Life Interrupted

Chapter 10

Friday brought its own set of challenges as Deanna began to dress for work. "Ugh, these don't fit either!" She yelled down the stairs to Mike as she tried on a few different pairs of work trousers, hoping that one would go over her cast. Suddenly Mike appeared at the door to their walk in closet. "Did you check with Sandy on the dress code for injuries and such?" She looked at him quizzically. "What? What do you mean, dress code for injuries?" Mike sighed, leaning against the doorframe. "You've been on the force long enough to know, haven't you?" Dee just looked at him blankly. "So, when an officer is on injured leave or just returning to work, there's always an exception to the rules." He shrugged as it began to click with her. "Mainly to give some grace to an officer who, more or less, was doing his... or her, job and got hurt while doing so." "So I could potentially wear my looser yoga pants?" She eyed him suspiciously. "More than likely. At least until your big cast comes off and you have more options." Mike smiled as he folded his arms. "Babe, no one is going to care how you're dressed as long as you keep it as professional as possible." Dee sent him a grateful smile. "Thanks, hon."

Dressed in her loose black yoga pants, a sneaker on her left foot and a loose blazer, Dee settled into the front seat of Mike's car. Mike slid behind the wheel and met her eyes. "You good?" Deanna nodded, smiling. "Yeah, I am." "Alright then, let's do this."

The morning was pretty chill as Frank brought Deanna up to speed on several cases. A steady flow of people dropped by Deanna's desk to give hugs and well wishes, each one bringing a smile to Deanna's face.

After lunch, the afternoon took a bit of an odd turn. Mike and his partner, along with what felt like three quarters of the station left on a call. Deanna and Sandy ended up being the lone employees holding down the fort. Sandy had just picked up the phone as the front door swung open. A bright eyed girl, probably about eight years old stood there. Her sandy colored hair was roughly braided and her pants had a tear near her left knee.

Deanna turned, meeting the girl's eyes. "Hi. Can I help you?" What came next was so unexpected, no one would have been prepared. The girl dashed toward Deanna and thrust her arms around Deanna's neck, nearly knocking Deanna off her chair. Deanna grasped the girl as sobs began shaking her small body. The detective rubbed soothing circles on her back. "It's okay. Everything's fine." The sobs slowed and Deanna pulled the girl back slightly, meeting her eyes again. "Are you okay?" The girl nodded, then seemed to think better of it. "There was a man." She sucked in an uneven, shaky breath. "He...he was following me." Deanna pulled her back in, holding her close to let her know she was safe. "It's okay. You're safe here." "My mommy always taught me to find a police officer if I was in trouble and I remembered that the station was right here." Dee smiled at the girl. "Your mom taught you well." She affirmed. "You can hang out here until we can get a hold of her."

Sandy hung up the phone, and moved toward them. "So who do we have here?" she asked, a sweet smile on her face. Dee sensed the girl tense and shift her weight closer. "It's okay." She gently soothed the girl's back. "This is Sandy, she's here to help us, okay?" Dee caught the girl's eyes and gave her a comforting smile. "Can you tell me your name?" "Molly." "That's such a pretty name." Molly smiled shyly. "Thank you." "Miss Sandy, can you help get a hold of Molly's parents?" "Sure thing." Sandy reached out her hand for Molly, but before Molly took it, she glanced down at Dee's leg, noticing the cast. "How did you hurt your leg?" A small sad smile came across Dee's face. "Well, I was chasing a bad guy and fell." No sense in complicating the story. "Did it hurt?" Deanna nodded, thinking back on that day just a couple of weeks prior. "It did, it hurt alot. But, it's getting better." She gave Molly an affirming, warm smile. "Thanks for asking. Why don't you let Miss Sandy help you, okay?" "Okay."

Deanna watched the two head to the admin desk. Sandy found a seat for the girl and got her some water. Deanna settled back in with her work until the door opened, this time revealing a burly man and a very thin woman. Exceedingly aware of the situation, Deanna let Sandy take the reins, but her guard shot up at the man's attitude and body language. You learn a lot as a cop; how to read people, and when to trust your gut. This was one of those times and I did not trust that man.