I Wanna Be Yours

2

Similarly to her colleague, Jo also had a sleepless night. However, hers was a balance of fear from the OCG, heartbreak and embarrassment surrounding her babbling to Kate.

At 4:30am, an alarm blared through the vast bedroom. Jo took pride in her home and maintained it well, a firm believer of the tidy space, tidy mind mantra.

Groaning to herself, she hauled the duvet off her frail frame and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. She was tempted to call in sick, she certainly felt ill but didn't deem it serious enough to throw a day away.

Pulling herself shakily to her feet, she stumbled to the bathroom, where she began running the shower. The scalding water sent a shiver through Jo's body as she winced at the sudden change in temperature.

Reluctant to wrack up a large water bill, she quickly washed herself before emerging into the condensed room. She threw a bathrobe on and began to dry her hair.

Steam bounced off the walls and Jo began to feel slightly suffocated. She decided to exert her balance onto the door beside her, in an attempt to steady her dizzying vision but ended up sinking to the floor, back pressed firmly against the frame behind her.

She placed her head between her knees and began taking hollow, shaky breaths in an attempt to steady herself. However, her heartbeat just quickened and everything began to darken.

Jo was prone to panic attacks, she had been since an infant but usually they were controllable with the right grounding techniques.

Unfortunately, Jo's mind was still unable to focus solely on calming herself, as a result of the shambolic mess her life was. Each breath she took became shallower as she frantically pushed her hair behind her ears.

'Why don't I just give up now?' Was one of the thoughts that began intruding at an inconvenient time. The DCI pushed these notions away and curled up on the cold tiles beneath her. They were refreshing in a sense, and Jo sought comfort with the sensation.

For the first time in over 24 hours, Jo decided to close her eyes and hoped she'd find tranquility within the darkness.

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Kate pulled into her usual parking spot at 6:45. Her shift didn't start until 7 but she would frequently arrive earlier, especially after the nights she didn't have Josh.

She politely greeted the night shift officer who sat at her desk and allowed him to leave early, something she observed he was incredibly grateful for.

Vella's murder had been weighing heavily on everyone in the unit and beyond, making it unsurprising that the officers wanted to get as far away from the station as possible.

Absent-mindedly, Kate's eyes wandered to the SIO's office. It was a known fact that DCI Davidson would be in the station at 6:30 precisely, so when Kate found the office vacant, panic crept in.

The younger woman knew her boss was going through a rough patch, as a result of her breakup, but she sensed that this absence had a much deeper meaning. She mentally made a note to ask HR for the reason behind her absence and pay her a visit later.

Despite the sinking feeling in her stomach, Kate preoccupied herself with work, pouring over case files to find any lead whatsoever. It wasn't long until her colleagues filed into the station, all bar one.

"Hey, Kate?" A voice whispered behind her. Kate wanted anything but to hold a conversation with the Sergeant but realised she wasn't meant to know anything about her and Jo's relationship, or lack therof.

With a strained smile, she turned to face Farida and raised her eyebrows. "Yeah?" The reply was short and suggested she wasn't available for an extensive conversation.