Notes: "Rhythm of My Heart" by Rod Stewart is copyright Rod Stewart.
No infringement intended.
~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`
Mumbling something about male drivers with lead feet, Crista got up
and opened the door. She expected to see Bell, but instead it was Sanchez who
stood there.
"Hey," he greeted.
"Hi," she replied, opening the door further to let him in. Once he
was inside, she closed the door and leaned against it. They looked at each
other for a few seconds, not saying anything, then Sanchez opened his arms to
her. She slid into his embrace willingly, and rested her cheek against his
chest.
"How are you feeling?" he asked. Cris looked up into his eyes, seeing
the concern there.
"Much better. Thank you... for saving my life..."
"Any of the other guys would have done the same thing in my place,"
he said softly.
"I know, but it means a lot to me. Michael told me what happened.
Well, Adams' version of it. You've got good reflexes," she teased. Sanchez
grinned.
"Hey, I saw my chance to hold you in my arms and took advantage of
it."
"You're also taking advantage of it right now."
"Guilty as charged." Cris looked up into his eyes, and caught her
breath. She could see that he wanted to kiss her, but was holding back. Their
faces were only inches apart. Sanchez traced her jaw with his thumb, then
slid his fingers into her hair, and framed her face with his palms. He
lowered his head and gently brushed his lips over hers.
When she didn't pull back, he kissed her again, but longer this time.
Cris slid her hands down from his shoulders to his chest, but lacked the
strength to push him away. The confusion she felt was overwhelming. Part of
her was afraid he would end up rejecting her, just like David had, and she
didn't think she could take that again. The other part of her felt safe in
Sanchez's arms. She had never felt this way when David had held or kissed her.
The shrill ring of the telephone sounded from the kitchen. Startled,
they broke apart, and Crista ran into the kitchen to answer it.
"Hello? .... Hi Mom..... Yes, I'm fine.... I didn't want to worry
you..... No, he's not back yet...."
Sanchez came into the room and stood behind her, massaging her
shoulders. Her head lolled back against his chest and rested there as she
talked.
"I'll be fine here.... Maybe tonight...... No, I'm not alone right
now...."
As the conversation continued on, Sanchez slid his arms around her
waist. Cris felt his lips on her neck and was tempted to push him away. It
felt good-- too good-- and was uncovering feelings she had buried months ago.
"Mom, I have to go.... I'll come over tomorrow.... I love you,
too.... Bye Mom." She set the phone on its cradle and turned around, still in
Sanchez's arms. She looked up at him, then groaned and buried her face in his
chest.
"I am such a fool," she muttered, her words muffled by his shirt.
"What?"
"I said I'm a fool. I'm a fool for letting you kiss me and I'm an
even bigger fool for thinking a relationship might work."
"First of all, you are not a fool. Second, a relationship can work if
we both want it to."
"No, it..." Crista sighed. "I don't know if I'm ready for another
relationship. The last guy I got close to turned out to be a back-stabbing
jerk."
"Do you want to tell me about it?"
Before she had a chance to answer, the doorbell rang. Sanchez
reluctantly let her go, but not before pressing a kiss to her temple. Cris
smiled up at him, then went back out into the hallway.
'With a smile like that,' he thought, 'she could melt a glacier.' He
followed her into the hallway and was almost knocked over by a black and
white blur that shot through the door. It ran past them both, then spun
around and raced back to Crista.
"Shale!" she exclaimed, dropping down on her knees. "Shale" turned
out to be a medium-sized, overly excited Dalmatian. The dog wriggled next to
her mistress, jumping to try and lick her face. After she calmed down a bit,
Shale noticed the strange man behind her "mom". She barked once and bounded
over to greet him. Cris stood up and turned to her cousin.
"Thanks for picking her up," she said.
"No problem. Did your mom call?" Bell replied.
"Yeah. I'll go over later tonight or tomorrow, I guess."
"Okay. Here's your Tylenol. Is he going to stay for a while?" he
asked, nodding his head towards Sanchez, who was petting Shale.
"Yeah. Don't worry, I'll be fine."
"Okay, but--"
"I'll call you if I need anything, now go. I don't need my
overprotective cousin hanging around ready to beat up any guy who looks at me
twice."
"Three times. Most guys look at you twice and I can't exactly beat up
all of LA, now can I?"
