Out of the Shadows

What had begun as any other patrol turned out to be a wicked, unforgiving night for Deputy Rennie Nyles.  As she braced herself on her kitchen sink, she reviewed the events of the previous hours.  

She and her partner, Deputy Ski Thatcher, had been making their usual beat around their assigned Dallas area.  He had munched and sipped casually on beef jerky and a stale styrofoam cup of coffee.  He was fiddling with the window of the patrol vehicle when he asked, “You got a hubby?”  

She shook her head.  “Maybe one day.” 

“No boyfriend?”  

“No.”  

“No fiancee?  Am I invited to your wedding?”  

She laughed lightly.  “No, Ski.” 

He shrugged.  “I was really looking forward to that, too.”       

She shook her head.  “What about you, Ski?”  

He sighed.  “No wife, no girlfriend, no fiancee, not even a dog.”  

“That’s sad.” 

“Oh, don’t pity me.  You don’t have room for it.”  

She nodded.  “Fair point.”  

“Do you own any pets, Miss Rennie?”  

She shook her head.  “It’s just me, myself, and I at my apartment.”  

He nodded.  “Same here.”  

“Don’t you get invited to parties, or nights out?  Something?”  

He shrugged.  “Every once in a while.”  

She smiled.  “We should do something.  Post a big party-like photo on Facebook and see their reactions.  Truly, we staged it at our apartment.”  

He laughed.  “That’d be good.” 

“Maybe we should do it.” 

“We should.”  

“You set the date and time, and I’ll bring the drinks.”  

“What about props?”  

“I’ll take care of it.”  She threw him a wink as she turned a sharp corner.  Around the station, they were the outcasts.  Ski was known for being a notorious pain, but the strong and silent type.  Before she got there, he wouldn’t talk to anybody unless he absolutely had to.  When she came strolling up to him, having been assigned to him, he smiled pleasantly and extended his right hand.  

“I’m Mark Thatcher, but everyone calls me Ski,” he looked her over.  “And you?”  

She stuttered, “I-I’m Rennie.”  

“Rennie…?” 

“Rennie Nyles.”  

“Nice to meet you, Ms. Nyles.”  

“Miss.” 

“Miss Nyles, excuse me.”  

She smiled at his teasing grin.  

“This way, please,” he walked and talked as he led her back to a small cubicle.  “This’ll be your station when we’re here, but our mobile station is in the garage.  You ready?” 

She paled.  “Already?”  

“Yes, the quicker the better.  Get a move on, little lady.”  He gave her an encouraging grin, and kept a firm hand at the small of her back as he escorted her down the stairs, and into the parking garage. 

“Mr. Thatcher‒” 

“Please, let’s spare the formalites, hm?  I’m just Ski, and you’re just Rennie, okay?”  

She nodded slowly, accepting a hand he stuck out to help her into the patrol car, which was a souped up-looking truck.  The tan paint bore wear and tear, as well as the emblem of the Dallas Police Department.  Her height was no match for the large wheels, so she probably wouldn’t have made it up if not for Ski.  

“Thank you.”  She said, looking down at him.  

He smiled.  “Anytime, Rennie.”  After that, he’d struck out to the other side, and hoisted himself up.  He gave her an exclusive tour of Dallas, driving on and on, ranting on and on, until daylight was nearing an end.  Once both their shifts ended, they wrote their hours, and headed home.  

“Did you take the subway?”  He asked as they walked out together.  

She nodded.  

“Want a ride home?”  

She smiled, almost unsure.  “I don’t know, Ski.  I only just met you.”  

He chuckled.  “Wary, I like it.  You’ll make a great detective.”  

She blushed.  “Thanks.”  

He nodded.  “Now, you don’t know because we’ve only just met?”  

She nodded.  

He bit back a laugh, holding his heart.  “I-I’m wounded.  Truly, Rennie, I’m not going to kidnap you.  If I wanted to, I would have hours ago.”  

“But now you’re under cover of nightfall.”  

