"Football" - by Bridget Frawley ([email protected])

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters that are Copyright@Spelling-Goldberg Productions. This story is meant for enjoyment purposes, and I retain only the rights to the plot, not the characters.

Author's Note: The scene below is actually taken word by word from the aired episode "Angels In The Backfield" (original air date January 25, 1978, written by Edward J. Lasko). I've italicized it so that you can see where their story ends and the product of my fertile imagination begins. Hope you all enjoy it.

"Has anyone on the team been hurt, Amy?" Sabrina asked.

"Not yet," Amy admitted, "but I got the two threatening phone calls and then yesterday there was this incident with the motorcycles."

"Yeah," Kelly agreed.

"And you don't know whether they were men or women?" Kris probed.

"No," Amy answered hesitantly. "One of them may have been black, but I'm not even sure about that."

"Well, what about the phone caller?" Charlie asked. "Man or woman?"

"The voice was disguised," Amy said. "Whoever it was told me that I'd better disband the Ducks and I'd regret it if I didn't."

"Well, I think they should pack it in anyway," Dan, Amy's father interjected. "From what I've seen so far they don't have a prayer of winning."

"Are you talking about the game for next Sunday at the Coliseum, when you play - who is it? The Panthers?" Bosley asked thoughtfully.

"It's a first exhibition game for what we hope will become a genuine big time woman's football league," Amy answered proudly.

"Well, I've seen the Panthers scrimmage, and I've seen the Ducks scrimmage," Dan commented derisively. "It's going to be a bloodbath."

"Girls, you're going to need a cover," Charlie announced. "Kelly, Sabrina. Didn't you both play on a football team when you were at the Police Academy?"

"No, no!" Sabrina whispered pleadingly. "Tell him no, no, no!"

"Well, that's right, Charlie," Kelly answered obligingly. "But we didn't have much of a choice."

"Shhh!" Sabrina hushed sharply.

"Sabrina played - " Kelly continued.

"No! No!" Sabrina moaned unhappily.

"- quarterback and did some kicking and I played running back," Kelly concluded.

Sabrina groaned in resignation.

"Well, Amy's been quarterbacking. Sort of," Dan added sarcastically.

"Well, that's okay," Amy reassured them hastily. "I'd rather do the kicking anyway."

"Dan, as an ex-pro fullback," Charlie asked. "Do you think you can shape them up? Figuratively speaking."

"Well, I can try," Dan conceded. "But you know where I think these girls ought to be spending their time...including my daughter?"

"In the kitchen," Sabrina concluded knowingly, rolling her eyes and taking a quick gulp of her coffee. His words reminding her of someone else she thought she knew very well.

"How'd you know I was going to say that?" Dan scoffed, walking out the door.

"Oh...lucky guess," Sabrina answered quickly, not wanting to say anything else. After all, the man was their clients' father. It wouldn't do to antagonize him on first sight.

"Whew!" Kris exclaimed, trying to break the tension in the air. "Well, now, um...Amy, your dad sure has a - " she paused for a second, trying to word her thoughts diplomatically. "- a way about him."

"Well, he doesn't mean to be difficult," Amy explained apologetically. "It's just that he's had a lot of disappointments in his life. You see, my mother died when I was born. Dan always wanted a son."

"Amy, I think he's got a pretty nice daughter," Charlie announced gallantly.

"Here, here!" Sabrina smiled.

"That's for sure," Kelly agreed.

"Well, good luck, Angels," Charlie said. "Don't pick up too many bruises."

"Okay. Bye, Charlie," Kris said cheerfully.

Charlie hung up the telephone.

"Oh, wait a minute!" Kris exclaimed in sudden realization. "I'm totally inexperienced. What position am I going to play?"

"Kris, why don't you and I go over some of the plays?" Amy offered helpfully. "That'll make it easier to see what the best position is for you."

"Thanks, Amy," Kris said gratefully.

"Kelly? Sabrina? Want to come along?" Amy asked.

