chapter six
006. opposites day

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     PATRICK RICHARDS had a ritual before and after every shift. Every police officer coped with the work they did differently. Some of them are healthy, others not so. Patrick went to therapy, of course▬despite it being something ridiculously frowned upon in the force▬and he'd go for a drink with friends or his fellow T.O.s or went to watch a game with Tim every now and then. But outside all of that, Patrick found solace in prayer. He had grown up religious in a Catholic family, but only after he had put on the uniform did he rekindle his relationship with it. He'd pray in the mornings, pray after work and go to Church when he could on Sundays▬there was something comforting, he found, in being able to express all he went through on the daily to a greater power who would always listen, no matter what; who would forgive him if he asked for it.

    Every cop had something to keep them sane▬even if those like Tim would never admit it, they all did.

    It also helped Patrick whenever he went into hospitals. He always was in hospitals in this line of work▬they were unavoidable. But he never entered one without a cross underneath the collar of his shirt. Some would call him superstitious▬a lot of police officers were▬but Patrick always wanted to be sure that he had some form of protection; it was comforting.

    Every time he went to a hospital, it reminded him of her. 

    Everyone spoke of cancer▬he heard so many stories of how it affected families, having someone they loved taken away from them far too soon, and having to watch them decline in the worst way possible. He just never thought he'd have to live through it, too▬having to watch his wife be diagnosed, go through chemo, and some days be in so much pain she could barely get out of bed, but still put on a smile for their little boy who'd run in to their room, eager to start every day with so much energy. He watched the love of his life waste away when they were supposed to spend the rest of their lives at each other's side, grow old together, and leave this world holding each other's hands. 

    And so, Patrick supposed he prayed to her everyday, too. 

    Rollcall was rather chatty today. Officer Richards arrived later than he had planned▬usually he was one of the first to get here, an old habit drilled in by his T.O. when he was a rookie himself. But Will, his six-year-old son decided he didn't want to go to school today, and wanted to keep playing with his Lego, so Officer Richards had bribe him with lunch money (seriously, where do these young kids learn these extortion skills these days?) and a new Lego set▬bluffing, really▬to get him to actually step foot into the car. 

    Officer Richards sat down at his usual seat with the other T.O.'s, downing the rest of his coffee in one go. Officer Lopez smirked, amused. "Tough morning?" she greeted with her usual coy, teasing tone.

    "Don't have kids," was all Officer Richards had to say to that and Lopez chuckled. "I'm going to have to deal with a crying six-year-old tonight because I totally lied when I said to him I'd get him a new Lego tractor set." At Officer Bishop's dubious stare, he shrugged, defensive. "I had to come up with something to get him to go to school today."

    "Just get him a cheap toy tractor from Target," shrugged Officer Bradford, nonchalant and offering a blunt, logical answer to Richards's problems. "Kid won't care▬as long as its a new toy, he'll love it."

    "But he's going to a specific Lego phase, he doesn't want anything else," explained Officer Richards with a sigh. "When did Lego become so expensive? I'm trying to plan Santa gifts this Christmas, and every good Lego set is▬is sixty dollars at least."

    Tim scoffed and shook his head, leaning back and crossing his arms over his chest. "When did Santa gifts become so extravagant?" he grumbled. "You know, when I was a kid, on Christmas we got one gift and one gift only from Santa. You know what my present was when I was six? A flashlight."

    "Wow," mused Angela Lopez slowly, as if she wasn't sure whether to laugh or to go home and contemplate Tim's sad childhood. "You know, suddenly so much is making sense to me."

    Talia Bishop chuckled under her breath, sharing an amused look with Angela at Tim's flat stare. 

    "All right, all right," the chatter died down when Sergeant Grey stepped up onto the podium in front of roll call. Officer Richards sat up straighter in his seat and turned his travel cup around in his fingers, wishing he already had another coffee. "Today is a special day for our rookies. 'Cause today..." he smiled, and Richards could see the shoulders of their rookies tense up and their breaths hitch with fear the moment all attention was focused on them. It was so cute to see them so on edge. 

    Sergeant Bradford stepped down to stop in front of their table. "Today," he continued, "we switch things up."

    Realising what today was, even Officer Richards sat back in his seat with a soft wince. This was what he got for being late▬he missed the briefing in Sergeant Grey's office about what he had planned for their rookies. Officer Bishop smirked at his reaction.

    "That's right," Grey clasped his hands together in front of him, biting back a grin at the way the four rookies all shared fearful glances. "Everybody gets a new training officer! Nolan, you'll be riding with Officer Lopez. West, you'll be riding with Officer Bradford▬" Tim groaned softly and let his head fall, realising he was going to have to try and handle the Internal Affairs legacy kid. "Chen, you'll be with Bishop." Richards glanced at Bishop again, and some part of him felt relieved. Officer Lucy Chen held so much potential. She was smart, she was determined, but she was also too eager for praise and reward. Perspective from Officer Talia Bishop might be really good for Richards's rookie. Though, Talia didn't seem so welcome to the idea of having Chen in her shop for the next few days. Richards frowned, curious.

    But it also meant there was one rookie left for him. "And Souza," finished Sergeant Grey, "you'll be riding with Richards."

    Tim Bradford's new rookie shyly glanced over her shoulder to meet Richards's gaze. She shifted awkwardly in her seat, quickly avoiding eye contact the moment she realised he was watching. Richards wondered whether Sergeant Grey had chosen to pair them up purely for the irony▬Bradford's old rookie riding with his new rookie, match made in heaven, perhaps. Richards felt like he was being tested in some way▬like this was not just supposed to evaluate their Boots, but also themselves as Training Officers. And it wasn't just Grey who would be testing him, Richards knew from the look Bradford sent him out of the corner of his eye, he would also have his old T.O. on his back about this, too.

    "But learning how to navigate a new T.O. is not your only challenge," Sergeant Grey returned to the podium. "By the end of shift, I expect every rookie to uncover something personal about their Training Officer." All four T.O.s let out the same, exasperated subtle sigh▬already knowing that today was going to be exhausting. And Sergeant Grey knew it, too. "Something they don't want you to know. This will be a test of your investigative instincts and your fortitude. Best insight will win a day off. Worst one?" Grey smirked, amused. "Handles Saturday night cavity searches."

    There was a collective, empathetic groan from every officer in the room. No one wanted to do Saturday night cavity searches▬it was a police officer's very own horror movie and nightmare. 

    "That's it. Good luck."

    Officer Richards gave Officer Souza one last look before standing up and leaving roll call. Today was going to be an interesting day, he was sure of it▬though perhaps not a good interesting. Sometimes, he still felt like a rookie himself. Every day on the job there was a new experience, something new to learn▬he was always being tested, and it would drive the average person mad with stress.

    He followed his fellow Training Officers to the bullpen, hovering at the foot of the stairs as they watched their rookies head for the kit room to prepare their shops. Officer Bradford frowned after Officer West, thoughtful.

    "Is the kid really a rock star?" he muttered to Officer Lopez who looked very troubled at the thought of her rookie being paired up with someone else. As harsh and strict they were with their Boots▬as much as they loved hazing them▬they were all protective of their rookies. It was an instinct no Training Officer could shake, even if they wanted to. Especially now. Officer Richards had to go from spending every day on the job so far keeping an eye on his toddler with a loaded gun▬making sure they don't make mistakes, keep themselves in check and don't die on the streets all the while trying to teach them how to do this job▬to passing her off to someone else, and trusting they'll keep her safe, and train her just as well. It was admittedly nerve-wracking. 

