DISCLAIMER: I do not own the characters of Wilhemina Chambers of
Sara Matthews; they are the property of FOX television. This story
may contain graphic depictions of sexual acts; please use disrection.
SPOILERS: Strap-on.
Different Ends of the Law
By Stacia Braver
Part 11
Van raced into the parking lot of the hospital.
"Chill out man, we're here! No need for us to bite it in the parking lot!"
"I'm sorry man," Van said, slowing down.
"There's a space right up there! On your left," Sara pointed out.
Van pulled in and turned off the ignition. Deaq and Sara were already scrambling out of the GTO. They were three dark figures hurrying through the parking lot into the entrance of the massive hospital.
"Up here, y'all. Down this way," Deaq said to the others after glancing at the hospital directory. They hurried down the bright white hallway towards the front desk. Sara looked around uncomfortably.
"I hate hospitals," she said.
"Hey, don't worry about it, you're not the only one," Van said.
Deaq reached the nurse at the front desk first.
"Yes, may I help you?" she said.
"Uh, yeah. There was a cop brought in here, Lieutenent Wilhemina Chambers, gunshot wound."
"Just one moment," she said, clicking away on the keyboard in front of her. "Yes, Lt. Chambers is in surgery right now with Dr. Sato. She's in the ICU--"
"Where's that at?" Van interrupted.
"This floor, wing 3, which is over there," she answered. "There's a waiting room there, and you may check in with the front desk there if you don't want to do it here."
"Yeah, we'll do it there, thank you," Van said, as they all hurried off in the direction the nurse pointed them to. When they arrived, Van reached the front desk first. "Hi..." he said, getting the male nurses attention.
"Hello, sir," he said, turning around to meet Van's gaze.
"Yeah, hi. Our friend is in surgery right now with...with Dr..."
"Dr. Sato," Sara said.
"Wilhemina Chambers." Deaq said.
"Yes, can you please sign in first?" he said, handing a clip board to Deaq.
"Look, man, we're L.A.P.D., can't we just skip this for now? Can't you just straight up tell us what's going on?" Deaq said, his voice raised.
"For the love of God, that's our boss in there!" Van yelled, pointing at the grey doors to the ICU.
The nurse sighed. "I'm sorry. I know this is a difficult time for you, but you have to do this before I can release any information. We have our rules here. It'll only take a moment."
"He's right," Sara said, as the guys both looked at her.
Deaq sighed, "Hey, I'm sorry, Nurse...."
"Weiss," he answered.
"Yeah, me too," Van said.
"Hey, it's okay. No harm done," Nurse Weiss said, smiling.
Deaq finished signing in, and passed the board to Van, who quickly scribbled, then passed it to Sara.
The nurse examined the board once Sara handed it back to him. "Thank you. Yes, she was brought in about 20 mins ago." He pulled out a chart. "After her initial examiniation of Lt. Chambers, Dr. Sato reported that her condition is serious. I'm sorry, that's all I can tell you at this point. We won't know anything further until Dr. Sato is out of surgery. You may wait over there if you'd like. Help yourselves to some coffee."
"Thank you," Sara said, for all of them. They all walked very somberly over to the waiting area, which was already occupied by two other people. They found a solitary couch and plopped down. "This is just all so...surreal," Sara said, breaking the silence. "I can't believe Billie is in there, right through those doors fighting for her life. I just...I can't believe it. It's all my fault."
"Ay, ay, kiddo," Deaq said, putting his arm around her. "No one's to blame here. You just remember that. It's part of Billie's job to protect people, and that's what she did with you. Don't beat yourself up. We all accept that this kinda shit may happen to us as soon as we put on that badge."
"He's right, Sara," Van said, taking her left hand. "All we can do now is hope and pray that she'll be alright." He looked at the doors to the ICU, "Billie's strong. She's the strongest woman I've ever met. She'll pull through," he said, his voice nearly cracking. He let out a heavy sigh. "I--I can't sit here, I just can't," he said, fidgeting. "Hey bro, call me if anything happens. I just need to talk a walk and get away from here for a while."
"No problem man," Deaq said. They watched Van walk away. "You want some coffee, babygirl?"
"Yeah, yeah, sure," Sara answered, staring aimlessly. Her mind was racing with "what ifs." What if she had never turned to a life of crime? What if Billie had never busted her? What if Billie had never found her again? What if she kept the danger that she was in to herself? It was almost too much for her to bear. She looked at the swinging doors to the ICU, praying that someone, anyone, would walk through them with good news. Praying that they'd say that Billie would be just fine. That moment did not come.
