A Long Way From The Playground

CHAPTER 6

"So it's come to my attention as well as the directors that when i retire this year you would be next in line to take over..is that something you would be interested in?" My jaw drops to the floor in shock. I never thought that I could possibly run this office one day.
"Sir...wow...I didn't know that i was on the list. Um yeah that is totally something i would be interested in!" I say smiling.
"Good, that makes this much easier. I've decided to retire early and i'll be leaving at the end of next month so i'll be showing you the ropes for the next month and you'll be shadowing me the whole time. Which brings me to my next point..."
"You wanna know who i would put in charge of my current team don't you..?" I ask politely
"Yes..i believe both Sam and Hector would be fit for that spot but it ultimately comes down to who you think would be able to lead this team in your place. I can give you a couple days to think about it but I need to know by next Monday the latest because then we can start having them integrated into the leadership role as soon as possible."
"Understood, thank you again for this opportunity sir! It means a great deal that you think so highly of me that you would want me to take your place." I say beaming with pride. He chuckles and stands stretching his hand out to shake mine.
"Of course, and thank you Ryleigh. You are one of the best agents we have here and I wouldn't have recommended it if I didn't think you would be able to handle it." I turn to leave pulling the door shut behind me. I grin and practically sprint back to my office before quickly calling my mom and brother on the phone to tell them everything. I quickly call them both on a conference call and explain what the chief said about how they recommended me for the position and that I got to choose who I wanted to replace me. They both cheer loudly and I smile feeling the tears prick at the corner of my eyes. We talk for a little while longer before I hang up looking at the bullpen. Both Hector and Sam are still here which is good for me because I want to get whomever I chose settled as soon as I can. I stand up walking towards the door, yanking on the handle to open it before looking out in the room.
"Hector and Sam can both of you come up here please? I turn back around leaving the door open for them and pull the chairs up to the desk before pulling the blinds closed and moving to sit behind my desk again. Both men come in and sit down letting the door shut behind them. They look at me with a mixture of confusion and exhaustion.
"So..the brass has made it clear that when Weigner retires i am next in line to take over the office. They've left the choice of replacements up to me which is why the two of you are in here. Both of you i consider to be family and i respect you both immensely. All i want to hear is your thoughts on the position if i were to chose you, for example how would you run the squad, would you change anything or would you keep it the way it is right now. Would you be able to handle taking charge and having people rely on you to give orders. Would you be willing to take the heat if something were to happen on a case? So take a minute to compose your thoughts and when you think you're ready come back in and we'll get started. It's going to be like an interview with me. And remember i have a say in who will run the unit but i do not make the final choice." I state linking my hands together on the desk. Hector and Sam smile and walk back out to their desks and I pull a notepad out and start writing down some questions I'll have them answer. After about 25 minutes Hector knocks on the door and comes in shutting it behind him.
"Alright. Let's get started."
After close to an hour I bring Sam into the office and repeat the process. In the back of my head i already made my decision but i have to check with Weigner before i can do anything. When we finally finish I send both of them home and pack up my office for the night leaving the notepad in the drawer of my desk. Grabbing my keys from my bag, I flip the light off and lock the office door walking down the hall towards the elevator when my phone starts buzzing in my coat pocket. Hitting the button for the elevator with my elbow I swipe on the screen to answer the call.
"SSA Andrews speaking"
"Agent Andrews its director Johnson, how are you?"
"Director, I'm well and you?"
"Well, thanks. Is now a good time to talk or do you need me to call back later?"
"No sir, I'm just leaving for the night. What can i do for you?"
"It's about the decision to replace you in your unit. I just wanted to get your input on it. I was told that you had two potential candidates for your posting. Care to share?" He says as I step outside the office and onto the street hailing a cab back to my apartment.
"Sure, Samuel Douglas and Hector Rameriez are the agents I selected and interviewed for the spot. Both are capable agents and have the drive and determination needed to run the unit. I have a few reservations about Hector but i think if i were to spend a little more time with him training him he would make a capable unit chief. Sam however, he has been in this unit since I started and he is a bright agent with the leadership skills to run it. I have a few kinks to work out with him about the paperwork side of things but other than that he's practically my right hand. I trust them both with my life in and out of the office and I know that no matter who I decide to pick, the other will help pick up the slack when needed. They both would do well in the position and it makes it increasingly difficult to make a choice." I say laughing. The cab stops in front of my building and I reach over the center, handing the driver a 20 and getting out.
"I see....and would either agent hold a grudge about not being picked?" He asks curiously
"I don't see why they would. I explained to both of them that I could only pick one agent to run the unit and they both understood that clearly. My only concern is that we still have a trainee on our squad, Trainee Corbin Wynn sir, he's a qualified agent and a hell of a shot sir but he hasn't worked enough case loads to reach SSA status." I say as I dig around in my bag for my house keys. After a moment I unlocked my apartment, kicking my heels off at the door and throwing them in the bin by the door locking the door behind me.
"Totally understandable Ryleigh, I'm sure by the time you take your new post, Agent Wynn will be able to take the exam to become an SSA and I have no doubts about your new agent." The director continues talking as I move about my apartment, pulling out items to make some pasta for dinner.
"Well thank you very much for your input agent Andrews, we will be in touch in the upcoming week when i sit down with Chief Weigner to decide who will be taking your place. I would hope to see you there as well. Have a great night Ryleigh." He says before hanging up the phone. I sigh in exhaustion before scrapping the pasta I was going to cook, sticking the box back in the cabinet. I move to the bathroom grabbing a washcloth from the hallway closet and running it under hot water. I grab my face wash from the shower and pour some onto the fabric, wiping off the makeup and dirt from the day. I undo the buttons on my shirt shrugging it off and throwing it into my laundry bin doing the same with my dress pants. I wring the small towel off and leave it to dry on the edge of the sink and grab my toothbrush from the medicine cabinet squirting a bit of toothpaste on it before walking out to my closet. Turning the light on inside, I grab an oversized t-shirt and a new pair of shorts to sleep in, slipping the shirt and shorts on. I flick the light off heading back into the bathroom and finish my routine. Afterwards I flick the lights off and practically fall into bed, drifting into a peaceful sleep.

