Free Longing for Kayla by Lauren Fraser

what was going on to get some perspective, but there was no way he could speak to him about this. If Granger found out he was even remotely interested in a relationship with a guy he’d request a new partner. Homosexuality and the Blue Wall didn’t mix. Damn it, this was so messed up.
    His cell phone buzzed on his hip. Grabbing it, he glanced at the display screen. His heart rate picked up. Kayla. God, he wanted to answer the phone, to hear her voice. But he just wasn’t sure he was ready for all that entailed.
    He sighed and put his phone back in his pocket, opened up the car door and headed inside for his shift. He’d have to talk to Kayla eventually, now just wasn’t the time.
    Chris hung up his car keys and personal belongings in his locker, grabbed his weapon and holster and eased into it.
    “Hey, loser, you almost ready to go?”
    He closed his locker and turned to face his partner. “Yeah.”
    Chris eyed Granger’s newly cut hair and freshly shaven face. “Don’t you look pretty? You get all gussied up for me?”
    “Fuck you. Gina made me take her out for dinner tonight before my shift. Just the two of us.” Granger rolled his eyes. “I don’t know why she makes me do the whole wining and dining her thing when I have to go to work. After this many years, the only reason to go on dates is to get laid, and I certainly didn’t get that.”
    The mere mention of sex made Chris think of Kayla and Jesse. Memories of their weekend together filled his brain.
    “Man, if I knew how little I’d get laid after I got married, I might have played hard to get and made her wait.”
    Chris laughed. “Yeah, I’m sure Gina would have let that happen.”
    Granger stuck up his middle finger and Chris rolled his eyes. “I can see it’s going to be a fun night.”
    “You don’t know how good you’ve got it, man,” Granger told him.
    If he only knew.
    Chris grabbed the keys to the unmarked car they’d been assigned and initialed the sheet. “Let’s ride.”
    On his way out of the station, he tapped the counter to let the dispatcher know they were leaving and their radio would be on.
    They had barely pulled out of the parking lot when the radio crackled to life announcing a 10-75 domestic disturbance in progress.
    Flipping on the siren, Chris pulled a u-turn to head in the direction of the call while Granger radioed in they were on it.
    When they arrived at the house, the front door stood half off the hinges. Huddled together shivering under a bush sat two children, faces wild with fear. Chris crouched down so he was on eye level with the kids. “Hey, guys, I’m Officer Hanson.”
    He glanced up to see an elderly couple making their way across the street. Granger intercepted them, allowing Chris to focus on the kids.
    “Can you two slide out of there?” Neither child moved. He stuck his hand out to urge them forward. “Come on, guys. I promise you’re safe, nothing’s going to happen.”
    The elder of the two children stared back at Chris, her weary eyes far too old for her age. She sighed, and without dropping her arm from around her little brother, she crawled forward. United they stood before Chris. Goose bumps covered their skin and they clutched each other as much for warmth as comfort. Taking note of their thin pajamas, he quickly took off his jacket and wrapped it around them both. These kinds of calls always pulled at him. It was such a goddamn shame to see kids like this.
    Granger was busy talking to the elderly couple and held up his notes to show Chris he had all the info. With a better understanding of the situation, his partner was ready for them to go inside. Chris took hold of both the children’s hands and led them toward the elderly couple.
    “Can you watch them for me?” he asked the woman. She immediately crouched down and enveloped the children in her arms.
    A loud crash sounded inside the house, accompanied by a woman’s scream. Granger and Chris bolted for the house. Sirens sounded