"Here ya go," Deaq said, startling her.
"Oh, thank you," she said, taking the small white styrofoam cup from Deaq."
"So, uh...lemme ask you something...if that's okay," Deaq said, a little nervous.
"Sure," Sara said, interested.
"Um...uh..." he chuckled. "So um...how did you and Billie...you know..."
"Get together?"
"Yeah," he said, relieved. "I mean, Van and I wanted to ask her if busting you and Jill was just business, but we just didn't have the balls to do it. I mean, we've wondered about Billie for a while now. We just never had nothin' in cement before, so to speak."
Sara swallowed a gulp of coffee, "Well, when she showed up, I wasn't too happy to see her, as you can imagine."
"Right, right..."
"Then, she just let all of her feelings out, ya know?"
"Billie? Billie Chambers?" Deaq said, half-joking.
"Yeah," Sara giggled. "I mean, she said that it DID start out being all business...then, it turned into something more, and she really started to care for me."
"Hmmm," Deaq said, rubbing his dimpled chin. "Well, that's cool. That's cool. So um...is it...serious? With you two?"
Sara's blue eyes met his chocolate eyes, "Yeah," she smiled, "we're in love."
Deaq couldn't help but to smile, but for some reason, he had no words to say.
"So...I guess you'll be seeing a lot more of me," Sara said, trying to liven their mood.
"Yeah, I hope so. Billie is...extraordinary. She deserves someone who loves her as much as you do."
"Thanks," Sara said, blushing. She studied Deaq for a moment. "You really have a lot of respect for her, don't you?"
Deaq looked into Sara's eyes intently. "Yes, I do. Aside from my moms, Billie's the most amazing woman I've ever known. If I had a daughter, I'd want her to be a hybrid of my mom and Billie. And, that's on the real."
"Wow. Wow," was all she could say. She looked down the hall and saw Van walking towards them, still looking disturbed.
"Hey, any news yet?" he asked.
"Not a damn thang, man," Deaq said.
"I hate this shit. I mean, why can't someone just tell us what the fuck is happening in there? It's driving me nuts, man," Van said.
"Us too," Sara said.
Van began to pace back and forth. His mind flashed to Billie. Then flashed to Captain Parrish, knowing they'd have to file a report. Then, back to Billie. Then, to the Candy Store, and if there would even BE a Candy Store once they higher-ups found out that Billie had broken a major rule. He looked at his watch impatientely; they had been at the hospital for over an hour.
Deaq got up, looking down the hallway. "Look," he said simply. Van turned around and saw a tall, forbidding Black gentlemen walking towards them.
"Who's that?" Sara asked, standing up.
"That's our Captain. Captain Parrish," Van answered. He looked back at Sara, and Parrish's impending contact with her just reminded him of how much Sara was not supposed to be there in the first place.
"Van, Deaq," the Captain said in a deep resonating voice, shaking both their hands. "I came as soon as I heard. How is she?" he asked, very concerned.
"We don't know yet, Captain. She's still in surgery. She took a shot to the chest, she's in serious condition. That's all we know," Deaq said.
"My God," the Captain said, looking down. "This is just...tragic."
"Sir, we'll uh...we'll have our report to you as soon as possible," Van said.
"I know you will. I know who's now in body bags, and that's because of Lt. Chambers. She did stellar work here. Of course, I will need the particulars. But, our first concern is Bille's well-being. The report can wait a little while. Let's at least find out her status."
"Right, Sir," Van said.
The Captain's eyes shifted to Sara, who looked directly at him. He moved over to her. "I'm sorry young lady," he said, extending his arm, "I'm Captain Parrish. And you are?"
"This is...Samantha," Van jumped in. "She's..."
"A friend of mine," Deaq finished.
"It's nice to meet you," Parrish said. He suddenly noticed Sara's sling, and extended his left hand instead. "Guess we have to do it this way, huh?" He joked.
"Yeah, yeah," Sara chuckled. "I had a little...accident."
"What happened to you?"
"I um...I friend of mine tagged me with a crossbow."
"I didn't know they still made those damned things," Parrish said.
"Oh yeah...they definitely do!" Sara said, holding her arm.
"Are you sure we've never met before, Samantha? You are just familiar to me for some reason."
"Uh, no, we've never met. I just have one of those faces, I guess," she said with a nervous laugh.
Parrish gave a quick chuckle, then turned back to the guys. "Well. If you'll excuse me, I need to make some calls. I'll be back."
