WPCTS13

Harvey pounded on the front door with more force than necessary, then waited impatiently before pounding again. When Anna opened the door, Harvey’s eyes were hard as he stared into hers. “Where’s Jerry?” he asked as he stepped inside.

“He’s at preschool,” she said, a little concerned at his mood as she closed the door.

“Did you think I wouldn’t find out about you and Dabney Charles?” he asked point blank as he turned to face her. He was so exhausted that everything around him seemed heightened. All of his senses were all full alert. His emotions had been put through the wringer one too many times. He was furious with himself for believing her lies yet again. “You dated him?”

She didn’t know why she was stunned by his question. She should have known that he would find out. He always found out eventually. But this time she was hoping that it would be different. She wasn’t prepared. “I had nothing to do with his death, Harvey.”

“And I’m just suppose to believe that? Anna, has there ever been a time in our entire relationship that you have been honest with me?”

“That’s not fair, Harvey.”

“You’re damn right it’s not,” he shot back. He was tired of playing around with her. “So what’s the story with you and Charles? And I want all of it,” he warned her.

“We just went out a few times.”

“And?” he pushed.

“There is nothing else.”

“Oh no?” he prompted, giving her every opportunity to confess.

“Why are you doing this to me?” she wailed.

He quickly blocked her way when she started out of the room. “Why am I doing this to you, Anna?” He held up the first of the papers that Joe had given him to read from it. “Driver’s description, blond, fair skinned woman. Thin. Late 30s early 40s. Driving a Chevy Caravan.” He glared back at her. “Stop me if any of this sounds familiar to you.”

“I didn’t know he was robbing the place when he asked me to pick him up.”

“But you knew about it afterwards,” he said, then waited. He deliberately focused on his breathing, trying to slow it along with his heart rate. He was so angry he thought his head was going to explode. “So what was the plan this time? Going to do a movie of the week about how cat burglary should be legalized? Who were you planning on screwing to get that one aired?”

Her hand landed against his cheek with a loud crack. Anna gasped, then covered her mouth with her hands as she stared at him wide-eyed. “Oh Harvey! I am so sorry!”

Harvey nodded and took a couple of steps back when she reached out for him. He knew that he was out of line, but he couldn’t take her Jeckle and Hyde routine anymore. “I’m sick and tired of all of the lies.” His voice was low and even as he maintained control. “I’m tired of being your doormat whenever you need someone. I’m sick of you acting like I owe you a pound of flesh whenever anything goes wrong. I’m cutting the strings lady. You are on your own from here on out. You have run out of favors.”

“Please Harvey, you don’t understand.”

“What don’t I understand? That you were setting me up to be your accomplice? Or maybe even your alibi?”

“I didn’t kiss you because I wanted an alibi. I kissed you because I care about you and I want to be with you. Jerry misses you.”

“Don’t!” he warned her. He was tired of her using Jerry to get what she wanted as well. “You know that I won’t let my son do without. I never have and I never will, but I’m not going to be your puppet.”

“But you will let him do without his mother?” she blurted out, growing desperate.

“What are you talking about?”

“I can’t have this added to my record,” she stated.

“And you’re willing to take me down to protect you?” he countered. “That’s really fair!”

“You have to help me, Harvey. This one last time. Please,” she begged, tears welling in her eyes. This wasn’t how everything was suppose to go. She knew that he cared about her. She knew that he loved her. “What about Sarah Drake?” she asked and received a blank expression in return. “You told Officer Drake that you and I were more than just friends. What about that? Were you lying?”

“No, of course not!” He shook his head slightly, surprised by her question. “You’re the mother of my son. I think that makes us more than just friends.”

“You know that you love me, Harvey. You always have and you always will.”

He hesitated, then sighed heavily when revelation dawned. At least he understood now how the kiss came about the night before. She had assumed that he wanted more from their relationship when he defended her against Sarah. He could sympathize with that. “I’ll always care about you, Anna. That hasn’t changed. But it’s going no further than that.”

“Are you going to tell me that you’re in love with her now?” she snapped back. When he remained silent, she folded her arms over her chest in defense. “I don’t believe it. You wouldn’t have been over here last night ready to take me to bed if you were really in love with her.”

