Gail held up two different dresses. She had another date set up by her mother.
Traci pointed to the red one. She nodded and laid both over one of the table chairs. Then moved over to the coffee pot to make herself another cup.
"What's with all the dates, I thought you had a thing with Holly." Traci inquired around her cup. She didn't want to push any buttons but she was curious.
"There's no thing with Holly, and it's free dinners that keep Superintendent Mom off my back." It wasn't a lie, not really. There wasn't anything going on with Holly. Sometimes she thought there might be, sometimes she'd catch Holly watching her from the corner of her eye, sometimes she felt something more in a brush of their skin, sometimes there'd be a glint in the usually calm waves of brown eyes, sometimes there would be a moment where time stopped and it'd just be them together. Every now and again it felt like Holly reciprocated her pounding heart and butterflies. But that would be near impossible. There was no way she could compete with, or even compare to, the woman Holly was ready to marry.
Traci gave her a knowing look, but decided not to poke any further and changed subjects over to weekend plans.
"Price, take this down to the lab." Oliver held out an evidence baggy with Zoey's stuffed animal sealed inside.
Gail perked up with the prospect of going to the lab. The lab meant Holly, and she could use with a small dose of her favourite doctor. Emotions were high with a kid missing, even higher when it was one of their own, Gail needed to get hers in check so she could actually think clearly and Holly was the best way to do just that. She took a step forward to volunteer but before she even opened her mouth the redhead was already talking.
"Actually I'd prefer to stay here, if I could, Sir." Chloe politely but firmly declined.
"She is the only one who can talk any sense into Collins." Traci chimed in. Oliver looked at a loss for a second, but thought it over and nodded. It was true after all.
"I can take it down." Gail finally spoke. Everyone turned to her, most surprised at her sudden willingness to go to the lab, others more used to the offer. Oliver held out the bag and she grabbed it. And without another word or glance she was out and on her way to the lab.
She still couldn't wrap her head around how Zoey had been taken while in the care of an officer. Well she could imagine how, she was there when Andy told her side, she knew how it happened. It was the fact that it'd happened at all, that little Zoey had been taken, Gail was having a hard time with that. Sweet, funny, adorable Zoey was in the grimy hands of some perv and Gail was infuriated. She knew that was no good though, knew looking with feelings wasn't going to help anyone. She needed to cool off and get herself together.
She arrived at the building and immediately rushed down to Holly's office first. When that was empty she took the few halls over to her lab, where Holly was seated on her stool and looking into her microscope. If she wasn't in a rush she would have taken a second to watch the doctor, Holly doing her science thing was one of Gail's favourite sights.
"I need a rush on a DNA sample." Gail stated, pushing into the room. Holly looked up from her work, un-phased by her sudden presence.
"Missing children are top of the pile." Holly reassured. She slid out of her seat and approached Gail. "Who's this?" She asked as she took the stuffed cow from the blonde.
"Ms. Moo, Zoey's favourite toy."
"Funny. Usually it's a bear or a dog, maybe a beloved character, cows new to me." Holly talked, faux interested, as she set about her lab to take the samples she'd need. She could see how the case was effecting Gail and didn't like it. "Though I'm one to talk, I had a squirrel named Dr. Chip."
Gail couldn't help but smile, bright and toothy. "Dr. Chip?"
Holly nodded. "When I picked him out and named him I thought he was a chipmunk. Back in the car LaLa informed me that he was in fact a squirrel and that I'd probably want to rename him, but it was too late, in my head he was Dr. Chip and that was that." She grinned at the memory.
"I had a marble."
Holly stopped what she was doing to look at her oldest friend. "What?"
"A marble." She repeated a little sheepish at the confession. No one knew, she'd never told anyone before. "It didn't have a name or anything, nothing special, brown spirals with green flecks. I won it in a game with Steve, first time I ever actually beat him, he was so mad."
"Do you still have it?"
Gail ducked her head down. She did. It was childish really, to continue to hold onto the thing. "It's in my wallet." She confessed to her shoes.
"Dr. Chip is sitting on standby on the shelf in my bedroom closet."
