C4_1Dawn

Angel had been there for Nash for quite some time. From the first time they met, when Angel saw the glint of the gun scope and warned Nash, thus saving his life, to the night when Nick swore he would die. Angel considered himself the “guardian angel” over Nash, and was very proud of the meaning of all of that. He just knew that Nash would need some time before he was going to be open enough to listen to him again.

8 months after Nick was supposed to die:

Nash was having a crappy day; the 'cuda was not wanting to cooperate, Joe was in a miserable mood, and to top all of that off, Nick was on a rampage about his independence again. “Leave the house once without your pants, even on accident, and get treated like a child for months on end!! What, do you think I will leave my head here too next time??” Nick had shouted at Nash just this morning.

Nash, who hated yelling at Nick, yet felt driven to it at times, growled back, “No, I just don’t want to come home to find you were cleaning the oven, and left it on with your head stuck in there!” He was still feeling guilty about all of that; he knew Nick had his memory problems, and to tell the truth, had laughed and laughed when he heard about him walking down the street with no pants on.

“Come on damn it!” Nash yelled as the 'cuda started sputtering again.

“Nashman, why don’t you just give up, take the 'cuda to the shop, and ride with me for a day or two?” Joe knew he was walking on thin ice on that one.

“Well, if you promise not to try to kill me showing me how well your car handles, I might think about it. This is going to make me insane!” Nash was seriously getting ticked at the car’s performance, which barely made it to the mechanic’s shop. The mechanic looked the 'cuda over, and told Nash it could be two to five days before he had it running properly again.

“Two to five days?” Nash was hoping he had heard wrong, “This fits with my day just perfectly, anything else want to go wrong? No, forget I said that. I don’t want to know what will happen if someone answers.”

Joe and Nash made it back to Joe’s car, and were driving down the road, when they saw a horrific wreck, and both had their jaws on the floor when they realized the route. “Nashman, weren’t we going to be right there, right when that wreck occurred if the 'cuda had not been cutting out?”

Nash could only nod silently, not believing how close they had come to being in the middle of all of the mess they were seeing. Suddenly Joe gasped, “Nash, isn’t that??”

He did not have to finish the sentence; Nash saw Angel standing on the opposite corner, smiling at them. “Now what the hell is Angel doing here? I have not seen him since…” Nash’s voice trailed off. He had never told Joe about the night he saw Angel, thinking that Nick had died, and how terrified he was.

“Nash, you alright?” Joe was getting worried now; he did not know if he really wanted to see Angel right now. Nash seemed to have hell to go through whenever Angel decided to grace the scene.

Nash had gotten Angel to get into the car, and was trying to get a straight answer out of him. “What are you doing here, and why is it near such a horrible wreck?”

Angle just smiled at Nash, telling him he looked good and how much he has missed him. Nash was getting very annoyed, very quickly. “Angel, you need to tell me what you were doing there, and now. I need to know if we are going to have to answer whether or not you helped cause that wreck!!”

Angel can see Nash is not in good humor, and said, “Nash, I was not there when the wreck happened; I went there because I knew you would be there.”

Joe looked at Nash, rolling his eyes, as if to say, here we go again!

“You don’t know it yet, but you need me again Nash. You and I have some business to tend to.”

Nash is just shook his head. “Angel, we will have to talk later, I have some work to do; it will have to be tonight.”

Nash was so busy that day, that when he got home, he had forgotten about telling Angel they would talk that night. He walked into the apartment. “Nick?” he hollered. “Are you home?”

He could hear Nick laughing at something, and it came back to him, Angel. Now he could see the both of them on the balcony, looking over the city, talking and laughing. “Nash always was one to find trouble before it found him,” Nick was laughing, remembering some of the scrapes he had to pull Nash out of. Angel was finding it funny to hear; the regal captain, in trouble, did not quite seem possible.

