But I'd Have Had to Miss The Dance (Sylverasey Collection)

IVf ~ Forged In Fire And Blood

This silly thing just keeps getting longer and longer. I'd be complaining if it didn't mean I got to spend more time writing my favorite characters and relationships. I was at the 20K mark when I realized I was nowhere near where I planned the cliffhanger to (what I hope is) the last chapter, so I cut it off where it made the most sense. No cliffhanger here . . . I guess we'll just have to see where next chapter ends.

With Sylvie in the hospital again, the Chicago teams reel with the realization of Frank's true identity and purpose in Chicago, Team Dumbass 2.0 (if you know, you know) has the braincells, and the city braces for New York's retaliation after BX9 hurts one of their own. Also known as: let's showcase my favorite homicide detective duo!

Enjoy! (Side note - I had no idea the soundtrack matched so well with the gif XD Doesn't it make Cosgrove and Shaw sound like badasses?)

***

Police cruisers lined the street in front of Sylvie's building when Hank finally arrived. He stepped out and swiftly moved to the entrance, nodding to his second when Jay arrived at the door to meet him. "What happened?" he asked, eyes taking in every detail.

"The 9-1-1 calls that were fielded all reported the sound of a door being broken down, then the gunshots started," Jay replied, leading Hank up the stairs to Sylvie's apartment. "Brett's phone was one of the 9-1-1 calls, too, but the dispatcher said after he asked for her emergency, it sounded like she dropped her phone."

Hank gritted his teeth. "And Brett?"

"She was on the first ambulance that got here," Jay answered. "None of us made it in time for that."

"Do you know what her condition was?"

Before Jay could answer, Hank stopped in the doorway of Sylvie's apartment, taking in the carnage he saw. Smashed furniture littered the apartment, including the remains of a kitchen chair in the entry, and there was lots of blood splattered on the floor. CSIs were taking notes left and right, and Hank was careful to not interrupt them as he stepped into the apartment. Kim's face was white as she gingerly picked up some of the fallen picture frames, and Hailey's expression was grim as she crouched by one of the walls, shattered glass around her feet. "The patrol officers who were first on scene said she hit the wall," Jay explained, gesturing to the remnants of frames on the ground. "Any wound on Brett that wasn't a bruise came from glass punctures . . . but from what we've heard so far, the cuts look worse than they actually are."

Hank nodded thoughtfully and turned around, surveying the blood that was in the apartment. "And Brett's guests?" he asked. "The Cosgroves?" A hush fell over the apartment, and Hank watched his three team members exchange wary looks. "Well?" he asked impatiently.

Kim cleared her throat. "Lily wasn't here," she said quietly. "According to what footage we've gotten so far, she hasn't been here all night."

"As for her dad . . . " Hailey took a deep breath. "He handed over his service weapon before he left. We expect all of the bullets fired will match his gun. The patrol officers said he refused to leave Brett, and given he outranked them and Commander Pearce made it an order, he left with her to Med."

Hank blinked. "He outranked them?" he repeated.

"Yeah," Jay nodded, an irritated look on his face. "None of us questioned him any further, and now I'm regretting. Cosgrove is a detective, Sarge. And from what we've heard, he wasn't here for a holiday."

***

Normally, the ED's waiting room was closed in the late hours of the evening and into the early hours of the morning. This night, however, no one denied entry to the members of 51 who were woken from sleep by their chief delivering the grim news of the attack on their PIC.