The Weight of a Badge
It hurt. No matter what he did it hurt. He took over the counter pain medicine but that only dulled the pain. It felt like it was on fire. He sighed and put on his clothes carefully. He's was going to punch someone if they even looked like they were going to come anywhere near him. He started scowling at everyone as soon as he walked into the squad room. Most people gave him a wide berth. It was widely accepted that if someone was having a bad day to leave them alone. It might be a case or stress or just a bad hair day, but they had all felt like that from time to time.
On this morning even Captain Ross gave Mike Logan a wide margin though that may have been pure accident. Mikes partner was not in that day and he just sat plugging away at the tower of papers that cases generated. He seriously considered setting the whole mess on fire, but then he'd have to redo everything in addition to the fire report, in triplicate thank you very much.
The squad room was it's usual busy self, Mike took calls, used the computer and generally made himself useful, but about noon he could stand it no longer and went to find some relief. It felt good to take off his suit coat, easing it off the painful part with relief and applied some cold water over the area. He seriously considered going to the hospital, but that just wasn't a good idea. He profoundly wished his partner was here. She at least would be able to help him.
He looked at his watch. Damn, four more hours to work. "Just shoot me." he groaned.
"Did I hear you ask to be shot?" Captain Ross asked coming into the locker room. "Why are you all wet?"
"I was just getting ready to go back." Mike said, shrugging into his jacket.
"Listen, you have been glaring at everyone today like a bear with a sore tooth. Is something wrong? Something I can help with?"
"No, Captain, but thank you. I appreciate it." MIke tried to make an easy escape.
"If you need time off, just let me know. We're light right now." Ross continued.
"I'm fine. I can pull my own weight." Mike growled and beat a hasty retreat, before the captain ruined his perfectly bad mood by being nice again.
The squad room was a little busier than it had been, and he resumed his seat. Ross came in shortly thereafter, looking questioningly at him, but passed by to his office where the phone was ringing. Always ringing.
Mike opened another file. He was checking facts in it when Ross came back out of his office. "People, listen up. We are having visitors here in 5 minutes. Get everything straightened out and Duncan, put the damned jacket back on. You look like you've been on a bender. Privacy, people, we don't want anything out that can be leaked to the press about a case." Ross ducked back into his office.
"Great, VIP's. Just what this day needs." Mike commented to no one in particular.
"And while these visitors are here, everyone puts on their badge. I don't want any mistakes as to who is who." Ross barked one more time. His was on his lapel.
Not that! Mike groaned. "Why are you torturing me?" he growled to any deity who happened to be listening.
The group of VIPs paraded into the room escorted by the Police Commissioner. These were big wigs. Mike tried to disappear into the background. The Commissioner was glad handing all over the squadroom and approached Mikes desk. He wanted to hide under it, but he was too late. The Commissioner clapped Mike on the shoulder, congratulating him on a big solve and Mike couldn't hold it back any longer.
He leaped to his feet with a scream of pain and fled the room, bolting past his startled Captain, the VIPs, the Police Commissioner and Goren and Eames who were just coming in. "Mike, what's going on?" Bobby demanded.
Ross was busy trying to cover his detectives bizarre performance when the recent arrivals came in. He gave Goren the evil eye and kept talking. Bobby took that to mean he needed to go find Mike and find out what had him flying out like a scalded cat. He whirled on his heel and followed his friend.
Mike was sitting in the locker room with his jacket on the bench next to him, where he'd thrown it and was rapidly unbuttoning his shirt. "What's the matter, Mike?" Goren demanded.
Mike stripped off his shirt and ripped off his T-Shirt. Bobby tried not to laugh. It was obvious it was painful but his whole back was bright red with sunburn. It was going to blister and be painful, but it stopped at his neck that was alaready tanned. Mike was trying to keep from crying out still from the ham handed clap by the Police Commissioner.
Bobby quietly went to get some paper towels wet and brought them back laying them on Mikes red back. Mike hissed and winced away for a moment before sighing with some relief. "Thanks, man."
"So how did this...?" Bobby started to ask.
"What the hell is wrong with you, Logan?" Ross demanded charging into the locker room. "I've got VIPs, the Police Commissioner and a whole group of people upstairs thinking you're out of your... Talk to me." Ross stopped when he saw Mike huddled over with the towels on his back.
Bobby pealed back a corner of the towels and Ross groaned with sympathy for the man. "I wish you had told me sooner. You should be home. How did this...happen?"
"I fell asleep in the backyard while I was waiting for Carolyn to get done at the doctor. We were supposed to go out to dinner and the sun moved."
Ross was having a hard time keeping down a sympathetic grin. Bobby's smile wasn't helping either. "Logan, take the rest of the day off and tomorrow if you need to. I'll make sure your cases are covered. And try to stay out of the sun."
Mike glared at him. If looks could kill they would have had to have a new captain at Major Case. Ross left the two men alone. "Just shoot me, Bobby."
Mike begged.
"You'll live, though I think you'll have to go without a shirt for a few days. Why didn't you have a shirt on?"
"Carolyn wants to go to a beach party and she wanted me to get some color so it looked like I was at least not sick. I was going to just stay out for a few minutes, but she was longer than I thought. By the time she got home, it was too late."
"That's not like her to be so..."
"Careless? She wanted me to go to a tanning salon, but no, I had to do it my way. Could you...?"
"Sure."
Bobby got some fresh paper towels and put them on Mikes back. It really wasn't funny. " Please tell me you have some kind of miracle cure that'll take the sting out of this in that massive memory of yours." Mike sighed with relief.
"No. You should go to the doctor. That's pretty nasty."
"No, I'll survive. I'd better get back up there or I'll be paying for it for years."
"You heard Ross. Go home. I'll tell the Commissioner you were sick."
Mike went home. Carolyn took pity on him and pampered him until he was better.
Three days later they went to the beach party. Mike wasn't at all loath to take off his shirt in the sun with everyone else only to find most of the men had sunscreen and white skin. Mike got a number of compliments on his terrific tan, and put his shirt back on just so he didn't have to tell them one more time how he'd gotten it so even. One of the other men came also put his shirt back on and came over to sit next to Mike on a lawn chair. "Hey, my name's Roy." he said congenially.
"Mike."
"I guess no on told your lady friend what this party was all about, did they?"
"About? She never mentioned it."
"Because they have a hard time finding people to come if they tell people what they're here for."
"What they're here for? What exactly are they here for?" Mike demanded trying to keep the rising panic out of his voice.
"It's called the Sol Club."
"And that means...?"
"They're looking for members."
"Look, pal, what kind of club is it?"
"A nudist club. They want you and your lady to join. You didn't wonder why everyone took off the shirts? Soon it will be all the tops then the whole thing. They like to ease new members into it."
Mike shot up. "A nud... Are you serious?"
"Dead serious, man."
Mike leapt to his feet and hurried over to try to get Carolyns attention. She was talking to the other women, looking quite at home. "Uh, Carolyn?"
"Yes, Mike?"
"We have to go."
"Go? Go where?"
"Uh, we got a call." he said.
"But we're..." she started then caught on. "Oh. Okay, ladies, it's been nice to meet you. I hope we can get together soon."
Mike practically grabbed her arm hustling her out of the place. "Mike, for heavens sake. What is so bad about..." she demanded.
He explained it to her. She stared at him like he'd lost his mind. Then she got it. "I'll race you to the car." she said taking off before she finished the dare.
They were in the car and streaking away when Mike looked at her. "Don't ever ask me to go to another beach party again unless you know who is giving it."
Carolyn laughed. "And it was such a beautiful tan, too." Mike just swore into the night air.
COMPLETE