John paced outside Dr. Crosby's office. After a good night's rest and some time to compress, John now had what he would consider clarity. He didn't need therapy. He let himself get worked up over something that was nothing. From here on out, he would be fine. That's what he kept telling himself.
"Lt. McBain, what a surprise." The doctor had no early morning appointments, so he was surprised that John was here waiting for him. "I wasn't expecting to see you until next week." He unlocked his office and allowed John to follow him inside.
John shoved his hands down in his pockets as he walked into Dr. Crosby's office. "Look, I don't think this is for me." He watched as the doctor turned around and looked at him inquisitively. It was times like these that John hated that he was so good at reading people. "I'll admit I got worked up because my ex, but things are good. We're good now."
Dr. Crosby nodded but he didn't say anything. He figured John wouldn't follow through. He wanted to help, but John had to be willing to take the first step.
John didn't like his silence or the look on his face. "I know you think you're helping, but this ain't me; sitting around blaming my mom for all my problems."
"I didn't bring up your mother, John, but it's interesting that you did." Dr. Crosby was trying to get a rise out of John now. He'd already put some things in motion that would surely draw John back to his office. Sometimes his methods were questionable, but he was a man that got results.
"Don't do that." John felt guilty for the implication. His mother deserved better than the hand she was dealt. John wouldn't blame her for having a hard time coping.
"Do what, John? My job? I'm here to help. This is like physical therapy. Yes, it's going to be hard, but if you don't do it you're going to be emotionally limping for the rest of your life."
"I don't need your kind of help. One bad day doesn't mean anything." John put his hands on his hips defiantly. Part of him decided that he didn't need help, but the other part of him was staying to see if Crosby could convince him otherwise.
"One bad day changed your family's life. I just got one question for you, John. You all but told me that Evangeline doesn't need you to raise this kid, but what about the other way around? If something happens to her, would you be able to raise your kid on your own? Or would you just pass that responsibility to someone else? Your mom or hers? Would you be happy if your kid turned out like you did?" That was more than an oversimplification of what happened to John's father. Dr. Crosby knew that he'd just pushed John too far.
"Go to hell, doc," John stormed out of his office and slammed the door behind him.
Evangeline walked tall as she made her way through the halls of the LPD. She'd not been here since her secret was revealed, and she wasn't looking forward to all of the judgmental stares. On a normal day, she could handle it, but she had been running on pure emotion for the last week and half. If it hadn't been at Bo's request, she would have avoided this place altogether.
She smiled at a couple of officers who offered her congratulations. She was already behind schedule, so she kept her conversations short. Just before she reached Bo's office door she heard a familiar voice from behind.
"The commissioner is in a meeting," Natalie didn't hide the annoyance in her voice or the disgust on her face. "You'll have to call him to schedule an appointment." Natalie was still bitter, among other things, at how Evangeline had been so quick to dismiss her the last time she saw her.
"Bo called me as if it's any of your concern," Evangeline didn't have to justify herself to Natalie, but she was willing to give as good as she was getting today. Natalie was playing a dangerous game and she didn't even realize it.
"Well the mayor is in there and Uncle Bo said not to let anyone disturb them." Natalie exaggerated. The mayor was there, but Bo hadn't asked her to hold his calls or anything.
"Fine, whatever." Evangeline checked her watch as she walked past Natalie toward the empty bench in the bullpen.
"Look, I don't need your attitude. If you're having a bad day, it's probably karma for what you did to John." Natalie had a chance to de-escalate the situation, but instead she poured gasoline onto the fire. "First you hide John's baby from you and then you try to steal it from him. How low can you get?"
Evangeline set down her briefcase and clenched her fist. "As usual, you have no idea what you are talking about. My relationship with John, past, present, and future, has nothing to do with you."
"You keep telling yourself that, but we both know the truth," Natalie stepped aggressively toward Evangeline, "John loves me. John saved me first."
"You know what Natalie? I don't care what you think. I. Don't. Care. About. You." Evangeline ground out her words.
"But John cares and that's just eating you up." Natalie smiled victoriously. No matter the circumstances, John said he loved her and that was a hell of a lot more than Evangeline could say.
"Yes, John cares so much that he doesn't want you anywhere near our child. He loves you so much that he put it in writing." Evangeline enjoyed the anguished look on Natalie's face. "Natalie Lawrence, Vega, Buchanan or whatever you're calling yourself these days is not to have any contact with the McBain child under any circumstances. Violation of this clause will result in an immediate suspension of visitation until a formal hearing in family court." Evangeline's use of finger quotes only annoyed Natalie further.
