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Sonny walked through the Honour Block of Green Haven with Carl Rudnick; he’d offered to talk to the doctor, sound him out over the possibility of Greg Yates moving to the Honour Block, too. It wasn’t an ideal scenario, but nothing about this day was - driving out Green Haven with Rollins so that he could be there when Yates made creepy comments and asked if she was breast feeding, Rollins negotiating with a serial killer to get information about more victims, Yates playing a game with them.
As they walked Rudnick waved away his concerns, assuring Sonny he wasn’t worried about Yates; when they eventually reached Rudnick’s cell, Sonny nodded, “Well, nobody wants to put you in jeopardy,” he said, giving Rudnick another opportunity to voice his concerns before Sonny went back to find Rollins and get the hell out of here.
“Well, thank you, Detective,” Rudnick said, as Sonny’s eyes roamed the cell, landing on a half-eaten tray of lasagna resting on the table, “You're a gentleman,” Rudnick added, “And, whatever happens going forward, I appreciate you showing me respect.”
“Of course,” Sonny said, his eyes drawn a poster on Rudnick’s wall - Switzerland; given everything that had happened with Rudnick’s ex-fiance, it was an odd choice to decorate his cell.
Rudnick drew Sonny’s attention back to him, “Might I ask what kind of leverage he used to get transferred?”
“Come on, Doc, you know I can't tell you that.”
“Well, in any case, you were kind to visit again,” Rudnick said, glancing Sonny up and down, “I hope you're not still eating bacon. You did see the World Health Organisation study, yes?”
“Yeah, yeah, I saw that,” Sonny said, waving him off, “I've been trying to cut back.”
“Good. People always say life is short, but, in fact, life is mostly, of course, very long. You want to stay in your best shape,” he held out a hand for Sonny to shake, and he took it.
“Thanks, Doc,” he said, turning to leave. The poster caught his eye again as he passed it; something about it felt off, and the hairs on the back of Sonny’s neck stood up as he studied it.
“Interestin’ choice of decor, Doc,” he said, turning to look at Rudnick.
He didn’t see Rudnick, though, as he turned he felt a thump on the back of his head and his vision blurred, “What-”
Sharp pain careened through his skull as a second strike hit and then his balance wavered, Sonny stumbled, unsteady on his feet as darkness overtook him.
-
Amanda drummed her fingers impatiently on the table in front of her, waiting in an office down the hall from the warden’s for Carisi to get back from his talk with Rudnick. He’d been gone too long already, and they were going to hit traffic when they headed out - if Carisi didn’t put in an appearance soon they’d be lucky to manage the drive in under two hours.
Her phone rang on the table in front of her; Liv calling for an update that Amanda didn’t have, “Carisi’s still with Rudnick,” she said, “Who knows what they’re talking about.”
“Well, ask the warden to send someone to hurry him along. We want to get Yates’ transfer wrapped up before you drive back, and I meant it when I said I wanted the both of you back tonight.”
“Copy that, Lieutenant,” Amanda said, “I gotta relieve my sitter, anyway.”
When Amanda caught the attention of a CO she received a blank look in answer to her question about Carisi, “I just came from there,” the guard said, “Thought you guys had gone.”
“No,” Amanda said, “My partner’s still with Rudnick.”
“I’ll check it out,” he said with a frown. Something didn’t feel right about this - she had a sudden feeling that Carisi wasn’t still listening with intrigue to whatever nonsense Rudnick was spouting, instead she had a surety that something was wrong.
“I’m coming with you,” she said firmly; the CO didn’t even attempt to argue with her, just lead the way back to Honour Block in sullen silence. The block was arranged with cells around a communal seating space, and Carisi wasn’t in plain sight.
Amanda kept walking, “Which cell’s Rudnick’s?”
The CO pointed to cell number 3; when Amanda reached the cell she glanced through the window in the door - at first the cell looked empty, but then she cast her eyes to the floor and shock flew through her at the sight - her partner on the floor, a pool of blood around his head.
She tugged frantically on the handle until the CO nudged her out the way, his face paling when he saw Carisi lying there - he unlocked the door and Amanda flew through it, barely registering the hole in the wall of the cell or the CO radioing for a medic.
She dropped to the floor beside Carisi, her fingers on his neck searching frantically for a pulse, relief flooding through her when she caught a faint heartbeat under her fingertips, saw the rise and fall of his chest that told her was still breathing.
