Based on a scene from 9-1-1

Ted Orion witnesses Russ, Kenny, and Luis having a violent interaction with a police officer; he steps in and in turn gives them an important talk about what to do when you're dealing with the police.

He's Not Doing Anything Wrong

He hated driving in the rain.

Call him paranoid, but ever since the accident, Ted Orion could say one of his many phobias was driving during thunderstorms.

Tonight, though, he had no choice. Lucy had a game tonight with her squirts league Ducks team, and it just so happened to be pouring rain. And driving through downtown Minneapolis in order to get to Mickey's Dining Car so that they could grab dinner, when most people out there had no clue how to drive at all, didn't make it any easier on him.

He tried to keep the conversation light for Lucy and Bella's sake, hoping to distract himself long enough until they got home.

"That was some good work you did at the game tonight, sweetie," he said.

"Thanks, Daddy," Lucy said as she played with one of her hockey action figures in the backseat; baby Teddy was in a milk coma, asleep so deep that not even the roaring crowd could wake him, but Ted liked to think that that was in large part of the noise-canceling ear covers they'd invested in, or rather, what Guy had bought, saying that those had always helped his younger brother stay relaxed in environments where the noise level was too much.

Ted made a mental note to thank Guy for that.

"Really," he continued, "that slapshot you made was one of the best. I think you made the Hawks' goalie cry."

Lucy beamed at him proudly, but as they drove, Ted squinted his eyes to see through the heavy rain, which heavily pelted down on his windshield. Despite having the fog lights turned on, he still couldn't see well. But he could see the police cruisers had their sirens on; he slowed down, knowing he always needed to yield to the cops, but the further he drove, nearing the diner, he saw the cops had pulled somebody over, which wasn't uncommon. Given that the traffic tended to worsen in the rain and that everybody seemed to forget how to drive, the cops felt the need to pull somebody over at one point or another. Ted chalked it up to the cops growing more paranoid.

Still, as he drove carefully along the wet road, he noticed the car that had been pulled over: a blue Toyota Camry. He recognized the car; he knew the license plate because the car belonged to the Ducks' own Russ Tyler. Russ had begun working part-time in order to save up money for a used one, and had gloated when he showed off his very own 1989 Toyota Camry that he bought with his own money, shortly after passing his driver's test to get his Minnesota driver's license. Upon closer look, he noticed that Russ was standing outside his vehicle and that he had been driving with Kenny Wu and Luis Mendoza, both of whom had also stepped out of the car. The other thing that Ted was quick to notice was that Russ seemed argumentative with the officer who had pulled him over, and that one of the officers seemed to be reaching for his taser.

Ted instantly pulled over, pulling up behind the police cruiser. "I'll just be a minute."

"Ted, what are you doing?" Bella demanded.

"Getting answers," he said. "I'll be right back. Just stay in the car!" He pulled the hood on his raincoat up and exited his car, walking up. Even with the rain pelting down, banging on the concrete like bullets, he could hear Russ's tone and knew that it wasn't helping the situation at all.

If there was one thing that Ted knew from experience with driving a vehicle, it was that giving an officer any lip would be enough for them to get you into worse trouble. He knew Bombay knew that just as well since he refused a breathalyzer test, and that was why he'd gotten sentenced to community service. Even the most professional cop could easily lose their temper if they felt that you were showing fear or anger toward them.

"Look, I didn't do anything!" Russ snapped. "Come on! This is the third time you guys have pulled me over! For what?"

"Look, we need you to come down to the station," the officer was saying.

"For what? You can't just pull him over for no reason!" Luis said.

"Look, all he has to do is just come with us and answer some questions."

"For what, man? Look, my dad's a CO; I don't do anything illegal! So, why don't you take your hands off of me before I go using your eyeballs as hockey pucks?" Russ yelled.

"I don't like your tone! I pulled you over because you were a little over the speed limit, and you had the music playing too loudly; it could be heard beyond fifty feet."

"And how do you determine that, man? Come on, of all things to pull me over for! Why don't you go looking at some of those cake-eaters over at Eden Hall? You let them get away with everything, and you go looking for me? Who do you think you are?"

"That's it!" As Ted neared, he could see the cop putting handcuffs on Russ, and he rushed in, his feet sloshing underneath him, the rain soaking into the bottoms of his jeans as he ran over.

