"So, basically, you can answer all these questions honestly. I'm sure they are not affecting the case in any way."
Haseena's lawyer announces as he hands the paper that is full of interview questions to Aanya who is in the front seat. Haseena hums in response without really looking at the man who shares the backseat with her. Her attention is on her phone; scrolling through things and pictures on social medias. If she had any other choices that were better, she wouldn't take this exclusive interview path. She knows that they try to set it up as a casual interview at her home but still, she has to relive the whole thing she wants to bury deep inside her and never have to look at it again. She sighs quietly before the sound of her sigh is overpowered by the low-ding-sound notification. Someone has sent her a text. The number that appears on the banner catches her eyes more than the text itself. It is the line of digits; which means this is a text from someone she hasn't got the number saved; which means it gets her curious. She taps on the banner right away without really giving any thoughts of it.
I'd like to talk to you if you don't mind. Pls meet me at the hospital. Brian Park.
Haseena furrows her eyebrows and suddenly, feels the tightness in her chest. She glances at her lawyer who seems to be busy with his phone. Police starts to take an interest in the case again once the news has come out and he has to deal with those authorities again. Then, she moves her sight to the front seats; James is behind the wheel with his hand trying to stop Aanya from messing with the dashboard screen. None of her companions is paying attention on her so Haseena looks at the text again and feels the sweat forming in the palms. It is not the nervousness that is taking over her bit by bit. It is pure anxiety that is consuming her. She hasn't responded to the text. She doesn't know if she should or what she should respond. She clears her throat quietly and looks out the window to try to chase all these discomforts she feels away. That's when her eyes meet her savior. She takes a good look before reaching over to James. "Can you pull over?" Haseena says along with the taps on his shoulder to emphasize the urgency.
"Are you alright?" James quickly looks at the rearview mirror to check on the girl who wants him to stop out of the blue. He is worried and whatever that is wrong, he is more than ready to pull out the car racer in him and take her to wherever she needs to be to feel alright again.
"No... Yeah. It's just I saw Karishma." Haseena says and immediately senses how ridiculous she sounds. "I just happen to... want to speak with her."
"Didn't you just see each other this morning?" James smirks and carefully pulls over. "Okay."
"Don't make it long. You can't be late for your own interview at your own house." Aanya says as Haseena hops out of the car without answering anything.
Haseena jogs across the not-so-busy-street of LA to the officer who is standing on the sidewalk by a parked car. The officer whom she is walking towards with a spring in her step is attentively writing a ticket for the expired parking meter. She is wearing her sunglasses and taking in the sun she loves so much; looking sharp and smart for a job she could swear she doesn't want to do.
"Officer." Haseena calls her with a smile on her face and a cheer in her voice.
Karishma looks up from the ticket she is writing and smirks when she sees her very own sunshine walking towards her. "Ma'am."
"You look rather hot in those sunglasses." Haseena pauses her steps when she reaches the parking meter; inches away from Karishma.
"I know." Karishma responds as she tucks the ticket under the car's windshield wiper. "That's why I'm wearing them."
Haseena scoffs and chuckles a bit once she sees Karishma raises her eyebrows playfully. "How has your day been?"
Karishma steps back to Haseena; as close as possible with a parking meter standing between them. She rests her arm on it and practically stares into Haseena's eyes through her gray tinted sunglasses. She is waiting for her coffee and she hopes it comes fast because with this girl looking at her with such love in her eyes, she feels like she is daydreaming on the job. "I can't seem to get this E-ticket machine thing to work. So basically, I have to handwrite all the tickets. Been good, I think. Where did you come from?"
Haseena turns and gestures to the car that has been parked across the street. "We're heading home... for that interview."
"Are you alright?" Karishma furrows her eyebrows and lets her worry reach Haseena before starting writing on her ticket book again.
"Yeah. I mean. I guess so." Haseena sighs lowly. She doesn't want Karishma to be overconcerned and she doesn't want herself to be overanxious. "Anyway... I've got a text from Brian Park..."
Karishma instantly looks up from what she is writing as if the name triggers something in her that is more than ready to initiate some sort of a war. "You've got a text from Brian."
"He asked me to meet him at the hospital. He said he wanted to talk." Haseena explains. She tries to appear as calm as she possibly can while her mind is forming a storm that can either be a hurricane that destroys everything in the way or a rain that soaks everything including itself.
"Alright." Karishma nods and clears her throat a bit. She taps the pen in her hand on the parking meter a few times to align her thoughts. "Alright. I'll go see him after shift... to see what he wants. You... I don't think you need to see him. I mean... You think you need to see him?"
Haseena struggles for the right word and that sends Karishma right into the anxious land. Haseena has never had problems with words. She always knows what to say; no matter it's right or wrong. She opens her mouth and is about to start a word before taking it back. She keeps doing it for a quick while and Karishma waits patiently without interrupting her. "I think I need to see him."
Karishma watches Haseena's eyes that gradually regains their confidence. She smiles gently.
