The first in a series set in the beautiful Otago Harbour, New Zealand.
COPYRIGHT:
c all rights reserved 2013.
This Story "The Understanding", all chapters and associated content is covered by copyright law 1994.
1. All rights have been reserved by the author and creator of this work. (Dee J Cooper)
Changes in POV are indicated by '####' sorry this chapter was so long, still learning to guage the length of each chapter. Will try better next time.
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I was puzzled, I was quite sure that the woman who'd caught my eye in the protest had no intention of breaking the law, but she had done, by breaking through a police line. It came to me that this might be reason enough to satisfy my curiosity and find out some more about her. I turned to Ryan,
"Yes, take her in, put her in the the cells, I will process her as soon as I get back." I could tell Ryan was surprised, I could almost hear the 'What the...!!' from the expression on his face. He was unsure, and his earlier question had clearly been intended tongue in check.
I was his superior, I knew Ryan would do as I asked. But I could tell there would be questions later. I would be looking for answers myself. Why was I doing this? She was clearly attractive, long fair hair, tanned skin. But it was the way her eyes wavered and filled with tears that made me feel like reaching out and stroking her face in reassurance. But instead, to save time, I needed to talk with her at the station, while I sort things here.
####
My humiliation was complete. I couldn't look the Sargeant in the eye as I was led away. What was he thinking! How dare he do this! a few simple questions would have proven I had nothing to do with stirring up a riot, or in any way inciting one! but oh no.... he is taking me in!! Smart!
To think that I have always believed in the New Zealand police and thought highly of them! What is that guy thinking? Then my mind turned to my job. I have a good working relationship with the principal of the school where I work, but I had only been there a year, since I had graduated from Dunedin College of Education. I can't imagine that the Board of the school would look very kindly on a teacher they employed having a brush with the law! I groaned.
My job as a teacher was more than that, it was my life. My life!#!! arghh! my life and my future seemed to be fast slipping away and the nausea deep in my stomach seemed to roll up and take away all my fight.
The officer, Ryan, led me off and put me in the van. I covered my face with my hands and started to cry. I wanted to avoid the eyes of the others in the van lock up. So I reached around behind my head and pulled out my hair tie, letting my hair cover and hide me. As I sat there my mind went back over the past few hours and it played like a TV show I had already seen and had no way of changing the story line. I groaned.
(Events an hour earlier)
What was I doing here? how did I let my friends talk me into this?
"Cassie!" Zach called out to me, pointing for me to duck as a protest sign was swung around by a nearby protester.
We were standing outside the Dunedin Hospital protesting the cuts to funding. I am not a rebel, far from it! Coming from a conservative background, I had been taught that a good education, living simply, and hard work were the way to being successful in life. When my mother was admitted to the ICU last year, I saw first hand how hard working the staff were and how desperately few nurses there were to care for the patients. Even now, thinking back to that time in my life, caused a deep pain to burn in my chest, a hollow ,empty feeling in my heart.
My Mum had a cancer scare 5 years ago, and the prognosis had been looking so good. But 2 years back, cancer had returned with little mercy. Giving Dad and I only a short 12 months to do things together with Mum, and sort her affairs before she had been hospitalised until the end.
I stood protesting with my long time friend Zach, and his girlfriend Rachel. We were close to the front of the group. There was a lot of noise. The rally organiser stood not far from us with a loud haler, shouting, and the crowd was joining in. Those around me had started jostling and pushing. Rachel had assured me that this would be a peaceful protest. Just a few concerned citizens gathering to have their voices heard. Yeah right!
I reached out my hand to Zach, I heard him shout, "You ok?" I had a rising sense of panic as the crowd seemed to take on a life of its own and surge forward. Zach stood taller than most, a lean athlete, who had been on the cross country team when we were in high school together.
In the 4 years since then, he had finished his qualifications as a personal trainer and he had bought into the management of a local gym, largely thanks to an inheritance from his grandmother. Everyone at high school had thought that we were an item, I had even wondered about crossing the friendship line at times myself. We had both dated others through high school. We had a comfortable friendship, often holding hands and always hanging out.
But last year Zach had introduced me to Rachel. I was really pleased for him, and didn't feel disappointed in any way. Zach was a good looking guy, never needing to take much care with his appearance to turn heads, but to me he really felt more like the brother I had never had.