Nash knew he had better stop that line of conversation; it could lead to no good. “Nick, I’m home,” Nash wanted Nick to know he was there, so the stories would stop for the time being.

“Hi there son, was just talking to Angel, have not seen him in a while.” Nick was smiling and Nash was amazed at how much better Nick was when Angel was there. His temperament was always softer, and he remembered so much more; there did not seem to be any Alzheimer’s raging through him while Angel was staying with him.

“Nick, Angel and I need to talk; we have some things to clear up, so would you mind excusing us for a while?” Nick bid them both goodbye for the time, and left to go play some poker with some friends.

Nash had eaten, gotten a glass of water and sat down by Angel on the couch. “So, what is it that is so urgent that you had to find me, besides the fact that I would have been in the middle of that wreck if the 'cuda were not acting up today?”

Angel smiled at Nash, as if trying to calm and reassure him. “Nash, it is time for me to leave you, and become my own person.”

Nash did not know what to say. “So, you mean, you are going to give up the wings, and make a life for yourself without the ‘angel persona’?”

Angel was nodding at him. “I just wanted you to know, I would be here for you as a friend, but could not guard you anymore.”

Nash smiled. “Thank you for the warning. I think I will be just fine, have been for this long, and everyone has their time to go.”

Angel smiled. “I just needed to let you know, and to tell you to spend the time you have wisely.”

Nash looked at him. “Why do you have to talk in riddles? Why can’t you just come out and say what you mean? You always have me wondering what you really mean when you do this.”

Angel smiled again. “You will know, soon enough.” He stood up and smiled again. Nash stood up, and Angel hugged him. Nash did not know quite what to say, he knew he would only get more riddles out of Angel, and did not want anymore to try to figure out tonight.

“Goodbye Nash!”

Nash shook his head. “I hate goodbyes, and you know it Angel.” Angel left the apartment, leaving Nash to figure out what he had been talking about, and hoping he did not mean Nick.

Two weeks later:

Having the 'cuda running like new was wonderful. Nash smiled, loving the feel of the steering wheel beneath his fingers, the power of the engine vibrating it ever so slightly. He was used to it by now; this car was his, and he would never sell it.

Joe knew he was in a good mood, so he decided to ask about the meeting with Angel. Before now, Nash had been in such a mood, he knew it would not have been wise. “So, Nashman, how did it go with Angel when he came over?’’

Nash waved his hand, dismissing the whole thing. “You know Angel; half of it was riddles, and I am still trying to fit them in somewhere where they make sense.”

Joe nodded; he knew, he had heard Angel enough times, there was no need for further explanation. “How is Nick doing?”

Nash turned right, and sighed. “I am worried. He is doing so well, I find myself looking for the other shoe to drop.”

Joe nodded, “I know what you mean; like when Inger and I are getting along for quite a while, and I am wondering when I am going to set her off again.”

Nash was chuckling. “No, not quite like that. I tell Nick the truth; I don’t try to cover up my problems or failed ideas with something else.”

Joe looked at him. “Hey man, I do my best, and you know that! Besides, you know you are not the one to be telling me about marriages, look how yours went!”

Nash looked at him, “Bubba, like I have said before, those who can’t, teach.”

At the SIU, Nash and Joe came in, and both were bombarded by the others. Antwon, Harv, and Rachel were all trying to get some information about a new source of trouble to them, letting them know it was going to be a busy day. They all had to get going on this case, to get the three people who were causing such chaos off of the streets, and in jail; and the sooner, the better. Nash went up to his desk to make some calls while Joe gave instructions to the others.

After half an hour, Joe came up. “Nashman, we have some leads to go on, three of them, which is ironic, since we are after three people.”

“Ok, give me five more minutes here, and we will go.” Nash was looking tired for a moment, Joe did not know why, but he had a bad feeling growing in his gut. Nash got off of the phone call he had started, and nodded that he was ready. He and Joe piled into the cuda, and both men were getting a knotted feeling in their stomachs, this one was not going to be a clean sweep, someone was going to be hurt.

