NashIA1Story

Leaping across to the next building, Evan tried not to catch a glimpse of the ground…three stories below. The stitch in his side was getting worse, making him wish he hadn't insisted on eating before making the stop at Charlie's pawnshop. Who knew the little weasel was going to run on them? Nash was right; Charlie was into something big this time, too big. He was in way over his head.

Having a reputation for not being above buying stolen merchandise, Charlie also sold illegal weapons under the table. Word had made its way to the guys at the SIU that Charlie was dealing with some big leaguers. That made Nash Bridges very curious…and nervous. Charlie wasn't exactly known for his intellect.

Evan put on a little burst of speed, cursing the drunk with his stupid shopping cart. He could feel the soreness in his hip from the unexpected collision with the drunken man. The fall had slowed him down, so now he had to try to catch up. He was really sucking air, and his calves burned from the effort. He made yet another leap to a neighboring building and suddenly lost sight of his partner as Harvey chased Charlie around a large air-conditioning unit.

Just as Evan drew near the AC unit, he heard the heart-stopping sound of a gunshot. Harvey! Sliding to a stop, Evan dropped to his knees and drew his weapon. Leaning his shoulder against the cool metal, he tried to slow his gasping breaths and closed his eyes for a brief moment…afraid of what he'd find when he peered around the corner.

Taking a deep breath, Evan brought his gun up and leaned around the edge of the AC unit. He could see Charlie already running across the roof of the next building. Harvey was sitting on the ground about ten feet away. He was holding his beret in his left hand and had his other hand pressed to the side of his head. Evan ran over and knelt next to his partner in concern. "Harvey! Man, are you okay?"

His face a mixture of pain and disbelief, Harvey pulled his hand away from his head and stared at the blood staining his fingers. He looked at Evan, then at Charlie's departing form on the other building. "I can't believe the little rat shot me!"

Still seated in disbelief, Harvey stared at Evan then back at his blood stained beret.

"I can't believe he actually hit you man. That had to be pure luck. He's not exactly a crack shot."

"Evan you are not helping matters, so if you don't mind, I'd like to get my blood soaked head to a hospital now."

Smiling, Evan helped his partner up. On the way back to the car Evan called Nash then put Harvey in the ambulance that had just arrived. As the EMTs checked Harvey over, he became a bit irate when one of them accidentally snipped a piece of his armband while trying to cut some tape. Evan had to help restrain him, while also attempting to control his own laughter.

"What the Hell is wrong with you people? Do you not realize what this is?" Harvey shouted.

"Well officer, it looks like an armband..."

"It is not just an armband you moron!!" He tried to lunge at the young man as Evan quickly got between them.

"Come on Harv. Calm down. It can be fixed."

"No it can't, Ev. It's ruined!! Jerry's memory is ruined!"

The EMT tried to make another comment, when Evan hurried him to the front of the vehicle.

Nash and Joe met up with Evan in the waiting room, while the doctor finished up with Harvey.

"So you mean Charlie actually fired a gun...and hit Harvey??" Joe just shook his head and tried not to laugh. A few minutes later Harvey walked out of the room with the doctor, and stared at his friends all trying to hide their amusement at the situation.

"So is he gonna make it doc?"

"I'm afraid so Nash. The bullet just grazed him."

"Good, then I can put his lazy butt back to work."

Harvey just rolled his eyes and made for the door. Getting to the car he remembered that Evan still had the keys, and snatched them from his hand.

Harvey's bad mood was just progressing as he headed back to the SIU. Not only had he been shot by a complete idiot and his beret had been bloodied, but his Jerry Garcia armband had been desecrated. "What else could go wrong?" he wondered as he parked his car in front of the barge.

Walking inside he was greeted with a few cheers and some playful banter. He disregarded most of it as he walked to his desk. Spinning in his chair, he began to tap at his keyboard as he eyed the monitor. Suddenly, there was a power surge and the lights flickered. When he looked back at his monitor, he saw that his screen had disappeared. "Dammit," he muttered to himself. Just one more thing to add to his list of problems for the day. He looked up and saw Rachel coming toward him.

"Hey Rach, I have a question for you..."

"Shoot."

"We've been working on this system for the last few months right?"

"Yeah?"

"So why is it that every time there is a power surge the damn thing just falls apart?"

"Honestly Harv, I think it's you." She smiled at him as she tossed a piece a paper in his direction.

"I'm serious. We've put a couple hundred hours into this thing, and I'd just like to see it work for once!"

"Calm down Leek. You know as well as I do, that until we get a different set of cables and get the city to pay for better wiring, it isn't gonna be much better than this."

He sighed then smiled back at her. "I know. I know. I'm just having a bad day."

"So I heard...how's the head? Hurt much?"

"Nah, but I imagine my foot will when I shove it-"

"What was that partner?" Evan chimed in.

"Shut up Evan. I'm not talking to you."

Evan stared at him with a puzzled expression on his face. "What did I do?"

"Well for starters, you were half an hour late today.   Then, you had to finish that damn burrito at lunch, which made us late to the pawn shop, which in turn got me shot, which in turn ruined my armband!" Harvey pointed to the tattered band clinging to his arm.

At this point everyone began to look in their direction, to see why Harvey had begun to shout. Before Harvey could yell at the people that were staring at him, his attention was caught by a rather loud and obnoxious voice coming from the barge entrance. As he glanced in that direction he could almost make out the face of the handcuffed man that Ronnie was bringing in.

"This is a violation of my civil right!" The obese man bellowed, his voice practically echoed through the SIU, drawing everyone's attention.

Harvey put a hand over his eyes as his head throbbed. The last thing that he needed was someone yelling. He stood from the desk to assist Ronnie when the large man started to struggle, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Give him a sec," Joe said as he watched Ronnie wrestling with the man.

Harvey's brows drew together then he glanced back at the two men near the entrance. "Don't tell me you have a pool going?" he teased.

"Just fifty bucks on Ronnie," he returned.

Harvey shook his head, instantly regretting it when his head began to throb loudly in his ears. It didn't surprise him that Joe was forever looking for that fast buck. What surprised him was when it actually paid off. "Joseph, hasn't anyone ever told you that long-range investments are the best way to go?"

"You don't get rich playing it safe, bubba," Joe returned as he started to shadow box, mimicking Ronnie's movements as he put the obese man in a headlock. "Damn. Didn't look like the dude had a neck," he chuckled.

"Apparently he doesn't." The man was able to slip out of the grip easily and actually wrapped his massive arms around Ronnie, picking him up off of the ground.

Unfazed, Ronnie tweaked the fat man's nose until he let go of him, screaming with pain. He then led him off to the holding cells in the back.

"You win," Harvey said to Joe, who only smiled in satisfaction and sat down at his desk.

