Christmas in the city.

Part 1 (Rick)

New York, is notoriously cold in the winter, and for a city with nearly 80,000 homeless winter, can be deadly.
Tonight was particularly cold. It seemed that October had only just begun and already the streets were lined with frost. The windows of Rick's cruiser fogged up as his own breath hung in the air. It was was 5:30 PM and his partner had just left to go get them some coffee from a run down 24 hour donut shop in the Bronx. Rick had initially turned the vehicle off to stop the interior lights from notifying anyone passing by that he was a cop, but the cold was getting to him and his fingers hovered over the keys, the heater becoming more and more attractive. His partner Tim pushed open the door of the store and exited with a tray of coffee and donuts. Rick started the car and laughed at the cliché of their dinner. Two cops sitting in the dark of the Bronx drinking coffee and eating donuts, it could have been an Al Pacino movie.
Rick gripped his coffee with both hands like a small child, desperately trying to absorb every last bit of heat from the cardboard cup.
"What were you saying earlier there Rick?" Said Tim "I was trying to listen to you man, but I was just too goddamn cold all I wanted was a coffee" Rick paused, in the last week his family had descended into a whirlwind of drama. Tim was not exactly the person he wanted to talk about all this, but he brought it up anyway. He had hoped that Tim would just forget about his comment and carry on with his night, but he now realized that wasn't going to happen.
"Clara was pregnant Tim." He finally said "Neither of us wanted it so we broke up and she got an abortion. Somehow my mom found out and she's been calling everyone in the family tellin em what a murderer she is, how she's gonna go to hell... I don't even want to be involved with this shit man." He paused "Hell, Mom barely knew Clara! As far as I'm concerned we're adults, we can do what we want."
Tim raised his eyebrows " Jesus Christ"
" I don't know if it's my place to say this man, but someone needs to tell your Mother that it's 1997. It's not 1816. Damn, if God still exists, I don't even think gives a shit about abortions anymore."
Rick sighed "You're probably right Tim, sometimes I feel like my family's stuck in the 50s. Still worrying about all that shit like God and immigration." Tim looked over at him sympathetically and Rick continued "My mom ruined every good relationship I ever had. I've only ever really been in love once man, and do you know what she did.. she found out my girl wasn't Christian and blackmailed her until she found some lawyer boyfriend and left me forever. And now I can't even go home for Christmas because apparently I'm party to murder."
They sat in silence for a moment, then the radio crackled to life.
"We have an ICD-9" The metallic voice of dispatch filled the car "Teenage male, house marked 196, on the corner of Grace and Edenwald"
" shit I guess that's us.." Tim said as he flicked on the radio, replying to dispatch with an official sounding " McAdams and David on route"
" A lot of overdoses lately" Rick thought out loud as they sped, siren blaring, down Baychester Avenue before turning onto Edenwald.
" Poor kids" said Tim "they really don't know what they're doing do they?"
The house was green. As they pulled up to the driveway a teenage girl rushed out towards their car, her panicked expression flashing blue and red in the siren lights.
"Please Mr. officer" she made out before starting to cry "my friend Mitch, he's dying I... I don't know what to do!"
"Where is he?" Said Tim reassuringly "we can help."
"Follow me." she replied and waved at the front door. The boy lay unconscious on the couch, he was thin and pale and somehow to Rick, he looked strangely familiar. As Tim tended to him Rick turned to the girl, " listen" he said " I'm not gonna arrest you for any of this I just need to know what he took, we have to tell the folks at the hospital"
" ugh, policía para ti siempre culpando a los latinos" she grumbled in what Rick thought must be Spanish " listen cop." She continued " I don't have anything to do with this shit, some guys dropped him off here. I don't know where they went. I tried to asked him what he took but he passed out before he could tell me"
She sighed, "I hate it when he does this, I told him not to be around me if he was using but it never works. What am I gonna do, let him die?"
" Well it looks like today you saved his life." Said Rick as Tim carried the boy bridal style into the back of the cruiser. He would usually have waited for an ambulance but that kid needed to get to hospital as soon as possible. Looking at the kids face Rick was sure he new him, but how could he? This was just another passed out teenager who had made some bad decisions, no one he should know.
" Can you at least tell me his name and his age" finished Rick. The girl pointed to the couch, " drivers license right there" "Thank you, he owes you one" replied Rick taking the license and returning to the cruiser. Once Rick and Tim had left the boy and his drivers license with the emerge nurses they slowly drove back to the station. " geez what a night" said Tim as they finished the paperwork allowing them to go home. "Hey" said Rick "this is New York, we should consider any night where we don't get shot a good one right?" "Too true man" replied Tim "Hey Rick, Angela's making a pork roast tonight if you're not busy you should drop by for a couple beers" " You know I love Angela's cooking man, but I got a couple things to do tonight, see you after the weekend." Said Rick as he walked out of the station. Rick did have a couple of things to do tonight. He had some questions he wanted answered.