by C Paradee
Megan walked over to the body and asked the closest officer, "Has the crime scene been secured?"
"Yes, the body hasn't been moved. This is exactly how we found it," came the response.
Megan knelt down next to the body, pulling her bag close. She checked for a pulse, knowing already she wouldn't find one. Pulling out her supplies, she began her examination.
Tony talked to Brian and gleaned what information she could from him. It was after 3am when the victim had been found by a slightly inebriated young man. The few people still on the streets in the area had been gathered up for interviewing. Most of the clubs closed at 2:30 so not many people were still around.
Tony, Brian, and some of the task force members began interviewing potential witnesses. Other task force members began combing the area for evidence. But, once again, there was little information to be had. No one had been anywhere near the site of crime. All those interviewed had traveled in pairs or groups, giving them solid alibi's
Megan had finished her preliminary examination of the victim some time before and had stayed unobtrusively in the background watching Tony work. She watched her move from interview to interview, sharing comments and observations with the other task force members. She was surprised at the comfortable interaction between Tony and Brian. Both obviously respected the other. Megan realized Tony was in her element and it was reflected in every action. She seemed to be aware of everyone and everything around her. This was an entirely different woman than the one she had come to know over the past several days. Her thoughts returned to their first night in the Flats. She wondered how this same woman who seems to be aware of everything around her, moving with confidence and ease around the area, could have been caught so unawares as to have allowed someone to approach her close enough to stab her in the back. Megan decided it must have been a fluke. But it still didn't make sense
Dawn began to light the sky and Megan decided it was time to leave. She knew Tony was tiring because of the subtle changes she noticed in her face and movements. Megan knew even though she was healing very quickly, her injury still caused her some pain. She also knew Tony would try to ignore her body's limitations
Walking over to her, she took her arm pulling her aside. "Come on. You've done enough. The police can take it from here."
"I can't leave in the middle of..." Tony began only to be interrupted by Megan. "I'm telling you your body has had enough. Come on, we'll go tell Brian we're leaving, besides you promised," she finished softly
Tony knew she was pushing it. Her body had been complaining for some time now. Relenting, she said, "Yeah, I did. Ok, let's go."
Later that morning Tony sat drinking her coffee, her mood very despondent. She had known, ever since she picked up her car yesterday, that she had no reason not to start looking for a place of her own. Well, actually, I can think of a ton of reasons not to look. Megan hadn't said anything about it, but she didn't want her to think she was taking advantage of her either. Tony sighed. The last thing in the world she wanted to do was leave, but it was very important to her how Megan viewed her
Megan entered the kitchen, and noticed Tony appeared very deep in thought. Megan smiled at Tony and said, "A penny for your thoughts," the old childhood adage floating out.
Tony looked up at Megan thinking, I really don't want to do this, but what choice do I have? "I thought maybe we could look at some places today."
At those words, Megan felt her heart constrict slowly and painfully, one word running through her mind, no... Turning away from Tony, her emotions in a turmoil, and knowing she had to say something, she forced herself to think. "I should go in and do the autopsy on the victim from last night. Couldn't we look next weekend," not waiting for an answer, she left the room.
When Megan abruptly left the room, Tony suspected she had upset her and that was the last thing she wanted to do. She also knew Megan hadn't planned on doing the autopsy until Monday. They had talked about that last night. A faint glimmer of hope flared in Tony's mind, maybe she doesn't want me to leave. Tony went to see where Megan had gone
Megan left the kitchen and went to the bathroom, knowing how close she was to losing it. She can't leave, she just can't. I won't let her. The thin veneer of control crumbled when she realized there was nothing she could do to stop her
Tony stood indecisively at the closed bathroom door, wondering if she should knock or just leave Megan alone. Following instincts that were screaming at her to knock, she did just that. "Megan?"
Shit, shit, shit, get a grip. You can't let her see you like this. Taking in a deep tremulous breath, to steady her voice, she managed, "I'll be out in a minute." Fighting to regain control, Megan washed her face with cold water and took another few minutes to decide what to do. Then with a determination born of desperation she decided to fight for what she wanted
Tony was pacing back and forth in the living room when Megan entered the room. One look at Megan's face confirmed her worse fears. She had upset her. But, before she could say anything, Megan spoke, "Don't you like it here?"
Tony was startled by the simple question and thought of all the things she wanted to say, but couldn't and began haltingly, "Yeah... I like it here... a lot... but I thought... you know... well I didn't want..." she trailed off not sure how to continue. The glimmer of hope in her mind shined a little brighter and she willed Megan to ask her to stay. But it had to be Megan's decision
Megan knew that she wanted Tony to stay more than she had ever wanted anything. But, she also realized Tony had to want to stay or... refusing to take the thought any further, she asked the hardest question she had ever asked, knowing the answer could devastate her, "Do you want to leave?"
"It's not what I want..."
"Oh yes it is what you want. It is your decision." Megan paused, and then took a colossal gamble she hoped she wouldn't live to regret. "If you want to leave, fine, I'll help you find a place." She turned around to leave the room
Tony reached Megan in two swift strides, grabbing her by the arm, "Wait... please. I'm sorry. I didn't want you to think... I just thought... I didn't want to overstay my welcome," the words tumbling out of her mouth as chaotically as her thoughts
Megan had turned around when Tony grabbed her arm. She said softly, "You never answered my question."
