[b]March 18th, 1997[/b]

[hr]
Nicole mindlessly scrolled through the channels on her TV just to pass the time. She was leaning to one side of her couch with a half-read magazine face down on her lap, a cup of tea on her hand, and the remote on the other. She really couldn't concentrate on much as of late. Her and her ex-boyfriend, Jason, had just broken up and she was torn up about it. It was the typical post break-up routine, so Nicole would be in a slump for some time. 

But suddenly and without warning, the phone on the table right beside her went off. Nicole cursed under her breath as a result, having nearly spilled the tea on herself. She put the mug down on the table before picking up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Dr. Davenport, hey it's Davin. Sorry to bother you right now, but an officer has been shot. This just occurred a few minutes ago, and if the guy's dead you know the routine."

Nicole sighed, lowering the volume on the TV. "Goddammit Davin, why do you always have to call with bad news?" Nicole heard laughter on the line before he spoke again.

"Well, I mean, I [I]am[/I] on watch. It's sorta my job, otherwise...you know, you'd fire me."

"Alright, alright, don't get smart with me," she replied, her voice a bit playful. "I'll keep my pager on me. Let me know if they give you an update, okay?"

"You got it. Take care."

Nicole then hung up the phone, slow to get up as she had to set the stuff aside, sit up straight, and stretch. Her body was a bit achy, but nothing a quick, hot bath couldn't fix. As she walked over to her room, she wondered who the officer was. Nicole had dated one of the LAPD guys before Jason, so the question would always be there. She felt bad for the poor guy either way, but with the amount of bodies she saw day in and day out, the feeling didn't linger.

Nicole got the bath running, setting the water to a warm stream just how she liked it. She was 99% sure she would get the callout to work, but pampering herself just before what would be a tremendously long shift always did the trick. She headed to the kitchen to pour herself a fruit smoothie to enjoy with her bath, and unfortunately, the margarita mix stayed in the refrigerator. But she told herself she would be revisiting it after work. 

Since she had left the bath running, Nicole hurriedly tidied up the kitchen before heading back to the bathroom. She noticed the bubbles had formed in thick clumps floating around, but the water wasn't going to overflow any time soon. She had maybe a minute or two so she went for her cassette player in the bedroom. Nicole was just about to spoil herself silly, and she couldn't help but smile as she went on.