Amanda tried to assess the damage but she couldn’t find where the blood was coming from, there was just so much of it. She gently called Carisi’s name, her volume rising with worry when he didn’t respond.
COs were scrambling outside - a medic pushed through, motioning Amanda aside, and only then did she glance up at the hole in the wall. Rudnick must’ve done this - knocked Carisi out, made his escape. Amanda should be worrying about that, but all she could focus on right now was the pale colour of Carisi’s skin, his blood spread out across the cell floor, and the stillness of his hand in hers.
-
When the light came back it came along with a thumping headache - as though his brain were being rattled at the same time as someone fired up a pneumatic drill beside him. Sonny opened his eyes into bright white light and closed them again against the screaming agony of his head.
There was the sound of movement behind him, of heeled boots hitting linoleum, and he chanced opening his eyes again. Rollins was sat in a chair beside him, her feet now on the floor as she leaned towards him, one hand resting on his the same way he’d done for her months ago, back when she was in the hospital, still pregnant with Jesse.
“Carisi?” she said, but he couldn’t keep his eyes open.
“Hurts,” was all he managed to get out.
Rollins shifted beside him, her hand leaving his, “Your head?”
“Yeah,” he said - he couldn’t remember what had happened or why he was here, or even where here was - the searing pain was all-encompassing and though he sensed her leaving and heard more footsteps, he didn’t know what was happening. Then there was a calm, soft voice in his hear, something about the pain, and he felt a wave of nausea as they adjusted his bed so that he was sitting upright.
There was a hand on the back of Sonny’s neck, familiar thought it had never touched him there before, soothing as she whispered he was alright. He didn’t feel alright.
Rollins stayed at his side - she didn’t speak, didn’t move but for the hand running soothingly across his back, not until the pain had subsided and the nausea had eased and he could face opening his eyes, “Rollins,” he said, trying for a smile he didn’t think he managed, “What’s goin’ on?”
“Rudnick - he had an escape plan,” Rollin said, withdrawing her hand from his back. He missed the contact instantly.
“What?”
Rollins sighed, “What do you remember?”
“We were at Green Haven - you, you spoke to Yates,” he frowned, “He asked if you were breastfeedin’… hey, is Jesse-”
Rollins waved him off, “My sitter stayed late.”
“What time is it?”
“I don’t know, nine?” Rollins reached out to rest her hand on his arm again, “Carisi, d’you remember talkin’ to Rudnick?”
“No,” he thought back through his scrambled memories, “Yeah, I- kinda?”
Rollins’ hand was firm on his forearm, her thumb rubbing back and forth like she was trying to centre him. He didn’t think she’d ever touched him so much before - if anything, it was distracting. He pushed past that, thinking back to this afternoon. Yates had wanted a transfer. Sonny had gone to speak to Rudnick.
“He said somethin’ about bacon,” Sonny told Rollins, “I don’t- wait, there was a poster?”
“In the cell,” Rollins nodded, “There was a hole in the wall behind it - we think Rudnick went through it. Knocked you out first, maybe he thought you were onto him.”
Sonny closed his eyes again - this time not against the pain but thinking through the scenario, trying to remember if he’d gotten a bad feeling. Cursing himself for not thinking Rudnick capable of something like this.
When he opened his eyes again it was with a faint memory of Rudnick’s cell, “There was- there was a tray of-”
“Lasagna,” Rollins cut in, “Yeah, a group counsellor was sneaking him contraband tools in the food.”
Sonny sighed, “Where’s Rudnick now?”
“In the wind,” Rollins said, “Got out through a steam pipe - ConEl had the power off, state troopers are interviewing them - theory is Rudnick paid them.”
“Why’re you here?” Sonny asked - Rollins could’ve been out looking for Rudnick right now, Liv could probably use her.
She just shook her head at him, “Why d’you think?”
-
Carisi was tired, his head still fuzzy and unfocused, and the doctors said he needed to rest a little longer before they were happy to let him go, but there was no serious damage, at least. Amanda left him dozing while she called Liv to update her, and to get an update back.
“We found Bronwyn Wilkins’ car - we’ve got an alert out on Rudnick and Wilkins, but we’re still chasing ghosts. Did Carisi remember anything?”