"Real funny, now get out of here." Cris hugged him, and then he left.
She sighed and shut the door, thinking, 'Between him and my brother, I could
have a bodyguard 24/7.'
Sanchez patted the dog one last time and stood up. "How do you manage
to own a dog and work 24-hour shifts?" he asked.
"I usually drop her off at my parents' house, or they come get her if
I haven't brought her over by 7:30. They only live about ten minutes away,
it's not far from the station."
"Hmm..." he replied, looking down at the dog. Cris raised her
eyebrows, but he didn't look back up at her. She glanced down at the table in
the hallway and noticed one of her Rod Stewart CDs lying there.
"Guess I forgot to put this away," she murmured, picking it up. It
was "Vagabond Heart", one of her favorites. Sanchez absent-mindedly followed
her into the kitchen, still deep in thought. Cris put the CD in the stereo
and hit "Random". She smiled as "Rhythm of My Heart" came on. Sanchez looked
up, recognizing the song almost immediately.
"Sounds like they're playing our song," he said quietly. "Care to
dance?"
Cris took his outstretched hand, and they slow-danced to the song.
The chorus played over in her mind even after the song had ended.
"Oh the rhythm of my heart is beating like a drum
with the words "I love you" rolling off my tongue
No ever will I roam for I know my place is home
where the ocean meets the sky
I'll be sailing..."
It seemed perfect, her being in his arms with that song playing in
the background. Almost too perfect, which again reminded her of how much pain
she had felt when David had broken the engagement. Sanchez felt her stiffen
in his arms just before she pulled away. He saw the pain in her eyes and
wished there was something he could do.
"I haven't talked about it to anyone except my mom. She told my dad
and some of our relatives, but they've been kind enough to keep quiet around
me."
"Maybe it's time you let it all out," he suggested gently. She nodded
her head silently and led him into the living room. They both sat down, and
he pulled her into his arms, her back against his chest. Shale tried to jump
up with them, but Cris pushed her away so she laid down on the floor.
"David and I met a little over a year ago and hit it off right away.
We had been dating for a little over five months when he asked me to marry
him. I said yes, but I wanted to wait until I was done with my paramedic
training. He said it was okay with him, so we waited. Three months ago, we
finally set a date for the wedding. A couple weeks later," she took a deep
breath, blinking back the tears that threatened to spill before continuing,
"he called one morning to tell me he had found someone else, and it was over
between us."
Sanchez picked up her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. She cleared
her throat before continuing,
"I wasn't expecting it because the night before, we went out to
dinner, and he was very romantic. He acted normal the entire time, even when
he dropped me off at home. The next morning, I got the call. It turned out
that he had been cheating on me for two months with some bitch he had met at
a dance club. He just wanted me for my body."
Sanchez cursed the man under his breath. Cris looked up at him, and
he nodded his head, indicating that she should continue.
"He had pressured me a lot while we were dating, but I never gave in.
I kept hoping he'd change, and when he didn't, I hoped it was my imagination.
I was crushed when he broke up with me. I didn't understand why he couldn't
love me for who I was, not what I looked like. After that, I wouldn't let
another man get close to me. I turned down every guy who asked me out, and I
even distanced myself from my brother, my cousins, and every other guy I
knew, except for my dad," her voice broke, but she cleared her throat and
continued,
"The guys from my dad's station, and his old partners didn't give up
on me. They made me realize how much I missed them, and I shouldn't let David
ruin my life. I started to hang out with them again, but I still wouldn't
date. All my problems seemed to come from that type of relationship. I was
stupid to let David get close to me, but I didn't know any better. Back then
I still believed in true love."
"You don't any more?" he asked softly, trying not to let her hear the
disappointment in his voice.
"I didn't, but... I don't know any more. Things are different now
that a certain tall, dark, and handsome man has entered my life." He could
tell she was smiling, and grinned.
"Bell? Yes, I can see why he would confuse any beautiful young
woman," he said, with mock seriousness, then sighed. "Well, I suppose you
don't need me around here anymore."
Cris, laughing, elbowed him in the gut and said, "You know darn well
that I meant Bridges!"
Sanchez started to laugh so hard he would have fallen off the couch
if she weren't on his lap. It was several minutes before their laughter
subsided, and they were able to catch their breath. Cris turned to look at
him, and Sanchez shook his head.
