"Oh, I think you missed a spot there Spike." Megan pointed out.
"Yeah," Jules agreed, "And don't forget there is the other ceiling when you're done that one too."
Up on the ladder, with a small painting roller, and a tray full of paint, Spike replied, "You know when I said I'd come over and give you a hand, I didn't mean that you could just sit around and watch me work."
"Where's the fun in that?" Megan asked.
"Hey- she's been working hard." Jules pointed out, "She pretty much built this entire addition herself, has continued her officer training, and undergoing emotional therapy. Even with all of that- she's been having a hard time sleeping."
Megan looked over to Jules. She had told her mom about the evaluation that Toft the moment she had walked in the door, and admitted that she cried in front of him, and didn't want to lie anymore to Spike or Ed about her therapy.
"You know what helps me when I'm having a hard time sleeping…" Spike started to suggest.
"Spike- we don't' want to hear it." Jules said, as he shook her head, "Keep those thoughts to yourself when you're in your bedroom."
"Even thinking about it gives me shivers." Megan said, "Seriously Spike?"
"Actually, I was going to say getting some strange would help, but yeah, I suppose that might help too, if you can't find any strange."
"And by strange he means…"Jules started to explain.
"Yeah, yeah- I know what he means." Megan said, trying to end the subject about sex, "What color are we painting the baby's room?"
"I'm thinking yellow, or blue." Jules thought out loud, "Why what were you thinking?"
"I was thinking of leaving it how it is. Seeing the walls painted the grey and black, and seeing you and me in grey uniforms might pull her towards a policing career."
"Not even born yet, and you're planning her career," Spike spoke up, "Yeah, you're going to be a great sister."
"Hey, I'm going to be an awesome sister." Megan replied to Spike.
"Are you coming back to SRU after the baby comes?" Spike asked Jules.
"I don't know." Jules thought, "I've been thinking about it. You know- I've been a part of the SRU for close to 7 years now. It's all I really know."
"You're smart though," Megan said, "You could do anything."
"So could you."
"Yeah, but if I wanted to do anything else in policing, I'd need to finish college and do the training academy."
"You could finish up your degree and challenge the academy." Spike pointed out.
"Yeah, I know. But what else would I do? Not interested in regular beat patrol, definitely don't want to be a dispatcher, and as neutral I am to dogs, I don't think I could work with them all day in a K9 unit."
"There's OPP and RCMP." Spike suggested.
"Right, because I'd want to be pulling over people on the highway doing over 100 kilometers an hour."
"You're kinda throwing yourself in a corner." Spike said, as he continued painting.
"Yeah, just like that spot you missed Spike- in the corner."
Megan showed up with Jules the next day at SRU.
"There's that baby belly." Winnie said, as they walked up to the desk, "Spike was telling me all about it."
Jules laughed. "What a guy."
"He just cares, that's all." Winnie said, "So what brings you here?"
"My Jeep is in the shop getting some work done, so I'm talking Megan's truck, and I wanted to come in and see everybody."
"Heyo, mommyo!" Spike exclaimed, as he came out of the locker room.
As he approached Jules, he rubbed her belly, "Spike needs his good luck today, doesn't he?" Jules said.
"You bet." Spike replied, "I'm performing major surgery on Babycakes this morning, and Megan's going to help me."
"Spike…" Megan complained, "Seriously?"
"Come on, it'll be fun."
"Scalpel." Spike asked , in a very serious note.
"Seriously Spike?" Megan asked, as she handed in a pair of cutters, "Just call them cutters, And what's with the operating room clothes?"
"Babycakes is very sensitive. The smallest bit of dirt on her microchips could fry her to oblivion."
"Right, I'm sure." Megan said, with a big sigh, "What are you doing anyways?"
"Installing three new infrared cameras to replace some older units that got discontinued."
"You couldn't just run the discontinued units?"
"Nope."
"Why not?"
"Because they wouldn't have any warranty on them." Spike explained.
"Spike, I've known you for almost 4 years now- since I've known you, you've opened your DVR box to add a bigger hard-drive, you replaced the CD-ROM drive on a laptop to a Blu-Ray drive, re-programmed an Xbox360 controller to work with your PS3, and you're successfully using a cell phone that you can switch between carriers with a few simple keystrokes and can use triple A batteries in. I'd have to think you don't really respect warranties."
