Crashing Waves

16

"Walker!" I heard, looking down at the knife sticking into the left side of my waist. Blood dripped out, making me woozy. Taking a step back I felt Alec support me, slowly guiding me to the ground as I was covered by Ellie's jacket.

"What the bloody hell Miller!" He raged at Ellie, but all I was focusing on was a small crack in the ceiling. "Get him down to the station, put him in holding." Alec was fuming.

"How the hell was I meant to know he'd have a pen knife?!" Ellie argued back.

"Hello, yes. Ambulance. We've had a stabbing and an officer down. Alice Walker. Yes DI Hardy and we've just reprimanded the attacker. Yes my home address." When did he pick up the phone? "No! Bloody hurry up she'll bleed out!" I saw him hand the phone to Ellie, still focusing on that crack.

"I need to pull it out." I said, a pain in my side worsening. "I need to-" trying to sit up suddenly I placed my hands near it, crying out.

"Bloody hell Walker!" His accent went incredibly thick, meaning he was mad. "Stay still, the ambulance is on their way."

"They said five minutes." Ellie walked back in, kneeling down. "How does it look?" She asked, lifting her coat. Her face looked both shocked and worried.

"Sir, she's losing a lot of blood."

"That explains why I feel sleepy." I winced, starting to struggle to keep my eyes open.

"No. You don't get to do this. Stay with me, Walker." I smiled slightly, hearing sirens.

"In here!" I heard Ellie shout from what I presumed was the front door, seeing two high vis jackets approach and kneel down beside me.

"Hi there, Alice isn't it?" The paramedic looked up at Hardy, nodding at him before returning to me.

"Yeah." I said, suddenly this all became real. I looked up at Hardy and reached up with a hand, making him hold on. My head rested on his lap, but apart from that I was on the tiled floor.

"Right let's take a look." She lifted the coat, making me squeeze Hardy's hand in pain. I cried out, gritting my teeth to try and bare the pain, but I couldn't.

"Just get it out." I said, trying to move before both Hardy and the paramedic held me down.

"Alice, Alice listen to me. You need to go to a hospital as it's possible the blade has ruptured something. We're going to carry you onto the ambulance and give you some pain relief, ok?" Her calm tone was almost condescending, but I know she was trying to keep me calm.
I nodded in response, feel them rock my body to one side as Hardy's hand let go of mine. Immediately I panicked, gripping my side and screwing up my face, contorting and trying to writhe with pain.
"Jane we need to get her on the ambulance now." The male paramedic said as I felt them lift me. "Which one of you is coming with us."

"Me." Hardy didn't even hesitate. "Miller get back to the station and get him talking. I don't care how but I cant go in that interview room now. That leaves you."

"Get him, Ellie." I managed to say, seeing her walk up to me and nod.

"We really have to get her to a hospital." The paramedics were rushing us, so after I was in Hardy jumped in too along with the paramedic, closing the door behind us and began our journey to the hospital.

"Right, now, I'm going to give you some IV, are you allergic to anything?" I shook my head, looking up at the spotlight as I bit my lip, making it so raw that it began to bleed.

"I feel like I need to sleep." I said, looking over to the paramedic who stuck the needle in my hand, taping it to ensure it stays there.

"Alice you need to stay with me now." The paramedic said. "Joe get the sirens on, she's going into shock."

I heard a loud whirring, looking at Hardy as I tried to reach out for him.

"Walker, stay with us." Hardy's voice brought me back, and I heard the paramedic say something to him. "You've got to be bloody kidding me. Come on, Walker. You're telling me after what he put you through, you're gonna let him kill ya?" I sought a small smile at that comment, my hand reaching over the bed to be met by his.

"You really are a grumpy old bastard." I said, closing my eyes. I couldn't keep them open any longer.

***

"We have a 29 year old female, name's Alice Walker, stabbed in the left lower abdomen after her ex boyfriend confronted her with a knife.
The knife is still in the wound, and her heart rate has been increasing, in a state of shock." Alice was wheeled through to ICU, where Hardy was told he had to wait.

"She's my officer, we were working a case together!" He exclaimed, showing them his badge.

"I'm sorry DI Hardy but she's in the best hands."

"It was on my watch." He couldn't have Alice die on him. Ever since he'd come to this bloody town all he'd seen is how broken everyone pretended not to be. But with Alice, although she also tried to hide it, it was as if every crack was visible to him, and he wanted to fix that. His penance was finished after closing Sandbrooke, but truthfully he could never bring himself to leave. Alec Hardy had made himself a life here.

"Alice Walker?" The doctor called out, making Hardy walk over to them.

"What's happening." He demanded, running his hand down his face.

"The knife hasn't caused internal bleeding, which is lucky. But the wound is deep, so we've had to put her into surgery to make sure no permanent damage is done." Hardy nodded, pacing back and forth as the doctor went back to her duties.

He had to do the only thing he could do, call his friend. "Miller." Hardy started, looking at his blood stained hand. There was more on his shirt, making it look like he had been in a nasty altercation.

"I'm just about to go in and have a go at Alan. How's Alice?" Ellie asked.

"Walkers fine. He narrowly missed any internal organs, so they've said no internal bleeding." His pacemaker was working overtime trying to regulate his heartbeat.

"Oh for god's sake sir, call her Alice. You can get away with the last name thing with me but not with her." Alec rolled his eyes, taking a seat in the waiting room.

"Once she's out of here, we all need to have a word." Ellie laughed, to her he sounded like a scolding father.

"Well, it worked, didn't it? Minus the minor incident. You two finally-"

"Walker and I are not-"

"Don't even bother denying it. That's why I left you that dinner and told you to scrub up. Right I must go." Ellie said, shuffling a few papers in the background.

"Get him, Miller."

"I will do." Hanging up Hardy tucked his phone away, awaiting the agonising time for the news about Alice.