Time Away
It had been two weeks since AJ had last seen Punk and she was climbing the walls. Not out of loneliness but out of fear. She went down to the station after work at around midnight and barged into Kofi's office.
"What's wrong?" Kofi asked.
"Phil." She blurted out.
"What about him?" Kofi asked alarmed.
"I haven't seen or heard from him in weeks. He never goes this long." She told him.
"He's fine." Kofi assured her. "I'll have someone take you home-"
"How do you know that?" AJ asked him.
"Because I'm his partner and I've made contact with him. He's just working really hard and really deep." Kofi told her. "Nothing for you to worry about."
"I am worried." She said to him. "He said he wouldn't go this long without contacting me."
"He's in deep cover and he's not contacting you or coming by the apartment because he's being watched and the last thing he needs is for you to get mixed up in what he's working on." Kofi warned her.
"I would never jeopardize his case." She sighed plopping in the chair across from his desk and glanced over to Punk's empty desk.
"I understand you really miss him." Kofi smirked. "You look exhausted, let me take you home at least."
"No I have to meet Jenkins." She told him.
"At this time?" he asked.
"Yea. We have to talk about the Palanski case." she told him.
"What's going on with that?" Kofi asked curiously. "You two have been out and about with this for days now."
"We have a plan." She smiled.
"What kind of plan?" Kofi smiled back mockingly.
"I can't tell you." She said amused. "It's not your case."
"You are always my case April." Kofi informed her. "Punk has left me in charge of you, so..."
"The evidence is gone, right?" she asked Kofi who nodded. "The only way we can get Palanski on Tiffany's murder is a confession."
"And how is Jenkins planning on doing that?" Kofi asked seriously.
"I'm not allowed to say." She said t o him.
"April." Kofi sighed leaning forward. "Look me in the eye and tell me you are not involved in this? You keep saying 'we', you are a not a police officer." He reminded her. "You are a reporter-"
"And soon to be author." she added proudly.
"Right." Kofi smirked. "April." He said now sternly. "If you're being asked to do something-"
"I'm not being forced into anything." She told him.
"That's not what I said." he corrected. "Were you asked to do something? Such as buddy up to Charles Palanski? Maybe invite him to dinner in a public place with a wire and try to 'clear' the air with him, chummy up? I bet when he told the judge you were a 'CI' he really has you down as a CI to make all of this hold up in court." Kofi said to her but she remained silent. "You don't have to do this and Jenkins shouldn't have asked you."
"I came up with it." AJ said to him.
"No you didn't." Kofi scoffed. "Listen to me, Jenkins wants to solve this case and he's using you. He's not going to care if you end up this guys victim as long as he gets him in a cell."
"It's fine." AJ said standing up.
"You know Punk wouldn't like this." Kofi said to her.
"He's not here." AJ shrugged. "If you hear anything about Phil-"
"I'll call you." Kofi promised. "Now promise me you'll be careful, Punk could be coming home any day and he's not going to be happy if he comes home to a dead fiancee."
"That's a little extreme." AJ said to him. "Whenever I meet with Charlie not only is Jenkins there but so are other undercover officers. It's always public and I'm always wired."
"Undercover is unpredictable." Kofi informed her. "You're not a trained officer and it's not safe. You can end up very, very hurt here. With the year you've had, is this something you really want to do?"
"I want the bad guy to go away." AJ told him defeated.
"It's not your job." Kofi told her sternly. "You have your whole life to look forward. Let Jenkins do his job."
"I came to this City to-" She began.
"To bring awareness to Tiffany and the other victims of Bret Walsh. You ended up providing a voice for millions of women in this City. You didn't come to Chicago to hang around dangerous felons." Kofi said to her. "You're smarter than this."
"I only met with him once and like I said I wasn't alone." she told him.
"Punk would kill Jenkins if he knew this and he just might when he gets back." Kofi warned her. "What would Punk tell you?"
"To stay out of trouble." She said to him. "But it's for Tiffany."
