WAKEY WAKEY!

Adum Brate had fallen asleep with Megan Douglas in his arms, where he was now thoroughly convinced she belonged.  They had been awake for more than twenty-four hours, talking, laughing, teasing, licking, eating, sucking and making up for the thirteen years they'd missed together.  But when the sound of his work cell phone reached his ears after only about four hours of sleep, he was awake instantly.  Not completely, but enough to find the phone on the bedside table and answer it.  "Chief Brate."  he growled, still more asleep than awake, but working on it.  he was tempted to add If this is about raccoons breaking into the souvenir shop again, everybody is fired, but didn't.  No one would call him at ... he didn’t know what time ... for anything that wasn't serious.  He fell back into the pillow, however, and tried to wake up as whoever was on the other end of the line spoke.


Megan stirred as Adum reaches for the phone. She rolls over and wraps her arms around him in protest of the thought of waking, using his chest as her pillow "Mmm too early..." she murmurs.

Ryan is at the other end of the phone "Adum, we had a bit of a situation with Alison at the Black Hole tonight. I've got her in lock up but Megan's going to want to come home. Jack tried to take her keys so she wouldn't drive drunk and she became violent with him. Tams took him to emergency in White Rock. He's going to be OK but she knocked him out for awhile and he's got a deep cut in his arm from broken glass."


Adum sits up, wide awake, immediately, trying not to displace Megan too bad.  He is more of a professional than to blurt out Alison's name ... or Jacks.  "Shit!"  is what managed to come out of his mouth.  "Can you give me a few more details?"  he asks, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed and places his feet on the floor.  He begins looking around for his pants and sighs, deciding to wait on the answer before he turns to Megan to speak.


Megan rolls off Adum with a muted irritated grunt. She's not awake enough to tune into his side of the conversation but assumes it's the local station in Alexandra calling. She stretches out, taking over the side of the bed he just moved from to sit and rolls the other way, trying to go back to sleep.

Ryan sighs "I didn't see it all man, but Jack was down and she was drunk as hell when I got there and ready to try and assault me to. One of the patrons told me Jack was trying to get her keys from her and there was something about a jacket. She had some kind of fur coat with her. She did some song and dance about it that didn't make a whole lot of sense so I'm inclined to take the word of the patron. But I'm sure her father's going to try and get her out this morning."


Adum begins to shake the cobwebs out of his head.  "Alright.  I'll be down there in no more than two hours."  he announces.  "Thanks man."  he cuts the connection and immediately re-establishes another, a few beeps possibly audible as he goes through the phones contacts.  "Hey Josh."  he begins.  "Yea, I know what time it is ... OK I don't what time is it?"  he glances at his bedside clock, which happily tells him it is almost two o'clock in the morning.  "Listen Josh, I need the day.  Family emergency.  Yea, thanks.  Oh and feed Sparkles for me.  FIne, have Wright feed Sparkles for me."  and then he cuts that connection as well and sighs deeply before turning to face Megan sleeping so peacefully in his bed.  "Wake up, babe."  he begins.


Megan answers with a rebellious "Mmmm!" and doesn't move from her comfy spot. She's wearing one of Adum's old t shirts and her undies, the covers are only over half her body.


Adum sighs again and stands, turning around and looking at her.  She looked beautiful to him, even with bed head.  She looked better in his clothes than he did.  Leaning over her, he kisses her cheek.  "Welcome to life as a cops wife.  Come on, baby."  he doesn't know which will upset her more, so he just starts with the more personal.  "Your dad's in the emergency in White Rock.  I'm gonna take you there now."  he wonders how much she heard?


Megan's eyes pop open and she whips around to face Adum with a gasp "Oh my god, what happened?!" She looks positively panicked and fully awake.


Adum is glad shes awake at least.  "Get dressed.  I'll tell you on the way."  his phone rings again and he answers it with a terse "Brate."  and then listens.  "Thanks Greene.  I'd actually completely forgotten about that.  Coffee's on me, OK?  See you in a few."  he cuts the connection again.  "Get dressed."  he reaches for her jeans but can't find her shirt.  "Or just wear my shirt if you can't find yours."  he begins to get into his pants.  "Um .... Alison assaulted him, I guess.  Knocked him out at the bar when he tried to take her car keys."  he growls.


Megan nods, keeping the shirt and starting to pull her jeans over her hips as she listens to Adum. She's reaching for her bra under the edge of the bed when she hears what Alison did. Suddenly her whole body tenses up and her eyes flash dangerously "What...the...fuck!" she spits out. Without waiting for his answer she pulls the bra on under her shirt and fastens it and then grabs a hair tie from the bedside table and yanks her slept on mop of hair into sloppy ponytail. Shoving a few things in her backpack roughly she says angrily "When the hell is the first ferry?"