Damn she knows how to push my buttons, he thought. “I should probably apologize for my part in last night. Rachel and I had a fight...”

“No!” she interrupted. “This isn’t happening again.”

“It was wrong,” he admitted. “I shouldn’t have...”

“Please Harvey,” she begged as she grabbed the lapel of his jacket. “You’ve got to help me. I can’t have this on my record.”

“I don’t believe this,” he said as he pulled her hands off of him and started for the door. He had actually started to fall for her game yet again and he hated himself for it. “What is it with you, Anna? Do you actually enjoy watching me dance to whatever little tune you happen to be playing? Here’s a news flash for you. It’s not happening again.”

“CPA is threatening to take Jerry away from me!” she blurted out when she had no other way to stop him from walking out the door.

Harvey turned back around to face her in disbelief. “What?”

This couldn’t be happening again. She almost had him. He was almost back in her life. Why couldn’t she hold him? “I was picked up for prostitution,” she admitted since she had nothing else to lose.

Harvey shook his head as he rubbed his hand over his face. Once again, she had put him into a position where he was forced to help her instead of her simply asking him for help. She loved to force him into a corner. “Yep, let’s add another straw. The camel’s back can take it.”

“I’m innocent, Harvey,” she professed.

“Of course you are! You always are!”

She sighed heavily as she put her hands on her hips. “I was dancing at a party that got raided. They didn’t believe me when I told them that I was just there to dance.”

“They didn’t believe you?” he asked in feigned shock. “I can’t imagine why anyone wouldn’t believe you Mrs. Gepetto.”

“That’s not funny.”

“Do you see me laughing?” he countered. There was total silence between them for a moment. The battle of wills was over. “Let me tell you something. You had better get this straightened out on your own because if the Child Protection Administration gets involved, I’m going for full custody of Jerry.”

“You can’t do that!”

“Watch me.”

* * *

Rachel picked her way carefully into the abandoned building. The debris on the floor made each step a strategic placement. “Harvey.” She said his name softly, afraid to shout. It was so dark in the house she could barely see the clutter in front of her. The place looked familiar to her, but she couldn’t recall when she had been there. As she nudged aside a box to get a better footing, she saw something red roll out into a shaft of moonlight coming in through the boarded windows.

Her heart dropped when she recognized the red beret. She glanced around at the shadows, then she bent down quickly to retrieve Harvey’s beret. She used her pen light to scan the floor around her the best she could, then moved further into the house. She jumped at the sound of a gun shot, then she heard Harvey cry out in pain. Her heart was in her throat as she ignored everything in her path and followed the sounds.

She fought to control her own breathing as she pressed herself up against the dingy wall. The peeling paper and broken plaster was clawing at her clothes, keeping her from safety. Keeping her from Harvey. One quick glance into the next room and she squeezed her eyes shut at the image she received. Two men had Harvey kneeling between them, obviously facing a third still out of view. The men had to hold Harvey up because of the bullet someone just put in his leg.

“Take out the other one,” the familiar voice said and a second shot immediately fired followed by Harvey’s anguished cry as a bullet was buried in his other leg.

She knew she couldn’t wait any longer. The next bullet could kill him. She had to get him out. She drew in a deep breath, then turned into the doorway. She didn’t hesitate to take out the two men holding Harvey, but when she turned to the third, she was staring down the barrel of a gun. A gun in the hand of Samuel Chon.

“Mom! So glad you could make it.”

Rachel’s heart was in her throat and her mouth felt like cotton had been packed into it. She couldn’t move. She couldn’t speak. She was frozen to the spot. Harvey was on the floor discretely searching the two men she gunned down for weapons. She could feel her hands trembling and yet her gun remained still, pointing at her son.

“Harv was just telling me about a case file he has on me.” Samuel moved is arm quickly, transferring the laser site from Rachel to the center of Harvey’s forehead. “You would think that my own mother would have done something to protect her only son.” He took a step toward her. “I am the only one, aren’t I?”

