Broken Shield Part 3

"You don't get speeding females?" Tyler questioned.

"No, I get speeding females. Just not ones that look like you, riding motorcycles." Ashley quickly turned and rolled her eyes. Great, that came out just perfect. Now she's going to think I'm hitting on her.

Ashley continued going through the paperwork she had been handed and wrote the ticket. Handing the license to the rider, she noticed the s.h.i.+ne of a s.h.i.+eld as it was slipped into her wallet.

"Excuse me. Are you a police officer?" Ashley inquired, still staring at the wallet.

Tyler flipped the wallet open and showed Ashley the badge next to her city I.D. "No, I'm a firefighter, Officer Henderson."

"Now, I remember. You're the woman from the bar. s.h.i.+t, why didn't you say something? I could have extended you a professional courtesy and you would have just gotten a warning."

"Really? Thanks, but if I broke the law, I broke the law." Tyler's indifference surprised Ashley.

Many civil servants were quick to flash a badge and remind their brothers and sisters in blue that they were all one big happy family, hoping to get extended a professional courtesy. It often rankled Ashley that they used it as a get out of jail free card. It was treated as a license to speed and it was happening more often than she liked.

Ashley handed the rest of Tyler's doc.u.ments back to her, giving her time to a.s.sess the woman in front of her. It was clear that she spent a lot of time outdoors, the tan muscular arms and shoulders framing the tight white tank top nicely. Snug jeans hung well off her hips and fit like a glove. Ashley couldn't help but notice the firm a.s.s as Tyler bent over to stuff the items into her saddlebag. Clearly, she had a great body and didn't mind sharing it with anyone who wanted to look.

"Nice bike. Been riding long?" Ashley quickly lowered her gaze back to her ticket book and busied herself with finis.h.i.+ng the write up. She had already said something she was sure would come back to haunt her, so she wouldn't stoke the fire Tyler always seemed to have burning just under the surface.

"Yeah." Tyler swung her leg over the bike and settled down on it. It was clear to Ashley she wasn't in the mood to talk and, frankly, Ashley wasn't willing to send the wrong signals. But since she was a friend of Kelly's, Ashley knew they would be seeing each other more often now that she and Kelly were partners.

"Look, Tyler, I'm sorry about what happened in the bar the other night." Handing Tyler the ticket, she continued, "I had no business judging you. Can we just start over?" Ashley extended her hand to the sullen woman and waited.

Crossing her arms Tyler looked at the extended hand.

Tyler looked at the officer standing near, her hand extended in some sort of peace offering. Only she wasn't sure she wanted to let the straight-laced woman off so easily. She had caught Officer Henderson cruising her body when she put her paperwork away and now it was her turn to make the officer squirm. Only Tyler's a.s.sessment would be brazen and deliberate. Looking at the officer, she got a clear picture of how squared away she really was-starting with the uniform and its razor creases. The uniform fit extremely well considering she was wearing a bulletproof vest. However, the humps on her chest made it obvious she was well endowed. Her slender form and straight back gave her an air of superiority that most officers seemed to have. Tyler wasn't sure if the att.i.tude came with the clothes or if it was inserted a.n.a.lly during their time at the academy. It had taken a few years to rub Jill's pointed edges down to a smooth edge, but it had been worth it to find the diamond that lay underneath.

Officer Henderson also opted for the Smokey hat, rather than the service cap. It made a statement and was often the b.u.t.t of many jokes. That told Tyler she could take a little heat from civilians if she wore the silly hat. Barely peeking out from under the hat was auburn hair, the color of the sunset on a brilliant rainy day. The kind of sun that peered out between clouds that had deposited their life giving nutrients and then, with one last hurrah, gave a grand exit. Lowering her gaze, she looked at the way Officer Henderson's pants were tailored. To the average person they fit fine, but Tyler recognized what was called a West Point cut to her trousers, with one single break in the front seam and the back of the slacks straight and lowered to the heel, but not touching the ground. Military service, thought Tyler. Seems we do have something in common. Well-s.h.i.+ned shoes completed the uniform. Tyler would almost bet there was a second pair in the trunk, just in case one pair got dirty on the rare occasion she chased a suspect.

The soft make-up Officer Henderson wore was very conservative and accentuated her flawless skin. Eyes the color of a green shamrock stared at Tyler as she finished her a.s.sessment. Puckering her lips in a smirk, Tyler reached for Officer Henderson's hand, gave it a firm shake, and then let go.

"Well, if you will excuse me, Officer. Unless there is anything else, I need to be going before I'm late to a very important appointment," Tyler said, slapping her helmet on and buckling it. Strong arms grabbed the handlebars and righted the motorcycle as Tyler started it. The guttural moan from the pipes caused her to smile and look over at Office Henderson. If she wasn't careful she might get a ticket for loud pipes, but she would risk it considering there was little else the officer could site her for.