    "Jackson?" Lopez glanced at Bradford. She pursed her lips. "Yeah," she said in the end. "He's better prepared than any rookie I've ever had."

    "Screw prep. How is he out on the street?"

    Richards didn't miss the way Lopez hesitated. "So far, so good," she switched the conversation and looked at Bishop. "What about Nolan?"

    Officer Bishop took a deep breath. "He's a talker," she warned. She arched a brow at Richards.

    He gestured at himself. "Oh? You want tips? Just like that," he made a face, teasing. "Come on, what's the fun in that?" When Officer Bishop looked like she was about to taser him, Officer Richards cleared his throat and quickly backtracked. "Uh▬I mean, don't worry," and his words were genuine despite his jokes. He stared after Officer Chen with gentle pride as she and the other rookies were all joking with each other outside the kit room. "She's ..." Richards nodded. "She's gonna be a good cop. She's intuitive, and her degree has allowed her to judge people well. She's determined▬in this for the right reasons," he looked away and gave Bishop a knowing look. "She just ... needs a bit of perspective on how terrible this world can be. I try to give it to her, but," Richards shrugged. "She'll learn a lot from you."

    "Awww," Officer Lopez cooed at Richards's compliment towards Talia. He scoffed and rolled his eyes. You're so cute, Richards."

    "How did you keep your heart after being trained by this buffoon?" Talia added, jabbing her thumb up at Tim who made a face, startled at suddenly being the butt end of their joke. 

    "Hey, hang on▬" he said, but the two women were already walking away, laughing softly. Bradford shook his head after them, exasperated. 

    Once the girls were gone, Bradford hesitated. He glanced at his rookie, who pointed her finger at Nolan with a taunting grin, stepping away as she teased him about something. Richards recognised that soft look on his old T.O.'s face, hidden behind his scowl▬and it took him by surprise. Officer Souza was slowly chipping away at her T.O.'s harsh walls, quicker than Officer Richards ever did

    Bradford turned to face his old rookie. "Keep an eye on her, yeah?" he muttered. 

    Richards blinked, taken aback by the request. He soon nodded. "Yeah, man," he reassured Tim. "You know I will."

    Tim nodded, some of the tense worry in his scowl lifting. Satisfied, his usual obnoxious self returned and he sharply added: "Though, if my Boot's all soft again when I get her back tomorrow, you're losing those Dodger tickets."

    Pat watched Tim walk away, scoffing. "What? Oh, come on, man. Leave the Dodgers out of this!"

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    "SO, WHAT'S Lopez like to ride with?"

    Officer Jackson West snorted a soft scoff as he scribbled his signature on the kit room sign-off sheet. He didn't even give Officer John Nolan a glance when he answered, "Yeah, like I'm gonna give you a head start." 

    Officer Souza chuckled lowly with Officer Chen as she passed back her clipboard and reached for the two heavy war bags. "Brutal," mumbled Ines.

    Jackson spun the pen in his fingers, brows knitting together. His lips pursed, and he seemed to hesitate for a moment, before relenting with a soft kiss of his teeth. He gestured his pen at Ines. "Tim's gonna eat me alive, isn't he?"

    Souza ducked her shoulder and hoisted up one war bag. She shuffled awkwardly to balance the weight. "You?" she made a face, a little laugh bubbling out of her throat at the thought. "No▬You are the perfect rookie, a legacy who got top marks at the Academy, beating every record your father held..." she threw the second bag over her other shoulder. "If Tim could generate the cop of his dreams in a test tube in a lab, it would be you."

    West sent her a sarcastic smile and Souza grinned.

    Nolan slowly stood straighter, his face growing sunken as a thought suddenly occurred to him. "Unless..." he clicked his pen, "he's gonna set out to dominate you and prove you aren't all that..."

    Chen whistled as she grabbed her war bags, too. Souza clicked her tongue, nodding along to Nolan's realisation. She grabbed the two shotguns handed to her. She winced▬a slow, scrunch of her nose and a guilty grimace pulling at her lips, feeling bad for Officer West as she predicted how this day was going to go for him. 

    "Wait," she chewed the inside of her cheek, shooting Jackson a soft apologetic look. "I take my answer back. Uh▬good luck."

    "Said with no sympathy at all," joked Officer Chen and Officer West mimicked the both of them under his breath. 

    "Officer Richards is gonna be such a breeze compared to Bradford," then said Officer Souza, sighing with relief as if she had just taken a cool, refreshing drink in the middle of a heatwave in summer. "If I am Goldilocks▬he is the 'just right' I've been looking for." She turned to Lucy with a smug tilt of her head. "Guess who won't be doing Saturday night cavity searches?▬Me," she jabbed her thumb at herself. "This is gonna be great. If I want to make detective one day soon, I gotta start showing off my good observation skills early on▬this is my time to shine."

    "Okay, okay," chuckled Officer Chen. "Slow down, Detective Souza," she teased, and Ines rolled her eyes with a smile. "Just because Pat doesn't come up with crazy, elaborate, humiliating 'Tim Tests' doesn't mean he doesn't have his own tricks up his sleeve," she grabbed her guns as well, shrugging. "I wouldn't be too confident just yet."

    "Oh, hey▬" then said Officer Chen, glancing up at Nolan. "What about Talia? Any tips on how to get on her good side?"

    Nolan clicked his tongue with mock sympathy. "Oh, I'm sorry," he sighed and slid the clipboard over the counter to the Officer working the kit room before giving Chen a mischievous smirk. "Jackson's right. No head starts..."

    Officer Souza puckered her lips with a soft, sharp intake of breath▬biting back her want to laugh at Nolan's quick-witted reply. "See you guys at the end of this▬oh wait," she added as she spun around, smug and unusually confident. Souza gasped playfully as if suddenly coming to a shocking revelation. "No, I won't see you guys because I will be at the beach on my day off," she grinned and spun on her heel, marching towards the garage with an eager perk in her step. 

    The truth was, for the first time, Ines truly felt confident. In the first month so far of her training program, she had made mistake after mistake▬and her T.O. loved to put salt in the wound of every single one instead of praising what she had done well. If she could win this little game Sergeant Grey had placed on the group of them, then Ines knew it would make that smug, arrogant smirk drop right off Tim's face, and he would have no choice but to admit she was going to be great at this job▬and at the same time, show Sergeant Grey early on that she had the insight to one day become Detective. She would be killing two birds with one stone. Not to mention she got the easiest Training Officer out of the four of them▬this was going to be the best day so far. 

    She arrived at their shop in the garage, heaving the equipment into the trunk of the vehicle before Officer Richards arrived. Maybe she would even get some tips on how to be Tim Bradford's rookie from an old rookie of his▬even better! 

    Officer Souza stood up on her toes to pull the trunk back down and rounded to the passenger side just as Officer Richards entered the garage. Seeing her standing with an eager smile, he frowned and spun the shop keys in his fingers. "What's that smile for, Boot?" her smile faltered at the nickname, her confidence immediately wavering. "Get in the shop."

    Her temporary Training Officer opened the driver's door and ducked behind the wheel, closing it with a thud. Officer Souza huffed an exasperated sigh, wondering whether she was ever going to escape hearing the word 'Boot' even in her sleep.