His voice was echoing in her head. How could this be her son? How could she be in such a position to literally have to chose between her son and her soul mate? This couldn’t be happening. The grin on Samuels’ face was nothing like she had ever seen before as his eyes shifted from her to Harvey. Rachel looked down at him just in time to see Harvey raise a pistol that he had found on one of the bodies. Shots rang out in every direction and then all Rachel could hear was the sound of her own voice. “No!”

Rachel sat bolt upright in her bed, sweat making her clothes cling to her body, her heart racing and her breathing coming in rapid gasps. She jammed her fingers into her hair as she tried to shake the vivid feelings brought about by the nightmare. The images were such a jumble that they began to spin in her mind, throwing her senses even more off balance.

Seconds later she was stumbling her way into the bathroom to throw up what little there was in her stomach. Then she stripped off her clothes and stepped into a cold shower to shake off the last of the side affects from the medication. “That’s not going to happen,” she told herself as the water poured over her face. “There is no choice.”

* * *

Harvey drew a deep breath as he started up the steps at the SIU on his way to see Nash. His body felt like lead and his brain had more cobwebs than coherent thoughts after 36 hours without sleep. He could hear the siren’s call of his pillow and yet there were so many things that he still needed to do.

Thanks to the surveillance detail, he had been able to get the space he needed to give him a little perspective. It hurt when he found out about the kiss between Nash and Rachel, but now that the pain had eased some, he knew that neither one of them was deliberately trying to hurt him. It just happened. Like the kiss between him and Anna....at least on his part. About the only thing he had managed to decide in the last 24 hours was that he wanted both Nash and Rachel in his life.

“Just checking in boss,” Harvey said casually as he walked up to the desk. When Nash looked up, Harvey had to keep himself from grimacing. The cut on his lip was deeper than he remembered. “Nothing on Bledsoe yet.”

Nash nodded as he stood from his desk and walked around to the other side where he sat on the corner. “Yeah, Antwon already called me about it. He’s hot and heavy after this one. He wanted to check on a couple of leads before turning in tonight.” He paused for a moment, unsure of how to begin. “Listen, I’m sorry about that situation with Anna.”

“You don’t know the half of it man,” he returned softly. He was so use to confiding in Nash that he spoke without thinking. It was strange how it still felt comfortable to confide in him even after what had happened. Then again, Anna and Rachel were two entirely different subjects. “Anna got busted for prostitution and now the Child Protection Admin is sniffing around.”

“That’s never good,” he returned. “I can probably make a few phone calls if you...”

“No need,” Harvey interrupted. “I’ve already spoken to my attorney and he thinks that I’ve got a good shot at getting full custody.”

He couldn’t have been more stunned by the announcement. “Is that what you want?” he asked with concern. He knew that Harvey loved his son very much and had heard him say often enough that he wished that he could spend more time with Jerry, but he didn’t know that Harvey was considering making it permanent. It certainly wouldn’t make things any easier between him and Rachel.

He nodded his head and couldn’t stop the smile from growing on his face. “I can’t imagine anything better.” Having his son full time would mean added problems, but he was certain that it was the right thing. He could feel it.

“What do you need from me?” Nash offered with his hands held wide.

“Possibly some last minute time off. If CPA tries to take Jerry, I want to be there.”

“You’ve got it,” Nash returned with enthusiasm, then stood to reach out and give Harvey a pat on the shoulder. “You need anything...” he said.

“I’ll let you know,” Harvey concluded.

“When was the last time you got some sleep?” he asked.

“What month is this?” he asked in return.

“Go home Harvey.”

He started to walk away, then stopped as he looked back at Nash sitting down at his desk again. “You know, some people think you should fire the guy that punched you.”

Nash smiled, then winced. That was a mistake. “That would be like cutting off my right arm, bubba, and I’m not that stupid.”

Harvey smiled, then turned and left.

* * *

When Rachel walked into the SIU, it didn’t take long to notice the sudden change in atmosphere from a busy office to a quiet sanctuary. She slowed her gait considerably as she glanced around at the faces. Not a single smile. It must have been a rough day for everyone, she thought, then picked up the pace again.