He nodded.  “Good point.”  

They shared a laugh, then stared at each other.  She felt vulnerable under his steely blue gaze, often shifting in her stance.  He didn’t look away, and neither did she.  

Until she cleared her throat.  “Are you just going to stare at me all creepy-like, or are you going to give me a ride home?”  

He chuckled, placing a hand on her back again.  “I’ll give you a lift.”  

At first she was uncomfortable with him knowing where she lived, but it turns out he is of great help in times of need.  More often than not she was made fretful of being alone in her home, so she rang Ski.  He was always there in no time flat, and always willing to help.  If she had a problem, he could almost always fix it.  That thought brought her back to the present.    

She laughed.  “Ski, you’ve asked all those questions before.”  

“Doesn’t hurt to go over them twice,” he stared out into the raining night.  “And things change.”  

That peaked her interest.  “Oh, really?  Has anything changed with you?”  

She felt his laser beam gaze scanning her profile, so she turned her head for a brief moment.  When their eyes connected, he nodded and was about to speak when the radio buzzed.

“Hey, Rennie,” there was a static hiss.  “We’ve got a disturbance out on Oak Street.”  The voice read out the address as Ski jotted it down.  

She pressed the transmit button.  “We’re on it.”  

“Thanks.”  

She wheeled around quickly, switching on the blaring, flashing lights on the roof of the turck.  Ski always liked this truck, so she knew he trusted her immensely if he let her drive.  He was currently unbuttoning his shirt and putting on a vest.  

“What’s that for?”  She asked.  

“Disturbances can get hairy, especially where we’re going.  Here,” he handed her a smaller one.  “Put it on, I’ve got the wheel.”  He slid his hands under hers as she let go, unfastening each button on her uniform.  He often glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, but otherwise said and did nothing.  As she strapped the vest on, he took a sharp turn.  His arm brushed her relatively bare ribcage, and stopped both their breathing.  He chuckled nervously.  

“Sorry about that one, Rennie.”  

She shook her head, dressing all the way.  “It’s fine.  It was a sharp turn.”  

He nodded, letting go as soon as she had her hands back on the wheel.  

As they pulled in, they had shut the lights and sirens off as soon as they were within earshot of the place, they unbuckled simultaneously.  He had a hand on his service weapon as she made her way up the wooden steps.  It wasn’t a pleasant neighborhood, by all means.  The shabby, trailer-looking homes were very rundown, and every yard was in need of a good mowing.  All the flowerbeds were littered with buds of burnt out cigarettes, and empty alcohol cans.  The porch creaked under their weight as they knocked on the screen door.  Yelling was heard from inside.  But it moved with the couple inside, arguing in Spanish, as they meandered to the door.  

“Que? Que?”  The man, dressed in a stained wife beater and old Levis demanded.  Both deputies could make out the piece he carried in his waistband.  

The man’s dark face paled, immediately he went for the pistol.  Ski pushed Rennie back, making her land hard on her bum, out of the door way.  He himself dove after her as a shot rang out.  He groaned, shifting slightly so she could grab her own weapon.  She didn’t go as far as shooting the man in the head, but she hit him in the knee, causing it to buckle.  He dropped, dropping his weapon.  She scrambled up to kick it away, placing his hands around his back with cuffs, and patching his wound slightly with part of a rag he had limply hanging out of his back pocket.  

“Ski, Ski,” she said, kneeling by her partner.  “How bad are you hit?”  

He removed his hand from his forearm, it came out blood stained.  “It’s just a scratch.”

She made certain that was true by rolling up his sleeve, truly it was just an abrasion.  She nodded, tearing some of his shirt to patch it.  That’s when the second shot rang out.  She turned towards the house as Ski shouted her name, gripping her hand.  

“It wasn’t me.”  She whispered, standing up, and running into the house.  She covered her mouth at the sight of the woman, lying limp on the floor, her eyes wide open.  A wound to her temple oozed out fresh, thick, red blood.  She nearly retched.  She searched one room, making sure not to touch anything, and cleared it before moving on.  