Mum used to enjoyed cooking for us on our Friday night hang outs, and movies. She had loved his company as much as I did. Dad was so often away for work that Zach would step in and do things for Mum around the house, she was always so grateful. He was well built, and all that down time between clients at the gym, clearly was not wasted. His muscles stood out under his short sleeved t-shirt.
Rachel and I had decided to opt for simple jeans and t-shirts today. I had never done anything like this before...let alone knowing what the dress code was!! I was fast thinking that this had all been a big mistake.
Looking over at the two of them, Rachel stood to Zach's shoulder, her long dark hair pulled back, her skin fair, and her beautiful hazel eyes scanning the crowd with a growing sense of unease.
I hadn't told Dad what my plans were. On Saturday we would usually stay in together and sort the house after a busy week,and finish the day with takeaways and a movie. I didn't have much time after my teaching job to do housework during the week, so Saturday we both pitched in and got it done. My plans for moving out into a flat had changed when Mum passed away. Dad and I needed each other too much in our grief.
Now I was wondering about the wisdom of hiding my plans from him this morning. Just at that moment I was seriously jolted, and the outstretched hand that I had barely been able to reach Zach with, was pulled free. I heard him call out to me. But the anger of the crowd had become a palpable thing, pushing me away from Zach and Rachel. Zach pushed back against the crowd reaching for me, but it seemed hopeless.
"You'll be ok, we'll find you after," he yelled to me. Just at that moment somebodys elbow connected with my forehead and I crashed into the metal moveable fence, I felt dizzy, as a warm trickle of blood ran down my check. I wiped it with my sleeve. The police had hastily erected a fence along the side of the hospital to keep the protest from overflowing and blocking the emergency vehicle entrance. The police presence was increasing and I found myself looking desperately for a way out of the crowd.
I had to get out, that much was clearly obvious!! I wasn't strong enough to press back through where I had come from. The growing crowd now stood 10-12 deep along a large stretch up the side of the hospital.
Running out of ideas and starting to seriously fear for my safety, I started working on moving the barriers enough to slip through, and I thought I would try and get through the line of police to safety. But others in the crowd saw what I was doing and misunderstood my intentions.
"Dave," shouted a balding guy with a drink in his hand, "grab the end and help out. This girls got the right idea, we'll show the law that they can't stand in our way, the government needs to front up."
No sooner had he finished speaking than two other guys pushed hard up against my back, pushing forward, I thought I was about to pass out, just as the fence gave way. The crowd all around me surged up with a great shout, trying to push through.
#####
"Sargeant!?" There was clearly a question in Ryans tone. What we did next was my call.
I hadn't known a crowd quite so vocal before. There had been several protests over the past weeks, with the publics growing concern over budget cuts in health spending. The health system was under strain, the government was facing increased pressure to put its hand into its pocket to sort things out. But the reality of these decisions is that it made policing that much harder, with feelings running high.
This protest had started as others had, a well meaning crowd wanting to send a sincere message. I had control of the scene, as Sergeant, and quickly I could already read the signs that this was becoming more aggressive, and the atmosphere of the crowd had hardened with determination.
I made the decision and ordered my team, with my long time friend Ryan as my 2nd in command, to bring the fences in and suit up in riot gear. Initally the squad had looked at me strangely, as if it was overkill but nobody said anything. They certainly wouldn't be complaining now!
From where I stood behind the front line of police, I knew it had been the right call.
Reaching for my shoulder I flicked the button on my communicator,
"Ryan, bring those guys back from the fence, give the crowd some space, and make sure we hold this line!"
I had growing concerns that the emergency vehicles would not be able to access the ER if the crowd broke through. I was always proud of the fact that I had worked so hard in police training and graduated strongly. It meant that once on the job, and I had completed my Sergeants qualifications, that I received a quick promotion.
But at times like this, when the responsibility fell squarely on my shoulders, I felt the weight of the situation. I turned to the command vehicle where Sam Morton sat. He was the hospital CEO.
"Sam, do we have an alternative access if this line breaks?"
Sam had come out when I had called him earlier. I gave him the reason that we wanted someone from the hospital there to make decisions on their behalf, but secretly part of my reason was a selfish one.
I wanted this paper shuffling, back room manager, to see first hand the community feeling on some of the policy decisions that the hospital had recently made.
