Jason P.O.V

"I'll see you tomorrow morning okay Oli, sweet dreams," I say to him when I hear him yawning. "Pass the phone back to Charlotte."

"Goodnight Uncle," he tells me and I hear him talking to someone behind him before Charlotte's voice comes through the phone.

"Your nephew is so adorable Jason," Charlotte gushes as she has the phone in her hand. "He was half asleep when he came downstairs asking if I could call because he didn't say goodnight to you." It's one of those nights Oli is staying at Charlotte's place since I'm working overnight and I always make sure to call him before he goes to sleep; it's our regular ritual at this point. Fuck, haven't missed a phone call either until today that is.

"I feel bad that I didn't call earlier," I sigh as I lean back into my chair. When it comes to everything that happens in my life, Oli is always my top priority. From the time I adopted him after my sister and brother-in-law passed away I swore that I'd be there for him no matter what and that I'd be the best parental figure possible for him. So when I forget things like this, I feel like fucking shit.

"Don't beat yourself up over it Jason, you've got a very understanding kid to realize you were probably busy and that's why you didn't call," she surmises.

"You don't know the half of it," I say as I pinch my brow, the minor headache I had earlier coming back as I think everything that's fucking gone wrong tonight.

First it started off with three officers calling in sick, the flu is going around so I'm not surprised if people started calling out of work. Then two people that were arrested for causing a disturbance in their apartment decided to fight one another.

Even more ridiculous is that they don't fucking know one another and why they think it's okay to try and throw hands in the precinct off all places, I don't have the energy to try and understand. It ended up with me having to separate the two of them while adding additional charges on top of what they already had.

"It's only eleven right now so you only have another six hours to go," Charlotte says in a positive tone while I laugh dryly.

"Yeah, thanks for reminding me," I reply sarcastically.

"No problem, what are best friends for," she answers and I can picture the smug expression she's probably wearing.

"Chief." I turn around in my chair to see Natalia standing at my door a severe expression on her face and I already know it's nothing good.

"I'll talk to you in the morning Charlotte, somethings come up," I tell her.

"Stay safe Jason," she says before hanging up the phone.

"Give it to me straight, what the fuck happened now?" I ask as I stand up and pocket my phone while grabbing my jacket.

"Shooting at a bar not too far from here, so far all we know is that there is one victim," she says as we walk out of the precinct.

"Who's there right now?" I ask her as we get into one of the station's cars.

"Nash, Jax and some others from the fiftieth division," she answers as she starts the car and drives out of the lot. I take out my phone and pull up Nash's number to call him; it's better we know now what to expect when we get there.

"Are you on your way here Chief?" he asks when he picks up the phone.

"Natalia and I are heading your way right now, update me on what's been happening," I instruct as Natalia turns on the sirens so other cars get out of the way.

"We have one male victim that was shot, EMS already on route to the hospital along with a nurse that was also working here as a bartender," he explains. "There are some more EMS here for some people who got injured running out of the bar.

"And the shooter?" I ask him.

"We're currently asking witnesses but this looks like it was a targeted shooting. Some say that after the male victim was shot, the shooter fled the scene," he explains. "We'll need a warrant to get Felix to go through the security cameras."

"I'm way ahead of you on that," I reply as I text the prosecutor we work with on cases to get a warrant for us. "While we're waiting for the warrant to come in make sure to get every piece of information and contact information for everyone that was at the bar."

"What are you going to do Chief?" Natalia asks when I hang up the phone. "Are you staying here or are you going to the hospital to question the bartender?"

"I'm going to the hospital, besides questioning the bartender I'll also get a status update for the victim," I reply as we get closer to the bar. "You mind catching a ride back with Nash and Jax?"

"I'll help with questioning the witnesses for now but catch a ride back to the precinct with Felix instead. He'll need a second pair of eyes to look over the security footage with him when the warrant comes in," she replies as she slows down the car before parking it. The barrier tape is already up in front of the bar with a crowd surrounding it along with the officers and some EMS.

"Alright, keep me posted when the warrant comes in," I tell her as she gets out of the car.

"See you later Chief," she says before closing the door. I get out of my side of the car and go to the driver's side before driving away from the bar. I skip taking the streets and go to take the highway instead, it's convenient the exit is close to the hospital. It's fifteen minutes of a silent drive before I'm pulling up outside of the hospital going straight to the parking area for the police. I get out of the car, lock it and walk inside the hospital, badge in hand as I go to the emergency area. When a nurse sees me approaching the counter she waves me to her window and I sit down across from her.

"Are you here for the shooting victim?" she asks me.

"Yes, how is he doing?" I question as she pulls up his file.

"Currently he's still in surgery, hopefully, he'll be in stable condition when he comes out," she answers.

"And I heard there was a nurse that was with the victim when he was being transported here, do you know where I can find them?" I ask her.

"Danielle, who came in with the ambulance earlier?" the nurse asks her coworker.

"I think Victoria did," her coworker answers.

