It had been two weeks since Andy and Nick had gotten back.
Two weeks since Sam had saved Andy.
Two weeks since Andy had seen Sam with the new cop, the S.W.A.T girl.
Two weeks since Andy had been able to face anyone at work, even her best friend, Traci.
Two weeks ago, Andy had gotten back, had been heartbroken (again) and had decided that she was going to give herself some time to figure out what she wanted from life and her job. Two weeks ago she decided that, and now the brunette found herself walking to 15th Division, taking in the scenery around her and ignoring the empty feeling in her stomach.
Nick had called a few times, even came over to make sure she was eating and staying healthy. After the six months they'd spent together, they'd grown close as cops, and even closer as friends. After these six months and two weeks, after everything she'd learned, he was the only person she could trust to have her back. Him and Traci, but even Traci was a bit distant after her return.
Walking in through the back entrance, Andy took carefully measured steps, her eyes darting around the hallway, making sure she didn't run into anyone she didn't want to. She wasn't quite ready to face some people; Gail, Dov, Noelle, Traci… Sam. Always Sam. He'd moved on, and Andy knew that she couldn't see him if she didn't move on.
So what if they worked together? Andy was very good at avoiding people.
It seemed as if the place was deserted, there wasn't a cop in sight. It didn't do much to Andy's nerves as she got to the female locker room and walked in, hearing a few lockers slam and other female voices talking. The comfort of the chatter and noise was welcomed.
Going up to her old locker, the cop spun the dials in the familiar pattern, snapping it open and looking inside to see how empty and bare it was. Made sense after six months of not being used. Six months and two weeks.
Andy got into her uniform, taking some time and avoiding eye contact with those who walked past to go out the door and to Parade. She had maybe five minutes until Parade and planned on using that time to prepare herself to see all her old friend, all of her old coworkers and her old boyfriend. Ex-boyfriend. Those few minutes to herself though didn't seem to want to be alone with her, because there was a locker closing before a set of eyes were peering at her.
"Andy McNally, right?"
Looking up, Andy saw the dark hair, dark skinned girl that she didn't exactly want to be around.
"Yeah. Cruz, if I remember correctly."
"Yeah, Marlo Cruz. Good to have you back. Everyone has missed you."
Before Andy could get another word in, Cruz was out the door and Andy was standing up, looking at the clock to see that it was time for Parade.
Stepping out of the locker room, there was a drastic change from what she had seen when she came in. Officers were hustling around, a majority of them going to the Parade room while some were just getting off shift and going into their respective locker rooms.
Walking into the Parade room, Andy kept to the back, her arms crossed over her chest as she watched Frank walk in through the opposite door, his eyes looking around for a moment before they locked on McNally's. Giving her the smallest of smiles, he turned his attention to the rest of his officers before he began his speech.
Nothing big was happening so the meeting was short. Andy thought she was going to be getting away with not having attention called to her, but just as she thought, Frank looked at her.
"I'd also like to welcome back Officer McNally. 15 has missed you, and I'm glad to say that she's back to full duty today. Serve, protect and bring in those bad guys."
Assignments were on the board, as usual, and after the choruses of 'welcome back's and 'we've missed you's, Andy was able to get to the board to see who she'd be riding with. She fully expected to be with a T.O. but was pleasantly surprised. She was riding by herself.
"McNally, I have someone here for you to meet."
Looking up at her boss, she nodded before following him out into the bullpen.
"Officer McNally, this is Christina Lewis. Christina, this is Officer McNally. She'll be the officer you'll shadowing for the next week. Use your time well, and I hope to see you in a few years." The older man walked away, leaving McNally confused and the young girl giddy and bouncing on the balls of her heels.
"Officer McNally, it's a pleasure to finally meet you. I've read a lot about you. All good things of course. I'm Christina, although, people usually call me Chrissy."
The girl, Chrissy, had brown hair that flowed just past her shoulders and her eyes were a unique kind of blue. She was dressed very professionally, although the clothes she was wearing seemed to be just the slightest too big for her. She wasn't a big girl by no means, but she also wasn't a stick figure.
"You can call me Andy. I'll be happy to show you around although, fair warning; it's my first week back. So we're probably going to be learning some things together. I'm a little rusty."
Chrissy didn't seem to mind as she held her bag close to her body, looking around, her eyes landing on a figure behind McNally.
"Who's that? He won't stop staring. I'm not sure if it's at you or me, but it's…. weird."
Turning, Andy saw the dark figure turn just as she did, walking back to his desk in the D's office. Taking a deep breath, she turned back to the girl before putting a smile on her face.
"How about I take you out to breakfast and we get to know each other a little better?"
Watching the young girl nod, Andy and Chrissy both walked out back to the cruisers, putting their bags in the trunk before getting in and driving away, Andy's mind somewhere other than on the girl next to her.
This was going to be a long week.