Adum finishes dressing.  "The first ferry is at five in the morning.  Runs five am to midnight.  But we arent taking the ferry."  outside a horn honks and Adum looks outside of his bedroom window to see one of the Alexandra Police cruisers idling out front.  "Joshua Green is going to fly us to the mainland."  he looks at her.  "Ready?"


Megan is momentarily pulled from her fury by surprise "Flying?" she asks with the backpack zipper halfway done up.


Adum nods and heads down for his shoes and coat, choosing his official APD jacket JUST in case.  "We're an island.  If we have an emergency, we can't wait on the ferry."  he opens the door.  "We have two helicopters,  One for medical and one for police and fire/rescue."  he leads her to the cruiser and opens the door.  "Megan, meet Joah Green, my right hand man.  Josh, this is Megan."

Joshua Green watches as the two presumably get in the car.  "Nice to meet you ma'am."  he says.  "I've heard a good bit about you."  he looks at Adum.  "Family emergency, eh?  Sure.  Makes more sense now.  What's up?  Your dad?"

Adum gets in the car.  "No.  Hers."  he shrugs.  "Family emergency."  he re-emphasises.

Josh raises his brows a moment and then half grins.  "We'll be in the air in five minutes."  he doesn't question the words, but they tell him a lot.


Megan follows Adum into the car "Hi Josh." She says pleasantly but a little absently. Megan is obviously distracted by worry. She grabs Adum's hand "If we're taking a helicopter...how bad is he hurt? Did she have some kind of weapon?" Megan's mind is racing. Her brow furrows in anxiety. She wouldn't put anything past Alison, anything...


Adum looks at her as the car starts moving.  "Ryan said Tams was with him and he'd be fine, but I know you probably wanted to be with him."  he sighs.  "I'm sorry, Megan.  I really am.  She's ... nuts..."  he says little more as they turn one corner, then the other and then pull into the police department parking lot, where Josh leads them to the copter.  The noise in intense, but they are soon in the air.

Josh drives in silence, then leads them to the helicopter and makes sure Megan is properly buckled in.  Adum knows how.  He quickly goes through his pre-flight checklist and they are off.  Once in the air, he calls back to them.  "Having family with him will help, ma'am."  he tells her.  "E.T.A to the White Rock hospital is thirty minutes." 


Megan goes along with all of it rather quietly; ducking from the blades with a very nervous look and then getting in and allowing them to buckle and instruct her for safety. She looks at Adum as they take off. He had said family emergency for her family, for her. And now she was in a helicopter. It was an odd mix of terror and trust to surrender to the magnitude of what was building between she and Adum.


Adum said nothing on the flight.  There was nothing to say.  But soon enough, they were at the White Rock Hospital helipad.

Josh touches down and turns in his seat.  "I'll head back, sir."  he tells Adum.  "See you later on today sometime.  We'll cover for you."  he promises and once they are clear of his bird, he takes off again.

Adum helps unbuckle Megan and guide her from the chopper.  He nods and waves to Josh when they're clear.  The he heads into the building with her, holding her hand.  


Megan walks with Adum up to the emergency desk "Hi my father was brought in here...Jack Douglas?" she says in an unsure and quiet voice. The nurse looks at Megan and Adum and then types away at her keyboard "He's being examined. Give me a moment please." she gets up and walks through a set of ominous double doors that only exist in hospitals. 


The nurse pops back through the door a few minutes later and beckons Megan through. Megan reaches back for Adum's hand again, pulling him with her if he allows it.


Adum follows silently.  He feels in a lot of ways that his job is done.  He got her hear.  If she wants him to stay by her side he will be more than happy to.


The nurse leads them past a few other curtains patients in temporary beds. One is a woman moaning and being soothed by a nurse and a doctor, clearly in a lot of discomfort. Megan winces at this and the nurse pulls back a curtain a few beds down, revealing Tamela looking worn out in a chair but poking Jack Douglas in the arm lightly.

"You're not supposed to fall asleep Dad. They're watching you for a concussion." She looks up as the curtain opens and tilts her head in confusion "Meg...Adum?" she looks at the pair, and the hand holding and has a look of dawning and mild disapproval. Flatly she says "That was fast."

Jack turns his head too fast and then blinks against the pain of a nasty looking bump that's bruising badly around the edges of his temple "Megan..." he says with a struggle. He blinks hard at Adum and says "What's he doing here? She wanted for doing this on his island too?" From his reclined position he can't see their hands. His tone is curious though, not judgemental.