"Where can I find Victoria and can I get her last name?" I ask the nurse as I take out my notepad.

"Victoria Marshall and if you just go past these doors you should find her, she'll probably be with a Japanese man," the nurse tells me as she points to a set of doors to my left.

"Thank you for the help," I thank her before getting up and going to where she points to. I push the door open and just like how the nurse told me I see a woman talking to a Japanese man, he notices me approaching and points me out to the woman. She's pretty is my first thought and the other part of my mind thinks she's sexy. In dark navy scrubs, she has her down framing her rich brown skin, with minimal makeup on her skin and I can't help but laugh when I see her face twist into one of annoyance. "Victoria Marshall? I'm Officer Jason Carter, I have some questions for you."

"Fire away officer, I'll just say that I have no idea who shot the owner officer Carter," she replies hotly while my lips pull up into a smirk. Well then, we have a feisty nurse here.

"For someone that was just caught up in a shooting and saved someone from dying, you seem to be fairly calm," I comment.

"I'm a nurse, something like blood or seeing an injured person doesn't phase me," she replies in a deadpan tone.

"And a bartender? How did you get caught in that?" I ask cooly, raising a brow in question.

"My best friend works at the bar, she's one of the managers. If it's going to be a busy night she'll call me in to help, just like today," she answers.

"Where were you when the shooting happened?" I question as I take out my notepad and have a pen in hand.

"I was heading to the v.i.p lounge, I heard one shot behind me and everyone was panicking to run out from the bar. The only people who were left by the time EMS came were the employees and well the owner," she replies as she narrates what happened earlier.

"You didn't see anyone suspicious that was still lingering in the bar?" I ask as I write down what she's said.

"Don't you think I would have told you if I saw someone?" she retorts and my hand pauses as I look up at her and narrow my eyes before letting out a low chuckle. With her talking like this I think this is the most interesting questioning I've done so far in my career.

"You know most officers wouldn't be so kind like me in letting someone get away with lip during a formal investigation," I smirk as she rolls her eyes.

"What can I say, officer? It's almost midnight, I'm tired, and I have another job to get to in the morning," she says and it piques my curiosity.

"Another job? As what?" I question. I can't help but wonder if it'll be similar to her current jobs or if it'll be something unexpected; a nurse and part-time bartender is an already interesting combination.

"I don't think I need to tell you because that isn't related to what happened thirty minutes ago," she replies looking me straight in the eyes. "That sounds like more of a personal question and even if I don't answer, I'm pretty sure when you run a background check on me you'll get your answer." I can't help but laugh at her honest and forward reply, when am I going to meet someone like this again?

"Well played Ms. Marshall, well played," I say in between chuckles. "You've got an interesting air to you."

"So I've been told," she says rolling my eyes. "Is that all the questions you needed to ask?"

"For now yes but if there's anything in our investigation that comes up, we will most likely contact you," I reply as I stand up.

"Good to know. I'll be heading out now, have a goodnight Officer Carson," she tells me and turns to walk away.

"Ms. Marshall, hold on a second," I call out to her and she turns as I walk up to her stopping a couple of fo feet away. "Let me drop you off at wherever you're heading. It's dark, and I'm pretty sure you didn't come with a winter jacket or car," I say pointedly as I look at her scrubs.

"I need to go back to the bar to get my things, my friend will probably drop me off. And please call me Victoria, it's too formal with the Ms. Marshall thing," she says after a moment.

"Alright Victoria but in return, you can call me Jason," I reply and working as an officer for years has made it easy for me to read people's body language. So when I see her face flicker with interest before going blank again I can't help but smirk as I gesture for her to follow me. She walks behind me as we trek through the hospital and back to the main entrance. We're not at the doors yet but I see her rubbing her arms, I don't even think as I shrug off my jacket holding it out to her. "Here, you look like you need this."

"Oh no, you don't have to worry about it," she says shaking her head. "It's your jacket and I'll be fine." I roll my eyes before stepping closer to her and I wrap it around her shoulders.

"I'm not that callous to let someone freeze," I murmur before stepping back. "C'mon, my cruiser is parked out front." He walks out of the hospital as she quickly catches up with my pace. As soon as I reach the car, doors unlocked, I turn on the heat for her. The drive back to the bar is silent, but from the corner of my eye I see her lost in thought, actually from the moment she entered the cruiser it's like her mind went somewhere else. I slow down as we reach the bar, the barrier tape still up and the crowd now cleared out.

"Thank you for the drive back, saved me the time of having to wait for a ride," she says as she unbuckled her belt.

"You're welcome," I reply as I watch her take off my jacket and hang it over the seat.

"Have a good night Jason," she tells me with a small smile on her face as she exits the car.

"Victoria, hold on a second," I call out to her. "Here, take this in case you remember anything from what happened tonight," I say holding out a card with my name and number. She takes it from me, looking at it before nodding her head.

