Victor had been trying to rest when Sharon walked into the room. He opened his eyes and watched as she perched herself on the bed next to him.
'How are you feeling?'
'Better.' He said.
'Good.' She wrote something on her clipboard. 'The doctor will be in this afternoon to talk to you about surgery.'
Victor pulled a face. Yuck, surgery. Surgery meant lots of time off work and heaps of physio.
Sharon patted his arm. 'It's not that scary.' Victor sighed and made puppy-dog eyes at her. 'Is there anyone you wanted me to call? Wife? Girlfriend?'
'No, none of the above.' He said. 'Although, if you know anyone…'
She just laughed. 'Well I'm glad you're feeling better Victor.' She said touching his hand.
He thought it lingered a little as she got down off the bed and left to continue her rounds.
Over the next few days each of the officers, including Palermo, had a chance to ride on patrol with Leslie.
She'd also given them a demonstratio of her training on the bikes. They were all impressed by her skills and her bubbly personality had won them over on a personal level.
Everything seemed to be going fine at the firehouse. That was until…
'What are you still doing here?' Tc asked Chris late one afternoon.
Chris gave him a puzzled look. 'I had a report to finish. Why?'
Tc shrugged. 'I just thought you'd be down at the bar with Cory and Leslie.'
'What are they doing there?'
'A social event. Cory and Leslie arranged it at lunch. Didn't they ask you?'
Chris put her hands on her hips. 'No, they didn't.'
'Maybe they didn't get time to ask you.'
'Tc, I was on patrol with Cory all afternoon!'
'Calm down Chris. I'm sure they just forgot.'
'They didn't forget to go to the bar though.' Chris threw her hands in the air. 'This is just typical.
'What do you mean?'
'Every time we get a mutual friend Cory always tries to find a way to make sure that I don't get to see them. Do you remember what happened with Tim Stone?'
'Chris, I think that was a bit different.'
'It's not different. She's trying to make sure that Leslie and I don't become friends.
'I think you're over-reacting.'
She looked at him like he'd just grown horns. 'I am not over-reacting!' She said getting rather flustered. 'Well, you didn't get invited either.'
'Actually I did but I've already got plans for this evening.'
Chris glared. 'So I'm the only one who didn't know about this.'
TC shrugged. 'I don't think they told Palermo.'
She gave and exasperated sigh, grabbed her car keys and headed for the door.
'Where are you going?' He called after her.
'Home.' She bit out.
Chris left in a huff letting the door bang behind her.
Palermo had just come out of his office. 'What was that all about?' He asked Tc.
'I don't know. Tc said. 'It's probably a woman thing.'
Palermo just made a face then got back to what he was doing.
After spending the entire night chewing over what had happened, Chris arrived at the firehouse the next morning tired and grumpy.
'Hi Chris.' Cory greeted her.
Chris smirked and folded her arms. 'You know Cory; I tried to call you yesterday afternoon.'
'Oh, I was out.'
Chris nodded slowly. 'Where?'
Cory gave her an odd look. 'I went out with a friend.'
'Leslie?' Chris asked.
Cory rolled her eyes. 'Look, we would have invited you except you were saying all afternoon that you had so much paperwork to do and you were going to stay back late to finish it. I didn't think you needed the added pressure.'
'How about you let me make up my own mind in future?' Chris said scathingly and went about her own work.
Tc had been to see Victor the previous night and was hovering over Chris's desk telling her about how funny it was to see Rosa fussing over him.
Leslie walked over and joined in the conversation. 'Sharon says he's going in for surgery in a couple of days.'
Chris made a face. 'No wonder Rosa is up. Victor will need someone to hold his hand.'
Tc frowned. 'It's not funny Chris. The man was hit by a truck.'
Leslie clapped Tc on the shoulder rather forcefully, so much so that he was pushed off balance. 'Don't worry.' She said. 'Shaz is looking after him.' Leslie went back to doing whatever Leslie does in a day.
'You don't like her very much do you?' Chris said reading the look on Tc's face.
'She's all right.' He said. 'For a fella.'
