December 1971- Thursday 17th:

Decisions, decisions!

"Well, Mike, you are the obvious choice! You are my lead detective and the most senior member of my team."

"Aw, Rudy, I don't know. I'm not one for paper pushing; I'm best out on the streets."

"Sure, Mike, but think of it as a new experience. You're not getting any younger and a few years down the line you may be glad to do more paper pushing. "

"But what about Steve?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Mike, the boy will survive three weeks without you. It will do him good to work with someone else for a while. Team him up with Haseejian. Once Norm realizes how much potential the youngster has, he might even stop teasing him," Olson suggested.

"And who will fill in for me?" Mike asked, still far from convinced.

"I think Roy can look after Robbery and Homicide for three weeks. Tanner can assist him. Now, Mike, I want to hear a yes!"

Stone reluctantly agreed, he realized he didn't really have much say in the matter as Rudy's mind was made up.

"You start on Monday and I can go off on my trip to Australia to visit my niece for three weeks without having to worry about a thing. I know you will take good care of the Department and the City!"

Mike was still very apprehensive when he arrived at his partner's flat later that evening. Steve had been laid up with a bad case of the flu for the past week and was only beginning to recover now. Mike knocked on the door to give the patient a fair warning to return to a prostrate position on the sofa, before he let himself in with his key.

"And how's my buddy boy tonight?" he greeted his friend.

"I'm fine; I think I can go back to work tomorrow!" Steve replied.

"Oh no, you won't! You heard what the doctor said yesterday. You are to take it easy for a few more days!" Mike wouldn't hear of it.

Steve was slightly consternated. "Of course I know what the doctor said, because I was there and I was supposed to be there. You, on the other hand, gate crashed a private consultation…"

"I wouldn't call it gate crashing, my boy; I was only exercising my rights as your next of kin! If you recall, you asked me if you could give my name as next of kin. So there!"

Steve scoffed, but knew he was fighting a losing battle.

"Jeannie sends her love and some soup." Mike went to the small kitchen to heat up the meal he had brought with him. His daughter Jeannie was home from College for Christmas already and like Steve, had ducked the flu vaccination, so Mike kept the two of them apart to avoid Jeannie catching the virus, too. And next year, I swear, I'll bring them both for the jab even if I have to drag them!

While Steve ate the soup under his friend's watchful eye, they chatted about work related things. "And by the way, Steve, Rudy asked me to fill in for him while he is away on holidays!"

Steve spluttered and nearly choked on a spoonful of soup that went down the wrong way. Between laughing and coughing he struggled to get his breath back. Mike had expected some sort of reaction but nothing like that! With a hint of wounded pride he asked, "You find that funny, don't you?"

Steve wiped his watering eyes with the back of his hand. "No Mike, no better man than you, but I just had a vision of you completing all the reports that Rudy no doubt will leave for you… and the end of year statistics and…" he doubled over laughing again. "Oh, he really got you there!"

Mike swallowed. Rudy certainly had handed him a whopper. He looked at Steve pensively. "Oh no, man, no! As the captain you won't have a partner who obligingly types up all your paperwork. But cheer up, you'll have a secretary." Steve started giggling again. "For the typing at least. I don't think that she will actually compose the reports the way I do."

Mike grabbed him by the neck and shook him playfully. "Wait and see how Haseejian likes your sense of humor!"

"Ah no, Mike, that's low!" Steve complained. "Ah yes, and it was actually Rudy's idea, so there is no sense in arguing!" After Steve's teasing, Mike quite liked the idea of Steve having to work with Haseejian, who had a wicked sense of humor.

Steve grinned again. "I'll be back on Monday, I'm not gonna miss out a day of your reign as Captain." He looked at Mike. "And before you say anything, the Captain will be too busy to check on who is out sick and who is back, that's a Lieutenant's job. By the way, who's filling in for you?"

December 1971- Monday 20th:

The Mystery of the Missing Figures

True to his word Steve was back on Monday, but Mike didn't see much of him, nor did he see much of anyone else, as a matter of fact. He was too busy going through all the notes that Rudy had left for him, notes on all the reports that needed to be completed before the year was over. He also thought that it might be a good idea to start to assemble the figures for the end of year crime statistics.

This was how Steve found his mentor when he stuck his head into the Captain's office on his way home.

"Don't stand there gawking, come in!" Mike sounded distracted, though his face lit up when he saw his friend.

Steve flopped himself down on a chair opposite Mike and watched him with badly concealed amusement. "Are you looking for something?"

"What do you think wise-guy? Do I look like a man who pulls apart all these files for his personal entertainment? I'm trying to find the figures for the 1971 statistics. I've got Robbery, Vice… yep, I have them all bar Homicide!"

Steve suppressed a grin. "I remember distinctly that Rudy sent a memo out before I was off sick, asking for the figures. I even put it up on your noticeboard!"

"Thanks a bunch! You know I didn't have the time to get it done with you being out sick and…."

Steve interrupted him, "You mean, I didn't have the time to compile them for you as I was out sick…"

Mike gave the pile of papers on his desk an angry push. "I won't give Devitt the satisfaction to catch me out on this. Is he gone yet?"

"I should think so, and everybody else is on their way home, including myself…" Steve decided to let his friend stew for a bit.

"Steve, come on!" Mike pleaded. "Your college education really comes in so handy for jobs like this…" "

Honestly, I hate to let you down, Mike, but I promised Jeannie to take her ice skating tonight."

"Jeannie? Oh my, she was expecting me for dinner, too. Now buddy boy, how about I fix things with Jeannie and you sneak over into my office like a good boy and start working on those Homicide statistics for me?" Mike appealed to his partner's better nature.

Steve pretended to study his fingernails.

"You ungrateful little wretch! Do I have to remind you who looked after you when you were sick? Brought you food and orange juice? Mopped your fevered brow? Made you take your pills?" A menacing edge crept into the senior detective's voice.

"Enough, enough, I get the drift. Of course I'll help you out, but under one condition: You let me listen in when you talk to Jeannie. I might learn something important about dealing with women…" Steve grinned and picked up the extension of the phone. "By the way," He held up a brown paper bag. " I got us some sandwiches. I somehow knew it was going to be a long night!"