Thank you for joining me on this intense journey. I hope you had fun! I am going to take a small break from publishing, just because I need some time to write and finish preparing the farm for winter. The work just doesn't do itself.
The tension and excitement of a new chapter of schooling reverberated through every corridor at the vast Berkeley campus. Previously deserted parking lots were full of cars once again and many of the green areas were taken up by students enjoying a picnic while waiting for their classes to start.
Mike had made his way through the large building leading up to the Criminal Investigation department, taking in the enticing smell of freshly brewed overpriced coffee that filled the air.
Most of the doors along the aisleways were closed and he could hear professors inside wrapping up their lectures, while chairs were shifted around or students asked questions. Late on that Tuesday morning, his mission led him to the large auditorium filled to the brink with curious faces.
At the podium below, Steve was having an engaged conversation with a handful of students, laughingly discussing the disadvantages of summer break and how it took a toll on everybody involved needing to get back into their rhythm.
Leaning against the door frame behind the last row of seats up above, with a Styrofoam cup tucked underneath his left arm, Mike smiled at the personable and caring atmosphere his best friend had created with this particularly large group of students, noting every set of eyes that was focused on him.
Even when he stumbled his way through the question of what he'd spent his summer off doing, Steve's voice never lost its friendly and charming cadence, as he nonchalantly referred to the past few months as "one life-changing experience after the other".
Halfway throughout the explanation, Steve's eyes drifted up at him, warm smile appearing on his face as he shook his head, before continuing on. A few students had noted his change in body language and turned around to glance up at the Lieutenant. Mike smiled and waved when he recognized two of the faces in the front row belonging to his unorthodox homicide support crew.
Both Luke and Squirrel waved back enthusiastically, before once again turning their attention to their Professor.
Mike waited patiently for Steve to dismiss his students and organize his paperwork on a large desk behind the podium, smiling at the fact that most of the young faces walking past him to get to their next class would never realize that the Mike Stone they'd heard so much about was standing right alongside them.
"Lieutenant! It's great to see you again!"
Amongst the crowd of students, Luke and Squirrel appeared from behind a row of seats, cordially reaching out their hand to shake his.
"It's great to see you guys too!", Mike responded genuinely, his eyes scanning the two young men warmly, "Is the new semester treating you well?"
"So far, so good. Although Professor K said he'd be running a tighter ship this time around. He wants to challenge us more, make us think outside the box. I don't know about everyone else, but my head still hurts from all the thinking we did a few weeks ago."
Luke's half-hearted complaint was met with a quiet chuckle from Squirrel, who nervously held his books tighter against his chest.
"I bet it does.", joining in on the laughter, Mike reached forward to squeeze Luke's shoulder affectionately, "I can't begin to thank you two enough. It made a huge difference in the progress of our investigation."
"It's too bad it ended the way it did.", Squirrel noted, before pointing his chin down at Steve, who was busy talking to another student, "Professor K told us what happened. Just hearing him say it made the blood freeze in my veins, and I wasn't even there. Part of me is glad this is over with. The other part wonders what made her snap like that."
"Sometimes…sometimes there is no explanation at all, no matter how hard we want to find one."
Mike's sorrowful words resonated with both students as they fell quiet, staring at their feet insecurely.
"Well ehm…we better get going.", Squirrel said regretfully and turned toward the door, "We've got a class straight across the building, then we're back with Professor K this afternoon for Criminal Psychology. You should stick around and watch him if you can, he's on fire today. Already gave us four chapters to work on for Wednesday."
"Good for him. Not so good for you guys.", Mike answered smilingly, before holding Squirrel back with his outstretched hand, "Are things…is he acting ok otherwise? No more…issues?"
"Nope, he's fine. Looking much better than he did this spring. I know for fact that both Carmen and Barb are harassing him about taking it easy. And Dean Wilson exclusively assigned him the lecture hall for the fall semester, so he doesn't have to keep running up and down the stairs dragging his materials around. It's making us run all over campus because of room changes, but that's a small price to pay to have him around. We don't mind."
Nodding in deep gratitude, Mike watched his helpers disappear through the wide wooden doors, the noises of their rushed steps against the linoleum floors mixing with the low humming of engaged conversations heading to their next lecture.
Slowly making his way down the steps toward the podium, he couldn't hide a broad smile at the sight of his old partner, who'd waited at the base, arms crossed over his chest and shaking his head in amusement. Mike wasn't sure if it was the brand-new black suit and bright blue dress shirt making him look better, or the fact that he'd gained back some of the weight he'd lost after the surgery.
