Officer Needs Help - David Sullivan

From BiLine / Scene Lit

Virile rookie cop Sean Patton needs help in more than one way. To save his career, he has to overcome the trauma of killing in the line of duty. His struggle is complicated by his hidden bisexuality. It’s not cool to be a gay or bi cop in 1977.

 Blurb:

Sean Patton is a pacifist who doesn’t like guns but knows that statistically few law enforcement officers ever shoot anyone, so he plays the odds and loses. When a wife beater shoots him on a domestic-violence call, Sean is forced to shoot back. While his bulletproof vest saved Sean, it couldn’t shield him from the posttraumatic stress. His hidden bisexuality raises the stakes to risk his career and mental stability. As far as women go, he’s committed to being loyal to his loving and supportive girlfriend, Debbie. But can he swear off men? He’s knows the drive is inborn. How can he tell Debbie about his other side and still keep her? You'll feel the heat when Sean makes love to his gay friend from college and later with his lawyer girlfriend in the shower. A tryst with his male supervisor furthers the adventures.

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Excerpt:

The lawman propelled himself up and used his right hand and a body block to shove the woman off her chair. Simultaneously, his left hand drew his duty weapon. Patton’s revolver returned the suspect’s two shots with two of its own. Sean wondered if something was wrong with it—the shots sounded like a distant echo. The familiar acrid but sweet scent of gunpowder invaded his nostrils. Curiosity assailed him. Why is everything happening in slow motion? A cloud of smoke swirled from his pistol and commingled with the opponent’s gun smoke. His peripheral vision caught the blue-steel revolver fly from his attacker’s hand onto the dirty green linoleum floor. Even the thud of the six-shooter’s fall seemed muffled.

“Ugh,” was the only sound to leak from the assailant’s mouth. His Herculean body crumpled to its knees, and then dropped to its back. Blood oozed from the two holes in the hairy chest and mixed with the perspiration. His face and eyes transmitted a look of, “What happened?” Sean froze in fear for a moment as the man’s chest heaved to seize its last gasp. The eyes locked wide open, and the body shook once, twice, and a third time.

Patton holstered his gun. His mind was flooded like a torpedoed ship. Did my bulletproof vest stop the bullets? It hurt so badly at first. Now my whole body is numb. Am I bleeding? First aid to the woman? No, cuff the suspect. Call for backup. Should I pick up his gun or leave it there?

His right hand robotically lifted the portable police radio from its black leather case on his gun belt. He pressed the microphone button on the side of the plastic device. There was so much chatter on the police channel he prayed that he could weave his emergency transmission into it, “Unit 762, Code Three, Emergency, Code Three. Officer needs help! Shots fired at the Sherwood address. One suspect and an officer shot, there’s a beating victim.”

Patton suspected he was going into shock. He forced his eyes to stay open in resistance to their desire to close. He perked his ears for the dispatcher’s response, “All units clear the channel, emergency in progress. Respond Code Three to 3634 Sherwood—Officer Needs Help, 762’s been shot. I’m dispatching a Code Three ambulance.”

His eyes closed for just a second as he prayed, Thank you, God.

“Dispatch to 762, how many suspects? How bad are you hit? Are you safe?”

His eyes popped open, “762 to dispatch, one suspect, he’s down, not moving, not cuffed yet, beating victim here, hurt bad. Not sure about me…I can stand, my vest, I’m not sure…” His thumb slipped off of the transmission button. He strained to take controlled, deep breaths to stay conscious.
The radio crackled, “Patton, hang in there, kid. I’ve got lots of help getting to you, hang in there!”
His eyes flickered. He took comfort in the dispatcher’s calm voice. His gaze floated back and forth from the lifeless man, who tried to kill him, to the defeated woman in a heap, still on the floor. She uttered not a word. Her vacant eyes spoke for her.

Sean whispered, “I’m sorry.”

A distant siren shrieked louder. More joined it as they grew into a crowd. He only had to hold on for another minute.

His girlfriend Debbie came to mind. Debbie’ll freak. I’ll ask someone to call her from the hospital.

Two weeks later...
Officer Sean Patton’s own voice woke him. “Code Three, I’m shot! Code Three, I’m shot!”

