Pup

Chapter 2

By the second five thirty rolled around Hank already had both feet out of his office and walking down the center of the bullpen for the stairs. He checked his pockets for his keys, wallet, badge, and firearm as the team exchanged their goodnights in tired grumbles and asked no questions as to why he was leaving this early. But even if they did ask he wouldn't give them a straight answer anyway. The only one that noticed was the only one who knew which was Trudy, who, when Hank passed the front desk gave a smile and nod to him on the way out the door to his car.
Once outside Hank had to flip on his sunglasses to watch where he was going through the glaring, setting sun which was definitely making up for lost time hiding behind the clouds all week. The warm air welcomed him to toss his coat in the back seat and roll up his sleeves before strapping in the booster seat he had bought and hid in his car a week ago for Oliver before jumping into the driver's seat, throwing the keys into the ignition and into drive. He rolled the windows down and the sun roof back as he rolled out onto the livening streets of Chicago following the directions read out to him by the GPS, trying to keep the car within the speed limit. What could he say? He had a lead foot with a history of not having to go by speed limits when his heart rate was increased. The houses soon spread out and became larger with every mile he drove. The streets became wider with more room between cars and the streets separated by large fields of grass in front of each house. The GPS read out his last direction to turn on 4th Melbourne Avenue and the destination would be on his left. It was finally time to put Oliver out of the misery that had consumed him all day. Just a little farther. Hank ran through a mental checklist of his preparations back as he pulled up to the curb of a big brick house and large dark green field. The grass was well kept and well played on as far as Hank could tell by the little feet pressed into the grass and the few misplaced basket and soccer balls burrowed in bushes and against the fence on the right of the house. He wondered if one of the pair of little footprints in the grass were Oliver's as he walked up the driveway with colored chalk drawings covering every foot except the small path that lead from the driveway to the front steps of the house. As far as Hank could tell the kids were barefoot when they were last out here which must have been a few hours ago. The grass was gently pressed and rolled with little dots in between each patch most likely being little toe prints in each patch through the yard. Not torn and harshly printed as it would have been if they were wearing shoes. The little footprints made him stop and think a moment of what his days would be like soon now that for once he had someone to come home too. It would be starkly different from the vacant house of memories he had left, but Trudy's words repeated in his mind again and he knew she was right. He personally didn't need any pity or anyone's comfort that was never a need to be fulfilled for him. It was nice but he was doing just fine without it. But yet he still found himself warm against the cooling night as he rang the doorbell and waited for an answer.