S2 EP8

"How you feeling today, Jacks?" Ollie hummed as she snuck up to her fellow rookie, "You're getting your commendation today!"

Jackson beamed at his friend. "I am— excited."

"Congratulations," she gave him a side hug, then held him still by his shoulders. "I'm really, really happy for you, Jacks."

"Aww, thank you, Ollie," he smiled back, "It's crazy— Like, a few weeks ago, I thought I was gonna get bounced from the program, and now I'm getting an award from the Deputy Chief."

Ollie furrowed her brows with a tilt of her head. "It does sound crazy when you put it that way."

"Hey, Tim is gonna be in a really good mood today," Jackson added, giving her a wink.

"Eh. He's been alright recently," the woman simply shrugged in response. "Less cranky, less snappy, you know."

Jackson quirked a brow at her in disbelief, especially not after the day he had spent with her T.O. that earned them their commendation in the first place. "Really?"

But Ollie's nod was genuine. "Mm-hmm."

➤➤➤

"I honestly thought you'd at least look happier," Ollie commented in the passenger seat of their patrol car as Tim gazed over to her with a raised brow, "I mean, it's the 'Light of the City' award. It's quite a big deal."

"I don't do this for the medals and plaques, Boot," Tim merely responded, gaining a disapproving sigh from his rookie.

"Yeah, yeah. Let me guess, only lesser cops enjoy recognition?"

"Exactly."

"Well, if it doesn't matter, turn it down."

Tim flashed her a look. "It doesn't matter to me, but it does matter to the higher-ups," he explained, "Look, a good score on the sergeant's exam, and this award could help me rise through the list of candidates."

The rookie eventually nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Fair enough," she muttered, looking back out the window to inspect the neighbourhood. She spotted a skateboarder zooming up to their street and straightened her back. "Three o'clock, that skateboarder's about to grab that woman's bag—"

"Swing and a miss," Tim commented, watching as the skateboarder skated past the woman with no intent of stealing any bags.

"Well, better safe than sor— Tim!"

Ollie's exclamation fell short as her eyes flickered to the car in front of them— but Tim did not manage to react and brake their vehicle in time, causing them to hit the car severely. The airbags flushed out at once while the officers jolted forward in their seats.

It took them a moment before they registered what had happened, but they quickly snapped back into action.

"You're bleeding," the rookie noted as she turned to her T.O.

Tim frowned, wiping off some blood from his nose, but ultimately shook his head. "I'll be fine. You okay?"

"Yeah."

"Get the flares out. Seal off the whole street," he instructed, already unbuckling his belt to get out of the car. While Ollie headed to get the items from the trunk of their shop, Tim walked up to the car that he had rear-ended.

A woman staggered out of the driver's seat, groaning in pain.

"Ma'am, are you hurt?"

The woman held the side of her car, shaking her head. "No. I'm fine."

Tim nodded, retrieving his radio from his duty belt. "Control, 7-Adam-19. Show me at a traffic collision at Melrose and Gardner," he notified, "Be advised, it's a city vehicle."

➤➤➤

The entire street had been sealed off, with multiple groups of officers surrounding the area. The pair involved in the collision had been removed from the scene and were currently waiting by the curb.

Ollie watched as more officers dropped by, some photographing the collision while others murmured reports back to their supervisors. "That's a lot of cops for a fender bender."

"Officer-involved accidents are very serious," Tim remarked, walking towards one of the officers, who was striding over to them.

"Someone's getting a day at the beach," the officer commented. Tim stayed quiet, handing the former his I.D. and stepping back to the curb.

Ollie turned to him. "Day at the beach?"

"Suspension without pay," Tim explained, "One of the many possible discipline options. I could be demoted, kicked out of field training. No point in taking the sergeant's exam." He sighed, then saw two familiar faces in a patrol car that had just pulled up beside them, then sighed again. "And things just keep getting better."

Grey and Harper got out from the other car, walking towards the T.O. and rookie pair intently. "You two okay?" the watch commander asked.

Tim nodded. "Yeah. Fine."

