Love Finds Itself

Chapter 6: Another Meaning of Life


And here is the next chapter. Something happens.


So Jake and Hailey were together and their friends knew about it in no time. Everyone was happy for them except Jay, who didn't quite know what he felt, but he knew he wasn't thrilled to hear this news. There was nothing he could do so he tried to avoid the matter altogether.

Three months passed by. Their training period had come to an end. They were all to be assigned their districts and their batches. It was a moment of pride and a moment none of them would ever forget. As fate would have it, most of them were sent off to the same district. Only Jake and Regina was put in a different district. But the camaraderie these people had built over the past three months was strong enough to sustain any change. They all loved each other as friends and were ready to do anything for the other person.


So the next morning, Kevin, Adam, Kim, Jay and Hailey met each other again at the 21st district. They looked like officers in their new blue uniforms and couldn't wait for their first ever shift to begin. Kim and Kevin were partnered up, the best decision according to Kim. To Jay's surprise but hidden delight he was partnered up with Hailey. He did everything to contain his excitement and joy. She looked at him as a friend and he didn't want to ruin things between her and Jake. They were handed their patrol car keys and it was another one of those memorable moments. They set off on the streets.

As Hailey and Jay were cruising the streets Hailey spoke up, "What's the deal with Sergeant Platt?"

Jay shrugged his shoulders and said, "Whatever it is, we need to be careful around her. She seems stern and almost dangerous."

Hailey nodded laughing. Trudy really seemed like a dangerous person. They got their first call and they braced themselves for whatever they would be facing. Everything was new, their uniform, their batch, their gun, their partnership. The truth was that they themselves were new but it was a start to their career. Jay and Hailey handled their calls calmly, alert and focussed at all times. They had learnt a lot at the academy and today was the day to put all that into practical use.

Most of the time they were in their car, chatting and whiling away their time. It was almost like because they had started today, the city decided to give them an easy first day. Finally Jay asked, in spite of himself, "How are things with Jake?" he could barely look at her.

She turned towards him and said, "Good, they are good. I am really happy," she was smiling.

Jay nodded, still unable to look at her. He wondered why he did this to himself. He knew things were fine between them but he had to always ask her. He really needed to grow up and get over this. Evening was approaching when suddenly Hailey's personal cell rang. It was Regina. She smiled, knowing that they were probably done and were ready to hang out at the bar. She picked it up and chirped, "Hey Regina, what's up?"

In the next moment Hailey's body language changed, forcing Jay to look at her. She was listening intently to what her friend had to say and the following moment her eyes revealed newly formed tears. Jay wondered what had happened, it didn't look good. Hailey barely managed, "Okay, I'll be there soon."

She cut the call and Jay spoke, "What happened?" he was worried, seeing her like this.

She turned towards him and said afraid and scared, "Jake was shot and he's at Med right now."

Jay just took in the information, not reacting or displaying his emotions because he didn't know what he felt. He finally managed, "Let's go to Med."

Hailey quickly informed the others, terrified that something like this had already happened. All of them rushed to Med, clearly unable to contain so much on the first day. They met Regina in the general lobby and by looking at her all of their fears only increased. She was covered in blood and her hair was dishevelled. She was slumped on one of the chairs, unable to control her tears. Kim and Hailey approached her in an instant and sat by her, firing questions, "What happened?" Hailey chocked out.

"Are you okay Regina?" Kim added.

Regina looked from one to the other, still unable to speak and control herself. The boys gathered around but nonetheless, giving the girls the space they needed. Hailey asked again, "What happened Regina?"

She looked at her and spoke finally, "It was a setup of some sort, I had no idea," she said sobbing openly now.

Both Kim and Hailey placed reassuring arms on her shoulder and coaxed her to continue, "We got out, trying to find out what was going on. When suddenly people started firing. We dove to the side, but Jake was already hit."

Hailey was trying to imagine the situation and fresh tears gathered in her eyes. This didn't sound good. Regina continued, "They kept firing, Jake tried to retaliate while I called for backup. He got shot again, in the neck," Regina was openly crying, clearly reliving the memory.

The neck. That was not a good place to get shot at. How bad was this?

"I rushed to him, applying pressure but he was losing consciousness fast. Backup had arrived but they were still firing. Then the ambulance arrived and I came away with Jake. It all just happened so fast," she concluded, shaking and holding her head in pain.

"Are you hurt?" Kim enquired, trying to inspect her friend.

Regina shook her head, not worrying about herself but the man who was undergoing a crucial surgery right now. She was bruised in many places but it was nothing compared to actually getting shot. Hailey whispered finally, unable to hold it any longer, "Where is he?"

"In surgery," Regina replied almost immediately.

Hailey was suddenly shaking, overwhelmed beyond comprehension by this entire situation. She didn't quite know what to focus on and what to even think about. Her hands were trembling, she held them together tightly to stop the involuntary movement, all in vain.

The whole team was waiting impatiently for the doctor to arrive. They all had their own ways to deal with tough situations but this was a first for all of them and they didn't know how to handle it. After long agonising hours the doctor came out, expressionless. They approached him in the blink of an eye and demanded an answer without actually uttering words. The doctor looked at them and said in an even tone, "I am sorry. We couldn't do anything."

The words hung in the air, none of them willing to let them within themselves. What was the doctor saying? Kevin dared to ask, "What do you mean?"

No one was ready for the answer that was to come. The doctor sighed, hating this part of his job, "I am sorry, he is no more."

All of them stared at him, no part of them wanting to accept this new truth. Maybe he would say something more. They waited. The doctor stood still, so Hailey asked finally, "But he's going to be fine right?"

The doctor glanced at the others briefly and concluded they were all in shock and denial. He opened his mouth to speak but Hailey cut him off, "Tell us he's going to be fine," she pleaded, resisting the doctor's words with a violent denial.

The doctor still didn't say anything. Hailey felt an arm around her shoulder now and she saw Adam pulling her to him. Adam nodded gently at the doctor, saying they would take it from here. The doctor left as silently as he had come, a void present in the atmosphere. Regina had almost collapsed, had Kim not held her up and made her sit. Adam was holding onto Hailey tightly, knowing she would break soon. Kevin had silent tears in his eyes, himself not believing what was happening.

The moment the doctor had uttered his first words Jay's eyes had settled on Hailey. He had understood exactly what the doctor had meant because he was more objective than the others. He had looked at her and seen her deny this fact, fight it, but he stayed glued to his spot.

Regina was openly crying now, unable to contain her tears or her pain. This couldn't be happening. Kim was trying to console her as best as she could, herself shaking from this tragic news. Kevin joined them, embracing the girls. Adam was still holding onto Hailey, trying to handle the situation as best as he could. But it seemed Hailey had shut down, she wasn't crying nor showing any signs of grief. She was numb and in complete shock.

It didn't escape anyone's notice that it was only their first day and one of them was already dead. Dead. They had not signed up for this, but here they were grieving, suffering. It had only been the first day. Were they up for this job? Could they survive the constant trauma that this job brought? The worst had happened but they were all still there. What did this mean?


I conclude the chapter here. I tried to make it as less dramatic as possible, but tried to bring in the raw emotions. Hope you guys like it. Please do let me know what you think. Thank you.