TITLE: Temporary Girlfriend (9/20)
PAIRING: Lindsay/Cindy
DISCLAIMER: Women’s Murder Club does not belong to me. The characters do not belong to me. They are the property of James Patterson, 20th Century Fox Television and ABC. I have no problems with that as long as I can borrow them for short bursts and use them in pursuit of my own enjoyment. I am not trying to infringe. Though, I don’t know why anyone has a problem with fan fic. After all, it really is a compliment. If anyone wants to write fan fiction about my book, feel free.

(Lindsay’s POV)

“Still nothing over there?”

“Not so far, but they’re keeping everyone out of the pools until they’re sure. And word’s gotten out about what happened, so people are taking some precautions of their own.”

“That’s good I guess,” Lindsay exhaled.

“How are things on your end?”

“No serious injuries. But injuries enough,” Lindsay sighed into her phone. “And Cindy got hurt.”

“You already told me that.”

Despite the words, Jacobi’s voice wasn’t irritated. It was calm, which was somewhat reassuring.

“Did I? Sorry,” Lindsay uttered, her free hand tightening into a fist and relaxing. She wanted nothing more than to hit something. Hard. “I guess I wasn’t paying enough attention.”

“What did Hazmat have to say?”

“It was just bleach, industrial strength, enough to burn, but not far enough removed from chlorine to have known that it was there. So, how could we have?”

“You couldn’t.”

“None of the burns are much worse than bad sunburns though. There are a few people with blisters, but those are the people who were in the water the entire time. Cindy just looked kind of … pink,” Lindsay rambled. “I don’t know that they would have even realized it wasn’t just the sun if we hadn’t found the timer, which was pretty professional. This is no first-timer, Jacobi. If they’d had the chance, the person would have probably come back to remove it before anyone was any the wiser.”

“If you didn’t find it first. Sounds like you were paying attention.”

“Don’t try to make me feel better,” Lindsay grumbled lightly, a small smile threatening.

“How is Cindy now?” Jacobi asked.

“I was just about to go check on her.”

“Why don’t you do that? I think you’ll feel better.”

He was right.

“Thanks,” Lindsay responded. “I’ll call you later.”

“Take care.”

“You too.”

Lindsay hung up and walked to the makeshift emergency area, finding herself in a sea of white curtains with absolutely no way of telling who was behind any given one. One of the paramedics was gathering supplies, and she stopped him before he disappeared back behind a curtain.

“Excuse me. I’m looking for someone. She’s short… cute… red hair.”

“Asks a hundred questions a minute?” another paramedic interjected from nearby.

“That’s the one,” Lindsay responded, unable to stop the smirk from forming on her face as she turned to the woman.

“Over there,” the paramedic said, pointing toward one of the identical stalls.

“Thanks,” Lindsay replied, making her way to the indicated curtain.

When Lindsay pulled it back, Cindy glanced up from the magazine she was flipping through.

“Please tell me that you’ve brought me something better to read.”

Lindsay was surprised to find Cindy still unclothed, lying on her side on a cot with just a white sheet covering her. She hurried to pull the curtain closed behind her, before showing Cindy her empty hands. Cindy huffed and flipped the magazine shut, and Lindsay saw that it was a tabloid. With only that to keep her occupied, Lindsay was shocked that Cindy hadn’t just gotten up and walked out. She was also frankly surprised that the reporter’s brain hadn’t melted out her ears.

“There’s only so much I can take,” Cindy said exasperated.

“How are you?” Lindsay asked gently, her eyes sliding up Cindy’s exposed arm to the line just below her neck indicating how high up the water had been.

“Okay. The exam was relatively embarrassing. Not so much the part that they could see, but it was a pool and I was submerged,” Cindy explained. “They were pretty thorough.”

“I know. They had to be thorough. Sorry.”

“But at least they let me cream myself, sparing me some level of humiliation.”

Lindsay’s eyes trailed to the ointment lying next to the tabloid beside Cindy.

“You got your back?”

“Good enough.”

“Good enough isn’t good enough,” Lindsay asserted.

She moved over to the cot, picking up the tube, and Cindy rolled gingerly onto her stomach without protest. Lindsay pulled the sheet down slowly, shaking her head at the vividly pink skin, and sat on the edge of the cot next to Cindy’s hip. She reached up, sweeping Cindy’s hair to one side, then squeezed some of the cream out, spread it between her hands in an effort to warm it, and put both hands on Cindy’s upper back. Goosebumps instantly broke out across Cindy’s shoulders.

