M McDonald - March Into Hell

"You okay?" Jim stepped closer, but if Mark wasn't okay, he didn't know what he could do about it.

Mark nodded as he blew out a breath. "I just moved wrong."

Jessica bent and took his foot. “It’s not a big deal. You think cops don’t get hurt and need help sometimes? What would happen if we refused to let our fellow officers help us?”

He scowled, but extended his foot for Jessica to reach, then grabbed onto the side of the desk, wincing when she pulled the shoe off.

“Sorry, Mark.”

Jessica glanced up, her expression sincere and it dawned on Jim that her tone had changed. Gone was the no nonsense professional tone he was used to hearing. In it's place, was an intimate, soft inflection. That was forgotten when he got a look at a large blood-stain on Mark's sock. He swallowed and was glad he wasn’t the one doing the examining.

Lily made a face and turned away. Apparently she wasn't a natural born medic either.

"You ready?" Jessica's hand hovered over Mark's foot.

“Okay.” Mark's knuckles blanched as he gripped the arm of the chair, but Jim credited him with being braver than he would have been in the same situation as Mark leaned forward for a better look. Jessica eased his sock off and began unwinding the bandage.

Jim scrunched his eyes up in sympathy and tried to look away, but it was like a car wreck, he had to see. Lily looked like she was turning a bit green, so Jim said, “Lily, why don’t you see if you have some clean cloths or bandages around?”

Obviously relieved for an excuse to get away, Lily stepped away from Mark. “Sure, I’ll be right back.”

Jessica turned his foot carefully, running her fingers lightly under it. Mark squirmed and her head shot up. “Does that hurt?”

“No…it…tickles.” Now Mark’s whole face turned a deep red, but he grinned.

Jessica laughed. “Sorry. I think just the scab came off and maybe some bruising on top.” She took the towel Lily handed her and dabbed at the blood. Once it was clean, it didn’t look so bad. Jessica rolled his sock back on, and Mark put his foot back in the shoe, his movements slow and careful. Jessica tied the shoe loosely before standing. She tucked her hair behind her ear. “There. Good as new.”

“Thanks, Jessie.” Mark stood and took a step, his grimace easing after a few test steps. He stopped in front of Jim, Dan and Jessica and extended his hand to Jim. “Well, thanks for the ride.”

Jim stared at him in confusion. “What do you mean? Aren't you just going to get a few things?” He shot a glance at Jessica, wondering what she thought of this.

She frowned and put her hands on her hips. “What’s the deal, Mark? What about the safe house?”

“Sorry, but I'm staying here. I told you guys that in the car. I can't live my life looking over my shoulder forever. If Kern is coming after me, I want to be on my own territory. At least now, my guard is up.”

Jessie shook her head and Jim’s mouth set in a firm line, but he finally scrubbed a hand down his face and sighed. “Fine, Taylor. We can’t force you to go to a safe house.” He crossed his arms and added, “About the best I can do is ask the Chicago PD put a few extra patrols around and check in with you daily." Jim glanced at Jessica to confirm the suggestion. It wasn't his call, officially.

She nodded and turned to Dan. "That should be possible, right?"

"I think we can manage to get the okay, but we can't promise more than a few days. The lieutenant won't approve more than that. Budget crunch and all."

Jim understood budgets only too well. He jabbed a finger in Mark's direction. "Keep your phone handy. If you see anything, hear anything, or hell, have one of your dreams, give us a call. Got it?”

"Got it. I'm just going to head upstairs and relax. I'll be fine. I doubt even Kern would try anything with all the witnesses around."

Jim decided he'd come by in the morning to check in on Mark. He didn't quite trust the phone arrangement any more.

Jessica sighed. "I'm not comfortable with you staying alone. I can stop by in the morning and check in with you. You might need help with your bandages."

"Lily, do you have the keys for the new locks? I'd like to give one to Jessie so she can come up in the morning." Mark kept his gaze locked on Jessica as he spoke and Jim had a feeling that Jessica had nothing to worry about when it came to Lily.

Jim shook off the surge of pleasure that revelation gave him. He didn't have time to entertain thoughts of romance. Besides, while Lily was cute, she was ten years younger than him, and he'd only met her a few times before the night of Mark's abduction.

Lily rummaged in her desk and pulled out a key ring. "Here you go. I got three sets. I wasn't sure how many you'd need. The locksmith assured me the place is more secure than Fort Knox now."

"That's great, Lil. Thanks." He took a set and handed it to Jessica, his eyes more alive than Jim had seen in a long time.

Jim changed his mind about checking in. He had a feeling Jessica would get a much better reception. He hid a smile as she flushed and nodded.

Lily laughed, obviously not the least upset that Jessica would have the nursing duties. "Great! It's settled then."

The minute Jessie, Dan and Jim left, Mark took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The adrenaline rush from the day's events had completely dissipated, and now he felt drained.

Lily locked the door after the trio had left and closed all the blinds. Mark turned towards the door at the back of the office that led up to his loft. Something smelled great and his mouth watered. After bland hospital food, he was ready for something good. “Did you cook something, Lily?”

She grinned and caught up to him. “Yeah. Kind of a welcome home lunch. It’s nothing fancy, just my sloppy joes and hash browns. I turned it off when I came downstairs when I heard the commotion outside. I just hope it's not too cold by now."

It was the perfect choice. He loved how she made them. The sauce was a blend of sweet and tangy and went great with salty hash browns. “That was really nice of you. Thanks. I can’t wait.”

"Good, because it's been ready for over an hour. I didn't know about the press conference until I saw it on the news at noon."

"Yeah. It was sprung on me last minute. It wasn't my idea."

"I didn't think it was, but you did great."

"Liar." He expected her to laugh, and when she was silent, he looked at her. "What's wrong?"

She stopped and rubbed her eyes.

Confused, Mark stepped in front of her and lifted her chin with one finger. "Lil? What is it?"

"I'm just angry at what is happening to you. It's not fair."

Mark smiled and pulled her into a one-armed hug. "Aren't you the one who's always saying God has a plan?"

Her shoulders shook as she chuckled against him. Pulling back, she wiped her eyes. "Yes, you're right. And I believe it. That doesn't mean I don't think that sometimes God's plans royally suck."

He laughed. "Come on. Let's go eat lunch."

Hobbling a bit, Mark made his way towards the steps, not relishing the thought of climbing them, but he found that going slowly helped and it wasn’t bad. Entering, he felt a wave of both relief and dread wash over him. He was relieved to be home. There was no doubt about that, but this was where the cult had first attacked him, and he wasn’t sure he’d ever feel completely secure here again.

Lily turned to him when he stopped just inside the door. "Mark? Are you okay?"

“Yeah, I’m fine, just a little creeped out.” He tried to laugh, but it died in his throat. To forget about his fears, he looked around, noticing that the loft was immaculate. A lot cleaner even than it had been before the attack. He had to smile at that. He wasn’t a slob, but when things got crazy with the camera, housekeeping chores fell by the wayside. “The place looks fantastic.”