Breakable CH 3

Two days later, Bobby went back for his second visit to Breakable. Alex couldn't go so Mike went with him to hold his gun and because he was curious.

"Are you sure this is not a trap?" Mike asked, skeptically.

"I told you it isn't. It's a lot of fun. No one gets hurt and it's great for your stress. You need to do this. Set up the appointment while we're here." Bobby urged, grinning.

"I think I'll just wait and see." Mike returned. "You sure put a buzz on Alex this week. She told Caroline who told me that you and she…."

"Never mind what she and I did. I'm telling you, Mike, you and Caroline would really like this."

"Not me, big guy. I don't need any help."

"Not with that." Bobby scolded, but he was grinning. "Ross is always on your case to control your anger. This is terrific to do just that. Would I steer you wrong?"

"Yes. What I don't get is why you think this is such a great idea for everyone. Some of us use our anger."

"If you won't do it for yourself, do it for Caroline."

"And you say that you're the only one in the room? No one else is allowed?"

"The only one and no one is allowed to watch the monitor either except the woman who's working there."

Mike shook his head. "Something doesn't smell right."

"You're too suspicious." Bobby informed him. "You'll just have to see for yourself."

Jennifer greeted Bobby with her usual smile and greeted Mike with a smaller smile, sensing his skepticism. This time Bobby didn't have to fill out the paperwork so he was able to get right in. "Jennifer, this is my friend Detective Mike Logan."

"How do you do, Detective Logan." She shook his hand. "Are you ready, Detective Goren?"

"Just Bobby. Sure."

"Excuse me, sir." Jennifer said to Mike. She walked with Bobby to the weapons room and opened the cabinet. There were some new bats there, but his big one was still there. He took it down and handed it to her. She nodded, accepted it and locked the cabinet back up.

Mike was watching all this with eagle eyes. "Why all the locks?" he asked.

"They can cause a lot of damage to things and people here. We don't take any chances." Jennifer informed him.

Bobby handed Mike his gun, badge, wallet and keys and followed the woman to the room. The furniture was different and so was the layout. Mike stood at the doorway and looked around. "This is what you do?" he asked.

"You'll see the difference afterward." Jennifer said. "Ready, Just Bobby?"

Bobby grinned in anticipation. "Ready, Just Jennifer."

She grinned at him. "Detective." She nodded to Mike to leave ahead of her.

She closed the door. They hadn't even made it to the desk when there was a huge crash. Mike jumped and reached for his gun. Jennifer sent him an amused look. "That is what is supposed to happen. Relax."

He gave her a sour, skeptical look and went over to sit down. Jennifer was seated at her desk, while the whole place sounded like it was being torn down. Mike got up after a few minutes and moved restlessly around the room. He had the distinct impression that he was amusing her. He tried to edge closer to the monitor so he could see what was going on inside.

Jennifer got up and turned on the exhaust fan, blocking him from seeing very much. Her body language and the glare in her eyes dared him to move closer. He gave her a faint smile and moved back to the front of the room. She resumed her work. There was a pause in the action and she looked up to study the monitor for a minute then ignored it.

She flipped the switch on her desk. "Just another five minutes." She said.

"He still has ten minutes." Mike said for something to do and just to needle her.

"He has five minutes to finish what he's doing and then five minutes for cool down." She told him.

"Where does it say that?"

She pointed to the rules sign on the wall. Mike went over to read the rules and could see just a bit of the monitor that he could see movement. He caught her watching him and turned back to the rules. He glanced over to her from under his eyebrows. She met his gaze squarely. Damn the woman, he thought.

"Five minutes, Bobby." She said into the intercom. She stood up. "See, Detective Logan, no traps and no tricks. Would you like to see the results?"

"I guess." He tried for nonchalant.

Jennifer crooked a finger at him and he followed her into the back room. She knocked on the door and cautiously opened it. Bobby was standing in the center of the room, it was obvious he had been emotional but he was grinning now. A bit of a savage grin, but it was replaced with a wide smile when he saw Logan, looking worried. "You okay, Bobby?" Mike asked.

"I'm terrific." He said. The couch had been literally obliterated. It lay in barely recognizable splinters. Some of the rest of the room had been left untouched, the couch bore the brunt of the abuse.

"I'm glad I'm not that couch." Mike said.

Jennifer cocked her head at him. "What kind of furniture would you be, Det. Logan?" she asked.

Bobby laughed at her. "Good one, Jennifer. Do you want some help cleaning this up?" he asked her shyly. "I made quite a mess here."

"Don't worry about it. It's not so bad. I think your friend is uncomfortable here. I have someone coming in to help me clean up. Thank you for the offer."

"Can I schedule another session?" Bobby asked.

"Sure you can, but call me tomorrow, okay? My computer is giving me a fit. I'll have to see what's wrong with it before I can do any scheduling."

"I will. How about it, Mike? Look like fun?" Bobby grinned.

"No." he said eyeing the debris.

"He's a hard believer." Jennifer said. She led the way back out to the front of the building.

Bobby reached out to shake her hand and on impulse gave her a brief hug. She smiled and patted his arm. "I'll give you a call." He promised.

On the way out Mike gave him back the equipment. In the car he looked over at his friend. "You really enjoyed that." He said.

"Yes, I did. I haven't felt this good in years. I-I used to break things as a kid, because of my size and always got in trouble for it. That couch. That was the one I broke as a kid and my old man strapped me to the rest of it and beat me black and blue with the leg that came off. It felt good to "kill" that couch and beat my old man back a little. Now I can let it go. And it feels fucking good. I think I'll go see if Alex is busy." Bobby grinned.

