Heart Covers (First Draft)

Indigo Inferno

The hustle and bustle in the police department coded itself onto Rachel's face, making her copy the stern professionalism shown on her colleagues' faces. Just after writing her latest report on her daily patrol and submitting the file on her computer to her employer, a strong voice calls out to her.
"Lockwood!" Rachel instantly turns around and sees Captain Garfield is the one calling for her. Immediately getting up from her desk, the woman walked up to meet with her superior officer.
"You rang, Brice?" The woman casually asks Brice.
"We've got a disturbance call on our hands. I need you to come with me and Sargent Blanchard" Nodding her head in a submissive manner, the three officers were later seen driving in their cars to the distress call. In order to pass the time, and because everyone is bracing for the worst, chatter erupts from their radios to each other. 
"Can you guys believe this? I mean, first Ricky gets kicked out of the force, then we had to break up a gang fight that same week, and now we have to deal with this little scuffle. Talk about a fun summer for us, am I right?" Darla somberly comments over the radio followed up by Rachel's words.
"We're the police, Darla. It's our job to deal with complete bullshit like this" Rachel then downs her coffee while driving her car before Brice enters the conversation.
"True fact. Let's just hope this little girl will be alright by the time we get there" Brice's sadness heavily indicated his hatred towards these kinds of events. He hated how children are constantly placed in these messes; and he especially hated how dangerous they turn out, all thanks to a broken home.
"Understood, sir" Darla says which ends the conversation. Rachel continued her mopey drive towards the location of the home following right behind Darla. Her mind's melancholic thoughts make her more sadder and sadder but the woman refused to cry. Besides, she stopped crying a long time ago. In regards to her heartbreaking past, her eyes later catch wind of a sight she'd not seen since forever. A young Rachel was sitting there on the sidewalk with a teddy bear clutched against her body. No one seemed to notice or give one flying fuck about her existence while she sat on that bench, the child obviously wishing someone would just stop and notice her. The girl's puffy eyes, scratched body, and ripped clothes were the biggest indications something bad happened to her. As the rain smashed onto her body, she didn't even acknowledge its soaking presence because she kept her face hidden in her teddy bear.
"Hey there, kiddo" The woman managed to say after however many milliseconds she spent in memory lane, the sunshiney present replacing the past's shitstorm. The little girl, still bashful and scared due to all the chaos going on in her life, looked up at the woman speaking to her. But, the woman was a police officer. So, she wasn't a bad person, at least in her mind.
"How are you?" The girl didn't answer Rachel back only for the woman to respect that. Sitting down right next to the girl, she begins working her magic.
"Ya know, my daughter has that exact same teddy bear you have. It's very pretty" Rachel couldn't help but make that comment due to how similar the teddy bears were: all down to its brown fur color, pitch black eyes, blood red bowtie, and soft texture. The policewoman was smart not to touch the bear because the girl clearly valued it more than anything else.
  "T-Thank you" The girl manages to get out of her.
  "What's your name?" Rachel calmly asks, aware of how pressuring kids during these scary situations can negatively affect them. Getting to know the kid will make this a helluva lot easier.
"Annabelle" The little girl softly replies.
"Is that your favorite toy?"
"Yeah. Her name's Jessie"
"Pretty name"
"Thanks, Miss.Lockwood" Rachel's immediate impression towards the girl's smarts showcased itself through her slight smirk of a smile. Trusting that she'd gotten through to her enough, Rachel goes in for the kill through asking the girl a direct question.
"Where's your folks?" The policewoman's response is immediately answered by Annabelle's quiet response.
"They're at home" The young girl felt the water welling up in her eyes but refused to let it out. Rachel knew this. After all, she's not stupid.
"Why aren't they with you?" The woman asked Annabelle. Surely, one or both of her parents would've been with her out here regarding her age.
"They're busy" The eight year old says which makes Rachel cautiously press her for more information.
"What are they doing?" The girl's tears finally escaped her already red eyes. Shaky breathing soon followed right after her confession. A truly tragic sight indeed in the eyes of anyone else. To Rachel, this was her endgame.
"T-They're fighting. M-Mommy and daddy hate each other" Those words are what Rachel could make out from Annabelle's sobs. Annabelle continues her crying and Rachel does nothing but let her cry. A part of her wanted to cry just like she is; or even lash out at those who've wronged her, anything if it involves her eyes getting rid of the sadness held inside her for too long. Not only would this poor girl finally have closure, but that she wouldn't end up like Rachel. Her radio suddenly goes off during this whole ordeal.
"Is she alright?" Brice asked carefully, knowing how difficult this was for Annabelle.
"Yeah. She'll be alright. How's it going on your end?" Just as she said that, the two officers were seen at the home, more officers at the house cleaning up the mess.
