Chapter Two

I always seemed to be waking up with a throbbing pain in my body. I quickly opened my eyes and lifted up my head, but received the worst possible shock go through my brain. I was also blinded by a bright and terrifying light, causing my face to become 100 degrees hotter. I grunted in annoyance, slamming my body back onto a soft and cool blanket covered bed. Wait, bed? I shot up, sitting directly in the middle of a white bed in a white, bare room. I don't clearly recall what had happened the night before. All I could remember was being so remarkably pissed. They screwed up everything, those damn uniformed a******s. I rubbed my temples, seeing that my body was covered in bandages. My fingers caressed the sides of my head, making their way to the bridge of my nose. I couldn't take it anymore. Everything I had ever cared for. Taken from me, in front of my eyes. I bent over, my hands over my wet eyes. My heart hurts. I'm damn embarrassed to admit it, but it aches and right now there is pain to be dealt. Whether I live to see the consequences. Or not.
My torso was bare naked, a chill causing goosebumps to be swept across my body. Opening my reddened eyes, I slumped over, just staring at the wall straight ahead of me.
"Mr. Daniels?" A soft and delicate knock splintered the silence. I looked up, staring at the wooden door and awaited the entrance of some strange person. The unlatching sound soon came after and a small woman stepped in, an older man in a suit with his lackeys behind him also intruding.
"Good, you're awake," the young nurse smiled genuinely. She turned around, the three men opening a path to the door, and she left.
"Andrew, I'm sorry," the man had been graying but he did still have a head of hair, black, and a stern wrinkled look to his face. He was our captain. Captain Arden Jonas Jefferson, the b*****d who's seen it all. Nothing gets by him, not a single thing.
I groaned in agony, physical and emotional pain. But my face had hardened with assurance because I knew what I had to do. My tears dried, permanently.
"Me too." I replied. "Damn, I miss him. Almost as much as I miss..." I stopped myself. I couldn't bring about the right words. The first time I had loved anyone.
Holly Ferron, was the most beautiful, intelligent, not to mention she was incredibly good at making me follow her like a lost puppy, woman I'd ever love. I can't believe she's gone. I blame myself for her death. I was driving and staring at her, the way her long auburn hair curved around that adorable face. She was telling me how her day had went, the nice lady at the grocery store, the b***h at the park. Damn if that b***h knew.
But it all came too fast for me. If I'd been paying attention to the crossroads, I could've easily dodged the oncoming truck. We were t-boned at the exact point. I didn't even see the truck hit us, or come onto us for that matter. The only thing that did matter was the fact that this damn monstrosity collided into the passenger's side. And with that, there ends up being two bodies and a battered up detective lost in a tragedy.
"Detective?" Boss brought me back, along with a file tossed onto my lap. I looked at the manila folder, the name stating clearly the a*****e I was going to kill.
"What is this?" I questioned. Boss just looked at me for a few moments, before turning to his hooligans. He nodded towards the door and the room emptied save for me and Jefferson.
"Just because you're in the hospital doesn't mean you're off duty."
"You f****n' kidding me cap'n!?" I rose to my knees to make myself appear taller and administered my voice. "I just lost my partner, and a friend. Two f****n' people that I cared about, what the hell're we gonna do bout their funerals, eh?" But my boss kept his stature.
"Bodies had been found in the house, but none of them had been Tracy Jacobs or Lashawn Briggs. Their bodies had fully disintegrated and turned to ash. There will be no funeral for the two." His words were harsh and blunt. What the hell was I supposed to do? I grabbed at my messy, short hair and bellowed out a scream.
"F**k!" I needed something to punch, and Jefferson was dangerously close. I ripped off the sheets that tangled around my legs, falling to the floor. Jefferson took a step back realizing what I planned on doing. There was a chair next to my bed, and I hulk smashed the living s**t out of it. My heavy breathing was replaced by obnoxious sobs of hatred. They were degraded. They were left to die, burning. Why does everything happen to me? Is there a God that can save me?
"We need a doctor in here!" Jefferson yelled out into the hallway. People came piling in, a commotion uproared. Some a*****e in white tried stabbing me with a needle but I shoved him away. Those damn lackeys came in and wrestled me to the floor, all the while screaming and annoying cries of trying to set things in order took place.
Forced onto my stomach, the uniforms swivelled my arms and placed them across my back. I tried fighting back kicking my legs so I could flip myself onto my back. That way I could get a good swing or two in before getting knocked out. A knee planted itself in the crook of my back. I grunted all the while being handcuffed and stabbed with a needle.
The noise had settled, and I was in bed again, this time with cuffs digging into my wrist.
Jefferson was sitting in the chair besides my bed, reading some sort of home magazine. I guess I hadn't done too much damage to the seat. I doubled over with a moan, gritting my teeth 'til they hurt.
"There will be a memorial, son." Boss spoke up after quite some time. I just kept my head down. Speaking isn't "just" anymore. What is justified, if I'm a detective working under the government, what is justice? It wouldn't matter if I killed one measely b*****d then, would it? I mean, the priorities here are screwed up and what is just is unjust to the people. We can get away with nothing and the corrupt can slip free of everything.
That won't happen, not while I'm still breathing.
"Have you heard of the college nearby, Newtown Crest University?" I slowly turned my head so I could just barely see out of the corner of my eyes. When I caught sight of Jefferson, I nodded.
He had that manila folder in his hand again, and he stood up to give it to me once again.
"The b*****d, Donnie has targeted here for his new business deal. I got not a clue as to how the hell he did it, or why here but we've watched the deals go down all over campus." He paused, beginning an obnoxious pace back and forth. "You know Cartaglia the best, and since you got the beef on him, it was likely you'd get this case. After the memorial, you start the first semester as a junior. Find out what you can from the students. Where he gets the drugs, who sells it to him, the whole package. Then maybe we can use that in the case for his late wife."
I allowed that all to sink. The old man sure loved to talk. It was the perfect chance. Its been almost 4 years since I was in school, rather college. There was the sexy young college girls, and teachers. Hell, its been a long time. I shook my head, a smirk dancing across my devious face. Captain Arden Jonas Jefferson shook his head, knowing that I would never decline such an offer.
"I'll be ready."

