I own no part of Rookie Blue
I think love has a lot more to do with how much effort you are willing to put out for someone else's benefit than how often you kiss them… and stuff. I give you… Andy & Sam
"So where are we eating?" She had promised lunch. He was getting hungry.
"You pick."
"How about Chinese?" They usually just got a sandwich-to-go, but today was a celebration, and he didn't think they had ever stopped for Chinese.
"I love it. I suppose you know a really good place." She said with her usual cheeriness.
Mr. Self Confidence flashed her that cocky heart stopping smile and asked, "Do I ever disappoint you?"
She didn't answer. His partner, who often could only be silenced with a threat, said nothing. He waited, and waited, and waited. When he glanced at her, she seemed to be deep in thought. When she finally answered it was a no nonsense answer. "No, Sam, you never disappoint me. I don't always agree with your decisions and I hate it when you reprimand me for a mistake, but you never disappoint. I can always count on you. You don't know how much that means to me."
They rode in silence. She had said her piece and he was basking in the compliment. He knew of only two ways to respond: a playful answer would trivialize what she had said, he did not consider her comments trivial, and a serious response would reveal feelings he had no right to express. He could not, however, stop a small smile but she was looking straight forward and would never see it.
When they got out of the car in the restaurant parking lot she took the gift from the equipment bag in the back seat, slipped it under her vest, and joined Sam in walking toward the front door. "It's a buffet! You know, you could overeat and then sleep it off this afternoon if you let me drive." She took a step back, struck an, I am so cute you shouldn't deny me anything, pose and gave him a really big smile.
"You have a great smile, McNally, but if you want to bribe me you're going to have to up-the-ante."
"You can't fault a girl for trying."
"Nor a guy either."
She was laughing as she entered through the door he was holding open. They were taken to their table and had decided the cooler weather was a good excuse for hot tea before she took the small package from under her vest and handed it to her partner. "Happy birthday, Sam."
She had surprised him. That seldom happened, a small victory in itself. "Andy, this is unexpected. I didn't see you bring anything in with you."
She confided, "I had it under my vest."
"Next to your heart, I'm touched."
"Actually, it wasn't that far up."
"Oh…. Even better!"
She narrowed her eyes and glared at him, "it wasn't that low either."
"You're breaking my heart, Andy." He said in mock dismay.
"Just open your present and stop tormenting me." She was smiling now. He was usually really easy to be with and they could exchange banter while neither offending nor seducing each other.
"The Moody Blues?"
"Do you like it?" She rushed on, "you don't have it do you?"
"I like it. No, I don't have it, but we're going to have to discuss this. Now, I'm hungry, let's get our food." Without another word, he got up and headed to the buffet tables. She stared after him, what was there to discuss? It was just a small gift. Trying to figure this man out was giving her wrinkles.
When they had returned to their table with full plates, Sam asked, "Why did you pick this album?" She still didn't have a good read on him and this gift she had spend so much effort to select, but she had lots of reasons and she would just give him all of them and let him sort them out.
"They're classic rock. Actually they are considered the first Progressive Rock band but that's still classic. Rush is progressive. I'm sure you knew that. I figured you probably had lots of them and there was no subtle way to find our which ones, so I went looking for some other classic and I ran into Moody Blues and fell in love. Justin Hayward has a great voice: Geddy Lee, not so much. The music from Rush is awesome and I guess their lyrics are good but the vocals don't do much for me." Andy was so invested in her explication that she never slowed down and she really never looked up at Sam. He had stopped eating and was just staring at her in amazement.
She tore right on with her explanation, "Moody Blues, on the other hand, well the sound is different. They have an almost orchestra sound. They still have drums and guitars but they have a flute and they were the first band to use the Mellotron. "She finally paused and looked at Sam. "What? You know what a Mellotron is don't you?"
"Yes, Andy, I do but I'm anxious to hear your explanation. Right now, though, you need to eat your lunch before it's stone cold." He went back to eating. She joined him.
He finally broke the silence, "I'm going to ask you a few questions. Keep eating! I want short answers. OK?" She nodded and continued with her meal.
"When did you start shopping?"
"A few weeks ago."
