Rick Grimes is thisclose to the end of his shift. He sighs, and readjusts himself in the cruiser's seat, trying to get himself in a more comfortable position. He's been in the car, on patrol for the last two hours now, and there hasn't been a single call in all that time. He knows it's a good thing, but the last two hours have nearly killed him out of sheer boredom.
What Rick really wants is to clock out, drive home, and spend some extra special time with a bottle of Bushmills he has waiting. It's midnight, it's Friday, and he has another hour left. He has already made the rounds (a couple of times) to spots in town where there usually is some sort of shady doings (no matter how minor) and well…nothing. No teenagers smoking pot in any of the two parks in town. No bar fights. No tweakers attempting to steal scrap metal from the junkyard or power station (this reminds him of a time when there was a rash of manhole covers that went missing, only to find that Combo Ortega and Skinny Pete had stolen them and attempted to sell them to the one junkyard in a thirty-mile radius).
So, as he drives down the back road that eventually leads to the freeway, he drums his thumbs on the steering wheel and hums 'Pour Some Sugar on Me' -the last song he heard while driving to the station.
In the distance, Rick spots a set of hazard lights blinking. He sits up a little straighter and puts his cop face on, readying himself to help John Q. Public in their time of need.
Pulling behind the vehicle, Rick calls into dispatch where he is and what his intentions are. As dispatch checks the plate number, Rick hears it's registered to the town vet, Hershel Greene. Approaching it, he notices that there's a steady stream of white smoke coming from the hood. He clears his throat and walks to the driver's side door.
Peering in with his flashlight, he sees a tangle of blonde hair in a ponytail. Hershel's girl is laying on her forearm, which rests on the steering wheel. She obviously doesn't see him, so he knocks lightly on the window. She startles, and looks squinty eyed at the bright beam of light directed at her from outside.
Rick smiles to himself before lowering the flashlight enough so she can see that it's not some weirdo creeping on her. He can see her relief as she displays a slight smile.
Rolling down the window, Beth's eyebrows lift, and she shrugs. "Hey, Officer Grimes."
"Beth Greene. You havin' some trouble tonight?" He nods toward the hood. His smile grows a bit, because if nothing else tonight, he'll be able to help this girl make it home.
"Um, yeah…it's smoking, and it won't start…" She looks out in front of her, in a way that tells him that it's her main concern, but as she briefly glances over at him, Rick can see the tears welling up in her eyes.
Rick Grimes is observant. He's a cop, after all. He decides to address the chief concern first. "Pop the hood, I think I got an idea." He clicks his flashlight off, and Beth leans down to the latch and pulls. She opens the door, and follows as Rick lifts the hood. They both take a step back as the smoke plumes.
Rick places a hand on his hip, his other gesturing to the maze of car parts under the hood. "Coolant? Not much I can do for ya, Beth. Can call a tow truck to the service station?" He looks at her for an answer. He feels a brief pang of…something. Rick sees her vulnerable, sweet, and well -pretty.
That's all this is, Rick thinks. A policeman helping a pretty girl in need. He stands up a little straighter and sighs. "Want me to call one?" He looks down at the car before looking at her again, waiting for an answer.
She's staring at the engine, eyebrows are furrowed, and she looks like she's concentrating. Maybe trying to will the car to start with her mind.
"Beth?"
"Hmmm? Oh! Sorry." She smiles out of politeness or habit, Rick can't tell. "Sure. It's not a bother? I have my phone."
He smiles, and gestures her toward his cruiser. "C'mon. It's my civic duty. We'll get you squared away."
She looks up at him gratefully. He places a hand on the small of her back leading her the rest of the way.
"I've never been in a police car before. Front or back." She looks behind her. "Why is there glass seperatin' the back? It's already got bars."
"It's uh, so we don't get spit on…or worse."
"Gross. Has anyone tried?" Her nose scrunches up, and Rick chuckles.
"There was this one time," Rick begins but thinks better of it, "you know what? It's a story best not told. Especially if you've eaten recently."
Yes. This girl wants to hear all about the naked drunk guy using handfuls of watery diarrhea as a weapon. Smooth, Officer.
He awkwardly looks down at the phone in his hand trying to ease away his embarrassment. "I'll call that truck for ya."