Megan lets go of Adum's hand and winds her arms through his, giving him a little arm squeeze hug "Adum helped me get here pretty fast." she says with a small smile before going to her father. Ignoring Tamela, she leans over the side of the bed, looking at Jack's head and arm "Oh god Dad...I'm sorry."


Adum took in a lot when he walked through the curtain.  Not the least of which was Tams look and flat voice.  For half a second, when Megan lets his hand go, he is afraid she will separate herself from him, but instead she takes a more possessive grip on him.  "This isn't official business, Mr. ....  Jack."  he corrects himself for being too formal with Jack.  "She wanted to get here fast, and I could get her here fast."


Jack nods tiredly at Adum and then looks at Megan "It's OK Sweet Pea. I'm not dying. That old friend of yours is a little fucked in the head though." He smiles a bit at her and asks "So uh something you wanna tell us...about your holiday...and the fancy pants man who doesn't know what to call me?"

Megan hunches forward and drops her head "Yeah, Adum and I are together. That's why I've been going to Alexandra."

Tamela mutters a quiet "Hmmm..." and then gives Adum a forced smile that doesn't reach her eyes "Well congrats then." she says briskly before starting to walk away from the bed "I'm going to go ask a question at the desk..."she says non- committally. 


Adum blushed slightly at Jacks words, but didn't say anything about that.  Simply sighed deeply.  "She's ... disturbed."  he overstates the obvious.  He turns his head to follow Tams on her way out, but doesn't follow her.


Megan pats her Dad's hand "I'm glad you're happy about it." She turns her head in the direction Tams had been sitting, aware that she'd left and of her tone. She looks back at Adum after and mouths "Sorry." referring to Tams.


Adum shrugs a bit at Megans words.  "How long do they plan to keep you?"  he asks.  "Sounds like ... she .. made quite a mess of you AND the bar."


Megan turned back around to face her father looking awkward but also wanting to know.

Jack groaned "Until they rule out my damned head exploding I guess. I just wish they'd let me sleep but apparently that's bad." He sighs and looks at Megan "Read me one of your stories kiddo. I need something to distract me."

Megan shrinks into herself self consciously "Oh....here? Now?" she laughs breathily.

Jack smirks "I got no place else to be."

Megan looks around at the very open room and gulps, pulling out her phone. She glances back at Adum looking even more self conscious. Over her shoulder he might see her logging into an online writing community with a program to store works. Quietly, Megan starts to read. It's a fantasy story about a young woman discovering a magical creature in an urban setting. the character is well developed and expressed and the pace and story are completely compelling. Megan has never shared her writing with Adum before, or many people beyond her immediate family. Jack listens contentedly and nods along, chuckling in places as it's written with a lot of humour.


Adum keeps his face emotionless at the progress report.  But then he is a little shocked to hear about stories, and he watches her log in and begin to read.  He stands, nodding and smiling.  She was talented and he files the information away for a later talk about why she isn't publishing.


Megan finishes reading and looks about to click the app closed. The story is still in progress and has no ending yet.

Jack reaches out a hand "Wait, that's not all?"

Megan laughs "Dad I Still have more...just in my head. I haven't had much time lately."

Jack gives Adum and exasperated look "She's just going to leave us wondering. I hate that. Where's Tams?"

As if on cue Tamela sidles up, brushing past Adum and holding a coffee cup inside her jacket "Here...I snuck you something to help stay awake Pop."

Jack reaches for the coffee with a look like he's been saved and sits halfway up to sip it. Megan pockets her phone and steps back to let her sister back into the cramped space.


Adum also protests.  "Yea, you're gonna keep us hanging?"  he shares in the exasperated look, but then is brushed by Tams.  The space is cramped, but he wasn't sure she had no choice but to brush him.  He moves beside Megan watching Jack enjoy his coffee and watching Tams, as unobtrusively as he can.


Tamela fusses and shifts her Dad's pillows and blankets and then sits back in the one hard plastic chair by the bed. She puts a foot up on the bed, taking up a bit more space and turns to Megan "You know I've got this if you want to go..." she looks pointedly at Adum "get some sleep."

Megan scowls at her sister "No, I'm here. We came here for this. Do YOU want to get some sleep?" she says as she folds her arms in front of her body in a mildly challenging tone.


Adum arches his brows.  Of course it looked like exactly what Tamela was implying but ... He feels this is not actually aimed at Megan.  "Tam, you got a problem with me, out with it."  he insists.  He thought Tam would be happy that he was with her sister, not all... the way she was being.


