drunk.
“It’s not even ten in the morning,” Nolan said under his
breath.
“Bars open at seven,” John answered. “Don’t ask me how I
know that.”
One of the responding police officers came over. “You guys
want to hear the weird part?”
“Weirder than being drunk at this hour?” Nolan asked.
“Oh hell, we see morning drunks all the time.” The cop shook
his head. “The weird part of this is, the pregnant woman pulled out in front of
the drunk. She’s the one at fault.”
John looked at the cars. The cop was right, the woman had
pulled out. “Of course, if he wasn’t drunk he probably could have avoided her.”
“True.” The cop scratched his head. “I gotta figure out how
to write this up.” He walked over to meet the first tow truck driver.
“It’s gonna be one of those days,” Nolan said. “I can feel
it.”
John shook his head. His gut agreed with his partner. “And
it started out so well.”
* * * * *
They finally got a break around two in the afternoon. With
no guarantee how long it would last, they grabbed fast food to go and wolfed it
down while they sat in the squad in the parking lot.
Once John had his first burger under his belt, he made
himself chew more slowly. If the radio called them now, at least he wouldn’t be
starving. He sipped his iced tea, opened a little ketchup packet for his fries.
Thought about Lucy. Finally, he was going to actually get her into bed. It was
going to be a great night.
He glanced at Nolan. Suddenly he wasn’t sure it was a great
idea. “Hey. I hope it’s okay, I asked Lucy over to my place tonight.”
“Okay.”
“It’s just— I know she’s leaving this week, I didn’t want
to…you know.”
Nolan chewed a bite of his second burger slowly. Like John,
he’d passed the point of panic eating. “She’s my friend, John, not my
property.”
“I know. I just—if you had plans or whatever.”
“If we had plans, she would have said no.” Nolan shrugged.
“Actually, I was going to work on floor plans tonight, so it’ll be good to have
her out somewhere.”
“Floor plans?”
“Yeah. With the new couches and the bigger TV, I want to
rearrange things some. I’ve got this computer program that let me input the
room measurements and then move virtual furniture around to see how it looks.”
He paused. “What?”
John chuckled. “Sometimes you are just so gay.”
“You already knew that.” Nolan wasn’t offended, they’d been
comfortable on this topic for years.
“I don’t mean in the good sex way. I mean in the interior
decorator way.”
“I like to change things around,” Nolan answered.
“You know, if I got a new couch, I’d put it right where the
old one was.”
“I know. You’re boring.”
“Ouch,” John answered. “At least I never trip over things
and break my leg.”
Nolan grinned. They both remembered that run well. The
patient insisted that his wife was trying to kill him because she’d changed the
living room around. He’d tripped over the chair, then caught his foot under the
couch and spiral fractured both his tibia and fibula.
The wife calmly said that if he’d helped her move the
furniture like she’d asked him to, he would have known where it was.
The couple had bickered without pause the whole time they
were preparing him for transport, and John and Nolan had fought down laughter
every minute they were there.
They were quiet while they finished their meal and cleaned
up the wrappers. Both of them enjoyed the silent radio.
Nolan yawned. “We should head back to the shed.”
“Yeah.” John didn’t start the truck. They both knew that on
the kind of day they were having, no matter which way they went they’d get a
call in the opposite direction. John chewed his lip. Finally, he said, “Can I
ask you something? About Lucy?”
Nolan hesitated. “You can ask ,” he answered
cautiously.
“Has she always been like she is? So…”
“Easy?” Nolan supplied. There was the
“It’s not even ten in the morning,” Nolan said under his
breath.
“Bars open at seven,” John answered. “Don’t ask me how I
know that.”
One of the responding police officers came over. “You guys
want to hear the weird part?”
“Weirder than being drunk at this hour?” Nolan asked.
“Oh hell, we see morning drunks all the time.” The cop shook
his head. “The weird part of this is, the pregnant woman pulled out in front of
the drunk. She’s the one at fault.”
John looked at the cars. The cop was right, the woman had
pulled out. “Of course, if he wasn’t drunk he probably could have avoided her.”
“True.” The cop scratched his head. “I gotta figure out how
to write this up.” He walked over to meet the first tow truck driver.
“It’s gonna be one of those days,” Nolan said. “I can feel
it.”
John shook his head. His gut agreed with his partner. “And
it started out so well.”
* * * * *
They finally got a break around two in the afternoon. With
no guarantee how long it would last, they grabbed fast food to go and wolfed it
down while they sat in the squad in the parking lot.
Once John had his first burger under his belt, he made
himself chew more slowly. If the radio called them now, at least he wouldn’t be
starving. He sipped his iced tea, opened a little ketchup packet for his fries.
Thought about Lucy. Finally, he was going to actually get her into bed. It was
going to be a great night.
He glanced at Nolan. Suddenly he wasn’t sure it was a great
idea. “Hey. I hope it’s okay, I asked Lucy over to my place tonight.”
“Okay.”
“It’s just— I know she’s leaving this week, I didn’t want
to…you know.”
Nolan chewed a bite of his second burger slowly. Like John,
he’d passed the point of panic eating. “She’s my friend, John, not my
property.”
“I know. I just—if you had plans or whatever.”
“If we had plans, she would have said no.” Nolan shrugged.
“Actually, I was going to work on floor plans tonight, so it’ll be good to have
her out somewhere.”
“Floor plans?”
“Yeah. With the new couches and the bigger TV, I want to
rearrange things some. I’ve got this computer program that let me input the
room measurements and then move virtual furniture around to see how it looks.”
He paused. “What?”
John chuckled. “Sometimes you are just so gay.”
“You already knew that.” Nolan wasn’t offended, they’d been
comfortable on this topic for years.
“I don’t mean in the good sex way. I mean in the interior
decorator way.”
“I like to change things around,” Nolan answered.
“You know, if I got a new couch, I’d put it right where the
old one was.”
“I know. You’re boring.”
“Ouch,” John answered. “At least I never trip over things
and break my leg.”
Nolan grinned. They both remembered that run well. The
patient insisted that his wife was trying to kill him because she’d changed the
living room around. He’d tripped over the chair, then caught his foot under the
couch and spiral fractured both his tibia and fibula.
The wife calmly said that if he’d helped her move the
furniture like she’d asked him to, he would have known where it was.
The couple had bickered without pause the whole time they
were preparing him for transport, and John and Nolan had fought down laughter
every minute they were there.
They were quiet while they finished their meal and cleaned
up the wrappers. Both of them enjoyed the silent radio.
Nolan yawned. “We should head back to the shed.”
“Yeah.” John didn’t start the truck. They both knew that on
the kind of day they were having, no matter which way they went they’d get a
call in the opposite direction. John chewed his lip. Finally, he said, “Can I
ask you something? About Lucy?”
Nolan hesitated. “You can ask ,” he answered
cautiously.
“Has she always been like she is? So…”
“Easy?” Nolan supplied. There was the
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