"Shop's not," Harper stated dully, eyeing the crushed bumper and damaged car trunk.

Grey shook his head, turning back to the T.O. "What happened?"

Tim shook his head devastatingly. "I lost focus," he replied. "The car just suddenly stopped."

"And the other driver?"

"Already taken to the hospital," Ollie replied, this time. "The E.M.T.s said that she might have whiplash. Possible concussion."

Grey nodded at the input, sighing. "It's probably best you sit out the ceremony today," he told Tim.

"Of course. Can't have the Deputy Chief handing a plaque to an officer facing demotion."

The watch commander looked visibly displeased. "I'll need a collision memo on this by end of shift."

Tim nodded flatly, and Grey turned away to head back to their shop; Harper, on the other hand, hung back.

"Given the liability implications, you should go to the hospital, in order to head off any questions about your fitness to drive," she advised him, "Have them do a full work-up and prove that you weren't impaired."

"Yeah, I'll do that," Tim nodded back at her appreciatively. "Thanks."

Ollie glanced at her T.O., who looked increasingly distressed by the second. She was about to try to console him, but Tim had spoken first. "Follow our shop back to the garage. Transfer our gear to a new one, pick me up at the hospital."

He was about to walk past her to catch a ride, but Ollie grabbed his arm and held him back. "Wait, you don't want me to come with you?"

"No," Tim answered blatantly before letting out a heavy sigh. "No, it's fine. I'll be fine. We're still on shift, Boot. So, go."

Ollie nodded at last, releasing her grip. "Yes, sir."

➤➤➤

It was not hard to notice the defeated and remorseful look on Tim's face throughout his work-up in the E.R.

"Everything looks normal," Grace Sawyer informed the cop after concluding her examination.

Tim nodded flatly. "Great." The sarcasm in his tone was evident, still eyeing the other driver, who was resting on a bed near him with what he assumed was her partner by her side.

"People get in accidents," Grace reasoned, "Even cops."

"What do they call it when a doctor has an accident?" Tim sighed out.

"Malpractice."

"Well, we're both held to a higher standard for good reason," Tim exhaled at last, nodding towards the other driver. "How is she?"

"The C.T. scan came back negative for internal bleeding. We'll keep her overnight to make sure she's okay," Grace informed, but Tim only felt the slightest bit of relief from her words. "She asked for you when they first brought her in," the doctor added, "She doesn't blame you. Go talk to her."

"Thanks," Tim muttered as the doctor headed off. He got off his bed uncertainly but still approached the woman he had rear-ended. The man by her bed looked very much unhappy at the cop's presence. "How are you doing?"

"I'm okay," the woman, Sarah, smiled back.

"No. No, you're not," the man interjected irritably, glowering at the officer. "Do you know how much this is all gonna cost?"

"The hospital bills will be covered by the city," Tim assured them, "So will the repairs to your vehicle."

The man scoffed. "You just think that makes everything all right?"

"Mike, stop." Sarah tried hushing him.

"No, i-it's okay," Tim stated instead. "He has a right to be angry."

"And I have a right to sue," Mike added sharply, catching the cop off guard.

"We're not gonna sue," Sarah insisted with a sigh. "He didn't mean to hit me, did you?"

"No, ma'am," Tim reassured firmly, sensing the uneasiness of their situation, "I hope you feel better soon."

He left the couple at the bed with a shaky exhale; his unintentional mistake was going to haunt him for a while. He needed to get back on the streets to get his mind off this. Shaking his head, he pulled out his phone and dialled a number.

➤

Ollie hit the silent button on her phone the second time it rang.

She was circling their shop, then the damaged car, when the same officer who took Tim's I.D. from earlier on spotted her lurking. "You got business here, little lady?"

"Uh, my T.O. and I were the ones involved in this accident," Ollie explained.

"Oh, right. The beach boy," he chuckled. "He's screwed."

"Have you looked at this car yet?" Ollie asked, pointing to the damaged car they had hit.

"Not yet."