"Hey!" he yelled. "What's going on over here? Huh?"

"Nothing, sir," the officer said, turning to him. "This young man was just playing the music in his car too loudly, and he was a little over the speed limit."

"Coach, it ain't nothing. They've got nothing!" Russ retorted, which caused the officer to tighten up on him.

"'Coach?' You know this young man?" the cop asked.

"As a matter of fact, I do," Ted said. "I'm his hockey coach. I coach the Varsity Mighty Ducks at Eden Hall."

"That private school?" the cop asked, dubious.

"Yes," Ted said, "these boys have been on my team since their freshmen year. They were awarded scholarships since they played for Team USA. In the Junior Goodwill Games, remember? And I know this young man's father is a correction officer out in central Los Angeles. And, sir, if it helps, I didn't hear any music playing that loudly. He's not doing anything wrong here. And neither are his friends. So, could you take the cuffs off him and let him off with a warning?"

The officer seemed to consider before he nodded, and he released the cuffs off Russ. Still, Ted could see that Russ was defensive as he rubbed his wrists. However, Ted was just relieved that the kid was keeping his mouth shut as the officer put his hands back into his pockets.

"Okay, then," he said. Turning to Russ, Kenny, and Luis, he said, "I'm sorry. I didn't realize – I mean, I should've recognized you . . . my son's a fan, and –"

"Okay, Officer. Have a nice rest of your night," Ted said, cutting him off as the cop nodded, clearly embarrassed at what he'd done – had Russ, Kenny, and Luis not had the "celebrity" status of being part of why Team USA won the gold in hockey during the Goodwill Games, Ted had a feeling that things might've turned out far differently, especially if he didn't remind that cop of who those three boys were. It would be a horrible look if he were caught roughing up three of Team USA's heroes who brought home gold and made their country proud.

Ted watched as the cop walked away into the night. Still, his guard remained up – he wanted to make sure the cop was clear and away before he addressed Russ, Ken, and Luis, who all looked shaken up by what they'd seen happen, by what could've happened had Ted not stepped in and spoke up for them the way he did. They watched as the cop drove away, the red and blue lights flashing and fading away the further he drove into the night.

Still, Ted turned to Russ, Kenny, and Luis. "You boys okay?" he asked, his worry filling him even more.

"Yeah, we're fine, Coach," Luis said, though the Latino was breathing heavily; Ted could tell that it was taking Luis everything not to lose his temper, that he had been inches away from lashing out at that officer for what he'd done.

"Get back in the car," Ted told them. "There's something I should talk to you kids about."

"Fine." Russ rolled his eyes and got back into his seat behind the wheel, and Ted moved until he was sitting on the passenger's side, shutting the door behind him. He waited until Luis and Kenny were also seated back in the car before talking, knowing what he was about to say next to them would be crucial. Still, part of him wanted to kill them over this.

He actually felt like he'd kill them.

He thought for sure that the three of them would know better than this.

That they would know that cops loved looking for people who would potentially give them a bad attitude.

That they would know that when police pulled you over, to just be polite, keep your mouth shut, and just move along your merry way because the better you cooperated, the better off you were.

Granted, he'd made his share of mistakes when dealing with the cops when he was their age, especially after he first got his license. But he wished that somebody had told him what he was about to tell these boys, because had someone done this for him, it would've spared him a lot of tickets and a lot of headaches where the police were concerned.

You couldn't expect kids to know everything. Plus, when dealing with the police, not everyone knew those basic things, which were pure common sense. Common sense went out the window when you got scared, and you just did whatever you felt you had to do in order to defend yourself.

He knew that was what Russ had been doing. He screwed up. But Ted wanted to make sure that Russ did not screw up like this again. As much as he wanted to comfort Russ, Kenny, and Luis and assure them that they were safe now, that everything was okay, he knew, realistically, that everything would not be okay until he told them what he needed to; they needed to hear this.

Sighing, Ted turned his gaze toward the road, the rain seeming to come down harder. The thunder boomed in the distance, but he doubted that even the sound of that could cover Russ's yells from earlier, that quite a few people had possibly heard the commotion Russ had been causing when that cop told him to step out of the car.