“Sean, it’s okay, you’re dreaming again. It’s okay, baby, I’m here; wake up. You’re safe.”

His eyes snapped open. His heart pounded. “Oh, Debbie.” At first, he thought he was in his own apartment. His eyes started to focus and recognized the two nightlights in Debbie’s bedroom. One was a kitty light on the mirrored dresser. Another was an angel on the wall shelf.

Debbie reached past him to turn the table lamp on.

He sucked in deep breaths in search of calm. Debbie’s scent permeated the room. A mix of perfume and potpourri always made her apartment and bedroom so appealing. The light cast itself on the four bedposts, the satin sheets, and music boxes on the dresser. The painting of the blue roses in a nearly invisible vase looked like they came straight out of a fantasy world.

“Fuck, Debbie. I can’t put up with these nightmares much more. The flashbacks when I’m awake and the terrors at night. Damn.”

“That’s it, baby, take more deep breaths. You’re safe.”

“I can still smell the gun smoke.” His nostrils flared. “Damn, it seems so real. I’m sorry; a girlfriend shouldn’t have to put up with all of this crap.”

“It’s better that you’re here than alone at your place. Think of something else, baby. Do you remember what we did before we fell asleep?” They both sat up. He shook his head in a vain effort to contain the tears. Debbie’s hands drew him to her bare chest.

Sean pursed his lips and blinked to clear his foggy head. “Yeah, you forced me to have sex.”
“Oh you poor little wiseass. Here you are, a real muscle man, a cop and little ol’ me, a weak, 130-pound woman forced you to have sex? Oh my, oh my.”

Sean smiled at her innocent countenance, but in an instant, her brows knitted together as her eyes bore into his. She developed a deep, animated voice, “Then you should call a cop and have me arrested for rape. Just be aware, baby, I’m a repeat offender!” Her smirk migrated to a grin. He didn’t resist as her fingers caressed his chin and tilted it up. Her soft lips floated by to brush his lips. She kissed his tears away.

“Sean, it’s only been two weeks since the shooting; it’s normal to dream about it. I’m just so grateful that your mom made you buy that awkward, bulletproof vest that you bitched so much about. It stopped the bullets and saved your life. If you had been killed, I would have had to go out and find and train a new boyfriend.” Her smile uncovered straight, white teeth that teased Sean’s nose and lips with gentle bites.

He knew he should have admitted she was right; yet, all he could offer was his best little-boy grin. As he tilted his head, he scanned the curvaceous, naked body and the long bronze hair that went to her waist. He took another relaxing breath and buried his face in a handful of hair. Um, what a sweet scent. Her tits were round but not too big. Perfect for play. Her tight, firm ass added to the mix. Sean’s hand grazed her firm neck, slid over her tanned shoulders and arms, and visited her toned torso.

Debbie guided him back down to the bed. “Does it still hurt here?” She rubbed the spots on his back where the bullets were blocked by the bulletproof vest.
He tensed. “No, not anymore.”

“But you still tighten up when I touch it. The bruises are almost gone.”

He giggled like a girl as her fingertips feathered over his ribs. Sean wiggled, and then settled to the security of Debbie’s plump lips. They tended to his chest and neck. Her teeth joined in, to bite fancy-free.

“Silly boy, I love your little-girl giggle. You do it so well.”
They embraced in silence.
“I like being with you, Debbie. I think of you a lot.”
“I was afraid I had lost you. You know the saying you only miss something when it’s gone. You almost died.” She took a breath as though she was going to speak more but didn’t.

Their fingers traced the curves of the other’s chest as her head cradled at his shoulder. She rolled away from him and took a book from her nightstand. “I got this for us.”

Sean rose to his elbow, hand under his head as he shifted to his side. “Whoa, The Joy of Sex.”
“There’s a lot of stuff in there to play with. I started reading it—cool things.”

Sean flipped through it. “Nice drawings.” The pages flopped open to a bookmark. “Umm, two naked women kissing. Were you looking at that?” His voice elevated. “Oh, Debbie.”
Her face flushed. “No, not really, I’ve just been glancing through it.”

Sean smirked.

“Baby, you’re so sweaty. Come on, I’m going give you a shower.” Debbie jumped out of bed and led him like a guardian angel. They meshed in a slow, naked slink to the bathroom.