From a Mile Away-Chapter 3
You guys still with me? I'm not sure I'm liking the way this is turning out, I don't know, maybe I just haven't written in so long that I'm losing my touch. Usually I can't stop writing, I mean literally I'll pound through a chapter a day, but this one I've had to force myself to keep going. Don't worry, I won't leave it unfinished (that's one of my biggest pet-peeves) but just please give me a lot of feedback. This is really the last chapter I've got outlined (in my head) so give me some ideas about where to go please. Thanks for reading and reviewing, I appreciate it. I also don't own Flashpoint but you knew that already, right?
Wordy drove fairly slowly across the city to the SRU headquarters. He was trying to be subtle as he glanced over at his friend through the drive, always finding him starting out the passenger window, avoiding all eye contact and connection. Wordy tried to prod a bit more and just talk to Greg, not explicitly asking about work or the call he'd just come from but even small talk led to monosyllable responses. A bit of nostalgia rose in Wordy as he pulled into the SRU parking lot but he swallowed it back, knowing now was not the time to look back on his job and life decisions. He pulled into a spot near what he recognized as Ed's car and as far as he could from Greg's car.
"You're not gonna run for it while I'm up there, right boss?" Wordy said with a joking tone but a serious intention. He just now realized that with him going up to the locker room, he'd need to trust Greg to stay put in his van; normally that wouldn't even come to his mind as a concern but today, with Greg in this state of mind, he wasn't sure. Greg gave a slight smile and a nod as he took off his bullet proof vest and some of the other gear he was carrying.
"Where's you side arm?" Wordy hoped that the question came across in a neutral tone but he was worried below the surface. Did he have it when I found him? Why would he hide it?
"I left it in the truck when..." He trailed off for a moment but refocused and started again. "Ed has it by now." Wordy didn't really understand how things had happened during the day but he nodded slowly.
"Okay, just making sure. You know, that's something that people would be looking for, you know?" He tried to keep the tone light but felt he wasn't succeeding. Greg nodded slightly again as he pulled a small key from his pocket. Wordy instantly recognized it as the key to the lockers as he took it.
"You need anything specific, boss?" Wordy asked as he put the key in his pocket and gathered up the gear. Greg shook his head no as Wordy nodded again. "Okay, I'll be back in a few minutes but boss...can I have your other set of keys first?" He felt his heart start to beat a little harder as Greg looked at him with questioning eyes. "Your car keys, boss. Can I have your car keys while I'm up there?" Wordy couldn't get Greg's look of surprise from his mind as he saw him shaking his head slightly.
"I'm not going to run away, Wordy." Even by his voice Wordy could tell he was exhausted and emotional.
"I know boss, I know that you wouldn't do that but...but I'm kind of worried about you right now." Wordy tried to be honest, letting his concern show. "I've never seen you like this." Greg took a few breaths and closed his eyes for a moment, deciding that it wasn't worth spending the energy to fight. He fished another key ring from his pocket and handed it to Wordy, not looking directly at him. "Thank you boss, I'll be back in a few minutes." He added before pocketing the keys and heading into the SRU.
Wordy worked hard to keep his eyes in front of him and to keep himself focused on what he had to do. He walked quickly through the halls knowing he needed to get to the locker room but also get some information. There was something seriously amiss with Greg and before he said anything or tried to push him into telling what was going on, he needed some context of the day and what led up to him walking the streets in full SRU gear, non-responsive and seemingly just on the breaking point. Wordy barely realized when he walked into the SRU, past the communication's desk and into the briefing room without even looking at what team was in it.
"Wordy?" Sam was the first to react as Ed and Spike turned in their chairs and all stood.
"Wordy!" Ed first seemed excited to see his friend but then worried when he saw Greg's vest in his hands. "What are you doing with that?"
"The boss is in my van in the lot, didn't want to come up here but I had to sign the gear in and talk to you guys." He sputtered out his explanation quickly to the silent room. "What the hell happened today? He's pretty much non-responsive, hasn't said three words since I found him wandering past drug deals down on Queen Street. He said that you have his gun." Wordy looked directly at Ed now.
"Yeah, I found it in the truck." Ed nodded as he moved to walk past Wordy.
"Ed, where are you going?" Jules asked as she moved around the table and the team spilled out into the hall following Ed.
"I'm going to talk to him." Ed said simply, a bit of anger in his eyes, before Wordy stepped in front of him.
"I don't think that's a good idea, Ed." He placed a hand on his chest to get him to stop moving as he continued to speak. "He was kind of...I don't know...anxious..." He struggled to find the right words to describe Greg's seeming fear and fatigue about facing the team. "The only reason that I got him to come here was that I promised he wouldn't have to come inside. He said he couldn't face you guys." He glanced around and saw a mixture of anger, sadness, and surprise on the team's faces. "Will someone please tell me what the hell happened today?" He asked again, a little more on edge as they all tensed up. After a moment of silence Ed spoke with a matter-of-fact tone.
"We were on a call, emotionally distraught firefighter took an arsonist hostage in their training burn house. Absolutely no tactical options, it was coming down to a negotiation, we had five minutes until they were both dead and..." He paused for a moment, rubbing his face and shaking his head. "I tried to talk to him but...but the boss walked off. He left the scene. We couldn't talk him out; hostage and subject died." He paused for a moment as Wordy nodded, understanding where some of Greg's guilt and emotion was coming from. "I went looking for him by the command post but all I found was his gun and his suspension papers." Ed rubbed at his face again as Sam jumped in.
"A week ago Toth came back," a chill ran through Wordy as he remembered the hell Toth had put them all through. "He was going to suspend the boss right there but gave him the option." Wordy looked at Sam questioningly, not understanding what option there was. "He said that the boss doubted himself, lacked the confidence to lead us anymore..." Sam trailed off but Jules added picked up.
"There have been some tough calls the past few weeks but we didn't see this coming, not to this degree anyway." There was another silence as Wordy looked around the room and looked at the exhausted and upset faces of his friends.
"Guys..." He said with some urgency in his voice.
"What?" Ed responded, perking up with attention at his friend's tone.
"Where's Spike?"
Not where I intended to end this chapter but I can't write anymore right now and I'm hoping your reviews will motivate me to continue. It's short, I know but please just review and let me know what you think. I know where Spike is, I have a general gist of what's going to happen with that but beyond that I'm torn so give me some ideas. Thanks for reading and reviewing!
