“It’s protocol,” said the doctor firmly. “EVERY patient we discharge after ANY surgery gets taken out of the hospital in a wheelchair.”
“Doc,” said Max with a smile that somehow looked predatory, “if you try to put me in that wheelchair, one of us is going to need surgery… again.” He broadened his smile as he thought of a potential way out of the silly conflict. “I’ll make you a deal. I’ll sit down in that wheelchair IF you leave the room immediately afterward. How I get out of the building will be between me and whatever orderly shows up. Will that work?”
The doctor smiled, extended his hand to shake Max’s and nodded his head. “Keep healing, Max,” he said. “You’re one of the good guys.”
Max shook the man’s hand, idly thinking about the fact that the same hand he was shaking had cut his abdomen open, repaired his damaged intestine and then sewn him back up several days before. “Thanks for everything, doc. I hope I never have to see you again.” The doctor chuckled at that, released Max’s hand and waited before leaving the room. Max sat down in the wheelchair as he said he’d do and stayed there until the doctor exited the room.
Max immediately stood up, turned to JP and said, “Quick. Let’s grab my stuff and get out of here before I have to argue with an orderly.” With a smile on her face, JP mentally laughed at Max. He could be so stubborn but he was still one of the best men she’d ever met. That she loved him was beyond a doubt. Her biggest challenge now was a recent decision she’d made. As much as she loved him, she KNEW she had to share her thoughts and feelings with him. She’d promised herself she would once he’d been released from the hospital and was settled in at home; his apartment; a place she’d come to think of sometimes as her home too. Home is where the heart is, right?
Together they headed out of the hospital room and down to the elevator. They waited silently as the elevator rose. The doors opened and they stepped in, and Max pushed the button for the ground floor. Just as the elevator doors started to close the orderly who was supposed to wheel Max out of the hospital came out of a stairwell door… about ten feet away. He turned at the sound of the elevator doors closing, saw Max and said, “Hey!” Max smiled and waved as the doors finished closing, thankful to have escaped what he considered the embarrassment of being taken out of the hospital in a wheelchair.
JP drove him home and wanted to help him up the stairs to his apartment. Instead, knowing him and his strength, JP just walked beside him up the stairs, hyper-aware of his recovering condition and eager to put a hand on him, but equally afraid of putting him off balance or offending him somehow. She was aware of her own thoughts and feelings and knew that just the week before she’d never have had such worries. A week before she’d have just done what she wanted and expected him to deal with it. Her world had changed. Max had been shot. She’d been slapped in the face with the reality of his profession and his mortality. Neither was something she cared for. As delightful as the past year with Max had been, her confidence in him… in herself… in them as a couple had been shaken to the core. JP wasn’t a woman who liked being afraid.
Inside the apartment Max got settled on the sofa while JP dropped his belongings where he kept them: on the kitchen counter, the small stand next to the door, and a few items in his master bathroom. She asked him if he wanted anything. Was there anything she could get for him? She stood close as she asked and his response was to reach out and caress a hand up her thigh. She wore her jeans tight and he could feel the strong muscles in her thigh… her butt. As his hand caressed up he said that yes, there absolutely was something she could give him.
Normally she’d have laughed or giggled at his playfulness before pouncing on his offer. Two things prevented such a response in this case: first, Max HAD just been released from the hospital and no matter how good he felt at the moment, if they enjoyed each other physically there WAS the chance his staples would tear. Second, her recent fears and feelings combined with all of the resulting thoughts and ultimate decision would have made her feel bad… guilty… if she’d taken advantage of his offer. As much as she WANTED to, she knew it wouldn’t ultimately be for the best.
Playfully she slapped his hand away and then she realized that even such an action as simple as that could be taken the wrong way. She reached for his hand and grasped it, holding it in hers while looking down at him. “Is there anything from the kitchen I can get for you?”
Max looked up and saw that something wasn’t right. Her tone of voice was stressed and it wasn’t with annoyance. He knew her well enough to know her body language, facial expressions and tone of voice. Something was bothering her but he couldn’t identify what it was. He held her hand as he replied, “No, thanks. I’m good for now. Why don’t you sit down and relax some?”
JP hesitated for a moment and then did sit down. Max was all too aware of the fact that she didn’t sit close to him but sat at arm’s length. What the hell was going on?
- - - - - - - - - -
“Internal Affairs, Detective Lieutenant Camedinni. How can I help you?” Detective Giuseppi “Joe” Camedinni didn’t even think about what he was saying as he answered the phone. He’d said that same thing so many times that he often woke himself up out of a dead sleep speaking the same words. Truth be told, he was tired of being in I.A. He was ready for reassignment and had put in his transfer papers. He’d requested homicide but he’d settle for being put back in a uniform if it came to that.
The voice on the other end of the phone wasn’t one he immediately recognized but it did sound familiar. In short order he understood why. “This is Detective Saurez from Missouri. How you doin’, Camedinni?”
