In Love's Defense - Part 10
Title: In Love’s Defense
Spoilers: Takes place after ep 101 (8x09) soon after Pepa and Silvia have announced their engagement.
Rating: PG-13.
Pairing: Pepa/Silvia (I admit, I’ve run out of cute ways to describe them! Just know that they’re hot Spanish chicks with guns!)
Summary: As Pepa and Silvia look forward to their upcoming marriage, the precinct becomes aware of a lead on the Italian mafia, but at what cost?
A/N: The story and characters of LHDP are not mine. Vale, I was intending for there to be a week in between updates instead of almost two, but I got distracted by writing some PepSi smut for the challenge! ;D And then my muse decided to be a cranky bitch and temporarily depart again! But I’m hoping I’m making up for it by giving any readers a nice, long update with no cliffhangers! ;D Gracias to all who read and commented on my Primer Año de PepSi chapter. A few people have asked if I’ll write more NC-17 stuff. Honestly, I don’t really know if/where it would fit in this ongoing fic - but the short answer is, yes, I do have other PepSi smut planned! ;pp
[ Part 1] [ Part 2] [ Part 3] [ Part 4] [ Part 5] [ Part 6] [ Part 7] [ Part 8] [ Part 9]
The door to surgery opened, wrenching Silvia out of a hazy sleep as she recognized the sound she’d been longing to hear for the past five hours. She ignored her aching, protesting neck muscles and stood to address Eva and a tall, white haired man she assumed was Dr. Gonzalez.
“Pepa?” she asked, her deep brown eyes wide with anxiety.
Dr. Esteban Gonzalez held his hands out in a placating gesture as Eva had previously done. “She had some serious injuries, but we’ve stabilized her.”
“Gracias a Dios!” Don Lorenzo muttered quietly as he embraced Silvia in a side hug, feeling his daughter shake in pure relief.
Silvia took comfort in her father’s embrace for a brief moment before she composed herself to face the two medical professionals. “And what about her arm? The head injury?” She crossed her arms tightly, bracing herself for what she knew would be the gory details.
“You were right Inspectora, the bullet was lodged in the brachial artery. We were able to remove it, even if it was a bit tricky. It’s a good thing that Pepa was in such good shape, otherwise the damage to the muscle could have been much worse. She needed almost three units of blood.” Dr. Gonzalez watched the redheaded woman swallow, well aware that she knew how close Pepa had been to bleeding out. “She got lucky with the head injury. No damage to her skull, just some stitches to close the wound.”
“And the rest?” Silvia worried the inside of her lip, her fatigued body careening between intense tension and reprieve with every new bit of information.
“Pepa’s got a cracked sternum and a cracked lower left rib from the impact of the bullets on her vest. But there was no major internal bleeding or damage to her critical organs. Her vitals should get stronger. The bottom line is, she’s going to hurt like hell for a while, but I think she’ll heal in time with the proper care and physical therapy.”
The surgeon watched the numerous cops in the small waiting room let out a shared sigh of relief, but most of all was captivated by the incessant gratitude reflected in the eyes redheaded woman opposite him.
“Gracias.” Silvia said softly as she embraced the doctor in a tight hug, surprising him.
“It’s my job.” He smiled warmly at the inspector. After a few decades in his profession, he was still quietly amazed at how his efforts to heal one patient could affect so many people. “So right now Pepa’s sedated and in recovery. She’ll be in a private room in about a half hour and should sleep through the night. And from what Eva tells me, you have a front row seat at Pepa’s side.”
The redhead almost found in it in her to smile at that comment. “Sí. Thank you for saving her.”
“From what I hear, it’s you who did the saving.” Dr. Gonzalez had been amazed hearing of Silvia’s desperate efforts to save her partner and Pepa’s miraculous return to life “Your Pepa’s a damn stubborn one.”
Silvia choked back a small laugh. “And for once I’m grateful for that.”
“So true. You take care of yourself, Inspectora.” With a pat on the shoulder, the physician opened the door and returned the way he’d come.