"Thanks again," she tells me as she closes the door. Won't lie and say that this wasn't the most interesting questioning I've done I think as I drive away from the bar to go back to the precinct; too bad I doubt we'll meet again.

✘✘

I thought my day was okay so far after getting some sleep and dropping Oli at school but to hear that he got sick while in class, how could I have fucking missed that. I'm already in the school as I walk down the hall, some kids look at me in curiosity since I'm in uniform while the brave ones wave at me. I make sure to give them a friendly smile as I go to the nurse's office.

I knock on the door to get the nurse's attention and when she turns around it's like I'm getting déjà vu at the sight. I guess this answers my question about what her other job is. The basic background check we ran on her shows no criminal record minus one when she was a teenager and that was thrown out because of shitty investigating.

"So this is your day job then?" I question as I walk into the room, stopping at the bed where Oli is sleeping.

"I'm surprised that he's your nephew. And how did you not realize he wasn't feeling well today?" she asks bluntly.

"He looked fine when we were leaving this morning, I didn't see anything physically wrong with him, just wish he told me," I sigh as I sit down beside Oli, brushing his hair back.

"It's good that we caught it early, he most likely has the flu. He'll need lots of fluid, food that's easy to digest and sleep," she instructs me

"This is a fucking problem now. I have to get to work but I can't ask them to watch him for me," I say to myself as the school bell rings. Charlotte is busy with the twins and anyone else I could have asked is currently at work at the precinct.

"Why don't you let me take care of him? If you can't find anyone to take care of him then let me do it. I am a qualified nurse after all," Victoria says as she breaks my train of thought. I look at her in surprise and after not saying anything for some time she lets out a sigh. "Even though it's slightly unfair, you can't tell me you haven't done a background check on me after yesterday. My record is clean, even with my unsavoury past."

I weigh the pros and cons in my head of her offer. She's not wrong about the fact that I've already done a background check, something was telling me that I'd see her again and who knew I'd be fucking right. And since she's a nurse I can trust in her skills that she'll be capable of taking care of Oli while I finish back at the precinct.

"Fine, but only because you're the only person that can help," I agree as she gives me a soft smile.

"Great, wake him up and help him with his jacket while I grab my things," she tells me as she goes to grab her things. I gently shake Oli's shoulder to wake him up but all he does is whine and push my hands away as he continues to sleep.

"If you don't want to wake up then you have to work with me kiddo," I say under my breath as I reach to grab his jacket and put it on him. I slip his arms through the sleeves before zipping it and then reach to the floor to grab his shoes. As soon as I get them on his feet I'm standing up with Oli in my arms.

"You're ready to go?" I ask Victoria and she has her hand outstretched in front of me.

"Yeah, let me take his bag from you," she replies and I hand it to her as we walk out of her office. "Where did you park?"

"Right at the front," I reply as we walk out of the school.

"I'll follow your car," she answers as she turns to the teacher's lot while I unlock my car and gently place Oli in his seat. I close the door and go around to the driver's side starting the car just as a black car pulls up next to mine. I roll down my window appraising Victoria's car, a BMW like mine.

"Nice wheels," I say as she lets out a small laugh.

"Yours isn't bad either, let's get out of here," she says and I nod my head as I drive away from the school, my attention focused on driving but also on Oli as he continues to sleep. It's a short drive back to our house and as soon as I'm parked I'm already going around back to get Oli while Victoria parks her car at the curb.

"Lock the door behind you," I call out to Victoria when I hear footsteps coming inside.

"You should go get him changed into something more comfortable while I check your kitchen," Victoria says as she stops next to the sofa to drop her coat off before going to the kitchen. I pick Oli up from the sofa to take him up to change before bringing him back downstairs.

"Victoria, where do you want me to put Oli?" I call out to her.

"Living room, I want to keep an eye on him," she says back to me. I place him back on the sofa and take the blanket I left folded on the coffee table to lie it on top of him as she walks towards me.

"I don't know what time I'll be back but I'll let you know later. Give me your number," I demand as he pulls out his phone. She takes it from me and puts her number in as she walks me to the front of the house. When she passes me back my phone, I reach out to hold onto her wrist as we stand in front of one another. I notice how her breath hitches for a moment as her eyes look from where my hand is resting to meet mine.

"Jason?" she says in a soft voice when I don't say anything.

"Thanks for doing this Victoria," is all I say before pulling her forward and pressing a kiss onto her cheek. My lips pull up into a smirk as I turn to walk to my car but I do glance back for a moment to see her flustered, a small smile of amusement on her face as her hand goes up to her cheek. It's impulsive yes, but seeing her expression makes it worth it.

✘✘

Hi and surprise!! A new chapter has just dropped!! I was thinking for some time if I should put out a chapter of Jason's p.o.v when he first met Victoria and of course, you can see what I decided in the end. This chapter is Jason's p.o.v through chapters 1 - 3, I just felt like we needed more of him. Be sure to leave your thoughts of the chapter in the comments and comments are always open to any additional bonus idea prompts ^^