Keeper [4/14]
Title: Keeper
Rating: T
Characters/Pairings: Lassiter, Juliet/Shawn, Team Psych, OFC, OMCs
Warnings: Spoilers, non-graphic abduction of a child, violence
Spoilers: 1.01 Pilot, 1.04 9 Lives, 1.13 Game, Set . . . Muuurder
Genres: Angst, Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Mystery, Romance, Het, Family, Friendship, Casefile, Future!Fic
Chapters: 14
Completed: Yes
Word count: 2427 this chapter
Disclaimer: See Prologue or Master Post.
Notes: See Prologue or Master Post.
Awards: See Prologue or Master Post.
Summary: Lassiter finally gets the proof he needs to bring Shawn Spencer's psychic charade to a screeching halt. If only it was that simple...
P 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 E
The fact that he knew first and the distance from the hospital meant that, despite the delay in following the ambulance, Lassiter was already there when Shawn and Gus arrived.
He was at the desk talking to the admitting nurse, but when he heard the doors open he glanced back and then turned to face the two men.
“Dr. Remy has been called,” he told Shawn. “She should be here within a few minutes.”
“Where is she?” Shawn asked, looking back into the main ER area. “What happened?”
“She's being seen by the ER staff until Dr. Remy arrives,” Lassiter said. “And no, you can't go see her,” he added when it looked like Shawn was going to make a break for it. He grabbed the younger man's arm just in case and began pulling him off to the side so they weren't blocking the way of the next person in line. “Not yet.”
“She's my wife,” Shawn said and tried to shake off Lassiter's grip.
“I am well aware of that. Listen to me, Spencer,” Lassiter said, but it didn't work.
“Gus,” Shawn said, still trying to wrestle his arm free, “help me out here.”
“I agree with Detective Lassiter,” Gus said, his tone apologetic. “You'll only be in the way, Shawn. Let the doctors work.”
“But she . . . she needs me,” Shawn said, his voice rising into the pathetic plea range.
“And she'll have you soon enough I'm sure,” Lassie reassured him. “Mr. Guster is right, though. For the moment you'll be more of a hindrance than a help.”
“But-”
“Shawn.”
Lassiter using his first name did the trick. Shawn stopped struggling and turned his head, something akin to dazed shock on his face.
“She's already in the best place she can be at the moment. They'll do everything possible to make sure that both she and the baby are okay. The best thing you can do to help her right now is to sit down and wait for the doctors to do their jobs.”
A few tense moments passed while Shawn stared down his sometimes nemesis/sometimes friend. At the moment it appeared he was going to try for both at once.
Without warning Shawn collapsed into the surprisingly comfortable chair they were standing next to and buried his face in his hands. After a moment to compose himself he raised his head and inhaled deeply.
“Tell me everything that happened since I dropped her off this morning,” he said in a quiet, but much more contained voice.
Lassiter sat in the chair on his right and Gus took the one on his left.
“Before I begin, you should know that I called your father. He was going to go pick up Jaime from preschool and then come here.”
Shawn nodded. “Thanks.”
Lassiter returned it, then began his story. “As far as I could see she was fine until about half an hour ago . . .”
o.o
It was an excruciating hour of waiting before there was news.
At the forty-five minute mark they did get to move from the ER up to the floor where OB was located, a fact that was only mildly reassuring since it was still a hospital and they hadn't been given much more of an explanation beyond, 'We can work as well up there as down here and they need this room for other emergency patients.'
Jaime, despite being three-years-old, was as observant as his father and thus well aware that something was seriously wrong. He didn't display his normal exuberance, opting instead to prove he was Juliet's offspring, and sat quietly in his father's lap, his little arms wrapped around Shawn's neck for both comfort and reassurance.
Shawn just held onto him like he was an anchor, occasionally rubbing a hand on his back or arm and brushing a kiss against his hair. His mind was quite obviously not in the same room, his thoughts on the other half of his family, though the fact that he would close his eyes and hug Jaime tightly every now and again showed he wasn't completely oblivious to his current location and company.
