I finally meet her eyes.
“We’re going to get through this,” she says, voice trembling. “All of it. Together.”
I wish I believed her as much as she believes in me.
I change the subject gently, because if we stay onmysituation any longer, she’ll get more stressed.
“You know what you’re gonna say to HR today?” I ask, forcing a little smile, trying to lighten the heaviness hanging over us.
Lore tilts her head at me. “Patrick.”
“Come on,” I say, nudging her foot beneath the table. “You gotta be prepared. Especially since you might be the only employed one of us soon.”
She doesn’t laugh.
Her eyes are tired. Worried. “You could getfired?”
“No.” I shake my head immediately. “I don’t think so. Worst case scenario? They force me into early retirement. And that’s a bigif.” I try for a grin. “I’ve seen guys do way worse and keep their badges.”
She doesn’t look reassured. And honestly, after everything, I can’t blame her.
My phone pings on the table between us, slicing through the tension. I grab it, glance at the screen, then exhale.
“I’ve got a case.”
Lore nods, shoulders sinking. She knows what that means, no more time to talk, plan, or panic together.
I stand, dump the rest of my coffee in the sink, and lean down to kiss her cheek.
“I gotta go,” I say softly. “Love you.”
She catches my wrist before I straighten. “Love you too,” she whispers.
I smile but inside I can’t help but think. For how long?
Lorelie
If I didn’t have a confrontation waiting for me at work, I would have stayed home and let myself drown in all the worst-case scenarios.
My mind keeps circling the same question. What kind of woman accuses a man of something like this? It doesn’t just wreck his life. It harms real victims too.
Before yesterday, if a woman came to me and said she was assaulted, I would have believed her without hesitation. I would have been on her side until there was proof otherwise. But now? That certainty has dropped to nothing.
I know Colter told Patrick not to do anything, but he never said a word about me. I’m not foolish enough to confront the woman, but I have been inside O’Riley’s. That place has more cameras than the station. They must have caught what really happened. The owner used to be a cop, I can’t remember his name, but he’ll hand the footage over when they ask and we’ll be in the clear.
Only one problem keeps rising in my mind. It has been more than thirty days. Don’t places delete old recordings after a month? At least, that’s what I remember from watching SVU.
I bite my thumbnail as I pull into the hospital parking lot. My mind jumps from one worry to another, then lands on something lighter.
I finally get to start planning the nursery. Now that Patrick is back in our bedroom, I can actually make space for it. Gen has always been one call away, and the only reason I kept putting it off was because the room was occupied. Not anymore.
Good. I finally have something happy to focus on.
But first, I have a meeting with HR.
Instead of heading to my locker, I head straight for the basement. Yes, our HR and admin offices are down there, tucked beside the morgue.
Not the place I would have chosen, but no one asked me.
