SAILING INTO UNCHARTED WATERS
Chapter Ten
"I'm thinking of taking a pass."
Try as he might, Arthur Fancy couldn't keep the look of shock from his face.
"Kelly, can I be honest why you?"
Lieutenant Fancy had only transferred to the precinct a few months previous, but John respected the way the man had carried himself so far. Fancy could be a hard ass at times, yet he was also capable of showing great compassion to the men in his squad room, understanding that his detectives often saw the worst of humanity and were not jaded enough yet that they still felt empathy toward the victims of barbaric crimes.
John nodded his head, willing to hear his superior out. "Sure, lieutenant."
Fancy took a deep breath before speaking. "I think you're making a mistake."
Ok, that hadn't exactly what he'd been expecting to hear…..
"Uh, come again, sir?"
Fancy looked him in the eye. "This is a major chance to advance your career. Opportunities like this don't come along every day, John."
He looked dubious at Fancy's statement, but the man deserved some kind of explanation at least. "I appreciate what you're saying, but maybe it isn't the right time for me to move up. I feel like I've got a lot more to offer as a cop out on the streets before I make a move upstairs."
"Is that what your wife thinks?"
The shock must have been written all over his face. Flying up from his seat quickly, John's temper began to get the better of him. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
It took a few moments for John's response to register in the lieutenant's mind. "You haven't discussed it with her have you?"
John's expression could only be described as sheepish. Fancy was right, he hadn't even discussed the promotion with Laura before deciding – more or less – that he would take a pass on the opportunity of applying for the position of lieutenant.
"Don't you think you're being a little selfish, Kelly? You've got a wife and a kid on the way, this isn't just about what you want any more."
Feeling his anger beginning to boil over, John had to work hard to keep his temper in check. "My marriage is none of your concern!"
Fancy continued to hold his gaze, not cowering to the Irish temper of the man before him. "It is if it affects your ability to do your job. Do you know how many men on the force I've seen slide into misery and depression, and all because they put the job above everything else? Too many, Kelly. Too many."
The air seemed to leave Fancy's body in a rush, making him appear deflated.
"With all due respect, sir. I don't need marriage guidance, and if I did, you'd be the last person I'd ask."
Fancy said nothing, continuing to stare at his young subordinate.
"Are we finished here?" John asked, his anger barely concealed beneath the surface.
"Just think about it, Kelly. What's the harm in at least applying for the position?"
"Andy's waiting for me, I need to go."
He didn't give the lieutenant a chance to answer before slamming the door shut behind him, livid that his superior felt as if he could tell him what to do.
John would kill her when he found out, of that Laura had no doubt. As she sat on the hospital bed, she idly wondered if the message had gotten through to him at the precinct yet.
He'd had to leave early this morning, working the dreaded weekend shift on the streets – a shift that was far more dangerous than those during the working week. Despite her unease at his leaving, Laura reminded herself that it was likely that the shifts would soon come to an end when his promotion was confirmed.
The anticipation of John revealing his good news was killing her. How many times had she wanted to just blurt it out and ask him if it had gone through yet?
Because he wants it to be a surprise. He wants to tell you when it's all signed and settled.
It was yet another sign of John's youthfulness that he wanted to keep his news a surprise and reveal it when he felt the time was right. For all of his level-headedness, he could still be as excitable as a five year-old with a new toy. She loved him, would never purposely do anything to hurt him, and so she kept her mouth shut when it came to his promotion.
She'd seen a transformation in her husband over the past few months, and his evolution from brash and hot-headed young man into a thoughtful and composed adult had been a pleasure to watch. Although he was often still as randy as a pubescent boy, there was also a sense of calm within him, his love and devotion to her and their unborn child had tempered some of the impulsiveness that had often coloured his actions.
After another bout of morning sickness and an extra two hours in bed, the solitude within the apartment was beginning to get to her. Trying every trick she knew, Laura could no longer hold back on the craving for tuna fish that she'd been having recently.