"Yes Sir," Deaq said. They watched him walk off back down the hall.
"What...the hell was that all about? Samantha? What is it with you cops and fake names?" Sara said through clinched teeth.
Van poked Deaq in the stomach. "This is bad. Isn't this bad? I told you this would be bad. This is all gonna end badly."
Sara sighed and looked at Deaq. "What the fuck is he babbling about?"
Deaq clasped his hands together, and shifted his weight, "Long story short? Billie violated a L.A.P.D. Police code by coming to see you. We could be in a lot of trouble here."
Sara gasped, as her hand flew to her chest. "She did?" she said, smiling in disbelief.
Van rolled his eyes, "Um, no--this is not an 'aww, I can't believe she did that for me' moment! At least not for us. Our asses are gonna be in a giant sling when they find out, okay? This is not the time to be 'touched'!"
"I'm sorry," Sara said. However, all she could think of was the fact that Billie risked her own job to come to her. "It only makes me love you more," she thought to herself.
Suddenly, the doors to the ICU swung open, and two people walked out. The trio turned to them, hoping they had news about Billie. One of them, an attractive Asian woman, headed to the front desk. The other person disappeared down the hallway. Nurse Weiss pointed to them, and she walked over.
"Good evening, I'm Dr. Sato," she said. "You're friends of Lt. Chambers?"
"Yes," Deaq said anxiously. "How is she?"
"Well, she did have a bullet lodged in her left collarbone, which we were able to remove successfully."
"Oh, thank God," Sara sighed.
"The point of entry was actually about two inches below that, but that is where it ended up. She's very lucky, as I'm sure you can imagine."
"God," Van said, rubbing his forehead in relief. "When can we see her?"
"Well, we need to keep her in ICU for a few more hours, then she'll be transferred to a recovery room. It's best that you get some rest and come back tomorrow," Dr. Sato informed.
Sara moved closer to her, "So...are you...are you saying that everything is fine, and that Billie will be okay? Is that what you're saying."
Dr. Sato smiled. "Yes. It looks like she will be just fine. But, she has some rehabilitation ahead of her. But, she is obviously a very courageous woman. That should be...a piece of cake for her," she said, giving Sara a quick wink. "So, is there anything else I can do for you? Anymore questions you may have?"
Deaq looked at Sara and Van. "No, no. Thank you so very much, Doc," he said, shaking her hand.
"You're quite welcome," she said, giving them each a genuine glance. "Good night."
Van went over to one of the couches and collapsed. He looked up. "Thank you, God," he said quietly. Sara went and sat next to him. He looked at her apologetically. "Hey, Sara, I'm sorry for--"
"For blowing up at me?" She interjected.
"Yeah. Yeah. I'm really sorry. This is just..."
"I know," she said, smiling at him.
"Awww, a Kodak Moment," Deaq joked.
"Shut up, fool," Van said with a chuckle.
"Well, I don't know about y'all, but I am one stone-cold tired brotha. I think we need to find Parrish and give him the 411, then get outta here until tomorrow."
"I'm with ya, bro," Van said, slowly rising from the couch.
Sara got up, looking a little nervous. "So uh...where am I staying tonight. There's no way I'm going back to that hotel."
Deaq put his arm around her. "Ay babygirl. Do you like candy?"
"What? What the hell kinda question is that?"
Van and Deaq looked at each other and cracked up.
Part 12
The trio walked down the hallway searching for Captain Parrish. "Where the hell is he? It's not like you could MISS the guy," Van said, a little peeved.
"Ay, there he is," Deaq pointed out.
"What was my name again?" Sara asked.
"Samantha!" they guys said in unison.
"Okay, okay! Damn!" Sara said, irritated.
"Yes...I'm sure she'll be just fine," the Captain said, his deep voice resonating in the hallway. He heard footsteps approaching him. "No...there's nothing you can do for her. Let me call you back when I know something more, okay? Okay, I'll call you." He closed his flip-phone, and looked at Van and Deaq expectantly.
"We uh, we just talked to Billie's Dr., Dr. Sato," Van said.
The Captain raised his eyebrows, needing more.
Van smiled, "she's gonna be just fine. The bullet ended up in her collarbone, and Dr. Sato was able to remove it."
"Oh, thank God," the Captain sighed. "So, we'll be able to see her tomorrow?"
"Yeah, that's when they're hoping she'll leave the ICU," Deaq answered.
"Good, good. That's great news," the Captain said, releasing a rare smile. "So, I'll expect that report from you, and I'll see you all later, probably back here."
"Yes sir, " Van said. "Goodnight, sir."