___
Silvia gripped the cold metal handle of the door, taking in a quick, short breath before forcing the muscles of her hand to move, entering the room. She had tried her utmost to mentally prepare herself for the sight that met her, but her hand flew to cover her mouth in shock, regardless. Pepa’s body looked reduced to a frail shell of her normal self. A dressing around the circumference of her head covered the row of stitches on her right temple. Her left arm was encased in heavy bandages from her shoulder to her elbow, with her forearm supported by a navy blue cloth sling. Lines that were connected to monitors and tubes from various IVs, an oxygen feed and a blood pressure cuff crisscrossed the light hospital gown Pepa was wearing - a stark reminder that her physical state currently depended on such life-sustaining material.
The inspector stepped to the bed, leaning down to press a soft kiss on each of the brunette’s closed eyelids. “I’m here Pepa.”
Silvia glanced behind her at the sound of familiar footsteps, seeing Paco stop short at the sight of the bed, just as she had. His well worn handkerchief made an appearance as it pressed it to his mouth, tamping down a lurch of nausea from his already tightened stomach muscles. Silvia’s heart broke as she watched Paco approach the bed, his eyes never wavering from his sister’s face.
“Dios, I didn’t think…” Paco swallowed, overcome for a moment. “I’d - I’d ever see her like this.” His shaking fingers reached out, grazing the metal railing that bordered the bed but were unable to stretch further, as if he was afraid that touching Pepa would hurt her. “You know, it was such a surprise to me in that raid when she first showed me her badge. I mean, she was always such a strong girl, a tomboy. But I never thought she’d be a police officer. That she’d want to follow me in my footsteps. I didn’t know she idolized me that much.”
Silvia watched her friend compassionately, discovering a new perspective on her fiancé and being reminded yet again as to how close he and Pepa were. “She did. She still does.” She took his hand and squeezed it, voicing the guilt that was so apparent in his eyes. “Paco, this is not your fault.”
“Sí. I know you’re saying that Silvia. It’s just much harder to believe.” The inspector finally managed to reach and smooth back a tendril of dark hair from his little sister’s cheek.
“She’ll be fine, Paco. I promise you.” Silvia smiled reassuringly, remembering when she’d told Pepa those same words in the sterile stillness of a similar hospital room.
Paco swallowed thickly again. “Are you sure, hermana?” You’re not just saying that?” His large brown eyes began to fill with tears.
Silvia moved to embrace the large man from behind, feeling him tremble. “Sí, I’m sure. I talked again with Dr. Gonzalez just now and he let me review her files. You know how willful Pepa is and how she doesn’t like it when she gets her way. Just like you. And right now she wants to be with us. So she’ll find a way.”
Paco found it in him to chuckle, turning to return his sister-in-law’s hug. “She’d damn well better!”
The redhead grinned and looked up at her colleague. “Pepa was right. You are just a large teddy bear under that gruff looking exterior.”
A self-deprecating shrug. “Hm, well, it’s the beard. It just makes me look tough.”
For the first time in what felt like forever Silvia laughed out loud, the simple action soothing her soul. “I agree. The beard has always suited you.” She gave the facial hair a gentle tug, heartened to see Paco smile as well.
“Vale.” He let out a heavy sigh and leaned to drop a kiss Pepa’s cheek. “I’ll leave you two alone. I’m going to be just outside. Call if you need me.”
Silvia kissed her brother-in-law on the cheek. “We will.”
As soon as the door closed softly behind Paco, the redhead bent to press a kiss on Pepa’s lips. “I hope you heard that cariño. I told you once that I’d love to hear your laugh and I’d think you’d want the same. And your brother made me laugh.”
