Part 2
"This is what I call holidays." Sara put her empty coffee mug away and let herself drop back in the pillows. Breakfast in bed, watching some senseless TV and no hurry to get up.
"Yes, it's perfect." Sofia closed her eyes. She had eaten too much but hell, they were on holidays, nobody counts calories then. She planed already a second breakfast at Dunkin' Donuts later.
"We should treat ourselves more often."
"Yes we should. We should move together."
"Huh?"
"We're coming close to your birthday, a few months later I'll be old too that means we'll get married and will move together – if I can't get detective Flack to move to Vegas and marry me. Wait a minute, a detective? For me as a lieutenant…he's cute …he had to respect me even more because of my rank…very cute…I might get him to become a lieutenant too…"
"Sofia, you should make up your mind, you want to marry every week a new guy." Sara laughed. According to Sofia the world was full with cute men.
"No that's not true. I'd like to have them in my life but the only one I want to marry is you. At least at the moment and a cute guy won't change that. I need to be a relationship to marry somebody."
"We're not in a relationship."
"Of course we are. Or what do you call our friendship?"
"The best thing that ever happened to me."
"Oh Sara." Sofia hugged her friend, pulled her in her arms and kissed her. Her Grumpy Smurf was so lovely.
"I love you." Great, now she was crying. Sofia tried to wipe away a tear without letting Sara see that she was crying. But that was the nicest thing Sara ever said to her.
"Ditto. No need to cry."
"Just realized again how important you're to me. I should keep my feelings under control, I'm a lieutenant."
"Yes you are. The problem for the lieutenant is, being my friend is more important for you."
"It is. No need to deny it. If it would be the other way around I wouldn't be a good friend."
"Not really."
"I told you that already a few times, you are more important to me than my job. I think if you get a great job offer from somewhere else and want to take it, I'd come with you. Being without you in Vegas wouldn't feel good, Vegas isn't complete without you."
Sara kissed Sofia's cheek and snuggled in her arms. Her best friend. It was good to hear these things even if she knew them.
"I wouldn't take a job offer without you coming with me to wherever. I'm not a social type but leaving the most important person in my life for a job is stupid. That means if you want to go to New York to get Detective Cute I'll come with you and throw the rice on your wedding."
"A beer is enough for the beginning. I want to call him later and ask him if he wants to meet for that beer today. Shall we walk through the Central Park and have a beer with Flack later when he finished work?"
"Yeah. If a CSI is welcome at a cop meeting."
"My CSI is welcome wherever I am. Otherwise I won't go there."
"We're two of a kind." Sara laughed and placed her head on Sofia's shoulder. "Carriage, walk, picnic lunch, walk, ice cream, walk, subway to detective Flack and a beer or two with him?"
"Sounds like a good plan. Especially all the food you involved, very nice. I might feed you with ice cream while you lay in the grass, watch the blue sky and enjoy the warm sunshine in your face."
"Sounds like a good plan too." Sara hugged Sofia again and got up. "Time to dress up for the park. Come on, hide your long, stunning legs in a jeans before I've to use your gun to get the guys away from you. You can't betray detective Flack."
"You think my legs are long and stunning?"
"No they're endless and sexy. Move it, now!" She threw Sofia's jeans at the blonde and laughed. If the lieutenant wanted compliments she had to move and leave the bed.
"One point three two square miles. Do we want to walk the two and a half miles from south to north or are we fine with half a mile from east to west?" Sara asked when they arrived at the south end of the park on 59th Street.
"I'd say we walk to a carriage place, let the horses do the walk and after that we'll go to the ice cream shop. With a little detour through the Metropolitan Museum Of Art."
"How comes you want to see a museum?"
"The ice cream Flack talked about is in that area. After a museum we deserve ice cream. There's a little lake, we can sit there and enjoy the sunshine."
"Sounds good to me. Anything special you want to see between here and the museum? Or shall I say between here and the ice cream?"
Sofia chuckled. That was a better way of saying what she wanted. She wasn't that interested in the museum but the ice cream was important.
"The Pond. It's a great place for photos."
"True. I've an address of a carriage not too far away…Sofia?"
"Mhm?"
"If the horses don't look healthy…"
"We won't do it if the horses look ill or not well treated." Sofia tool Sara's hand. "We won't support this when we feel like we support somebody who doesn't treat their animals good. We'll check the horses and take this ride if everything looks alright."
"Thanks."
"It's a nice thing to sit in a carriage and have the horse taken us through the park, but the health of the horse is more important. No question there." Sofia knew how important the health and well-being of animals was for Sara. And there had been a few negative press articles in the newspapers about the Central Park stables.