"Goodnight, Captain P," Deaq said.
"Ray, Hayes. Goodnight. Nice to meet you, young lady."
"Oh, hey, you too," Sara said. "See ya later."
Captain Parrish walked off down the hallway, his shoes squeaking with each step. Van looked at Sara, "See ya later," he said mockingly.
"What?!" She said as Deaq laughed.
"Oh man, this is gonna be a loooong night! Ay, let's get outta here, ya'll."
The GTO pulled into the back of a very plain, but very large building in the heart of Los Angeles. Deaq retrieved a remote control from the glove compartment, and pushed a button; the large metal door in front of them began to open.
"What...the...hell is this place?" Sara said from the back seat, leaning down between the boys to get a better look as Van pulled inside.
"We're gonna show you how the high-rollers live, babygirl," Deaq said.
Van parked the car, as the large garage door closed behind them. The trio exited the vehicle. Deaq punched in five numbers on a keypad next door a large silver door. It opened, and they walked in.
"Oh...my...God..." was all Sara could muster. She looked around. Expensive cars, five BMW motorcycles, cool bike gear, she could hardly believe her eyes. She walked over to a cherry red-colored car. "Look at this Aston-Martin!" she beamed.
"Yup," Van said proudly. That's 200 G's right there. But, here's MY baby over here, he said walking to the metallic teal car next to it, "it's a--"
"Jag. X Class," Sara ended.
"Wow, you know your cars, huh, babygirl?" Deaq said.
"Oh HELL yeah! God, I feel like a kid in a--"
"Candy store?" Van said, leaning into her smiling.
"Man, you sorry!" Deaq said laughing.
"Yeah! Yeah, that's exactly how I feel," Sara said, still trying to take everything in.
"Well, that's what we call this place," Van said.
Sara looked at the two men rather suspiciously. "So, what's the story behind this place? This is where you work? Your office?"
"Let me fill you in," Deaq said. "Van and I both kind of came from shady pasts, and we wanted to rectify, you know what I'm sayin'? So, we were both brought here to work for Billie. We came here as cops who were trained to act like criminals to CATCH criminals."
"No shit!" Sara said, very interested. "But, what is all this stuff for? Has it been confiscated?"
Van looked at Deaq, "Aw, she learns fast. Our motto here is 'what we seize we keep, what we keep, we use. All this shit in her? It's worth millions. Mega millions." He stopped for a moment. "But, maybe I shouldn't be telling all this to a thief, though, huh?"
"Reformed thief," Sara corrected.
"Right," Van said apologetically.
"This place is fucking awesome! I'd kill to take that Aston-Martin for a serious cruise! Now, that is what I call a 'ride'!"
"Uh, no...no, that ain't happenin, lefty," Van warned, referring to Sara's "good" arm.
Deaq laughed hard, holding his belly.
"I am totally wiped. I'm going to bed," Van said.
"What, you guys live here too?"
"We might as well. We each have rooms, but we each have a life too, ya know, all have our own cribs. But, we do spend a lot of time here at the Candy Store, so gotta sleep here too sometimes."
Van walked over to Deaq and gently punched him in the arm. "So, we'll go see Billie first thing in the morning?"
"Of course."
"Alright, bro. Night." He turned back to Sara, "Goodnight, lefty."
"Sleep tight," she said, grinning.
Van turned back to Deaq, "uh, you might wanna hide the keys, bro," he said, under his breath.
"Man, take yo' skinny white ass to bed!" Deaq said, laughing. They watched Van walk off. "He ain't right," he said, still laughing.
"You guys are close, aren't you?"
"Yeah, definitely. Ah, but it's a long story, ya know. But, I WILL say that Van is the only brother I have left."
"Well...that's good," Sara said, knowing that there was more to the story. But, she decided not to pry; they were both worn out, and Deaq didn't really seem like he wanted to get into it at that moment anyway. "So...where am I sleeping?"
"Oh, you can have Billie's room upstairs. Come on, I'll show you." He looked Sara up and down. "You look to be about her size, I'm sure she won't mind if you borrow some of her clothes."
"Cool," Sara said following him upstairs. They reached Billie's room and walked inside. Sara looked around, curious. Gray wallpaper, a small but comfortable-looking bed with a black comforter on it, a small black lap on the nightstand, and a black dresser. "Wow, she's not much for decorating, is she?"
Deaq laughed. "Nah, this room is just like Billie--dark and mysterious."
"And boring?" Sara giggled.
"You know she's far from being that," Deaq said with a chuckle.
