BROTHERS IN BLUE
A Boomtown fanfiction
Disclaimer: I do not own Boomtown or its' characters. This is for my own (and hopefully yours too) amusement.
Author's Note: This is my story of the friendship of Tom Turcotte and Joel Stevens when they were in the police academy. I wasn't sure how long they'd been on the force so I've taken some artistic license with that. For the purpose of this story, the year is 1990. Tom and Joel meet on their first day at the academy. Their shared sense of duty bonded them immediately.
One more thing: I know nothing about the inner workings of police academies, so I've pretty much made this up…hey, it's artistic license at work again.
Chapter One: Cops-in-Training
Tom Turcotte pulled into a parking spot close to the building. Shutting off the engine, the radio turned off mid-song. He peered out the windshield at the tall, imposing building before him that was the police academy. This was it, the day he'd been waiting for. The day he became a cop. Or at least, he was on the road to being a cop.
Grabbing his duffel bag from the back seat, Tom got out of the car and locked it. As he made his way toward the building, he spotted a guy about his own age, heading toward him. He nodded his head toward him, as they met. "Hey, how you doing?" Tom inquired, extending his hand.
"Hey," Joel Stevens returned, as the two shook hands. "I'm Joel…Stevens."
"Tom Turcotte," Tom told him. They fell into step alongside each other as they walked toward the building. "You nervous?" Tom asked.
Joel grinned. "Oh, hell yeah," he answered, "I hope I don't get kicked out the first week."
Tom laughed with him. "My dad told me so many horror stories about the academy that I'm almost scared to walk in there."
Putting their fears aside, Tom and Joel walked into the building. There were about fifty men and women standing around the large foyer. After a few minutes of waiting, two uniformed officers, male and female, appeared and strode to the middle of the group. One of them held a clipboard and looked like he was in charge. "Welcome to the six hardest weeks of your life," he greeted. "I'm Sergeant McFadden and this is Sergeant Mooney," he told the group. "We are your team leaders. We will lead all of you through the most extensive, intensive and demanding training you will ever receive as a police officer in Los Angeles." He paused to let his words sink in. Holding up the clipboard, he announced, "This is a list of everyone who should be here today. When I call your name, make your presence known."
McFadden proceeded down the list. Tom counted 67 students before he reached the end of the list. Pretty big class, he thought to himself. His father had told him that most academy classes had a maximum of thirty graduates. Half of people in this room would not graduate, Tom realized.
After going through the class roll, McFadden and Mooney divided the group along male-female lines. The men followed McFadden down one hallway, while Mooney took the women down another.
They were led into their respective locker rooms where each group was told to change into workout clothes. When everyone had changed, they made their way into the gymnasium. McFadden and Mooney were waiting for them. They led the group through several physical activities from calisthenics, an obstacle course, rope climbing and even a tug-of-war.
Four hours later, they were hot, sweaty and exhausted. McFadden blew his whistle. "Alright, everybody. Hit the showers and go home. First class is tomorrow at eight o'clock SHARP."
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Tom walked out of the locker room freshly showered. "Hey Tom, hold up." He turned and saw Joel grab his duffel bag and follow him out. "What did you think of the first day?" he asked, as he fell into step with Tom.
Tom smirked. "It was everything my dad said it would be, brutal."
"Your dad a cop?" Joel asked.
"Yep, 20 years on the force," Tom grinned. "I've wanted to be a cop since I was five years old."
They reached the outside and began the walk to the parking lot. They split directions when they crossed the street. "See you tomorrow, man," Tom called out when he reached his car. He got in and started the engine. He sat for a minute while he let the day's events sink in. Grinning, he pumped his fist. "Yes!" It had been the best day of his life so far. He was going to be a cop and he couldn't wait. Still grinning, he pulled out of the parking lot and drove to his favorite hangout to have a celebratory beer.
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Hope you like it so far. Please review!! I need all the feedback I could use on this one.