Disclaimer: The Adam-12 characters are not mine; they have only been borrowed for the purpose of this story. I offer my sincere thanks to their creator for allowing us amateurs to use them as a tool in our creative outlet.
A Not So Rockin' New Years Eve
As gently as she could, being careful not to awaken him, Jillian untangled herself from Pete's embrace. Before climbing out of bed and starting her day, she took a few moments to watch her husband of one week, as he finally slept peacefully.
He and his best friend and partner of three years, Officer Jim Reed, had worked the four to midnight shift the night before and he hadn't gotten home until shortly after four in the morning.
Jillian had fallen asleep on the couch waiting for him to come home, waking up with a start when their kitten, Scrappy, had climbed up on the back of the couch and jumped down on her chest.
Glancing at the clock, she saw that it was only twelve-forty-five. He should be getting home pretty soon, she thought.
By one-o'clock, she was starting to get a bit worried.
By two-o'clock she was biting her nails and praying that nothing bad had happened.
By three-o'clock she was exhausted and her mind was in overdrive, conjuring up any and every bad scenario that she could think of as to why Pete wasn't home yet. Her thoughts were alternating between 'Please call me Pete, and tell me that your okay!' and 'Please don't let the phone ring; only bad news comes over the phone at this hour of the morning!'
By three-thirty she had silently cried herself into a fitful sleep that was full of bad dreams involving Pete being hurt in the line of duty. I never thought it would be like this…how do the other wives handle the not knowing? She wondered as she felt the tears building up in her eyes. Squeezing them tightly shut, as if to keep the tears from escaping, she had soon dozed off.
At ten minutes after four, Pete unlocked the door and entered into their apartment. He was exhausted. It had been a horrible night. The Los Angeles streets were drenched with a wicked, heavy rainfall, causing several fender benders and contributing to a few really bad accidents. Two of those bad accidents had resulted in fatalities and were in Pete and Jims' beat.
Even for the seasoned veteran, fatal accidents were a tough pill to swallow; especially the ones that could have been prevented. Tonight's fatalities included a young, newlywed couple of just three weeks, followed closely with a young boy that had been thrown from his parents' car, when the car was t-boned by a drunk driver. Both Pete and Jim would have a tough time burying this night from their thoughts.
As he walked silently passed the couch, he saw Jillian lying there, curled into a tight ball. Her closed eyes looked swollen and puffy, as if she had been crying.
Oh, Sunshine; I'm sorry I didn't call you. You must have been so worried he thought as he rounded the couch and sat down on the edge, gently caressing her cheek as he softly spoke to her, saying "Jillian, honey? Sunshine, I'm home."
Opening her eyes, she sat up and gave him a strained smile as she put her arms around him and just held tight, needing to feel him near her, and trying to get her emotions under control. Why didn't you call? she wanted to scream and then just as quickly thought I can't let him know how worried I was.
When she finally thought that she would be able to speak, without sounding like a worried wife, she said "Oh, Honey, I'm glad you're home. I guess I must've fallen asleep. What time is it, anyway?" She casually asked, while sending up a silent Thank you Lord for bringing him home safely!
Returning her hug with an equal need to be close to her and thinking, nice try, Sunshine. I can see how worried you were, he replied "It's nearly four-fifteen, Sunshine; come on, let's go to bed. It's been a rough night and I just want to hold you close and go to sleep." Please don't ask me how my night was.
"Okay" was her quiet reply as she took his hand and rose up off of the couch. Together they walked hand in hand into their bedroom, exchanging very few words.
A short time later, they were snuggled under the covers, in each other's arms, and drifting off to sleep. Sunrise would come way too soon.
********
Jillian slowly slid out from under the covers, careful not to awaken Pete. It was only seven thirty a.m. and despite how exhausted he was when he came home just hours earlier, he hadn't slept well. Though he appeared to be asleep now, he had spent the better part of the last three hours tossing and turning every few minutes. That act in itself led Jillian to believe that things had been really bad on his last shift.
I have to find a way to get him to open up to me; to let him know that I am here for him when he needs to talk, thought Jillian.
Slipping into her robe and house slippers, she quietly padded out to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee, knowing that she'd need more than one cup today.
She had a lot of baking and other preparations to do for tonight's New Years Eve party at the McDonalds' house, so she decided to get that all out of the way before showering and venturing out of the apartment.
********
Several hours later, after finishing with her baking and other party preparations, Jillian showered and dressed for the day. She didn't have any particular plans for today and she wasn't sure if Pete had anything planned or not, though she would've put money on 'not' as he and Jim were slated for the four to midnight shift again tonight. Afterwards, they were to meet Jillian and Jean at the McDonalds' house.
After seeing how tired Pete had been when he came home, she figured that he would probably sleep until at least one o'clock. That would leave precious little time to spend together before he left to pick up Jim for their shift, but that was okay; Jillian wanted Pete to be well rested before going into work. His chosen profession, as a Los Angeles Police Officer, was one that demanded rested alertness.
Thankfully this was their last night on the evening watch and he and Jim would be off for two days before beginning their rotation on days.
********
Walking over to the windowsill facing the street, Jillian looked out at the dismal sky. The rain hadn't let up much since the day before, and from the looks of the sky, it wasn't going to let up anytime soon.
Feeling a need to boost herself out of the 'gloomy day blues', Jillian picked up the delicate snow globe that Pete had gotten her for Christmas. He had given her the globe, with a note attached that read 'A little touch of home for my Maine Sunshine. I love you. Forever, Pete'
Giving the globe a slight shake, Jillian stood mesmerized, and lost in her thoughts of the past week, as the snow slowly settled around the tiny cabin that was surrounded by pine trees.
Smiling to herself and thinking back to just one week ago, Jillian's' heart swelled with the love that she felt for the man in the next room, her husband, Peter Joseph Malloy. She was still getting used to thinking in the terms of having a husband, and of being a wife.
They had exchange wedding vows on Christmas Eve and Jillian couldn't remember ever being happier than she was at that moment.
The wedding had been a small, private affair, held in the Justice of the Peace's matrimonial chambers. Those in attendance were Jillian's and Pete's parents, Jillian's siblings, and a few of Pete's close friends and co-workers.