"Oh, poor Harvey! What happened to you?" Harvey spun around to face Cassidy. She reached up to touch his face, but he quickly flinched away to avoid her hand.

"Nothing", he replied. "I just have a slight headache, that's all".

"Have you seen Evan around anywhere?" she asked.

"He's gone to get our lunches, that's all. He'll be right back, if you'd care to wait for 5 minutes," Harvey answered.

"No, I don't have the time; I have a class in half an hour. I just wanted to ask him something. It can wait until tonight," Cassidy said over her shoulder on her way out. "Hi,
Dad. Bye Dad," she said, and kissed her father on the cheek as they met in the doorway.

"Hi honey, were you looking for me?" Nash called out after her, but she only shook her head as she left.

"Good catch, Harvey," Nash said with a wide grin. "Takes some practice to catch a bullet like that. You should take better care of yourself next time though. I suggest you practice some ducking and dodging in the future."

Harvey did not look too amused by the banter from his boss, but didn't say anything.

"Now, what steps have you taken to catch this guy?" Nash asked.

"We know a couple of his usual hang outs and Evan and I are going hunting as soon as he gets back," Harvey replied.

"Where is Evan, anyway?"

"He'll be back soon, he just had some personal business to take care of."

"Don't wait too long in going after this guy or he'll burrow down too deep into the ground for us to catch him," Nash said, as he went over to his desk and picked up the phone.

As Harvey sat at his desk waiting for Evan to return with lunch, he began to wonder about everything that had happened in the last few hours. He was getting impatient with his young partner, and decided to go out for some air. Reaching down to pick up his jacket, he panicked. Frantically, he searched around his desk then anywhere nearby. Oh my god, he thought. My jacket is gone. Then he remembered his armband was still on his jacket, and his panicked state escalated. He started roaming around the SIU trying to find his prized possession, but it was nowhere to be found.

Noticing a grief stricken Harvey rummaging through the barge, Nash stopped him to find out what was wrong. "What's up bubba? You lose something?"

Harvey glared at him angrily. "Very funny Nash, where is it?" He said, reaching out his hand. "I have no idea what you are talking about Harv, but if you tell me what you lost I'd be glad to help you find it."

Harvey became infuriated and simply waved Nash away and went about his search. With each minute that he couldn't find the armband, he grew more and more angry. The entire crew had begun to watch him in amazement, trying to figure out what he was so hot for.    After about a half hour of rifling through everyone's belongings, Harvey saw Evan entering the barge with lunch. He walked towards him and realized that Evan was wearing his jacket, but there was one problem with this picture. The armband was missing.

"Sorry bro, I meant to ask you, but it started to rain and I needed a jacket. Mine was in the truck." He could see the red tinge coming over his partner's face, and shot back a confused smile. "What's with you? It can't be the jacket. You wouldn't begrudge a guy some dryness would you?" He said as he took of the jacket and placed it on Harvey's chair.

I'm gonna kill him, Harvey thought, as he looked over his jacket trying to find the armband.   Fumbling through the pockets inside and out, he couldn't find it anywhere.    Unbeknownst to him, Evan had begun to watch Harvey and was holding back the laughter as he held the sacred armband behind his back.

"What are you looking for Harv?" he said straight faced as he watched his partner frantically searching the jacket again. "What did you do with it Ev? Where is it? Don't mess with me man. I want it back now." He had already turned several shades of red at this point and Evan could hardly contain himself. Joe and the others had gathered around to get their lunch, and saw Evan hiding the armband. They waited until Harvey had his back to them and began tossing it back and forth.

Seeing that Harvey could take no more, Evan motioned for them to toss it back to him and with a big smile he handed it back to his partner. "I was just playing man. Look, I got it fixed for you," he said as he handed it to him.

"Ev I swear, one of these days, you are going drive me completely insane."

"Is that the thanks I get for going half an hour out of my way to get that thing fixed for you?"

Harvey smiled and shook his head at him as he slipped it back onto his jacket.

   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nash glanced at his watch. It was well into the evening and only a few officers remained at the SIU. Nash got up and, grabbing his jacket, he headed for the door. He could hear someone typing away on their keyboard down stairs. Nash had grown accustomed to his people's typing habits. Joe and Evan, for the most part, used the one-finger method. As for Rachel and Harvey, they could go do it both ways depending on their mood. He thought, "It has to Rachel or Harvey."

As he made his way down the stairs, he saw Harvey typing away on a report. "Harvey why don't you call it night?"

"What?" Harvey asked turning to Nash.

Nash pulled up a chair that was nearby. "Harv, you have had a long day, go home."

Harvey sat back in his chair. "Oh, I will Nash. I just want to finish this report."

Nash knew that getting shot was eating away at Harvey. He knew he had to make the first step. "Harvey, are you okay?"

"Sure boss; I'm fine," he answered half-heartedly.

Nash could only nod in agreement. Sooner or later Harvey would open up. He hoped more sooner than later. "Okay, Bubba." Nash got up to leave. "Say, Harvey, if you don't want to come in tomorrow no one would blame you."

"Thanks boss. I think I'm going to be fine," Harvey answered as he went back to typing.

"Let's keep it that way," Nash answered as he headed out of the SIU.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cassidy snuggled closer to Evan on the couch as they watched TV. "Ev?" She asked, as she laid her head on his chest.

"Yeah?"

"What happened to Harvey today? I stopped in earlier today while you were out and he had a bandage on the side of his head? When I asked what happened, he said nothing happened."

Evan sighed. "Harvey was shot. The bullet only scratched him, but still shook him up pretty bad."

"Have you talked to him about getting shot?"

"No, we've just been kind of messing around with him about it. They guy who shot him couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, so how in the Hell he hit Harvey we'll never know. And, to add insult to injury, when the paramedic's were cutting some tape for the gauze pad on his wound they cut his arm band," Evan said laughing.

"Evan that's not funny. Harvey loves his Grateful Dead armband."

"I know. I went and got it fixed during lunch. We played Keep Away with it as we watched him dig in his coat pocks for it," he answered, continuing to laugh.

Cassidy pulled her self off Evan.

"What's wrong Cass?"

"You can be such as jerk sometimes." Cassidy got up gathered her things and left.

Staring at the door after Cassidy slammed it shut, Evan sat in bewilderment. He couldn't understand what just happened. He leaned back against the couch and picked up the remote. Idly flipping channels, his mind drifted to his partner. Thinking about all that had happened that day, Evan felt a twinge of guilt. He had been less than supportive to Harvey. If he was to be truthful with himself...he'd been down right obnoxious.

Tossing the remote onto the coffee table, Evan stood and grabbed his jacket. He had the sudden overwhelming urge to go over to his partner's house to check on him. He'd have some heavy-duty apologizing to do to Harvey.