"And you got Jerry to help?"
"Yeah."
"It was weeks ago when he asked me about the Moody Blues. Was that for you?"
"I couldn't ask you; that would have made you suspicious."
"Why did you start so long ago?" he was puzzled. Didn't you just go to a store, buy something, wrap it up and that was that?
"Sam…, why questions have longer answers." He took a look at her plate. She had made a big dent in her meal.
"OK, but not too long," he conceded.
"When you buy a gift that you don't have to buy it needs to be perfect… otherwise why bother? Sometimes you just see something that you know would be perfect for someone and you buy it. But with your birthday, I was at a loss. Music was an option but I didn't think Waylon, Willie and the Boys would appeal to you and I knew nothing about Classic Rock."
She paused long enough to take a bite which gave Sam the opportunity to observe, "Maybe you didn't... know anything about classic rock, but it sounds like you know quite a bit now."
"Research, Partner, research." She grinned and went back to eating.
She now had him intrigued. She always had him intrigued but that was general intrigue. This was more specific. "That's all you're going to say?" he queried.
"It's the internet, Sam. I know you old guys are suspicious of technology but you really need to give it a chance." The grin was spreading across her face as she threw the barb. She knew he could dish it out as well as take it, and there were few things she enjoyed more than verbally sparing with her partner. Those, more enjoyable things, probably involved her partner as well but for now they were consigned to the sometime in the future category.
"I have a birthday and suddenly I'm old? I can keep up with you any day. If I remember correctly you're the one who ran, not me." Andy's Alert Meter was signaling Dangerous Territory Ahead! Proceed With Extreme Caution! but she simply could not contain herself.
She leaned back in her chair, cocked her head, pointed her finger as though making a point, smiled and said, "Oh, Sam, that was such a long time ago. As I mature, I'm finding my age limits loosening." He got a puzzled look on his face as he thought about what she had just said.
"Let me make sure I get this straight, the lights came on and you discovered, for the first time, that the guy you're with is way too old for you. Is that what you're saying?" From the look in his eyes she suspected this might be a serious question. Her answer was aimed at evasive, light hearted and subject changing.
She nodded her head in the affirmative and answered, "What I'm saying is, I find if I tell a lie that's outrageous enough people usually stop asking questions I don't want to answer. Do you want some ice-cream? They have coconut. I'll go get it."
"Not going to answer?" He gave her a wistful smile, "Sure, but not too much. I'm really full."
They finished their meal in relative silence, Andy paid the bill, and they headed back to the squad car. Sam broke the silence before they got to the car, "Thank you for lunch. I enjoyed it. Thank you for the CD, I will enjoy it. As for the verbal abuse….
"You are very welcome. Lunch was good. If you get half as much pleasure out of that CD as I did shopping for it you're going to love it. As for the other, "she continued in her innocent voice, "if you would call it affectionate abuse it would be a lot more accurate and sound better too."
He turned to her and laughed. She smiled and proclaimed, "It always so much fun being with you… except when you're grumpy."
Patrol after lunch was very quiet: time to let food digest and for Sam, time to reflect on Andy's comments. She had put a lot of thought, time and effort into his gift and she seemed to have enjoyed doing it. He couldn't think of a previous gift where the giver had exerted that much effort. She was relaxed around him which was a miracle with him being her training officer and even more amazing when you considered what a jack-ass he had been with her a while back.
Today had been a great day until the wise cracks about his age. He didn't have a problem with his age. He had been on the force for a long time. He had experienced many things she hadn't yet, and he was definitely older than she was. He figured as much as six or seven years, but he didn't see that as significant. He knew he did not see her as a pretty young girl, but rather a very desirable woman. Yet, he knew it really made no difference what he thought, what she thought was the important thing and if she thought he was old… well. He had no clue how he was going to find that out for sure.
Sam's worrying was rudely interrupted when a silver Camero SS blew by the cruiser. "Light um up, McNally. Let's go explain some traffic laws to this citizen."
The chase was exciting but the arrest and transport were uneventful. When they were back on the road Andy initiated the conversation, "You got big plans for tonight?"