Knowing that Jillian wasn't really being honest with herself when she said that she didn't want her family to come for the wedding, Pete had gone to great lengths to get her parents out to L.A. for their whirlwind wedding. He had called them and secretly arranged the visit. It wasn't a long visit, just a day or two, over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
He hadn't planned on her sister and brothers coming out for the wedding, but they did. They flew in late on the twenty-third and flew back out late on Christmas Eve so as to be home in time for Christmas morning with their families. It was rushed, but her siblings weren't about to miss out on seeing their little sister get married.
Following the wedding ceremony, the group had gone over to Jim and Jean Reed's house, for a small celebration before Jillian's siblings had to leave for the airport. Jillian's parents had stayed on at the Reeds' house until their plane left in the afternoon the day after Christmas. Pete's parents had stayed at the McDonalds' house and had also left the day after Christmas.
Jillian couldn't help but smile when thinking about how their parents had hit it off so well. They were all about the same age, and by the end of evening at the Reed's house, they had seemed like they'd known each other forever. Both Jillian and Pete were very pleased with how that seemed to work out, and it also went a long way in helping Jillian to feel comfortable around her new in-laws.
Shaking the snow globe once again, and still smiling to herself, Jillian's thoughts turned to their first Christmas morning as husband and wife…their first morning together as husband and wife, for that matter.
Pete had climbed out of bed, bright and early, telling Jillian that he was going to put on a pot of coffee. He suggested that she just linger there for a little while longer and he would bring her a cup of coffee when it was finished brewing.
Exhausted, she didn't think twice before taking his advice and snuggling back under the covers…until he was out of the room. She had a feeling that he wouldn't stay away for long, so she quickly jumped out of bed and went to the closet where she had hidden his Christmas gift
After having talked to Jim a few different times, Jillian had found out that there was a secluded cabin resort about two hours outside of Los Angeles, where Pete had taken a week long vacation a few years back. He had talked about wanting to go back again, but as of yet he hadn't gotten the chance. She had gotten the phone number from the long distance operator and placed a call, making reservations for a week long vacation in the late spring.
She and Jean had then driven up to the resort, on the pretense of being out shopping all day, and picked up the brochures and the paperwork for the reservations.
Wanting to be able to wrap something up for Pete, Jillian had bought a tackle box and filled it with an assortment of fishing lures, bobbers, sinkers, and other items that an avid fisherman might need. She then placed the reservation papers on top of the assorted items and then closed and wrapped the tackle box.
Retrieving the present and placing it on the bed, near Pete's pillow, she climbed back under the covers and feigned sleep. This was how Pete had found her when he entered the bedroom with a steaming cup of coffee and a present of his own…a furry, little, purring present, with a big red bow tied around it's neck.
Carefully setting the coffee on the night-stand, Pete gently sat down on the bed, next to Jillian's 'sleeping' form and placed the kitten next to her. It didn't take the kitten long for curiosity to take over as it climbed up on top of Jillian and swatted at her nose with its' paw.
Jillian's eyes flew open and she found herself face to face with Scrappy, the kitten that their landlady had discovered and Pete had rescued from the trash dumpster just two weeks before.
After Pete had rescued the kitten, they had taken it up to his apartment and cleaned it up and fed it. Jillian had grown attached to it immediately, but their landlady, Mrs. O'Brien had come up to Pete's apartment early the next morning to get the kitten, saying that she had found it a good home. Jillian was heartbroken, but tried to hide it. Pete had seen right through her, though, and it was all he could do not to tell her that the 'good home' that Mrs. O'Brien had found was his home. He nearly let the cat out of the bag, so to speak, on a couple of occasions when he noticed Jillian sulking around.
Letting out a squeal of delight, Jillian scooped up Scrappy and hugged him close, earning her a 'mew' from him and earning Pete a huge hug and a lingering kiss from Jillian.
"I have something else for you, too" Pete had said. He then went back out into the other room and came back carrying a carefully wrapped box that was about the size of a five pound bag of sugar.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, he handed her the package and took Scrappy from her. Carefully, she opened the package and pulled out the loveliest snow globe that she'd ever seen.
The pine trees and cabin amidst the falling snowflakes took her thoughts back to past Christmases in Maine. Reading the note that Pete had attached, Jillian had to swallow a big lump in her throat before looking at him with shining eyes and saying "Thank you, Pete. I absolutely love it…it reminds me of home." and then giving him another tight hug and passionate kiss, she said "I love you, so much".
"And I love you, Sunshine" was his quiet reply.
"Now, I have something for you!" Jillian said, in a merry tone.
"Oh yeah?" he replied in an animated voice. "It wouldn't happen to be that package sitting there by my pillow, would it?" His eyes were twinkling and Jillian could've sworn that he was as excited as a little kid would be at the thought of opening an unknown surprise.
Laughing at his reaction, Jillian said, "Yes, it would be" and taking Scrappy back from him "I hope you'll like it."
The last part of her sentence had fallen on deaf ears as Pete tore off the wrapping paper quickly and seeing the tackle box, his eyes lit up like a Christmas tree.
"Hey, this is great! I need a new tackle box. I lost my last one and everything in it the last time I went fishing. I stood up a little too fast when my line caught a bite, and I capsized the boat."
The mental picture that he had created for Jillian made her laugh out loud.
"Open it up, there's more."
Eyes still sparkling, Pete opened the tackle box, oohing and ahhing over the contents inside, as if it were all part of a long buried treasure that had been unearthed especially for him. She was almost envious of the items and the way he was handling each and every one of them. Men and their toys, she thought.
Finally, when she couldn't stand it any longer, Jillian grabbed the brochures and reservation papers and said "HERE! Read these!" as she thrust them into his hands.
Taking the papers from her and slowly reading through them, Pete's jaw dropped as he leaned over and gave her a big hug, all while enthusiastically recalling the last time he had been to the resort and how he had always wanted to go back, but hadn't had the chance.
"Oh, Sunshine, you're going to love it up there! It's absolutely beautiful. And the fish; the fish are huge" his eyes danced in merriment as he stretched his arms as far apart as they would go, causing her to really laugh out loud.
"I guess your enthusiasm means that you like your gift, then, huh?"
"Like it? I love it!" and then more softly, as he gathered her into his arms and kissed her, saying, "And I love you, Sunshine. Thank you for making this the best Christmas ever."
