51: The Series

51: The Storm Chapter 2 Part 2

The drive back to the sheriff’s department was quiet. Little Bob and Annie sat in the back seat. Lindsay looked in the rearview mirror and checked on them. She could not understand what he was saying but could see that Little Bob was softly talking to Annie and holding her hand like he would if she were one of his daughters. Lindsay thought back to when she had started at the department years earlier. He had known her for many years and treated her the same way even though she had worked for another department. Little Bob always tried to take care of everyone and make them feel better. That was part of why he was so good at his job. That was part of why she had given him the position of Chief Deputy.

When they pulled up in front of the sheriff’s department, Lindsay and Wren exited the car and opened the back doors for Annie and Little Bob.

“I got her,” Little Bob said as he began to help Annie out of the car and into the building.

“Wren, why don’t you have Bob help you get Annie back to the storeroom where you need to speak with her?” Lindsay said. “Bob, after you get her there, will you please come back to my office?”

“Of course, Lindsay,” Little Bob answered.

Lindsay saw the look on Cat’s face when they took Annie into the building. She knew that Cat would ask questions about the crashed patrol car. Lindsay also knew that she would have to explain the damage to the patrol car to the county commission, and it would not be easy. She hoped that Wren could come up with something to help with that. Lindsay sat down at her desk and let out a deep breath. She looked up to see Cat standing in the door.

“Is Annie OK?” Cat asked.

“I hope so. Physically, Annie is alright, maybe a little banged and bruised from the crash, but that is it. Mentally, I don’t know. I hope that she will be, but I don’t know. Agent Gold is going to work his magic, and hopefully, it works,” Lindsay told her.

Cat smiled, “I love it when you call your husband Agent Gold.”

Lindsay saw Little Bob walking toward her office. “Sorry to throw you out, Cat, but I need to speak with Little Bob for a while.”

“No problem. I hope Annie is OK. I like her,” Cat said before she left.

“Can Wren help her?” Little Bob asked as soon as he walked into Lindsay’s office. He closed the door behind him and sat in the chair in front of her desk.

“I hope so. Wren seemed to think he would be able to help her,” Lindsay answered. “Bob, are you alright? I mean, physically and mentally, are you OK? You look like you are a little stiff. How fast were you going when you hit that thing?”

“I’m OK. I was going about fifty when I hit it, and you’re right. I’m starting to get a little stiff, but mentally, I’m fine with what happened. I may not be if Annie isn’t,” Little Bob told her. “That girl is so much like my oldest girl; it’s scary.”

“I had the feeling you felt like that. I could see you in the back of the car, talking to her and holding her hand. I saw you do that with your daughter when she hurt her ankle at the park last year. I was told that you did the same thing for me the night I got hurt. You were the first one on the scene that night; you took hold of my hand when you got there, and you didn’t let go of my hand until we got to the hospital, and they made you let go.”

“I remember the night that you got hurt very well. You quit answering your radio on that call. I have no idea how fast I drove, but it was a lot faster than I should have been. I got there and found you all covered in blood, mud, and unconsciousness. I could hear those things in the woods around us. I remember looking down at you and praying that you didn’t die. I was in church the next Sunday and have been there every Sunday since.”

“I think your prayers helped. Things could have been so much worse than they were. You do realize that we could have both died that night, don’t you?” Lindsay said to Little Bob.

“I do. I didn’t think about it that night, but I have thought about it quite a few times since then,” Little Bob said.

Movement caught their eyes, and they looked to see Wren walking toward Lindsay’s office. Right behind him, they could see Annie walking. She was smiling and chattering about something.

“Well, I’ll be. Wren actually did it,” Little Bob said with a big smile on his face.

Wren opened the door and walked into Lindsay’s office with Annie right behind. After they entered, Wren closed the door behind them.

Lindsay asked cautiously, “Annie, how are you feeling?”

“Oh, I feel fine. I don’t know why I was so upset. All that happened was that Little Bob hit a deer while I was looking down, and I didn’t see it. I don’t know why I would think that it was anything else. I guess all of that weirdness I have seen on the other calls I’ve worked just made me think it was something it wasn’t. Why is everyone so worried about how I am anyway?” Annie said without taking a breath.

“Oh, we are just making sure that things are good because you are new to law enforcement and this department. Sometimes that can be a little overwhelming at the beginning,” Lindsay said.

