George Woodman
Junior Member
I won't rest until I've inspected every suspicious nook and cranny!
Posts: 94
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Post by George Woodman on Dec 11, 2010 16:55:34 GMT -8
George couldn't believe her remark. How dare she question how he doesn't know everyone's vehicle. He's the sheriff. Not only does he know everyone in this town, but also what they drive. If anyone drove a car like that, he'd know.
Still. "Is it possible one of our resident has been keeping secrets?" he thought. He sighed. "Perhaps. There is the possibility that someone in this town has some dark secrets. Still, I'm not sure if Lysander will be able to help it, but either way, an uncertain lead is better than none at all." he replied, reluctantly giving approval to talk to Lysander the next day.
He noted that Emily was fixated on Agent Dave and Ms. Jacobs. "Emily, we have work to do, you cannot get emotionally involved." he thought. He moved himself a bit in front of her.
Things were getting a bit too hectic for George. Too many doctors swarming around for his tastes. He wanted to leave them, but kept himself there in case Charlotte came to.
He listened to Henning's information. "Very well, we'll add that to the report. That should give us something else to look for..."
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Post by Charlotte Jacobs on Dec 11, 2010 17:30:57 GMT -8
If the medical seagulls didn’t leave her alone Charlotte was going to scream. They wanted to disinfect the open wounds or something. She’d had to let go of David’s hand to slide out of her leather jacket. Looking at her arms she blinked in surprise. She was covered in more bruises, scrapes and cuts that she’d expected. Some were still bleeding. This is going to hurt. A LOT.
The doctor who remained behind was a bland-faced individual who she suspected would be one of those annoying doctors that used ‘we’ when talking to patients. After running a few tests he picked up a clipboard and gave a bland smile she assumed was supposed to be friendly or reassuring. It wasn’t.
“It looks like you’re suffering from a Grade II concussion,” he said. Even his VOICE is bland. “We’ll probably keep you here for a little while to monitor you. And when you go home you’ll need to have someone with you for a time. You also are suffering from a few cracked ribs and a multitude of contusions, including a rather serious one on your left hip. You’re also going to need some stitches. We found traces of metal in some of the cuts, so you’re getting a tetanus shot as well.”
Oh JOY.
Her hand flew to the pocket of her jacket. Her camera was still there. Good.
Charlotte eyed the doorway and began to wonder if she couldn't just make a break for it. Probably not, she decided disappointedly. She sought out David's hand again.
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Post by David Young Henning on Dec 11, 2010 18:02:33 GMT -8
The doctor had managed to force his way between him and Charlotte, as if deliberately trying to separate them, but it seemed like things were calming down now that the initial excitement was over. Despite the shock of seeing the damage done to her bare arms, he had definitely seen far worse, and he was glad to hear the diagnosis; nothing serious, no severe head trauma as he'd been afraid of... But he noticed Charlotte was looking none too happy about it, and he also saw the way she had grabbed protectively at her jacket when the nurse tried to take it from her.
As the remaining nurse prepared the shot, he and Charlotte stubbornly found each other's hand again. He glanced over to the Sheriff and his Deputy and said, as politely as he could manage:
"Well, thank you both for your quick response. I'm sure the Bureau will be glad to know the situation was handled so smoothly. I'll be sure to contact your department if I learn anything new, but for now, I'll be here with Ms. Jacobs. Probably until morning, if you really need to contact me before then."
His officious tone softened as he turned to Emily. It was a shame, he thought, that their first encounter at the diner had been so rushed... And now the second time they'd met, there was no place for simple conversation. Perhaps the third time really was the charm. Meanwhile though, he was hoping they would take the hint and leave him alone with Charlotte... Whatever it might have looked like, there were things he needed to tell her. Things he wanted to say, that he would really rather not, even with just the two of them in the room... Let alone with a group of strangers watching.
"Deputy Wyatt, Sheriff. We'll have to catch up some other time... Hopefully under less stressful circumstances."
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Post by Emily Wyatt on Dec 11, 2010 19:05:13 GMT -8
It was plain to see David wanted some alone time with Charlotte. They could question them both more later when things were less hectic. Besides she wanted David and Charlotte's tender moment to last...knowing George he would probably ruin the atmosphere with one of his glares.
She grabbed George's arm and attempted to steer him towards the door. "Come on George..." The man didn't budge. The man was built like an ox and stubborn as a mule. Emily knew it was impossible move him by force. At least not unless she magically gained 200 pounds of muscle and could lift a truck.
