A/N: Here's the finale, guys. Enjoy…or not.

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It was more than five hours later when Kate finally had the opportunity to visit Steve at the hospital. By that time, the forensic team had completed their investigation at the Tesco carpark and Steve's Volvo had been towed away for further analysis at the lab.

Major Violent Crime Unit had taken over the case, led by DCI Howard Wilson as the SIO. Kate had met him at the scene earlier, and now she met him again at the entrance to the hospital when she arrived.

"DI Fleming." Wilson nodded at her in acknowledgement. He and his junior officer had just finished getting a full statement from Kate's partner.

"Sir," she responded in kind. "Has Steve been able to talk?"

The DCI nodded with a sigh. "More or less. He's still weak but he managed to give us details of his abduction, enough to charge Ian Ramsay with attempted manslaughter. Our main concern right now is that Ramsay is still at large, and we wonder if he would try to harm DS Arnott again."

"Superintendent Hastings has arranged for two AFOs to stand guard at Steve's ward and watch over him around the clock."

"Yes, we saw." Wilson suddenly grinned. "His older brother is there too. A real scary bloke. All big and muscular and mean looking. An SAS Major, I believe. No one can get past him to get to Steve, that's for sure."

Kate also smiled. "Steve is in good hands then. Anyway, I'm going up to see him now."

"If he recalls anything more, kindly share it with us, DI Fleming."

"Of course, sir. Will do."

Shortly afterwards, Kate got out of the elevator onto the ICU floor. Upon reaching Steve's private ward, she didn't immediately enter. She paused at the door, watching with a fond smile as Shane carefully lifted his brother's head so that Steve could take a few sips of water from a glass. For such an intimidating guy, Shane could be real gentle and considerate. At least he was with his younger brother.

Other human beings? Not so much.

"More?" Shane asked when Steve pushed the glass away.

Leaning his head back against the pillow, Steve groaned. "Stop it. I'm bloated already."

"I don't care if you're bloating like Fiona the hippo," Shane groused. "You need to rehydrate."

Steve jerked his thumb at the IV drip attached to his arm. "Then what the hell is that for?"

"That is to supply you the magic juice so that you can stop behaving like a twat," the elder Arnott retorted. He then noticed Kate standing in the doorway, and his face instantly broke into grins. "Hey, Kate."

"Hi." Chuckling softly, she came near the bed. "Being a difficult patient again, is he? So how is he doing?

"He is doing fine, thank you," Steve snapped back, and then he sighed before placing an arm over his eyes. "Sorry, Kate. I'm just…so tired. And these headaches…"

"No worries, mate. I hope you feel better soon."

Removing his arm, Steve gave Kate a weary smile. "Thanks."

"The gaffer will visit you first thing tomorrow. He's a bit swamped right now, what with the McDowell's case and now this." Sitting on the edge of the bed, she took his hand and gave it a squeeze. "How are you feeling, really?"

"Awful. But at least I'm still alive." He squeezed her hand in return. "Shane told me that if you hadn't come to the flat to check on me, I'd be totally roasted in the boot of my own car. I owe you one, boss."

"But it was Shane who figured out exactly where you were. I would never have guessed that Ramsay had dumped you there and left you to bake."

"Yeah, brother. You owe me plenty," Shane pointed out with a haughty smirk.

"Piss off, you—arghhh!" Steve suddenly cried in pain, turning rigid.

Startled, Kate shot off the bed and looked at him worriedly. "Steve? What…what's wrong?"

Shane had calmly moved towards the foot of the bed, lifting the blanket. "Which one is it now?"

"Calf..." Steve said through gritted teeth. "The left one…"

"Alright. Hang on."

"What is it?" Kate still couldn't understand. She watched as Shane began to rub and massage the contracting muscles of his brother's calf, while pushing the left toes inward. "Oh. Muscle cramps?"

"Yeah," Shane confirmed. "A normal occurrence if you're seriously dehydrated. That's why you need to drink more water, Shortlegs. And replenish the electrolytes."