"Sir," Ollie pressed on when the senior officer was about to turn away, "I-I don't remember seeing brake lights."

He merely stared at her sceptically. "Uh-huh."

"Can you... take a look?"

"Yeah, when I have time."

Ollie rolled her eyes when the officer turned away from her. "Yeah, well, you've got time now," she insisted, "And this is important. Officer Bradford is a twelve-year veteran, wounded five times in the line of duty. He deserves your respect. It's not even gonna take you long to just take a look," she swallowed when she was shown a hard glare, "...sir."

"Anyone tell you you're feisty?"

"I, uh, got that quite a few times," Ollie cleared her throat uneasily, "sir."

The officer eventually gave in to the rookie's stubbornness and headed towards the vehicle. "Okay. Let's take a look."

The trunk squeaked piercingly as he opened it, bending into the back of the car to check for some wiring. Ollie moved closer to the trunk and inspected the wirings held up by the senior officer.

"Oh, taillights weren't on," he verified. "The brake lights didn't work, because someone pulled out the contacts."

"And there was no way that could've happened during the accident?" Ollie asked again.

"You're right," he nodded. "These were pulled on purpose."

The rookie narrowed her eyes now, the gears in her mind spinning with much speed. "So, our victim did that for insurance scams," she deduced, "Get someone to rear-end you, then collect the settlement. That checks out, right?"

"Definitely. We see it all the time," the officer confirmed. "Maybe your T.O. isn't screwed after all."

Ollie nodded gratefully, letting out a relieved exhale as she eyed the trunk again. Another thing now caught her eye. "And, sir, what's that... powder?" she gestured at the red powder-like substance in the trunk.

The officer bent down again, taking another close look at it. "Ah. Looks like your victim's into all kinds of scams," he noted.

"How so?"

"Powder's, uh, red phosphorous," he identified, glancing at the confused-looking rookie. "You know, the stuff on the tip of matches?"

"Ah," Ollie nodded now, "But why would they have that?"

"Well, if they're not cooking meth, arsonists use it to set fires. Harder to trace than gasoline, and you can make a fuse with it."

Ollie's eyes widened at the knowledge. "Well, this just got complicated..."

➤➤➤

"Officer Lopez," Ollie called out as she quickened her pace down a hallway in Shaw Memorial Hospital. The T.O. looked startled to see her, and the rookie looked confused at the room she had just emerged out of. "Why are you coming out of a..." she glanced at the signage, "utility room?"

"You..." Lopez squinted at the rookie before grabbing and hauling her into the room.

"Wh— Jacks?" Ollie blinked at her friend, who was staring at a lamp in the room.

"Ollie, Ollie, Ollie!"

"Can you babysit him for me?" Lopez blurted out.

Ollie whirled to her, confused. "B-Babysit Jackson—?"

Lopez nodded solemnly. "He is, uh, stoned."

"Stoned?" Ollie's mouth gaped open in shock. "Starboy-Jackson West is stoned?!"

"Ollie, keep your voice down!"

"Right, right. But, um, I can't look after him. I'm supposed to find Tim. Do you know where he is?"

Lopez sighed helplessly. "Try the family waiting area."

"Oh, yeah. Thanks," Ollie nodded at her, taking one last look at her friend, who had taken a special interest in the photocopy machine. He sneakily fished out her phone and captured the spectacle for remembrance purposes.

Lopez facepalmed. "Keep your mouth shut about— this," she warned as the rookie left the utility room.

"Of course," the rookie assured with a grin, staring down at her photo with much amusement. "But I'll definitely be pulling out this story for his grandchildren..."

Ollie took the elevator down a floor and found Tim sitting idly by the waiting room; he got to his feet immediately when he spotted his rookie. "Hey. You switch out the shops?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Why didn't you answer my—"

"Wait. I go first," Ollie cut him off hastily, and he just quieted down. "Sarah's car was rigged."

Tim furrowed his brows at her now, baffled. "What?"

"Yeah. The brake lights weren't on. Leads were purposefully disconnected. I double-checked the dashcam to make sure, and there were no brake lights at all," Ollie elaborated briskly. "This accident wasn't your fault."

