Soulmates

Chapter twelve

After working with a rookie for the last four weeks, I was glad to have Carrie back as my partner. She's been recovering from donating bone marrow to save Grace's life. She's also been staying with Monica while Grace has been in the hospital. Kelly and I had backed off, letting her have her chance at a relationship with Monica. 

I visit Grace twice a day, during lunch and her bedtime. Her doctor has been allowing me when she wouldn't go to sleep the first night in the hospital. She pushed Monica away, asking for me. When she immediately went to sleep the moment I laid with her, Monica asked that I be here to help Grace go to sleep at night.

"How's Monica," I ask with concern as Carrie climbs in the passenger seat of our squad car. 

"Grateful for your discovery. The treatment is working. The doctor called this morning and said Grace is likely to make full recovery," she chokes with a smile. 

"Thank God," I choke with relief as tears roll down my cheeks. "If she makes recovery, she'll have a five year window for it to return. If she makes it through the five years without it returning, she has a greater chance of never getting it again."

"She is entirely grateful for you Jennifer. The doctor told her if you hadn't pointed it out, Grace would have died. Her blood test showed she'd had it for awhile and was just starting to show symptoms," Carrie chokes quietly and I could tell she was growing attached to Grace and Monica. "Being with Monica these last few weeks while I was recovering and I feel drawn to her. It's almost as if she's tethered to me, our souls joined like a cord. I've never felt that with someone before."

"That's how I feel about Kelly," I choke with a smile. "Sometimes if I focus, I feel what she does in that exact moment. Like that day I shot the shooter outside her office door. I could feel her heart racing like it was in my chest."

"Thank you for understanding," she says with relief. "I didn't want it to be awkward between us."

"Kelly and I had a feeling you two had interest in each other the day Grace ended in the hospital," I say softly and she looks at me with relieved eyes. "We already told our parents that we'd back off and let you two figure out where things unfolded."

"Thank you Jen," she chokes with a smile. 

I nod with a light smile and we patrol the town in comfortable silence. We weren't driving long before we got a call over the radio. It was a domestic dispute between a man and pregnant woman. I clench my jaw, hating when we get these types of calls.

"Jen, are you going to be okay taking this call? Captain said you've been sensitive when it comes to these kinds of calls with the rookie," Carrie says with concern. 

"I can't stand domestic violence, especially when it involves pregnant women and children," I say quietly, gripping the steering wheel. "We've been getting them a lot lately."

"Dispatch, is anyone else closer," Carrie asks softly. 

"Caller was asking for her, said she didn't want any other officers," Anna says in sympathy, knowing how I felt about these calls. "She said she fought with you in Iraq."

I hit the siren before Carrie could respond. I head to the address before it's given. "How do you know where to go," Carrie asks curious. 

"I was the commanding officer of our unit. After I was discharged, I kept in contact with them. Kevin and Jamie are dead, the rest went back on tour, except one. She took maternity leave a eight months ago. She told me after Jamie's funeral that her husband is extremely violent and was going to need help, but when the time was right. He won't let her leave, now is her chance," I say in a protective tone. "Ask for a backup car and an ambulance."