"Yeah," Sam answered. "I've made arrangements for a nearby clinic to take any emergencies that come in now." He looked around agitated, from where he sat on the tail gate of the ute.
"When do you think you can have this mess sorted? I have other responsibilities that I need to see to and meetings are starting to back up!' Sam said in a demanding tone, with the air of someone used to getting their way. I tried to hide my impatience for the man and his attitude, behind a well trained veneer but wasn't altogether successful.
"I hate to hold up your day," I said with a biting edge of sarcasm, "but as inconvenient as this is to all of us, we need to follow the book on this, and they do have the right to be heard."
I knew from experience that my superiors had little patience with me for my occasional outbursts to those I met in the field, but really, the nerve of this guy!
I ran my fingers through my hair. We could look imposing in our riot gear. Dark fatigues, tucked into our police issue boots, dark shirt, with bullet proof vest strapped over the top, 'Police' branded on it front and back. Regulations stated they should be worn underneath but I had never been comfortable with that.
I ran my hand over my short cropped hair, and down over my face where there were signs of a 5 o'clock shadow that I battled to keep looking tidy, in a gesture that was a 'count to 10 ' moment from realty.
There was always part of me that kind of believed that there should be more to a relationship with a woman than just mere physical attraction. Not something Ryan, my 2IC seemed to subscribe to. It was only a theory at this point even for me, and didn't stop me continuing to test my theory whenever the chance arose.
Work demanded that we keep in shape, and although the gym was available, I rarely used it, I would rather spend my time helping Dad out on the farm than in a stuffy room.
Dunedin was a large town, but I was wondering if the 4 squads of police that had been available at shirt notice, could continue to hold the crowd back. Feeling the need to give further direction to the men, I turned to my comunicator on my shoulder and clicked the button to open a channel. I saw Ryan in the distance.
'Whats your feeling up there?' I could see his back, as his reply came crackling back through.
"Things are really heating up!" Ryan shouted back, the noise of the crowd building. "Do you think we should change tactics?"
Some of the crowd may have been able to overhear Ryan's side of the conversation, but I got the question he wasn't verbalising, loud and clear. He was wondering if it was time to remove the fence, to get up close and personal with the crowd, to start going on the offensive , to clear the area.
I smiled to myself, this was Ryan's favourite part! getting amongst it, shutting down the crowd. He had always enjoyed that and I knew that he had my back. He fiercely upheld the law, and looked out for the underdog.
The decision to move was mine, it was a tough one. My mind went back over the recent conversations with police management, and tactical meetings. A line had to be crossed, that would justify the police moving aggressively against the public.
I scanned the crowd, my eye looking to detect anything odd, or out of place. Something to give me some direction in my decision. Then I spotted her.
She seemed to be surrounded on all sides by roughly dressed men, who were giving no thought to her as they pushed forward. Everyone around her was focused on the hospital building and the line of police, yelling and shouting their message, but even from this distance I could tell that she wasn't really participating in the protest, and she had a look of panic about her.
Before I realised it, I was moving forward. I didn't know if it was my training or something else, but I had to get to her, before she met the police line. As I moved, I gave Ryan the word to move the fences and clear the crowd. For some reason I felt the need to get to her, and help her out of a difficult situation. She looked so small and fragile, also part of me was curious about why she was here in the first place.
#####
I gasped as the crush of the crowd continued to buffet me,'Cassie what have you done?' I shouted at myself.
I was regretting coming, if only I had stayed true to the voice of reason and written a letter to my MP, and tried to voice my protest that way. But no, Zach seemed to make a good argument for coming down here and making a stand.
Here I am in the front row of a protest that is almost out of control! great, this is not going to go down well with my boss, I didn't want to think about how Dad would take it right at this moment either. I am close enough to the police to realise they are dressed in riot gear, ready to take action against the crowd.
With one final shove the crowd surged and the fence gave way. With a loud shout and a cheer the crowd moved through the gap that had been created.
But the line of police held and started forward at that moment meeting the crowd and pushing it back. The police were shoulder to shoulder and shouting commands out loud ,
"Stay close!! MOVE...FORWARD!!!.."
I could smell the smell of the shields that my face was being pressed against, and the baton of the officer directly in front of me, narrowly missed my face as he knocked against his shield. I was just thankful that in this position I could at least breathe, but I was pinned and couldn't move. The noise of the line of police advancing against the crowd was terrifying.
