Jinny_Extead
08-05-2001, 03:53 PM
A New Beginning
By: Kelly
Magda, CD, and Angela had just gotten off work and decided to meet Jinny, at Anchorside.
"Hey guys, miss me yet?" Jinny asked laughing when everyone sat down.
"Well, it's definitely quieter, but it's kinda nice," CD aswered.
Jinny was about to say something when her cell phone rang. "Exstead."
"Jinny... this is Casey. You've got to get down to St. Anne's Hospital now."
"Casey, what happened, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, John's fine..."
"And dad..."
"Jin... his liver stopped working. The doctors say he won't make it through the night."
"Okay, I'm on my way. Thanks."
While talking on the phone, Jinny's smiled faded, and she was starting to cry. She tried to wipe away the tears before anyone saw, which didn't work.
"Guys, I gotta go." Jinny said standing up and putting some money on the table.
"Is everything okay Jin?" Magda asked.
"No... My dad is dying." Jinny managed to say before turning and quickly leaving the table. The four women watched Jinny walk out the door, then stared at each other.
"Poor Jinny, she has the worst luck." Magda said after a moment.
"If her father dies, that will only leave her with John and Casey...and after what happened to her mother..."
"Sometimes I think we don't give Jinny enough credit. She wakes up everyday with so many painful memories, then tries to drink them off at night." Angela said slowly. None of the inspectors answered, they just sat thinking about what Angela had just said.
"Casey, John...where is he... is he okay...what happened?" Jinny asked as she hurried into the ICU.
"Jinny, thank God your here. Dad's liver just shut down. There is nothing they can do for him." John answered.
"Then he's going to die?" Jinny answered sitting down.
"Yeah." Casey replied sadly.
"When can we see him?"
"Right now, we were just waiting for you to get here. Are you ready." John asked his sister.
"Um, yeah... as ready as I'll ever be." Jinny answered as the four Exsteads walked down the hall, to their father’s room. "Hi dad." Jinny said when she saw her father.
"Hi... listen, I know I'm going to die, and I'm ready for it. The doctor said I drank so much alcohol... it wasn't a shock when my liver stopped. But there are things I have to tell you before I die... I know I was the cause of your drinking...
"No dad, it's all my fault."
"No Jin, listen... I set a bad example. Please get some help Jin... and please don't drink yourself to death when I die. Please Jin, you're my only daughter and I love you."
Jinny looked at her dad and began to cry, "I promise dad... I love you." Jinny kissed her dad on the cheek and sat down in a chair by his bead, and started to cry harder.
"John, Casey, listen to me. You guys need to stop hating each other. If for nothing else do it for your sister. Yeah she acts tough, but she's not. You two take care of your sister, she'll need you."
"Thanks for everything dad," John said. You knew he was hurting because he stopped cracking jokes, even though his eyes never filled with tears.
"I love you dad.... And I'll watch out for Jin. I promise." Casey said, showing a little more emotion then his brother.
"God I'm tired, I think I need to sleep." John Sr. said as he slipped into sleep. The heart monitor emitted a steady beep, and they all knew their father was gone.
"Bye dad," Jinny said as she left his room. Casey and John both looked at their father for the last time and left, to follow Jinny. They found her sitting on a couch in the waiting room, quickly paging through a magazine.
"Jinny, what are you doing?" John asked his sister.
"I'm looking at a magazine," Jinny said, her voice heavy with emotion. Casey sat down next to his sister.
"Jin... it'll be okay. You've still got me and John." Jinny threw the magazine down on the table, and stood up and started pacing.
"No, it won't be okay, it'll never be okay again. Who will I call when I'm sick, or who will always be there when I get into trouble, and who will walk me down the isle on my wedding day?" Jinny said her voice cracking.
Casey stood up and walked over to his sister, and hugged her. He could feel her shaking as she sobbed on his shoulder. He gently patted her on the back, "Jinny, call me when you're sick, or in trouble... I'll walk you down the isle."
"Yeah, and I'll scare off your boyfriends like dad used to do." John said walking towards his sister. "I know I'm not the greatest older brother, but I do love you Jinny... both of you."
Jinny walked over to her older brother and gave him a quick hug, "I know. But don't worry, I'll be fine, I'm tough right, you don't need to take care of your little sister." Jinny smiled and left the hospital room.
