Granted

Disclaimer: I don't own Harvey, Nash, Joe, Evan, Michelle or Ronnie.   They belong to CBS

Copyright 2001

                                                Taken For Granted

Harvey Leek stumbled through his bedroom door, kicking off his shoes as he crossed the short distance to his bed. He slipped out of his colorful jacket and dropped it to the floor, revealing a white Grateful Dead t-shirt. Already half asleep, he emptied his pockets and removed his badge. He dropped the items, along with his gun, on the nightstand and fell gratefully onto the mattress. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

An annoying noise penetrated his dream and dragged him from blissful slumber. Cracking open one bleary eye, Harvey groaned. The glowing red numbers on his alarm clock read 2:38am. He'd only been asleep two hours! Finally recognizing the irritating   sound, Harvey rolled over and grabbed the phone before it could ring again. "Wha?"

"Harvey?"

"Yeah. Whadya want?"

"Harv, it's Michelle. Listen, I hate to ask you but Evan said he couldn't, and I can't get Nash or Joe on the phone..."

Harvey's sleep-fogged brain couldn't seem to follow Michelle's rambling, and his eyes began to droop as she sped on.

"So, can you?"

Snapping his eyes open, Harvey rubbed his face tiredly. He must've drifted off. "Huh?"

"Harvey, are you awake?"

"Wake? Yeah. Yeah, I'm awake. Um...what was it you said?"

He could clearly hear her exasperated sigh and made an effort to pay attention.

"Harvey! I said my mother just called me. She tripped on some steps at her house and fell. I have to take her to the E.R. to make sure she didn't break her ankle. I need someone to come take over for me at the surveillance van. I know you just left a couple hours ago, but I can't get anyone else."

Harvey couldn't believe what he was hearing. He'd been at his desk at the SIU at 6am yesterday, doing a trace for Nash. He'd finally finished that, only to end up doing a background check for Joe. For an off-duty case no less. Harvey still didn't know how he'd been roped into that one. As it was, he'd finished that just in time to relieve Evan at noon for his shift in the surveillance truck.

Now, Michelle was asking him to come cover her shift.

"Michelle, I'd love to but..."

"Oh, thank you Harvey. I knew I could count on you to cover me. Listen, I'll return the favor, I promise. I gotta call my mother to tell her I'll be by to get her soon. Thanks, Harv. Bye."

"...I'm way too tired." Sighing in defeat, Harvey dropped the handset back on its cradle and switched on the bedside lamp.

He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, climbed wearily to his feet, then replaced the items on the night table in their assorted pockets. He slipped on the gun holster and badge, then picked up the jacket from the floor. Shoving his arms into the sleeves, he looked around for his shoes. Finally finding both of them near the door, he sat on the bed to put them on so he wouldn't fall over. His fingers seemed to fumble over themselves as he tried to tie the shoestrings. Cursing under his breath, he finally got the stubborn things tied and snatched up his keys.

As Harvey stood on his doorstep, locking the door, he idly wondered why he bothered paying for a house. He was hardly ever there. He should just live in his car and save himself some money.

As he drove his Ranchero through the dark San Francisco streets, he had to force himself to concentrate on his driving. The streetlights were almost hypnotic as he sped past them. Fortunately the roads were fairly empty at that time of the morning, so he made the drive in less than forty minutes. He found a place to park where their prey wouldn't notice it, and silently made his way to the blue surveillance truck parked on the side of the street.

Michelle looked up from her notes when the door opened and she had to put a hand to her mouth to stifle a sudden urge to giggle. Harvey Leek stood hunched over in the small space, blinking owlishly in the dimness of the truck. She could tell by his rumpled slacks that he'd gone to sleep in his clothes. His short curly hair stood up in odd spikes on one side. What had caused her to want to laugh, however, was the fact that the sleepy man had put on his brightly colored jacket inside out.

Clearing her throat, Michelle resisted the desire to laugh. She gathered up her notes and sweater, gesturing Harvey to the stool she'd just vacated. "Harv, thank you so much for doing this. I'm sorry I had to drag you out of bed like this, but I couldn't get the other guys. With the flu that's going around, we're so shorthanded it's impossible to get coverage from anyone else."

Dropping bonelessly onto the stool, Harvey simply nodded.

Michelle smiled and patted him on the back as she slipped past him towards the door. "Thanks again. Oh, and Harvey?"

"Yeah?"

"Your jacket's on inside-out." A smile, a small wave, and she was gone.

Looking down at his sleeves, Harvey sighed. "Dammit." He pulled off the jacket, turned it right-side-out, and slipped it back on. He almost panicked when he realized his armband was not on his sleeve anymore. Looking around wildly, he spied it underneath the seat. Rolling his eyes heavenward and heaving a huge sigh of relief, Harvey picked up the precious Grateful Dead armband and dusted it off. He slid it back on his arm where it belonged, then checked all the monitors. Everything seemed quiet; nothing stirred from the apartment building across the street. It was going to be a long night.

His thoughts drifted to the flu Michelle had mentioned. This time it was no "Blue Flu", or sick-out, but the real thing. Half the department was out with it. Harvey had had a scratchy throat for several days, and had woken up with a strange itchy feeling in his right ear yesterday morning. Add to that the heavy feeling in his chest, and Harv knew he was in for it. In an effort to ward off the impending flu, he'd had nearly a gallon of orange juice the day before. Vitamin C was supposed to help you fight bugs and stuff. At least he hoped so.

Eight hours later, Harvey struggled to stay awake. It was getting harder and harder to do. He finally stood and paced the small space as best he could, hoping Evan would show up early for once in his disgustingly young life. Finally tiring of his pacing, he sat back down on the little stool in front of the monitors. It was 12:10. Evan was ten minutes late. Harvey gave a start when his cell phone suddenly rang. Pulling it from his pocket, he flipped it open. If it was Evan...heads would roll. "Harvey Leek."

"Harvey? It's Nash. Michelle called this morning and she can't come in today. Her mother apparently broke her ankle last night and is on pain meds, so Michelle needs to stay with her today. I had to call Evan in on an armored car robbery this morning, so he's gonna be late. I need you to cover for him til he can get things wrapped up here and relieve you. It should only be a couple hours."

"Boss, I can't..."

"Thanks Harv. You're the man." Click.

"Dammit!" It was all Harvey could do to keep from hurling the offending phone across the van. Thirty hours! He'd been working for almost thirty hours! Why Nash couldn't have done that trace yesterday himself, or Joe the background check, Harvey didn't know. He was tempted to have a computer class for his teammates; he was tired of doing all the work. It was the two young hotshots, Evan and Michelle, who got the pats on the back. Harvey was definitely starting to feel like they were taking advantage of him.

Staring at the monitors, his blue eyes reflecting the light from the screens, Harvey sat in increasing discomfort. What had been a scratchy throat yesterday, had turned into a sore throat that hurt every time he swallowed. The itchy feeling in his ear had changed to a throbbing pain. His back and joints ached, indicating a low-grade fever. Aw man, he thought miserably, I'm gonna get that darn flu after all.

It was a little after 3pm, when Evan finally showed up to relieve Harvey. He carried a paper sack of sandwiches and a thermos of hot coffee. Knocking softly first to warn his partner, Evan jerked open the door and bounded into the truck with a smile. The smile died on his face when he took in the condition of the man staring back at him. His clothes were rumpled, his eyes blood-shot and ringed with bruise-like smudges from lack of sleep. He looked pale and shivered in the warm air of the surveillance van.

