| They came out of the courthouse in a jubilant mood. Another one in the �win� column. Jack McCoy smiled, the beautiful spring day exactly matching his mood. Some accused him of liking to win a bit too much; days like this removed any doubts he may have had. A murderer was off the streets for good; what was not to like about that? Jamie Ross touched his arm, pointed across the steps. �Somebody�s trying to catch up.� They stopped and waited for the detectives from this case, Lennie Briscoe and Rey Curtis, to join them. �Beautiful day, isn�t it, Counselors?� Lennie was grinning ear to ear. The case had been looking a bit dicey until Lennie tracked down the murder weapon. His testimony had sealed the conviction. �Just perfect, if you ask me,� was Jack�s reply. The four of them continued down the courthouse steps. Lennie suddenly stopped in his tracks, screamed �No!� and pushed Jack aside. Falling to the steps, dazed, Jack though he heard something that sounded like a gunshot. �Lennie!� It was Jamie Ross, screaming the detective�s name and running down the steps to where he fell. Jack sat up and tried to figure out what had happened. Jamie was bent over the still form of Lennie Briscoe. Rey was nowhere to be seen � no, wait, Jack spotted him running full tilt down the sidewalk, chasing another man, closing, finally making a flying tackle to bring him down. The two men wrestled for a minute, but finally Rey got him pinned down and handcuffed. Jamie had her cell phone out and was trying to remain calm as she told the 911 operator that a police detective had been shot on the steps of the courthouse. Jack dragged himself back to his feet and staggered down the steps to join them. Lennie had fallen down the rest of the steps to the sidewalk, looking like a puppet with its strings cut. His white dress shirt was a bloody mess, what looked like a bullet hole much too close to his heart. A bruise was forming on his forehead; he must have hit it on the corner of the steps as he fell. He lay far too still. Jack was almost afraid to ask. �Jamie?� She looked up at him, tears running down her face. �He�s alive, Jack.� Relief flooded through McCoy. He realized that bullet might have been meant for him. // If Lennie hadn�t pushed me away, that might have been me! // he thought with a start. He fell to his knees, reaching out to touch Briscoe�s still body, needing to know for himself that life still held on. �Lennie?� �I�ll get you, McCoy!� His head shot up, spinning around to look at the shooter, struggling in Curtis� grasp. The reality of what happened hit him. The detective, his friend, had taken a bullet meant for him. He felt Jamie�s arm wrap around his shoulders. �He�ll be all right, Jack. He has to be.� Sirens screamed as the ambulance arrived. An EMT took them aside, checking Jack out while others worked on Lennie. Jack insisted he was fine, just had the wind knocked out of him when Lennie pushed him down and out of the path of the bullet. Which had then slammed into Lennie � Jack closed his eyes, afraid of what that action might cost the detective. When the EMT finally pronounced him fit and left them, Jamie led him to a nearby bench. �You OK, Jack?� Her concern was apparent in her face. Jack shook his head. �Why�d he do it, Jamie? That bullet was meant for me. Why did he take it?� She shook her head. �He�s a cop, Jack. They do stupid things like that. Put themselves in the line of fire, protecting civilians.� Jack took a deep breath, let it out as a long sigh. They sat there in silence until the ambulance was ready to leave. Jamie got up and grabbed the arm of one of the techs. �What hospital are you taking him to?� �Holy Cross, ma�am.� She went back to Jack. �Come on, they�re taking him to the hospital. We can wait there.� ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Briscoe was rushed directly into surgery. When they got to the hospital, they were shown to a waiting room. Jamie walked across the room where Jack wouldn�t hear, and got out her cell phone. �Sally, I need to talk to Adam right away. Thanks.� Their boss� gravelly voice came on the line. �Jamie? Everybody�s up in arms about a shooting at the courthouse. What the hell happened?� �We were coming out of the courtroom, talking with Briscoe and Curtis. There was a gunshot; Lennie pushed Jack out of the way just in time, but took the bullet himself.� �Is Jack all right?� She kept her voice low. �Shaken. That bullet was meant for him. The perp screamed �I�ll get you, McCoy� after Curtis nailed him.� She heard the deep sigh on the other end. She knew the DA though of Jack as almost like a son. �Thank goodness for small favors. Is Briscoe going to make it?� �We don�t know, haven�t heard anything yet. He took a bullet in the chest, Adam, and it looked like he hit his head pretty hard on the steps too.� Adam sighed. �For all his history, Briscoe�s a good cop. Keep me posted, Jamie.� �Will do.� She closed the phone and tucked it back into her purse. Jack was sitting on the other side of the room, still somewhat in a state of shock. She came to sit beside him, reaching out to squeeze his arm. Jack looked up at her, managing a small smile of thanks for the attempt at comfort. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Anita Van Buren stormed into the hospital emergency room, with Rey Curtis right behind her. Flashing her badge at the young woman at the desk, she demanded to know where Lennie was. The girl checked the computer. �He�s in surgery right now, ma�am. I don�t have any more information. Your best bet is to go to the surgical waiting room; they�ll be the first to know when he gets out of surgery.� She pointed down the hall. Anita sighed; she should have known she wouldn�t get anything else yet. But if Jack and Jamie were in the waiting room, maybe they�d know something. Rey touched her shoulder. �Come on, L.T.