Silvia’s smiled diminished as she let out a slow breath, reaching down to lower the metal railing to carefully examine her partner. She gently pulled back Pepa’s gown a few inches, noting with approval how the lurid bruises on her chest and ribs were lightly bandaged but were not too tight to impede healing. Her left arm in its sling was properly positioned so it wouldn’t hurt her ribs. Silvia’s trained eyes traveled up to the monitors, studying Pepa’s blood pressure, heart rate and the amount of medication she was receiving. She reached to adjust a dial slightly, turning down the sound on the monitor so the constant beeping of the machines wouldn’t irritate her ears. Even though she was a medical professional that sound had always made Silvia shudder, bringing back vague, dark memories of her as a child, watching her mother slowly succumb to her own death in a hospital room.
Now that she was alone and the reality of the situation was starting to sink in, Silvia’s brave façade was able to drop. The vision of her fiancé suddenly blurred as tears spilled from her eyes for what seemed like the umpteenth time. She briefly remembered serving Pepa breakfast and their playful time together that morning, which seemed like a lifetime ago. Her whole world had been devastated and thrown upside down in only the past fourteen hours.
The inspector pulled a chair up to the bedside and sat down, taking Pepa’s right hand. “Rest, sweetheart. I’ll be here when you open your eyes. I don’t want you to be scared. I want my face to be the first thing you see.”
Silvia glanced at their entwined fingers, ensuring that her thumb rested against Pepa’s wrist so she could feel her heartbeat. Closing her eyes, she slowly laid her head down on the bed for the long wait.
___
The San Antonio commissioner strode down the hospital hallway, idly listening to the announcements on the PA system. Don Lorenzo ached all over and was still bone-weary as the dark circles under his eyes could attest. Yet when he had finally gotten home, he had only managed a few hours of fitful sleep. He figured he might as well get up and be useful, to be where he was needed.
Even before he had arrived at the hospital, as head of the precinct, he had done his professional duties and consulted with Commander Salgado and Central in going over the details of the last twenty-four hours. From a tactical point of view, the raid had almost been a complete success. The shipment of illegal goods that Central had suspected were to be moved had proven to be based on more than accurate intel with crates upon crates of drugs, jewelry and weapons being seized. It would take months to properly category and inventory everything. More mafioso had been identified on Salgado’s chart, although most of them were of no use for questioning since they were dead. Thirty-five criminals associated with the Italian mafia had been part of the attack on the officers in the warehouse and only two had made it out alive. As far as the precinct could tell, none of them were El Gordo or had any links to his whereabouts so far.
Central had already issued an official statement saying that the officers and agents had performed admirably under fire and that the encounter was to be considered a significant victory against the Italian mafia organization. They had been extremely lucky when it came to their own - there were no fatalities. Besides a few minor injuries, there was Aitor’s gunshot wound and one of Pablo Herrara’s men in special forces had been hit in the vest. Herara’s man was treated and had been released already. Aitor had awoken and had an optimistic prognosis to go home by the next day. Pepa had been the most serious casualty.
Don Lorenzo snorted contemptuously to himself. He had been incensed upon reading the statement from Central and had thrown the report aside as he’d picked up the phone and almost smashed the keypad in dialing a number. It had taken Salgado forcefully grasping his arm and all of her considerable powers of persuasion to prevent him from calling the higher ups and telling them to stuff it up their collective asses. His hands curled into fists as his mind seethed at the politics and incompetence of the brass in charge. A ‘significant victory, extremely lucky’, my fucking cajones! Try telling that to my daughter!
The commissioner approached Pepa’s room, nodding cordially to the two fully outfitted, armed special forces officers that were posted in the hallway just outside the door. Given all that had happened with the hit list, the shootout and the fact that El Gordo was still at large, Salgado had ordered 24-hour protection for Pepa’s room.
“Hola señores.” Don Lorenzo recognized one of the men, Alejandro Ramos who had been on the backup team with them on the raid. He was in his late 30s, an imposing well-built figure yet he always had a ready smile. “Cómo estás?”
Ramos and his partner, a younger, earnest looking man, saluted the commissioner. “Muy bien, comisario.”
“Ah, enough of that!” Don Lorenzo waved off their formality. He clapped Ramos familiarly on the shoulder. “You two are okay? Did you eat? Sleep?”
