by Heather Gray
Now that she’d texted him, though, her number was tucked securely away in the storage vault of his contact list. He wouldn’t tell Ma quite yet, though. He was curious about how long she’d hold her peace before bringing it up again.
His phone buzzed, and he read the text as he clocked in. What about you? Chasing down innocent civilians tonight?
Hopefully just the guilty ones this time.
Be safe.
Lily cared about his safety. That was all kinds of good.
Always am.
Caleb stored his gear in his locker and moved in the direction of the wall-mounted duty roster to check where he was assigned for the night. When he’d first been put on Lee Highway, he’d thought it was a dead zone and had been irritated. Being a newbie at the station was one thing, but as a newbie who’d been able to circumvent most of the standard training because of his previous law enforcement experience, he’d assumed the assignment was a kind of hazing. Time had proven him wrong, though. His regular beat was anything but quiet.
“Ready for another high-speed chase?” Sebastian, the source of the question, approached.
“Bring it on,” Caleb replied good-naturedly.
He moved on to the assignment wall, and Sebastian stayed a claustrophobic half-step behind him, off to his right. Obviously the kid had missed the class about personal space. He tried to shake the annoyance off and read down the columns of assignments. When he found his name, he stopped, read it again, and peered over at his shadow. “You know anything about this?”
The younger trooper rocked on his feet. Fast. “Cap’n ordered me to ride with you for six weeks.”
With the exception of training rookies, Caleb had been riding alone since he’d graduated from being one himself. The occasional ride-along was one thing, but Sebastian’s eager attitude and nervous tendencies would drive him plumb crazy within the first shift. He glanced up at the captain’s office. Dark. She’d gone home for the night. Great.
“Graham!”
His head snapped around to find the source of the yell. The sergeant waved him over.
“Stay here, Sebastian. I’ll be back in a minute.”
Not allowing the other trooper a chance to respond, Caleb jogged toward the sergeant, who handed him a phone then went back to the paperwork in front of him. Reluctance slowing his movements, Caleb put the phone to his ear. “Hello?”
“I’ve assigned Sebastian to ride with you for the next six weeks.” The captain’s tone was sharp, her words clipped.
“Why?” What had he done to tick her off?
“Look, Graham, we both know you’re destined for bigger and better. You’ll move up out of this station soon, either in a different branch of local law enforcement or into something federal. I’m going to take advantage in the meantime. Sebastian will be with you for six weeks.”
“He’s already been through his rookie orientation, hasn’t he?”
Her sigh almost made him regret the question. “This is his last chance. Turn him into someone the rest of my troopers can stand to be around. Teach him everything you can, not just about the job, but about how to carry himself, how to talk to people, how to remain calm under pressure. After those six weeks, I’ll rotate him out.”
“And somebody else in?”
“I may be willing to negotiate.”
Caleb shook his head in admiration for her tactics. “Does it occur to you that I might be perfectly happy to stay here, but that doing this could drive me to seek employment elsewhere?”
“Not for a second. You want people to be good at this job. I’ve seen you give advice to the rookies. You’re a natural at training.”
“All these troopers have gone through enough training. They shouldn’t be working here otherwise.” Her actions threatened to impede his real duties, but he couldn’t very well tell her that.
“They have all the knowledge they need to perform adequately. Adequate only gets you so far, though. I want you to teach them what they need to know to avoid getting burned out, to protect the reputation of this station, and to make an overall good public impression. In short, I expect you to teach them the stuff not in the textbooks and training videos.”
Caleb sighed. “What makes you think I’m the man for the job?”
“Instinct. It’s nonnegotiable. If you want out of doing it, then train someone so well that they can step in and start working with my other problem troopers.”
An order wrapped in a compliment with a nice pretty ribbon of don’t-you-dare-argue — not much he could say to that.
“Is it the task in general you’re opposed to, or Sebastian in particular?”
“He’s, uh, a bit eager, ma’am.”
The captain’s laughter reached him across the phone line. “Which is why he, more than most, can benefit from this. Top of his class in every category, but he got stuck here instead of at a bigger station because people can’t stand him. I want you to fix him. His future is pretty bleak otherwise.”
Resignation settled into Caleb’s bones. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Get to know him, Graham. I think you’ll find there’s more to like about him than you realize. You can’t deny he needs the help.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“All right, then. Safe patrol tonight.” The line went dead, effectively cutting him off. Not that he had anything of value to add.
Caleb glanced up and found Sebastian. The man stood right where he’d been left, watching like an eager puppy. He even waved.
Dear Lord, give me patience.
“Well, that was fun!” Sebastian’s voice grated on Caleb’s nerves.
“It was a ticket. Speeding. Not worth getting worked up about.”
“Is it always like this on patrol? It seems like a bunch of nothing then — bam! — excitement.”
Caleb sighed for the umpteenth time since sunset. “There’s an abundance of nothing, a little bit of something, and a whole lot of being present. As a trooper, your presence alone should be enough to deter most people from doing the illegal things they might otherwise be inclined toward.”
