Last Seen Alive

Chapter Eleven

@PennyZee Thanks for playing. This one's for you!

Trigger warning: This chapter mentions a sensitive subject that some readers may find difficult to read.

Naomi joined Kelsey in the kitchen after Michael left, heading for the kettle first. "What happened to your eyes?" she asked, nodding at Kelsey's head.

"Minor accident with pepper spray," she replied with a shrug as she folded up the towel Michael had thrown at her and stuffed it into her jacket pocket.

Naomi nodded and sidled past her to switch on the kettle.

"I'll go so you can have space to make your tea," Kelsey said when their heads almost collided twice in the space of a minute.

"Thanks," Naomi said, smiling appreciatively.

She'd just reached the door when Naomi said, "Be careful around Michael."

Kelsey turned back. "What do you mean?" she asked, apprehension clear in her voice.

"Just that. Be careful with him," Naomi replied firmly.

The whistling of steam from the kettle followed her ominous words, adding to the drama of the whole thing. Naomi switched it off and busied herself with making her tea. Realising she wouldn't get anything else out of her, Kelsey decided to let it go and left.

She headed back to Michael's office, fighting the urge to rub her eyes and dwell on Naomi's warning. He was back at his desk, busy with paperwork again, but this time he didn't make her wait awkwardly in silence.

"I fixed the spray so the safety is on," he said. Make sure you familiarise yourself with how it works, preferably without spraying it into your eyes again."

"Too soon, Chief. Too soon," she chided, picking up the spray carefully and holding it as far away from her body as possible.

"It's not a bomb, Harris," he said, barely hiding his amusement.

"Tell that to my burning eyes," she retorted.

He went around the table and took the spray out of her hands, then picked up the backpack she'd left on the floor.

"You never go anywhere without this thing, right?" he asked, holding it up.

"Of course not. That's where my cereal lives."

He held back a comment on her eating habits and attached the keyring to one of the side pockets before handing the bag back to her.

"Easier access," he explained. "Bring it with you when you come for training. We'll do a few scenarios so you can learn to detach and use it as fast as possible under high-pressure situations.

"Really?" she said, smiling widely.

"The safety on the spray stays on the entire time, so wipe that look off your face."

"But I need to practice spraying it!"

He ignored her, eyes straying to her hands. "How are your hands?"

She wiggled her fingers. "Not too bad. I removed the bandages you put on yesterday after my shift at Dispatch."

"Because you were mad at me?" 

"No!" she protested, a little too quickly.

Michael folded his arms over his chest, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Okay, partly because I was mad at you. But I also didn't want Liam to see that I got hurt. He's a doctor and he freaks out about minor injuries."

"So he didn't notice?