Chapter 2
Spike and Sam, both in clean uniform, went into the briefing room with sandwiches and coffee in hands, and stared at the sergeant and team leader, sitting there in the semidarkness and laughing.
"Well, I'm glad someone has the strength to laugh. Would you share what you find so funny?" Spike asked sharply to the sitting men and slammed the cup of coffee down on the table.
"Whoa! Spike!" Ed raised his hands defensively, laughing. "What happened? Oh no, something wrong with Babycakes?" he exclaimed in mock horror.
Spike shot a glare at Ed, without deigning to answer.
"Is this the forest, Spike? We know you hate it. Is this why you're not in the mood?" the Sergeant suggested, smiling softly.
"I'm in the mood!" Spike replied loudly and sank wearily into a chair, "Just ..." he shook his head indignantly, "Can you imagine? At the time, while we were drowning in those a dreadful swamp-"
"Spike, there was not a really swamp. There was just a mud," Sam interrupted him, "A lot of mud," He sat down, took a sip of coffee, released a tired sigh and slowly began to eat his sandwich.
"Excellent, Sam, thank you! Can I continue now?" Spike sarcastically replied and stood up, he was too overwhelmed with emotions to sit. "While we're there up to our necks in mud, the Team Three spent 4 hours in a warm, dry and cozy living room with a large fireplace persuading an over-emotional woman to not commit suicide. Although everyone knew that nothing would happen. The team, the psychologist, and the woman herself!"
"Why are you so outraged, Spike?" Parker said softly, looking at his young colleague and diligently suppressing a smile. "Everything is made in accordance with existing rules and procedures. I see no reason-" he did not finish.
"To hell with the rules!" Spike answered sharply, his irritation burst out. "You don't understand? The woman just wanted to get attention! It is obvious! But 6 highly professional SRU officers were forced to spend a few hours on pointless negotiations with this madwoman and her love. Instead of trekking through the woods to deal with real dangerous armed criminals with us!" He began to pace around the room, actively gesticulating, "And all this just because she had a gun! She was never going to shoot herself, you know!"
Ed and Greg exchanged surprised glances. Spike was not being himself. Typically, the most peaceful and good-natured, he was now a bundle of nerves.
"Pointless?" Ed replied thoughtfully, "The subject did not shoot. So the sense was." He stretching his back and looked curiously at his indignant young teammate, "Spike, what's wrong? We usually have about half the cases are calls to suicide! What is it about today's case that angers you so much?"
"Ed, I know! I'm ready to go on calls to suicide! I'm cool with that. It's not about that! I'm just saying that the rules are not quite right. In my opinion, if there are two calls at the same time, as it was today, all the SRU forces should be sent to a more serious challenge. No offense, guys, but if the Team Three was with us from the beginning, perhaps we would not have this chase through the woods! But they had to call Team Two from their the day off, wait for them to come to SRU, to waste time. Perhaps the result would be different at the end." Spike finished and stood frowning at the window. He, like all the others in the group was disappointed by the fact that the situation that night could not be resolved peacefully.
"Hey, if we start debriefing, let's wait for Jules and Leah, eh?" Sam looked at Spike questioningly.
"This is not a debriefing, we're just talking, okay?" Spike turned and flicked his eyes across the room towards his colleague.
"Ok, she did not commit suicide," Greg leaned back in his chair, "But imagine that option. SRU ignores the call, arguing that we have more important things. Lady finally blows the roof. She takes the gun and goes to the man who abandoned her... And here we have a hostage situation. Maybe she kills him. And then herself. Two dead. You saying that such a variant is improbable?" Greg looked at Spike.
"Standard situation," Sam muttered, in one gulp drank his coffee. Folding his arms to rest them on the table, he slumped over and buried his head in them.
Spike walked over to the table, leaning on it and shook his head, "Boss! I'm not saying that such calls should be ignored!"
"Spike," Ed said quietly. "You know, we don't get to choose. There is a call - we react. And then - as you'll get lucky. Someone goes into the mud and cold puddles. Someone - in a warm living room with fireplace. Every call is important for us, there is always a human life at stake."
"It's clear! Do not talk to me like a slow-witted child, Ed! You know perfectly well what I mean!" Spike start pacing in his agitation again.
Ed could not resist. This debate could go on forever. "Quit pacing, Spike! You're making me dizzy!" He groaned. "Sit down already! Tell me, are you mad because of this woman or because Team Three did not share with us the joy of trekking through the night forest swamp?" Ed grinned and gave a sly squint at his young colleague.
"There was not a swamp!" Sam muttered, not raising his head from the table.
"I'm not mad. Just... I just think that situations like this can be handled by the regular patrol units. A piece of cake! But SRU should be sent to a really serious call!" Spike said firmly and finally sat down at the table, staring thoughtfully at his coffee and sandwich in front of him.
"A piece of cake?" Ed looked at him. "Tell me, Spike, how do you know in advance that the situation is really critical, or about to become so? Where is the boundary? By what criteria do you or someone else decide that the challenge is substantial, but the other is not worth our attention? That this time it is serious, and the next a call we can relax? " He stood up and paced around the room.
Passing by Spike he deftly grabbed a cup of coffee that standing in front of sitting man. "Thank you, Spike! You see, you can never relax! Alert and ready!" And Ed gladly drank coffee in the Spike's face.
Spike jumped up. "Hey, that's my coffee! Ed, I did not ask for a practical demonstration!" He indignantly exclaimed, reaching for Ed, but seeing as he returns the empty cup on the table, slumped powerlessly back.
"Well, I do not know how to guess in advance and by what criteria to decide, okay? But anyway, I think this is not right." He folded his arms across his chest and fell silent.
