquid and searching for answers. “I don’t know,” he finally answered. “I don’t even know why he was there last night; maybe he was just out supporting a friend or was there to hear the band. Who knows?”
“Well, I can tell you that he won’t have any clear memory of last night,” Mark told him with a sad shake of his head. “Poor boy never knew what hit him. Best not to attempt any kind of real conversation until at least tomorrow, even if he wakes up enough to talk today. You’re staying with him?”
“You can’t make me leave,” Steve confirmed with a stubborn frown.
Mark held up a placating hand. “I wasn’t going to make you,” he smiled easily. “I was just going to suggest that when Jesse does wake up to just reassure him, talk to him calmly and keep him calm. If he does get agitated, use the call button and someone will come in to help.”
“Got it,” Steve said with a slow nod. “You heading home?”
“Nah,” Mark shrugged. “I’ve got the late shift today, start at two. Thought I’d hit the showers, change and catch a few hours of sleep in my office.” With that, he finished off his coffee and stood with a few well-timed creaks in his joints. “Are you going to get any sleep?”
Steve shook his head, standing and moving to rinse out his untouched mug of coffee. “I slept yesterday afternoon so I’d be ready for an all-nighter with the bust.” Giving his arm a self-conscious scratch, he moved toward the door. “And even if I hadn’t...”
“...you’d still be right there with Jesse,” Mark finished knowingly. “Just remember, no interrogations until the drug is fully out of his system.”
“No problem.”
~*~
The long hours of the morning gave Steve plenty of time to think. Think about what he wanted to say to Jesse when he woke up. Think about what Jesse was doing in a gay bar to begin with. Think about his own reactions when he found himself with an armload of his drugged, vulnerable friend in a filthy alley in the middle of the night.
How terrified he had been when he realized how close Jesse had come to being victim number four.
It was only by some stupid, unbelievable stroke of luck that the task force had been there that night, in just the right place and had been able to keep Jesse safe. Steve had learned a long time ago not to dwell on all the ‘what ifs’ that happened in his job, but he was struggling to keep nightmarish images of what could have been at bay.
He was still no closer to figuring out what to do when he saw the first signs that Jesse was coming awake. Leaning closer, Steve rested one hand on Jesse’s arm lightly to get his attention. “Over here, buddy. Take it easy, you’re safe.”
Jesse gave him a few slow, uneven blinks then sighed softly before drifting back to sleep. Steve considered that to be a good sign. He allowed himself to relax for the first time and eventually the warm afternoon sunlight coming through the window put him to sleep as well.
~*~
“So are you going to tell me what happened last night?” Jesse asked quietly from his bed, poking at his dinner with mild disinterest.
Steve studied his friend closely. The color had yet to return to Jesse’s, leaving him with a deep pallor. The way his hands shook did nothing to reassure Steve of his friend’s return to health, either. “You sure you’re up to it? Dad said - “
“I know what Mark said,” Jesse cut him off sharply, an uncharacteristic bite to his tone. “But I deserve to know how I ended up in here and losing a day of my life. What did I do?”
“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Steve sat up straighter, his tone somber and honest. “You were just in the wrong place at the right time.”
“Meaning?”
“Look, Jesse, you’ve got to promise you’ll stay calm and hear me out,” Steve shifted in his seat and scrubbed his palms on his thighs.
Jesse looked at him for a long moment then nodded. He shifted down in the bed, resting his head back against the raised backrest. “Obviously everything turned out okay so yeah, I promise.”
Steve blew out a breath and started. “You know the case we’ve been working on, the serial killings?”
And that was pretty much all it took for Jesse to put the pieces together. His eyes went wide and he dropped the fork with a loud clatter. “Steve - “
“We had a Vice cop in there as bait but the suspect didn’t take it. He took you.”
“Oh my god...” Jesse swallowed hard, somehow managing to pale further.
Steve stood quickly and pushed the tray table aside, sitting on the edge of the bed. He put his hands on Jesse’s upper arms to steady him. “You’re okay, Jesse. We were right outside and we got you and the suspect as you came out the back door. I got you out of the guy’s hands as soon as we had everything under control. I had no idea it was you until I sat you on the ground. I swear, I’ve never been so scared in my life when I realized...”
