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It's been absolute chaos trying to get ambulances and firetrucks in while redirecting traffic. Luckily there weren't any casualties, but a few of the drivers caught in this mess have some pretty serious injuries.
Captain Tucker James, of Sonoma's fire department, comes striding over as I'm talking with one of my deputies. He's a few inches taller than I am and built like a tank. He's also got this dark and brooding look to him that, without having known him for a good portion of my life, would be seriously intimidating.
"Hey, Chief, we're just about finished here. We've checked all of the vehicles to make sure they're safe for transport, and any passenger needing a bus is in one headed to John Francis," Tucker says, referring to the town's hospital named after one of the founders of Sonoma.
"Okay, great. The wreckers are on their way, so I'll have them start loading up the totaled cars. The other drivers are prepared to move along once statements are done. Thanks for the help, Tucker," I feel like I can finally relax after this ridiculously long day. What's worse is it's not even close to over. I'll have a bunch of reports to file and paperwork to finish when we get back to the station.
I shake Tucker's hand, and he heads back to his SUV. The two fire engines follow quickly behind Tucker, and all we're left with is the four wrecked cars, the semi, and a few police cruisers.
I walk back to my truck and wait on the wreckers to get here. While I'm taking a break, I message Quinn letting her know I'm still thinking about her and will call her tonight after I finish up the mountain of work I'll have waiting for me.
It’s been a few days since we went to the lake, and we’ve texted or talked on the phone every day since. She responds saying she's looking forward to it, and then she tells me to be safe.
That thought makes me stop for a moment. If I get into a relationship with Quinn, I won't just be looking out for myself anymore. There will be a second person in my life to take care of and worry about. Someone who will be worried about me when I leave for my job. While being the police chief of a small town doesn't usually come with many risks, there is still a chance I could get hurt on the job. It comes with the territory.
It's not often I have to deal with violence, but I have had to deal with it, and there is always a chance of a call going south. It's happened to many others before, and it could happen to me.
What would happen to Quinn if I got hurt on the job? I'm not sure how I would handle that situation. I know she is incredibly independent and can take care of herself, but if she were mine, I'd want to be the one taking care of her. Maybe that's a little caveman of me, but it's what I've always wanted in a relationship.
I know I'm thinking about things so far into the future it shouldn't matter right now, but she matters to me, and I want her safe. Plus, the thought of Quinn being mine makes my chest puff out in pride.
I want her to be mine in every way, which makes me think about our first kiss, and just remembering it has my body heating up. I wanted to whisk her upstairs and have my way with her. That kiss was everything. The way she felt pressed against me, the sounds she made, god she's something else.
Okay, time to halt those thoughts while I'm at work. I do not need a hard-on while I'm trying to do my job.
I take a deep breath to calm my raging body and jump out of the car when I see the wreckers pull up to the scene. I give them the green light to load up the cars, and after another hour, we finally get the whole mess cleaned up and traffic back to normal.
* * *
I get backto the station a little later and on my desk is a cup of coffee I have been desperately needing. I take a huge welcome sip and see Rachel poke her head into my office.
"I thought you might need a pick me up," Rachel says as she comes in and sits down in one of the chairs across from my desk.
"Thank you. Anything come in I need to know about?" I ask as I take another long pull from the to-go cup.
"Nope, you haven't missed anything."
"Great. I'll be here late tonight, but if nothing else comes in, you can head out early if you want to," I tell Rachel. Her mom was diagnosed with lymphoma a while back, so she's been having a tough time. Since she's the sole caretaker for her mom, I try to give her some extra time off whenever I can.
"Oh, thanks, Cooper. I may take you up on that offer. But first, you wanna tell me about the girl I met the other night?" she asks, wiggling her eyebrows up and down, making me chuckle.
"There are so many things I could say. Quinn is something else. She's unlike any girl I've dated before. She's amazing." It's probably too much to share with her, but Rachel is like a sister and has always supported me.
"Those are big words coming from the most eligible bachelor in town," Rachel says sardonically.
"Oh, whatever." I roll my eyes at her.
"You like this girl, don't you?" Rachel asks, turning a little more serious.
"Yeah, I really do." I don’t want to reveal all of my feelings since I'm only just coming to terms with them myself. Besides, Quinn should be the first one I tell anyway.
"She better be good to you." Rachel narrows her eyes.
"I think it's more on me not to screw it up," I say jokingly, but Rachel shakes her head.
She stands up to leave and says, "Don't stay too late doing paperwork. Some of it will keep until tomorrow."
"I will do my best," I tell her even though we both know I can't leave something for the next day if it's on my desk today.