    Boot, Boot, Boot▬one of these days, she was going to get triggered when she went shoe shopping!

    Realising these few days might not go as smoothly as she originally thought, Officer Souza pursed her lips and awkwardly opened her door of the shop, sitting in the passenger seat and buckling her seatbelt without a word.

    As Officer Richards prepared to drive them out of the garage, Souza pursed her lips and took a breath, ready to try and break the awkward silence, but he cut her off:

    "No, no, no," he chuckled, holding up a hand before he shifted the gear and the shop revved enough to get over the speed bump, and down onto the ramp driveway. "I'm gonna stop you right there. No, you're not gonna get tips from me about Tim, and you are not going to learn anything about me." 

    Souza hesitated as they turned right. She pursed her lips and sat back in her seat. "I▬I don't think that's what Grey wanted..." she faltered at the incredulous brow arch from Richards and went silent.

   Surprisingly, he burst into soft laughter. Her sheepish awkward silence softened and she watched him, surprised. She didn't know how to react. Richards shook his head, continuing to chuckle as radio chatter began to fill the inside of the shop. They slowed down at a set of traffic lights. "Sorry, sorry, I wanted to try and channel my inner Tim to see how you'd react."

    "What?" let out Souza, scoffing in disbelief at letting herself be tricked and hazed so easily▬she still hasn't learnt. 

    "I couldn't help myself, I'm sorry," Richards held out a hand to her in surrender, adding a softer: "I'm sorry," that was still riddled with stifled amusement. "Look, to make up for it, I'll give you an answer you can give Grey: I'm a single dad, I secretly love Bluey and know all the lyrics to the songs in Moana."

    "But I'm supposed to figure it out myself," said Souza. "I want to figure it out myself▬that's the point of the excercise."

    "Is it?" Officer Richards moved slowly through traffic as it crossed the intersection on the green light. 

    She stammered. She knew that was what Grey said, but the look on Richards's face and the tone of her voice immediately made her second-guess. "I▬uh▬yes," said Souza. She then backtracked. "Right? I mean▬yeah, he did ... right?"

    Richards shrugged, not reassuring her either way. "You tell me, Rookie."

    "But▬" she grew anxious. "No, no, that's what he meant. I'm sure of it."

    "Okay."

    "Why are you saying it like that?"

    "Saying it like what?"

    "Like that..." 

    "This is my normal voice, Officer Souza."

    "Yeah, but..." Souza hitched her breath and stared at him. "Is▬is this some kind of a test? You're testing me. Tim asked you to test me."

     "Okay, okay, I don't do 'Tim Tests'," Officer Richards gestured to her with his hand on the wheel. "But I do hope to offer you a ..." he chose his words carefully, "... 'Patrick Perspective' while you're riding with me." He sounded very proud of his alliteration play▬all the while making fun of Tim at the same time. 

    She stared at him, growing more and more incredulous (and stressed that somehow Tim had intricately planned this from start to finish▬she could picture him scowling over a chess board of her entire training program). "A▬and what is that perspective?"

    Officer Richards slowly set his gaze on her, arching his brow once again. "You're supposed to figure that out," he grinned. "That's what Grey wanted, yeah?"

    Ines stammered once again, faltering to a startled silence. She realised this entire conversation had been twisted by Officer Richards into his own little test to prove a point at the end▬so very unlike Bradford, and yet she could easily tell that Patrick was trained by Tim. She pursed her lips and sat back, nodding and clearing her throat, determined to win both Grey and Richards' lessons. 

    It wasn't long after that they were hit with their first call of the day. Souza was still stumped in the passenger seat, frowning over the conversation she had with Richards over and over▬attempting to pick apart what every twist of his words could mean▬when a bright, uplifting voice chirped over Dispatch. Almost every officer at Mid-Wilshire was familiar with Nell Forester and her distinctive voice on the radio▬no matter how exhausting their days were becoming, her competent, yet refreshing tone always seemed to brighten their shifts without fail. She was just one of those sweet, caring and devoted personalities that even though Officer Souza had yet to meet her in person, like many other Dispatch workers, she felt as though Nell Forester was already her best friend, and that was comforting out in the streets. 

    "7-Adam-12," Souza perked up when Nell mentioned their call sign, rapt with attention, "I have a disturbance at Venice Physio, a male patient is troubling reception, refusing to leave."

    Ines's eyes widened. Her heart dropped the moment she mentioned the physio Nate worked at. Her breath hitched▬she couldn't help it. Officer Richards noticed her reaction immediately. He didn't say anything at first, instead grabbing the radio receiver and answering. "You got it, Nell▬7-Adam-12 responding."

    "Sending the address to your box now."

    Souza tried to calm herself down. She met Richards expectant gaze and swallowed her fear▬a disturbance could mean nothing, and it could mean everything. The worst case scenarios all filtered through her head at once▬Souza pictured the offender with a knife, swinging his fists, pointing a gun at Nate, seeing him bleeding out on the ground, just like how she saw Tim sprawled out in the shadow of the shop the day of the ambush▬

    "Officer Souza," Richards' sharp voice cut through her racing mind, and she didn't realise he had called her at least three times now before she was brought out of the suffocating, painful spikes that stabbed her chest, making it hard for her to breathe. 

    Ines stared at him, forgetting how to speak for a moment. They were already driving in the direction of Nate's work. She started to hear the sounds of the siren and car horns▬the world of L.A. returned to her so suddenly her vision tunnelled. She blinked, trying to remove herself from this daze. "I▬" she took a few deep breaths, but nothing controlled her racing heart. "My partner works there."

    She didn't backtrack to correct herself▬Ines didn't even realise she had called Nate her boyfriend. She had switched to autopilot.

    Richards was watching the road, but she saw the way his grip on the wheel softened in realisation. He took a sharp breath and glanced at her briefly. "This happens," he said sternly▬and for a moment, Ines thought Tim was speaking to her, and it was enough to start to sober her up. "We could be stepping into a situation that is simply an unhappy patient arguing about appointment prices, but I need you focused, Officer Souza, because situations like these can escalate. I need you focused, your partner needs you focused▬are you with me, Souza?"

    Souza took a few more deep breaths▬amongst the pins in her chest, was a stubborn surge of pride that reminded her of how annoyed she had been with Tim over Isabel. That stubborn pride refused to allow her to fall into a pit of her own hypocrisy. She set her jaw and nodded. "Yes, sir," she managed. 

    "Good," Officer Richards turned off the sirens a block away from the physio and swerved into the street. He parked them in front of the practice, and Souza glanced through the window to see the commotion in the reception. She could hear the muffled shouting even from here as a middle-aged man, no taller than five-foot-eight, angrily gestured at the reception staff huddled together and standing behind the desk. One of them▬likely the manager▬was trying to reason with him, but by the anxious looks shared by other patients in the room, Souza could tell the situation was quickly escalating. Behind the front desk was Nate, standing tall amongst his co-workers and matching the man's anger with aggressive gestures as well▬Ines sighed to herself, knowing he wouldn't be helping the situation either.

    "7-Adam-12," Richards muttered into the radio, "we are on-site at Venice Physio, about to enter premises." He turned to his temporary rookie officer. "What do we do here, Officer Souza?"

    She forced her gaze away from Nate to meet Officer Richard's determined frown. Souza swallowed her anxiety and answered, "Uh▬we want to de-escalate the situation, try and get the man to leave willingly."

