Father's Day Ch. 01

This story is part of an ongoing series. The chronological order of my stories is listed in WifeWatchman's biography.

Feedback and constructive criticism is very much appreciated, and I encourage feedback for ideas.

This story contains graphic scenes, language and actions that might be extremely offensive to some people. These scenes, words and actions are used only for the literary purposes of this story. The author does not condone murder, racism, racial language, violence, rape or violence against women, and any depictions of any of these in this story should not be construed as acceptance of the above.

There may or may not be discussion of political issues in my stories. If you are a Snowflake that feels you need to be protected from any mention of politics, then click the Back button now, and never attempt to read any of my stories ever again. You've been warned.

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Part 1 - Prologue - Troy Family Values (continued)

(Author's note: This continues directly from 'Cancel All Our Vows', Ch. 02.)

*BRING!* *BRING!* *BRING!*

7:45pm, Thursday, June 2nd. It was my Police iPhone, and a chill ran down my spine when I saw that the caller was my daughter Tasha. It was the iPhone I'd given her to call me in case of an emergency. Carole and the boys also had them. I answered "Commander Troy. Tasha, is that you?"

"He called me 'Little Love'!" I heard my daughter say between sobs and wails. It was hard getting anything understandable out of her, so I let her wail and used my personal iPhone to speed-dial her mother Paulina.

"Oh my goodness. She called you?" Paulina said when I asked what was going on. "Okay, let me go to her room." I heard snippets of voices, then a knock on a door followed by Paulina and Tasha's voices coming through both phones.

I began talking to both of them, a phone pressed to each ear. It would've been comical if it weren't for the fact that my six-year-old daughter was crying. At one point, though, I held the Police iPhone to my chest and said to Paulina in the other one: "Is Michael still there?"

"Let me go check." Paulina said. When she was no longer in Tasha's room, she said "I'm sorry she bothered you and called you on the emergency phone."

I said "Tasha was right to call me. Don't berate her or punish her in any way. And for her to get upset like this shows me that there's a problem between her and Michael."

Paulina didn't reply, and I heard voices on that phone. Into the other one I said "Tasha, you did the right thing calling me, and if your mom says differently, you let me know. So stop crying and tell me why you got so upset."

That didn't work; Tasha started wailing again: "He called me 'Little Love'! That's your name for me, Daddy!"

"Does your mother ever call you 'Little Love'?" I asked.

"No! Only you do!" Tasha said, then added "Well... Grandpa Grizz does sometimes, and Grandma does. But mostly you do." Then the emotion started back up, and she said "But you're my daddy! He's not!"

"She's right, I almost never call her that. Neither does my brother T-Square." Paulina said into her phone, having come back into Tasha's bedroom. " And by the way, I asked Michael to go back to his place instead of spending the night here, and I boxed up some of the Chinese takeout we were having for him to take with him."

"Good." I said. "Tasha, have you eaten yet?"

"No sir." Tasha said, considerably calmer now.

"Why don't you go eat your supper." I said. "I'll talk to your mom. Call me again if there are any problems, okay?"

"Yes sir, I will." Tasha said, then disconnected.

"Like I said, I'm sorry she bothered you." Paulina said when Tasha had left the room. "I don't think Michael meant any harm, and you've called Tasha that in front of him many times. I think he was just trying to ingratiate himself with her."

"I'm sure that was the case." I said. "Okay, why don't you two talk about things, then you and I can talk tomorrow. And again... please don't berate her in any way for calling me."

"O-kayyy." Paulina said, obviously not happy about that, but acquiescing. "All right, let me go eat supper with her, and talk with her some more."

We said our goodbyes and disconnected. I looked around to see two outstanding dogs sitting by the back door of the Mountain Nest, ready to go out... and their eyes giving away that Carole was hiding down the hallway towards the 'Puter Room, listening to conversations that should not be concerning her. Loyal protectors, these dogs were. Good at keeping secrets, they were not.

"Carole, stop hiding and get out here." I ordered.

My firstborn child appeared from down the hallway. "Is everything okay with Tasha?" she asked, genuine concern for her sister in her voice. My initial anger at her acting like the spy her mother really was dissipated.