"Okay, Spike, let it be your way!" Greg said softly, looking at him with a warm smile. He knew that all of them are now exhausted and Spike's irritation is a consequence of his fatigue basically. "Do you want me to tell Holleran that Team One now only responds to calls with the big warm fireplace? Just promise me that you will not immediately start to complain that you're bored. And that all the interesting challenges, with chases, gunfights-"
"-with using different technical geeks toys that someone likes so much -" cunningly smiling, Ed added with apparent amusement.
"-goes to the other teams, and Team One get all the boring calls and forced to engage in this nonsense. Do you agree to this option, Spike?" Greg smiled peacefully.
Spike looked at them incredulously. Ed and Greg looked expectantly at him, like if they really expected that he will choose.
"All right! " he threw up his hands in surrender. "Fine! you both win! I promise that I will be glad when we get sent to creep into another swamp!" Finally, he smiled, unable to sulk at someone for a long time. "By the way, why are you both still here? Are you waiting for all the dirt will dry up and fall off itself? Showers are free!"
Ed sighed.
"Because I noticed that whenever I change into a clean uniform, we immediately get a hot call and as a result I get even dirtier than I was before. Well..." He got up and came to Greg, pulled out of his collar yellow oak leaf and solemnly handed it to his friend. "Come on, Boss. Let's see if it works this time!"
" Wow, Ed, I did not know that you started to believe in omens?" Sam asked in surprise, raising his tousled blonde head, "I thought only the elderly believe in omens." He looked at Ed with an innocent expression. A muffled snort Greg and Spike was heard nearby.
"I don't believe! But this omen somehow always works, trust me." Ed shook his finger warningly and then, with a highly raised head stalked out and heading toward the locker room, muttering something under his breath.
"Did he say "Smartass"? Spike looked up at Greg.
"He said "Smartass." Greg nodded and followed Ed, smiling.
...
Half an hour later Greg, with the scratch on his forehead treated, and Ed - both in clean uniforms, again entered into the briefing room. By this time the whole group was already there in full strength.
Ed walked over to the table and placed before Spike a big cup of coffee, giving him a joking pat on the head. Spike looked at him in surprise, immediately smiling broadly.
"Well, have you calmed down?" Ed cheerfully asked him. "You know, Spike, you should talk to the guys from other teams! They consider that we always take all the most interesting calls."
"Have we missed something?" Leah asked, exchanging an interested glance with Jules.
"Half an hour ago, we were deciding on what calls we will respond and which will be ignored as not worth our attention," Greg laughed.
"Hey! I did not say that, Boss!" Spike protested loudly.
"Ok, I'm sorry," Greg nodded and lifted his hand, a plea for peace. "Good. Spike suggested that the calls where we could be in the room with the pleasant warm fireplace in bad weather is much more preferable than a night trekking through the cold muddy forest. But Ed and I did not agree with him."
"Do not agree? Wow! Are you guys serious?" Jules laughed, her eyes widened in astonishment. "Spike, I'm with you! For today I had enough trekking. I was afraid I'd never get clean! I hope that-"
Suddenly a loud siren blaring, interrupting their conversation, announcing a hot call coming in.
Greg and Ed quickly headed to the control desk at the same time as the leader of Team Three and Holleran.
"Winnie, what have we?" Greg asked, his voice was taut.
"Gunfight at the nightclub, witnesses heard the shots, there is information on the wounded and the hostage." A young woman quickly informed the officers standing next to her. "Team One-"
"Stop, Winnie. Call Team Three. Team Two still here?" Holleran interrupted her.
"Yes, SIU had just finished with them."
"Team Two will be back up, if necessary," ordered the Commander.
Greg and Ed raised their eyebrows in surprise and looked at each other. "Sir, what about us?"
Holleran sighed. "Greg. Your group worked a hard shift, as well as several in succession before. Your shift is over now. The report can wait until tomorrow. Go home."
"Sir, we're fine! Actually our shift ends in a two hours," they protested.
"I know that you are ok and I have a watch," the Commander said with a smile. "No one doubts you guys. But I will not send a tired team into the field for the second consecutive tough call, especially when there are other teams available. Rest, all of you. Dismissed." Holleran nodded at the officers standing in front of him, showing that the debate is over, and headed toward his office.
"Well, it seems your wish fulfilled - there are no more hot calls for us today, Boss" Ed looked at Greg.
"Okay, guys. Then let's do a fast debriefing and go home." Greg nodded in relief, inwardly exulting that now he would be able to spend the morning with his son. At the same time Ed gave a signal to the rest of the group to return to the briefing room.
The second alarm sounded behind them and Greg stiffened for a moment.
They went back to the information desk and silently waiting until Winnie gathered the necessary information.
"The police have cornered a large gang of car thieves," the young dispatcher started to inform her colleagues about the new situation. "Most of the gang members were detained, but some are currently hiding in a locked area. The police ask for help in apprehending ... Sir, should I call for another team?" She turned to Holleran who was just returned.
The officers exchanged glances.
"Sir, it's okay, we'll go," Ed answered for them all. "We really are okay. Helping police to arrest a few hoods? What could be easier? Our forces to be enough! Piece of cake!"
...
" Piece of cake, Eddie?" Greg looked curiously at his colleague, who was currently driving the black SUV confidently through the morning traffic. "What happened to "we do not divide calls into important and unimportant? Alert and ready? "
"Come on, Greg!" Ed intoned calmly, "Just kidding. Echoes from our conversation with Spike. You know me well, Boss. I never lost the concentration and never allow underestimate any situation. I would never allow that of myself or anyone on my team," he looked at the man next to him.
"Let me think ... and that's why you're my number one, Eddie, isn't it?" Greg sighed.
"That's right, Boss. That's right." Ed nodded and smiled broadly.