“Nothing useful,” Amanda sighed, “I don’t think he had a chance to find anything out before Rudnick got him,” she bit her lip - she supposed she should be relieved Carisi hadn’t known more, if he had Rudnick might have done more than take a brick to the back of his head.
“Okay, well I’ll keep you posted.”
“You don’t want me to drive up there?”
“Just stay with Carisi,” Liv said. Amanda hung up and leaned against the wall; she had refused to leave the hospital initially - she’d known Liv and Dodds could use her out in the field but her partner was unconscious and bleeding, and he’d never let her be alone when she was in the hospital; she owed him. And, she told herself, Jesse needed her godfather in once piece.
Carisi was still asleep when Amanda slipped back into his hospital room; it was eerily quiet in there, despite the beeping of the monitors he was hooked up to. She was never used to silence when Carisi was around and it was unnerving. Almost as unnerving as how quickly the day had unravelled. She had told Liv she didn’t need Carisi to come to Green Haven with her, he was only there because Liv thought she needed protecting, and now he was lying in a hospital bed, looking like a shadow of himself, the colour still not having returned to his face.
It was another two hours before Liv called; Carisi had woken up but conversation was slower than usual as he thought through each word, pushing past the fog of the lingering headache and the pain relief coursing through his system. He’d already asked the doctors to discharge him twice - he was determined that both he and Amanda would be more use upstate looking for Rudnick, despite the heaviness behind his eyes and the intermittent nausea.
“Lieutenant,” Amanda said as she answered the phone, pressing the speaker button so that Carisi could hear, too.
“We’ve got him,” Liv said, “Driving back down to Stormville now,” she paused, “He said he’d only talk to Carisi.”
Sonny nodded, “I’ll be outta here soon, Lieu.”
“No,” Amanda cut him off, “Wait a minute, he bashed your skull with a brick, Carisi-”
She could see it was a losing battle - just as she had protested when Carisi hadn’t wanted her to speak to Yates alone, he would do the same now with Rudnick. “They haven’t even discharged him, Lieutenant,” she said instead of arguing further.
“Rudnick isn’t going anywhere.”
-
The doctor reluctantly discharged Sonny on Saturday morning and Rollins drove them both over to Stormville PD to interview Rudnick. Sonny’s head was still throbbing, bandages still in place, but he kept his focus on Rudnick as he took a seat opposite him. Rollins slipped into the chair beside him; the only way she’d relent on him speaking to Rudnick.
“Does she have to be here?” Rudnick asked.
“Yes,” Rollins said firmly.
Rudnick reached across the table, resting his hand on Sonny’s and he resisted the urge to pull away sharply, his eyes darting to Rollins for a brief moment, before returning to their hands, “I’m very sorry, Detective,” Rudnick said, “I assure you it was never my intent to harm anyone.”
Sonny swallowed and nodded, still hyper aware of Rudnick touching him. Rollins reached across with one hand, her fingers resting against his back, out of Rudnick’s view, silently reminding him she was right there, “What was your plan, Doc?”
“I only wanted to leave the country and live a life of peace.”
“Tell me all of it,” Sonny said, wrenching his hand away and dropping it beneath the table. Rudnick looked almost hurt, but Sonny had a thud-thud-thud in the back of his head that kept him from feeling any sympathy towards this man.
He was exhausted by the time Rudnick was finished talking - his plan exposed, his accomplices named. Everyone he’d bribed and paid off along the way.
When they got outside he took several gulps of fresh air, leaning against the brick wall until he’d collected himself.
“I’ll drive him back,” Rollins insisted when Liv asked, her hand guiding him towards her car.
They were quiet most of the drive to Manhattan. Sonny’s head was feeling better now, time and painkillers doing their jobs, and as they approached the city he glanced at Rollins, “Hey thanks,” he said, “For bein’ there.”
“I’m your partner,” she said simply, and then, “How’s your head?”
“Better,” he said.
Rollins nodded, “Think you could stand Jesse’s wailing?”
“Always,” he said, a smile on his lips.
The city fast approached, and though he was tired and in a mismatched outfit of his suit trousers and a Stormville PD hoodie, though his vision was still a little blurred and his head fuzzy, Sonny was grateful for Amanda’s suggestion - time with Jesse, which really meant time with her, to wash away the last twenty four hours, leave some other memories in its place.