Gail didn't want to be the one who had to deliver the news. She didn't want to be the one to break Nick's world, his one dream, but she was the one who got the results and therefore the only one who knew what the paper in her hand meant. Maybe she could tell Chloe and let her do it, it'd probably be better from her anyway. On her way to the break room she ran into Lou.
"Where you ever going to tell him?" Gail questioned harshly. She didn't plan on confronting the woman, but the second she laid eyes on her Gail couldn't help herself from asking. Lou stopped mid step, eyes red and puffy but hardened instantly at the question.
"What?"
"Don't play stupid."
"I-" Lou went to defend herself when Gail cut her off.
"You know what, I don't care. It doesn't matter. Either you tell him or I will."
Lou looked terrified and it only doubled when they both caught sight of Nick in the doorway. Gail didn't know what he'd heard but it seemed enough if the set of his jaw was any indication.
It wasn't long after Lou confessed that she didn't know who the real father was, that she wanted it to be Nick over Russell, that they got a location and were out. Nick had taken it awfully well, too well in Gail's eyes. But she didn't have any time to think of that, they had a kid to get back and she needed to be fully focused on that.
"Epstein, Diaz, take east. Price, you keep Collins back. Peck, you're with me." Oliver ordered crisply, making eye contact with every person as he gave them their order.
The arcade was fairly empty for the time of day. Gail was thankful for that much, it meant there weren't a lot of people to worry about and it was easier to find Zoey. Weapons drawn they all headed out in their respected direction. White coat with pink flowers, monkey hat, purple and pink snow boots, Gail scanned the aisles and games for the described outfit. Light hair, pigtails, she added to the list. It'd been awhile since she last saw the three year old, her hair had to be at least another inch longer, probably an inch or two taller too.
They were getting to the end of their side of the building and they still had yet to spot the girl, Dov and Chris hadn't radioed either which meant they were having the same luck. The adrenaline ran through her veins even faster, what if Russell had backed out and taken Zoey for himself.
Just then she spotted them. Tucked away in a darker corner, the furthest game from the entrance, Russell held Zoey up so she could reach the gun of the game. Gail nudged her partner and pointed them out. Oliver radioed in their location before calling out to Russell to put the girl down. Luckily for him, he obeyed and set Zoey on her feet, but he kept a hold of her wrist. Gail grit her teeth. Zoey tried to wiggle out of his hold but Russell wasn't having that and only held tighter. Just then Nick and Chloe came up from behind them.
"Daddy." Zoey called out, relived and happy to see him. In defeat Russell let go of the girls hand and hung his head. Oliver put his gun away as he ordered the perpetrator to stand and put his hands behind his back. Gail didn't watch Zoey and Nick reunite, she had a job to finish before she could celebrate, but she did hear Nicks coos.
"It's okay Zoe, I'm right here. Daddy's here. I've got you."
Everyone deserves to be happy Gail, even you.
The words echoed in the room. Happy. Dinners and coffees with gross, weird men, no matter how delicious and free were not what made her happy. Happy was splitting on takeout, drinking stupidly expensive beer, and watching crappy tv Holly. Her happiness was an adorably sexy, glasses wearing, science nerd who had slipped a pipe cleaner ring over her finger and promised her a forever.
Gail pulled her phone from her pocket and called the number that was already displayed, a smile slowly creeping onto her lips. Two rings.
"Dr. Lunchbox, how may I help you." Holly cheerily answered, she could hear the wide, probably crooked, grin. She suppressed a laugh.
"What're you doing tonight?"
Sports were not her thing. She'd tired, many times, it was the only thing her parents seemed to approve of. The one time thing her parents ever smiled and congratulated her on was her outstanding and new record for her schools hundred yard sprint. Running for a short while she could do, she could excel at that. But running and catching and hitting? No. Sports, Gail couldn't do. So when the counsellors announced a softball tournament she'd grabbed the book Holly let her borrow and found a nice shady space to spend her day.
She settled into the grass and opened her book. Stacy knew better by then to argue with the eight year old, she'd given up on fighting and trying to get her to do things with the cabin weeks ago. Instead she made sure Gail had things to keep entertained and reminded her to stay in sight.
"You not playing?"