Jesse was shaking with the shock of understanding, the realization of how close he had come to being murdered. “Steve, I don’t even remember leaving with anyone...” He visibly steadied himself, taking a deep, calming breath. “I was there to meet someone but he never showed. I wasn’t even drinking anything but water...”
“Wait - okay, slow down,” Steve shifted to pull his knee up on the bed, leaving one hand on Jesse’s forearm. “Do you remember anything else? Did you have anything to drink?”
A few moments passed as Jesse closed his eyes, thinking back past the fog in his mind. “I remember the bartender asking me what I wanted because someone wanted to buy me a drink,” he said slowly. “She - there wasn’t anyone near me, no one was checking me out...she was the only one to touch the glass. I just asked for a Coke, I didn’t want anything with alcohol in it.”
Steve’s mind was suddenly on alert as the last few pieces of the puzzle fell into place. “Jesse, are you absolutely sure no one touched that drink besides the bartender and you?”
“Yes, positive,” Jesse nodded, opening his eyes.
Steve leaped to his feet, taking Jesse’s head into his hands and planting a kiss on his forehead. “You just figured out how he was doing it, buddy.”
Jesse flushed brightly, managing a grin. “That mean you’re going back to work?”
Steve hesitated then shook his head. “I’m not the lead on this one,” Steve said. “But I am going to step outside to make a call.”
“Wait - you’re willingly giving up the spotlight on a major case? You just solved it!” Jesse gaped at him in disbelief.
With a small, heartfelt smile, Steve reached up to stroke Jesse’s hair back from his forehead. “Yeah, but I’ve got more important things to take care of first.” He leaned in, gave Jesse another quick kiss on the temple. “Be right back.”
After Steve had gone, Jesse was still staring at the empty door incredulously. “What just happened?” he asked the vacant room.
~*~
“Sergeant, it’s Sloan,” Steve said into his cell phone as soon as the other end was picked up. “I just talked to Jesse Travis. He told me that he was given a drink at the bar and no one but he and the bartender touched it. She’s in on it, boss. That’s how the guy was getting out the employee exit - he didn’t have to sneak his way past, she let him out the back.”
”That’s good work, Detective,” the other voice praised. “I’ll send a unit over to pick her up. How’s your friend?”
“He’s doing a lot better, thanks,” Steve said with relief. “Dad said he should be released tomorrow sometime.”
”I’m glad to hear that,” the Sergeant replied. ”Don’t tell Travis, but the kid we borrowed from Vice was thankful he didn’t end up being the one dosed. He’s just sorry it was an innocent bystander instead of him.”
Steve shook his head in amusement. “I know Jesse likes to help out but this was too close for comfort, I can tell you. Listen, I’m gonna head back inside. Do you need me to come in before I’m scheduled Monday morning?”
”Nah, we’re going to have our hands full taking statements, getting the lawyers straightened out and lining up all the evidence. It’ll be a few days before we’ll need to take yours and Travis’s official statements. You just take care of him, call if you need another day.”
“Thank you, sir,” Steve said with feeling.
~*~
When Steve returned to Jesse’s room, the patient was half asleep. He rolled his head to the side and gave Steve a tired smile. “Hey. Taken care of?”
“They’re sending a unit to pick up the bartender,” Steve answered. “She must have been in on it from the start, handing the drugged drinks and letting the sick bastard use the back door to take the victims.”
Jesse shuddered, swallowing thickly. “Could have been me.”
Steve took his place at Jesse’s side and grasped Jesse’s cold hand in both of his own. “But it wasn’t,” Steve told him firmly. “Now, back to our earlier discussion. What exactly were you doing in that bar?”
“Oh,” Jesse blushed, looking down at his blanket. “I was supposed to be meeting someone a friend set me up with.”
“And this someone just happened to be a guy?”
Jesse gave a sheepish grin. “Surprise, I go both ways?”
“And you let me waste all these years thinking I didn’t stand a chance?” Steve gave a stern look even though he was secretly thrilled to have his earlier suspicions confirmed.