    Richards nodded. "Good job. You take primary on this, okay? I'll be right there to step in if you need me."

    Souza managed a tight, appreciative smile at the reassurance before she and Richards opened their doors and stepped out of the shop. 

    When they entered the physio reception, there were a few whispers and murmurs immediately from the other patients. One woman immediately went to grab her phone, but Officer Richards held a hand to her, his usual kind face locking into a curt, stern scowl that made the woman lower her phone immediately. 

    Venice Physio reception was small, squeezed into an old office building complex with plenty of other stores and clinics in the same interior. There was a small, round contemporary wooden desk with two computers and the business's name in pristine blue lettering spread across the front. A hallway led further into the building to the left where the clinic rooms were, and waiting room chairs were aligned in reception in neat lines next to dark greenery and ferns in large pots. A television hung on the right wall, playing one of those cringy, day romance movies. 

    Souza tried to hide the way her breath hitched involuntarily when Nate glanced over the man's shoulder and noticed her. She set her jaw at the way he stood straighter, his anger faltering to a stiff tension to see that she had been the one called. This was the first time he had seen her in her uniform, on the job▬and she didn't know why her stomach lurched with sickening nerves. 

    She forced herself to not focus on it, taking a deep breath and setting her gaze onto the man who at the shift in everyone's stares, and the quiet murmurs, turned around. Seeing the cops, he scoffed. "Oh, come on," the man turned back to reception. "You did not call the cops on me!"

    "Sir," Officer Souza held out a calming hand, taking a careful step forward. She knew not to get too close in order not to startle him into doing anything stupid. Even though the potbelly he supported under his checkered shirt would make him slow to move, she knew he'd still be able to pack a well-aimed, strong punch if he wanted to. "Sir, I need to you take a breath."

    "You don't get to tell me what to do!" he snapped at her and Souza held her breath, keeping her composure as the man gestured at her furiously then back at the desk. "I have an appointment! I deserve to be seen▬what do they expect me to do?"

    "Mr. McGeorge, you were thirty minutes late to you appointment," the boy who looked to be in his early twenties stammered behind his computer, a little scared by the situation. "The physiotherapist is fully booked for the rest of the afternoon, he can't see you▬"

    "Oh, this is stupid!" let out Mr. McGeorge, his long beard brushing against the collar of his shirt as he tilted his head back in livid disbelief. "This is pathetic▬you are pathetic! The man is standing right there!" he pointed at Nate. "He's not seeing anyone right now is he?"

    "Sir▬" Souza attempted again, stepping closer and speaking with a more stern edge in her voice. He set his fiery gaze on her. "Sir, I need you to take a deep breath and calm down. They are just doing their job, you are late to your appointment but you can book another, however if you do not calm down, I will have to ask you to leave or▬"

    Perhaps she shouldn't have said that▬perhaps it was too early to put forward the ultimatum of either choosing to leave or threatening an arrest, because the man's anger only accelerated. He jabbed his finger at her, and she could see the shift in his body language▬the way he grew restless, and his feet shuffled on the carpet, the key signs he was ready to attack if he was pushed any further. 

    "No!" he told her, almost as if he didn't see the badge on her chest and the uniform she wore, or didn't seem to care about her authority. He glanced her up and down and scoffed. "They're just letting anyone become a cop these days, aren't they?"

   It took Ines a moment to realise what he meant, and she hitched back her own scoff of disbelief and offense. She set her jaw and shared a quick glance with Richards who was now standing just a pace behind her, ready to intervene. Ines swallowed her want to punch this guy and prepared to repeat the same warning again when movement out of the corner of her eye made her tense.

    Nate had rounded the reception desk. Ines realised too late, and couldn't stop him when he pointed an angry finger at Mr. McGeorge. "Hey▬what is your problem▬?!"

    "Nate, don't▬" gasps echoed in the reception room▬startled hitched exclaims when the man turned to Nate furiously and swung his fist wildly. He landed a heavy hit against Nate's jaw and Ines cried out, reaching out for her ex-boyfriend as he stumbled. 

    "Okay▬!" Officer Richards quickly detained the suspect, securing his arms behind his back and fished for his handcuffs. "That wasn't very smart, now, was it?"

    He glanced at her and Ines adverted her gaze, pursing her lips and clutching Nate's arm to keep him steady. A feeling of anger and shame curled like a toxic tornado in her chest and stomach, and she didn't know which she felt more. 

    Nate didn't have a concussion▬he was lucky, even if he didn't consider himself to be with the growing bruise on his jaw. Ines didn't say a word to him in the back of the clinic, giving him first aid in the staff room before she'd have to leave. She was furious at him. But she was also angry at herself▬she should have found a way to properly de-escelate the situation before Nate's impulsive behaviour got in the way. She could already imagine the discussion she and Richards will have with Sergeant Grey at the end of shift, or tomorrow once he received Ines's evaluation from today. 

    He could tell she was upset, and even though neither one of them had said a word, Ines could tell her anger was making him frustrated▬which only made her more upset. 

    As she wrapped the ice pack in a dish towel with a silent fury and passed it to him, did Nate then finally break the tense silence between them, "Are you seriously mad at me?"

    Ines watched him hold the ice to his jaw and she pursed her lips. "You shouldn't have done that."

    "Done what?" he scoffed in disbeleif. "He insulted you▬"

    "I don't need you protecting me!" she let out in a harsh whisper, glancing down the hallway and hoping no one heard them. "I don't want you protecting me."

    Nate shook his head, scoffing again and Ines's cheeks burned with flustered anger and frustration. "I can't believe this," he muttered. "So, this is my fault?"

    She gaped at him, a scoff of disbelief escaping her lips as well. Ines gestured at him wildly. "You escalated the situation! You shouldn't have done anything▬!"

    "Oh, my God▬"

    "▬I'm wearing the uniform, Nate!" let out Ines in pleading, desperate frustration. She gestured at her badge, trying to get him to see▬to get almost everyone in her life to see▬that she was serious, that this was serious, that being a police officer wasn't some experience she'd return from after she had her fill. This was her life now▬this was her career, this was important to her, and she could do it. She was capable. "I'm the one wearing the badge. This is my job and you▬like with everything I do▬completely overstep with your overbearing, obnoxious want to control everything in my life!"

    "Oh, yeah, well, you're doing great at your new job," muttered Nate sarcastically and Ines's confidence was immediately swallowed and suffocated. She frowned, taken aback by his words. "If you're such a great cop, Officer Souza, why didn't you get that guy out of here before he got dangerous? This is your fault, Ines, not mine. You should be apologising to me," he said this in that old disappointing, guilt-tripping tone he used to whenever they had an argument when they were still together. Ines hated how it still had the same effect on her▬how she stepped back with her tail between her legs, hunched up and accepting it with a sick feeling tightening in her chest. 

    (Because deep down, she believed it). 

    Just then, the door to the staff room opened. Ines hitched her breath and stepped back, swallowing back the lump in her throat and straightening her shoulders when Officer Richards stepped into staff room. He glanced subtly between Ines and Nate, sensing the tension and how the room was suddenly so suffocating. He pursed his lips and tapped his pen against his notebook, nodding at Nate. "Mr...?"

    "Adams," Nate answered. "Nathan Adams."

    "Mr. Adams," Richards gestured to his notepad. "I just need a witness statement, then we're all free to go."