"I think so." I said. "Why don't you come with me to take the dogs out, then we'll fix something for supper.

Alas, my best-laid plans were interrupted. I heard the crunch of gravel under tires, as did the dogs. A moment later Laura came in. "Hello." she said. "It's an early night for me. Have y'all had supper yet?..."

Part 2 - Friday Follies

"This is Bettina Wurtzburg, KXTC Channel Two News!" shouted the redheaded MILF reporterette at 7:00am, Friday, June 3rd, from the rooftop of the building at Riverside and College, with City Hall in her background. "The University and the State Medical College go to Court on Monday!"

After the hard-charging intro music, Bettina began: "Dr. Laura Fredricson, President of the State Medical College, the SMC, has rejected binding arbitration in her dispute with Dr. Jerry Moore, President of the University, and is demanding a full legal proceeding. That hearing will occur at 9:00am Monday morning at the Courthouse. Let's go to trusted reporter Amber Harris for more. Amber!"

"That's right, Bettina!" shouted the athletic blonde reporterette as she came onscreen, with University Hospital as her background. "Lawyers for the University forced Judge Franklin Washington to be recused after allegations of bias. Judge Washington is the brother of Town & County Detective Theo Washington, whose boss is Commander Donald Troy, who is the husband of SMC President Laura Fredricson. University attorneys complained of potential shenanigans by Commander Troy on behalf of his wife."

Amber: "But it may be a case of 'out of the frying pan and into the fire'. The case was assigned to ultra-Conservative Judge Rodney K. Watts, who many People of Color say is a 'sellout to The Man' and a 'traitor to his race', and who cannot be counted on to adjudicate the case fairly. Back to you, Bettina!"

"Thank you, Amber!" Bettina shouted. "That was trusted reporter Amber Harris with that important information. The hearing was scheduled after Dr. Fredricson refused reasonable compromises offered by Dr. Moore. Roll tape."

Tape rolled, showing Pat 'Fat Boy' Stellum interviewing Dr. Jerry Moore, who said "Dr. Fredricson has refused reasonable compromises and has insisted on a Court battle. I don't understand why, since any legal ruling can be appealed, while binding arbitration and a reasonable compromise would settle things once and for all."

Back to Bettina live: "And the decision by Dr. Fredricson to go 'scorched earth' with the legal route instead of reasonable compromises might backfire in other ways. Roll tape."

Tape rolled, showing Pat Stellum interviewing the odious Professor Lionel Carmela. The tape was edited to show only Carmela's answer to a question. He said "Since Laura Fredricson doesn't want to make reasonable compromises, we are going to make absolutely sure that she strictly adheres to all of the laws and regulations. If she doesn't, there will be no compromises on the legal actions we will take against her...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Wow. Where to start." lamented Lt. Commander Teresa Croyle as she, Sheriff Griswold, Your Iron Crowbar, ADA Paulina Patterson, Chief Moynahan, Deputy Chief Tanya P. Muscone, and Command Deputy Sheriff Cindy Ross drank coffee and watched the propaganda-cast in the Chief's Conference Room.

"They sure took their shots at Judge Watts, didn't they?" said Paulina. "And all the judges, really. Bettina and Amber all but accused them of corruption."

I said "That's what the Left has been doing, especially in the last year or so. They're trying to undermine the integrity of the Judiciary, from the US Supreme Court to local Superior Court judges. If a judge is not in jackbooted lockstep with their Totalitarian Leftist views, they label that jurist a 'far-right-winger' and impugn his or her integrity. Amber was about to call Judge Watts a 'white nationalist', but he's black. In any case, it's a problem, and destructive to the Constitution and our country."

Paulina said "That's nothing compared to what you'll see if Alvin Whitner is elected Solicitor."

"Or if Savannah Fineman is elected D.A." growled Sheriff Griswold. We all nodded vigorously in agreement.

Teresa: "Flip side of the coin on that broadcast: there was an undercurrent in the way Bettina, Amber, Dr. Moore, and even Carmela were speaking... as if they expect Laura to prevail in the hearing. Don, do you think Laura will prevail?"

