Soon!

Chapter 2 - Christopher Grieves

There's a knock at the door followed by shouting. I should know that voice. "LaSalle, LaSalle, open the door." I get up with my head swimming.

"Hey Tammy, what are you doing here?"

"I brought your truck home. Pride told me that he sent you home in a cab last night. You look like the truck ran you over. Anything you want to talk about LaSalle?"

"Why would I want to talk about that tired subject again? I walked away from Percy after holding her close one more time. You thought you had the answers two years ago when you showed up declaring that Percy and I belonged to a drug cartel. You were wrong last night Tammy to suggest that I go over to the condo and properly say good bye to my former partner. I went too far. I ended up telling her that I loved her. Our parting at the airport rivaled that of any scene that you have ever seen in a sappy love movie. I had to finally help Sonja down the walk way and then when I came back and the security officer closed the jet way access door, I leaned against the glass and had to spend five minutes getting my own self together.

I was questioning if she left because of me. Like I told Triple P "Percy and I are close. We've had some complications in our partnership." "P" asked "and you worried if she is leaving because of you?" "Not worried, just wondering".

I couldn't wait until King's bar opened Friday. Then I found this damn song by LeAnne Rimes called 'Soon' and played it until the band started up. I knew King knew why I was drinking so heavily. He finally told me that I had had enough and as I took my keys out he grabbed them and called me a taxi."

"Do you mind staying for a while Tammy?" I got Tammy a beer and we laughed and joked about Percy for most of the afternoon. While I held on to my tears, Tammy freely cried. I felt so sorry for her. Evidentially she had known for months how unhappy Sonja was. She had never said a word to me about my relationship or lack of with Sonja. But I could tell she was really pissed and me and King with a heavy emphasis on me, for Sonja leaving the team. She gave me the evil eye every time I looked at her the other night. After Sonja had left the bar, Tammy asked me what the hell I was thinking. Was I really going to let her just leave like that.

Tammy offered to cook me dinner but in the end I decided to stay in. I called Tammy a cab and walked out with her and paid the fare. I got up Sunday morning and did my laundry. I started cleaning and suddenly realized that I had cleaned the entire house from the front door to the back. I found something to eat in the fridge and limited myself to one beer lest I have a hangover when I came in Monday morning.

"Good Morning Christopher" my colleague said as I walked through the door.

"Not so good and just leave it alone" I responded.

"Come on LaSalle, it's just the two of us. How are you doing?" "I will get through this day and the day after that" I say as I looked toward Sonja's old desk. "I don't have a choice" I added.

Unfortunately I retreated into an ugly LaSalle again. Not as bad as before I met King. Well at least with the women part. None of them compared to Tammy's sassy Percy. But the drinking started to get out of hand. Finally I took a three day weekend to go home. Why do we always run home? I drove up to see Cade. While he was a wreck he was coherent enough to provide me with true comfort as the big brother he had always been.

He asked me if I had cried this time. My hanging head was his answer. "Chris there is no shame in crying. You should have done it the last time you lost a woman that you loved."

He was right. We will both always think that I was wrong to let Sonja leave but Cade would never say that to me again.

Several months passed by. I was able to make myself go out with some of the guys from 'Nola PD and my regular boy's night out with Triple P. Tammy also dragged me out with her to 'club' while Loretta and King constantly extended invitations to dinner. Before I knew it Christmas was almost here. Gregorio had taken time off to go Quantico to teach a two week sniper refresher class. Her absence and a holiday murder kept the rest of the team busy. Between Sonja's replacement and the 'nerdy one', my day was full of trying not to strangle one or both of them.

After the team holiday meal, I headed home for my first Christmas there in ten years. My heart knew that I needed my mother. Sis and momma helicoptered me the whole time I was there. It was here in the quiet of it all that I realized how much I really did miss Sonja. 

 Momma told me how she had met my father. I found it hard to believe that they actually had a love story. Momma said it pained her when he remarried even after all those years that they were apart. She quietly said that "most individuals have one great love. Beau LaSalle was mine. No other man ever measured up to him. So if you are feeling that way son, just know that it is fact of life. While you may find others to be with, you never forget the one that got away. Never."