Chris scoffed. 'What does that mean?'
Tc stuck out his chest, lowered his voice and did an imitation of her. 'Shaz is looking after him.' He reached down and pretended to scratch himself for effect.
Chris laughed and looked beside him.
Tc followed her gaze and met Leslie head on. She was standing a few feet behind him with her hands on her hips.
'So you think I've got balls huh?' She said. 'I'll show you.' She pounced on him and wrestled him into a headlock where she proceeded to mess his hair.
Tc struggled in her grip. He could have broken out if he wanted to but he was aware she was just fooling around with him.
Leslie let him go. 'Who wears the pants now?' She asked, mocking his masculinity. 'Don't forget to fix your hair.'
Tc waited until she'd walked away before he ran his fingers through his hair to smooth it out.
'I saw that.' Leslie called from across the room.
Chris laughed. 'Met your mate hey Callaway.'
'I let her win.' He said.
Chris just shook her head. 'I don't believe you.'
Palermo called Tc into his office to talk something official.
Chris went back to writing her report.
Leslie came back over to Chris when Tc had left and she pulled up a chair.
'What's up?' Chris asked.
Leslie shrugged. 'Nothing much. I was wondering if you wanted to come out dancing with me and Sharon. We're going into the city to check out the new club that's just opened.'
'Which one?'
'La Vie.' Leslie said. 'A friend of Sharon's went last weekend and she says it's fantastic.'
'Isn't that a gay club?' Chris asked.
Leslie shrugged. 'I didn't think so. Have you ever been to one?'
Chris shook her head. 'I can't say I have.'
'They're a heap of fun. Great music, and you meet a lot of really nice people.'
Chris gave her an odd look.
'It's okay. They are used to straight people going there. All you have to do is say that you're not interested.'
'Oh, okay.'
'So do you want to go then?'
'Sure, why not?'
'Great! We'll get the taxi to swing by your place at about 8.'
'Ok.' Chris said. Leslie got up to leave. 'Wait. Is Cory coming?'
Leslie shook her head. 'I've asked her but she said she's already got plans.'
'How are you feeling?'
'Better.' He said.
'Good.' She wrote something on her clipboard. 'The doctor will be in this afternoon to talk to you about surgery.'
Victor pulled a face. Yuck, surgery. Surgery meant lots of time off work and heaps of physio.
Sharon patted his arm. 'It's not that scary.' Victor sighed and made puppy-dog eyes at her. 'Is there anyone you wanted me to call? Wife? Girlfriend?'
'No, none of the above.' He said. 'Although, if you know anyone…'
She just laughed. 'Well I'm glad you're feeling better Victor.' She said touching his hand.
He thought it lingered a little as she got down off the bed and left to continue her rounds.
Over the next few days each of the officers, including Palermo, had a chance to ride on patrol with Leslie.
She'd also given them a demonstratio of her training on the bikes. They were all impressed by her skills and her bubbly personality had won them over on a personal level.
Everything seemed to be going fine at the firehouse. That was until…
'What are you still doing here?' Tc asked Chris late one afternoon.
Chris gave him a puzzled look. 'I had a report to finish. Why?'
Tc shrugged. 'I just thought you'd be down at the bar with Cory and Leslie.'
'What are they doing there?'
'A social event. Cory and Leslie arranged it at lunch. Didn't they ask you?'
Chris put her hands on her hips. 'No, they didn't.'
'Maybe they didn't get time to ask you.'
'Tc, I was on patrol with Cory all afternoon!'
'Calm down Chris. I'm sure they just forgot.'
'They didn't forget to go to the bar though.' Chris threw her hands in the air. 'This is just typical.
'What do you mean?'
'Every time we get a mutual friend Cory always tries to find a way to make sure that I don't get to see them. Do you remember what happened with Tim Stone?'
'Chris, I think that was a bit different.'
'It's not different. She's trying to make sure that Leslie and I don't become friends.
'I think you're over-reacting.'
She looked at him like he'd just grown horns. 'I am not over-reacting!' She said getting rather flustered. 'Well, you didn't get invited either.'
