BIPOLAR

Chapter Twenty Four: Calm Before The End

    Three days had passed since Jamin's heart attack, and Sarah was relieved to see that he was finally on the road to recovery. She and the kids had been visiting him every day, but today was special. Today, they had brought presents.

    As they walked into Jamin's hospital room, his face lit up with a smile. "Hey, guys," he said, his voice still weak but full of enthusiasm.

    Sarah and the kids gathered around his bed, each of them carrying a gift. Favour handed him a present first.

    "I got you a play station pad," she said, beaming with pride. "I thought it could keep you company in the hospital."

    Jamin's eyes lit up as he took the teddy bear from Favour. "Thanks, kid", he said, giving her a hug.

    Next up was Lisa. She handed Jamin a box.

    "Don't open it now", she said, " You will know when too."

    Jamin's face lit up with a smile as he took the card from Lisa. "I hope it's not a bomb" he said, giving her a high-five.

    Finally, it was Sarah's turn. She handed Jamin a small, elegantly wrapped box.

   "I got you something special," she said, smiling. "Open it."

   Jamin's eyes sparkled with curiosity as he opened the box. Inside, he found a beautiful silver watch.

   "Wow, Mom," he said, his eyes wide with surprise. "This is amazing."

   Sarah smiled, feeling happy and relieved. "I'm just glad you like it," she said. "You've been so strong and brave throughout all of this. I'm so proud of you."

    Jamin's face lit up with a smile as he hugged Sarah tightly. "Thanks, Mom," he said, his voice filled with emotion.

    Jamin and Sarah both knew that he would not be allowed to take any of it back to the ward, however, that small gift giving boosted everyone's morale.

Sarah stepped into Mai's home, the scent of stale coffee and burned circuits hanging heavy in the air. Mai, seated in front of her computer, swiveled around to face Sarah, her eyes squinting slightly behind her thick-framed glasses.

"Any luck tracking down the hackers?" Sarah asked, dropping into the worn armchair opposite Mai. She rubbed the fatigue from her eyes, the long hours spent investigating the station's security breach beginning to take their toll.

Mai shook her head. "I tracked the digital trail, but it led to a dead end. Whoever did this covered their tracks well." She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, a habitual gesture that betrayed her frustration.

Sarah's eyes narrowed. "Did you find anything else?"

Mai's expression turned thoughtful. "Actually, I did. The system was hacked from within the building." She paused, letting the implications sink in.

Sarah's eyebrows shot up. "How's that possible?" She felt a shiver run down her spine as she considered the possibilities.

Mai's eyes locked on Sarah's. "A USB drive was found inserted into the main system computer," she explained, her voice measured. "Whoever did this had to be physically present in the building to plug it in."

The air seemed to thicken, heavy with the weight of suspicion and betrayal. Sarah's mind racing with the implications, she felt a growing sense of unease. If the breach had originated from within the department, it meant that one of their own was involved.

"That means...one of our own officers is a mole," Sarah said finally, the words feeling like a betrayal on her lips.

Mai's expression turned grim, her eyes never leaving Sarah's. "We need to be careful. If there's a mole within the department, we don't know who we can trust."

Sarah's eyes scanned the room, as if searching for any signs of surveillance. "We need to keep this quiet for now," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "If the mole finds out we're onto them, they'll cover their tracks."

Mai nodded in agreement, her expression somber. "I've already taken precautions. I've encrypted all my files and kept them offline. But we need to move fast. The longer we wait, the more chance the mole has to destroy evidence."

Sarah stood up, her mind racing with the implications. "I'll start reviewing the security footage, see if I can spot anyone suspicious around the time of the breach. You keep digging into the system, see if you can find any other clues."

Mai nodded, her fingers already flying across her keyboard. "I'll also start running some background checks on the officers. See if anyone has any suspicious connections or motives."

Sarah's eyes locked on Mai's. "Be careful. If the mole finds out what we're doing, they'll run."

Mai's expression turned resolute. "I can take care of myself. But we need to be careful. We're dealing with someone who's already shown they're willing to do anything to aid Dr. Lee."

Sarah nodded, a sense of determination growing within her. "I'll find you, Lee."

Sarah and Mai spent the next few hours reviewing the security footage and digging deeper into the system. They finally had enough evidence to take to their superiors.

"Let's go talk to Detective Blaine and the Chief," Sarah said, gathering her notes and standing up.

Mai nodded, shutting down her computer. "I'll bring the evidence we've collected so far."

They made their way to the precinct, the tension between them palpable. They knew that what they were about to reveal would have far-reaching consequences.

Detective Blaine looked up from his desk as they approached. "What's wrong, Sarah?"

Sarah took a deep breath. "We need to talk to you and the Chief about the station's security breach."

Detective Blaine expression turned serious. "Okay, let's go."

They walked into the Chief's office, Mai handing her a folder containing the evidence. The Chief, a stern-looking man with a no-nonsense attitude, looked up from his desk.

"What's this about?" he asked, his voice firm.

Sarah took a deep breath. "We've discovered that the security breach was an inside job. Someone with access to the building and the system hacked into our mainframe."

The Chief's expression turned incredulous. "An inside job? That's impossible."

Mai spoke up, her voice calm. "I've reviewed the security footage and the system logs. The evidence points to someone who was physically present in the building at the time of the breach."

Detective Blaine's eyes narrowed. "Do we have any suspects?"

Sarah hesitated. "Not yet. But we're working on it. We'll need to review the security footage and interview the officers who were on duty at the time of the breach."