Vice Cop Ch. 11

"I need immediate help," Lexa said onto the device, "Detective Holmes is injured after Madeline attacked him. We need to get out of here pronto."

* * *

Madeline had died at the hospital she was sent to. Lexa wondered if she had deliberately deviced her own death to escape a prison sentence. She was evidently in a psychotic and chaotic state of mind. Had she lived, she would have also been taken to a mental institution. Claire Marshall felt peace at last, now that she had her closure. Except for one thing which would haunt her for the rest of her life - Victor Marshall's head was never found. Madeline had hidden it or buried it somewhere even before arriving at The Poconos and she died with the secret of the Reverend's head's location.

Mason's injury landed him in the hospital, where he underwent extensive care. He had suffered some burns from the fire and from the fall down the stairs after Madeline kicked him. He was in a very angry mood, angry at himself for feeling like such a failure, angry that he was nearly killed by a ballerina, and angry that Lexa had seen everything.

But Lexa was understanding and kind, and did not feel disappointed in him. He knew that she did not care for bravado or what he called "Banach's version of masculinity" referring to Hudson Banach's way of behaving. While Hudson would have caught Madeline without so much as a tiny fire burn, he totally failed and felt awful about it.

Lexa visited him the hospital. It was not the biggest hospital in Manhattan but it was very popular. When she came into his room, a nurse had just finished attending him.

"How is he doing?" Lexa said to her.

"Mr. Holmes is much better," she replied, "he's almost fully recovered. He has a week tops before he can be up and about again. I know this must affect your work, seeing how, well, he is your work! You two are a team, aren't you?"

"We're Homicide detectives in the same precinct. And we moved in together recently. Could I have a word with him alone please?"

"Of course."

She walked away leaving Lexa alone with him.

Mason flashed a big smile when he saw her. He had a neck cast and leg casts. His feet were propped up on the bed. He nearly moved with joy on the bed upon seeing her.

"What no flowers?" he said jokingly and laughed.

"I'm so glad you're doing better. I'm getting lonely without you."

"What you want is to get back into action at Homicide," Mason said, reading her like a book.

"I'm not the only missing you. The Chief and all the guys in the force want you back soon."

"They don't care for me, Miss O'Neil. Cops generally dislike detectives; didn't they teach you that at the Academy? They probably think you're a traitor because you're my girl and a detective now."

"I don't want to discuss it and it's my business," she said, "oh, Claire has been asking about you. She hasn't stopped thanking us back at the precinct for capturing Madeline."

"But it was really your doing, Miss O'Neil."

"I know. She thanked me of course. But she was always more your friend on account of being the doctor's wife."

He was staring at her with a grin, as if thinking about something.

"What's that smile all about?"

"I think now that you're here you can do me a favor. These pretty nurses have been touching me and nursing me but I keep thinking of you and your touch. So could you do me a teeny tiny favor?"

"Anything."

"Could you rub my feet?"

Lexa smiled softly.

She got to the edge of the bed and took his feet into her hand. The bottom part of the cast had a hole large enough for his toes to stick out. She began to rub as the sun was setting behind them on the large window of his hospital room..........

To Be Continued......

On the next episode of Vice Cop, Lieutenant Isaiah Dante rediscovers his Black Panthers pride and starts a war on the New York Police Department. Mason Holmes, Hudson Banach and Chief Barry Hiller are kidnapped by the Black Panthers and sent to rural Mississippi as hostages. It's up to Lexa O'Neil to fight single-handedly against an army in the hopes of extracting justice, in the most dangerous and life-threatening mission of her entire life. Don't miss the next exciting episode of Vice Cop!