“Hey, it wasn’t like I knew I had a shot at you until you kissed me earlier,” Jesse shot back, then immediately frowned. “Wait - I missed the part where you said you swung my way.”
Steve groaned, dropping his head down on the mattress with a thump. He felt the fingers from Jesse’s free hand start to stroke through his hair gently. “We’re both idiots.”
“Well, we are guys,” Jesse pointed out needlessly then his voice softened. “I’m just glad I’m getting the chance to tell you now.”
Lifting his head, Steve did his best to swallow past the sudden lump in his throat. “Me, too,” he rasped. Unable to push any more words out, he simply moved up to sit on the bed and pulled Jesse to him, holding him close. Pressing his lips into Jesse’s hair, he said a silent ‘thank you’ to whatever gods were listening that Jesse found the strength to hug him back.
They sat like that for a long time, neither noticing the rest of the world still moving around them, albeit with quiet respect for their newfound bond.
~*~
End
Title: Inadvertent
Author: Surreal
Characters/Pairing: Steve/Jesse, Mark, OCs
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Hurt/comfort, first time romance
Summary: Steve makes a discovery in the wrong place at the worst (yet best) possible time.
~*~
”Team two, do you have a visual on the suspect?”
“Affirmative. Suspect is approaching the bar. We have visual on Officer Warner, he’s sitting right where the suspect can see him.”
Steve scratched behind his ear, taking a moment to readjust the radio earpiece as he listened to the chatter. It was nearly midnight on a Friday and he was looking forward to this case coming to an end. Three dead men, last seen being picked up from the bar in front of him, all three tortured and violated before having their throats cut.
It was a case that had given Steve nightmares for the last two weeks. Every one of those men fit the same profile: young, gay, and blond. Too familiar for his comfort.
“Team one, suspect is on the move with the bait. Get in position, they should be coming out the back door in a moment.”
“Sergeant, this is team two. Confirm identity of suspect; we still have a visual on Warner at the bar. Bait is still in place.”
This last bit caused Steve to stutter a step. His fellow members of team one were also looking at one another in confusion even as they continued to move into positions. They all realized what this meant; the suspect had not taken the Vice officer put in place to bait him. He had taken an innocent civilian instead.
They didn’t have time to consider a change of plan; they would have to get the potential victim out of harm’s way as they took their guy into custody.
It all sounded so simple, so clean and by-the-book. But Steve’s heart thudded hard in his chest, his mind whirling with possible outcomes. He knew the three other men with him were just as terrified of what could go wrong.
The door swung open and two figures stumbled out, one supporting the other. There wasn’t a second to spare as two of the officers moved in behind the pair, guns at the ready and keeping the door blocked. The third officer taking the suspect’s arm roughly and flipping him around, informing him that he was being arrested.
And Steve...he had moved in fluidly, pulling the drugged and disoriented civilian out of harms way and over to a reasonably clean patch of cement, sitting him down and propping the nearly unconscious man against the wall. Over the radio, he was already calling for an ambulance and informing the Sergeant in charge of the bust that they had done their jobs.
It wasn’t until after doing his job as trained that Steve allowed himself to begin to process whom, exactly, he had in his care.
Quickly pulling off his jacket, Steve folded it and tucked it around Jesse’s shoulders and curled his hand around the back of Jesse’s head, cushioning it from the brick wall. “What are you doing in the middle of my bust, kiddo...”
~*~
Behind the two men, red and blue lights reflected all around and officers from both teams and the surveillance van milled around, clearing the scene. Steve looked up from his charge reluctantly when the medics arrived, one hand still holding Jesse’s head while the other was pressed firmly to the now fully unconscious man’s chest. “He’s been drugged with Ketamine, most likely a high dose. Breathing is shallow and rapid, heart rate is fast. He’s a doctor at Community General - take him there, I’ll call his personal doctor and have him meet us there.”
“You’ll ride with him, sir?” one of the medics asked as they got Jesse up off the ground and settled onto the gurney. Blood pressure cuff was swiftly wrapped and an oxygen mask was placed over Jesse’s face. He was pale, almost grey, and Steve fought to keep his focus.
“Yes, he’s a friend of mine,” Steve confirmed with a sharp nod.
