34. Get to Work

       Nedley forced Nicole to take a week off of work. A whole 7 days. Nicole doesn’t like people telling her what to do, especially so when she knew she was fine to go back to work the day after surgery. She had gone up to the station for the first 3 days of her week off begging him to let her come back and he finally banned her from coming in the station until her break was over. So, she did what one does when they have nothing better to do: got all of her hair chopped off. Waverly quite literally screamed when she saw it, then going on to run her hands through it for the next hour and a half as she searched around for colleges online. Gus cried tears of joy when she found out that Waverly was planning on, in Wynonna’s words, actually doing something with her big ass brain. 

       On Thursday, Jessie Reyes, Nicole, and Waverly had their first meeting with their lawyer, discussing further into what would happen at the still unknown date of the trial. His name was Daniel Barnes and he was a really nice guy. He gathered the two girl’s stories and got all their evidence in check. Seeing the pictures of Waverly’s injuries printed out sent a pit of nauseousness to her stomach, but she stayed strong throughout the whole thing. He assured that he would inform them when the trial date was decided on. The redhead proceeded to make multiple side chick jokes when they went for lunch after. Jessie found them hilarious, Waverly not so much.

       The rest of Nicole’s week off consisted of her and Doc (sometimes Dolls as well) finishing up the siding on the remaining 3 sides of the house. She had even gotten around to changing the taillight on Waverly’s Jeep. The Earps were very happy with how it turned out. It looked just like the Homestead before, but . . . better. They had a Family Dinner on Saturday night after it was all finished, Nicole going on and on about how she was so excited about going back to work the next day. And it was then that Waverly dropped the bombshell to the table that she would also be going to work the next day. She met with Shorty and he was thrilled to have her back on the schedule. No one was sure but when she promised them she wouldn’t do anything stupid again, they were happy for her. 

.  .  .

       Nicole’s alarm went off at 4 AM. She jumped out of bed, giddily changing into her workout clothes. She went for a run then did some more stuff upstairs in her gym. She showered and got her uniform on, heading out the door at 5:45. She pulled up at the station with a pep in her step, heading in the doors 3 minutes before 6.

       “Haught!” Nedley called from his office as she walked past.

       She backtracked and walked in. “Morning, Sir!” She smiled. 

       “I got you a Welcome Back present,” he informed, standing up and walking over to a box in the corner of the room. “Go on, open it!”

       She cocked an eyebrow, opening the box, seeing two stacks wrapped in plastic wrap. The left stack was shirts, the right stack was pants. She gasped, picking up the top pack of pants. “No more khakis!?”

       He smiled at her, clapping her shoulder. “Go get changed, Haught.” 

.  .  .

       Nicole was on patrol at 8 that morning and she knew that was when Waverly’s shift started. She peeked her head into the bar, seeing that the brunette was facing the other way behind the bar. She quietly approached, crossing her arms at the opposite end.

       “Am I ever gonna get that coffee?”

       Waverly jumped, turning around with a smile, but her mouth quickly fell open as she traced her eyes over the new uniform. She flicked her finger up and down at her as she walked towards her, trying to get words out of her mouth. “This is some April Fools prank, right?” It was, in fact, April Fools Day.

       Nicole shook her head. “No, Ma’am,” she smirked, uncrossing her arms and placing her hand on her hip when she stopped in front of her. “Hey, Baby,” she mumbled, leaning in for a kiss. 

       “Hey,” she smiled. “So, this is going to be an everyday thing now?” Nicole nodded. “I don’t know if I can handle that,” she sighed, tracing her finger down the zipper on her top. 

      “You’ll be ok,” she winked.

       The brunette turned and walked back behind the bar, the redhead taking a seat on a stool. “Oh, I’ll be more than ok,” she mumbled, getting her coffee ready. The Deputy smirked at her as she pushed the cup towards her. “What’s the plan for today, Officer?” She asked, rocking back and forth on the flats of her feet. 

       “Well, I’m on patrol until 10, then I got a stack of paperwork with my name on it because apparently Lonnie works slower than a Grandma with cataracts. I get off 8, though.” 

       “You’re working 14 hours today?!” She asked, furrowing her brow. 

       “I used to work 20-hour shifts like once a week.”