In the third room, she found a small cot, and a crib.  A little girl clutched a small bundle in her arms as she cowered in the corner.  Rennie holstered her weapon.  

“Hey, hey,” she cooed, cautiously taking a few steps forward.  “Ingles?” 

The girl nodded.  “Where’s my mommy?” 

She smiled sympathetically.  “We’re going to play a game, okay?”  

“Where’s Mommy?”  

“You’ll see her after the game, okay?”  She held out her hand.  

The little girl bravely took it, keeping the bundle under one arm.  It was a baby, barely six months old.  Rennie smiled at the girl’s bravery.  

“Alright, what’s your name?”  

She swallowed thickly, glancing around.  “Amelia.”  

“Alright, Amelia, I want you to do something for me.  Can you do that?”  

She nodded.  

“Close your eyes, and keep the baby’s face against your chest. Can you do that for me, hon?”    

She nodded, pressing the baby’s face gently into her chest.  Rennie nodded, gently pulling Amelia out of the room after her eyes closed.  

“Just a few more steps,” she whispered, guiding the children through the home, around the blood, and down the steps.  “Step, step, step.  There you go, you’re doing great!”  She exclaimed in a whisper.  She opened the rear door of the truck and boosted the kids in.  

“Can I open my eyes now?”  Amelia asked.  

“Yes, go ahead.”  

She did, taking the baby’s face away from her chest.  She cooed at it, and rocked it gently in her arms.  “Where’s Mommy?” 

She smiled ruefully.  “You’ll see Mommy later, I promise.  Right now nice law officers have to see her, okay?”  

The girl nodded, staring down at the baby.  

Ski already called in for backup, he now stood on the front steps of the porch, trying to exercise his arm.  She ran up to him.  

“How’s the man?”  She whispered.  

He glanced down at him, nudging him with the toe of his boot.  The man recoiled, swearing at him in Spanish.  “He’s fine.”  

“How’s your arm?”  

He shrugged.  “It’s been better.” 

“Don’t play mocho, big shot, Ski.”  

“Truly, it’s fine.”  

She stared up at him for a moment, then moved on to anxiously waiting. 

Roughly two minutes later, although it felt like forever, backup arrived.  Two ambulances came, one for the body, the other for the man and Ski.  The children were taken by a squad car, most likely to be delivered to the CPS.  Ski was given a large bandage, and was told to rest.  The man had to be strapped down to keep his flailing limbs contained, but he, too, was patched up correctly.  He would spend a total of three days chained to a hospital bed, then the deputies could have him.  As for the woman, she was to be taken to the morgue for further examination.  Ski and Rennie faced off against two detectives, giving recounts of their stories.  

When finished, they closed their notepads, and said, “Rest up, y’all.  We’ll get you back in to tell it again, and get your statements in the morning.”  To which they nodded, and watched the detectives walk away.  

Ski rubbed Rennie’s shoulder with his hand, standing close behind her.  “I’ll drive you home.”  He whispered, looping his arm around her waist to drag her to his truck.  Yes, his truck.  She learned that quickly after she saw it the very first time.  

He drove carefully through the slick streets of Dallas, often reaching over to snap her out of her trances.  She slowly unbuttoned her shirt, almost mechanically.  

“What’re you doing?”  He whispered nervously in the darkness of the pickup.  

She looked down at her vest.  “Returning this to you.”  

“Oh.”  He let her take it off, and throw it in the back seat before closing her shirt.  

“You’re pretty shaken, aren’t you?”  He whispered as they neared her apartment.  

She nodded.  “Those kids’ll be orphans now, and to think about what they all suffered beforehand.”  She rubbed her forehead in exasperation.  

He nodded, covering her hand on the center console with his.  “It’s alright now.  Those kids will have a better life.”  

She slowly bobbed her head.  

