Fanfiction for "Falling Darkness" Inspector Lewis, Season 3, Episode 5: The Ceiling Below

The Ceiling Below
 
Hathaway and Lewis stepped out of the car as a piercing scream rang out.

Lewis glanced at his sergeant. "It's her!" They ran towards the noise as Hobson screamed again. Lewis rounded the corner of the disused hospital first. The graveyard was now in full view. There was a man shoveling dirt into an open grave as a curly-haired woman looked on. "Vince!" Lewis yelled. "Stop now! Charlotte!"

Vince Corwin paused. He dropped the shovel, grabbed Charlotte's hand, and sped towards the hospital.

Hathaway and Lewis paused by the open grave. There was a mound of dirt at the bottom. Lewis glanced at it. "Get her out now!" He turned and ran after Vince and Charlotte.

Lewis stepped into the hospital. There was a sound of breaking glass from above. He raced up the stairs and paused, his flashlight centered on Charlotte. She stood by a window, looking down. Lewis stepped towards her, and Vince crashed into him.

He held Lewis over the balcony. "Not nice being scared is it? Living in fear."

"Is that why you did it?" Lewis gasped.

"We wanted her to know how it felt. To make her suffer. We gave her enough clues. Her friends, the place she lived, the message on the refrigerator."

"Laura Hobson isn't your mother!" he choked out. '"Your mother is Ligeia Willard. She registered your birth in Laura Hobson's name."

Vince glanced at Charlotte. "He's lying."

He grabbed Lewis and they crashed into the banister near the stairs.

"Vince!" Charlotte called. She ran to her husband and hugged him as Lewis backed away. Charlotte looked up. "I'm so tired Vince."

"I know baby. Soon you can sleep." Vince held Charlotte tight and looked at Lewis. "We belong dead," he said as he leaned over the banister. Lewis lunged forward and grabbed Charlotte as Vince crashed through the glass ceiling below them.

~****~

Hathaway stared after Lewis for a split second, then leaped into the open grave. Hobson lay screaming under a pile of dirt.

Hathaway lifted her upper body out of the grime. Hobson screamed, her eyes shut tight. She bucked against Hathaway, trying to free herself.

Hathaway cupped her face in his hands. "It's okay, it's James. It's me, James. You're going to be fine Laura, it's just James."

Hobson's wails melted into hiccuping sobs as she focused on Hathaway's face. "That's right Laura," he said calmly. " It's okay, we're going to get you out of here."

He slowly worked Hobson's legs free and untied her ankles and wrists. He set his coat over her and they leaned against the grave wall; Hobson fell asleep quickly, terror had sapped her strength.

Hathaway pulled out his phone and dialed.

"Lewis."

"It's me-"

"Is Laura all right? Is everything okay down there?"

"Yeah, yeah, we're fine. Hobson fell asleep. She's exhausted. I haven't been able to check her over, but I think she just needs a bath and a bed." Hathaway could hear Lewis' breathing slow.

"Okay. Call for a pair of ambulances. Vince jumped off the top floor. I got Charlotte, but not him. She can ride to the station in someone's car, but I think Hobson should take an ambulance. I don't think I can lift the pair of you out, so you'll just have to hold on until the EMTs get here," he paused. "I'm sorry."

Hathaway snorted. "It's fine. I can manage. See you down here."

~****~

Lewis stood at the head of the grave, Charlotte at his side. He could see blue lights flashing in the distance. He looked down at Hathaway's shadowy figure. "They're almost here."

"Good. It's cold down here, and I could use a smoke."

It was turning cold at Lewis' level too, and he shifted from foot to foot. He watched as ambulances and cars parked around the gate. Clangs and thumps echoed through the grounds as the stretchers were brought through the gate.

"All right, they're about here. See if you can wake Hobson up." He walked over to the nearest policeman. "Get a stretcher. One of our suspects jumped off the hospital. He's inside." He handed Charlotte off to another man. She had been subdued since Vince had fallen over the banister. "Take Charlotte here to the station. We'll be by later. Ring DCS Innocent and tell her we got our man." He beckoned to the second ambulance crew. "We have a woman in the cemetery. I hope you lot are strong enough to get two people out of a grave." He turned back to the grave, trying to keep a straight face.

"You two still down there?"

He could hear Hathaway laugh. "Where else would we be?"

Lewis waited for a moment. "Laura?"

"That's me." Hobson's voice wavered and she took a shivery breath. "I'm fine Robbie."


"You'll be fine," Lewis said firmly, more for himself than Hobson. "The EMTs are here. They'll lift you out, then we're going to the hospital. James, you want to drive with me?"

"Yeah, sure."

Lewis waited until the EMTs had lifted Hobson out of the grave and had carried her away. He walked over to where Hathaway was hauling himself out. "That was good work James. I appreciate it. When we get to the hospital you can call it a night. That is, if you like."

Hathaway nodded. "Yeah, okay. You did pretty well yourself. Don't forget to sleep." He turned and started walked towards the car.

Lewis watched as Hobson was loaded into the ambulance, before he followed Hathaway.

~****~

Hobson was strapped into the stretcher. She tried to stay calm as she was loaded into the ambulance. No punctures, no broken bones, minor abrasions and bruising. pH will be a bit off as I was.... hyperventilating.

Someone's hand landed on her ankle. She jumped, at least as well as she could. One of the EMTs smiled at her. "All right Ms. Hobson. We're going to give you an IV of fluids and some oxygen, seeing as we don't know how much dirt you have in you." The woman chattered as she slid a needle into Hobson's arm.

Hobson forced herself to breathe. "I have minor abrasion on my wrists, ankles, and face and bruising on my right side. No concussions or broken bones as far as I can tell."

The other woman looked surprised. "Are you a doctor ma'am?"

Hobson tried to smile. "Yes, I'm actually a forensic pathologist."

The EMT smiled. "I've never had one in my ambulance before! I trust your judgment, but I'm still going to check you over, just for procedure."

Hobson lay still as the woman strapped an oxygen mask to her face. She gasped for air for a moment as the plastic bit her cheeks. She closed her eyes. Relax Laura, relax. It's going to be fine. It's just an oxygen mask, not....She faltered, then pulled herself together. It's not grave-dirt.