THE END
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"Mr. Tanner, you want to come take a look at this?"
Ezra
Lewis made room for him as they all crowded round the small monitor. They had a clear image of the inside of the courtroom. Hostages on the right, between the jury box and witness stand, two of the hostage takers covering them while the rest stood in a huddle towards the middle of the room. Ezra, Buck, JD and Nathan all sat together directly under the witness stand, Ezra cradling Madelaine in his arms. A little to their left sat Nikita and Chris. Ezra
"As far as we can tell they're all OK. For now at least. It's up to us to make sure they stay that way. We need to get them out of there as soon as possible. Anyone got any ideas?" Ezra
Vin locked eyes with Josiah as the suggestions were put forward. Ezra
"Full assault, entrance through the window, sniper backup from helicopter Sir?" one young, redheaded officer suggested.
"Yeah, great idea John - what's to stop them executing every last one of the hostages before we even get inside, huh? They'd see us coming a mile off. We need something a little more subtle this time."
"Sir" A slim Asian officer stepped forward. "There's no easy access to the room - none that they haven't already got well covered. We use the doors, they'll pick us off like sitting ducks. Same with the air-conditioning vents - soon as we show ourselves they'd just open fire."
Lewis glared. "I realize that this isn't going to be easy - but this is what you're trained for goddam it!" Ezra
Taking a deep breath and a few seconds to compose himself the Lieutenant turned to the ATF agents. Ezra
"How about you two - got any ideas how we're gonna get out of this one?" Ezra
Vin and Josiah again exchanged glances. Ezra
"Maybe" Josiah replied.
"I'm all ears gentlemen" Lewis responded, as the agents began to outline their plan.
"We need to get them out of that room."
"Fine idea, Mr. Tanner." Lewis ran his hands over his head and sighed. "In fact, that's what we're trying to do, if you've been paying any attention whatsoever. I'm assuming from the look on your face that you have an idea of how to do this?"
Vin gave a small smile, as Josiah chipped in with "Give them what they want."
Lewis looked at him, his expression rapidly changing from one of disbelief to curiosity. "Give them what they want? Promise them their helicopter? Safe passage? You know that I can't just let them walk out of here."
"Don't intend to" Vin replied. "Just need to get them out in the open, that way it'll be easier to separate them from the hostages."
The Lieutenant considered what the ATF agent had said for a moment. "What makes you so sure they'll go for it?"
Vin shrugged. "I'm not. Just figured it was worth a shot. We're not getting anywhere at the moment are we?"
"Figure it's time we changed tactics" Josiah added. Ezra
Lewis ran a hand over his head again, giving the ATF agents an appraising look as he did so. Ezra
"OK. I guess it's worth a shot, as you said Mr. Tanner. But we're going to need a plan. I want everything mapped out in the smallest detail. There's no room for errors here gentleman."
Ezra
The hallway soon filled with a flurry of activity, as orders were given and men rushed around to carry them out. Ezra
"Santini - I don't care how you do it, but I need a helicopter here in half an hour. Williams - I want you to go over the building plans again. We need to be sure that every exit is covered. We don't want them going out any way but our way. The rest of you take up your positions and wait for further instructions." Ezra
Donning body armour and taking up their weapons Vin and Josiah made their way to their positions, up on the roof. Ezra
"Do you really think this is going to work?" Josiah asked as he checked his gun.
"I sure hope so" Vin replied. "Guess we'll know soon enough." Ezra
Inside the courtroom Chris had mapped out his plan to Nikita, without telling any of the others. Just as they were to start executing the plan the cellphone rang again. Whitmore handed the phone to Ezra who answered it. On the other end Ezra heard Josiah's voice. Ezra
"Mr. Sanchez." Ezra said.
"Ezra, I need to talk to someone." Josiah said.
"He wants to speak to one of you." Ezra said and handed over the phone to Whitmore.
"Hello?"
"Hello, this is Josiah Sanchez, Lieutenant Lewis has fixed a helicopter for you. It is on the roof of this building."
