| |
In the weeks that followed, Frank did make an honest effort to stay away from Gina, so much so that it left her wondering why he seemed to be avoiding her. She enjoyed his company and thought they had become friends, but Frank was finding it difficult not to think of her as something more. He continued to give her the cold shoulder, not because he wanted to, but because he felt he had to. Besides limiting their conversations to work-related topics, he tried not to pay any attention to the way her clothes hugged her body or how she wore her hair or the way she walked across the room, but it was much easier said than done. Unfortunately, the great effort he put into ignoring Gina only furthered his obsession with her, and fate wasn’t making things any easier for him.
The day had finally come that Sean O’Brien had been planning for all week. It was his partner Gina’s birthday, and he and the captain wanted her first party with their department to be special. A card had secretly been passed around the office for everyone to sign. Sean’s wife had baked and decorated an amazing layer cake that looked like it came from one of Chicago’s finest bakeries. Balloons were stashed in an old file room waiting for party time, and everyone had chipped in for a nice present. When Gina stepped out to the restroom that afternoon, a whirlwind of activity transformed their office into a full-blown party. Captain Michaels took it upon himself to wrap her desk in yellow crime scene tape, while Tim brought out a bottle of wine. Frank set the flowers he had volunteered to buy next to the cake.
“Surprise! Happy Birthday, Gina!” everyone shouted when she re-entered the room. She was shocked at first but quickly recovered. Her face lit up when she realized what was going on. She was not expecting this. Could men really be this thoughtful? She wasn’t sure her boyfriend even remembered it was her birthday.
“Hey, we didn’t know what number to put on your cake, so we guessed 90,” O’Brien said with a hearty laugh and pointed to the numbered candle.
“Always the joker,” Gina acknowledged. “You’re just a little off. I’m 29.”
Frank had wanted to know how old she actually was, not that it mattered anyway. To him, Gina looked a few years younger than that, but he was pleased to find out he was wrong. Still, the gap of 13 years between them was rather large.
“Sure you’re 29!” O’Brien countered. “That’s what everyone says when they don’t want to give their real age. Shoot, Frank’s been 29 for as long as I can remember, and maybe even the whole time he’s been here.”
“That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it,” Frank chimed in.
“Come on, you’re not 29!” Wallace said accusingly and tilted his head to get a better look at her. “Let’s see some ID young lady! I need to know you’re of drinking age before I pour the wine.”
“Fine. I’ve got nothing to hide,” she said and casually handed over her driver’s license.
“It checks out,” Tim said approvingly. “Now, what kind of party would it be without alcohol?” The detectives cheered in response, always happy to accept a free drink.
“Open your present!” Captain Michaels suggested.
Gina picked up the small box and unwrapped it to reveal something shiny. “Oh, you guys!” she gasped as she pulled out a beautiful silver bracelet with her name engraved on it.
“Jewelry’s always a hit,” the captain commented to the guys. “Of course, I had my wife pick it out to be sure we got you something nice. It’s from all of us here. Happy Birthday, Gina!”
“You guys went through so much trouble, and this is too generous! Thank you so much!”
“Now, let’s eat some cake!” O’Brien suggested. “Don’t thank me. My wife made it.” Sean took it upon himself to cut the cake and pass it out to everyone.
“These flowers sure are pretty,” Gina commented after the cake was gone. Frank was happy she liked them but decided not to say it was him who had purchased them. He had to get back to work anyway and excused himself from the party.
Later that evening while Frank was packing up his things to go home, his phone started ringing. He was tempted to ignore it since he was tired and had already stayed rather late. Reluctantly, he answered. “Hello?”
“Frank? It’s Gina. I was hoping you’d answer.”
“What’s going on?” he asked, sensing distress in her voice.
“There’s been an accident.”
Frank’s mind raced through possible scenarios. He began to fear the worst but tried not to let the panic show in his voice. “Are you OK?”
“I’ll be alright,” she said slowly. “It’s Sean I’m worried about. I just got through calling his wife.”
“What happened? Are you at the hospital?”
“Yes,” Gina answered and gave him the location.
Frank did not even give her a chance to explain what happened. “Don’t move. I’ll be right there.”
When Frank arrived at the hospital, he found Gina sitting in the emergency room waiting area by herself. “Are you OK?” he asked her again when he noticed her blood-stained shirt and slacks.
“It’s mostly his blood, not mine. Sean took the brunt of it. He was in the driver’s seat. Just a few minor cuts, scrapes, and bruises for me. Nothing serious.”
“What happened? Where is he now?”
“They’re prepping him for surgery. He was knocked unconscious, and there was a lot of blood,” she said as tears started to well up in her eyes. “It’s bad, Frank, really bad.”
Frank took her hands in his and noticed they were ice cold. “You’re freezing. Take my jacket.” He wrapped it around Gina’s shivering body and sat down next to her, letting her head rest on his shoulder. “Don’t worry. Everything will be alright.” Frank gently brushed a few strands of hair off her face.
He wondered where her boyfriend was. Had she even called him? It didn’t matter. He would stay there with her for as long as she needed him. He couldn’t ignore her tonight. This was a matter of life and death.
Captain Michaels arrived at the emergency room shortly after being notified of his two injured detectives. When he walked in, he found Gina leaning on Frank, sound asleep.
“She’s worn out,” Frank whispered to the captain. “I still don’t really know all the details. Gina?” he called, trying to gently wake her. “The captain is here.”
“Gina, what happened?” Captain Michaels asked with great concern.
Gina felt a bit dazed as she tried to reconstruct the events in her mind. “It all happened so fast. Sean and I were investigating the Watson case, and we were on our way to question a few suspects. Sean was talking on his cell phone when a truck ran the red light and hit us square on the driver’s side where he was sitting. The airbags deployed, and there was glass everywhere. I was fine, but he was knocked out and in bad shape. There was a lot of blood, and he definitely had a head injury and broken bones. It was serious enough for surgery, which is where he is now.”
“And the other driver?” the captain questioned.
“Fled the scene. There was no sign of them.”
“There must have been witnesses. I’m going to see what we can get on our reckless driver. I’m glad you’re OK, Gina.” With that, he left them to go talk to Sean’s wife.
An hour passed before Frank and Gina spotted the captain walking back in their direction. “There’s good news. Sean made it through surgery. They won’t know the full extent of the damage until he regains consciousness, but that could be a while yet.” Frank and Gina both smiled when the news sank in. “You two should go home and get some rest. I’m going to need you tomorrow.”
“Can I give you a ride home?” Frank offered.
“Thanks, but my boyfriend should be coming to pick me up after his shift.”
Frank couldn’t believe his ears. After his shift? He wasn’t able to come right away? She’d been in a car accident for goodness sake! She could have been killed. Didn’t he care? Frank hated to leave her there alone, but she had made her choice. He couldn’t wait around all night for this guy to show up, although he was extremely curious and wanted to meet him.
“Frank, your jacket,” she called after him.
“Keep it,” he replied. “You can give it back to me tomorrow.”
