I'll Help You Hide From Them

Hospitals

The soft sound of machines beeping alerts me that I'm still alive. The feeling of something on my leg slowly  causes me to open my eyes and look down over the tubes. I'm almost too weak to smile when I see Kier's brightly coloured hair, working out that he must've fallen asleep here after bringing me to a hospital.

The beeping sound gets quicker as I check the room for any windows, not wanting Kier to be assassinated in front of me as well. I feel a tinge of relief when I notice that there aren't any windows at all, only one door with some men on the other side guarding it.

As much as I try to call out to them, my voice is muffled by the tube in my mouth going down into my throat. It's hard to swallow and the more I think about it the more I feel sick.

The sound of squeaking shoes makes me look at the door again in alarm. A small nurse stops in surprised when he sees I'm awake, looking down at a check board to find my name.

"Detective Drew Woolnough, there's no need to be alarmed. You're in a hospital and I'm sure all of my colleagues are going to make sure you're okay." He explains.

I manage to twitch my finger in reply.

He walks to be level with the IVs and injects something slowly into one of the bags. I gradually feel myself losing consciousness again.

-

When I wake up again, there's no longer a tube going down my throat.

Kier seems to be sitting next to my bed, doing some homework again.

I barely manage to vocalise his name.

"Drew." He grins, hugging me tightly.

I gasp at the pain but he stops instantly, murmuring many apologies. "Wha... h-happened?" I ask wearily.

He looks at me with a worried expression. "Drew you should heal up before I tell you what happened." He carefully states.

"H-he g-got away?" I force myself to ask.

"Drew just don't think about it until you've healed up." He tries.

My eyes water up at the thought that Shane's still out there.

I did injure him though, he's probably going to need time to heal as well as taking out the blade.

"K-Kier..." I murmur.

"Yes Drew, what is it?" He asks, looking me in the eyes with a concerned yet calming expression.

"Thanks f-for s-saving m-my life." I can barely croak.

He smiles at the sound of this. "No problem partner."

I relax a lot when he interlocks his fingers with mine, avoiding the IVs.

"You did great, okay?" He reminds me.

I gulp a little in reply at the memory of what brought me here.

A knock on the door brings my attention to Dr. Illingworth.

"I came as soon as I heard he woke up. How is he?" He asks Kier.

"Still a little weak but he'll be okay." Kier replies. "Do you two need five minutes?"

Luke nods at him.

"I'll be right outside if you need me." Kier tells me soothingly before disappearing.

Luke settles down into the seat Kier was sitting at. "I can imagine what happened must've been terrifying, how are you feeling?"

"N-not safe, n-never safe." I weakly reply.

He seems to understand what I mean by this. "You're incredibly lucky to be alive. I'd hate to think what would've happened if Kier wasn't there to bring you straight here."

"Did y-you talk to the Captain?" I force myself to ask.

He gives me a serious look. "You need to take some time out before you go back to thinking about working. You're going to be in hospital for a while after what happened to you." He reminds me.

"I n-need to know." I warn as sternly as possible in this weak state.

"Captain made the decision to put you back on the case mere hours before Kier's report of an attack at the safe house came in. I certainly wouldn't blame him for changing his mind, given the circumstances." He reports.

Hearing this helps me make sense of the attack.

The shooter is somehow able to stay in contact with Shane while eavesdropping on the investigation. Shane was only there to make sure I don't investigate the case further. He almost did a hell of a job with it. If Kier didn't regain consciousness when he did I wouldn't be here.

"Dr Illingworth, I n-need you to m-make sure I stay on the case. I'm s-sure Shane just inadvertently gave m-me a clue." I manage with a weak smile, finally getting the feeling that I can solve the mystery and find out what got Ralph killed.

The therapist doesn't look very impressed but seems to understand that this is what I want so he nods. "Very well, just try to stay safe, okay?"

"I've been trying b-but nothing s-seems to b-be working." I reply.

"You look tired, try to get more rest." He softly suggests, waiting for me to reply with a weak nod before leaving the room.