Cop's Passion

by Angela Verdenius

  By the time he returned home he was totally relaxed and sweating like a pig. A quick shower and he was drying himself, ready to get dressed and see if Maddy had returned home and what time she was coming over.

  Clad in boxers, he was stretching luxuriously and eyeing the bed in anticipation of the night ahead when the phone rang. Picking it up, he heard the words every policeman didn’t want to hear when they were anticipating their time off.

  “We need you back at the station,” the sergeant said. “There’re several parties on tonight and we’re calling in back-up. It’s going to get wild, it’s already brewing now. Internet social sites are lit up like neon lights with the news. Luckily it was caught by a friend of Alan’s sister. Forewarned is forearmed.”

  “Coming.” Shit and double shit. Normally Mike didn’t mind getting called out, but tonight he’d been planning on seducing Maddy. He just hoped she’d understand.

  “Alan’s driving by to pick you up.” The sergeant hung up.

  Throwing on a clean uniform, he locked the house and jumped the fence between his half of the duplex and Maddy’s half. Chaz watched him from the window, his eyes wide and admiring. Typically, he batted at the glass and looked at Mike like he was his best friend ever.

  What the hell was it with cats?

  Mike knocked on the door and Maddy opened it within seconds. With her hair sweeping under her jaw line and caressing her rounded cheeks, and her eyes bright, she looked so kissable. So he kissed her.

  When he let her up for air, she was flushed but smiling. Then she caught sight of his uniform and arched one brow inquiringly. “You’re knocking off late.”

  He sighed. “Maddy, I’m so sorry. I’m afraid dinner is off for tonight.”

  “Oh?” She didn’t look annoyed, just curious.

  “Got a call back in to the station. Something’s brewing and - anyway, can we do it tomorrow?”

  “Sure.”

  She looked so sober that he reached out and touched her shoulder. “I really am sorry, but it’s the job. Getting a call back doesn’t happen often, but it does happen and -“ His words stopped when she stretched up and laid one finger on his lips.

  “Mike, I understand, truly. I nursed in both the A & E and general wards before I went to Golden Link. I understand shift work, late shifts, double shifts, you name it.” She shook her head. “Don’t sweat the small stuff, okay?”

  Relief coursed through him. “You’re really something, Maddy.”

  “I hope you mean that in a good way.”

  “Oh, I do.” Bending down, he nuzzled her cheek. “I had such plans for the night, too.”

  One of her soft hands rested hesitatingly on his waist in an unconscious gesture of attraction and shyness, though her voice was steady and teasing. “I don’t remember being asked anything about it.”

  “Sure you do. I left you a message on your mobile telling you not to bother wearing panties.”

  Yep, there went that flush right through those apple cheeks. He grinned.

  Maddy glanced over his shoulder. “Here’s your ride.”

  “Okay.” He straightened. “I’ve got to go. Lock the door behind me.”

  “Yes, Dad.”

  He flicked the end of her nose gently with his finger. “You’ll apologise for that later.”

  “Make me.”

  “Trust me, I’ll enjoy doing that.” Oh, how he loved the way her eyes flashed with heat even while her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Oh, how he loved the brightness of her laughter.

  Oh, how he had to ignore the boner he was getting.

  Turning on his heel, he started down the steps, only to stop when she called his name. Turning, he arched a brow at her.

  “Be careful.” Concern showed in her eyes.

  The words filled him with warmth. Reaching out, he snagged her arm and tugged her to him. “Ditto.”

  This time she met him for the kiss, and it was so sweet and tender it nearly wrung his heart.

  Reluctantly he released her. She flicked a glance over his shoulder and bit her lip. “You better go.”

  “See you tomorrow.” He strode over to where the patrol car waited in her driveway. Just before he got into it, he returned to her.

  “Cripes,” Alan said from the drivers seat, but Mike ignored him.

  Maddy raised her brows as he slid his hand into his pocket and pulled out the house keys.

