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“Evening, Chief.” The officer on desk duty greeted Garland as he walked in for the night shift, and the police chief responded in kind before glancing towards his son’s office, where the light was still on.
“Nathan still here?” He asked, already knowing the answer as he sighed, nodding to the officer’s affirmation. He headed to Nathan’s office and took a moment to watch his son, reflecting on how tired Nathan must’ve been since he didn’t notice him in the doorway. With his sense of touch dampened, the rest of his senses were honed and strong, and he usually would have noticed Garland’s footsteps immediately or clocked the slight movement in his peripherals. Instead, Nathan sat at his desk, brow furrowed as he pored over a file on the latest trouble they’d handled, no doubt searching for any out-of-place wording before submitting the doctored version of events.
It made pride and guilt swell in Garland’s chest. He was so proud of what a hard worker Nathan had become, how dedicated he was, and how much he loved this cursed town of theirs just as much as Garland did. Yet, at the same time, seeing the bags under Nathan’s eyes, the pale complexion of his face, and the weary look of his face made Garland regret how hard he had to be on his son. He knew he pushed too hard sometimes, but it wouldn’t be long now until Lucy returned, and Nathan had to be ready. He still remembered the haunted, almost old look in Nathan’s eyes when he met the future version of his son the day the Colorado kid died. He knew that Nathan was going to see things far worse than he ever had to, so he had to be tough on him. He had to ensure Nathan would be strong enough, even if it hurt them both to do so. For now, though, Nathan deserved a break.
“Time to hit the hay, Nathan.” The chief said, a pang of regret stinging his chest as Nathan started in surprise. “You’ve been working nonstop the last three days. Go home and get some rest.”
He watched as Nathan’s eyes tracked to the clock, widening just slightly at the time before his son started to shuffle his papers together with a nod. “Didn’t realize it was so late.” He murmured, and Garland wondered, not for the first time, how exhausted Nathan had to get before he realized he was tired. With his trouble, he’d never feel the symptoms of exhaustion, the way his muscles grew sore and stiff, the way his eyes would ache and grow dry, or the way his feet would twinge with every step. Nathan would miss every signal his body made to warn him he needed rest and would keep pushing until mentally he couldn’t keep up anymore. It made Garland worry that one day, Nathan’s trouble would go away, and Nathan, finally able to feel again, would feel nothing but chronic pain brought on by the harsh treatment his body endured for so many years.
Garland felt the ground beneath him rumble distantly, and he ducked his head for a moment, taking a steadying breath as he fought the helplessness and the strain of holding everything together. Out near the border of Haven, a cliff split with a new crevice, the resounding crack echoing through Garland’s body as he breathed out slowly. The pressure lessened with the small release, and he looked back up at Nathan as he stood. He was in control, and he wasn’t helpless. “Don’t bother coming in tomorrow. Take the day off, go have some fun.”
Nathan paused in front of him, eyeing him warily before a bit of relief bled into his eyes. “Roger that, Chief.” He said, smiling slightly as he saluted and walked out.
The feeling of the ground beneath him faded away as Garland turned to watch him leave. Yes, maybe their relationship was complicated, rough on them both in different ways, but it was still holding strong, an undercurrent of love keeping it alive despite the strain. The chief relaxed and headed to his desk, ready to endure the quiet night shift.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
A few hours later, Garland greeted Nathan down at the docks as his son exited the Bronco and checked his weapon. “Sorry for calling you in, Nathan. But it's a bad one. I'm gonna need every man I've got who knows about the troubles.”
“It's fine. What are we dealing with?” Nathan asked, business as usual despite the late hour, so Garland jumped right into his briefing as they cautiously approached the perp’s turf.
“It’s one’a the Patel kids. He killed his girlfriend, and he’s running scared. God help Haven if we can’t get his trouble under control.”
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
Tempers were flaring, one of his officers’ trouble sparked the perp's trouble into gear, and before anyone could run for cover, a spark ignited, and the entire dock shook with the explosion that blew them all back.
Garland blinked through the shock and the slight ringing in his ears from the loud explosion. He pushed himself up, panic coursing through him as he searched for his son. He relaxed as he saw Nathan already back on his feet, helping one of the other officers up.
The perp seemed to be gone, but they had injured men who had priority, so Garland called in an ambulance and set to notifying the various departments needed to handle the cleanup. They’d catch Jim Patel later.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
That afternoon, there was still no trace of the Patel kid, and Garland held a meeting with his officers to go over the information they had, which wasn’t much. Nathan sat on the corner of a desk during the briefing, and Garland couldn’t help but notice the way his attention kept straying. “Nathan.” He barked, shoving aside his guilt when Nathan straightened automatically and stared back at him. “I know you’re tired, but we need all hands on this one. You think you can stay awake long enough to run some numbers for me?”
Nathan seemed to take a few seconds too long to process the words, and Garland nearly redirected the task to another officer before his son answered an affirmative and took the list of numbers from him. Garland watched as he headed to his office, pausing once to glance back as though to ask for clarification before he seemed to think better of it and kept walking.