Peering around Ashley, she watched traffic and eased her bike closer to the pavement. This was often the most dangerous part, getting back on a busy highway. Too many distractions like cell phones, texting, eating, and the occasional hand job, all of which she had witnessed, kept people from paying attention. So, she had to be hyper-vigilant or stop riding and that wasn't an option. Nodding her head in Officer Henderson's direction, she went through the gear pattern pretty quickly and made it to highway speed in no time, disappearing into the heavy traffic.

Chapter Seven.

Tyler could hear the children's laughter as she walked up the steps to Kelly's house. It was clear the party was in full swing and the exuberant screams inside made Tyler smile. She had fond memories of her and her brother's birthdays. Her mom had made every effort to make each one special, and they were always filled with laughter, cake, and plenty of presents. Stepping up, she pounded on the front door, making sure Kelly would hear her arrival, just in case she hadn't heard the motorcycle pull up.

"Tyler, Tyler. Can we see your motorcycle?" a cherub faced boy said, reaching his hands up.

He was so enthusiastic that Tyler knew she couldn't deny the birthday boy anything. Tyler bent down and picked up the giggling boy, gently tossing him in the air. Michael wasn't just the apple of his parents' eye, he was also Tyler and Jill's G.o.dson and he had been the one thing Tyler could focus on when Jill died. Tyler had spent endless weekends with Michael, offering to baby-sit every chance she got. The distraction was not only welcome, it was something she looked forward to. When Kelly had changed her schedule so she could be home with him more, there was no reason for Tyler to hang around. Besides, Kelly didn't need a third wheel following her around the park, preschool, and all the others things she was doing with Micheal.

"Hey, glad you could make it," Kelly said, standing by the door watching as kids started to marvel at Tyler's motorcycle.

"Yeah, I wouldn't have missed it for the world. Looks like things are just getting started."

"Not really. They've been like this for about an hour." Kelly looked frazzled as she picked up a dumped cup of punch, wiping the sugary drink off the vinyl floor.

"Wait, I thought you told me the party started at one." Tyler reached for the cup, taking it out of Kelly's tired hands. "I would have been here sooner if I had known."

"It's fine, Tyler. I thought more of the mothers were going to stay. Seems they just dropped and ran. Can't blame 'em. I probably would have done the same thing."

Tyler looked around the room, paper and cups everywhere. How could half a dozen boys demolish a house in an hour? Tyler shook her head. It was something she would never know now.

"Come on. I told them they had to wait to get in the bouncy house until you got here. I need a few more eyes to keep watch. You never know when you might need someone with medical knowledge to help."

"Sure. Okay boys, bouncy house, then cake, then motorcycle. And if you're real good, I'll even start it and let you rev the engine. Deal?" A chorus of "deal" rang out and then Tyler was almost trampled by a stampede of boys making their way to the backyard.

Smiling, Tyler followed her best friend to the backyard and the cacophony of screams. This was a boys only party and the activity was almost more than Tyler could handle. Not one of the boys was still and she watched as the endless streams of energy ran the yard like an obstacle course, finally ending up in the bouncy house.

"G.o.d, Kelly, how do you do it?" Tyler looked around the devastation of the yard. A pinata hung from one of the limbs of the tree, ready to take its mandatory beating before pouring its bounty all over the ground. Toys littered every corner, making Tyler wonder how many would survive the day's events.

"Oh it's not that bad Tyler, trust me. I've been through worse at work," Kelly said, always looking on the bright side of things. Walking around the yard she and Tyler picked up the debris left behind by the marauding boys. "It's only once a year so I can manage. It really makes me reconsider more kids, though."

"Yeah, it reminds me why I never want kids-ever." Tyler smiled, knowing she was lying.

"Yeah, well everyone knows you're just a big kid. So whoever took you on would have to raise you, too."

"Funny," Tyler said, then stuck her tongue out at Kelly.

"Adult, Tyler. Really adult," Kelly said, sticking her tongue right back at Tyler.

"Cute. You better be careful, I just might interpret that as the lesbian high sign." Tyler winked and then went back to picking up the last few errant toys. "Where's Mike? I wouldn't think he would want to miss out on all the action, considering he's just a big kid, too."

Mike and Kelly had waited to have kids for years. Being a cop wasn't easy and being married to a cop was even more difficult, as Tyler could attest, but both Kelly and Mike were cops. Making matters worse, they both worked patrol, which left little time to be together. But they made it work and Tyler admired them for it.

"He wanted to be here, but he got called in to work. You know it's killing him missing Michael's birthday."

"I bet. Well, I'll stand in for him till he gets back." A knock at the door interrupted the conversation.