********
Pulling herself out of her thoughts, Jillian checked the clock on the wall and found that it was nearly one o'clock in the afternoon. Deciding that she should probably wake Pete up, she went to the kitchen to make a fresh pot of coffee first, figuring that he'd probably need a cup or two, and that she could do with another one herself.
While the coffee brewed, she set about making some pancakes a few slices of bacon for Pete's' brunch, knowing that breakfast for lunch was a favorite of Pete's when he slept this late.
Walking to the bedroom with a steaming cup of coffee, Jillian stood at the doorway, smiling at the sight before her.
Scrappy had climbed up on the bed and was nuzzling Pete's ear. Pete, eyes still closed, was smiling and murmuring "Mmmm, that feels nice, Sunshine."
Next, Scrappy decided to swat at Pete's ear with his paw, earning him another round of "Mmmm…that feels good, too."
By now, Jillian had her hand clamped over her mouth to silence the laughter that was ready to burst forth. Her undoing came a mere five seconds later when Scrappy decided to lick at Pete's earlobe, and he rolled over, and said, as he was opening his eyes "Sunshine, you are a frisky little thing, aren't you?"
Realizing that he was talking to the kitten, and that Jillian was across the room doubled over and laughing, he leaned up on his elbows and growled "You're just enjoying this a little too much, Mrs. Malloy!"
"Not NEARLY as much as you were, Mr. Malloy," Jillian managed to choke out, before doubling over in laughter once again.
Rolling his tongue around in his cheek, and acting very nonchalantly, Pete just looked at her and said "I bet you won't come over here and say that."
Setting the coffee cup on the dresser, Jillian quickly crossed the room, laughing as she jumped on the bed, and said "Betcha, I will!"
Laughing at her antics, Pete grabbed her and began to tickle her saying "Uhh-huh, I'll give you a reason to…" any further talk was cut off short as Jillian gave Pete a desire filled kiss.
********
Despite his earlier playfulness, Jillian noticed that Pete was awfully quiet as he sat at the table eating his meal. Jillian, having already ate before Pete woke up, sat at the table with him, sipping her coffee while he finished up.
Noticing that he still had a distant, thought filled look in his eyes, Jillian took his hand in hers and said, "You know that you can talk to me, anytime, about anything, don't you?"
"Huh? I'm sorry, Sunshine, what did you say?"
"I said, you don't have to keep things from me. You can talk to me, openly, about anything…including bad shifts" she ended softly.
Sighing heavily and looking into her eyes he said "You've been talking to Jean, haven't you?"
"Mmm-huh. She called this morning. Apparently Jim realizes that SHE can handle hearing about the things that happen in your job. I'm not any different, Pete. I can handle just about anything, but I cannot, and I will not, handle being kept in the dark. If something happens in your job, and it's going to affect your mood at home, I have a right to know."
"It never mattered before, though. I mean, at least you never let on that it mattered, so I just thought that you didn't want to hear…details."
"It mattered, Pete, but it wasn't my place, or my right to say 'tell me.' When we said 'I do,' it became my right to say 'tell me.' Don't shut me out. Let me help you work through the emotions and feelings, whether good or bad."
Pete just sat there, quietly, not responding. He had a distant look in his eyes. Having been a bachelor for so long, with nobody to come home to and talk with, he'd become so accustomed to just keeping everything to himself. The whole idea of opening up about the seriousness of some the calls that they responded to, just seemed so foreign to him.
Thinking that maybe he wasn't quite embracing what she had just said, Jillian continued "Pete, just like you and Jim are partners in your job, you and I are now partners in life. Don't shut me out. Let me be here for you just like you've been there for me these past few months. Okay?"
Quietly, "Yeah. It's just that you shouldn't have to be subjected to some of the things that we see out there; bad things; things that make no sense, whatsoever."
"Like fatalities involving young newlywed couples and small boys?" she asked, knowing full well that those two incidents, and what they represented, were the ones responsible for his disrupted sleep.
"Yeah, like that." he replied softly and then fell into a deafening silence for a few minutes before continuing in a strained voice, "Three weeks, Jillian. They'd only been married three short weeks. And that little boy; he couldn't have been much older than Jimmy. He should've had his whole life still in front of him. But all because of a couple of drunk drivers, three people who had everything to live for, are dead. It just doesn't make any sense!" Even as he was saying it, he could feel the tension of last night's shift lessening somewhat. Jim's right; talking things through does help a little bit.
"You're right. It doesn't make any sense. But then, we aren't supposed to know why things happen the way that they do. All we can do is trust that there's a reason for everything that happens. Don't dwell on what you can't change, just keep going out there and doing your job so that there will be fewer drunk drivers on the road; fewer bad guys."
Pete just nodded his head as Jillian continued "And Pete, whatever you do, please don't ever try to shut me out…it won't work."
Giving her a slight smile and gently squeezing her hand he said "Why did I ever think that I could actually get away with keeping anything from you?"
Shrugging her shoulders, as if to say 'I don't know, why did you?" she leaned over and gave Pete a hug and a simple kiss on the cheek, saying "Now, eat up; you have to leave shortly."
********
Jean and Jimmy Reed arrived at Jillian and Pete's place around seven-forty-five that evening to pick up Jillian. They were then going to swing by Jean's sisters' to drop off Jimmy so he could spend the night. From there, the two women were headed over to Mary and Bill McDonalds' house for the New Years Eve party.
Hearing a knock at the door, Jillian hollered from the bedroom "It's open, Jean. Come on in. I'll be ready in a jiff."
"Hey, Jillian" hollered Jean as she and Jimmy entered the apartment.
Jimmy immediately spotted Scrappy and was running around trying to catch the 'kee-kee,' as he called it.
Chasing the kitten down the hall and into the bedroom, Jimmy's attention quickly turned to his aunt.
"Aunt Jeelwin, Aunt Jeelwin, kee-kee" he pointed towards under the bed where Scrappy had run only seconds before.
Scooping up the toddler and giving him a big hug and a kiss on the cheek, Jillian said "Hey munchkin. You wanna hold the kitten?"
Enthusiastically shaking his head and squirming to get down out of Jillian's arms, Jimmy was laughing and pointing toward the small, furry face peeking out from under the bed.
Just then, Jean came into the room, and after exchanging greetings and hugs with Jillian, she took Jimmy from her arms so that Jillian could get Scrappy to come out.
"I'm just about ready. Let me get the kitten so that Jimmy can hold him while I finish up."