The streets were practically empty this time of night and Evan made the drive in near-record time. He was surprised when he didn't see Harvey's car in its usual spot. He parked his truck and locked the door. Jogging up the steps and knocking on Harvey's door, Evan didn't get an answer. Dropping down to sit on the top step, he tried to figure out where in the world his partner could be.

It didn't take long. If Harvey wasn't home, he was usually at the SIU.

Staring at the computer screen in the darkened room was increasing Harvey's pounding headache, but he continued to finish the report for Nash. It was almost midnight, the late hour contributing to the throbbing soreness. He seemed to be making twice the normal typos, which made the whole process take that much longer. Crossing the last 't' and dotting the last 'i', Harvey hit save and sat back in relief. He rubbed his eyes, gritty with sleepiness, and massaged the muscles at the back of his neck. He was so tired. Yet, he couldn't stop his mind chasing around and around. He'd come so close to getting killed today. One half inch in the wrong direction...

"Stop thinking about it, Harvey." Talking to himself out loud didn't seem to help.

He needed to get home, but was a little leery of driving with his head hurting like it was and being so drowsy. Maybe if he just laid his head down on the desk for a little while. A few minutes later, Harvey was sound asleep...his head pillowed on his arms, sitting at his desk.

Evan got up and jumped into his truck, heading for the SIU, hoping he would find Harvey there. So many things were going through his mind as he now realized Cass had been right. How could he have treated his partner, brother, best friend this way? No matter what, he had to find Harvey, and now!

He pulled into the SIU parking lot and saw Harvey's PT Cruiser, mumbling to himself as he parked his truck. "Great, he's here. Now all I have to do is try and get him to listen to me…know how sorry I am. Man, Cass was right; I've been a real jerk. This is not going to be easy, if he's been working all evening and in the same mood."

Evan ran into the SIU, but stopped short as he saw Harvey sound asleep, laying his head on his desk. He knew how tired Harvey must be so didn't want to awake him, but at the same time he didn't want him sleeping like that, especially being hurt.

Mumbling to him himself again, Evan thought, "I have to get him home somehow, but that would mean waking him." He sat down at his desk, thinking. Then an idea struck him. "Wait, I can bring an extra cot down from the holding cell for him, then I'll sit here with him till he wakes up. That's it; perfect!"

Evan went to get a cot and blanket, and found Matt on duty. "Matt, will you help me with Harvey? I need to get him on the cot downstairs without waking him up."

Matt had heard the rumors of what happened but thought it best just to help, rather than ask questions at this point. "Sure Evan, no problem."

As Matt was helping Evan get a still sleeping Harvey on the cot, he noticed that Harvey wasn't looking good at all. "Gee Evan, looks like he needs a good night's sleep to me."

Evan said, "Yeah, Matt, and a whole lot more."

A few hours later, Harvey woke up to find Evan's concerned face staring back at him. With a half smile, he turned over on the cot then rose with a start, trying to figure out how he ended up there. The last thing he remembered was sitting at his computer. Then he felt the side of his head. Well I must not be dreaming, because the bandage is still there, he thought. Rubbing his eyes, he looked over at Evan. "What are you doing here?"

"Just waiting for you to wake up, bro." Evan got up to get Harvey a cup of coffee. "Look, I just wanted to apologize for yesterday. I was a real jerk."

Harvey smiled and gave him a nod of agreement. Handing him the steaming hot cup, Evan continued to apologize. "I got a little carried away with the jokes, and I shouldn't have."

For about fifteen minutes Evan apologized for all his deeds in the last 24 hours, as Harvey sat there silently taking it all in. "Are you gonna say anything, or just sit there?" Evan asked.

"Well, I was just savoring the moment. It isn't every day the great Evan Cortez humbles himself like this," Harvey responded with a slight chuckle. They both began to laugh. "Don't worry about it man. You didn't need to apologize. A joke is a joke."

Evan looked at him curiously before speaking again. "Let me get this straight. I've been sitting here for the last fifteen minutes pouring my heart out, trying to apologize and you were willing to forgive me from the first words out of my mouth? Man, that's cold, Harv."

Looking up at his partner over the rim of his coffee cup, Harvey merely replied, "It was just a joke, Ev."

Sitting back, Evan nodded his head in agreement. He deserved this, if not a whole lot more, for what he'd put his best friend and partner through. "Okay, you got me."

"Good. Now help me get up out of this contraption and let's go see if we can find the little rat that shot me. Him, I'm not so willing to forgive."

Evan extended his hand and helped Harvey to his feet. Once the cot was empty, two of the uniformed officers came over and moved it back to the holding cell. Evan thanked them for their help. Putting on his jacket and making sure his armband was properly displayed, Harvey took one more sip of coffee before heading to the door.

"So where do you think we should look first," Evan asked.

"Well, the one nice thing about Charlie is he's usually pretty predictable. And whenever he gets into trouble, there's one place he runs to. Let's hope today that he's true to form."

As Harvey and Evan pulled away from the SIU, Harvey reached up and pulled off the gauze pad that had been placed on his head. He noticed fresh blood on it.

Evan glanced over. "You okay?"

"Yeah, fine Ev."

Evan noticed the bloody gauze pad. "Um, Harvey is that fresh blood?"

Harvey rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but don't worry. Okay?"

Evan just nodded. "Sure man. Say, we're coming up on Liquid Jay's"

"Good I smell that rat from here."

Evan couldn't resist one more poke at Harvey. "No, man; I think that's you. You didn't shower today remember?"

Harvey shook his head, instantly regretting it. He squinted his eyes to try and stop the world from spinning. Evan pulled into a parking spot and, as he jumped out of his truck, he turned to see Harvey place his hand on the hood of the truck to steady himself. Evan ran over to him, concerned. "Harv, what's wrong?"

"I'm just a little dizzy that's all."

"I'm calling for back up."

"No, Evan I'll be fine. Let's go."

Evan watched as his partner carefully made his way into the bar. Charlie eyed the entrance to the bar as Evan and Harvey entered. Quickly, he made his way towards the back entrance. Harvey sat down on a stool while Evan talked to the bartender. Looking up where the bartender pointed, Evan could see Charlie's small frame making for the exit sign. Within moments he was hot on his heels as Harvey went out the front to try and cut him off.

The pain in Harvey's head was worsening, but he kept running. He wasn't about to let the little rat get way this time. Pain or no pain, Charlie was going down and he was going to get the pleasure of taking him down. Heading around a corner, he heard Evan call out then he saw Charlie dash into the street.

Turning around, Charlie aimed his gun at Evan and Harvey and pulled the trigger. "Not this again!" Evan shouted as he watched the bullet go into a car several feet away.

They had picked up speed after the shot was fired and a few seconds later, Charlie was face down on the concrete. With Harvey's knee in his back, he began to shout. Once the cuffs were on, they dragged him up and moved him to the car. "After seeing that last shot, it amazes me that he was able to hit you."

