Nolan's Journal Chapter 5
"There's a big movie shooting in Los Angeles. I suppose that sort of thing used to happen more often here, but now movies are shot all over the country and all over the world for that matter. It seems to depend on where they can do it the most cheaply and get the best tax breaks. But LA got this one, and LAPD got all the problems that came with it. We've had to block off what are some of the busiest streets and tourist spots. One lady complained to me that she came all the way from Belize to see the footprints at the Chinese Theater, and she couldn't get in there. I felt sorry for her, but of course there was nothing I could do. Some kind of mad superhero chase scene was filming there. I don't even know which superhero. The details are being kept under wraps. Aaron's been searching the fan sites and picked up on a theory that it might be Black Widow. But it is just a theory. Celina is hoping for Blue Beetle because she really likes his family. She has a point. Even taking into account the fight Angela and Wesley put up for their baby or Harper taking down a killer just after she'd given birth, I don't think any family has ever come together to fight the good fight like that one. After what Celina's gone through, no wonder she loves them so much. Still, even the greatest movie makes headaches for us. I'll be glad when the director can shoot on a studio lot. The LA area certainly has enough of them.
"Lucy is still in San Diego, and Bradford is still miserable. He took some of it out on Aaron when Grey had them ride together. Maybe it's Bradford's military background, but he likes everything done on strict timing and deadlines. He's been at it a lot longer than I have, but in my opinion, some parts of police work can't be shoved into that mold. He gave Aaron nine minutes to question a suspect. Aaron got a lot out of him and made Tim's deadline. But he ended up missing something – something important. He had to go back and pick it up. He would have done better with enough time to think it out the first time. I wasn't Aaron's TO for that long, but I never would have pulled that kind of crap on him when he was a rookie. He still has a lot to learn. I do too. But I know that when people are rushed, they screw up. Half the jobs I did as a contractor were fixing the work of someone who didn't put enough time into properly planning and executing a project. I believe that people are people, whether they're renovating a kitchen or conducting an interrogation.
"This will be Bailey's last night at the fire station for a whole three days. I'll only be off for one of them, but I intend to make the best of it. We are still newlyweds. As wonderful a cook as Bailey is, I love the idea of ordering in and just spending as much time as possible cocooning. With Bailey's almost limitless energy, she can't stay still long, even under the best of circumstances. But I'm looking forward to enjoying that energy too. I'm just trying not to look forward to it too much. I don't know if it's Harper's pessimism or Celina's superstition rubbing off on me, but I no longer expect much of anything to work out the way I plan it. I've just had to roll with the punches and go with the flow. Go with the flow. Wow, I really am starting to sound LA. I suppose with being out on the streets all day and hanging with the cops from Mid-Wilshire when I'm not, it was inevitable. I guess it's all part of starting over.
"Grey is also looking at a change. Having Dominque go off to New York was a major one. I know all too well what it feels like to have a child decide to leave the nest. I was proud of Henry. I still am. But it still scared me to death and sometimes still does. Anyway, with Dominique out of the house, Luna was feeling at odds and ends. She decided to go back to school in social work and from everything I've heard, crushed it. That got her a job at the hospital. God knows they can use the help there. Life would have been so much easier if someone like Luna had been around for Ashley, Oscar Hutchinson's daughter. I did my best playing a surrogate father of sorts, but I came close to dropping the ball. And of course, it gave Oscar a motive, besides just being a bastard, to sue me.
"Grey is very supportive of Luna's choice. Actually, I think he's proud of her. I guess the behavior of a mentor would serve as a positive example for Bradford, but as yet, there's no sign that it's doing so. By the time Lucy gets back from San Diego, Bradford better get his act together. She clearly loves him and vice versa, but I know from bitter experience that love alone is not enough. From her first day as a rookie, Lucy's been obsessed with proving herself to her parents and to herself. I think that finding out that her parents lied to her took the edge off her drive to show them her stuff, but she's still trying to prove her worth. Having to prove it to Tim, can just lead to riskier behavior. As a UC, that's the last thing she should be doing. Harper is doing her best to keep a rein on her, but that may be impossible from a distance.
"As painful as it was for Celina to find out that her mother lied to her all those years ago, it may be the best thing that could have happened to her. The weight she carried from her little sister's death was driving her to Lucy-like risky behavior. Now that she knows the truth, that's no longer necessary. She can concentrate on the better part of her nature, being there to help. Of course, that causes its share of problems for me as a TO. Celina is still likely to wade into a situation, especially if a child is involved before she has the backup she needs. I can understand it. As a rookie, my strongest instincts were to save children as well. Bishop had to ride me like crazy to make sure I didn't make situations worse.
"I picked up many habits from Bishop, such as having my rookies drive. That can be heart-stopping at times, but I feel it's warranted. I think I'm finding a balance between being a hardass like Bradford and giving Celina too little correction. I certainly hope so. The temperature in LA keeps going up, and I don't want my rookie to swelter in long sleeves forever. After I was finally allowed to ditch mine, it took me weeks to get rid of the heat rash. I wouldn't wish that on Celina or anyone else. But who knows? Traditional healer Sabina just might have a cure. If she does, maybe Celina can share it with the next rookie class."