"Jeez, Harv, you look like hell!"

Glaring back at Evan, Harvey stood to give up his place. "Oh, really, Evan? Well, that's good...'cause I'd hate to feel this bad and not look the part." Waving an arm expansively, Harvey frowned. "It's all yours, man. I'm going home to bed, where I should've been twelve hours ago." Grumbling to himself, he flung open the door and jumped out, slamming it shut behind him.

Evan stared at the door wondering what had gotten into his usually laid-back partner. Shrugging it off as the first signs of the flu, he flopped down onto the stool and pulled out a sandwich. His cell phone rang, and Evan rolled his eyes "Now what?" He hastily swallowed the bite of sandwich he'd just taken and flipped open the phone. "Cortez."

"Evan, it's Joe. Did Harvey leave already?"

"Yeah, Joe. He just split a minute ago. Why?"

"Man, another armored car just got ripped off. We need Harvey to run over and check it out."

Remembering how miserable and tired Harvey had looked, Evan winced. "Hey, Joe, man is there anyone else you can send to do that? Can't you or Nash do it?"

"Nash has a meeting with the Chief and I've got to go check out the drivers of that other armored car. Why? What's wrong with Harvey doing it?"

"Joe, Harvey looked like hell. I think maybe he's getting the flu, and I just think you should find someone else to check it out." He could hear Joe's sigh and could almost see him thinking about it.

"Okay, look, I'll see what I can do. We're so damned short-handed, though, it's not even funny."

"I understand that, Joe, believe me...it's just that it's almost 3:30 now, and Harv's gotta be back here to replace me at midnight. The guy needs some sleep."

"I gotcha. I'll do my best. Later man."

Closing his phone and putting it back in his pocket, Evan went back to his sandwich and the boringly quiet monitors.
_________________________________________________________________________________

Driving slower than normal, Harvey made his careful way back to his place. He paid close attention to his driving, having almost run a red light shortly after leaving the surveillance van. Finally pulling to the curb in front of his house, he practically crawled from the car and up the steps. He shut the front door behind him and leaned against it. He couldn't decide which he needed more at the moment...food, his bed, or a shower.

He decided the first thing he needed was a good dose of Nyquil. He went into the kitchen and searched the cabinets until he finally found the right bottle. Grinning in triumph, he poured out two tablespoons of the green liquid, then thinking a moment...added a little extra. He quickly swallowed the vile-tasting stuff and grimaced. Yuck! That outta knock me out, he thought happily.

He next opted for the shower and stumbled his way into the bedroom to get some clean clothes. He'd hardly made three steps into the room when the phone rang. He fumbled the handset from the cradle, and almost dropped it. "H'lo?"

"Harv? It's Joe. We've got another armored car robbery over on 5th, and we need you to run over there to check things out. I'm sorry, man. Listen, I'll keep Evan on a couple hours late to make up for it. Okay?"

This simply couldn't be happening. It was almost four in the afternoon, nearly thirty-six hours after first showing up at work yesterday morning. "Joe, I can't."

"Harv, I know you're tired. Evan said he didn't think you were feeling very well, but I just can't get anyone else."

Dropping down on the bed, Harvey leaned over and ran a hand through his hair. "Joe, I can't drive."

"What? Why?"

"I just took some cold medicine that's, like, 100 proof, man. I'm so damned sleepy, I wouldn't risk it even if I hadn't had the medicine."

There was a pause on the other end as Joe thought it over. "Okay, here's what I'll do. I'll send Ronnie to pick you up, okay? He'll be there in about twenty minutes. Okay? Good, gotta go. Thanks Harv." Click.

Stunned, Harvey simply sat and stared off into space. He sighed and wiped a hand over his face. Man, I need a vacation, he thought wearily. Deciding he had time for a quick shower, Harvey gathered some clean clothes and headed into the bathroom. Fifteen minutes later, feeling slightly better from a hot shower, he came to the conclusion that the steam didn't help the heaviness in his chest like he'd hoped. He headed down the hall to the kitchen for a bite to eat, drying his hair with a towel and trying to get the water out of his sore ear. He'd just grabbed a cereal bar, when the doorbell rang. "Ronnie, no doubt."

Sure enough, Ronnie was standing there looking at his watch when Harvey opened the door. "Hey Ronnie. Just a minute while I grab my gun." Without waiting for a response, he went back to his room and grabbed his holster. He snagged a brown jacket from his closet and slipped it on as he made his way to the front door.

"Hey, man, thanks for picking me up. The good citizens of San Francisco wouldn't be safe with me on the road right now."

As they both trotted down the steps, Ronnie chuckled. "No problem Harvey. If you don't mind my saying so...you look like hell."

"Yeah, so I've been told."

Once in the car, Harvey fastened his seatbelt and leaned against the door with a sigh. "Ronnie, you know where we're going?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Wake me up when we get there."

Laughing softly at how quickly the Inspector drifted off to sleep, Ronnie shook his head. One thing was for sure: anytime he started complaining about the hours he worked, all he had to do was take a look at one of the undercover guys. Especially Nash or Harvey. If anyone was called to a crime scene in the middle of the night...it was usually one of those two.

Ronnie chuckled at the soft snoring coming from the passenger seat. He glanced at the sleeping man and frowned. The sound he was hearing came when Harvey breathed out, not in. It wasn't snoring, but a strange sort of rattling sound at the tail end of every expiration. "That can't be good."

Reaching across the seat, he gently placed the back of his hand to Harvey's forehead without waking him. He felt slightly warm, and Ronnie made a mental note to say something to Nash. Ronnie never said much around the SIU, but he saw everything. He noticed that Harvey seemed to do most of the leg work, and nearly all the technical stuff. He doubted the others even realized it. Harvey was just so dependable, the others took it for granted. This time, though, he'd have to say something...the man was definitely ill.

Making a left at the next intersection, Ronnie could see the yellow tape strung across the armored truck and the marked cars blocking the street, their lights still flashing. He pulled up to the curb a few yards from the scene and shook Harvey awake. "Hey, man, we're here."

Stretching his arms, Harvey took in the scene before him. Hopefully this wouldn't take long. He climbed from the car and walked to the two drivers of the armored truck. Writing down their statements, he couldn't shake the feeling that he knew one of the drivers. The man had identified himself as Jack Duncan and he said he'd worked for Bailey Armored Escort for four months. His partner had been with Bailey's for three years.

Both men stated that they'd come out of the department store and were heading for the truck, when a car pulled up and four men, wearing masks, jumped out. All four men had been armed, and they'd taken the money the two drivers had been carrying. The robbers had jumped back in their car and taken off around the corner.

"So they made no attempt to get the money that's locked in the back?"

Duncan exchanged glances with his partner and shook his head. "No. They just took the money we were carrying and then split. I guess they didn't want to take the time to try to get the keys from us."

Looking around, Harvey noticed the businesses that lined the street. "Yeah, well, I can see why they wouldn't want to spend any more time than necessary standing around with masks and guns. Too many witnesses."

After dismissing the two drivers, he checked with several witnesses who'd been patronizing the many businesses. They all had pretty much the same story. Unfortunately, none of the shops lining the street near the department store had an outside video camera. No help there.

The department store manager told Harvey that they had a different pickup time every week. It was a rotating schedule. "I'm telling you, they'd had to have been watching the department store for the last three or four months to have known our schedule."

"I believe ya man. We'll check out Bailey's and see who has access to the schedule. We'll be in touch."