"Look," he said, "I know you say you did nothing wrong."

"'Cause I didn't!" Russ retorted.

Ted whipped around and glowered at him. "Shut your mouth for a second!" he said, shaking his head – that was an almost impossible demand. Russ could hardly keep his trap shut for more than two minutes. "Listen to me," he whispered. "You did do something wrong."

"Then what was it?" Russ snapped, still determined to have an attitude about the whole thing. "What did I do that made him pull me over like that? This is, like, the third time since I got my license that they've been pulling me over for no reason!"

"Perhaps," Ted said, "but, we need to talk about what you could've done differently. What all three of you could've done differently."

"But he didn't do anything wrong," Luis insisted.

"No, it's not about being right," Ted argued. "It's about being safe. Look, with cops . . . not all of them have your best interest at heart. Some of them . . . sometimes, there are some bad ones. But there are also good ones. However, there are still times that they will look at you differently."

"Because we're not white, is what you're saying," grumbled Wu, shaking his head.

"Partially," Ted said. "So, you three need to know what to do when you come in contact with the police. For one, you need to be respectful. Never, and I mean never, give them an attitude or touch them or give them any reason to get angry or violent toward you, because . . . because they might do a lot worse than cuff you. And you know what I'm talking about, right?"

Russ nodded, and Ted could've sworn he saw the boy starting to pale slightly as that realization settled in, the realization that he could've gotten hurt by that guy had Ted not stepped in when he did. And Ted didn't want to imagine it, either. He didn't want to imagine having to hear a story that one of his Ducks got arrested or potentially hurt or killed due to a poor encounter with the police. He just hoped that what he had to say next would make the boys realize that, especially since neither of them was what one would call white. Though Ted had a feeling that it would be no different even if it were Charlie, Averman or Guy; the cops would probably react all the same. Maybe they wouldn't. But Ted felt the urgency surge through him that he needed to make sure these boys knew how to be safe rather than sorry, that they were lucky this time around because he'd been there.

Still, he wouldn't always be there.

"You should never make them nervous or panic. And you might be more scared than they are of you, but they might not understand that," Ted said gently. "You should never yell or argue with them even when you think that you're right. So, always keep your hands where they can see them. Don't ever reach for anything, don't give them any reason to be nervous that you're gonna reach for something or give them an idea that you're gonna reach for a gun or a knife; if they do ask you for something, ask for permission to get your driver's license, your registration . . . anything, but if they ask to search your vehicle, tell them you don't consent to the search because if God forbid they find something when they do search your car . . ." Ted's voice trailed off before he said, "Do you boys know how Bombay came to coach the Ducks in the first place? I know you weren't around for it. But did he ever say anything to you guys?"

"No," said Luis. "Do you?"

"I do," Ted said, staring straight ahead; he knew that it wasn't his information to share, that Gordon should've said something to them about his past. But he could suspect that Gordon had wanted to keep them as innocent as he could. Still, he wouldn't tell them this if he didn't feel that it was necessary. "He got caught drinking while driving." His voice barely came out as a whisper, yet, somehow, Russ, Ken, and Luis could hear him loud and clear. He watched from the corner of his eye as Russ went stiff as a board, brown eyes widening in shock at the thought of Bombay, the man he viewed as a God, a titan, a seemingly untouchable man, being an alcoholic at one point. Still, Ted continued. "He refused to do a breathalyzer test even though he was noticeably drunk. He had empty beer bottles in his car. By refusing the breathalyzer and laughing it off and giving the cop an attitude, he made it even worse for himself than necessary."

"Yeah, but did that cop put his hands on him and start frisking him?" Russ asked, his defensiveness still up.

"He was so drunk and stupid at that point, I guess the cop knew it wouldn't do much," Ted sighed. "The point is, I was the one who picked him up at the station the next day. He knew he was in trouble. Yet, he kept on trying to find ways to escape punishment. He even tried finding a loophole until he was sentenced to community service. And guess what he had to do for community service: coach hockey for the worst team in the league. And at the time, he hated kids."

"Really?" asked Russ, turning and smiling.