Charlie looked at the bandage covering Harvey's head. "Oh my god. Did I do that?" He asked. Evan and Harvey just looked at each other in bewilderment as they put him in the car.

"Look, Harv. I am real sorry about the head thing, but can't you cut me some slack?"

Harvey saw Charlie's expression through the mirror as Evan started the car. "You can't be serious? Ev, tell me he isn't serious."

"Well, partner, it sounds to me like he's serious."

Harvey was about to respond when a sudden rush of pain came over him, and he slumped back in his seat grabbing his head.

"He don't look so good," Charlie said, pointing into the mirror. Evan glanced over to his partner and was stunned by the sudden paleness that had taken over Harvey's face.

"I'm taking you back to the hospital, bro. I don't care what you say," Evan said as he turned the car around and started towards the hospital.

"Man, I'm...ok...it's just a little.…" Before he could finish the sentence, Harvey passed out and Evan turned on the lights and stepped on the gas.

Sitting in the waiting room with Charlie beside him, Evan waited for the doctor to finish with Harvey. Looking through the glass, he saw the doctor motion for him to enter so he headed into the exam room. "So how is the patient doc?" He asked.

"Not bad. He has a mild concussion. Nothing a little rest and relaxation won't cure." The doctor smiled as she put down her clipboard. "I want you to take him home and make sure he stays there for at least a couple of days. You get me, Harvey? I've already called Nash and told him to take you off duty for the next few days."

Evan eyed the long-legged blonde for a moment before looking back at his partner. "You heard the lady, bro. It's home for you." He could think of a few things he'd like to do at home with this doctor but then he stopped himself, remembering he was supposed to be here helping Harvey.

She walked out the door and let the three of them alone. Evan's eyes followed her.

"If you get a minute, could you hand me my jacket, Ev?" Harvey asked, as he waved his hand in front of Evan's face.

"What? Huh? Yeah sure," he responded as he clumsily handed him the jacket.

"You are unbelievable, bro. You bring me to the hospital, and all you can do is fawn over the doctor like some twelve-year-old with his first crush."

"Hey man, there's no law against looking," he responded.

"Really? Even if you are sleeping with your boss' daughter?"

Evan looked back with a pitiful frown on his face. "That was cold," he said in a dejected tone.

"Well someone had to say it," Harvey shot back.

They stared at each other for a moment and then began to laugh. They headed back to the car still laughing a bit. "First stop is to the SIU to drop of the rat, then it's straight home for you," Evan said as he turned the key and started out of the parking lot.

Evan helped Harvey into his house, watching every step his friend made. "Easy Harvey."

Harvey was still a little dizzy. "Okay man."

After getting Harvey inside, Evan helped him take a seat on the couch. "What do you need, Harv?"

Harvey thought for a minute. "Um, a shower. Then I think I'll lay down for a few."

"Okay let me help you up stairs."

"Ev, I can make it up stairs and I can even shower by my self."

Evan chuckled. "I know, but I'll stay here just in case you need me."

"Thank you."

      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Evan waited until he heard the shower running before pulling out his phone and calling Nash.

"Nash."

"Hey boss it's me. I'm at Harvey's."

"How's he doing?"

"Dizzy and tired. The doctor said someone should stay and watch out for him for 24 hours, just in case."

"Well, I'll give Cassidy a call. We need you down here."

"Why?"

"The unies cleaning up the scene where Harvey was shot found the bullet that hit him. They have already run it past ballistics, and the bullet didn't come from the "Rat's" gun."

"So whose did it come from?"

"Well that's what we are going to find out."

"I want to be there to talk to The Rat; you think Cassidy will come over?"

"Yeah. She's called about four times today, checking on Harvey."

"When she arrives here, I'll come to the SIU."

"We won't start the interrogation with out you. Bye."

"Bye." Evan closed his phone. Sitting on Harvey's couch, listening to the sound of his friend moving around the upper level of the house, Evan tried to digest the information that Nash had given him. If Charlie hadn't shot Harvey, then who had? And why? It gave him some rather distasteful food for thought. If someone else had been on the scene, how had both he and Harvey missed them? They'd checked out the area clearly before they had moved in - or so they'd thought.

He also realized that it could have been him that had been shot and/or killed. Or, that Harvey should have been injured a lot worse. But in some ways, it did explain the reason that Charlie had been so surprised that Harvey had been hit. In any case, it made him all the more anxious to get over to the SIU to see what the little rat had to say about the whole situation.

Hearing Harvey coming back down the stairs, Evan got up and waited for him at the bottom. "Harv, what are you doing?"

"There's a load of dishes in the sink that need to be done, man. King needs to be fed and walked, and ..."

Evan just laughed as he blocked his partner from moving any further. "Not a chance, bro. You are going to get some sleep. The doc said you are supposed to rest and take it easy. Housekeeping does not fall into that category."

"Yeah, but she doesn't have to live here and ...."

"Harv, if I have to drag you back upstairs, we both aren't going to like it."

Looking at Evan, for the first time Harvey saw not only the deep concern in his friend's eyes, but his tired reflection looking back. "I look that bad, huh?"

"Well, let's just say that this isn't the day you would want anyone to be taking your picture."

Laughing, Harvey dropped onto the steps. "God, I feel awful."

"It's about time you admitted that you're not feeling on top of the world. Now, do you want a friend to lean on to go back upstairs or can you make it on your own."

"I think I can handle it."

"Okay. I talked to Nash - something has come up with Charlie and I need to go back to the SIU for a while. The doc said that you should have somebody stay with you for the first 24 hours. Cassidy's been calling the SIU regularly since this happened to see how you're doing, so Nash has asked her to come and stay with you."

"I don't need a babysitter, Ev, especially the boss' daughter."

"Just humor us, okay? This way she can see for herself that you're okay. Besides, she was riding me pretty hard earlier about what a jerk I was being with you. So let's just follow the doctor's orders and then the next couple of days you can rest and relax on your own."

"Oh, all right. I can already tell that I'm not going to win this one. I surrender."

Smiling, Evan helped Harvey to his feet. He watched as his buddy started up the stairs. Halfway up, Harvey turned around. "Ev."

"Yeah, Harv?"

"Thanks."

"That's what friends are for, bro."

Harvey disappeared, and Evan was about to return to the living room when he heard a knock at the door. He opened it and found Cassidy on the other side.

"Hi Cass."

"Hi Evan," she replied, hugging him. He was happy that she was making the first move. "How's Harvey?"

"You know Harvey. He'd rather be working or busy, but I think he finally realizes that he needs some rest and to take it easy."

"Good. Daddy told me that you've been keeping an extra close eye on him."

"He's my best friend and partner. I'd never really let anything happen to him."

She smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I didn't think so. Now, I know that you're anxious to get to the SIU so you'd better get a move on. I'll see you later."

"Great. If you or Harvey need anything, give us a call. Somebody will come running."

Evan picked up his coat, gave Cassidy a kiss, and took a quick look up the stairs before he headed out the door. Now that he knew Harvey had someone to stay with him, he was ready to get over to the SIU. He was looking for some answers and he hoped that Charlie would be able to provide them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Across town, Conrad Fowler sat at his desk, listening to one of his favorite operas on the office stereo system. He leaned back in his chair, eyes closed, as he let the music relax him.

Just as the music was reaching its crescendo, there was a knock on his door. Normally he would have been tempted to yell at the person on the other side but the music had helped him to mellow out so he walked over to the door and opened it. He found his number one man, Richie Marshall, on the other side.

Richie had been pacing outside the door for more than 10 minutes, working up the nerve to knock. Everyone knew how much Conrad loved to listen to his music without the slightest interruption. But Richie also knew that the information he had was very important. So, he had risked his job and other repercussions and knocked on the door. Seeing a calm face on Conrad had helped ease his anxiety.

"Richie. Nice to see you."

"You too, boss. Sorry to bother you but we got an update that I thought you'd better hear about."

"Come on in." Conrad walked over to the bar and poured himself a large Scotch. "So what's going on that was so urgent?"

"The cops picked up Charlie. They have him in custody over at the SIU."

"What? You sure about this?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. Seems Charlie was following his usual routine and the cops found him at his favorite bar. The little worm ran but they caught him."

"Just once I want that little moron to do as he's told. I thought we told him to stay low. Normally, I wouldn't deal with him but he usually gets you the results that you want in a hurry.   Has he talked to the cops yet?"

"Nah. They're waiting for one of the other SIU cops to show up before they question him. I think they'll lean on him pretty hard, especially since one of their guys got shot when they tried to pick Charlie up the first time."

"Too bad Mickey missed and didn't take the cop out completely. And, knowing that the cops will press Charlie with everything they've got, Charlie's likely to squeal like a stuck pig, too. Damn - the timing on this couldn't be worse. This deal is too close to being done to have something like this happen now."

"I know. What do you want to do, boss? Do we shut down the deal?"

"No, Richie, not a chance. We just find a new person to handle Charlie's part."

"I'll get right on it."

"But before you do that, we have one more item to take care of. Make sure Charlie doesn't talk to the cops, Richie. Now - or ever."

Richie smiled. "I figured you might say that, Conrad. George and Donny are already in position. I'll call them and give them the go ahead."

"That's music to my ears, Richie. Just what I wanted to hear. You did talk to Mickey about his mistake too, didn't you?"

"Absolutely. You don't have to worry, sir. He won't be making that mistake again," Richie replied. Or any other, he thought to himself. He'd personally made sure that Mickey was no longer a problem for Mr. Fowler or anyone else in the organization.

"Terrific. Then on that note, if you will excuse me, I have..."

Richie nodded, not waiting for his boss to finish the sentence. He'd delivered his message and made it out without any injuries. It was a good day. Closing the office door behind him, Richie took out his cell phone and dialed a number.

"George, Mr. Fowler wants you to make sure that Charlie doesn't get the chance to tell the cops anything. Do the job and do it right. Don't make me come looking for you." Not waiting for a reply, he closed his cell. The deal would be done in a couple of days and once Charlie was taken care of, nothing would stand in their way.

   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nash walked into the interrogation room followed by Evan. "Okay Rat start to squeak."

"Where's Harvey?"

"Home resting. Now start to talk, you little punk." Evan yelled.

"Easy there, Evan. Rat, come on, your lawyer already said he won't come in and you refused a court appointed one."

"I won't talk unless it's to Harvey."

Nash shook his head. "Why?"

"Some people want him dead."

Evan looked over to Nash the back to the Rat. "Who?"

"First, his ex-wife. She paid me ten grand to off him."

Nash looked at him in disbelief for a second then he looked over to Evan. "Call Harvey and get him in here."

"Sure boss."

"Who else Rat?"

"There is a gun deal going down. I knew Harvey was going to be a part of it, and so do some other people who wanted him taken out."

"How do you know that, and who are these people?"

The Rat leaned in close to Nash. "First, you have a dirty cop working for you and second, I am afraid to tell you for my own life."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harvey felt someone lightly shaking his shoulder as he slept. He turned over to see Cassidy staring down at him. "Cass, what's wrong?"

"Evan called; you have to go into the SIU. Charlie wants to talk to you. It's important."

Harvey sat up and scratched his head. "What time is it?"

Cassidy glanced at her watch. "About 8:00 P.M."

"Okay, give me a second and I'll be right down."

Cassidy gave him a small pat on the arm before going back downstairs.

Cassidy and Harvey sat quietly as they drove to the SIU. Cassidy glanced over at Harvey, who was resting his head on the window.

"Harv?"

"Yeah?"

"You okay?"

"Sure, just a little tired," he answered as he sat up.

"So, how many stitches did you get?"

Harvey smiled slightly. "Seven."

Cassidy nodded as she pulled into the SIU parking lot. "Lucky number 7."

While Evan was making the call to Harvey, Nash looked at Charlie. "You think Harvey's a dirty cop? What the hell have you been sniffing?"

"He's dirty - I guarantee it."

"I seriously doubt that you could even come close on this one. The chances of Harvey being a dirty cop are about the same as the chances of Mother Teresa being a sex goddess," Nash firmly replied, walking behind Charlie. The temptation to slap the little rat in the back of head was pretty strong.

Turning around, Nash was about to say something when a shot rang out. A moment later, Charlie's head hit the table, a trickle of blood seeping from a wound on the right side.

Ducking for cover, Nash drew his weapon. In an instance, Joe and Evan appeared, staying low but with their weapons in hand as well. Checking the areas outside, the three men carefully looked out to see if they could locate the gunman. Satisfied that it was safe to move, they got up. Evan rushed over to Charlie and checked for a pulse.

"Sorry, Nash man, he's dead. Damn it to hell this case is getting more bizarre by the minute."

"You said more than a mouthful there, bubba. Did you get hold of Harvey yet?"

"Yeah, I did. He and Cassidy are on their way in."

"I was hoping you'd been too busy. Oh well, we'll talk to him about this when he gets here."

"Nash, I don't get this one at all. I'm mean, Charlie's a little fish in a very big pond as far as crime in this city goes."

"I know. But obviously he knew something that he wasn't supposed to, and someone was worried he was going to tell us. I think he was starting to do that before he was shot."

"What? There's more? What else did Charlie say to you?"

"Nothing I like any better than what he said about Bonnie paying him to kill Harvey."

"Boss, what's going on here?"

"Somebody's putting a hell of a big target on Harvey's back. And I damn sure want to find out who and why real fast."

