Richonne (Short Love Stories) The Other Side of Love (Chapter 40)

Michonne slowly lowers the newspaper to her desk, her mind taking her to a place she never wants to go. As of late, she can't help it. The onslaught of Atlanta Police Department officers being shot and killed is growing and she can't help but be concerned for her husband who has been on the force for the past two years. She immediately decides to distract herself so she moves over to her computer. The first news story to pop up is the most recent police fatality in Atlanta. They're making national news now. She sighs heavily, not wanting to burden Rick even more with her worries. She immediately clicks out of the news site and accesses work related software to take her mind off the danger her husband puts himself in every day.

They have been living in Atlanta for the last four years and all has been going well. Rick is following his career path almost to the letter and she hasn't veered too far from the path she set for herself. She actually wanted to go back to their hometown of Kings County and set up a private practice but her father convinced her she'd be better off getting some much needed experience first. She worked one full year at a law office in the downtown area before landing a job with the state's Attorney General. They have both been quite content with the life they've carved out for themselves.

Her cell phone rings and she immediately grabs it checking the ID. It's Rick. Her relief is palpable as she takes a deep breath before answering.

"Hey babe."

"Hey. I just wanted to call and let you know I may be a little late tonight. The chief is calling another special meeting…probably to address these shootings again. I'll come home as soon as it's over," Rick relays.

"Oh, ok. Well, I'll see you when you get there. Love you," she returns softly.

He doesn't detect the caution in her voice as he is in his squad car, the background noise diverting his attention. "I love you too. Bye."

"Bye." She holds her cell in her hand, wishing the bad thoughts away.

Later that night, she takes in the solace of the house, grateful that this doesn't happen as often as it could. Rick is busy but he continues to make her the number one priority in his life. She does the same for him, a pact that has always gone unspoken between them as they are both ambitious and career oriented.

She looks at the bedside clock and notes the hour, grabbing the remote to power on the TV. She finds their local news channel and proceeds to get ready for bed. The next thing she knows she is being awaken by a hand at her back and a kiss to her cheek. He's home. She smiles up at him as she opens her eyes and turns onto her side.

"Everything ok?" She asks, observing that he is still wearing his uniform. "Did you eat anything?"

"Everythang's fine and I just walked through the door. Wanted to check on you first before I did anythang else," he tells her.

"Well, I tried to wait up for you but once I got in the bed…." She trails off as Rick says, "I know."

He starts undressing, sitting at the foot of the bed as he pulls his shirt tails from his pants and starts to unbutton it.

She sits up quietly, resting her back against the headboard. "I know you don't like talking shop at home but….the reports are everywhere about the shootings. What did the chief have to say about it this time?"

Her husband sighs but understands why she's asking. "The usual but we're gonna have to start wearing vests while on duty, everybody's partnered up now and they're considering calling in some county officers like we can't handle our own city."

She lifts up on her knees and moves toward him, resting her chest on his back, her arms surrounding him. "Well, don't look at it that way. It's just a precaution….a temporary one. But….what's really going on? Is this gang related or what?"

"All of the above….gang related, drug related…..we started cracking down pretty hard on the gang population and now this. I guess this is their retaliation or intimidation and looks like they started something. Everybody thinks it's open season on APD."

She can detect the agitation in him so she squeezes tighter. "Babe, I….I really need you to be careful out there."

He turns around to look at her. "I always am, Michonne. Shane's got my back and I've got his. Nothing's gonna keep me from coming home to you every night. Ok?"

"Ok." She gives him a soft kiss. "Hey, go and take a shower and I'll get your dinner ready. You need to eat something. Otherwise you'll be up at 2 in the morning rumbling through the pantry again."

He laughs knowing she's right. He watches as she exits the room, wondering if he could just forego dinner and feast on her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Two weeks later, they are attending the funeral of Officer Tyreese Williams. He and Rick completed the academy together and became fast friends. Rick was devastated when he got the news and that devastation has morphed into anger. Michonne can only sit by quietly as she listens to the moans of Tyreese's wife Karen and the sobs of their two daughters as they are comforted by their equally grieving Aunt Sasha, Tyreese's younger sister.

She looks up at her husband as he stands among other comrades in dress uniforms, his partner and best friend, Shane, by his side. They had just carried the flag covered casket from the hearse to the grave site and now stand in strict formation, the American and state of GA flags flying behind them. A small group of officers carrying rifles line up and proceed to send rounds into the air to honor their fallen comrade.

Michonne knows what to expect but the pop of the rounds makes her jump each and every time. She finds herself on automatic as the service comes to a close and she faces Karen to give her another hug. She kisses the girls and squeezes Sasha's hand, giving comfort to the family in any way she is able. Her heart grows even heavier as she seeks out her husband only to locate him standing near the grave as the casket is lowered into the ground.

