Chapter 11
2223 Words
~Christa~
We get up to say goodnight, and I ask the boys to give me a moment. As soon as it’s just me, Cappie, and Tank in the room, I clear my throat.
Christa “Cappie, this is not just going to affect us. It is going to have a huge effect on many of these boys’ families. I need time for all of them to call their parents and explain that we won’t be going on a weekend pass or calling them as we used to.”
Tank “These boys shouldn’t be calling mommy and daddy every night anymore.”
I can hear the smile in his voice.
Cappie “I will make time for Bada*s. It’s the least we can do. We will also make sure you guys have a week off before you go out to the station. The brass will just have to make a plan. You have my word.”
I thank him and stand at attention until he dismisses me.
Walking down this damn passage seems to have become a bad habit! I hear the boys excitedly talking outside about taking down Cat and what big heroes they are going to be.
Christa “Didn’t you listen to a word!”
I angrily storm out the door.
Miller
“Dude, we were just joking around. Of course, we heard.”
Freddie “Chill, we know what we are getting ourselves into.”
His face became serious suddenly, and when I opened my mouth to ask, Miller shook his head. Could this have anything to do with Freddie’s reason for joining? I guess it’s a question for another day then.
Christa “Off to bed you two! I’m not going to stand for tardiness tomorrow morning!”
Choir “Yes, Bada*s”
They run and shout at the same time. I realize that I hate that name! I hope that Cappie finds another tag and soon. I would hate to go to the station with it. As it is, I would have a lot to prove when we get there, having a tag like Bada*s is just going to make things worse.
I walk to my empty room and sigh. It’s very late, and I have to let my parents know, but I know my dad will still be up. I’m scared of telling my mom. It might just break her heart.
Grabbing my phone when I walk into my room, I sit down on my bed and dial his number. It takes him two seconds to answer my call.
Dad
“What’s wrong?”
Christa “Hi, Dad, can’t a girl just call her dad without anything having to be wrong?”
Dad “You won’t call me on my cell at this time of the night unless something is wrong. You always call your mother on her phone during the day. So out with it.”
My dad has never been one to mince words. His philosophy when I just started driving as if the phone rang within five minutes after I left the house, it means I’ve been in an accident… The two times it happened… He was right.
Christa “Okay, fine, so I didn’t call mom because I know it will upset her, and I called you at this time of night because I’ve taken your advice from earlier. I’ve accepted the assignment.”
Dad “Good. I know it’s going to be tough, my girl, but you are made of tough stuff. Keep your head down and think clearly, and you will lead your squad safely through this. I will take care of your mom.”
Christa “Thanks, Dad. I love you.”
Dad “I love you too, baby girl. Go show those guys what you are made of.”
I can almost hear the smile in his voice, the sound of pride making a teardrop down my cheek as I hang up the phone. My dad and I have always been very close. I looked up to this huge hero of a man and couldn’t get enough of his stories of being a soldier, to the point where it drove my mom insane, and she would tell him that little girls did not have to know so much about war and gruesome things.
He wanted a boy that could play rugby, mom wanted a girl that would have tea with her and the ladies… They both got part of what they wanted with a twist of the wheel, for lack of a better word… Bada*s. I laugh at myself. I guess I’m doing this.
That means I’m doing this as I do everything in life. Full throttle. If I’m not training, I’m studying whatever material I can find on the playground. I also now have a squad of guys to think about, so maybe I should ask Cappie and Tank if I can have some extra time with them to make sure I can take care of these guys.
Pulling my tablet out from all the way underneath everything, I open it and try to switch it on. Great Christa Bradley. The one time you need the damn thing, the battery is flat! I plug it into the charger and lie back on the bed looking up at the ceiling.
In the girl's barracks, we have single beds. The boys have bunks because there are so many of them. Girls that come into the force as cops are still a new concept and not something the men were really happy about in the beginning. Some of them still openly show their dislike of the idea.
I’ve done my research, and that is why I didn’t go into the army like my dad. There really are certain places that aren’t safe for women to fight in yet. Not that I’m even safe in my own home, really, but if you can’t trust your own team around you, who can you trust?
I guess I just had the luck of the draw with these guys. Or someone up there is looking after me, as my dad always told me.
***
The shock of cold water waking me up in an instant.
Tank “And you are dead!! Get up, Bada*s!! This is not a good way to start your second day!”
Soaked, I jump out of bed and try to wipe the water out of my eyes while I run to the training grounds. I can’t remember falling asleep or what time I fell asleep. My head feels awfully fuzzy, and I struggle to focus on our way out. Once outside, it’s clear that it’s not three am, and my squad is nowhere to be found.
F@ck!! I wasn’t there, so they all probably thought that if I didn’t stay, why should they! But surely the guys were… Wait a minute!
Christa “You drugged me!!”