       Waverly groaned. “Still, that’s a lot.”

       The Officer gave her an assuring smile. “I like working,” she shrugged. 

       “You were just complaining!” 

       “I was complaining about Lonnie,” she corrected. Waverly rolled her eyes.

       Nicole’s radio fizzed over. “Haught, come in,” Nedley called over.

       She pulled her radio off her shirt. “Yea, Sheriff, go ahead.”

       “I need you back at the station.” 

       “Why? What’s going on?”

       “A lawyer is here to see you.”

       Nicole cocked an eyebrow. “Mr. Barnes?”

       She heard Nedley clear his throat. “Champ’s lawyer.” 

       Her face hardened. “10-4,” she grumbled. She looked at Waverly, who had a nervous look in her eye. “Hey.” She gently took her hand. “They just probably want to discuss his trial information and stuff, don’t stress about it, ok?” She nodded, looking down at their hands. “C’mere.” Waverly walked around the bar and Nicole pushed herself off of the stool, wrapping her arms around her waist and resting her chin on her shoulder. “I love youuuuuuu,” she cooed, rocking her back and forth.

       Waverly giggled as she tightened her grip around her neck. “I love you, too.” Nicole pulled away with a smile. Waverly cupped her cheek, standing up on her toes to give her a kiss. 

       “Ahem.” They turned to the voice, seeing Shorty walking around the bar.

       Nicole gave her a final peck. “I’ll see you later, yea?” Waverly nodded. “Bye, Shorty!” She called to the man across the room. He gave her a wave and she squeezed the younger girl's hand as she left the bar. 

       She pulled up into the station and walked into Nedley’s office, seeing a man with too much hair gel sitting in front of his desk. He stood at the sound of her entering and offered his hand out. “Patrick Owens.”

       She tried to ignore his wandering eyes and shook his hand. “Sheriff’s Deputy Haught . . . follow me.” She took him to her office and sat down at her desk. 

       “So, you were the arresting officer of Champ, yes?”

       She blinked at him, confused about why he was using his nickname. “Yes.” 

       “And you are aware that means you’ll be put on the witness stand, right?” 

       “Yea. Can you move this along, please? I have work to do and I don’t need to sit here and listen to stuff I already know.”

       He clicked his tongue, looking down at the papers he brought. “The trial is set for April 10th at 11 AM-”

       “Ok, hold on. Why are you the one telling me this? I was told Mr. Barnes would give us that information.” 

       “Daniel Barnes,” he sighed. “He’s a real nimrod.”

       She bit the insides of her cheeks with a tut. “Cut the crap, man. What are you actually here for?”

       He sat forward, resting his arms on his knees, silent for a second. “Why’re you doing this, Haught?”

       She cocked an eyebrow. “I’m sorry?” She was very confused.

       “Champ . . . He’s a good kid. And if these farfetched allegations actually convince the jury, his future career will be ruined.”

       She locked her jaw. “You realize what you are doing right now is illegal, right?”

       He stood up, putting his hands up and the Officer circled around to the front of her desk, leaning back onto it. “Look, all I’m saying is that this kind of stuff happens all the time. Girl gets upset, the guy tries to make it up to her, she makes a big deal, and boom, now he’s a rapist. Waverly just needs to get over it, she’s not that special.” The man had just flown over her line of tolerance. No one talked about Waverly like that. She didn't care who it was.

       She grabbed his neck and shoved him against the wall, pinning him against it. “What did you just say!?” She demanded deeply. He grabbed at her tightening grip, but his probably botox muscles got him absolutely nowhere. She let him go, grabbing both of his hands and holding them above his head. “Imagine being 5 feet tall with a guy twice your size towering over you while forcing himself on you. Tell me you’re gonna be able to just get over it.” He stared at her with a frightened look in his eyes, mouth hanging open. She dropped her hand back to his neck and slammed him against the wall again. “Say it, Punk!” 

       “Woah, Haughty,” Wynonna said from the doorway. “What’d he do?”

       The redhead smirked at the man. “Oh, Buddy, you’re in trouble now. Come here, Earp.” She felt his breath hitch in his throat, recognizing the last name as Waverly’s “Meet Chump’s lawyer. He thinks Waves needs to just get over it . What d’you think about that?” The brunette’s eyes grew cold and Nicole moved her hand to his shoulder.