She'd already made John leave the apartment late at night to get more cans from the deli at the end of the block more than once this week. He'd said nothing each time, kissing her on the forehead and stroking her belly before grabbing his jacket and keys with a promise to return with her bounty.
But John was at work and she'd already made her way through the last of the cans in the cupboard. Little John Jnr was hungry, and he was demanding tuna fish. John still had at least another six hours of his shift to go and it was unlikely that he'd be able to get away quick enough to feed her cravings in time.
There was nothing else for it, she would have to go get it herself. A quick glance at the shelves of the local store proved fruitless, John had probably bought the last of their stock the day before. That had left her with no choice but to catch a cab downtown and get some from one of the bigger grocery stores.
And that's where it had all gone wrong. Unwittingly, she had set off a chain of events that had landed her in the hospital. She only hoped that John wouldn't be furious with her when he found out.
"Everything ok?" Andy asked, seeing his young partner make his way down the stairs with a face like thunder.
He was rewarded with a scowl from John. "Peachy."
The sullen reaction immediately caused Andy concern. His partner was definitely the more agreeable personality out of the two of them, often talking both of them out of trouble that he himself had led them into.
"Well, you look like someone just crapped on your hat, kid."
And it was true. None of the detectives in the precinct would be ecstatic to find themselves called into the lieutenant's office, but John looked as though he'd rip the head off of the next unsuspecting perp to cross him.
He watched as John pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a weary sigh. "It's nothing for you to worry about, ok?"
It seemed like a strange thing for John to say. As much as they were partners and close friends, they weren't that close that they felt the need to tell each other everything. They both had enough respect for the other to know that they'd both say something if they felt the need to.
Still, the thought that John was hiding something made him feel uneasy. The man was going to be a father, he had a wife and they'd soon have a kid of their own that would need taking care of. John didn't need his old soak of a partner causing him even more hassle.
Andy felt a sense of compunction when he thought of all the crap he'd put John through in the last twelve months. John had put more time and effort into their failing partnership in one week than he himself had in the last six months. Despite the futility of the investment of his time and effort, the kid had continued to carry his partner's dead weight without saying a word, despite the frustration he knew John must feel at having to do all the heavy lifting in their relationship.
The meeting with the ADA a few weeks ago hadn't gone all that well, with Sylvia Costas treating him as if he were nothing more than an abhorrence to her. It had pricked at his pride at the time that she would look at him as if he were dirt on her shoe.
But then there had been times that she'd looked at him with something akin to sympathy, and it had been that which had caused him to lash out spitefully at her. He could deal with feisty broads all day long - enjoyed it, in fact - but he would not tolerate any woman looking at him with a sense of pity.
He might be a useless old drunk, but he still had a little pride that the booze hadn't managed to strip away and he was determined that he'd hold on to what he had left. He would take her barbed comments and looks of repugnance, but he would not let her treat him as if he were someone to be pitied. He would rather die than let a woman show him any sympathy for his own self-induced misery.
Maybe it was his own clouded judgment that made him so hesitant to make any more of John's current foul mood, suggesting the two of them go grab a bite to eat while they had the chance.
"Sounds like a plan," John grimaced, his gaze straying to the squad room upstairs. "I need to get some air anyway."
Andy shrugged his shoulders. Whatever was bothering John, it was clear that the man didn't want to talk about it. The kid would open up when he was good and ready to.
"You fancy dropping by Sal's?"
Even a blind man couldn't have missed the frown that crossed John's face. The kid was a smart, knowing that Sal's had a licence to serve liquor as well as food.
"I don't think that's a great idea, Andy. How about the diner on 42nd?"
Andy swallowed his annoyance, perhaps it was for the best if he tried to remain sober for the rest of the shift. It wasn't like Fancy to be in on a weekend, and the last thing he needed was any more crap from the lieutenant about his performance. Weekends had always been the time that he could sneak off for an hour or two, knowing that Fancy would be none the wiser come Monday morning.