Jack looks annoyed at his daughters "I'd like to get some fucking sleep. But what I wouldn't like is to listen to you two have a go at each other."

Tamela gets up again, rolling her eyes at Adum "No issue with you, however long you last with her. Just don't get too attached." She storms out before anyone has a hope of replying.

Megan yells after her anyway "Shut the fuck up bitch!"

Jack barks at Megan "Megan Isabella Douglas, that is enough. We are in a hospital and you are an adult. Christ it's been a long night..." A nurse comes around the corner and glares at the whole group of them, holding up her pointer finger in warning.


Adum sighs and places a hand on Megan's shoulder.  "It's okay, Megan."  he tells her and tries to make eye contact.  "We'll see how she feels in five years when we're married with a baby and three more cats."  he says, hoping to lighten her mood and relax her father.  He pulls her close if he can and kisses the top of her head.  He looks at Jack, but doesnt really try to convey how he feels.  He isnt sure Jack would believe him, given Megan's reputation.  Only time would prove Tams ... and every other doubter no doubt watching them ... wrong.


Megan quickly shoves her face in Adum's shoulder before he can see her expression. He keeps tossing around the M word and now the B word like the ideas are a walk in the park. She's somewhere between what she knows should ideally be just the man of her dreams and a constant panic attack. Her muscles tighten but she tries to downplay her stress over anything but her sister being her usual judgey self "Sorry Dad." she mutters and then trying to sound jovial she quips "Cats first right?" and gives Adum a little squeeze as she feels him kiss her head.

Jack watches Adum and Megan curiously and then looks away with a small smile. Either this guy is too good to be true or he could actually care that deeply for Megan. It would be nice to see if it was the second one.

Finally a doctor approaches "Mr. Douglas, I'm going to give you one last check before we let you go. Your daughter took a statement from me in her official capacity though for the police report."

Jack sits up suddenly and says insistently "Call her back. I don't want to press charges."


Adum chuckles.  "Cat's first."  he tells her.  "We already have one ..."  he holds her, knowing her anxiety, or thinking he does.  Barely a week after their own confessions about the children they had all lost.  When Jack speaks, he looks up.  "Wait ... you DON'T?"  he sounds incredulous.  Granted Alison's father would sweep it app under the rug, regardless, but still.


The doctor looks taken aback but nods "I'll see if I can have her paged to the desk." he says before walking away

Megan walks over and sits down in the chair her sister left. She leans forward, stunned "Dad you have to. What she did was unacceptable and maliciously violent. You can't let her walk."

Jack was adamant "Megan she clearly needs a psychiatrist not a jailer. I agree that what she did was fucked but isn't it more fucked up to not give her the chance to get some help. If she has a mental illness or something, maybe there's a medicine or a therapy......I don't want to condemn her. She was your friend Meg."


Adum swallowed.  "Jack."  he paused, feeling as if he were confessing to his part in some horrible crime that led him to where he was now.  "She's HAD psychiatrists!  Medicines ... therapy ... it doesnt change a fucking thing.  Between her denial and her father ..."  he stops.  "Please don't cave into her." he asks.  "Please."  maybe a little TOO earnestly.  He wonders if Megan will tell him about her 'friend'.


Megan snapped her head to Adum, her eyes wide "Wait, what? Has she done THIS before?" she said as she head jutted at her father.

Jack listened but at the news of his freedom he also started sliding out of bed and rummaging on the side table for his jeans and his wallet and keys. His movements were slow and steady.


Adum pauses and slowly nods.  "She has a ... history.  Drinking, temper tantrums .. abuse."  he looks down at the floor, where his eyes find Jack's shoes.  He goes to get them, avoiding looking at either of them and half glad Tams has already stormed off.  She knew more about what he had told than she thought she did.


Jack had pulled on his jeans and stood frozen as he was partway through putting his wallet into his back pocket. He looked sadly and awkwardly at Adum, not knowing what to say.

Megan was turning her father inside out tshirt right side out for him and stopped halfway through her task too. She put the shirt down on the bed as is and walked to Adum to take the shoes from him. She reached for the shoes with  her right hand while reaching for Adum with her left to try to pull him into a gentle wordless hug.


Adum accepts the hug.  "There's a lot you don't know yet, Megan."  he murmurs.  "I'm probably as broken as you are."  he sighs and straightens.  "Whether you press charges or not, Alison will get away with it.  She always does.  But you have to send the message that she can't do that to you.  If you don't ... she won't stop until you're forced into stopping her."