"No, thanks," Kelly declined. "I think I'm going to go home and study some plays...get ready for tomorrow. Bri?"

"Hmmm?" Sabrina asked, startled.

"You okay?" Kelly asked.

"Oh, I'm fine," she lied quickly. "I'm just going to - go home and get ready for tomorrow. I'll see you later." She hurried out to her car.

"What's up with that?" Kris asked in surprise.

"We were given a pretty rough time when we were in the Academy," Kelly admitted hesitantly. "It didn't help that she was the best player on the team."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Kris said rhetorically, chuckling.

"I didn't mean to bring back any bad memories," Amy said guiltily. "I could always go to another firm..."

"That's all right, Amy," Bosley reassured her. "Things'll work out fine. You'll see."

"If you're sure..." Amy acquiesced reluctantly.

"We are," Kris added. "Come on, let's go. I'll need all the help I can get."

Kris, Kelly and Amy left.

Sabrina was sitting in her orange Pinto, eyes staring out of the windshield unseeingly. Her mind went back about three years...

* * * * *

"You're going to be late, hon," Bill Duncan called from the dining room, pouring her a cup of coffee.

"I hate football," Sabrina muttered, hurrying in and pecking him on the cheek. She then grabbed the mug and took a deep sip, sighing gratefully. "Thanks."

"I don't know why you're even playing in the first place."

"Bill, don't start," she warned, slamming the mug on the table with a little more force than necessary. They'd had this argument on and off ever since she'd started the Police Academy and it was getting old pretty fast.

"Start what? I'm just agreeing with you."

"Schneider insists that all recruits are on the team whether they like it or not. It's some sort of stupid tradition."

"That was before they allowed women on the force. I'm sure if you went to him and explained - "

"No," she interrupted firmly. "I'm a recruit just like everyone else. I don't want any special favors."

"You could get hurt."

"Anyone could get hurt, Bill," she reminded him, wishing he'd just drop the subject already.

"I just worry about you," he conceded, taking her hand. "Be careful?"

"Always." She glanced at her watch and frowned. "I have to go. See you tonight?"

"I might be a little late."

"Stake-out duty again?"

"Yeah. Things are starting to heat up. Hopefully I'll be back to a normal schedule in two or three days. I might be pretty late so don't wait up, okay?"

"Gotcha."

"Oh, we're almost out of liniment. Want me to pick some up on the way home?" He offered innocently.

"Very funny," she mumbled, grinning slightly and hurrying out the door.

She arrived at the Police Academy and struggled into her uniform as quickly as possible.

"Where have you been?" Kelly demanded anxiously. "You know how Schneider is about being on time."

"I know, I know," she answered, lacing her cleats rapidly. "You should have gone on ahead."

"Hey, we stick together, remember?" Jill reminded her.

Sabrina smiled and jumped to her feet, straightening her tunic. "How do I look?"

"Like you just stepped off a runway," Kelly deadpanned.

"Come on, let's go," Jill chuckled.

They all raced out of the locker room and to the football field.

"Hey, ladies," Anderson called out tauntingly. "We were about to send out a search party for you."

"Stuff it, Anderson," Sabrina growled.

"Just ignore them," Kelly advised.

"She's right. It's not worth it," Jill agreed in resignation.

"I still think you all ought to be home baking cookies," another voice called out.

"Baking cookies?!" A third voice chimed in. "I can think of something else that's a lot more fun."

They burst into raucous laughter.

"All right, all right!" Sergeant Schneider interrupted loudly. "Knock it off. Head to your assigned positions."

They all got into formation.

"One...two...three...hike!" Sabrina called.

Jill snapped the ball to her.

Sabrina swung her arm back and was tackled by a half dozen players of the opposition. She toppled over, falling on top of the ball and holding onto it with all her strength. She felt something give slightly and she winced.

Schneider blew his whistle and they all got to their feet.

"That'll teach you something, girlie," Anderson snarled, shoving Sabrina backward. "Football is a man's game."

"Then what are you doing here?" Sabrina demanded, yanking the helmet off her head and throwing it to the ground in fury.

