章 26: Chapter 26: Finally No Longer a Rookie
The detective couple warmly welcomed Jack and Hannah. Since their first visit, Jack and Hannah had been visiting them about every other week. Jack would perform healing spells on Hunter, and the charming Hannah had become a delight for the elderly couple, especially for Didi, who almost treated her like her own daughter.
This time, Jack used the excuse of Hunter's significant rehabilitation progress to completely heal the area of his brain affected by the hemorrhage. While Didi hugged him in gratitude, he also took the opportunity to repair her overworked body. With this intervention, it was likely that the elderly couple would live comfortably past a hundred years. After all, they were Jack's childhood idols and an exceptionally loving couple who deserved protection, especially in a place like the USA, where such lasting love was as rare as a panda.
As they bid farewell to Hunter and Didi in the evening, Hannah, gazing thoughtfully at the receding silhouette of the small villa through the car window, suddenly asked, "Did you know that Didi was once assaulted, and later Hunter avenged her?"
"What?" Jack was so startled by her words that he nearly lost control of the steering wheel. He certainly knew this part of their story. Back when he watched the episode about the revenge, he was so furious he wanted to strangle the writer and director. But how did Hannah know about this?
"I never heard about it. Did you two talk about this when you were alone?" Jack suspiciously glanced at Hannah. It wasn't like Didi to bring up such a painful topic out of the blue. Suddenly, a realization hit him. Considering Hannah's psychological issues, he had an ominous guess.
Didi wouldn't randomly bring up such a distressing past. The only explanation was that Hannah had confided her own troubles to Didi, and Didi was using her experience to comfort her.
Gripping the steering wheel tightly, Jack didn't speak. The thought of this usually cheerful girl having gone through such an ordeal made his breath heavier with anger. Forcing down his fury, he reached over and patted Hannah's head, speaking as calmly as possible, "Hannah, you know I'm not someone who strictly adheres to the law or procedural justice. If someone I care about gets hurt, I have no problem with an eye for an eye. Do you understand?"
The law in America only protects the powerful. Jack didn't become a law enforcer to serve the elite. As someone who had established his worldview in a previous life, the system and his job as an LAPD officer were merely tools for him to improve his skills and quality of life.
Jack wasn't a saint like John. Even John had his own principles of justice. Moreover, once his skills improved, he could always move on to a new place. He had already checked the LAPD internal system; there really was an intelligence unit leader in Chicago named Hank Voight. The world of American TV shows wasn't black and white. Worst case, he could become a "dirty" cop. Would the system not recognize him then?
Hannah stayed silent, holding Jack's right hand and pressing her cheek against his palm. Feeling the dampness in his hand, Jack slowly pulled over to the side of the road, turning to look at her seriously. "Hey, Hannah, you're the smartest and strongest girl I've ever met. Maybe the time isn't right now, but I believe that when you open up to me, I won't let you down."
Hannah still didn't speak, only slowly closing her eyes, her long eyelashes wet with tears. The atmosphere had built up to this point, so Jack had no choice but to lean in for a kiss. Just as his lips touched her soft ones, she suddenly burst into laughter.
"So, Zoey has already opened up to you, huh?"
"Hey! Are you messing with me? That joke isn't funny at all." Jack was a bit angry, or rather, trying to hide his embarrassment with anger.
He still wasn't used to the casual approach Americans had towards relationships. How to handle the complex relationships among the four of them had been troubling him for days.
"You know, you're really cute when you're angry." Hannah said, pressing Jack's hand to her cheek.
"It's not what you think. Give me some time, and I'll tell you everything about my past. But before that, you have to promise me one thing."
"What condition?" Jack raised an eyebrow. As long as it wasn't something too revealing, they could still be friends.
"While we're practicing Krav Maga, you're not allowed to fight back. You've threatened to spank me too many times already!"
Feeling a huge sense of relief, Jack restarted the car and weakly replied, "Yes, ma'am, my landlady."
When everyone returned to the police station after their administrative leave, they were met with cheers. Of course, Jack sensed more relief at not having to work overtime every day. Losing so many daytime patrol officers had stretched the Wilshire station's resources thin, even with support from other districts.
The report from the District Attorney confirmed the legality of their gunfire during the Bronson Tower incident. Lucy earned the right to choose a short-sleeve uniform for her exemplary performance in delivering a baby in a crisis. Bishop, confirmed to join the ATF after recovery, left the detective position open for Angela, who earned the detective qualification and would officially transfer after six months of training.
Hannah and Tim were both promoted one rank.
Jack gained the most. His heroic actions were reported to headquarters, earning him a special commendation and shortening his probation to three months. In two weeks, Jack would officially be an LAPD officer.
"This is well-deserved. If you weren't still a rookie, they might have awarded you a life-saving medal," Captain Gray, the typically stern-faced officer, praised Jack during the briefing.
The next two weeks were peaceful. Jack smoothly completed his rookie evaluation and became an official LAPD officer. The system rewarded him with a substantial amount of experience, granting him five gold coins—enough to upgrade any proficient skill to mastery. He hadn't decided which skill to enhance yet, preferring to save it for later.
John, recovering from his injury, and Lucy, still in her probation period, were a bit jealous as they congratulated Jack. Having learned to adopt an American mindset, Jack didn't pretend to be modest and boasted a bit in front of them.
He overdid it, and to soothe their wounded egos, he had to promise to cook them another feast.
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