A Day in the life...
The continuing
Journal of Amy Rohrbach
ENTRY THREE
A Hunting lesson.
They said that if you take your aggressions out in the Gym
it will allow you to be more calm and clear headed in the streets. I don't
think they were talking about me.
I had been working out at the station's Gymnasium for about
an hour when He showed up. Rookie or not he is one hell of a cop. The day after
getting shot point blank in the chest, he's in the offices talking with the
Lieutenant and acting chief. Actually Duncan said he was yelling at them. I
can't imagine that.
I had spent the
morning in the same room but I was blessed with Arnot as well. I just loved
being told how I nearly got the kid killed and how if I had followed the PSO,
none of that would have happened. I asked him what PSO's would that have been.
He said, "the ones referring to waiting for back up before entering a
scene." Boy, you can tell neither of these jerks read the reports. Anyway
I told them, I was a block from the original call when WE BECAME the scene.
Then they asked me why the rookie wasn't driving the vehicle at the time. I
told them that it wasn't his day to. Boy that went over well.
Needless to say, I have a feeling I was told if we ever get
ambushed again I am to throw my body in front of my rookie and take the bullet.
To top the whole thing off, because of
all this I may lose my stripe. It was right about here where he stepped into
the room and right about here when they had to restring the heavy bag. And I
ran in to the women's shower room. I am not sure I am even going to get the kid
back as a partner. Hell, I am not even sure I want this job anymore. Did you
know that if you cry in the shower people still know you have been crying?
By the time I got the nerve to come out of the locker room,
the kid was taking out his aggressions on some mouthy co-worker who must have
made some comment about last night cause I heard was the kid saying something
to Deluise about if he had been his shoes, his socks would have been wet. Strange
how telling a man (who by the way was a good six inches taller and hundred
pounds heavier than the kid.) … how telling him he would have pissed himself
will start an all out war. I saw the
man swing on MY rookie and after that all I saw was red. By the time we were
pulled off of the other four guys, the Lieutenant was hauling us back to his
office...again.
We must have been in the room for fifteen minutes before
anyone attempted to say anything. The Lieutenant paced for ten of them and sat
in the chair and stared at us for the rest of the time. You could tell Tommy
Faraday really didn't want the job of Chief; he was too damn good at it. Me, I
was seeing another day or two added on to our temporary leave time, this time
unpaid. The kid fidgeted like a cat on a hot tin roof. You could tell he really
didn't like having all this attention. But it was there plain as the newly broken
nose on Deluise face (the other three guys were already on their way to the
hospital.)
"What do you think I should do, you two?" he asked finally
asked. It was one of those rhetorical questions that mom used to ask. You know
the ones that you knew she really didn't want you to answer. Well Deluise tried
to answer it. Which of course proves morons are hatched and left to fend for
himself.
"Wha shud ya do? Dey boke my doze. Mar'in Bown and Aus'in are headen to da
hosbital. And you ask dem wha shud ya do?" Deluisee did his
best to sound threatening while blood still dripped from his nose.
"Yeah, Deluise," the lieutenant barked, "What do they think
I should do?" He got directly into the moron's face. "I am short four men for
the next shift because you and three experienced Officers decided to attack a
wounded Rookie in the gym... and LOST. I saw the whole thing. If they wanted to
they could very easily have you arrested."
"Dey awest me? Dey boke my doze! We was jus playing wit da
kid."
"You ever been hunting, Deluise?"
Moron shook his head so hard I could have sworn I heard some
of his teeth rattle.
"Of course not. Because if you had, you would have known you
never play with a wounded animal they tend to be "cranky". And Never EVER
attack a cub when momma bear is around."
I thought I heard a snort come from the kid but by the time I
got my head turned to confront him he was back in line.
"Now take you happy ass home and don't let me see it again
till Friday."
"Da inspeckor ain gonna like dis," Deluise mumbled as he
stepped out of the room.
Faraday slammed the door behind the moron. Then began to
turn his attention on us. "Now," he yelled, "back to the question at
hand." As soon as he lowered the blinds
to his office he sat back down in his chair. "Have as seat you two."
We both pulled chairs up towards the desk and sat quietly in
them only daring to glance at each other once.
