Part 18
Holly carefully opened the restroom door, it wasn't hard to find Gail she was leaning against the far wall with her hands on top of her head, her elbows covering her face.
"Gail, sweetheart, what the hell is going on?" She asked softly, approaching the blonde and laying her hands on her girlfriend's hips, careful of the gun at her side. "Hey, come on, talk to me." Holly spoke softly aware of the tears gathering in her girlfriends eyes as she lowered her arms.
"I don't know what to do." Gail confessed as tears slipped out no matter how hard she tried to keep a hold of her composure.
"Hey!" Holly said gathering Gail into her arms. "It's okay, it is okay." She eased back enough to look Gail in the eye. "If you've changed your mind about applying that's fine, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry for talking to you like that out there."
"That's not it." Gail admitted with a snivel and shake of her head.
Holly cupped Gail's face and used her thumbs to gently wipe away tears from her girlfriends face. She then leaned in and pressed her lips to Gail's. "Then what is?" She asked softly.
Gail sighed and rested her head back against the wall, laying her hands over Holly's at her neck. "Frank pulled me into his office during shift on Monday." She admitted.
"He did?"
"He said he didn't think applying for the ETF post was 'right' for me, said I'd had a tough year." Gail scoffed.
Holly had to close her mouth as she listened to Gail. But she didn't really understand, it had been a tough year for a lot of people not just Gail.
"And now my mom's calling Steve to see if I've spoken to him yet."
Holly frowned. "You think your mom had something to do with this?" She asked tentatively, from what she knew of the woman she wanted Gail promoted quicker if anything.
Gail nodded with a snort. "Oh yeah, Frank pretty much admitted it, said the division budget was up for allocation which my mom can influence so…"
Holly studied her girlfriend carefully, "You're serious." She realised, horrified by the thought that Gail's mother would be so manipulative.
Gail shrugged then moved over to the sink and turned on the tap before splashing some water over her face. You could tell she'd been crying and she hated the thought of going back out there and have her friends see her like this.
Holly moved closer to the blonde, watching her as she struggled to offer some advice to her girlfriend. "Can't you talk to someone?"
"Sure I can, but that would be going over Frank's head and things like that are frowned upon." Gail said with a roll of her eyes. "Of course, I'm pretty sure that's exactly how she's expecting me to react."
Holly caught a clue. "She wants you to go to her."
Gail gave Holly a sad look. "It'd prove Elaine Peck knows best right?" She told her. And it would give her the go-ahead to take complete control of Gail's career. Once Gail crossed that line by going over her Sergeant's head there was no going back, Gail would become untouchable to Frank and if that filtered down to the rest of the officers then Gail would isolate herself completely.
She would be the person she'd tried so hard to prove she wasn't. She'd become a Peck.
Holly shifted closer to Gail and put her hand on the blonde's waist. She was painfully aware they were in a public restroom but she needed the contact.
"What do you want to do Gail? Would you go over Frank's head, maybe not to your mom, but to someone else?"
Gail wiped her face dry. "I can't do that Hol, despite what Dov think's out there, I've never used my name before."
"But can't you-"
"I can't Holly," Gail said, cutting her girlfriend off. "Everyone already thinks…"
"Okay, okay." Holly didn't want to upset Gail more than she already was. She pressed closer to the blonde, trapping Gail against the sink. She smoothed her girlfriend's hair back then scratched lightly at the nape of her neck. "What are we going to do about this then?" She asked after some silence.
Gail smiled, enjoying the touches from Holly even if the location left much to be desired. She knew what she wanted to do right now and it didn't have anything to do with her job.
Holly smiled back as she watched a familiar glint enter her girlfriend's eyes. "About the ETF training?"
Gail pouted, then she shrugged her shoulders, there wasn't anything left to do. "My application's been pulled Holly, that's it. Done."
Holly let out a sigh.
"So," Gail put her arms around Holly and did her best to smile. "If I'm only ever going to be a beat cop, would you still be willing to date me?" She asked.
Holly rocked her head pretending to think about it only to yelp as Gail pinched her.
As they giggled together the restroom door leading into the restaurant opened and a woman entered giving them a startled look before quickly walking into a cubicle.
Holly bit her lip to keep herself from laughing. Gail was in uniform so it did look highly inappropriate, but really, Holly didn't care so she leaned in to kiss Gail.
Laughing into the kiss Gail kept her arms around Holly and moved them backwards towards the stalls. "Madam, I think I may need to perform a strip search on you." Gail said as Holly turned her and locked the stall door. "Is there anything on your person that I need to be aware of?" She asked backing Holly up against the door.
She tried to keep a straight face as the stranger using the stall beside them quickly flushed the toilet and they could hear heel clicks rushing from the room.
Holly lost it and pressed into Gail as she laughed. "You're unbelievable."
Gail looked proud as she held onto Holly, she loved watching her girlfriend laugh especially when she was the cause of it.
"You're very lucky I love you." Holly told her girlfriend as she eased up and stared into blue eyes.
Gail smiled softly at her, always taken aback to hear those words. "I know."
Holly shook her head, she'd been joking but the earnest way Gail responded to her words, it took her breath away. "Silly girl." She said pulling the blonde to her and kissing her, taking her time as their lips danced together.
"I just want you to do something you're happy doing with your life and we both know you love your job." Holly explained as they broke apart.