  “The fur ball is locked in my laundry. You’ll need the keys to feed it.” As her eyes lit up, he raised one hand and pointed sternly at her. “Don’t think it, don’t say it. Feed it and just make sure it hasn’t crapped anywhere.”

  She was still smiling widely when Alan backed the patrol car out of the drive and took off down the road.

  Seconds passed in silence and Mike just waited. It didn’t take long.

  “Mike and Maddy,” Alan began.

  “Shut up.”

  “Sitting in a tree.”

  “If you want all your teeth intact, you won’t say another word.”

  “K-i-s-s-i-n-g!”

  It was going to be a long night.

  “Want to tell Uncle Alan all about you and the hot chick?”

  A long night in more ways than one.

  ~*~

  The kitten was very content. Snuggled down in Mike’s t-shirt in the wash basket on the floor, it peered up at her and meowed. Maddy knelt beside the basket and extended her hand. The kitten sniffed at her and when she carefully stroked it on the head, it started purring.

  Maddy wanted nothing more than to pick it up and cuddle it, but aware that it could startle easily and not wanting to break the fragile trust that had built up between them, she settled for stroking it until it fell asleep again.

  It had used the box of sand so she replaced it with clean sand and put down more food and water before shutting the laundry door.

  Mike really was a softie but he obviously didn’t want anyone to know that, which was funny considering how confident he was about everything else he did and said.

  Locking the house behind her, Maddy went back to her own home where Chaz met her at the door. Scooping him up, she went to the lounge and dropped down on the sofa. Picking up the remote, she flicked on the television and watched a couple of shows before the news came on.

  When the news did appear, it chilled her. A live recording showed that one of the streets in a suburb on the other side of the city was in trouble. A house party had turned into a riot due to gate-crashes. Drunken teenagers and older people were yelling obscenities. Police cars had cordoned off the areas, and riot police were moving in quickly.

  Her heart sunk when she saw that a similar problem was occurring in another area of the city as well. She tried to spot Mike amongst the uniformed officers, but couldn’t find him. Curled up on the sofa, she watched worriedly as the rioting got worse with bottles and weapons being used by the gate crashers as the police tried to restore order.

  The live recording stopped as the news switched to something else, with the promise of returning for an update.

  Looking down at Chaz where he snoozed with his head against her knee, she sent up a quick, silent prayer that Mike would be safe. While she had no doubt that he could look after himself, riots were dangerous, police work was dangerous, and more than one cop had been badly hurt or even killed in the line of duty. Killed protecting the public.

  All she could do was wait and be there when he got home. She refused to think about the ‘if’ he got home. It was something every man or woman who went with a cop had in the back of their mind, but it was something she refused to dwell on. After being nearly stabbed in the A & E Department by a deranged drug addict, and seeing the police and security battling the violent druggies and drunks when they were brought in, she knew many jobs had their dangers.

  She awoke to find some on-line shopping program on the television and a check of her watch showed that it was three in the morning. She peeked out the window but all was dark at Mike’s house. She couldn’t ver
y well go over and see if he was home, she didn’t have that right. More than likely he was asleep.

  She hoped.

  Going to bed, she slept restlessly and was up early. She’d just finished her shower and gotten dressed when a knock sounded on her door. Opening it, she found the young cop who’d been waiting for Mike in the car the previous afternoon.

  Fear automatically tugged at her. “Yes?”

  “Uh - Maddy, isn’t it?”

  “Yes. Is something wrong with Mike?”

  “I’m Alan. And no, Mike’s fine. Sort of.” He hesitated.

  She stepped out onto the veranda, frowning in concern. “What do you mean, sort of? Is he in hospital?”

  “No, but…” Alan hesitated again, then sighed. “If he ever finds out I came across here, he will gut me like a wild boar.”

  That sounded like Mike was okay. Maddy glanced towards his half of the duplex.

  “Things got a little wild last night in the suburbs,” Alan said.

  “So I saw on the TV.” She flicked a glance across him assessingly, noting his creased clothes, shadowed jaw, tired eyes and the primapore on his arm. “You okay?”