Having gotten all the information he could from the scene, Harvey headed back to the car. Ronnie stood patiently by the driver's side. Harvey stopped by the passenger door and stared off into space for a few minutes, tapping his pen against his cheek. He knew he'd seen Duncan somewhere. But where? He shook his head and sighed. It'd probably come to him sooner or later. He gestured to Ronnie that he was ready to leave, and slipped into the passenger seat.

"Ronnie, take me over to the SIU so I can type up this report for Nash, would ya?"

"Sure thing, Harvey."

Both men were silent during the drive to the SIU. Harvey wracked his brain trying to remember where he'd seen that driver before. He was fairly certain it was while on a case. He glanced at his watch and moaned. It was 6:30 already. Well, Joe said he'd keep Evan on later, so he probably had til about 3am to get the report done and grab some sleep. It was talking to all those witnesses that had taken so long.

The dark clouds that had been threatening rain for the last several days, finally opened up just as Ronnie pulled into the SIU parking lot. The two men jumped out and dashed for shelter, but not managing to avoid getting soaking wet. As they both stood on the deck, shaking water from their arms, Ronnie couldn't help but laugh.

"Well, well. Aren't we a pair of drowned rats?"

"Yeah, Ronnie, my week just gets better and better."

Giving the bigger man a half-smile, Harvey headed for his desk. He looked at his shoes in disgust when he made squelching noises as he walked. He dropped into his chair with a sigh of relief, and shivered. "Man, it's cold in here."

He stared at his computer screen for a few minutes, thinking about Duncan. He finally decided Nash's report could wait; he'd see what he could dig up on the driver. Searching through his own cases, he finally scored a hit. Jack Duncan had been a witness, along with his partner, of a hit and run. Only, Duncan had worked at Trust Security and Armored Services at that time. He'd had a different partner then, a guy named Jason Ivory. That name rang a bell, too.

There had been a string of armored car robberies the last five weeks. The trucks were from four different companies, and none of the drivers had been hit more than once. It had been the same every time...the armed men had only taken the money the drivers were carrying, nothing from the back.

"Curiouser, and curiouser."

Harvey decided to do a little more digging through the files of the latest robberies. On the third try he hit the jackpot. Frisco Armored Transport had been robbed last week, and one of the drivers was none other than Jason Ivory. Ivory had apparently been with the company just five months.

"Well, well, well. I think it's time to do a little creative computer searching."

Finally managing to pull up the employment records of Trust Security, he wrote down all the names of employees who'd left the company in the last six months. He then tried matching the names with the four companies that had been robbed. It took a while, but he had seven names other than Duncan and Ivory.
So, that was nine Trust employees who'd gone to four other companies several months before the robberies began. That was long enough to get to know the delivery and pickup schedules.

On a hunch, Harvey dug up some financial records on Trust. Things had been going badly for the company over the last year. The owner, David Winwood, had been having his own financial troubles as well. However, over the last month, the company had begun paying it's bills on time and getting caught up. Not only that, but Trust had managed to snag a couple clients from two of the companies that had been robbed.

"That sneaky bastard. He gets his guys into the other companies, sets the competition up to be robbed and gets not only the money, but new clients as well. Brilliant."

Harvey printed out the employment and financial records, and looked at his watch. He couldn't believe so much time had passed; it was after 10pm. Who could he get a warrant from this time of night, he wondered. A seraphic smile spread across his face. "Judge Gordon. He has insomnia, so he should still be kickin'."

After making his phone call to Judge Gordon, who'd indeed been up and working in his office, Harvey started typing his report to Nash. The thrill of the hunt had waned, and now the effects of the cold medicine kicked into high gear. His head felt fuzzy, and it took herculean effort to stay awake and focused long enough to get the report finished and printed. He gathered up the printed report, along with the employee and financial papers, and left them on Nash's desk with a note explaining his theory. He let Nash know that he'd already called for a warrant, and that it was on its way.

Looking around for Ronnie, Harvey realized he'd already left for the evening. Probably right after dropping Harvey off. Too tired to look for another ride home, and with only a few hours left until he had to replace Evan, he decided to just go crash in holding. He figured if he overslept, Evan would give him a call.

He dropped down on the cot in the empty cage, and covered up with the rough wool blanket. It only took seconds for him to fall asleep.

Looking at his watch for the tenth time, Evan grabbed his phone. Harvey was an hour late and not answering his cell or home phones. He listened to the ringing on the other end and sighed in relief when he heard Nash's voice answer.

"This better be important, it's after four in the morning."

Evan wasn't exactly thrilled at having to wake his boss at that hour, either. "Sorry Nashman, but I can't find Harv."

"What do you mean, you can't find Harvey?"

"Boss, he was supposed to come relieve me at about 3am, and he never showed up. I've tried reaching him at home, but I just get his answering machine. I've tried his cell phone, but I think his battery died or something."

Nash sat up and rubbed his eyes. That wasn't at all like Harvey. "Evan, these surveillance shifts are from 12-12. Why was he not coming to relieve you until three?"

"Well, see, Joe had Harv go cover another armored car robbery after he left here this afternoon. Joe called me later and asked me to stay a few hours over, so Harv could get some sleep after dealing with the robbery. Of course I said yes, but now I can't get hold of him."

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Nash sighed and slipped from the bed. "Okay, look, I'll call Joe and see if he has any idea where Harv is. If we can't find him, I'll have Joe or Michelle come relieve you. Either way, I'll call you back okay?"

"Thanks Nashman. I'm kinda worried about him, ya know?"

"Yeah, I know you are Evan. We'll figure it out. I'll call ya later."

Hanging up with Evan, Nash dialed Joe's home number. It took six rings, but he finally heard his partner's sleepy voice. "Dominguez."

"Hey Joe, it's Nash. Listen, do you have any idea where Harvey might be?"

"Harvey? I dunno man. He went to check out a robbery over on 5th yesterday afternoon. I had Ronnie pick him up, 'cause Harv said he'd taken some cold medicine and couldn't drive. I haven't heard from him since. Didn't he go relieve Evan?"

"No, and he's not answering his phones. Damn, I don't like this. Alright, I'll give Ronnie a call. Hey, can you go relieve Evan?"

"Sorry bubba, but Ingar's best friend went into labor last night, and she's at the hospital with her. I'm alone here with Lucia and I don't have anybody to watch her."

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Nash ran a hand through his hair and frowned. "Okay, I'll get Michelle then. If you hear anything from Harv, call me."

"Will do, bubba. Later."

Dialing Michelle's home number, Nash waited for her to answer and paced his kitchen floor. After five rings, the answering machine picked up. He tried her cell phone next and after a few rings finally got her. "Michelle."

"It's Nash. I need you to go relieve Evan at the surveillance van. Harvey was supposed to do it, but he's MIA."

"Oh, I'm sorry Nash, but I'm down at the E.R. with my mother. Her foot swelled up really bad, and they're having to take off her cast and replace it. I'm gonna be stuck here for hours."

"Damn! Okay, but give me a call as soon as you can go relieve Evan. He'll just have to pull a double shift until you can cover for him."

"Sure boss. If Harvey can pull a double, I guess Evan can."

Nash stopped his pacing and raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Wait a minute...when did Harv pull a double?"

"You remember. When I called you from the hospital and told you I couldn't come in at all that day, because my mother had broken her ankle. I had called Harv about 2:30 that morning to cover my shift so I could take her to the E.R., and he did."

"Oh, man, I just thought it was Harvey's turn for the shift. Since Michaels from Vice got taken out of the surveillance rotation, it's messed me up. All these stupid meetings with the Chief and everybody the last few days...I've lost touch."