Gail nodded as Holly spoke, she did love her job. "I just, I don't know how much she's going to push this or how far she'll go." Gail said, admitting her fear over the situation. Her mother wasn't to be taken lightly, if she wanted something done her way she usually got it.
"We'll deal with it." Holly said confidently.
Gail doubted it would be that simple. "Okay."
Holly could see Gail still wasn't sure. "My grandmother once told me that sometimes it's better to keep your mouth shut and your eyes open. I'm sorry you're having this opportunity taken away but maybe the best reaction you can have to it, is no reaction." Holly offered as advice.
"Just wait her out?" Gail replied, she thought about it for a minute. "Okay, let's do that." She didn't really have the option to do anything else about it anyway but Holly's take on it sounded more positive than Gail's fear that her mother was in full control of her at work.
"And there's nothing stopping you from looking into other ways to gain this kind of knowledge and training, right? I mean don't they run classes at the academy or with the ETF that you can do in your own time?" Holly said, knowing her staff often went on training days that were open to anyone, although basic understanding of the subject was assumed and therefore attendees were narrowed to those with specific skill sets. Holly watched Gail's eyes go unfocused. "I mean, the gun range have to offer training on particular weapons right?"
It would mean doing things on her own time and that would take longer. She would also have to give up her days off and switch around shifts to accommodate any classes she took.
But it was workable if Gail wanted to do it.
Gail grinned at her girlfriend then leaned in and kissed her ardently, lifting her hands to hold Holly's head in place and not letting up until she had the brunette moaning. "You are way too smart for your own good, you know that right?" Gail told her as she finally released Holly.
Grinning like an idiot Holly pressed in for another kiss when she couldn't find words.
A throat cleared somewhere in the room forcing them to pull away from each other.
"For the love of god, please tell me you two aren't in here making out?!"
Elizabeth really did have the worst timing.
Gail cleared her throat as Holly buried her head into her neck and giggled. "Okay, we won't." She managed, surprising herself by how steady her voice was.
Elizabeth groaned. "Unbelievable!" She muttered. "Well your friends are out there about to stick me with the bill so if you two are all done?"
Holly lifted her head and decided to take pity on Gail when she noticed how badly the blonde was blushing. "We'll be out in a minute Elizabeth." She told her sister hoping to get her to leave.
"Good." Elizabeth replied. "And wash your damn hands the both of you." She warned them only to receive another round of giggles from behind the stall door.
Gail heard the door close and knew they were alone again. She sighed and wrapped her arms around Holly and gave her a hug. "Thank you." She whispered.
"You're welcome." Holly replied as the hug ended. "Now turn around so I can pee."
Gail eyes widened and she spun around.
After a moment she found herself chuckling as she could hear Holly on the toilet. "You are so washing your hands." She choked out as she continued to laugh.
Holly grinned and when she was finished she pressed herself up against Gail's back and whispered, "You don't normally complain about where I put my hands." As she slipped her hands around Gail's waist, pulling her back into her own body with one hand as the other drifted down to cup Gail between her legs.
Gasping, Gail shook her head. "Not complaining at all." She muttered then bit her lip as Holly pressed harder against her.
Holly was contemplating how far to take things when the restroom door opened and someone else entered the room. She dropped her head onto Gail's shoulder in disappointment as the blonde whimpered in her arms.
"Later." She whispered, pressing her lips to the skin of Gail's neck and taking her hands away to open the stall door as the stranger used a stall further down the row from them.
Gail pouted but accepted defeat and moved, walking off to the side quickly to make it less obvious to anyone else that might come in that they'd been using the same stall.
"You think there's a back way out?" She asked as Holly did in fact go to wash her hands.
Holly turned to Gail with a grin. "Why? You thinking about sticking them with the bill too?"
"Thinking about it." Gail admitted with a shy grin as she bounced on her toes, waiting for Holly to take responsibility over their next actions.
"My coat's still out there."
Gail shrugged. "Elizabeth will get it for you."
Holly could tell Gail wanted her to agree, but she wasn't sure if it was because the blonde thought it would be fun or if she was trying to avoid going back out and facing her friends.
"Okay." She said finally after thinking it over so more. After Dov's comment, she didn't really feel bad about sticking Gail's friends with the bill, and it wasn't like they'd gotten to finish their meals anyway.
"Really?"
Holly nodded. "Come on, before someone tries to stop us."
Gail grinned as Holly took hold of her hand and they cautiously left the restroom. "Don't worry, I'll just tell them you're a dangerous criminal and I've arrested you." She told her girlfriend with a chuckle then winced as Holly pinched her.
"I have cuffs you know." She threatened Holly as they continued their sneaking.
"And I have hands that won't be going anywhere near your body if you don't shut up and help us get out of here without getting caught." Holly said, offering the blonde her own version of a threat.
Gail pouted, then glanced around, suddenly taking their escape more serious. "This way."
"That's not going to the back of the restaurant." Holly pointed out as Gail turned them around and took them along a different corridor.
"No but it's where the fire door is."
"Won't that be alarmed?"
Gail grinned and hurried her steps, still holding on to Holly's hand. "Even better!"
"Gail!"
Holly shook her head as she spotted the door.
Gail pulled them to a stop and grinned at Holly. "Ready?" She asked placing her hand across the exit bar.
"No, but…" Holly put her hand next to Gail's and then they were both pushing it and running out into the alleyway.
"Go, go, go!" Gail cried out as the alarm blasted all around them.