Our Scars

Bad Behavior

1

Bad Behavior (Title by Kat Frankie)

"Like I told you the first time you called me, which was hardly an hour ago: I try my best to get down there myself as soon as I can or I will send someone else, but there are only so many things I can do at the same time," Rianne started to get a little annoyed by the person on the other end of the line, acting like she only answered to him and him only.

And he would not stop nagging... Did people have any clue what her day looked like in a city like Chicago?

"I get that it's urgent, I've been on the job for some time now!"

He obviously didn't get that. She considered just hanging up without a goodbye, but advised herself against it. The situation was already tense enough as it was and if she had to get over there today and meet up in person, some restraint would maybe help make things less hostile.

"Okay, I'll see what I can do. See you later," (or preferably someone else, she added in her mind).

Trying not to let the menacing tone of his voice get to her, Rianne hung up and slumped down in her chair, sighing deeply and frantically pushed her unruly hair, which had a tendency to escape her makeshift bun, out of her face.

Nate surfaced behind a file he'd been reading until now, having tried to keep himself from interrupting his colleague's conversation on the phone with an all too amused comment on yet another one of these catfights. His amber eyes were twinkling with mischief:

"Let me guess: Someone from our busiest district, and I think not the officer I am related to, has the most important case in the world – again – and wants you at the station 'toute suite'? If only I knew what his name was again..."

"Save it Nate – one of these days I'm going to kill him and you're going to help me get rid of the body. How can he be so full of himself? Maybe they should get themselves an exclusive right to a social worker out of our department."

"Oh – and would you like to be that social worker?"

"No way! I wouldn't last a day working with him. I am not his damn puppet."

Nate chuckled at the image of Rianne answering to her least favorite detective of district 21 and failing big time.

"Do you want to go and take this case they have? I am actually pretty swamped here..." she batted her eyes at him, even though she knew it was in vain.

Nate flashed her a signature dimpled smile, showing all of his perfectly white and straight teeth:

"I would honey, but I can't. I'm up for mandatory First Aid training, starts in 10 minutes. I guess you're on your own. Besides this isn't really my scene as you well know. I am not the one with the special psychological skills and I am not even working in this department. "

"Traitor!"

Nate just shrugged his shoulders, winked at her and she threw a pen at him, Nate ducked just in time. He then stood up from the visitor's chair he'd been occupying, ran a hand through his shock of blonde hair and left the building with a casual:

"See you at home."

He even had the audacity to blow her a kiss, just because he loved riling her up even more.

Nate was a case-worker with social services. His office was in the same building as hers, but on a different floor. He was mostly working with deviant teens, while she was working with younger children and foster families. But every chance he got he checked in on Rianne to chat and have a cup of coffee, consult on cases. Generally they just loved being around each other.