Tim shook his head with an exhale. "No wonder I reacted so slowly."

"There's more," the rookie spoke again, regaining his attention. "Sarah had arson materials in the back of her car. I'd say she's clearly a bit of a renaissance scam artist."

The T.O. nodded curtly. "Let's go talk to her."

➤➤➤

"You rigged the car," Tim announced loudly as the pair of officers stormed into Sarah's hospital room.

The woman in the bed stared at them in disbelief. "What? No, I didn't."

"Well, dash cam says otherwise," Ollie joined in. "So does a physical inspection of your vehicle."

"You searched my car? I didn't give you permission!"

"We don't need permission once it's been involved in an accident."

"I don't think you were trying to get rear-ended by a police car," Tim frowned at the woman. "Bad luck, honestly."

Sarah rolled her eyes at him. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sarah, this is serious," Tim deadpanned. "Your vehicle's full of evidence, all admissible against you."

"It's not mine."

"Then whose is it? Your boyfriend? The guy who was threatening to sue me earlier?"

"No—"

Ollie was already plucking her medical chart from the foot of her bed, flipping to the personal details page. "Emergency contact: Mike Garvey," she read. "Oh, and a phone number— just what we need for a background check."

➤➤➤

Ollie and Tim stood side by side in the Observation area, staring at Mike Garvey through the one-way mirror, who was seated in the Interrogation room.

"I think you should interview him alone," the T.O. suggested.

"I agree," Ollie turned to him. "He knows you hit Sarah, but he doesn't know I was in the car with you. So, his guard won't be up. So, I'm gonna go in there to wind him up. And then, hopefully, he'll call Sarah to wind her up. And we sit back and see who breaks first."

Tim glanced over to his rookie, looking rather impressed. "That's right."

"Great." Ollie nodded curtly and headed into the Interrogation room through the connecting door. Mike perked up at once, looking annoyed and impatient.

"I need to be at the hospital," he scowled as Ollie took a seat across from him.

The rookie offered him a smile. "We'll get you out of here as quickly as we can."

"And I wasn't even in the car. I don't understand why you have to talk to me."

"Just standard procedure," Ollie claimed, flipping to find an empty page on her notepad. "You can imagine the paperwork when an officer gets involved in an accident."

Mike grunted with a scoff. "That cop should be fired."

"That's up to the department," the officer stated as she clicked her pen. "So, do you and Sarah live together?"

Mile rolled his eyes. "Yeah. Why?"

"Do you ever use her car?"

"What difference does it make?!" he shouted in frustration. "She was rear-ended!"

The officer lifted her eyes from the notepad to the man, unfazed at the sudden rise of voice. "If you could just answer the question," Ollie repeated, "Do you ever use her car?"

Mike took in a deep breath, eyeing the officer sceptically. "No."

"Never?"

"Never."

Ollie clicked her pen again, staring eye-to-eye with the man opposite her. "So... you didn't disconnect her brake lights to commit insurance fraud?"

Mike maintained her stare. "Nope."

"Huh. But you have committed fraud before, haven't you?" Ollie flipped her notepad twice and read, "Arrested three times. Convicted once."

The chair scraped harshly against the floor as Mike stood up, snarling at the rookie cop. "I'm out of here."

Ollie rolled her eyes and followed the man into the hallway, where Mike was confronted by Tim. He scoffed at the officer before him and next to him, his words turning sour.

"I know what's going on here. You're trying to intimidate me," Mike sneered, "But it's not gonna work. 'Cause I'm gonna get a lawyer, I'm gonna come back here, I'm gonna sue you and the entire department."

Ollie cocked her head at his absurdity while Tim let out a dry chuckle. "Little advice— if you can only afford one retainer, I'd start with a criminal lawyer. You're gonna need that one first."

As Mike stormed off, the rookie whistled in delight. "That was really, really cruel," she smirked at her T.O., "But I like it."

Tim rolled his eyes at her, shaking his head. "Get to work. We still have a criminal to catch."

