Sunday passed slowly, Harry had never known time to drag so slowly, not even on a bum stakeout. Actually she had come to quite like stakeouts with Dempsey, they often got the chance to talk about things, and she wondered what they would be like now? What would it be like to work with him? It shouldn't be different; they would look out for each other, cover each other - just like she had in that court room she decided. Lost in her thoughts she sat motionless until she realised her body had chilled through and she decided to run a hot bath and sleep ready for work the next day.
As she walked into the office she put on a bright smile.
"Good break Harry?" asked Watson
"Yes thanks, I think I needed it"
"Well you've worked so late since Dempsey went to New York I'm sure you did" Chas spoke and then asked "You heard when he's coming back?"
"No" Harry felt at least she could be honest, "No idea"
"Sergeant" Spikings had heard her arrival and now stood at his office door inviting her in. He shut the door behind her and looked at her meaningfully.
"You have no idea when Dempsey will be back?" he confirmed
"No" she paused "… Sir"
Although he didn't want to know details Spikings thought it a slightly sparse reply; he rubbed his head "please tell me Makepeace, you did go to New York didn't you?"
"Yes Sir"Spikings was dumbfounded, he felt angry and cheated "I told you to go and talk"
"We did" she proteseted suddenly aware of tears welling up which she blinked back frantically "but no one thought to tell bloody Coltrane" Harry had no intention of expanding anything, the less Spikings knew the better and she needed to leave his office before a moment of weakness overtook her.
Spikings was fuming "You will deign to give me appropriate information Sergeant, however right now I need you to go and do a follow up an interview with Borrell and that Coundon case - Tom is out there and they're making mincemeat of him."
" 'Sir" somewhat relieved, Harry escaped.
***
For the next few days Harry put on a smile every time she walked into SI10 and buried herself even more into work, again taking to staying late in the office. This was another way to improve the rate of cases solved Spikings thought but he was worried about Harry and a potential burn out. Spikings wondered about what had happened in New York, but twice now he had tried to intervene in their relationship and it was only his business as far as their working welfare went so he felt obliged to wait a few more days before tackling Harry again.
Although she hated the long evenings and lonely nights, and therefore worked as much as possible Harry actually took to more outside legwork during the daytime. On this occasion she parked the car and walked across the Albert Bridge, it made her smile 'How terribly English she thought.' It took two minutes to pass from one side to the other. Her memory recalled moments from New York - this time it was a romantic walk on her third night in New York, taking in the sights and sounds that Dempsey had policed every day for years. She and James had taken nearly an hour to cross the Brooklyn Bridge; admittedly it had been at night and they had stopped to enjoy the views and lights but even normally it was a twenty minute walk. Oversized and oversexed she had described everything american including the bridge and she was right. Makepeace thought about other 'oversized and oversexed' icons: The Empire State building: oversized - god it would dwarf the London sky line which she had always thought so impressive - and oversexed? Well, apart from the obvious, romance just burst out of everything she and James had done and the observatory on the 83rd floor had afforded them breathtaking views. Now on her way back to her car Makepeace had stopped halfway across the Albert Bridge and was looking across the Thames below reliving their encounter with the Empire State building. She could feel James holding her shoulders as they looked out on that 83rd floor; standing behind her he had wrapped himself around her and any praise she had spoken about the views he had multiplied and directed it about her, he really was such a great softy... "Hurry home James" she whispered out loud
One lunch time she visited Kenwood, admittedly a walk through Hyde Park would probably have served as well but she could remember quite early on they came here on an observation and Dempsey had said it reminded him of Central Park so she chose to drive over here. She remembered how they had held hands and walked through the east side of Central Park, how they had laid in an embrace on the grass in the sunshine, how they had enjoyed being a couple. They were going to have to be more careful over here, how careful she wondered again; surely they could hold hands in a park? When were they likely to be seen together? Criminals lived all over London and unfortunately, although SI10 was a small unit, Dempsey was well known throughout the London Force and so was she 'the American and the sexy blonde' was one of the more common phrases; she smiled; it tickled her that she was called the sexy blonde. There was an unwritten rule that couples never worked together in the Met, and as she was determined to stay working with James they would have to pay the price.
'Oh god' she thought, that is if he is able to come back - how she hated the power of the Mafia and the destruction wrought on their personal lives.
