Elsewhere that night, Zelina Vega and Raquel Gonzalez were cuddled up on their couch after dinner. Raquel had waited for this moment to voice something that had been on her mind for a while.
"Z?"
"Yeah?" Zelina said, in a relaxed tone, her head resting on her fiancée's chest. They had their arms around each other.
"I've been thinking about speaking to Erin and asking her to put me forward for promotion to sergeant."
Zelina sat up and looked at her. "Seriously?"
"You don't think I should?" Raquel said, immediately doubtful.
"What? I absolutely think you should. I'm just surprised you're thinking about it. You told me not long after we started dating that you'd never be interested in a leadership role."
"Yes, well, never was a stupid word to use. And I've changed a lot since I've been with you, and with Intelligence."
"Changed? Grown. That's the word. You make me so proud, mami. And I definitely think you could make sergeant. You have the experience, you have the knowledge, and you're the most legit chingona in the world." Chingona meant badass woman in Spanish.
"In the world? I'm not so sure about that. But chingona? You know it," Raquel smiled. "What I'm unsure about is leading people. I've never led a team before really."
"You're a natural leader, mami. You don't even notice how people follow you at work, but I do. Erin should give you a chance to show what you can do. I think you should start by asking her for that."
"There's also Ruzek to consider. He's already second-in-command, and he's got his eye on the boss's office if Erin moves up the ladder."
"When, not if," Zelina opined. "They're already making her lieutenant. She might think she's staying in Intelligence for good, but the higher-ups have other ideas."
"I think you're right. Sergeant Gonzalez for the next boss does sound good, doesn't it?"
Zelina kissed her. "It sounds wonderful, mami."
-----
On the way back from their visit to Jason Jordan's wrestling school, Jay and Erin had agreed to keep the visit and its outcome secret from Clementine until the coming Saturday, when they were going to take her out to buy some wrestling attire. They would keep the destination and the reason for the trip secret until they got there, wanting to make the surprise even better for her.
Then a problem had dawned on Jay. "You know what we should have asked him?" he had said.
"Where to actually buy wrestling attire," Erin had realised as soon as he had said it.
Thankfully, a call to Michael Acevedo had paid dividends. He had passed on a name and location for a sports store in Chicago where he had been able to buy some attire for his daughter Ruth.
But first there was Friday's shift to work. They were in early, which made it a bit of a surprise when they discovered that Gonzalez and Vega were already in. Gonzalez was at her desk, and they could see Vega through the glass wall of her office.
"Raquel," Lindsay said in greeting.
"Sarge, can I speak to you in your office?"
"That's formal for this time of the morning," Lindsay noted. "Sure, you can talk to me. Fix me a coffee first, huh?"
"Sure," Gonzalez said, standing up. It was an unwritten rule that Lindsay didn't make her own coffee if someone else was in.
Halstead watched his partner head for the canteen with two cups in hand, wondering if everything was okay with her. He figured that if it concerned him in any way it wouldn't be long before he found out.
A couple of minutes later, Gonzalez walked into Lindsay's office with two cups of coffee. She used her foot to close the door behind her.
"Thank you. Have a seat," Lindsay said when she took her cup.
Gonzalez sat down, looking a bit awkward about what she wanted to talk about. "So, uh, I'm not sure what the right way is to say this so I'm just going to come out with it. I'd like you to consider putting me forward for promotion to sergeant."
"Really?" Lindsay said in surprise. "When I first brought you to Intelligence, I thought you might become my second-in-command. But you made it pretty clear that you were not interested in leadership. What's changed?"
"I have. I've changed," she replied frankly. "Back then, I didn't want to lead. I wanted to keep doing what I was best at – undercover work. But now I'm settled down. I'm getting married. I don't work undercover anymore. As you know, I've done a lot of self-improvement over the past year or so. Police work is a career for me now. A real one. I feel like I'm ready to take the next step up the ladder. I'd like to make sergeant and lead the team when, I mean if, you move up."