He knew better than to push his luck, reminding himself that perhaps the lieutenant had already torn a strip off of John this morning. It seemed as good an explanation as any as to why his partner had a face like a slapped ass at the moment.
"Sure, why not," Andy shrugged, walking toward the exit with John alongside him.
The two men had almost made it to the door before a woman called out to them.
"Detective Kelly?"
John turned his attention in the direction of the voice, identifying its owner as Janice Lacalsi, the officer who'd dealt with a couple of minor incidents a few months back in the apartment block he shared with Lori.
"What's up, officer?"
Andy interjected before the woman had time to open her mouth. "Yeah, us suits need some brain food. Can we deal with your jay-walker when we've had something to eat?"
Officer Licalsi didn't even look at Andy, instead keeping her attention on his partner. She looked troubled, that much John knew for sure.
"Detective, we've just taken a call at the front desk…..it's about your wife."
Laura looked at her watch for the fifth time in as many minutes, wondering why John hadn't arrived yet. Not that she was particularly looking forward to a scolding from him. He'd likely go mad when he found out what had happened.
It should have been a simple trip downtown to get cans of tuna and then back to the apartment. It should have taken two hours tops, and John would have been none the wiser that his pregnant wife had braved the busy streets of downtown Queens on a Saturday afternoon.
After purchasing half a dozen cans, Laura had hailed a taxi cab, instructing the foreign-speaking driver to take her home. He'd rattled some long-winded reply to her, nodding his head furiously, a sign she took to mean that he understood her.
Less than two minutes into the journey, she began to feel as if getting in the back of this particular cab had been a huge mistake. The driver weaved the vehicle through the heavy traffic as if he were driving a tank, ignoring the horns and aggressive hand gestures of the other drivers he'd just pulled out in front of.
She'd been about to ask the driver to pull over when the car jerked sharply toward the curb. It took a moment for the realisation to set in that the cab had been side-swiped by a SUV - luckily on the opposite side of where she sat.
Still in a state of shock, she gawped at the driver as he turned in his seat and gave her a toothy, if rather nervous smile. He'd garbled something at her, yet her stunned mind only picked up on the phrase 'fender-bender'.
Fender-bender, my ass! she thought, her body still registering the waves of impact, feeling a twinge in her abdomen for the briefest of moments. She thought little else of the momentary feeling of discomfort, glad for the fact that she'd not suffered a concussion from the heavy collision she'd been involved in.
The door opposite her was too badly damaged for her to open, and people were crowding around her own as onlookers jostled each other for the best view of the action. Minutes later and the cops and fire service arrived. Despite her protests, the paramedics insisted she be taken to the local ER to be checked out.
She'd spent the last forty minutes being subjected to all manner of tests, growing increasingly frustrated at the prodding and poking. Now that the shock had worn off, her body was beginning to feel the effects of the collision. Everything ached, tiredness worming its way through her body quickly. All she wanted was for Johnny to pick her up and take her home….
Closing her eyes for a moment, she imagined the lecture her husband would give her about going out in her 'condition'. At any other time, his coddling would irritate her, yet she would gladly subject herself to his gentle chastisement if it meant that he'd take her home and look after her….
She opened her eyes, hearing someone pull the curtain back.
"Lori, what the hell happened?"
Authors' Note: This is a continuing story from the writing team of WriterJasmine and Teeheehee1234. It's meant to be a fun attempt at writing a story together based on words that readers provide to us on a weekly basis. For more information about this, please read our profile and please feel free to participate. The 'bolded' words throughout the story are words that some of our reader friends sent our way this week. The words utilized are: concussion; fender-bender; traffic; clouded judgment; repugnance; abhorrence; investment; compunction; personality; solitude; evolution; deflated; selfish; sheepish; dubious; career; mistake; empathy; compassion; ecstatic.