When everyone was loaded, the doors slammed shut and they took off in a flurry of lights and sound. Steve pulled out his cell phone, not in the least guilty for waking his father at this time of night. Not for this. Not when he needed Mark right now almost as much as Jesse did.
~*~
Steve looked up at the sound of approaching footsteps. He glanced at his watch as he stood; nearly three hours had passed since the bust at the bar. It felt like days.
“Dad, how is he?”
Mark waved at Steve to retake his seat, the doctor claiming the one next to his son’s. “Stable now, thank heaven. There’s a lot of Ketamine in his system and it will take at least twelve hours to work its way through. He hasn’t regained consciousness yet and probably won’t for a while. Even then, he’ll be disoriented to the extreme, unable to control his motor functions...well, the list of possible reactions is quite long, to be honest, and naturally everyone reacts differently. Right now we’re monitoring him for the more dangerous side effects because of the dose he was given.”
Taking all of this in wasn’t easy, especially at this time of morning, but Steve slowly nodded when his father stopped talking. “The worst part is, it was all a mistake. We had a man in place, an officer undercover from Vice who fit the killer’s profile. The son of a bitch didn’t see him at all, he thought Jesse was the one meeting him there. The Vice cop has a good four inches and forty pounds on Jess. It was an accident.”
“Steve, Jesse’s going to be fine,” Mark told him softly. “The important thing is, a killer is off the streets and Jesse wasn’t hurt. No one could have predicted something like this happening.”
“I just want to know what Jesse was doing there in the first place,” Steve shook his head in frustration. “Did you know he was gay?”
Mark huffed a short breath of amusement. “If I’d known, I would have set the two of you up years ago.” Ignoring his son’s look of disbelief, he slowly climbed to his feet with a groan. “Come on, let’s go keep an eye on our wayward young friend.”
~*~
Steve had been reluctant to leave his post, but he was reassured by his father that Mark would stay with Jesse while Steve took care of some phone calls to work. He had stepped outside, grateful that he had the weekend off after the scheduled bust, and that his captain was understanding.
When he returned, it was to find Jesse’s room filled with not only Mark but another doctor and two nurses, alarms on machines still being switched off.
Heart in his throat, Steve watched from outside the door as the medical staff spouted off orders, pushed needles into IV ports, and generally gave Steve the fright of his life.
“Dad? What - “
Mark looked up and made his way over to Steve, hands up in a calming gesture. “It’s all right, son, he’s okay. One of those side effects I mentioned - Jess started having convulsions a few minutes ago but we’ve taken care of it.” He gently pulled Steve just inside the door to show him. “See? He’s just sleeping now. No harm done.”
“Oh, god,” Steve uttered shakily, rubbing a hand over his tired eyes. “He’s okay?”
“I promise,” Mark assured him confidently. “Come on. Dr. Thomas has everything under control and the nurses need to take care of some things that I’m sure Jess would appreciate you not having to see. Let’s get some coffee.”
Steve shivered and took one last glance at Jesse’s unmoving body before allowing himself to be led away.
~*~
“Now that we know about Jesse, what are you going to do about it?” Mark asked casually before taking a long sip of fresh coffee in the doctor’s lounge.
Steve sighed and held his own mug between both hands, staring into the dark liquid and searching for answers. “I don’t know,” he finally answered. “I don’t even know why he was there last night; maybe he was just out supporting a friend or was there to hear the band. Who knows?”
“Well, I can tell you that he won’t have any clear memory of last night,” Mark told him with a sad shake of his head. “Poor boy never knew what hit him. Best not to attempt any kind of real conversation until at least tomorrow, even if he wakes up enough to talk today. You’re staying with him?”
“You can’t make me leave,” Steve confirmed with a stubborn frown.
Mark held up a placating hand. “I wasn’t going to make you,” he smiled easily. “I was just going to suggest that when Jesse does wake up to just reassure him, talk to him calmly and keep him calm. If he does get agitated, use the call button and someone will come in to help.”
“Got it,” Steve said with a slow nod. “You heading home?”
