Seeing the recruiting process

"Are they good?"

"Down to six."

"Out of?"

"300. So yeah, they're good."

Sam and Jules talked about the recruits a little bit more before he left to go see said people. While he told Jules the truth—they were good, no doubt about it—he did not enjoy this. And not just because he didn't want anyone to take Jules' spot.

Watching the recruitment process just drove in the point that he did not become a member of this team the normal way, and everyone there knew it—especially the recruits. And though they didn't say anything in front of the other SRU members, and Sam didn't either, the recruits made it more than clear of what they thought when they were with each other or Sam was in the room alone.

Like he was now. "Well if it isn't the special recruit," one of them—an Adam Desson—sneered. "Get your dad to place you anywhere else? Decide you're bored here yet? Or maybe they just haven't been able to find a way to kick you out without upsetting your father."

Sam rolled his eyes and ignored them and their juvenile insults, making it seem like they weren't getting to him.

"I heard that SRU was guilted into taking him—an army vet with nowhere to go."

"Yeah. Cause the SRU is so easy to be blackmailed into taking someone that would potentially hurt innocent people," a new voice joined the party.

Sam looked towards the mirror out of the corner of his eye and saw the most promising of the recruits—Donna Sabine. He had to admit, to himself, that he was slightly impressed she was standing up for someone she barely knew. "I thought we were all on the same side here." Now the recruits were looking away, at least a couple were. There were still some that were glaring at her. One went to speak, but Sam stepped in front of them.

"I think you guys are going to be late if you don't get moving."

A few more glared before they all left the locker room, some pushing into him on their way out.

Sam waited, but turned to acknowledge Sabine who was still waiting behind him. He almost expected her to brush off his attempt to help her, but instead, she merely said, "Thanks."

He cocked his head, bright blue eyes searching hers. "Most people would assume that I'm the one who's supposed to say that."

"Doesn't mean I can't say it as well." She met his gaze head-on, then turned to follow her fellow officers. "Besides, I didn't do anything someone else wouldn't do."

"Jules is going to come back."

She stopped and looked back at him. "I know." She grinned. "Jules is an amazing woman—I would hate it if she didn't come back. We don't have enough female officers here. Especially in the SRU. I just hope that I can prove myself to get on this team, and then maybe, even if I can't stay on Team One, I'll have proved myself enough to earn a place somewhere on the SRU, even if it isn't with Team One."

Sam could say nothing as she continued out the door. He knew the other guys on Team One liked her the most, and he knew the only reason was because of a couple of reasons, one being Jules and one being the general way all the potential recruits had been treating him.

But maybe he could learn to work with her. At least until Jules got back on her feet.

FPFPFPFPFPFPFP

Ed bringing them TH

"Yeah, thanks, Soph. I'll see you in a bit." Ed slipped the phone back into his pocket and shifted the carrier so he was holding it with both hands again. He almost chuckled at the shocked faces that looked back up at him, but the scenery kept him sober.

Tossing the carrier, he took his drink and sat down next to the three. No words were exchanged as they waited, all being said earlier. Ed sat with them like that for an hour until they were called to be processed.

"Did it get better for your parents?" Ed looked back at the question, seeing that Stan had been pulled away first, with the other two halting to ask him. "You said, earlier, that you had to watch your parents go through the same thing. Did it get better for them?"

Ed thought hard, and the officer waited until he answered before he took the men back to the processing. "I'm not going to lie—it was hard for them, and that's with what I could see. But they pulled through. There were days I was sleeping at friends' houses for weeks but in the end…they're together. Maybe, in the end, that's all that really counts."