Orphan3

This orphan comes to us from Kelly. Give it a good home.<G>

Untitled

Nash walked into the SIU and took in the action going on around him. Everything appeared to be in order until her looked over in Evan’s direction and found the young man up to his ears in work. He was trying to finish a report while answering a call and attempting to sign a form for one of the civilian staff. Nash stifled a laugh as he went over to find out what was going on.

“Evan, don’t you think you should slow down a little or at least get some help? Where’s Harvey?”

“He’s up top. He’s been lost in a world all his own all day – I finally told him to go take a break so I could actually get something done.”

“That doesn’t sound like Harvey. What’s up?”

“I know it doesn’t – that’s what got me worried. And you know him - he won’t say anything. He keeps telling me that everything is fine. But there’s definitely something heavy on his mind. Ever since the crash the other day, he’s been distracted.”

Nash shivered as Evan mentioned the car crash. Harvey had been in a pursuit of a suspect on one of their cases when an oncoming vehicle struck him. While he had got out of the car with little more than a couple of scratches, the Ranchero had been totaled. Everyone who had seen what was left of it had been amazed that Harvey was still breathing.

“I’d better go and check on him. Maybe I can find out what is going on.”

“Good luck, Nash man. Whatever is going on, so far he’s being very tight lipped about. I’ve been working to get him to open up to me but I haven’t had any luck.”

“Well, it can’t hurt to try.”

Nash headed up to the roof of the barge. It took him a few minutes to find Harvey – he had taken a seat behind some of the ventilation chutes.

“I was beginning to wonder if Evan was playing fun and games with me,” Nash said as he approached. But Harvey didn’t hear him. “Harv!”

“Nash. Oh boy, I’m sorry. How long have you been there?”

“Not long. Man, Evan wasn’t kidding when he said that you were in another world.”

“He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. I’m fine – don’t worry about a thing.”

“Bubba, you know it doesn’t work like that. Besides, anyone with half a brain can see that you’ve got something pretty big on your mind. So fess up. Tell Father Nash what’s on your mind.”

Harvey laughed out loud at the reference to Father Nash – a term he had coined to Evan when trying to convince his partner to talk to Nash about something a few years ago. He thought about it for a few minutes before he said anything. “You know I have always been pretty content with things. I’ve never really had any regrets about anything in my life. While I may have wished that things had worked out different or that I had done things better, I’ve never had any second thoughts. Or at least that’s what I’ve always believed up to when I had the accident. It wasn’t until I saw the look on you, Joe and Evan that I realized how lucky I was to be around. It got me to do some thinking.”

“About?”

There was a long pause between each word. “Work. Life. Relationships.”

“One relationship in particular, I take it.”

“Yeah. The biggest mistake I ever made in my life.”

“So, did you try to fix it?”

“Nope. I’m not sure it can be fixed.”

“But maybe it could be?”

“I suppose. I wouldn’t know how to start.”

“Well, it’s never easy but something tells me that you aren’t going to be able to concentrate on anything else until you try.”

“But….”

“Harv, this isn’t like you. You’re not wishy-washy – in fact, you’re usually one of the most decisive people I know, Bubba. Let me tell you something. You can wish and wonder all you want. All it is going to do is help you end up alone and still miserable. Give it a shot.”

Harvey laughed. “All right already.”

“That’s better. Now get out of here and go take care of things.”

“Come on, Nash. I can’t just take off – there’s a load of work downstairs that….”

“You’re not going to do anyone any good like this. Go and see what happens.”

“If you’re sure, I can be back in…”

“Take care of this first and worry about getting back here after.”

Harvey beamed as he practically leapt to his feet. He was on his way across the roof when Nash called out to him.

“Hey Harv?”

“Yeah, Nash man?”

“Do me one favor.”

“Anything. Just name it.”

“Give Shelby my best when you see her.”

Harvey stood in amazement. “How’d you know it was Shelby?”

“Easy. If there were anyone that you had regrets about losing in your life, it would be her. You react very differently when her name is mentioned than you do for any of the other women from your past. From the moment the two of you spilt up, I’ve always gotten the impression that you wished that you hadn’t been so hasty about it. You never seemed to get over that one ending.”

Harvey walked over to his boss. “You’re good, boss. Really good.”

“Don’t you forget that either. Now get outta here.” Not knowing quite what to do, Harvey briefly hugged Nash before heading off again. The smile on Nash’s face as he watched his friend leave was very clear. It was still there when he rejoined Evan.

“You find out what’s going on?”

“Yup. Looks like the accident the other day has given Harvey some time to reflect on his past. He’s being trying to figure out how to fix some of it.”

“Not much that Harvey regrets that I’ve ever noticed. Except for Shelby. I wish he‘d go and see her.”

Nash laughed out loud.

“Okay, what’d I say?”

“The right thing, bubba. I’ll explain as we work. What do you need a hand with?” Evan pointed to a pile on his desk and discussed with Nash what each of them would do while Nash updated Evan on Harvey’s little trip.

************************************

Lt. Shelby Martin parked her truck in her spot and headed into the building. The only thing she really wanted to do was to take a couple of minutes to have a quiet cup of coffee. But so far today, she’d been so busy that she hadn’t even set foot in the Homicide squad room yet. She’s been out on two different crime scenes and to a meeting with the Deputy Chief.

As she entered the back door of the building where the Homicide Department was housed, Shelby saw her second in command coming towards her. “Hey Wade. Things been as crazy here as they’ve been out there this morning?”