"Next time I won't be so easy on you," Anderson threatened.

"That's good, because if that was your best shot you're in serious trouble."

"Bri," Kelly cautioned softly, putting her hand on Sabrina's shoulder.

"Listen to your girlfriend," Anderson advised with saccharine concern. "Go back to your needlepoint and leave being a cop to the big boys."

Sabrina launched herself at him, knocking him to the ground.

"Hey!" A few voices called out in amazement.

"Duncan!" Schneider called, grabbing her by the shoulder. "Hit the showers."

She punched Anderson once more for good measure and slowly got to her feet. She glared at all of them, straightened her uniform shirt with dignity and stalked off to the locker room.

"All right, people! We're here to play the game," Schneider announced briskly. "Back to your places."

"Um, Sarge, who's going to play quarterback?" Jill asked in trepidation.

"You are, Munroe," he decided rapidly.

Jill's eyes widened in alarm. "But..."

"No buts. You've seen how it's done. Get into position. Now!"

About an hour later they all trouped into the locker room in exhaustion.

"Who won?" Sabrina asked wearily.

"We did," Kelly grinned.

"Why aren't you dressed yet?" Jill asked in surprise.

"I took a long shower to try to get the kinks out," Sabrina answered, reaching up for her bra and wincing.

"Here," Kelly offered sympathetically. She took the bra from the locker, handed it to her, then started shrugging out of her uniform.

"Thanks," Sabrina said, blushing slightly. She dropped the towel and glanced down. "What the..."

Kelly and Jill both glanced over at her and saw that Sabrina's chest area was slightly discolored and swollen.

"I think we'd better take you to the emergency room," Jill offered in a subdued voice.

"I'll be fine," Sabrina declined, touching the area gingerly and wincing again.

"Bri, that looks pretty bad," Kelly objected, wincing slightly herself.

"I'll go home and put an ice pack on it," Sabrina promised, realizing that trying to fasten the bra was out of the question. She continued to get dressed as quickly as she could. When she finally finished she shoved the unused bra into her gym bag. "Look, I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Can we drive you home?" Jill asked.

"Thanks, anyway." Sabrina smiled and left. When she finally got home her chest was throbbing painfully. She dropped her bag uncharacteristically on the floor, went into the bedroom and stretched out on the bed. After about an hour of trying to get comfortable she finally managed to fall asleep.

A few hours later Bill came in whistling softly. He spied his wife and quietly undressed, slipping into the bed beside her.

The movement jostled the mattress and she groaned sleepily, squirming to a more comfortable position.

"Hey, babe," he whispered, reaching over and slipping an arm around her, pulling her close.

A wave of red-hot pain seared through her and her eyes popped open. She sat upright, breathing heavily.

"I'm home," he whispered in her ear.

"I can see that," she whispered breathlessly, shoving him away. She took a few shallow breaths until the pain ebbed somewhat.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing! I just - had a nightmare. That's all." She laid back down again gingerly. "How'd the stake-out go?"

"Great!" He exclaimed, kissing her on the lips. "We finally nailed the bastard. The arraignment's tomorrow. After that's taken care of Michaelson gave me the next few days off. Maybe we could go away for the week-end."

"I have exams tomorrow and Friday," she reminded him uncomfortably, pulling away from him and smiling faintly.

"So...you'll get a 99 instead of 100."

"Come on," she pleaded desperately.

He finally noticed her appearance. "You must be. You never sleep in your clothes."

"Bill, please. It's late and I'm awfully tired."

"Okay, okay." He pecked her on the lips quickly. "We have all week-end. I can wait." He settled down beside her and fell asleep, smile playing on his lips.

She frowned, wondering how she was going to tell him what happened at football practice. Deciding to avoid another argument she set the alarm for an hour earlier than normal and fell into an exhausted sleep.

The next morning she was already dressed in her gray LAPD sweats and at the gym. The entire class just finished running laps around the track.

"All right, people!" Schneider called, blowing his whistle to call the class to a stop. "Not bad, not bad. Duncan, your timing's off."

