Accident Prone - Becoming Human

Officer Down

Standing before the full length mirror that was situated in the back wall of his closet Connor pulled down the lapels of his gray blazer to smooth out the small wrinkles and lifted his hand up to his black tie to tighten the knot around the collar of his white dress shirt. Staring at his reflection Connor felt more at ease with himself than he had in the past four months after losing his dearest friend, his bondmate, to violence. The familiarity of his uniform, with the exception of his old gray CyberLife issued blazer finally being permanently replaced by the gray suit blazer that Hank had given him, was enough to settle Connor's mind and he knew that returning to the precinct was in fact the right choice.

It only took a few moments for Connor to psyche himself up before heading out to the precinct for the first time in months. Deep down in his core Connor knew resuming his career as a detective was the right move, he just wasn't sure exactly why. A gut feeling was always peculiar to the still developing deviant.

"You ready to go?" Hank asked as he knocked on the opened door frame of Connor's bedroom and peered inside the space. Smiling at the sight of the deviant donning his old uniform made Hank feel truly proud of his son for overcoming a huge emotional obstacle in his life and finding the strength to move forward. "Uniform still looks good on you, kid."

Turning to face Hank with a sense of renewed confidence in his soulful brown eyes, Connor grabbed the leather gun holster from the foot of his bed and tucked it into the blazer pocket to be placed on later after he received his service weapon. "I'm grateful that Captain Fowler agreed to allow me to return. But I imagine my return will be unusual."

"Why's that?"

"I left without warning and refrained from communicating with the precinct after my departure." Tentatively Connor approached Hank and waited for his rebuttal toward his righteous hesitation. "I fear the precinct will be unable to trust me due to my abrupt disappearance and I know that the mistrust is founded."

"Connor, you're trusted. No one blames you for needing to walk away from the job for a while. It happens more often than people realize."

The sound of Hank's words sounded so sure, so experienced. It was as if Hank was revealing another part of his past. "...Did you walk away?"

"I wanted to, but I had Cole to take care of. I had to stay so I could take care of him." Crossing his arms somewhat defensively over his chest Hank tilted his head slightly as he spoke. "That might be why I ended up in such a dark place for so long. I didn't take the time to take care of myself because I was taking care of someone else." Flashing Connor a knowing glance he cleared his throat a little. "Remind you of someone you know?"

As his mouth twitched a little Connor replied in a innocent manner. "...Are you referring to my stubborn behavior?"

"Yup."

"I am attempting to be more amiable but it is a difficult adjustment."

"Well, at least you're trying." Stepping out of the bedroom Hank called out to Connor as he walked down the hallway to get to the livingroom and the car keys on the bookshelf. "Come on. Sumo's been taken care of and I don't want you to be late for your first day back on the job."

Thanks to Hank's words of wisdom and his own confidence returning to him as he set about his day, Connor held no shame and only a trace of guilt as he cybernetically filed his paperwork to reestablish his career as a detective while en route to the precinct. With his head held high and Hank walking at his side Connor returned to the Central Precinct to speak to Captain Fowler in person. As he walked through the bullpen to reach Captain Fowler's private office on the far side of the bullpen he could feel the many curious eyes of the other officers and detectives staring at him, and he could hear the muttering gossip spreading upon his return.