"You forced him." Tears were welling up in the corners of Natalie's eyes.
That Natalie would even think so little of her wasn't too surprising. When it suited her needs Evangeline was a villain, but, when push came to shove, Evangeline had saved her from unfair prosecution and probably death at the hands of the killers. "No, Natalie, I didn't. It wasn't even my idea." Evangeline used a technical truth to deal the most damage to Natalie.
"You lying bitch," Natalie moved to slap Evangeline, but Evangeline intercepted her. "I hate you. I hate you."
For a moment, Natalie forgot herself and was shouting. The few officers that were standing around to listen in on the drama were forced to take action when Natalie attempted to continue her assault on Evangeline.
Evangeline was surprised at Natalie's overreaction. She'd tried to slap her before, but Evangeline had thwarted her efforts. This time Natalie was trying to inflict some real damage on Evangeline, and in her current state she was very vulnerable. She felt relief as an officer stood in between them and another officer grabbed Natalie to pull her away.
"What the hell is going on here?" The mayor and Bo heard the commotion and ended their meeting abruptly. "Natalie, are you okay?" Bo sighed at the sight of Natalie being restrained.
The officer released her quickly. This was a bad situation either way. Bo would be mad if they cuffed her like they should have. John would chew their asses for letting it happen in the first place.
Natalie didn't respond at all. She ran off instead to hide her shame.
"Aren't you going to arrest her?" The mayor looked at the officers as if they were idiots. "Since when does an assault, in the police station no less, get overlooked."
"Mayor Lowell, it's okay. I won't be filing a complaint." Evangeline spoke quickly. She wouldn't let it show, but she was shaken. She felt responsible for stooping to Natalie's level and causing all the drama.
"Ms. Williamson, I can assure you that this is not okay, and this is not over." The mayor looked warily over at Bo before he excused himself.
"You okay?" Bo walked over to Evangeline as the small crowd dissipated. "You need some water? Let's go to my office." Bo blew out a slow breath. He gingerly put his hand on the small of Evangeline's back as she walked to his office. He got her a cup of water and handed it to her. "I'm sorry about that."
Evangeline just smiled politely. She liked Bo. He was decent and honest, but he was Natalie's uncle. For that reason, she'd always kept her distance from him. "Don't apologize. It's not your fault."
"Not according to the mayor." Bo bit his tongue. He'd said too much. The mayor had received a complaint from Dr. Crosby about Bo's choice of discipline for John. He claimed it made his work with the officers less efficient if they were only sent there for punishment and not when they had legitimate issues. More hit the fan when the mayor found out the truth about Cris Vega. The mayor quickly reduced everything to a common denominator. Natalie, or more importantly the Buchanan family, were receiving preferential treatment from the LPD. The mayor was under the opinion that Natalie should have been fired for her recklessness during the KCK investigation, but her status as a victim had protected her. After today's incident, Natalie would not be allowed to continue working at the LPD.
"Why would he think that," Evangeline questioned Bo as she sipped her water. Her heart was still racing, and she was feeling a little light headed. She thankful that she'd be seeing her doctor later today.
"The mayor? He's got an agenda. Everyone does now that Pa is gone." Bo figured it was just a desperate power play. He refused to see the truth about his family. "Just trying to make a statement."
Evangeline chose not to respond. The dirty side of politics was definitely not her scene. Bo was more honest than most of his family, but that wasn't saying much. If he didn't distance himself from them and their drama, he'd be out of a job.
"I don't want to worry about that right now." Bo observed Evangeline to make sure she was really okay. He had to smile at how much she reminded him of Nora. "I gotta say that you are absolutely beautiful. Just glowing."
Evangeline smiled. "I feel like a big fat blimp." She put her hand to her abdomen instinctively. Time seemed to be flying by now and pretty soon she'd be welcoming her child.
"No, no. You look radiant." Bo smiled back at her. His words were genuine. "Pregnancy suits you.'
"Well, I won't complain. I've been lucky so far and I'm just hoping to make it though these next few months." Evangeline was starting to feel calm again. If Bo was trying to distract her, he was doing a great job.
"Hey, look, about Natalie. She's just," Bo stopped midsentence at the look on Evangeline's face. "No, you know what, never mind." Bo was about to start making excuses for Natalie but remembered who he was talking to. Natalie had a tough year, but it was largely by her own creation. Not to be outdone, Evangeline had also had a rough year. She was just an innocent in all this drama.
"So, you had some questions about your father's estate?" Evangeline changed the topic for Bo. She liked Bo and wanted to maintain their relationship, but she would be damned if she would sit here and listen to him excusing Natalie's bad behavior.