"Thanks."
"Hey, we won't support anything we don't like. We're independent women." Sofia blinked at Sara and got her arm around the brunette.
"We are. There they are, what do you think?"
"Let's go and have a closer look. I don't know much about horses but if we see anything we don't like we'll go to somebody else or walk."
"That means a lot when you say we'll walk."
"I'm not that lazy, I go running every day."
"Yeah and the gym otherwise you'd weight around five hundred pounds with all the chocolate you eat."
"And you don't love me when I'm five hundred pounds?"
"I'd love you but I'm not sure you'll be a lieutenant anymore because there's no unit to chase snails. Or turtles."
"Your love is more important. The idea to stop running and working out and replace that with eating chocolate is very tempting. Unfortunately I won't look stunning anymore with five hundred pounds. My eyes will be still amazing ice blue, but my legs won't be stunning long anymore…long yes, but long and…well probably as wide as long. Lieutenant Load."
"It is amazing how you can still talk yourself beautiful even if everybody else would say you're fat."
"Not fat, more to love."
"Like I said. I like the brown horse with the four white…it locks like socks."
"You like it, I'll get it for you." Sofia grinned.
"She's spoiling me, she must have something in mind." Sara mumbled and followed her friend. Whatever Sofia had in mind, Sara was sure she'd find out soon.
"I am going to a cop bar. I have never been to a cop bar." Sara shook her head in disbelieve. She was on holidays and was about to spend an evening in a cop bar. Conversations about violence, death, murder, lawyer, judges and whatever was on a cop's mind.
"You're not a cop there's no reason for you to go to a cop bar usually."
"I am allowed to sit on the same table like you do or do I have to go to the far back, the table nobody wants to sit on, the place you cops send everybody who isn't a cop?"
"First of all it's not a cop bar and second I won't let you sit anywhere than next to me."
"Am I worth that? Sitting on the same table like a lieutenant."
"You say something stupid like that again I'll restrain you and let you bring downtown. You are more worth than a captain."
"I am?"
"Don't dare me to do what I just said."
"Sorry." Sara smiled. "There is the bar."
"We're early." Sofia opened the door for Sara. As soon as they were inside Sara took a look around. No, definitely not a cop bar. The guest were all ages, all shapes and it sounded like from all over the world.
"Looks good."
"Yes, cozy. And I can see at least a dozen different kinds of beer. Which one would you like to have?"
"An Australian beer. In memory of our trip last year."
"A challenge? Alright I'll try my best. Don't run away, don't talk to stranger and don't forget me."
"You're silly."
Sofia grinned. Yes she was silly and she enjoyed it.
Sara sat on a stool and looked out of the window. New York's street were busy, even after seven p.m. and far away from the Broadway. Not like Vegas where the whole life was on one or two streets, here most streets were filled with people. Tourists wandering around, looking for interesting buildings, working people cleaning and maintaining the streets and sidewalks, business man in suits.
"Got a Fosters for you."
"Wow, thanks."
"No worries, mate." Sofia giggled. "Oh and I need to look into your eyes and hold your hand every now and then."
"Why is that?"
"There's guy at the bar who wanted to hit on me. I told him we're a couple."
"Great, five beer later he'll start to fight me to get you."
"He comes close to you, he tries to touch you, I'll kick his ass. Nobody touches my CSI."
"You're my bodyguard again?"
"I think I told you a few times before I'd guard every inch of your body if you want."
"Are you hitting on me, Sofia?"
"Sounds like, doesn't it?"
"Yes."
"You mind?"
"No, I prefer you than a drunken bastard."
"Good. Want a kiss?"
"You know, Blondie, you should be careful what you offer. One day somebody might take you serious and you'll have a problem then. Just imagine I want this kiss, you kiss me and detective Flack comes is. You can forget your romance with him."
"Right. I need to wait to hit on you until we're back in our apartment. Sharing a bed with you my chances should be better there too."
"You're ridiculous."
"I'm yours."
"Sure." Sara rolled her eyes. "There's your detective."
"He looks sexy in his suit…how old do you think he is?"
"Too young for you."
"I hate you!" Sofia showed her teeth. That was the worst answer Sara could give her and the brunette knew that.
With a bottle of beer detective Flack came to their table and sat next to Sofia. "Lieutenant Curtis, Miss Sidle."
"Detective Flack, we're glad you could make it."
"There can't be an emergency every day. We're not in Vegas here."
"We don't have emergencies every day; every second maybe." Sara grinned. "At least it feels like when I have a look at my overtime."
"We don't have fifty thousand cops like New York."
"It looks like you don't need them, you can solve our crimes too."