"And what would Tiffany tell you if she was still here?" Kofi asked seriously. "I read those pages of her diary, she didn't want him around him because she knew he wasn't right. You're spitting on her grave by doing this."
"Why are you being so mean to me?" AJ asked taken back by him.
"Because you're a smart woman and you know you're doing something stupid." Kofi said to her. "I don't blame you though, Detective Jenkins should know better."
"If I can help put him away isn't it my civic duty to try?" She asked.
"You've done your duty. Without you we never would have suspected him to begin with." Kofi told her. "You've done your part. Now I'm going to have officer Anderson drive you home."
"I'm supposed to meet with Detective Jenkins." She reminded Kofi.
"I'll meet with Detective Jenkins." Kofi told her. "I'll offer up my services, you look like you're about to fall asleep standing up."
"I am tired." She admitted. "You must think I've ruined your friend..."
"What?" Kofi laughed.
"I keep trying to help and I keep messing up." She told him.
"I've known the man for six years now, I've never seen him happier. He lived and breathed this job and never did anything for himself. You're the best thing that has ever happened to him."
"Thanks." She said giving him a smile and he squeezed her hand.
"Get some sleep April." Kofi urged.
As soon as April left with officer Anderson Kofi saw Detective Jenkins walking into his office and he followed him inside.
"What the hell are you doing?" Kofi demanded.
"With?" Jenkins asked amused sitting behind his desk.
"Putting April undercover with Palanski." Kofi said to him.
"Is that what she told you?" Jenkins asked. "Do you really believe that?"
"Yea." Kofi said to him. "Tell me April hasn't been around Palanski with a wire on."
"She has." Jenkins admitted. "But, it's not like we called him and had them meet privately."
"It doesn't matter." Kofi argued. "This girl has been kidnapped, shot, stalked and held hostage this year alone, she doesn't need this."
"All of that proves how tough she is." Jenkins said to him. "I want to get Charles Palanski on Tiffany Walker's murder and so does April. I had her go to the diner he eats in every night and he walked over to her and began a conversation. That was it."
"And now he think they're friends? He'll think it's ok to swing by and see her? Maybe rape and murder her like he did Tiffany?" Kofi asked. "Who is protecting April at home?"
"She doesn't need it." Jenkins told him.
"Punk trusted you with this." Kofi said to him.
"That's where you're wrong." Jenkins corrected. "Punk didn't trust himself with this case and rightfully so. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, Punk should be too emotionally invested and you as well, you've known April just as long and I know she's become friends with your wife." Jenkins told Kofi who rolled his eyes.
"I'm an unbiased person. I'm doing the right thing."
"It's the wrong thing and you damn well know it." Kofi informed him. "Stop guilting her into doing your job."
"I'm not guilting April into anything, she's eager to help and she gets treated just like any other CI." He told him.
"She isn't a god damn CI!" Kofi yelled. "She's a reporter and a victims friend!"
"Butt out of my case." Jenkins told him. "I'm a damn good cop and you know it. I'll keep April safe and arrest Charles Palanski."
"Do it without April." Kofi warned him then walked out of his office.
The next day AJ was off to the new house to check out all the new furniture. She was so sad to walk into the house without Punk. But she didn't want to throw herself a pity party she knew he was working hard and she was going to make sure he came home to finished home. It was her idea to give him his own 'space' just as he did in his apartment with giving her an office. It was a guest bedroom that AJ was turning into a man cave.
"Do you think he'll like it?" AJ asked Alan who was sitting in the leather recliner in Punk's 'man cave'.
"No. You should give all of this stuff to me." Alan said seriously and AJ laughed. "It's great. He's going to love it."
"And the real present is this." She said pointing to the jersey hanging up in a glass frame.
"That's why you wanted to go the Hawks parade, you didn't want to report you wanted to get swag for your boyfriend." Alan scolded.
"Guilty." She shrugged.