"You are one brave man to come down here during the first week of lectures, Lieutenant."
"Tanner said you'd called."
Steve nodded and waited for him to reach the bottom of the stairs, nervously shoving his hands into his tight pant pockets.
"Yeah, I am sorry it took me a few days to get back with you. I got super busy and then there were things that…things I needed to work out for myself."
"Don't worry about it. I am just glad you finally called.", Mike countered evenly, and handed the styrofoam cup over, "Here, I brought you something. Carmen said you have the next forty-five minutes off, right? So you can take a break?"
Steve's green eyes widened in surprise, as he hesitantly accepted the gift.
"You got me fresh coffee?"
"Coffee? No. The last thing you need in your life right now is coffee. Have you forgotten about your heart? Because I haven't.", the Lieutenant scolded worriedly, "It's oatmeal. We've got some new food stand along the road downstairs. They specialize in healthy breakfast. I hear it's good oatmeal."
"I hate oatmeal.", grimacing, as he glanced back and forth between him and the cup, Steve drew in a dreadful breath, before walking back over to his desk, "Are you on that health trip now too? I thought having Lenny lecture me about minerals and vitamins was bad enough."
His gleeful smile wasn't lost on the young Professor, as Steve deposited the cup on the far side of the large table, before turning back around.
"Dan thought it would be a good idea. Something about the fiber helping with the gut flora and heart health. Please don't make me repeat it…it took all my mental stamina just to pretend to listen to that boy spewing about healthy food."
Their chuckles were the only noise in the otherwise quiet room and Mike felt the worry that had been weighing down his soul for weeks disappear at the company of his old partner. Steve must have sensed his melancholy and smiled nervously, before rubbing the back of his neck.
"So ehm…so Lenny called me late last night. After he talked to you guys. He was pretty upset. We had a talk. A good talk."
"Oh yea? About what?"
With his hands behind his back, Mike watched Steve struggle to come up with the right words, his green eyes focused on some imaginary spot in the floor.
"Well, we ehm…we discussed how what we perceive might be the best strategy to deal with a difficult situation, may or may not be understood as such on the other end. That we…sometimes think we're doing the right thing but in fact are doing a great disservice to those who care about us."
"That's some mighty wise words for ehm…", checking his wristwatch symbolically, the Lieutenant smiled, "For just after twelve-thirty. What made you think of that?"
Swallowing the protest that was on the tip of his tongue, Steve smiled insecurely, then drew in a deep breath.
"Michael…I am sorry. For everything relating to that surgery. It seemed like the right thing to do at the time. But it's pretty obvious now that it wasn't. And it caused a whole lot more heartache than I'd hoped to avoid in the first place. Lenny made me eat crow about this for an hour last night and as much as I'd hate to admit it, I think he's right."
"Mhm hm."
The simple, non-judgmental response made Steve glance up, his expression carefully guarded as if he'd expected a reprimand instead.
"As much as I wish I could erase the past and fix some of the things that happened…I just can't. I guess it was easier to avoid you altogether, than to man up to those mistakes and move on somehow. And I am truly sorry it took that surgery and all the mess that ensued for me to realize that. I guess it's time to…to grow up. Like you said. I am almost forty. Time to move on and grow up."
"Nobody ever said moving on is easy."
The Lieutenant's soothing words perked his friend's interest that morning. Nodding hesitantly, Steve fell quiet for a long few moments, shoulders slumped as he stood a few feet away near the podium. When he glanced back up, Mike could see his expression turning somber.
"Driving the old tank again and having you sit next to me on that bench reminded me just how much I miss the streets. Our research…talking through scenarios…working as one unit. But the ehm…the situation with Erica Holmer also reminded me why I am no longer working the streets. And why that's the best and safest outcome for everyone involved. And it ehm…it brought on a whole new wave of regrets and…pain. Deep pain. None of which I was comfortable sharing with anybody. But then, the longer I thought about it, it kind of gave me a measure of peace. Gratitude even, that this opportunity here had come up. That I did have an option to move on. And that was a pretty pivotal moment for me."
Reaching forward to squeeze Steve's shoulder when he noticed him shake, Mike cleared his throat, having a hard time containing his own emotions.
"We sure had a good thing going, didn't we, Buddyboy?"
Unable to talk, Steve nodded fleetingly and tried to turn away when Mike held him back by his elbow.
"This isn't the end of it, you know that, right? I mean…you're going to be back next month anyways for psych evals and the team and I are counting on your help for suspect profiles very soon. As far as I am concerned, you never really left. You just…you just climbed up the career ladder a bit faster than the rest of us."