Garland reached up to rub his forehead, feeling the stress and strain of the earth under his feet again. This job was going to give him a heart attack sooner or later, and he didn’t want to stick around for the catastrophe that he’d leave in his wake when it happened. He walked back to his desk, each step carefully controlled as he held back the tide of helplessness. It was just one difficult case. They’d figure it out, and Garland would give Nathan some vacation time after, a few days at the very least, for him to rest.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
Sometime later, as sunset was just starting to color the sky, Garland’s cell rang, and he answered it without checking the caller ID. “Wuornos.”
“Chief?” Nathan’s voice came over the line. “Thought I was calling… Hmm.”
Garland quickly focused on the phone call, sensing something wrong and wondering why the hell Nathan was calling his cell when he was just in the other room. “Nathan, what’s wrong?” He asked, leaving his office to head to his son’s, only to find it empty. “Damn it, Nathan, where are you?”
“The docks… Got a lead on… On James.” Nathan answered, slurring his S’s. “Went to fin’im, but I… I can’t…” Nathan’s breathing grew heavier on the line, and Garland headed for the door. “...Can’t think straight.” He mumbled, his words blending together. “Somethin’s wrong.”
“Alright, Nathan. I want you to stay put, you hear me? Stay where you are. I’m on my way.” Garland ordered, hearing his son mumble something unintelligible before a clattering noise came over the line, followed by a car door closing. “Nathan? Nathan! Damn it.” Garland hung up the call, climbing into his car and pushing pedal to the metal as the ground rumbled ominously beneath him.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
By the time Garland reached the docks, things were going to hell in a handbasket. Nathan and Jim Patel were on the deck of a boat, Nathan with his gun out, and Jim Patel gesturing wildly, sparks dancing around his fingertips. As Garland got closer, he could see how Nathan’s attention wavered, his eyes drifting slowly between the perp and the sparks, his brow furrowed in confusion.
The chief quickly radioed for an ambulance before he boarded the boat slowly. “Now, now, boys!” Garland called, stepping onto the deck. “Why don’t we all calm down. Settle this peacefully.”
Nathan’s eyes flickered towards him, and his eyes narrowed, his hand coming up to his forehead as it scrunched, almost looking like he was in pain as he struggled to think straight. “Dad?” He mumbled, dropping the hand holding his gun as he took a step toward him.
“Nathan!” Garland saw the move a split second too late, and his shout failed to warn his son before Patel sparked an explosion, sending Nathan flying across the ship. “No!”
Garland ran toward his son, catching his arm and hauling his limp body back from the edge with just inches to spare. “Nathan. Wake up, son. Come on.” Garland coaxed, propping his son up against his chest. His hand ran through Nathan’s hair, and he inhaled sharply as he felt a rather large bump on the back of his skull. He must’ve hit his head during the explosion that morning and not realized it. The chief swore, holding Nathan a bit tighter. He knew Nathan wouldn’t feel any injuries, yet he hadn’t even thought to check him over that morning. Who knew how bad the head injury was? Nathan could have been bleeding in the brain, he could’ve been dying in his arms that very moment, and Garland wouldn’t have done the very least in the way of preventing it.
Manic laughter drew the chief’s attention back to Patel, and Garland stared up at the young man as Jim ran his hands through his long hair, pulling it back from his face. “What a touching moment. A father and his dying son. That’s why I killed Aimee, you know. She was carrying our son, my son!” Jim laughed again, eyes glazed over with tears and insanity. “She was carrying him, and she let him die. I told her to be careful, I told her. But no, no, she had to be reckless!” He shouted, throwing his hands out, sparks flinging across the deck. “And she killed him! She killed my son! ”
“Jimmy, please. It was an accident. You didn’t mean to kill her. She didn’t mean to kill your son. Just calm down. We can work this out.” Garland tried to reassure him.
“No! This can’t be worked out! I killed her! I’ve lost them both!” Jim screamed, curling his hands into fists. “It’s this cursed town! It kills everyone, and you just keep letting it happen. Well, not anymore.”
Garland heard the change in his tone, the way it went cold and determined, and the earth trembled distantly beneath the water, sending gentle waves against the hull. He wasn’t in control. He couldn’t save everyone.
“I’m going to raze this town to hell and finally free everyone of this curse!” Jim shouted, his flesh burning as he raised his hands to the sky.
He couldn’t save Jim. But Garland could save his son. A gunshot rang out, and Garland watched in horror as his bullet found its mark. Jim Patel exploded in tandem with a shift of the earth’s crust. Garland shielded Nathan’s body as flames rushed towards them, then the ship lurched. A giant wave crested over the hull, drenching the ship before the fire could reach them, leaving Garland and Nathan rocking to and fro in the boat as the earth calmed below them, the waves slowly dissipating.
Garland’s tears mixed with the saltwater on his face as he held his son close. “I’m sorry, Nathan. I’m so sorry.” He whispered, the earth straining beneath him, tectonic plates shifting and shuddering far in the distance. “Lucy. Lucy, please come back soon. I can’t keep it together for much longer. I can’t.” He murmured, resting his forehead against Nathan’s as the wail of the ambulance drew close.