"This is not a good time for a bloody lecture, you Neanderthal," Steve shot back. He tightly shut his eyes and groaned. "Shit. This sucks…"

Kate winced in sympathy, especially when Steve tightened his hold on her hand as he rode the pain. A full little minute later, he gradually relaxed.

"Better?" she asked him as she stroke his head.

Steve nodded, panting a bit. When he realized that he was clutching hard at her hand as if hanging on for dear life, he quickly released it. "Jesus, Kate. I'm so sorry."

She chuckled. "It's fine. I'm not made of glass, you know."

"I second that. In fact, I think you're a wonder woman, DI Fleming. So pretty and delicate, and yet so damn tough," Shane easily commented as he arranged the covers back over his brother's feet. When he flashed a dimpled smile at her, she blushed like a teenage girl.

Clearing her throat to hide her discomfiture, she fully turned to her partner. "So what really happened, Steve? How did Ramsay manage to get the drop on you?"

With a small shrug, he began to explain, "Because I was stupid."

"Now that is an understatement of the year," Shane suddenly chimed in, earning him a fierce glare from the invalid.

"No, I rephrase that," Steve said, still scowling. "I was careless. When I reached my car, Ramsay was already waiting in the back seat. I should've locked the car. I must have forgotten."

"No, I think you did lock the car, Stevie. It's every driver's instinctive action," Shane interjected. "But nowadays it's becoming easier for certain people to get into locked cars without triggering the alarm. What you really should've done was checked the interior before you got in. That was your biggest mistake."

"I know." Steve sighed. "The moment I got in the car, Ramsay put a gun to the back of my neck. Gave me a déjà vu, that. He made me drive as per his directions until we ended up at the deserted carpark of that Tesco. He told me he wanted to make my life a living hell, and then he knocked me out. When I woke up, I found myself bound and gagged in a real dark and tight place. Yeah, it was a living hell alright. Especially when hours gone by and the day grew hotter and hotter."

"Oh, Steve." Kate patted his arm, empathized with what he had gone through. "That must be so awful for you. I wish we had found you sooner."

"It's alright, Kate." He smiled back, a little drowsily. "What matters most is that you two found me just in time. I've had a lot of fun kicking at the tail lights, but those bloody things are rock solid! I barely made a dent on them."

"As a distress signal, the cracked tail lights worked perfectly. That was how Shane was able to figure out you were in the car boot."

Steve sent his brother a droll gaze, albeit hazily. "I'm not going to hear the end of this, am I?"

"Not in the next million years." Shane laughed.

Steve made a face at that. "Anyway, at first I wondered why Ramsay didn't just kill me straightaway. He had the gun. He could've shot me out right. Then I realized he wanted me to suffer first."

From her peripheral vision, Kate noticed that Shane was clenching and unclenching his fists. The veins in his arms went taut with tension. However, his expression remained emotionless when he reached up to cover his brother's eyes.

"You're completely bushed, Stevie. Don't fight it. Sleep now. Get some rest."

The younger man slapped at Shane's hand in annoyance. "Oh, go throw yourself over the cliff!"

"Been there, done that." Shane smirked in response. "Ever heard of BASE jumping?"

"Bragger," Steve grumbled. He then closed his eyes and promptly drifted off.

Assured that his brother had finally fallen into sleep, Shane turned to Kate and jerked his head towards the door. "Can I talk to you outside for a sec?"

She nodded with a frown. "Yeah, sure."

They both stepped out of the room and walked several meters down the corridor towards a secluded corner. Leaning his back against the wall, Shane crossed his arms and said not a word for several long seconds that Kate began to worry something else was amiss.

"What is it, Shane?"

Grim faced, he looked at her. "I have to leave."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "Now?"

"Yes, now." Shane sighed. "What can I say, Kate? Duty calls."

"Does Steve know?"

"He knows."