Her first stop was Harvey’s desk. She could tell at a glance that he had packed everything up for the day. He wasn’t exactly a neat freak, but he did like to have things just so at the end of his shift.

“That’s Inspector Leek’s desk,” Betty said unnecessarily as she folded her arms over her chest.

Rachel looked up at her uncertainly. “I know,” she said, then glanced down at the desk calendar only to have it snatched away by Betty.

“That is personal property, Inspector McCabe, and it doesn’t belong to you.”

Rachel’s mouth dropped open as she stared at Betty in disbelief. She glanced around at the people surrounding them and they quickly feigned busy work, pretending as if they hadn’t heard a thing. “Okay,” she said as she held her hands up in surrender and slowly backed away. Her eyes traveled rapidly around the SIU as she mounted the stairs on her way to see Nash. Everything was so stilted that she felt like she was walking through a dream.

“So what’s with the Stepford cast?” she asked as she walked up on Nash from behind, then she cringed when he turned around. “Ouch,” she said as if it was the first time seeing his lip. She had been so dosed up on drugs that she had forgotten about his split lip. “I don’t remember it being that bad last night. Does it still hurt?”

“Only when I laugh,” he returned and gave her a practiced smile that did little more than curl up the corners of his mouth. He nodded back toward the main floor. “What are the masses doing to you?”

She shook her head. “I just got this weird vibe walking through there like I shouldn’t be surprised to see the villagers gathering with torches.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, I’ve been getting the cold shoulder today. The only thing that everyone knows for certain is that you and Harvey had a fight,” he informed her. “No one’s really sure how I fit in. I think that there is actually a pool on how I got my split lip and whether or not Harvey and/or you were involved.”

“That’s lovely,” she returned.

“By the way, have you forgotten that you have been banned from the SIU for 48 hours.” He looked at his watch. “By my watch you still have the better part of 34 hours to go.”

“Yeah, that’s sort of why I came by,” she said hesitantly. “I’m a little fuzzy on what happened this morning. I remember something about bullets and Harvey being Antwon, but I’m not really sure how it all fits together.”

Nash chuckled. “Knowing you, there’s no telling.”

“Thanks. There was one other thing,” she began again. “You wouldn’t happen to know where my badge and gun are, would you?” She cringed when she asked. She was certain that she had left them on her dresser and Nash had been her only visitor other than Harvey’s two brief stops.

“Yeah, I figured that you were too out of it to remember. I picked them up last night.”

“Oh good,” she said with a sigh, then held her hand out, waiting for him to return them. “I was really worried there for a sec.”

Nash folded his arms over his chest. “No doubt you forgot that I told you that the doctor has to release you before you get them back.”

“Very funny,” she said with chuckle, still waiting for her badge and weapon. “Now come on. Hand them over.”

He leaned up against one of the vertical supports as the ends of his lips curled up. “And the 48 hours stands. You’re taking the time off whether you like it or not. After that, if the doctor releases you, I will give you back your badge and bullet thingy.”

She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. She wasn’t sure why he had chosen those particular words, but she was left in no doubt to their meaning. “Okay. I get it. I’ll play nice.” She gave him an innocent smile and knew that he wasn’t buying it. “So how did it go today with Harvey?”

Nash shrugged. “He spent most of the day on surveillance. I only spoke with him briefly about an hour ago, then I sent him home to get some sleep.”

“You look like you could do with some too,” she returned.

“Thank you so much. Would you like to go for an additional 48 hours of leave?”

“I’ve never seen you look better,” she corrected herself.

He chuckled again. “That’s all right. I’m heading out of here myself in a few minutes.” He studied her for a brief moment. “You still haven’t had the chance to talk to him?”

She shook her head sadly. “I was hoping to catch him here, but his house would be better, I suppose.”

“There will be fewer ears around anyway,” he commented.

“That’s true,” she smiled as she started to back away. “Hey, thanks for helping me out this morning. I really appreciate you staying with me. Oh!” She pulled an electronics store bag out of her jacket pocket and handed it over to him. “It’s an antenna for your phone,” she told him. “See. I wasn’t totally out of it. I’m sorry that I got so freaked out about it, but I just didn’t want Harvey to think that I was pulling something on him to try to get him back. I felt like an idiot for letting it happen in the first place.”