➤➤➤

They had received a call from Sarah less than an hour after Mike's interrogation. The pair of officers hurried over to the hospital at once.

"Only one of you is getting a deal," Tim laid out, "And you want it to be you."

Sarah sucked in a breath, nodding frailly. "I was about to leave him," she told them. "I went over to borrow some suitcases from my sister. I-I didn't know that he messed with my brake lights— I swear."

"Why were you leaving him?" Ollie questioned.

"He's gone over the edge," Sarah confessed defeatedly. "At first, it was just staged accidents. We'd shake down some rich losers for cash or set a few fires for a cut of the insurance money, but now..."

"But now what?"

"He's agreed to kill some guy's wife for a cut of the life insurance policy."

The officers exchanged an alarming look, turning back to the woman on the bed. "Sarah, when is this murder supposed to happen?" the rookie questioned.

Sarah gulped, looking resigned. "Later today."

➤➤➤

Tim observed closely as a woman came out of a house and hurried into the car parked by the street.

The moment he spotted Mike sneaking up to her with his gun drawn, he radioed for their bust, screeching his shop up to the scene. Mike was quickly surrounded by the LAPD. The woman in the car, too, got out immediately, aiming her own handgun at Mike. He scoffed at his error.

"Freeze! LAPD!" Tim's voice rang in his ear. Mike had no choice but to obey while the officer shouted out more instructions and demands. "Mike Garvey, you're under arrest for attempted murder."

An officer went up to cuff him at once.

Tim glanced at the parked car, an amused smirk surfacing his face. "Nice wig, Boot."

Ollie, in the blonde wig, looked irritated and rolled her eyes back at him.

➤➤➤

Tim stood stiffly next to a beaming Jackson, holding up their commendation plaques. Ollie and Lucy were busy snapping pictures of the two men, with Lopez and Avery looking over the rookies' shoulders.

"You two look amazing!" Lucy commented with a grin. "Okay, now, individual pictures. Spread out."

"Okay. Yeah. That's enough," Tim murmured as he took a big step away from Jackson, who was still posing happily at Lucy's camera.

"Oh, no, no— You don't get to run away."

"I am not—" Tim tried protesting, but Ollie had already yanked him back to place with the help of Avery and Lopez.

Tim had no choice but to give in grudgingly.

"Oh, you shouldn't have frowned like that. You look bad in that one," the rookie snorted as she finally lowered her phone.

Tim noticed her hurried tapping on her phone screen, and he rolled his eyes. "You make that your home screen — or lock screen — you're gonna be running the Academy training course in a bomb disposal suit," he cautioned her.

"Don't worry," Ollie hummed, turning her phone to show him. "It's now your contact picture."

Tim grimaced.

Avery peeked over the rookie's shoulder and broke into laughter. "You got to send me that— I need that one!"

"Send it to me, too," Lopez joined in with a chuckle.

Avery slung his arms over Ollie and Jackson suggestively. "Alright. Who wants beer?" he asked the group, clapping on Jackson's chest, "Our boy West is buying."

"I'm in!" Lucy perked up instantly.

"I am?" Jackson blinked, but the others had already chimed in their agreement. "Guess I am."

As the officers moved, Tim hung back and tapped on his rookie. "Boot, a minute?"

"Uh, sure," she nodded at the rest to go ahead, "We'll be just a bit."

Ollie stepped away from the group and stood in front of her T.O., waiting for him to speak. Tim cleared his throat, eyeing the award in his hand. "Listen, I wouldn't have gotten this stupid plaque if you didn't have my back today... So, you know, thanks."

"Like you said, I've got your back." Ollie smiled back at him, folding her arms over her chest with a cool shrug. "But if you do want to thank me, you could at least sound more sincere."

Always got to push it, doesn't she?

Tim shook his head and let out a deep exhale, meeting her eyes again. "Thank you, Ollie."

And the triumphant smirk on her face did something to him.

━━━━━

✨She's got his back✨
🕺🕺💃

Psst... barrel storyline up next 👀