Much later after the repast and a visit to Karen and Tyreese's home, Rick and Michonne make their way to their own house, the silence in the car deafening. Rick is consumed by thoughts of bringing the culprits to justice and Michonne is consumed by thoughts of trying to get him to let go of his anger before he tries to do anything.

They enter the house quietly and veer off into different rooms. She understands he needs some space but she would rather he talk about it instead of holding it all in. She also can't help but feel even more apprehensive about his job. Tyreese was only the second officer who had been lost at their precinct, but he was the first to be lost to the recent violence directed at local law enforcement.

She steps into their walk in closet to remove her heels and hang up her black dress, praying she doesn't have to pull out another one for an occasion like this ever again. She dons a strapless sundress and pads barefoot through the house, looking for Rick. She finds him on the patio, sprawled on a lounge chair, nursing a beer.

He took the time to remove his socks and shoes but continues to wear his uniform pants with the shirt still tucked in but opened to his navel to reveal the white t-shirt underneath. The jacket, tie and hat are lying on the ground so she kneels down to retrieve them, dusting them off softly before placing them in her lap as she occupies the other chair.

"You aren't gonna talk?" She asks quietly.

"There's nothing to talk about," he returns.

"There's plenty to talk about Rick. One of your friends….a fellow officer….is gone because of this senselessness and I didn't want to admit this to myself but…..I'm scared. I don't want anything to happen to you."

"Nothing's gonna happen to me. I'm gonna find the assholes who did this and put them under the fucking jail," he declares.

"I thought you said the investigation was being handled."

"It is but that doesn't mean I can't do my part while I'm out there," he states.

"You're too close to it to be effective." She hesitates before she goes on, knowing this will only upset him more but she has to voice it. "I think you should put in for a transfer. Things have gotten too dangerous here. We should…."

Her husband sits up and looks at her. "Are you telling me to run? To turn my back on my brothers and sisters when they need me the most?"

She frowns as she hadn't thought of it in that way. "No, I'm not saying that. This is about preservation. I need you to make sure you're gonna be ok and right now…..this isn't the place to ensure that."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Rick…."

"I'm not discussing this anymore." He gets up from his chair and walks into the house, closing the door quietly behind him.

Michonne remains outside for a few minutes more, telling herself to just suck it up and believe that her husband will be ok. She knows how stubborn he can be but she can be just as stubborn.

The silence in the house is steadfast for the remainder of the night. They both ignore what is bothering them and choose to seek solace in each other, relishing in the feelings of euphoria their lovemaking brings again and again.

A week later, Rick and Shane are in their squad car having just completed a check of a lead they thought they had in Tyreese's case. It turned out to be a dead end which only frustrates them even further. The fact that they've been told explicitly by their commanding officer to let the assigned detectives handle the case doesn't deter them in any way.

Rick slams his palm against the steering wheel as he drives, ignoring the shrill ring of his cell phone. He watches out of the corner of his eye as Shane picks it up and sees that it's Michonne again.

His friend scratches his head then turns to him. "Um….you know I don't want to get all in your business or nothing but that's the third call from her. I think you better answer. Something could be wrong."

"Nothing's wrong. She's just checking in," Rick explains. At Shane's puzzled look, Rick continues reluctantly with, "She's worried about the shootings. Wants me to be careful and such."

"Of course she does man. She loves you. It would devastate her if something happened to you. You know that," Shane reminds him.

Rick sighs. "Yeah I know. She also wants me to put in for a transfer. That's her solution to this problem and I know she means well but I just…I don't need the distraction right now."

"Come on now. That ain't fair. I know Michonne and the last thing she's gonna do is distract you…." He thinks better of that statement and says, "….well she is kind of a walking and talking distraction but that's all on you, not her. What I'm saying is she's not gonna do anything deliberately to distract you or nag you while you're working. That's not her so you're ignoring her because what she told you has you thinking."

Rick grips the steering wheel, working his jaw as what his partner and friend just said is accurate. "I….I know she's worried but I can't give her what she wants right now. I can't just walk away like we aren't under attack, like it's not my problem." He sighs again. "She's not nagging. She's not. It's me coz I know what she wants and it kills me not to give her what she wants. If I answer that phone and she even mentions it, I'll cave. I do better with her face to face. Don't ask why. I just do."

"Well damn man. Send her a text or something. She's just as stubborn as you and she ain't gonna stop calling until she knows you're ok. Don't do her like that. She's a got a job to do too, you know."

Rick's guilt is palpable as he knows Shane is right. He pulls over to the side of the road right then and there and sends his wife a text letting her know that he's ok and he'll see her at home.