“Gracias, señor. We’re fine. We’re more than honored to do our duty here, knowing what Agent Miranda did for Inspectora Castro.”
Don Lorenzo nodded again in acknowledgement. This is what those fuck ups at Central don’t understand! This sense of loyalty and comradeship!
“Comisario?” The younger agent piped up, as Don Lorenzo’s attention swiveled to him.
“Perdone, um…” At a loss, the agent nervously saluted again. “Devante Salazar, special forces. I just wanted to convey how excited the unit is about the upcoming wedding of Agent Miranda and Inspector Castro. I’m in charge of the pool of donations for the nuptials and we’ve gotten up to €2,300, and I just wanted to let you know if the unit can do anything else for them, to please let us know…” he trailed off, scared stiff at the stony visage on the older man’s face.
Don Lorenzo set his jaw, holding his emotions in check. “You’re both honorable officers and good men. I will be sure to convey your wishes to my family.”
“Gracias comisario.”
Don Lorenzo had to resist rolling his eyes in amusement as Salazar stood ramrod straight and saluted once more. He stepped past the agents and entered Pepa’s room, his heart sinking in his chest as Silvia sensed his presence and turned towards him. She looked ten times worse than he felt, her face pale and drawn, her hair in disarray, and eyes that were swollen and red from tears and lack of sleep.
“Hola hija.” He briefly leaned over her shoulder to drop a kiss on her cheek, which she absently returned. The older man clicked his tongue disapprovingly. “I talked to Paco earlier. When he left the hospital, he told me that you were going to get some sleep.”
“I’m fine, Papa.” Silvia answered tersely. She softly trailed her fingers down Pepa’s arm, mindful of the IV line.
It had been hard enough for Silvia to leave Pepa’s side for a moment, let alone waste her time with sleep. Paco and Sara had returned about an hour after he’d left with an overnight bag for her and a few other necessities. Silvia had only relented to shower and change clothes after instructing and being promised for a full fifteen minutes by her niece and brother-in-law to come and get her if anything changed - if Pepa even twitched an eyelid or moved a finger a fraction of an inch. Yet in the harsh light of day, Pepa was still unresponsive. While Silvia’s medical intellect rationalized that Pepa would have a good chance at recovery, it was a lot more difficult for her frayed emotions to sort out.
Seeing how beside herself his daughter was, Don Lorenzo tried a different tactic. He bent down to kiss Pepa’s sleek, dark locks. “Hola, cariño. How is my other daughter doing today?” He looked up, noting Silvia’s surprised look.
“Your other -” Silvia was shocked into a stunned silence at her father’s use of the word and all it implied.
“Sí. I figure, why keep saying ‘daughter-in-law’ to Pepa. Such a long-winded, formal phrase. ‘Daughter’ suits her so much better.” The commissioner’s eyes twinkled as a hint of a smile tugged at his lips.
Silvia stood up from her chair and kissed her father on the cheek before hugging him fiercely. “Gracias, Papa!” She looked into her father’s eyes and smiled. “That means more than I can say. And I know it does to Pepa too.”
The older man chuckled as he gently palmed Silvia’s cheek. “Pepa and I have come a long way, haven’t we hija?”
“Sí. I know how much you love each other, even if it comes out as an argument most times.”
Don Lorenzo smiled in accord as he pulled up a second chair besides Silvia’s as they both sat down. “Do you remember when you girls were little? You were about eight when your mother and I took you to a carnival that summer.”
Silvia scrunched her brow in thought for a moment. “There was a carousel with the painted horses that moved up and down. I wanted to go on one but I was too scared I’d fall off. Pepa took my hand and helped me up and climbed on behind me. And she held on and kept me safe. She didn’t let me go, not even for a second.” Her eyes lit up as she laughed softly at the memory.
Her father chuckled. “Sí, and then you went around and around for three rides and you two didn’t want to get off, even when I ordered you. Pepa just stuck her tongue out at me and you kept going.”
