Bad Blood

Charlie Szazs is dead.

[NYPD]
“Mr. McNider and Mrs. Szazs?”

“Yeah?” Charles confirmed, Lea seems worried, feeling the bruises on her wrist from the zipties and covers it with her sleeve. “I'm Detective Riley. Come with me please.” John said using his detective side, and they follow him.
They end up in a hallway. “Detective, is my husband okay?” Lea asked following John from behind. “I'm sorry to say, but your husband was found dead an hour ago with a gunshot wound in his on the upper left side of his chest.” John says with compassion in his eyes, as the three end up standing in front of a door that says 'Morgue'. It takes a few seconds for Lea to let it sink in. “please tell me it's- please someone tell me it's not true.”
She started sobbing.

“I'm so sorry, Mrs. Szazs. Would you like to see him?”

“I- I don't think I can.”

“It's okay. I'm here.” Charles then said, about to wrap her with his hand to comfort. “Get your hand off me!!”

“She's upset, that's all.” Charles tries to explain her reaction to John.

“I changed my mind. I'd like to see him... Please.” Lea told John who nodded and opens the door for Lea to come in then she turned to Charles who was about yo follow. “No, you stay here.” she said with anger in her voice and he does so his behavior won't look sketchy in the detective's eyes. Lea was angry and sad and made her way in.
John then reveals Charlie under the white cloth. He looks just like a dead body. Pale, cold, dead. Lea screams leaning her hand on a metal table to hold onto it, crying as she thinks about everything, her life after Charlie died which makes her realize what she's witnessing. Charles outside isn't sad about the news. “Thank you, whoever did the job for me.” he whispered as he was leaned on the wall.

John places the palm of his hand onto her back gently, comforting her.
“Do you want some time alone with him?” Lea slowly turned her head looking down wiping her tears with her thumb. “I don't know. But if it's not rude.. can you please do me a favor?” she raised her eyes to look at John who nodded. “You have a criminal right under your nose. The man I came here with, I can give you reasons to arrest him. He was on his way to kill my husband, Now, I don't know who the hell did it for him, but he said he'll get rid of him and Charles is my crazy god damn ex boyfriend so I know in what way he meant it.” she spills everything. “Please. I've got two restraining orders against the guy and he simply doesn't care. He's not letting me live in peace and one day he showed up at my door, forcing me to love him again.”

“I know.” John said, And that's when Lea frowned in shock and confusion before he tells her.  “Your husband told us everything.”

“He- He did? How... when?” Lea asked wiping another tear, John nodded.

“Yes, he did.” John said before noticing something on her wrist as the sleeve falls down a bit. That's when John slowly reached his hands to hold onto one of her wrists to look at the bruises with the look of 'May I?' and she nodded.
He gently held one of her wrists and turned it sideways a tad. “He did this?”
He asked her, and she nodded as she started sobbing again.
John made his way to the door angrily and grabbed Charles by his throat, pinning him to the wall behind him. He hated men disrespecting women. Hated is a gentle word, maybe despises is more like it.

“Who do you think you are? Some man?”

“What are you talking about??” Charles stayed in character, until he looked at Lea who's crying in the morgue, realizing. “She told you, didn't she.”

“Yeah, as she should've. She's done living in fear because of you. And she's DONE with the dread you're flooding her with everytime she sees your face.
But none of that no more, because I'm gonna put your pathetic ass in Jail.”

That's when Fusco walked to the corridor, seeing the two. “Detective Riley, what's going on exactly?”

“Justice is happening. I'm gonna deal with him. Do what you gotta do.” Reese said giving him the signal to do what they talked about. Reese then grabbed Charles to put him in a holding cell, and Fusco entered the Morgue.

“Are you Lea?” - “..Yes?”
“I'm detective Fusco. You might wanna sit down for this one.” he said pulling a chair. “What is it?” Lea asked looking at Fusco who reached his left hand into his right inner pocket, pulling out a needle.

“..What is this for?” She started to get scared, thinking it's for her after what she's been through.

“It's for your husband.” He said getting up walking towards Charlie who's lying in his opened refrigerator, inserting the needle into his chest and after injecting the fluid, he takes out the needle and take a step back. Lea is standing from her seat, watching from there, confused.

“Come on, Fuego.” (fire in spanish & nickname for redheads) Fusco said as they're waiting.

“His name is Charlie.” she said, not knowing it's his thing of giving people nicknames. After a few more seconds, the impossible happens for Lea, and Charlie inhales deeply as he's been dead for an hour, and he sits, wincing in pain of the gunshot.

“Welcome back, boy.” Fusco said to Charlie as the plan worked.

“Did it work?” Charlie asked as Lea is trying to process it all. Fusco nodded positively, and Lea asked in disbelief;
“What worked? What happened??”

Charlie heard his wife's voice and turned around, glad to see she's here.
“Come here, babe.” he says, and she makes her way to stand infront of him and he holds her hands. “Are you okay?”
He asked considering what his wife has gone through. “I'm asking myself the same. I think I'm a little bit shaken up, but I'm so, so glad you're okay.
And I don't think Charles is gonna bother us anymore as detective Riley is very determined to put him in jail.”

“Where he belongs." Charlie said.

“but wait, I thought you were dead!”

“That was the point.” Charlie said which makes Lea confused.

“What point? You had a plan??”
Lea asked, trying to understand.

“Detective Riley had a plan of how to get you out of there and a part of the plan was.. basically killing me. I had to die.
But none of this wouldn't have happened if you wouldn't have warned me.
You said Charles was gonna get rid of me,
So Detective Riley had the plan of
'He can't kill you if you're already dead.' and we couldn't tell you because-”

“Because my reaction had to be real for Charles to fall for it.” Lea completed and had already connected all the dots

“Yes.” Charlie said as Lea was right.

“Sorry to interrupt but we've got to go.
Lea, I'm sorry you had to go through it all.” Fusco added, and Lea said;
“It's okay. It's over now. My husband isn't really dead, and Justice is served.
Thank you detectives. Is there anything
I can do for you? Maybe come over for dinner whenever you two can?”

“It's our job. And about dinner.. I think you two need to spend some time with each other after the past crazy 24 hours.”
He nodded friendly.

“It's no trouble. We insist.” Charlie then said, as it's a way they can thank them for saving the day.

“...I'll ask detective Riley and we'll let you know. Thank you. How about I'll give you two a ride home?”

“sounds good. Thank you, detective Fusco.” Charlie thanked him. The couple did what they had to do and made their way to the police car as Fusco drove them home.

[EXT. CHARLIE & LEA'S APARTMENT BUILDING]
Fusco is in the car as Charlie and Lea are outside the car. “Hey,” the detective called them and they turned around to see him reaching out a hand with a card.
“This is my number if you need anything. And I mean anything at all, alright?”
After a pause, he adds. “Have a good night you two.” he said with a friendly smile. They thanked him, and he drove away. Charlie put a hand around Lea's back having her closer to him, and Lea placed her hand onto his shoulder, having her arms around him as they're together once again.