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The nights were the worst. Back when Frank was my partner, we usually messed around to pass the time. Or pulled pranks on each other. Tod Nelson, a younger guy who was now my partner, was usually the target of our boredom. But now that Frank was gone, things had changed, which soured my mood further.
As I took a seat behind my desk with a fresh cup of coffee, Nelson walked in. He strode forward and plopped down in the chair across from me.
“What are you still doing here?” I asked.
“My shift ended, so I came to see if you needed anything before I left. It’s the polite thing to do.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m fine.”
“Johnson just got here, and he brought chili again for dinner, so I’d steer clear of the squad room.”
“Thanks for the heads-up,” I mumbled.
“Sure. Well, I guess I’ll take off then.”
“Was there something else?” I winced after the words left my mouth because, even though I could sense he wanted to tell me something, I really didn’t want to hear it.
He picked some imaginary lint off his pants as an uncomfortable silence filled the room.
“Spit it out,” I barked.
“Okay. Jeez. I wanted to know if everything was okay with you.”
“Why wouldn’t it be?”
He shrugged. “You seem…grumpier than usual.”
I raised a brow in question. “Grumpier?”
“Yeah. I mean, you’re normally serious, but lately you’ve beenreallyserious.”
I grunted, which made him crack a smile. “I’m fine, Nelson. There is a lot on my mind.”
“Okay. I wanted to check and make sure it wasn’t anything serious.”
“Serious? Like what?” I asked.
He shrugged again. “I don’t know, like hemorrhoids or something. That would make me have a pinched face all the time.”
“Out!” I bellowed. He was fucking with me, and I wasn’t in the mood.
Nelson scrambled to his feet, laughing. The door closed, and I huffed, grabbing the back of my neck and swiveling from side to side in my chair. I had been in a crappy mood lately, and more people were taking notice. I knew what was causing it, but I also wasn’t ready to face it. So I kept stuffing it down, but it was getting harder to do.
I didn’t want to think about any of it, especially not on this shift. Night shifts were the worst. It was quiet, and all I wanted to do was sleep. There was a couch in my office, so I didn’t have to leave unless it was to use the bathroom or grab a coffee or something to eat.
But being holed up alone in my office with only my thoughts to keep me company through the night was my own personal hell. My past haunted me, and it only grew worse when the sun went down. It had been especially hard to deal with now that all my friends were getting married, leaving me the only single one in the group. It wasn’t like I wanted a girlfriend, though. I missed my friends.
I groaned. If Nelson was right and Johnson had brought chili, I needed to steer clear of the squad room. That man could set the place on fire with the gas he leaked from eating that shit. It was his favorite meal, and his wife made it extremely spicy for him every time, but the spice caused him to have the worst case of gas known to man. Unfortunately, we were on the receiving end of it a lot.
There was a knock at my door, and Connie poked her head in.
“What the hell are you still doing here? Do I need to fire you?” I asked.
She waved me off. “I came back to grab a folder I need for tomorrow and wanted to say goodnight.”
“Goodnight, Connie.”
“Also, steer clear of the squad room. Johnson’s wife made it extra spicy this time.”