    Nate crossed his arms and frowned at Officer Richards, curious. "Officer ... Bradford, yeah?"

    "Richards," corrected Patrick, a little curt with his tone. Ines looked down at her feet. "But I understand the confusion. Can you describe to me what happened, Mr. Adams?"

    "I got punched," grumbled Nate. "There's not much else to it. You saw what happened."

    "Nate," muttered Ines softly, giving him a pleading look. He sighed softly, but listened. 

    He gave Officer Richards his perspective on what happened, and Ines stood there in silence as she watched the two of them converse, eyeing what Richards wrote in his notepad. Afterwards, they left, and Ines didn't say another word to Nate▬but she could feel his eyes on her, and it made her feel like she was vulnerable and bare. 

    After they got back in the shop and the doors of the vehicle closed, Officer Richards pursed his lips and glanced at Officer Souza. She met his gaze, looking a little defeated. 

    "I heard," he murmured softly and Ines's heart sank in realisation. She cleared her throat and looked down at her hands, not wanting to talk about it▬she was raw and exposed right now. "I didn't mean to, but ... uh ..."

    "He's just upset over what happened," Ines quickly defended Nate, her throat aching from the lump that grew uncomfortably large. "In pain▬he didn't mean it like that. We only recently broke up, uh ... we're just still sorting stuff out..."

    Richards hesitated, looking pained. The whole excercise for switching up the T.O.'s and rookies was for the probationary officers to learn something new about their Field Training Officers to showcase insight and good observation▬instead, Officer Richards was learning something new and troubling about Officer Souza, and he wasn't sure how to react, or what to do.  

    "You know," he began carefully, shifting in his seat. "I ... I've had too many domestic calls than I'd like to count▬"

    Realising what he meant, Ines blanched and forced out a bitter chuckle of disbelief. "Nate has never hit me," she said, suddenly defensive. "He would never▬we're not▬it's not like that▬"

    "I'm just saying," he reassured her, choosing his words gingerly, "it's not always ... physical and just ... if something does happen, you▬you have a whole new family in blue that'll▬that'll be there for you, if you need it. You just have to ask."

    Her defence faltered just enough for her to look back up and meet Patrick's soft, concerned stare. 

   "I'm sorry," he continued. "It's▬it's not your fault what happened. I should have stepped in way sooner." Ines pursed her lips and Patrick sighed. He frowned at his hands on the wheel, the radio chatter between them nothing more that muffled background noise. "This is ... this is my first year being a T.O.," Officer Richards admitted to her. "So ... most of the time I'm▬" he chuckled, "▬I'm just as much of a rookie as you guys. I ... I almost gave up the badge about a year ago now," he murmured and Ines's frown softened. "I was struggling with being a single dad and just▬always missing out on important things in Will's life. It's hard, being a cop, the only support there is for your kid and ... and having time to just mourn."

    She realised and her heart sank once again. Officer Richards wasn't just a single dad in a divorce as she originally thought▬he was a widow.

    "But then I got the nod for Training Officer," he took a deep breath and gave her a little smile. "And I had something new to work towards▬a new purpose everytime I pinned on the badge. So, I stayed. But ... you know, we try so hard to be everything we can but ... we're still only human, and that's okay."

    Ines pursed her lips and managed a little smile, too. "Today's on both of us," she decided.

    The sides of Patrick's eyes crinkled as he smiled, though he said nothing more. A comfortable silence settled between them as he started the shop again and pulled them out onto the road. 

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    OFFICER SOUZA was looking forward to eating her cheesy meal and fries for lunch at the usual stop-off near Venice Beach. Only Officer Lopez and Officer Nolan were hovering around for their lunch break near the food trucks▬Bradford, West, Bishop and Chen were yet to show up. She wouldn't admit she was so superficial that some food would make her feel better about today, but it did boost her spirits just a little the moment she took a nice, big bite and could savour the taste. 

    "You look like you were waiting for that all day," chuckled John as he licked the salt off his fingers.

   "I was," grinned Ines, passing Richards his food as the pair of them sat down at the table Lopez and Nolan had scored. "Been craving something fatty and unhealthy."

    "It's been a long morning," agreed Officer Richards, taking a huge bite out of his burger. "So, how's your day going?"

    "We went to a quinceañera," said Nolan and Souza perked up.

    "Oh, I remember my festa de quize anos," she said with a happy smile. Ines he sighed and sat back in her chair, remembering the event with a chuckle, "What a day to remember. My friend at the time spiked the punch."

    "Admitting to underage drinking in front of cops?" Lopez smirked, amused. 

    Ines paled. "Uh▬" she chuckled nervously. "No...?"

    Patrick chuckled, sipping his soda. "Nice save," he joked and she rolled her eyes. 

    "It was great," reminisced Ines as she sat at the table with the others, they all listened with little smiles on their faces. "My eldest brother surprised me by coming home from his posting▬still in uniform ..." her smile softened at the memory. "I was so happy."

    "That's so sweet," John said, happy for her before glancing at Angela who ate a few of her fries, "did you have a quinceañera?"

    "Of course," she grinned, "and I looked good."

    "Who did you dance with? 'Cause you said▬single mom."

    Angela smiled. "My abuelo," at John's curious frown, she explained: "Her dad. He made me laugh the whole time. My mom was pissed."

    The sound of tires screeching brought their comfortable conversation to an end. They all glanced over their shoulders, and Ines tilted her head, recognising the police shop swerve to park on the side of the road. 

    Officer Bradford swung open the driver's seat door and stormed out into the open. He slammed it behind him. "Lopez!"

    Ines jumped a little at the harsh, livid tone of his voice▬she hadn't heard it that angry before. Her eyes widened and she, Nolan and Richards all turned to stare at Officer Lopez, startled. 

    She pursed her lips. "Give us a minute," she said.

    John frowned, watching Bradford storm over to them▬looking like a bomb ready to go off. "Why? What's going on▬?"

    "Just do it," snapped Lopez, her teasing, free, go-to happy nature switching back to something stern and defensive in just seconds. 

    He stared at her, taken aback, but didn't argue. Ines followed John towards the shop, glancing back at Lopez who with one glance at Richards, Souza could see her soft pleading stare for him to stay behind. She pursed her lips and hurried along, passing her T.O. who wouldn't meet her confused, questioning look. Tim pushed past her without a second glance, hands clenched and a fiery scowl set on Lopez.

    Ines only heard the start of their conversation, "The hell were you thinking letting me hit the streets with a broken rookie?!"

    Ines and John reached the passenger side of the shop where Jackson sat still and quiet in his seat. He didn't even say anything as his two friends hovered by the open window. Officer West seemed to swallow a lump in his throat, staring at the dashboard with a distant, teary-eyed stare. 

    John pursed his lips and hunched over, resting his hands on the open window. "Any idea what that's about?" he asked Jackson softly.

    Jackson swallowed harshly. His distant stare moved from the dashboard to the T.O.'s arguing by the sun umbrellas. "Me," he answered, defeated.

    Ines frowned. "You?" she echoed, confused. She hovered in next to John, peering at Jackson with a soft concern. "Why? What happened?"

     Her friend shook his head. He clenched his jaw, refusing to let the tears he felt crawling up his throat overwhelm him. "I▬I think I'm done."

    "What?"

    "Yeah," Jackson took a shaky breath. "I▬I froze up when the shooting started," he whispered and their frowns lifted in surprise. "Same thing happened at the Selby shootout, but Lopez covered for me, so..."