Thinking back over the last couple days, Nash looked at his watch. Rubbing a hand over his face, he suddenly realized what had happened. "That poor bastard."

"Nash?"

"Sorry, Michelle. I just realized that Harv's been working the better part of 48hrs. Listen, I've gotta give Ronnie a call. When you can get over to relieve Evan, send him to the SIU."

"I will Nash. Let me know if you find Harvey, okay?"

"You know I will."

Dropping the phone into his jacket pocket, Nash grabbed a pen and some paper to leave a note for his father. He was starting to feel a little wave of guilt over this. The unit was his responsibility; he was supposed to know what was going on with his people. He'd been so busy the last couple days, and with so many people out with the flu, things had just gotten hectic. He hadn't realized Harvey was getting stuck with the short end of the stick. Joe had mentioned cold medicine. Nash wondered if Harv was getting the flu; it wouldn't be surprising...half the department had it.

Leaving the note where Nick could find it, Nash left to check Harvey's house. As the 'Cuda rumbled down the quiet streets, he pulled out his cell phone and punched in Ronnie's number. A sleepy voice finally grumbled, "Hello?"

"Ronnie, it's Nash. When did you last see Harvey?"

"Leek? Uh...yesterday afternoon when I dropped him off at the SIU to type up his report on that robbery. I went to the locker room to change, and he was still at his computer when I left. Why?"

"He's not answering his phones, and didn't show up to relieve Evan at the surveillance truck. I'm just trying to find out where he might be."

"Maybe he's at home and just not answering his phone. He was pretty well exhausted yesterday."

"Yeah, I've thought of that. I'm on my way over there now."

"Hey, boss? You better find him, 'cause I think he's pretty sick. I'm no doctor, but he was makin' a rattling noise when he breathed yesterday and that can't be a good thing. My sister has asthma and that's kinda how she sounds when it acts up."

"Damn." Well, that little piece of news just made him feel more guilt. "Okay, Ronnie. Thanks for letting me know. I'll call you if we find him."

"No need, boss. I'm on my way in, just give me an hour to get dressed and drive down there."

"Thanks Ronnie, I'll see you at the SIU."

Hanging up and returning the phone to his pocket, Nash sure hoped he'd find his missing Inspector safe and sound, asleep in his bed.

When he pulled up to Harvey's house, he found the Ranchero parked in its usual spot. He trotted up the steps and banged on the front door. He knocked several times and, when he didn't get a response, pulled out his lock picking set. It only took a few seconds to open the door. Swinging it open, Nash drew his weapon...just in case trouble had found Harvey. He checked every room, but there was no sign of the missing man.

Nash stood in Harvey's kitchen for a few moments trying to think where he could've gone. The only other place to try was back at the SIU. If Harv's car was here, then he would've had to have gotten a taxi or a lift from someone to leave the ferry. He pulled back his sleeve and peered at his watch. It was after 6am already. Hopefully, he'd find Harvey asleep at his desk. Traffic was going to be murder.
________________________________________________________________________

A loud argument in the next cage woke Harvey from a sound sleep. He rolled over on the small cot and squinted at his watch. It was a little after six in the morning. He wondered why Evan hadn't called him. Sitting up, he pulled his phone from the pocket of his black cargos. "Well, no wonder. The battery's dead."

Hauling himself to his feet with a groan, Harvey walked over to get a cup of coffee. As he passed Nash's desk, he noticed that the warrant for Winwood had been delivered. Well, if Evan was going to pull a double shift and Michelle was with her mother, it might as well be Harvey that brought Winwood in. He wasn't likely to be able to get Nash or Joe in to do it. Nash had been in meetings all week, and Joe was in the middle of an off-duty case.

He tucked the warrant in his jacket pocket and picked up the phone. He dialed Nash's home number, but nobody answered. He tried the cell phone, but just got a busy signal. He tried Joe's cell, but it went unanswered and Joe's home phone got a busy signal as well.

Harvey sighed in frustration and looked around. As one of the uniform officers wandered over to file some papers, Harvey caught him by the arm. "Hey, Charlie. Do me a favor, will ya? When Nash or Joe comes in, tell them I went to pick up Winwood at Trust Security. Okay?"

"No problem, Inspector."

"Thanks man." Harvey stopped a moment. What to do about a vehicle? "Oh, Charlie, can I borrow your car? Mine's back at the house."

"Sure, it's the blue Saturn."

Harvey caught the keys Charlie threw him, and smiled his thanks.

It was still raining and morning rush hour was picking up. Harvey slapped the wheel in frustration. He just wanted to get this guy back to the SIU and go home to bed. He was going to call in sick in the morning and take the next three days off. He planned to sleep the entire three days, too.

The closest he could park to Trust Security was a block and a half away. "Great, another soaking. Might as well get it over with."

He tried running the whole way, but stopped after half a block. The heaviness in his chest was making it hard to draw a decent breath. Resigning himself to getting soaking wet, he walked the rest of the way. When he got to Trust, the reception desk was empty. He stood there, dripping on the carpet, for almost ten minutes before a pretty young secretary finally came through the door behind the desk.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I hope you haven't been waiting long. Are you here to apply for a job?"

Chuckling, Harvey showed her his badge. "No ma'am. I'm Inspector Leek with the S.F.P.D., and I need to speak to Mr. Winwood."

The secretary picked up her phone and spoke quietly into it. Hanging up, she smiled at Harvey. "He'll be right with you, if you'll just have a seat over there."

Looking at the chairs she indicated, Harvey shook his head. "No thanks; I'd ruin the upholstery. I'll just stand here and drip if you don't mind." That earned him a breathy laugh from young lady.

He'd only had to wait a couple minutes, when a tall, distinguished looking man walked down the hall and introduced himself. Shaking the Inspector's hand, the man smiled. "I'm David Winwood, Inspector. What can I do for you?"

Returning the handshake, Harvey looked the man over. "Inspector Leek, S.F.P.D.; is there an office or somewhere we can talk, Mr. Winwood?"

"Certainly. We'll go to my office, it's down the hall and to the right." As the two men walked down the dim hallway, Winwood fixed Harvey with a puzzled frown. "May I ask what this is all about, Inspector?"

"I'm here to ask you a few questions about the recent armored car robberies the last five weeks."

The two men turned the corner, and Harvey almost bumped into someone. He looked up and was surprised to see Jack Duncan standing there. He smiled and turned back to say something to Winwood, when pain exploded on the side of his head. He heard a buzzing in his ears, his vision grew dark at the edges and sounds were muffled and distorted. The next thing he knew, he was on the floor. The buzzing grew louder, his vision darker, then he was out.

David stood there in shock. He glared at his employee in anger. "Jack! What the hell did you do that for?"

Searching Harvey's jacket pockets, Duncan pulled out the cell phone. Finding the warrant, he tore it open and read the legal words. "I heard him say he was gonna ask you some questions. Besides, he was the cop that questioned me yesterday after the job on Bailey's. He knew...I saw it in his eyes." Holding the warrant up for Winwood to see, he smiled. "See, I was right. He's got a warrant here to search the place and your records. He knows everything, and was gonna haul your ass in."

Watching as Jack took the Inspector's gun and tucked it in his waistband, David frowned. "Well, what do we do with him, now?"

"Well, we can't kill him; I'm not going down for killing a cop. Who knows how many people know he's here. We'll hafta take him someplace and keep him for a while. We might need him for a bargaining chip."

