Fic: Crystal Rain Book I: Whatever Happened To Melvin Purvis? (12/19)
Title: Crystal Rain Book I: Whatever Happened To Melvin Purvis? (12/19)
Author: BradyGirl_12
Pairings/Characters (this chapter): Teddy/Chuck, Mel/Johnny (Johnny does not appear in this chapter), Rachel Solando, Ellie Marino, Trey Washington
Series Notes: My notes grew too voluminous for the header, so you can find them in a separate entry here.
Fandoms: Public Enemies/Shutter Island
Genres: Angst, AU, Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Mystery
Rating (this chapter): PG-13
Warnings (this chapter): None
Spoilers: For Shutter Island, some scenes were tailored by me to fit this story. Nothing in this story references the major plot twist of the book or movie. I used the same settings and characters, but in a very AU way. For Public Enemies, nothing except for the ultimate fate of John Dillinger, and that’s historical fact, anyway.
General Summary: U.S. Marshals Teddy Daniels and Chuck Aule are sent to Shutter Island on a unique assignment, and while there, discover shocking answers to a decades-old mystery.
Chapter Summary: In the chaotic aftermath of the hurricane, Teddy, Chuck and Mel set out for Ward C.
Date Of Completion: April 11, 2010
Date Of Posting: June 15, 2010
Disclaimer: I don’t own ‘em, Dennis Lehane, Paramount and Universal do, more’s the pity.
Word Count: 866
Feedback welcome and appreciated.
Author’s Notes: This is a story that started running through my head as soon as I left the theater after my first viewing. Like the patients on Shutter Island, I can’t escape! ;)
The entire series can be found here.
XII
STORM’S WAKE
In the storm’s wake
Are the twisted and broken,
Scattered, like branches
From battered trees.
Can it all be
Put back together again
Like Humpty Dumpty?
Or shall the pieces
Be discarded,
Too damaged
To fix?
Selina McKay
"Storm’s Wake"
1952 C.E.
Panic fueled the darkness as patients screamed, doctors and nurses trying to calm them. Chuck anxiously grabbed Teddy’s arm.
“Looks like the generator conked,” Teddy said. Lightning flashed, illuminating the cellar, and Chuck could see patients cowering on cots, one being wrestled down by an orderly and policeman. Mel looked like a ghost, eyes huge in his thin face.
Teddy sat up, and when lightning flashed again, he winced.
“Boss…”
“I’m okay.” Tree branches crashed against the windows. A whimper came from the next cot.
Mel inched his way over. “It’s all right, Rachel,” he said soothingly.
She grasped his hand. “Mel…it hurts…” she whispered.
“I know.” He brushed the hair out of her eyes.
“Where’s Johnny?”
Chuck heard the strain in Mel’s voice. “He’s in Ward C.”
Rachel shook her head as lightning flashed. “No, no! He doesn’t belong there!”
“I know.”
“I bet…uh…Naehring put him there. Get…Cawley…to transfer him back.”
Chuck was surprised at how lucid she sounded. All he’d ever heard from her were delusional ramblings.
Her strident voice grew soft. “You don’t belong here.”
Chuck couldn’t see Mel’s face. It was too dark, but he could guess his expression.
“Damn. Looks like the back-up generator isn’t working,” Teddy observed.
Soft red lights flickered on, Chuck grinning, but then they sputtered out, plunging them all into darkness again.
“Bigmouth,” said Chuck, and Teddy laughed.
“Everyone remain calm,” said Nurse Marino. “We’re in a safe place.”
Thank god for that woman’s calmness.
She reminded him of the nurses in the Army. They had been tough as nails, ministering to horribly wounded soldiers, sweet as angels and carrying horror with them when they returned home, just like the soldiers they’d nursed. He had a feeling Nurse Marino could handle this crowd.
& & & & & &
The night seemed endless, Chuck staying close to Teddy, the two of them helping with unruly patients when necessary. Trey was grateful for their help, he and the other orderlies with their hands full. He made sure to keep an eye on Mel, too. Flashlights gave them some light, casting eerie shadows around the room. Mel stayed with Rachel, returning to Teddy's cot when another nurse took over.
