Seven:
An Officer, A Gentleman, And A Woman
Not long after Lucy had called him, but not before he had called the hospital to check to see if it was okay, Dennis decided to go see Bad Cop. They had never had the chance to have the talk Bad Cop had promised him, and he thought now would be a good time for Bad Cop to make good on his promise, if the old man was feeling up to it, of course.
Arriving at the hospital, he went up to the front desk and asked the nurse who was working behind it at the time if she could give him the number to Bad Cop's room. When she did, Dennis thanked her and took an elevator go up to Bad Cop's room, which was on one of the upper floors.
Dennis knocked. After a few minutes passed, and he got no answer, Dennis opened the door. Bracing himself for the worst, he stepped into the room.
Bad Cop looked better than Dennis thought he would. He was sitting up, his back resting against a mountain of pillows, and looking as if he was about to fall asleep. He looked up when Dennis walked in.
"What are you doing here?"
Not exactly the warm welcome he had been expecting, but Dennis took it, having not expected anything less from Bad Cop. "I thought we'd have that talk you promised me," he said, sitting down on the edge of the bed.
Bad Cop rubbed the back of his head. "What talk?" he asked.
Dennis gave Bad Cop a nudge on the foot. "Remember, that talk you promised me before you stormed off on me the other day," he said.
"Boy, I don't remember anything that happened before I got my legs crushed," Bad Cop said, sticking a finger in his ear. "You're going to have to refresh my memory a little bit."
Dennis felt his cheeks blush a deep scarlet. "Right, sorry," he said. "I didn't think."
"You never do," Bad Cop said." Now, get on with it."
Dennis, trying to hide how much he had just hurt him, reminded Bad Cop of the night they had arrested Alex, and how Bad Cop had told him not to worry about his fears of Alex seeking revenge on them. He also of his promise to talk to him later on the subject of his f
Recognition dawned on Bad Cop's tired, wizened face. "Yeah, I remember now," he said. "That Alex punk. He was the one who robbed that bank. You said he used to be one of your friends, right?"
"Yeah, back in my street days," Dennis said, wishing he could go back in time, erase those days, and do things a little bit differently.
Dennis knew Bad Cop was fighting back exhaustion, but the old man was putting up a strong front. "What kind of boy was he, growing up?" he asked.
Dennis thought back on it, his mind going back to a time and place he had never wanted to go back to. "Oh, I don't know," he said. "He was about just like rest of us, I guess; young, reckless, and hated just about everybody."
A crooked, lopsided smile curled up the corner's of Bad Cop's mouth. "That was how you were, when I found you, remember?" he asked.
Dennis shuddered. "Don't remind me," he said. "I wish I could forget it."
But he remembered. He remembered how he had woken up in a hospital bed one morning after a wild night of roughhousing on the streets with the boys, to find Bad Cop standing over his bed, much like how Dennis was now, in a wicked twist of irony. To this day he still couldn't remember what happened, but Bad Cop had told him he had gotten into a fight with one of the other boys, who had given him the black eye. "Boy, if you keep on going the way going now, you're on your way Juvie faster than you can blink ," the old man had said with a snap of his fingers, looking younger and less world-weary than he did now.
Dennis didn't know what had overcome him then. He didn't know if he had experienced an epiphany or what, but Bad Cop's words had struck home, and he had taken them to heart. He joined the force, working himself up the ranks under Bad Cop's tutelage, until he earned the honorable position of being the old cop's partner.
It hadn't taken Dennis long to realize that there had been something Bad Cop had seen in Dennis that he hadn't seen in the other boys. He had taken him in and cared for him as if he had been one of his own, without asking for anything in return, and Dennis would always be grateful for the old man's kindness. He had a feeling if it had been any other cop who had found him, he would've been put in shackles and hauled off to jail without a bond.
Dennis stared at Bad Cop. "Why did you take me in?" he asked.
Bad Cop blinked at him, his expression blank. "What?" he asked.
Dennis pointed a finger at his chest. "Me," he said. "Why did you take me in and none of the other boys?"
Bad Cop sighed, his shoulders sagging. "I'll be honest with you, Dennis," he said. "I can't lie to you. I saw a little bit of myself in you when I was the age you were then."
Dennis looked around the place, which was making him feel miserable. "So, how are they treating you here?" he asked, wanting to change the subject.