Winwood frowned, frantically trying to come up with a plan. Damn cop, why'd he have to stick his nose in, anyway. "Alright, here's what you do. Get a couple guys to help you and take him over to pier 34. I own a small warehouse down there. I'll write down the address for you. Just handcuff him to a pole or something. Make sure you leave some water where he can reach it. We may need him for insurance, so let's make sure he stays alive."

Taking a gold pen from his coat pocket, he snatched up Harvey's small notebook and scribbled directions to his warehouse. "Here's where it is. It hasn't been used for a couple years, and most of the places on that pier are closed so it's empty and quiet. No witnesses to worry about."

"We'll take care of it, boss."

"See that you do. I think it's time we cut our losses and closed up shop. I'll have the trucks head back with what they're carrying. We'll meet at the warehouse tonight and divide the money. I think Cancun should be lovely this time of year."
____________________________________________________________________________________

As Nash parked his 'Cuda, he saw Evan's blue truck pulling in next to him. Evan jumped out, a look of concern wrinkling his brow. "Have you heard anything Nashman?"

"Not yet, Ev. I'm hopin' we'll find him sound asleep at his desk."

The two hustled up the ramp to the deck, and rushed inside. It was almost eight, so the office was bustling. Neither one saw any sign of Harvey.

Evan checked Harv's desk for any information that would tell them where he'd gone. Nothing. Nash stopped at his own desk when he saw a pile of paperwork lying on it. He picked up the file and skimmed through it, finding Harvey's note about the warrant.

"Well, I'll be damned."

"What ya got, boss?"

"It's the armored car robberies. Harvey solved it. Looks like it was the owner of Trust Security, David Winwood, who's behind the whole thing. He planted former employees in the other companies to find out the pickup and delivery times...then set them up for a robbery. Looks like Harv called for a warrant, but I don't see one on my desk. Must not have been delivered yet."

Running a hand through his dark, wavy hair, Evan sighed in frustration. "Well, when it comes, I guess I can go check the guy out and bring him in. But, I'd rather be out looking for Harv."

Staring thoughtfully at the report in his hands, Nash frowned. "It had to have taken him several hours to dig all this up and type it out. He must've been here pretty late, and he didn't have a ride home. Now, somebody had to have seen him here last night."

"Well, Nash, anybody who'd been working the night shift here would be home now. It'll take hours to track them all down."

"Not necessarily. With everyone so short handed, I would be willing to bet there's one or two officers here who are pulling a double shift." Catching an officer as he walked past them, Nash asked if anybody was pulling a double.

"Yeah, boss. Ummm, Casey and Charlie were both here on the overnight. Charlie's just putting a junkie in holding."

"Good. Tell him I want to see him, pronto."

"You got it."

The two men paced impatiently, waiting for Charlie.

"You wanted to see me, boss?"

"Charlie, you were here last night weren't you?"

"Yes sir, I was. Oh, that reminds me...Inspector Leek asked me to give you a message. He wanted me to tell you that he went down to Trust Security with a warrant."

Nash sighed in relief. Mystery solved. "When was this?"

"He left a little after six this morning I guess. He looked pretty bad, if you ask me. I know he was here all night...slept in the holding cell for a few hours."

"Thanks for your help, Charlie." Nash picked up the phone on his desk and tried to call Harvey's cell phone again. "I think you're right, Evan. The battery must be dead. I'll call Trust and see if he's shown up there." After looking up the number from the computer, he called and got the receptionist. After listening to her for a moment, he thanked her and smiled at Evan.

"What'd she say, Nash?"

"She said Harv was there, but left a couple minutes ago. With traffic the way it is, it'll be an hour at least before he gets back. Oh, Evan?"

"Yeah, boss."

"After I finish yelling at him for scaring us like this...remind me to give him the next few days off. I really dropped the ball on this one."

Evan went over to fix them both a cup a coffee, and shook his head. "It's not all you, Nash. If I'd gone to cover for her when Michelle called the other night, Harv wouldn't have had to pull that double shift. I was...um...busy."

Nash laughed, "Yeah, I just bet you were." He picked up the phone to call Michelle, Joe and Ronnie to let them know Harvey had been found. Seeing Ronnie walking toward his desk, he smiled. One less phone call to make.
________________________________________________________________________

As he woke up, Harvey realized several things. He was lying on cold concrete, his head was pounding, his chest felt like something was sitting on it, and something was biting into his right wrist. Opening his eyes, he saw what was grinding into his wrist...handcuffs. He was handcuffed to a chain that was padlocked to a pole.

"Well, I've seen this movie before. At least there's no Elvis impersonator this time."

Looking around at his prison, he surmised he was in a warehouse. From the tang in the air, he must be on one of the piers. He noticed a gallon jug of water sitting next to the pole, so they must want to keep him alive. At least for a while. One of the huge doors began to open, and Harvey blinked in the sudden brightness. Several cars drove into the warehouse and parked near him. Two familiar forms got out of one of the cars. Winwood and Duncan.

The two men walked over to Harvey and stood staring down at him for a moment. Winwood finally broke the silence. "Well, Inspector Leek. Sorry we couldn't provide you with better accommodations, but we were quite unprepared for your untimely arrival. You're actually very fortunate that we have decided to keep you alive. Perhaps after we finish our business and leave the country, we'll call your boss and let him know where you can be found. Then again, perhaps not."

Climbing to his feet, Harvey laughed and shook his head. "Do you really think they don't know where I went this morning? Do you honestly believe they won't find out you kidnapped a police officer? If you do, you're more stupid than Jack."

He saw the blow coming, but couldn't get out of the way quick enough. He reeled from the punch and stopped himself from falling by grabbing the pole. The salty taste of blood filled his mouth and he felt the split lip with his tongue. Harvey leaned over and spat out a mouthful of blood and smiled. "Apparently Jack's a little sensitive about his level of intelligence."

That one earned him a blow to the stomach that landed him on his knees. Harvey decided he better quit while he was ahead. Or behind. Depended on your point of view.

David held out an arm to keep Duncan from further acts of violence. "That's enough. We don't have time to play these games with you, Inspector. We'll only be here a few minutes, then we'll leave you to your thoughts. Come on, Jack, we have things to do. I have much to do before my flight in the morning."

Harvey sat on the wet concrete floor with his back to the pole, his chest heaving trying to pull in the air driven from his lungs by Jack's fist. Spots started to dance across his vision. He was having a hard time getting enough air. Just as he was about to panic, his breathing eased and his vision cleared.

He could see that the men were almost finished dividing up the money. Once the men all had their shares, they piled into the cars and drove off. The door slid shut behind them, leaving Harvey alone in the near darkness once more.

Curling up on the hard floor, using his free arm as a pillow, Harvey wondered if anyone back at the SIU was aware of what had happened.
___________________________________________________________________________________

Hanging up the phone after another long talk with the Chief, Nash looked at his watch in concern. It had been almost two hours since his phone call with the secretary over at Trust, and Harvey still hadn't shown up.   Just as he was about to give her another call, the phone rang. "SIU, Captain Bridges."

It was the secretary, and she sounded near tears. "Oh, Captain Bridges, it's you. Mr. Winwood is gone. He sent me out on an errand and when I came back everyone was gone. Most of his stuff from his office is missing, and clients are calling asking what happened to the trucks that were supposed to deliver money this morning. All the trucks are gone and so is the money. What do I do?"

Nash sighed. This just keeps getting better. "Okay, look, just stay there and don't touch anything. We'll be there as fast as we can."

