Kojak: Extortion

"Love you, Theo," Bobby murmured sleepily.

"Love you, Baby," Theo replied. He entwined his left hand with Bobby's right laying them over his lover's heart. He cupped his right hand possessively around Bobby's spent genitals. "Mine, Bobby," he whispered darkly into the younger man's ear. "Mine forever." Kissing the mark of possession on Bobby's throat, Theo joined his lover in sleep.

Glancing up from his desk to gaze out into his department, Theo registered how long Bobby had been absent. He bellowed for Stavros, who ambled in to see what his Lieutenant wanted.

"Where's Crocker?" Theo demanded.

"He got a call from a snitch. Possibly hit pay-dirt on some names in connection with the Walters case," Stavros replied evenly. "His snitch won't meet if there's anyone else with Crocker, so I'm waiting on his call to go join him." Stavros glanced at his watch. "He should be calling in anytime soon."

"Keep me informed," Kojak said gruffly.

As Stavros returned to his desk, Sapperstein hailed him.

"Pick up your phone, Stavros, it's Crocker for you."

"Hey, Crocker," Stavros said as he picked up the receiver.

"I've got a couple of leads," Bobby's voice came through. "I'm at Fifth and Lenning at a Motel called Sands. One of these names is supposed to be holed up in Room 404. The guy's name is Eddie Channing and he's been out of circulation since Walters turned up dead. But if this pans I'll treat lunch and we can try the other."

"I can be there in twenty," Stavros confirmed. "Don't take any chances, Bobby," the older detective warned.

"No way, Stavros," Bobby replied and Stavros could hear the smile in the younger man's voice. "Too much to lose."

"I'm happy for you, Bobby," Stavros said warmly. "Even if I have no idea what we're talking about." Stavros smiled as he heard Bobby's snort of laughter. Given Stavros was also Greek, the older man had seen Bobby and Theo come to many Greek parties. Although they were never open, it was obvious to all they were a devoted couple. Stavros knew that he would know if they came out to family. It would get through the Greek family grapevine. He was genuinely pleased for both men. Theo had been alone for a long time and Bobby wasn't as confident outside of his element and had little family. The two men were good for each other, even he had seen the glances of love and possessiveness that passed between the men, even when they were in the department. However, Stavros was confident you needed to know what to look for and nothing would be noticed by an outsider. It was also unofficial family knowledge that there would be an announcement soon. Theo had rung Maria for a family gathering in two weeks time. Stavros smiled. He intended to give the men a pan for making Greek coffee as their 'engagement' gift.

Outside the Motel, Bobby paced impatiently. Stavros wasn't due for another ten minutes, but Bobby didn't want to wait any longer. Channing was just a kid. If he checked him out now, by the time Stavros arrived they could either take him downtown or move on to lunch. His check on Channing showed him guilty of little more than a couple of charges of possessing cannabis. His mind made up, Bobby strode resolutely into the Motel. He rode the elevator to the fourth floor and stood outside Room 404. As he stood outside the door, the sound of breaking glass and a heavy thud had the young detective pulling out his gun. Taking up a careful stance, Crocker yelled out his warning before kicking the door open. He kept low, taking in the sight of the young man lying on the floor. He noted the broken window and the obvious bullet wound in the young man's chest and it didn't look good. Crawling rapidly, Bobby reached the window and pulled down the blind, cutting off any outside view. Still crawling he went to the aid of the stricken man.

A closer look at the bullet wound confirmed Bobby's initial reaction. The young man wasn't going to survive. He pulled out his cell phone, calling for paramedics anyway, and getting dispatch to update Stavros. As he replaced his phone, Channing was pulling out a key on a thin chain around his neck. He snapped the chain with shaking hands and pressed the key into Bobby's hand.

"Take," he husked. "Bus Depot. Photographs." The young man fell silent and Bobby knew he wouldn't be speaking again. With a sigh, Bobby rose sadly to his feet.

In an apartment building across from the Motel, an expensive rifle with a heat-seeking target locator had been reloaded and aimed at the window of Room 404. The assassin could see one of his targets changing colour as death set in. The other finally moved from a crouched position. The assassin was murmuring over and over.

"Let it end here. Let it end here." Without any further remorse, the target was sighted and the trigger pulled. The bullet took Bobby through the back of his right shoulder, emerging below Bobby's collarbone and Bobby cried out in pain as he was propelled to the floor. Unable to verify the condition of the victim, the assassin threw the expensive gun to the floor. The shooter ran in to the elevator, just as the apartment's elderly neighbour risked looking outside. The people next door were away, but she was certain she'd heard noises. Ascertaining the door was shut, she resolved to inform her daughter of her concerns before locking herself back indoors.

