Raining Kittens! Tag Caleb

[Alexis Wheeler]

Of all days that it had to rain, why today?

Alex sighed as she pedaled her bike toward home, hoping that her backpack stayed reasonably dry under the plastic bag she'd wrapped it in before leaving the vet's office.  And she hoped she didn't look like a complete dork shrouded in another of the plastic bags, but it had been nice out when she'd left a few hours before to her volunteer job at the vet's, something she really loved and wanted to pursue as a career.

Now that she was headed home, of course it had to be pouring down rain.  And honestly, she didn't mind that much except that she had other cargo tonight.  Mrs. Adney, who usually handled emergency fosters, was on vacation so Alex had offered to take home a kitten that had been dropped off.  It was young and needed 'round the clock care as well as medication, and she was sure that her dad wouldn't object -- it was just for the weekend!

The kitty-carrier was swathed in plastic as well, with breathing holes, of course, and hung carefully over the right handlebar.  The tiny guy had meowed plaintively at first but then had settled in, and last she had checked on him, he was curled up asleep in the padding.

So far so good, they were past half-way home and Alex was dreaming of hot chocolate and kitten-cuddling -- well, and convincing Dad that it was okay to have the kitty there for a couple days -- maybe more!

The dog that darted out at her caught her completely by surprise and Alex barely managed to swerve to avoid it, but in the process hit the curb.  For a moment she was able to fight for control, but the street was slick, having no purchase for the tire and it slid.  Next thing she knew, she was tumbling head-over-heels to the pavement -- thank goodness for helmets!

She landed hard, rolling and scraping on the wet roadway, but it was the bike, with it's helpless passenger, that kept going a few feet into the middle of the road...and traffic...

As the headlights of an on-coming car lit the bike, Alex lunged for the kitty carrier, but had the good sense not to be totally stupid, and she retreated, closing her eyes and covering her head.

Please, God...

@cal

 

[Deleted]

If there was one thing Cal was good at it was reflexes, experience included working with animals AND people at both the ranch and in Chicago, and of course, being a cop! had given him adequate skills including seeing things quickly - the rain didn't help much for visibility but he'd seen the flash of colour just in time in his headlights and hit the brakes with such force that you could hear the wheels skid on the wet road - the bumper of his car just narrowly stopping short of hitting the bike, at least it was the bike and NOT the girl cowering on the ground just inches away.

Stupid rain.

It had been reasonable weather all day, he'd been out on the road following up on interviews for a case he was working on and he'd even managed to sit outside to eat his lunch.

He'd finished up at a decent hour too so after stopping for dinner but just as he'd left the rain started - bucketing down so hard Cal could just about see, the darkness sudden after the light just moments before. He'd quickly done some errands before deciding to head home.

That's when it had happened, the flash of colour in his headlights and the huge squeal of brakes as he stopped the car just in time, he hit a button on his dashboard that activated the police lights on the top of his car - providing more illumination AND a warning as he shoved open the door and ran towards the young lady, ignoring the rain as he approached

"Are you okay?" he asked as he crouched down beside her placing a hand on her shoulder gently.

[Alexis Wheeler]

Alex gasped at the touch, her instinct to pull away, but as she looked up, she knew he was a 'good guy'...in fact, the blue lights behind him told her he was some sort of officer, and the effect in the rain with the lights shining behind him gave him the effect of an angel to her!

"Fine...I'm fine," she gasped, nodding, ignoring her scraped up elbows and a pain in her knee...everything was moving, no bone was sticking out, and there was no major bleeding, so her concern was elsewhere.

"My bike..." She looked up at the man, blinking rain out of her eyes, then grabbing onto him and pulling herself to her feet. "There's a kitten..." She hoped! "Help me, please..."

Her hands were shaking so bad, and she was still trying to catch her breath...and she was afraid of what she'd find in the little carrier.

@cal

[Deleted]

As she pulled away Cal didn't force his hand to remain on her shoulder - mostly once was enough and as she looked at him he was patient as he registered him and the car behind him, another reason why he turned them on was at night it provided an "ID" for himself as he attended to her.

"Fine...I'm fine,"

Well, at least she SAID she was fine, but he guessed she probably had some grazes or something - he nodded briefly, near his car traffic moved around his car and away from the scene so when she mentioned her bike and grabbed hold of him pulling herself up, he stood with her, gently supporting her and blinked slightly in the rain as he looked towards the toppled bike.

He gave her arm a gentle squeeze then cautiously he approached, careful not to trip, crouching down he peered through the bars of the cage, at first he couldn't see anything then a pair of eyes opened and peered up at him, he smiled softly before reaching over and grabbing the handle of the bike with one hand he dislodged the carrier from it and keeping hold of the bike and carrier in each hand he rose and balancing the bike he moved back towards Alexis "Kitten's alive, probably worth getting it warm and give it a cuddle though" he smirked. He gently placed the bike against a post and indicated the car "Both of you get in" he held out the carrier "It's not letting up" the rain seemed to be pouring down harder and it looked likely to cause a LOT of trouble - least Cal could do was make sure both young lady and kitten was safe.