“I can understand that.”

Rachel stopped passed her desk on the way out and was checking her files when a woman walked up to her desk and slammed a stack of mail down, scattering it and her files everywhere. “What did you do to Harvey?” she asked hatefully, then walked off.

It was only as the woman was leaving that Rachel recognized her as the same woman who had been congratulating her the day before. “Who are you?” she asked again in vain, then looked around her. “Does anyone know who she is?” she asked, then started to notice the stares in her direction and the eerie silence that suddenly filled the SIU.

She couldn’t have felt more on display. Everyone there knew that she was the one that hurt Harvey. “What?” she said, holding her arms out for anyone to say anything. “Haven’t any of you ever made a mistake?” she asked.

“She doesn’t deserve Harvey Leek,” she heard someone say, but couldn’t see who.

“You’re right,” she responded anyway as tears started to prickle her eyes. “I don’t. But I’m doing to do my best to change that.” She looked around to all of the faces silently, boldly staring in her direction. That was one of the things that she loved about the SIU. They were a family and they really cared about each other. Especially Harvey. Everyone loved Harvey. Including her. “If he’ll let me,” she added with a little less confidence.

* * *

Rachel walked up the steps to Harvey’s home slowly. She could see a few lights on in the house, but it was mostly dark against the setting sun. She couldn’t believe how hard it was to walk up to his door. She wanted to speak to him so badly, but she was afraid of what the conclusion might be. She knew how women had hurt him in the past and she was ashamed of the fact that she had been added to that list. She would spend a lifetime making it up to him if he would only let her. That was her biggest fear. That he wouldn’t.

She cleared her throat before rapping on the door. Giving the doorbell a push a second later. Her stomach fluttered nervously as the seconds ticked by, then she began a debate with herself about whether or not he wasn’t opening the door simply because she was on the other side of it.

She turned away, walking out to the edge of the porch where she was able to catch the last rays of colorful light on the horizon. A sunset. An ending of the day. Hopefully not an omen, she thought as she looked down at the key on her key chain. If Harvey didn’t want to see her, then using the key could only make things worse. She sighed as she looked back at the horizon again. If she didn’t use the key, she would wonder all night if he was even home. She glanced over at the PT Cruiser sitting in its usually parking spot. She knew that wasn’t any indication that he was home. He could have easily gotten a ride from someone else.

“He’s just going to have to get ticked off at me,” she said softly as she looked at the key, then returned to the door to use it.

She heard the Grateful Dead music as soon as she walked into the house. The light that she could see from somewhere inside was coming from Harvey’s memorabilia room. Rachel crept slowly over to peek inside, her eyes falling on Harvey immediately. He was sound asleep in a beanbag chair in the middle of the room. An unopened beer sat beside him, the condensation pooling on the floor.

She smiled as she watched him breath. He looked so peaceful, she thought, then was struck with a memory. She had found him in precisely the same position one morning after his breakup with Bonnie. He had confessed to her then that the only way he had been able to sleep was in that beanbag chair in the Dead room. He would listen to the music for hours on end, using the pictures on the walls to distract him when his memories became too painful. Then he would eventually fall asleep.

Her eyes closed in her shame once more. How could she have been so stupid? She had to move then, to do something, and went for the first thing that popped into her mind. A blanket. She started to pull the comforter off of his bed, then stopped. Instead, she took the twin size comforter off of Jerry’s bed. The smile grew on her face as she looked down at Harvey with a Rolie Polie Olie bedspread covering him. That would be plenty to keep him warm for the night. She picked up the beer and cleaned up the puddle it left behind.

She paused to look at him once more before leaving. He must have been exhausted to have fallen asleep so fast, she thought. She knew that he tended to pace when he was upset and could imagine him wandering around the house all night long. He hadn’t even had the chance to open his drink before nodding off. She wanted to touch him, to brush the errant curls on his forehead aside, but she didn’t want to wake him. As much as she needed to talk, she was willing to bet that he needed the sleep more.

“I love you,” she whispered, then blew him a kiss.

* * *