Stavros was arriving in a black and white as Bobby's call came through dispatch.

"Inform Lieutenant Kojak at Manhattan South," he instructed. "Tell him I'll contact him with an update in five minutes." Despite his bulk, Stavros could move swiftly when needed. He raced into the Motel and up to Room 404. He pulled out his gun and moved cautiously towards the open door. Peering carefully around, he moaned in denial as he saw Bobby on the ground, blood pooling beneath him. "Bobby," he called out. He noted the bullet hole in the blind. Dropping to his hands and knees, he crawled to the injured young detective. He gave a sigh of relief as he felt the thready beat at Bobby's carotid and the sound of the paramedic's siren. He yanked a sheet from the bed and began to try and stem the bleeding. As he secured one piece of sheeting, Stavros turned the younger man gently to tend to the exit wound. Bobby was pale and sweaty, blood-loss and shock taking their toll on his injured body.

"Stavros," the older man spat out as his cell phone rang. "He's been shot, Lieutenant," he confessed in response to the terse enquiry. "Paramedics are on their way. I'll stay with him. Nichols brought me here, he can secure the scene. The other kid's dead. Sure, I'll see you at the hospital," he confirmed before flipping off the phone. As he did so, he saw Bobby's glazed eyes staring at him.

"Stavros," the hurt man gasped painfully. "Key, bus depot," he stopped and coughed.

"Don't try to speak, Bobby," Stavros pleaded. "Just hold on, Baby, the paramedics are here. Just hold on."

"Tell Theo," Bobby whispered. "Love him always." Bobby's eyes rolled back and he went limp in Stavros' arms just as the medics burst in. Before Stavros could react, he was swept aside whilst blood pressure was checked and an IV inserted.

"He's just passed out," one medic reassured Stavros seeing the distraught look on his face. "We'll get him transported immediately. He's losing a lot of blood. May have nicked an artery."

"You want me to look after the scene?" a uniformed officer asked Stavros.

"Thanks, Nichols," Stavros replied. "I'll take the black and white to follow the ambulance. You'll need a wagon for this one."

The voices of the paramedics faded and Stavros raced to follow them.

At the hospital, Stavros wasn't surprised to see that captain O'Neill has come with Theo. They rushed to the Greek wanting to know Bobby's condition. Stavros brought the two concerned men as up to date as he could. He exhibited the key, which was safely in a clue bag.

"Uh, Lieutenant," Stavros said snagging the senior detective's arm and gently leading him away from O'Neill. "Just a private word," he said. "Bobby, well....Bobby said to tell you he loves you always. They were the last words he spoke."

O'Neill turned sharply at the sound of pain and grief from the normally stoic Kojak.

"Stavros," he ordered taking command. "Get us some coffees. This could take some time." As the detective disappeared, O'Neill grasped Theo's arm and forced the distressed man to face him. "Theo, don't sell the kid short. He's fit, he's healthy and he has something here to fight for. I can't give guarantees, Theo, but I know he'll fight."

"I love him, Frank," Theo's confession was a pained whisper. "I can't lose him now. We're going to announce our relationship to the family. I want to spend the rest of our lives together. I just can't lose him now."

"Focus on spending your lives together, Theo," O'Neill urged. "I know that's what the kid will do."

Four hours dragged by without word on Bobby's progress, until finally a doctor in blood-flecked scrubs came towards them.

"Who's here for Bobby Crocker?" he asked.

"We are," O'Neill said. "This is Theo Kojak; he's Bobby's life-partner and Lieutenant. I'm his Captain and this is one of my team and a friend of Bobby's"

"If I might have a word, Lieutenant," the doctor said softly, leading Theo away from the other men. "I'll bring them up to date after you, since you class as family," he explained. He quickly took in the mixture of fear and anxiety that were almost palpable from the big detective. "My name is Henning and I was Bobby's surgeon. We were lucky he took the shot in the back. If he'd been facing the other way, we most likely wouldn't be having this conversation. He lost a lot of blood, an artery was clipped, by some bone fragments, but no organs received any damage. He did require CPR in the ambulance as he lost sinus rhythm, so in addition to the damage from the bullet, he'll probably have some bruised or cracked ribs. He is currently intubated and sedated to allow his body a chance to heal. I'll look to wean him from sedation over the next 24 hours. If all goes well, I will then be trying to move him from intubation to mask and then nasal prongs. All slow gentle steps to ease him to recovery."