Gus and Henry were absent at the moment, having gone in search of a bathroom and a vending machine.
Lassiter was sitting in a chair facing Shawn, his mind busily running in circles as he considered the man across from him.
They'd known each other for seven years now. Had worked together for all of that.
Lassiter had watched the younger man through a myriad of life experiences.
He'd worked with him-not by choice, of course-and been driven all but insane trying to figure out how he knew the things he did. If he believed in psychics, seven years of working with Shawn would have convinced him that this was the real deal.
Fortunately he didn't and now he'd been validated. He had proof. Sort of.
He'd also, for those first two years, concealed laughter at Shawn's bumbling attempts to get Juliet to even go on a date with him and almost a year later to the day to accept a proposal of marriage. Both endeavors had had a similar success rate, he recalled with a small smile.
He'd even given Shawn advice on occasion, though he'd be hard pressed to explain why if asked. He hadn't liked Shawn back then.
A know-it-all punk who skated by on charm and flattery and who took nothing at all seriously, Shawn had been the antithesis of everything Carlton wanted in a coworker or friend.
And yet . . .
Over the last seven years that had somehow changed. Despite his vigilance, against his better judgment, and overriding his vow not to be sucked in by the sweet-talking charlatan that was Shawn Spencer . . . somehow he'd failed.
And Carlton had no idea how it had happened.
Shawn Spencer was like a mold. He was a fungus in the garden of life. If you weren't careful-and sometimes even if you were-he'd grow on you. And once he'd managed to get a foothold there was no undoing it. You couldn't just scrape him off with acidic words and actions that were blatant in their rejection and be done with it. He just kept coming back.
Which made this DVD business so very frustrating.
Seven years ago he would have had that disc in Karen's hands so fast he probably would have caused an injury. But now . . .
He sighed and leaned forward, scrubbing at his face with his hands.
Okay, he had to be logical about this.
He'd make a list of pros and cons, rate them according to importance, and then just go with whichever had more points.
“Mr. Spencer?”
The voice was like an electric shock as all three people present in the room perked up and Lassiter pushed aside his plan for later consideration.
“That's me,” Shawn said and stood, wincing at the discomfort of moving after so long sitting in one position. But Juliet needed him more so he buried it and lowered Jaime to the floor. Jaime didn't let go of his father's hand but Shawn was so intent on what the nurse would say next that he probably wouldn't have been able to had he wanted to do so.
The nurse, Cordeaux by her nametag, approached at Shawn's answer.
“Your wife is going to be fine,” she said and the room itself seemed to exhale in a rush at those words.
Shawn's head dropped for a moment as he breathed a prayer of thanks, then he looked back up.
“Can I see her?”
Nurse Cordeaux nodded. “Dr. Remy would like to speak with you about what happened and give you some instructions before we release your wife into your care.” She glanced down at Jaime. “Unfortunately the sensitivity of some of our patients in the wing limit the age of visitors. Your son will have to wait here.”
Shawn hesitated for a moment, torn between leaving Jaime and going to see Juliet, when Lassiter spoke up. “I'll watch him. Want to sit with me, Jaime?” he said.
Jaime lower lip started to poke out in a pout. “I want to see my mommy,” he said, his voice wavering slightly.
Shawn squatted down so he was on his son's level.
“I know you do, Jaime, but there are babies here and they are very fragile. Remember how we talked about that? How we'd have to be careful when the baby came home?”
Jaime nodded, still pouting.
“Well the babies here are so new that they have to be even more careful. I need to go get Mommy and bring her out here and then you can see her, okay? Then well go home and you can tell her what you did at preschool. All right, buddy?”
Jaime nodded, his head dropping so his chin rested on his chest. “Okay,” he said in a whisper.
“Can you sit here with Lassie while I go get Mommy?”
He chewed on his lip as he considered.
“Come on, Jaime, you know Detective Lassiter. He's Mommy's partner. You'll be fine with him.”
