Page 16 of Shea's Hero

As I change out of my uniform, I sort through the possibilities, but none of them holds any appeal.

In the shower, I contemplate starting any number of the home improvement projects I’ve been procrastinating on, but I come up with an excuse to delay each one of them.

Once I’m showered and changed, I make my way into the kitchen, where I end up staring into the fridge long enough to air condition the room.

Dammit.

Grabbing my phone off the counter, I text Maya.

Hey. How’s it going?

Less than a minute later, her reply appears.

Everything’s fine. Cole and I are having a movie night with Clara. Some princess movie she’s very excited about. She has a tiara to wear and everything.

A smile lifts my lips as I respond to her message.

Nice. And is Cole going to wear a tiara, too?

The three dots blink for a second.

Maybe. If I can convince him, I’ll definitely take a picture.

A pause, and then another text comes in.

Were you just texting to say hi? Not that I don’t like hearing from you, but we just talked this morning.

This time, I hesitate before answering. I could say yes, that I just wanted to make sure she’s okay. It wouldn’t be a lie. But…

Fuck it.

Before I can rethink it, I type out a quick response.

I wanted to say hi. But also, have you heard anything about Shea? Is she doing alright?

The dots blink longer this time before Maya replies.

As far as I know, she’s okay. Zane brought her to work and back. He got back from White Plains a little after five and said Shea seemed fine. Just settling in for the night.

Wait. Zane brought her to work today? It hasn’t even been forty-eight hours since Shea was hurt. Shouldn’t she be taking some time off to recuperate? And why isn’t Niall taking Shea to work if he’s there visiting?

That’s it.

Forget basketball or climbing or replacing the light fixture in the hallway.

I’m heading to White Plains to check on Shea.

This seemed like a good idea until I actually got here.

On the way over, I convinced myself there was a perfectly reasonable explanation for this impromptu visit. After all, as one of the responding officers, it only makes sense that I’d update Shea on the case in person.

Yes, Kane called her yesterday. And Niall got all the information from Cole. But no one’s spoken to her today, as far as I know. What if she has questions? Shea’s always been shy around people she doesn’t know, so she may not have felt comfortable asking Kane.

Plus, if Shea’s the same way she used to be, she wouldn’t want to say anything that would worry Niall. It’s been just the two of them ever since their parents died over a decade ago, and I remember Shea telling me how she never wanted to tell him anything concerning, too afraid he’d be distracted on a mission and end up getting killed.

Now that I’m thinking about it, I wonder how many things she didn’t tell me when we were apart? Back then, I never considered it. But now?

Dammit.

---