"Sorry," she wheezed painfully, doubling over slightly.

"You feeling any better?" Kelly asked softly from behind her.

Sabrina shook her head and tried to catch her breath.

"I'm going to tell Schneider - " Jill began.

"No," Sabrina interrupted breathlessly, brushing the bangs from her forehead. "It's okay. We're almost finished."

"What's up, ladies?" Anderson jibed. "Need a break?"

Sabrina shook her head and straightened up slowly, forcing the pain to the back of her mind.

"Why don't you just shut up?" Jill snapped angrily.

"Why don't you make me?" Anderson countered smugly.

"Look, Anderson, we're here to stay whether you like it or not," Kelly replied icily.

"Oh, you think so, do you? We'll just see about that." Anderson stormed off.

"That man is a male chauvinist pig," Jill muttered.

"Jill, you're insulting pigs," Sabrina pointed out.

They shared a brief smile.

"All right, everyone!" Schneider's voice interrupted them. "Let's go. Obstacle course is next."

The entire class groaned.

"Line up, alphabetical order. Let's go!"

Everyone formed up and began the course.

When Sabrina got to the front of the line she took a deep breath and gritted her teeth. She started climbing the six foot wall, ribs protesting painfully. Once she got to the top everything started spinning and she lost her grip, toppling over onto the mat and unable to move. She wheezed, every breath sending waves of agony through her.

Kelly hurried to her side and knelt beside her.

"Munroe, call 911," Schneider instructed.

Jill nodded and ran off.

"I'll be okay," Sabrina protested weakly, trying to get to her feet unsuccessfully.

"Duncan, don't move. That's an order," Schneider insisted.

"The paramedics'll be here in a minute," Kelly reassured her.

Sabrina glanced up and noticed the rest of the class standing around her, unsure of what to do next. She groaned and closed her eyes, panting slightly. It was getting hard to catch her breath. All her hard work was rapidly going down the drain because now she was about to flunk out. Bill would be saying 'I told you so' for days.

Schneider glanced around and spotted the rest of the class milling about. "All right, everyone! Show's over. We'll finish this in about two hours."

They all broke up and walked off towards the showers.

'Great,' Sabrina thought to herself bitterly. 'Just what they need...another reason to think women can't handle being on the force'. Unconsciously she started breathing harder.

"Bri, what's wrong?" Kelly asked in alarm.

Jill burst into the room and knelt on the other side of Sabrina. "The paramedics'll be here in a few minutes," she announced breathlessly.

"Can't - breathe," Sabrina gasped, feeling like she was about to suffocate.

"I think she's hyperventilating," Schneider observed. He hurried to his locker, pulled out a brown paper bag, emptied it onto the floor, hurried back to her side and thrust it into her face. "Here, breathe into this."

After a few seconds Sabrina grimaced and tried to shove it away, wrinkling her nose in distaste as her stomach rolled. She hadn't eaten all day. "Sardines."

"What?" Kelly asked in confusion.

"That was my lunch," he confessed. "It's the only brown bag I have."

Jill held the bag back into place firmly. "Bri, you can be sick later. Breathe. Come on. In, out...you can do it."

Sabrina nodded and followed instructions, turning slightly green.

Johnny Gage and Roy DeSoto came in with their equipment. "We got a call that there was an accident here," Roy announced.

Jill and Kelly promptly moved out of the way to give them room to work.

"What happened?" Johnny asked, kneeling beside Sabrina and taking her pulse.

"We were in football practice yesterday when she was tackled," Kelly answered anxiously.

"Oh, yeah?" Johnny grinned, trying to put Sabrina's mind at ease. "Roy, pulse is 110." He slipped the blood pressure cup on her arm. "I didn't know that the Rams were starting a woman's football team."

Sabrina rolled her eyes and weakly pushed the bag out of the way.

"BP's 130 over 90."

Roy nodded, jotted it down and called Rampart on the bio-phone.

"What's your name?" Johnny asked conversationally.