“Oh, no, I’m good. I love working here. This is like some crazy sci-fi movie, but it’s real, and I absolutely love it. I am a little sore from where my seatbelt was on my shoulder, but other than that, I’m fine. Well, I may have bumped my knee on the dash, but I could have done that this morning because I hit my knee on the desk,” Annie said.

“I’m glad you are doing well and enjoying yourself. Would you go out and wait for Little Bob at his desk, please?” Lindsay asked.

“Of course I will. I will always do as you ask; you’re the sheriff, which means you are in charge of this county and everyone in it. Of all the jobs I have ever had, this is the best one ever, and you are the best boss I have ever had,” Annie said before she spun around and left the office, closing the door behind her. They watched as she almost skipped to Little Bob’s desk and sat down.

“You fixed her. How?” Little Bob asked Wren.

“I can’t tell you that. Are you sure that that is fixed? I can put her back the way she was if you want her quiet again,” Wren offered.

Lindsay told him, “Wren, thank you. That is perfectly normal for her.”

“Wren, I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you helped her. Saying thank you isn’t enough,” Little Bob said as he stood. He grabbed Wren in a bear hug. “Thank you, I mean it. This means more to me than you could ever know. Thank you.”

Little Bob let go of Wren and went to his desk to talk with Annie. Wren sat down in the chair across from Lindsay. He began to laugh.

“What’s so funny?” she asked him.

“The last time I saw Bob like that was when you got hurt. That man is so calm until someone he cares about gets hurt in some way. Why is he so attached to that girl anyway? Doesn’t her constant chatter drive him crazy?”

“She is almost identical in personality to his oldest daughter, even her constant chattering at high speed. They are both smart and excited to learn and work,” Lindsay explained. “While you were with her, Little Bob and I talked about what happened the night I got hurt and how he never left my side.”

“I remember that. I will always thank Little Bob for staying with you that night. He loves you and treats you like a niece or little sister. I’m glad he does, because that means he will do everything in his power to keep you safe.”

“To be honest with you, I love him too. He has always been a wonderful friend. He trained me when I first started to work in this department years ago, even though I didn’t need it. We have known each other since I first started in law enforcement. He has always watched over me, and I can never thank him enough for that. I will always have his back, and I know that he has mine. Truthfully, I love a few people who work here. However, you never have to worry. You are my one true love,” Lindsay told Wren, smiling at him. “Every day, I look at you and wonder how I got so lucky to have you in my life.”

“I feel the same way about you. I have to get back to base soon. Is there anything else you need?” Wren said.

“No, babe, I think everything is good right now. If things go sideways again, I will call you,” Lindsay said.

“OK, then I will be at your beck and call my lady,” Wren said, grinning from ear to ear.

He turned and walked out of her office and toward the front door. He paused briefly and looked back toward Little Bob’s desk, where Annie was talking nonstop. He shook his head and laughed as he continued out the door. Lindsay watched him as he left, hoping she would not need to call him to handle anything else for the day. She looked down at the stack of files still on her desk from the night before. Lindsay took a deep breath and slowly let it out to help prepare her for diving back into them. After her day, the last thing she wanted to do was read reports about more weirdness, but she knew it had to be done. Then she had an idea.

“Cat, do you have time to help me with something?” she called out.

“Sure, what do you need help with?” Cat asked.

“Can you help me go through all the weirdness files? You can transfer the phones to ring in here if you like. It just goes a lot faster with your help,” Lindsay said.

“I would love to. Maybe then I will understand more about what is going on around here,” Cat said.

“Do me a favor. When you figure it out, explain it to me,” Lindsay said, laughing.

“Your husband hasn’t told you?” Cat asked with surprise.

“He can’t. If he could, he would. He can only tell me a little. I do know about certain things due to personal experience, but that is all I know,” Lindsay explained to her.

“That does explain a lot. I have to know what he did to Annie. That was amazing,” Cat said.

“I have no idea. But if Wren can do that, it does make me wonder why I fell in love with him,” Lindsay said, laughing.

“You two seem happy, so don’t ask questions,” Cat said, giving her a wink. “Where do you want me to start?”

Lindsay and Cat spent most of the rest of the afternoon working on the files. They compiled a list for Wren, marked everything on the map on the office wall, and filed all the reports. By the time they were done, it was almost time for them to go home. They looked back toward Little Bob’s desk and saw him and Annie talking. More accurately, Annie was speaking, and Little Bob was listening.

“She starts riding with Big Bob tomorrow, right?” Cat asked.

“Yes, she does,” Lindsay said.