Michonne excuses herself from the meeting she is attending and walks purposely to the ladies' room. She had just received Rick's text message and couldn't believe the enormous amount of relief she felt after reading his words. She realizes she is going to have to get herself together. The need to check in with him throughout the day only developed recently and she knows it's not fair to him. It's also not fair to her to be ignored which she concludes after receiving his text. It was his polite way of telling her not to call again.

She is sure to tell him as much while they're sitting at the dinner table that night. She waits patiently for an explanation as he continues to chew his food slowly while eyeing her. She watches as he places his fork on his plate and wipes his mouth with his napkin. "Well?"

"Babe, I know you're worried. I get that but I just don't need the distraction right now."

Her mouth drops open at those words because she never considered that her concern would be looked at as a distraction. The fact of him thinking that way only serves to hurt her feelings. Of course it didn't take much to achieve that nowadays as she carried her anxiety about his safety with her at all times. His lack of consideration of her suggestion for a transfer hasn't set well with her either.

"Duly noted. I'm sorry that I care about your safety and just want to hear your voice to know you're ok. I'm sorry that my own workload is suffering because I can't think straight anymore. This is consuming me and you could care less."

He drops his head as he takes her words in. "Michonne….I care. I do but this is my job. We talked about this. We talked about the risks, the danger. You knew this beforehand."

"Yes, I knew about the risks and the danger but this is different. People are gunning down police officers like they don't have a care in the world, Karen has to raise her children without Tyreese and you're telling me I should be ok with this. That I should just hope for the best and put it out of my mind?"

"No, I'm not saying that. I just….."

"Then what would you suggest I do? How do I feel better about this?" Michonne demands softly.

He sighs heavily as his mind races, trying to think of a solution for her, anything but what she truly wants. "Support group. They have support groups for wives."

She can feel the sting of tears so she blinks several times to fight against them. "So you're telling me I can't even talk to you about this anymore? You'd rather I go to a support group and work this out?"

"Babe please. Don't do this," Rick pleads.

"Ok, fine. Just…..you won't even consider it?"

"I can't."

She holds back her tears as they continue to eat in silence, finding it difficult to swallow as she feels her throat trying to close up on her. She doesn't know how she'll do it but she'll have to accept his answer and pray for the best.

He is struggling as well. Everything in him is telling him to give her what she wants, but he just can't. Not right now with the way things are. Once they bring Tyreese's killers to justice and APD has taken back the city, he'll consider it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rick and Shane look at each other and smile as they see the unmarked police car pull up opposite them on the neighborhood street. Seeing the detectives assigned to Tyreese's case lets them know they are on the right trail. They both had doubts as their informant's report led them to a high priced neighborhood in Atlanta.

They exit the vehicle as Graves and her partner, Curry, move in their direction. Shane and Rick nod at their instructions to allow them to lead, both satisfied that they were a step ahead of the detectives.

After several raps on the door, pressing the door bell and identifying themselves more than once, Shane and Rick start to move in opposite directions, each traveling to a corner of the house while the detectives remain at the front door. The distinct sound of a rifle being cocked draws their attention as a high powered blast splinters the front door and knocks Curry to the ground in a bloody mess. Graves grabs her weapon and fires off two shots at the gunman she detects through the hole in the front door.

Rick and Shane both pull their weapons and move in, Graves on her police radio mic calling for back up as she kneels down to check on her partner. His vacant open eyes tell her all she needs to know. Rick steps over the gunman, Graves' shots hitting him in the skull and ending his life. Shane veers off into what looks like the kitchen area while Rick walks cautiously towards the stairs. A movement at the top landing has him pointing his gun in that direction and yelling, "Freeze!"

Clearer inspection reveals a dark haired teen. She lifts her hands immediately, apprehension and fright apparent. Rick was just about to question her when he hears a successive pop and notices a gunman running towards him from a hallway. A searing pain rips through his side but he ignores it as he lowers his weapon and fires several rounds hitting the man in the chest.

Shane makes his way back into the room just as a second gunman appeared raising his weapon and preparing to fire. Dropping to one knee to dodge the bullets, Shane pulls the trigger and brings the second man to a stop. "Rick?"

The teen is screaming and all Rick can hear is a ringing in his ears. The pain in his side only grows worse as weakness envelopes him and he drops to his knees. Shane is there, calling his name but he sounds far away like they're in a tunnel. He blinks several times as his vision blurs, the darkness trying to claim him. The sirens. He can hear the sirens. By now, he has slumped over to his side, trying his best to ignore the pain, but failing. He immediately thinks about his wife. Michonne. Her smiling face is the last thing he sees before everything fades to black.