| The characters of "Nash Bridges" are the property of CBS. This Just Doesn't Seem To Be My Day The morning had barely begun and it was already shaping up to be a bad day. First, the power had apparently gone off some time in the night, because it reset his clock and his alarm didn't go off. He was lucky his internal body clock woke him up not too long after the alarm would have. He stubbed his toe on the corner of the bed, he couldn't get any hot water in the shower, had to change clothes because he spilled his coffee and couldn't find his keys. When he finally made it to his car...it wouldn't start. Now, because of the car's age, he was probably looking at a hefty repair bill. Well, the day had to get better from there. Right? He was already a little grumpy when he headed up the ramp to the ferry. Fortunately, the look of thunder on his face kept most people from commenting on his tardiness. Most people. "Hey, aren't you supposed to set a good example to us working stiffs by showing up on time?" Shooting Joe a glare meant to shut him up, Nash sat down at his desk and frowned at the paperwork. "Don't even start with me, bubba. It's been a bad morning." "Okay, Nash, what happened?" Joe ambled over to sit on the corner of his partner's desk, sure it had to be a good story. "Well, for starters, I woke up late. The finale of the morning, was that the 'Cuda wouldn't start. You'll be driving us around today, which just puts the icing on the cake." "Hey, I'm hurt. I can drive just as good as you can. You're just a terrible back seat driver." Returning to his own desk, Joe mumbled to himself under his breath. "It's not my fault you have control issues." Having overheard Joe's muttered comment, Evan tried to stifle a chuckle. He wasn't entirely successful and received a glare from Nash. Clearing his throat and wiping any vestige of amusement from his face, Evan quickly looked back down at his files. Nash rubbed a hand over his face, knowing he had to try to get out of the foul mood his morning had landed him in. Station morale would reflect his mood, and he didn't want a group of officers walking around on eggshells, afraid to make the boss angry. He spent the next ten minutes going over the papers on his desk, and signing his name where necessary. When he sat back to take a break, he finally recognized the sound that had been on the edge of his awareness for the last ten minutes. Swiveling around in his chair, he shook his head. "Harvey, what the hell are you humming?" The noise abruptly cut off and Harvey grinned apologetically. "Sorry, boss. I have that stupid song from the mustard commercial stuck in my head." "Well, for Pete's sake, listen to some Dead or something to get rid of it." "Sure boss." Harvey didn't think it wise to mention that he didn't have any music with him at the ferry. He'd just have to make sure he didn't end up humming again. A muffled snicker drew both men's attention and Nash raised an inquiring eyebrow. "You have something to add, Evan?" "Uh, no Nash. Just, uh, remembering a joke." "Uh-huh." As if Nash believed that. With a sigh, he turned back to the mounds of paperwork stacked on his desk. He managed to get through half of it before hearing the humming start up again. Turning around, he fixed Harvey with a silent glare. Feeling the stare, Harvey glanced up and immediately realized what he was doing. Knowing the mood his boss was in, Harvey opted for self-preservation. He gathered up his files and coffee cup, and took a step toward the fantail. "Um, I think I'll just...go do this outside. It's, uh, a nice day." Watching Harvey beat a hasty retreat, Nash again tried to drag himself out of his bad mood. He went back to the files on his desk, but sat up after a few minutes. A nice day? "Evan, go get your partner before he freezes to death out there. Tell him I promise not to bite his head off this time." Trying once again not to laugh, Evan pushed his chair back from his desk and went in search of Harvey. No doubt about it. This is going to be an interesting day. Heaving a sigh, Nash stood up and motioned for Joe to follow him. “Come on, Joe. Let’s go find some real coffee, before I scare everyone off the ferry.” “You sure you can handle my driving?” Obviously, Joe was still a little miffed. “I’m sure, Joe. Sorry if I insinuated that I thought you were a bad driver. It’s been a bad morning.” “Well…I forgive you.” “Yeah, yeah.” Joe’s smile was infectious and Nash found himself feeling a little better already. He made a silent vow to try not to be a back seat driver on the way to get coffee. That was going to be a hard one to keep. ~~~~~***~~~~~ Groaning, Harvey dropped his head in his hands. He’d been humming again. I can’t get that damn song out of my head. Twisting his wrist to check his watch, he frowned. Nash and Joe should’ve been back by now. They just went for coffee. “Hey, Ev. Have you heard from Joe or Nash? They’ve been gone a while.” Evan just shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe they ran an errand or something.” “They wouldn’t be gone this long without checking in.” Harvey debated over whether to call Nash and check up on them. Just as he reached for the phone, he caught sight of the missing pair. “Whoa, boss. How’d you get the shiner?” Setting his jaw, Nash just glared at Joe for a moment before dropping into his chair. He’d leave it up to Joe to answer that question. “Come on, Nash. I said I was sorry. I thought you were the bad guy.” Harvey shook his head in disbelief. Surely he wasn’t hearing correctly. “Joe popped you one?” “It was an accident, Harvey. Mind your own business.” Joe shot Harvey a glare of his own, trying to get him to drop it. He was distracted by the sound coming from Evan’s desk. The younger cop had his face buried in his arms, a strangled snort escaping as he tried to muffle his laughter. “You find this funny, Cortez?” “Leave him alone, Joe. It is funny. At least to everyone but the guy with the black eye.” Nash gently probed at his eye, which was already starting to swell slightly. His voice cracking like an adolescent’s from trying to suppress his laughter, Evan excused himself. “I need to…I’ll just be…I‘ll be right back.” Chuckling quietly, Harvey went back to his paperwork, ignoring the look he was sure he was getting from Joe. “Joe, would you stop hovering? It was an accident and I think I’m gonna live.” That’s all Nash needed, Joe glued to his side all day asking if he was okay every five minutes. “Don’t you have some paperwork to do?” “Jeez, you don’t have to be so grumpy. You should’ve stayed in bed.” Grumbling, Joe went back to his own desk. Show a guy a little concern, and look what you get. Smiling a little at Joe’s mumbling, Nash started to enter the incident into the computer log. They couldn’t even go for a lousy cup of coffee without walking in on a robbery. He got half the report written, then stared in consternation as his screen suddenly went blank. Groaning, Nash dropped his head in his hands, ready to admit defeat. Worried that his partner was in pain from his eye, Joe jumped up and crossed over to Nash’s desk. “Nash, what’s wrong?” “Bubba, this just doesn’t seem to be my day.” Shaking his head at his boss’s misfortunes, Harvey got up to check out the computer. Maybe he could recover what Nash had been working on. Nash slid his chair back to let Harvey work his magic, hoping he wouldn’t have to retype the whole thing. After a few minutes, Nash started laughing. “Harvey?” Startled out of his thoughts, Harvey realized he’d been humming again. Not the mustard jingle this time, but… “Oh, man. Now I’ve got that Monkee’s song stuck in head.” END |
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