Radclyffe - Safe Harbor

She was nearing the Provincetown limits when her portable phone rang. "King," she responded tersely.

"Its Reese. Take six west toward Herring Cove. Look for my cruiser on the side of the road. Im about a hundred yards in along the dune trail."

"Have you got her?" Tory asked, thinking that Reeses voice seemed strangely hollow.

"Yes - on the double, Tory."

Reese was waiting at the roadside, hastily stringing yellow tape across the mouth of a narrow path in the sand. Briannas motorbike lay on its side in the scrub by the side of the road. The front was twisted and dented. Torys stomach clenched when she saw it, and what Reese was doing.

"My god, Reese - is she alive?" Tory called as she approached.

"Yes, for now," Reese replied grimly, as she helped Tory slide the portable stretcher from the back of her Jeep. "Follow me - keep to the trail. I dont want to contaminate the scene any more than we have to."

Tory stared at her in astonishment. This is Bri for Gods sake! Doesnt she have any feelings!

Reese saw the question in her eyes, and read the silent criticism. It hurt, but she didnt have the time or the inclination to explain. "You tend to her body, Doctor, thats your job. Mine is to catch the bastard that did this to her," Reese stated flatly, a dangerous fire in her eyes.

Tory nodded, "Of course - lead the way."

Brianna was lying unconscious in a shallow cleft between two brush covered dunes. When Tory lifted the blanket Reese had laid over her, she recoiled from the sight of the torn shirt and the jeans yanked down around Bri's ankles. For an agonizing moment, all she could imagine was Bri's terror. A soft touch on Tory's shoulder jerked her back to the present, and her responsibility.

"Tory - we need to move her. Is her spine secure?" Reese asked evenly.

Tory knelt, making a quick assessment of Bri's vital signs. Her airway was clear, and her pulse strong and steady. Her face was badly battered, both eyes discolored. There was a stream of blood from her left nostril, and a hematoma forming over the right side of her jaw. Even in the dim light from Reeses flashlight she could make out bruises on her throat. Blood crusted in patches over her neck and chest.

"She fought hard," Tory murmured, barely aware of speaking aloud as she continued her assessment of the battered girl.

"Yes. She would."

Tory glanced up at Reese, who stood staring down at Briannas violated body, her eyes so cold that Tory shivered. Tory slipped a soft restraining collar behind Bri's neck, immobilizing her cervical spine. She ran her hands over Bris extremities, noting no obvious deformities. The rest of the exam would have to wait until they moved her.

"Shes okay to transport. Just get your forearms behind her neck and under her shoulders when we lift. Keep her head midline and dont flex it," Tory ordered, her mind already busy planning what else needed to be done.

"Have you notified Nelson?" Tory asked as they maneuvered slowly through the sand.

"Lyons is on his way here to secure the scene," Reese replied. "Ill radio the Chief on route to your place. I didnt want him to see her like this."

Tory nodded, wondering how she could have questioned Reeses sensitivity, regretting her initial reaction. Reese was only doing what she was trained and sworn to do. "Reese, Im sorry about earlier. I didnt think about what you needed to do out there-"

"Its okay - why should you," Reese responded evenly.

"No, its not okay." Because I know you better than that, and because I love you

Tory needed to tell her that, but now was not the time. Instead, she followed the flashing lights of Reeses patrol car as they led her through the dark.

**********

"What the hell is going on, Conlon?" Nelson Parker demanded as he shoved through the door of Torys clinic. "I heard on the scanner that you ordered Lyons and Jameson to block off a section of six. Youre not even on duty!" He got a good look at his Deputy Chiefs face and he stopped short, his stomach churning. There was something deadly in her eyes, and something so gentle in her hand on his arm that he was suddenly afraid. Hed seen that look in cops eyes before, when it was something bad. He steeled himself to hear it.

"Tell me," he said softly.

"Its Bri - shes alive, but shes seriously hurt. Tory is with her now."

Nelson steadied himself with a hand against the wall. There seemed to be something wrong with his vision - he could hardly see her face. He heard his words, but didn't feel himself speak. "Did she crash her motorbike?"

"Someone beat her, Nelson."

He felt like he was gut shot. "I dont understand - why? How did you find her?"

"Caroline Clark called me. She told me Bri was missing and I went to look for her. I found her in the dunes."

Nelson looked at her in confusion. "Caroline? Why did she call you? Whats going on?"

Reese returned his questioning gaze steadily. "Bri and Caroline are lovers. Theyve been trysting in the dunes. My guess is that someone followed Bri, forced her off the road, and dragged her up into the scrub."

Nelson rocked back as if she had struck him. Then he leveled angry eyes on her. "You knew about them? Thats why Caroline called you?"

"Yes. Bri told me she was going to tell -"

All of his terror was transformed into anger. This was Reeses fault! If she had told him, he would have put a stop to this nonsense before Brianna got hurt! Nelson moved so unexpectedly Reese didnt have time to counter, had she been inclined to. He grabbed her with both hands and slammed her into the wall. "You son of a bitch! You knew my daughter was fooling around with some girl and you didnt tell me?!!" he roared. He punctuated his fury by pounding his forearm into her body. "You let it go on?!!"

Fire tore through her side. Reese never lifted a hand, though she was well equipped to defend herself. "Nelson--" she gasped.

When Tory came around the corner, she saw the pain in Reeses face. Nelson stood, one fist poised to strike, the other hand twisted in Reeses shirt front, pinning her to the wall. He was momentarily stunned as Torys cane cracked down on his forearm, the curved handle catching around his wrist, preventing him from swinging into Reeses unprotected face.

"Let go of her, Nelson," Tory said in a deadly tone. "Now."

Reese sagged slightly in Nelson's grasp as he turned to Tory in confusion. Reese coughed, one hand pressed to her side, trying to catch her breath. Every inhalation felt like a knife stab.

Torys eyes never left Nelsons face as she shifted her weight, ready for the next strike. "Do it Nelson, or Ill break your arm."

"Its okay, Tory," Reese gasped.

"Hed better pray to God he didnt hurt you," was all Tory said. When Nelson finally dropped his hands to his sides, Tory relaxed slightly, but she kept her eyes on him. "The evac team is on their way. Shes stable, and intermittently conscious. Shes asking for you, Reese."

"You stay away from her," Nelson seethed. "If you werent queer yourself this never would have happened."

"I need a statement from her," Reese stated. And I need to see that shes all right

"Forget about a statement - youre fired."

Reese shrugged. "You can fire me tomorrow. Tonight Im going to catch whoever has been terrorizing the kids in this town. Tory - call Caroline, will you? I promised her -"

"Go ahead, Reese, Ill take care of it. Then I need to look at you." Tory said these last words with a glare toward the Chief.

Reese, smiling gently, brushed her fingers over the hand Tory clenched around the head of her cane. She drew as deep a breath as she could, determined not to reveal how much it hurt.

"Im really okay."

**********

Reese pushed open the door to the procedure room. Nelson followed, halting just inside the door. He was paralyzed by the sight of his daughter. She lay naked under a thin sheet, nearly unrecognizable from her bruises, hooked up to two iv bags. He saw a clear plastic evidence bag filled with bloodied clothes on the counter, with an open rape kit beside it. He fought the sudden urge to vomit. He looked again at the stretcher, expecting to see his little girl, and he saw a battered woman, someone he didnt know. He was afraid to go near her.