Mate Undercovers

“Please say this is for me?” I groan, snatching up the coffee cup sitting on the edge of Jane’s desk.  “You know it!” she replies with a grin as she shuffles her paperwork into a neat pile in front of her. “Rough night?”  “Urgg, you don’t know the half of it.” I answer, dropping the pile of files in my hands and throwing myself down onto my chair.  “Wait… didn’t you go home last night? Because I’m pretty sure you were wearing this same pantsuit ensemble yesterday.” she questions, eyeing me up and down as she clicks her pen repeatedly in her hand.  “Don’t give me s**t over my pantsuit! I love this pantsuit.” I say defensively whilst opening up my laptop.  “Okay, okay, ugly suit aside… the real issue is the fact you pulled another all-nighter! What the hell, Abby? You-“  “I know Jane, but you don’t understand. I’m so f*****g close to catching this guy. I have to be ready.” I protest. “As soon as he resurfaces, his ass is mine. I’ve got him on first degree murder and witness tampering. I just have to find where the bastard is hiding first.”  I let out a deep breath and rub my tired eyes before clicking on the internet icon on my desktop.  Jane sighs in defeat. “What’s the plan then?” she asks seriously.  “One of my informants has some information for me. I’ll meet up with him later and find out if he’s full of s**t or not.”  I shrug, staring at the swirling icon in front of me as the screen buffers over and over again. “The guy is easily spooked though. He only ever wants to meet at night- f*****g hell… What the hell is wrong with this thing?!” I moan, clicking on the icon again furiously.  Jane laughs out loud, shaking her head as she reaches for her own coffee.  “Someone has some serious rage to work out… or maybe someone just reallyyyy needs to get laid.” she states, raising her eyebrow at me playfully.  “What I need is some decent WiFi in this place.” I quip in return.  “Ha, well there’s that! But speaking of getting laid, you better not be blowing off my cousin and your date tonight because you are meeting an informant! I told you, no excuses!”  “Jane… I just don’t know if tonight is the right time. This case is coming to a head. Maybe if I just postpone-“ “Absolutely not, Abby Sullivan!!” she interrupts  sternly. “That would make it the third time you have blown him off! Blind date or not, he’s not going to hang around forever!”  “I know, but-“  “The Russian mafia will still be there in the morning…. More to the point, so will your drought rage if you keep this up! No buts! You’re going!” she states matter of factly. “But Christ, don’t wear that pantsuit…” “Fine! If it will shut you up, I’ll go! But let me say this… the way you are genuinely pushing for me to hop into bed with your cousin is f*****g alarming and slightly on the creepy side…” I state, giving up on the computer and opening up the case file instead.  “He’s a total catch, if I don’t say so myself, and I want my best friend to have the very best! Sue me!” she replies, rolling her eyes. “Anyway, he’s a helluva big improvement on that last weirdo you dated a couple of months ago…” “Paul? Weirdo? What was wrong with Paul?!” I shrug nonchalantly, scanning my eyes over the face of the man I’m hunting once again.  “Uhhh, come on Abby! He was the ultimate Mama’s boy!! He was a walking red flag, my friend.”  I have no choice but to nod my head in surrender. She’s f*****g right after all.  “I have to give you that one… if I had to listen to him say just one more time… “That’s not how my mom makes spaghetti….” I swear I might have thrown myself into the Hudson.”  “Exactly!” she chuckles, clearly very pleased that she has made her point. “So meet your informant later. Go home. Take a shower and throw on something sexy! You’ve worked your ass off all week and you deserve it!”  I look up at her and nod in an non- committal kind of way.  “Ahhht!! I know every trick in the book. I want you to say the actual words.” she smiles, holding her hand up to her ear.  “Okay, There will be a date tonight and I will be on it. Happy?”  “Not as happy as you will be if this date goes to plan…” she answers suggestively.  “Again… creepy.” I point out, my eyes returning to the file.  Just then, I feel a presence behind me and the scent of familiar perfume enters my nostrils.  Great. This day just keeps getting better and better… “Hey Abby! How are you? I heard you were in all night last night.”  I turn around in my chair and look up at the blonde smiling sweetly at me.  “I’m fine thanks. A little tired, but I’ll live.” I joke in reply.  I watch as she sweeps her hair behind her ear nervously before placing a cardboard box down on my desk.  “Good. I’m glad to hear it… I actually came down because I thought this might be of use to you. It’s a new laptop.” she states, pulling it from the box to set it down in front of me. “We got some new equipment up in the cyber department and we had one spare. I asked if I could pass it down to you since I know that yours is pretty old.” she laughs, her cheeks flushing slightly.  “Oh…uhh that was really thoughtful of you Sadie. I’ll take it, thanks.” I answer in reply.  Her face lights up in a bright smile and her shoulders drop in relief.  “Oh good- It’s all set up for you. You just have to-“  “Sadie? What are you doing down here, sweetie?” a voice interrupts from behind us.  “Hi Cal, I just came down to give Abby this new laptop. We had a spare one and I thought-“  “Did you ask the captain first?” Calvin asks, stopping beside Sadie and examining the new equipment on my desk curiously.  God, he’s such a kiss-ass.  “She cleared it with Moss” I answer abruptly, throwing him a fake smile.  He looks at me suspiciously for a long moment before nodding his head and turning back to Sadie.  “You better get back to work now, sweetie. I have some case stuff to go over with Abby.” he states, kissing her on the side of the head.  Her eyes connect with mine awkwardly before she smiles sweetly once again.  “Okay, you’re right. Good luck with the case guys. If you need anything from cyber, I’d be happy to help.” I nod my head and manage to smile in return before she turns to Calvin.  “Shall we head home at 6pm?”  “I’ll be there.” he answers as she walks across the office back towards the elevators.  It’s then that he looks to me and his face turns serious once again.  “What have you got for me, Abs?”  What have I got for him?… For him?  As if this asshole hasn’t taken enough from me already.  “Well Cal, I’ve set up a meet tonight with a contact of mine. I’m meeting him at 7pm-“ “Wait? It’s not that little snivelling weasel, Sven is it?” he asks, picking up the file from my desk and flicking through it. “Yes, it is actually-“  “Then I‘ll go. That guy give me the creeps. I’ll take O’Connell with me.”  “Cal, it’s my lead. I’m perfectly capable of meeting a contact. Besides, he doesn’t like you. I’ll get more out of him if I go.” I snap back angrily.  “Abs, this isn’t a debate. Captain made me lead on this case. That means I have the final say. If you have a problem with that, then take it up with him.” he answers, placing the file back down in front of me.  God, this asshole really does know how to push my buttons. He knows fine well that I’m not about to go crying to Captain Moss like some silly little girl who can’t handle following a direct order.  “Didn’t you just tell your wife you would meet her to head home at 6pm?” Jane interjects, throwing Cal a judgemental glare.  He narrows his eyes at her in reply.  “I’m sure Sadie will understand. Thanks for your concern though, Jane.”  “No worries.” she replies, with a wide fake smile.  They stare each other down for a second longer before his eyes return to me expectantly.  “Fine, Cal. Do what you want. He will be in the usual spot.” I concede, opening up the new laptop that Sadie gave me and doing my best to ignore the gigantic asshole standing beside me.  “Good. I’ll give you a call if anything goes down...” he states as he begins to walk away. “…and get some sleep, Abs. You’re no use to anyone exhausted.”  I stick up my middle finger behind his back in response before tapping my fingers on the keyboard to enter my password.  “Asshole.” I mutter under my breath.  It’s then that Jane begins to laugh and I give her the side eye.  “What?”  “Nothing… it’s just I don’t know how you do it, Abby. Working with your ex-husband and his new little trophy wife everyday… I’d have had some serious issues by now if it was me. I’m telling you.” she states, shaking her head in awe.  “Yeah, well, it’s all old news now. Calvin’s a prick, but I’ve worked my ass off here. I won’t let him push me out of this precinct that’s for sure. He’s free to f**k off whenever he feels like it though” I state, my insides doing a somersault when the internet pops up instantly on my computer.  “And so you shouldn’t. I just admire your patience that’s all. Especially when his new wife is trying to suck up your ass every opportunity she gets. It’s so f*****g strange.”  “Sadie? She’s harmless.” I reply distractedly, my brain trying to return to work mode.  “I’d hardly say she’s harmless, maybe clueless… the ink was hardly dry on your divorce papers before they announced their engagement!”  I shrug my shoulders in reply.  “I was done with him anyway. She’s welcome to him. Believe me.” I state honestly.  I’m not lying at all when I say this. Sure at one time in my life I was madly in love with the man, but the truth is our marriage was over long before we split up. That’s why when he announced his engagement to Sadie so soon after, I wasn’t the least bit bothered nor surprised.  Calvin and I were high school sweethearts and married young. We both shared the same aspirations and dreams. We came up together in the academy and even worked alongside one another as we both tried to make detective. It wasn’t long after we reached that goal that our marriage began to deteriorate rapidly. We called it quits and our divorce was finalised just over two years ago. He and Sadie announced their engagement and pregnancy only six months later. At the time I’m sure people thought I would break. That I would give in and move along like a good little ex-wife but giving up is not my style. This place and this job means too damn much to me and I’m not about to let it go for anyone. I have the respect of my co-workers and my captain, not to mention a s**t load of work and open cases still to solve.  “Look on the bright side Abby, now that you don’t have to go to the meet you can go home early and do something about all this.” Jane continues, waving her hand dramatically over my disheveled appearance.  “I guess you’re right… now let me get back to work. These assholes aren’t going to arrest themselves.” I joke, throwing Jane a playful wink.