"Sabrina Duncan," she answered softly, taking shallow breaths.

"Does it hurt to breathe?"

She nodded, wincing.

"Okay, now, just relax. Everything's going to be fine. I'm going to just lift your shirt and see if I can find out what's wrong, all right?"

Sabrina nodded again.

"I'm going to talk to the CO and have him post someone in front of the gym for a while," Schneider declared. "You two stay with her."

"Right, sarge," Jill said distractedly, watching Johnny's examination.

Schneider went outside.

"That does look pretty swollen," Johnny said, taking a good look at her chest. "Sabrina? It looks like your ribs are cracked or broken. I know it's going to hurt, but I'll try to be as quick as I can."

She nodded and braced herself.

Johnny deftly probed the area around her rib cage.

Sabrina's back arched and she closed her eyes, barely breathing as she was engulfed in a wave of fiery pain. She couldn't see or hear anything for a few seconds.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?!" Kelly demanded sharply.

"Roy, looks like her ribs are cracked," Johnny said, removing his hands and pulling down her shirt as gently as he could.

Roy nodded and relayed the information to Rampart.

"Bring her in for x-rays as soon as you can," Dr. Kelly Brackett advised.

The EMS technicians came in with a stretcher.

"Sabrina, how you doing?" Johnny asked, checking the dilation of her pupils.

"Been - better," she answered weakly as the pain subsided somewhat.

"We're headed to Rampart General for x-rays and get those ribs taped up," Roy said. "You'll be better in no time." He glanced at Jill and Kelly. "One of you can come along for the ride if you like."

"I'll go," Kelly said gratefully.

Jill nodded. "I'll meet you there in a few minutes."

Sabrina was in Examining Room 1 with Dixie and Dr. Brackett.

"Hello, Mrs. Duncan," Brackett said, taking her pulse.

"Sabrina," she corrected tiredly.

"Dix, we have the results of her x-rays back yet?"

"Right here, Kel," Dixie said, putting them on the screen.

Kelly studied them for a few seconds and then went back to Sabrina's side. "Roy was right. You've got two cracked ribs. I'm going to tape them up and give you a prescription for some analgesics. There are a few side effects...blurred vision, constipation, thirst, possible dry mouth or eyes, drowsiness. You know the usual drill...no driving, no operating any heavy equipment, definitely no alcohol." He pulled up her sleeve and gave her an injection, then put the empty syringe on the table. "This'll help ease the pain a little."

She nodded. 'Oh, fine,' she thought morosely, trying to figure out how to tell Bill that his week-end plans were ruined.

Dixie brought over some rolls of tape from the medicine cabinet.

"Thanks, Dix," Brackett said absently, lifting Sabrina's shirt and starting to wrap her chest tightly. "I'll be as fast as I can."

Sabrina nodded and gritted her teeth.

"I understand that you've got some friends outside waiting for you," Brackett said while he worked. "That's good. You're in no condition to drive yourself home." After a few minutes he was finished. "How do you feel?"

"Better," she admitted, yawning.

"Good. I'm afraid those are going to have to stay taped up for about six to eight weeks. Now look, I don't want you to do anything too strenuous. Otherwise you'll end up right back here."

She nodded, got to her feet and staggered a little as the floor seemed to tilt under her feet. "Thanks, doctor."

"I'll help you outside," Dixie offered.

"Wait a second, Dix," Brackett called. He went over to the table, filled out a prescription and handed it to her. "Give this to one of her friends out there."

Dixie nodded, took the slip of paper and led Sabrina out into the waiting area.

"Bri!" Kelly and Jill exclaimed at the same time.

"What happened to you? Are you all right?" Jill asked anxiously.

"My ribs are cracked," Sabrina answered, yawning again.

"How do you feel?" Kelly asked.

"Better. The doctor gave me a shot," she sighed exhaustedly.

"Can one of you have this prescription filled for her?" Dixie asked.

Kelly nodded and took the piece of paper from Dixie's hand. "Sure. Thanks a lot."

