What Could Have Been

By Mistreated and Forgotten

Summary: [Josh and Grace] Another what if Grace didn't die.

Spoilers: None.

Pairings: Josh and Grace.

Disclaimer: I don't own Rush or any of the characters and if I did the one who died in Episode 11 would've been different.

A/N: Chapter 5 awaits for all to read. : )

What Could Have Been – Mistreated and Forgotten

Chapter Five

Previously:

Outside tension was filling the atmosphere.

"I guess I want to live for another day. I want to know if your hostages are okay."

"Yeah they're all okay but one of them won't be soon."

"You won't kill one of them; you don't have it in you."

"Don't be so sure of yourself Senior Sergeant."

"I'm pretty sure I'm right…"

Lawson was cut off by a gunshot right before the line went dead followed by a shrill scream.

Grace's body tensed up, her eyes wide and panic filled.

"Oh god."

On with the story:

Lawson, Michael and Stella went inside to secure the house, Kerry radioed for an ambulance and Josh stayed with Grace.

Grace was quiet for a while and Josh was starting to get a little worried.

"I can't believe he used it, he's not the sort of person to use a weapon offensively, defensively yes but never offensively."

"Guess you can sometimes think you know more about someone than what you really do."

"Kerry," it was Lawson over the radio.

"Go ahead Lawson."

"He turned the gun on himself, Jeanie and her friends are alright."

"I'll let Grace know, oh a Lawson can you bring them out here."

"I was just about to."

Kerry walked over to Grace, "Jeanie is alright, Dale shot himself."

Grace was happy that her cousin was alright, "I want to see her," Grace started to walk off towards the house but was stopped by Josh's hand on her shoulder.

"Grace, Lawson is bringing them out," said Kerry.

What Could Have Been – Mistreated and Forgotten

Inside Jeanie, Sam and Emma were sitting at the kitchen table as opposed to the lounge room where Dale's body lay; Stella was talking with them about what went down before.

Lawson walked into the room.

"Jeanie?"

"Yeah."

"Your cousin is a member of my team and she's out side, she wants to see you."

Jeanie got up off the chair and followed Lawson outside.

What Could Have Been – Mistreated and Forgotten

Grace, Josh and Kerry were still over at the car when Lawson walked out the front door followed by Jeanie.

Grace walked over to Jeanie and Lawson walked back over to Josh and Kerry, giving Grace and Jeanie some privacy.

"Jeanie why didn't you tell me he was hitting you?"

"I didn't want you to think any less of me," replied Jeanie, her eyes filling with tears.

Grace pulled Jeanie into a hug, tears now beginning to fill her eyes too.

"Jeanie I would never think any less of you."

Grace held Jeanie while she cried, tears soon began to silently fall from Grace's eyes too but not in pain but because her cousin had been hurting and she wasn't there for her.

After Jeanie calmed down Grace let go of her.

"Can I stay with you and Connor?"

Grace paused to think about what to say.

"Ah little problem there, I'm not exactly staying with Connor."

"Grace what's going on?"

"I'm having an affair, I told Connor he went quiet and then her hit me," tears again filled Grace's eyes but she held them back.

"Oh Gracie."

"I guess you can't help who you love."

What Could Have Been – Mistreated and Forgotten

Jeanie was about to leave for the hospital in an ambulance.

"Jeanie, I'll meet you at the hospital. It's almost the end of my shift so I'll go write up my incident report, get changed and go to the hospital, okay?"

"Yeah, that's fine. See ya."

"Bye."

What Could Have Been – Mistreated and Forgotten

"Josh, I'm going to head over to the hospital so when you're finished that's where I'll be."

"Yeah, I'll see you later."

"Bye," said Grace as she gave Josh a peck on the cheek before leaving.

What Could Have Been – Mistreated and Forgotten

At the hospital, Emma had been released, Sam was being kept in overnight for observation and Jeanie was possibly being released later that day.

Grace walked into Jeanie's room and sat down in the chair next to her bed.

"Hey."

"Hey, so you've finished work?"

"Yeah. What did the doctor say?"

"Said he would come back later this afternoon to check up on me and I might be able to leave then."

"That's good."

"Yeah it is."

"So how are your friends?"

"Emma has been released and they're keeping Sam in overnight."

"What happened to Sam?"

"Dale he...he hit her with his gun."

"Least he didn't shoot you or your friends with it."

"Yeah I guess, but he used it on himself thought, I can't believe he did that."

Grace and Jeanie talked for a while, about whatever came to mind.

"Jeanie I've gotta go talk to Connor, I won't be very long."

"Okay."

Grace got up off the chair she was sitting in and walked out of Jeanie's room.

What Could Have Been – Mistreated and Forgotten

Grace walked into Connor's hospital room and stopped just a couple of paces inside the room.

"Hey Gracie, come over here."

"No I'm fine here Connor."

"Why haven't you come to see me before now?"

"Oh I had been avoiding it."

"Why's that Grace?"

"Don't act like you don't know, cause we both know very well the reason why I haven't come to see you is because you hit me.

"Grace I didn't mean to hit you, I was angry."

"Connor I don't know who you are anymore, you're not the man I thought you were."

"I promise it won't happen again."

"You're right it won't happen again because there won't be a next time for it to happen again. We're over Connor; I can't be with you anymore."

With that Grace walked out of Connor's room and found that Josh was waiting for her just down the hall on the chairs that were up against the wall.

"Jeanie said that you said that you had to go talk to Connor, I thought you might want to see me."

"I told him that it's over, that I couldn't be with him."

Josh wrapped his arm around Grace's shoulders and they walked back to Jeanie's room.

A/N: Well there's the end of chapter 5, let me know what you think.