"You're worried about Steve's safety without you around then? Rest easy, Shane. You can see those two AFOs at the door. They will always be there to guard your brother."

"I know that."

"And Steve is not exactly a wuss either. He can take care of himself."

Shane grinned. "I completely disagree. That's why I slipped a stun gun under his pillow."

"You what?!" Kate cried out in shock. "Jesus…"

Laughing, he quickly amended, "I was just joking, Kate. Yeah, I know Steve can protect himself when he needs to. But seriously, if I can get ahold of a stun gun right now, I would arm him with that."

"Don't you dare. You know it's illegal. Besides, in his current mood, he might accidentally stun-gun the doctors and nurses instead, god forbid," Kate said with a roll of her eyes. "Look, Shane. We will look after Steve real closely. You don't need to worry."

For several moments, he simply gazed at her. He then tenderly touched her face and said, "I put the safety of my brother's life in your hands then, DI Fleming."

She blinked. And blinked some more. To rescue herself from the sudden discomposure, she asked, "Uh…do you actually BASE jump?"

"Of course." He grudgingly dropped his hand and stepped away. "It's a lot simpler than HALO."

Kate was clearly impressed, though she was not surprised. Shane was a Major in the British Army after all. With the Special Forces to boot. Before she could comment more, Shane began walking back towards Steve's ward.

"I need to see him one more time before I go."

Steve stirred awake when they walked in. He stared groggily back at them.

"Christ," he muttered, "You're still here?"

"I'm going, I'm going." Shane looked down at his brother, looking undecided for once.

Steve raised one eyebrow. "Why look at me like that? You're going to kiss me goodbye?"

"You wish." Shane snorted, right before he bent over to gather his brother into his embrace. "Take care, Stevie."

Steve swallowed hard as he returned the hug. He didn't know what type of classified mission that his big brother would jump into this time, but he expected it to be extremely dangerous. And he could not be sure if they would see each other again. With the type of job that Shane had, there was always the possibility that he would not return safely home.

"No, you take care, big guy. Come back in one piece."

Kate was a little teary eyed as she watched the brotherly scene, but she quickly straightened up and forced herself to smile when Shane turned to her next.

"What? Are you going to kiss me goodbye?"

Without replying, Shane leaned over and planted a tender kiss against her temple with a soft whisper, "Look after him for me."

Seconds later, he was gone.

Dazed, Kate had to take a moment to gather her bearings. Turning to Steve, she noticed his knowing looks.

"What?"

Steve shrugged, grinning. "I didn't say anything."

"Yeah, right. I know what you're thinking."

"Hey, that's none of my business, boss." And then his face fell. Staring at the doorway that Shane had recently walked through, he said, "Kate, I'm real worried about him."

With a sad smile, she sat on the edge of the bed next to Steve's side. Draping an arm around his shoulders, she gathered him close.

"And Shane worries about you. I don't know much how it goes because I don't have any siblings, but I guess that's what brothers do. Worry about each other. Just like I worry about you."

"Are you saying we're siblings now?" Steve dryly asked.

"No, I'm still your boss."

Steve chuckled and closed his eyes, burrowing himself deeper into her arms. "Yes, ma'am."

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Two days later, Steve was released from the hospital. It was already midday when Kate went to collect him and drove him home. Upon arriving at the building of his flat, Steve was a little annoyed to see two AFOs guarding the main entrance.

"Are they really necessary?" he grumbled at Kate as he punched the button for the elevator.

"It's just a precaution, Steve. Ramsay is still out there somewhere. He might make another go at you."

"Yeah, well, they are scaring my neighbors. This is…what? The third time this year? I think the building management is already conspiring to evict me!""

Kate just chuckled. Soon afterwards, she was unlocking Steve's door before ushering him in. "Go take some rest, mate. I'll take care of lunch."

Steve rolled his eyes. "Honestly, Kate, I'm fine. I've had lots of rest at the hospital. I'm tired of lying around doing nothing."