The Marshals returned to the cot, Mel’s knees drawn up as he rested his chin on top. He flinched at a lightning flash, Chuck putting his arm around his shoulders. His heart clenched at how bony the shoulders felt under his arm.
“Johnny,” Mel moaned as he rocked slightly.
Teddy’s voice was gentle. “He’ll be fine.”
“He should be here with me.” Anger laced his voice. “Not stuck with the worst criminals!”
“He’s a survivor.”
Mel shivered, and Teddy patted his leg. “He’ll survive, if just to get back to you.”
Mel looked up with tear-brimmed eyes. “Thank you,” he whispered.
& & & & & &
As the hurricane lashed the building, it howled like a despairing soul. Chuck reflected how well it fit Shutter Island, repository of despairing souls.
The patients added their own howls, sending shivers down Chuck’s spine. “You stay with us,” he told Mel. It was too dangerous to go wandering around in the dark.
He wondered if the back-up generator was going to kick in. He didn’t relish the idea of these particular patients able to roam around freely without electrified fences or other security measures. He and Teddy would have to watch each other’s backs, as well as Mel’s. The man was a survivor or he wouldn’t have lasted all these years in this hellhole, but he possessed a streak of vulnerability that drew the jackals.
Teddy needed protecting, too. He liked to project the image of a hard-boiled cop, but Chuck knew better. He’d heard too many screams from too many nightmares.
The three of them had to do more than survive this night.
They had to survive the aftermath, too.
& & & & & &
Dawn broke, and the last remnants of the hurricane blew out to sea. Sunlight sparkled in through the high windows, and it was a beautiful day.
Except the police and orderlies were chasing after escaping patients. They had no way off the island, of course, but were enjoying giving their keepers a chase.
Massive tree limbs littered the lawn, both pursuers and pursued trying to dodge the hazards. A huge tree branch had torn part of the electric fence and destroyed part of the stone wall.
“This is our chance,” Teddy said. “We can get to Ward C with all this chaos.”
Excitement shone in Mel’s eyes. “I know a way through the woods.”
“Let’s go, then.”
They saw the wild scene on the front lawn as the staff chased the howling, giggling patients. Mel silently directed them to a side door and they slipped out, using the hedges to hide their progress, grabbing the opportunity at the open front gates to hurry down the road, disappearing into the woods.
Author: BradyGirl_12
Pairings/Characters (this chapter): Teddy/Chuck, Mel/Johnny (Johnny does not appear in this chapter), Rachel Solando, Ellie Marino, Trey Washington
Series Notes: My notes grew too voluminous for the header, so you can find them in a separate entry here.
Fandoms: Public Enemies/Shutter Island
Genres: Angst, AU, Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Mystery
Rating (this chapter): PG-13
Warnings (this chapter): None
Spoilers: For Shutter Island, some scenes were tailored by me to fit this story. Nothing in this story references the major plot twist of the book or movie. I used the same settings and characters, but in a very AU way. For Public Enemies, nothing except for the ultimate fate of John Dillinger, and that’s historical fact, anyway.
General Summary: U.S. Marshals Teddy Daniels and Chuck Aule are sent to Shutter Island on a unique assignment, and while there, discover shocking answers to a decades-old mystery.
Chapter Summary: In the chaotic aftermath of the hurricane, Teddy, Chuck and Mel set out for Ward C.
Date Of Completion: April 11, 2010
Date Of Posting: June 15, 2010
Disclaimer: I don’t own ‘em, Dennis Lehane, Paramount and Universal do, more’s the pity.
Word Count: 866
Feedback welcome and appreciated.
Author’s Notes: This is a story that started running through my head as soon as I left the theater after my first viewing. Like the patients on Shutter Island, I can’t escape! ;)
The entire series can be found here.
XII
STORM’S WAKE
In the storm’s wake
Are the twisted and broken,
Scattered, like branches
From battered trees.
Can it all be
Put back together again
Like Humpty Dumpty?
Or shall the pieces
Be discarded,
Too damaged
To fix?
Selina McKay
"Storm’s Wake"
1952 C.E.
Panic fueled the darkness as patients screamed, doctors and nurses trying to calm them. Chuck anxiously grabbed Teddy’s arm.
“Looks like the generator conked,” Teddy said. Lightning flashed, illuminating the cellar, and Chuck could see patients cowering on cots, one being wrestled down by an orderly and policeman. Mel looked like a ghost, eyes huge in his thin face.