"Oh, take your time. I told my sister that I wouldn't be there until about a quarter to nine or so. That way, Jimmy will be ready for bed shortly afterwards." she laughed.
"That's nice of her to take Jimmy overnight so that you and Jim can stay out for awhile."
Getting down on her hands and knees, Jillian retrieved the kitten and placed him carefully in Jimmy's lap as he sat on the bed. The two young ones were becoming fast friends as Jimmy gently patted the kitten.
Grabbing her camera, Jillian couldn't help but get a couple of shots of the two.
As she set her camera back on the nightstand, she noticed that Pete had left his cigarettes and lighter on the nightstand, as well.
Picking up the lighter and smiling to herself, Jillian couldn't help but think about how Pete was trying to give up the nasty cigarette habit, especially after Jillian had told him that she wasn't going to go through the rest of her life kissing an ashtray.
He wasn't a heavy smoker; only smoking one or two a day, but her reaction to the cigarettes was enough to make him think twice about lighting up in her presence, and she noticed that the pack of cigarettes had been in the same spot for several days, now.
With Jimmy sitting on the bed, so close to the night stand, something compelled her to put the lighter into the pocket of her jeans. She'd heard too many horrible stories of curious kids playing with matches and lighters and she didn't want Jimmy to get a hold of it and get hurt.
"Yeah, she likes having him overnight, and he really likes playing with his cousins. Sometimes I wish that Jim and I had another baby; you know, so they could grow up close together. You have a lot of brothers and sisters, so you know what I'm talking about."
"It's nice, I'll admit. I never lacked for entertainment when I was growing up. Of course, to hear my brothers and sister tell it, I provided a lot of entertainment, as well!" Jillian laughed.
"So…are you and Pete talking about having kids anytime, soon?"
"Jean! We just got married. Give us a little time to get used to being an 'us' before we become an 'all of us', Jillian laughed.
"Well, are you at least thinking about trying?"
"You aren't going to give up until I tell you that we're trying, are you?" Jillian asked in an exasperated tone.
Laughing at her friend, Jean replied "Nope; and I'd be willing to bet that Jim is grilling Pete on the subject as we speak."
"Oh, terrific! I'll be lucky if he isn't too scared to touch me after your husband gets done grilling him on the joys of parenthood. After all, look how long it took him to decide to give up his life as a bachelor!"
Then, deciding that it was time to change the subject, Jillian looked at her watch and then said "Oh, look at the time. Your sister is expecting us; we better go now" as she reached over and scooped Jimmy up off of the bed.
"No wanna go! Stay here wif kee-kee" Jimmy protested.
"Sorry, munchkin; Scrappy has to go to bed now and you have to go to your Aunts' house and play with your little cousins. You can come back and play with the kitten another day, okay?"
Nodding his head in understanding, Jimmy gave Jillian a big squeeze around the neck.
"You're a natural, Jillian."
"What?"
"I said, you're a natural. You were very matter of fact and left no room for argument that it was time to leave. He's at that rebellious age, and you headed off any argument before it could get started. I think you and Pete could easily handle two or three of your own with techniques like that." Jean slyly put in.
"Jean Reed, give it up, already, will ya?" she laughed.
********
Pete and Jim were halfway into their shift and the streets had been relatively quiet as of yet. They both knew that the closer to midnight it got, the busier they would be.
At the beginning of their shift, they had spent a little time talking about the previous evenings' fatalities. Pete hadn't really wanted to discuss the night before, but he knew that Jim often found comfort in talking about the difficult calls. Once that was out of the way, talk changed to more neutral topics.
"So, did you and Jillian get a chance to see much of each other before you had to leave for work today?"
"We had a little bit of time together. She said that she talked to Jean on the phone."
"Yeah, that's what Jean said, too. It's funny; you wouldn't think they would have that much to discuss, but they're on the phone nearly every day!"
Laughing slightly "Well, when you think about it, they're not any different than us. They're friends; they have things to talk about. We just have the advantage of working together." And then, after a minute of thoughtful silence, "Speaking of things to talk about…Jillian said that Jean told her about our last shift."
"You didn't tell her anything, I take it."
"No, and she pretty well set me straight on the fact that I can't just keep everything to myself, anymore."
Chuckling, Jim asked "What'd she do, read you the riot act?"
"Worse! She made a perfectly good argument about why I shouldn't keep things bottled up. And she did it in such a compassionate way…yet, in a way that left no doubt in my mind that she meant business. I swear, it's like she can read me like a book!"
Jim was laughing a bit harder now and managed to choke out "Man, if she knows you that well after such a short period of time, then you don't stand a chance!"
Glaring at Jim, Pete growled "Why don't you clear us for seven while we have half a chance of getting it, partner."
Picking up the mic, Jim keyed up and said "One Adam-12 to station, requesting code seven at Duke's Longhorn"
"One Adam-12, clear for seven."
Pulling the car to a stop in front of Dukes, Pete and Jim began discussing what they were going to order.
"I think I'll have a loaded ranch burger, fries, and piece of apple pie for dessert," Jim fairly drooled. "Oooh, and maybe some chili!" he added.
Rolling his eyes, Pete replied "Uhm-huh; and I'll be the one paying for it later, when you're moaning and groaning about how stuffed you are."
"Not today, Pete. I'm starved."
"What, Jean don't feed you, anymore?"
"I slept too late and didn't have time to eat breakfast before you picked me up. Maybe I'll order two ranch burgers." he ventured.
"Then maybe I shouldn't tell you that Jillian fixed pancakes and bacon for me, huh?" Pete announced, with a devilish smile, as they entered into the diner and headed toward their usual booth to sit down.
"You're getting used to this business of having a wife wait on you hand and foot, aren't you?" Jim questioned with a laugh.
"Let's just say that I think I finally get what you've been trying to drill into me for the past few years and leave it at that, huh?"
"Hey, if it isn't the 'ole married man and the newlywed." came Dukes' familiar voice from behind the counter. "Coffee for both of ya?"
"You know it" replied Pete.
Coming over to their booth, coffeepot in hand, Duke stuck out his right hand toward Pete and said "Congratulations! I couldn't believe that I'd heard the rumor correctly until about five of your cronies all came in with the same story. Sounded like none of them could hardly believe it, either," he laughed.