Time skip 1 week

"RYLEIGH WE NEED YOU IN HERE!" Chief Weigner yells from the doorway to his office. I stand up walking out from behind my desk and down the hallway to his office closing the door behind me.
"Chief, Director Johnson." I say shaking their hands before sitting down in the plush leather chair against the wall.
"Thank you for coming, we have reached a decision and we wanted to run it by you if that's alright?" The director says crossing one leg over the other. I nod my head relaxing in the chair a little more.
"We both think that Hector would be a good fit to run your unit, Sam is a great agent but we all know the amount of paperwork it takes to get the ball rolling not to mention the political red tape that sometimes has to be cut through to get on scene. You understand where we are coming from correct? We just want to get your take on it." Chief Weigner says looking at me
"I understand, i agree that he would be a good fit and i would like to have him shadow me for the next week or so to all the meetings and what not before throwing him in without a life jacket. Especially since after that i'll be shadowing you Chief. May I bring him in so we can tell him?" I ask looking back and forth between the two men. Chief Weigner nods his head and i stand up walking towards the door.
"Rameriez, i need you for a moment please." I yell before returning to my seat. Hector comes in not long after and stands with his back against the wall.
"Congratulations son, between the three of us, we felt you would be the better fit for the unit post. There's nothing wrong with agent Douglas but we all felt confident in your abilities to run the team without any reservation. So for the next week you'll be shadowing Ryleigh and she'll be showing you everything you need to know to run the unit. After that, it's all yours Hector." Director Johnson says proudly. Hector looks at me with a wide smile and glassy eyes full of unshod tears.
"Wow, thank you all. I'm honored to have been selected. I will not let you down." Hector says shaking everyone's hand. I smile widely and my heart swells with pride for him.
"We'll let you both return to work, Ryleigh, always a pleasure and i look forward to working with you in the near future!" The director says before leaving. I stand there smiling like a kid in a candy store and I turn, giving Hector a huge hug.
"Let's go inform the team and get to work, yeah?" I say, wiping a few tears away from my cheeks smiling softly. He nods his head and we both walk out towards the conference room. I whistle and motion to the conference room and the rest of the team follows us inside.
"There's no case yet. This is informal and bittersweet but as of next week i will no longer be running this unit. I have been selected to replace Chief Weigner when he retires at the end of the month." I say smiling looking around the room at the shock on everyone's faces.
"Wait so then who is taking your spot Andi?" Corbin asks quietly. I look over at Hector and motion for him to stand up.
"After a careful consideration it was between Sam and Hector, both of you are beyond capable agents and i trust you in and out of the office, that's not to say that I don't trust the rest of you but more so these two and i knew that both of them would be fit to run the unit. After speaking with both the director and Chief Weigner, we selected Hector to be my replacement." I say grinning. I look over at Sam before walking over to him.
"It was nothing you did, but we all know you would not be able to handle the bureaucratic side of the job and dealing with the red tape all the time is something I cannot for the life of me see you do. No hard feelings right?" I ask softly. He shakes his head smiling.
"I figured you would put Hector in your place anyway, doing the dirty work is what I'm good at anyway. I'm proud of you both. This is a great opportunity and you both deserve it." Sam says giving me a hug before giving Hector a 'bro' hug. Everyone is laughing and smiling and i honestly couldn't have picked a better team if i tried. It's going to be an interesting bunch of weeks having everyone get settled into their new roles.

2476 words
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A/N:

Surprise! I finished 4 more chapters over the past couple days so I figured I would give you an extra chapter as a gift.

If any of you are also reading it on Ao3 the chapters are the same, the titles for each are different though. I thought about it afterwards and relabeled my chapters on there. If anyone is curious I can add them on here and rename the chapter headings. I'm not sure how many chapters I'm going to make this book but as of right now I'm finishing up chapter 18 and I'll probably start 19 either Sunday or Monday.
Thanks again for all your support & don't forget to comment and vote! xox