“Nah,” Mark shrugged. “I’ve got the late shift today, start at two. Thought I’d hit the showers, change and catch a few hours of sleep in my office.” With that, he finished off his coffee and stood with a few well-timed creaks in his joints. “Are you going to get any sleep?”
Steve shook his head, standing and moving to rinse out his untouched mug of coffee. “I slept yesterday afternoon so I’d be ready for an all-nighter with the bust.” Giving his arm a self-conscious scratch, he moved toward the door. “And even if I hadn’t...”
“...you’d still be right there with Jesse,” Mark finished knowingly. “Just remember, no interrogations until the drug is fully out of his system.”
“No problem.”
~*~
The long hours of the morning gave Steve plenty of time to think. Think about what he wanted to say to Jesse when he woke up. Think about what Jesse was doing in a gay bar to begin with. Think about his own reactions when he found himself with an armload of his drugged, vulnerable friend in a filthy alley in the middle of the night.
How terrified he had been when he realized how close Jesse had come to being victim number four.
It was only by some stupid, unbelievable stroke of luck that the task force had been there that night, in just the right place and had been able to keep Jesse safe. Steve had learned a long time ago not to dwell on all the ‘what ifs’ that happened in his job, but he was struggling to keep nightmarish images of what could have been at bay.
He was still no closer to figuring out what to do when he saw the first signs that Jesse was coming awake. Leaning closer, Steve rested one hand on Jesse’s arm lightly to get his attention. “Over here, buddy. Take it easy, you’re safe.”
Jesse gave him a few slow, uneven blinks then sighed softly before drifting back to sleep. Steve considered that to be a good sign. He allowed himself to relax for the first time and eventually the warm afternoon sunlight coming through the window put him to sleep as well.
~*~
“So are you going to tell me what happened last night?” Jesse asked quietly from his bed, poking at his dinner with mild disinterest.
Steve studied his friend closely. The color had yet to return to Jesse’s, leaving him with a deep pallor. The way his hands shook did nothing to reassure Steve of his friend’s return to health, either. “You sure you’re up to it? Dad said - “
“I know what Mark said,” Jesse cut him off sharply, an uncharacteristic bite to his tone. “But I deserve to know how I ended up in here and losing a day of my life. What did I do?”
“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Steve sat up straighter, his tone somber and honest. “You were just in the wrong place at the right time.”
“Meaning?”
“Look, Jesse, you’ve got to promise you’ll stay calm and hear me out,” Steve shifted in his seat and scrubbed his palms on his thighs.
Jesse looked at him for a long moment then nodded. He shifted down in the bed, resting his head back against the raised backrest. “Obviously everything turned out okay so yeah, I promise.”
Steve blew out a breath and started. “You know the case we’ve been working on, the serial killings?”
And that was pretty much all it took for Jesse to put the pieces together. His eyes went wide and he dropped the fork with a loud clatter. “Steve - “
“We had a Vice cop in there as bait but the suspect didn’t take it. He took you.”
“Oh my god...” Jesse swallowed hard, somehow managing to pale further.
Steve stood quickly and pushed the tray table aside, sitting on the edge of the bed. He put his hands on Jesse’s upper arms to steady him. “You’re okay, Jesse. We were right outside and we got you and the suspect as you came out the back door. I got you out of the guy’s hands as soon as we had everything under control. I had no idea it was you until I sat you on the ground. I swear, I’ve never been so scared in my life when I realized...”
Jesse was shaking with the shock of understanding, the realization of how close he had come to being murdered. “Steve, I don’t even remember leaving with anyone...” He visibly steadied himself, taking a deep, calming breath. “I was there to meet someone but he never showed. I wasn’t even drinking anything but water...”
“Wait - okay, slow down,” Steve shifted to pull his knee up on the bed, leaving one hand on Jesse’s forearm. “Do you remember anything else? Did you have anything to drink?”
A few moments passed as Jesse closed his eyes, thinking back past the fog in his mind. “I remember the bartender asking me what I wanted because someone wanted to buy me a drink,” he said slowly. “She - there wasn’t anyone near me, no one was checking me out...she was the only one to touch the glass. I just asked for a Coke, I didn’t want anything with alcohol in it.”
