“Then, you found out she had a girlfriend.”
“Yep. I tried to back away, but I couldn’t. She pursued me as much as I did her. We both got what we wanted in the end.”
“I’m sorry. I never knew. I just figured you were scared of being in a relationship.”
“I am…in a way. I guess. It’s safer to play the game. There are no strings attached. I can’t get hurt.”
“Can’t you see this is different? Don’t throw her or this away, Berk. She’s not Selena.”
“I know she’s not, but how can I believe her when I see this?” she said, holding up her phone.
“You need to give her a chance to explain everything. You talked to her for all of two minutes and wrote her off.”
“I called her a liar. She probably hates me.”
“You love her, don’t you?”
“Love has nothing to do with it.”
“It has everything to do with it,” Dena stated. “It’s the reason you’ve pushed her away.” She shook her head. “Just talk to her, Hun. That’s all I’m saying.”
Berkley sighed. “It may be the only way I can get her out of my head.” She took the last sip of her coffee and set the cup back down. “I think her last regular-season game is tonight. I’ll ride over during my shift right before the game ends and catch her before she leaves.”
“Good idea. Now, give me that last donut. If I go home without any, Garrett will be pissed.”
“I thought he wasn’t feeling well? Didn’t he eat some bad food or something?”
“Yeah. He went to Rooney’s last night for dinner and it messed him up pretty good.”
“He can’t eat it anyway, so blame me,” Berkley said, shoving it in her mouth.
“Damn you,” Dena laughed. “The two of you are like little kids. I don’t know how I put up with either of you.”
“You love us.”
“Yeah, like a damn mother hen,” she growled.
Berkley laughed as she walked her to the door. “Thanks,” she said seriously as she hugged her.
*
Randi turned the volume louder on her iPod, blasting the Beatles through the Bluetooth speaker as she shopped on Amazon on her phone for a few items to make her new place feel a little more homey. So far, she’d felt like she was in a fancy hotel the entire week. She was getting more comfortable, but something was missing.
“Ohhh, I like this,” she said aloud, clicking on a painting of Galveston Bay at sunrise. “It reminds me of home,” she muttered, adding it to her shopping cart. After a few more essential items like scented plugins, pot holders, a few Tervis cups with her favorite things on them because the ones in the cabinet were glass, and a shower caddy for her bathroom. “I work all day, to get you money, to buy you things,” she sang along to Hard Day’s Night.
She hated that it was the last regular game of the season and she was sitting out on a red card, which was why she was online shopping. She’d needed something to do to keep her mind off everything before she went stir crazy. She’d practiced with the team all week as usual, except she and Olivia had broken the news to everyone on Tuesday. Carrie had already known, but everyone else was genuinely surprised. However, they’d respected their privacy and hadn’t bombarded them with questions. The rest of the week went by in a blur, almost as if nothing had happened, which was what they’d been hoping for.
As soon as she closed the Amazon app, her phone lit up with Carrie’s picture. She swiped her finger across the front to answer the call.
“Hey,” Carrie said. “How was your day?”
“I went shopping on Amazon. I’m pretty sure my wallet is going to bitch slap me next week,” Randi replied.
Carrie laughed. “I was calling to see if you wanted to ride together.”
“Nah. I’m going to grab some dinner on the way.”
“Okay. Just checking. I’ll see you there.”
“Yep,” Randi said before ending the call.
46
“That’s all I have for tonight,” the lieutenant said from the front of the room. “Oh, Garrett Tomayo is out sick, so Curt Mickler is covering his area.”
Berkley adjusted the utility belt resting on her hips.
“Hopefully, it’ll be a quiet night,” Curt said, walking over to her as they headed out to their cars.
“Yeah.” She nodded.
“What happened to Tomayo?”
“He got food poisoning last night. I talked to him earlier. He feels better, but he’s pretty weak and tired from puking and shitting for twenty-four hours.”
“Damn. I don’t blame him. I would’ve bowed out, too.”
“Men,” she laughed.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing.” She shook her head. “Call me if you need backup. I’m going to take an early break around ten.”
“Sounds good,” he replied as she got into her patrol car.
*
Randi sat in the locker room, leaning back on a chair against the wall as her teammates prepared for the game. She knew her role. She was there to motivate the team and help lift the players she knew would falter without her on the field. It still struck a nerve knowing she wouldn’t be taking the field alongside them when the whistle blew.
“I know how much you’re hating this,” Carrie said, sitting down next to her as she tied the strings of her cleats.
“Yeah,” Randi sighed.
“We’ve got this. Win or lose, we’re going to the playoffs.”
“Yeah, but a win means home-field advantage.”
“I know.”
“Listen up, everyone!” the assistant coach yelled, gathering the group’s attention as the head coach, athletic trainer, and team owner walked in behind him.
“I’m going to make this short and sweet,” MJ said. “If we win, we’re playing here in front of our sold-out crowd full of rowdy fans. If we lose, we’re traveling up north or across the country to play on someone else’s turf and in front of people who won’t be cheering for us. We owe it to these diehard fans of ours to play at home. Rojas won’t be on the field tonight, but each of you knows your role. Go out there and do your job.” He turned to look at the owner who was standing with Jason, the athletic trainer.