“I wonder which one will leave the car at a high rate of speed?” Cat asked.

“What do you mean?”

“I am just wondering if her talking will drive Big Bob to throw her out of the car while it is moving or throw himself out to escape her,” Cat said.

“That is horrible, but it might not be far off. Big Bob loves to talk. He is also equally happy to say nothing for hours at a time. I hope that she doesn’t cause Andy to have a complete meltdown. He has been doing so well talking to women. Annie could completely destroy that if she corners him and starts talking,” Lindsay answered.

“I hadn’t thought about Andy’s problem. Do you want me to stay on for a while longer tomorrow to make sure Andy is OK?” Cat asked.

“No, but thanks for the offer, and I want you to know that I know there is something between you two. I have been watching you and have noticed a few little things. You like Andy, don’t you?” Lindsay asked.

“Is it that obvious? I know that you don’t want anything going on between anyone here, but he is so sweet I can’t help it,” Cat said.

“Cat, I don’t have a problem unless it causes a problem at work. I think it is sweet that you like him. I have seen him around you, and I am almost positive he feels the same way about you. My only request is, please don’t do anything that will make him stop talking to women again,” Lindsay said.

“Oh no, I won’t, I promise. Andy is so sweet and gentle. I want him to stay exactly the way he is. It would be nice if he could say more to me, but if he can’t, that’s OK too,” Cat almost gushed, the same as a schoolgirl with a crush.

The door chime rang, and in walked the evening shift. Andy Baxter and Big Bob were the evening deputies, and Madison was the evening dispatcher. Cat and Lindsay just watched as Andy and Big Bob walked back to Little Bob’s desk. Annie was still talking without pausing to take a breath. Big Bob looked at her and then looked at Lindsay through her office window. She knew that look, and it was not one of happiness. Andy just stood in stunned silence as she continued to talk.

“I think you may need to go rescue Andy. I also need to talk to Big Bob. You can have Andy come in too, so he can hide for a minute,” Lindsay told Cat.

Cat immediately went out and brought Andy and Big Bob back to Lindsay’s office. Lindsay was doing her best not to laugh at the panic-stricken look on Andy’s face when they came into her office.

“First off, Andy, are you alright?” Lindsay asked him.

“I think so. I’m sorry I panicked a little. I haven’t met Annie yet. Does she talk like that all the time?” Andy asked.

“She does, which is why, for now, the two of you do not need to work together unless you have to. Bob, I need you to teach her on the evening shift for at least a few days. Try to keep her away from Andy and no leaving her stranded if she gets on your nerves. You may not use any form of restraint, gag, duct tape, or any other adhesive to keep her from talking,” Lindsay said.

“Well, you know how to take the fun out of training the new guy,” Big Bob said while chewing on his ever-present toothpick.

“If she acts strangely in any way, call me immediately. I do not care what time it is. There was an incident that happened today, and she was briefly overwhelmed by it,” Lindsay explained.

“Let me guess that means her brain broke, and your loving husband, Agent Gold, basically rebooted her brain like a computer that crashed,” Big Bob said.

“That pretty much sums it up. Do you guys have any questions before I send everyone from day shift home?” Lindsay asked.

“Nope, I’m good. What about you, Andy?” Big Bob asked.

“I’m good, but can I stay in here until she leaves,” Andy asked as he watched Annie through the window.

“Of course you can,” Lindsay told him.

Lindsay walked out of her office toward Little Bob and Annie. “You two need to head home and get some rest. Annie, remember that you will be working the evening shift starting tomorrow. You will be riding with Big Bob. I will warn you he doesn’t like to talk, so you may need to try to be a little quieter tomorrow just until he gets used to you,” Lindsay said.

“Come on, Annie, I will walk you to your car,” Little Bob said before Annie could say anything.

Lindsay watched Little Bob nearly push Annie out the door and toward her car. It was a trick she had seen him use on his daughter many times. Lindsay could see through the department door into the parking lot and watched as Annie pulled out and onto the street.

“It’s safe, Andy. She has left not only the building but the parking lot,” Lindsay called out.

Big Bob, Andy, and Cat were all still in her office as she walked back in. She went to her desk and picked up the list she and Cat had made for Wren.

“Gentlemen, it is time for Cat and me to go home. Is there anything else before I leave?” Lindsay said.

“Nope, we’re good,” Big Bob answered.

“Then, both of you, please try to have a good night, and I will see all of you tomorrow.”