       Wynonna shoved her knee into his stomach, clasping her hand around his chin. “You’re gonna regret even thinking something like that about my baby sister,” she spat. 

       “I-I’m sorry,” he stuttered. 

       “Are you gonna tell anyone about any of this?” Nicole asked, raising her eyebrows. 

       “N-No, Ma’am.” 

       “You promise?” 

       “Y-yea, I promise, I won’t tell a soul.” 

       “Good,” they sneered at the same time, grinning at each other. Wynonna held her arm across both of his shoulders and Nicole drew her fist back. 

       “DON’T you even,” Nedley snapped from the door. Her eyes widened at him as she lowered her arm. “Let him go.” Wynonna fussed, dropping her arm to her side. Mr. Owens quickly gathered his papers and rushed out the door, Wynonna smacking him on the back of the head as he went past her. “Both of you. My office. Now.” They looked at each other with a gulp and made their way in there. He was standing with his arms crossed, facing away from the door. “Shut the door.” Wynonna did so. He turned around and threw his arms out in front of him. “Who wants to give me a logical reason why that was a good idea?!” Nicole crossed her arms, looking down at her feet. Wynonna bit her cheek, looking towards the wall. He huffed. “Ok. I expect this kind of behavior out of you, Wynonna. But Nicole? Seriously?” 

       “He tried to get me to make them drop the charges,” she mumbled, still looking down at her feet.

       He widened his eyes. “He what ?” 

       “Told me she should get over it.” 

       “That’s . . . illegal.”

       Wynonna looked towards him. “No shit, Sherlock,” she snarked.

       He rubbed his face with his hands. “Alright. Just . . . don’t be dumbasses in my station, please? And Nicole, none of this to your lawyer.” She nodded. He turned towards his desk. “Get to work.” She swallowed the lump in her throat and they left the room. 

       “Why do you look like a little kid that just got scolded by their dad?” Wynonna asked, elbowing her arm. 

       “Basically did,” she mumbled, walking into her office and shutting the door in her face. 

.  .  .

       Nicole sulked into Shorty’s at around 3 o’clock, slumping down onto a stool at the bar, dropping her head into her arms. She felt a gentle hand touch her back after a minute or two. 

       “Nic?”

       She raised her head to look at her girlfriend. “Gimme a drink,” she sighed, dropping her head back down. 

       “Hey.” Waverly sat down next to her. “What’s wrong?”

       She turned her head, laying it sideways. “Nedley yelled at me,” she mumbled.

       Waverly bunched her eyebrows together. “Why?” She asked softly. 

       “Cause I disappointed him . . . again.” 

       “Nic,” she said, tilting her head with a sigh. “What’d you do?”

       She shook her head. “It’s stupid.” 

       “Baby.” She was pretty concerned at this point.

       Nicole sighed, turning her head forwards again. “His lawyer said some crap and Wynonna and I were .5 seconds from beating the shit out of him when Nedley made us let him go. He yelled at me, saying that he thinks I’m better than that.” She shrugged her shoulders, turning towards her. “Just hurts.” The brunette pushed herself off of the stool, hugging her arms around her. Nicole buried her face in her shoulder, letting out a small whimper. 

       “Nic,” she whispered, rubbing her hand up and down her back. “That’s not stupid.”

       “Yea it is,” she sniffled. “Every father figure I’ve had I’m a disappointment to.” Waverly pulled back, looking up at her face. She looked like she was horrified that those words even came out. She went to get up. “I gotta-”

       The brunette pushed her back down. “Nope.” She cupped her cheeks, wiping the couple of tears that had fallen. “Nedley does not think you are a disappointment. He might have questioned your decisions, but that doesn’t mean he thinks any less of you.” She dropped her head. 

       “Hey, Waves, can you go bus table 10, I have to go put this order in,” A darker haired woman asked from across the bar. She looked over at her, then back to Nicole. 

       “Go,” she mumbled with a small smile.