“I have a short housekeeping announcement. Our beloved athletic trainer has decided to leave us after four great years to move back to Colorado to raise his new baby closer to family,” she said. “Jason, you’ve been a gift to this organization and we will surely miss you. We wish you and your family nothing but happiness.”
Several of the players spoke up, saying they would miss him and so on before she continued. “With that being said, he will continue with us until our season ends, hopefully after a championship win. His replacement is coming to us from Seattle, where she’s been for the past five years, working with the Storm WNBA team. She’s also finishing up her current season, as the Storm has made it to the playoffs. She will join us for the start of our pre-season next spring. She is a former collegiate softball player who was highly recommended. I believe you will all get along nicely with her.”
“What’s her name?” one of the players asked.
“Dashtin Oliver,” the owner replied.
“Cool,” Jorja said as Sasha immediately grabbed her phone and began to search for her on social media.
“That’s all I have, other than go out there and kiss some ass!” the owner yelled, rousing up the team before they headed out to take the field.
*
Randi had forgotten all about the news of Jason leaving as she watched the start of the game. She couldn’t help looking down towards the corner of the field, searching for the person she knew wouldn’t be there. She nearly missed seeing a tackle by Sasha that sent the ball forward to Carrie, who took a quick shot. It was a couple of feet wide, but it still had the sold-out crowd on their feet, screaming and cheering. Her excitement was short-lived when she saw the male of
ficer appear at the tunnel entrance. I wish it were as easy to let her go as it was to fall for her, she sighed inwardly, knowing deep down that wasn’t true.
Turning her focus back to the game, she yelled, “Let’s go, Richey!” as her team battled in the box on a corner kick, which connected perfectly with Carrie’s head and landed in the back of the net for a goal. Randi threw both fists in the air above her head and jumped up out of her seat, screaming and yelling with the fans around her. She was in the team’s box seats, but there were fans all around. Some of which she’d signed autographs for and had taken photos with before the game.
She hated not being on the field. Sitting in the stands on a red card was like sitting in the timeout chair while all of your friends got to play in the sandbox. But, as much as she hated it, she had to make the best of it. She was there and it was the last game of the season. They were headed to the playoffs in a couple of weeks.
*
“I stopped you because you rolled through the stop sign, not because you have barely enough weed in this bag to make a decent joint,” Berkley said, shaking her head. “If I came down hard on every stop I made where less than an ounce of marijuana was involved, I’d do nothing but waste my time writing tickets.” She handed his license to him after the check came back clear. Everything was valid and there were no warrants in his name.
“South 5—273D in progress; 651 Egret’s Landing. Multiple units in the area, please respond,” the dispatcher radioed, calling for two to three officers to head over to a domestic disturbance involving a husband and wife.
“459—responding; ETA two minutes,” Curt radioed.
“You’re free to go. If I stop you again with weed, you’re going to jail,” Berkley said, walking away from the man she had stopped on the side of the road. “327—responding,” she radioed as she got into her car and raced off to go back him up. As soon as she’d heard the address, she knew it was Garrett’s area and Curt would be taking the call. She drove as fast as she could with the lights and sirens wailing. Domestic calls could be as simple as an argument or as bad as husband beating the snot out of his wife. She’d seen them both more times than she cared to count.
Curt was already on scene when she pulled up behind him. “What do we have?” she asked, getting out with her hand resting on her gun.
“She says its nothing, but the neighbor witnessed her husband slap her across the face when they got out of his truck,” he replied, nodding towards a blonde woman standing a few feet away.
“Where is he now?”
“She says he isn’t home.”
“Did you check the residence?”
“No. She came outside as soon as I pulled up.”
“327—clear channel,” she radioed. “Ma’am, where is your husband?” Berkley asked walking over to her.
“I swear he isn’t here,” she urged. “Please, just leave.”
“Are you sure? Someone saw him arrive home with you,” Berkley said. “Maybe he’s inside and you’re afraid of him. We’re not going to let him hurt you.”
“He’s not in there.”
“Good, then you won’t have an issue with me looking around inside,” Berkley said as she began to walk away from her.
Suddenly, the front door swung open and a loud pop from a gunshot echoed. “Get off my property!” an angry man snarled as the woman screamed.
Curt dove behind the man’s truck and pulled his gun, firing over the bed of it and hitting him square in the chest. “Ward!” he yelled, looking around for her as he ran back around the truck.
“Oh, my God! Oh, my God!” the woman was screaming.
Berkley was lying on the ground nearby with a hole in the front of her uniform. Curt ran to her side. “Can you hear me?” he said as he ran his hand around to see if she was bleeding. She’d been wearing her vest, which had stopped the bullet, but not before it had caused enough pain for her to blackout. “459—11-99!” he yelled into the mic on his shoulder. “Officer down! I repeat, officer down. Ward has been shot! Suspect is deceased.”