"It's not a pretty sight, I'll tell you that" The man simply commented. The couple was dead; but thankfully, their daughter was able to escape this massacre they caused.
"It's safe to say this was a murder-suicide. We'll be contacting child services so-"
"No, I'll take her to the orphanage. I just need Darla to bring the reports for everything that happened today.
"You sure, Lockwood?"
"I'm sure" The woman says confidently. Holding out her hand to the girl right after turning her radio off, the young girl hesitantly gave her hand to the woman. The car ride had no chatting whatsoever occuring while the girl looks out the car window. Rachel left her alone as she didn't need anyone speaking to her right now. Her nostalgia couldn't help but once again resurface inside her mind where her childlike self took the little girl's place. The rain continued pounding everything in its path, the cars trying to escape the storm included. Silence was the only thing that protruded throughout the car ride. This is greatly evidenced by Rachel's deadpan face continuing to stare at the sky while the man driving her to the orphanage said nothing at all. He did pity her, yes, but he didn't say anything due to the obvious trauma she went through. So, he continued on with their journey to the orphanage while secretly wishing she'd have a better life once she gets adopted. Cutting back to her reality, the girls are now inside the orphanage, Darla soon following suit by entering the orphanage and giving the social workers documents based on what happened. The little girl had her head down while the adults were getting her living arrangements together. Long before the girl is taken by one of the social workers to her temporary room, Rachel sits down next to the young girl in an attempt to console her.
"Hey, kiddo" The young girl looks up at the kind officer and listens to her words.
"I know this isn't easy for you. But, I promise things get better from here. You just have to do the best you can. I've been here too, so you're not alone" The little girl gives the woman a hug which she reciprocates to Annabelle almost immediately. After the hug, she's taken to where she can live a more stable life. Or, at least, in terms of being a foster child. The rest of the work day goes by without anymore important cases besides a few muggings, murders, and attempted murders here and there. Rachel, just after getting back from another case, was called into Captain Garfield's office.
"What's the situation, Captain G?" The woman asked.
"Ohh, nothing much" The man says while he casually sat in his chair.
"Just a congratulations, Corporal" The man greeted cheerfully. He loves the determination and compassion she brings to the table so he felt this was appropriate for Rachel.
"You've been doing a great service for this city in the time we've known you, Rachel Lockwood. So, how do you feel about taking a step up in your career?" It didn't take much for the woman to give him her answer right after a moment of thinking.
"Look, boss. I appreciate the offer but no. I already do enough for this city and this promotion isn't for me" Brice, although wanting to convince her otherwise, stopped himself. Her daughter was the most important person in her life which meant she came first. Plus, her life as a police corporal was already taxing enough with supervising charity projects and managing police squads.
"Alright. Just remember that the position will be open whenever your ready"
"Sure thing, sir" The woman left the office almost immediately only for her to get back to work. Rachel is now walking home from work, the policewoman rubbing her eyes from the fatigue her job usually brings her. Her hunger soon takes over the minute a hotdog stand comes into her focus. The growling of her stomach begged her to buy a hotdog; but buying dinner was already decided through the smell of well cooked meat coming into her nose, not to mention the scrumptious condiments being added onto each dog.
  "Give me a dog and Coke, please" Rachel says before slamming money onto the cart.
"Coming right up" The hotdog cart man said which therefore led to her dog and drink being given to her only three minutes later. The woman, just before taking a chomp of her dog, notices a tragic sight. The man sitting next to the dumpster without anyone caring about his existence infuriated and saddened the woman simultaneously. Without hesitation, the woman used her plastic knife to cut the dog in half, giving her half to the man.
"God bless you, ma'am" The man graciously says after getting the dog. The woman later goes back to walking home, feeling better about herself almost instantly. Having just arrived back home, Rachel took her boots and hat off coinciding with her putting them in the closet. Walking upstairs, she checks on her daughter. The clear sadness Natalie displayed revealed itself through her slumped shoulders and sorrow filled frown.
"What's wrong, sweetie?" The mother asked her daughter whom she placed on her legs. Staring at her mother with glistening brown eyes, the young girl explains the reason behind her depressed state of mind.
"I miss my friends" The young girl softly says before Rachel has her chin lay on her shoulder.
"You'll see them in middle school, honey" Rachel reassures her daughter. Knowing some of her friends won't be joining her in middle school, the mother sighs and continues consoling her daughter.
"Nat, no one sticks around forever. Plus, you've got Fiona and Sarah with you. If anything, you're pretty covered in the friend department"
"I know, mom. I just miss them" Natalie said somberly.
"I know" Rachel softly says. The two passionately buried their faces into their shoulders as they held each other throughout the night.