“You don’t like me much, do you?” At least Sebastian was matter-of-fact, not whiny.
“I don’t know you well enough to offer an opinion.”
“Yeah, but I get on your nerves.”
“Yes.” He couldn’t argue. “That you do.”
“It’s because I’m enthusiastic, isn’t it? People tell me that all the time. I’d like to be more like you. You look like you’re standing still even when you’re moving, but that’s not me. I can’t do it.”
If he let him, Caleb was sure the younger trooper could hold an entire conversation on his own.
“How do you do that? How do you stay so calm all the time? I don’t do calm. I’m not good at it.”
He waited, knowing Sebastian was far from done.
“Well? How?”
Caleb sighed. Again. “Don’t waste your time trying to be somebody else. Take who you are and work it to your advantage.”
“How do I do that?”
“I imagine most people aren’t annoyed by your enthusiasm. Your constant chatter is another story. Find a way to direct your energy into something other than talking.”
“Like what?”
“Give it some thought. I’m sure you can think of something.” An idea sank its tentacles into Caleb’s mind. “Why don’t you not speak for five minutes? Spend the time thinking about other ways you can channel all your zeal.”
Sebastian rolled his eyes. “I’m a little old for the quiet game, don’t you think?”
“No game.” He called their location in to dispatch before continuing. “Talking and listening can’t happen at the same time. You ought to know that by now. It’s as true inside your own head as it is in a classroom. You’re probably full of ideas about things you could do differently, but you’re so busy talking that you can’t hear yourself think.” For the record, Caleb couldn’t hear himself, either.
A long-suffering s
igh came from the passenger seat of the cruiser. “Fine. Five minutes.”
“Has it been five minutes yet?”
“No.”
“Now?”
“No.”
“Now?”
“Not even close.”
Silence filled the car, and Caleb savored every second of it. When the clock on the dash told him five minutes had elapsed, he thought about milking it for another couple, but, unfortunately, his parents had raised him to be honest. “Time’s up. Tell me what you learned.”
“Morse code.”
Caleb coughed. “You learned Morse code in five minutes of silence with no book to teach you?”
Sebastian laughed. “Nah. That’d be crazy. I remembered that I know Morse code.”
They came to the end of their patrol area, so Caleb turned the car around and headed back in the other direction.
“I have a cousin with ADHD. His doctor told him to play an imaginary piano to keep his fingers busy. Somehow it helped him concentrate. Piano’s out of my league, but Morse code I can handle.”
Caleb thought about asking the obvious but figured Sebastian would get around to it eventually. The wait wasn’t long.
“I don’t have ADHD. Not that I’m aware, at least. What you said makes sense, though. I’ve always had too much energy, so if I try tapping out messages in Morse code, that’ll keep me busy. What do you think I should tap out?”
Everything. “Whatever you’re thinking about saying out loud, tap it out instead.”
“I’d never speak at all if I did that.”
Somehow Caleb doubted that would ever be a genuine problem. “Maybe only say the things that still seem important after being tapped out.”
“I’ll give it a try, but I’m not promising anything.”
One full minute of silence followed before Sebastian inquired, “You married?”
Caleb whipped his head around. “That’s what you consider important?”
“I tapped it out three times, and the question’s still bouncing around inside my head. All the other ones went away.”
“No, not married.”
“Me either. Haven’t found a woman yet who can put up with me. Not sure I want that whole marriage and kids thing, though. You? Anyone special in your life? Ever think about marriage?”
The captain owed him. Big. “I figure it’d be a good thing to find a woman you can be around in complete silence. Someone you’re so comfortable with that there’s no need to fill the space with words.”
“Or,” Sebastian added, “a woman you’re so comfortable with that you can say whatever’s on your mind, and she’ll love you anyway.”
“I suppose.”
The radio crackled to life. “Unit 56483, please acknowledge.”
Caleb grabbed the radio. “Unit 56483 here.”
“You’re needed at the impound lot. Know where it is?”
“No idea.”
The disembodied voice came back over the radio. “Sending it to your console.”
Caleb pressed the radio’s button again. “What do they need?”
Dispatch came back on the line. “Has something to do with the car from your chase a couple days ago.”
“Are you Graham?” The man behind the counter brought to mind a hairless Chihuahua… having a bad hair day.
“That’s me. What do you need?”
“Had me a little break-in here at the lot tonight.”
“Okay.” Caleb stretched out the word. “What do you need me for? This isn’t my jurisdiction.”
The man ran a callused hand through his shoulder-length hair. “Only three vehicles busted into, all close in description to the one you sent in earlier this week.”
Caleb’s pulse sped up, and his mind raced to keep pace. “Where’s my car?”
“It was locked up in the back shed. The dogs smell something, but darned if I can find it.”
“Drug dogs?”