    Ines didn't know how to respond▬neither did John. Out of the four of them, Jackson was always the best▬the most prepared, the recruit coming out with the highest grades, always reaching the highest limits, perfect at every aspect of police work thrown at them at the Academy. For him not to be perfect at something▬to freeze up and fail at one of the most fundamental aspects of this line of work▬was hard for Ines to comprehend. The irony wasn't amusing. It made her chest twist with worry and fear for Jackson's career▬for what Tim would do now that he had obviously found out. 

    "Look," then said Jackson, recognising the look on their faces. He looked so miserable▬so dejected and defeated that it almost made Ines cry. He had wanted to be a police officer for as long as he could want something. It had been his life's dream ever since he was a little kid. And now, he could lose all of it. "I▬I don't know how to fix it. I▬I have to fix it..."

    Hearing footsteps marching back towards them, Ines glanced over. A surge of determination rose up through her, giving her enough confidence and bravery to twist on her heel and march over to her T.O. to meet him in the middle. 

    As she did, John reassured Jackson from the curb. "Listen, you're gonna make it through this, okay? Lucy, Ines and I are gonna help you."

    Jackson scoffed a sad, "How?"

    Meanwhile, Ines squared her shoulders and matched the look on Tim's face. After what happened with Nate, she didn't think she'd have any confidence to stand up to anyone else again▬let alone Tim. But somehow, even if he was a ticking time bomb when angry, it was somehow easier for her.

    Realising what she was doing, Officer Bradford clenched his jaw. "Walk away, Boot."

    She took a deep breath. "No, Officer Bradford▬"

    "I gave you an order," he snapped at her, stopping to stand in front of her. She clenched her hands in his shadow. 

    "Tim," she broke through his anger with a soft pleading, breathless hitch of his name. She saw him falter. Ines pursed her lips and glanced back at Jackson sitting in the passenger seat. She looked back up at Bradford. "Help him," she asked▬begged, even. "Don't give up on him, please. He's worth fighting for▬" at the way he clenched his jaw, she added, "You know it."

    Tim set his brow, but at the soft pleading look in her eyes▬something that was so polar opposite to him, he couldn't help but find some part of his harsh exterior melt to show a flicker of the uncertainty he held in this situation. He didn't want to wash Jackson out▬as much as Tim liked to boast his favourite thing to do was to scare rookies away from the job, that he didn't 'do lost causes', Ines was still here. Which made her believe that Tim will help Jackson, even if he wouldn't admit it. 

    He didn't say another word, instead brushing past her gently back towards his shop▬she watched him go, her heart twisting.

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    FROM THAT moment on, the day started to run full-speed ahead, as if someone had slammed their foot on the accelerator and were not prepared to slow down. As soon as Officers Richards and Souza returned to the station, they were called into roll call by their Sergeant. They were late to the party. Officers Chen, Bishop, Nolan, Lopez, West and Bradford all hovered and sat around one of the tables that had been moved into the centre of the room. On top of it, was a large sheet of paper draped over like a tablecloth. On it, were scaled drawings of what looked to be a parking lot, complete with miniature cars and everything. 

     Sergeant Grey gestured for them to come in quickly. Officer Souza naturally found herself sitting on the edge of the table next to Officer Bradford▬automatically gravitating towards her old T.O. while her current, temporary one crossed his arms and stood in the aisle beside her. 

    They were filled in very quickly on what was happening. Lopez and Nolan's escaped felon from the courthouse, who had run away to show up for his daughter's dance at her quinceañera was taking a plea deal with the D.A. In return for a shortened sentence, he told Lopez and Nolan the location and time of a high-end drug deal happening in less than two hours this afternoon. 

   "According to Garcia," Sergeant Grey was saying, "the exchange is going down at Stoneson Home Supply on Sunset."

    This made Souza frown. She glanced at Richards and Bradford, a little perplexed by the logistics of this. "But ..." she sat up straighter, her feet slightly dangling off the ground from where she sat on the table's edge. "Why are they making a drug deal in a public parking lot in broad daylight? Seems kind of ... I don't know ..."

    "Dumb?" offered Richards and Souza flushed, not wanting to say that exact word, but yes▬that was exactly what she was thinking. "On the nose?"

    "Box stores are the perfect cover," Officer Bradford explained to her and she met his gaze, fiddling with her pen as she wrote notes on her pad. "Busy parking lots, multiple exits. They hide in the chaos."

     "At sixteen-hundred hours, a car loaded with eighty kilos of cocaine driven up from Mexico will land in the parking lot," said Sergeant Grey, pacing around the circle of officers. "The driver will walk away. A runner for the buyer will climb behind the wheel and drive off. The whole thing takes ninety seconds."

    Lopez leaned forward from where she was straddling one of the seats at the head of the display. "According to Nestor, the shipment is in a red Civic with Nevada plates."

    "Now," continued Grey, coming to a stop on the left-hand side of the display. He rested his hands on his belt, "the parking lot only has two access points: here▬" he pointed to one right in front of him, "▬and here▬" his finger moved to one on the far right corner on the left-hand side. 

    "Officer Bradford▬" he leaned over and pointed to the single miniature car positioned in the shadow of the scaled box drawing of the shopping centre, "▬you'll be parked out of sight over there. Officer Bishop, you'll have eyes on this exit here▬" Grey tapped the paper where a second minuature was placed behind a box labelled bin near the first exit. "And Officer Richards, you'll be in an unmarked vehicle here▬" Souza stared at the position Grey pointed out near the last exit, hidden in plain sight. 

     Officer Richards's brows lifted, tilting his head at Souza with a slight smirk. "Us cool kids get to wear civvies."

     "And what about us, Sergeant?" asked Nolan, glancing at Lopez. "What's our position?"

     Sergeant Grey placed his hands on his belt again. "We need to know exactly when the car lands, so we need eyes on the whole parking lot. You will be with me here▬" he grabbed the remaining miniature and set it down on the side of the road on the far left. 

    Souza was glad she had brought extra clothes today▬just in case she would have to ever wear civilian clothes while she was working, and she thanked Bradford (silently, fo course, never to his face) for drilling the possibility into her early on. She threw on a casual long-sleeve shirt over her vest and zipped up her grey jacket. She had straight-legged jeans that weren't too tight nor too loose and a pair of runners. 

    Ines checked her phone before she slipped it into the back pocket of her jeans, feeling her firearm dig into the small of her back. Seeing the missed calls and messages from Nate made her stomach twist, but she forced herself to ignore them and not think about him▬she needed to be focused. She joined Officer Richards who was also out of uniform, his vest hidden underneath his plain white tee shirt and army jacket paired with washed jeans. 

    They had to be plain and inconspicuous, parking the grey unmarked car right underneath the suspects' noses in the parking lot. Officer Souza welcomed the shadow of the brush that hovered above them, shielding them from the afternoon sun as they sat, nose out of the parking space. Stonesone Home Supply was busy at this time of day▬as everyone tried to get their shopping done after school and work before the store could close. Cars filled the large parking lot, people passed to and fro with shopping carts, bags and their arms cradling meses of items▬and Souza could now see what Bradford meant when he said they could hide in the chaos. 

    "I think I see our welcoming party," came Sergeant Grey's voice over the radio. "A Ram, three Hispanics inside, heads on a swivel. No sign of our red Civic yet. Standby."