As she gently pulled she felt his large leather clad bicep tense. Emily couldn't help but think it was a good thing he was on the side of good! The man could probably take out 10 men by himself with his fists alone. "You said there was a gunshot victim in the hospital. Right? Why don't we give them a visit. We won't get much from Charlotte with the state she's in...Agent Henning will keep her safe"
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George Woodman
Junior Member
I won't rest until I've inspected every suspicious nook and cranny!
Posts: 94
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Post by George Woodman on Dec 11, 2010 19:17:35 GMT -8
George watched and groaned. He wanted more information about this car, but knew Charlotte wasn't going anywhere. There was also another person to talk to tonight.
He felt Emily tugging on him, causing his muscles to tighten up. He wanted to leave, but duty kept him firmly in place. That, and another part of his brain kind of enjoyed looking at Charlotte. "Not quite a Goddess, but would be valuable nonetheless."
He listened to Emily's argument. "We've gotten everyone we can right now. We'll take to the gunshot victim." he replied. "But remember, do not get emotionally involved."
He led Emily out of the room. "I been busy since I got here. Do you know where the other victim is being treated?"
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Post by Emily Wyatt on Dec 11, 2010 19:39:06 GMT -8
Emily followed George from the room her cheeks burning. She wasn't that transparent was she? Sure she let her emotions lead her sometimes but it was so hard not to get involved with people she wanted to protect. That's just how she was. George may find it easy to compartmentalize his empathy but she couldn't...she wanted to nurture those in need. Maybe she picked the wrong profession.
Well at least they were giving Charlotte and David some alone time!
"I talked to the nurse supervisor before you all arrived. The patient should be in room 105 and they are conscious." Emily thought a moment and pointed down the hallway, "I believe the room is this way it's the one nearest to the stairway."
She and George made it made it quickly to the hospital room 105 but on stepping and seeing the occupant Emily's faltered.
Atlas, the man she had a tentative plans with this evening was sitting in the hospital bed munching on some green jello.
Her eyes grew wide, "Atlas! What...What on earth! What happened to you?" She rushed forward to his bedside. "How did you get shot? Are you in a lot of pain?"
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Post by Atlas on Dec 11, 2010 19:57:11 GMT -8
There was very little for Atlas to do. Even thinking was a chore. The more he tried to piece together what happened earlier, the more the painkillers fuzzed up his brain. The shoulder didn't hurt as much anymore and he barely felt the doctors attempting to remove the pellets from his injuries. However, it left him little more than a vegetable at the moment.
He could hear voices earlier, including the sounds of doctors wheeling someone by and a loud authoritative voice shouting orders. "Geez, someone else get shot?" he wondered. He tried thinking about who those voices belonged too, but fell asleep before he could.
When he woke up, he was give a small meal: some green jello. "I would have preferred a pastry..." he though, but ate it anyways: he was hungry after what had happened.
A few minutes later, two cops entered the room. One of them was a large, stern looking man, clad in a leather jacket, cowboy hat and a mustache that screamed power. The other was a familiar looking blonde girl...
Emily?
His heart skipped a few beats. He was relieved that Emily was here, knowing she wouldn't try to interrogate him too hard.
He could hear her sympathetic words and tried to give responses. "Hi, Emily. Thanks for coming. Sorry I couldn't be at SWERY 65 tonight." he replied weakly. "Yeah, I got shot. Was looking for flowers in Greenvale Forest Park...a giant dog ambushed me, I tried running...then limbo zombies from hell surround me...got away from them...but one of them had a shotgun.....blasted me....then I made it here." The painkillers had turned off the filter in his brain that would tell him that no one would believe such a story. Especially the cowboy, who looked dumbfounded.
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Post by Emily Wyatt on Dec 11, 2010 20:21:46 GMT -8
Emily's brow furrowed in confusion. Giant Dog...limbo zombies? Atlas' rushed story was quite hard to follow. The poor guy, the pain medication must be doing a number on him. He's obviously not thinking straight!
She took a seat next to the bed, give Atlas a gentle smile and patted his hand reassuringly, "Hey don't worry about SWERY 65...there was a police emergency anyway and I wouldn't have been able to make it."
She laughed, squeezed Atlas' hand and gave him a wink and said, "I take it you didn't get my voice mail due to all your excitement today huh?"
She felt rather than saw George come up behind her and she quickly pulled back her hand. She wasn't eager to be chastised another time about being too "emotionally involved" with people. She looked up at George and gave him a questioning glance. Should their conversation continue? With Atlas' odd response maybe it wasn't wise to continue their interrogation while he was this far gone on medication.
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George Woodman
Junior Member
I won't rest until I've inspected every suspicious nook and cranny!
Posts: 94
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Post by George Woodman on Dec 11, 2010 20:35:32 GMT -8
George wasn't surprised to see him, the lawyer in a pitiful state. However, he was disappointed that he wasn't more alert. "Ohh, great, this guy isn't going to give any useful information." he thought.