       She pursed her lips but nodded. “I’ll be right back.” She kissed her cheek, walking off. Nicole watched her gather up their dishes and take them to the back, then returning with a rag to wipe the table down. Her eyes drifted across the room, landing on the darker haired woman. She cocked an eyebrow, seeing she was very intently staring at something. Following her gaze, she landed back on Waverly, who was leaning across the table as she wiped it down. She narrowed her eyes at the woman, a pit of jealousy bubbling up in her stomach. Waverly walked back to the back, putting the rag away and Nicole watched the woman follow her with her eyes as she did so. She stopped chewing on her cheek when a coppery taste hit her tongue. Waverly returned, wiping her hands off on her jeans. 

       “Who is that?” Nicole asked, looking towards the woman who was now chatting with a man at the bar. 

       “Rosita. She’s new. Seems really nice, though,” she said with a smile.

       Nicole looked back to her girlfriend, pressing her tongue against the hole in her cheek. “Uh-huh.” 

       She cocked an eyebrow but decided not to question it. She walked around her, back behind the counter. “D’you still want a drink?” 

       “Yea,” she sighed, putting her elbows up on the bar.

       “Whatcha want?” 

       “I don’t care.” Waverly nodded, turning away. She pushed a cup of water in front of her a few seconds later. “Really?” 

       “Babe, you are on duty,” she complained. 

       “Wave, c’mon.”

       She sighed loudly, setting a whiskey glass in front of her. “How much?” Nicole set two fingers against the glass. Waverly pursed her lips, pushing one of her fingers back. She began to pour and went to pull away, but Nicole placed her splinted hand on top of the bottle, looking up at her with an annoyed glare as she added another finger to the glass. “You’re not getting any more,” she stated as she put the bottle away. 

       “Mk,” she mumbled into the glass as she tipped the whole thing back. She slid it back towards her. “I should probably get going.”

       Waverly walked back around to her side. “You sure? I’ll get you lunch or something?”

       Nicole shook her head, standing up. “I’m not hungry.” She placed her hand on Waverly’s cheek. “Love you.” She gave her a kiss.

       “Love you, too,” she said with a small smile. Nicole pecked her nose and walked out of the bar.

       The brunette sighed, walking back behind the bar, heading to serve the 3 men that had just strolled in. “Who’s the depressed redhead?” Rosita asked as she picked up the bucket of used glasses to take to the sink.

       She blinked at her for a second. “My girlfriend,” she informed as she walked past her. She didn’t see her face fall. 

       “Oh,” she mumbled, following her. “Is she a cop?”

       “Yep,” Waverly confirmed, pulling the glasses out.

       Rosita placed her hand on her arm, stilling it. “I’ll do it,” she offered with a smile.

       Waverly looked up at her. “You sure?”

       She nodded, taking the glasses from her hand. “Totally!”

       Waverly backed away from the bucket. “Thanks, girl!” She gave her a wave as she walked back out.

.  .  .

       At the end of her shift, Nicole was shoving the handful of files she hadn’t gotten to yet into her desk when she heard her door open. She looked up, seeing Wynonna closing it and walking toward her. “Yes?” She asked, sitting on the corner of her desk.

       "I think we need to have a little chat,” she said with a slight slur.        

       Nicole could smell the whiskey on her breath as she approached her. “About?”

       She stopped in front of her, crossing her arms. “It was brought to my attention not too long ago that you are schtupping Babygirl.”

       Nicole sighed through her nose. “I can’t get her pregnant if that is what you are concerned about,” she commented wittily. 

       “No- gross.” She shook her head around. “Is she . . . Is she really ready for that yet? Cause . . . It hasn't been that long since . . .”

       Nicole made a face. “Yes, Wynonna. She is.”

       “Are you sure?” 

       She pushed herself off her desk, throwing her hands out. “Yes! I know you’re protecting her, but damn, Earp, you know me! I’d never do anything she wasn’t ready for!”

       Wynonna widened her eyes at her. “It’s my job to protect her, Nicole.”

       She rolled her eyes. “She’s not 12 anymore- Oh wait, I forgot, you weren’t here then.” She looked up at the now very pissed off brunette, realizing what she had just said. “Sorry, that was out of line.”

       She nodded through a clenched jaw. “Damn right it was.” She shoved both of her shoulders.

       Nicole shoved her back in the middle of the chest with her good hand. “Dude, I said I was sorry.”

       Wynonna shoved her again, harder this time. “Still said it.”

