So I had no real plans to continue on with this story (I had additional oneshots written, but I was nowhere near happy with them and so they remain somewhere in the depths of my old computer.) Regardless, the LadyMorganaPendragon sent me a lovely review this morning and attached a prompt which I liked, and because I have five assessments due this week, naturally I felt this was a good use of my time!
There is a very good chance I will not write any more of these, but I'll still accept prompts (either as reviews or PMs) if anyone wants something written.
"Riley, follow him, I got this guy!" Riley sprinted after the rapidly fleeing suspect, pushing through the door he'd escaped through moments before it closed.
"Gabriel, he's leading me through the basement, please be careful up there." Gabriel didn't respond. "Gabriel?" Riley considered turning back to check on him, but she knew that he would be mad if she left the suspect to babysit him.
She slowed down as she rounded a corner, noting that the end of the corridor was now a dead end. All four of the doors lining the corridors were closed, and Riley redrew her gun and moved to the first door. Taking a deep breath, she pushed the door open, quickly clearing the room. She did the same at the second door, finding no trace of the suspect.
Riley stopped outside the third door, readying herself. Another deep breath, and she pushed the door open. As soon as the door swung against the wall, Riley heard movement to her side. Before she could react, something heavy had swung down on her wrists and knocked her gun from her hands. Ignoring the pain now burning across her wrist, Riley aimed a few blows at her attacker, trying to get him to drop the heavy metal pipe he was wielding. She landed a few blows on his stomach and head, but he hung on and began swinging it in Riley's direction. She dodged a few swipes, trying to locate her discarded gun as she did. Another two swings and she'd spotted it. Three more, and Riley had dived across the floor, picking it up and turning back toward her target it one movement.
But she was too slow. The pipe was already swinging, its downward arc coming straight toward her head.
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
"Riley, can you hear me?" Riley felt the cold concrete against her cheek as Gabriel's voice finally roused her into consciousness. The blinding pain in her skull forced her to squeeze her eyes closed tighter, the cool ground offering very little relief. "Riley, come in." She moaned and raised one hand to her ear, activing her earpiece.
"I'm here," she mumbled. "What's going on?" She heard a sigh of relief from the other end of the earpiece.
"You tell me," Gabriel shot back. "I've been trying to contact you for about a half hour." Riley rolled onto her back, pushing the palms of her hands into her eyes. "Where have you been?"
"I may have been knocked out," Riley said.
"Are you OK?" Gabriel's reply was hurried. Riley nodded before replying.
"I'm fine, I think. Just have a killer headache." Gabriel nodded to himself.
"You said you chased the suspect into the basement?" Riley made a small affirmative noise. "And did you go through a metal door?" Riley repeated the noise. "The door only opens from the inside. Can you get back to me?" Riley groaned.
"Yeah," she mumbled. "Just give me a minute to stand up." Gabriel heard silence for a few minutes, no new information coming to him from Riley.
"Riley?" He asked quietly, "You OK?" Silence again. "Riley?"
"I can't see," Riley whispered it so that he nearly missed it. "Gabriel," she repeated. "I can't see."
"What do you mean?" He asked, tapping into the electical systems of the building. "All the lights are on down there."
"Gabriel," her voice was slightly more panicked, and he could hear her beginning to hyperventilate. "He hit me on the head with a metal pipe. I passed out. I can't see anything."
"OK," Gabriel assured her down the line. "You're going to be fine. Do you remember how to get back here?"
"I don't know, Gabriel, I-" Gabriel swiped a hand across his face.
"Riley, focus!" He yelled at her. "Remember where you came from." There was no reply for a moment.
"Yeah, I think I can get back." Gabriel let out a breath.
"OK, good. Keep one hand one the wall, and keep walking. I'll be on the comms the whole time."
Riley carefully pushed herself to her feet, mindful of the wrist she was now sure was broken.
"Riley, talk to me," she heard Gabriel's voice as she timidly stepped out of the room.
"I'm in the corridor," she said. "It's about 20 yards and then it turns." Gabriel nodded to himself.
"Good," he replied. "You're doing great." Riley took small steps, unsure of her footing as she clutched onto anything she could on the wall. She felt the edge of the wall, and pulled herself around the corner into the next corridor.
"I'm around the corner," she said, cutting off Gabriel's stream of unnecessary reassuring words. "I think the door is in this hallway."
"I'm going to hit the door," Gabriel said. "See if you can hear it." Riley nodded silently, listening.
"I can hear it," she replied, "I think I'm close."
"That's good," Gabriel assured her. "Take a deep breath and start walking." Riley did as he instructed. She kept her injured hand clutched to her chest, her other never leaving the wall at her side. What felt like hours later, Riley's fingers felt the brick wall change into metal, and she searched for a doorknob.
"Gabriel, I'm at the door." She felt a weight shift off the door as soon as she said it.
"I'm right outside," Gabriel replied, relief flooding his voice. Riley finally found the doorknob, and her fingers closed around it. She twisted the knob, and pushed the door open as far as she dared.
"Riley?" She heard the voice to her side rather than out of her earpiece. She immediately reached a hand out to locate the body that the voice belonged to. She felt a gentle hand on her forearm, and was then pulled into a warm chest. "Are you alright?" She heard him whisper into her hair, his arms pulling her tighter into him. Riley nodded, now unable to stop a sob from escaping.
"You're going to be fine," Gabriel said, pulling her slightly away from his chest. She assumed her was checking her over for injuries. "Jameson is almost here, and then we'll take you to hospital." Riley nodded, another tear rolling down her cheek. Gabriel pulled her back into his chest for a few moments before reaching for her shoulder and gently turning her around, leading her back to the car.
Gabriel pulled the passenger door open, and helped Riley up into the seat. He reached across and quickly clipped the seatbelt in before he jogged around to the drivers' side. They rode in silence to the hospital, and after walking in, Riley was immediately admitted into the ER and a doctor was on the way. Gabriel silently thanked Lillian or Nelson or whoever hacked their way in.
3 hours later, Riley's wrist had been set and casted, the bleeding wound on her head had been cleaned, closed and bandaged, and they had been assured a number of times that the blindness was temporary, and that it would come back on its own in a few days.
Riley was sleeping, the morphine administered finally knocking her out, and Gabriel had drifted off in the chair beside the bed. Riley jerked awake abruptly, at the same time jolting Gabriel from his sleep.
"Everything alright?" Gabriel mumbled, stretching out his now cramped back. He looked across to Riley who was seated upright in bed, her eyes flickering around. "Riley?" He tried again. She seemed to relax when she heard his voice, and turned to where she though he was sitting.
"You're still here?" She asked cautiously. Gabriel nodded, even though she couldn't see him.
"I'm still here," he replied. "As long as you want me." Riley nodded, and let herself fall back onto the pillows.
"Don't go," she said, her eyes beginning to slide shut again. Gabriel just nodded, and reached for her hand, careful to avoid the attached IV.
"I'm not going anywhere."
Please review!