“Sorry. I know it’s cold.”

“It’s okay,” Cindy breathed softly.

Lindsay’s hands moved from Cindy’s shoulders to her lower back, softly and meticulously, then back up. Watching her hands move up and down the stained skin, and feeling the rise and fall of Cindy’s deep breathing beneath them, the repetitive motions seemed to clear her head, and she came to a decision sitting there.

“I’m going to call Jill to come and pick you up.”

Cindy lifted up slightly to look back at her.

“Why?”

“Cindy, come on.”

“Come on what? You wanted me to come here with you and now you want me to leave?”

Lindsay put her hand on Cindy’s shoulder and prodded her back down, her hands returning to the long strokes up and down Cindy’s back.

“You know, we get a lot of threats,” she tried to explain. “A lot more than you want to think about. Every event seems to trip someone’s moral gauge. Nothing ever happens. Maybe it was a little ill-advised, and the insight is definitely too late, but I didn’t think anything was going to happen this time. I really just thought that Jacobi and I were getting a week off with pay. If I had thought for a second these threats would actually come to pass, I would never have brought you here.”

“Well, now I am here,” Cindy responded. “And I’m not leaving.”

“Yes you are,” Lindsay informed her. “You’re hurt.”

“They said that it would heal in a couple of days.”

“You’re going home Cindy.”

“You can’t make me.”

“Actually I can. If you won’t leave by choice, I’ll have you arrested.”

“For what?”

“Obstruction.”

Cindy rolled to her side so quickly that Lindsay had to avert her eyes to keep from getting flashed as she stood up. Cindy pulled the sheet up over her, clearly exasperated.

“You just love that charge. I should have a t-shirt made with a big scarlet ‘O’ on it.”

“It is too dangerous for you to be here.”

“But it’s okay for you?”

“I’m a…” Lindsay realized how loud her voice had gotten and lowered it. “…cop. It’s my job.”

They stared at each other, neither of them wanting to be the first to give in. But first or second or tenth, Lindsay wasn’t budging on this no matter what Cindy said. No way. No how. There was not a thing that Cindy could say to win this standoff.

“This is a public place, and I’m still on the story. If you make me leave, I’ll just come back by myself.”

Except for maybe that.

And the worst part was -

“You’re serious.”

“Yep.”

She could not even believe that she was having this quarrel with Cindy. And that Cindy was winning. Oh, who was she kidding? She totally expected both of those things.

“I brought this on myself,” Lindsay muttered.

“Go ahead. Talk it out. I’ll be right here.”

Lindsay looked over at Cindy, who looked right back at her, unflinching. She wasn’t going to back down. It was as vivid as her skin. And the absolute last thing that Lindsay needed to worry about was Cindy being on her own in this place where someone was planning to do something stupid.

“If you stay here, you do not leave my side,” Lindsay told her, “not even to go to the dance floor or the pool. If I tell you to go back to the room and lock the door, you do it. If I tell you to get under a table, you don’t come out until I say so. Do you understand?”

She was expecting a snappy retort, not a simple one, and certainly not just one word.

“Yes.”

“And…” Lindsay fumbled, “if, by some horrible chance, you have any kind of worse reaction, you are going to the hospital. That’s non-negotiable.”

“Okay,” Cindy nodded.

Watching Cindy being oddly compliant, all of the fight left Lindsay.

“Why are you only agreeable when I’ve met you halfway?” she griped.

“Halfway?” Cindy fought a smile. “You came at least eighty percent.”

Lindsay really wanted to be annoyed. She did not want to laugh. So, she scowled instead. But, instead of inciting trepidation, it only seemed to free Cindy’s grin.

“I have to do some interviews,” Lindsay informed her. “Will you wait for me in the room? Please.”

“I’d really love to…” Cindy trailed off, and Lindsay couldn’t wait to hear what excuse Cindy was going to present for hanging around. “But they took my robe. They thought it might have residue on it. They promised they’d bring me something else to wear, but so far all I have is this sheet, and I’m not walking through the hotel in it.”

She had that part right.

“I’ll get you something,” Lindsay told her and headed for the curtain.

“Thank you,” Cindy called after her. “…Honey.”