He dials in the number, and exchanges a few sentences before he hangs up. He sighs, and rubs his hand along his face. "Daryl says he's gotta tow over in Griffin. He's gonna be an hour or so." He looks at her, but she's looking out the passenger window. He feels some sort of powerful urge to touch the tips of her hair and brush his fingers along her shoulder blades.
Way to be a creepy bastard. What a gentleman.
When she doesn't respond, he vaguely thinks it's because she's uncomfortable. "Hey, Beth? I can just give ya a lift home. Car ought ta be safe overnight. You can call Daryl in the morning."
Now it's Beth's turn to sigh. Her shoulders slump, and she turns to him. "I just…I don't really wanna go home right now. I can wait here 'till Daryl gets here."
The thought of leaving this girl here, in the dark, at this time of night doesn't sit too well with him. He looks at her, his eyes squints a bit and he cocks his head.
"You alright?" He nearly regrets asking her, because he can see her eyes start welling up in tears. The Ace Cop making a beautiful young woman cry, merely with his poor choice of words.
"If it aint too much trouble, you can drop me off at Jacqui's. It's twenty-four hours now, right"
"Yeah. You sure?"
Beth rolls her eyes a bit and smiles- a real smile. "Yes, officer Grimes, I'll be fine"
He stares at her for another moment before he agrees. "Yeah, ok." He turns the ignition, but doesn't pull away yet. "You want some company? I don't have much time left before my shift ends. I could join ya…until Daryl's done, that is."
Beth looks a little surprised, "Um, yeah. I'd like that."
It's Rick's turn to smile. "Ok. Me, too"
They pull into the parking lot, and Rick quickly steps out to open Beth's door. She gives a small appreciative smile.
It's weird, when Rick thinks about it. He has a misplaced sense of pride walking in with Beth Greene. It's not like there are many patrons in the diner, but those who are there, he secretly hopes they notice. To witness Rick Grimes escorting the beautiful Beth Greene into the restaurant to, you know. Eat something.
He waves his hand to a booth, and she sits down. The sound of plastic cover as she scoots toward the window registers in his brain. As much as he wants to sit next to her, he doesn't. Instead he sits opposite, placing his Walkie in front of him.
Tyreese comes to the table, smile on his face. "Hey Rick! And hello to you, too, Ms. Greene. Ya'll let me know when ya ready. " He places two plastic coated menus in front of them and leaves, but not before he smiles (knowingly?) at them.
They sit there, clumsily trying not to stare at each other. Rick assumes it's weird because he is a grown man, and she is a beautiful young woman. She assumes it's because he has work to do, and he's just being nice.
He decides it's time to broach the subject. "Beth? I can tell there's something going on. You can tell me, ok?"
She looks at her menu, trying to study all the choices in front of her.
"Beth? Look, if there's somethin' I can do…"
But right then, Ty comes back, pad in hand waiting for their order. "Fries? And coffee, " Beth says, smiling up at him,
"You got it. Rick?"
"Coffee's fine" He hands their menus back to him, before directing his attention to Beth.
"I do mean it. If there's something…" He waves his hand in front of him.
She smiles, "It's stupid, ya know? It's just that Jimmy decided he was gonna transfer to University of Oregon, and…I don't wanna go all that way. I just thought…I just thought that we'd be together? Get married, and all that." She glances up at Rick while toying with a sugar packet. "Like I said. It's stupid."
"No, " Rick shakes his head, "Ya know, Lori and I…we got married when we weren't much older than you. I was almost right out of the academy, then Lori got pregnant with Carl."
"See? You guys are great together. I always kinda wanted that." Ty brings two coffees, and Beth uses that moment to break the tension and pour sugar in her cup.
"It aint always a happy ending." It's Rick's turn to fiddle around before confessing. "I just signed divorce papers. We were too young for marriage. We sorta stayed together for Carl. She moved out months ago." He looks at her, expecting judgment. He doesn't really know why he decided to share that information, but it seems like the right thing to do.
She blinks at him, not knowing what to say.
"Thanks for findin' me," She manages. Her blue eyes look at him like he's the last man on Earth.
"Yeah, ya know. It's my job…to keep people safe." He smiles down at his mug.