When Jack Stacy and Catherine Hayek were driven back to the 21st District, news of the shooting had already spread.
A large number of officers were waiting near the front desk to see the rookie who had fired his weapon on his very first day on patrol.
Jack and Catherine were both stunned when they walked inside and found the lobby packed.
Applause broke out almost immediately.
Even several civilians who had no idea what had happened joined in after seeing everyone else clap.
A tall, broad-shouldered Black officer stepped forward and offered Jack his hand.
“Kevin Atwater.
Man, you’re already famous.
First day on patrol and you’re involved in a shooting.”
A blonde female officer standing nearby smiled as well.
“Kim Burgess.
Congratulations.
Getting everyone’s approval on your first day isn’t easy.”
“Thanks.
Seriously, thank you.” Jack had always considered himself outgoing, but with half the district staring at him, even he felt a little awkward.
Just then, the door to Commander Perry’s office opened.
Commander Ron Perry leaned out, and the room quickly became quiet.
“Officer Stacy, come into my office.”
Jack nodded to Catherine and walked over.
“Probationary Officer Jack Stacy reporting, Commander.”
“Come in and close the door.” Perry kept his head down while signing paperwork.
Once inside, Jack noticed Morgan Jackson was already sitting there.
Jack gave him a questioning look, but Morgan only gestured that they would talk later.
Jack approached the desk and asked, “Commander, you wanted to see me?”
Perry finished signing, put down his pen, and looked up.
“Stacy, personally, I think you handled yourself well today.
Officially, though, you’re going on administrative leave for a few days while the shooting is reviewed.
Cooperate with the investigation and tell them exactly what happened.”
He handed Jack the papers he had just signed.
“These are favorable probationary evaluation papers.
Assuming the review confirms the scene evidence, today’s shooting won’t hurt your standing here.
Once you’re cleared, you’ll return and continue your field training.”
“Yes, Commander.
I understand.”
“Good.
You can go.”
Jack turned toward the door, raising an eyebrow at Morgan on the way out.
Morgan only shrugged helplessly.
Outside the office, Sergeant Trudy Platt waved Jack over.
When he approached the front desk, she pushed two cards toward him.
“Department psychologist and an FOP Lodge 7 attorney.
Use them if you need them.”
After that, Platt waved him away as if he were blocking her entire workspace.
Jack took the cards and walked off with a faint smile, realizing that beneath her harsh attitude, Sergeant Platt was clearly someone who cared about the officers working around her.
When Jack entered the locker room, Catherine was still waiting for him, though she had already changed into civilian clothes.
Her black casual outfit showed an athletic figure that had been difficult to judge beneath her uniform and body armor.
Jack briefly thought that his earlier guess about her weight had definitely been wrong.
“The Commander put you on leave, right?” Catherine asked.
“Yeah.
A few days while the shooting gets reviewed.” Jack began changing.
“He also said the incident shouldn’t affect my probation if everything checks out.”
“That’s routine.
Just tell them what happened at the scene.” Catherine folded her arms.
“The suspect ignored commands, pulled a gun, and I was right there.
My statement will support yours.”
“I’m not nervous about the investigation.” Jack gave a wry smile.
“I just think it’s funny that I managed to get administrative leave on my first day.”
Catherine laughed and lightly punched his shoulder.
“Then congratulations, rookie.
Come on, I’ll drive you home.”
Jack looked at her in confusion.
Catherine stared at him for a moment before laughing again.
“I live downstairs from you.
You really aren’t very observant, are you?
I know you and Morgan live in the Lakeview Apartments.
I’ve seen that Raptor enough times.”
Jack scratched the back of his head.
Chicago suddenly felt much smaller than he had expected.
On the drive back, the two talked for quite a while.
Unless something changed, Catherine would remain Jack’s field training officer for the next several months, so both wanted to understand the person they would be working beside.
During the conversation, Jack learned that Catherine had served in the United States Marine Corps before becoming a police officer.
That revelation surprised him.
A beautiful Marine veteran who later joined the Chicago Police Department was certainly not someone he expected to meet on his first day.
When they reached the apartment building, Catherine really did live on the second floor.
Before they separated in the stairwell, Jack turned toward her.
“Hey, Catherine, come up for dinner tonight.
I’m a pretty good cook.”
“Sure.” Catherine agreed without hesitation.
There was no harm in getting to know the rookie she would probably be working with for a long time.
“See you tonight.”
Back inside his apartment, Jack finally took the time to look around properly.
Morgan had dragged him out so quickly that morning that he had barely noticed anything.
To the left of the entrance was a semi-open kitchen leading into a large living room and a balcony with floor-to-ceiling windows, while the bedrooms were on the right.