"Well, that's good." Whitmore said. "Now, don't attempt to grow a brain or we will kill the hostages."
"I assure you we will step back." Josiah said as he made his way up to the roof along with Vin.
"Good!" Whitmore said and tossed the phone on one of the table. "Boys it seems like we're getting out of here."
"What?!" Chris exclaimed.
"Yes, they've agreed to give us the chopper. You all will of course be joining us."
"All of us? We can't fit into a helicopter, not all of us." JD said.
"Well, that's too bad, I guess we'll have to do something about that then." Whitmore said and aimed his gun at JD.
"Not now!" Carl exclaimed stopping Whitmore. "We have to get out of here first."
"Okay, so we'll take care of the problem up on the roof."
"Now� Everybody get up!" Steve said. Ezra
Everyone got to their feet, Nikita with a bit of help from Chris. They all had to stand two by two, Ezra grabbing Madelaine�s hand, while Chris supported Nikita. JD & Buck walked behind Joe and Nathan close after them. As they came out of the courtroom both Nikita & Madelaine had guns aimed at their heads. Chris found the hallway empty, not a single movement. Ezra
"Something�s wrong." Carl said. "There should be some cops here."
"There they are." Buck said and nodded towards the five lawmen that stood at the end of the hallway with weapons trained at them.
"Let�s keep moving." Whitmore said as they started making their way up to the roof. Ezra
When they got up on the roof they saw the helicopter standing there waiting for them, a smirk spread on Whitmore�s face. Chris had already noticed Vin & Josiah lying on the ground further away, both with sniper rifles trained at the gang. Chris also noticed other 2 more snipers on the nearby building. Oddly enough it seemed like the gang hadn�t noticed Vin & Josiah because they were all staring at the snipers on the nearby building. Vin & Chris locked eyes and Chris knew that both Vin & Josiah had clear shots of the men. Chris leaned in towards Nikita and whispered in her ear, then he turned to Vin and gave a quick nod.
Suddenly Nikita fainted and Chris was quick to pull out the weapon he had taken from Jones earlier. In the blink of an eye Vin had shot Joe and Josiah had shot Whitmore. Carl turned and fired several shots toward Vin & Josiah and Steve fired at the hostages. Chris managed to shoot Carl before he was able to hit Vin or Josiah. One of the snipers on the roof took out Steve and he fell to the ground bleeding from his chest.
As Chris realized that it was over he dropped the gun and turned towards his team members, Nikita & Madelaine and what he saw made him gasp. Ezra
"Oh no." Was all Chris managed to get out.
"You okay, Chris?" Vin called.
"Get an ambulance NOW!" Chris exclaimed. Ezra
In front of him Nikita lay, yet again unconscious and bloody. Steve had managed to shoot her in the chest and she was bleeding heavily. But Nikita wasn�t the only one hit, Ezra lay close to Madelaine, his white shirt stained red with blood, unconscious. Madelaine was lying close to him, also unconscious and bleeding from her shoulder. JD, Buck & Nathan were the only ones who had managed to escape the bullets and now they stood staring at the scene in shock.
The ATF agents could only stand back and watch as the paramedics went about their work. They quickly assessed the condition of each victim and began to remove them from the rooftop, getting them to the nearest hospital as quickly as possible. Ezra was one of the first to be taken, being in pretty bad shape. When the paramedics came to Nikita there was a brief discussion among them. Ezra
"What's going on?" Chris demanded.
"She's in a very bad condition Mr.."
"Larabee" Chris finished for him. "She'll be OK though won't she? You've just got to get her to the hospital..."
"I'm afraid she might not make it Mr. Larabee. She's already lost a lot of blood. It'll take too long to get her down to the ambulance, then on to General...we don't have that sort of time.." Ezra
Chris looked down at Nikita, desperately trying to think of a way out of this mess.
