Another Life

35

Trudy looked up the moment we walked through the district doors. "Well if it isn't detective Goldilocks, nice of you to make your presence known here again." She says.

I roll my eyes, pulling the bag up further on my shoulder. "I was here two days ago," I comment. "I've been here at least once a week for six months."

She doesn't say anything else, just looks back at her computer monitor and after a quick look to Jay we start walking toward the stairs, but Trudy's voice coming from behind us makes us both turn back around. She's holding out an envelope, calling Jay. "Oi Chuckles, this came for you this morning." She doesn't look up from what she was doing this time.

Jay walks back over to the desk and gives her a hint of a smile, which she doesn't see, and he takes the envelope from her hand. Immediately he turns it around and as he opens it up I walk back over to the desk to see what he had been sent. He only takes the letter out a fraction before quickly shoving it back inside, shaking his head. "I'll read that later." He says, folding it up and thrusting it into his back pocket.

I raise an eyebrow. "What is it?" I question.

He blows it off, taking off for the stairs again. "It's not important."

Trudy still doesn't look up from the monitor but voices her opinion. "Clearly it is important." She points out once Jay is out of earshot.

I nod slowly. "I got that, yeah."

Then the sergeant glances up, looks to me with her same stoic face. "It's nice to have you back, Goldilocks."

I tap the desk and then follow up the stairs behind Jay, reaching the bullpen in time to see Jay grab hold of the letter in his pocket and throw it into his desk drawer. I can't go over to question because I'm surrounded by the rest of the unit, all of them welcoming me back and it gives me a hint of deja vu to when I was finally able to come back after having been sent off for a week because of morning sickness a little over a year ago.

Slowly everyone disperses but before he can go, Kevin insists on a hug, which I happily accept. He gives a tight squeeze. "We missed you around here keeping your husband in line, we're not as good as it as you."

I shake my head. "Nobody is." I smirk and pull away from the hug at the same time Kev does and from the other end of the room Jay lets out a forced laugh at the mention of having to keep him in check. I sent him an innocent smile but move on, as does everyone else when we get sucked into a case within an hour and it feels so good to be back.

************

After watching him act strange for a few hours, I pull Jay up from his desk and take him back into the locker room and make sure the room is empty before shutting both doors inside. I cross my arms over my chest as I turn back to face him. "What is going on this morning?"

He shrugs. "I don't know what you're talking about."

I dead-eye him. "Jay, you were fine when we left and the moment we got into work you've been distracted. Has it got something to do with the fact I'm back at work?" I ask.

"What? No, of course it doesn't." Jay quickly shakes his head.

My head tilts to one side. "But you admit there is something bothering you."

He sends me a slight unamused look for tripping him up before exhaling a puff of air, looking around the room. "I wouldn't say it's bothering me."

I furrow my eyebrows. "What is it?"

Jay doesn't answer for a beat, instead walks around the room before finally stopping when he sits down on one of the benches around the corner. I follow behind and sit on the same bench and turn so I'm facing him again and that's when he lets up what had been occupying in his head since we arrived.