The next morning, Ethan relaxed in the jacuzzi while the morning news murmured from the outdoor television. Warm mist rose over the water, melting the snowflakes drifting slowly down from the sky. That mixture of heat and cold ran through his body with an oddly perfect sensation.
The water bubbled around him as he held a cup of coffee in his hands, enjoying the morning silence. His eyes were closed, completely relaxed, until the buzzing of his phone vibrating beside the jacuzzi broke the calm.
—Hey, man, last night Internal Affairs arrested Hank!
Ruzek's message appeared on the screen, followed by three exclamation marks, more than enough to convey his shock and disbelief.
Ethan let out a small smile before setting the phone aside.
"Flashback"
The party at Ethan's house had stretched late into the night before, setting the stage for what would follow come morning.
The laughter, music, and noise of conversations had slowly faded until the house finally became quiet. Outside, snow had begun covering the yard and the cars parked in front of the driveway.
Ethan walked Hank to the door while everyone else finished saying goodbye inside.
—Are you sure about this? Do you trust Stillwell? —Ethan asked, leaning against the doorframe.
Hank calmly put on his coat.
—No, but I have to keep my deal with Internal Affairs alive. And since I haven't exactly been cooperative lately, they want to pressure me with this, so I'll cooperate.
Hank glanced briefly toward the empty street before lowering his voice, stepping slightly away from the open door so nobody inside could hear.
—Tomorrow morning, Internal Affairs will probably announce my arrest. I'm telling you now so you don't do something stupid.
—It's an undercover operation —he finally explained—. They want it to look like I'm dirty so they can catch a bigger fish.
Ethan crossed his arms, watching him carefully.
—And Internal Affairs is behind this?
—Yeah.
Ethan let out a short sigh, understanding the situation.
—So you're the corrupt cop now.
Hank nodded.
—The moment I hand over the money, they'll arrest him for bribery. Everyone's going to panic—Hank corrected calmly—that's why I'm telling you now.
Ethan watched him silently.
—And what if something goes wrong?
Hank adjusted the collar of his coat before answering.
—Then we improvise. Like always.
That earned a small smile from Ethan.
"End Flashback"
Now, returning to the present morning,
Knowing perfectly well what was really happening, Ethan showed no concern whatsoever. He leaned back again in the jacuzzi, letting the water jets pound against his back while the steam mixed with the snow still falling around him.
When he arrived at the precinct, Ethan pushed through the glass doors with the cold still clinging to his coat. The usual noise of the district already filled the lobby: ringing phones, officers coming and going, and the smell of fresh coffee hanging in the air.
Behind the desk, Trudy Platt looked up the moment she saw him walk in.
—Well, look at that… Intelligence's rich boy finally decided to show up.
Ethan chuckled softly as he walked toward her.
—Good morning to you, too, Sergeant.
With a smile, he raised the extra cup of coffee he was carrying.
—Large, no sugar, extra cream. Like always.
Platt took the coffee.
—That's why you're my favorite.
She removed the lid and took a long sip, sighing afterward.
—God… now I can finally tolerate humans and Burgess.
Ethan shook his head, amused.
Platt watched him over the rim of the cup for a few seconds before slightly changing her tone.
—Hey… did you like the SUV I got you? I had to cash in a couple of favors and probably a little emotional blackmail.
—Yeah. It's amazing. I appreciate it, Sergeant.
Platt's satisfied expression appeared instantly, though she tried to hide it.
—Don't get used to it. It won't happen again.
For a second, both of them smiled naturally.
Ethan turned and started up the stairs, but Platt's voice stopped him once more.
—Morgan.
He glanced back slightly.
—Yeah?
Platt raised her coffee cup.
—Bring me another one tomorrow, and maybe I'll make one of your parking tickets disappear.
Ethan smiled.
Upstairs, only Ruzek occupied one of the desks, completely absorbed in his phone screen, wearing a shameless grin.
Ethan raised an eyebrow as he approached from behind.
—What the hell are you looking at?
Before Ruzek could react, Ethan quickly snatched the phone away.
On the screen was a photo of a woman wearing a completely soaked white T-shirt clinging provocatively to her skin. The fabric barely left anything to the imagination.
—Hey! —Ruzek protested, trying to get the phone back.
Ethan laughed and handed it back, shaking his head.
—Wow… you people really know how to have fun.
Ruzek pocketed the phone with almost proud calmness.
—You don't get it —he said, leaning back in his chair with a satisfied smile—. This is how Wendy and I make up.
Ethan looked at him incredulously.
—Oh, really?
—When she does something wrong, she sends me pictures like that.
Ethan let out a short laugh while tossing his jacket onto the desk.
—You two are definitely perfect for each other.
—Oh, right…
Ruzek suddenly stopped smiling.
—Hey, didn't you see my message? Word already spread all over the district. Our sergeant got arrested by Internal Affairs… does that mean… they're shutting the unit down?
—It doesn't mean anything.
Ethan patted him on the shoulder.
—It's a misunderstanding.
—But they put handcuffs on him —Ruzek insisted—
—If they can put them on him, they can take them off. It's not your job to worry about Hank.
Ethan walked toward his desk.
—Alright…
Ruzek suppressed his curiosity and leaned against the desk.
—Detective… can I ask you for a favor?
Ethan kept his eyes on his computer screen while reviewing some reports.
—What kind of favor? —he asked without looking up.
Across from him, Ruzek immediately smiled and rubbed his hands together, clearly trying to sell the idea before even saying it.
—Well… I wanted to ask you something. —He paused briefly— Do you think there's any chance we could use your house for the wedding rehearsal dinner?
Now Ethan finally looked up slowly. Ruzek's calm expression and overly innocent smile made it obvious where this was going.
—Let me guess —he said calmly—. Wendy loved the house.
