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ds_flashfictionand even though I think this is crap, I couldn't let a challenge go by without submitting something. Coughed this up last night since my rehearsal got cancelled because my pianist was sick....
861 words
Redemption
“She’s in here, Constable.”
The doctor led me down a hallway to a room with an observation window.
“You’ve kept her isolated from the other patients even though she seems quite docile?”
“We got the report on her from the CPD and thought it best to keep her confined. She doesn’t seem dangerous now, but with her history, we didn’t want to take any chances.”
“It’s probably for the best.” I looked at her through the window, which I knew to be mirrored on the other side just like the interrogation rooms at the station. Her hair had been shorn off, cut severely short and boyish. It made her look strange and lost and vulnerable. I closed my eyes for a moment and saw her beautiful brown curls, could almost feel them cascading over my fingers and arms. At my sides, my hands curled into fists and I opened my eyes to the reality of her again.
“Did the Lieutenant tell you how she came to be here?”
“From what I understand, she was found sleeping in the backyard of a rectory.”
“She told the priest who found her that she was bringing in a prisoner and asked if he could direct her to the nearest post. He called the police and they brought her here. The officer recognized the name she gave him when he asked who her prisoner was.”
“Victoria Metcalfe.” As I said the words, I felt my stomach turn over sickly. Realization dawned as I recognized the cut of her hair. “She’s answering to my name, isn’t she?”
“Yes, Constable.” The doctor’s eyes narrowed at me, assessing my mental state. Satisfied with what he saw, he continued. “ You’ll have ten minutes. If I see or hear anything untoward, I’ll cut off the interview immediately.”
“I understand, sir.”
He let me into the room and I stood before her for the first time in nearly three years. I had no idea where she had been in the intervening time, but the time had been good to her physically. She looked to be in excellent physical health. Her glittering brown eyes looked distant and confused.
“Constable?” I asked her.
She snapped to attention, sitting stiffly in the straight-backed chair, staring straight ahead and not meeting my eyes. “Yes, sir.”
“Your prisoner, Miss Metcalfe. Where is she now?”
“She’s been remanded to the custody of the Alaskan officials, sir. I believe she stands to serve ten years for her crimes.”
“I understand you became close while you were stranded on the Pass.”
She dipped her head and cleared her throat very much like I would have if my superiors had questioned me like this. “Yes, sir.”
“You loved her, didn’t you, Constable?”
“Yes, sir.”
“And yet you arrested her and sent her off to jail. How could you do that to someone you loved?”
She looked up at me and her eyes seemed to clear. “It was my duty.”
The murderous rage I expected to feel never surfaced. Instead, in my mind I saw the blond man outside waiting for me in his black car, understanding that I had to do this just as he’d had to face the Botrelle house with Beth that night.
“Yes, it was your duty.” I turned to leave, my hand raised to knock on the door, when her voice stopped me dead in my tracks.
“Ben.”
For a moment, I thought she was lucid. I turned back to her and saw the woman I once thought I loved superimposed over the ruined figure in the chair.
“She used to call me that,” she continued.
“Yes, I know.”
“Do you think she’ll forgive me?”
“I think it matters only that you forgive yourself.” Even as I said the words, I finally felt their truth.
“Yes, sir,” she said to me. “Thank you, sir.”
I nodded to her and turned to knock at the door. The orderly let me out and the doctor kindly said nothing to me as he led me back down the hallway to the admitting area.
“Thank you kindly, Doctor. I understand this was quite out of the ordinary.”
“Well, Constable, Harding Welsh is an old friend. I didn’t see that this could do any damage to the patient, so I allowed it.”
“She won’t stand trial for her partner’s murder, then?”
“She’s not mentally fit at this time.”
“Of course not. Thank you for your time, sir. I do appreciate it.”
The doctor nodded and directed me to the front door. I stepped out into the bright afternoon sun and saw Ray sitting on the hood of the GTO, sunglasses hiding his eyes. He didn’t say anything, he just slid off the hood and opened my door for me before he headed over to the driver’s side. Once he was in the car, he put the keys in the ignition, but didn’t turn the car on.
“You okay?” He’d taken his glasses off and his eyes watched me keenly.
I laid my hand, palm up on the seat next to me and looked into his eyes. He smiled and covered my hand with his, squeezing it gently.
“I will be.”
861 words
Redemption
“She’s in here, Constable.”
The doctor led me down a hallway to a room with an observation window.
“You’ve kept her isolated from the other patients even though she seems quite docile?”
“We got the report on her from the CPD and thought it best to keep her confined. She doesn’t seem dangerous now, but with her history, we didn’t want to take any chances.”
“It’s probably for the best.” I looked at her through the window, which I knew to be mirrored on the other side just like the interrogation rooms at the station. Her hair had been shorn off, cut severely short and boyish. It made her look strange and lost and vulnerable. I closed my eyes for a moment and saw her beautiful brown curls, could almost feel them cascading over my fingers and arms. At my sides, my hands curled into fists and I opened my eyes to the reality of her again.
“Did the Lieutenant tell you how she came to be here?”
“From what I understand, she was found sleeping in the backyard of a rectory.”
“She told the priest who found her that she was bringing in a prisoner and asked if he could direct her to the nearest post. He called the police and they brought her here. The officer recognized the name she gave him when he asked who her prisoner was.”
“Victoria Metcalfe.” As I said the words, I felt my stomach turn over sickly. Realization dawned as I recognized the cut of her hair. “She’s answering to my name, isn’t she?”