"Well I do." Spike replied, "Fly swatter."
"What?"
"Fly swatter!"
Megan looked around, and actually managed to find a fly swatter hanging up on the wall.
"What do you need this for?"
"To ensure I have uninterrupted work." Spike responded, as he swatted a fly away.
"Crazy." Megan muttered.
After Babycakes' 'surgery', Megan and Spike walked back from the garage to the gym.
"So…" Spike said, breaking the silence, "Kiera."
"What about her? You have a thing for her?" Megan asked.
"I'm not her type," Spike admitted, as they went through a set of double doors, "But I think you are."
"Oh god." Megan replied, "Seriously, you noticed that?"
"Noticed what?" Spike asked, as they he swiped his card to allow them back into the main building.
"Nothing."
"Right-" Spike said, "Something makes me think that she's attracted to the same…"
"Spike!" Ed yelled from the gym, "Where have you been all morning?"
"Did you not see the note I left on your locker?" Spike said, as he walked onto a treadmill and started some slow cardio.
"There was nothing on my locker."
"Team One, hot call!" Winnie's voice came over the intercom, "Oh wait…"
"Winnie, what's going on?" Ed yelled over.
"Dispatch accidentally sent a 10-22T to SRU, they're descending the order now."
Megan started doing leg curls. "Ed- what are we doing today?"
"As far as I know, after we're finished working out- patrolling. Me and you on alpha, and Spike and Greg on Bravo."
"Sweet."
After the workout, Megan and Ed started out on their 5 hour patrol through the city.
"So patrols-" Megan started, "What exactly is the point of the SRU doing patrols?"
"We always have a team doing patrols." Ed explained, "It shows that the SRU is always ready to respond to any and all threats. Also, it provides us with some face time with the public when we do our foot patrols."
"We do foot patrols?"
"Yep-" Ed continued, "We'll eventually make our way down to the docks. Once we're there, we'll park and walk the entire length and back."
"And the face time? What's the point of that?"
"Well, a lot of people think that SRU is a bunch of hard skinned, tough, know-it-all cops, and by putting in some face time, we're showing people that we're just like them."
"Right- just without the body armor and automatic weapons."
"Team One Alpha-" Winnie spoke over the radio, "What is your location?"
Ed nodded to Megan, allowing her to pick up the radio.
"Dispatch, we're southbound on Elliot Avenue."
"Copy that- please respond to unknown call at the base of the rail bridge over Copeland. Responding officer on scene is keeping his distance and awaiting SRU order."
Ed pushed on the gas harder and threw on the lights and sirens.
"Copy that dispatch." Megan responded, "Team One Alpha en route- tell officer on scene to maintain distance and await instruction from SRU when on scene."
Once there, Ed and Megan got out and approached the officer.
"Officer Bob Hart," he introduced, "I was just driving by, and I saw a bunch of teenagers at the bottom here- looked like they were doing some suspicious."
"Did you approach? Make contact?" Ed questioned.
"Didn't approach or contact. I know when to call in you guys."
"Copy that, let's approach Megan." Ed said, as they slowly started walking down the embankment to the large group of teenagers.
"What's the call here?" Megan whispered.
"Suspicious." Ed said, "Weapons drawn, no scorpio- do you copy?"
"Yes sir."
"Police- SRU!" Ed yelled, as they started on the group.
Immediately the group of teenagers started to run, all in the same direction.
"Megan, you head them off, I'll stay here and contain!" Ed ordered.
Megan ran to try to catch up to the teenagers. Most of them had a good start on her, but there were a few stragglers.
Her eyes focused on one, who seemed to be about her age, and she pumped her legs harder, and managed to tackle him to the ground.
"Ow!" he said, as he dropped hard on the ground.
"Hands where I can see them!" Megan said, as she stood back up, "Roll over onto your back and keep your hands in the air."
With obedience, the teenager did as he was told. Once he was on his back, Megan recognized him.
She motioned with her index finger over her mouth, as she turned off the radio.