"Hold that thought. Michael get off Jason. I don't care if he's a pony, you're not to ride him. Get off, now." Kelly looked at Tyler imploringly for help.

"I got it. Go answer the door and I'll watch the young heathens." Tyler laughed as she walked to the bouncy house.

Ashley pulled into Kelly's driveway and parked behind a very familiar motorcycle. Kelly hadn't told her that Tyler would be at the party. It didn't matter. She would have come regardless. She was just a.s.signed to partner-up with Kelly and she wanted to be a good partner so she jumped at the chance to come to Kelly's son's birthday. A few more car doors slammed drawing her attention back to the reason she was there, to help celebrate a young man's birthday. Pulling her hat out and positioning it on her head, she heard someone address her.

"Oh, don't tell me, Officer, that the party is already out of hand?" a giggling woman said patting Ashley's arm. "Hi, I'm Sally, Jacob's mom, and this is Jennifer, Justin's mom," Sally said, pointing to the woman walking up to the group.

"No, I don't think they're quite that bad yet." Cupping her ear, Ashley listened to the laughter coming from the backyard. "We might want to hurry though. It does sound as though they might need some help." Ashley smiled at the women as they rushed to the door. "Mothers."

The women buzzed around her, talking about their sons, school, and other a.s.sorted items related to their nearby sons. The women didn't seem to notice that the door still hadn't opened after several knocks, so she excused herself and stepped between the women. Pulling her nightstick she rapped harder on the door, a few scuff marks her reward for being so aggressive. Looking back at the now silent women, she flashed them a smile and shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't think she heard us."

"Well, she has now, obviously," whispered one of the mothers.

"I'm sure she has," Ashley said, sliding her nightstick back in its holder.

"Ladies, Officer Henderson. I'm so glad you made it," Kelly said, looking at the group.

"We come bringing gifts, Kelly," said one of the women as she squeezed her way through the small crowd. Thrusting a cup holder at Kelly she continued, "We figured you could use a break and some adult nourishment."

"Oh, you're a saint, Sally." Kelly pushed the door open wider and stepped aside so the gaggle of women could enter.

"Officer Henderson? Really?" Ashley flashed Kelly a smile.

"Sorry, I figured it was you who practically pounded the door down. These moms are as meek and mild as deer. It's not their style."

"So I noticed." Ashley stuck a finger in her ear, ringing it around.

"Oh stop. You'll be fine. Come on in. Tyler's in the backyard corralling kids."

"Oh, good thing I brought my gun for the OK corral. I would hate to see four year olds get the better of Tyler, but somehow I think she can fend for herself."

"Yeah, well these aren't women, they're kids and they're used to getting their way. So, Tyler might be out of her league."

Kelly laughed when she saw Tyler on all fours with two kids riding her back. "See? She's already giving horsey rides."

Ashley watched as Tyler rolled to her side and began tickling the first boy she could get her hands on. Screaming, the boy squirmed and called to his friends who immediately ran and jumped on Tyler. A game of dog pile broke out and Tyler was desperately trying to protect the young lad she had been tickling.

Chapter Eight.

Tyler lay pinned under the screaming boys, trying to protect her G.o.dson who had started off as her tickling victim, but now found himself pinned with her at the bottom of a pile. Ashley's spit s.h.i.+ned boots and Kelly's canvas low tops walked into Tyler's line of sight.

"Having fun, Tyler?" Kelly tapped her foot in front of Tyler's face. "Okay boys, off."

Tyler looked, sliding up the uniformed legs, and found Ashley smiling down at her, eyebrows raised. Kelly stood next to her, arms crossed, with a smirk.

"Hey."

"Hey."

"What are you doing?" Kelly asked, reaching down to help Tyler up. "I can't leave you for one minute before it turns into a free for all. You're just one big kid yourself, Tyler."

Dusting the gra.s.s off, Tyler just shrugged. She loved being one of the guys, but one of the boys? She laughed at the thought, Yep, I would've made a great mom.

"h.e.l.lo, Officer Henderson. Twice in one day. Who would have thought?" Tyler said, walking towards the house.

Tyler wasn't about to stand around and make nice to the officer who had just ticketed her. She wouldn't be disrespectful, but she wouldn't pretend that the officer who had shot her down in the bar, and then wrote her a ticket, was anything other than that, a police officer. She watched as Ashley and Kelly talked. Tyler noticed that Ashley gestured when she talked. Small, little hand gestures that gave Ashley that "girly" look Tyler liked. Her slight frame and gestures would have been more at home, literally, at home. She could easily see Ashley as a housewife with a pack of kids around her. Tyler had to admit she wore the uniform of a police officer with confidence, strength, and bearing, so being a housewife was probably out of the picture for someone like Ashley. Tyler found Ashley's quiet confidence s.e.xy as h.e.l.l, not like those officers who mistook c.o.c.kiness for confidence. No, she had something about her that, under different circ.u.mstances, Tyler would want to explore. Looking away, Tyler knew that Ashley was officially off limits. She had made it clear at the bar and Tyler wasn't about to get kicked twice.