Shaking Dukes' hand, "Thanks, Duke. I hear that you're next in line for the dubious honor."
"Uhn-uh, not me; I'll be a bachelor 'til the day I die."
Laughing, Pete replied "Yeah; that's what I thought, too," holding up his left hand and showing off his wedding band "now look at me, will ya?"
"So when do we get to meet this little wildcat that finally managed to trap the 'Strawberry Fox'?"
Looking slightly sheepish Pete replied, "I'll tell you what, if you promise me that you won't call me that in front of her, I'll bring her in on one of my next days off "
"Deal! Now, what'll it be? The usual?"
"Sure, Duke, whatever you say…and double the order for Reed, here. He's starving." Pete replied with a smile.
********
After dropping Jimmy off with Jeans' sister, Jean and Jillian set out for Mac and Mary's place.
Jean had decided to take a less traveled route in order to avoid the heavy New Years Eve traffic, that, coupled with the rain, seemed to have cars at a standstill on some of the main roads.
What should have been an easy twenty-minute drive, soon turned into a nightmare as Jeans' car hit an oiled-slicked patch of wet roadway and spun out of control, heading off of the side of the road and straight for a stand of trees.
Jean screamed while fighting a losing battle to control the wheel.
In the passenger seat, Jillian could only watch in horror as the car plowed, in a sideways direction, towards the trees and came to a grinding halt as the mid-section of the passenger side of the car met with the trunk of a solid, unyielding oak tree. The force of the impact caused Jillian's head and shoulder to bounce unmercifully against the passenger window and door.
Feeling the splitting pain in her head and shoulder, Jillian glanced over at the unconscious form of her friend, before blacking out, herself.
********
The two partners ate their dinner and were soon back out on the streets, cruising through their beat and enjoying the quietness of the evening.
Suddenly the radio beeped and dispatch came over and announced "Attention any available unit in the vicinity, and One Adam-12, handle a four-fifteen disturbance, at the bar, 4231 Robertson; One Adam-12, handle code two.
"One Adam-12, Roger"
Being only two blocks away, they arrived quickly and Jim called it in that they were there.
Exiting the black and white and donning hats and nightsticks, "Watch yourself, Reed; I'd be willing to guess that most of these people have been celebrating all evening."
"Yeah, you don't need to remind me. You watch yourself, too."
"Yeah."
As they were approaching the door of the bar, the large, sprawling body of one of the customers came flying through it, knocking over the two officers like pins on a bowling lane. Following closely behind the human bowling ball, was the angry looking six-foot three, three-hundred pound, muscle heavy bouncer.
"Get the hell outta here and stay out! You come back again and won't be leaving the easy way the next time!"
Quickly uprighting himself to a standing position, and stepping back slightly so as to get a good look at the not so jolly giant in front of him, Pete blurted out "That's enough! Just what seems to be the problem here?"
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Jim standing up and helping the customer up, as well and then walking him over near the cruiser.
"Ain't no problem here, officer. Just getting rid of some bad rubbish, is all. You can leave; you ain't needed here."
"Yeah, well, we'll be the judge of that, Mister…?" said Pete as he was reaching for his notebook and pen out of his left breast pocket.
"Tiny." said the bouncer
"Tiny?" Pete repeated, as he skeptically looked at the heavyweight before him.
"Yeah, that's what I said; Tiny" repeated the man.
"You're birth name, please, sir"
"Oh; that'd be Alyoiusis Hannah."
I should have left it alone at 'Tiny…it's easier to spell, Pete thought.
"Okay, Mr. Hannah, you wanna tell me what this is all about?" Glancing in his partners' direction, he could see that Reed had the other man answering questions as well.
Just then, Wells and Brinkman pulled up behind Adam-12's black and white. They quickly exited their cruiser and Wells walked over to Jim as Brinkman walked over to where Pete was standing.
The bouncer started in with his story, addressing both officers in front of him. "Well, you see officers, that jerk over there has been in here just about every night hitting on one of our waitresses. She's told him countless times to bug off, but he just won't take the hint. Tonight he came in here and decided that he was going to play a game of 'touchy, feely, grabby' with her so I told him that he's no longer welcome here. Well, he got all mad and tried to get up in my face, if you know what I mean, so I just threw him out."
Nodding his head, Pete said "I see. Uh, where is this waitress? We'll need to speak with her, also."
"Oh, you can't; she was so upset that she claimed she couldn't finish out the night. She went home. I don't know where she lives…the manager don't really require that we keep him abreast of personal matters, but you can talk to her here at the bar most nights from seven 'til closing."
"Well, can you at least give me her name, then?"
"Lolita; Lolita Love" he answered in a dreamy voice.
Rolling his eyes slightly, Pete wrote down the information, careful not to look at Brinkman when he heard a snicker beside him.
Addressing Brinkman, without looking at him, Pete said "Let me check with Reed and if he doesn't need anything I think you can go back in service; we're pretty well set on this end."
"Sure thing, Pete," Brinkman said as Pete turned and ventured toward where Reed and Wells were standing with the ousted customer.
A few minutes later, Pete was back. Having heard a similar story from the customer, he decided that there was nothing more that the officers could do there tonight so he cut Brinkman loose to go with his partner.
Jim was finished with taking the customers statement and had sent him on his way with a promise that if they were called back there tonight with another complaint, someone would be leaving in the back end of the squad car.
Turning his attention back to the bouncer "Mr. Hannah, we can't arrest the other gentleman since Ms. Love isn't here to give us her statement and to press charges against him for harassment. If he comes back into the bar tonight and gives you or any of the other employees or customers a problem, please call us and let us handle it."
"Sure thing, officer; but just so you know, I was just doing the job that they hired me to do. I mean, these guys got no business trying to molest these girls; they're just trying to make an honest buck, you know?"
"Yeah, I know. You have a good evening." Pete said as he touched the bill of his hat and nodded at the bouncer.
As Pete and Jim got into the squad car, Pete blew out an exasperated breath and said "New Years Eve brings out all kinds, doesn't it?"
"Humph; sad thing is, Pete, some weeks seem to have seven New Years Eves."
"I know what you mean, partner" as he put the car into gear and waited for passing traffic before pulling away from the curb.
As Jim picked up the mic and cleared them, he couldn't help but notice that Pete was kneading the back and side of his neck, as he moved his head back and forth.
