Whispers In The Dark

“I’m not accepting your resignation.” To verify his statement, in case she had any doubt, he dropped its shredded remains in front of her. “You’re a better cop than you are anything else. Don’t throw it away.”
Captain Perkins stared at her for one long humming minute before diverting his gaze to the papers on his desk.
“I don’t know what I need to say to you to convince you what happened to Wesley wasn’t your fault. Each and every cop takes the same chances and makes the same choices. It’s not your fault he was killed.”
Murdered.
He leaned back, his chair creaking against his weight. He tapped his large beefy fingers on the desk and cupped his chin… and avoided her eyes.
“Look, it’s something we have to live with. You just need some time off. Take a vacation. Some personal time.”
It was more than that. The gnawing in her gut reminded her every day, every second. Unlike so many other women, she’d surpassed her ten-year anniversary in the police force with several commendations under her belt. Now, her life was at a standoff.
Wesley, her partner for almost ten years, was dead. He took the bullet intended for her. No prejudice, no regret on his part. There was nothing the captain or anyone else could say or do. Wesley’s blood was on her hands; she knew it was her fault and only she could reconcile it.
“Damn-it, Rue.” He slammed his fist onto the desktop. “Don’t do this. You’ll regret it later. I promise you.”
Dominique stared at him, but didn’t answer. He stared back.
Shaking his head slowly in disgust, he continued, “How about a leave of absence?” He rubbed his hand across his face, and then folded his arms tight across his chest.
Regardless of his argument, the only thing she could do was agree to a personal leave of absence. Agree to think about what she was planning to do. She could do that.
“All right, a personal leave of absence.” She blew out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. “How long?”
“Six months, maybe a year. I promise; you can do this. Let the grief work its way out. When your head’s clear enough to see straight, I want your butt back in my office.”
She placed her badge on top of his desk. He shook his head and handed it back to her. “Hang on to it. You’ll need it when you come back.”
Back to do the job ingrained in her blood. Back to the job she was meant to do.
She smiled as she extended her hand for what she knew was one last handshake.