"That's what we're here for," Dixie smiled. "If you'll excuse me, we've got a pretty full house right now." She walked off.

"Come on, I'll drive you home," Jill offered.

Jill and Kelly stood on either side of Sabrina and helped support her outside. They all got into Jill's car and drove to Sabrina's place. Once inside Sabrina collapsed on the couch, barely able to keep her eyes open.

Kelly glanced around. "Where's Bill?"

"He had an arraignment this morning," Sabrina answered sluggishly, head spinning. "I'm so thirsty."

"I'll make some tea," Jill said, going into the kitchen.

"We'll keep you company until Bill gets home," Kelly volunteered.

"You don't have to do that," Sabrina protested, trying to get comfortable.

"That's okay," Kelly smiled. "That's what friends are for."

"Besides, I wasn't about to stay with those neanderthals by myself," Jill called out from the kitchen. "One of them could have gotten hurt."

Sabrina smiled sleepily. "Thanks."

Jill came back a few minutes later with three mugs of tea. She handed one each to Sabrina and Kelly and then sat on the chair. "You hungry?"

Sabrina shook her head and took a few sips of the tea, sighing. "I'm sorry you both flunked out because of me."

"Don't be silly," Kelly protested. "We didn't flunk out because of you."

Sabrina stared into her mug pensively.

"I'm sure we can all take make-up exams later," Jill pointed out philosophically.

Sabrina finished her tea in one gulp and put the empty mug on the table. "Not me."

Kelly sat beside her friend and put her arm around her shoulders. "It'll be okay, Bri."

"Will it?" Sabrina whispered bitterly. "I'm tired. I think I'll take a nap."

"You'll feel better when you wake up," Jill agreed.

Kelly got to her feet and helped Sabrina stretch out on the couch.

Sabrina shifted a few times until she got comfortable and dozed off.

"It's just not fair," Jill remarked bitterly.

"You just realized that now?" Kelly pointed out, going over to sit at the table next to Jill.

"I wonder if we can talk to someone," Jill said pensively.

"Who, Schneider? It'll be like talking to a brick wall. He's a charter member in the 'Woman Haters Club'."

"What have we got to lose? All he could say is no."

"That's true," Kelly replied reflectively. "Wanna play cards?"

"Sure."

About three hours later...

"All right, you owe me..." Kelly did a fast piece of mental arithmetic. "...$25. Want to play another hand?" She started shuffling.

"No, thanks," Jill declined. "I know when to call it quits."

They heard a key turn in the lock of the front door and Bill Duncan strode in, slamming the door behind him.

"Shhh!" Kelly whispered furiously. "You'll wake Bri."

Bill spun around, not having seen them when he entered. "What are you doing here?"

"We didn't think Bri should be alone," Jill answered logically.

Sabrina groaned softly and sat up gingerly. "Hi," she whispered, blinking.

"What the hell happened?!" He demanded, marching towards her.

"I'm all right," she answered lethargically.

"Oh, sure! That's why I got a call from one of my friends at the Police Academy saying that they took my wife to the emergency room," he sneered. "Of course I don't hear it from her, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised by now. Should I?"

"It all happened so fast," she answered listlessly.

"She had other things on her mind," Kelly snapped, eyes blazing.

Bill glared over at her.

"We should have called you," Jill interjected quickly, not wanting things to escalate any further. "We just didn't think of it. I'm sorry."

"Yeah, well..." Bill trailed off.

Kelly shot Bill a dirty look and then went to sit by Sabrina's side. "How are you feeling?"

"Thirsty," Sabrina answered after a few seconds, shifting uncomfortably and wincing.

"I'll get some water," Jill offered, going into the kitchen. She came back a few seconds later and handed her a glass. "Here you go."

"Thanks, Jill," Kelly said gratefully as Sabrina took a few deep sips. "I think it's time for your medication." She took the bottle from the coffee table, popped the lid and took two pills out. She handed them over. "Here you go."

Sabrina nodded silently, took the pills and washed them down with the rest of the water. "When did you get the prescription filled?"

