Meet me in the Middle

Chapter 42

"Lieutenant Bishop!" I throw my head back and seriously consider crying for a second. I was this close to going home after somehow finding myself in three 12-hour shifts that turned into a 36-hour shift. My initial schedule was a 12-hour shift with Station 41's B-shift, followed by a 12-hour shift with their A-shift while it was their turn on the rotation to determine where their lieutenants will get the best exposure. We were on our last call for the night when battalion 4's chief at the university's district called and ordered me to 19's A-shift, who were short staffed since one of the captains didn't reorganize his station's schedule and the sub never showed.

Seeing how it was my program, he deemed it fair that I step up and take their shift. I also now have the extra responsibility to review the schedules of all 33 stations throughout Seattle. The first month of the trial had gotten a glowing review and the union decided to expand across all five battalions instead of the two we originally pitched. The workload was intense, but it made me feel like I had a purpose again and actually watching the lieutenants that formed part of the program grow their potential in front of me was surreal. I loved every minute of it, even if it meant taking on less shifts with my old team.

Last night was the first time I went on a call with 19 since the industrial fire over two weeks ago. The only thing I looked forward to after receiving that call, was that I'd finally get to spend some quality time with Beckett. With my shifts being all over the place, I've mostly spent my time between stations, sleeping at home, picking up Antonio from daycare when I had dinner with the Becketts or meeting Molly at the café near her restaurant for a breakfast catch-up session. Even my regularly scheduled sessions with Diane had been moved around by the whims of the wind and most of them now took place online or through a quick phone call.

I take the few steps back to the landing of the stairs I was just ascending from to go get my stuff so I can head home. Everyone from A-shift took off as soon as we stopped and only Andy and I stayed back to finalize paperwork. "What's up, Cap?" I pop the 'p' loudly to show my annoyance of getting held back from my bed that has been screaming my name eight hours into my first 12-hour shift. She pulls the new probie out of her office by his sleeve and looks at me desperately. "Can you please accompany Johnson on a domestic violence call? Crisis-One called it in, and I sent Hendricks out as the lieutenant in charge and forgot that he was assigned to aid-car duty."

I let out an agonizing breath because I was so tired, and I already had to work an extra shift because of one captain's mistake. "Please, Mai. I have no one else to turn to." I roll my eyes and nod to the probie to follow me down to the rig. I can hear Andy yelling her thanks down the gallery on her way back to her office. I tell the kid to drive because I honestly can't guarantee that we'll get to the scene before I fall asleep at the wheel. My whole body ached, and I send a quick text to Beckett to apologize for not being able to drop them off at the airport for their honeymoon. He types back a few profanities before telling me to be safe. I slip my phone back in my pocket and pay attention to the road we were on and scroll through the tablet to get the rundown from dispatch.

"Two teens reported an older couple fighting outside the diner on University and Summit. It got pretty heated verbally when Crisis-One was called but the male got aggressive towards the onlookers and attacked two of them. He then turned on his wife and pushed her into a car. Reports say she's got a nasty head wound from hitting the side mirror." I give the probie the rundown of the scene we're about to drive into. "Run me through the steps of handling this call." He drums his fingers on the steering wheel before answering me. "Shut up and do what my lieutenant tells me?" He gives me a sly smile and I roll my eyes at him. I wonder who he drove with before that taught him that.

"No! For real. If you were to be heading into this situation solo or with me as your probie, how would you run it?" He nods his head to whatever beat he had in his mind while he thinks it through. "Assess the patient. Check to see if her pupils are responsive and stop the bleeding as best I can." I stop him and make a note to get him on a few more calls with A-shifts. When he sees me shaking my head, he starts blushing but asks me what he did wrong. "First you make sure that the scene is safe. You'll be of no help to your patients if you get attacked too." He nods along and squints his eyes in the sun, reprimanding himself for not thinking of the most common thing.