Leave No Trace

Chapter 33

Danielson

His eyes opened to a white room, and he knew instantly, though he barely felt anything, that he was in the hospital.

There was someone sitting next to his bed.

"Maura?" he croaked, looking at her closely. His vision was fuzzy, but that did not stop him from seeing the red hair.

"Hey" she said softly. "If you wanted to cancel our lunch date, you didn't have to be so dramatic about it."

"Kate?" he managed to ask, not without extreme effort on his point.

"She's okay, she's just got hypothermia, like you. Seemed she decided it'd be a good time for a swim."

His head felt as if filled with cotton. He couldn't think clearly.

"Do you remember anything from this morning, Mike?" she asked gently.

"This morning?"

"Yeah, it's two in the afternoon. You two have been asleep for a long time."

"I don't..." he tried to remember everything that happened. But the last thing he remembered was grabbing Kate's hand, right before they both jumped over the side of the boat... "Dean!" he said, trying to sit up, in alarm.

"It's okay, Mike, we got him. We got him."

He looked down, shivering at the memory of the water, before saying "How soon can I get out of here?"

"The doctors warmed you up, you'll be fine. They said for me to give you the discharge papers... although... if you start having symptoms of hypothermia again, they'll bring you back in. It's the same for Kate, though I left her in her room. Right next to yours. Tim is with her right now, and he's bringing her to the station."

"The station?" he was having a hard time keeping up with her rapid-fire talking.

"Yes, Mike," she said patiently, "We're having a meeting there. You, me, Kate, Bates, and the kids. Mira, Derrick and Ally."

"Why?"

"Because there is something we overlooked, Mike."

"What? What did we overlook?"

"They'll let you know when we get to the station. Now here you go. A couple signatures and we'll be all set and ready to go," and with those words she handed over the release papers.

He signed them, wincing at the sight of the IV.

"Hello Detective," the cheerful voice rang out from the doctor entering the room.

"Ah, Dr. Beckett."

"You know, you don't seem the type to be lying in the hospital bed, you seem more like you should be hovering over it."

"Fair," he grumbled, "But it wasn't my decision to go for a swim in October."

She nodded, walked over, and unhooked the I.V. from his arm. She took the release papers from him, signed them herself, and then grinned, "You're a free man, Detective."

"Not a moment too soon," as he was handed his street clothes that Maura had brought him.

Maura grinned, as the doctor walked out, "You ready to go?"

"Yes, I guess I am. Take me to the station,"

"Ah yes, Cinderella, your carriage awaits," Maura replied wryly.

The nurse escorted them out to the parking lot, where he found Maura's car. Ah yes, of course, because he had driven he and Nolan to the marine last night.... Where he had walked the two of them into a trap.