   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harvey chuckled quietly to himself. He didn't exactly consider seven stitches `lucky'. He unbuckled his seatbelt as Cassidy pulled into an empty parking space and shut off the engine. He practically fell out of the car, but managed to right himself and maintain some semblance of dignity. Walking around the front of the car, he pulled the door open for Cassidy just as she was reaching for the handle. Smiling her thanks, she stood from the car and laughed softly.

"Harvey, I sure wish a little of you would rub off on Evan. You'd think with the two of you spending so many hours working together, it would."

Shrugging as he shut the door, Harvey smiled sheepishly. "He's young, Cassidy, give him a little time. He'll learn, trust me."

Cassidy linked her arm in Harvey's and led him past the parked cars toward the SIU barge. "Don't worry, Harvey, I'll give him time to learn. I guess we're both pretty young, huh?"

"Yeah, Cass, you are. You two have all the time in the world. Don't be in such a hurry to get to journey's end…there's a lot to be seen and experienced along the way." Harvey smiled then glanced back down at his feet. "Hey, wait a sec, Cassidy. Gotta tie my shoe. I'd hate to have to explain to the doctor that I ended up back in the ER because I tripped over my shoelaces."

As he bent down to tie the offending shoelace, a loud clap sounded almost simultaneously with the shattering of the side window of the car Harvey and Cassidy were standing next to. Grabbing Cassidy, Harvey threw them both to the ground between two cars. Covering her body with his, he drew his weapon and looked around frantically, trying to find the source of the gunshot that had almost left a hole Harvey was sure he didn't need.

He could feel Cassidy trembling beneath him, and Harvey was terrified that something would happen to Cassidy…and he wouldn't be able to do anything to stop it. God, what would I tell Nash?

As Harvey crouched behind the car, it felt like hours had passed since the shot blasted its way across the parking lot. He knew, however, that it had been only a few seconds. Harvey heard himself ask Cassidy if she was alright, but could barely hear her answer due to the ringing in his ears. It was as if her words and the rest of the world were a hundred miles away, but somehow pounding on the inside of his skull at the same time. One thought kept running through his muddled brain. If anything happens to Cassidy I'll never be able to forgive myself.

At that moment, a bullet to the head didn't seem like the worst thing that had happened to him that week. Harvey raised his gun and peered over the hood. He tried to see where the shots were coming from, but the gunman fired again and the car was pelted with bullets. Harvey ducked behind the car for cover. He heard a scream. Then he realized that it was Cassidy. At first Harvey hadn't been sure who had screamed. It sounded so far away.

They were pinned down. Another round of shots rang out. It seemed to Harvey that the bullets were being aimed towards the gas tank. He leaned back against the car door suddenly and started to laugh.

"What's so funny?" he heard Cassidy whisper at him.

"Honey, I never thought I'd end up being B-B-Q."

"What? Harv, you're not making any sense."

Harey's head bobbed up and down slightly as he tried to focus on Cassidy's face.

"...Harvey?!"

The absurdity of the situation was all Harvey could think about. He started to cough and laughed even louder. Another spurt of gunfire hit the car then a single shot was fired from the SIU barge. A second later, Cassidy heard Evan's voice.

"Harv? Cass? You guys ok?"

At the sound of Evan's voice, Harvey looked up at Cassidy and smiled sweetly at her before he passed out.

"Evan! Over here; Harvey's passed out!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Evan and Nash were standing near the window in the small, dimly lit hospital room. The lights of the Bay reflected off their somber faces. Cassidy was sitting in a chair by Harvey's bedside.

"Nash man, do we have an ID on our shooter?"

"No, he was clean. Looks like another professional. As soon as the boys in the morgue are done with him, we should have more information to go on." Nash rubbed his face. "Bubba, whoever is behind this is going to regret the day he stepped foot in my city."

"Daddy, he's coming around."

Evan and Nash moved closer to the bed. "Hey there partner, how you feeling?"

Harvey looked up at them sheepishly. "Uh, I have a bit of a headache. Nothing serious."

"Man, you've gotta take it easy. The Doctor says you have to stay overnight this time."

"No really, I'm fine. Let me catch my breath and I'll be ready to go. What happened with the Rat?"

"He's dead...," Nash began.

Evan started talking over Nash, "What are you, some kinda nut? You've been shot..."

"It's not the first time.…" Harvey tried to sit up, but thought better of it as his head started to pound.

"See, what'd I tell you?" Evan looked at Cassidy for support.

"Oh shut up Evan, I already have a mother. I don't need you baby..."

"Harv, Evan...you two ladies can fight over this later. Right now, we need to figure out who's gunning for Harvey," Nash interrupted.

"Right Nash, and don't forget about Bonnie."

"Bonnie?" Harvey looked at Nash in surprise then turned to look at Evan. "What's she got to do with this?"

"What does this have to do with Bonnie?" Harvey asked again.

Nash stared at him as though he didn't want to answer. Harvey looked around the room and saw the glances everyone shot in his direction while he waited for an answer.

"Is someone going to answer me or what?" He asked as he threw his arms in the air

"Well bubba, according to Charlie, Bonnie put a hit out on you-"

"She did what?!" Harvey stared at Nash in utter disbelief, as he tried to get out of the bed.

"Easy man, the doc said you had to be here overnight." Evan moved in front of him to stop him from getting up

Harvey was now angry and very confused. He knew things between he and Bonnie had not ended well, but he couldn't believe she'd do something like this.

"She wouldn't do something like that!" He shouted as he sat back in the bed

Nash still wasn't sure if Charlie had been right about his accusation, after all the guy had said that Harvey was a dirty cop which couldn't be further from the truth. But something about this whole thing seemed awfully strange.

"Well none of us are sure we believe him, but we have to check it out." Evan said as he walked towards the door.

The last few hours had seemed so surreal for everyone, especially Harvey. The thoughts swimming through his head at the moment were enough to make anyone crazy. He had been shot at repeatedly, passed out at least twice that he knew of, and now they were telling him his ex-wife might be the cause of it all. This was too much for one day. The medication seemed to be kicking in, and Harvey began to close his eyes and drift off. Nash and the others said good night and quietly left the room when they saw Harvey drifting.

   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back at the SIU they began going back over all the files they had on Charlie trying to find out what possible connections he had, and how he could possibly have thought that Bonnie was involved in all this. Finding the one behind the hit on Harvey had become first priority for everyone, and the barge was a bustle trying to do just that.

"Oh my god!" Evan cried as he hung up the phone. Putting his hands on his forehead, he began rubbing his temples. This is not good, he thought, as Nash walked over to see what was going on.

"Whatchya got Ev?" He asked as he sipped at his coffee

"You're not gonna like this. As a matter of fact, no one is going to like this, least of all Harvey..." Evan shook his head as began to tell them what he had found out "I just got off the phone with-" He barely began his sentence when they saw him fall to the ground then heard the shot that had been fired. Everyone ducked and reached for their weapons.