Jack’s room was the one closest to the balcony.
It contained a large bed, a full-length mirror, a simple wardrobe, and a desk covered with law books, police manuals, and academy materials.
Everything was still messy from the rushed morning.
Jack sat on the bed and looked at the unfamiliar face reflected in the mirror.
The strange feeling of living inside another person’s body returned, and while thinking about both lives, he unknowingly drifted into a deep sleep.
In his dreams, memories from two different lives passed before him.
Ethan Cole had been an orphan who worked hard to enter the police academy and spent nearly five years working the streets before being sent to an out-of-the-way rural assignment because he never fit comfortably into department politics.
Jack Stacy had also been an orphan, but his life had been very different.
Jack had been adopted by a kind couple.
His adoptive father, George Stacy, was an NYPD officer, while his adoptive mother worked as a nurse at a major New York hospital.
Under their care, Jack received an excellent education and eventually attended the University of Chicago.
The main conflict came after graduation.
George wanted Jack to pursue a safer career, but Jack refused to follow his father’s plans and chose to remain in Chicago and become a police officer.
Looking through those memories, Ethan could only think that the original Jack had been incredibly fortunate.
A ringing phone suddenly pulled Jack out of sleep.
He looked at the screen and saw Mom displayed on the caller ID.
After a brief hesitation, he answered.
“Jack?” A middle-aged woman’s worried voice came through.
“Yeah, Mom.”
“Please stop being angry with your father.
We heard about the shooting today, and it scared us half to death.
Are you alright?”
“I’m fine.” Jack’s voice tightened slightly without him meaning it to.
“Sorry for making you worry.”
“Your father and I were both worried about you.”
Jack hesitated before asking, “Is Dad home?”
“Not yet.
He was worried you wouldn’t answer if he called, so he asked me to check on you.”
Jack let out a quiet breath.
The tension between father and son had clearly run deeper than he first realized.
“I’m okay.
Don’t worry.”
“I heard you fired your gun today.”
“Mom, I helped save a pregnant woman.
I’m fine, and I’m not having any problems dealing with it.” Jack slowly reassured her until her voice finally relaxed.
“If you ever want to come home, just come back.
Everyone here would welcome you, including your father.”
“I know.” Jack paused.
“Tell Dad I’ll come back to New York for Christmas this year.
Tell him to stay safe.”
His mother sounded noticeably happier.
“Tell him yourself, but I’ll pass the message along too.”
“Alright.
Love you, Mom.”
“I love you too, Jack.
Be careful.”
After hanging up, Jack opened his contacts and found George Stacy.
He typed, I’m fine.
Don’t worry.
I’ll be home for Christmas.
I’m sorry, and pressed send.
A moment later, his phone vibrated.
Understood.
We’ll be waiting for you to come home.
Jack smiled at the message before putting the phone away and getting up to prepare dinner.
He made barbecue chicken wings, slow-braised pork ribs, and tomato-beef stew, along with a large pot of seasoned rice and a fruit-and-vegetable salad.
Since he was cooking for other people, he adjusted the dishes slightly toward sweeter, richer flavors.
When he finished, Jack checked the time.
It was 6:20 p.m., and Morgan should have been back soon.
Jack found himself wondering again why his roommate had been ordered to report directly to Commander Perry that morning.
The apartment door opened a moment later, and Morgan walked in looking exhausted.
He stopped after smelling the food.
“Damn, that smells amazing.
Jack, when did your cooking get this good?”
“Go clean up.
I invited Catherine over for dinner.
She’s my training officer.” Seeing Morgan’s confused expression, Jack added, “She lives downstairs.”
“What the hell?”
“She’s right behind you.”
Morgan immediately spun around.
Catherine stood in the doorway wearing casual clothes and holding a bottle of red wine.
“Hi.”
Morgan remained stunned as Catherine handed the wine to Jack and walked toward the dining table.
She leaned closer to the food and smiled.
“It smells good.
You really weren’t exaggerating.”
“Sit down before it gets cold.” Jack opened the wine, poured a little for each of them, and joined them at the table.
After eating for a while, Jack looked toward Morgan.
“So what exactly happened with you today?”
Morgan put down the chicken wing in his hand and sighed.
“Jack, I’m leaving you.”
“What the hell does that mean?
Speak properly.”
Catherine looked over curiously as well.
“My dad used his connections to transfer me to the 1st District, Central.
Commander Perry already signed the transfer paperwork.
I report there tomorrow.”
Jack stared at him.
“You mean your high-ranking father actually pulled strings?”
Morgan looked miserable.
“Yeah.
He’s the Chief of CPD’s Bureau of Internal Affairs.”
Jack and Catherine froze.
“Holy shit.”