Not finding what they needed at the spot they went to, Nash and Joe went to another part of the city to find Harv and Antwon. They pulled up to find them dragging two of the accused out of the building they were in. Harv looked up. “Boss, this is dumb, and this is dumber. Neither one of them can tell us where the top meathead is.”

Nash laughed, “Well, maybe if they go to the SIU, and get some diesel treatment, they might change their minds!”

Harv was laughing, “Don’t know if they will like that thought very much, but will be fun to see!”

Back at the SIU, it only took two hours to get the two men to start yelling out what they needed to know. Harvey was laughing, “Man, you two are wusses, put you in a cell with a man who could flatten you in both smell and size, and you cave in two hours.”

Nash and Joe were on the move again, with the information they had gotten from the two men, they were on their way to get the last person they needed. They drove up to the house, and got out. Both of them walked up on the porch, and their knock was answered by a little girl. “Hi there, is your brother home?” Nash had gotten down on one knee to be at her level, and she nodded her curly blonde head, “He is downstairs, want me to get him?”

“No, we can go down and talk to him, thank you!” Nash and Joe cautiously headed towards the stairs to the basement. The next thing Joe knew, the door was blown through by a huge blast, and Nash was hit. Nash fell to the floor, and blood started pouring out of the hole in his chest. Joe was crying, and on the phone, “This is 5 George 31, I need an ambulance at 315 North Maple, I have an officer down, repeat, I have an officer down!” He did not even realize he was screaming, as he tried to tell himself and Nash that he would be alright.

At the hospital:

The nurses and doctors were looking grim, Nash was not doing good, and all of the people in the waiting room were on pins and needles. Joe had told them he did not care what they had to do, he wanted them to get him better, before he took off, trying to keep from breaking down in front of all of the others.

Harvey was reliving Evan’s experience, not sure what he would do if Nash did not make it. Maybe he would quit the force and move to Florida somewhere. It would not be the same walking onto the barge without Nash, “his boss”, being there. Even Antwon was pacing, all he wanted was to hear Nash was alright, no one wanted to go back to work, the desk upstairs was empty, and that was wrong.

Joe came back in, “Hey guys, as much as we don’t want to, we have to go back to work, and get this slime to pay for what he did to Nash, I am going, you need to be close behind.” Harv and Antwon looked at each other, they had never heard Joe like this, and they both hoped Nash would pull out of it, so they could have the old Joe back.

Nick was sitting where he had been for the three days Nash had been in there, on the left side of the bed, holding onto Nash’s hand, talking to him. He was telling him stories of when Nash was young, and how much fun they had, and kept it up, talking clear up to the present. No one said anything to him, they knew he needed to be there. He would move when they needed to work on him, and be back at his post the second they were done. He knew he would have phone calls to make no matter what happened.

At the SIU:

Joe, Harv and Antwon had gotten the man who shot Nash, and he was going to jail for a very long time. The other three were going to be there, right along with him. Joe nearly came out of his skin when his cell rang.

Nick was shouting on the other end, “He woke up, he is going to be fine!! Nash is awake Joe, they say he is going to be just fine!!!”

Joe would have fallen on the floor if he was not sitting down. All of the emotions he had been holding in for the past four days came pouring out, “Oh God Nick, that is wonderful, when can we see him?” Joe got off of the phone, calling Harv, Antwon, and Rachel over, “He is awake, and is going to be fine!”

Everyone around the desk took a deep breath, all had been hoping for the best, and dreading the worst. They all made plans to see Nash, and went back to work.

A week later:

Nash walked slowly down the gangplank to the barge, Nick yelling at him he should be home the whole way. He opened the doors, and got the surprise of all inside applauding him. He tried to hide the smile that was creeping up on his lips. “Don’t you all have some work to do? Or did crime suddenly take a break?” Joe was grinning from ear to ear. “Nashman, it is great to have you back.”

END