Burning Bright
by elfin
Sergeant Wield found his boss sitting on a wall outside the temporary
incident room. The evening sun was setting over the zoo, giving
everything a golden hue in the warm light.
He watched Dalziel tap his cigarette on the edge of the wall, ash
scattering in the light breeze.
Silently, Wield sat up beside him, not too close, keeping the physical
distance Dalziel’s other sidekick didn’t.
“You all right, Sir?”
Dalziel looked up, smiled a little smile and nodded. “Fine,
Sergeant.”
Waiting, lest there was more, it was a long minute before Wield
continued.
“Pete’s all right, isn’t he?”
Another nod. “Aye. I think he’s getting headaches but he
won’t… talk to me about it.”
“Six weeks in hospital, Sir, he’s probably still tryin’ to gather his
dignity back around him. Not easy, those places, as you know.”
“I know that. All that ‘appened with Ellie….” Shaking his
head, Dalziel looked away over the green landscape. “When I saw
‘im lyin’ there… when I sat by ‘is bedside… I thought I was going to
lose him. When ‘e woke up, I can’t tell yer how relieved I was,
‘ow ‘appy. Then Ellie turns up and I almost lose ‘im again to the
bloody states.”
Wieldy stared straight ahead of him. “You could tell ‘im,
Sir.” He didn’t turn his head even when he knew Andy was staring
lasers into the side of his head.
“Tell him what, Wieldy?” The question itself was a warning.
“What yer just told me, Sir.”
“Why should I?”
But Wield wasn’t offering any more pointers. Without looking
back, he dropped to his feet and went back inside.
Maybe Andy would have said something, maybe he wouldn’t. Wieldy
wouldn’t have pushed it, he wouldn’t have said anything more on the
subject. He’d only said what he had because he hated seeing
people he cared about in pain, even his erstwhile boss.
Andy was surprised, then, when a couple of minutes later he realised he
had company again. Wieldy’s name was on his lips when he looked
around.
But it wasn’t his sergeant it was his inspector, sitting closer than
Wieldy ever would have, so that their shoulders were touching.
“Wield tell you I was moping around out ‘ere, did ‘e?”
Peter shook his head. “I’ve been walkin’. Thinkin’.”
Andy’s heart sank further. “About America.”
“Yeah.”
He’d said enough over the last two days. He was out of offers,
out of ideas. The only thing he had left was to beg and he
wouldn’t. Not even for Peter. He knew enough to know he
couldn’t keep someone who didn’t want to stay.
The silence stretched on until Peter sighed softly and said, “I’m not
going.”
As much as he wanted to throw his head back and yell in relief, Andy
stayed quiet and still. “What changed yer mind?” He hoped
his tone didn’t give away how he was really feeling, hoped it came over
neutral and matter-of-fact.
But Peter didn’t answer the question. “I know the hell I’ve put
you through. Shannon told me about how you’d… been at the
hospital with me, after the accident. How you stayed with me,
talked to me, held my hand.” Andy turned his head away,
embarrassed. He didn’t want to imagine the look on his young
colleague’s face when Shannon had told him that. “All you went
through, lookin’ after me when I came out of ‘ospital, everythin’ you
did for me…. And then I go and put you through it all again,
threatenin’ to leave, to go to the states. I’m sorry.”
Andy dropped the butt of the cigarette to the ground. “Don’t be
sorry. I know ‘ow you feel about Rosie. She is lovely,
Peter, she’s your daughter. I can understand you want to be close
to ‘er, to see ‘er grow up.”
Peter swung his feet away from the wall, staring at them. “But
it’s chasing rainbows, Andy, nothing more. Ellie asked me what
I’d do in the states and I couldn’t tell ‘er. I didn’t
know. She’s pregnant. She isn’t going to leave Jeff and I
don’t want ‘er to. I don’t want ‘er back. It’s all a
pipedream, and in following it I’m throwing away the best thing I
have.” He met Andy’s puzzled gaze. “You.”
The confused gaze quickly turned into a wide, speechless stare.
“Me? Fat Andy? Your boss?”
“My friend, Andy. And you’re far from fat.” He ducked his
head. “You’re looking great.”
“Thank you. But still, Petal, you’ve far more to live for than
me.”
“I’m sayin’… I don’t know what I’m sayin’. But I’m not going to
the states. And I want you to know how much I appreciate
everythin’ you’ve done for me.”
Andy took a deep, steadying breath. “I was so scared for yer in
‘ospital. Watchin’ yer lyin’ there, ‘elpless. That mornin’,
when McKenzie called… I thought they’d tell me you were dyin’, that I
should… see yer before. When I saw yer smilin’ at me… I just
wanted to hug yer! I can’t remember ever feelin’ so ‘appy, so
relieved.”
”Except for now?” Peter prodded gently.
“Nah, Sunbeam. I’d rather have yer alive and well and livin’ as a
yank. Couldn’t face losin’ yer… the thought of watchin’ yer
die….” He was surprised to feel Peter’s hand on his back.
“I’m fine, Andy. I’m ‘ere. I’m not goin’ anywhere.”
Silence fell again, but it was different this time.
Peaceful. And as they sat and watched the sunset, they saw Lateef
approaching them from a distance, ambling towards the incident room
along the winding path.
“He reminds me of you,” Andy told Peter quietly.
Peter grinned. “Was I really that much of a pain in the ass?”
Andy smirked. “Aye, you really were that much of a pain in the
ass. But it didn’t stop me wantin’ to teach yer. Didn’t
stop me… carin’ about yer. And I do, Peter.”
“I know you do.”
They waited to Lateef to come into earshot then Andy called out.
“What’ve yer got for us, Bez?”
“We’ve just finished arrestin’ everyone, Sir.”
“Good, we’ll sort ‘em out in the mornin’. Ironic really, the only
one I can’t arrest is Tyger Harper.”
“Some would say he’s suffered enough,” Peter commented.
“Some would, aye. Not me.” But he winked at his
colleague. “Better get the incident room packed up and shipped
out,” he called to Lateef, who nodded and carried on past them.
“Guess it’s ‘ome time,” he said to Peter.
“Yeah.” But they were both oddly reluctant to move.
“Could always come back to my place, watch the Rugby and ‘ave a
takeaway.”
Peter laughed. “Or… I know this good Chinese Restaurant….”
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