"I just doesn't feel that way somedays…", struggling to keep his composure, Steve gestured to the countless rows of seats that were empty now, "But this right here helps a lot. It…it makes me realize that I can still make a difference…without compromising my sanity…or your safety along the way."
Mike took a moment to glance across the vast room, wondering about the impact one could have on others; the power of one's words while educating an entire room full of young adults for two hours at a time. Perhaps there was some truth in the notion of both of them making a difference at their respective sides of the spectrum.
"You know, I thought about what you said the other day. About retirement."
Mike's words caused the young Professor to turn around, curious green eyes staring at him intrigued.
"And?"
"Well, with Lenny phasing out and Roy thinking of calling it quits next year, I guess…I guess somebody has to stick around to keep all the guys in check. If I were to retire, who's gonna stop you from taking over my Homicide department just like Lenny tries to all the time, hm? You'd be running amok in that place without me, flaunting your fancy suits, saying these big words nobody understands, trying to impress the brass, fraternizing with Dan to get my office. Nope, can't let that happen."
"Mike…", Steve groaned laughingly and resumed to sort some of his lesson materials, "You know, I only said that because I am worried about you. Being out on the streets year after year…crimes are becoming more heinous. Respect for Law Enforcement is at an all-time low. There's barely any funding for support staff. I worry about you getting hurt."
"Look who's talking now.", Mike shot back and followed his old partner to the overfilled desk ahead, "How about you save the mother-henning for the time being, hm? At least until I forget what happened these past few weeks that gave me even more gray hairs."
When he got done organizing several file folders and stacking half a dozen reference books on top of each other; Steve turned around to lean against the desk, his eyes drifting across the vastness of the empty room as he drew in a deep breath.
"Well…I guess…under those circumstances, I better keep my nose to the grindstone here and make sure I am ready for October to protect you from yourself. And you are going to have to hang around for a while yet to keep an eye on me, eh? Make sure I take my meds and stay off the caffeine for a bit longer?"
"That's what it sounds like, doesn't it, Buddyboy? Just like we've always done. Watching each other's back."
As he joined his old partner by the desk, their arms touching as they both leaned back in quiet comradery, Mike felt his eyes getting moist.
But this time it wasn't out of fear or terror. It was out of gratitude for the deep friendship that had survived the many turbulences of their professional and private lives over the past decade. A bond that helped both men become better human beings. A deep metaphysical connection that turned them into an incredibly powerful force to be reckoned with for any crook trying to cause unrest on the Streets of San Francisco.
"The Lieutenant and the Shrink. Sounds kinda catchy, don't you think?"
"Mhm hm. Sure does. I like it.", Mike muttered absent-mindedly and glanced over at Steve from underneath the rim of his fedora, "Your shoulder healing ok? Got the stitches out yet?"
"Yep. How about yours?"
Smiling at the irony that they'd both been shot in the same arm just eighteen hours apart, the Lieutenant symbolically ran a hand over the injury.
"Much better already. Might not leave much of a scar at all. Say…what did you call me for anyways? Tanner said you didn't mention it."
Next to him, Steve frowned for a second, seemingly disorganized.
"What did I call you for…lemme think…it wasn't super urgent, I remember that. Oh yes, yes, you are going to love this. Have you read the paper yesterday?"
"Have I read the paper? You know I don't have time to read the paper these days. I have killers to catch! What do you think we're doing in that office all day?"
Smiling at the feign cantankerous tone, Steve turned around to face him, a slight sparkle in his green eyes.
"I saw it when I came home last night. Remember our friend Sal Tidari?"
Unable to stop a growl from escaping his lips at the mention of the uppity reporter, Mike nodded hesitantly.
"What is this fool up to now?"
"Well, get this…", running a hand over his fuchsia tie in obvious excitement, Steve grinned cheekily, "Remember how he was using Marlene Ferris as his pivotal evidence for police brutality a few weeks ago? Talk about karma. Because she's now accusing him of sexual harassment. Not sure if it's true or not, and we may never know, but Channel Twelve already dropped his show and some of the papers are following suit on his editorials. They're ripping him to shreds on all the other channels. It said his wife already filed for divorce. His reporting career has taken a serious hit over this…this tabloid disaster. Looks like we have seen the last of Salvador Tidari for quite some time."
"That's wonderful to hear. But you know what's even better?", looking over at his best friend with a relieved smile that was instantly returned, Mike wrapped his arm around younger man's shoulders, "The Lieutenant and the Shrink. I am really starting to like that, Buddyboy."