    "Copy that," answered Bradford.

    Souza frowned over the dashboard, searching the parking lot. She noticed a blue pickup truck parked nose in a few metres down. Narrowing her eyes, she tried to peer through the drivers' door window, and saw the men Grey had described. 

    She glanced over at her Training Officer beside her. Ines tilted her head when she noticed the tension in his shoulders and the way his brows knitted into a troubled frown. Richards looked nervous. She pursed her lips and decided to ask. "Everything okay?"

    Richards noticed her frown and he quickly recovered. He sat up straighter in his seat. "Yeah, yeah," he nodded. "I'm good." At the arch of her brow, he sighed and relented, deciding to tell her. "It's just▬these things hit you sometimes. If something happened were to happen to me today, and I don't go home to my kid ... he's lost both parents."

    Her frown grew troubled, too. She didn't know what to say to that, or how to react▬but she understood, perhaps not completely in the same way, but she felt a pang of empathy for Officer Richards. Souza gazed back out at the parking lot. She knew there was every chance that this job would get her killed▬it was something she accepted when she signed up and answered the call. But in that moment, she also thought of who she'd leave behind if that were to happen▬her parents, her siblings, her nieces and nephews. She came from a big family, and all of them would lose someone in their life if this call went sideways.

    But that was nothing compared to realising that if something happened to her, she'd be leaving her kid alone to defend themselves against this cruel world.

    She set her jaw, determined. She locked Richards's gaze and nodded. "It's a good thing you're not alone here, then, yeah?"

    Richards met her gaze too, and some of that worry weighing over him settled. He returned her nod, and she managed a little smile.

   "Here we go," the radio chatter interrupted them. Both of them glanced down at the comms as Sergeant Grey spoke. "Red Civic, Nevada plates, entering parking lot."

    Officers Souza and Richards watched the red Civic pass them in the parking lot, only then after it had turned deeper into the sea of cars did Richards turn the ignition back on. They watched as the driver parked a few cars down from the blue Ram. The man stepped out and glanced over his shoulder, fixing his flannel over his tattoos and pushing his beanie further down his forehead as if to try and hide his face. He walked past the nose of the blue Ram, and seconds later, the frontseat passenger stepped out as well. Instead of following, he crossed over to the red Civic and got into the drivers seat▬

    And just like that, they were in.

    Richards switched on the sirens and swerved out with revving, screeching wheels into the parking lot. From left and right, police sirens echoed outside Stoneson Home Supply▬from their hiding places, Chen and Bradford sped into the empty aisles. Richards spun his wheel and Souza held on as he skidded in front of the red Civic before it could speed out of the first exit▬and it was so close and so fast, Souza almost thought they would crash head on. They tried to reverse back, but Chen and Bishop had caged them in. 

    Their tyres squealed and smoke curled up off the tarmac. They spun around, leaving scorch marks on the hot ground, leaving a stink worse than rotten eggs from burnt tires. The driver slammed their foot on the accelerator and rammed up the curb, crashing through the exit sign and barrelling past Chen and Bishop, veering wildly back onto the road. 

    Chen reversed and spun her wheels, immediately following. "7-Adam-15," spoke up Officer Bishop as she did, "going after the red Civic."

    Richards crained his neck to his mirrors, trying to see where the blue Ram had gone. Seeing it screech to a halt behind them, Souza gasped, "Duck!"

    Bullets struck their car▬and it was a totally different feeling when stuck inside a vehicle than scrambling for cover outside of it. Souza unbuckled her seat belt, ducking her head low as muffled cracks and clangs dented the outside of the car, making it shake on its wheels back and forth. Glass shattered in the backseat and Souza gasped when one bullet struck all the way through to the windshield. 

    She went to open the door but Richards shouted. "No! Wait, wait▬!" she listened to him, frozen with her heart in her throat. He was in a similar position to her, gun in hand and crouched for cover in the front seat. When the gunfire slowed down and the men refilled, he yelled. "Now!"

    They forced their doors open and stumbled out into the open. Souza grasped her firearm and held it up, firing quick bullets to cover for them over at the men who ducked behind their open car doors. She shattered the glass of one before hurrying to crouch behind the bonnet of their unmarked vehicle. 

    A second vehicle skidded to a stop in front of them▬Souza was relieved to hear the familiar sounds of sirens, and from the font seats of the shop, Lopez and Nolan appeared. They fired over their heads to give them cover. Richards gestured at Souza with his fingers and the both of them darted across the length of tarmac and in between two parked cars. The back trailer of a pick-up truck became their makeshift cover. Officer Souza held up her gun once more and fired two more shots directly towards the men. One caught the first man on the left's gun arm. He disappeared behind the car. 

    Richards noticed and couldn't help but scoff an impressed grin. "Nice aim, Rookie."

    That was when the assault riffle hit. Both of them gasped and ducked down low, and Souza's heart pounded with every rapid round of gunfire that echoed across the parking lot. 

    Officer Richards swore and peered over the edge of the trailer, trying to see where the gunfire was coming from. 

    Souza refilled and glanced over as well. Her heart twisted. "Wait▬Tim's alone."

    Her eyes widened and a horrible feeling lurched in the pit of her stomach. Where the rapid gunfire was, there was Officer Bradford. He crouched low, shuffling for cover against and between low cars▬the man with the rifle had singled him out. He pursued and kept marching closer, his rounds not slowing down. Tim was being caged with his tail between his legs, with nowhere to run and soon, with nowhere to hide▬and no way to fire back.

    With the gunfire getting thin from the others, Souza glanced at Richards. "Cover me?" 

    She didn't know what she was doing▬she had no clue how she was going to help, but she just knew she had to do something.

    "Yeah," Officer Richards immediately agreed and then backtracked. "Wait▬what are you▬?"

    But Souza had already ducked around the front of the pick-up truck. Richards fired his gun at the blue Ram, but his gaze searched for her as she disappeared. "Souza!" he shouted, urgent. 

    She hitched her breath and crouched low. Her heart was pounding as she stared at the length she'd have to run to reach him. Tim was now struggling to refill at the front of a grey-blue Ford riddled with bullet holes. The third member of the small group was closing in on him▬the tallest, biggest and most menacing-looking of them all. Even if he didn't have an assault weapon, he could very well be a battering ram himself. 

    Souza gritted her teeth and waited for Richards's second round of fire. When she heard it, she took a deep breath and pushed herself up into a sprint. Realising what she was doing, Officer Richards's stomach dropped. "Souza!" he shouted after her, shocked. "SOUZA!"

    Bullets richocheted towards her. Ines gasped and ducked her head under her hands, stumbling as she pushed her legs to move faster. They scraped the edge of a Sedan, cracking the headlights and missing her by less than an inch. 

    Souza's back hit the side of the next car, breathing heavily. She couldn't stop to comprehend▬to even believe what she had just done, or how she managed to survive that. Instead, she kept moving. She rushed to the trunk of the Volkswagon adjacenet and held up her gun. She peered through the sunlight and aimed. She hooked her finger around the trigger and pressed down. 

    Her gunfire split through the repeated assault and startled the man into faltering▬her bullets flung past him and struck the bonnet of the car behind him. But they caught his attention away from Officer Bradford. 

    Tim frowned and then glanced over her way. They locked stares across the empty parking spaces. When the man gritted his teeth and pointed his assault riffle her way, Bradford broke out of his daze and fixed his gun upwards. He fired, pushing the suspect back into the open. They both disorientated him with alternating fire▬their bullets darting back and forth on different angles. 