       Nicole scoffed. They began shoving back and forth, increasing in force as they got angrier and louder. “Yea, well, you should have stayed the fuck out of our business! I’m not asking you about every guy you're screwing.” 

       “Waverly isn’t just some girl.” 

       “Really? I didn’t realize.” Wynonna’s shove sent her tumbling over the chair in front of her desk. She jumped up, knocking Wynonna over the other one. 

       “You do realize who you are fucking with, right?” The brunette asked, standing up. 

       “The one who ran when things got too hard,” Nicole nipped. 

       She shoved her back with a growl. “Don’t act like you didn’t do the same thing. I know you’re not from here, Haught.”

       Whatever was holding Nicole back snapped. She threw Wynonna against the wall, knocking the wind out of her. “I wouldn’t go there if I were you.”

       The brunette slowly pushed herself up off the floor, starting up the shoving again. “What? Can Piggly Wiggly not handle talking about her family?” Nicole’s lip twitched. “Bingo.”

       The Officer growled, pinning her against the wall. “I said don’t go there.”

       Wynonna flipped them around, slamming her back against it. “But it's ok for you to bring up my history, right?”

       Nicole scowled. “You don't know my history, Earp.” She pushed her off of her. Neither one of them noticed that the door had opened 10 seconds ago, Waverly staring at them wide-eyed as she watched them push each other across the room.

       “What? Did you crash one of your $200,000 cars? My father died right in front of my face, Haught!” Nicole’s face glazed over like Waverly had seen it twice before. She saw her clench her fist at her side, slowly moving towards the older Earp.

       She rushed over, pushing Wynonna back and placing her hand on either side of her face, stopping her from walking. “Nicole.” She pat her cheek, but her angry gaze was still locked on the older Earp. 

       “What the hell?” Her sister mumbled from behind her.

       Waverly rubbed her thumbs on her cheekbones. “Nicole, look at me. She didn’t know. Look at me.”

       She blinked a few times looking down at Waverly, tears filling her eyes. “She-” 

       “Shh, I know.” She turned to her sister. “Go, Wynonna. Now.” She grumbled something under her breath, leaving the room, slamming the door behind her. Nicole flinched at the sound, bottom lip popping out slightly as the tears fell down her face. Waverly sat them down, leaning her back against the wall she was near and pulled the redhead into her arms. “I’m so sorry, Baby, she should have never said anything like that. She’s never used that as an insult before.” Nicole curled her knees to her chest, pressing the side of her head against her shoulder as she choked back a sob. 

___

       Wynonna stomped into the Sheriff’s office, slamming the door behind her. “What the hell happened to Haught Shit’s dad!?” She demanded.

       Nedley whipped the glasses off his face, staring up at her, a bit startled by the question. He stood up. “Why?” 

       “Cause I said something about Daddy dying and she went all weird, trying to come at me!”

       Nedley huffed, walking towards the door. “Goddammit, Earp.” He walked out of the room, glaring at her as he went. He slowly poked his head into the Deputy’s office, seeing her and Waverly sitting in the left corner of the room. Waverly looked up at him, clenching her jaw as she rubbed her hand up and down Nicole’s arm. He walked over and sat down next to them. Nicole opened her eyes, looking over at him. His eyes were soft but filled with worry. She scooted out of the brunette’s arms and dropped herself onto her boss, squeezing her arms around his shoulders.

       He slowly wrapped his arms around her body, letting out a sigh. “The girl has no idea what you went through. You know if she had, she never would have brought it up to hurt you.”

       The redhead looked up at him confusedly, almost fearfully. “How do you know about it?” She sniffled.

       He was quiet for a few seconds. “Cause I’m your boss, Nicole,” he said with a small smile. She sighed, leaning her head back onto his shoulder. 

       The Officer calmed down after a couple more minutes, so Waverly took her home, deciding to stay with her for the night. She got Nicole changed into pajamas and into bed. “You want me to make you something to eat?” She asked, slipping one of her t-shirts over her head. She mumbled a negative response into her pillow. Waverly pursed her lips, crawling into bed. “C’mere, Love,” she said, touching her side. Nicole flipped over, wrapping her arms around the brunette, hitching her leg between hers. Waverly pressed a kiss into the top of her head as she wiggled impossibly closer to her.