"While you were napping," Kelly grinned, resealing the bottle and putting it back on the coffee table. "Your car's parked in your space out front and the keys are on the table."

"I think we'd better get going," Jill stated awkwardly, feeling the tension in the air. She turned to Bill and tried to defuse the situation a little. "We only wanted to keep Bri company until you came home and now you're here..."

Bill tapped his foot impatiently, not saying anything.

"She's right," Kelly agreed reluctantly. This was a private matter between husband and wife, after all. "I'll call you later, okay?" She hugged Sabrina briefly. "You take it easy and call me if you need anything."

"Thanks," Sabrina said.

Kelly and Jill made a hasty retreat.

Bill sat on the couch beside her and took her hand. "Are you sure you're okay?"

She nodded slowly, finding it hard to concentrate. "I am sorry I didn't call you. It happened so fast. One minute I was scaling the wall and the next thing I knew I was being rushed to emergency."

"Do you know how embarrassed I was hearing about your accident from Albertson? He asked how you were doing and I said he'd know better than I would. He gave me a really strange look and said that you were in the ER."

"I'm sorry. I didn't exactly plan this, you know," she sighed, finishing the water.

"I know. At least now you realize that this was a waste of time."

"Excuse me?" She asked hotly, regretting it instantly as her ribs twinged painfully.

"Come on, Bri! There's no way they'd certify you now."

"Bill, this could have happened to anyone," she began, trying not to lose her patience.

"Look, let's just go away for the week-end like we planned," he said reasonably. "We'll have a great time. You can take it easy. I'll take good care of you. I promise." He kissed her gently on the lips.

"I guess I can just start over again in the next class," she muttered resignedly.

"Are you kidding?!" He pulled away from her in disbelief.

"I don't like it either, but I don't have a lot of choices here."

"You could just quit."

"No, I can't. This is too important to me."

"It's bad enough you made this unilateral decision to join the force in the first place. Shouldn't we discuss this?"

"We didn't discuss you joining the force."

"That's not fair," Bill protested. "I was already a cop when you met me."

"Oh? Are you saying that you'd quit if I asked you to?" Sabrina asked pointedly.

"You wouldn't do that."

"No, I wouldn't, because I know how much being a cop means to you. Why can't you see that this means a lot to me?"

"I can't talk to you when you're like this," he finally muttered after a few seconds of silence.

She yawned hugely. "Bill, my ribs hurt, I'm tired, and I'm going to bed."

"Fine. You do that. I'm going out for a few drinks."

"Suit yourself," she said disinterestedly, shrugging her shoulders and going into the bedroom.

Bill left, slamming the door behind him.

The next morning Sergeant Jefferson was standing in front of the Police Science classroom. "All right, everyone. Put all papers away. I'm going to start handing out the final exams. Leave them face down until I give the word."

The door opened and Sabrina slowly walked in.

"Duncan, I thought you were on sick leave," Jefferson commented in surprise while continuing to hand out test papers.

"I'm all right, sir," she lied, getting to her seat and sitting down gingerly.

"Bri, what are you doing here?" Kelly hissed anxiously.

"Taking my final with everyone else," she answered quietly..

"Quiet, people!" Jefferson demanded loudly from the front of the room, having finished distributing the exams. "Begin...now!"

Everyone turned their papers over and began.

"How did you get here?" Jill demanded once the exam was finished and they were out in the hallway.

"I drove," Sabrina answered wearily. This was taking a lot more out of her than she was willing to admit.

"I can't believe Bill let you out of the house, let alone drive anywhere," Kelly complained.

"I haven't taken any medication since last night," Sabrina continued, trying to get back to the original topic. "I wanted to take the last two finals with a clear head."

"You are so stubborn," Jill muttered. "I have good news for you. Kelly and I had a long talk with Schneider earlier today. He said that you've passed PE."

"I didn't finish the test," Sabrina protested.

"He knows this wasn't your fault. He's basing his decision on your overall performance of the past six months."