"John do you think Jinny is going to go home and drink?"
"Yeah, I know she will. Maybe we should stop by her apartment later tonight, make sure she's okay."
Jinny quietly opened the door to her apartment and looked around. She had never cleaned her apartment since she threw the bottle against the wall, so she was careful to walk around the pieces of glass and went into the kitchen. She returned with a bottle of beer. Jinny picked up her phone, she knew Magda would be worried. "Mag, it's me Jinny...yeah, he died a few hours ago...um, I'm okay...no, Casey and John are being great...I gotta go, okay. Bye Mag." Jinny hung up the phone and picked up a bottle of beer. Within two sips, the beer was gone, and Jinny returned with another, drinking it in the same fashion. Soon Jinny was on her sixth beer when there was a knock at the door. She slowly opened the door, and wasn't surprised to see her brothers.
"Jinny... you've been drinking, haven't you?" John asked when she opened the door; "I can smell it."
"I might have had one.... Or two..." Jinny answered looking down at her shoes.
"Jinny can we come in for a minute." Casey asked.
"Um... well.... Sure. Just look out for pieces of broken glass." As Casey and John looked around their sister's apartment, they were shocked.
"Okay Jin, how many beers did you just drink?"
"Well, this is my third." Jinny said lying.
"Jin, I know this might sound stupid, but why are there pieces of glass all over the floor?"
"After I got back on the day I was suspended, I came home. I called dad, and then I grabbed a full bottle of whiskey, and I drank the whole bottle. I was so drunk, it just made me madder, so I threw the bottle and a glass against the wall."
"God, you really do drink like a fish, don't you." John said.
"Shut up John, um Jin... do you want to stay with me at my apartment, I have a very nice couch." Casey offered.
"No, that's okay, my room is actually not as bad, I don't have any broken glass."
"Jinny, stay with Casey. You promised dad you'd quit, if you stay here, you'll keep drinking" John told her.
"Fine, I'll go get a bag, okay." Jinny said. She knew her brothers were just looking out for her, but she still wanted to stay in her apartment. Jinny opened her closet to grab her bag, but saw her box of old pictures instead. Jinny grabbed the box and sat down on the bed. Jinny reached down into the box and took out the two pictures she looked at most. The first was a picture of her and her dad when she was nine. The other was of her 14 birthday, a few months before her mom killed herself Jinny was sitting by her mom on the couch. They were both smiling.
Look at the pictures brought such a rush of emotion; Jinny couldn't help but cry. She tried to be quiet, so her brothers wouldn't hear. Jinny grabbed her duffel bag, and shovel some stuff inside, and lastly put the two pictures in a picture frame, and put that in her bag too.
Jinny walked out of her room, and Casey knew immediately she'd been crying, but decided not to say anything. "Ready to go?"
"Yeah." Jinny said grabbing her keys from her table. John opened her door and they all stepped out.
The next morning Jinny woke up, and thought she was dreaming. Her dad couldn't be dead... she had just seen him a few days ago. Jinny slowly sat up, and looked around. She remembered everything now, her father's liver failing, her brothers wanting to protect her... everything. Jinny felt a few tears slip down her cheeks, but didn't bother wiping them away, she figured Casey was on duty. Jinny took a quick shower, and changed into all black, her favorite color. She knew she needed to get out, and do something, so Jinny decided the best place would be the gym.
The gym was only a few miles away, and Jinny walked straight towards the punching bags. For as long as she could remember, she had always either drank, or hit something. Jinny pulled the gloves on and hit the bag. Slowly at first, but with each hit she became more and more sad. Right then and there Jinny was dealing with not only the memories of her father, but the even more painful ones of her mother. Jinny knew she was crying, but didn't care, she didn't care about anything anymore.
"Jinny?"
Jinny quickly turned around. She knew that voice, "Teddy. Hi how ya doing?"
"Jinny... why are you crying and hitting the bag like there's no tomorrow?" Teddy asked gently.
"Well...my dad died yesterday. His liver failed."
"I'm so sorry." Teddy said, giving her a hug. Jinny couldn't help it... Teddy was the first sympathetic shoulder she'd had to cry and, and Jinny let it all out, all the pain and guilt she felt.
"Why aren’t you with your family?"
"My brothers are trying, but... I just don't know, I just needed to get away."