Carlton quickly masked his surprise at the use of his actual name and title-and without an ounce of sarcasm or mockery, too. The vote of confidence was beyond his ability to comprehend at the moment so he didn't even really register it.
Finally Jaime looked up. He scrutinized Lassiter's face for a few long moments, then nodded. “Okay.”
Shawn straightened and ruffled his hair. “Good man. Thanks,” he said to Carlton as he took Jaime's hand and helped him sit on the chair next to his.
“Go see your wife, Spencer,” he said quietly. “We'll be fine here.”
Shawn nodded and turned, following Cordeaux over to and through the wide swinging doors into the hospital proper.
Lassiter sat and then looked down in surprise when he was almost immediately swarmed by Jaime, who climbed into his lap and curled up much the way he had with his father.
After a moment for the surprise to pass he lowered his hands to the armrest and Jaime's back. He rubbed up and down and felt Jaime relax just a hair, a reaction that was contagious apparently.
Gus and Henry returned just then and when they realized Shawn was gone they came over.
“What's happened?”
“Juliet's going to be fine. Spencer went to go see her and get instructions for bringing her home.”
Gus exhaled in relief and Henry relaxed a little, the tension leaving his shoulders as they both took seats across from the detective and child.
Gus was still looking nervously at the doors where Shawn had gone but Henry caught Lassiter's gaze. He arched his eyebrows and let his gaze drop to his grandson before rising again in question.
Carlton felt his expression freeze in uncertainty, but Henry just lowered his brows and nodded ever so slightly to convey respect and appreciation and Lassiter returned it with only a little hesitation.
He looked down again at the child in his lap and repressed a weary sigh.
This was going to be more complicated than he thought.
o.o
By two o'clock Lassiter was back in the station. He had fifteen minutes until he was supposed to leave for his meeting with the diamond dealer, which was just enough time to update Karen on the situation with Juliet.
Thankfully it wasn't anything too serious, he thought as he knocked on the slightly ajar glass door.
Karen looked up and then set down the file she was reviewing. “Come in, Detective,” she invited and waved at the chairs before her desk. “How is Detective Spencer?”
“She's fine,” Lassiter said as he accepted the invitation. “The baby shifted and settled on the sciatic nerve leading into her left leg. According to Dr. Remy it's painful and inconvenient, but not dangerous or permanently disabling. She did recommend however that Juliet be put on maternity leave now since walking will be difficult until the baby shifts-which is unlikely-or is born.”
“I'll see the paperwork is drawn up immediately,” Karen agreed. She'd never had such a thing happen to her with her kids but she'd known a woman from a Lamaze class that had had the same thing happen. From what she remembered hearing, Dr. Remy was exactly right in that it would be painful and annoying, but not lasting. Juliet was already basically assigned to desk duty and paperwork could still be done without her so it made sense to finish her pregnancy at home where she could be infinitely more comfortable.
“In the meantime,” she continued, “you'll need someone to help you on the Rimini thefts.”
“Oh, don't trouble yourself, Chief. I can handle it and besides, I've got the other Spencer to help me.”
Karen arched an eyebrow at the almost vote of confidence in Shawn. But she just said, “Well it so happens we've got a junior detective that could benefit from the experience. And since the person I was going to assign him to went and got himself shot in the leg yesterday, he's unattached for the next few months until rehab is completed.”
“Who?” Lassiter asked in confusion, trying to recall if he'd heard anything about who had been slated to be partnered with Jackson, the injured cop.
“Our newest detective,” she said as a hint.
It took a second, but then the answer came to him. “McNabb?” he said incredulously. “But he's . . .”
She raised her eyebrow again and he swallowed the rest of his protest.
“He's just fine. Thank you, Chief. I appreciate the . . . thought.”
Karen smiled. “I knew you would. He'll be your partner until Detective Spencer returns from maternity leave. I'll inform her of her change in status. I'll leave it to you to inform him. Thank you, Detective, that will be all.”
Lassiter stood and left, waiting until his back was turned to scowl.
Great. Now he had to deal with the department's pet psychic and their mascot too?
His week was just getting better and better.
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