“Yes, Constable.” The doctor’s eyes narrowed at me, assessing my mental state. Satisfied with what he saw, he continued. “ You’ll have ten minutes. If I see or hear anything untoward, I’ll cut off the interview immediately.”
“I understand, sir.”
He let me into the room and I stood before her for the first time in nearly three years. I had no idea where she had been in the intervening time, but the time had been good to her physically. She looked to be in excellent physical health. Her glittering brown eyes looked distant and confused.
“Constable?” I asked her.
She snapped to attention, sitting stiffly in the straight-backed chair, staring straight ahead and not meeting my eyes. “Yes, sir.”
“Your prisoner, Miss Metcalfe. Where is she now?”
“She’s been remanded to the custody of the Alaskan officials, sir. I believe she stands to serve ten years for her crimes.”
“I understand you became close while you were stranded on the Pass.”
She dipped her head and cleared her throat very much like I would have if my superiors had questioned me like this. “Yes, sir.”
“You loved her, didn’t you, Constable?”
“Yes, sir.”
“And yet you arrested her and sent her off to jail. How could you do that to someone you loved?”
She looked up at me and her eyes seemed to clear. “It was my duty.”
The murderous rage I expected to feel never surfaced. Instead, in my mind I saw the blond man outside waiting for me in his black car, understanding that I had to do this just as he’d had to face the Botrelle house with Beth that night.
“Yes, it was your duty.” I turned to leave, my hand raised to knock on the door, when her voice stopped me dead in my tracks.
“Ben.”
For a moment, I thought she was lucid. I turned back to her and saw the woman I once thought I loved superimposed over the ruined figure in the chair.
“She used to call me that,” she continued.
“Yes, I know.”
“Do you think she’ll forgive me?”
“I think it matters only that you forgive yourself.” Even as I said the words, I finally felt their truth.
“Yes, sir,” she said to me. “Thank you, sir.”
I nodded to her and turned to knock at the door. The orderly let me out and the doctor kindly said nothing to me as he led me back down the hallway to the admitting area.
“Thank you kindly, Doctor. I understand this was quite out of the ordinary.”
“Well, Constable, Harding Welsh is an old friend. I didn’t see that this could do any damage to the patient, so I allowed it.”
“She won’t stand trial for her partner’s murder, then?”
“She’s not mentally fit at this time.”
“Of course not. Thank you for your time, sir. I do appreciate it.”
The doctor nodded and directed me to the front door. I stepped out into the bright afternoon sun and saw Ray sitting on the hood of the GTO, sunglasses hiding his eyes. He didn’t say anything, he just slid off the hood and opened my door for me before he headed over to the driver’s side. Once he was in the car, he put the keys in the ignition, but didn’t turn the car on.
“You okay?” He’d taken his glasses off and his eyes watched me keenly.
I laid my hand, palm up on the seat next to me and looked into his eyes. He smiled and covered my hand with his, squeezing it gently.
“I will be.”
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no subject
Date: 2003-06-16 06:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-06-16 08:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-06-16 08:30 am (UTC)I think that Fraser recognizes that twisted justice. I also think that setting this after "Ladies Man" so that Fraser has witnessed what RayK went through with Beth Botrelle helped Ben a ton. He had that memory of Ray falling apart and being there for him and he knew that he could get through this and if he had to fall apart afterwards, Ray would be there to catch him.
But now I'm left wondering what Vecchio thinks of all of this....
no subject
Date: 2003-06-16 07:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-06-16 08:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-06-16 07:44 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-06-16 08:34 am (UTC)I agree with you that Kowalski would be better equipped to help Fraser heal after this. It almost ruined Vecchio's life. While I think they need to finally have a talk about it and that it will be necessary for both of them, both of them will need neutral corners where they can go lick their wounds.
no subject
Date: 2003-06-16 08:08 am (UTC)Totally creepy, in a good way, and very moving.
Ben should listen to himself. Oh, yes, indeed he should.
no subject
Date: 2003-06-16 08:36 am (UTC)Ben will listen to himself. He already is. And RayK will help him through this just like Fraser helped RayK after the Beth Botrelle thing. It'll all be fine. They'll go to bed together and Ray will hold him and keep away the nightmares.
no subject
Date: 2003-06-16 09:40 am (UTC)And we'll read this... when? ::tapping foot::
no subject
Date: 2003-06-16 11:01 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-06-18 03:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-06-16 09:04 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-06-16 10:53 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-06-16 09:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-06-16 10:52 am (UTC)This wanted to be something more, but my brain is so fried with the planning for my cabaret show that I'm amazed I got this out! Hopefully more later.
Thanks, Beth!!!
no subject
Date: 2003-06-16 10:31 am (UTC)Very cool concept, very well done. And to join in the discussion above, I think Ray V was so intimately involved with the Victoria/Ben situation, it would be harder for him to look at this current development with perspective. Ray K is removed from it, connected through Ben alone. Victoria is just a bad part of Ben's past, not his own.
no subject
Date: 2003-06-16 10:59 am (UTC)Anti-Crap, huh? Cool!
RayV is revving up to have a fit in my brain here, I think, but I have no time to write. It definitely isn't going to be pretty if I get down to writing what happens when he and Fraser talk about it.
no subject
Date: 2003-06-16 05:38 pm (UTC)And I'm really looking forward to seeing what RayV has to say about it, which, as you say, won't be pretty.
Dreamlike
Date: 2003-06-16 12:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-06-17 04:28 am (UTC)