Twelfth part : stand by

Song : Seafret – Atlantis

I ran after Molly. I ran so fast I almost caught her at the crossroads. And then I stopped running. I literally stopped running and stayed frozen on the pavement. I looked at Molly. She was walking away. I could have caught, I could have… But I didn't do it. I just couldn't explain it. I just did.

I watched her vanished at the end of the street. She was driving her car. I swore I saw her cry in the car. But I didn't move. Deep down inside me, I knew it was the best way to end our story. I also knew our story couldn't keep going on. My heart, my head, my mind were upside down. I was lost. I hurt Molly. Chris was broken. And the Sczenik cousins were still somewhere where we couldn't find them.

Before doing anything, I needed to clear my mind out. I walked in the streets, I meandered in the neighborhood. I thought of no place to go. I knew I could go to Luca's but North Hollywood was really far away from here and I didn't have the courage to travel so many miles. Walking made me feel fine, free from all my questioning.

As I was walking, I was looking at the houses that were surrounding me: they belonged to families. There were bikes in the garden, toys all around the lawn. When the lights were on, I could see the mothers and the fathers played with their children. I envied their perfect life, the love they share.

I didn't know how I ended here. All I knew was that my stroll brought me to Chris' building. I climbed the stairs and came in the apartment. I didn't think or analyze the situation. I was sad, lost. I needed to rest. So I did the only thing I thought was a good idea at the time. I entered Chris' bedroom and joined her in the bed. I lay down next to her and didn't say a word. I knew she was crying, her eyes were swollen but I didn't want to talk tonight.

I fell asleep and woke up early. Chris was still sleeping. I took my stuff and went back to my house. I had two days off and really needed them to recharge my batteries. Hondo had asked us to be back at work on Monday morning at our very best. I remained two days at home. I ran. I did weights. I cleaned the house, I tidied. But I couldn't sleep.

On Monday morning, I drove to SWAT headquarters. Chris was already there. I nodded at her as I was on my way to the locker room. She smiled. I changed and went to meet her in the briefing room. Before we had the time to share some words, Hondo, Tan, Luca and Deac joined us. They all congratulated Chris to be back at SWAT. She was happy. I was happy for her and hugged her like the others. I felt her body against mine and I hugged her harder. She did the same. It was a little stolen moment. I let her go and we started to work.

The Sczenik cousins had been seen in Santa Monica this weekend. Rokker's team followed them until a warehouse in West Hollywood. Since then, some agents were spying on them. The cousins spent the whole weekend inside and seemed to be very nervous according to Rokker team. Hondo explained to us we were gonna go to the warehouse and arrested these men. I saw anxiety in Chris' eyes. Even if she was not on the field, I could tell she was afraid for all of us. I looked at her, smiled and squeezed her arm.

"Everything will be OK". I whispered in her ear. "No need to worry. We're gonna arrest these guys and send them to jail….Especially after what they did to you…"

She looked at me. I could see in her eyes the anxiety was still there but she seemed a little reassured.

We left the headquarters fifteen minutes later. This time, the operation went well. The cousins were in the warehouse when we arrived. Chris and Hicks led us from the control room and we entered inside the building. Hondo, Tan and Luca went to catch the cousins while Deac and I secured the doors. After cuffing the men, we found boxes filled with bank notes. All the money they stole was there, ready to be shipped to Poland. We also found ticket planes and fake passports for them and their families. The guys were about to leave!

As we came back to SWAT headquarters, everyone was feeling more relaxed. We finally got the guys who almost killed Chris and Hondo! It went so fast, I didn't even realize. This case was over. The Sczenik cousins were gonna go to prison and our lives were gonna be so much tense! Hondo led them to the interrogation room. Chris asked to be one of the questioners. Hondo approved and they came into the room. Deac and Luca went to the next room to question the second cousin. Tan and I took care of the third one.

All the men confessed. They couldn't do otherwise. The proof was overwhelming. Hondo proposed to go for a drink. We all agreed. We went to the locker room and took our stuff. We spent the whole evening to the bar. It was good to see everyone laughed again. We left the bar hours later. I asked to Chris if she needed a ride. She nodded. She sat behind me on the bike. We rode for ten minutes up to her apartment. She got off, thanked me and went away.

I drove away. On my way home, I felt bad. I couldn't understand why. I was just bad, sad, overwhelmed. I just needed to go back to Chris'. I couldn't stand to be far away from her. It was unexplainable. I was just feeling weird, empty. I turned around and drove back to her apartment. In a few minutes, I was back to her place. I remained still for a moment. I couldn't move. I was staring at the building. And all of a sudden, I ran in the stairs and reached Chris' apartment. I opened the door, I took off my shoes and my jacket, entered the bedroom and lay down near Chris.

She sat in the bed and looked at me puzzled. I didn't say a word. She got back under the quilt and let me put my arm around her waist. Before I could even think to something, I was deeply asleep.