Lieutenant Jack is back. (gardai) wrote in mnhttnprjct, @ 2010-05-15 18:03:00 |
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Keegan was at bat when the chief called. It was the first game he’d seen all season – hell, the first day in a month where he’d felt like he’d actually seen his family, at least in parts. It was strange, seeing Imogene with open eyes, and although the afternoon had been pleasant enough, it was hard to ignore how wooden her fingers felt when he’d reach over to grasp her hand sometimes. Some of the kids he had seen more than others; Maura, for instance, kept different hours than the rest even at her ‘advanced’ age of four, and sometimes he’d happen upon Nolan just as he was getting home. But for the most part, the spectrum of children in his house were strangers to him in the foggy month of April – but, to his luck, happy strangers now. He had no idea how the armed forces types did it, really, went for half a damn year without seeing their kid grin with half their teeth ready for collection from certain Fairies or get ready to stance at bat. As far as he was concerned, he’d had his month out of the year and was over and done with it; the FBI came in, opened their big fat mouths, sent in the damn Spiderbots like the NYPD was out of fuckin’ Universal, and now it was done. Or so he thought. Maybe considering that point at that very moment was why the chief had called – Murphy’s Law, after all, was a bit of a bitch. But sure enough, at least damn April’s over crossed through his mind and the iHolo buzzed at his hip as if to say no. If it wasn’t a Little League game on the Lord’s ground, he would’ve swore; as it was, he kissed his wife and excused himself to the men’s urinal, where the following conversation could be heard if one was particularly adept at (and interested in) listening to echoing stage whispers: “Whaddaya mean, H&R is callin’ all units out? Thought central said that we weren’t doin’ that ‘til next week sometime. A weekend? Really? Well yeah, I get your logic an’ all, but it just – wait, riot gear?” The pause didn’t show Jack’s face, the clenching fist, but there was enough of a clang to get the point across before he went off again. “Sorry, I just thought we were goin’ about this like canvassers and that regular would be damn well enough.” Another pause. “I ain’t tryin’ to be subordinate, I’m just surprised is all, Frank. Listen, I’m all out in Woodlawn, so I’ll be there as soon as I can, but I’m tellin’ you – the traffic was a real trip, even up here at 11, right?” When he sat down in the bleachers about five minutes later, all he said to Imogene was, “Listen, if anybody up at the precinct ask you, traffic after the game sucked when I had to go down. And um.” He made sure to cough into his hand before lowering the whisper so only she heard him say, “Maybe you should go stay at Ma’s house tonight, yeah? And maybe for Mass tomorrow, too.” |