"At least your Captain gave you the day off."
"Actually, she gave me 90 days off, no pay."
Teddy looked at her confused, "90 days, with no pay?"
"A month ago, I was drunk at work, and I was suspended for 90 days."
"Jinny, you need to get your drinking under control."
"I...I know. Magda planned an intervention. It was the hardest 15 minutes of my life. I told them I could do it on my own, but..."
"But what Jin?"
"Teddy, I can't. I’ve been drinking for so long, I don't think I can stop."
"Jinny, don't you see, your drinking is not only hurting you, but the people you care about."
"Like you." Jinny said as she slowly took off her boxing gloves. "I have to go, Casey and John are probably freaking out."
"Jin, can I ask you one thing?"
"Shoot."
"Why did you cheat on me?"
"Teddy, I'm not good enough for you. I'm nothing more then an alcoholic, and you deserve better."
"Jin, you know that I love you."
"Teddy, no you just think you do. You really want a girl like Jenny"
"No Jinny, I love you. The one with the green eyes that are the perfect color green, who always wears her leather jacket even when it's 100 degrees out."
"God, I've missed you Teddy. Do you think I could have another chance?"
"Yeah, I love you, and together we can overcome your drinking. I can help you. So how about dinner tonight?"
"Um, sure."
"Great, I'll pick you up at 7."
"Bye" Jinny smiled as she left the gym. She knew she could stop drinking, with his help. Jinny returned to Casey's apartment first. She knocked on his door, but no one answered, so she called his cell phone.
"Casey...yeah, listen thanks for letting my have your couch, but I'm going back to my apartment.... I’m going out tonight...No, I am not going to a bar, I'm going on a date... Casey! With Teddy, okay...yeah bye." Jinny smiled as she got back in her car and headed for her apartment. After trying on everything in her closet, Jinny finally decided on black pants and a blue shirt, when her phone rang. "Hello...Okay, Wednesday morning at 10 am, got it, what church... Oak Grove, okay, Will he be buried next to mom... okay, I guess I'll see you all in a few days then...Yeah bye. Jinny sighed, funerals were always tough for her, and this one would be even harder. She glanced at her watch, which read, 6:50, and she took one last look in her mirror before waiting in the living room for Teddy.
Teddy took Jinny to a quiet little Italian restaurant in the middle of nowhere. "Teddy, it is not a good idea to take a girl to a restaurant in the middle of nowhere on your first date." Jinny said laughing.
"This is our first date?"
"Yeah, with the new Jinny, the smarter Jinny."
"You know I think I like this smarter Jinny." Teddy said teasing her.
"Watch it, just because I don't have a gun anymore doesn't mean a don't know where to get one." Jinny said laughing.
Teddy smiled, but then turned serious, "So Jinny, when is your dad's funeral?"
"Um... it's Wednesday at 10."
"I know it's going to be hard on you, so how about I pick you up, and we can go to the church together."
"You'd do that, thanks."
"And when you need a shoulder to cry on, I have a very nice shoulder."
"I know." Jinny said, "I have a feeling I'm going to need a shoulder too."
Teddy just smiled at her, a grabbed her hand, no words were said, but Jinny knew Teddy would be there for her.
Wednesday quickly rolled around and Teddy, as promised was right on time. "You look great Jinny." Teddy said as he stepped inside, "but your apartment..."
"I know, I took my anger out on the furniture, I'll clean it tonight." Jinny had put on the same black dress she'd worn to meet Teddy's parents, and had pulled her hair up.
"I like your hair up Jinny." Teddy said looking at her.
"So did my mom." Jinny was quiet for a minute then spoke up, "you don't look to bad yourself. Ready?"
"Yeah, lets go." The church was 10 minutes away, so they arrived quickly. Jinny and Teddy were the first ones there, so Jinny slowly walked up to the altar, where her father lay.
"Hey dad, I um... I never told you this, but you were a great dad, and I love you." Jinny broke down; she couldn't look at her father lying there.
"It's okay Jin." Teddy said coming up behind Jinny. She turned to him, and he wrapped his arms around her. Jinny knew she should be stronger, she was a cop, but she couldn't stop. "It's okay Jinny." Teddy said almost sensing her thoughts, "cry for as long as it takes."
They stood that way for a while longer, until Jinny could stop the tears. "Thanks."
