[Original: Drabble] "Park and Go" [Jones & Howell, G]
Title: Park and Go
Author: Ami Ven
Prompt: writerverse challenge 19 into the woods, picture prompt
Word Count: 578
Rating: G
Original/Fandom: original ( Jones & Howell)
Summary: Jones has a temporary partner for the night.
Park and Go
I can’t say I had ever paid attention to the phases of the moon, before I met Howell. I’d always admired it, looked up at the sky at night, tried to name the craters when it was full. I still thought it was beautiful, but now I knew the power it really had.
Now, any view of the full moon that wasn’t through the narrow window of Howell’s werewolf bunker made me feel anxious.
“Hey, Jones, you with me?” asked Wu.
I was her temporary partner, while Melling was home with the flu and Howell was home being a wolf. Normally, partners took the same days off - meaning I got the full moons off because Howell did - but we were in the first twenty-four hours of a missing child case, and it was all able-bodied hands on deck.
“Coming!” I called, hurrying to catch up with the other woman. We had been assigned to search several small parks nearby where the little boy had lived, but so far, we’d come up empty.
I swept my flashlight over the grass, ruffling bushes to look beneath them, stopping every few minutes to call the boy’s name. Wu was a few feet away, her flashlight crossing mine as we went. We met up again at the wrought-iron decorative fence, and she nodded at me to call it in cleared.
The next little park was a few blocks away, and we walked in silence. Under other circumstances, I would have made some kind of small talk, but neither of us were in the mood. Wu had kids of her own, so I knew she was feeling tense about this case. The park was about a block square, and again we found nothing. I called that in, too, and we moved to the next, another two blocks down.
Technically, our shift had ended - the early rays of dawn were beginning to show between the skyscrapers and townhouses, and I knew we’d have to report back to the station soon, if only for me to get my sunhat. Then, halfway through searching our fifth park of the night, our radios crackled.
“Attention all units,” said the dispatcher. “Cancel search. Missing child has been recovered. Repeat, missing child has been recovered, minor injuries reported, but expected to be fine. All additional units, report back to their stations.”
“Yes!” shouted Wu, with a little jump.
I grinned and keyed my radio. “Dispatch, this is Jones and Wu, checking in.”
“Acknowledged.”
We had taken Wu’s patrol car, left a few blocks back, and I nodded in that direction. “Hey,” I said. “You take the car and head home. We’re pretty close to the station, and I’ll check in for you.”
“Really?” she asked. “You wouldn’t mind?”
“Go. Give your kids a hug for me.”
“Thanks, Jones!”
The sun was almost up by the time I got back to the station. I kept to the shady side of the street, only heading into the direct light to cross to our front door, which is why I didn’t immediately notice the figure leaning on the railing, wrapped in a thick sweater despite the good weather.
“Sir!” I said, finally spotting him.
Howell snorted. “Too slow, rookie. Did you even check in yet?”
I grinned. “I’m going right now.”
He held out one of the paper coffee cups he held. “Well, get to it.”
I took a grateful sip, and held open the door to the police station. “Yes, sir.”
THE END
Current Mood:
Busy
Author: Ami Ven
Prompt: writerverse challenge 19 into the woods, picture prompt
Word Count: 578
Rating: G
Original/Fandom: original ( Jones & Howell)
Summary: Jones has a temporary partner for the night.
Park and Go
I can’t say I had ever paid attention to the phases of the moon, before I met Howell. I’d always admired it, looked up at the sky at night, tried to name the craters when it was full. I still thought it was beautiful, but now I knew the power it really had.
Now, any view of the full moon that wasn’t through the narrow window of Howell’s werewolf bunker made me feel anxious.
“Hey, Jones, you with me?” asked Wu.
I was her temporary partner, while Melling was home with the flu and Howell was home being a wolf. Normally, partners took the same days off - meaning I got the full moons off because Howell did - but we were in the first twenty-four hours of a missing child case, and it was all able-bodied hands on deck.
“Coming!” I called, hurrying to catch up with the other woman. We had been assigned to search several small parks nearby where the little boy had lived, but so far, we’d come up empty.
I swept my flashlight over the grass, ruffling bushes to look beneath them, stopping every few minutes to call the boy’s name. Wu was a few feet away, her flashlight crossing mine as we went. We met up again at the wrought-iron decorative fence, and she nodded at me to call it in cleared.
The next little park was a few blocks away, and we walked in silence. Under other circumstances, I would have made some kind of small talk, but neither of us were in the mood. Wu had kids of her own, so I knew she was feeling tense about this case. The park was about a block square, and again we found nothing. I called that in, too, and we moved to the next, another two blocks down.
Technically, our shift had ended - the early rays of dawn were beginning to show between the skyscrapers and townhouses, and I knew we’d have to report back to the station soon, if only for me to get my sunhat. Then, halfway through searching our fifth park of the night, our radios crackled.
“Attention all units,” said the dispatcher. “Cancel search. Missing child has been recovered. Repeat, missing child has been recovered, minor injuries reported, but expected to be fine. All additional units, report back to their stations.”
“Yes!” shouted Wu, with a little jump.
I grinned and keyed my radio. “Dispatch, this is Jones and Wu, checking in.”
“Acknowledged.”
We had taken Wu’s patrol car, left a few blocks back, and I nodded in that direction. “Hey,” I said. “You take the car and head home. We’re pretty close to the station, and I’ll check in for you.”
“Really?” she asked. “You wouldn’t mind?”
“Go. Give your kids a hug for me.”
“Thanks, Jones!”
The sun was almost up by the time I got back to the station. I kept to the shady side of the street, only heading into the direct light to cross to our front door, which is why I didn’t immediately notice the figure leaning on the railing, wrapped in a thick sweater despite the good weather.
“Sir!” I said, finally spotting him.
Howell snorted. “Too slow, rookie. Did you even check in yet?”
I grinned. “I’m going right now.”
He held out one of the paper coffee cups he held. “Well, get to it.”
I took a grateful sip, and held open the door to the police station. “Yes, sir.”
THE END
Current Mood:
Busy