"Not again," Joe said as he hit floor and drew his gun

"This is the second time today. What do they think we are, target practice or something?!" Nash retorted, as he leaned in to check on Evan.

The bullets kept flying for a few more minutes, and then they ceased. Carefully Nash rose and checked the area. The sniper had made a clean escape, and Nash was now even more furious than before. "What in the hell is going on here?!" He shouted as he applied some pressure to Evan's wound. Luckily the bullet only pierced his shoulder, and he was able to sit up and wait for the EMTs to arrive.

Nash walked over to Evan who was getting stitches put into his shoulder. "Hey Bubba, how're you doing?"

"Lucky the bullet just went in and out of my shoulder."

"Say, Evan what were you going to tell me about Harvey?"

"I have a friend who works at the bank were Harv has his accounts, and I had her take a look at his checking and saving accounts to see if there had been any major increase or decrease in the last few weeks he has been on the case."

"And?"

Evan looked down. "His savings account took a sharp increase last week."

Nash already hated what he was hearing. "How much?"

"$120,000. Dollars."

Nash cringed. "Where in the hell did Harvey ever get hold of so much money?"

"Nash, do you think Harvey is dirty?"

"I have known him for well over 15 years." Nash stopped saddened by what he was about to say. "I doubt it, but I want to confront him on it first."

   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Conrad Fowler back in his chair as he listen to Donny explain how he missed one cop but got another that night along with Charlie. Bonnie walked in on the conversation.

"Did I hear you right; you didn't kill Harvey yet?" She asked angrily.

"Sorry ma'am, but I missed."

"Who's the other cop you shot?" Conrad asked.

"Some young one. He was Latino, I think."

Bonnie knew who he was talking about, but didn't want to say anything.

"Donny, just do your job. Don't take any more potshots at cops unless it is Leek! Got it?"

"Yes, sir," Donny answered as he turned and left.

Bonnie crawled into Conrad's lap. "I thought your people knew what they were doing?"

Conrad ran his hand up her leg. "They do, baby."

Bonnie got off of his lap and headed for the door. "I'll see you later." As Bonnie left his office she paused and for a minute. "If you want anything done right you do it your self."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nash walked slowly down the hall to the elevator. When the doors opened, he stood for a moment, oblivious to what was going on around him. He shook his head and stepped on the elevator, punching the button for Harvey's floor. He just couldn't believe what the evidence seemed to be pointing to. Harvey was the most honest person Nash knew. Not to mention one of the most dedicated cops Nash had ever had the pleasure to work with.

The elevator came to a stop and the doors slip open. Nash stepped onto Harvey's floor and glanced at the room numbers as he headed down the hall. He paused outside the door to Harvey's room, trying to delay the inevitable. He half hoped that Harvey would be asleep. Unfortunately, he wasn't that lucky.

Hearing the door open, Harvey woke with a start and turned his head toward the door. Squinting in the darkness, he relaxed when he made out the form of Nash. "Hey, boss. What are you doing here?"

Dragging a chair closer to Harvey's bed, Nash sat down and stared at his fingernails.

"Boss?" Harvey knew something was wrong and, after the day he'd had, he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to know what it was.

Taking a deep breath, Nash looked his friend in the eye. Harvey's blue eyes stared unwaveringly back, and Nash refused to believe that Harv was capable of what he'd been accused of doing. "Harvey, we need to talk."

Becoming increasingly concerned, Harvey pushed the button on the side rail to raise the head of his bed. "What is it, Nash?"

Glancing back down at his hands, Nash shook his head. "When we had Charlie in for interrogation this afternoon, he said some…disturbing things. He was killed before we could get anything else out of him. Evan did some checking on Charlie's allegations."

Nash looked back up to hold Harvey's gaze. "We had another sniper attack this afternoon. Evan took one in the shoulder, but he's going to be okay. He'll probably be your roomie tonight." Nash attempted a half-hearted laugh, but it didn't work.

Knowing something else was obviously bothering his boss, Harvey began to worry. "That's not all you came to tell me, is it?"

Well, Nash should have known he couldn't hide anything from Harvey. "No, it's not. Harvey, Charlie said we have a dirty cop and pretty much insinuated that it was you."

"What?" Harvey didn't know whether to laugh, or worry some more. "You've got to be kidding."

"Harvey…," Nash hesitated. Man, how he hated to have to mention the rest of it. "Harvey, Evan found a deposit for $120,000 in your account. I need to know how it got there."

Staring at Nash in complete and utter amazement, Harvey felt his head begin to pound again. "Nash, your guess is as good as mine. If I had that much money, I'd retire."

Staring back at Harvey, Nash sat quietly for a moment. He didn't know whether to feel sadness, disappointment, or relief. He hated himself for doubting…but still, he couldn't help that little voice that kept telling him that cops had gone bad before.

Sensing Nash's confusion and doubt, Harvey laid his head back on his pillow in anger and disbelief. His boss, his friend, wasn't sure he believed him. Without even looking at Nash, Harvey sighed in defeat. "Go home, Nash; it's late. You can start investigating me tomorrow, if you want. Whatever. I'm tired."

Nash hoped that, in the end, Harvey would be proved innocent. Unfortunately, he wasn't sure their friendship would ever be the same after that night. Knowing there was nothing else to do, Nash simply stood and walked out the door. Pausing in the doorway, he looked back at Harvey…and prayed that Charlie had been blowing smoke.

When Nash left, Harvey sat up and pulled the string to turn on the light above his bed. He knew HE hadn't deposited any $120,000 in his account. Not unless he'd gotten one helluva pay raise. The only other solution was that someone was trying to set him up. Well, he was sure as hell going to find out whom.

He was still trying to figure out his next move, when a nurse wheeled Evan into the room. It looked like Nash had been right. The two were to be roommates. The nurse helped Evan into the bed, explained all the buttons and gadgets and admonished both men to get some sleep.

Unable to stand the doubt in his partner's eyes, Harvey rolled over and faced the wall. He couldn't figure out how his friends and co-workers could doubt him after all this time.

Feeling about a dozen different emotions, Evan shifted in his bed, wincing when the movement tugged at the stitches in his shoulder. "Hey, Harv, how are you feeling?"

Without moving, Harvey sighed. "Fine, Evan. Don't worry about it. Go to sleep."

Evan wondered how in the world everything could change so drastically in so short a time. Knowing he wouldn't get anything else out of his partner, Evan pulled the blanket to his chin and tried to get some sleep.

The soft, even breaths from Evan assured Harvey that his partner was asleep. Finally. He didn't think the younger man would EVER quit tossing and turning. Harvey knew the only way he'd clear himself was to find out where the money had come from. The only way he'd figure that out…was to get to a computer.