"Don't worry about it." Teddy said, wiping her tears away. Just then Jinny noticed her brothers were watching them from the church doors.
"Oh... um hi." Jinny said walking towards them. "Teddy you remember Casey, and this is my older brother John."
"Nice to meet you John," Teddy said shaking his hand.
"Hey Jin, can I talk to you for a minute." Casey asked his sister.
"Sure, I'll be back in a minute guys." Casey and Jinny walked over away from John and Teddy.
"The pastor would like one of us to say something about dad, and since you were the closest to him, I thought maybe you could say something."
"Sure" Jinny answered
"Okay, I'll tell the pastor." Casey left to find Pastor Zarth, and Jinny walked back to her brothers.
While Casey and Jinny were talking, Teddy and John had been having a conversation of their own. "Um, Teddy... thanks."
"For what?" Teddy asked
"For being there for Jin. I can't do that kind of thing, and she needs someone, and I think that you're that someone."
"I really care about her, I don't want to lose her again."
Jinny arrived back by Teddy's side. "So what were you two talking about?"
"That skin tight animal print dress, I love so much." Teddy answered quickly.
Jinny playfully slapped Teddy on the arm, "You know I don't have an animal print dress."
Teddy looked at John; "She's in denial."
Jinny looked at Teddy, "I choose to ignore that comment for now, well I suppose we should start thanking people for coming, the service will beginning soon."
Jinny was amazed at the number of people who showed up. Former cops that worked with her dad, even a few of John and Casey's coworkers. Jinny turned around to say hi to her dad's old partner, and when she turned back around she saw Magda, CD, and the Captain looking at her.
"Hey guys, thanks for coming." Jinny said putting on a fake smile.
"I'm so sorry Jin." Magda said as she gave her friend a hug, "if you need anything feel free to call me, okay."
"Yeah I'm really sorry too. Angela couldn't come, she had to go out of town." CD said as she also gave Jinny a quick hug.
"Your dad was a good cop Jin, and so are you." Captain said patting Jinny's arm. "We better go sit down, we'll see you after the service ten."
"Yeah, thanks for being here guys, it really means a lot to me." Jinny watched her friends walk into the sanctuary, and glanced at her watch. The service would be starting soon, so Jinny walked inside and sat down in between Casey and Teddy.
"Are you okay Jinny?" Casey asked his sister.
"Yeah, what about you?"
"I'll be fine." Casey said.
Pastor Zarth began the ceremony, "Today, we are here to celebrate the life of John Exstead Sr. Not only a great police officer, but a great friend and father." Jinny felt Teddy put his arm around her, and she was grateful. The pastor continued, "I'd like to have his daughter, Jinny, come up now and say a few words. Jinny."
Jinny slowly stood up, and walked up to the microphone. "My dad raised me and my brothers basically on his own, but he did a great job. He was always there for me when I was sick, or angry, or just sad, I knew I could always count on him. I remember... when I was a senior in high school, I got asked to the prom, and I was thrilled. My dad gave me a hundred dollars to buy myself a dress. I remember bringing Casey along with me, and we found this perfect dress. It was just the right shade of green and fit perfectly. Unfortunately, it was more money then I had, so me and Casey returned empty handed. The next day I returned from school, and my dad had bought me the dress I had wanted..."
Jinny paused for a moment to wipe away the tears that were falling, "I asked him how he knew, and he said Casey had told him... he told me his daughter should look perfect for her prom. That's what kind of guy my dad was...always willing to do something special for his kids. Um... right before my dad died, he made me promise him something. He told me to stop drinking, and get some help. So.. um, dad.." Jinny said wiping her tears away, and looking at her father in his casket, "I'm checking myself into rehab tonight, because I, um knew that's what you would have wanted. I love you"
Jinny took one last look at her dad, then walked back to her seat. She saw that both Casey and John were crying, and she knew, they'd miss him too. Jinny sat next to Teddy who put his arm around her, as she continued to cry.
Pastor Zarth stood up again, "Thanks Jinny. John might no longer be with us, but his spirit will live on forever in the hearts of everyone who knew him." With those closing words, everyone stood up to leave. Jinny felt better, she knew that her dad was physically gone, but that he was still alive, in her heart, and if she remembered him... then he'd always be with her. Jinny gave John and Casey a hug, before taking Teddy's hand and walking into the crowd of people, and a new life.