Bad Cop, needless to say, appeared annoyed by the question. "Don't get me started," he said, with a grunt. "The food's terrible, the bed's as hard as a rock, and I don't know what they call this, but it's not a pillow." He started to punch the pillow with his fist when his hands tensed up, and he let his head fall back against the pillow. "The service's not too bad, though."
Dennis grinned, catching the look that had come across Bad Cop's face. "Got a woman on your mind?" he asked, becoming amused when he saw Bad Cop flush with embarrassment.
Bad Cop smiled. "Kelly," he said, "She's been taking care of me ever since I've been here."
Dennis was about to reply when the door opened, and he and Bad Cop turned to see a young woman enter the room. She was short and slender, and kept her light, auburn hair pent-up on the top of her head in a bun.
"Speaking of the devil," Bad Cop said when she came in.
Dennis backed away from the bed. "Is this Kelly?" he asked, going over to the woman. "Bad Cop's been telling me about you." He held his hand out, hoping she would shake it.
Kelly pretended to look horrified. "Oh, I hate to hear what he's said about me!" She shook Dennis' hand, making him feel more at ease. "Nothing bad I hope?"
Dennis shook his head. "No, he was just telling me how good you are about taking care of him," he said, "I was just wanting to thank you."
Kelly blushed. "Why, thank you," she said, turning her head away from Dennis. "I'm happy to take care of him." Once she had regained her composure, she glided over to Bad Cop's bed, her movements so graceful she almost appeared to be floating off the floor.
Dennis couldn't help but stare after her in awe. He could see why Bad Cop was so smitten with her. She was absolutely stunning! If Bad Cop hadn't already had eyes on her, Dennis would've gone for her. She was a whole lot younger than Bad Cop, anyway, and was closer to Dennis' age, but Dennis couldn't do that to his old partner.
Kelly ran her hand over Bad Cop's forehead. "How are you feeling, honey?" she asked, squeezing his hand.
Bad Cop stared up at her, pure adoration on his face. "Much better now," he said, and took her hand in his, kissing it.
Why, that sly old fox! Dennis thought, shaking his head. Unable to believe what he was seeing, he stepped out of the room, without a word. He didn't even think they had noticed he was gone.
Dennis waited outside the door, shutting it behind him, and leaned up against the wall.
He didn't have long to wait.
Kelly came out the door a few seconds later, shutting the door behind her. When she started to turn down the hall way, Dennis jumped out in front of her, causing her jump. She would've screamed if Dennis hadn't put his claw over her mouth. "I'm sorry for startling you, Judy," he said, lowering his hand. "I just wanted to talk to you for a minute."
"What about?" Kelly asked, after Dennis had removed his hand from her mouth.
Still afraid she would run off on him, Dennis talked as fast as "Uh, this might seem a bit forward, but I was just wanting to ask you a personal question, if that was okay," he said,
Kelly seemed taken aback, at first, but seemed to warm to the idea. "Sure," she said, her stance and expression still guarded.
Dennis softened his voice. "What do see in Bad Cop?" he asked. "I'm not trying to judge you or anything, but he's a little old for you, isn't he?"
Dennis had expected Judy's to turn red from embarrassment, but, much to his amusement, she winked at him instead. "Maybe," she said, lowering her voice. "He just reminds me of my Grandpa, is all." She shrugged, acting as if it were no big deal. "My dad died when I was still young, and he was there for me when my dad wasn't."
Dennis was the one who was blushing with shame now. "I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to bring that up, but you and Bad Cop just seem like such an odd couple."
Kelly laughed. "I suppose you can say that," she said. "Yeah, I guess we are, when you think about it like that. " She shrugged, cocking her head. "Well, you know what they say." Her full, attractive lips formed a pretty, but impish smile. "Opposites attract, right?"
Startled, Dennis took a step back in surprise, amazed by her boldness. She might've seemed mousey on the outside, but deep down her deviousness was equal to that of Bad Cop's. Maybe she and Bad Cop weren't so different after all. "Yeah, I think that's true, in your and Bad Cop's case, anyway," he said, beginning to walk off. "Hopefully we can see each other again soon." He threw a hand up over his shoulder and waved at her.
Dennis couldn't see Kelly's actions, but he could sense she was waving back at him. "You bet," she said. "I hope to see you again soon, too."
After Kelly had gone into the elevator at the other end of the hallway, Dennis followed her down the hall, and went home.