The man tapped his pen on the counter. “Yep. Requested they stop by after I realized that whoever broke in had to be looking for something specific. But like I said, I can’t find it. Must be no more than a trace. The folks at the crime lab don’t want the car, either. They’re backed up, and since the only drug found on the kids was pot, this one’s not a priority. Which is fine with me, except I don’t like having my impound lot broken into.”
“What do you want me to do?” Caleb’s interest in getting a look at the car was keen, and he hoped for an invitation.
“Hey,” the guy countered, holding up his hands. “It’s my lot, but I’m just a civilian contracted by the state police. Y’all provide the security and an endless supply of red tape. I don’t want trouble with interdepartmental nonsense, but I thought you could give the car a once-over with me.”
“Of course.”
The man led them toward a back door.
“Did you notice, Graham? I was quiet the whole time. I think this Morse code thing is going to work!”
Caleb hoped Lily experienced a much more restful night than was in store for him.
Lily whistled as she got ready for work the next morning. A friend had taken her the evening before to collect her car. A note from Caleb had been waiting under the driver-side windshield wiper.
I wanted to phone and ask how you were doing, but I don’t have your number. Figured I’d give you mine in case you ever need to talk, or want to, for that matter. Hope you enjoyed the fountain as much as I did.
She’d hoped to hear from him the day after the parking garage, but sunlight had come and gone without a word. The silence had been more noticeable than it should have been, given the short time she’d known him. While she’d been glad when the news reported no trooper-involved incidents, she’d still called in and checked at her own hospital to see if Caleb was a patient.
Thankfully she’d resisted the urge to contact all the other area hospitals. One was enough. More would have been downright creepy, and Lily generally prided herself on not being a creepy person.
Her face had warmed when she’d found the note, and the friend who’d given her the lift hadn’t let the blush pass without comment. “Either you got a love note under your windshield wiper or a ticket. Am I seeing happy color on your face, or angry?”
Her silence had been answer enough.
Caleb’s handwriting was a lot like him. Broad strokes, solid, easy to understand. No fancy curls to the letters, nothing to confuse the reader or disguise a hidden meaning. Straightforward yet somehow complex at the same time. She liked it.
Lily snuck a peek at the mirror and checked her appearance before heading out the door. Another blush met her gaze.
She needed to stop thinking about Caleb, or she’d end up with cartoon-red cheeks all day!
“Can you give me a hand?”
Lily glanced up from the chart she was reading. Jacie, one of the newer nurses, stared at her with hopeful eyes.
“Sure, what do you need?”
“Mrs. Kline’s dressings need to be changed.”
With a nod, Lily agreed. “Let me check on Mr. Miller real quick, and I’ll be right in.”
“How’s he doing?” Jacie’s eyes, wide pools of chocolate, reminded Lily of a scolded puppy.
“Good.” She offered a reassuring smile. “They’d transfer him off the unit if not for the media. Right now our primary focus is keeping infection at bay, handling the pain, and getting the swelling down.”
A short time later, after making sure her patient didn’t need anything, Lily joined Jacie in Mrs. Kline’s room.
The young nurse was pale, so Lily took the no-nonsense approach. “This is a tough one.”
Jacie’s face contorted. Was she on the verge of crying or vomiting?
“Hold yourself together. She needs your best care, period.” Sympathy would give the inexperienced nurse permission to crumble. Instead, Lily tried to push Jacie in the right direction without having to say the words.
Working as a team, the two women removed Mrs. Kline’
s dressings and began to bathe her delicate skin with sterile water and gauze.
“How’d she get burned so bad?” Jacie’s voice was small. A quick glance told Lily the younger nurse was pale again. Her chin quivered, too.
“Is this your first time with her?”
A slight nod was all the answer she got.
Lily took a deep breath. “House fire. I have no idea if they found the cause, and how it happened doesn’t change anything about how we care for her.” In and of themselves, the burns weren’t that bad, but they covered a significant portion of the patient’s body.
“How come no one ever comes to visit her?”
Lily focused on her hands and the work they did as she answered. “Her husband and children died in the fire. I’m not sure about extended family, but our social worker should have the whole history.”
They finished with the water and Jacie prepared the new dressings. “What exactly is this stuff?”
Using her forearm, Lily brushed a stray tendril of hair out of her eyes. “It’s a special kind of gauze laced with petroleum jelly that’s been injected with bismuth trimbromophenate.”
“Huh?”
She chuckled. “Yeah, I can never remember, either. I read it off the box.”
Jacie rolled her eyes. “So what’s it do for her? Why do we use it?”
“Now you’re talking like a nurse.”
The younger woman preened under the praise.
“The gauze protects the skin without sticking to it, and the medicine in the petroleum jelly helps to fight bacteria and promote quicker healing. We use it on some burns, skin grafts, and sometimes on severe rashes and reactions. The stuff looks funny, but it does wonders. If you’d seen Mrs. Kline a week ago, you wouldn’t recognize her. What you’re looking at now is almost a whole new person compared to when she first came in.”