Vin came up behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder. Ezra
"Hey Pard." Looking at the paramedics he asked "What about the helicopter? Hasn't General got a hele-pad? We could get her there much quicker that way." Ezra
The paramedic considered it for a moment before yelling to his colleague, and they were soon loading the unconscious policewoman onto the helicopter. Ezra
"You going with her?" Vin asked. Ezra
Chris just nodded his head. Ezra
"Don't worry - I'll take care of everything back here. And get that wound of yours looked at while you're there too." He smiled at his partner, before walking away.
JD and Buck rode with Ezra to the hospital, Nathan going in the ambulance that carried Madelaine. Before they got there she woke up. The first thing she said was 'Ezra?!' As she tried to sit up Nathan placed his hand on her arm and gently forced her back down. Ezra
"Lay down Madelaine. You've got to take it easy. Ezra's being taken good care of. " Ezra
She looked up at him questioningly, not sure if he was telling her the truth, or what he thought she needed to hear right now. She'd seen the bullet hit Ezra, seen the blood start to spread over his white shirt... It'd looked pretty bad. She hoped that he was going to be all right.
At the hospital Ezra was rushed straight into surgery, leaving Buck and JD to sit and wait in the reception room.
Shortly after the helicopter touched down, and Nikita was also whisked off to surgery. Ezra
"You look terrible Chris," he said, causing Chris to give a grim smile.
"Thanks. How's she doing in there?"
"Fine, far as I can tell. It was a pretty clean wound, no complications. She's more worried about how Ezra is. Any news yet?"
"Not yet. Still in surgery. Guess we'll just have to wait" Chris grimaced again. He wasn't good at waiting.
Half an hour later Vin and Josiah joined them in the ER's waiting room. Nathan had just been round to see Buck and JD, to find out how Ezra and Nikita were doing. Ezra
"They're both in a pretty bad way. Nikita's condition has been complicated by her other injury, and the amount of blood she's lost" he reported back to the other ATF agents.
"What about Ezra?" asked Josiah. Ezra
Nathan looked unsure, as if he wasn't entirely convinced about what he was about to say. Ezra
"They say he should be OK. No major damage, they just need to get the bullet out, patch him up a bit."
The agents caught the touch of skepticism in his voice and they all sat in silence for a while, staring at the floor.
"Mr. Larabee?" A woman's voice came from behind them.
"That's me," Chris answered, looking up at the doctor now standing in front of him.
"I'm Doctor Reynolds. I've just come from the OR where my colleagues are operating on your friend, Mr. Standish. I thought you might like to know that he's doing just fine. The operation was a success. We'll be moving him to intensive care, we need to keep an eye on him for a while. But he's going to be OK."
Ezra
The men all let out a sigh of relief as the Doctor began to walk away. Ezra
"Doctor?" Chris called out before she disappeared. "How's the policewoman who came in doing?"
Dr Reynolds looked uncomfortable for a moment, before replying, "I really don't know Mr. Larabee. I'm sure they'll let you know as soon as they can." Ezra
She gave an encouraging smile, then left to deal with another patient. Ezra
Madelaine was feeling sick, not because she had been shot but because she was worried about Ezra. She had tried to get an answer out of all the nurses rushing past her room. Finally Madelaine got tired of waiting so she got up herself. She made her way towards the ER waiting room where she found Team 7 minus 1, waiting. JD was the first to notice her and he leapt out of his chair and grabbed hold of her. Ezra
"What are you doing here?" He asked.
"You should be in bed." Josiah fell in as Madelaine sat down in one of the chairs.
"No way! Not until I know that Ezra's okay." She said.
"He's okay." JD said. "The doctor was here and told us that he'll be fine."
"Good." Madelaine gave a weak smile.
"You okay?" Vin asked her.