He pulled open the drawer of the little nightstand between their beds, and retrieved his watch. It was after midnight. Well, the SIU was likely to be mostly empty this time of night. He really needed a computer.

Getting dressed as quietly as possible, Harvey slipped his wallet, keys and change back in his pockets. Tiptoeing past Evan, he slowly opened the door and poked his head out. He waited until the nurse at the desk went to answer a call light then quickly made a dash for the elevator. Harvey bounced on his toes, waiting for the elevator to reach his floor.

"C'mon, c'mon. Hurry." Harvey stretched to check for the nurse. "Hurry!"

The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. Harvey stepped into the car and punched the button for the ground floor. When the doors quietly closed, he sagged against the wall in relief. Now all he had to do was get a taxi, get to the SIU, break into the bank's computer system and follow the money's electronic trail. Piece of cake. "Yeah, right. Man, I can't believe this is happening to me."

The elevator doors creaked open and Harvey moved silently into the hospital's cavernous lobby. As he made his way towards the exit Harvey couldn't believe his luck. The security guard was gone from the desk, and there was almost no one around at that hour. Thankfully the ER entrance was on the other side of the hospital and Harvey was able to slip out into the inky blackness without anyone seeing him.

Harvey stopped outside the doors for a moment to catch his breath. The darkness covered him like a blanket. Raindrops splashed lightly across his face but Harvey didn't notice. He suddenly felt energized and moved towards a cab standing at the curb. As Harvey slipped into the back seat he noticed two shadowy figures standing about ten feet from where he had been just moments before. He couldn't really see them, but he knew they were there. His cop instincts were on full alert. Just then one of them struck a match to light a cigarette and Harvey could see their starched, crisp hospital uniforms. He breathed a sigh of relief and settled back into his seat.

Harvey slammed the taxi door and turned to the driver. "SIU, and make it snappy." Harvey pulled a fifty out of his wallet and waved it in front of the man's eager face. "Understand?"

"Sure, man. Whatever you want."

As the cab driver pulled out of the hospital parking lot Harvey leaned back against the seat and closed his eyes. His mind was racing with all the information he had learned since waking up on that cot at the SIU the night before. Man...Evan. Did his best friend and partner really believe that Harvey had turned dirty? And Nash... they had been friends for nearly two decades.

Harvey groaned and opened his eyes to peer outside the window. As the city rushed by in a blur his mind wandered to his ex-wife. Could she really be out to kill him? It seemed incredible. But Harvey still couldn't figure out why. Is she behind this frame job? He didn't think so, but at this point he wasn't about to count anyone out. Or anything. As the cab neared the docks Harvey felt certain that Bonnie wasn't involved with the money showing up in his account. Harvey grinned to himself and muttered under his breath, "She isn't that bright". His voice caught the driver's attention.

"Sorry, did you say something?"

"No friend. Keep driving." Harvey's shoulders shook slightly as he continued to chuckle softly. His ex-wife was a lot of things. Petty, demanding and clingy sure, but smart? No. The one thing Harvey had never been attracted to was her mind. Bonnie couldn't find her way out of bed without a roadmap! There was no way she could have thought this up on her own. And Charlie was too small time for such a big con. Who then?

"We'll be there in a minute. The traffic's been real light."

Harvey turned his attention towards the front of the cab. The hack ID over the dash identified the driver as Pierre Leitchmullerstein. And he thought Leek was a hard name to live with!

"So Pierre, where did you get a name like..." he stopped in mid sentence. As the cabbie turned the corner Harvey lost all the remaining color from his face. He grabbed frantically at Pierre's arm, "STOP!"

"Huh, you want me to pull over?"

"Yes, over there." Harvey stabbed frantically at the air, motioning for Pierre to turn around. They moved quickly onto a side street, across from the barge. All Harvey could do was sit there and stare towards the parking lot. There was no moon that night, but that didn't stop him from noticing a flash of yellow as they approached the SIU. The 'Cuda's bright paint could be clearly seen through the murky darkness. The rain made the car practically glisten. If it had been any other night, ANY other week, he would have appreciated the beauty of it. Now it seemed to be mocking him. All he could see was how garish and grim it looked. Harvey glanced at his watch. It was almost 1 o'clock. What was Nash doing at the office?

"You wanna go somewhere else?"

"Huh...?" Harvey turned. He could see that the cabbie was getting anxious. "I don't know. Give me a minute to think."

"Ok" Pierre paused for a moment, then said, "The meter's still running, just so ya know."

Harvey gave him a dirty look. He pulled another twenty from his pocket and handed it over to the cabbie. "Don't move." Harvey's mind was in a spin. What was he going to do now? He needed that computer. With Nash at the office there was no way he could use the one at the SIU. And he couldn't go home. If someone was out to kill him that was the last place he should be. For a second he thought about sneaking into Nash's place to 'borrow' his laptop, but then realized that would be insane. What was happening to him? He was thinking like a desperate man. "Oh God Jerry, what am I going to do?." He touched the armband on his jacket and suddenly a thought flashed in his mind.

He gave Pierre an address and directed him to pull slowly away from the docks. Minutes later the cab pulled to a stop. Harvey paid the driver. "You never saw me."

"Right"

Harvey checked the street before opening the cab door. He stood on the sidewalk and looked up at the darkened windows of the dingy apartment building. He suddenly turned and leaned in to talk with the driver. "Wait...Pierre, why don't you take your family out to Alcatraz tomorrow? Hmm..." Harvey put another couple of bills in the man's hand. "And don't tell your boss where you're going." When Nash found out he was paying off cab drivers, Harvey was in deep trouble. It would probably give some people the proof they needed to convict him. He couldn't worry about that now. He had to get into Evan's apartment.

Harvey pulled away from the window and turned to face the building once more. The sudden motion caused him to get lightheaded. He put his hand to the bandage on his head. As the cab pulled away he put an arm out to steady himself. "Oh hell, I'm going to pass out again! C'mon man, get a hold of yourself."

After a moment's hesitation he managed to clear his head. With a quick glance around the sleeping neighborhood Harvey climbed the stairs to Evan's apartment. Grinning to himself he muttered, "Thanks bro, you're helping me without even knowing it." Harvey inserted his spare key into the lock and moved inside.

   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Evan opened his eyes and peered into the darkness. His shoulder had started to ache again. He couldn't think of anything worse than being shot.

Evan turned over onto his back. He looked up at the ceiling for a moment. How did they end up here? Harvey can't be dirty. He can't. It's impossible. Or is it? He'd been complaining about long hours away from his kid, the lousy salary, dealing with scumbags everyday. Evan turned towards Harvey's hospital bed.

"Hey, Harv... you awake?" His voice barely penetrated the stillness of the room. "Harvey?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~