As he parked his truck, she didn’t even have to ask him to stay, he already knew she needed company.  He opened her door, and helped her step down from the high cab.  He walked her up her flight of stairs, and helped her unlock her door.  

“Ski,” she whispered, turning around as soon as he shut and locked her door.  “Will there be more events like this?” 

He nodded slowly.  

She rolled her lips inward, feeling her eyes sting.  “I don’t like it.”  Her voice cracked with emotion.  

He enclosed his arms around her, bringing her into his warmth.  His belt and badge dug into her stomach, and hers probably scratched thighs.  

“Rennie,” he whispered into her hair.  “I respect you so much.”  

She lifted her head to gape up at him.  “You what?”  

“I respect you.” 

“Why?”  

He sighed, stroking her hair.  “You’re so empathetic, you feel things extremely deeply.  As for me, I block it all out.” 

She hesitantly touched his cheek.  At first he was shocked at the contact, reeling back slightly, but then he leaned into her touch.  

“Is it okay if I crash here tonight?”  He whispered.  

She nodded.  “The couch pulls out.”  

He smiled.  “Thanks.  I knew you didn’t want to be alone.”  

“I never do.”  

“We should be roommates.”  

She laughed quietly at the thought.  “Roommates?” 

“Yeah.”  

“Roommates?”  

“I’ve already said yes.”  

“Are you going to pay rent?”  

“Do you want me to pay rent?”  

She shook her head.  “If we were roommates, we’d split the grocery list, and meals.  I’d cook four nights, you cook three.  You get half the groceries, I get the other.”  

“You don’t trust my cooking?”  

“I’ve had your eggs you brought in to work, they were not sunny side up.  More like a sunny side down.” 

He laughed. 

She sighed, patting his chest lightly with the hand she retracted from his cheek.  “Get some rest.”  

“You, too.” 

She turned back to him as she was about to enter her bedroom.  “I’ll be asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.” 

That was a lie.  Now, hours later, she was hunched over the sink.  She drank a glass of water, trying to not wake him.  She looked at the clouds, turning a beautiful indigo color.  The sun was just about to rise.  She stalked over to her door, gently unlocked it, and looked out over her porch.  The sun was just barely above the horizon, but cars were sleepily murmuring on the strip.  She crossed her arms over her chest, feeling chilled against the morning air.  Strong, long, lean arms curled around her waist.  She gasped, then relaxed, stacking her palms on his in the middle of her stomach.  

“Morning, Ski,” she whispered, craning her head back to look up at him.  “Did I wake you?”     

He shrugged with indifference.  “I heard the door, so I came over to see what was up.”  

She nodded, ignoring his bare torso in which she rested her body against.  She looked back down at the sunrise, seeing the beauty in it.  

He rested his mouth on her hair as he whispered, “Rennie, I want to tell you something.” 

She turned around slowly, looking up at him, and giving him her full attention.  

He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.  “Ever since I met you, I knew you’d be a pain,” he chuckled.  “But I also knew I’d like you.” 

Her lips parted in astonishment as he cupped her face in his hands, and met their lips for a brief, but meaningful amount of time.  She gaped up at him, especially when he came back, making the kiss longer, and more deep.  

“What I said last night about the roommate stuff, I wasn’t kidding,” he whispered.  “I meant every word.  I want to go to sleep, and wake up with you.  Every day.  You and me, for as long as possible.” 

She smiled up at him, feeling the pad of his thumb whisk a tear off her cheek.  “I’d like that.”  

He smiled, taking her hand to walk out onto the porch.  The sun was just rising, casting them in a bright ray of light.  He slowly spun her in a circle, resting his hand on her waist, and clasping their hands.  

“Dance with me?”  He whispered, setting their foreheads together.  

She smiled at him, letting him sway with her in the morning light.  The light illuminated their newfound passion that was hidden in simple hellos, in every conversation, in every caring motion, in every movement towards each other.  As if the sunrise were a helicopter spotlight honing in on its suspect, their passion was outlined, and never forgotten.