THE END!!
By: Kelly
Magda, CD, and Angela had just gotten off work and decided to meet Jinny, at Anchorside.
"Hey guys, miss me yet?" Jinny asked laughing when everyone sat down.
"Well, it's definitely quieter, but it's kinda nice," CD aswered.
Jinny was about to say something when her cell phone rang. "Exstead."
"Jinny... this is Casey. You've got to get down to St. Anne's Hospital now."
"Casey, what happened, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, John's fine..."
"And dad..."
"Jin... his liver stopped working. The doctors say he won't make it through the night."
"Okay, I'm on my way. Thanks."
While talking on the phone, Jinny's smiled faded, and she was starting to cry. She tried to wipe away the tears before anyone saw, which didn't work.
"Guys, I gotta go." Jinny said standing up and putting some money on the table.
"Is everything okay Jin?" Magda asked.
"No... My dad is dying." Jinny managed to say before turning and quickly leaving the table. The four women watched Jinny walk out the door, then stared at each other.
"Poor Jinny, she has the worst luck." Magda said after a moment.
"If her father dies, that will only leave her with John and Casey...and after what happened to her mother..."
"Sometimes I think we don't give Jinny enough credit. She wakes up everyday with so many painful memories, then tries to drink them off at night." Angela said slowly. None of the inspectors answered, they just sat thinking about what Angela had just said.
"Casey, John...where is he... is he okay...what happened?" Jinny asked as she hurried into the ICU.
"Jinny, thank God your here. Dad's liver just shut down. There is nothing they can do for him." John answered.
"Then he's going to die?" Jinny answered sitting down.
"Yeah." Casey replied sadly.
"When can we see him?"
"Right now, we were just waiting for you to get here. Are you ready." John asked his sister.
"Um, yeah... as ready as I'll ever be." Jinny answered as the four Exsteads walked down the hall, to their father’s room. "Hi dad." Jinny said when she saw her father.
"Hi... listen, I know I'm going to die, and I'm ready for it. The doctor said I drank so much alcohol... it wasn't a shock when my liver stopped. But there are things I have to tell you before I die... I know I was the cause of your drinking...
"No dad, it's all my fault."
"No Jin, listen... I set a bad example. Please get some help Jin... and please don't drink yourself to death when I die. Please Jin, you're my only daughter and I love you."
Jinny looked at her dad and began to cry, "I promise dad... I love you." Jinny kissed her dad on the cheek and sat down in a chair by his bead, and started to cry harder.
"John, Casey, listen to me. You guys need to stop hating each other. If for nothing else do it for your sister. Yeah she acts tough, but she's not. You two take care of your sister, she'll need you."
"Thanks for everything dad," John said. You knew he was hurting because he stopped cracking jokes, even though his eyes never filled with tears.
"I love you dad.... And I'll watch out for Jin. I promise." Casey said, showing a little more emotion then his brother.
"God I'm tired, I think I need to sleep." John Sr. said as he slipped into sleep. The heart monitor emitted a steady beep, and they all knew their father was gone.
"Bye dad," Jinny said as she left his room. Casey and John both looked at their father for the last time and left, to follow Jinny. They found her sitting on a couch in the waiting room, quickly paging through a magazine.
"Jinny, what are you doing?" John asked his sister.
"I'm looking at a magazine," Jinny said, her voice heavy with emotion. Casey sat down next to his sister.
"Jin... it'll be okay. You've still got me and John." Jinny threw the magazine down on the table, and stood up and started pacing.
"No, it won't be okay, it'll never be okay again. Who will I call when I'm sick, or who will always be there when I get into trouble, and who will walk me down the isle on my wedding day?" Jinny said her voice cracking.
Casey stood up and walked over to his sister, and hugged her. He could feel her shaking as she sobbed on his shoulder. He gently patted her on the back, "Jinny, call me when you're sick, or in trouble... I'll walk you down the isle."
"Yeah, and I'll scare off your boyfriends like dad used to do." John said walking towards his sister. "I know I'm not the greatest older brother, but I do love you Jinny... both of you."
Jinny walked over to her older brother and gave him a quick hug, "I know. But don't worry, I'll be fine, I'm tough right, you don't need to take care of your little sister." Jinny smiled and left the hospital room.
"John do you think Jinny is going to go home and drink?"