Steve’s mind was suddenly on alert as the last few pieces of the puzzle fell into place. “Jesse, are you absolutely sure no one touched that drink besides the bartender and you?”
“Yes, positive,” Jesse nodded, opening his eyes.
Steve leaped to his feet, taking Jesse’s head into his hands and planting a kiss on his forehead. “You just figured out how he was doing it, buddy.”
Jesse flushed brightly, managing a grin. “That mean you’re going back to work?”
Steve hesitated then shook his head. “I’m not the lead on this one,” Steve said. “But I am going to step outside to make a call.”
“Wait - you’re willingly giving up the spotlight on a major case? You just solved it!” Jesse gaped at him in disbelief.
With a small, heartfelt smile, Steve reached up to stroke Jesse’s hair back from his forehead. “Yeah, but I’ve got more important things to take care of first.” He leaned in, gave Jesse another quick kiss on the temple. “Be right back.”
After Steve had gone, Jesse was still staring at the empty door incredulously. “What just happened?” he asked the vacant room.
~*~
“Sergeant, it’s Sloan,” Steve said into his cell phone as soon as the other end was picked up. “I just talked to Jesse Travis. He told me that he was given a drink at the bar and no one but he and the bartender touched it. She’s in on it, boss. That’s how the guy was getting out the employee exit - he didn’t have to sneak his way past, she let him out the back.”
”That’s good work, Detective,” the other voice praised. “I’ll send a unit over to pick her up. How’s your friend?”
“He’s doing a lot better, thanks,” Steve said with relief. “Dad said he should be released tomorrow sometime.”
”I’m glad to hear that,” the Sergeant replied. ”Don’t tell Travis, but the kid we borrowed from Vice was thankful he didn’t end up being the one dosed. He’s just sorry it was an innocent bystander instead of him.”
Steve shook his head in amusement. “I know Jesse likes to help out but this was too close for comfort, I can tell you. Listen, I’m gonna head back inside. Do you need me to come in before I’m scheduled Monday morning?”
”Nah, we’re going to have our hands full taking statements, getting the lawyers straightened out and lining up all the evidence. It’ll be a few days before we’ll need to take yours and Travis’s official statements. You just take care of him, call if you need another day.”
“Thank you, sir,” Steve said with feeling.
~*~
When Steve returned to Jesse’s room, the patient was half asleep. He rolled his head to the side and gave Steve a tired smile. “Hey. Taken care of?”
“They’re sending a unit to pick up the bartender,” Steve answered. “She must have been in on it from the start, handing the drugged drinks and letting the sick bastard use the back door to take the victims.”
Jesse shuddered, swallowing thickly. “Could have been me.”
Steve took his place at Jesse’s side and grasped Jesse’s cold hand in both of his own. “But it wasn’t,” Steve told him firmly. “Now, back to our earlier discussion. What exactly were you doing in that bar?”
“Oh,” Jesse blushed, looking down at his blanket. “I was supposed to be meeting someone a friend set me up with.”
“And this someone just happened to be a guy?”
Jesse gave a sheepish grin. “Surprise, I go both ways?”
“And you let me waste all these years thinking I didn’t stand a chance?” Steve gave a stern look even though he was secretly thrilled to have his earlier suspicions confirmed.
“Hey, it wasn’t like I knew I had a shot at you until you kissed me earlier,” Jesse shot back, then immediately frowned. “Wait - I missed the part where you said you swung my way.”
Steve groaned, dropping his head down on the mattress with a thump. He felt the fingers from Jesse’s free hand start to stroke through his hair gently. “We’re both idiots.”
“Well, we are guys,” Jesse pointed out needlessly then his voice softened. “I’m just glad I’m getting the chance to tell you now.”
Lifting his head, Steve did his best to swallow past the sudden lump in his throat. “Me, too,” he rasped. Unable to push any more words out, he simply moved up to sit on the bed and pulled Jesse to him, holding him close. Pressing his lips into Jesse’s hair, he said a silent ‘thank you’ to whatever gods were listening that Jesse found the strength to hug him back.
They sat like that for a long time, neither noticing the rest of the world still moving around them, albeit with quiet respect for their newfound bond.
~*~
End