"What about the other bedrooms? There's like a hundred." Alan asked.
"There's five." She laughed cleaning off the mini fridge she had put in. "One bedroom is ours, one is my office and another is my office. The other two will be guest rooms."
"Weren't you supposed to get a dog?" Alan asked.
"Can't do that without Phil." She said to him. "Besides I think a dog will be a bit much in here right now. I just want to get Phil home."
"He'll be home." Alan sighed. "Are you still working with Jenkins?"
"Save the lecture." AJ warned him. "I heard it all from Kofi last night."
"I wasn't going to lecture." He defended lightly.
"Yes you were." She said to him. "Even though the damage is done, Charlie thinks it's ok to call me or text me now that I spoke to him."
"Interesting." Alan forced out.
"Why?" she sighed. "Isn't it good to have a deranged killer on my good side?"
"Not if he's going to kill you." Alan shrugged. "That would suck for Punk to come to that. Then he'd probably kill Jenkins and he'd end up in jail-"
"Kofi went over all of this with me already." AJ sighed.
"Are you sure you're alright?" Alan asked.
"I'm worried about Phil that's all." She said to him. "Something just doesn't feel right, you know?"
"You're only thinking that because he's gone this long without word but he really is just protecting you." Alan assured her. "If he gets seen by the wrong people coming into the apartment-"
"I know, I know." She said fixing some things around the room. "I shouldn't have run out of the court house. I should have married him when I had the chance."
"Why the change of heart?" Alan questioned. "Are you afraid he won't come home?"
"No, I don't know." She said shaking her head. "I just might have felt better."
"Maybe you should go back to New Jersey for a little bit?" Alan suggested. "Who knows how long Punk will undercover and you can concentrate on your book. We already filmed the six episodes for the show, go."
"What if he comes back for a night?" AJ asked him.
"Then leave a note." Alan shrugged. "Or tell Kofi and he'll tell Punk. I think you should get out of town and clear your head a bit. Before you know it you'll be testifying at Hale's trial, you need to rest up. You look like you haven't slept in weeks."
"I feel like I haven't." She agreed. "I do want to go home and talk to my parents about a few things."
"So go." Alan urged. "I'll personally escort you to the airport and take care of everything at the paper. Just send me your articles."
"Maybe for the weekend." AJ said to him.
"I'll take you to the airport tomorrow morning." Alan offered which was tomorrow.
"I can't tomorrow morning maybe Friday night if I can get a flight." She told him. "Is that ok?"
"Yup." Alan assured her.
"I want to see Kofi first and tell him I'm leaving for the weekend. I'll be back Sunday night." she told him.
"Just have fun." Alan said to her. "It's got to be lonely in that apartment every night."
"Yea." she sighed.
"Here I'm pulling up flights." Alan said looking at his phone.
"You really want me out of town for some reason, I'm suspicious." she smirked.
"Maybe I want you out of the cross hairs of Charles Palanski." Alan suggested.
"I'm not in his cross hair." AJ insisted.
"I'd feel better helping keep you alive long enough to marry Punk." Alan said to her.
"Fine." AJ said to him. "But if I miss Phil-"
"You're going to talk to Kofi." Alan told her. "He'd be happy you're not sitting around as bait for Charlie. Do you want to call your parents?"
"Nah, I think I'll surprise them." She smirked. "Every time I go home it's for a holiday or something bad. They deserve a happy surprise."
The next night Kofi was at a coffee shop sipping on coffee when Punk sat across from him.
"Growing out that beard." Kofi smirked.
"Ape will like it." Punk smirked running his hand over the growing beard. "What are you doing here? I thought I was meeting with Carson."
"He got tied up so I was next on the list." Kofi said to him. "How's it going?"
"These are the documents that they wanted." Punk said passing them to Kofi in a newspaper. "I don't have long, I have to get back to the club."
"Anything else?" Kofi asked.
"They're running the drugs through the back of the club. Haven't made it back there yet but they're trusting me more." Punk told him. "Cortez likes me."
