by pebble/scifipony
Fandom: Pysch
Characters: Juliet O'Hara, Carlton Lassiter, Shawn Spencer
Pairings: Established Shawn/Juliet
Words: 2,235
Tags: Angst, Shawn Whump, Hurt Comfort
Warnings: Kidnapping, Blood, Vague descriptions of injuries
Author's Notes: Originally posted to tumblr in May 2020. Previously archived on FFN and SquidgeWorld. Written for the Bad Things Happen Bingo challenge. Prompt: "Crying into chest" - requested by an anon user on tumblr.
Juliet's fingers tapped rapidly against the passenger window. Beside her, her partner's jaw clenched in response to the sound.
"It's been six days, O'Hara," Lassiter said, never taking his eyes off the road. "You know the statistics as well as I do. There's very little chance–"
"Don't," she cut him off. "This isn't a random missing person. I can't pretend that it is. So don't quote statistics to me."
His mouth snapped shut and he continued the drive in silence.
Juliet stared out the window, trying not to start fidgeting again. The truth was, she knew her partner was only trying to be supportive in his own way. But she couldn't hear any of his cold facts of life right now. Not today.
When the tip had first been called in to the station, she refused to get her hopes up. Shawn was a fairly well-known local figure so it wasn't unexpected that there would be so many people calling in tips when word of his disappearance reached the press. It was annoying, but not a big surprise. Some were from people looking to cash in on a little of the publicity, but there were also a lot of genuinely concerned people who wanted to help. One thing Shawn had always been good at was making friends.
It took them hours to verify that this was a legitimate lead. Another hour after that, a patrol officer confirmed that the kidnapper's car was indeed abandoned on this dirt road. Exactly three minutes after hearing that update, Lassiter and Juliet had been tearing out of the parking lot in his trusty Ford Fusion.
There was still no way of knowing if Shawn was actually anywhere near the site of the car, but it was the closest thing to a lead they had, and she wasn't taking any chances. If he was there, they were going to find him.
"This should be the road up ahead," Juliet said, glancing at the sheet of directions on her lap.
Lassiter didn't respond, but the fingers tightening around the steering wheel said enough. Despite their often heated rivalry, it was obvious how much he and Shawn actually cared about each other. He didn't want the statistics to be right, either.
"There it is," he ground out at last. He pulled over beside the two vehicles already parked there. Behind them, Buzz stopped his patrol car.
"What have you got so far?" Lassiter asked, stalking over to the waiting officer.
"It's definitely the kidnapper's car, sir," he said. "Looks like he ditched it here on purpose. There's no way of knowing how long ago it was abandoned until CSU gets here, but I'd guess at least a few days. Tracks in the mud indicate two people left the vehicle, heading that way." He pointed towards a thick patch of trees on the far side of the road. "I didn't want to leave the immediate area before backup got here, but I don't think they're close by."
Juliet turned towards the treeline. Using her hand to shield from the midday sun, she tried to scan the area for any helpful signs. Any clues that could help them find her missing boyfriend.
"Alright," Lassiter said, "I want you to stay here and keep an eye on things. Stay close to the radio in case we need more backup. O'Hara and McNab, you're with me. We're going to check the woods for any sign of them. No wandering more than ten yards from each other, got it? We may still have an armed suspect in the area."
They both nodded wordlessly. While everyone was anxious to bring this nightmare of a case to a close, they all understood the risk involved as well. This guy had already brutally murdered two people, and wouldn't hesitate to add to that death count.
Inside the trees, it was hard to see very far in any direction. Besides the thick underbrush and low hanging branches, deep shadows blanketed the ground. It was hard to make out which dark patches were merely uneven terrain and which ones might contain a body. That last thought chilled Juliet as she realized that they were, in all likelihood, too late.
She came around a large rock and stopped in surprise at the sight before her. Hidden away from the road was a small cabin with an old-fashioned stone well and several outbuildings. The place looked abandoned, but her instincts told her this was it.
"Lassiter, I have something," she said softly into the radio, not wanting to reveal her presence to their suspect.
Her partner radioed back confirmation. Juliet waited, gun drawn and muscles tensed, until he and Buzz finally arrived.
Without speaking, Lassiter signaled for Buzz to hold their six while they approached the cabin's only door. On the count of three, he kicked the door inward and they stormed inside.
It was empty.
"Split up and search the outbuildings," Lassiter ordered. He kept his voice quiet, but it was obvious he'd already written this place off as a dead end. There were no signs of recent habitation.
Juliet checked the closest shed before crossing the yard to get a better look at what appeared to be a former animal pen of some kind. She was just passing the stone well when she thought she heard a faint noise. It could be anything, but she raised her weapon anyway as she spun around.
There was nothing there.
Her eyes scanned the immediate area for anything that could pose a threat, but she didn't even see any wildlife. It wasn't until her gaze landed on the well that she was hit with a frightening realization.
"This place is empty," Lassiter said, startling her as he stepped up beside her. "We checked all the outbuildings; there's no sign they were ever here."
Juliet shook her head. "Hold on. I think..."
She holstered her weapon and stepped closer to the well. The ground was soggy around the rim and she almost slipped twice. Lassiter placed a steadying hand on her arm as she leaned over the edge of the hole.
"Oh my gosh," she murmured in a combination of fear and shock. The pit was so dark it was difficult to see the bottom, but she could just make out the outline of a body.
Lassiter pulled her back onto solid ground. His grim expression showed that he had already guessed what she found.