  “Oh, I’m fine.” He smiled briefly before frowning again in concern. “Look, Mike’s a stubborn bastard so I'm just going to tell you.”

  That sounded ominous. Maddy studied Alan, sure she wasn’t going to like what she heard.

  “You’re a nurse, so you’ll know what to do.” Alan’s frown grew deeper. “There were a lot of weapons being used last night and Mike happened to get hit in the head with a bottle.”

  “Oh no.” Maddy started forward. “Where is he?”

  Alan grabbed her arm. “He’s at home, but you need to listen to me, okay?”

  Both curious and alarmed at Alan’s reactions, Maddy stopped and nodded. “Okay.”

  “He got hit on the side of his head. I thought he was going to collapse, but he sort of staggered but then kept going. Blood…you know. Anyway, he seemed okay. The ambulance crew checked him after but he refused to go to hospital, said he was fine apart from a headache. The sarge made him go for a check-up and stitches. Mike, well, Mike got stitched up and came back home.”

  Maddy’s brows rose in surprise. “He didn’t stay for observation overnight?”

  “No.”

  “Which bloody doctor saw him?”

  “Some quack in the A & E. Said it was fine for Mike to go home as he hadn’t lost consciousness and looked fine apart from the cut on his head.”

  “What an arse. Did he do any scans or anything? Did the doctor even bother to check if Mike lived alone, if he had someone to check up on him?” Maddy looked over at Mike’s house in growing concern and anger.

  “I don’t know.” Alan ran a hand through his thick, short hair. “Mike wasn’t keen on waiting around. He seemed okay, his usual tough self. You know.”

  “Oh yeah, I know all right.”

  “So I brought him home.”

  Maddy studied Alan. “You want me to check up on him.”

  “Could you? He’s alone at home.”

  “You didn’t have to ask, I’m going to do it anyway.” She smiled reassuringly at him. “Go home, have a shower and something to eat, and go to bed. Take the phone off the hook and have a hot Milo before you go to sleep, it’ll help you relax.”

  His smile was both relieved and amused. “Yes, nurse.”

  He was about to leave when Maddy asked, “How’d he get into the house? I locked it.”

  “He always keeps a spare set at work.”

  “Bloody typical. He’s such a boy scout.”

  Alan laughed while he took a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to her. “Here’s my phone number in case you need me.”

  “Thanks.”

  He walked back to the patrol car idling in her drive. Getting in, he waved to her and backed out before driving off.

  Maddy immediately retrieved Mike’s keys and went to his home. She knocked but when there was no answer, she opened the door and entered to find that all was quiet. Moving through the house, she glanced into the rooms until she came to his bedroom. Sure enough, he was asleep on the bed. He’d simply kicked off his uniform and boots, all of which lay on the floor, and flopped beneath the light covers.

  Crossing the room, she came to a stop beside the bed and studied him. In sleep he still looked dangerous. He certainly wasn’t resting easy, a slight frown between his brows. A primapore patch near his hairline was a startling white against his tanned skin. Below the surface she could see the hint of darkness that meant there’d been some bleeding after the stitches had been put in.

  For several seconds she watched him sleep, not wanting to wake him if he was exhausted, but reluctant to simply walk away.

  Finally, she leaned over and called his name softly. When there was no answer, she repeated his name louder. Still no answer. Reaching out, she laid one hand on his shoulder and shook him gently.

  Groggily, he opened his eyes a fraction. “Maddy?” His speech was a little slurred, but whether it was from exhaustion or something more sinister, she didn’t know.

  “Yes.” She sat beside him on the bed, and he reached out with one hand, letting it flop heavily onto her thigh. His eyes started to close again. “Open your eyes, Mike.”

  “Tired…” He slurred.

  “Mike, I want you to open your eyes right now.”

  He obeyed, but it seemed to take a lot of effort.

  “Do you know where you are?” She leaned closer to look at his pupils.

  “Yes…no…the riot.” He sighed and started to slide away into sleep again.

  Picking up his hand, she gave it a firm squeeze. “Mike!”

