The Perfect Emma

Chapter Eighteen

Grayson Todd

Not once. Not once had Grayson ever been suspended, ever sent home early, ever even considered to be guilty of something.

And now suddenly he'd stolen evidence.

And what the fuck had Aaron done about it? Let it happen. If Gray didn't know better, he would say that his partner was downright in cahoots with the IAB.

Fucker.

Now Gray was home, as he was told to be, and just like everything else about today, he was doing something unusual for him. Normally when he was in one of his dark places, he would simply sit on the couch and stare at the television, not actually paying much attention to it. But this...was no normal dark place.

After Rosie was killed, Grayson had absolutely thrown himself into police work. If he thought his lapses of depression were bad now, they were so much worse then. Working day and night was the only thing that had kept him sane. And it still was, to some degree.

But now he couldn't work, but he'd been thrown out of work.

And someone was at fault for that.

Gray had no doubt that it was the Ghost Killer, whoever the fuck he was, in retaliation for bringing attention to him. And when Gray found out who that asshole was....

Relax. Relax. Don't get angry.

He would rather be depressed than angry. Depressed felt more normal.

So instead of doing what he usually did, sitting on the couch, Grayson was in bed, to some degree wanting to just disappear on the face of the planet. And for a good while, he was able to pretend as much.

Then reality called.

Literally.

Gray lifted his head up and stared at his phone on the nightstand, squinting at it. Who the fuck could be calling him right now?

Actually, plenty of people. He did give his card to anyone involved in a case.

Reaching for the phone, he tilted his head slightly at the number. That was...the hospital. Why was the hospital....Gray didn't think too hard about it, answering quickly. "Hello?"

"Hello, is this Detective Grayson Todd?"

"Speaking," he responded, starting to sit up. "Can I help you?"

"Yes, this is Quinn Baker from Good Samaritan Hospital. Do you know an Emma Mabel?"

Grayson froze for a moment. Emma Mabel. Emma. Mabel. What was she doing at the—y'know what, it didn't matter. "Uh, yes, yeah I do," he replied, getting over his shock and jumping out of bed. "Why, is she alright?"

"She's stable for now, Detective. Mrs. Mabel came in in anaphylactic shock due to ingesting a peanut product—before she was treated, she asked for you?"

Of all the people that poor woman could've asked for, she'd asked for Gray? Why? Why not her husband, or her friend Lily? And if she'd been kept captive by a cop like he was absolutely convinced she was, why would she ask for another cop?

Once again, it didn't matter. It didn't even matter that he was technically suspended. The hospital didn't know that. And Emma had asked for him personally. That didn't have to have anything to do with the case. It was a purely civilian matter.

Grayson snatched up his keys and his notepad, just in case, and left his apartment. He'd never done something with such urgency in years. He pushed the speed limit, and more than once was tempted to cheese traffic with the sirens, but decided that was unwise given he was already in hot water. Arriving at the hospital, his stride was swift, and he refused to let his time be wasted. Gray flashed his badge at the front desk before stating simply, "Emma Mabel."

The woman there pointed and gave him the room number.

He continued down the hall at his pace, and found Aaron hovering outside the door to Emma's room, seemingly arguing with a nurse.

"I'm sorry sir, but there's no visitors allowed at this time—"

"Do you see this badge? I'm not a visitor, I'm a detective."

"That may well be, Detective, but I still can't—" The nurse looked up as Gray approached, noticing his badge on his belt as well and let out a small sigh.

Aaron turned to see what the nurse was sighing about, and raised his brows. Gray could've sworn the man went a little pale. "Gray? Aren't you...?"

Gray ignored him, still annoyed for being thrown under the IAB bus. To the nurse he said, "I'm Detective Grayson Todd. Emma asked to see me?"

Aaron furrowed his brows, looking back at the nurse and seemingly mildly displeased as she nodded with relief. "I'm sorry, what?" He looked even more annoyed as the nurse opened the door for Grayson without a fight—and keeping him outside. Gray heard him mutter, "Motherfucker," under his breath.

But he didn't care.

Because lying in the hospital bed before him was a short-haired, brunette, scarred-faced Emma Mabel.

Fifteen months of dead ends, finally over. Finally amounting to something. It was such an uplifting feeling, Gray almost forgot why he was here.

Almost.

"Detective Todd?" asked the doctor in the room, crossing her arms and standing almost protectively at Emma's bedside.

Gray nodded. "That's me, ma'am. I'm told Emma asked for me."

The doctor nodded as well, glancing at him somewhat suspiciously, before stepping back a little. "Our EMTs told us that she only trusts you, Detective." Grayson assumed that was the reason Aaron wasn't being let in, despite being law enforcement and waving his badge around. "I sincerely hope her trust isn't ill placed," the doctor continued, looking at Emma, who appeared to be sleeping. "She has injuries...that suggest abuse."

Gray stepped over to a chair and sat in it, pulling himself closer to Emma's bedside. "I'm not surprised, Doctor," he replied. "She was kidnapped over a year ago. Only she knows what she's been through all this time." Well. Gray exhaled and scowled. "Only her and the one who did it, that is."

The doctor's expression of distaste deepened. "We have her records, and yours, we know she was kidnapped. But we haven't let anyone in. Apparently, she was quite insistent in getting out that she wanted to see you before she let the EMTs treat her."

Yeah, that was still confusing, but Grayson was in no position to complain.

Likely as a result of all the talking, Emma began to stir. Gray and the doctor both watched, silencing themselves, as the poor girl slowly opened her eyes. And then immediately began to panic a little. Her chest started to rise and fall faster than necessary, and her eyes went wide.

"Mrs. Mabel," said the doctor gently, sitting on Emma's other side and placing a reassuring hand upon hers. "You're safe. You're at the hospital."

"He's gonna—" Emma murmured, her throat cracking a little and resulting in a slight cough. Gray assumed that's what having a tube in your trachea does to you. The doctor merely shushed her, glancing up at Gray in suspicion.

He was a he after all.

When Emma began to relax, she sunk into the bed a little, shaking ever so slightly. Then she looked over and stared at Gray, blinking as if trying to determine whether or not he was real. "Detective Todd?" she whispered.

Grayson smiled at her. "Long time no see, Mrs. Mabel."

She giggled a little, shutting her eyes again and leaning back into the pillow. "Please. Call me Emma," she murmured, sniffing. When she opened her eyes again there were tears in them. "I haven't been Emma in so long."

Gray reached out and touched her hand, and, likely aching for positive human contact, she held onto it. "You're safe now, Emma," he promised her. "You won't be anything but Emma ever again."

She laughed again, a laugh of relief, and picked up her other hand to wipe a tear from her face. But, then something seemed to occur to her. Her hand returned to lying flat on the bed and her expression went from joy to fear again. "He's going to kill me," she whispered.

He was so inclined to ask her who, but she'd been through enough today already. Instead he said again, "Emma, you are safe. He's not going to hurt you ever again. I won't let him. Okay?"