The Portal

Chapter 20

     Time still flies, even when you're traveling through it.

     David couldn't believe that a year had passed since the day his brother was shot. Just like that same day a year ago, David was at work with his feet up on his desk, sharing the empty lobby with Lindsay on Christmas Day. They had both volunteered to work during the holidays again, and agent Fletcher couldn't help but look at David with a face of contempt again as he sat around doing nothing to do but answer calls from people like Maury, witnesses that still needed advice on how to properly cook their turkeys.

     "What?" David asked, as he could tell she was looking at him. "I'm not going to leave this time, I promise!"

     "You better not," Lindsay said, "but why are you even here?"

     "I'm working," David answered, "Same as you."

     "But you have family to be with this year," Lindsay reminded him. "Wouldn't you rather be with your brother, Gail, and the girls? I mean even your grandfather is there, so why are you still here?"

     David didn't say anything and instead replied by giving her a sly grin, saying nothing as he put his Brooklyn Dodgers cap on to cover his eyes.

     "What are you grinning at?" Lindsay said, "I'm never seen anyone so happy to be missing time with family."

     "What makes you think I'm missing it?" David asked.

     "What do you mean?" Lindsay said, thinking about it. "Wait a second; are you at home right now?"

     "Probably," David replied, "Unless Gail asked me to go out and pick something up she might have forgotten."

     "Son of a bitch!" Lindsay said with a stunned face. "You're in the cave!"

     "Maybe," David said, trying not to laugh.

     "You're time traveling to cover a shift!" Lindsay called out.

     "I'm still here, aren't I?" David countered, "I'm just as capable of doing my job as an astral projection no less than if I were really here. I started my travel a few hours before the shift started, so I've got plenty of time to help out. About forty-four hours to be precise."

     "I can't believe it," Lindsay said, "Are there any other shifts you covered for yourself that I should be aware of?"

     "Perhaps," David replied.

     "Unbelievable!" Lindsay said, putting her pen down and looking back at her partner like a mother that was scolding her child. "What other times did your astral projection fill in for you?"

     "Remember the day we had that big car chase," David started, "You got mad because I hit the emergency brake and broke off pursuit?"

     "Yes," Lindsay said, "You were time traveling that day?"

     "I was, but for good reason." David explained, "We got into an accident at the end of that chase, and the bad guy still got away. You broke your collarbone and got a severe concussion and someone in the other car we hit died. I hit the brake because the outcome of the chase wasn't going to change, and I saved a few lives and ourselves a lot of pain in the process."

     Lindsay paused for a moment. "Thank you."

     "You're welcome," David called back.

     Things got quiet for another hour or so before the director came walking into the office to check up on them.

     "Don't get up," Jerry called out as he came in. "The wife thinks I've gone out to get some more eggnog. I poured two cartons down the sink just for an excuse to get out of the house."