"Hey, you okay?"
"Yeah, just a little stiff is all."
"What's wrong? Your old body can't keep up with being a newlywed?" Jim snickered.
Shooting him a scathing look that said 'don't even go there', Pete said "I think I pulled a muscle in my neck when that guy bowled us over."
"You think you should get checked out at Central Receiving?"
"Nah, I'll be fine."
Yeah, if that would've been me, he'd be dumping me at the E.R. door right now, thought Jim.
Checking his watch, Jim said, "Hey, would ya look at that? It's eleven-fifty, what d'ya say we head in?"
Contrary to what both partners thought would happen, they had remained slow the rest of the evening. Both were silently thankful for the relatively calm night that they had just put in.
"Sounds good to me. I'm anxious to get to Mac's house and see my bride." Pete beamed.
Watching his normally very reserved friend, Jim said "You know Pete, marriage looks good on you."
Pulling into the station parking lot, Pete glanced over and said "Thanks. It feels good, too."
********
The two friends handed in their call sheets and quickly changed into their street clothes. It was nearly twelve-thirty when they, and several others on their shift, arrived at the McDonalds' house. The party was in full swing.
Mac answered the door quickly after Pete had rung the doorbell and greeted the newcomers with a jovial "Happy New Year!"
"Hey, Mac. Happy New Year to you, too" Pete replied enthusiastically as he glanced around the room, eyes in search of Jillian.
"Happy New Year, Mac" Jim chimed in.
"So the girls decided to wait on you guys, huh?" Mac interjected as he looked out onto the porch past Jim and Pete, wanting to wish Jillian and Jean a happy new years, also. "Well, where are they. Mary could hardly wait for them to get here."
Immediately looking concerned, "Aren't they here yet, Mac?" Jim asked.
"They were supposed to head over hear around eight-thirty or so." Pete interjected, the concern etched on his face and in his voice.
"Maybe they got sidetracked at Jean's sisters' house. Jimmy's going through a 'clingy' phase, right now. Mind if I use your phone real quick, Mac?"
"No Jim, go ahead. I hope everything's okay."
Mary, having heard the exchange between the three men, quickly came across the room and asked "Is everything okay? I thought that Jean and Jillian were going to come over earlier. They didn't call to say that they'd be delayed." She sounded as worried as the men looked.
Putting his arm around his wife, Mac said, "We're probably all jumping to conclusions. Jim went to call his sister-in-law, just to make sure they didn't get detained over there."
Mary, seeing the worry-strickened expression on Pete's face, touched his arm and said "Try not to worry, Pete. I'm sure everything is okay. You know how us women can be when we get together; we get to talking about everything under the sun and lose all track of time."
Giving Mary a tight smile, while thinking, Not Jillian; if she says that she is going to be somewhere at a certain time, she's there at least fifteen minutes early or she thinks she's late.
"I'm hope your right," he managed to get out quietly.
Jim, looking as worried as Pete felt, quickly crossed the room and said, "I just talked to Jean's sister. They dropped Jimmy off over there about four hours ago. They didn't say anything about stopping anywhere else before coming over here."
"I'll call the station, and put out an APB on the car. Are they driving Jeans or Jillian's'?" Mac asked.
"Jeans'" Pete answered.
Mac went to the phone and called it in; afterward, he made his rounds on the phone calling all of the area hospitals, to no avail.
Pete and Jim quickly planned a course of action to backtrack the route from Mac's house to Jean's sisters' house.
All of their co-workers quickly jumped in and offered to go out in search of the two missing women, as well. Plans were made and routes were soon divvied up amongst the men, who were going out in pairs.
Mary, going to the window to look out, sent up a silent prayer that her two friends were all right.
Mac, approaching Pete and Jim said, "Uh, maybe the two of you should stay here. That way you'll be near the phone in case we need to get a hold of you quickly. If you're off traipsing around the city, we won't be able to reach you."
"No way, Mac. I'm going out and looking. I can't sit here and do nothing." Pete said.
"Me either, Mac. Besides, if we stop and check in every fifteen minutes, that should be good." Jim included.
"Okay, but I want you two to stay together. That way we only have to keep track of one car for the both of you. I'll stay here and man the phones on this end."
And then, speaking to all of the other off-duty officers that were going out on the search, Mac said, "Okay, listen up. I just talked to the station and the hospitals. We don't have anything as of yet. I want everyone to buddy-up and head out to your assigned routes. Check in every fifteen minutes, even if you have nothing to report. I don't need to tell any of you that time is of the essence, especially in this damp, cool air, if those girls are lying hurt somewhere."
Pete and Jim both looked like they had been sucker punched in the gut at Mac's last sentence.
********
Slowly regaining consciousness, Jillian tried to sit up straight in the seat. That act in alone threatened to throw her back into black oblivion that she had just come out of.
Squeezing her eyes shut against the pain in her head and shoulder, she took a couple of deep breaths and slowly sat up so that she was no longer leaning against the smashed passenger door.
Looking over at her friend slumped in the drivers seat "J-J-Jean?" Jillian croaked out in quiet voice.
No answer.
"J-Jean? Can you hear me?" a little louder.
Still no answer.
Oh please, God; let her be okay.
Gingerly reaching out with her left had, Jillian grasped onto Jeans' right arm and slightly shook it while pleading "Jean! Wake up, Jean; please wake up!"
Jillian felt an immense amount of relief as she was rewarded with a low moan from her friend, and then several seconds later, Jean slightly shook her head slightly as if to dislodge the cobwebs that she felt forming inside.
Bringing her hands up to her head she said "Jillian, what happened?"
"I don't know. I think we hit a slick spot."
"Yeah; I couldn't get the car under control" she said, as she looked over at her friend in the passenger seat.
"You're all blurry, Jillian…and you have blood on your face."
"You probably hit your head, that's why I'm blurry. I know I hit my head…that's probably why there's blood on my face."
"I'm just so tired…and cold," Jean said as she began to shiver.
"You can't go to sleep, Jean. You have to stay awake. We both do. You can't sleep with head injuries. Let's just keep talking and help each other stay awake. Somebody's bound to come along soon."
"Mmm…kay, Jill." was Jeans' response as she began to drift again.
"JEAN!"
"Hmm?"
"Open your eyes!"
"They're open."
"No they aren't" Jillian said as she reached out and shook her friends' arm once again.