“Copy—459. EMS has been dispatched to your location,” Dispatch radioed.
“601—459, I’m en route,” Lieutenant Cooper radioed.
Curt cuffed the woman and put her in the back of his car, then went back to Berkley, who was still lying unconscious on her back. The man who had shot her was lying half in the house and half on the stairs with a huge red dot in the center of his shirt and blood seeping out from underneath him.
“Berkley? Rescue is on the way. Can you hear me?” He knew she was breathing, but it was shallow, raspy breaths, almost like she was struggling to get air.
Several of the neighbors had come outside in time to see the ambulance come skidding to a stop. Two male paramedics jumped out and rushed up the driveway with equipment bags and the stretcher. One of them unzipped her uniform shirt, revealing her vest. A silver circle showed the location of the bullet and what was left of it after impacting the material. He quickly opened the straps on the sides and folded it up over her head while the other medic started an IV line in her arm.
“Her lung is collapsed,” the first guy said after listening to her chest. “We need to get moving.”
“Does he need assistance?” one of them asked, looking up at the man in the doorway of the house as he grabbed the backboard off the stretcher and held it to the side so they could roll her onto it.
“He’s dead,” Curt said as he helped them remove her vest completely.
Then, they strapped her down and wheeled her to the waiting ambulance. It took all of one minute for them to get settled and head down the road with the lights and sirens wailing, just as the lieutenant pulled up.
*
Randi met the team in the locker room after the game ended. “Great win, ladies!” she said, high-fiving everyone. “Now, it’s on to the playoffs!”
“We missed you out there,” Carrie said.
“Trust me, sitting in the stands nearly drove me crazy. I don’t plan on doing that again,” Randi replied before turning to Olivia. “That save was unbelievable.”
“Thanks,” she said.
“Save of the week for sure,” Sasha added.
“Hey, anyone else have breaking news on their phone?” one of the other players asked as she went over to the TV.
“I left mine in the car,” Randi said. “I wasn’t carrying my cleat bag and I usually put it in there.”
“Oh, my God!” Sasha yelled.
Randi turned towards the TV to see the words scrolling across the bottom. Female SWAT Officer with Richey Police Department shot while on duty. Currently in critical condition at Richey General. No further details at this time.
“No,” she whispered, shaking her head.
“She needs you,” Olivia said softly, placing her hand on Randi’s back.
Randi turned her head, looking at her.
Olivia simply nodded in understanding.
Randi wiped a tear from her cheek as she ran out of the locker room.
*
“When can we see her?” Garrett asked the desk clerk.
“Right now, it’s only family members,” she replied, looking out at the multiple police officers crowding the waiting room.
“I’m sure they will let us know something soon,” Dena said, squeezing his hand.
“If I had been there–”
“Babe, you don’t know what happened. Don’t do this to yourself. She wouldn’t want that.”
“I know. I’m just pissed. I should’ve been with her.”
“You were sick.”
“She’s right, Tomayo,” Lieutenant Cooper said, walking by with a cup of coffee in his hand.
Garrett nodded, then jumped up when he saw Randi rushing into the room.
*
Cops littered the waiting area for the emergency room as Randi walked briskly inside. “Can you give me an update on Berkley Ward?”
“We’re only allowing
family members at this time,” the woman said, sounding like a broken record.
“That’s her fiancée,” Garrett said, walking over.
“Huh?” Randi gave him an odd look.
He winked at her.
“Oh, right. Yes, I’m her fiancée. I play for the Richey FC soccer team. Our game just ended. I ran out so fast, I forgot my ring,” she said.
“Alright,” the woman replied, getting her name for the computer. Then, she gave her a sticker to put on her shirt as her pass to get into the room. “Go through the double doors and take a left. She’s in room two.”
Randi turned around and looked at Garrett.
He nodded.
The entire room watched in confusion as she went through the open double doors and disappeared when they closed behind her.
*
“Hi, I’m Doctor Yuri. She’s stable. The bullet was stopped by her vest, but the force of the impact broke two ribs and collapsed her right lung. She’ll need to stay overnight so we can make sure the lung doesn’t go down again. I believe she’ll go home sometime tomorrow.”
“Um…okay,” she mumbled nervously. “Can I see her?”
“Sure. She’s right through there,” he pointed. “Don’t worry, she’s fine.”
“Can you please tell them what you just said to me?” she pointed down the hall to the double doors. “Her entire department is pacing the waiting room.”
“Yes, ma’am. We were waiting for her family to arrive. I’ll go speak with them right now.”
Randi opened the door and stepped into the brightly lit room. Berkley was lying on the bed, still in the lower half of her uniform. Her uniform top was completely gone and her black, drifit undershirt was cut in half, but pulled somewhat closed, revealing her black sports bra through the opening. An IV line came out of her right arm and an oxygen tube was in her nose. She appeared to be sleeping until her lids fluttered and bright blue eyes zeroed in on Randi as she stepped up next to the bed, grabbing her left hand.
Playing the Game Page 28