"You are something else," he said.
"Why, thank you," she replied. She turned over in his arms and
wrapped her arms around his chest, then rested her head against his shoulder.
He ran his fingers through her hair, sending thrills down her spine. She
kissed his neck softly, then kissed his chin. He turned his head slightly,
and their lips met. It was tender at first, then tenderness turned to
passion, and they lost themselves in the kiss.
`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~Part Eight~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`
Sanchez ran into the station at 7:59. He skidded to a stop at his place
in line, breathing heavily.
"Cutting it a little close, aren't we, Sanchez?" Captain Durfee asked
meaningfully.
"Sorry, Cap. My, uh, alarm didn't go off," he replied, trying not to
squirm. Bell was shooting him the nastiest look...
"A likely story," Bridges snickered.
"Just once," Durfee sighed, "it would be nice if someone would come up
with something interesting."
"I'm sure the real reason is interesting," Bridges said to Bell. The
latter didn't reply. After roll call, Bell pulled Sanchez aside to talk to
him.
"So... did you stay overnight?" he asked.
"Yeah," Sanchez replied, crossing his arms over his chest.
"How is she?"
"She's fine. Look, Bell, I know what you're thinking and nothing
happened."
"I don't believe you."
"Dammit, Bell! You know her and you know she's not gonna sleep with every
guy who comes along. You may not know me as well, but I think even you will
admit I'm not the kind of guy who uses a girl and then dumps her like she's
nothing. I care about Cris, okay?"
"So do I. If she's happy, I'll let it go, but so help me, if you hurt
her--"
"If I hurt her, you have a right to kick the stuffing outta me and I
won't put up a fight."
Bell swallowed and nodded his head. "All right. I believe you. I don't
think you would purposefully hurt her. Just take care of her."
"I will, I swear it." Sanchez sighed in relief, glad that Bell finally
trusted him. Less than five minutes later, they got a call, but were back by
quarter after nine. Sanchez paced by the phone in the kitchen, waiting for
the clock to say 9:30. Bell walked in and rolled his eyes when he saw
Sanchez. He picked up the phone and dialed Crista's number.
~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~
Cris woke up slightly stiff the next morning. She was fully clothed on
her bed, but remembered falling asleep on the couch with Sanchez. They hadn't
let the kiss lead to anything more than some fooling around. Later, they had
taken Shale for a walk in the park. Sanchez had been afraid it would be too
much for her, but it wasn't. Cris hadn't gotten dizzy and only had to sit
down to rest once. After dinner, they had rented a movie and fell asleep
watching it.
Cris could hear "Rhythm of My Heart" filtering in from the kitchen, but
no other sound. The clock beside her bed told her it was 9:17, which meant he
had left for the station a long time ago. She got up and checked the kitchen,
where she found a note from him, attached to the CD player. Their song was
set on "Repeat".
"Cris,
I would have made you breakfast, but I'm running late
for work. I'll try to call around 9:30. If I don't, -please- go over
to your parents'. That stalker is still out there. I love you and
be careful,
Corey"
Just then, the phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Hello there, my dearest cousin," Bell drawled.
"Michael Bell, don't even -think- about starting in on me! It's my life
and I will date whoever I want to," she fumed, assuming he had found out that
Sanchez had slept over.
"Whoa, whoa, calm down Cris. I only called to see how you were doing and
to tell you that Sanchez has given me permission to kick his ass if he hurts
you. Other than that, I'm not going to interfere."
"What? You mean you didn't call to tell me I should stay away from him?"
"Nope."
"Okay.... I'll shut up before you change your mind. Let me talk to
Corey," she said. She could hardly believe Michael wasn't playing the
overprotective big brother role he usually assumed when she was dating
someone.
"Glad to. He's starting to wear a hole in the floor anyway." Bell handed
the phone to Sanchez, who glared at him.
"Could have you talked any louder?" he hissed. "I'm surprised no one
heard!"
"I heard," Carla said, sauntering in. When both guys groaned, she
laughed. "But I won't tell anyone."
"Whew." Sanchez took the phone from Bell. "Hey, how are you feeling?"
"Pretty good, but I miss you."
"I miss you, too."
Bell rolled his eyes and left the room. Carla grinned, happy for both
Sanchez and Crista.
"So, did anyone hear what he was saying to me?" Cris asked.
