The next morning began John's day off. He spent the day studying for a test he had coming up in a few days while Henry was out with a few friends. Just a few months to go and he would be a college graduate. He wanted this so badly he could taste it. Sure, being a police officer had started him off on the wrong foot with many of his classmates, but over the course of the last month, they'd really gotten to know each other. While they had agreed to disagree on a few things, about halfway through the course, they'd finally started getting along. With only a few days left in the class before semester break, he wanted to make sure that he'd pass with flying colors. Looking over his notes, he highlighted the sections he knew he'd want to make sure he reviewed one more time before the test. In the margins, he created some tricks to help him remember the information. After about an hour of studying, his brain was fried, so he set down the notes and made himself an early lunch. He took out his Instant Pot that he had recently bought and got out the cookbook. Putting together all of the ingredients, he followed the instructions to the letter.
Thank God for the pictures in this book. He thought to himself.
Ten minutes of prep later, he finally had everything ready to go into the pot. The kitchen hadn't smelled so good in a long time. When everything was ready, he put the lid on the pot and set the timer, turning off the keep warm feature. While he waited, he got a cup of coffee and caught up on the news of the day. After that, he got his laundry going and checked the timer on the Instant Pot. Ten minutes to go. He double checked the cookbook to make sure of the next steps and got the oven mit ready to help him depressurize the Instant Pot. When it beeped, he donned the oven mit and turned the knob on top. Steam escaped from the pot for about a minute before he heard the light sound of the pin dropping. Then he took the lid off and followed the rest of the instructions before scooping himself a plateful of the delicious looking meal. When he finished eating, he went back to studying. This time, though, he only reviewed the highlighted parts of his study guide before going back and reading through the whole study guide again. Just as he read the last page, he heard the door open and Henry's voice coming from that direction.
"Hey, dad! I'm back!" he called.
"Welcome home!" John replied, checking the clock that read 5:05 pm.
"How'd your study day go?" Henry asked.
"Really well. I think I'm getting it."
"Awesome! You'll have to let me know how your final goes. I hate to leave after having just gotten back, but my flight leaves at 7:30."
"No worries, son. I'll take you to the airport right now. Traffic's a bear at this time of day."
Henry quickly grabbed his suitcases and met John at the front door. John helped him get his things into the car and they headed down the road to the freeway. Getting off on World Way, John turned left and continued straight until he saw the sign reading "departures". When he arrived at the section for American Airlines, he pulled over and helped Henry get his things out of the trunk.
"You have a safe flight and let me know as soon as you land." John said, giving Henry a hug.
"You got it, dad. Love you."
"Love you, too, bud."
Henry disappeared into the crowd going into Los Angeles International Airport as John waved. With a sigh, he got back into the car and headed home, grabbing a burger at McDonald's on the way.
Three days later
John walked into the classroom and took a seat at the desk nearest the door. Taking out his textbook, binder, and a pencil, he looked up to the front of the room where his professor was standing. "Review day" was written on the board.
"Today, we're going to review for our final next week. I encourage you to ask any clarifying questions now and to continue studying throughout the week. Go ahead and take out your study guides and we'll begin."
Taking out the multi-page study guide he had created, John and the class went over each and every question in detail. John made sure any questions he wasn't sure about were answered and made a few notes in the margins of the paper. By the end of the class, each student had an air of confidence about their knowledge of the material covered. Gathering their materials, they exited the class. John's head felt like it would explode with the amount of information they'd covered tonight. He was glad they'd had this class to go over any questions they had, and knew he'd do well on the final. They'd been set up for success and he knew it. Of course, he'd continually review the material over the week, but no longer did he feel like he needed a huge cram session just to make sure he understood it all. As the week went on, he adjusted to his P2 status. His new partner, a young man named James Anderson, was riding with him. James had been a P2 for about a year and just transferred over to the Wilshire station last week. The wisdom he was getting from James definitely made him a better officer. As they drove through the streets of their assigned beat, John's gaze went every which direction. He was in full observation mode, looking for anything out of the ordinary.
"All units copy attempt to locate, attempt to locate reference stolen vehicle. Grey Chevy Silverado, California license plate Ocean Ida Nora 7868. Last seen on Sunset Boulevard." came the dispatcher's voice over the radio.
"We're not far from there. Keep an eye out, Nolan."
A few minutes passed and they came upon a grey truck a couple cars in front of them. As the truck turned right, James turned right as well.
"Read me that license plate." James said.
John scanned the license plate and confirmed it was the stolen vehicle. Grabbing his radio, he radioed into dispatch.
"Control, 7-Adam-15. We have visual on the stolen vehicle. License plate Ocean Ida Nora 7868. Sunset and Rodeo. Pulling it over now for a broken tail light."
"10-4, 7-Adam-15. Any available unit to assist 7-Adam-15. Sunset and Rodeo."
Units keyed up that they were responding as James tried to pull the truck over. The truck began to speed up. John got back on his radio.
"7-Adam-15 we are in pursuit of the stolen vehicle. Request airship and backup." he said, followed by the nearest intersection.
As the units copied, John continued to call out the turns they were making. The beep of the radio telling everyone something major was going on filled the car. After chasing the truck for a few blocks, they came across Lucy and Jackson's patrol vehicle who fell in alongside John and James. A few blocks later, they came to a stop.
"7-Adam-15, vehicle stopped." John said, also making sure to give their location.
Jackson and Lucy exited their vehicle, guns drawn and ready for anything. James and John exited their vehicle and John went up to the back of the car, his gun drawn.
"Hands where I can see them!" he called out.
A pair of empty hands reached out the window and John made his way over to the passenger side of the car while James made his way to the driver's side. James talked to the driver and placed him under arrest. As the prisoner was walked to the patrol car, John got a look at him. The man was about 25, 5'6", slim build, and had brown hair. The blue jacket he was wearing told John the kid was possibly a UCLA student.
"7-Adam-15, status check"
"Let control know we're code 4." James said as he closed the door to the back seat.
"Control, 7-Adam-15, we're code 4 here. Got one in custody"
"7-Adam-15, copy code 4 and one in custody."
John walked over to where Lucy and Jackson were.
"Thanks, guys. Couldn't have done it without you."
"You good, Nolan?" Lucy asked.
"Yeah, I'm good. Just gotta process the scene and make sure the truck gets back to its owner."
Jackson and Lucy nodded. A few more patrol cars, including Sergeant Grey's, pulled in. John filled him in on what had happened and then got permission to start an ID unit to the scene. A few minutes later, most of the police cars had left the scene except for John and James' as the forensic unit's car pulled in. The officer took pictures of the truck and dusted for fingerprints. After a few more minutes, they called in for a tow truck to take it to their impound area. The tow truck came and drove off with the truck. John and James got back in their vehicle and drove to the jail to book their suspect. Once he was booked, they went back out on patrol and took a few more calls before the end of shift.
"Good work today, Nolan. Let's get that paperwork done." James said as they locked their shop up.
A little while later, they had finished their paperwork related to the pursuit and left for the night. John stopped on the way home and picked up a hamburger to eat for dinner. As he pulled into his driveway that night, he was exhausted. He walked inside and immediately went upstairs to his bedroom and fell asleep.