  “My head hurts.” He opened his eyes a fraction but they weren’t focussing properly. “I need some Panadol.”

  “You need a doctor.” She stood up. “I’m calling an ambulance.”

  “What? No.” He lurched up in the bed and almost fell over the side.

  Maddy quickly grabbed him, placing her shoulder into his armpit. He slung an arm around her shoulders and tried to stand upright, only to weave.

  “Mike, you’ve got concussion,” she began, when he suddenly paled and staggered away.

  “Gonna be sick,” he muttered.

  He headed towards the bathroom with Maddy on his heels. He nearly fell over the toilet, his arm shooting out to splay his hand on the wall. He vomited, clutching his aching head with his free hand.

  “Easy, baby.” She placed a cool hand on his forehead and immediately felt him ease his damp forehead more fully into her palm. “It’s all right. I’ll call for an ambulance.”

  “No. No ambulance. I just…need some sleep…”

  “Listen to me, you stubborn oaf,” Maddy said sternly. “You’re going to the hospital, like it or not.”

  “No.”

  “I’ll drag you out by your big feet if I have to. You don’t have a choice.”

  He looked sideways at her out of bleary eyes. “I’m not…going…in an ambulance.”

  “You left your jacket in the car. I - what the hell…?” Alan’s astonished voice came from the doorway.

  Maddy looked around in relief. “Great. You can get the ambulance for me.”

  “What? Ambulance?” Alan looked at Mike. “Shit. You don’t look so good.”

  “Fine…” Mike said, and started to list to the side.

  Maddy jammed her shoulder into his armpit again and gestured to Alan. “On his other side. We need to get him to the hospital.”

  “Not going,” Mike said faintly.

  “Concussion,” she told Alan as he hurriedly wedged himself under Mike’s other arm. “Help me get him to the bed and then you call the ambulance.”

  Maddy and Alan staggered out of the bathroom with Mike between them. He was so heavy he practically made both of them sag at the knees but neither complained.

  “The ambulance could take awhile to get here,” Alan said. “I can get him to the hospital faster in
the patrol car.”

  Maddy cast an anxious look up at Mike. He looked down blearily at her. “Mum?”

  “Cripes,” said Alan. “He is bad.”

  “Your car,” Maddy decided. “Let’s go.”

  “He won’t be happy going out in just his boxers,” Alan stated as they stumbled from the bedroom.

  “You’re worried about his modesty?” Maddy braced herself as Mike leaned heavily on her. “Now? Seriously?”

  “Not me, but he will be.”

  “He can suck it up,” she shot back.

  “Whoa.”

  “Clothes…” Mike mumbled.

  “Let’s just get him out to the car.” Worried, Maddy looked at Alan across Mike’s broad chest. “Concussion is dangerous.”

  They got him to the car and managed to push him into the back seat. Both were breathing hard by the time Alan climbed into the front seat and Maddy into the back, which was awkward with Mike toppling over to land against her chest.

  Half of Maddy wished they’d waited for the ambulance, while the other half argued that he needed to get to a hospital fast, that every second counted. Whatever, it was done now.

  Alan had the lights and siren on before they even left the driveway, and he radioed ahead to someone. The hospital appeared in record time, and before they’d even pulled up outside a stretcher and several orderlies, a nurse and a doctor were waiting.

  Maddy got out carefully and one of the orderlies eased in at the same time, taking Mike’s weight.

  Mike was still aware enough to mutter, “I’m fine…”

  “Sure you are.” She stood back to allow the staff to work. With practised manoeuvres they got Mike onto the stretcher, helped by the fact that he actually managed to stand upright for several seconds, enabling them to push the stretcher behind him.

  The stretcher containing Mike was wheeled inside, and Maddy followed with Alan on her heels and the doctor by her side.

  “I’m Dr Rick Reed,” the doctor said. “What happened?”

  “Hit in the head by a bottle early this morning,” Alan replied.

  “His speech is slurred,” Maddy added. “Pupils dilated. He’s confused. He’s got concussion.”

  Dr Reed looked down at her. “Has he had any medication?”