Disaster

Hello. Welcome back. Just for the record here, I am a English major in college. I’ve dipped into real estate, turquoise, and house cleaning. I have never worked anywhere with police officers. I have no idea what a detective does really. It’s like a cop but more prestigious and more intellectual, I assume. So, if it sounds like I am making this up as I go, yeah. I am.

No sex in this chapter either. If that’s what you are looking for, might wanna skip ahead if I have more chapters posted.

Again, I don’t own PSOH or any of its characters. I do own my Dollfie, Elizabeth. She said chapter one was poop. Maybe chapter two will be more interesting. Well, chapter two shows where Leon is in his life.


Chapter Two: Demoted

It wasn’t that Leon enjoyed paperwork, he found being stuck in a chair facing papers of jargon and detailed recounts soul-sucking. He could actually feel parts of him inside withering and dying as he sat at a crowded desk with Jill recounting every moment of a recent homicide investigation, committing every mile driven and every conversation had to paper for their report the chief has asked for.

For a moment, his brain seemed to just shut down, turn off. He stared at the light the side of a plastic pen had caught perhaps too intensely.

“That’s it. Let’s call it a night.” Jill offered, breaking the sudden silence.

Leon snapped back to reality, leaning forward in his chair. “No, no. I’m fine. Let me just go get us some coffee. We can finish this,” he said, beginning to stand.

Jill touched her watch. “Actually, I’m gonna have to split. We’ve been off now for almost half an hour and I have a date.”

“A date?” Leon echoed.

“You know, a date? Me, a charming stranger who one of my girlfriends has blackmailed into going on a sympathy date with me. It’s one of those ‘social life’ things most people experience.” Jill teased. She stood up, Leon following. “We can finish tomorrow.”

He grunted in agreement, scooping clutter into groups that resembled piles. He grabbed his keys from his drawer. “Yeah, well, I’ll try to finish most of this tonight.”

Jill hesitated. “Leon, I know the new chief has been chewin’ your butt lately, but you gotta take some time for your self, you know? Go rent a movie or go play pool or whatever.” She paused for a moment. “When’s Chris coming back?” Instantly she knew she hit a nerve.

“I don’t know. He might end up staying out there. There is a good school where our aunt and uncle live. Josie’s moved out so Chris has his own room and our aunt is retired.” He scratched his head for a moment. “I mean, Chris and I are making due down here, but he’d be better off with them.”

Jill pursed her lips thinking. It made sense. Especially since the new chief was expecting so much more out of them these days. “Have you told D?”

He was pissed for a moment. It wasn’t any of D’s goddamned business what he and his brother did. His anger was fleeting. “Nah, nothing is certain yet so there’s no point getting’ ‘im all upset over nothing… Hey, you’ve got a date. Make sure you wear a skirt longer than what you come to work in and get outta here.”

Jill made a face. “Yeah, yeah. Chief Garcia’s been harping on me too. She’s just pissy I’ve got nice legs.” Jill gathered up her purse and keys. “Go home.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“I mean it. Go home.”

“I’m only gonna stick around for another fifteen minutes or so. Half hour tops.” He waved his hand in the air. “Get outta here. And don’t get so drunk you come in useless tomorrow.”

Jill scoffed. “Ladies never get intoxicated. G’night Leon.”

“Night.”

He sat there for a moment watching her walk down the hallway. She looked over her shoulder just before turning the corner and waggled her fingers in farewell. He threw a cheesy smile on his face which fell the moment she was finally go. Nothing to really rush home to. When he first moved to this city he didn’t know anyone or have any family. It didn’t bother him to go straight home after work to an empty apartment. No one expected anything out of him outside of catching and prosecuting the bad guys. He didn’t have to pick anyone up from daycare or make dinner. No one expected him to stop by and drink tea. Go home, microwave dinner, watch “The Simpsons,” drink a bit, go to bed, repeat. He didn’t think of it as lonely before. It felt good, normal. Of COURSE he’d go home and stare at the TV for an hour in silence. What else would a man his age do?

His plan, as loose has it had been before, was completely broken. Now he had a kid brother who was practically a son he had to provide for, and that meant more than just money. He had a new boss who just had it out for him. Jill had been going on more and more dates lately. He knew she wanted to get married and get out of there. He had almost lost his job, actually, once the Howell mess had found its way to Chief Garcia’s ears. And he couldn’t deny he was in some freaky weird situation with a he/she Chinese animal peddler who may, or may not, be some sort of drug smuggling deity…thing.

Yeah, life had gotten unexpectedly complicated recently. For a while he had been taking all his frustrations of the world to D, purging himself of emotional garbage as it came. Now, after being forced on a two-week leave of absence after Howell’s death, he had stepped back and saw maybe he was getting a little cozy with D. Count D. Whatever.

Oh, to go back to the good ol’ days when causal sex with some chick at a bar every now and then was all he needed to be content. “Yeah, wanna see my badge?” God, looking back he couldn’t believe what kind of a life he used to live. Would he really want it back?

“Leon, I think we are finally growing up.” Leon said to himself, turning his attention back to the massive amounts of forms. It was futile. He knew that. He was hours away from finished. His only choices were to either stay in the office or work amid the noise and shuffle of the night shift or go home to “Everybody Love Raymond” reruns. Which was worse?

He rested his head between his hands and sighed. “Haven’t stopped by D’s in awhile…” he thought. Quickly he dismissed it. Whatever was happening between he and D wasn’t natural, no matter how you sliced it. Not only were they both guys, but they weren’t even the same species, to some level. Nah, he was resolved this time to really cut his dependency on D’s company. God help him, he’d go home and talk to posters of Jenna Jameson before he’d go back to D’s anytime this week.

Again, it wasn’t that he enjoyed the mountain of paperwork. It just kept his hands and mind busy. Away from thinking about depressing thoughts. Like what kinda of a loser I have turned out to be . Well, that settled it. His mood was officially ruined. Fuck it, I am going home. He made his way out of the office without a word to anyone. No good evening to the smiling young rookie who greeted him, nor did he respond to the chief hollering about some assignment. What did Peter Griffin on “Family Guy” once say? Gonna drink until I can’t feel feelings? Something like that.