"Not tonight. The guys are taking me to the Penny for a few drinks tomorrow night since we don't have to work Saturday but tonight, not much exciting. I'll talk to Sarah on the phone and I have a new CD. I've had about all the affectionate abuse I can stand for one birthday. I think I'll welcome a little solitude."
"Be that way!" She made sure he saw the pout on her face before she continued. "That album is so great. I really like it after I've had a bad day. The music is generally up-beat but the sound is so soothing."
"McNally, how long have you been playing my… new CD?"
"I haven't been playing your CD. I've been playing my CD."
"Huh?"
"It's not that complicated, Officer, I bought two."
"The Queen of Country owns classic… I mean progressive rock. What is the world coming to?"
"Make fun if you like but I'm… broadening my horizons."
He laughed, kind of shook his head and declared, "You wear me out McNally," he continued, "but you're never boring and you don't annoy hell out of me very often."
"Thank you, sir."
"Looks like we've exhausted my social calendar, what are your big plans for tonight?"
"Traci said something about a movie. I'll talk to her later."
By shift end, Sam still hadn't come up with a way to ask Andy about the age thing. He knew if he didn't ask today it would be twice as hard some other day. He really wanted to know.
He parked the cruiser in the lot. While Andy was retrieving the equipment bag from the back seat he gathered their garbage and exited the car. He knew it was now or never. "Andy, I have a question I really need answered."
She walked toward him as she asked, "What is it?"
"About the age thing," he took a deep breath, "do you… do you think I'm old?"
She had been walking toward him when he spoke. She smiled and continued walking until she was close enough to give him a very little hug and a kiss on the cheek. She quietly said, "Happy birthday, Sam, and when you're listening to that CD tonight… Nights in White Satin… that's Andy sending one out to Sam." She turned away, took about ten steps before she turned back to face him. "Oh, and Sam, about your question… No worries… You're hot enough to melt paint and you can take that from somebody who knows."
She turned on her heel and headed for the station leaving Sam to absorb what she had just said.
When Andy called that night, Sam had already talked to Sarah, fixed dinner and listened to the "Days of Future Passed" by the Moody Blues numerous times. He was on the sofa with a beer and his thoughts of… the lady on the phone, who else?
As he answered the phone he wondered if she was stepping up the pace and he hadn't gotten the memo, not that he would complain.
"Andy?"
"Are you alone?"
"I told you I would be."
"Can you come over here… now!" This wasn't exactly sounding like seduction: near panic but not seduction.
"Why?"
"I have a leak!"
"And I need to fix it right now?"
"I'm… I'm… It's a really big leak! I sort of threw this bleach bottle under the sink… I was in a hurry. I got water everywhere, Sam. Pleeze… help."
"Only for you, McNally, let me get my shoes on, grab the tool box and I'll be on my way."
"Thanks, Sam. I'll meet you at the front door."
"Anytime"
When she saw him coming up the steps she said "Now," into her phone, flipped it shut, slipped it in her pocket and opened the door. "You are always rescuing me."
"That means I'm getting brownie points for this?"
"Lots and lots," and she headed down the hall leaving Sam to follow in her wake.
He called after her, "McNally, you sure are dressed up to be cleaning the kitchen or whatever you were doing with the bleach."
Andy almost stopped in her tracks. She only had to keep up the charade a little longer but he was beginning to get suspicious. She had really worked hard to put this day together and she wanted him to get the full impact.
"I told you, Traci and I were talking about going to a movie." When Andy got close to her door she slowed down so he could catch up. She stepped aside when he had. "It's unlocked, go ahead."
Sam, tool box in hand, got completely into the apartment before he realized what she had done and how much effort she had put into making his birthday memorable.
"Surprise!" The sound could surely be heard all over the apartment building. Sam's friends and co-workers from Fifteen Division, crowded in Andy's living room, moved forward to wish one of their own a very happy birthday.
Sam put his tool box on the floor, pulled Andy into his side and said into her ear, "I'll never believe anything you say again."
She pulled back just a bit, smiled and answered, "All for a good cause, and Sam…, if you enjoy the celebration half as much as I enjoyed putting it together, you're gonna love it."
A party ensued.
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