John sat behind his desk completely lost in thought. He'd tried, with little success, to distract himself after seeing Dr. Crosby. Several hours later the doctor's words were still haunting him. It hadn't help that everyone around the station had been whispering and giving him weird looks. He'd stayed in his office for the most part to catch up on paperwork and avoid the office drama.
"Come in," John didn't look up from his paperwork to greet his visitor. He'd requested some files and Natalie hadn't been around to get them, so he assumed it was whoever was filling in for her.
"Hey John, got a minute?" Bo walked into John's office and closed the door behind him. John was hard at work as usual. His methods weren't traditional, but Bo loved his work ethic. "Got a visit from the mayor today." Bo wasn't really asking for John's time as much as he was letting John know he needed to listen for a bit.
"Great, what's that guy after now?" John closed the file and set it off to the side. He tried to give Bo his undivided attention when he was speaking to him.
Bo sat down in the chair in front of John's desk. He was a straight shooter and so was John. They usually didn't spend a lot of time beating around the bush with each other. "He got a complaint from Crosby. Crosby said your punishment was inappropriate and indicative of a larger problem within the police force." Bo knew that the mayor had added that last part on his own.
"Whoa, that wasn't done at my request. I talked to the guy like you said, and nothing like that came up at all." John wouldn't let Crosby off the hook for this one.
"I figured, but I still had to tell you. The mayor is probably looking to prop himself up for when he runs for governor. Pa is gone and he's got an axe to grind. This is personal, so he's going to take whatever ammunition he can find and try to use it against me and my family." Bo wasn't being paranoid about this. He'd been around the block on more than one occasion. He'd have to be careful in the future, but that would be a whole lot easier if his family had moral standards that mirrored his own.
"It's still on me. I'm sorry for what happened with Cris. You know I'd take it back if I could." John had always admired Bo. He was tough, but he was also fair. John didn't want his misconduct to get Bo in trouble. He'd have to do better on the job.
"Just be mindful of that when you go about your business. The mayor is going to have this station under a microscope. He's going to try and take it out on whoever he thinks is loyal to me. Crosby's complaint was legit, but it's set some things in motion." Bo laced his fingers together and looked seriously over at John.
"You won't have any trouble out of me. Everything by the book." John rarely broke rules, but he would bend them when it was in the interest of justice.
"The mayor's also up in arms over Natalie. He's systematically going after my family and she's on the top of the list right now." Bo tried to gauge John's reaction to the news.
"That guy's a real piece of work." John felt bad for Natalie. She'd had her share of bad luck, but this just wasn't fair. Natalie had finally settled into her job and she was good at it. John figured it was good enough to keep her out of trouble.
"Yeah well, he's going way back on this one. Her involvement with Paul Cramer and Rex. Her involvement with the Killing Club Killer. Victim or not, the mayor is really pressing the issue about her trying to bait the killer." Bo had tried to keep those details tucked away, but the case was so high profile that he hadn't been able to. "He considers her access to sensitive information to be a liability for the station."
John rolled his eyes. He didn't know what he was supposed to say. Natalie had been reckless and used her job to inappropriately access police information. She risked her life as well as Rex's when she tried to bat the killer. Then she put Evangeline at risk when she pulled him away from work with a stupid stunt. "So, what happens now?"
"As of today, Natalie is suspended without pay until a formal hearing is held." Bo could fire her out right, but he wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt. Bo was giving her more chances that he'd give any normal employee. That was the mayor's point that he was missing.
"Doesn't exactly seem fair." With no new incidents, John couldn't understand why the mayor would try to retroactively punish Natalie. It had been months since her last interference with a police matter.
"There was no choice this time. Earlier today, she got into it with Evangeline. Things got physical." Bo saw a familiar look on John's face. It was the same look he was wearing the night of the Woman of the Year ceremony when he found out Evangeline was kidnapped.
"Got physical? Her and Evangeline?" John was already up and putting on his coat. That Evangeline would be fighting was shocking enough, but for her to have a been doing it while pregnant was beyond belief.
"Natalie got physical. Couple of guys had to restrain her." Bo could see it clearly now. Whatever he thought John may have felt for Natalie was nothing in the face of what he thought about Evangeline being in danger. It wasn't just the pregnancy. He'd subtly tried to push John and Natalie together, but that had been a mistake.
"And you didn't think that was worth mentioning before now? I gotta get out of here. I gotta check on Evangeline." John didn't wait to be excused. Bo had intentionally tried to soften John toward Natalie with all the business about the mayor. Instead, it had only made things worse. Whatever compassion John felt for Natalie was gone.