"Just in case," Faraday announced in a voice much lower than
before, "you haven't caught on. You two seem to have made some enemies in
the force. Some very 'big' enemies." Dick both glanced back at each other then
back at the Lieutenant. "Kid I gotta tell you, you got balls the size of the
empire state building. Telling Deluise
he couldn't find his way out of a donut shop, that was cute. Maybe not bright,
but definitely true. Look you in case you guys have not figured it out one of
you seem to have made Arnot's shit list." He turned and looked at me. "Kid, let me let you in on some news ... Bludhaven PD. Is where good cops come to learn how to be bad cops
or die. Amy and I have no family so they can't threaten us with that. But she does have you. I have known this
little girl when she was just twinkle in her daddy eyes. She may not be
trusting of her charges at least not until she has worked with them but good or
bad she is very protective of them while in her charge.
"I gotta say I think you'll be a good cop one day kid
or a dead one. I think you should rethink your priorities while you can. Your
hometown has a great force." I saw a hint of a smile cross the rookie's face.
That is when Tommy got serious. "Last night was not just a fluke. You two were
set up."
"So why do you think they were after the kid?" I piped up
probably sounding way too casual with a commanding officer.
"Yeah, I haven't even done anything...yet," Dick agreed.
"My guess is it's time for the letter to go out. But last
night. I think they tended to kill Amy."
Ok, if he wanted my attention he got it. I have spent many a
year in this hell hole staying out of friendly fire range spend a week or two
with this kid and the next thing I know I am the target. On the upside the kid
wasn't happy.
"Why Amy?" he growled then added, "Sir." Almost as
an after thought.
"Because your Daddy is Daddy Warbucks kid. They are not
going to shoot the son of the Goose who could lay the golden egg. My guess is they are going to start sending
your daddy love letters soon."
My guess? That was a
reference to his foster father Bruce Wayne. Theeeeeee Bruce Wayne.
"Love letters?" he asked.
"You know the kind, kid," I said. "It's a dangerous world
out there. Blah blah blah... We can't always be there to protect your son...
blah blah blah... Bludhaven is a rough town. It's not easy being a cop in this
burg but depending on 'how much' you love your son we may be able to find a way
to protect him."
If I had been killed, it would have given them the leverage
to show how dangerous this job was. That's when I realized I wasn't going anywhere. BAM! It hit me like a ton of bricks when he stood up and announced, "Sir I want
to be reassigned to a different supervisor."
"That would make two of us, kid," Tommy established. "But it ain't gonna happen. First of all, I
seriously doubt she would let me do that"
"Damn Straight!" I announced over the Lieutenant's voice.
He quickly glared at me and continued, "And I am sure Arnot
would have a say in this. You would probably end up with someone like Deluise
or Martin and if they couldn't turn you to a bad cop they would take you out
themselves. No, it is best if you two keep together as long as you can but keep
close. I am fairly sure that they will not try that again for a while. They will try to use the fact you would have
been killed last night if you hadn't been wearing that vest as their ace in the
hole." The kid was not happy. That is when
Tommy lowered the boom. "Dick, I think it would be to your advantage to quit
the force."
"Not going to happen," the kid growled.
"Think about it. They will eventually go after Wayne."
"Bruce, can take care of himself."
"Well consider yourself forewarned. What you choose to do
with that information is up to you. But if you're gonna stay, I suggest you
sleep with your weapon under your pillow. Get the picture?"
"Got it."
"Good, now you two get the hell out of my office."
As we walked out of the building he stopped at my car and
sighed, "Amy, I don't want to get you killed, but..."
"But you have to prove to yourself and your father that you
wont run at the first sign of trouble." I finished for him to his
surprise. "I've been there kid.
"Daddy's little girls sometimes have a lot to prove to
the world almost as much as the foster son of millionaire. For me, it was that
I could do as well as any boy. My guess is, it's not so different for a Circus
kid taken in by a rich guy. You'll make it."
He smirked for a minute opened my car door and let me in.
then as I started the engine he started to walk away (what a view.) Then he turned back and smiled (not a bad
view either.) Then he yelled, "Thanks again... MOMMA BEAR!"