A/N: WOW, I lost my day-by-day pace on chapters! Well - I DO have a
reasonable explanation which concerns Gollum and an open man hole, but
that's getting off the point. Well, here it is! Chapter eleven! Or...
ten... whichever way you wanna look at it! :)
JERRY
She sure is one of a kind, that Monica Gilbert. I mean; who's heard of a police-woman? It's pretty rare to find them around, I could anybody that. Especially a good-looking one. So I thought, hey - that guard she met must have been thinking the same thing as me. She's the only lovely lady around for miles; they're all in the city, so why not try for this one? I hadn't realize that they knew each other before.
Monica told me that she and the guard that works on E block knew each other in school. She also told me that this job was her plot to get him to like her. Guess what? It WORKED.
Yes, she's told me ALL her plans. I didn't think she would succeed in nabbing that obnoxious little guy's heart, but I underestimated her abilities. How she did it is a mystery to me.
Lately, I've seen them together a lot; Monica and that guard. It's usually him that's waiting outside the door after work, but on occasions, I see Monica sneaking off to E block when she's supposed to be on duty.
Bret knows she doesn't take the job seriously. I don't have to ask him to know what's coming... what's in store for Monica. If there's one thing Bret doesn't like, it's someone who doesn't take their jobs seriously, and it's obvious that Monica and the guard are distractions to each other. But it's only Monica that's working on his block.
And only she can be removed from it.
* * * * * * * * * *
"Monica?" Bret peered across the hallway to her. The clock above his head read 5:53.
"Yes?" she responded, glancing up from her book.
"Will you step outside with me for a second?"
"All right."
Jerry eyed the two as they left through the door, where it was sunny outside. He knew what was coming, and knew Monica deserved it. She had been given too many chances, and now Bret was going to make her leave.
"Too bad," Jerry muttered under his breath, "It would have been nice for her to stick with us..."
Outside, Monica stood, looking guilty as Bret stood sternly across from her.
"Yes, sir?" Monica asked as innocently as she could.
"It has come to my attention," Bret started slowly, "That you have been lacking the attention to your work that I require here."
"Have I?" Monica grumbled. "I'll try to stay on task from now on."
"That's another thing I would like to talk to you about," Bret said. "I've given you many, many chances to stay here, Monica. This isn't the first time I've had to pull you outside. I'm beginning to think that this job isn't the best for you."
"What?"
"Monica... you're still young and have plenty of opportunities ahead of you. And obviously, you feel that chasing men around is more important than your work," he explained.
"I'll try harder to stay on task," Monica said hurriedly. "I will."
"How many times will you say that before you finally mean it?" Bret asked.
"Ummm..." she tried to think of something to say.
"That's not a question you should answer," Bret said, smiling lightly. "I'm just implying that you have to be let go. Sorry, but that's the way it's got to be. You have much more than this to look forward to."
"Yeah," Monica nodded, then shook her head, then half-nodded, half-shook her head, trying to make up her mind. "Yeah," she repeated, seeming to be thinking. Then she looked at Bret. "You're right, I guess. I can't deny that I've been nothing but in the way here. But, sir, if you don't mind, can I say something, now that I'm not going to be working here anymore?"
"Go ahead," he said. Then he added quickly, "As long as it's not too vulgar." His realization of his lameness glowed like an aura.
She gave a sympathetic smile; half to herself. "No, it's not. I just had to say that - guarding prisoners with you guys WAS pretty fun. Even though the inmates are a bit difficult."
"Thank you," Bret replied. "I'm glad you liked it."
"Yes," she sighed. "Fun while it lasted..."
Of course, Monica took the news quite lightly. She had been expecting that talk. The last talk with her boss. But when Monica told Percy the news later that night, on the other hand, he hardly took it lightly.
"WHAT!?" Percy raged. "Fired? YOU fired!?"
"Calm down," Monica grumbled, eyeing the turned faces of a few prisoners who were being ushered to their dinner. "It's okay."
"How can you say that?" Percy asked in astonishment, eyes flashing. "We can straighten this out," he concluded, making towards B block.
"What do you think you're doing?" Monica asked Percy, curiously.
"I'm going to have a talk with that boss of yours," he said icily.
"Oh NO you're not," she said as if he were the most ridiculous person on Earth, stopping him by the collar. "You don't think I can handle myself? I don't CARE about being fired."
"Why not?" he asked.
"Didn't you tell me once," she said simply, "That you were going to go and work at a mental hospital soon?"
"So?"
"So..." Monica rolled her head in an 'I can't believe you don't get it' sort of way. "You quit this job, and get one at that mental hospital. I could be a nurse or something! Simple."
"What are the chances that there'll be an opening for a nurse at that place?" Percy asked.
"Pretty high, Percy, if your connections-," she said 'connections' in quotes with her fingers, "-are as great as you SAY they are."
"You've been planning this, haven't you?" Percy asked, monotone.
"Oh, ever since Bret pulled me outside the first time to talk with me about my work... which was last week," she shrugged. "So do YOU want to quit this?"
"Yeah," Percy said automatically. "The sooner the better."