"It's so cold in here" Jean said, again.
Trying to keep the conversation going so that Jean would stay awake, Jillian responded "Yeah, but it's even colder…and wet, outside. Keep talking to me, Jean; it'll help keep you warm…and awake." Jillian was beginning to shiver also, and she was once again fighting lightheadedness.
Gotta stay awake…gotta keep Jean awake…why doesn't someone come by…how long have we been out here, anyway, I wonder; ohhh, my whole body aches.
Sensing silence from her friend, Jillian ventured "Jean? Ya still with me?"
"Yeah. Just thinking is all."
"Well could ya think out loud so I know that you're okay?"
"You sound just like your husband" Jean lightly laughed.
"Oh brother. We're injured and trapped in your car in the middle of nowhere and you're making jokes!" Jillian tried to sound upset, but she was really relieved that Jean seemed to be becoming a bit more coherent. The talking was helping a little bit, at least.
"You just did it again." Jean said.
"If my head didn't hurt so much, I'd probably find some underlying comfort in the fact that my husband is rubbing off on me after only a week of marriage."
Silence
"Jillian?"
"Yeah?"
"You know, we've never seen Pete happier than he is now. He's pretty lucky that you landed in his life like you did. We didn't think he'd ever find anyone to settle down with."
"Jean, I was the lucky one…no, I take that back…I was very blessed to land in his life when I did. I honestly don't know how I would've gotten through these past months, without him…or even if I could've for that matter." and then continuing "He's willingly took on every ounce of emotional baggage that I carried out here with me and he's asked nothing in return."
"It's because he loves you, Jillian. I think he knew it, too; long before he'd admit it, though. He fell hard and I'll bet that it scared him. That's why it took him a couple of months to finally tell you how he felt."
"Funny, isn't it?" Jillian ventured.
"What is?"
"I came out here to get away from a bad relationship. I never intended to get involved with anyone and then 'boom', the first guy I run into, I end up falling for."
"Yeah, I guess life's funny that way, sometimes."
The two friends spent a few moments in quiet solitude before Jillian spoke up and broke through the peaceful silence.
"Okay, Jean; we gotta find a way out of this."
"How? I don't think that I can trust myself to walk. I still feel kind of dizzy."
"Yeah, I do too, but we gotta try. I haven't seen a car pass by the entire time that we've been talking."
"Me, either."
"Will your door open?"
Jean, trying the door handle, was pleasantly surprised when it gave way willingly under the pressure of her persistent push.
Smiling, Jillian said, "That's half the battle. Let's see if we can't conquer the other half; getting out and up to the road, so that we can win this war."
Very slowly, Jean exited the car, being careful to keep a hold on the door so she wouldn't fall under the waves of dizziness that she was again fighting. The rain was still coming down in a steady drizzle and despite the coldness of it, she had to admit that it was helping her to somewhat keep her mind off of the fact that the world was spinning around her.
"Y-y-your turn" Jean sputtered.
Letting out a pain filled groan, Jillian carefully slid across the seat and out through the driver's side door, just as Jean had done.
Taking a moment to combat her own bout with dizziness, Jillian finally said, "Okay, if we just hold onto each other, we should be able to buddy our way back up to the road. Hopefully someone will be by soon and see us."
"We can't see two feet in front of us. How are we going to see to walk without falling all over ourselves…and each other?"
"Pete's lighter."
"What?"
"Pete's lighter. He left it on the nightstand and I picked it up when Jimmy was sitting on the bed. You know, so he wouldn't grab it and hurt himself. I put it in my pocket, for lack of anything better to do with it. If we can keep the flame lit, we'll have a little light to go by."
"Did you get him to give up smoking?"
"Huh?"
"Did you get Pete to give up cigarettes?" Jean asked incredulously. "Jim's been trying to get him to give them up for a long time."
Grinning slightly "No, not yet; but he will eventually; he just doesn't know it yet."
The two women shared a small laugh over that.
"Okay Jean, you're gonna have to get on my left side. I can't move my right shoulder. I think I dislocated it…again. It's seems to be a bad habit that I've picked up since moving to Los Angeles."
Jean could see that Jillian was holding her right arm, tightly snuggled next to her body and bent at the elbow.
"I can light and hold the lighter in my right hand, or if need be, you can hold it in you left hand."
"Okay; if you're ready, let's do this." Jean said, hoping to be a bit steadier on her feet than what she felt.
The two friends, arms around each other, slowly made their way towards the road.
********
Getting back in the car after calling Macs' house for the third time, Jim let out an exasperated sigh and directed toward Pete "Nobody has spotted them or the car, yet. Where can they be, Pete?"
Lost in his own reverie, Pete just shook his head and quietly said, "I don't know, Jim. We've covered this five-mile radius at least ten times in the last forty-five minutes. Between us and the other six cars out looking, not to mention the third shift guys that aren't on assigned calls right now, we have at least a twenty-mile radius covered. Something's bound to give." I just hope it's soon. Those girls don't have much meat on their bones to act as insulation against this cold dampness.
"Pete you don't think they would've left the car and tried to go for help if they had a flat or anything, do you?"
"I don't know, Jim. I'd like to say 'no', but I can't be sure. Knowing Jillian, she'd try to change it herself."
"Well, there's no chance of that happening."
"Why do you say that? Have you MET my wife? She'll try just about anything, once."
"'Cause, Jean's spare is already flat. I meant to go get it fixed after last time I had to use it. It won't hold air for more than a couple of blocks."
"Mmm; I guess that's as good a reason as any," Pete replied as he rounded another corner for the fourth time.
"Jim, are you sure they would've stayed on the main drag? Didn't you say you'd found a quicker way to get to Macs' house, once before when traffic was heavy?"
"Uhh; yeah, Pete. Back behind the stadium at the high school, there's that access road that runs for about a three-mile stretch. It runs parallel with the main drag, and is mostly only used to help get traffic in and out during football season."
"Maybe they used that; let's check it out."
"But traffic isn't that heavy right now."
"No, not right now. But maybe at nine o'clock or so when they would have had to pass through there, it may have been."
"You're right. I don't know what I was thinking." Jim said in a strained voice.
"It's okay, Jim. You're worried, that's all." and so am I, thought Pete as he blew out a heavy breath Where are they?
