Stef
A clock ticked out the seconds and I layed on the cold floor counting too preoccupy myself. I need to keep my mind busy or I will end up freaking out and that's never good.
"Thirty, thirty one, thirty two…" I said and heard a door open. I flinched at the sound and scolded myself for it. I shouldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing he scares me.
"Get up" yelled the man as he uncuffed me and I did as told knowing better than to argue. He threw my police shirt at me and told me to put it on, a gun pointed to my head.
"You didn't find me and nothing happened, you hear?" he asked in a southern accent I have heard before. I nodded obediently and left. I tried to appear calm as I got into the car. My coworker looked over at me and I shook my head. I know he was tied down or something and let go right before me probably with the same strict orders as me.
"I'm fine. Lets just go back to the station" I said but he didn't seem convinced.
"You should be taken to a hospital" he said and I rolled my eyes.
"No! We are going back to the station" I said.
"But…" he said.
"I said we are going back to the station" I yelled tears in my eyes and then blinked them away.
"Besides nothing happened there's no reason to go to the hospital" I said and he nodded but didn't seem convinced. The car became awkwardly silent as we drove back to the station. I checked in the mirror to make sure that I looked normal.
"Stef" he said but I glared at me.
"Hey nothing happened, got it" I said in a voice leaving no room to argue. He's a rookie, he shouldn't give me much trouble with listening to me.
Lena
Stef came home and I could immediately tell something was wrong. Her back was too rigid as she walked and she had on a smile that said 'Just smile and hope people believe it's real.'
"Hey babe" I said to her worried. I know Stef always tries to mask her bad days but will normally tell me once we were alone. Besides I don't want too worry the kids.
"Hey love, hey babies" she said but the words were rushed together like she was worried if she said it any slower someone might pick up on the fact that she wants to cry.
She walked over and got a beer from the fridge and took a long sip of it. I rubbed her back hopefully giving her some comfort. I know she's not ready to talk about it and trying to rush her never helps matters.
"How was work?" I asked hoping not to make this harder on her. I saw a look of panic and sadness come across her face but she got a grip on it and put the mask back on before long.
"Uneventful" she said and I forced a smile.
"Good I like those days" I said honestly. I hate thinking about all the ways her job has hurt her. How many times it has brought her close to death.
We tried to keep up the charade but i don't think anyone is really buying it. We listened too everyone teasing each other and Stef tried to do it too since she's normally the one who does it most but she sat there quietly for most of the supper. I noticed that she barely touched her meal. She's really starting to worry me and I took her hand under the table but she pulled away a bit. She also pulled away a bit when I kissed her when she first came home. Yeah something is really wrong.
We got upstairs and she went to go get ready for bed. I watched as she grabbed her pajamas and hesitated before taking her own clothes off. She didn't even strip all the way down just too bra and underwear but she quickly put her pajamas on. She almost seemed like she felt violated. Ok what's going on.
"Hey can we talk?" I asked and she sighed.
"Sure" she said sounding a little panicky.
"What happened today?" I asked once she was facing me again.
"Nothing" she said defensively.
"Stefanie?"I asked.
"We had a bit of a hard case today and we didn't catch the guy yet" she said but i knew it wasn't just that but at the same time I could tell she wasn't lying.
"What has he done?" I asked and she looked down.
"He's raped four women" she said and I got even more worried. She just acted like she felt violated by getting changed in front of me and she's looking to catch a rapist. How could I not think the worst.
"What?" I asked.
"FBI is taking over" she said almost sounding relieved.
"Is he in San Diego?" I asked.
"He's been all over California for the last two months and we believe he is in San Diego now" she said.
"They will catch him" she said but she sounded like she was trying to convince herself.
"It's terrible" I said hating too think of those poor girls.
"So should we be worried about our own safety?" I asked and she sighed. I'm sure she's been answering this question all day.
"I mean be careful but cops are covering everywhere and some FBI officers are covering high risk areas." she said but it sounded scripted like I said she's been saying it all day.
"Ok well hopefully they catch him soon, those poor girls." I said and she nodded almost looking guilty. As a cop she feels responsible every time someone does something terrible and she couldn't stop it.
"It's not your fault, you know. You can't expect yourself to find him" I said and she just forced a smile. I made a conscious note to self too keep an eye on her for a while and look out for any weird behavior.
Brandon
My mom has been acting weird all day and it's a bit concerning. I'm used too my mom coming home and trying to cover up the fact that she got hurt that day at work. I can't count how many times it happened in my childhood, with my dad too. But this is different. She's barely talking, she doesn't seem to be eating, and something is really wrong.
Stef
I don't know what to do. Part of me knows I should go forward and say what happened but his words keep repeating in my ears. How he told me in detail how he would kill not only me but my family. My cop instincts tell me too tell them after all he's probably bluffing, my wife/mom instincts is telling me to keep my mouth shut. At the end of the day i'm more a mom and wife than a cop. I have devotion to keep my city safe but I more importantly have a devotion to keep my family safe.
A few announcements:
I have first three chapters done, but won't put the next up untill I have some reviews.
Hope you like it.