Matters of the Heart

Chapter 31: Time's Up

Chapter 31:

Time's Up

By the time Ali got to the police station she was frantic. She'd worked herself into a complete frenzy. Being away from Emily, especially now, today of all days, terrified her. She tried to pull away from Lorenzo as he was walking her into the precinct.

Any other cop probably would have turned into a raging asshole dealing with her abstinent nature, but Lorenzo knew Ali, and he knew her temperament. He knew that if he gave her pushback she'd just become more belligerent. Of course, that was probably going to happen anyway.

"Lorenzo, please...I have to go back. Please take me back," Ali begged, tears stinging her eyes. Tears of anguish, tears of rage, tears of frustration...they were all the same now.

"I can't, Ali. I'm sorry."

"You don't understand." Ali tried not to yell and scream and cuss like she wanted to, because she knew the only thing screaming would get her was a pair of cuffs slapped on her wrists. "I promised her I'd be there. She's going to wake up and I'm not going to be there and she's...she could die, and I..." She swallowed hard, "...please don't keep me away from her."

"My hands are tied on this one," he replied sadly.

He seemed to understand the gravity of the situation, which just infuriated Ali, because how could anyone in good conscience do what Lorenzo was doing? What Tanner was doing? How could they keep her from Emily? She hadn't even gotten a chance to go back in and tell her what was going on. She hadn't gotten the chance to kiss her and tell her she loved her.

"Tell them...tell them I struggled. That I tricked you...that I hit you...anything. Just let me get away. I don't care if they come for me later. Just not today. Not now. Just let me go."

"I could lose my job." He shook his head.

"Screw your job!" She spit back angrily. "I could lose Emily! You know, you remember Emily? The girl who came to visit you in the hospital with a 'get-well' basket after you broke your shoulder in the line of duty? The girl who watched your cat for you while you were out of town taking care of your ailing mother? The girl whose mother brings care packages to the precinct every month?"

"Look, this has nothing to do with Emily." Lorenzo pulled her towards the door. "I took an oath when I put this badge on, and that means something to me."

"I used to think you were one of the only good cops in this town." Ali glared at him. "But what kind of a heartless jackass pulls someone away from her hospitalized girlfriend like this?"

"I'm just doing what I'm told." Lorenzo sighed.

He seemed to have mixed feelings of sympathy and remorse, but that didn't help Ali get back to Emily. Ali felt a flash of rage heat up her face.

"You know who else was just 'following orders'? The Nazis." She snapped.

Lorenzo stopped moving, and for a second Ali thought he was going to let her go...let her bolt and get back to the hospital. But instead he just shook his head with a frown.

"Ease up, okay? You can't say stuff like that in there. You've got to chill before you talk to Tanner."

"And how exactly am I supposed to do that? You just yanked me away from the person I love the most in the world when she needed me the most." She sneered. She was angrier than she'd ever been in her entire life. "If something happens and I'm not there I swear to God I'll unleash holy hell on every single one of you." Her jaw was clenched so tight that her teeth were starting to hurt.