"I need to hear what he has to say, Karishma." Haseena explains. "Do you know why he is in the hospital?"
"I do." Karishma answers honestly and leaves her sight from the girl. She looks at the ground before taking a trip back to look at the girl and hoping she would not ask anything more. "Can you tell me?" Haseena asks before glancing at the body cam on Karishma's chest. "Or..."
Karishma looks down at where Haseena's eyes were glancing. "They only review the footage when there is something happened. It's not like before that there was actually someone keeping an eye on it."
"And that should be comforting?" Haseena is secretly relieved as she reaches for Karishma's hand and links her finger with hers. She needs anything at all that can calm her down. She would prefer a hug but if a touch on her hand is the best she can get right now, she'll take it without any complaints. "So?"
"It is not my place to say."
"Karishma, we've talked about this and we've agreed -"
"I know. I know." Karishma interrupts calmly without being so offensive or aggressive. They are adjusting to the new path they have agreed to take. They need to communicate as much as they can but the only problem is sometimes things Karishma has to communicate has a limit. "But I can't say for someone else. Look, Haseena, if I get my own hands on whatever happened, I would let you know but my hands are clean here. I... just... happened to know what happened."
"Fine." Although Haseena is annoyed by this, she has chosen to not push. They will end up with another fight if she does.
"About Brian. If you want to go see him, wait after my shift and we'll go together, okay?" Karishma moves Haseena's hair that is blown by the wind and hopes it will blow her worry away too.
"Oh, hi, Haseena." Officer Maria approaches them with two cups of coffee in her hands. One is handed to Karishma and one is sipped to refill her fuel that is already running low.
"Hi, Angela." Haseena waves to greet the officer. "I guess I'd better let you two get back to work."
"Oh, here." Karishma hands Haseena the ticket that has been ripped out of the book before she gets a chance to step away.
Haseena takes the piece of paper and after reading it, she furrows her eyebrows and lets the confusion hovering her mind. "What's this?"
"You jaywalked." Karishma uses her pen to point to where her car is parked. "There is no crosswalk where you came."
"Ooh." Officer Maria exclaims lowly and tries to hide her surprise behind her sip of coffee.
"Are you serious?" Haseena waves the ticket and gets a little irritated while Karishma smiles and shrugs.
"Please cross at the crosswalk, ma'am."
Haseena punches Karishma's arm quite harshly before walking away with the ticket that she is sure she will have Karishma pay for it. Karishma watches her leave with a smile that doesn't know how to leave her face. Haseena stops in her way for a few pictures with people who recognize her and glances back at Karishma who still watches her.
"Crosswalk, ma'am." Karishma yells to her.
"Is that a real ticket?" Officer Maria nudges Karishma to start walking back to their patrol car with her.
Karishma shows her the ticket book. "Of course. She broke a law."
"And when you get home tonight, she will break your bones."
Karishma chuckles ridiculously. "Oh, I know."
"What happened with the ticket machine?" Officer Maria stops by their patrol car and gestures to the machine that is hanging from Karishma's shoulder.
"It won't turn on." Karishma places her cup of coffee and the ticket book on the roof of the car before trying to press the power button on the side of the machine again.
"Did you put the battery in?"
"Come on." Karishma scoffs and feels a bit offended that Officer Maria would think that she is stupid enough to make such rookie mistake. She removes the cover and turns the machine over to see an empty hole that needs to be filled with something as simple as a battery. "Come on."
"Yeah." Officer Maria says indifferently. She is not even surprised or delighted that she predicted so correctly. "Maybe being a homicide detective suits you best."
After the interview and after the television crew leaves, Haseena gets some time for herself in the house that is filled with furniture but still feels so empty. Jabba is at his usual dog daycare. Karishma is still on her shift. James and Aanya are taking care of her business as usual. She is now alone in the house. The television is turned on without an audience while Haseena is going through things in her fridge. She ends up with the leftover bottle of wine. It is being poured into the glass that reflects the light of the day coming through the window. She is starting her first glass of wine in the middle of the day. She knows it might not be best but that doesn't stop her. Her lips meet the bittersweet taste of the wine and her eyes meet the sight of her phone that is on the counter nearby. The text she has got earlier today enters her mind again and reminds her that she hasn't replied anything. So she goes. She takes a few steps towards her phone with that glass of red wine in her hand. She opens that text again and stares at it without trying to type anything to make those typing bubbles appear. Her thought is not circling around whether or not she should reply to the text. Her thought is circling around whether or not she should go see him. Brian doesn't scare her. Her own mind scares her. She scares that she will feel what she has felt when she thinks about the whole incident. It is torturing her in a way no one could imagine. She doesn't want to feel it again but she wants this whole thing to end; with or without Brian getting what he deserves. She is ready to move on from this. It takes her a while and a glass of wine to decide on what she would do. Karishma would not be a fan of her decision but then, again, she hasn't been a fan of a lot of Karishma's decisions. Maybe this time around, they can breakeven. She leaves the empty glass in the sink before heading to the garage where her car is ready to take her to places.