Tamela had been walking back slowly, trying to compose herself after blowing her top at the doctor who told her what her father said. She was two curtains before her father's bed and caught the tale end of all of it. There was a lot of movement in the room with doctors, nurses patients and their families so her movement was not distinct within the din of the usual noise of the room. She slumped forward and sighed as she rounded the partition and made herself known to the group. Adum and Megan were hugging so she shimmied in on the other side of the bed and shook out her father's shirt, handing it to him.

"Dad we can't make you, but please consider it."

Jack took the shirt and pulled it over his head carefully, avoiding the bump. He was having trouble with one side of it because of the bandaged arm. Tamela reached to help him but she wasn't quite tall enough to make contact.

Megan's back was to her father as she held Adum and just ran her hand up and down his back. She had no idea what was happening with her father trying to negotiate his clothing with the injury.


Adum appreciated the contact but saw the problem Tam was having.  He gently pushes Megan away and moves closer.  "May I?"  and he makes a movement to help Jack, if he allows it.


Megan lets go and and looks behind her, letting Adum pass.

Jack holds still and laughs "Stupid swelling. I can't get the sleeve around it with one hand pulling. Guess that's why they make you wear the drafty full moon smock in here." He looks grateful but a little awkward.

Tamela's body posture and expression softened as she watched Adum. She shot her sister a look afterwards that said silently alright he's ok so try not to fuck up too badly.


Adam grinned ruefully as he helped.  "It would take you a long time trying to do this alone.  Trust me."  he said, patiently.  "But I think the full moon smock is for the nurses."  short on he steps back immediately.  "There, all dressed."  he stands back.  "Now about pressing those charges against the basilisk..."  he arches his brows, because he really believes he should, regardless of it being futile.


Jack smiles "Thanks." He looks pensive about pressing charges "Can I have a day or two to think about it?" He glances between all three of them.

Megan nods quietly and looks down.

Tamela lets her head roll to one side a bit and meets her father's gaze "Yeah."


Adum nods.  "Fair enough."  he agreed.  "Are you going to be alright at home alone?"  he asks.


Both Megan and her sister answer at once both saying "I'll stay with..," and breaking off looking at each other.

Jack looked warily between his two often warring daughters and then helplessly at Adum. He wondered if the guy might be a saner safer option than both his kids together but then sighed and said "If you want to share the pullout.."

The tension in the room felt suddenly smog like.


Adum tried not to wince as the sisters answered simultaneously.  "What if you two took it in shifts?"  he suggests.  "That keeps your father from being alone and keeps you two from ... doing what you do."  he was occasionally a good mediator.


Tamela sighed and conceded with Adum "I'll take the evening because Meg you're going to have to run the hole for a few days."

Megan nodded "Yeah fine, days then"

Jack exhaled audibly "Ok let's blow this pop stand. I need some fuckin sleep."

Tamela started walking with her father and then looked at Meg and Adum "Do you guys have a car? I didn't ask how you got here."

Megan sheepishly says "Helicopter." She feels like the word itself is surreal, like she's explaining someone else's life or reading one of her stories.


Adum nods in satisfaction.  "I'll take a cab back.  I should get there in time to start my shift."  he says, casually.  He says nothing about the helicopter, but does place his hand on Megans waist as they walk, casually.


They reach the parking pay station and all the Douglas's empty pockets and purses for change to pay off the stupidly high priced parking pass. Tamela shrugs at Megan "We're in lot E, I'll drive you." But then leaves her and Adum alone to say goodbye. Jack is practically sleepwalking and waves "Thanks again Adum. Take care eh."


Adum watches them go and looks down at Megan.  "Hell of a way to wake up."  he quips.  "But I still know you'll get home safe."  he caresses her face.  "Text me?  As always?"  he can usually reply to texts more quickly throughout his busy days.  He leans down and touches his forehead to hers, not wanting to go but knowing he has to.


Megan presses her forehead back and then gasps "I'll miss you."
And throws her arms around him. Her lips seek his, parting them if they connect, her tongue seeking an even deeper exploration, connection, newfound familiarity with tastes and scents well mingled. Megan presses her body against his, not caring who's watching, digging her fingers into the back of his shoulders ever so slightly.


Adum sinks into the kiss.  It lasted a minute .. or maybe half an hour .. or a day ... he had no idea.  He loved kissing her, touching her, tasting her and learning her.


Jack happens to glance back and sees the little makeout goodbye happening in full view of everyone paying for parking. He just starts laughing and mutters "Atta girl."

Tamela looks to see why he's laughing and rolls her eyes "Ferchrisakes get a room." She mutters.