“Oh, my God! Antonio you scared the crap out of me.” She said putting her hand over her chest while trying to catch her breath.

“I am sorry, I called you name, I guess you just didn’t hear me. Where did you get that from?”

“Umm, I got it. Don’t worry about that. What, what did you need?”

“I was just coming to see how you were that is all. I saw you coming out of the diner and decided to see how things were with you and John.”

“John and I? Why do you ask?”

“Well, he has been at the gym a lot lately, they had to get a new heavy back, because he totally tore the one they had there.”

“Oh, I see.” Evangeline said reaching for her purse and her food that lay on the ground at her feet.

“So what’s up with you two?”

“Honestly Antonio I really do not want to talk about it okay?”

“Sure. Listen I am sorry I scared you. Have a good night okay?”

“Yeah, thanks.”

Antonio left Evangeline after she got in her car and the doors were locked. She sat there still trying to regain her composure after she almost pepper sprayed Antonio in the eyes. Why was everyone all of sudden on her case about John? She drove back to her apartment and tried to enjoy the rest of her evening. She thought about what both Natalie and Antonio had said about John’s behavior lately. She even almost reached for the phone a couple of times to call him, but stopped her self from doing so.

Evangeline threw her self into her work; fighting hard with RJ to try to come to some conclusion on the custody issue. She helped Antonio study for his tests in his law classes. She played tennis with Nora and took out her frustration for John on Nora.

“What the hell is the matter with you.” Nora asked as they finished up a game of tennis on the country club courts.

“What do you mean?” Evangeline asked.

“I mean, you nearly took my head off, numerous times. I swear I had to duck from your swings like fifty times. Is everything okay with you?”

“Yeah, everything is fine. Do you want to play again?” Evangeline asked jumping around the court.

“No, are you kidding me, if we play again you might kill me with the ball. Are you sure everything is okay? You aren’t acting like yourself.”

“Nora, everything is fine, just drop it.” She said snapping at her friend.

”Wow, spill it. What is bothering you? And if you saying nothing, then I am going to take you down to the police station and get John to question it out of you.”

“Fine, fine; I will tell you.” She took Nora by the hand and led her to the tennis bleachers. “A couple of weeks ago, John came by, we were suppose to go dinner and before we left he told me that he had kissed Natalie Vega after she told him, she still had feelings for him.”

“Natalie did what?”

“Don’t you mean John did what?” she asked back standing to go get a drink of water from her bottle.

“Yeah, that is what I meant.” Said Nora trying to pacify Evangeline. “Do you care to elaborate on what happened?”

“All he said was that she told him she still loved him and one thing led to another and they were kissing. He didn’t say what happened after the kiss, but I really didn’t give him an opportunity to do so. I told him to get out and not to come back. He has been calling every day since then and I refuse to talk to him.”

“Do you think that is such a great idea Evangeline? What do his messages say when he calls?”

“Honestly I have no idea; I delete them before I even listen to them.”

“Well this explains why I haven’t seen you around the station for a while.” Nora said walking towards Evangeline. She reached out to grab her friends hand and try to give her a hug.

“Nora, listen I am really okay. Trust me. It is okay.”

“Okay, if you say so. Listen I have to go, I have a meeting with Bo later and I need to shower before I go.”

“Thanks for listening. I really appreciate this, could you keep this to your self for me. I really do not want the whole town knowing that John and I aren’t together anymore.”

“I do not know how long that is going to last Evangeline.”

“What do you mean by that?” Evangeline asked stopping Nora from leaving the tennis courts.

“Well, you wouldn’t know this because you haven’t been around the station for a while. But it is starting to make sense.”

”Nora what on earth are you talking about?”

“John, and his behavior. For the past couple of weeks he has been really short with everyone, including Natalie, especially Natalie for that matter. The other officers are afraid to go in to his office. He almost threw one of them through the door last week for screwing up on a case. He doesn’t seem to be sleeping. He is always at the station at least every time I go there he is there.”

”Oh.” Evangeline replied with her head down.

“Oh, that is all you have to say. You have been ignoring the man for the past couple of weeks, and he turns in to a workaholic bastard who is throwing temper tantrums at work.”

“Well what do you expect me to say Nora, I mean the man kissed another woman while we were in a serious committed relationship.” She was starting to get mad now and she didn’t mean to. “I am sorry Nora, I didn’t mean to take my frustration out on you. I am sorry.”

“It is okay Evangeline, I understand where you are coming from. But you also have to give John some slack here. I mean it was only a kiss Evangeline, it’s not like he slept with her.”

“I understand that Nora, but we have been dating for almost a year now. Everything was fine between us till Cristian came back. We worked through those problems I understood why he needed to help Natalie deal with her pain and grief over losing Cristian again. I don’t know how many times I told him that Natalie wanted more than just friendship from him. He didn’t want to hear it.”

“Most men, don’t listen Evangeline, I thought you would have known that by now.”

“When he kissed her, it was like he gave up on everything that we had built up over the past year. It hurt like hell Nora. When he said those words, I kissed Natalie it was like a knife through my heart.”

“Evangeline, John loves you. You know that right? I can’t excuse what he did, but you should at least hear him out. Who knows what his reasoning, or explanation is behind the kiss. Did he kiss her or did she kiss him?”

“I don’t know I don’t know I don’t even think I really care, it was the fact that he kissed her back and broke our commitment is what really hurt.”

“Okay, listen I really have to get going, just think about what I said. John did what he did for a reason, and for you to get over this if that is what you want to do, or for you guys to move past this and get back together you need to hear him out. That is all I am asking you to do.”

Nora left Evangeline standing on the tennis courts as she went to go get a shower and head back to the station. Evangeline’s phone rang as she was gathering up her things. With out thinking she answered it.

“Evangeline Williamson.”

“Evangeline, Hi it is Bo.”

“Hi commissioner. What can I do for you?”

“I was wondering if you could come down to my office to talk later, there are some things we need to discuss.”

“Is everything okay, Bo?”

“Yeah, I guess so, but could you just meet me in my office a little later this afternoon?”

“Okay, okay Bo. I will see you later.” Evangeline said as she hung up the phone and left the country club. She went back to her apartment showered and changed clothes and headed back to work.

“Thompson get your ass in here!” yelled John as he walked past the bull pen and into his office. “What the hell do you think you are doing? I asked for these reports yesterday, why am I just now getting them?”

“Umm, Lieutenant. I am really sorry I just wasn’t thinking I guess.”

“You weren’t thinking, you weren’t thinking that is no excuse. Because of you not thinking, we almost lost the evidence in Rampart Case!” John was shouting at the young officer, and all he could do was sit there and take it. “Get out of my office, and if you make another screw up like this again, so help you Thompson I will have your hide.”

John had been reaming everyone who made even the smallest mistake for the past several weeks. No one knew why he all of a sudden started to come down so hard on people lately. He had been really easy going, then one day one of the officers made a mistake and John ripped him a new one, and it had been going down hill since then. Everyone was walking on egg shells around John McBain.

“Hey John, can I see you for a minute?” Bo asked stepping into John’s office.