"Yeah, I know she will. Maybe we should stop by her apartment later tonight, make sure she's okay."
Jinny quietly opened the door to her apartment and looked around. She had never cleaned her apartment since she threw the bottle against the wall, so she was careful to walk around the pieces of glass and went into the kitchen. She returned with a bottle of beer. Jinny picked up her phone, she knew Magda would be worried. "Mag, it's me Jinny...yeah, he died a few hours ago...um, I'm okay...no, Casey and John are being great...I gotta go, okay. Bye Mag." Jinny hung up the phone and picked up a bottle of beer. Within two sips, the beer was gone, and Jinny returned with another, drinking it in the same fashion. Soon Jinny was on her sixth beer when there was a knock at the door. She slowly opened the door, and wasn't surprised to see her brothers.
"Jinny... you've been drinking, haven't you?" John asked when she opened the door; "I can smell it."
"I might have had one.... Or two..." Jinny answered looking down at her shoes.
"Jinny can we come in for a minute." Casey asked.
"Um... well.... Sure. Just look out for pieces of broken glass." As Casey and John looked around their sister's apartment, they were shocked.
"Okay Jin, how many beers did you just drink?"
"Well, this is my third." Jinny said lying.
"Jin, I know this might sound stupid, but why are there pieces of glass all over the floor?"
"After I got back on the day I was suspended, I came home. I called dad, and then I grabbed a full bottle of whiskey, and I drank the whole bottle. I was so drunk, it just made me madder, so I threw the bottle and a glass against the wall."
"God, you really do drink like a fish, don't you." John said.
"Shut up John, um Jin... do you want to stay with me at my apartment, I have a very nice couch." Casey offered.
"No, that's okay, my room is actually not as bad, I don't have any broken glass."
"Jinny, stay with Casey. You promised dad you'd quit, if you stay here, you'll keep drinking" John told her.
"Fine, I'll go get a bag, okay." Jinny said. She knew her brothers were just looking out for her, but she still wanted to stay in her apartment. Jinny opened her closet to grab her bag, but saw her box of old pictures instead. Jinny grabbed the box and sat down on the bed. Jinny reached down into the box and took out the two pictures she looked at most. The first was a picture of her and her dad when she was nine. The other was of her 14 birthday, a few months before her mom killed herself Jinny was sitting by her mom on the couch. They were both smiling.
Look at the pictures brought such a rush of emotion; Jinny couldn't help but cry. She tried to be quiet, so her brothers wouldn't hear. Jinny grabbed her duffel bag, and shovel some stuff inside, and lastly put the two pictures in a picture frame, and put that in her bag too.
Jinny walked out of her room, and Casey knew immediately she'd been crying, but decided not to say anything. "Ready to go?"
"Yeah." Jinny said grabbing her keys from her table. John opened her door and they all stepped out.
The next morning Jinny woke up, and thought she was dreaming. Her dad couldn't be dead... she had just seen him a few days ago. Jinny slowly sat up, and looked around. She remembered everything now, her father's liver failing, her brothers wanting to protect her... everything. Jinny felt a few tears slip down her cheeks, but didn't bother wiping them away, she figured Casey was on duty. Jinny took a quick shower, and changed into all black, her favorite color. She knew she needed to get out, and do something, so Jinny decided the best place would be the gym.
The gym was only a few miles away, and Jinny walked straight towards the punching bags. For as long as she could remember, she had always either drank, or hit something. Jinny pulled the gloves on and hit the bag. Slowly at first, but with each hit she became more and more sad. Right then and there Jinny was dealing with not only the memories of her father, but the even more painful ones of her mother. Jinny knew she was crying, but didn't care, she didn't care about anything anymore.
"Jinny?"
Jinny quickly turned around. She knew that voice, "Teddy. Hi how ya doing?"
"Jinny... why are you crying and hitting the bag like there's no tomorrow?" Teddy asked gently.
"Well...my dad died yesterday. His liver failed."
"I'm so sorry." Teddy said, giving her a hug. Jinny couldn't help it... Teddy was the first sympathetic shoulder she'd had to cry and, and Jinny let it all out, all the pain and guilt she felt.
"Why aren’t you with your family?"
"My brothers are trying, but... I just don't know, I just needed to get away."
"At least your Captain gave you the day off."