"But you're on medical leave for a couple more days, so technically you're still an invalid. Why don't you just sit down and get yourself comfortable while I—"

Her mobile phone chose that moment to ring. She took it out from her jacket pocket and frowned at the caller ID. "It's the gaffer."

"Tell him I'm strong enough to come to work tomorrow," Steve said, stretching out on the sofa.

"I will tell him no such thing," Kate interjected before answering the call. "Sir? Yes, I've just picked him up. We are now at his flat."

She listened to his response before adding, "The doctor instructed that he gets more rest and continue to rehydrate. Also, he needs to be on full alert of any aftereffects."

"I feel fine," Steve called out from the other side of the room.

Kate ignored him, attentively listening to what the gaffer was saying on the other end. Her eyes suddenly widened in surprised.

"What?"

Steve quickly sat up. "What is it, Kate?"

Stunned, she turned to her partner while still listening to her boss. "Yes, sir. Thank you for the updates. Yes, I'll tell him."

Ringing off the phone, Kate smiled. "They've found Ramsay. They've got him."

Sighing in relief, Steve nodded. "That's good. So I need not worry about him anymore."

"But, Steve, there is more," she said as she came closer, looking real excited about something.

"What do you mean?"

"Apparently, Ramsay knows that you've been found alive. Those videos of you lying half naked on the Tesco floor, they've gone viral on social media."

Turning red in the face, Steve groaned. "Yeah, I saw them. Mortifying. I blame Shane for that."

"Ramsay realizes you can identify him. He knows he's a wanted man. He was trying to flee the country when he got caught."

"They nicked him at the airport?"

"No, not the airport." Kate was bemused when she said next, "The police got an anonymous tip. Based on that tip, they later found Ramsay at the opened car park at the port of Dover. He was inside the boot of a car, bound and gagged and without a stitch on!"

Steve's mouth dropped opened, his eyes bugged wide. "You're kidding."

"No, I'm not. That's exactly what the gaffer told me," she said. "And just like you were, Ramsay was in a serious stage of heat stroke when they found him. He is now in the hospital, recovering. No doubt he'll go straight to prison soon afterwards."

"Right. But who did that to him?" Steve wondered.

"A good Samaritan maybe? Ramsay's photo has been released through various media channels, so someone is bound to recognize him." Kate shrugged. "The MVCU are investigating, but I'm sure they'll be more focused on Ramsay and what he did to you instead of his attacker."

Steve couldn't hold back a grin. "Serve him right."

Folding her arms, Kate looked at him closely. "Could this really be the work of a good Samaritan, or maybe a guardian angel? I mean, your guardian angel."

Steve's raised his eyebrows. "My guardian angel?"

"You know exactly whom I'm talking about, mate."

"Oh. Him." Steve shrugged. "But how is that possible? Shane told me he has to fly out immediately on a classified op. He might be in some desolate part of a third world country right as we speak. How can he be at two places at one time?"

"Hmm…" Kate frowned as she pondered, but she said nothing more.

Later that evening, when Steve was finally left alone by himself—stretching out on the sofa and watching a football match on the telly—he opened a private Google mail account. After logging in with the user name 'Shortlegs', he noticed one notification in the draft box. When he clicked on it, he instantly knew that it was a cryptic message from his older brother.

Shane had typed only six words.

"He didn't check the interior too."

Amused, Steve laughed and laughed.

THE END

Stay tuned for more LOD stories. Also feel free to prompt me some plots and ideas. Later, guys.

"Give yourself up!" – DS Steve Arnott.

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* ABBREVIATIONS:

AC - Anti Corruption

AFO - Authorized Firearms Officer

BASE - Building, Antenna, Span, and Earth

DCI - Detective Chief Inspector

DI - Detective Inspector

HALO - High Altitude Low Opening

ICU - Intensive Care Unit

MVCU- Major Violent Crime Unit

SAS - Special Air Service

SIO - Senior Investigating Officer