"Is he going to be alright?" Theo asked shakily. He'd heard worse before, but this was Bobby, his lover, his Mate.

"Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he should make a full recovery," Henning assured. "However, he is a seriously injured young man, who has needed several grueling hours of surgery and who lost a lot of blood. It could be a month before he is fully fit again."

"I want him home as soon s it's practicable," Theo said gazing levelly at Henning. "I'll be with him. I'll hire a private nurse. I just want him home as soon as he's able."

"I understand," Henning said placating the detective. "And I concur that Bobby will heal more quickly when in a familiar, loving environment, however, it's my job to get him well enough to leave here first. Please don't try and pressurize either him or me in that respect."

"I won't," Theo replied, but had the grace to look abashed. "I just want him home with me, safe."

"Give us both a couple of days, Lieutenant," Henning said. "Then we can perhaps start discussing anything further."

"I want to be with him," Theo said pleadingly. I nearly lost ..." Theo couldn't continue.

"He's sedated ..." Henning began to automatically object, but caught the glint of tears in Theo's eyes and relented.

"Follow me," he directed. He walked back to the others who had waited patiently. "I'm Bobby's surgeon, Dr Henning. Bobby was a badly hurt young man, but I believe he will make a full recovery." He observed the subtle shift in body language his news brought and he smiled at the two detectives. "I am taking Lieutenant Kojak to sit with Bobby for a while. I will be back to answer questions in a few minutes."

Theo was led into the ICU room in which Bobby lay. The older detective couldn't suppress his groan of distress at seeing his normally vibrant lover so pale and still with wires attached to his body and a tube down his throat allowing a machine to breathe for him.

"Don't forget, Lieutenant, we don't normally allow you to see someone so soon after surgery. He'll look a lot better in 24 hours." So saying he left Theo with his unconscious lover.

Theo pulled the plastic chair as close to Bobby's bed as possible. He held Bobby's left hand, wanting desperately to enfold the younger man in his arms and make all the pain and hurt go away. He tenderly stroked Bobby's hand and was barely cognizant of the various people who came to check on Bobby and who gazed compassionately at the man who sat on vigil at his lover's side. He jumped as a hand settled on his shoulder.

"Dr Henning," he acknowledged as he gazed into the doctor's understanding eyes.

"I want you to go home, Theo," Henning said firmly. "I want you to eat; sleep, shower and you can come back in the morning. It will do my patient no good at all for his recovery if he sees his partner looking ill or worse, sees him collapse. Do you understand? Being taken off intubation is unpleasant. If Bobby's recovering consciousness, it would be good for him to have a comforting presence."

Theo allowed himself to be pulled upright, and then bent down to place a kiss on Bobby's forehead.

"I'll be back soon, Baby," he promised, knowing Bobby couldn't hear, but feeling better for saying it.

"When you come back, try talking to him. The sedation will be less and it would be good for him to hear a voice he knows."

In the waiting room, O'Neill had gone, but Stavros remained. Theo nodded at him, unable to speak his thanks.

"Let's go home, Lieutenant," he said evenly.

At the apartment, Theo felt disconnected from reality. Bobby's possessions seemed to stand out, almost mocking him in their solidity, whilst his lover was absent. He found himself pushed into the bathroom and he recognized the instruction to shower. He mechanically obeyed; allowing the water to finally take away the chill he had felt since Stavros had first told him Bobby was shot. His mind replayed the shower he had shared with Bobby that morning; the laughing as they had cleansed and touched each other and Bobby's excitement at their being a recognized couple in the eyes of Theo's family. Theo turned his face into the spray allowing the water to wash away his tears. Standing outside the shower, Theo imagined he could feel Bobby's hands as they had dried him that morning. He wrapped his robe around him, feeling bereft. As he moved into the living room, Stavros presented him with a mug of soup and a plate of sandwiches. Theo went to voice an objection, but Stavros interjected.

"Theo, we're Greek. At times like this, we eat. Eat something, drink something, you'll be no use to Bobby otherwise."

The mention of his lover's name worked its magic on the worried man. Mechanically he began to eat the soup and sandwiches, surprising himself at how quickly he finished them. Stavros replaced the soup with coffee. Theo took a sip and grimaced.