I point at him as anger rises from deep within me. There can be no other explanation for my confusion. The foggy feeling, the slight headache. I only had one drink.
Cappie comes around the corner.
Cappie “Lesson one, never take a drink you didn’t pour yourself or didn’t see the entire time, Bada*s… Now get a move on! Your squad is on the field, waiting for you!”
Swearing at the two of them, I run to the training grounds and find my squad standing at attention, soaked in sweat.
Choir
“Good morning, Bada*s, Sir!”
They all shout, and I roll my eyes. He has decided on that tag and given it to the squad as my official tag, I’m never going to live this down. Taking up position in my shattered state, something hits me.
Christa “Wait a minute! All of them are here?”
I whisper looking at Cappie, and he smiles and nods.
Cappie “Not a single one asked for a transfer. Tank found them all lined up and ready at three this morning, and they refused to move a muscle, even after we told them what we did to you. They decided to stay and wait until we woke you up.”
Tank “We wouldn’t let them wake up their sleeping beauty, of course.”
He grins at me, and I so want to smack that grin off his face right now, but I decide to take my place in front of the squad.
Christa “Squad Bada*s ready for duty!”
I shout and they reply with a “Yes, ma’am!” in unison. I guess they decided to go against the flow of things this time around.
Christa “Cappie, Squad Bada*s reporting for training!”
I nearly burst out laughing. This is not the way it’s supposed to be done. It’s something I saw in a movie once, but seeing as we are going to be the misfits of the training academy and probably the entire force, why not do things differently.
They are my squad after all, that they made very clear today.
Tank
“Well, get a move on then, you know the drill.”
He points at the hill for us to the run-up. I move to the poles and wait for the guys to grab them in teams of two.
Once the entire squad is ready, we move out as one. No use in running out there and having to come back and do it the hard way again. At least if they send us out with the poles again, the second time will be easier. We will be used to the weight.
Cappie “We see what you are doing Bada*s, and it’s not going to wooork!”
~Cappie~
Cappie “Her first move, thinking ahead like that, it’s a good one.”
She will have to think on her feet when they are out there.
Tank
“Today is going to be full of surprises.”
He grins at me.
~Christa~
We come running over the ridge, and I can see the smile! My plan is not going to work, after all.
When we reach them, they send us around the track a second time. The day drags on, the exercise is draining, and the sun is way too warm. I feel my legs giving way under me, then someone picks me up and I’m carried over the finish line.
Women don’t belong in the force… We are too weak… Too soft… My last thought as the darkness takes over.
***
I wake up to the sound of something beeping and a very dry throat. Rubbing my eyes, I focus and see Miller sitting beside my bed with his hand on my leg. Freddie is standing by the window looking outside. Cappie and Tank are talking to a doctor.
Christa “Where am I?”
It sounds like I swallowed a frog. Miller sits upright, and his eyes are red with tears.
Miller
“Oh, thank the beer gods!!!”
He jumps up and kisses me.
Cappie and Tank come running into the room, and Freddie turns his head to look at me, then turns in the other direction, wiping away his tears.
Christa “What happened?”
Cappie “You scared the living sh!t out of us, that’s what. How are you feeling?”
Christa “It feels as if I’ve been run over by a truck, and then a train.”
Tank
“You fainted, you big woos!”
Christa “I gathered that much. What am I doing in the hospital?”
Freddie “You wouldn’t wake up.”
I roll my eyes.
Christa “CAN SOMEONE PLEASE SEND ME THE DOCTOR? I NEED TO SPEAK TO A DOCTOR!! ANYBODY JUST CALL THE DOCTOR.”
A man in a white coat comes walking into the room from the nurses desk.
Doctor “I can see what you guys mean. Hi, I’m doctor Sullivan, Christa. You were just a little dehydrated. We have you on a drip now, and you will be able to go home in about an hour or so. Next time, make sure you drink lots of water when exercising.”
Looking very pleased with himself, he is about to walk out when I stop him.
Christa “Wait, dehydrated? Why? There has to be a reason, doc. I can’t put the lives of my squad in danger just because I got a little dehydrated.”
He looks at Cappie and Tank, then at me.
Doctor “Do you drink a lot of alcohol?”
I look at the two of them and they look everywhere else but at me.
Christa “No, why?”
Doctor “It dehydrates you, you know, and we found a high level of alcohol in your system. Not that I’m saying anything. Just next time, maybe mixing it with some water or something.”
He looks very uncomfortable suddenly, and I just nod, giving him the perfect opportunity to leave.
Christa “Alcohol? You two??”
Cappie “Now Bradley, calm down, you were mumbling something about women being weak and not belonging in the force before you passed out. Is that really what you think? Because you are way off, you know!”
Christa “Changing the subject isn’t going to work, you know.”
Did I really say that?
- Writer