********
Walking slowly, arms around each other for support, Jean and Jillian finally reached the road and began walking in a direction that was unknown to Jillian.
"What is this road, anyway?" Jillian asked, shivering quite a bit.
"It's an access road that runs behind the high schools' football stadium. It's mostly only used during football season to help alleviate the traffic jams before and after the home games. The stadium's about a quarter mile down the road. If we can make it that far, I think there might be pay phone that we can use to call for help." Jean replied through chattering teeth.
"Good, 'cause I don't know how much farther I can go. I'm getting all fuzzy feeling again." Jillian said, as she let out a body shuddering shiver.
Suddenly, off in the distance, Jean saw what appeared to be headlights coming their way. Letting go of Jillian and pointing towards the lights she excitedly said "Jillian, look! It's a car and it's coming this way. We're going to be okay, now!"
"Good, now that help is here, excuse me while I…" Jillian didn't finished her sentence as she went limp and fell into a heap at Jeans' feet.
Jean, torn between making sure the car seen them, and checking on her friend, quickly made her way into the middle of the road and waved her arms against the oncoming lights. She then went back and checked on Jillian's unconscious form, while continuing to wave one arm in the air, signaling for help.
*******
Pointing to something up in the distance, Jim said, "Pete, speed up a little. I think I see something up ahead, there."
Squinting slightly, "Can you tell what it is, Jim?"
Excitedly "Pete, it's them! It's Jean and Jilli…" Jim's voice trailed off as he realized that Jean was bent over Jillian's' prone body.
Pete floored the accelerator slightly more and soon came to a screeching halt about ten feet from the two women. He didn't even have the car in park before Jim was opening the door and jumping out.
Slamming the car into park, Pete was close on Jim's heels and was soon bent over Jillian, trying to assess her injuries. He let out a huge breath of relief when she began to come around, shivering, but coherent for the most part.
"We've gotta stop meeting like this, Honey" Jillian managed weakly as she met Pete's concerned filled gazed.
"Hey Sunshine; you two had us all worried. Most of the shift is out looking for you as we speak. What happened?" Pete asked as he was helping her into a sitting position and the placing his jacket over her quaking shoulders.
"We had an accident. Where's Jean?"
"Relax, she's right over there, with Jim. You guys are safe. We're going to take you two to the hospital, now. Am I going to hurt you if I pick you up and carry you over to the car?"
"I want nothing more than to be in your arms, right now, but I think I had better walk to the car. I think I dislocated my shoulder…again."
Jim, relieved to be near his wife, placed his jacket around her and then gathered her into his arms, giving her the once over for injuries.
Jean, clinging tightly to Jim, began to tell him in a tearful voice what had happened.
After quickly getting the two women into his car, Pete cranked up the heat as they drove toward the hospital. He could literally hear the sounds of their teeth chattering, over the droning of the heater.
Pulling into the emergency entrance parking lot at Central Receiving a short time later, Jim and Pete helped the girls out of the car and into the reception area of the E.R.
The nurse on duty quickly recognized them and immediately ushered them into exam rooms two and three; side by side cubicles, separated by a thin curtain which Pete quickly slid back out of the way so that they could both speak with the girls at the same time.
Seeing that Pete wasn't about to leave Jillian's side, Jim said, "I'll go call Mac and tell him where we're at."
"Okay…thanks, Jim" was Pete's reply.
The on duty nurse at the reception area came in carrying two heated blankets. She placed one over Jean as Pete placed one over Jillian.
As the nurse was leaving, the doctor came in and quickly shooed Pete out of the room, telling him that he would be out shortly to speak with them.
Jim, coming down the hallway and seeing Pete in the waiting area, pacing back and forth, immediately went on full alert "What's wrong? Why aren't you in there? Is everything okay?"
"Relax, will ya, Jim. The doctor's in there right now. You know the drill; we have to sit and wait. I think they are both okay, though. Jillian was joking around with the doctor about putting the hospital down as her change of address and from what I could hear as the door was closing, Jean thought that was hilarious."
"Pete?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you relaxed?"
"I am now that we've found them and gotten them here to be checked out."
"Then could you quit pacing? You're making me nervous." Jim shot.
Smiling and giving his partner a slap on the back, Pete said "Sure thing…just don't tell Jillian, huh? She doesn't like it when I worry and pace over her."
Laughing, Jim said "Your secret's safe with me."
********
Several hours later, after both had been to x-ray, and had been checked over by the doctor, the girls were being settled into a room for the night. It had been established that Jillian had a minor concussion and a dislocated shoulder. Jean had only a mild concussion. Both were being carefully monitored for any signs of impending pneumonia after having been exposed to the cold and rain for several hours.
Given the option of rooming together, both figured this would go a long way in convincing their exhausted husbands to go home and get some rest, also. Though reluctantly, both men agreed to go home, knowing that the girls had each other to rely on in their absence.
Before leaving for the night, Pete was standing next to Jillian's bed and holding her hand tightly. She could tell by his actions that he was reluctant to leave her.
"Pete, you really should go home and get some rest. I'll be fine. Jean's right over there if I need anything and can't ring for the nurse."
Glancing over at the bed next to hers, she could see that Jean was having just as much trouble convincing Jim to leave. And guys think that us women can be clingy and impossible, she thought.
"I know, Sunshine; it's just that, …well, tonight, when we got to Mac's and you two weren't there yet…even though you were supposed to have been there for hours, already" taking a moment to swallow a lump in his throat, he then continued "I just had this awful feeling. It was like part of me was missing, …and…I was so…I was just…well, I…"
Squeezing his hand a little tighter "It's okay Pete; I understand what you're trying to say. I had that same feeling last night when you were so late getting home. It's not a good feeling; it's downright scary and …" Jillian's sentence was cut off by a huge yawn.
Laughing, Pete bent down and placed a tender kiss on her lips and said, "You get some sleep, Sunshine. I'll be here bright and early to pick you up. I promise. If I get delayed, I'll call."
Nodding her head and laughing as Pete let out a yawn of his own, Jillian said, "I love you, Pete. Happy New Year."
Bending down for one more kiss, he whispered "Yes Sunshine, that's exactly what it is…a Happy New Year and I love you, too."
The End
Thank you to all that have taken the time to read the latest installment of the Pete/Jillian saga. I hope that you have enjoyed it. Please feel free to review. I welcome all critiques.