Tony looked at Megan, her eyes conveying more than she intended, and said, "I don't want to leave."
"Good, because I don't want you to either. So it's settled." Megan paused, and then added, "I need to go to the store. I'll be back in a little while." Megan wanted some time alone to assuage her raw feelings
Tony had some thinking to do herself. While she hated the idea of moving, she had never expected such a strong reaction from Megan. If she didn't know better... Tony thought about the last week. How comfortable each was with the other. Both of them trying to anticipate the others' needs. She understood her need to be near Megan, but she thought about how Megan had more and more frequently found reasons to make contact, often placing her hand on her arm as she explained something. Her thoughts continued to go over the events of the past week, and Tony made a decision. We need to talk... soon. She knew what a chance she was taking. But the possible outcome seemed worth the risk. If she was wrong, and it cost her Megan's friendship, she'd never forgive herself
Megan left and drove aimlessly around for a while. She knew how she felt about Tony. But could she feel the same way about her? The way Tony had looked at her was more than just friendship. Or was it just wishful thinking on her part? No, her mind disagreed, it was real. But what could she do about it? Tony had given no indication she might be interested... or had she? Megan remembered how all of a sudden Tony had insisted the couch was more comfortable for her than the recliner. She thought about how near her Tony sat on the couch and the way she placed her arm along the back of it, and the light contact when she sat back. She remembered the times she had looked up and thought she saw Tony avert her gaze. What should she do about it? For now, nothing.
If she was wrong, she didn't think she could survive another encounter like this morning. Maybe I'll talk to David Monday. He might have some ideas.
Megan stopped at the grocery store picking up what they needed and returned home. The rest of the day passed relatively quietly with both women enjoying each other’s company, but spending a lot of the time preoccupied with their own thoughts. This was a day where minds warred with hearts, logic versus emotion, decisions were made and discarded, as the battle continued to find the answer to friendship or more, risk or status quo.
Megan entered her office, and saw some mail in her in-box. Sitting at her desk, she started going through the contents, stopping suddenly at the sight of an envelope from the outside lab they used. Ripping open the envelope she scanned the contents and shuddered. No wonder the victims had never fought back. The killer had used a drug in the paralytic class, which induced total paralysis of the muscles of the body, including those used for breathing in 30-60 seconds. The bruise marks and the broken neck were obviously just a ruse to throw off the police. This particular drug was used in the operating room for quick intubation of a patient. The reason the toxicology reports were negative was because the drug is composed of two naturally occurring chemicals in the body. What made this particular choice of drug so brutal was the fact that the victim was awake and conscious as they slowly suffocated, their muscles unable to respond to the commands of their brain. Megan shuddered again. What kind of monster were they dealing with?
Megan called Tony, explaining the lab findings, leaving it to her to contact Sgt. Davies. She still had to figure out how the drug was being administered. The usual route of administration was IV or IM. She was positive there had been no needle marks on the victim she had autopsied. She also wondered where the killer was getting the drug. It certainly was not one of the usual drugs on the street, but she mused, in the black market of drugs, money will buy you anything
Megan changed into her scrubs to autopsy the victim from the night before. At least she knew what to look for now. She just had to figure out how it was being introduced into the body
Tony called Brian quickly filling him in on the lab findings. He decided to put his officers out on the streets rounding up informers. He gave Tony the number to reach their database so she could check for any thefts of that particular drug in the last year
Tony didn't really expect any results. This drug was so uncommon, it was unlikely the killer, who had proven quite clever so far, would be careless enough to leave such an obvious clue
Megan began a slow and methodical examination of the body before proceeding with the autopsy. She checked every possible location for a needle entry point. She knew one of the favorites of junkies was between the fingers and toes. This were unlikely because Megan couldn't imagine any one standing still while someone injected a needle between their fingers. Oh course, there was the unlikely scenario that the victim had agreed thinking it was crack or heroin, which was making a big come back on the streets, but there was no evidence to support that. None of the toxicology screens had shown any drugs and a regular user always had residue in their system. Finding nothing, she thought of everything she knew about the drug. If it wasn't injected, what method could the killer have used? She guessed it could be made into an aerosol. It would be just as effective. She decided to take swabs from the mouth and pay special attention to the esophagus, trachea, and lungs during the autopsy, and take samples from them as well. Megan figured it was worth a shot
Tony checked in with Brian periodically throughout the morning, relating her lack of success and getting updates on the informers they were interrogating. Most of the questioning was being done on the streets, except for the more uncooperative ones
Her doctor's appointment was that afternoon and she figured she'd be back at work the next day. Thank God. She hated sitting around the apartment by herself. She laughed at herself realizing it was probably the first time she had ever looked forward to a doctor's appointment.