The redhead giggled. That was so like her fiancé. “She bought me cotton candy later with her own money and fed it to me. And played the game where you throw a ball and knock down all the bottles. Pepa won a little stuffed dog and gave it to me. I still have it somewhere. She’s as good with a softball as she is with her Magnum.”
Silvia looked down at her sleeping partner. Even under all the awful looking wounds, bandages and in her fragile state, she knew that her Pepa was there, still strong, still the protector and as much in love with her as always. The redhead smoothed her fingers down Pepa’s face affectionately. “Remember how much fun we had, cariño? You need to wake your sleepy head up so we can do that again sometime soon.”
Her father smiled, glad that he had been able to take Silvia’s mind off her morose thoughts. He cleared his throat and stood. “Vale. I’m going to go and get some coffee and bring back some breakfast for you. I know you haven’t been eating either.”
Silvia reached out and grasped his hand, giving it a kiss. “Gracias, Papa. For everything.”
Don Lorenzo knew how much was behind those two words, not the least of which was his acceptance and love for Pepa. “You’re very welcome, hija.”
___
Random flashes of memory assaulted her mind’s eye, distorting, jarring. The strobe of a blue ambulance light, visible even through her closed eyelids. The piercing stab of needles, adding new pinpoints of pain to her already abused body. Strangers’ voices echoing in her ears with snatches of half-remembered comments: ‘Agent Miranda, we’ve got you. We’re going to take good care of you.’ ‘Vale, let’s give her more oxygen.’ She felt her breathing and pulse rate increase as she became aware of being in her own body again, her chaotic thoughts straining to come into some form of coherency. Her arm, chest and shoulder throbbed, the hurt radiating out in concentric circles to her head, which also periodically spiked in a stabbing agony. Her fingers twitched and then she forced them to wiggle a bit, relieved that she could now move them without screaming.
Silvia. Through it all, Pepa could sense her pelirroja’s presence, if not at her side then never very far away. Even all the physical pain was almost a good thing since it meant that she was still alive and still with Silvia. She forced her mind to push past the discomfort and on what she could tangibly sense. She could feel the warmth of Silvia’s skin against her own and even smell a teasing hint of her Michel perfume, despite a tube blowing a steady stream of air up her dry nose. She made her other hand move, feeling the hand that held it tremble as a soft intake of breath reached her ears.
Pepa blearily opened her eyes, to be greeted by a vision that seemed not unlike that otherworldly place she had been - the last thing she could fully recall. A halo of white surrounded fiery red hair and the deepest, most gorgeous dark brown eyes she’d ever seen, in a beloved face that followed her throughout time and space.
“Sss -” Dammit. Pepa groused internally, feeling her parched throat constrict as she almost choked. Why doesn’t anything work the way I want it to? “Sil -”
“Shh, take it easy.” The angel’s voice pleasantly tickled her ears at the same time a frozen piece of ice was eased into her mouth. Pepa sucked thirstily before swallowing gratefully. She blinked, but the vision in front of her eyes did not change.
“Is this real?” I have to be sure. “Are you really here?”
The redhead’s expression which had been glowing and shining with relieved tears, dropped abruptly. Silvia swallowed, fighting back the urge to be sick, becoming horrified with the implications of Pepa’s questions and her eyes that were still muddled and glossed over. Dios mío, her brain, she didn’t get enough oxygen! This could be cerebral hypoxia or permanent memory loss!
Squeezing the hand she held, Silvia forced her mind to think like a doctor. Vale, calm down Silvia, nothing’s proven yet! Ask the standard questions and see what she says.
“Cariño, this may sound strange, but I need to know. Can you tell me your name? Do you know where you are?”
Pepa bit her lip in contemplation, seconds ticking by as Silvia’s pulse thrummed anxiously. “I’m with you, Silvia.” She answered slowly, finding the effort of speaking exhausting. “That’s all that matters.” A soft mummer as her eyes closed.
Silvia’s breath slowly let out of her lungs like a balloon. Gracias a Dios, that’s a good sign! She saw Pepa’s eyes flicker, then open again as they focused more clearly on her face. “Hey. You okay?” The brunette’s right arm struggled to lift to touch the bandage on Silvia’s cheek.