"I mean, there's no personal things in here. No pictures, no stereo, no tv. It's just weird."
"I know, but like I said, V and I hardly know anything about Billie's life--don't know about her parents--although she did mention her mom like once. We don't even know what kind of music the woman likes. She just likes to keep her personal life on the down-low. V and I have come to respect that, although we don't really understand it, but that's her thang." He let out a big sigh, "okay babygirl, this brotha's out. Sleep well. See ya in the morning."
"Okay, Deaq." To his surprise, Sara gave him a small kiss on the cheek. They smiled at each other. "Thanks...for everything."
"No problem," he said, as he walked out, closing the door behind him.
Sara sighed as she looked around the dull room once again. She opened the top drawer of the dresser, and found a t-shirt and some shorts. She caressed them gently, thinking of Billie. "I can't wait to see you tomorrow," she whispered out loud. She rubbed her face. "God, I feel like shit. But what else can I expect, seeing as I was nearly killed today." She headed for the bathroom for a shower, which she looked forward to. She also looked forward to a good night's sleep.
The next morning was a typical hazy day in Los Angeles. Sara was in a deep sleep when...
"Rise and shine!" Van yelled, peeping his head through Billie's bedroom door.
"Oh, you bastard!" Sara groaned, her face embedded in the pillow. "What time is it?"
"It's time to GO!" Van said. "Come on, the sun is shining, the birds are singing. It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood! A beautiful day for a neighbor...would you be mine...could you be mine..."
"Someone please kill me. Ugh, I HATE people like you! Those--those-- morning people!" she said opening one eye to look at him. But, then, she couldn't help but to smile...she defintely found Van to be amusing.
"Man, leave her the hell alone!" Sara heard Deaq yell from downstairs.
"Hey man, I'm ready to see Billie!" Van said, looking over his shoulder to yell back at Deaq. "Come on Sara, you have ten minutes! Up,up, up!"
"Okay! I'll be down in a few!" she said. Satisfied, Van closed the door. Sara actually jumped right out of bed. She WAS anxious to see her love, although her body was telling her that she really needed more sleep. She ventured into Billie's large walk-in closet. "God, have enough clothes, Billie? At least I know what not to get you for Christmas!" She picked out a pair of Billie's 7 jeans, and of course, a black tank top. She came back out of the closet, and quickly put them both on. She looked at herself in the full-length mirror. "Hmmmm, not bad. Oh--shoes!" She walked back in, and found a nice pair of black platform sandals, and slipped them on. They fit perfectly. She closed the closet door, and walked to the bathroom hearing Van and Deaq mumbling downstairs.
"Man, what's wrong with you? You don't just walk into a woman's room like that! I mean, what if she was naked, or gettin' to know herself or something, dawg?" Deaq said with a chuckle.
"Well, first of all, you should never 'get to know yourself' in someone else's bed--I should know--and second of all--"
"I ain't even tryin' to hear this man," Deaq interrupted.
"What?" Van said, shrugging.
"Van...car...start...now," he said pointing to silver door.
"Yes, daddy," Van said, walking towards the door to the garage.
"Ay, you the wrong gender to calling me 'daddy,' aiight?" Deaq teased.
"Oh, I'm sorry, did you two want to be alone?" Sara said, coming down the stairs.
Van turned around. "See man? Now you have her thinking we're all fruity!"
"Van! Car!" Deaq ordered, pointing again. He turned back to Sara, who was now standing next to him. "Mornin'. Sleep okay?"
"Yeah, until Mr. Rogers busted in," she giggled.
"I tried to keep him outta there."
"It's okay. So um...are you ready to go?"
"Yeah, I'm cool, let's go," he said as they began to walk towards the garage.
"I can't wait to see Billie. I just wish I could hold her, ya know?"
"That'll come in time, you just gotta be patient. Ay, uh...by the way...did you check out that Doctor last night? Doctor Sato? Oh my LORD!"
"Fuck yeah! She was hot! Hey, first you gotta check for a ring, and if that's clear, use that Hayes charm on her," Sara advised.
"Yeah, you know I AM charming, huh?"
"I mean, unless of course she's a lesbian. In that case, Billie and I may have to kidnap the good Doctor, tie her to the bed, and have our way with her."
"Aww, you're killing me over here!" Deaq said, as they both cracked up.
They reached the GTO where Van was waiting impatiently. "Sometime today, please?"
Deaq opened the door for Sara, and helped her into the back seat. Then, he hopped in. "Aiight man, let's roll."
To Be Continued