Mike got a thoughtful look on his face. "I might give this a try." He said.

"You won't regret it." Bobby said, clapping him on the shoulder.

Mike dropped an eager Bobby off at Alexs house and went back to his house. He picked up the phone and called Breakable.

"Breakable, Jennifer here." She answered.

"This is Mike Logan, I just came in with…."

"I remember you, Detective." She said.

"I, uh, decided to give your service a try. Can I get in any time soon?"

"I can work you in tomorrow. I just closed on a cancellation so I know that one is open. Is a living room alright?"

"Fine. Is it possible to have a bunch of liquor bottles all over the room?"

"I can cover that."

"What time?"

"11:00. Be here about 15 minutes early for the paperwork." She outlined the papers she needed from him and hung up. He almost called her back and cancelled then decided what the hell.

He called Carolyn. "Hi, it's me."

"Hello, me. How are you doing?" she said, he could hear the smile in her voice.

"I'm going be a little late for our lunch tomorrow. I have an appointment from 11 to 12. I'll meet you there afterward?"

"Okay. Is everything alright?"

"Fine. It's something Goren suggested. I'll tell you all about it when I see you. I miss you."

"I miss you too. I'll be glad to be home." She said. "I have to go. Love you."

He hung the phone up. Captain Ross was in his office staring out into the squad room looking like a thundercloud. He'd been that way for a few days. Self consciously Mike went back to the paperwork he had let go too long. Ross came out to see him in a few minutes. "You know one of the benefits of being a captain is that you learn to read body language and lips. You will see your wife soon. Four or five calls to her a day is a bit much. Let's get some of that paperwork done." He turned and walked back to his office.

Surreptitiously Mike flipped him the bird. "I saw that." Ross told him over his shoulder.

After a lonely night at home, Mike was in the squad room early so that he could take the afternoon off with Carolyn. If he made a big dent in his paperwork, he figured he could tell the captain that he was sick. Not really and he knew for a fact that he wouldn't buy it, but it was too bad. He really applied himself and made a bigger dent in it than he thought he would. About 10:30, Ross walked by his desk. He stopped for a minute behind Logan.

"It's not your fault that I've been in a bad mood for the last few days. I know your wife is coming back into town today. Finish what you're doing and take the afternoon off. And not a word to anyone or you'll be working a lot of late hours."

"Not a word." Logan agreed. He thought his jaw would drop to the desk.

Ross walked back to his office. Logan finished the work he was doing, put it in his inbox and left the office. He'd just make it to Unbreakable. He was a few minutes late, but Jennifer didn't seem to mind. She had the papers on her desk and went through the procedures with him. She seemed surprised to see him there by himself.

He understood her safety precautions. He was reluctant to hand her his gun. She opened the drawer and he put it in by himself, along with his badge, wallet and keys. Then to ease his mind she showed him the gun she left in her top drawer above his. She had no reason to need his. He chose a baseball bat as well and she led him to the room. There were the usual furniture in the room and liquor bottles all over the place. On the table, under a chair, overflowing in a beat up waste basket, some next to a half filled glass (tea, Jennifer explained, for effect), one stuck out of the couch cushions, even one in an old stained sink put up to look like a studio apartment. He had flashbacks to his mothers drunk days and he felt his anger boil up.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

Mike nodded. "Ready."

"Just let me get out of swinging range." She said and left the room closing the door.

His first swing was the bottles near the half filled glass of liquid. They shattered with a satisfying crunch. Using a two handed swing he went through the room smashing every one of the awful bottles that had made his mother treat him so badly and made him lose his childhood. Then he started on the tables and finally the furniture that was left. He was nearly sobbing from the rage and pain, but it was cleansing as well.

"Five minutes, Logan." Jennifer said, into the room. Then, and only then did he hear the exhaust fan, and feel the cool air on his face. He took a couple of more swings at the shards of glass bottles. "Put the weapon on the floor, please. Just relax."

He laid the bat down and stood, drenched in sweat and breathing heavily, but he felt it. The exhilaration that Bobby felt. He felt free. He felt like he'd managed to take his life and some of his childhood back from his alcoholic mother. He looked at Jennifer and she was smiling at him. She crooked a finger at him and led the way back out to the desk. She unlocked the drawer with his gun in it and it was there, just like he'd left it.

He picked them up and put them on. She handed him his jacket and he put it on, though he was still sweating. "I, uh, don't know if I'll be back, but that's quite a room you have there."

She nodded. "Seriously, there's a lot of need for it. Not just for police either. There's stress and violence everywhere. We're just trying to get the word out. If you come back, you'll be welcome."

"Thanks. I'll keep it in mind. Good day."

"Bye."

Mike was smiling when he went to join Carolyn for lunch at their favorite restaurant. She was really surprised at his enthusiastic hug in public. He kissed her several times and made sure they had close contact during lunch. "I'm glad you missed me. I missed you too." She said happily. "So tell me about this meeting you had."

Mike did. Carolyn was happy to see him excited about the experience. He talked about how good it felt and he just radiated energy. He teased her and flirted with her outrageously. Then he threw in the kicker. Ross had given him the afternoon off of his own volition. And he wanted to spend the whole thing showing her how much he missed her.

With a smile, she agreed. He tossed a twenty on the table for a 12.00 check and they left the restaurant without waiting for the change.

TBC