"It's sugared," he groused.

"You need it, Theo. You've had a shock, too. If Bobby were no more to you than just a member of the team, it would be bad enough. He's more to you, much more. He must have arrived as the killer shot Channing. It was pure bad luck. I'll get on it tomorrow. I'll sleep on the couch here and drop you off at the hospital on my way home in the morning," Stavros said.

"Thanks, Stavros," Theo said gratefully. "The spare bed's made up. Sleep in there. I appreciate all you've done."

"I love Bobby, too," The other Greek confided. "He's like the kid brother I didn't have. I know he'd be furious with me if I didn't look after you properly."

"Thanks, I'll be sure and tell him how well you nagged me," Theo tried to smile. "I want to be at the hospital early, OK?"

"Sure thing, Theo".

By the next morning, Theo had situated himself back at Bobby's side. He held the wounded man's hand, gently stroking the skin. To his eyes there was little change in the young man. Bobby was still pale and unmoving. The bandage around Bobby's body and should was blood-flecked and above the bandaging, the bruising that could be from either the operation or the CPR was evident in stark contrast to Bobby's pale skin. Squeezing Bobby's hand gently, Theo began to murmur to Bobby in low tones about what to expect at Maria's party and how much Theo loved and needed him.

"Good morning Lieutenant," Henning's voice cut into Theo's ramblings. "We've started reducing Bobby's sedation to wean him off. If all goes well over the next few hours, Bobby should start waking naturally. If he seems well enough, I can look at removing the intubation."

"Thanks, Doc," Theo replied softly, his eyes never leaving his lover's face.

Theo was oblivious to time passing. He kept reminding Bobby of their shared times of joy and pleasure, trying to coax the younger man into waking. Suddenly, Theo went quiet. He was certain something had happened. He looked intently at his lover. Bobby's eyes flickered and there was minute pressure on his hand that clasped Bobby's. Theo leant forward to whisper closer to Bobby's ear.

"That's it, Baby," he encouraged. "Wake up for me, Bobby. I really need you to wake up for me, Sweetheart. Come on, Bobby. Please wake for me. Please, Baby. Can you open your eyes for me, Love?" Theo almost yelled out in triumph as Bobby's eyes flickered open. The younger man's eyes widened in fear and he choked on the tubing down his throat. "Easy, Bobby, easy," Theo crooned as he rang for medical assistance. "The tube is to help you breathe. Just let it do its job, Baby. Love you, Baby, love you so much." Theo smiled as Bobby stilled, fixing his eyes on his older lover and tried to squeeze Theo's hand.

The next few minutes were a flurry of activity as Henning came into the room. He encouraged Theo to keep hold of Bobby's hand as the invasive tube was removed and Bobby sighed painfully as he began to breathe unaided. Henning affixed an oxygen mask, smiling reassuringly at Bobby.

"This will help ensure you get all the oxygen you need, Bobby," he explained. The less effort your body has to make, the more it can devote its energy to healing. If you continue to make good progress, we can look at nasal prongs soon. When that happens we can move you from ICU and you can have more visitors. But for now, I'd prefer it if just Theo spent time with you so you don't exhaust yourself. Is that OK?"

Bobby nodded, his eyes moving from Henning to fix back on Theo, but both men could see Bobby was battling to try and stop them closing again. Henning indicated he was departing and slipped outside.

"Love you, Bobby," Theo reaffirmed. "I don't want you trying to talk, just listen, OK?" Theo smiled as Bobby nodded. "Good. I want you fit and strong to come home as soon as possible. Dr Henning has said you're going to be pretty tired today and you'll sleep a lot. I need to go to the Department, find out what's been established about the killer. I want you to relax and sleep and let the healing start. We hardly spent any time at the apartment as a couple and already it's lonely and bare without you, Babe. Sleep for me, Bobby. I'll come back later and spend more time with you. Just sleep again, Baby." Theo began to croon softly as he stroked Bobby's forehead. The young man quickly lapsed back into sleep. Theo smiled affectionately and kissed Bobby's brow.

"He needs his sleep," a nurse's voice broke into Theo's reverie as he stood looking at the sleeping young man.

"Will you be on duty all day?" Theo asked, still gazing at Bobby's relaxed face.

"Yes," she replied smiling.

"If he wakes up when you're around will you let him know I'll be back later?"

"Of course I will," she said. "Anything else?"

"Yes," Theo said softly. "Tell him I love him always."