Greg threw himself down in one of the many hideous (and uncomfortable) chairs that cluttered the break room. Sighing, he rested his elbows on his knees and dropped his head into his hands – the day seemed to have dragged on forever, and there was still work to be done. The bonus was that once he was done at the lab, he would only get a few hours sleep before going out again. Perhaps foolishly, he had agreed to watch his neighbour's children for the evening while she and her husband went out for their anniversary.
"Greg, come on we still haven't finished processing the vic's clothes."
"But I'm tired," he whined, deciding in his head that even if she got out her gun and physically forced him out of his seat, there was still absolutely no way he would move. His feet throbbed in his shoes and his back ached from standing for most of the day. Even though his chair was as hard as sitting on a block of concrete, he would rather stay there than get back up on his feet.
"Well I guess it wouldn't hurt if we took a quick break. Looks like we're going to be pulling a double anyway..."
"Oh no, I can't."
"Why? Got a hot date?" Sara tried to stifle a laugh as he began to appear flustered – she knew he didn't want her to think he was taken, just like she knew he still had feelings for her.
"No. I'm babysitting."
"Babysitting...You?" She quirked an eyebrow at him. She could hardly imagine him being able to take care of himself, let alone children. It made her wonder whether the parents knew what they were getting themselves into.
"Yes!" he replied, looking hurt. "I'm more than capable of looking after a couple of kids. Besides, they love hanging out with a cool guy like me."
"That's because you all have the same mental age."
"Hey! At least I know how to have fun."
"Just what are you trying to say, Sanders?"
"Nothing, nothing!" Greg said in mock innocence, raising his hands. "Do we really have a lot left to work on?"
"Other than that last bit of processing, it's mainly paperwork. Don't worry, I'll take care of it."
"Well...You're welcome to come along and we can do it together. I can't let you do it all alone."
"I'm really not good with children."
"They'll be asleep when we get there, I'm allowed full access to the fridge and TV, and I will split the money with you. Come on, it'll be fun!"
"I might stop by. But only if you promise we're going to get all the work done. No goofing off."
"Promise."
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
There was nothing worth watching on TV – some documentary about the world's fattest man, the news, or one of the many hospital dramas that seemed to be on at every hour of the day – so Greg sat in the silence of his neighbour's living room, flicking mindlessly through a magazine that he had brought with him, his eyes barely able to stay open. The kids were upstairs, although he wasn't entirely convinced that they were actually sleeping. Every so often, a giggle would come from the room the two girls shared, and he would put his head round the door to check on them. That was what prevented him from biting off his own hand, anything to stop the boredom.
He tried to think of what he would be doing in his own home, a very similar version of this place, except his was sparsely furnished and lacking in general cleanliness. Probably watching a DVD (the box-set of the latest season of '24' had arrived two days earlier, and still sat unopened on the coffee table) or listening to a CD. He wasn't used to just sitting and not having any distractions, it made him feel like there was something he should be doing.
Well, technically there was. Paperwork. Sara had said she would take care of it, but he kind of hoped she would come over anyway. He tried to tell himself that it was the prospect of her dispelling the boredom that suddenly woken him up, but really it was the fact that they could be alone together. Alone, except for Chloe and Madison down the hall.
He took his phone from his pocket. Would it be really desperate of him to ring her? But knowing her, she wouldn't let him get out of doing the tedious task of writing the report at the end of a case, which they all loathed. She was no different in that respect. She probably hadn't been enticed by the offer of him splitting all of thirty bucks with her, but he hoped she would come over, at least out of pity.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Barely five minutes had passed when he heard a car pull into the driveway, the gravel crunching under the tires. 'Something's happening at last!' he thought, jumping up to peer through the gap in the curtains. Sara's car. He had practically given up waiting for her. 'Maybe my dad was right when he said I'd inherited Nana Olaf's gift.'