As soon as he hung up with the hysterical woman, he immediately started dialing Cassidy's cell number. "Cassidy. Listen to me, this is very important. I know you have class, but I need you to go over to Joe's and watch Lucia for me. I need Joe down here, one of the guy's is in trouble. No, it's not Evan. It's Harvey. Yes, I'll let you know what happens. Thanks for your help, sweetheart. Love you, bye."

Seeing Evan walk back to his desk, he waved him over and started dialing Joe's number. "Evan, call Michelle. Tell her to find someone, ANYone to cover for her on surveillance and get over here. Harv's in trouble." Waving off Evan's questions, Nash turned his attention to the phone. "Joe? Cassidy is on her way to watch Lucia for you. As soon as she gets there, I need you to get over here to the SIU like yesterday. Look, I'll explain everything to you when I see you okay? No...Joe, Harvey's missing. Yeah, well, he's missing again. Just get down here."

"Evan!"

"Yeah, Nash?"

"Let's go, you and I are gonna check out Trust Security."

When they got to Trust, the secretary nearly sobbed in relief at seeing the two men. She showed them Winwood's near empty office and the open safe...empty of anything valuable, of course. While Nash listened to her explaining what she'd seen before and after her errand, Evan left the office to check out the other rooms. As he walked down the dimly lit hallway, a small stain on the floor made his stomach knot up. He knelt and rubbed the stain with his fingers. Evan sighed and closed his eyes. Blood.

"Nash!"

Walking down the hall to see what Evan wanted, Nash picked up his pace at the look on the younger man's face. "Whatchya got, Evan?"

"It's blood, Nash."

"Damn. Alright, lets get the lab boys down here. I want this place turned upside down. Also, call over to the hospital and get Harv's blood type so the lab guys can compare it. It'll be quicker that way, than looking it up in his personel file."

"I'm all over it, boss."

"I'm gonna head back to the SIU to let Joe and Michelle know what's going on, and see if we can track down Mr. David Winwood. Tell ya what, that bastard better not have done anything to Harvey...or he'll answer to me."

Michelle and Joe were both waiting, when he finally got back to the SIU. He filled them both in on what had happened. "Alright, let's see if we can find any of these guys on this list Harvey made. There were nine employees that switched to the companies that got robbed. I want at least one of them in here, ASAP."

By the time Evan called, however, they'd drawn a blank.

"Nash, it's Evan. The lab guys say the bloodstain matches Harv's type. They also found Harvey's fingerprints on the front door and the receptionist's desk. He was here, but there's no indication of where they took him."

"Okay, Evan, head on back. We've come up empty here, too. Winwood's skipped. His house looks like he left in a hurry and there's no sign that Harv was there. We're trying to find the employees that were in on his little scheme. No luck so far."

"I'll be there in a hurry."

As Nash was hanging up the phone, Joe and Michelle came in, pushing a suspect ahead of them.

"And who do we have here boys and girls?"

Joe looked at the suspect in disgust. "Oh, him? Nashman, this is Jack Duncan. He worked for Winwood before joining Bailey's. It was his truck that was robbed yesterday. Found him at his girlfriend's apartment. He's big, but dumb."

Duncan stiffened in anger, then relaxed and smiled tauntingly. "You know, your Inspector Leek said something to that effect this morning. I made him pay for it, of course."

Nash glared at the suspect for a moment, trying to maintain control of his emotions. "Joe, take this scumbag to interrogation before I throw his ass overboard."

Three hours later, they still hadn't gotten anything from Duncan. No matter what they tried, all he would say was that if they let him walk out of there and leave the country safely, he'd call and tell them where to find Harvey.

Getting nowhere fast, Nash had Duncan taken back to lockup and they all met at Nash's desk. Rubbing a finger across his chin, Nash frowned thoughtfully. "Okay, we know they've got Harv stashed somewhere. Michelle, Evan...you two see if you can find out if Winwood owns any property or other holdings. Joe, put an APB out on the Trust armored trucks. Maybe they've got him hidden in one of those." He looked at his watch and sighed; it was after 3 o'clock.

"Let's hurry guys...time's slipping away from us."

By 6 o'clock, they'd found four of the missing armored trucks. They were all empty, naturally, and there was no sign of Harvey. A sudden shout from Michelle had the others jumping from their desks, hopeful looks on their faces.

"I think I've found it, Nash. I found a warehouse on pier 34 that is in Winwood's wife's name. Sounds like just the place to hide someone."

Nash looked at her in surprise. "Winwood's wife? Have you talked to her?"

"No, apparently she's in New York visiting family. According to the Winwoods' neighbor, she's been there for the last three weeks."

"Alright gang, let's roll. Evan, grab some backup for us and get Ronnie. Michelle, call and have an ambulance standing by on the pier. You and Evan meet us there."

As he and Joe jumped in the 'Cuda, Nash sent up a silent prayer that they would find their friend safe and sound.
__________________________________________________________________________________

Having entertained himself the best he could by singing Grateful Dead songs for several hours, Harvey finally gave up and switched to mind games. That provided amusement for all of forty-five minutes. He'd dozed off and on, but it was hard to get comfortable. He'd tried to get loose, but all that accomplished was bruising and scraping his wrist with the handcuffs. He wondered if the others even missed him yet.

The day dragged on.

He was cold. Cold, wet, and his throat and ear hurt. He was really starting to feel like he just wasn't getting enough oxygen. He'd finally noticed the funny noise he made when he breathed and it was starting to worry him; he'd never made that sound before.

Harvey looked at his watch for the hundredth time. It was almost six. No wonder it was getting darker...the sun was setting. Harvey wondered if they'd left him his watch on purpose to make the days drag by more slowly. A special torture.

Deciding once more to try to get some sleep, Harvey curled up on the wet floor. He was in the middle of a very strange dream about hiking...and something to do with Evan being pregnant...when his solitude suddenly turned into chaos.

The big warehouse door opened and people were running and yelling. Their shouts reverberated off the walls and made Harvey's head pound in protest.

The next thing he knew, someone was unlocking the handcuffs and he was surrounded by Nash, Joe, Michelle and Evan. "You guys are just determined to not let me get any sleep, aren't you?"

Seeing the guilty looks on all their faces, Harvey rolled his eyes. He instantly regretted it, as the headache flared to life. "Guys, I'm just kidding. Thanks for coming to get me, 'cause it was getting a little boring."

Nash shook his head and slapped Harvey on the back. "It's good to have ya back, bubba. You know, let's not make it a habit of finding you chained to poles. Unless of course it's with a pretty girl and it's consensual."

Everyone laughed at that, then the others moved out of the way to let the paramedics in to check Harvey out.

The taller paramedic knelt next to Harvey and turned to his partner. "Go ahead and get a non-rebreather set up for an albuterol treatment. I don't even have to use the stethoscope to hear his wheezing."

The mask that was slipped over Harvey's mouth and nose was uncomfortable and he didn't like it. The shorter medic was shooting questions at him, while taking a blood pressure reading at the same time. Harvey felt a sudden stinging pain in his other arm and was surprised to see the other medic taping down the I.V. canula. So one medic distracts you while the other jabs you, he thought. Pulling the mask down off his face, he fixed the taller medic with a glare.

"That was sneaky, man."

Chuckling, the medic finished getting the I.V. set up. When the two paramedics were finished, they helped Harvey onto a waiting stretcher. Nash held out a hand to stop them before they could leave.

"How is he?"

The paramedic smiled, "Well, I think he's gonna be fine. Sounds like he's got a good case of asthmatic bronchitis. Add to that a probable concussion, dehydration and exposure...and I can guarantee at least an overnight stay courtesy of the hospital."

