| Moving On |
| I wrote this while waiting for L&O to come on the night Lennie retired. I don't know about you, but I was rather disappointed by the way they ended that episode. I like my way better ... |
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| Jack sat at the kitchen table and watched as Lennie went through the motions one last time. The last thing he did every morning before leaving for work; putting on the gun and badge. This was going to be a difficult day for his partner, he knew. For most of his adult life, Lennie had been a cop. It defined him. But not anymore. Not after today. Mandatory retirement was still over half a year away. But Arthur had come up with a new idea � a squad of retired cops to do the DA�s office�s investigating. They were all getting overloaded; it made a lot more sense to hire guys like Lennie than to continue letting Serena play �girl detective� all the time. Her salary as a lawyer, even in the public sector, was too high for the grunt work she�d been doing these past years. It made sense. And Jack had to confess that in a way, he was relieved. First of all, Lennie would be off the front lines. No more chasing bad guys in the heat of the moment when shots got fired. No more working holidays, or pounding a beat on foot patrol. And secondly, he�d been worried about what Lennie would do after he was forced to retire next January. He wasn�t exactly the �sit at home and enjoy my retirement� type. So when Arthur had told Jack about this new squad he wanted, Jack knew exactly who should lead it. Of course, Arthur�s �oh, really?� reaction made Jack wonder if the DA hadn�t already come to that conclusion himself. And yet he knew today would be hard for Lennie. To hand in the gun and badge, to no longer BE a cop. To say goodbye to all the people at the 27 who had become like family to him. Jack remembered when Lennie first came to them from the 116. The past years, he had bounced from one precinct to another, never settling long anywhere. He was a drunk, and eventually it always tripped him up. But this time, for some reason Jack had never pried out of him, he made it work. He got sober and stayed that way, with one notable slip. And more than anything, he had made friends who had come to be like a second family to him. Of course, just not working there wouldn�t end those friendships. Jack thought of Lennie�s two previous partners from the 27 � Mike Logan and Rey Curtis. Both still very much a part of their lives, albeit in very different ways. When Lennie called you friend, it was for a lifetime. It really meant something. But that didn�t make today any easier. Jack knew they had a big retirement party planned for him this afternoon. There would be laughter, and a few tears, and plenty of traditional Lennie wisecracks. Then Jack would bring him home and hold him, as he finally let his own tears come. Afterward, Jack would give him HIS retirement present � a two-week vacation in Hawaii. One reason Lennie was leaving now was because of all the leave time he had accrued and never taken over the years. He wouldn�t start the new job for two months. So he had planned to spend a week here, relaxing, �enjoying his retirement.� Then a couple of weeks with Julia in Florida. Then, about a month from now, they�d fly to Hawaii; Yeah, Lennie had never been one of the �bake in the sun� crowd, but there was a lot more to Hawaii than beaches. He had even arranged to rent a motorcycle while they were there. He hoped Lennie liked it � It was time for Lennie to move on. Like any change, it would have its difficulties. But Jack would be there for him, as Lennie had always been there when Jack needed him. Because they were partners � lovers � and most of all, friends. Send me some feedback Return to the Story Index Disclaimer: These characters belong to Dick Wolf and NBC. I'm just borrowing them for fun, not profit. |