He listened to the man story, which left his jaw wide open. "Giant Dog? Limbo zombies. That's it, from now on, I'm forbidding painkillers to people until we can get a statement from them." he thought. Although he showed some concern for Jacobs, that same concern was not shown for the lawyer.
He also felt a hint of jealousy as well. Emily was attempting to comfort the man, perhaps a bit too closely. His brow furrowed and his muscled tensed. "What did you do to her, lawyer?" he growled to himself.
Emily pulled back when she felt his presence and glanced at him. Although he know he wouldn't get any useful information out of him, a combination of pride, envy and anger had him lash out at the drugged lawyer. "Stop with the bullshit. Tell us exactly what happened? Were you at the crime scene? Did you touch anything? If I find out that you were there...."
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Post by Atlas on Dec 11, 2010 20:41:28 GMT -8
He couldn't really read or understand the reactions of Emily and the cowboy at the moment. "Goddamn this medication." he thought.
However, he could understand Emily's attempts to comfort him. He smiled back at her. A city police officer wouldn't have been here like this, even one that he knew for years. He was grateful that at least someone was not trying to grill him.
At least until the cowboy got involved. He spouted questions off so rapidly, that his brain couldn't register most of them. The only one that he could get was that if he was at the crime scene. "Was there...but only to see the tree...swear I didn't touch the evidence.....sorry....know investigation is important..." he stammered. Out of being chased by a giant dog, dodging limbo zombies, getting shot, and listening to a fat man's metaphors all morning, this was the worst thing that happened to him tonight..."Emily...please stop this guy." his face pleaded.
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Post by Emily Wyatt on Dec 11, 2010 21:10:44 GMT -8
Emily whirled around in her seat in surprise when George continued to berate the drugged man. That's it, he was being unreasonable!
"George!" She stood up hands on hips and glared at her boss. Then in a low but forceful whisper, "Can't you see he's drugged out of his mind? Scaring him and demanding answers isn't going to help the investigation one bit!"
But when she saw George's glare all her courage left her and her hands fell to her sides.
George's glare scared the crap out of her.
Oh shit, shit, SHIT...there I go again. Opening my big mouth like that... I'll pay for this insubordination later. George hates it when you try and question his investigation methods. Something tells me I'm going to be stuck re organizing the department files again, yet again.
She took a quick glance at Atlas who sat in wide eyed surprise and her eyes then fell to the floor.
Great...George is going to have my head I know it. She bit her lip in attempt to control the tears she felt forming in the back of her eyes. She could feel herself starting to hyperventilate.
Get a grip Wyatt! You don't want to cry in front of Atlas and you sure as hell don't want to cry in front of George. You know he has no tolerance for that sort of "weakness" on the job. Tears will only dig you deeper into this hole.
She could feel her cheeks burn again...she was so embarrassed. She didn't mean to talk back so harshly...it's just well, sometimes George's macho guy attitude really rubbed her the wrong way. There was no need for him to scare an injured man for no reason.
She closed her eyes a moment and then continued to stare at George's black cowboy boots. She couldn't meet his eyes she knew she would only see his disappointment in her professionalism. At least Todd wasn't here to see this...
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George Woodman
Junior Member
I won't rest until I've inspected every suspicious nook and cranny!
Posts: 94
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Post by George Woodman on Dec 11, 2010 21:27:23 GMT -8
Emily had tried to stand up for the man, but all it took was one angry glare for her to shrink back. He was going to get the information out of this lawyer, drugs be damned. He continued the interrogation. "So you were there. Why?" he yelled. All the lawyer could do was say the same things about the dog, the limbo zombies and the shotgun. He smacked the man. "STOP LYING" he yelled.
He stepped back to take a couple breath before continuing when he saw Emily. He then looked back at himself. "What the hell am I doing. I can't get an answer out of this guy. He's doped to the gills." he thought. "And losing my cool like that. Made me look like a kid having a temper tantrum." he looked up and sighed.
"I'm sorry, Emily, but I'm a bit frustrated about having a lack of information concerning everything happening here." he grudgingly admitted. He hated showing weakness like this, but the last thing he wanted to do was to see Emily suffer. He didn't even bother apologizing to the drugged lawyer.
"I need to take a few minutes, breathe a bit and take in everything I've heard. Then I'm going to check up on Ms. Jacobs and Agent Dave. I want you to keep an eye on the lawyer. Make sure you tell me everything he tells you." he replied, then walked out, shaking his head.
His animosity towards him only increased. His darker side was plotting. "You're lucky Emily was there, lawyer. Had it been just me, your death wouldn't have come from a gunshot..." he scowled.