"I'm fine." She said. "I just need to rest a bit." Ezra
Madelaine and the rest of the Seven sat and waited in the waiting room. After a while Dr. Reynolds came out and told them that they could see Ezra. Madelaine was the first to rise from her chair but she felt dizzy so she had to sit down again. JD saw this and quickly went and got a wheelchair for her. When she had sat down in that he drove her to Ezra's room where the rest had all taken up chairs and floor waiting for Ezra to come to. Madelaine asked JD to drive her up to Ezra's bed, which he did, there she took his hand and squeezed it gently. Ezra
"Ezra, you have to wake up." Madelaine whispered. "You have to, Ezra. You have to." Ezra
After a while Chris rose from his chair and went out to the ER. He asked how Nikita was doing but noone was able to tell him anything. Finally Chris grabbed a near by male - nurse and pushed him up against the wall. Ezra
"Now." Chris said through clenched teeth. "Get me an update on how Nikita is doing. And I mean now!"
"Ye�Yes, sir I�I will." The male nurse stuttered and took off. Ezra
Soon an elderly doctor, with gray hair and blue eyes approached Chris. He presented himself as Doctor Wyle. Ezra
"How is Nikita doing?" Chris was out of patience.
"She is out of surgery." Doctor Wyle said. "She has lost alot of blood but we were able to remove the bullet."
"Will she be okay?" Chris asked just as Vin came over.
"Truth be told, Mr. Larabee, I don�t know." He said. Ezra
Vin saw Chris� entire frame freeze up and he saw Chris eyes turn black. Vin put a reassuring hand on Chris� shoulder, but Chris removed the hand and looked at the doctor with his cold blue eyes. Ezra
"Why don�t you know?" Chris asked.
"Considering the amount of bloodloss it is all up to her." The Doctor said.
"No." Chris growled and punched the concrete wall beside him.
"Easy Chris." Vin said and grabbed Chris as he kept punching the wall.
"She�ll pull through, right.?" Chris said to Vin.
"She will, Chris, I know she will." Vin said, it was a long time ago since he saw Chris this upset. Ezra
An hour later Chris entered Nikita�s room together with Vin. The rest was still sitting with Ezra, Madelaine not letting go of his hand. Ezra
"Now you don't dare leave me." Chris whispered. "Don't leave me." Ezra
As a single tear trickled down Chris� cheek Vin quietly left the room, going to check up on Ezra. Ezra
When Vin came into the room he was quite shocked, Ezra was fully awake and had a big grin on his face. Madelaine was still sitting close by him, still holding his hand, but now she was smiling towards Ezra. Ezra
"Hey there, Ez." Vin said.
"Mr. Tanner." Ezra said, nodding slightly.
"You seem to be doing a whole lot better?"
"Yes, that is correct. Madelaine convinced me to come out that dreadful thing. I'm feeling quite okay." Ezra said smiling widely at Madelaine. "How is Mr. Larabee doing?"
"He's okay." Vin said. "He's with Nikita."
"Is she okay?" Madelaine asked worried about the policewoman who had saved her life.
"Well, we don't know." Vin said. "She's out of surgery but they don't know if she'll make it, she's lost a lot of blood." Ezra
Several hours later Chris was still sitting at Nikita�s bedside, he was asleep. Chris had rested his head on her bed, wanting to be as close as possible to her and he had fallen asleep. Ezra
"Welcome back." He said.
"Thank you." She smiled. "How are the rest."
"They're fine." Chris said. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm okay, I feel like a bus has run over me but I'm fine." She said.
"Good." Chris said.
"You know I think you do utter more than 5 words a day." Nikita said smiling.
"Maybe, but I don�t think I want to talk anymore." Chris said and leaned down and captured Nikita�s lips.
Ezra
*******
A few weeks later and Ezra was ready to leave the hospital. On the morning he was to be discharged Buck and JD picked Madelaine up - she was still in some pain with her shoulder and unable to drive herself - and made their way to General. Walking up to Ezra's room together they all stopped just outside the door. Ezra
"What are you so nervous about?" Buck asked her, a smile on his face. "It's not as if he's never seen you before. Hell, you spent almost every day in that room with him the last few weeks."
"Quit teasing her Buck" said JD, as Madelaine smiled at the two of them. Ezra
Taking a deep breath she knocked on the door.
Still grinning Buck said "We'll wait out here for you" as she opened the door and stepped inside.