He remembered a long time ago, maybe when he was 20, his father and brothers had been out with the horses whilst he was home with his mother - it was early evening when he got a call, a few horses had gotten out and were running riot - the problem was it was storming out and it was spooking the horses and visibility was so poor that they couldn't keep track of them - their own horses were so exhausted from the work they'd been doing that they couldn't keep up.

Cal had gotten his horse aptly named Storm and headed straight for the upper fields - Cal was drenched through within seconds and arriving he could see the three horses, two black and one chestnut galloping in every direction, Cal's two brothers headed after the chestnut whilst Cal and his dad went after the black horses, as they neared them they split and Cal was left to go after one, Rising Flash was so fast that Cal had trouble keeping up but eventually he managed to lasso him and after some wrestling managed to get him to stand still - but it had been helped by Cal's calmness in the situation that had calmed the horse and of course Storm, Cal gently led the horse back - once they got home the storm began to ease.

But Cal didn't mind storms, he was used to them, he knew it was no use getting freaked out during one.

[Alexis Wheeler]

"Kitten's alive, probably worth getting it warm and give it a cuddle though"

Alex let out the breath she'd been holding, the few tears of relief that rolled down her cheeks hidden in the rain as she accepted the little kitten, pulling it in against her chest protectively.

"Oh, thank goodness!" She'd be crushed if anything had happened to the little guy, not only because she was responsible for him, but, of course, because he was so danged cute!

"Both of you get in" he held out the carrier "It's not letting up"

Readily, she accepted the man's help, only briefly considering 'stranger danger'! After all, this man was law enforcement, and he might even know her dad, so she readily climbed into the dry warmth of the front seat as he stowed her bike in the trunk. When he finally got into the driver's seat, she glanced over at him and smiled gratefully.

"Thank you, I'm sorry you had to get all wet like that...I'm Alex...my dad's with CPD...Michael Meriton?" She wasn't sure the man would have heard of him, after all, there were a few thousand officers in the department, but it didn't help to drop names!

"Oh, I'm getting your car all wet, too...I can walk from here..."

[Deleted]

"Thank you, I'm sorry you had to get all wet like that...I'm Alex...my dad's with CPD...Michael Meriton?"
"Oh, I'm getting your car all wet, too...I can walk from here..."

Sliding into the driver's seat Cal shook his head as she apologised for him getting wet, he'd been through worse - plus he was used to working in madder conditions, this was nothing compared - he was used to it. When she mentioned her father's name he thought for a moment "Probably seen him around, maybe I've said hello" he shrugged before she started talking about walking and Cal gave her a stern look "And what would your dad think if I did that huh?" he asked raising a brow "You're in the car, may as well stay" he smiled softly "Plus, I'm wet too - so it doesn't matter - car's not as important as you and the kitten" he reached over to the back seat where a duffel bag was resting and pulling it over he opened it and pulled out two towels "Was gonna go gym, until this rain started - clean I promise" he smiled softly.

[Alexis Wheeler]

"Oh, good, clean towels are the best!" She grinned as she took the towel, working first on the kitten, carefully examining it as she dried it off, then holding it close to keep it warm. "Thank you, and thank you for helping us."

How luck was it that it had been an off-duty detective who'd been there to not run her down? Not only were his reflexes skilled from training, but he was 'safe', so she didn't mind getting into his car and letting him give her a ride.

"So, are you with CPD, too?" she asked, knowing that there were several law entities that could be in town, including detectives from other cities here for court or investigations, county sheriffs, state police, Feds...

"And you're a detective, right?" Because beat cops didn't drive around with little blue lights on unmarked cars...

[Deleted]

"Oh, good, clean towels are the best!"

Cal chuckled, watching her as she dried the kitten - it seemed happy enough. 

"Thank you, and thank you for helping us."

Cal gave a nod, a warm gentle smile crossing his lips - creasing his eyes as he did so.

"So, are you with CPD, too?"
"And you're a detective, right?"

Absolute genius, Cal mentally slapped himself - sure he'd used his lights but he hadn't formerly introduced himself, she had but he hadn't - he gave Alexis an apologetic look "I apologise, I'm Detective Borden, Cal Borden. Yeah, a Detective with the Chicago PD" he mentally chided himself again before giving the kitten a look as it mewed trembling slightly as if cold - Cal reached over and turned on the heater in the car, normally he didn't bother but it was needed.

"What address shall I take you to?" he asked softly once he was sure the car was warm enough.

