A couple weeks later.

Taylor got home and was surprised to see she beat Joe home. He wasn't working late today, at least that's what he told her this morning. She pulled her phone out to text him, maybe he went to the gym or something. But, she noticed a missed call and voicemail from him that was left 2 hours ago. She played it immediately.

"Hey baby it's me. I know you're busy. Just wanted to call and say I'm gonna be later then I said tonight. Just got in some shit here today so yeah. Um sorry. I'll see you when I see you, love you. Bye." And that was the end of the message. She felt bad, she could hear it in his voice that he didn't want to be late but he didn't have a choice. She unpacked her lunch bag before she got started on figuring out what to make for dinner.

A couple minutes later Joe got home and she was surprised. She was expecting it to be dark out when he got home.

"Oh hey. How was your day?" She asks wanting to know what that message was all about.

"I do not want to talk about my day, tell me about your day." He said taking off his shoes.

"Oh…okay. My day was good." She replied, Joe was distracted in his head and she could tell.

"Did something happen?" She asked remembering the voicemail.

"I don't want to talk about it." He shut her down and opened the fridge.

"Okay…well…I just got home a little bit ago and didn't get dinner made, should we order something?" She asked with uncertainty.

"I don't care, whatever you want." He said and sat down with a beer.

"Babe-"

"Taylor just please, get whatever, I'll eat anything." He interrupted. She didn't like the cold shoulder he was giving her at all but she sucked it up, grabbed her purse and keys and left to go get dinner for them. When she got in the elevator she pulled her phone out and called Eddie.

"Hello?" She answered.

"Hey, sorry, is this a bad time?" Taylor wondered.

"Not at all, I just got home, what's up?" She wondered.

"Well I don't even really know. I don't even know if I can ask but Joe came home tonight and he's very cold towards me, doesn't wanna talk about his day like he normally does…I was just wondering if you maybe knew if something happened?"

"Oh well I don't know about anything, I can ask Jamie if you want? He's got a better chance at maybe hearing something."

"No no. I don't want to involve the whole family now. I just. I'm sorry." Her voice broke a little. Eddie could tell she was stressed and having trouble getting it together.

"Taylor just know that whatever did happen today has nothing to do with you, it's just the job. It's hard but you gotta stay strong and support him through whatever it is."

"I know I know. I'm really mad at myself that I am practically crying about this. I cannot make this about me god damn it." She was frustrated.

"Don't get mad at yourself. You guys haven't been together too long, you'll learn quick how to handle these days I promise."

"Yeah, well do you have any advice? I tried to talk to him but he really didn't want to talk about his day and-"

"Then don't push it. He will talk when he's ready, he needs time to process it. And when he does tell you about it just listen." She cut off.

"Okay…I'm just concerned because we've lived together a couple months now and this has never happened."

"Yeah well we get good at hiding it and other days it's hard to mask."

"I can't even imagine. I'm sorry for interrupting your night but I appreciate your advice."

"Of course, anytime, seriously." Eddie tells her.

"Thank you." Taylor says and they hang up. She feels better and more confident. She picks up Chinese from down the street for Joe and her.

When she gets home Joe's in the shower, Taylor sets out all the food for them and pours herself a glass of wine while she waits for him to eat.

"Feels good to be clean." He says and comes out to eat.

"Yeah. I'm gonna eat with you and then get one." She says. They sit down and fill their plates with whatever they want. It's quiet, no one's saying anything so Taylor breaks the ice.

"We hired a new hygienist today." She says.

"Nice, you like her?"

"Yeah, she's older."

"Oh." He says, Taylor has trouble finding something else to say. If she keeps bull shitting it might seem obvious but if they don't talk at all it's just awkward.

"How'd the meeting go?" He asks her, she was surprised he started a conversation. She was leading a big meeting today and was super anxious for it. He knew about it for the last week and let her practice public speaking to him the last two nights in a row.

"It was good! I was shaky at first but then I calmed down after I made them laugh with that joke in the beginning."

"I told you, I knew that would make you feel better."

"You were right, I'll give it to ya." She said smiling.

"Mhm, see." He smiled back and they finished up eating.

"I'm gonna go shower." Taylor told him after she put away the food and cleaned up the dishes. Joe watched her head to the bedroom and stirred around the idea of talking about his day now or waiting.

"I made a bad call today." He stated, Taylor stopped and turned back around. Her heart started racing a little, she was nervous to hear the rest. She didn't know what exactly it would entail.

"Okay…?" She said with hesitation, she was trying to just let him talk like Eddie had said.

"It was a hostage situation, 20 year old girl, super intense, they took off with her and I went after them. I was supposed to wait for backup but I knew we'd lose them by then. By the time backup did arrive we were in heavy gunfire, the girl took a bullet to the leg pretty bad, they don't think she'll ever regain full feeling." He was very upset with himself. As he talked, Taylor had walked closer to him.

"I'm sorry." She said, now standing in front of him.

"20 years old, a whole fucking life ahead of her and she could spend the rest of it in a wheelchair."

"Yeah…but I guess try and look at the positive. She's safe, she's alive." Taylor says hoping it doesn't strike a nerve.

"I guess." He shook his head.

"You're a good cop babe, you don't know what the outcome would have been if you wouldn't of acted on your gut."

"Pretty sure she'd still be able to walk on her own two feet."

"You don't know that Joe."

"I do." He told her, Taylor didn't say anything else, she wasn't gonna argue with him, nothing good would come of that.

"Okay well I'm sorry you had a bad day." She says and hugs him in hopes it would help a little. He hugged her back which was good.

"Isn't the first, won't be the last." He says and let's go.

"I know, it was just the first time we've been together that you brought it home with you." She says.

"Like I said won't be the last."

"That's okay. I want to hear about it though, when your ready." She clarified.

"I know."

"Good…I'm gonna go shower if that's okay?" She wondered, Joe shook his head, she gave him a kiss and headed back to the bedroom. He was very thankful she was understanding in this sort of situation. It's exactly what he needed, someone who understood or at least tried to. Not someone who takes it personally or gets mad at him for being mad.

——

Well not everyday is going to be perfect, and this chapter showed that. I think for it being the first time Joe brought work home with him, she handled it well. She needed some advice so she got it and went from there! I think she's gonna do just fine! Leave your thoughts!