Gail moved her hair out of her face and looked up to be greeted by a wide smile and warm brown eyes. She returned the smile, she wasn't ever able to not return that happiness. "Sports." She scrunched her nose in disgust. Holly giggled and sat in the grass across from her. "Aren't you?"
"My cabin is taking on the winner of this game." Holly informed her. She glance behind her at the field and back to Gail then added, "and by the looks of it, it'll be your cabin."
"How can you tell?"
"Unlike you I actually know how the game works. Your team seems to know too, they're wiping the floor with cabin six." She smiled wickedly then, "but that'll all change when I get out there."
"Someone's confident." Gail teased. Holly stuck her tongue out at her in retaliation.
They laid in the grass half watching the game, Holly attempting to teach Gail the rules, and half in their own little world talking about nothing and teasing one another. After twenty minutes of that Holly abruptly stood and ran to the fence everyone stood behind. Gail watched as she picked out a bat from a pile of equipment and ran back to the tree line.
"What's this?"
"This is a bat." Holly smirked. Gail rolled her eyes.
"I can see that, Lunchbox, but what's it for. And if you say softball I'm going to steal your pillow for a week."
Holly bit her lip, fighting the urge to say just that. "I'm going to show you how to swing."
"You're going to be showing me plenty when you're playing."
"You're going to be swinging this one." Holly elaborated.
Gail refused. She argued, put her foot down. But one moment her arms were crossed and she was telling Holly how it was for the safety of everyone that she didn't touch the bat, and the next moment the bat was in her hands, knees bent, and Holly was getting behind her to guid her through the swing. She was nervous, palms sweaty and body tense. Last time she attempted to play any sport she whacked her brother's nose so hard they had to go to the hospital to get it looked at.
"You pull it back like this," Holly's grip tightened over her hands and she pulled the bat high behind them. Gail gulped. They were very close together, she didn't want to hurt Holly. "Then you wait for the pitch, keep your eye on the ball, and when it gets close enough you swing. But that is the tricky part. You have to swing your hips in time with the bat, it's where you get the strength, while still keeping your eye on the ball." She instructed as she slowly went through the motions. They practiced the movement a few more times until Holly felt Gail had it. Then she backed off and watched the blonde swing a couple times.
"Wanna try with a pitch? I promise to go easy."
"Holly we're up!" Someone called. Sue, Gail saw when she looked at the field. She was a little disappointed her lesson was over, she'd actually been enjoying it.
"Maybe next time." Gail passed the brunette the bat. Holly nodded. She didn't make a move to leave for the field, instead she pulled off the green elastic from her wrist.
"Could you do my hair really quickly?" Holly held out a hair tie. Gail rolled her eyes but grabbed the green tie. Holly gave her a smile and turned her back to the blonde as they both sat down. Gail quickly ran her fingers through the dark, silky hair, combing out knots before gathering it all in one hand and tying it off. She liked doing Holly's hair. It was always soft and she never got to do anyone's hair when she was home. It was nice.
"Could you actually put it in a braid? It's easier to put a helmet on when it's braided."
Gail happily took out the tie and sorted Holly's hair into three equal parts. Then she began braiding it with ease. She didn't have anyone to practice on, but she had a few dolls and her own hair was long enough so she hand the hand work down pat. The bracelets her cabin made almost everyday helped too.
"All done." Gail said, almost sad that it didn't take even a minute to do.
"You gonna try at least one pitch?" Holly questioned as she stood. She turned to the blonde with a hand shading her eyes.
She's so pretty, Gail thought to herself, completely not listening to the brunette. A flutter of nerves tickled her chest at the observation.
"Gail." Holly raised a brow expectantly. Gail hummed questionably. "The game, you joining?"
Or maybe it was the question she heard but hadn't acknowledged. "God no. I'd like to live if that's cool with you."
Holly giggled and shook her head playfully. Then she bent down and kissed Gail's cheek, something she hadn't done before but had wanted to do for weeks, something she could help but do at that movement because Gail was adorable and hilariously Gail and she loved it. She'd seen her mom do it all the time with friends and family, and sometimes she said it was for no reason other than wanting to do so.
"When I win you have to share your desert." Holly chimed and left. Her heart was thumping and her tummy was doing flips and she had never been more determined to win a game in her life.
A/N: Thanks for reading, I hope you like it!