[Alexis Wheeler]

"I apologise, I'm Detective Borden, Cal Borden. Yeah, a Detective with the Chicago PD"

"Good to meet you, sir." She smiled gratefully at him, only just starting to wonder what her dad was going to say...provided he found out...she hadn't decided on that just yet. After all, while she should tell him, she wasn't exactly obligated, and she hadn't done anything wrong. Besides, he had enough to worry about without her wrecking her bike, and it wasn't anything she couldn't handle, and she had the kitten to worry about...

"What address shall I take you to?"

"Oh, yeah..." She chuckled as she gave him the address, pretty sure that her dad wasn't there. "How long have you been a detective?" she asked, "and do you miss working the streets?" She knew it was completely different, and that while detectives liked...detecting, some of them did miss being out on the streets, working with the public...sometimes!

[Deleted]

"Good to meet you, sir."

Cal shook his head "Call me Cal, please" he smiled "Sir makes me feel old" he chuckled

Once she gave him the address he keyed it into his sat-nav and once they hit the road Cal focused ahead, the rain still bucketing down endlessly

"How long have you been a detective?"

"Long enough" Cal replied smirking as he glanced at her briefly, not taking his eyes off the road too long.

"and do you miss working the streets?"

"I do, a lot" he smirked "Still get talked to from time to time by people I used to meet when I was a beat cop" he briefly glanced at her "You see your dad a lot?" he asked, a lot of the time with cops their kids didn't see much of their parents.

[Alexis Wheeler]

"Call me Cal, please" he smiled "Sir makes me feel old"

"Yes, sir...Cal..." Well, to her, he was kinda old, but then, she knew that older people didn't want to hear that.

"How long have you been a detective?"

"Long enough" Cal replied smirking as he glanced at her briefly, not taking his eyes off the road too long.

"and do you miss working the streets?"

"I do, a lot" he smirked "Still get talked to from time to time by people I used to meet when I was a beat cop" he briefly glanced at her "You see your dad a lot?"

"Sometimes. He gets pretty busy, though, but at least we get to see each other in the evenings." That was more than some kids got with their parents, she knew, and she was certainly grateful for it. "He tries to be home on the weekends, too. And I'm pretty busy with school and," she indicated the kitten, "I volunteer at a vet's...I'm going to be a veterinarian, if I can keep from getting run over!"

[Deleted]

"Sometimes. He gets pretty busy, though, but at least we get to see each other in the evenings."

That was good at least! Most kids barely SAW their dads in the evenings, so it was good.

"He tries to be home on the weekends, too. And I'm pretty busy with school and,"

Good, she had her priorities right

"I volunteer at a vet's...I'm going to be a veterinarian, if I can keep from getting run over!"

"Only an animal lover would brave this kind of rain for an animal" Cal replied knowingly "That's a good aim, you'll be fine" he glanced at her and smiled softly before looking back at the road "Just stay off the road in this type of rain" he winked.

Oh yeah, he'd learned the hard way when he learned what happens when you try crossing a 'quiet' road, in pouring rain, on a horse. It hurt a lot afterwards but at least horse and himself were actually okay and the driver escaped unscathed... though his car came off worse. 

[Alexis Wheeler]

"I didn't plan on being out in the rain," Alex looked over at Cal with a sweet smile as water dripped into her eyes, "but I had the bike and thought I could beat it...Thought wrong, as Dad would say!"

Of course, she'd known it was a long-shot at the time, the skies had been dark with clouds already, and drizzle had started shortly after she left.  But she was stubborn and independent, so she had kept on.

"It just opened up, but you know that," she sighed, "and yes, I know it's Chicago and it does that...you sound like Dad!"

Laughing, she snuggled the kitten up under her chin, feeling the vibrations as it purred, then glanced at the man.  "You have kids?"  He seemed like he'd make a pretty good one -- not as good as hers, of course, but Cal seemed patient and understanding.

@cal

[Deleted]

"I didn't plan on being out in the rain,"
"but I had the bike and thought I could beat it...Thought wrong, as Dad would say!"

Cal nodded, he had hoped to get things done before the rain had demolished all his plans

"It just opened up, but you know that,"
"and yes, I know it's Chicago and it does that...you sound like Dad!"

Cal grinned giving her a sideways look. At least he hadn't been compared to someone else!

"You have kids?"

Cal chuckled "No" a beat and he smiled glancing at her "Unless unruly horses and insane dogs count" he added winking, he was one of the types who considered the horses and dogs his children, well for now anyway! Outside the rain seemed to be letting up "Would you look at that huh?" he said as he glanced up at the sky shaking his head.

[Alexis Wheeler]

"Horses? Really?" Well, anything else he said went dancing out of her head as she looked at him with a huge grin. "You have a horse?" It sounded like there was more than one, even? "I love to ride, I clean stalls at the PD stables in exchange for riding time. Man, I wish I could have my own horse, that would just be amazing! But there's a couple that I really like and..."

She realized that she'd been rambling and moved to his next observation. "Just my luck that the rain stops after I hitch a ride!"

Rolling her eyes, she laughed, then pointed. "Turn left here, it's the apartments on the right."