To Serve & Protect: Officer Down

"Captain?" interjected Josh diffidently. "There's an FBI agent inside also. He's apparently been wounded too."

"Captain, that settles it then. I will take over."

"The hell you will."

Back in the bank events were moving. "Okay," announced the leader. I want everyone into the vault. Move now and you won't be hurt." The bandits carefully searched the bank. They found two other people hiding in offices. Everyone was moved to the vault.

In short order everyone but Stephanie and Pat had been secured in the bank vault. The leader had given in to Steph's pleas that moving her mom would be too dangerous. He had agreed and gone back to waiting by the phone. At his nod the vault had been locked.

Stephanie knelt beside her mother. She used a wet towelette to wipe her mother's face. She struggled to control her worry. Her mother's eyes were open but not focused. Her face was white and drawn. Stephanie spoke in low measured tones, reassuring her mother that everything was going to be alright. She realized she was using the same type voice her mother used when something frightened or disturbed her.

Stephanie had only been four years old when her birth mother had died. Four years after that Pat had come into the lives of her family when she had been assigned as her Dad's new partner. She and her sister had taken Pat to their hearts when she began to spend more and more time with them after meeting her at a Departmental picnic. They had watched her and their father grow closer and finally fall in love. It had not been immediate, but several years after the marriage, Carol and Stephanie had come to realize that they no longer thought of their father's wife as "Pat". She had become "Mother".

Stephanie's eyes blurred. Shaking her head with determination she began talking again to her mother. Whether she could hear her or not, Steph wasn't sure. She knew it helped, that it gave her mother a point to focus on.

"Who are you talking to?" snapped a voice from behind her.

Managing not to jump, Steph looked over her shoulder. "To my Mother. I'm trying to keep her conscious."

"Alright," the man said. He stooped and picked up Pat's folder with her ID card and gold badge. "Lieutenant Gibson, huh? What's your name?"

"Stephanie Gibson."

"Okay Stephanie Gibson. Thanks for patching up my people. He paused. "I'm sorry this happened. I wish it hadn't. If things had gone right no one would have been hurt."

Stephanie nodded. The man moved back towards the front window. When Steph looked down she saw her mother's eyes were a bit clearer now and looking at her.

"Its going to be okay Mom. I've stopped the bleeding." She continued to talk like that for a sentence or two more. Then as inspiration hit her, she continued in the same low, soothing voice, "Mom, is the FBI guy a fake?" Pat feebly nodded.

Stephanie resumed talking. At the same time she looked around. She spotted her mother's purse, contents spilled beside her. She reached down carefully. With only a brief glance down, she opened her mother's cell phone and pressed a speed dial number.

Outside the bank Linda had walked away from the argument between Mike and Agent Fording. She didn't like the agent's usual FBI "I'm in charge" attitude but at the same time she knew Mike was too close to the situation to see clearly.

She leaned on the side of a squad car and took a deep breath. Her cell phone rang and she looked at it, first in annoyance and then in shock as she recognized the number.

Stephanie's heart leaped when she heard Linda's whispered voice. She leaned closer to Pat, which brought her nearer to the phone. In amongst the continual stream of reassurances to her mother, Steph filled Linda in on what was happening inside the bank.

"Okay," Linda took the chance of replying, "I've got it. Shut the phone off before anyone sees you. I know what to do. It will all be okay sweetie."

Closing her phone, Linda walked back over to the still arguing pair. With an apologetic smile at Fording, she collared Mike and pulled him off to the side. "Let me talk to him for a moment, Agent Fording. Hopefully I can make him see sense."

Once they were out of earshot Linda began. "Don't move, don't flinch, don't jump, Mike. Just remain calm while I tell you what's going on." In quick words she told him what she had received from inside the bank and the plan she had devised to handle the situation.

Mike took a deep breath and calmed himself. Acting as a professional again, he threw an angry look at the FBI agents, waved his arms wildly at Linda and then stalked off.

Fording smirked and entered the FBI van to conduct his own talks with the robbers. In an astonishingly short time he emerged to announce that the robbers were giving up.

As everyone exited the bank with their hands in the air the FBI team quickly searched them, relieved them of their weapons and cuffed them. The wounded gang member and the wounded agent went into one ambulance, the others into the unmarked van. The agent who had entered the bank exited with the two bags of money in his hands. He stood aside for a moment as the ambulance crews rushed into the bank. He casually opened the trunk of the car and threw the bags in.

Agent Fording got in his car. The second agent with the money got in the van and the last one climbed into the ambulance with the two injured men. With a curt "Thank You" from Fording to Linda, the three vehicles started out of the parking lot.

Frank sank back against the hard metal bench in the back of the van. He exchanged smiles of relief with the rest of the team. They had made it. The third "agent" would find an excuse to stop the ambulance and tie up the driver. They would meet at a designated location and get the two wounded men to a doctor who asked no questions and answered none.

Suddenly brakes screeched and they were all thrown in a heap as the van skidded to a stop. The rear door flew open under the blows of some strange tool and then there were two assault rifles and a shotgun covering them.

"Nice try," One of the urban camouflaged officers said, with a tight grin that had no hint of mirth in it. "No cigar."

Frank and his compatriots were carefully taken out of the van. There was a commotion from the front of the van. A female voice shouted, "Mike. NO!" Frank found himself pressed up against the side of the van. A very large officer in SWAT gear had a forearm across his throat and a pistol aimed between his eyes.

Frank struggled to breath. A strangely detached part of his brain noted that the barrel of the pistol looked to be about the size of the Holland Tunnel. His eyes dropped to the front of the man's uniform. The embroidered nametape sewn to the jacket read "Gibson."