A/N: Well! Not much from this chapter; thanks Togemon, like always, for reading! The next few chapters will be more interesting, I promise. I think I have it all sorted out... If I'm boring you, please tell me, and I'll make the chapters better. ENJOY! :) :) :) :)
JERRY
She sure is one of a kind, that Monica Gilbert. I mean; who's heard of a police-woman? It's pretty rare to find them around, I could anybody that. Especially a good-looking one. So I thought, hey - that guard she met must have been thinking the same thing as me. She's the only lovely lady around for miles; they're all in the city, so why not try for this one? I hadn't realize that they knew each other before.
Monica told me that she and the guard that works on E block knew each other in school. She also told me that this job was her plot to get him to like her. Guess what? It WORKED.
Yes, she's told me ALL her plans. I didn't think she would succeed in nabbing that obnoxious little guy's heart, but I underestimated her abilities. How she did it is a mystery to me.
Lately, I've seen them together a lot; Monica and that guard. It's usually him that's waiting outside the door after work, but on occasions, I see Monica sneaking off to E block when she's supposed to be on duty.
Bret knows she doesn't take the job seriously. I don't have to ask him to know what's coming... what's in store for Monica. If there's one thing Bret doesn't like, it's someone who doesn't take their jobs seriously, and it's obvious that Monica and the guard are distractions to each other. But it's only Monica that's working on his block.
And only she can be removed from it.
* * * * * * * * * *
"Monica?" Bret peered across the hallway to her. The clock above his head read 5:53.
"Yes?" she responded, glancing up from her book.
"Will you step outside with me for a second?"
"All right."
Jerry eyed the two as they left through the door, where it was sunny outside. He knew what was coming, and knew Monica deserved it. She had been given too many chances, and now Bret was going to make her leave.
"Too bad," Jerry muttered under his breath, "It would have been nice for her to stick with us..."
Outside, Monica stood, looking guilty as Bret stood sternly across from her.
"Yes, sir?" Monica asked as innocently as she could.
"It has come to my attention," Bret started slowly, "That you have been lacking the attention to your work that I require here."
"Have I?" Monica grumbled. "I'll try to stay on task from now on."
"That's another thing I would like to talk to you about," Bret said. "I've given you many, many chances to stay here, Monica. This isn't the first time I've had to pull you outside. I'm beginning to think that this job isn't the best for you."
"What?"
"Monica... you're still young and have plenty of opportunities ahead of you. And obviously, you feel that chasing men around is more important than your work," he explained.
"I'll try harder to stay on task," Monica said hurriedly. "I will."
"How many times will you say that before you finally mean it?" Bret asked.
"Ummm..." she tried to think of something to say.
"That's not a question you should answer," Bret said, smiling lightly. "I'm just implying that you have to be let go. Sorry, but that's the way it's got to be. You have much more than this to look forward to."
"Yeah," Monica nodded, then shook her head, then half-nodded, half-shook her head, trying to make up her mind. "Yeah," she repeated, seeming to be thinking. Then she looked at Bret. "You're right, I guess. I can't deny that I've been nothing but in the way here. But, sir, if you don't mind, can I say something, now that I'm not going to be working here anymore?"
"Go ahead," he said. Then he added quickly, "As long as it's not too vulgar." His realization of his lameness glowed like an aura.
She gave a sympathetic smile; half to herself. "No, it's not. I just had to say that - guarding prisoners with you guys WAS pretty fun. Even though the inmates are a bit difficult."
"Thank you," Bret replied. "I'm glad you liked it."
"Yes," she sighed. "Fun while it lasted..."
Of course, Monica took the news quite lightly. She had been expecting that talk. The last talk with her boss. But when Monica told Percy the news later that night, on the other hand, he hardly took it lightly.
"WHAT!?" Percy raged. "Fired? YOU fired!?"
"Calm down," Monica grumbled, eyeing the turned faces of a few prisoners who were being ushered to their dinner. "It's okay."
"How can you say that?" Percy asked in astonishment, eyes flashing. "We can straighten this out," he concluded, making towards B block.
"What do you think you're doing?" Monica asked Percy, curiously.
"I'm going to have a talk with that boss of yours," he said icily.
"Oh NO you're not," she said as if he were the most ridiculous person on Earth, stopping him by the collar. "You don't think I can handle myself? I don't CARE about being fired."
"Why not?" he asked.
"Didn't you tell me once," she said simply, "That you were going to go and work at a mental hospital soon?"
"So?"
"So..." Monica rolled her head in an 'I can't believe you don't get it' sort of way. "You quit this job, and get one at that mental hospital. I could be a nurse or something! Simple."
"What are the chances that there'll be an opening for a nurse at that place?" Percy asked.
"Pretty high, Percy, if your connections-," she said 'connections' in quotes with her fingers, "-are as great as you SAY they are."
"You've been planning this, haven't you?" Percy asked, monotone.
"Oh, ever since Bret pulled me outside the first time to talk with me about my work... which was last week," she shrugged. "So do YOU want to quit this?"
"Yeah," Percy said automatically. "The sooner the better."
A/N: Well! Not much from this chapter; thanks Togemon, like always, for reading! The next few chapters will be more interesting, I promise. I think I have it all sorted out... If I'm boring you, please tell me, and I'll make the chapters better. ENJOY! :) :) :) :)