    They led the man out into the centre of the parking lot▬he was vulnerable without cover and unable to have a breather to reach for his weapon. Souza and Bradford shuffled closer together, moving forward to keep pushing back, switching their strategy from defence to offense▬

    When out of nowhere, the remaining shop skidded into view. It wasn't slowing down. Bradford's shop rammed nose first into the supsect, and the man toppled over the bonnet and back onto the road, unconscious. 

     Officer West stepped out from the driver's seat and held out his gun. He marched forward, breathing heavily with determination▬and he was not incapicated, he was not frozen with fear. When it mattered the most, Jackson West had pushed past his fear and did what he had to do. In the end, no one else fixed him other than himself. 

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    "ALL RIGHT, the moment of truth is upon us."

    Back in uniform, Officer Souza fiddled with her fingers in front of her duty belt as she stood attentive, in line with her fellow rookies in front of Sergeant Grey. She could feel the eyes of their Training Officers fixed upon them, somehow even more intimidating and more piercing than that of their Sergeant who walked up and down their line like a prowling lion. 

    "End of shift," he murmured, eyeing each and every one of them. Officer Souza tried to stand a little taller in the middle, shouldered between Officer Chen and Officer Nolan. "Time to come clean. What did you learn about your T.O.'s?" 

    He stopped in front of Jackson. "Officer West."

    Jackson swallowed harshly and subtly glanced over Grey's shoulder at where Officer Bradford scowled at the nearby table. He cleared his throat and locked his gaze with their Sergeant. "Sorry, sir. I was unable to gain any insight into Officer Bradford."

    Sergeant Grey hummed, narrowing his eyes. An air of suspicion drifted between them as he eyed the slight, proud smirk Officer Bradford thought he could hide so well. "That's disappointing," he mused, slowly moving on. "Officer Chen?"

    She hesitated. Clasping her hands behind her back, Officer Chen took a quick, sharp breath through her nose and answered, "I, too, failed in my assignment, Sergeant."

    Souza frowned at Chen, taken aback. Out of everyone else, she'd figured Lucy would be able to find out at least one secret Officer Talia Bishop would try to hide in the day they rode together. Though, she quickly had to hide her confusion when Sergeant Grey's amused, curious eyes landed on her. She held her breath and stood up straighter again, trying to act nonchalant. 

    "Please do enlighten me, Officer Souza," he prodded at her.

    Officer Souza went to answer but held herself back. She caught Richard's stare from the table, and suddenly started to reconsider everything she originally thought this exercise to be about. At first, she had been so determined to prove herself and her observation skills worthy▬that this would be the perfect chance to put one foot ahead of the others towards becoming Detective one day. But now that she stopped, and pulled out her own motivations from the picture, and a different perspective washed over her, she started to realise that maybe this was about a different kind of insight▬but also integrity, and building trust. This wasn't about finding out about the deepest, darkest secrets of their T.O.'s at all. It was about what they'd do with the information when they did.

    So, Ines swallowed back her pride and said, "I'm afraid I have nothing to enlighten you with, sir."

    Sergeant Grey seemed to be fighting back a laugh. He glanced back and  forth between the Field Training Officers and their Boots, seeing right through them. "All right, all right ..." he reached the end of the line. "That leaves you, Officer Nolan. You can literally say anything and win the contest."

    But just like the others, Officer Nolan straightened his shoulders and answered, "Sorry, sir. Just as stumped as the others."

    Grey couldn't hide his chuckles this time. He shook his head. "Okay," he stepped back, amused. "Fine. So, no one wants extra credit. I guess we'll start at the basics. Tomorrow morning, you will have a quiz on your rook books. Study hard, 'cause eighty percent is considered a fail in my house. Dismissed."

    Officer Souza nodded and immediately went back to fiddling with her fingers. She gave her fellow rookies little smiles before she headed to the lockers to get changed. She didn't know what was going to happen when she went home▬some part of her wondered if she asked if she could spend the night at Jackson's or Lucy's, but she wouldn't. She was sure she and Nate would avoid having a conversation about what happened▬they were great at that in the last two years of their relationship before it ended. 

    Changing back into her long denim skirt, jumper and sneakers, Ines left the station with her bag slung over her shoulder and her keys in her free hand. She wandered over to her car in the garage, feeling something in her gut twist with nerves for when she got back home. 

     She needed to leave, she knew this. She needed to move out▬they needed to go their separate lives, it was far too complicated if she didn't. But if she moved back in with her parents, then she was scared she'd get stuck back in the same circle she had been trying so hard to get out of. She had to keep saving up for a new apartment▬that was her only choice.

    She unlocked her car when she heard someone call out her name. Ines turned around and gripped her bag strap tighter to see Tim make his way over to her. She stood a little straighter and managed an awkward smile, not sure why he wanted to talk to her. "Hey," she greeted him as he stopped in front of her. 

    He was out of uniform now▬dressed in a grey shirt, denim jacket and dark jeans over his boots. He carried a backpack slung over one shoulder. Tim hesitated on what he wanted to say, watching her with a look that made her tilt her head, curious. "You need something?" she prompted him with a little shy smile. 

    "No, uh," Tim fixed his grip on his bag and stood straighter, too. "Just▬study up, Boot," he told her and Ines fought the urge to roll her eyes, but there was nothing bitter in her chest. "If you get anything less than a ninety-seven, you're walking outside the shop between calls."

    Her nerves about heading home seemed to disappear and Ines scoffed a little chuckle, but she nodded. "You got it, sir." She moved to open her car door. "See you tomorrow."

    But before she could get inside, Bradford pursed his lips and called out her name again. "Souza."

    She glanced back at him with a soft hum. "Yeah?"

     "Good job, today," he told her and she was momentarily stunned. 

      Tim sent her a tiny smile that was almost non-existent, but she saw it. Ines was shocked to silence at the praise, watching him leave her with one last nod and gentle look so rare and so unlike the man she was used to every day it sent a strange jolt to her chest. 

     Ines frowned at herself after he was gone, trying to make sense of the moment▬and of the feeling in her chest. She breathed out a small smile▬still not sure whether she had imagined it or not. But either way, she slipped inside her car and her shift ended with a smile on her face. 

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    a/n: this chapter ended up being wayyy longer than i planned lol. it's not my best writing, mostly because i wasn't too like motivated to write episode four (because it would have to be mostly my own plot and i'm lazy lol sorry). but i didn't want to skip it because i thought it would be the perfect chance to try and properly start to introduce Patrick Richards's character and get a slither of insight into the relationship he was with Lucy who is his rookie so i'm not accidentally pushing her aside.

    i can't remember (sorry) if i gave nate a last name. i went like searching through the past few chapters, but i might have missed it. if i did lol lmk, but his last name is now adams. 'tis nathan adams lol.

    i'm soooo excited to write tim and ines's slow burn like ... ahhhhh, it was never casual lol. but like i said, rn, it's strictly platonic because well tim is her superior, ines is directly in his chain of command and there is like a 14 year age gap between them - and like i said in the intro of this book, developing this relationship as something strictly platonic to begin with before delving into a slow burn romance is super important. 

    also call back to when wrigley said ines would be running towards bullets, and here she is running towards bullets in this chapter hehe (in case you didn't notice lol).

   (minimal editing).