"Oh SHIT." Frank thought numbly. "Well, if you're going to fuck things up Frank, do it right. Shoot a cop, who's husband is a cop too." Numbly he watched as the enraged man thumbed the hammer back on his pistol, ignoring all cries and pleas from the other officers.

The confusion and uproar was penetrated and silenced by a young voice. "Daddy?" The man twisted his head to look and Frank's gaze followed his. The pressure on his throat eased a bit, as the young woman from the bank, Stephanie he thought, came towards them.

The young EMT walked up to the man and touched his arm. "Daddy, put it away and go see to Momma." When the officer stood fast, the young woman continued, "NOW Daddy. She needs you. And we all need you. Don't throw everything away. He's not worth it."

Stephanie trembled for a moment. She had never seen her father so filled with anger. Then he relaxed and stepped back, carefully uncocking his S&W. His eyes met hers and softened. "You always could tell me what to do Princess." He turned and almost ran to the ambulance, jumping inside just before it roared off.

"Thank you," came in a wheezing voice. Steph looked at the gang leader as color returned to his face. Two deputies firmly grasped him by the arms.

"Its okay. You let me see to her. I thank you for that. Besides, I hardly want my father to go to prison for blowing your head off in front of 50 witnesses."

As the able-bodied crooks were lead away, Deputy Sue Adams touched Stephanie's arm. "Come on Steph. Ride with me. We'll get someone to take your mom's car home later." Stephanie nodded and slipped into the passenger side of Sue's unmarked unit. Sue started the engine, clamped the portable blue light on the roof and gunned the car.

The hospital was packed. Linda had gone to pick up the boys from school. All five Gibson children crowded around their father. Linda kept her arms around the twins and Sue stayed with Mike, Jr. Carol was in uniform, having been called off patrol with her partner Roger Wilson. Stephanie kept a close eye on her father, holding his hand.

Inspector Donaldson, the commander of the Central Precinct came through the outside door. "Any word?"

Mike shook his head. "She's in surgery, that's all we know."

A man in his late fifties came out of the operating room. "Captain Gibson?" he asked. At Mike's nod he continued. "I'm Dan Clancy, head of Emergency Surgery. Your wife is going to be just fine." A cheer went up from the assembled officers and family.

"Incidentally the two injured robbers are going to be fine too," Dr. Clancy added. Turning to Stephanie, he continued, "And you, young lady, did an excellent job of bandaging them. More importantly, its thanks to your actions that your mother is going to live."

Stephanie blushed. The Doctor wasn't through yet though. "Before we operated I talked to Lieutenant Gibson, your mother, I mean. She was pretty determined to tell me about you and that you have your heart set on being a doctor yourself." At Stephanie's startled nod, he went on, "Have you thought about what kind of specialty you might go into?"

"Yes, Doctor Clancy. I'd like to become an Emergency Room Doctor. Its why I became an EMT in the first place."

"Well, it so happens that the foundation that supports the hospital offers scholarships to deserving young people in the community who want to go into medicine. One is specifically designed for your interest. You promise four years here in the ER and the foundation will pay your way through medical school. I would be happy to go over the details with you and your parents. I would also be happy to sponsor you for it."

"Wow." Stephanie struggled to come up with other words. She couldn't. She threw her arms around the doctor and hugged him.

"Oooffff. Now then young lady, that's no way to treat an old man. Besides, when you come here as an intern I'll be working you so hard you'll never want to see me again, much less hug me." Doctor Clancy struggled to maintain a serious face but the twinkle in his eyes gave him away.

Stephanie let him go, but at the same time stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. "Can we see her now?"

"Yes you can, but two at a time only. Mike, you can stay, but the rest of you need to take turns and don't tire her out. She needs rest.

The days flew by and Pat was released to come home. The administrative hearings had all taken place while she was in the hospital and the shootings had been pronounced "Good". She remained on convalescent leave. She had been firmly ordered by the Sheriff to stay home as she had attempted to slip into her office after only a week out of the hospital.

After several weeks there came an afternoon when Mike and Pat were alone in the house. He had made lunch and had settled down in his recliner to read.

"Mike, come here," came the call from the bedroom.

"What is it, honey?" Mike responded breathlessly as he rushed into the room. Pat was standing on the far side of the bed, clad in her old terrycloth robe. "Should you be out of bed?"

"Close the door, Mike." She directed. "And for goodness sake you heard the doctor the other day! I'm fine."

Mike closed the door. As he turned Pat walked around the bed. She slipped her robe from her shoulders. Mike gasped. Pat was wearing her black silk baby doll nightie. She had on matching black high heels and nothing else.

"Are you sure," Mike almost stammered, both from the rising excitement he displayed by the immediate swelling between his legs and from concern.

"I am not made of glass, Michael Gibson. I'm fine, I'm healed," she called over her shoulder as she turned to the bed. Kneeling on the edge she leaned forward onto her hands. She looked back with a roguish smile and winked. "And I'm so damn horny for my husband if he doesn't get over here in the next 5 seconds I'm going outside dressed as this and see if I can't get someone else to take care of me."

Pat wiggled her bottom and grinned as Mike walked across the floor, shedding his clothes as he did. "No need to go to strangers," he smiled broadly as he took her hips in his hands. "Now where were we last time?"

(The End)

(Thank you Marian, for being the best and sexiest editor ever. Thank you Linda, for your support and suggestions. And thank you reader, for your feedback and comments. I appreciate them all.)