Hell's Sniper | J. Todd

IV - Call Me Maybe

Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy,
But here's my number, so call me maybe
- Carly Rae Jepsen

I can't stop smiling. I mean, can you blame me? I thought my brother was going to be in a coma for the rest of his life, and then,  in the strangest time of my life so far, he woke up. Even the nurses and doctors were- and still are- astonished. They called him one of the lucky ones.

He's coming out of hospital in a few days, where he's going to live with me until we can get his life sorted out again. 

I told him everything that night. I told him about leaving the Army, about becoming SWAT, about getting my Dobermans and me killing the Joker. He was proud. Especially with that last one.

All as one, my dogs growl at a passer by. They glance at my dogs in alarm, picking up their pace. "Sorry!" I call, but they ignore me completely, just wanting to get away from six Dobermans. Understandable; they don't look very friendly.  Or maybe they're trying to get away from me.

I walk to Robinson Park. It's cold and dark and drab, but the trees lighten the place up just a little. My dogs roam around the park, sniffing the plants and playfighting roughly with each other, but they never stray far from me, and they always look back and check that I'm alright.

"Well aren't you lot just the cutest?" a familiar voice says, crouching next to the dogs as they sniff his face and hands, rubbing their heads against his brown leather jacket.

"Jason, right?"

He raises his head as Ruby shoves her own head under his hand. He laughs and gives her head scratches. "Yeah. Are these your dogs?"

 "Mhm."

"Where'd you get 'em?"

"Uh... I dunno. They sort of just started following me around one day. So I adopted them." it's the half-truth I'm willing to tell him. "Their names are Natayla, Petrova, Chief, Corvus, Ruby and Simo."

Corvus jumps up, placing his front paws on Jason's back before trying to bite at his hair. I stifle a laugh and say, "Coucher." Corvus huffs his disappointment but returns his front paws to the pavement. Jason shakes his head, smiling softly, before standing up and walking next to me.

"You look awfully happy today," he starts.

"Could say the same about you." I reply, fiddling with the two Army dog tags around my neck. There's a pause. "My brother woke up from a three and a half year-long coma." 

Jason's eyes go so wide that they could pop out of his head. "Wh- I- okay then. That's not what I was expecting. Why was he in a coma, if you don't mind me asking?"

"He got in a car accident. The other driver went to prison on a DUI, ten years."

"Damn. Glad they got him, though."

My radio chatters. "Suspect arrested with a 10-91e, requesting ambulance at my location." I had turned the volume down, but not completely. I'm supposed to be working right now; it's 11:30am.

"What's a 10-91e?" Jason asks, his hand reaching down to pat Ruby on the head.

"Animal bite. Bruno, my team's K-9, must've gotten to him. It happens- if the suspect is really annoying, he'll take the whole team to court for the bite."

"Do you think the case will hold?" 

A man passes by us, gaze set hard and hands in the pockets of his hoodie. He hardly registers me, Jason or the dogs. I narrow my eyes and memorize his appearance. Male, Hispanic, grey hoodie, black jeans.

"It probably won't. They never do."

My radio chatters again, "BOLO for Hispanic male wearing a grey hoodie, last seen heading east-bound to Robinson Park. Suspected of a 207." [207: Kidnapping]

My gaze darts to Jason and then to the man who just passed us. "Hey! GCPD, stop where you are. You're under arrest." My hand hovers over my pistol.

He breaks into a run, as expected. Him pulling out a knife, though, was not expected. "Chief, mord."

Chief bolts forward, the muscles in his legs sending him streaking towards the suspect. I run after him, the other dogs and Jason in close pursuit. Chief's jaws clamp around the man's calf and he hits the ground face first, other walkers moving away from the scene.

"Halte," I say, and Chief lets go. I grab both of the man's wrist in one hand, my knee firmly digging into his back. I take my radio in my other hand and say, "This is off-duty officer Ruth le Vont, badge number 3749. Arrested the BOLO suspect on the west side of Robinson park, suspect is suffering a serious 10-91e, requesting an additional unit and an ambulance."

"Unit and ambulance are on their way, ETA four minutes."

Jason sighs, sitting down on the ground next to me and the man. "Just another day in Gotham, huh?"

"Pretty much."

***

The patrol officers arrived, arrested the man and took my and Jason's statements, as well as some of the witness'. They thanked me for my service, relating to the Joker, and left.

"So, now that that is over..." 

I glance at Jason as we walk, heading to the park's exit.

"Can I get your number?" he asks, and the both of us grin.

"Yeah," I pull my phone out of my pocket, unlock it and open a new contact, handing it to him. With a smile on his face, he puts in his number. I take my phone back, smiling too.

"Do not ghost him. He gives good head scratches." Simo says, the dogs filling my head with sounds of agreement. I resist the urge to roll my eyes. However strange my dogs are, they are truly just dogs, concerned about dog-things. Like who gives the best head scratches, which is no longer a title I hold.

We keep walking, the shoulder of my trench coat brushing against the shoulder of his jacket. Jason glances at me nervously, swallowing his nerves and interlacing his fingers with mine.

I don't pull away. And for that, I am rewarded with a soft smile.