'Actually I did but I've already got plans for this evening.'
Chris glared. 'So I'm the only one who didn't know about this.'
TC shrugged. 'I don't think they told Palermo.'
She gave and exasperated sigh, grabbed her car keys and headed for the door.
'Where are you going?' He called after her.
'Home.' She bit out.
Chris left in a huff letting the door bang behind her.
Palermo had just come out of his office. 'What was that all about?' He asked Tc.
'I don't know. Tc said. 'It's probably a woman thing.'
Palermo just made a face then got back to what he was doing.
After spending the entire night chewing over what had happened, Chris arrived at the firehouse the next morning tired and grumpy.
'Hi Chris.' Cory greeted her.
Chris smirked and folded her arms. 'You know Cory; I tried to call you yesterday afternoon.'
'Oh, I was out.'
Chris nodded slowly. 'Where?'
Cory gave her an odd look. 'I went out with a friend.'
'Leslie?' Chris asked.
Cory rolled her eyes. 'Look, we would have invited you except you were saying all afternoon that you had so much paperwork to do and you were going to stay back late to finish it. I didn't think you needed the added pressure.'
'How about you let me make up my own mind in future?' Chris said scathingly and went about her own work.
Tc had been to see Victor the previous night and was hovering over Chris's desk telling her about how funny it was to see Rosa fussing over him.
Leslie walked over and joined in the conversation. 'Sharon says he's going in for surgery in a couple of days.'
Chris made a face. 'No wonder Rosa is up. Victor will need someone to hold his hand.'
Tc frowned. 'It's not funny Chris. The man was hit by a truck.'
Leslie clapped Tc on the shoulder rather forcefully, so much so that he was pushed off balance. 'Don't worry.' She said. 'Shaz is looking after him.' Leslie went back to doing whatever Leslie does in a day.
'You don't like her very much do you?' Chris said reading the look on Tc's face.
'She's all right.' He said. 'For a fella.'
Chris scoffed. 'What does that mean?'
Tc stuck out his chest, lowered his voice and did an imitation of her. 'Shaz is looking after him.' He reached down and pretended to scratch himself for effect.
Chris laughed and looked beside him.
Tc followed her gaze and met Leslie head on. She was standing a few feet behind him with her hands on her hips.
'So you think I've got balls huh?' She said. 'I'll show you.' She pounced on him and wrestled him into a headlock where she proceeded to mess his hair.
Tc struggled in her grip. He could have broken out if he wanted to but he was aware she was just fooling around with him.
Leslie let him go. 'Who wears the pants now?' She asked, mocking his masculinity. 'Don't forget to fix your hair.'
Tc waited until she'd walked away before he ran his fingers through his hair to smooth it out.
'I saw that.' Leslie called from across the room.
Chris laughed. 'Met your mate hey Callaway.'
'I let her win.' He said.
Chris just shook her head. 'I don't believe you.'
Palermo called Tc into his office to talk something official.
Chris went back to writing her report.
Leslie came back over to Chris when Tc had left and she pulled up a chair.
'What's up?' Chris asked.
Leslie shrugged. 'Nothing much. I was wondering if you wanted to come out dancing with me and Sharon. We're going into the city to check out the new club that's just opened.'
'Which one?'
'La Vie.' Leslie said. 'A friend of Sharon's went last weekend and she says it's fantastic.'
'Isn't that a gay club?' Chris asked.
Leslie shrugged. 'I didn't think so. Have you ever been to one?'
Chris shook her head. 'I can't say I have.'
'They're a heap of fun. Great music, and you meet a lot of really nice people.'
Chris gave her an odd look.
'It's okay. They are used to straight people going there. All you have to do is say that you're not interested.'
'Oh, okay.'
'So do you want to go then?'
'Sure, why not?'
'Great! We'll get the taxi to swing by your place at about 8.'
'Ok.' Chris said. Leslie got up to leave. 'Wait. Is Cory coming?'
Leslie shook her head. 'I've asked her but she said she's already got plans.'