"Just Carla. She said she won't tell," he replied.
"She won't." Cris looked up at her CD player as "Rhythm of My Heart"
started over. The smile on her face quickly faded as she looked over at the
door and saw a reflection in the window. The hair on the back of her neck
prickled and she felt chilled to the bone. In the window was the reflection
of a man, and he was behind her.
"Sanchez, call the cops," she whispered urgently.
"The cops? What's going on?"
Cris turned around in time to see something come down on her head. She
fell to the floor, unconscious.
"Cris? Crista?!" Sanchez heard a thud and then it sounded like the phone
was dropped on the floor. Carla looked up at the urgency in his tone. He
slammed the phone down and muttered something she probably didn't want to
hear, then picked up the phone again and dialed.
"Detective Cullen, please," he said, when someone picked up. He was
connected almost immediately. After two rings, his friend, a detective with
the LAPD, picked up.
"Yeah?"
"Andy, it's Sanchez."
"Hey man, how's it going?"
Sanchez ignored the question. "Do you remember Crista Stoker, the medic
who's being stalked?"
"Yeah. The cop assigned to the case told me some paramedic trainee was
getting threatening notes, but they couldn't get any finger prints or other
evidence. Why?"
Sanchez explained what he had heard on the phone, finishing with,
"Something's wrong, I know it is."
"Man... all right, I'll get a couple back up units and head over. I'll
call you as soon as we know anything."
"Thanks." They hung up and Sanchez turned to Carla, who had a scared
expression on her face.
"You don't think..." she whispered. Sanchez ran his hands through his
hair and sighed.
"Yeah, I do. C'mon, we gotta go tell everyone else."
~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~
Cris woke up a few minutes later with a splitting head ache. She groaned
and looked around. Mr. Davidson was standing over her, grinning.
"Hello, my dear."
"You... I should have known." Suddenly, she realized she hadn't seen
Shale all morning. "What the hell have you done with my dog?!"
"Oh, don't worry about her. She's safe. Unfortunately, we can't take her
with us. I don't think she'd like Cuba very much."
"You're insane. Let me go now, and I might consider not pressing charges."
"No, my dear, you're mine. I can't let the woman I love get away from me."
"You don't love me. What happens to your daughter when you go to jail for
attempted kid-napping?"
"My ex-wife already has custody of her and I don't need her. I'm sure
you'll be able to produce plenty of children for me. Now get up, we have a
plane to catch."
"No."
Davidson shrugged and said, "Fine, have it your way." He pulled a gun
from his pocket and leveled it at her,
"Get up." Cris shook her head stubbornly. When he leaned closer to pull
her to her feet, she kicked the gun from his hand and lunged for the phone.
She managed to dial 9-1-1 before he grabbed her and pulled her away.
"That was very stupid," Davidson said, as he replaced it. Seconds later,
they heard the wail of police sirens, then a man on a megaphone said,
"Come out with your hands up."
Davidson sighed. "I had hoped it wouldn't come to this, but oh well." He
took off his trench coat, revealing a row of dynamite taped to his middle.
Crista's eyes widened in terror.
"Now, come with me." He grabbed her around the waist and kept the gun
close to her head. On the way to the door, Cris saw her Swiss Army Knife
sitting on the table in the hallway. Carefully and quietly, as they walked
by, she picked it up and slid it into her pocket. Mr. Davidson was none the
wiser. He opened the door and shouted,
"I'm coming out, and I have the girl! Anyone tries anything, and she's
dead! So are the rest of you!" He fished a small, hand-held detonator from
his pocket and held it in his left hand. His left arm was around Crista's
neck, and his right hand held the gun to her head.
"Holy..." Cullen gasped. While the other officers stared in shocked
silence, he called for the bomb squad and two fire companies.
~`~`~`~`~`~`~
"Uh, Bell, can I talk to you?" Sanchez asked hesitantly. He stood in the
doorway of the paramedic's bedroom and shifted uncomfortably.
"Sure, what's up?" Bell replied, tossing his magazine on the night stand.
"Maybe you better sit back down," Sanchez said, as Bell stood up.
"I don't mind standing. So, what is it?"
"Well... I think the, uh, stalker has Cris..."
"What?!" Bell snapped. Sanchez winced, but stood his ground and told the
younger man what had happened on the phone. Bell stared at him in shocked
silence as the station's tones went off.