The idea that I could escape this way, was now clearly hopeless, as I saw the determined set of the officers faces in front of me. They meant business.
I was so overwhelmed I was just about collapsing on the ground, and very close to tears. Just when I thought I couldn't stand anymore, a strong arm reached between the shields, grabbing my arm and pulling me to safety behind the police line.
I realised that I continued to move, but I seemed to have little control over my feet. Before I realised it I was sitting on the back end of a Ute, some distance from the advancing police line. It was not before time for me to sit, because I didn't know how much longer I could have stood. My eyes travelled up the person standing before me, taking in the boots, the bullet proof vest and ruggedly handsome features.
The body was the kind of build that I found very attractive. He had broad shoulders and even hidden under his gear there was little left to the imagination. What?! I gave myself a tug back to reality.
I really can't be having these thoughts, while I am caught in this situation!! But my mind continued to reflect, I hadn't been sheltered, I had been out on dates, and known guys. But I had very little patience for 'dating' unless there was a real relationship to explore. I had just never met anyone. Then as my eyes continued to rise, I met his eyes. They made me catch my breath. I held the gaze of his piercing blue eyes that seemed to silently be questioning me, as I sat there.
My eyes fell to his lips and I realised that he was talking, ..I got to thinking, and wondering what it would be like...! again, ...seriously! get it together Cassie I told myself firmly. Where is my mind at!!, but as I watched a smirk turned the corner of his mouth. His eyebrows rose in question. His eyes clearly communicated to me that he had known exactly what I was thinking, and I blushed from embarrassment and looked away.
He was talking into a 2-way radio on his shoulder. 'NOW, I want you moving forward and break them up, ... there was a static response, then he continued "YES, down that alley and the next one too, Don't stop forward movement until this carpark is cleared, and bring in anybody that resists."
There was movement beside me, and as my head started to clear, for the first time I realised that there was somebody sitting on the tailgate beside me. He was a small built man, certainly compared to the near 6' guy in front of me, he would have been a head taller than Zach even. It puzzled me that I compared him to Zach, then the man beside me spoke.
"Sergeant McLeod, thank you for cleaning up this mess, the hospital and I are grateful."
As he stood up he extended his hand to the policeman in front of me. I looked up at the guy that had pulled me from the crowd, he exuded command and confidence. He glanced at the hand extended to him, ignoring it, he said,
"Sam, this is far from over, there will be clean up, paper work, no doubt arrests, trials, and a good deal of questioning about the policies that led to the protest in the first place, there's a long way to go."
Almost as if to add weight to what he was saying, 3 people were marched past us, hand cuffed, and loaded into a nearby vehicle. One of the officers called out,
"Max, do you want us to take these in and start processing, or stay here?'
Max looked up from Sam and his eyes glided down to meet mine, "Take them in Ryan," he said, "Things are getting a bit quieter here now.'
Having shut the back of the van, Ryan walked back over and looked from Max to me on the back of the Ute and he asked,
"Who is this? Do you want me to take her in too?" The feeling of panic that had begun to subside in me started to pick up again, and my eyes quickly looked back to Max. I held my breath. I saw the curious, unspoken question in their depths.
So now here I was, in the back of the back of the police van, I sobbed out a quick prayer. 'Lord, I don't know how I got into this impossible situation, but please give me a way of escape, that my explanation will be met with understanding,..." that was the last thing I remembered as I passed out.
####
Hours later, as I drove back to the station, my mind was full of all the paper work that now needed to be done to have any chance of prosecutions sticking for those that were arrested.
My senior sergeant had appeared at the end of the protest, not long after the fences had come down. He had helped with the last of the clean up. But as it was, we had bought in over 20 people refusing arrest, and some who had even taken advantage of the situation to cause wanton damage to the surrounding area.
My head was pounding. What was meant to have been an 8 hour shift had now turned into well over 10. I had released most of the squad now. The night shift had come in. Even though it was now 10pm, I knew that the paper work for those that had been arrested, would be on my desk to process. I sighed.
I pulled up into a near empty car park outside the station, and made my way inside to my desk. Rubbing my hand down my face, my eye caught a note Ryan had left on top of the pile before he left. As soon as I saw it..I swore out loud!!
'Hell!' I muttered, how could I have forgotten her!! Ryan had written...
