Sitting in my parked car, I stared at my place of work anticipating my first day back in 3 months. I had a lot of mixed feelings about going back, but I hated not being productive too.
"Showtime..." I mumbled as I opened my car door to get out.
I placed my badge on my waistband and put my pistol in the holder before walking inside of the building.
"Wallace, you're back off leave. How's it hanging, buddy?"
I acknowledged the desk sergeant with a simple headnod and signed in before heading upstairs.
As I approached my desk, I noticed that unfamiliar man was seated at Erin's old desk. I instantly caught an attitude because anyone who had a brain knew not to come near there.
"Wallace, my office." I put my things down on my desk and quickly followed the captain over to his office.
I was expecting him to talk my head off, but it looked like he was trying to figure out what to say. "How was your vacation?"
"Too long."
The capatain cackled and shooked his head. "I imagine you visited your sister and her family...am I right?"
"Nah, I'm the last person my sister wants to see...ever." Captain Frazier frowned.
"Cap't, who's this kid at Erin's desk?" I asked, quickly changing the subject before he gave me another one of his lectures about family and its importance.
"Reed. Jared Reed, he's your new part--"
"I don't need a new partner. As a matter of fact, I don't need a partner at all to do my job."
"Brandon, it doesn't work like that." Captain Frazier shook his head and went behind his desk to pull out a file that was empty.
"What's that? New case..."
"No, this your file." I furrowed my brows in confusion. "In the 3 months you were off, you've yet to go get evaluated. You know what that means, right?"
I groaned and shook my head. "I don't see the point. I'm alive, I'm here, I'm not crying in a corner. So, my medical opinion is that I'm fine."
"Brandon, you experienced one of the scariest things ever as a officer and you expect to believe that 3 months later you're mentally okay."
"Duh," I said with a nod.
"Wrong. Plus, I cannot put you back on the job until you get evaluated. So, come after that..."
"Come on, Cap't. I'm the best detective in the district, you need me. I'll go see the shrink after this shift...I promise."
The captain laughed. "You said the same thing 3 months ago and guess where we are."
"How many sessions?"
"3 months worth."
I smacked my teeth in disbelief. "What? That's crazy. How about I go get evaluated and come to work simaneuosly? I can work and go see the shrink afterwards or before."
"You're not about to play me, Wallace."
"I won't. Just let me work, Cap't. I need this," I admitted, practically begging to come back to work.
He sat in his seat behind the desk and started thinking to himself. I hoping that he'd do this favor for me. "Hmm, let me go see what the chief says about that suggestion and I'll get back to you. In the meantime, go see the shrink. I'll text you the address."
I mentally rolled my eyes, but I didn't have any other options. "Alright, I'll go today."
"You better go today, Brandon. You're one of my best men. I need you back at work. Now, get out of my office and go introduce yourself to your new partner."
I did as told and left Frazier's office, but I passed right by the new guy without a word. Just as I started to gather my things, he came over to my desk.
"Hey, man. I'm Detective Jared Reed. The Cap't told me that I'm your new partner," he put his hand out and I disregarded him.
"You've been mistaken, kid. We're not partners. We'll never be partners either." I replied and left from his presence more irritated than when I came in the building.
When I finally got back to my car, Cap't had sent me an address for the shrink. I know that I told that I would go, but I wasn't really up for it. I don't know how to feel about a random person evaluating me and everything I've been through.
I shook my pride off and drove to designated location, for the sake of my job.
Finally when getting to the spot for this shrink appointment, I just sat in my car questioning whether I wanted to do this. I'm perfectly okay considering the bullshit that's been transpiring as of lately.
"Hello, sir. Do you have an appointment time?" The desk secretary asked me with a small grin.
"Nah, but my boss told me that I should be able to do a walk-in appointment if necessary," I said with a slight shrug.
"Okay, what's your boss' name?"
"Frazier. Captain Daniel Frazier from LAPD."
The young woman glanced up from her computer with an even bigger smile on her face. "So, you're a cop?"
"Sometimes..." I uttered with a straight face, causing her to frown slightly.
"Well, Dr. Hubert should be out here shortly so if you could just take a seat, that'd be great."
I nodded in understanding and sat in the waiting room with my head raised up while I stared at the ceiling. I found myself counting how many black marks were up there.
"Mr. Wallace?"
A fairly short woman with a petite frame came from behind a door with a pad in her hand. I got up and followed behind to her office or whatever they call it.
She sat down first and observed me as if she was waiting for me to follow suit. I continued to stand with my hands in my pockets.
"You're free to sit, Mr. Wallace," she told me.
"Oh, okay. So, how this work? I gotta lay back on the couch or something..." Dr. Hubert let out a small chuckle and retorted back to seriousness quickly.
"Um, I suppose you can lie down or sit up...whatever makes you most comfortable." I sat on the couch and loosened the tie from around my neck.
"Comfty?" she asked.
"I suppose," I mocked her.
"Okay, so do you have any idea why you're here Brandon?" I shrugged.