The smaller woman captured the wavering hand and pressed it against her lips, kissing it tenderly. “Dios, Pepa!” She smiled through her tears. “You’re the one in bed and you’re asking if I’m okay?”
Pepa’s eyebrows furrowed, a move she regretted as she discovered that even that small movement shot an additional jolt of pain through her head. “Ow.” She managed to smile briefly. “Of course, pelirroja. You’re my whole life. Why wouldn’t I ask if you’re okay?”
Silvia’s tumultuous emotions of the past day were instantly soothed by hearing Pepa call her ‘pelirroja’ again. “I’m fine.” She said as Pepa’s fingers lightly grazed the small bandage. “It just needed a stitch or two.”
“Muy bien.” The tired voice answered. “Everyone else? Mi hermano?”
“Is fine. Everyone’s fine. A few bumps and scratches. They’re all just worried about you.”
“Vale.” Pepa seemed to relax at this as her eyes closed but popped open again as a thought occurred to her. “H - how long?” She was beyond frustrated that her tongue still felt heavy and thick, making her speech slur slightly. Damn drugs! I can barely get a coherent thought across!
Fortunately, her partner was as attuned to her as ever and knew what she was asking. “You’ve been out for a little over a day.” Her hands continued to chafe Pepa’s fingers in a calming motion. She was shocked to see Pepa’s eyes rapidly water and fill up at her words, the tears quickly streaking down her cheeks.
“Qué pasa, cariño? Is it the pain?” Silvia was slightly panicked as she reached for the call button.
Pepa slowly shook her head a fraction. The physical pain she felt in taking with the action paled in comparison to the grief in her heart. “No, it’s not that.” Her voice shook, wondering how Silvia would ever forgive her. “Lo siento, Silvia.”
It was the last thing she expected to hear. “Qué?” The redhead asked, almost speechless. “For what?”
“Lo siento, lo siento.” Pepa’s face crumbled as Silvia’s face was frozen in a look of worry, concern and confusion. “I don’t know if I’ll be strong enough to make it to church in a few days. And I’ve ruined it all. Our wedding. The perfect wedding you deserved, the one I wanted to give you. I wanted to make sure you had your gladiolus flowers and rose petals and to make you so happy on that day, princessa -”
“Shh, shh.” Silvia pressed a finger against Pepa’s lips, her expression gradually softening as realization had dawned. Her heart was breaking as she listened to how distraught her lover was. “It doesn’t matter. None of that matters. All the flowers and preparations can go to hell. You’re alive and you’re with me. That’s all I want.”
Pepa gave a watery smile. “Vale.”
“Here...” Silvia reached inside her shirt to display Pepa’s engagement ring that still sparkled as pristinely as ever, watching some life come back into the brunette’s eyes. “I’ll keep this safe for you until you’re feeling well enough and can wear it again, vale? You just get better.”
“Anything for you princessa.” Pepa was interrupted by a huge yawn that made her head pound even more intensely. “I think I can do that.”
“What you can do is go back to sleep.” Silvia glanced at the myriad of IV tubes and lines that Pepa was connected to before returning to look into sleepy brown eyes. “For someone who just woke up from surgery, and is on heavy-duty morphine, you’re being awfully talkative!”
“Can I get a kiss first?” Even in her injured state, Pepa was able to give her fiancé a full-blown pout, her lower lip pushed out in a mockingly sulky expression.
Silvia laughed, the sound resounding joyously in Pepa’s ears. “Claro que sí. Anything you want.” Silvia leaned down to press her lips against Pepa’s, their kisses gentle and unhurried, sending a warm, tingling sensation throughout both of their weary bodies, providing much needed comfort and healing.
The two parted as Silvia palmed Pepa’s cheek, feeling her lean against her hand as her fiancé quickly fell asleep, a slight smile on her face. Silvia sighed, thankful beyond words, feeling truly whole and complete again.