Joe was quiet and thoughtful for just a second before he placed the voice and name. “Detective Saurez. Calling to say you lost another cop?”
Saurez laughed on the line before replying. “No. Actually I was calling to tell you we found our missing one.” Camedinni remained quiet as Saurez continued. “Remember me calling to tell you about Despain?”
“Yeah,” was Camedinni’s short reply, but the inflection of his voice hung a question mark behind the word.
“Well, he’s back,” said Saurez. “Rolled into town yesterday, big as day.”
“Interesting,” said Camedinni. The timing was interesting indeed. Saurez had called to report Despain ‘missing’ and possibly heading toward Oceanside just before all the violence and attacks on The Breakers had started. Now it seemed to have ended and Despain was back in Missouri? Interesting indeed.
“I hate to ask,” said Saurez, “but do you guys want him for anything?”
Camedinni thought about that for a minute. Did Oceanside want Despain for anything? Officially the answer had to be no. Despain was not listed as a suspect in any crime committed in Oceanside. The agency had no proof he’d ever been in the city. Other than the suspicious timing, and Camedinni wasn’t even aware of that until this phone call, Despain was free and clear of any suspicion as far as Oceanside PD was concerned. And even if Camedinni felt like there might be any suspicion worth looking into, he had to give some consideration to a few circumstances. Things like the fact of Despain’s daughter having been a murder victim here in Oceanside. Things like the fact of Despain’s wife having died less than a year before. Things like the fact that whomever had attacked The Breakers and so thoroughly decimated their ranks, literally destroying the gang and all of its infrastructure, had done the city a big favor. So, no… Despain would not be investigated; at least not by Camedinni in any way.
“No,” he said into the phone in a strong confident voice. “No, Despain isn’t a suspect in anything we’re looking at and we currently have no reason to want to investigate him, talk to him… anything with him.” Camedinni paused, thought and then added, “In fact, I hope my brother officer enjoyed a great vacation wherever he’s been and that he comes back to work refreshed and strong.”
“Hmm,” Saurez replied. “I’ve been watching some of the news coming out of Oceanside since we talked and I’d have sworn that you might want to at least talk to him.”
“Not at all,” said Camedinni, adding some more strength to his voice. He wanted Saurez to be very clear on this. “We don’t have any reason to believe he was here at all, much less involved in ANY of the crimes that were committed here.” He thought for a second and then added, “And any crimes that you’ve seen reported on TV have been committed against a local gang anyway. Whoever attacked them did us a favor.”
“Okay,” replied Saurez. “I understand.” There was an undertone in his voice that indicated he really did understand. He understood Camedinni’s hidden message. No matter what Despain may have done or not done, Oceanside wasn’t going to be looking for him. “Call me if you need anything then.”
“Will do,” said Camedinni. “But I doubt you’ll hear from me.”
The message had been delivered twice. Saurez got it. “Stay safe then. Goodbye.”
“You too,” replied Camedinni. “Bye.” He hung up the phone and sat looking at it for a moment. Without official sanction he’d just dismissed what could have been the best suspect they might have had in the attacks on The Breakers. Still, he didn’t feel bad and felt like he’d done the right thing. Looking away from the phone he looked at the files stacked on his desk; the work he had backed up. Focusing on that he dismissed Despain and Saurez from his thoughts. He doubted the crimes against The Breakers would ever be solved or that an arrest would ever be made… and he was okay with that.
- - - - - - - - - -
In a different part of investigations, the phone on Detective Dick Coleman’s phone rang. “Homicide. Coleman,” he answered. As a Captain, and having been a cop a LOT longer than Camedinni, he didn’t feel the need to pay as much attention to protocol as the I.A. investigator had. Coleman had plenty of time past what he needed for retirement so if he pissed someone off with the way he answered the phone they could ask for his resignation and he’d be happy to go fish on a beach in Florida.
“Hey, Dick,” said a voice he knew. “This is Nickie.” Nickie Benson was the Medical Examiner’s senior assistant. She was undoubtedly calling to give him a preliminary report on the autopsy of the drowning victim that had been found on the beach just a few days before.
“Hey, Nickie,” Coleman said back cheerfully. “What do you have for me?” He was right in his presumption about why she was calling.
“Our drowning victim didn’t drown,” Nickie said. “He was poisoned.”
“Poisoned?” Coleman didn’t like the sound of that. Drowning could be accidental. Poisoning meant it was a homicide for sure. If the drowning had been confirmed and the autopsy hadn’t shown any sign of foul play, then the case would have been closed as soon as the body had been identified. It would have been ruled an accidental death. Damn it… poisoned.
“Poisoned,” Nickie said to confirm it again. “No water in his lungs. He was dead before he went in the water.”
“How long ago?” Coleman asked.
“Three days is best guess until we get confirmation on some cultures,” replied Nickie.
“Okay. Anything else?”
“Yep,” said Nickie. “We have an ID for you. His fingerprints were in the system.”