“Yup. But I think we’ve got the upper hand at the moment.”

Shelby laughed – Wade could put just the right spin on things. “Glad to hear it. How’d the interrogation go on the Blakely case?”

“Great. You were right – giving Jimmy a chance to strut his stuff was the perfect move. He did a great job and it’s definitely built up his confidence.”

“I’m so glad. I thought he might shine if we gave him a chance. I’ll talk to him later to get his reaction as well. Anything that needs my immediate attention?”

“Nothing that can’t wait.”

“Good, because I’m dying for a few minutes of peace and quiet. I’d do just about anything for 10 minutes to sit in my office and have a cup of coffee without any interruptions.”

“I’ll do my best to keep the hoards at bay.”

“I’d appreciate it.”

Shelby went to the coffeepot and filled her cup with the hot, fragrant liquid. She lifted the cup to her nose and sniffed. The Homicide Squad was very lucky that they had a wonderful receptionist who also knew how to brew delicious coffee. Finding a box of homemade cookies there as well, she helped herself to two of them.

Back in her office, Shelby partially closed the door before taking a seat at her desk. After putting her feet up on the desk and tilting back in her chair, she reached for her cup. Taking a sip, she was tempted to sigh happily. For a moment, Shelby closed her eyes and relaxed. This was just the break she needed. But as she was starting to really relax, there was a knock on the door. Almost tempted to call Wade and chew him out for not keeping everyone away from her for a few more minutes, she resisted. “Come on in,” she said, letting the slight irritation she was feeling be reflected in her voice. Harvey peeked around the door and smiled as he saw her.

“Is this a bad time,” he asked.

Shelby almost choked when she saw him. Out of all of the people she had expected to be on the other side of that door, Harvey hadn’t even entered her mind.

“No, of course not. Come in here you.” She quickly got up and went over to hug him. “God damn it, Harv, you’re still one hell of a handsome devil. You definitely improve with age.”

“You look wonderful, Shelby. Still absolutely gorgeous.”

“And I see that you still need that eye appointment. Thank goodness some things don’t change.”

They shared another long hug. “I’m so glad to see you.”

“I wasn’t sure you’d feel that way. Actually, I didn’t know if you’d even talk to me.”

“You ought to know me a little better than that, Harvey Leek. I don’t hold grudges. Now to what do I owe the honor of your visit?”

“I wanted to talk to you. I was wondering if you’d have time for lunch.”

“You buying,” she asked teasingly.

“I think I can squeeze it into my budget.”

“Great. How about Barclay’s?”

“Sounds good.”

Just then, Wade burst into the room. “Shelby, I’m sorry. I didn’t see anyone coming in until….” He stopped when he saw who her visitor was and that Shelby seemed very happy to see him.

“It’s okay, Wade. You did just fine.”

“Thanks, Shelby. Nice to see you, Inspector.”

“Thank you, Lt. Nice to see you too.”

“Harvey’s invited me to lunch. Do you mind keeping an eye on things around here awhile longer for me?”

“Of course I don’t mind. You need a break after the kind of day you’ve had so far.”

“Have you eaten yet?”

Wade laughed. It was just like Shelby to worry about everyone else before taking care of herself, even over something as simple as lunch. He also noticed that Harvey was watching the scene intently.

“Yes, I had lunch a couple of hours ago.”

Shelby looked at her watch – it was just after 2:00 p.m. Before she had a chance to say anything, Wade pointed her towards the door.

“Go on, get out of here. I’ve got everything under control. I’ll call you on the cell if something happens that needs your immediate attention.”

“You are a prince, Wade.”

“Nope, just one of your loyal plebes. Now go eat. You keep an eye on her, Inspector.”

“I will, Lt.”

Harvey held the door open and let Shelby leave ahead of them. They talked as they left the building and walked over to Barclay’s. The restaurant staff greeted them warmly – this used to be one of their favorite places to eat when they were dating.

Once they were seated and had ordered their meals, Shelby looked at Harvey, openly staring at him. “What are you looking at?”

“Just you. It’s been too long since we’ve seen each other.”

“I know. It seems like ages.”

“I heard about the accident the other day. I can’t tell you how relieved I was to hear that you were okay. I almost ran over to the SIU to see for myself that you were alright.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“Probably for the same reason you didn’t call me today to say that you were coming.”

“I guess I can relate to that.”

“So you want to tell me what’s on your mind? And please don’t tell me nothing. We were together for almost a year, Harv. I can read you better than that.”

“There is something on my mind. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking over the last few days. I didn’t realize how lucky I was to walk away from the crash until I saw Nash, Joe and Evan. The looks on their faces told me how close I’d come to not making it out alive. Something like that has a tendency to make you think about your life.”

“Of course it would. Give you a whole new appreciation for what’s important to you.”

“Exactly. I think you know me enough to know that I don’t have any real regrets about my past. Except for one thing.”

“Oh really? What’s that?”

Harvey swallowed hard, knowing that the next few words out of his mouth could make all the difference in the world to his future. “You.”

“Me? What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about you and I. The biggest mistake I’ve ever made in my life was ending things between us. Things were so good in our relationship and that’s something I’ve never really had before. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop but it didn’t.

And the truth is I got scared. So before you could let me down, I ended things. The moment I told you and I saw the look on your face, I hated myself. It was the last thing in the world I wanted but by then it was too late. As much as I wanted to take it back, I couldn’t.”

“Harv, you don’t have to say….”