Teddy sat up, and when lightning flashed again, he winced.
“Boss…”
“I’m okay.” Tree branches crashed against the windows. A whimper came from the next cot.
Mel inched his way over. “It’s all right, Rachel,” he said soothingly.
She grasped his hand. “Mel…it hurts…” she whispered.
“I know.” He brushed the hair out of her eyes.
“Where’s Johnny?”
Chuck heard the strain in Mel’s voice. “He’s in Ward C.”
Rachel shook her head as lightning flashed. “No, no! He doesn’t belong there!”
“I know.”
“I bet…uh…Naehring put him there. Get…Cawley…to transfer him back.”
Chuck was surprised at how lucid she sounded. All he’d ever heard from her were delusional ramblings.
Her strident voice grew soft. “You don’t belong here.”
Chuck couldn’t see Mel’s face. It was too dark, but he could guess his expression.
“Damn. Looks like the back-up generator isn’t working,” Teddy observed.
Soft red lights flickered on, Chuck grinning, but then they sputtered out, plunging them all into darkness again.
“Bigmouth,” said Chuck, and Teddy laughed.
“Everyone remain calm,” said Nurse Marino. “We’re in a safe place.”
Thank god for that woman’s calmness.
She reminded him of the nurses in the Army. They had been tough as nails, ministering to horribly wounded soldiers, sweet as angels and carrying horror with them when they returned home, just like the soldiers they’d nursed. He had a feeling Nurse Marino could handle this crowd.
& & & & & &
The night seemed endless, Chuck staying close to Teddy, the two of them helping with unruly patients when necessary. Trey was grateful for their help, he and the other orderlies with their hands full. He made sure to keep an eye on Mel, too. Flashlights gave them some light, casting eerie shadows around the room. Mel stayed with Rachel, returning to Teddy's cot when another nurse took over.
The Marshals returned to the cot, Mel’s knees drawn up as he rested his chin on top. He flinched at a lightning flash, Chuck putting his arm around his shoulders. His heart clenched at how bony the shoulders felt under his arm.
“Johnny,” Mel moaned as he rocked slightly.
Teddy’s voice was gentle. “He’ll be fine.”
“He should be here with me.” Anger laced his voice. “Not stuck with the worst criminals!”
“He’s a survivor.”
Mel shivered, and Teddy patted his leg. “He’ll survive, if just to get back to you.”
Mel looked up with tear-brimmed eyes. “Thank you,” he whispered.
& & & & & &
As the hurricane lashed the building, it howled like a despairing soul. Chuck reflected how well it fit Shutter Island, repository of despairing souls.
The patients added their own howls, sending shivers down Chuck’s spine. “You stay with us,” he told Mel. It was too dangerous to go wandering around in the dark.
He wondered if the back-up generator was going to kick in. He didn’t relish the idea of these particular patients able to roam around freely without electrified fences or other security measures. He and Teddy would have to watch each other’s backs, as well as Mel’s. The man was a survivor or he wouldn’t have lasted all these years in this hellhole, but he possessed a streak of vulnerability that drew the jackals.
Teddy needed protecting, too. He liked to project the image of a hard-boiled cop, but Chuck knew better. He’d heard too many screams from too many nightmares.
The three of them had to do more than survive this night.
They had to survive the aftermath, too.
& & & & & &
Dawn broke, and the last remnants of the hurricane blew out to sea. Sunlight sparkled in through the high windows, and it was a beautiful day.
Except the police and orderlies were chasing after escaping patients. They had no way off the island, of course, but were enjoying giving their keepers a chase.
Massive tree limbs littered the lawn, both pursuers and pursued trying to dodge the hazards. A huge tree branch had torn part of the electric fence and destroyed part of the stone wall.
“This is our chance,” Teddy said. “We can get to Ward C with all this chaos.”
Excitement shone in Mel’s eyes. “I know a way through the woods.”
“Let’s go, then.”
They saw the wild scene on the front lawn as the staff chased the howling, giggling patients. Mel silently directed them to a side door and they slipped out, using the hedges to hide their progress, grabbing the opportunity at the open front gates to hurry down the road, disappearing into the woods.