Assignment 4 Heart and Soul Evangeline Anderson

[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.Valenti had known him to order a pizza and suggest they go bowling after ahostage situation where they'd both been held at gunpoint.If something like that didn't botherO'Brian, the brief interlude with Talbert ought to be water under the bridge by now.He was alsoworried that O'Brian wasn't answering his phone, at work or at home.Maybe Captain Harris hadgiven him some leave time, but still&On the third day, when he was about to be released, the nurse came in and told him he hada last-minute visitor.Valenti breathed a sigh of relief, sure that it had to be O'Brian.His partnerhad finally come around, and now things were going to go back to normal.But instead of O'Brian's sparkling green eyes and reddish blond hair, it was the solid formof Captain Harris that Valenti saw when he looked up. Captain? he asked uncertainly when the older man sat down on the hard wooden chairplaced next to his bed. What are you doing here?Captain Harris sighed. I'd like to say I'm just paying a visit to an officer injured in the lineof duty, but I'm afraid there's more to it than that, Valenti. What are you talking about? Valenti was beginning to get a bad feeling in the pit of hisstomach. Is everything all right, Captain? Is& is O'Brian okay? He had a sudden horrible34 Evangeline Andersonthought what if Sean had killed himself? What if he'd eaten a bullet while Valenti was lyingaround in this damn hospital?Captain Harris must have seen the fear on his face, because he patted Valenti's blanket-covered knee awkwardly. Take it easy, Valenti.Your partner isn't dead. Thank God. Valenti felt as though a huge weight had rolled off his chest. Neither, however, the captain continued, is he your partner anymore. What? What are you talking about? Valenti sat straight up in the bed, instantly upset. You can't separate us now, Captain.We need each other.We work as a team. Tell that to O'Brian.He came in today and gave me this. Captain Harris held up a golddetective's badge. Said he doesn't deserve to carry it anymore.Or to be your partner.In& in anysense of the word. He cleared his throat uncomfortably. This is crazy. Valenti snatched the badge from his captain's hand and stared at it asthough it held the answer to his partner's strange behavior. O'Brian wouldn't quit.He loves theforce.It's in his blood. I thought the same thing, Captain Harris said quietly. But some things& they change aman.I, uh, saw the movie Talbert made of you two. You did? Valenti's mind started to race a hundred miles a minute.If the captain had seenthe movie, that meant he knew& Shit, shit, shit! Maybe O'Brian quit before Harris could firehim.That makes more sense than him walking out on the PD on his own.But his captain's nextwords blew that theory out of the water. I did. Harris nodded. And I want you to know I'm not, uh, judging you or O'Brian for it.After all, it's kind of my fault in the first place.I'm the one who sent you two to the RamJack tobegin with. It's nobody's fault and nothing I would change, Captain. For the past two years he andO'Brian had been hiding what they were, what they meant to each other.Well, no more.Valentilifted his chin and looked his captain in the eyes. I love Sean O'Brian, and I don't just mean in abrotherly way.He's my other half, and I'm not ashamed to tell you so, even if it means I lose myjob. Wait a minute now.Nobody is losing his job over this, Captain Harris blustered. Well,O'Brian did, but not because I fired him; he left on his own.And I think I know why.WhatHeart and Soul 35Talbert made him do to you was& He cleared his throat again. Well, it was pretty bad,Valenti. Not as bad as what I did to him at the RamJack, Valenti said calmly. I'm telling you,Captain, if we can get over that, we can get over anything. Tell that to O'Brian.Give him back his badge.Maybe he'll listen to you. Harris shook hishead. He wasn't interested in anything I had to say; that's for certain. I'll bring him around. Valenti was already getting out of bed and reaching for his clothes,which the horrible nurse had finally released.He really did feel rested and refreshed, and nothinghurt anymore, which was good.He was going to need all his strength to tackle O'Brian's bad caseof guilt and convince him to come back to work.He was pulling on his pants when he noticed from the corner of his eye that Captain Harriswas looking uneasy.Inwardly he sighed; the cat was out of the bag now, at least with Harris.And as much as he'd probably suspected the truth before, this put a whole new slant on how hesaw both Valenti and O'Brian.Well, no time like the present to address it, Valenti told himself. Captain, he said, tucking his shirt into his pants. Is this going to be a problem for you?The fact that O'Brian and I are together? Because I don't want to go and convince him to comeback if he doesn't have a job to come back to. No.No, really, it's not a problem, Harris protested, a little too quickly. Or, well&Maybe it is a little, uh, awkward, he admitted. Sure it is.It was for us at first too. Valenti tried to keep his tone calm and even.This wasprobably a new situation for his captain to deal with, and to the man's credit, he seemed to atleast be trying to understand. O'Brian and I are exclusive, you know, he continued, and hereached for his belt. I mean, we're not interested in any other guys, if that helps any. Really? Captain Harris looked mildly relieved. Really, Valenti assured him. And if you don't mind, we'd prefer to keep our relationshipquiet, as much as we can, anyway, after what Talbert got on film.Maybe someday the kind oflove we have won't be a problem for anyone, and neither of us will be ashamed of it.But asthings stand right now, we'd rather not discuss it with outsiders. Of course not [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

Linki