"Station 77, Station 42, respond to 203 Acadia Road, cross Quince.
Time-out 9:56."
Everyone raced to their respective vehicles. There was no joking as they
suited up and pulled out of the station. Carla had told everyone what was
going on, and they were just as shocked as Bell. The 77 made it to the scene
in record time in record time. What they saw upon arrival sickened them. Mr.
Davidson stood in front of the house, dynamite strapped to his chest. He held
Crista tightly and had a gun to her head.
"I should never have left her alone," Sanchez muttered.
"Don't worry, son," Durfee said quietly. "She'll be fine."
The firefighters and paramedics joined the police and bomb squad behind
the stockade of police cars. The police sergeant was talking to Davidson,
trying to get him to give it up.
Cris saw the fire company arrive and sighed heavily. She knew Sanchez was
probably blaming himself for this, but it wasn't his fault. Davidson could
have easily unlocked the back door if he had gone through the dog door, which
he probably had. She should have blocked it last night, but hadn't thought of
it.
Now, she was more worried about Shale than herself. She looked around,
glancing at the detonator in Davidson's hand, then did a double take. Her
eyes widened in realization. That wasn't a button on there, it was a light!
She had seen ones similar to that on her brother's train layout when they
were little. If the detonator wasn't real, then it was possible the dynamite
wasn't either.
Cris carefully pulled her Swiss Army knife out of her pocket and opened
the scissors. Davidson was too busy talking to Detective Cullen to notice.
One of the bomb squad men saw what she was doing and said something to
Cullen. He nodded his head and telling him to proceed. The man disappeared
behind one of the cars, then came back, but was farther away. He knelt down
and pulled a yellow high-lighter from behind his back. He shielded it
slightly so that Davidson wouldn't notice. Cris watched him and when he
nodded his head slightly, she raised the scissors and cut the yellow wire.
She sighed in relief when nothing blew up and looked back up. The man
smiled encouragingly and pointed to his chest, indicating she should cut the
black wire next. She did and again, nothing happened. The blue wire was next
and then the red. He flashed a piece of white paper and shook his head,
telling her not to cut the white one. She flipped the scissors back into the
knife and dropped it into her pocket.
Davidson was none the wiser. The man from the bomb squad told Cullen that
he no longer could detonate the dynamite. All they had to do, was somehow get
the gun from him. If someone could get behind Davidson... Detective Cullen
snapped his fingers and was on the walkie talkie immediately.
A few minutes later, Cris heard something behind them. So did Davidson,
but before he could react, there was a loud crack and his gun when flying
from his hand. At least a dozen police officers and bomb squad men swarmed
around him. Detective Cullen pulled Cris away and supported her as they
walked over to the police cars. Sanchez was the first to make it to their
sides and pulled her into his arms.
"I am so sorry, Cris," he murmured as she sagged against him. The other
members of the 77 surrounded them and patted or squeezed Crista's shoulders
reassuringly. She looked up and smiled at them, assuring them she was okay,
then turned back to Sanchez. He lowered his head and, despite the whistles
and cat calls, kissed her deeply. Bell watched them and sighed in relief.
Cris and Sanchez's kiss was interrupted by a sharp bark. They pulled
apart and Cris spun around to see Shale being led around the side of the
house by a cop. The dog struggled free of the man's grip and ran to her
owner. Cris hugged her dog, then she looked up at the cop.
"Where was she?"
"Tied up to the fence in your back yard. He also muzzled her."
"You poor thing," she crooned, scratching behind the dog's ears.
"Hey Sarge!" one of the bomb squad men called. The sergeant and Detective
Cullen walked over to where the man stood, holding the dynamite. Everyone
turned to look at them. He held up a stick of dynamite and pulled out the
end. It was empty.
"It's fake?" Cullen asked in disbelief.
"It's fake," he replied. The sergeant looked thoughtful and took
Davidson's gun from one of the officers. He checked it over carefully, then
looked at Cullen.
"Blanks."
Crista looked back and forth, between the sergeant and Detective Cullen.
She shook her head, hardly believing what she was hearing. Cullen looked over
at her and shook his head.
"What a day..." he muttered.
"I'll say," Sanchez agreed. "I'll never let you go..." He pulled her into
his arms and kissed her again.
Fin