� They walked down the hall at a somewhat more sedate pace than they had entered the building. As expected the lawyers were sitting there together. Jamie�s makeup was smeared from her tears, but she looked calm now. Jack, on the other hand, looked terrible. Van Buren came over and laid her hand on his shoulder. �Jack? Are you all right?� He sighed. �Thanks to Lennie, yes.� He looked over at Curtis. �Did he say anything else?� Jack needed to know why someone had tried to shoot him today � The detective�s right hand was bandaged, probably from the scuffle to take down the perp. �He�s Williamson�s brother.� Williamson was the piece of scum whose banishment from society they had been celebrating just hours ago. Hours? It felt like a lifetime � Rey didn�t say anything more; nothing needed to be said. Anita chimed in. �Any word on Lennie?� Jack shook his head. Jamie changed the subject. �Have you notified his family?� Anita nodded. �For what it�s worth. I left a message for his daughter, Cathy. She�s a nurse over at St. Bartholomew�s. But they haven�t spoken in a couple of years. Ever since the Mickey Scott execution.� That got a deep sigh from Jack. A day he most fervently wished had never happened. The day he lost Claire� Anita realized her mistake. �Sorry, Jack. I shouldn�t have reminded you of that today.� He shook his head. �I�m OK, Anita. Don�t worry about me.� Nobody believed him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A couple of hours later, the doctor finally appeared. �We removed the bullet; he lost a lot of blood, but we�ve repaired the damage. The wound should heal. But I�m concerned about the head injury. It appears he hit the corner of the steps quite hard. We�ve done a CAT scan, it doesn�t look like there�s anything abnormal, but he�s still unconscious, although he should be coming out of the anesthesia by now. I�m afraid there�s nothing we can do now but wait to see if he wakes up.� The news cast a pall over the group. Anita found her voice. �Doctor, can we see him?� �He�ll be moved into a regular room in a couple of hours. Until then, family only.� Anita scowled. �I called his daughter, she hasn�t come yet.� The doctor shrugged. �I�m sorry, that�s the policy. I don�t think he�s going to wake up tonight; I�d suggest you all go home and get some dinner and come back during visiting hours tomorrow.� They had no choice but to take the suggestion. Anita went back to the precinct; Rey went home to break the news to his family. Jack was still awfully quiet as he followed Jamie out to her car. As Jamie started the car, she looked at Jack. �You want to get something to eat?� He shook his head. �Not hungry.� �Jack, are you OK?� He took a deep breath. �Jamie, he saved my life, and now he�s lying there unconscious. How am I supposed to feel?� She nodded. �You want me to take you home?� �No, back to the office. I want to get my bike.� ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Jack took the elevator to the 10th floor and went to his office to change. As he hung up his suit coat, he noticed that there was blood on the sleeve. Lennie�s blood, from when he had needed to know for himself that the man was still alive. �No!� The small cry was wrenched from his lips, as he backed away from the closet, eventually falling into his chair. He felt sick to his stomach; he didn�t deserve to be walking around while Lennie� He heard footsteps and looked up to see Adam coming in to his office. �I thought I heard something over here.� He perched on the edge of Jack�s desk, looking down at his distraught friend. Jack took a deep breath. �Adam. What are you doing still here?� �Waiting for you. Jamie called me after she dropped you in the garage. I figured you�d come up here to change.� Jack nodded, his mentor�s presence alone calming him. When he didn�t say anything, Adam continued. �So Williamson�s brother tried to take you out.� He shook his head. �Damned crazy world, Jack.� �Yeah.� McCoy was quiet. Too quiet. Adam tried again. �Any word on Briscoe?� Jack shook his head. Adam sighed. �Jack, somebody tried to kill you today. And somebody you consider a friend saved your life, perhaps at the cost of his own. That�s powerful stuff, my friend. It�s messing with your head.� Schiff leaned forward, laying a hand on the younger man�s shoulder. �Go home, Jack. Eat something, get some rest.� His eyes said the rest. Jack smiled, grateful for Adam�s support. �All right. I don�t think I�ll be in tomorrow, Adam.� Schiff nodded. �You wouldn�t be any good here anyhow.� �You�re probably right.� The both got up. As Schiff turned to walk out, Jack called out. �Adam? Thanks.� �Hmpff.� Jack chuckled at his mentor�s traditional monosyllabic grunt, then turned to finish changing his slacks for jeans. Continue to "Chapter 2" Return to the Story Index Send me some feedback Disclaimer: These characters belong to Dick Wolf and NBC. I'm just borrowing them for fun, not profit. |
| I started writing this as an entirely new universe, but one in which Lennie had already decided he was gay. I realized I already had such a universe in the two stories now listed as 'prequels.' This one is a love story first and foremost. The timeframe is April 1997, near the end of Season 7. The title is from an Andrew Lloyd Weber song from the musical "Song and Dance": Unexpected Song I have never felt like this, For once I'm lost for words, Your smile has really thrown me. This is not like me at all. I never thought I'd know the kind of love you've shown me. Now no matter where I am, no matter what I do, I see your face appearing. Like an unexpected song that only we are hearing. I don't know what's going on, can't work it out at all, whatever made you choose me? I just can't believe my eyes, you look at me as though you couldn't bear to lose me. Now no matter where I am, no matter what I do, I see your face appearing. Like an unexpected song that only we are hearing. |
| Unexpected Song |
| Chapter 1 |