"McNab, get me that rope from the trunk of the car," he ordered. "I'm going down there."
Juliet shook her head. "I'll do it."
"O'Hara–"
"I can do it, Carlton," she said stubbornly.
"I know you can. But you shouldn't have to."
"It doesn't matter. If it was Marlowe, you wouldn't let anyone stop you from going down there, and you know it."
His jaw tightened as he glared at her for several seconds. But she could tell that he knew she was right.
"Be careful, the walls don't look too stable," he warned her, shoulders sagging a bit in defeat. "And keep alert in case we have to pull you back up. We don't know for sure that crackpot isn't still around here somewhere."
Nodding in both acknowledgment of his orders and gratitude for his concession, Juliet turned to accept the rope from Buzz as he returned. She tied one end around herself in a makeshift harness and passed the coil to her coworkers so they could lower her down.
Lassiter was right about the walls being unstable. While the well itself seemed to be dried up – with debris, mud, and discarded lumber forming a floor about thirty feet down – the recent storms had left the ground saturated. Chunks of mud fell off wherever she tried to grab a handhold.
As she neared the bottom, Juliet got her first good look at the broken body lying there. Her stomach twisted at the sight. They'd known how much of a psychopath this guy was from the state of the previous two bodies, but she hadn't allowed herself to dwell on those thoughts this past week.
Now, though, the reality of it was crashing in on her hard. This was Shawn. Her friend, her boyfriend, and the man she'd been prepared to spend her life with. To lose him like this…
"You okay down there, O'Hara?" Lassiter's voice called down from above as her feet finally touched down.
She tried to answer, but her breath caught in her throat. How could she possibly be okay right now? This was her worst nightmare coming true right before her eyes.
A trembling hand touched the battered form sprawled out before her.
And, without warning, he moved.
"Shawn?" the name came out a hushed and hopeful whisper.
Please don't let me have imagined it. Please be okay.
There was a quiet moan in response and Juliet choked on a sob.
"He's alive!" she shouted back towards the surface.
She could hear Lassiter's muttered curse and smiled. Even from down here, she could easily hear the relief in his voice.
"Shawn," she called softly, moving closer to him. Reaching out, she could feel the heat radiating off him before her hand even touched his skin. Her hand latched onto his. "Can you wake up for me? We're going to get you out of here, but I need your help."
At her touch, he immediately stirred. His eyes peeled open part way, the hazel gaze dimmed by fever. He tried to pull away from her, a frantic desperation tinging his movements. In his current state, he couldn't do more than draw back a few inches, pressing into the stone wall behind him.
"No, Shawn, it's okay. It's me. It's Juliet. We're here to help you."
She had to repeat it a few more times before it seemed to break through the delirium. When it finally did sink in, his eyes turned to her in confusion.
"Jules?" His voice was so weak and hoarse, it hurt to listen to it. "How–?"
His hand stretched out to her, shaky but needing to feel her. Juliet obliged by sliding a few inches closer and letting his hand rest on her cheek.
At that feeling of solidity – that confirmation that this was really happening – he let out a choked sound and pulled her in closer. She let him, trying to be careful not to jostle any of his injuries. A few tears slipped down her face, but she couldn't care less. She'd forced herself to remain firmly in 'cop-mode' for the past six days; she figured she'd more than earned the right to a little emotional release now.
"It's okay," she murmured, even though she had no idea if it was true. "It's okay. I've got you."
"O'Hara," Lassiter's voice called down. "We radioed for an ambulance. ETA is twenty minutes. Is it safe to move him?"
She bit her lip as she did a quick visual scan of his injuries. Besides his obviously broken leg, she didn't like the angle of the opposite ankle, either, and that shoulder looked out of alignment. That wasn't even taking into account the fact that the fever probably meant infected wounds, or other worse issues.
"I think we should wait for the paramedics," she shouted back up to her partner.
Shawn shivered violently, and Juliet tightened her hold on him. She slipped out of her jacket and laid it on a fairly even patch of dirt before sitting on it. Careful of his broken bones, Juliet pulled him closer, trying to get him at least somewhat off the damp ground. Another shiver ran through him as he curled into her chest, melting in relief at the small amount of warmth she offered.
"I told him you were coming," he rasped quietly. "He kept saying that– but I didn't believe him. You wouldn't give up."
Juliet didn't know how coherent he really was at the moment, but she felt the need to answer anyway. "Of course we wouldn't. I would never stop looking for you. No matter how long it took."
He didn't respond and she had no idea if he even heard her. But it still hurt to know how that monster had tried to convince him help wasn't coming. She wondered how long he'd been alone down here – hurt and sick, and with no way of knowing if he was ever going to be rescued. Unconsciously, her grip on him tightened.
It was an odd feeling, knowing that while she'd spent the last six days unable to give in to thoughts of whether or not they'd actually succeed – needing to stay objective and focused – he hadn't let himself give up hope. He'd held onto it for the both of them.
A muffled sound from him caught her off guard. At first, she thought he was trying to say something else. Then she felt the wetness begin to seep into her shirt. Her heart shattered a bit more as she clung to him and murmured reassurances. She didn't even notice when her own tears began falling.
The next twenty minutes passed agonizingly slow as they waited for the much needed medical relief. And yet, Juliet found herself also relishing this time. After six days of worrying and waiting and not allowing herself to hope, she wanted nothing more than to sit here with him – holding each other and crying silently in relief and pain.
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