Coleman grabbed a pen and a clean piece of note paper. “Go,” he said simply.
“Vic was Donald Gerald Densky. Born eight fourteen seventy-nine. Last known address was Baltimore.”
Coleman wrote as she talked. “Got it, Nickie. Thanks.”
“Yep,” she said. “Talk to ya’ later,” she added and then hung up.
Setting the phone in its cradle Coleman thought about the information she’d provided. Poisoned, not drowned. Dead before he went in the water. Prior record because his prints were in the system. From Baltimore maybe. That meant phone calls to the Baltimore city and county police departments as well as potentially reaching out to the Coast Guard’s Criminal Investigative Service.
- - - - - - - - - -
Max wasn’t even aware of what time it was when his cell phone buzzing brought him out of his daze. He was in shock. It had nothing to do with his surgery or recovering. It had everything to do with what JP had said to him before she left; before she walked out; before she left HIM…
It was dark outside; past dinner time. He was hungry and not at the same time. He didn’t want to eat but he knew he had to. His body needed the nourishment to heal and regain strength. Absentmindedly he reached for his phone, touching the screen to see the message that had come in. He saw what time it was before opening the text message. After eight p.m. No wonder it was dark out. For a brief second, as was his habit thanks to recent months, he thought about JP and what she’d be doing. She had to be at work at 2300 – eleven p.m. She wouldn’t be getting ready yet. Maybe she’d be at the gym? Those were quick flittering thoughts before he was mentally slapped with her most recent words to him.
The text message said, “Advise when you can come into headquarters to see the Chief.” The text had come from the Chief’s aid.
Max didn’t know if that was good or bad. Being called in front of the Chief could be a good thing. It was often a precursor to a promotion. It also could be a bad thing as it might be a precursor to the start of an I.A. investigation into some complaint. Max thought for a moment and couldn’t think of a reason to put it off. He had to take it easy but he wasn’t on any pain medications and as long as he moved carefully he was not restricted in his day to day activities. Obviously he had to avoid strenuous activities until his abdomen had healed and he got the go-ahead from the doctor to start exercising and working again, but he could drive himself into headquarters tomorrow.
“Advise time tomorrow and I can come in,” he sent back.
“0900,” came the quick reply.
“10-4,” he sent back and then put his phone down. That left him on the sofa with the evening and night ahead of him and his brain buzzing right back around JP’s last words to him and his current situation.
“I can’t do this anymore, Max,” she’d said. “A long time ago I promised myself I wouldn’t be in this position. I can’t imagine losing you but…” She was in tears as she spoke. It hurt Max to see her hurting but he didn’t understand her logic at all. In the end, there was nothing he could do about it except accept it and assure her of his love and understanding. “When Eddie called me and told me you’d been shot; that you were in the hospital. I lost it. I was cursing myself for being in that position. I had promised myself I never would be. On the one hand I couldn’t imagine life without you. On the other hand, I could remember my life without you – and none of it involved such overwhelming fear and insecurity. I can’t do that… I can’t do this… I love you but I can’t be with you this way. I’m sorry. I hope you can understand.”
After that she’d leaned forward, given him a small quick peck on the lips as a way of saying goodbye and had gotten up and left. He had been sitting in silence and shock ever since. He didn’t like being in this position; one of complete helplessness. He knew enough not to try to woo her back. He knew enough not to be angry. He knew enough not to be insulted. He couldn’t avoid feeling hurt. He loved her. He wanted her in his life every day. He knew he couldn’t force that.
Getting up slowly so as not to overly tighten his abdomen and risk tearing his staples, he went to the kitchen and got a glass of water. He was thirsty and hadn’t even realized it. Very distracted by his emotions he searched for something to eat. All he could think about was JP… where she was… what she was doing… the fact that she wasn’t here – and apparently never would be again.
Discuss Episode 5:2 (this episode) on our forums
Editor’s Notes & Officer Survival Concerns
Episode 5:2 forum link
Officer Survival & other comments on Episode 5:2:
No officer survival comments on this one except this: We ALL have emotional turmoil that enters our life. It IS very distracting. We can’t safely work distracted like that. Talk to someone if that’s where you are in your head. Get it sorted out. DO NOT go to work that distracted and unfocused. It can get you killed.
Episode 5:1 forum link
Officer Survival & other comments on Episode 5:1:
Few outside our profession can relate to the fears and complications associated with any shooting situation. They’re not usually aware of how politics can impact police work in all the wrong ways. As we can see in this story, the significant other (JP) of an injured officer (Max) is having her doubts about the relationship due to her own fears of lost stability. We also get to listen in on the conversation between the Mayor and the Chief and see how their concerns are different. Be that as it may, the Mayor’s concerns WILL impact how the Chief acts or reacts because ultimately he answers to the Mayor. Please remember to visit our supporter for this episode: Elbeco Uniforms. Great products to cover you in all your uniform needs.