Tyler tried to divert her attention to the boys, who were playing with the marshmallow shooters Tyler had brought for them. Tyler figured they were harmless since they had to blow a miniature marshmallow through a blowgun. Soon, marshmallows were flying everywhere including at Tyler. Kelly's laughter caught Tyler's attention as she tried dodging an errant marshmallow that succeeded in hitting her on the side of the face. Glaring at the boy who shot her, she made tracks to the other side of the yard where the rest of the boys were playing. Turning her attention back to Kelly and Ashley, Tyler caught Kelly looking at her with raised eyebrows and a smirk. Tyler felt trapped as she watched Ashley walking towards her, smiling.

"Can I get you something to drink Tyler?"

Ashley's perfume engulfed her as she turned to answer. Tongue tied, she just shook her head and walked towards Kelly.

"What's so funny?" Tyler asked, wiping marshmallow from her face.

"Nothing. Ashley just told me what happened today." Kelly attempted to wipe the sticky mess from Tyler's face with a napkin she was holding, but Tyler brushed her hand away.

"Nothing happened today, Kell. What did she tell you?"

"She told me about giving you a speeding ticket and how sorry she was that she didn't know it was you."

"Yeah, right. She has eyes. She could have seen it was me, but she was too busy getting ready to bust some guy's," Tyler made air quotes, "'b.a.l.l.s' that she wasn't paying attention. It's not a big deal. Trust me, it isn't my first ticket and it won't be my last."

"She said you were speeding, Tyler. How fast were you going?"

"What are you, my mom?"

"No, just someone who cares about you. Why do you have to make such a fuss about people who care about you? Look, maybe I was wrong warning Ashley to stay away from you. She's a big girl and can take care of herself. You, on the other hand. Well, let's just say you need someone watching your back." Kelly slipped her arm around Tyler's waist and hugged her. "She's kinda cute huh?" Kelly said, looking at Ashley talking to one of the mothers.

"You were right to warn her away from me, Kelly. Besides, she's probably one of those women who keeps a diary. No, wait, she's an adult now. She keeps a daily journal and writes in it every night. She probably writes down all her hopes and dreams for the future. How she wants to get married and have two point three kids and live in a house with a white picket fence around it." Tyler closed her hands as if they were a book and then batted her eyes at Kelly.

"That is so ridiculous, Tyler. I'm sure she doesn't keep a journal. Besides, with all the paperwork we have to do, who has the time or the desire to write anymore when our day is over?" Kelly rolled her eyes at the silly implication.

"Oh, come on Kelly. Don't tell me she isn't so 'dreamy' that she hasn't sat around a time or two and written out her name with that of her girlfriends and said 'Gee, I wonder?'" Tyler said, using her finger as a pen, writing in the palm of her hand.

"Tyler, where are you getting all of this? Are you so jaded, you expect everyone to have a heart of steel like yours?"

"No, the exact opposite. I see Ashley as a good soul who sees the good in everyone and everything and thinks that life is like an Ozzie and Harriet show. Only in this version, it's Harriet and Helen and they have kids, a house and everything is wonderful. Well life doesn't work out that way now, does it, Kell?" Tyler asked, stuffing her hands deep into her pockets.

Tyler felt her jaw clenching as she tried to control the anger seething to the top. Why was she mad? Ashley hadn't done anything to her, and here she was making judgment calls about someone she didn't even know. That was the problem. She didn't know Ashley and she wanted to, but Ashley had made it clear that Tyler would never get that chance. Well, Tyler knew she had sealed her own fate long before she met Ashley and Ashley's rejection of her at the bar was just an outcome of that behavior. So she had no one to blame and no one to get p.i.s.sed at but herself. She had to accept responsibility for that behavior and now she faced the very real consequences of not getting to know a nice woman like Ashley because of it. Regret replaced the anger as Tyler took a deep breath and sighed.

"I'm gonna go, Kell." Tyler kissed Kelly on the check and gave her a hug. "Tell the birthday boy bye for me. I hope he likes his birthday gift." Tyler smiled and waved at Michael.

"Tyler, you don't need to go. It's fine, really. No harm, no foul. Besides, you haven't had any cake yet." Kelly said, tugging on Tyler's elbow.

Patting her stomach, Tyler said, "save me a piece. Besides, I gotta watch my girlish figure ya know." Tyler smiled and kissed Kelly on the check. "I'll talk to ya later."

"Later then."