"Actually, she gave me 90 days off, no pay."
Teddy looked at her confused, "90 days, with no pay?"
"A month ago, I was drunk at work, and I was suspended for 90 days."
"Jinny, you need to get your drinking under control."
"I...I know. Magda planned an intervention. It was the hardest 15 minutes of my life. I told them I could do it on my own, but..."
"But what Jin?"
"Teddy, I can't. I’ve been drinking for so long, I don't think I can stop."
"Jinny, don't you see, your drinking is not only hurting you, but the people you care about."
"Like you." Jinny said as she slowly took off her boxing gloves. "I have to go, Casey and John are probably freaking out."
"Jin, can I ask you one thing?"
"Shoot."
"Why did you cheat on me?"
"Teddy, I'm not good enough for you. I'm nothing more then an alcoholic, and you deserve better."
"Jin, you know that I love you."
"Teddy, no you just think you do. You really want a girl like Jenny"
"No Jinny, I love you. The one with the green eyes that are the perfect color green, who always wears her leather jacket even when it's 100 degrees out."
"God, I've missed you Teddy. Do you think I could have another chance?"
"Yeah, I love you, and together we can overcome your drinking. I can help you. So how about dinner tonight?"
"Um, sure."
"Great, I'll pick you up at 7."
"Bye" Jinny smiled as she left the gym. She knew she could stop drinking, with his help. Jinny returned to Casey's apartment first. She knocked on his door, but no one answered, so she called his cell phone.
"Casey...yeah, listen thanks for letting my have your couch, but I'm going back to my apartment.... I’m going out tonight...No, I am not going to a bar, I'm going on a date... Casey! With Teddy, okay...yeah bye." Jinny smiled as she got back in her car and headed for her apartment. After trying on everything in her closet, Jinny finally decided on black pants and a blue shirt, when her phone rang. "Hello...Okay, Wednesday morning at 10 am, got it, what church... Oak Grove, okay, Will he be buried next to mom... okay, I guess I'll see you all in a few days then...Yeah bye. Jinny sighed, funerals were always tough for her, and this one would be even harder. She glanced at her watch, which read, 6:50, and she took one last look in her mirror before waiting in the living room for Teddy.
Teddy took Jinny to a quiet little Italian restaurant in the middle of nowhere. "Teddy, it is not a good idea to take a girl to a restaurant in the middle of nowhere on your first date." Jinny said laughing.
"This is our first date?"
"Yeah, with the new Jinny, the smarter Jinny."
"You know I think I like this smarter Jinny." Teddy said teasing her.
"Watch it, just because I don't have a gun anymore doesn't mean a don't know where to get one." Jinny said laughing.
Teddy smiled, but then turned serious, "So Jinny, when is your dad's funeral?"
"Um... it's Wednesday at 10."
"I know it's going to be hard on you, so how about I pick you up, and we can go to the church together."
"You'd do that, thanks."
"And when you need a shoulder to cry on, I have a very nice shoulder."
"I know." Jinny said, "I have a feeling I'm going to need a shoulder too."
Teddy just smiled at her, a grabbed her hand, no words were said, but Jinny knew Teddy would be there for her.
Wednesday quickly rolled around and Teddy, as promised was right on time. "You look great Jinny." Teddy said as he stepped inside, "but your apartment..."
"I know, I took my anger out on the furniture, I'll clean it tonight." Jinny had put on the same black dress she'd worn to meet Teddy's parents, and had pulled her hair up.
"I like your hair up Jinny." Teddy said looking at her.
"So did my mom." Jinny was quiet for a minute then spoke up, "you don't look to bad yourself. Ready?"
"Yeah, lets go." The church was 10 minutes away, so they arrived quickly. Jinny and Teddy were the first ones there, so Jinny slowly walked up to the altar, where her father lay.
"Hey dad, I um... I never told you this, but you were a great dad, and I love you." Jinny broke down; she couldn't look at her father lying there.
"It's okay Jin." Teddy said coming up behind Jinny. She turned to him, and he wrapped his arms around her. Jinny knew she should be stronger, she was a cop, but she couldn't stop. "It's okay Jinny." Teddy said almost sensing her thoughts, "cry for as long as it takes."
They stood that way for a while longer, until Jinny could stop the tears. "Thanks."