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Post by Charlotte Jacobs on Dec 11, 2010 21:29:52 GMT -8
Charlotte had officially been poked, prodded, taped, stitched and as a cherry on the medical sundae there was a tetanus shot involved. Should have made a run for it. Her now gauze-wrapped (to protect the stitches the nurse said; she looked a little like a mummy) hand tightened around David’s instinctively as the nurse approached with a rather sizeable needle.
Focusing everywhere but on the nurse and her needle, she found herself musing over the two that had just left the room. Emily had obviously been concerned, and had seemed glad to see her in one piece... though there had been a sparkle in the Deputy Sheriff’s eye near the end that worried her just a little. Now the Sheriff with the impressive moustache... There was something about the way the Sheriff had stared at her that gave her the creeps. She had not been sad to see him leave, but she had the feeling she’d be seeing more of him. Hopefully I won’t be alone when I do.
“Hold out your arm,” the nurse instructed, and she did so. Unfortunately this led her to looking at the stupid needle again as the nurse prepared to inject it into her upper arm. It’s just a needle. After all the weird shit that’s happened today I can’t let a stupid needle freak me out. Still... it was a big needle, and she was relieved when it was over. The nurse told her to take it easy and warned that someone would be back to check on her shortly, with a significant look at David. What the hell? Did that nurse just... imply what I think she was implying? She sort of gaped at the nurse, trying to figure out what the hell was wrong with her. Seriously? If she hadn’t been so shocked she would have laughed.
The nurse finally left the room (after taking her sweet time, of course, and giving several significant disapproving looks at both of them), leaving Charlotte alone with David. She tugged him closer to the bed with a lopsided smile.
“I’m sorry I dragged you into this... but I’m really glad you’re here,” she told him, being far more honest than she had originally intended. She glanced at her coat, strewn across the end of the hospital bed. How much do I tell him? She was terrified that he would laugh, or think she was insane... and that she would ruin any chance she had to get to know him better.
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Post by Emily Wyatt on Dec 11, 2010 22:02:59 GMT -8
Emily found the courage to looked up again when George continued with his questions. So much for helping Atlas, if her little act of insubordination did anything it only made the man angrier.
But when George smacked Atlas she found herself at a loss for words. She could only respond with a sharp intake of breath and a stare of wide eyed horror.
What the hell was wrong with him tonight?! When George met her gaze she took a step back. There was a darkness she never noticed before in his eyes. In fact, he looked like he was barely keeping his rage in control, and that's what scared her most. If anything George was always one in control of his rage. Sure he yelled but in her experience his bark was worse then his bite.
Before she could say anything the darkness was gone. George's anger seemed to have left him. He even looked a little apologetic. Must have realized he crossed the line just now.
Emily was relieved when he left the room. George's strange behavior scared her and she hated to see her new friend caught in the crossfire of his emotions.
She returned to her seat and gave Atlas an apologetic smile. Her hand gently caressed his reddening cheek.
"I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over George tonight. Are you okay?"
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Post by David Young Henning on Dec 11, 2010 22:10:47 GMT -8
Henning sat by Charlotte's side, all the medical administering done for the moment- and hopefully the night, but he couldn't count on that with the final nurse's hawk eye promising more interference to come. His FBI badge had helped stem the flow of questions from the bland-faced doctor, but at one point he'd had to leave the room as they taped her ribs, the one time they could convince him to leave. Now they were alone together, the harsh lights dimmed to a small pool over the bedside table, and he thought how amazing it was that just this morning he had seen her for the first time in over a year, only to have things end up like this by the end of the day...
He felt the bandages they'd wrapped her hands with under his thumb, laughed as Charlotte apologized for the fiftieth time.
"You didn't drag me into anything. What was I supposed to do, grab my vending machine chocolate and let you faint on the hotel carpet? No... I should be sorry. For a lot of things. My behaviour at breakfast, for one, and something else..."
He held her hand in both of his, feeling the edges of what he wanted to say deep in a part of his mind, a room in which he had deliberately shut off the lights. Hie made sure to look into her eyes, said quietly, "I get the feeling you don't want to tell me what really happened to you, Charlotte, and I've set a terrible precedent... I told you I was here to recover from an accident, and when you asked about it this morning, I tried to blow it off like it was nothing. I still haven't given you a reason to trust me with your story, but... Maybe when you hear mine, you will."
Slightly closer to the surface, dim but still within reach, was the look Sheriff Woodman had given them before he left the room. Henning didn't have the mental resources to examine it now, but later... when he had the time... He could let it worry him then. From here, for once, he didn't have to think about the future...
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