"You can solve one of our cases the next time. I'm sure some of our criminal are here active too."
"I guess so. Any names? Anybody I need to have an eye on?"
"Not that I can recall one right now. I'll let you know."
"And you got a higher rank since the Albaraz case."
"Yes my boss wanted me to make lieutenant…and somebody else too." Sofia smiled at Sara.
"You didn't want to become a lieutenant?"
"I did but they forced me into it. Well I'm glad they did I want to make captain ASAP."
"Less field days."
"I like the field day."
"But you didn't want to be a detective anymore."
"The pay is much better." Sofia laughed. She knew detective Flack knew she was joking. There was nothing like good pay in the law enforcement; not until you weren't a lawyer for the mob or important business people.
"What was the fuss at the Staten Island Ferry yesterday?"
"Some jerks had attacked an officer. He told them they couldn't go on the ferry anymore, they didn't listen and at the end we had dozen officer and civilians in hospital and two dozen people in custody."
"How long did you close the terminal?"
"Around two hours."
"Wow, perfect timing, we were back there three hours later to see Lady Liberty."
"Did you take some good photos?"
"Yes. I think we could decorate a whole apartment with all the photos we took so far."
"Or both of our apartments." Sara chuckled. Almost a thousand photos in two days, that was a new record. "Do you want another beer?"
"Sure. Miller please."
"Surprise me." Sofia smiled.
"American or international?"
"International."
"Alright." Sara left them alone. Cops in cops conversations, she was sure when she was back they had another cop topic. Were CSI people the same? Well, she knew almost only people who worked as a CSI or in a CSI lab, with them she talked about cases, forensic…probably it was nothing special that people talked about their job.
"A Miller for the detective and a Veltins for the lieutenant."
"Thanks civilian."
"CSI."
"You need a rank, Sara."
"Acting supervisor?"
"For a start."
"Maybe one day. The higher the rank the more paper work and politics you have to deal with."
"True."
"The pain in the ass in every job." Flack said.
"Yeah it's…" It took them less than a second to hear the shoots and the break of glass. Instinctively Sofia pulled Sara down and covered her with her own body.
They didn't move until the shooting was over.
"Are you alright?" Sofia got some broken glass from Sara.
"Yes, I'm fine. You?"
"Fine." She got up. Flack was at the door, he had respond the fire. Somewhere somebody cried. There were groans of pain people were talking in panic.
"Somebody call an ambulance!"
"Somebody call the police!"
"Stay away from the window in case they come back." Sofia said to Sara. Usually shooters don't come back but better safe than sorry. She wanted her friend out of the line of fire.
"I'll look if I can help, somebody seems to be injured."
"Alright." Sofia got to Flack, who was on the phone to call for back-up.
"Are you alright?"
"Sara and me, yes but somebody is injured."
"I called an ambulance and back-up. Did you see something?"
"Nothing. I heard the shoots and got down."
"There were at least two shooter. In a black Sedan."
"We've got a victim down here." Sara called from the back. "Get the ambulance. Fast! Nine millimeter in the lower stomach, possible appendix. She loses too much blood, I need something to stop the bleeding."
Sofia bent over the bar and got a towel, threw it to Sara who tried to stop the bleeding.
"Get the people in the back and don't let them destroy the evidence, detective."
"You've a room in the back?" Sofia asked the bartender. He was pale and just nodded. Slowly he moved to the back.
"Follow the bartender, we need you to stay calm and not to touch anything. This is a crime scene. Please stay in the room until an officer will talk to you." She made sure everybody went into the room, only the woman who got hit by a bullet and her boyfriend, husband or whatever he was, stayed. He talked to her, tried to calm her, to encourage her.
Sara could hear the ambulance coming. She had pressed the towel on the wound, tried to feel the pulse and got the man to put his jacket under the woman's head.
Guided by Sofia the paramedics arrived and Sara stepped back. Blood was on her hands and her shirt.
"Wash your hands." Sofia ordered and pushed Sara towards the sink. After the brunette had washed her hands the blonde took a closer look at them.
"What are you doing?"
"No wounds, good. First aid without gloves is dangerous, Sara. If you had any wounds I'd send you to hospital, HIV test. But there's no wound, you're fine."
"You don't know…"
"Exactly, you don't know. I know it's kind of overreacting but I won't risk anything when it comes to you. Nothing."
"That's why you pulled me down and covered me with your body? Risking a bullet."
"It's my job to keep my CSI safe. Protect the CSI."
"As usual you did a good job."
"I hope so." Sofia took Sara's hand and pulled her with her to Flack. There was no way she'd leave her friend anywhere. She wanted Sara close by.