"To get evaluated, so I can go back to work I guess..." Dr. Hubert simply nodded and wrote in the pad. I didn't like that, it made me feel a tad bit insecure.
"Fair enough. I'll tread lightly today, since it's obvious you're not here voluntarily. So, tell me...why did you become a detective, Brandon?"
"To get justice."
Dr. Hubert smiled. "That's quite noble of you. Would you say that you always wanted to be in law enforcement?"
I just shook my head. "Nah, not really..."
"What was your dream occupation before becoming a police officer?"
"Ball player."
"Brandon, you're obviously a man of very few words...that makes it difficult for me to give a good evaluation."
I sighed deeply. "Fine. I always wanted to be in the NBA, but my knee blew out. I lost my scholarship and, then, I became a high school coach. So, coaching was my secondary dream..."
"How did law enforcement get in the picture?"
"Um..." I paused. "My pops was killed at his crib 10 years ago and detectives on the case were trash."
"So, you became a cop to get justice for your father?"
"Exactly."
"Did you ever get that justice?"
"Yeah," I groaned.
Dr. Hubert frowned and jotted down more notes in her pad. "For a man who got justice for his father's death, you don't seem too thrilled about it."
"Almost two years working this case on the low and y'all finally got the bastard," I said with some closure to the situation.
"Ahh, better late then never."
I smacked my teeth and adjusted my waistband. "Yeah, but never late is better."
I followed the detective to the holding cell to see who this son of a bitch was that took my father's life for no reason at all.
When he pointed him out to me, my jaw clenched and fists tightened automatically. Never had I hated a person so much that I didn't know from a can of paint.
"Give us a minute," I managed to say with my clenched teeth.
The detective nodded and left us alone to talk. I stared him down for a while before making my presence known.
"Why'd you do it?" I asked, startling the young man.
When he noticed me, he matched my mean mug and laughed. "Do what?" he joked so nonchalantly and it enraged me. The nigga was lucky that I wasn't on one today.
"You know exactly what the hell I'm talking about?" I fumed as he approached the cell bars to get closer to me.
"I don't know, ask Jayla." My eyes widened when I heard that name, it had been a while. "Or as you used to call her...the pk. Nothing like a preacher's kid, ain't that what you said?"
I stood there confused as to what a bitch that I fucked one time had to do with my father's death.
"She has nothing to do with this."
He cackled and shook his head. "She has everything to do with this. How you think you just gone take my lil cousin virginity and, then, leave her in the dust? Nigga, it don't work like that. Especially, when we found out she had that abortion to save face!"
I was speechless because I never remember Jayla ever telling me about a baby, but then again I stopped answering her calls after we fucked.
"Killing my father was the answer?" my entire demeanor changed because it just hit me.
"Nah. I went lookimg for you, but turns out it was pops. Oops, nigga!" he chuckled with not a care in the world. "Shit, this all your fault anyway."
As if the thought wasn't already running through my head, it hit me again. I was the cause of father's death. My dumb decisions is what led to this shit and I'll live with this forever...
"Brandon?"
I looked up at the shrink and shook my head furiously. "Finding his killer didn't bring him back, so it was bitter sweet."
My eyes darted down to my watch and an hour had already came and went. "We done, right?"
The shrink glanced at the wall clock and nodded. "You're right. I guess we are done for today, but next week we'll meet again."
I exhaled deeply. "Yeah, I guess."
Getting up and leaving the office, I noticed that I had got several missed calls from Skylar so I called her back.
"Yo, do you ever answer your damn phone? I was worried." she barked and I mentally rolled my eyes.
"Well, I'm here now...mom." I said while getting in my car. "What you wanted?"
"Well, have you r.s.v.p. for the wedding yet or nah?" she asked. I shook my head because I already knew where this was going.
"Nah, I don't do parties."
Sky smacked her teeth and I imagined that she rolled her eyes as well. "Ugh, you're the oldest 29 year old I know. And, it's a wedding...who doesn't like weddings? At least be my plus one for the night, so I'm not lonely."
"Okay, call Trav," I insisted.
"He has a date already..."
"Call your ex-boyfriend. Aren't y'all still cool like that?" I asked, not willing to acknowledge him by name.
"Kyle's on the road with one of his artists, so he won't be there. See, that's more of a reason for you to come since you hate him to the core."
"Nah, I'm good."
"C'mon, Bam!" she yelled.
"Who?"
"My bad...Brandon." Skylar quickly corrected herself, knowing that I disliked being called that name, but every now and then somebody slips up. I just felt I wasn't that guy anymore, so I didn't want to be associated with Bam.
"Look, I'm not making any promises but I'll let you know by the end of the week if I can go."
Skylar was clapping like a child on the phone. "Yay!"
"I didn't make a promise..."
"I know, but coming from you...that pretty much is a yes in my mind," Sky cheered.
"Alright, hang up."
"You so anti-social, it's depressing," she joked.
"Yep."
Vote, comment, and whatever else :)
Det. Brandon Wallace formerly known as "Bam" is back in action, but he's very different from what y'all remember.
Are we liking Brandon or nah?