Ruzek pointed at him as he had just solved a case.
—Exactly. Ever since the other night, she hasn't stopped talking about it. The yard, the terrace, the lights… she practically already planned the decorations in her head. And she asked me to come talk to you.
Ethan set his pen down on the desk, watching him silently.
—Of course, we'd pay for everything —Ruzek quickly added— Catering, cleaning, security if needed. We'd be responsible for anything. We're not trying to take advantage of you or anything like that.
—How many people?
—Thirty at most. Just close family and friends… mine and Wendy's.
Ethan leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms.
—And why do I feel like you already assumed I'd say yes?
Ruzek laughed softly.
—Because you're a good guy… even though you try really hard to look otherwise.
That made Ethan crack a slight smile.
—That was cheap emotional manipulation.
—Did it work?
Ethan slowly shook his head, amused despite himself.
—Still not sure.
—Come on, man —Ruzek insisted. Wendy's ridiculously excited about the idea. She says your house has "romantic movie vibes."
—That's probably the most concerning description I've ever heard about my house.
Ruzek laughed.
—Just think about it. No pressure.
Ethan raised an eyebrow.
—Whenever people say no pressure… they're definitely applying pressure.
He let out a quiet sigh before speaking.
—First, talk to me about the date —he finally said—. And I'll pay for everything. Consider it my wedding gift.
For a second, Ruzek simply stared at him, genuinely surprised.
—You serious?
—Yeah, I'm serious.
Ruzek's smile immediately became more genuine than usual.
—Ethan, you really don't have to—
—I know —he interrupted calmly—. I want to.
Ruzek let out a disbelieving laugh and shook his head.
—Wendy's going to lose her mind when I tell her.
—Not yet. —Ethan picked up the pen again and pointed slightly toward him— And don't mention it to anyone else either.
Ruzek laughed instantly, unable to hide his excitement.
—I'll try… but no promises.
Ethan snorted softly before extending his fist toward him.
—Just don't turn my house into a circus.
Ruzek bumped fists with him… though he barely stayed still for a second.
—Nah, forget that. Get over here.
Before Ethan could react, Ruzek stood up from the chair, walked around the desk, and literally pulled him to his feet by the arm.
—What the hell are you doing? —Ethan protested between restrained laughs.
—Thanking you like a normal person.
—Ruzek—
But it was too late. Adam wrapped him in a tight hug, almost lifting him off the ground in the process.
—Put me down, asshole! —Ethan growled, though the laughter escaped him anyway.
—Love you, brother.
—Yeah, yeah, I got it. Now let go before I change my mind.
Ruzek finally released him with a huge grin on his face.
—I'm definitely telling Wendy about this.
Ethan sat back down, adjusting his jacket with fake dignity.
Footsteps were heard.
It wasn't anyone from Intelligence.
Atwater and Burgess came upstairs together, with a girl between them: she wore a blue jacket, had curly hair, and looked terrified.
—Detective.
Atwater gestured.
Between them stood Lexi, Olinsky's daughter.
The night before, she had left in a hurry.
Now she was back… with blood smeared across her face and completely disoriented.
—Take care of her first.
Ethan stood and pointed toward the break room.
Burgess nodded and led her inside.
—What happened?
Ruzek immediately asked.
—There was a shooting in the Pearson neighborhood —Atwater explained, hands resting on his vest—. Burgess and I found Lexi there, so we brought her here first.
—Thanks.
Ethan patted Atwater on the shoulder.
—You did the right thing.
Atwater barely nodded, though the tension remained obvious on his face.
—Now comes the complicated part.
Ethan frowned slightly.
—What happened?
Atwater made an uncomfortable expression with his lips before answering.
—We found drugs at the scene… and Lexi says she saw the shooter.
The atmosphere immediately seemed to tighten.
—The person who got shot… apparently he was her boyfriend —Ruzek added in a lower voice.
—Shit… —Ethan muttered.
Ruzek pulled his phone from his pocket while quickly checking the screen.
—Olinsky's unavailable right now, but we'll handle it. And if you can… try not to put Lexi in the official report for now.
Ethan let out a heavy sigh before looking toward the room.
Lexi still sat on the couch, completely motionless, staring blankly at some point on the floor. She looked small like that, fragile despite the obvious effort she was making to hold herself together. The shock was written all over her face.
And when Olinsky found out, things could get complicated.
—Understood —Atwater finally said.
Ethan turned back toward Atwater and bumped fists with him.
—Handle that. We'll take care of things here.
Ethan walked into the break room, greeting Burgess with a small nod before sitting beside Lexi.
Kim stayed beside her for a few minutes, speaking softly and trying to calm her before finally giving them some space. Once she left, Ethan stood without saying a word, walked over to the old coffee machine in the corner, and filled a cup with hot water. Then he grabbed a tea bag from the metal container beside the sugar.
No questions.
And somehow, that silence was worse.
For someone who had just made a mistake, silence weighed more heavily than any lecture.
—Aren't you going to ask anything? —Lexi murmured.
Her eyes were red and swollen; her hands trembled on her knees. Ethan dropped the tea bag into the cup and barely looked up for a second.
—I don't need to. I already know you screwed up, and now you're waiting for daddy to save you.
Lexi blinked, offended even through her tears.
—What did you just say?
She wiped her face roughly.
—I just witnessed a shooting… and that's the only thing you can think of saying?
—Being nice to you doesn't change the fact that you acted like an idiot.
Ethan took a sip of his coffee and pulled out his phone, deliberately ignoring her.
—What happened? —a voice asked from the doorway.
Erin appeared at the top of the stairs. The moment she stepped through the door, her expression changed when she saw the dried blood on Lexi's face.
Without wasting time, she tossed her jacket onto a chair and walked straight toward her.
—Whoa, hey…