'Don't forget, cell 4 hasn't been processed or questioned yet. By the way, she passed out in the van so I carried her in. She came round in the cell, and I got her name...Cassandra Henderson."
I quickly took off my vest and threw it onto my chair. I was feeling hot and tired. I hurried down the hall, grabbing the key and reached for cell 4's gate, feeling more trepidation than I would normally do with a hardened criminal. Cassie clearly wasn't one, it must be tiredness that had me feeling this uncertainty.
#####
I had lost track of time sitting in this cell. I looked up as the door swung open. Things had been quiet for awhile in the station. Now he finally appears. I had been steeling myself ready for this. Since Ryan had carried me in, he told me that Max would get my statement when he returned. That was over 4 hours ago.
When I got my to call Dad, he was furious. Probably more because I was being held than anything else. I had managed to convince him that it was simply routine, and I would be home soon. But I couldn't convince myself. Initially I had managed to doze off. Then I had used the time to draft a statement, which, after listing my personal details, really read more like a book than anything else. Nobody could fault me for not being thorough.
I was done, ready to get out. With a clang of metal and keys turning in the lock the holding cell swung open, there he was. But now that he had arrived, I didn't feel quite so ready. The space seemed too small in the cell. He stood, feet planted, arms crossed looking down at me as I sat on the bed. He looked just as I remembered. He felt less,... dangerous in one way, I guess, than when we were out on the street.
'You've had quite an interesting day', he said with a dry smile.
He sounded ready to launch into a police interview, and I just didn't have the energy to go there. Then he seemed to make a decision, and with a sigh he slipped into a less formal mode, he grabbed the only other piece of furniture in the room, a small metal chair. He swung it backwards between his legs, sitting straddling it, arms resting down each side of the back of the chair, facing towards where I was sitting, on the edge of the bed.
Too close, I thought to myself. I looked up into his eyes, as blue and clear as I remembered, my breath caught. Although there was a tiredness around them that clearly came from working long hours, I felt my breath catch and a warmth spread through me.
I was so full of mixed feelings, that his nearness prevented me from being as logical as I had been earlier. I had decided that I should be angry with him, and grateful to him in equal measure. Angry because he felt it necessary to bring me here, yet grateful he had pulled me out of the crush of humanity, that might have seen me hospitalised.
He reached over to the table, "Is this your statement?" He asked picking it up and starting to read. Then he smiled and gave a short laugh! What a nerve, what's he finding so funny?
"What's so funny?" I snapped, glaring at him.
He seemed to be trying to correct his face, but was having no joy. He couldn't stop his shoulders from starting to shake into a full blown laugh! I was fuming.
"Is my statement that amusing?..really? Well forgive me if I've not done this before and didn't know how much detail you wanted. But I put down all the points I could remember. "
By now the fact that he was staying on his chair was a miracle, as he gave in and threw back his head. Then I found myself like those silly girls at school, who laughed because someone else did, having absolutely no idea the reason why.
"What?" I said "WHAT?".. Then I was finding the sound of his laughter warmed me somewhere deep inside, that I didn't even know was cold. Like I was waking up.
I laughed with him, quieter, but definitely letting the humour of the moment wash over me, and I relaxed and felt strangely safe, in the most surreal circumstances. In a prison cell, late at night, having been caught up in, and rescued from, a riot!
As he quietened down, and ran his hand over his face, he gave me a strange look, his eyes darkened. I couldn't move, my smile faded, he reached his arm out towards me and slowly raised the back of his hand to touch the side of my face, that had been hit during the melee earlier.
"Are you ok?" He asked, his voice had dropped lower. I nodded. My eyes locked on his, then without realising what I was doing my eyes dropped to his lips. I felt a warmth spread through the centre of me. My heart was pounding in my ears, and for some strange reason I had to fight the urge to move closer to him, run my hands around his neck.
Then he smiled quietly, humour lighting the corners of his eyes, "You didn't write in your report how many of the crowd were wearing hats, or what colour the CEO's tie was!"
Fearful that he would set himself off laughing again, I smiled good naturedly, and said, "I know, but I did have 4 hours, alone in the cell, before anyone came to interview me, to prepare it.." That sobered him up. He glanced at the ground as silence enveloped the room. Finally he said,
"Would you like to lodge a complaint?"
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