Hathaway could not concentrate on his report. Too much of his mind was occupied with worry. So far Lewis had succeeded in getting through only one night without drink, and only then because Hathaway had shown up at his flat and pulled him out of there. Laura wouldn't have known how close Lewis got to the edge at night. And what if she had gotten called out for some work matter? Or dismissed him at the end of the evening without ensuring his stability? Worse, what if something had come up and she had stood him up?

Hathaway couldn't stop fretting. Lewis had shut off his mobile and didn't answer his home phone, though Hathaway wasn't sure if Lewis had replaced the broken handset yet. Nor had Lewis answered the door when James went to check the flat, and for once it was locked.

Get a hold of yourself. You're mother-henning him too much, he's a big boy.

Maybe Laura had kept him at her place. He might have decided that he was still too fragile to be on his own all night, and just stayed over at hers. She had a spare room, after all. A lot of house for one woman, come to that. Yeah, that was probably it. He was probably fine.

But then, where the hell is he? They had an all-day meeting at nine that morning, he and Lewis had talked about it the day before. Mandatory for all rank, only the constables were allowed to get out of it. Probably some dire budget thing, as if they could do anything about that. Neither had been able to come up with an elegant way to get out of going.

At five minutes to the hour, he gave up waiting and headed down the corridor to the assembly hall. Just before he turned the corner, he saw Lewis come sprinting along, heading for their office. He was wearing the spare suit that Hathaway knew he kept in his locker downstairs.

He waved at Hathaway. "I just have to grab me razor and shave. You go on, I'll be right there."

Seeing him did not assuage his worries. He looked rough, James thought, though maybe that was just due to needing a shave. Disheveled. What had happened that he hadn't been able to dress at home? They'd be unable to talk during the meeting, but Hathaway had to find out how he was. And he couldn't wait until the meeting was over because he was leaving early for an eye-doctor appointment. He wouldn't have a chance to check on Lewis until close to six o'clock. And by then, Lewis could be pretty far downhill if left on his own.

He fidgeted as the meeting got underway. The Chief Super caught his eye, and mouthed a question at him: Where's Lewis? Hathaway tipped his head toward the door. On his way. She rolled her eyes exasperatedly.

Lewis slipped in and found a seat near the back. He knew Hathaway would be dying for information, and knew that because of the eye doctor appointment, James wouldn't be able to simply wait for the meeting to be over. He smiled to himself. Laura had already okayed his plan. Then he straightened his face and glanced up at Hathaway, across the room.

Hathaway looked straight at him with concern followed by a questioning look. Lewis responded with a puzzled expression. Is he muddled, or is he playing with me? Hathaway discreetly made a drinking gesture, putting his hand to his mouth. Lewis scowled a bit, and gave a little shake of his head. That's good news.

Hathaway held a fist up high enough for Lewis to see. He gave a thumbs-up sign, turned it around for a thumbs-down, and then sideways for so-so. And he flashed his questioning look.

Lewis checked around to see if they were being observed. The Chief Super kept glancing at them, but she could not have seen their sign language from where she sat. Lewis appeared to pay attention for about five seconds, then glanced at Hathaway to ensure he was watching. He flashed a quick two thumbs up and a small grin.

Well! So he had made it through the night successfully! That got Hathaway to wondering about getting a little more detail. He shot a curious look at Lewis, arching his eyebrows and cocking his head. Lewis responded with a look of bewilderment, as if he couldn't decipher what James was after.

Hathaway pulled out his mobile, keeping it low, and sent Lewis a text message comprised of question marks. He watched as Lewis responded to the tingle in his pocket, pulled out his mobile, and punched a couple buttons. The reply didn't come. He shot a glance back across the room, and Lewis put up his hands in a helpless gesture. He still hasn't mastered texting. Right.

Hathaway bore an expression of extreme frustration. When he saw Lewis return with one of incompletely suppressed amusement, he knew he was being taken for a ride. He was certain Lewis figured out that the word Hathaway mouthed in his direction had two syllables and began with a "b." And it earned James a look of concession from the older man, complete with melodramatic eyerolling.

Lewis held his left hand up just high enough for Hathaway to see. His thumb and index finger formed a tight circle. He made sure Hathaway got that, and checked around again to spot any observers.

Satisfied there weren't any, he held up his right hand, index finger extended, and scanned the room again. Finally, he inserted that finger into the left hand's circle, pistoning it in and out at an increasingly quick tempo. Onto that, he tacked a sly smile.

Lewis was richly rewarded with an incredulous, and slightly envious, gaping look from his sergeant. He couldn't keep the smugness off his face, arching his eyebrows twice in rapid succession. It was really more fun this way, with Hathaway completely unable to respond to the news verbally. Cruel, but fun. He couldn't wait to get Hathaway's call that evening.

The meeting was over and they all filtered back to their offices. Lewis watched to see when Innocent returned. He took a deep breath, and knocked on her door.

"Oh Lewis, yes, come in. How are you feeling?"

He looked chastened. "Better, Ma'am. I'm much better. I . . . erm . . . I want to apologize for my conduct over the past month or so. I know I haven't been performing at my best, and that James has had to take on some of my work for me."

"Yes, I had noticed."

He squirmed a little. This was difficult, but he knew he had to do it. "Then I expect you know it was because I was . . . drinking too much. It always shows more than the person thinks, doesn't it?"

She smiled patiently and said nothing.

"Anyway, it got out of hand, and thankfully James . . . well, he shoved my nose in it. I appreciate that you haven't reprimanded or disciplined me so far."

"I haven't had to, Lewis, there was nothing wrong with your work."

"Thank you, Ma'am, but I know I wasn't at me best, and I should be. I'm working on recovery now, but it's a challenge every day. And, well, that brings up the second thing I wanted to ask you about."

He shifted back and forth on his feet, extremely uncomfortable.

"Something that I think is going to help me a lot is . . . erm, I'm in a new . . . relationship." He rushed on before she could say anything. "But I want to make sure it's not something that's . . . well, against regulations."

"We're not talking about your cat, are we?"

"No, Ma'am." Not willing to name names, she concluded.

She thought a moment. "Well, the regulations forbid intimate relationships between senior officers and their junior officers, and between any police officer and known suspects in cases on which the officer is assigned. Also, the regulations 'discourage' intimate relationships between any officers employed at the same station, particularly where they are of differing rank, and between officers and convicted felons."

She appraised his reaction. "Are we good so far?"

He concentrated. "What about a person whose reports affect my decisions about a case? Not exactly a co-worker, but . . . ?"

"You'll have to use your own judgment in that situation, Lewis. Any time an intimate relationship adversely affects your work, it needs to be addressed. If not, there's no problem."

He exhaled in relief. She noticed that he did not correct her assumption that this new relationship was intimate.

"Thank you, Ma'am. I appreciate your time."

He turned and was halfway through the door when she added,

"I'm sure you and Laura will be very happy together."

o – o – o