We were lucky this time, Nash thought to himself. "Harv, I want to apologize for the last few days. We've been taking you for granted and I'm sorry we did that. It shouldn't have happened and it won't happen again."

Joe, Michelle and Evan all nodded their agreement, solemn looks on their faces.

Harvey nodded his head and pulled down the oxygen mask so he could be heard. "You can say that again, boss. You see...I learned something from all this."

Evan shot his partner a puzzled look. "What's that Harv?"

Chuckling, Harvey looked at Nash with amusement flashing in his eyes. "I learned how to say 'No'."
_______________________________________________________________________________

As the ambulance hit another pothole, Nash braced his foot against the stretcher's side. He glared at the paramedic, sitting in the jumpseat at the stretcher's head, who just shrugged. "These things are built for utilization, not comfort. Try starting an I.V. in the back of one of these things. It's a skill alright."

Nash noticed that the bump had startled Harvey awake again. The concussion, combined with exhaustion, had knocked him out shortly after the medics had him on the stretcher back at the warehouse.

Harvey looked around lethargically, then his confused expression changed to one of awareness. He fumbled with the oxygen mask, pulling it down to talk to Nash. The paramedic reached over and put it back. "Sir, you really need to keep this on. You're being given a breathing treatment right now."

Frowning, Harvey pulled the mask down again. He really needed to tell Nash something. The paramedic motioned for Nash to slide over on the long bench seat to make room, and sat on the bench to be eye level with his patient. He put the mask back where it belonged and pulled the elastic bands tight again. "Sir, you have to keep this on. You're wheezing pretty good there, and the albuterol will help that."

Knocking the medic's hand away, Harvey tugged the mask free and fixed the paramedic with a dark look. "Don't make me shoot you."

Cutting off the medic's protest, Nash held up a hand. "I think what he has to say may be fairly important and the sooner he says it, the sooner he'll cooperate with you. Go ahead, Harv."

Sighing with relief, Harvey smiled tiredly at his boss. "Thanks Nashman. Listen, Winwood is gonna skip. He said something about a flight he had to catch in the morning. My guess is...he's leavin' the country. I don't want that sneaky bastard gettin' away."

"Don't worry, he won't. We'll check out the rosters of all the international flights leaving tonight or tomorrow. We'll also get some unies out there with his picture to keep an eye out for him."

"Boss, there were nine others besides him. Did you get any of them? How'd you find me, anyway?"

"Michelle found the warehouse listed in his wife's name. We'd looked everywhere else, so it seemed like the logical place to keep someone out of circulation for a while. We've got Jack Duncan back at the SIU. Is he the one that hit you?" Nash pointed to Harvey's split lip.

Fingering his swollen lip, Harvey smiled wryly. "Yeah. Several times, if I remember correctly."

Interrupting the two, the paramedic replaced the non-rebreather once more. "That's it. Enough questions for now, you're wasting the albuterol. You're paying for it you know."

Laughing, Nash shook his head. "No, the department's paying for it."

Moving back to sit in the jumpseat, the medic smiled. "Which means I'm paying for, so he keeps the mask on."

"Can't argue with a taxpayer, bubba." Seeing that Harvey's eyes were already starting to droop again, Nash's smile got even bigger. "Told ya he'd cooperate once he'd told me what he needed to."

When they pulled into the E.R. at the hospital, Nash stood outside as the medics wheeled Harvey through the door. Pulling out his cell phone, he gave Joe a call.

"Joe, have you managed to round up any of the other drivers?"

"No luck, Nashman. They gotta be in the city somewhere, though. We'll find 'em."

"Harvey told me that he heard Winwood say something about leaving the country. Get some people over to the airport to keep an eye out for our slippery Mr. Winwood. I want him. Also, have someone look into the flight rosters for today and tomorrow to see if he was stupid enough to use his own name. I doubt it, but it's worth a shot."

"Consider it done, bubba. I'm gonna stay at the SIU to get things done from this end. Evan and Michelle are on their way to the hospital. They wanted to see for themselves that Harv's gonna be okay, I guess."

"Alright. You take care of finding Winwood. I'll get Michelle and Evan onto the other drivers. Let me know the minute you find him."

"Will do."

Closing the phone, Nash slipped it back into his pocket. He felt a sense of deja` vu as he walked down the hall leading to the room Harvey had been taken to. It had only been a few months since Harvey had been brought here after being shot by a pair of punk kids. He laughed to himself quietly, when he saw Barbara heading towards Harv's room. She was the same doctor he'd had before.

Looking up from her chart, Barbara saw Nash standing there. "Nash Bridges! What are you doing here? Oh, don't tell me...I'm treating one of your guys again?"

Smiling broadly, Nash reached out to shake her hand. "Actually, it's the same one as last time."

She gave Nash a surprised look and checked the file she held. "Leek. I remember...gunshot wound to the left shoulder." Glancing at the chart, she nodded. "Yes, three months ago. What brings him in here this time?"

Smile fading, Nash folded his arms. "My fault. I didn't keep up with my people, and Harv got himself knocked out and kidnapped. Took us most of the day to find him."

Placing a comforting hand on Nash's arm, Barbara gave him an encouraging smile. "Why don't you stay out here and give me a few minutes to check him out. I'll let you know how he's doing. Okay?"

"Thanks, Barbara."

Nash was still pacing the hallway, when Michelle and Evan hurried over to him. Evan stared at the closed door for a moment, lost in thought. "Hey, Nash, what does the doctor say?"

Stopping his pacing, Nash squinted at his watch. "She hasn't come out yet. She's been in there a while, though."

Michelle felt really guilty about the whole thing. She wondered if the others blamed her for what happened. "Nash, I'm really sorry about this. Maybe I should have found someone to be with my mother so I could come to work. I just thought you guys would all work it out, you know?"

Rubbing his forehead, Nash shook his head. "No, it's not your fault Michelle. You did what you should have done, and that's take care of your mother. None of you blame me when I have to take care of Nick, do you?" Seeing the two shake their heads, he smiled. "See there, you did the right thing. It wasn't any one person's fault, really. It's just...Harvey's got a big heart, and will do anything for you. I guess we just take that for granted and, this time, too many people were asking for help."

All three turned to look expectantly at the doctor when she stepped out into the hallway. Seeing the slight frown on her face, Nash became worried. "Well, Barbara, what's the verdict?"

Leading them a few feet away from the door, so they wouldn't be in the way, she sighed thoughtfully. "Well, I'm a little concerned. He seems to be having great difficulty staying awake, and that could indicate a serious head injury. I'll have them do a skull series and CAT scan to be sure." She stopped when she saw the guilty looks all three cops shared. "Is there something I should know?"

Glancing off down the hall for a moment, Nash turned to look back at Barbara. "I don't think it's the blow to the head that's causing him to sleep like that. Well, things have been a little crazy around the SIU lately and Harv had been on duty the better part of 48 hours...before getting waylaid this morning. I doubt that he managed to get much sleep chained to a poll in an empty warehouse for nearly 12 hours, either."

Frowning at this information, the doctor made a note in the chart. "Well, we'll do the tests anyway just to be sure. In light of what you've told me, I don't think it's anything serious. We'll keep him for 24 hours to keep an eye on him, and make sure that wheezing clears up. It's going to be a few hours before he's sent up to a room, so why don't you guys just come back in the morning. He's likely to sleep for the next twelve hours at least."