"Clark?" she asked.
"Megan- right?"
Megan offered him a hand, and hauled him up to his feet, "What are you doing here Clark?"
"I'm hanging out with my friends."
"Been doing anything strange lately with these friends Clark?"
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"What I mean is that we get a call about a suspicious group of teenagers and you just happen to be one of them."
"Look- can you not tell my dad? He's been so pissed at me lately."
Megan put her hand on her radio, "Just go."
Clark ran off as she turned it back on.
"Megan?" Ed radioed to her, "You ok? I've been trying to get you for the past few minutes."
"I tried pinning one of the teenagers. They all got away from me."
"Copy that," Ed replied, "Return back."
Megan started her walk back.
"Help!" came a woman's voice, in between screams of pain.
"Ed!" Megan radioed, "I got action to my left flank- you got my GPS?"
"Copy that- I'll be there in thirty seconds." Came Ed's reply.
Megan ran towards the screams. She crashed through a series of bushes, and darted through a bunch of trees. Sure enough, like Ed estimated, he was with her within thirty seconds.
"Help me, please!" the woman cried again, who was on the other side of a huge thicket of bushes.
"Stop…yelling." Came a man's low voice.
Together Ed and Megan went through the thicket.
Once on the other side, Megan saw a man pinning a woman to the ground, as he groped her tightly, and was attempting to take off her clothes.
"Oh my god…" Megan muttered, as she looked away.
"You ok?" Ed asked.
"I…I just can't watch it." Megan said, as she hid the scene from her view by looking at Ed's back.
"That's ok-" Ed replied, "You'll be the secondary. Call it in."
"SRU Dispatch-" Megan radioed in.
"Go ahead Team One Alpha," Winnie started, "What's your status and location?"
"Location on GPS, status all ok."
"Anything else Team One Alpha?" Winnie asked.
"Yes- elevate the call."
"To?'
"Suspicious persons fled. Call is now elevated to rape in progress."
"I'm sorry, what was that?" Winnie asked, "What is the call elevated to?"
"The call is a rape in progress. Team Leader Ed Lane will proceed with negotiations, OIT Perrasmith will be on standby as secondary."
"Copy that." Winnie replied.
"Sir- get off of her, right now!" Ed yelled, "Think about what you're about to do."
"Help me!" the woman yelled, "Shoot him!"
"Ma'am, I'm going to ask you to please calm down, and do not struggle." Ed calmly reply.
"He'll do it." She spoke back to Ed, "He'll do it."
Finally, Megan worked up the courage to step out from behind Ed, and face the incident.
"Put your hands on your head- both of you!" she yelled with previously unknown ferocity, "Stop what you are doing, or you will be shot!"
"Stop right now!" Ed yelled, "Megan- switch to less lethal, and place your shot."
"But Ed, he's going to…"
"Megan…"
Megan removed the magazine filled with lethal bullets, and placed a magazine marked with a blue stripe, which was loaded with rubber bullets.
"This is your last warning, sir!" Megan yelled, "Stop now, or you will be shot and detained!"
He continued fighting against the struggling woman.
Like she was trained, Megan lined up her shot into the man's chest and let it fly.
Finally, after their patrol was finished, Ed and Megan returned to SRU.
Ed pulled the vehicle in the garage, where they got out and started to put things away.
"You ok?" Ed asked her, "I'm only asking because you haven't said a word since we transferred custody of Dale Adams into Officer Bob Hart's control."
"Why didn't you go lethal?" Megan asked, as she took out her patrol bag from the back seat.
"It was a decision that I made." Ed replied.
"So is that the decisions you make when women are being violated?" Megan asked, "Because he's going to spend a year in prison because it was only attempted rape. Then he's going to be on the National Sexual Offenders list, but as soon as he does a Sexual Rehabilitation course, he'll be removed from the NSO. What's to stop him from trying it again once that's all over?"
"Let's hope he doesn't try it again." Ed said, "We can't control everything, we can only control what we see. What if he sees the error of his way, and becomes a better person because of it?"
"But what if he tries to rape someone else?" Megan asked back.
"Then we'll do our job, and protect the peace." Ed said, with a sense of finality.