As Evil As Ignorance

AEAI 26

It’s a good thing that Herbert’s a fast learner. Six days into us showing her the ropes, Sanders gets the call he thought would come weeks later.

We’re in someone’s rooftop garden when his phone starts ringing. He fishes it from his pocket easily enough, but his brow furrows when he looks at the name.

Shrugging, he presses the answer button and puts it to his ear, “Hello, dear.”

He’s silent for a few seconds and then he’s shaking his head, “What do you mean your mother’s in labor?” Another short pause, “I know what it means, Hank!” He sighs and talks with his hands as he gets aggravated, “What I’m asking is why she’s going into labor now and not three weeks from now like she’s supposed to.” My partner sighs and turn towards me motioning with his head that he’s leaving.

“Hold on,” I tell him as he takes step toward the exit. Looking over to Herby, I point toward one of the scene techs and say, “Make sure you look over everything and write it down. I have to take Sanders to the hospital.”

“What do you mean you’re almost there?!” Sanders yells heading toward the exit regardless.

Shaking my head, I say to her, “I’ll be back in just a few.”

She waves me off and turns back to the tech as I run in the direction my friend vanished. He’s waiting at the elevator when I walk out the front door of the apartment we’d commandeered. He looks like he’s about to faint, so I place a reassuring hand on his shoulder and squeeze.

“Everything okay?” Raising an eyebrow, I push on him as the doors open in front of us.

We step in and he presses the lobby, “She went in to labor about an hour ago. She took a shower and got into the car. Hank says she’s fine and she’s just breathing like she’s supposed to. They started to head here about forty-five minutes ago. They’ll be there before we are.” He takes a deep breath and shakes his head, “That wife of mine.”

“She’s pretty badass, old man. How’d you get so lucky?” I smile at him as the elevator dings and opens to the lobby.

He chuckles, “I’m not sure.” We walk out the car in relative silence. When we finally get in, he turns to me, “I could have taken a cab.”

Shaking my head, I take the magnetic spinning light from the glove box and hold it in front of him, “Cabs don’t have these.” He smiles and shakes his head, but I take the opportunity to place it on top of the car and turn on the siren, “Hold on to your britches, Sanders. We’re going to get you a baby.”

-----

It still takes us about a half hour to get to the hospital they had picked out for the delivery. As we show up, I turn off the sirens and pull up to the entrance. He doesn’t waste any time getting out, but before he gets inside, I call out to him, “Call me when it’s visiting hours. I want to meet by Godson.”

He only turns for a second to wave and then runs in through the front doors.

-----

I get back to the scene about an hour and a half after I left and by that time everything’s pretty much wrapping up.  Herbert shuffles over as I walk in and shows me everything she’s written down to make sure everything in order. I concede and then we make our way back to the station. It almost quitting time by the time we get there, but I know we still have tons of paperwork to finish up before either of us get to leave.

We’re starting to fill out the first couple of sheet when my phone buzzes in my pocket. Without glancing much at the screen, I put it to my ear, “Detective Ashton.”