Nash nodded at the other two, and held up a hand to forestall Evan's protest. "Why don't you two go in and say goodnight to Harv, then see if you can't track down those other drivers. Okay?"

For a moment, he thought Evan was going to argue, but the younger man finally just nodded and led Michelle into Harvey's room.

Before he could ask Barbara any more questions, someone walked up behind him and slapped him on the back.

"Bridges. How's Inspector Leek?"

Wondering what the head of Auto Theft was doing at the E.R., Nash frowned thoughtfully. "He's gonna be fine. He'll spend the night and be home tomorrow evening. No offense, Captain Rodriquez, but what are you doing here?"

"Well, Michelle called me up asking to send someone to cover surveillance for you guys. Naturally I asked her why you needed the help. She explained what was going on, so I sent two of my guys to take over for her. She cashed in a few favors getting you guys some coverage, you know."

"Thanks for the help, Rodriguez, but that doesn't really explain what you're doing here. Somehow, I don't think this is just to see how a fellow officer is doing."

Rodriguez' teasing look faded and he shook his head. "You don't know me very well, do you Nash? As a matter of fact, I live near here and dropped by to check on Leek. It was just a social call to a fellow officer. You're too suspicious for your own good, Bridges. Michelle told me what's been going on for the last few days. I know the SIU has been hit hard with this flu, but you should take care how you use your personnel."

Seeing guilt, anger, and regret flit across Nash's face, Rodriquez softened his tone. "Nash, I didn't come down here to lecture you on how to run your operation. I know circumstances have been a little crazy around the SIU for the last week. I just wanted to warn you...did you know Leek's passed up several job offers from other departments over the last couple years?"

Seeing Nash's surprised look, Rodriguez chuckled. "He never mentioned them to you, did he? I know of three offers in the last year alone. One was from me. I know the other two guys were offering Harvey more than he makes working for SIU. He turned us all down. Now, the reason I'm telling you this is...Howard Telly over in Computer Fraud wants Leek in the worst way. He's been bugging Harvey for the last six months to transfer. Telly heard about what happened and sees this as a golden opportunity to lure Leek away from you. My advice is you make nice with your Inspector, or you might lose him."

Leaving Nash to ponder what had been said, Rodriguez slipped quietly into Harvey's room as Evan and Michelle stepped out. Michelle threw Nash a curious look.

"Nash, what's Rodriguez doing here?"

Waving a hand distractedly, Nash answered, "He said he just came by to see how Harv's doing. You guys take off and see if you can't dig up some of those missing drivers."

Exchanging glances with Michelle, Evan shrugged. "We're on it, Boss."

Finally able to get Nash's attention, Barbara laid her hand on his arm. "Listen, talk to your Inspector for a few minutes, if he's awake, and come back tomorrow. You look like you could use some sleep yourself."

Smiling his gratitude, Nash studied her beautiful face for a moment. "Barbara, why don't you and I grab dinner some night? I know a nice, quiet place that has fabulous lobster."

Barbara flashed him a smile, and pretended to think it over. "Lobster, huh? Well, I think you might be able to twist my arm. I'm on tonight and tomorrow night so...let's say Friday night? About eight?"

"I'll be here", Nash promised, returning her smile.

When Rodriguez left, waving at Nash as he walked off down the hall, Nash went in to talk to Harvey. The oxygen mask had been replaced with a nasal canula, and he seemed to be breathing much better. Harv's eyes were closed and Nash hesitated to wake him. He decided to just wait, and looked around for place to sit. Finding a chair against the wall, he slid it a little closer to the bed to sit down. The chair legs scraped on the floor, and Harvey's eyes popped open.

Looking around for the source of the noise that he'd heard, Harvey found Nash looking back at him. Smiling tiredly at his boss, he waved an arm for Nash to come closer. "Hey, Nashman. What time is it?"

Pulling up his sleeve, Nash peered at his watch. "Almost nine o'clock."

"Ummm, a.m. or p.m.? I've kinda lost track of the time." Harvey had a sheepish look on his face.

"Well, it's no wonder, bubba. It's evening, Harv."

"Oh. Um...boss...what day is it?"

"It's Wednesday, Harvey. Listen, I want to have a little talk with you for a few minutes before the doctor comes in to stich up those cuts." Nash paused, uncertain how to put into words what he wanted to say.
"Harv, have you ever considered leaving the SIU?"

Harvey's felt his stomach drop. His thoughts raced frantically. Was Nash gonna kick him off the team for this little fiasco? He hadn't meant to screw up like that and get himself kidnapped; he'd just been so damned tired his reflexes were slower than they otherwise would have been. Surely Nash would give him a second chance. His pulse raced as he tried to think of ways to talk Nash out of dismissing him.

Glancing up at the monitor next to Harvey's bed, Nash was surprised to see the heart rate increasing. He wondered what was going through his friend's mind to get that kind of reaction. "Harv?"

His mouth suddenly dry, Harvey swallowed and shook his head. "N-no, boss. It's never crossed my mind to leave the unit. I like my job, and the people I work with. Why?"

There, he'd asked it. Harvey waited for Nash's answer, practically holding his breath.

Leaning his elbows on the bed rail, Nash laced his fingers together and stared unwaveringly into Harvey's blue eyes. "I don't know if you were awake to see him, but Rodriquez from Auto was here. He stopped by to see how you were doing."

"That was nice of him. Wish I'd been awake to talk to him, he's a nice guy."

"Harvey, he told me he'd offered you a job a while back. He said you've had several offers over the last couple years. Some of them paying you more than we can." He paused to gauge Harv's reaction.

Picking at the edge of the blanket pulled up to his chest, Harvey glanced at his hands and nodded. "Yeah, some of the guys have been pretty persistent. Telly especially. I finally had to tell the idiot to drop dead. The guy just couldn't seem to understand the word 'no'."

Surprised that Harvey had never told him, Nash asked incredulously, "Harvey, why have you never mentioned this? Why did you turn all those offers down?"

Harvey shrugged and looked away. "I didn't want to tell you, 'cause I knew you'd encourage me to leave...for my own sake. A promotion and all that. I didn't want to leave, though. I like working with you guys; you're like my family, you know? I like my job, Nash. I like to think I'm pretty good at it. At least I hope so."

Smiling in relief, Nash gave Harvey's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "You're damn good at your job, Harv. This whole mess never should have happened. It's like those drug slogans, man. Just Say No. Next time we start taking it for granted that you'll be there to cover our butts...just slap us upside the head and say 'No'." Releasing Harv's shoulder, Nash stuck his hand out. "Deal?"

Clasping Nash's hand, he gave it a firm shake. "Deal."

As Nash turned to leave, Harvey reached out to snag his sleeve. Blinking his eyes sleepily, Harv asked, somewhat anxiously, "So, you're not gonna kick me off the team, right?"

Nash laughed at that and shook his head reassuringly. "Go so sleep, Harvey. You're hallucinating, bubba."

When Harvey started to drift off, Nash made his quietly to the door. Just as he got the door open, he heard a soft chuckle coming from behind him. Turning around, he couldn't help but smile at the goofy look on Harvey's face. "What's so funny, Harvey?"

He had to wait a few second for the chuckling to die down, before he got a sleepy reply. "I suddenly had a strange image of Evan...pregnant."

Nash shook his head, trying desperately to get that image out of head. "Go to sleep, Harv. You really are hallucinating." He let the door swing shut behind him as he stepped out into the hall. They were a strange bunch at times...Harvey, Evan, Michelle and Joe...but they were his team. He wouldn't have it any other way.

END