"I'm not moving up. There is no vacancy to lead this team."
"Not now, no. But Miller wanted to make you Deputy-Super. They're going to drag you up that ladder if they have to. I get why you're reluctant about it..."
"Let's stick to talking about you," Lindsay cut in, a bit more abruptly than she had intended. "You're putting me in a position now. Even if I did move up the ladder, Ruzek is my second, and will rightfully think that puts him in line for this office if it becomes available."
"I know that," Gonzalez conceded. "And trust me, I don't want to hurt Adam's career or get into a conflict with him. He's a friend and we were partners. But I have to do what I have to do for my own career, so I'm asking you to think about it."
Lindsay didn't say anything for more than ten seconds. In the moment, it seemed like a very long time.
"Okay, I'll think about it," she decided.
"You will? Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet. I'm not promising you anything more than thinking about it. And you should speak to Ruzek and tell him what you've said to me. That way everyone's cards are on the table and my unit doesn't start blowing up around me."
"Thank you anyway. And yes, I'll speak to him," Gonzalez said sincerely. It was obvious what the promise of consideration meant to her.
Before the conversation could continue, Lindsay's phone started ringing.
"It's Burgess," she said after taking it out of her pocket. She answered the call straight away. "Yes, Kim?"
"Sarge, Adam and I heard a call come in about a man found murdered on our way in. It was kind of on our way, so we stopped by."
"And..." Lindsay said, waiting to find out why she was hearing the story.
"It's Rodrigo Alvarez. You know, he was..."
"Bayley Martinez's right hand man," Lindsay finished for her.
"Right. Shot in the back of the head, Sarge."
"Tell Adam we're on the way. And call Purrazzo and Atwater for me. I want everyone there."
"Uh, Kev?" Burgess asked awkwardly. The fact that his presence even raised a question said a lot.
Lindsay grunted a laugh. "Oh, I especially want him there."
"What happened to Rodrigo?" Gonzalez asked when she ended the call.
"Shot in the back of the head. Wonder what the odds are on your favourite governor and mine having something to do with it?" Lindsay replied sarcastically as she got up and started putting her coat back on. "Come on, let's get out there."
Walking out to the bullpen, Lindsay looked at Halstead. "Rodrigo Alvarez has turned up dead. Want to make a guess who's behind it?"
"Jesus Christ," he groaned as he got up from his desk.
"That wasn't who I was thinking of," she replied with a wry smile. "You drive me. Raquel, you follow us."
A couple of minutes later, Halstead and Lindsay were in his car, speeding away from the 19th.
"Raquel wants a shot at promotion to sergeant," Lindsay announced.
"That's what she wanted to talk about? Interesting. How do you feel about it?"
"I don't know yet, honestly. She has a different type of experience and a different way of working to Ruze, and he did well while I was on maternity. He has a right to expect to get the top job, if I move on. Although I told Raquel that I don't have plans to move on. I'm getting promoted, but I'm still going to be in charge of Intelligence."
"True. I'm thinking that won't be your only job though. They're going to put more on you when you get that promotion. You might need a second-in-command more than you do now, and having one of sergeant rank would be good."
Lindsay thought about that. "You could be right, I suppose. And I'm also thinking that since Ruze got a chance to show what he could do, Raquel should get the same chance. It's a bit of a curve ball, but I do admire and respect her ambition. I don't want to stand in the way for the sake of standing in the way."
Halstead nodded, keeping his eyes on the road. "That's understandable. Why don't you give her some cases to run and see how she goes? If she does well, then you might have a tricky decision to make."
"Yeah," she sighed. "But difficult decisions are what they pay me for I guess."
-----
A/N: What do you think of Raquel's request? Should she be given a chance to show what she can do in charge of the team?
Do you think Bayley Martinez is behind Rodrigo Alvarez's death?
And what do you think of Erin and Jay's plan to surprise Clem about the wrestling lessons?