Almost Gone
Disclaimer: I do not, repeat DO NOT own Barbara Havers, Thomas Lynley, Nathaniel Parker, or Sharon Small. I do not own any Inspector Lynley Mysteries and only own this story.
Summary: What if, in "One Guilty Deed" Lynley hadn't reached Havers and Carly in the marshes as soon as he did? What if he was a little — late?
Inspector Thomas Lynley quietly let himself into the caravan he was sharing with his partner, Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers. He flicked on the lights and glanced around the living room/kitchen/dining room. Havers was nowhere to be seen. Curiously, he wandered down the hallway. He knocked on her bedroom door and called out, "Havers?" No answer. He repeated this at the bathroom and got the same answer. By now he was beginning to worry. Suddenly, the door to the caravan was thrown open. The girl that Havers had befriended was standing in the doorway panting. What's her name again? Nicole, Natasha, Nikki! That's it!
"Nikki?" he looked at her anxiously. She was pale and seemed to be terribly frightened.
"Hurry!" she exclaimed and then ran outside.
"Nikki!" Lynley quickly grabbed a flashlight from the kitchen and quickly followed her. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Havers' number. It rang twice and then was answered. He didn't, however, hear what he had expected.
"Who's that?" said a voice that sounded distinctly like Havers' new friend Carly. "Who are you calling? You can't tell anyone!" Carly was sounding extremely panicked.
"I'm not going to tell anyone!" This time it was Havers speaking.
"No, you can't tell, you won't tell!" Lynley heard a loud THUMP! And then all was silent.
Lynley feared the worst and jumped over the wall that separated the marshes from the rest of the camp. He saw a dark shape in the distance that was making motions that made him think of a beating. He quickened his speed and was soon able to see that the dark shape was Carly, and that she was beating Havers with a rock. "NO!!" he cried out. Carly looked up at him and quickly rolled Havers body into a muddy ditch next to her. She then jumped up and ran in the opposite direction of Lynley. He quickly reached the ditch where Carly had hidden Havers and frantically pulled her out. He examined her for broken bones and found none. He did, however find an ugly purple bruise on her forehead. He imagined that she probably had several others. He then turned his attention to the fact that she wasn't breathing. He straddled her and tried pushing her abdomen upward. That didn't work. Then he decided that the only way to get her back was CPR. He covered her mouth with his and forced air into her lungs. It didn't work the first, or the second time. But on the third, she started gagging and coughing. Lynley breathed a sigh of relief and helped her to sit up. She looked at him and he at her and after an uncomfortable silence, he said, "I thought I'd lost you, and I never want to feel that emptiness again."
She looked at him in confusion and she said, "I don't understand."
He sighed and began his explanation. "When I saw Carly push you into that ditch, I felt cold all over. I couldn't bear the thought of not seeing you everyday. It was then that I realized, I think, I think I'm falling in love with you, Barbara."
She stared at him open mouthed for a moment and he began to wonder if he'd said something wrong. Suddenly she smiled and whispered, "I thought I'd never hear you say that."
He grinned at her and then, without warning, kissed her full on the mouth. He put his hand on the back of her neck and pulled her towards him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and, the unexpected combination of both actions, caused Lynley to fall flat on his back pulling Havers with him. The sudden impact caused them to break the kiss, and when they saw the position they were in, both started to laugh. Havers rolled off of Lynley and he stood up. He pulled her up and as she stood she lost her balance and fell against his chest. He laughed and wrapped his arms around her. She rested her head on his chest and they just stood there for a while. At least, until Havers remembered Carly. She jerked out of Lynley's arms and looked around frantically.
"Carly? Carly! CARLY!"
Carly was nowhere to be seen.
The next morning, when Carly was pulled, dead, from the marshes, Lynley could be seen with his arm around Havers waist as she lay her head on his shoulder, weeping silently.
THE END