"Don't worry about it." Teddy said, wiping her tears away. Just then Jinny noticed her brothers were watching them from the church doors.
"Oh... um hi." Jinny said walking towards them. "Teddy you remember Casey, and this is my older brother John."
"Nice to meet you John," Teddy said shaking his hand.
"Hey Jin, can I talk to you for a minute." Casey asked his sister.
"Sure, I'll be back in a minute guys." Casey and Jinny walked over away from John and Teddy.
"The pastor would like one of us to say something about dad, and since you were the closest to him, I thought maybe you could say something."
"Sure" Jinny answered
"Okay, I'll tell the pastor." Casey left to find Pastor Zarth, and Jinny walked back to her brothers.
While Casey and Jinny were talking, Teddy and John had been having a conversation of their own. "Um, Teddy... thanks."
"For what?" Teddy asked
"For being there for Jin. I can't do that kind of thing, and she needs someone, and I think that you're that someone."
"I really care about her, I don't want to lose her again."
Jinny arrived back by Teddy's side. "So what were you two talking about?"
"That skin tight animal print dress, I love so much." Teddy answered quickly.
Jinny playfully slapped Teddy on the arm, "You know I don't have an animal print dress."
Teddy looked at John; "She's in denial."
Jinny looked at Teddy, "I choose to ignore that comment for now, well I suppose we should start thanking people for coming, the service will beginning soon."
Jinny was amazed at the number of people who showed up. Former cops that worked with her dad, even a few of John and Casey's coworkers. Jinny turned around to say hi to her dad's old partner, and when she turned back around she saw Magda, CD, and the Captain looking at her.
"Hey guys, thanks for coming." Jinny said putting on a fake smile.
"I'm so sorry Jin." Magda said as she gave her friend a hug, "if you need anything feel free to call me, okay."
"Yeah I'm really sorry too. Angela couldn't come, she had to go out of town." CD said as she also gave Jinny a quick hug.
"Your dad was a good cop Jin, and so are you." Captain said patting Jinny's arm. "We better go sit down, we'll see you after the service ten."
"Yeah, thanks for being here guys, it really means a lot to me." Jinny watched her friends walk into the sanctuary, and glanced at her watch. The service would be starting soon, so Jinny walked inside and sat down in between Casey and Teddy.
"Are you okay Jinny?" Casey asked his sister.
"Yeah, what about you?"
"I'll be fine." Casey said.
Pastor Zarth began the ceremony, "Today, we are here to celebrate the life of John Exstead Sr. Not only a great police officer, but a great friend and father." Jinny felt Teddy put his arm around her, and she was grateful. The pastor continued, "I'd like to have his daughter, Jinny, come up now and say a few words. Jinny."
Jinny slowly stood up, and walked up to the microphone. "My dad raised me and my brothers basically on his own, but he did a great job. He was always there for me when I was sick, or angry, or just sad, I knew I could always count on him. I remember... when I was a senior in high school, I got asked to the prom, and I was thrilled. My dad gave me a hundred dollars to buy myself a dress. I remember bringing Casey along with me, and we found this perfect dress. It was just the right shade of green and fit perfectly. Unfortunately, it was more money then I had, so me and Casey returned empty handed. The next day I returned from school, and my dad had bought me the dress I had wanted..."
Jinny paused for a moment to wipe away the tears that were falling, "I asked him how he knew, and he said Casey had told him... he told me his daughter should look perfect for her prom. That's what kind of guy my dad was...always willing to do something special for his kids. Um... right before my dad died, he made me promise him something. He told me to stop drinking, and get some help. So.. um, dad.." Jinny said wiping her tears away, and looking at her father in his casket, "I'm checking myself into rehab tonight, because I, um knew that's what you would have wanted. I love you"
Jinny took one last look at her dad, then walked back to her seat. She saw that both Casey and John were crying, and she knew, they'd miss him too. Jinny sat next to Teddy who put his arm around her, as she continued to cry.
Pastor Zarth stood up again, "Thanks Jinny. John might no longer be with us, but his spirit will live on forever in the hearts of everyone who knew him." With those closing words, everyone stood up to leave. Jinny felt better, she knew that her dad was physically gone, but that he was still alive, in her heart, and if she remembered him... then he'd always be with her. Jinny gave John and Casey a hug, before taking Teddy's hand and walking into the crowd of people, and a new life.
THE END!!