"I don't want any special treatment," Sabrina objected insistently.

"I knew you'd feel that way," Kelly admitted. "He said that he'd pass you conditionally. Once your ribs are healed you have to come back and retake the final. Once you come off sick leave you'll have to be on light duty until you're certified, but at least you can graduate with the rest of the class."

Sabrina nodded. It seemed a fair compromise and it was actually better than she'd hoped for.

"Things okay at home?" Jill asked cautiously.

"Bill and I are going away for the week-end," Sabrina answered hesitantly. "Or at least we were."

"Bri, if he doesn't know you're here where does he think you are?" Kelly asked suspiciously, glancing around. She half expected to see him stalking towards them. Surely if he didn't know he'd have been able to figure it out by now. She certainly didn't like the man but he wasn't an idiot.

"He went out last night and wasn't back when I left this morning," Sabrina admitted, biting her lip and staring at the ground uncomfortably.

"Need a place to crash?" Kelly offered sympathetically.

"No, thanks," Sabrina declined. "Look, I'm going to head over to social science. The sooner I take the exam the faster it'll be out of the way." She slowly made her way down the hallway.

* * * * *

The sound of a distant horn snapped her out of her reverie and she was jolted back to reality. She rested her head on top of her shaking hands that were resting on the steering wheel. The fighting between her and Bill had increased a hundred fold since that incident and they'd gotten divorced shortly thereafter. It was one of the few failures she'd had in her life and it still left a bitter taste in her mouth.

There was a knock on Sabrina's car window and she jumped.

"Are you okay?" Bosley asked in concern, studying her for a few seconds and noticing that the hands on the steering wheel were shaking slightly. "I was finishing the book work, looked out the window and thought I saw your car."

She nodded, unable to speak past the lump in her throat.

"You sure?"

"I'm sorry. You just startled me, that's all."

"Why don't we go to lunch? My treat."

"I'm not very hungry," she admitted, trying to catch her breath.

"Come on. If you come with me I can leave the rest of the book work until tomorrow,"

he confided conspiratorially.

"John Bosley! Are you telling me that you want me to help you shirk your duties?" She asked in mock surprise.

"Not at all," he protested indignantly, eyes twinkling. "I'm just asking you to have pity on a poor working man who's getting cross-eyed trying to balance the budget and make sense of certain expense reports."

"Kris'?" She ventured.

He nodded. "What do you say?"

"I always was a soft touch," she chuckled.

"Great! Let me get my jacket. I'll be right back. We can take the sedan."

"Sounds good to me," she admitted in relief. Her heart was still pounding so rapidly that she knew she wasn't up to driving at present. This gave her the perfect excuse without having to explain.

They were seated at the restaurant and had given their order to the waitress.

"Wait a minute," Bosley said, pulling a slip of paper out of his pocket and handing it to her.

"What's this?" She asked curiously.

"The address and telephone number of Mitchell's Sports Store. I was on the phone for two hours until I finally found someplace that can have your names stenciled on them by tomorrow morning. I'll call Kris and Kelly when I get home and give them the address."

She nodded pensively, slipping the piece of paper into her purse and staring at the top of the table.

"Bri? What's wrong?"

"I hate football," she muttered after a few seconds, absently tracing the pattern of the table cloth with her fingers.

"I thought you played quarterback?" He asked in surprise.

"I did, but it wasn't by choice, believe me."

"Maybe you could play a different position. I'm sure Amy won't mind."

She shook her head and sighed. "It's not that. It just - brings back a few bad memories. That's all."

"Want me to talk to Charlie? I can see if he'll let you run the background checks or something."

"I'll be okay," she said, flashing him a quick smile. "Bos? Could we just change the subject?"

"Sure," he agreed readily. "After this case is over remind me to give you the name of a good rolfer.* She works wonders."

"I may need that," she admitted, chuckling while remembering Bosley's experience with El Diablo.

[Story continues on the next day where the Angels appear on the football field.]

* "Angels on Horseback" (originally aired December 21, 1977).