Ezra
Ezra was sitting over by the window, dressed in beige pants and a crisp white shirt. Smiling at her he got to his feet, taking it slowly to avoid aggravating the dull pain he was still feeling from his wound.
Ezra
"Well, hello Madelaine"
"Hi Ezra. Ready to go?" She asked as he walked towards her, and took her hand in his.
Rolling his eyes he replied "You have no idea...One more day of this establishments cuisine, and I would have quite lost up all will to live"
Madelaine laughed softly. "Well then, we'll have to go get you some decent food won't we? How about your favourite restaurant?"
"Just the two of us, or are we to be graced with the delightful presence of Mr. Dunne and Mr. Wilmington?" he asked, one eyebrow raised.
"Oh, I was thinking just us two"
"Well then. I suggest we vacate these premises as soon as possible." As he picked up his bag and started towards the door, Madelaine put a hand on his arm to hold him back.
"Ezra, I just wanted to say something before...I mean, I never really thanked you, for looking after me through everything." Leaning forward she planted a kiss on his cheek. Ezra
As she went to pull away, Ezra bought his hand up to her face, stopping her. Smiling he pulled her closer to him, and they met in a tender kiss. Both smiled as, breathless, they finally parted. Then bag over one arm, the other wrapped around Madelaine's waist, Ezra opened the door to be met by his two colleagues who were grinning from ear to ear. JD quickly took Ezra's bag from him, telling him he should be taking it easy, and the small group left the hospital. Ezra
"Hello Nikita, how are you feeling today?" She asked.
The policewoman grimaced, replying "Oh, great. Never felt better."
As she checked the chart at the bottom of her bed Nurse Hatfield asked "All alone today? No visitors?"
Ezra
Smiling as she did so. Every day since the blond woman had been brought up to this ward, Mr. Larabee had been here to see her, without fail. Ezra
"Oh, he's around somewhere" Nikita grinned.
"I'll go then, so you two youngsters can be alone. Just be sure to call if you need anything" As she walked out the door she passed Chris in the corridor.
"Everything OK?" He asked Nikita as he got into the room.
"Fine" she smiled. "Doc says I'll be out of here in no time"
"Good" said Chris, returning the smile. "I got a call this morning, saying Whitmore's off the critical list - he should be well enough to stand trial by the time the case comes up."
Nikita grimaced. "Let's hope they keep a closer eye on him this time - we could all do without a repeat performance I think. Do you think Madelaine will be up to it again?" She asked, concerned.
Chris grinned before replying, "Oh, I think she'll be OK. She and Ezra have become pretty close. He'll help her through it."
Sighing Nikita rested her head back on her pillow and closed her eyes. "God I'm so tired. I can't believe it's over, it was all such a nightmare."
Again Chris grinned "All of it?"
Ezra
Raising her head again to look at him she smiled mischievously. Ezra
"Well, not all of it. I might be able to think of one or two good things that came out of the whole experience."
"Glad to hear it" he replied, before they both leant forward, meeting in a deep, passionate kiss.
Ezra
Lieutenant Lewis turned to face Vin before speaking.
Vin and Josiah stood beside Lewis as he barked out orders outlining their plan to the rest of his men.
Chris was persuaded to go over to the ER, and have someone look at his wound. Once there he met up with Nathan.
Chris sat back down and settled in for the wait, a sick feeling forming in his stomach. He could only pray that Nikita was as strong a woman as she appeared.
As they came in Chris felt nauseous, Nikita was hooked up on all kinds of machines and she was heavily bandaged. Chris pulled up a chair and sat down beside her and took her hand.
Suddenly Chris was awakened by something stroking his hair, he looked up and met Nikita�s blue eyes smiling down at him. Chris sat up and studied her and then gave her a warm smile.
Madelaine hesitated in going inside for a moment, straightening her dress and pushing a few strands of loose hair behind her ears.
Watching them go, Nurse Hatfield smiled, before making her way over to the next ward, where her patient sat up in bed waiting for her.
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