Ending her search unsuccessfully, her mind turned again to Megan. Tony was charting new territory and she knew it. In the past her actions had been determined by whatever she hoped to accomplish in the name of the job. So when it came to those *relationships* Tony had always held a part of herself back, knowing it was just a part to be played. It wasn't that she hadn't enjoyed herself, she had. She had just emotionally distanced herself. But this was different. This was real. She decided to talk to Megan that night. Not knowing what else to do, she decided to just lay her heart on the line and let Megan do as she chose with it. If she was wrong, it wouldn't matter anyway. Nothing would
Megan was busy the entire day and never got a chance to talk to David. As it neared 5pm she began trying to finish up so she could get home. Now that it had slowed down, Tony was very much on her mind. She was preparing to leave, when the phone rang. Frowning, she picked it up and said, "Hello."
"This is Dr. Whitehouse. I need you to stay and autopsy a case on the way in now. Jerry went out, but you're on call."
"It can't wait until morning?" Megan asked wondering why it needed to be done right now. This was a very unusual request
"If it could wait until morning, I wouldn't be telling you it needs done now," Dr. Whitehouse answered, angered at the questioning of his decision. The victim was a relative of a friend of a friend. He had been found dead and his friend had asked him if he could rush the autopsy
Calling Tony, she told her she probably wouldn't be home much before 8pm. Tony told her she'd order pizza for dinner
Later, when the phone rang, Tony got up to answer it. "Hello," she said, hoping it was Megan. A strange woman's voice answered her greeting
"Hi, is Megan there?" Ashley was surprised to hear a unfamiliar voice answering Megan's phone
"No. Would you like to leave a message?" Tony offered
"Yes, this is her sister, Ashley. Who's this?"
"Tony. I'm a friend of hers. She had to work late." Tony recognized the name of the caller and knew this was Megan's favorite sibling
"Ask her to give me a call," Ashley said
"Sure," was the simple response
After hanging up the phone, Ashley wondered who Tony was. She hadn't heard from Megan in over a week and that was very unusual. She mused, the last time she had talked to Megan was at dinner... wait... that was when she had mentioned an FBI agent she had been quite impressed with. A woman... I wonder? Ashley decided to have lunch with Megan in the very near future. Like tomorrow
When Megan arrived home after she and Tony ate dinner, she returned the call to her sister. "Hi. What's up?"
"You," hearing Megan laugh she said, "I haven't heard from you lately and just wondered how you're doing."
"Ok. Just been kind of busy lately. You know how it is," Megan answered vaguely
Ashley smiled at the answer. Yes, Megan was definitely up to something. "Want to have lunch tomorrow? We could go to that little Italian place right down from your office."
"Sounds good," Megan agreed, looking forward to seeing her sister
"All right. Is 12:30 ok?"
"Yeah. See you then," Megan answered, anxious to get off the phone. It was already 8:30pm and she hadn't had hardly any time to spend with Tony
Walking over the couch and sitting down, she looked at Tony and asked, "What did the Doctor say?"
"He said I can go back to work," Tony answered in her usual succinct manner
"That's all?" Megan asked, looking at her with raised eyebrows. Megan knew it couldn't be quite that simple
"Well, he did say light duty for awhile," Tony admitted
"That's more like it," Megan said grinning at her. "So did you turn up anything on the drug search?"
"No," replied Tony absently. Her mind was not on work. She had spent all evening trying to decide how to approach Megan
Noticing her distraction, Megan said, "What's wrong? Do you feel ok?"
"Yeah, I feel fine. I need to talk to you about something." Tony paused nervo
usly, once again wondering if she was doing the right thing, so much was at stake here, "Megan... I really care about you... a lot... more than a lot," clearing her throat which had suddenly become very dry, the thought ran through her mind, why don't you just tell her the truth, that you love her. "I love you," she finished expecting her whole world to come crashing down on her. She looked down at her hands, unable to meet Megan's eyes for fear of what she would see there
As realization of what Tony was telling her sank into her mind, Megan's heart began beating erratically and realizing she had stopped breathing, she sucked in a breath. Barely able to comprehend the emotions surging through her, she tentatively placed her hand under Tony's chin urging the eyes up to meet hers. Megan focused the torrents of emotion coursing through her into her eyes and when the baby blues she had grown to love met hers, she said, "And I love you."
When Tony raised her head and her eyes met Megan's, she was caught up in the ever changing vortex of green and gold. She moved her hand to Megan's face, her thumb gently caressing her cheek and spoke, her voice husky with emotion. "How'd I ever get so lucky," she asked wonderingly, seeing the unmistakable love radiating out from the hazel orbs. She bent her head and tentatively brushed her lips across the soft, sensuous mouth she had wanted to taste for so long, ready to stop at any hesitation on Megan's part. She brought her lips down again, lingering, savoring the soft feel of the mouth beneath hers. Megan responded to the gentle kiss and time ceased to have meaning for the two women. Parting breathless, every nerve ending in her body alive, Megan looked into eyes dark with passion. Placing her hand against the back of Tony's neck, she guided her head down greeting the mouth with hers
Hearing the phone ring, Megan's heart sank. She was on call, she had to answer it. "I have to get it," she said as she very reluctantly moved out of the warm embrace, her body protesting the loss of contact. Tony silently cursed the phone