Singles With a Caveat

I was sitting on the bed, taking a deep breath, trying not to catastrophize, but getting bit is one of the worst things that can happen, especially if there is a blood-to-blood transmission. That little weirdo could've had all sorts of drugs in her system or a serious STD such as HIV or Syphilis. Before I could search dating apps for people with STDS, Redington and Roxanne walked in. Redington said, "I'm going to wrap up that bite, and Roxanne will draw your blood and give you some painkillers. It is very peculiar, but I have heard of people who have modified their teeth. The good news is that it won't need stitches, but I will prescribe you some antibiotic cream." I said, "Thanks, doc." After the bite was wrapped, he left with a smile and "Thanks for taking care of my people. I will make sure the police officer in charge for the evening finds out about this ordeal and clarify where I stand on Bowers's behavior." I nodded and thought how fucked I would be when my bosses found out because they bent over backwards for the police. Roxanne began to draw my blood and said, "Thanks for saving my life." I tried to brush it off. "It's no big deal. It's what I am paid to do and it says in the job description (risk your own safety.) It would kill me if something happened to you if I knew that I could've prevented it." She started to cry and hugged me. I kissed her head on her forehead and said, "It'll work out how it is supposed to." She sniffled, smiled, and walked away with my blood.

"It'll work out how it is supposed to," was a phrase that my parents constantly told me when something didn't go my way. I hated it because I had witnessed so much misfortune and had been through a lot, but it seemed the right thing to say to her. I thought about what I would tell my parents or if I should tell them. About 30 minutes passed, and Chester walked in and said, "Good job tonight. You did well, and hopefully, everything shakes out alright. I'm going to take off, and hopefully, you'll be out of here soon . I'll be back tonight, so feel free to text me." I responded, "Thanks, man, get some rest." The police shift commander, Lieutenant Baker, walked in as Chester walked out. He asked, "Mr. Anderson?" I tried to be polite. "Yes, sir." He continued, "I spoke to the nurse, the Doctor, and Chester. I'm sorry that you got bit, and the responsibility falls on Bowers. He should've been paying attention instead of trying to flirt, and he will be reprimanded." I started to object, "Sir, there's no..." He cut me off with, "Yes, there is. Roxanne would have been seriously injured or killed, and you got bit doing his job for him. I will inform your manager about this and how well you did." He started to walk out and said, "There is always an open place for you in my department." I said, "Thank you, sir." Along with a nod.

It was 6:45 am, and I started to nod off. I was woken up by a rub on my shoulder, and it was Roxanne. She said, "Her blood work came back with no drugs in her system or STDS." I rubbed my eyes and responded, "That's fantastic. I guess I can cancel my subscription to Singles with a Caveat" She looked at me and affirmed, "You can always make me laugh, no matter how shitty things are." She leaned in close and kissed me. She leaned away and handed me a piece of paper. "Here is my cell phone number. If that bite gets worse or if you just want to hear my voice, give me a call." I smiled and cooed, "I will take you up on that offer, but preferably, just to hear your voice." She smiled and responded, "You should be out of here any minute. I am also leaving, and I will see you next week, but maybe sooner?" I said with a smile, "Plan on it." After she left, I passed out again.

I woke up to "How are you feeling, slugger?" It was Tim. I said, "Redington goes a little hard with the painkillers." He laughed. "You've been cleared to discharge, and since there's nothing of interest about the blood work, you are cleared to come back next week. Baker called me and told me what went down. Thanks for saving Roxanne and taking one for the team. Text me if your arm gets worse." I responded, "Thanks, Tim, and how's Sam?" He said, "Sam's fine. Are you good to drive home?" I responded with, "Yeah, I'll be fine. I live close by." He nodded and left. I got up, waved to Redington because he was on the phone, and returned to the office. I put all of my stuff away and headed for my truck. There was a lot of traffic because it was eight am, so it took twenty minutes. I fought hard to stay awake and got home without further injury. I got inside and headed right into the shower. Just like Redington said, I unwrapped the bandage before getting in. I made this a quick shower because I needed sleep. I hopped out, put ointment on the bite, ate a chicken pot pie, and crawled into bed.