The Good and the Bad

Virgin Skin

Chapter Twenty-Seven

*~*~*~*

Scout and Gaby both headed into the firehouse, wrapped up tightly in their heavy coats to try and keep the chill of the night from freezing them to the bone. As the pair of women made their way into the familiar building they were greeted by the familiar sight of most of Squad sitting around the table in the garage, playing cards together.

"Glad to see we can leave 51 and everything's gonna be just where we left it when I get back." Gaby joked as they approached the table, causing the trio of men to look up at them.

"Yeah, it has been a slow shift," Peter admitted.

"We've only gone out twice," Capp added.

"I'd count my blessings if I were you. It's fucking freezing out there," Scout pointed out.

"Which begs the question, why're you out?" Peter raised a brow at his friend. "Shouldn't you be at home, resting for work tomorrow?"

"I wish," Scout scoffed. "Voight insisted I take a couple of days, make sure my side's okay before I go back. Then I got a call this afternoon, apparently the brass is insisting I get cleared by a shrink before I'm allowed back."

"And the boys?" Capp wondered.

"That'd be my brother's doing," Gaby admitted.

"Yeah, he kidnapped them this afternoon for a boy's night. Apparently Eva's at Laura's tonight and he thought it'd help Diego to have DJ and Mackie over there." Scout filled the men in. "Anyways, have you guys seen Otis and Herrmann?"

"Inside," Peter nodded towards the door.

"You and I still need to talk about you ratting me out to Antonio, Mills." Scout warned the newest Squad member before following Gaby through the doors and towards the kitchen. Sure enough when they got inside they were greeted by the sight of the two men sitting at one of the tables with Shay and Allison.

"Oh, my God." Gaby's face twisted up at the smell that greeted them once they were in the kitchen. "What is that smell?"

"Impending gastric distress," Mouch offered from his seat on the couch.

"Oh, please tell me you guys didn't let Otis cook again." Scout frowned as she eyed the man in question.

"Ha ha. Very funny," Cruz scowled at the woman and redheaded man as he stood up from behind the kitchen counter.

"Cruz is cooking? Since when?" Gaby looked at the man in surprise.

"Since Mills jumped to Squad, and we haven't gotten a replacement candidate," Herrmann offered. "We all drew straws."

"We all lost," Otis chimed in.

"Eh, whatever he's making can't be worse than that chili crap you tried to make us all eat." Scout shook her head, her skin nearly crawling at the memory of one of Otis' more disastrous attempts at cooking.

"Hey! This is authentic Dominican cuisine, all right?" Cruz defended his cooking. "Just because you can't appreciate the aroma doesn't mean that the taste isn't gonna blow your hair back, huh? Just got to broaden your horizons a little."

"Yeah, broaden them all the way to Manny's for a reuben sandwich." Herrmann suggested as Gaby made her way over to Cruz to taste what he was making.

"Authentic, right?" Cruz grinned at his fellow Dominican.

"Oh, it's definitely something." Gaby mumbled through the mouthful of food as she made her way over to the table, opting to spit it out into Otis' bowl of cereal rather than swallow it.