| Challenge #2 |
| Sipping his coffee, Joe wandered over to his desk to check his paperwork. He'd swear his 'In' box never dwindled. Well, at least he'd had plenty of time to deal with the paperwork. It had been unusually quiet in the SIU that day. He pulled his chair back and settled into it, determined to make a dent in that stupid 'In' box. He'd been making good progress when Rachel dropped a file into his box as she breezed past on her way to her own desk. "Thanks a lot, Rachel, as if I needed more paperwork." Grumbling, Joe pulled the file out of the box to see what this one was all about. Laughing, Rachel sat down at her desk and flicked on the computer. "Hey, don't blame me, Joe. I just work here." "Yeah, yeah. That's all I hear…excuses." It wasn't a bullet that was going to force him into retirement; it was writer's cramp. With a heavy sigh, Joe began reading the new file. Having overheard the whole conversation while looking at something Harvey was working on, Nash couldn't help but laugh quietly. They were all going a little stir crazy. It had been way too quiet around the barge the last few days or so. Harvey had finally had the time to work on that new program he'd been talking about. Joe was catching up on paperwork, as was Rachel and Antwon. Glancing at his watch, Nash made a decision. "Okay, gang, let's go to lunch." Looking around at the others then turning back to Nash, Harvey looked at his boss in surprise. "What, you mean all of us?" Suppressing a smile, Nash feigned confusion. "Well, of course I mean all of us. You act like we never go to lunch together." Antwon tossed a file folder onto Joe's desk, earning a disgusted frown, and smiled at Nash. "Well, we don't. We're usually too busy." "Well, today we are all going to lunch. If anyone has any errands to run after lunch, I suggest we take separate cars." They all split up, Joe riding with Nash, and met again at the Cherry Blossom Chinese restaurant for lunch. Nash couldn't remember a time when the whole gang had been able to meet together at lunch, and he made a mental note to try to do it again. Harvey, Rachel and Antwon hadn't looked so relaxed in ages. Plus, it gave the three a chance to get to know each other a little better. After paying their bills and laughing about their fortunes, they headed back to their cars. Nash and Joe returned to the barge, while the other three took off to run a quick errand or two before getting back to work. Sighing in contentment as he and Nash boarded the SIU, Joe felt like he was going to bust. He never should have eaten so much. Stopping at his desk, he couldn't believe how much paperwork had been piled on it during lunch. With a groan, Joe sat down to try to make a little headway. Having to deal with paperwork of his own, Nash just smiled in sympathy and headed upstairs to his own desk. He hadn't been there long, when he saw Joe taking a coffee break. "I'm surprised you can find room for that coffee, Joe." "Funny, Nashman. I'm just taking a break from all that administration crap. Man, it’s been way too quiet around here." Groaning, Nash shook his head. "Joe! You said the 'Q' word, man. What are you trying to do, jinx us?" "Aw, come on Nash. You don't believe that stuff, do you?" "Bubba, anybody in police work, firefighting or EMS will tell you the surest way to get a call is to say the 'Q' word." Nash shook his head, smiling. "I'm surprised you don't know that, Joe." "Huh." Joe shrugged his shoulders and went back to his coffee. When his cell phone rang, Nash pulled it from his jacket pocket and flipped it open. "Nash." He listened for a moment then rubbed his brow with his free hand. "Okay, we'll be right there." Nash slapped the phone closed and dropped it back in his pocket. "Well, bubba, you jinxed us. There's a bank robbery over at First National and you'll never believe who's in there as one of the hostages." * * * |
| Well, who's the hostage? Is it Rachel? Antwon? Harvey? More than one? None of the above? It's up to you to decide. How does Nash handle this one? It's anybody's guess.(LOL) Finish the story and send it to me or Kat for posting. When you submit the story, please specify whether or not you'd like any typos, spelling or grammar errors edited. This should be a fun, learning exercise. Enjoy! Kat and Mel |
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