"Yeah, really," laughed Ted. "He called me to complain about how it was torture. I told him it could've been worse, that he could've been serving time in prison for something even more than that. But what really propelled everything was his attitude toward the cop and how he handled the situation. He could've done a lot of things differently. He could've avoided that situation altogether had he not gotten into his car drinking." He heaved another sigh before turning his glance toward Russ and then glancing back at Ken and Luis. "Look, my point is this: You kids are not any different from me or Gordon just because you're not white. But people will see you differently. That doesn't mean they're right; they will look at you, and they will judge you. But those people will never know who you are. So, next time something like this happens, do me and yourselves a big favor: Just cooperate, and everything will go smoothly. I understand that you were frustrated over this. But you cannot ever let a cop see that. They don't want to see that."

"But why should we respect them if they don't respect us?" asked Luis.

"For real, man," Russ said.

Ted sighed. These kids. Sometimes, it was hard for them to remember that you needed to give respect first if you wanted respect. Whoever said coaching teenagers was easier than coaching young children was lying. Ted had never had Lucy, or any of her little friends give him an attitude like this before. But he also understood why, too. He wasn't about to sit there and tell these boys that he did everything perfectly or that he never got into trouble with the police.

"Don't you remember how things were when you first got to Eden Hall?" Ted asked.

He watched as the boys nodded, knowing exactly what he was referring to.

"Russ, you were determined to be on good behavior because you're playing on scholarship; you knew that if you gave those board members any reason to complain, they wouldn't hesitate to throw you out even if they had no justifiable cause. Dealing with cops is the same thing. You should always leave your ego behind and not give them a reason to get aggressive with you; you don't know how long they've been doing this, what they experienced that day, or what they're thinking or feeling, but what you can control is your attitude and how they perceive you because by showing them politeness and grace, they will show you some grace back, hopefully," Ted said, swallowing hard before turning his gaze back to Russ again, and then locking eyes with Luis and Ken.

"And if they don't give us any grace? Then what happens?" Luis asked, sounding scared of that possibility, the one that Ted did not want to think about.

"Think of what you can and report them for their behavior," said Ted. "Okay? I just wanna make sure that you three are safe. That means I don't want to see or hear anything like this happening again. Because next time, I might not be there to help you boys out. You got that?"

He watched as the three of them nodded. "Yes, Coach," Russ whispered.

"Yeah," said Luis.

"All right. You guys gonna be okay?"

"I think so," Russ said.

"All right," Ted said, exiting the car. "You boys stay out of trouble for the rest of the night, you hear me? And if you need anything, call my house."

"Sure. Thanks, Coach," Russ said, smiling.

"Don't mention it," Ted told him, and he turned away to head back to his car. However, Russ called out to him, stopping him.

"Hey, Coach!"

He turned back around and said, "What?"

"You're a good dad."

At this, Ted's heart warmed. He knew what Russ meant by that – all of the Ducks had come to see him as a father figure, even though that wasn't his intention. Still, they wormed their way into his heart after their freshman season, and Russ complimenting him on how he was as a dad was just one of those many reasons why he'd grown to love them like they were his own.

He winked at Russ gently. "Thanks, kid." He then turned back and continued toward his car, opening the driver's side door and reentering. When he took his seat behind the wheel, he saw Bella and Lucy had been watching the entire encounter; it made him grateful that he'd stepped in and kept his cool while doing so. The last thing Lucy needed to see was her daddy getting into trouble with the police because he'd been sticking up for his players who'd gotten into such a big pickle that they couldn't get out of on their own.

"I saw that," Bella said, her face pale – Ted knew she got her share of teenagers who came into the emergency room after a bad encounter with a cop. "Are they okay?"

"Yeah, don't worry. I gave them that talk about being more careful next time," Ted said.

"But Daddy, why did they get pulled over?" asked Lucy. Ted sometimes forgot that she was so observant and saw everything. That had been the last thing he'd wanted Lucy to have to see; she was so little; she didn't understand that there were times that things like this happened. But this was also a really good lesson for her and one that he hoped she'd been paying attention to, even though he hadn't wanted her exposed to something like this.

Sighing, he turned to face his daughter. "Sometimes, honey, not all cops are very nice. Some of them are mean. But . . . But that doesn't give you the right to be mean back to them. You understand?"

Lucy nodded. "Yes, Daddy."

"Good girl."