"Good." Kofi said to him. "Anything else?"
"No." Punk told him. "How's April?"
"Glad you asked, she's in Jersey." Kofi told him.
"Are her parents ok?" Punk asked.
"Yea she just went for the weekend." Kofi said to him simply.
"What aren't you telling me?" Punk demanded. "Is she alright? Is it Green?"
"No." Kofi told him shaking his head. "I found out Jenkins was trying to use her as an undercover."
"An undercover?" Punk asked taken back. "For what?"
"What do you think?" Kofi asked.
"I hope not Palanski." Punk warned in a low voice.
"Yes and don't worry I nipped it." Kofi promised him.
"What the fuck was he thinking?" Punk demanded.
"He was thinking he was at a dead end in this case and thought he could talk a confession out of him." Kofi told him and Punk shook his head in disbelief.
"He had her wired?" Punk hissed and Kofi nodded.
"I'm going to kill him." Punk growled under his breath.
"It's taken care of and Alan convinced AJ to hang out with her family this weekend. It's all good." Kofi told him.
"That's for the best. I don't know when I'll get away. He has guys watching me, I noticed it last week when I tried to sneak off to her." Punk told him. "I don't want them knowing she exists."
"That's for the best." Kofi agreed.
"Tell her I love her and I'll be home soon." he requested.
"Will do."
The next morning AJ was sitting up in her doctors office. This was the errand she had to run before leaving for the airport.
"Everything is perfect." Her doctor told her pointing to the screen. "You're right on track for eight weeks, or should I say the baby."
"Good." AJ grinned. "I can keep that sonogram right?"
"Yup." The doctor smirked printing it for her. "I thought you said you were bringing the father this time? Not that it's my business."
"He's still working." AJ told her. "He works where he has to be away sometimes."
"I'm not judging you April." The doctor said passing her the sonogram photo. "Does he know?"
"No." She admitted. "I found out two weeks ago, as you know when I came running in here hysterically." She laughed.
"Yes that was a tad dramatic." the doctor teased.
"He's been away for two weeks straight." She told her. "But keeping it to myself is killing me and I know it's not right to tell anyone before Phil but I'm going to fly out and see my parents tonight and tell them. I mean that doesn't count, right?"
"You should tell your parents." The doctor smirked. "I'm sure your fiance will understand."
"Yea." She said to her. "I just feel like I'm missing out on something, you know? I want to tell my fiance and celebrate. I think we'd be celebrating..." She trailed off thinking about it.
"Does he not want children?" The doctor questioned.
"No we do." She told her. "It's just we kind of envisioned being married first and at least practicing with a dog." She teased.
"Ah." The doctor grinned. "I'm sure he'll be just as excited. This is still a happy time for you."
"I know and it's been really hard to not tell anyone but I don't want anyone to know before him, you know?" She said and the doctor nodded.
"I understand." The doctor said to her. "I'm sure telling your parents will help you get it out of your system."
"I hope so." She said to her with a smile. "Are you sure everything is good?"
"Yes April." The doctor told her. "Your blood work came back good, the baby is on mark- relax." She told her with a laugh.
"I just want to do this right. I want Phil to come home to a happy and healthy baby. I mean while the baby is still inside of me. I definitely want him home before then." She told the doctor.
"There's no time frame?" The doctor asked.
"No." AJ said to her. "He might pop up soon though I just don't even know if I should tell him while he's working."
"You'll be showing soon." The doctor warned.
"Yea." AJ said placing her hand over her stomach. "When am I going to find out what I'm having?"
"Oh that will be a few more weeks." The doctor told her.
"Alright." AJ said climbing off the table after cleaning her stomach. "I have to pack before I leave."
"Have a safe and fun trip." The doctor urged her. "This is the happiest time of your life, enjoy it."
"I will." AJ told her.
"I'll see you in a few weeks." The doctor said to her walking her to the door.
"Yes you will." AJ grinned.