A hundred people were swallowed in black. Tears and sobs followed them, but couldn't be wiped with merely a handkerchief. A picture of Trace and Shawnie gazed out at the likes of us. Odd, how they stood together in this one photo. Trace had his arm over Lashawn's shoulder, and they both were flipping off the camera. I couldn't help but smile. Dumbasses. Words were spoken from both families. They'd asked me to come speak on both my friends behalf, but there was no way I could speak without clamming up.
Tracy's mother's house held the get together and everyone from the neighborhood showed up to get a taste of her macaroni to die for. Literally. I didn't stay inside. The front porch swing beckoned me to take a seat and I followed through. What a day it had been. And Tracy wasn't even there to crack a stupid joke at the wrong time. Too difficult to be here at his house, the place he grew up to only die young and never see the outcome of the future.

The soft and gentle breeze brushed across my face. The fall air crisp and the leaves magnificent shades of red and orange. This one moment, I have no clue why, but I'll remember it. A transition in life, I suppose.

Not a single noise could be heard besides the rustling trees and scarcely a bird chirping.

"Andrew..." The tentative voice corrupted the peaceful atmosphere. I looked up, removing my elbows from my knees.

"Kate." I shot up from my cushion of safety, and pulled her into my arms. Her eyes were puffy and red, her hair was a mess of blond curls. I wrapped around her as tight as I could, maybe the pain would go away. Hell, I don't know! This whole thing was just tearing, eating away my entire mental stability. Kathy buried her head into my shoulder, and dug her fingers into my chest, sobbing like a newborn.

I just stared down at her in shock. I mean, she was my boss and I was afraid of her at some times. But she looked like a raging lioness. I think it'd be weird to say she lost her cub metaphorically. Tracy wasn't really a cub. But it doesn't matter, words escaped me and I was left with a slightly drooping mouth.

"Andrew, don't you for a second blame this on yourself. Whatever went on in there, only you, Tracy, and Lashawn know. And let it be that way because to us, it was an accident."

I furrowed my eyebrows as I held her to look into her blue eyes. She was acting like a boss then, and now was the time to let go and grow up. I dropped my arms to the sides of me and sulked all the way over to the swing. I sat back and let out a long and relaxing sigh.

"If only I could remember what went on. Perhaps like a memory trigger, they wouldn't have died in vain." Its hard talking about death. How they aren't here anymore. Kathy just leaned on the railing and looked out into the suburban street.

"I'm pregnant."

Okay. This isn't what I planned on when asking for a trigger. And this little heartfelt moment just took a turn towards disaster.

"Uh. Um well. Y-You, are..." My tongue twisted into knots and I couldn't even feel my eyebrows from how numb they were, being raised so high like that.

"Its Tracy's. No doubt about it. I'm hoping its a boy. He always wanted a son." I couldn't form a sentence. She giggled, but a tear glistened as it trickled down her face.

"Maybe his name should Be Tracy Andrew Jacobs, what do you think?"

"And... What if its a girl?" That's all I could get, alright? Not often you hear from your dead best friend's girlfriend that's she's pregnant with HIS child.

"I hadn't really thought about it. Annie is a cute name." She smiled slightly, but it disappeared quickly.

All I could do was smile, resting back my head and closing my eyes. I thought of all the good times with Tracy as the scarce birds chirp rang a tune and the wind tickled my nose. A chuckle escaped my lips. And another one, until it turned into a lively and jolly laughter and even Kathy was staring at me.

"He can't even begin to understand what he's missing right now." I smirked at her and closed my eyes again. Dreaming of the beach where we had gotten into a fight over who could get the most girls. I whooped his a*s.