"Yes." I said. "And if Jerry Moore tries to appeal, it's a three-judge Appeals Court now, and Leahy has two Conservative judges opposing him now. And to that point, KXTC is being as dishonest and disingenuous as Jerry Moore is. Laura knows damn well that that so-called 'binding arbitration' was a scam, a trap, a rigged game, and she called him on it. So now he, or someone, has the dishonest Press chanting the narrative for him."

Teresa asked "Who would have been the arbiters?"

"I don't know." I said. "Laura didn't even ask. She pointed out that any so-called compromise was allowing Jerry Moore to break the law that was passed creating the State Medical College."

"Changing the subject," Tanya said, to change the subject, "I noticed that Bettina did not show Pat Stellum's interviews, but rolled taped edited excerpts. Is that part of her ongoing campaign to diminish him?"

Cindy said "I don't know for sure, but I sure wouldn't bet a hundred dollars against you on that."

"You know..." I said musingly, "I wonder... What Carmela said... I wonder what trick he has up his sleeve."

"Don't worry, it's covered." Cindy said, looking over at me. As our eyes met, I realized that she knew what I'd just been thinking, and that indeed she had something up her sleeve...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I invited Paulina to my office after the coffee klatch. After fortifying our coffee mugs with another charge of coffee, she sat down in the near-side hot chair while I sat in my comfortable 'Command Chair'. I was already grateful for the lumbar support.

"How did it go last night?" I asked simply. She knew what I meant, of course.

"We-ellll, Tasha finally calmed down." Paulina said. "I asked her variations on the theme of why she got so upset, and she just kept saying that that nickname is what her daddy called her, and Michael is not her daddy. I told her that she was right, that you are her daddy and he is not, but she was going to have to accept Michael being around while I'm dating him, so if he apologized would she accept it and talk normally with him? She replied with a very dispirited 'I guess so.'."

"Have they not gotten along to this point?" I asked.

Paulina replied "I realize now, with perfect 20/20 hindsight, that she has been very quiet around him and hasn't talked with him, even when he's tried to include her in conversations. She never said anything to me about him, but after her outburst I can see that there are some serious underlying tensions within her that I'll have to work out with her."

Then she said "I was wondering if you'd be okay with it if I asked Laura to talk to her, in Laura's professional capacity as a psychiatrist, maybe over the weekend?"

I said "I don't have a real problem with it, and Laura is very, very good at talking to someone and that person not realizing he or she is being psychologically evaluated... well, except for Carole; there's no getting past her. So I'm not asking for details of your private issues, but have you talked to him yet?"

"Yes." Paulina said. "After I put Tasha to bed, I called Michael. He was apologetic, and said he didn't realize she'd get so upset, and I said I was shocked by it, also. We're also going to go back to Michael staying overnight only when Tasha is not there. And we'll concentrate on his campaign for the time being. God, it is soooo important that we crush Alvin Whitner! "

"Yeah it is." I said. "Anyhoo, I know this is not an easy situation, and I don't want to add to any problems---"

We were interrupted by a knock on the door, followed by Cindy opening it and peeking in. I waved her to come on in, and she, Teresa, and Tanya came in for the Angels meeting. I told Paulina to stay put for the KFXU broadcast...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Hello and welcome, to Fox University Sunrise!" said Catrina Pierce at 8:00am sharp from the KFXU studios. "I'm Catrina Pierce, and with me as always is Priya Ajmani. Good morning, Priya."

"Good morning, Catrina." said the beautiful Indian reporterette. "Good morning, everyone. Here's what's in the news. The dispute between University President Jerry Moore and State Medical College President Laura Fredricson is going to Court after attempts by Dr. Moore to have the issues decided by arbitration were rejected by Dr. Fredricson."

Catrina: "The hearing will begin on Monday, June 6th in the courtroom of Superior Court Judge Rodney K. Watts. It was originally assigned to Judge Franklin Washington, but he recused himself when objections were made, owing to Judge Washington being the brother of TCPD Detective Theo Washington, who works for Dr. Fredricson's husband Commander Donald Troy."

Priya: "The issues involve disputes over the law that created the State Medical College, including what University land the SMC can claim, how much they have to pay for it, and a claim by Dr. Moore on the University's behalf to ownership of Dr. Fredricson's home now that she is no longer a University professor."

Catrina: "And we are fortunate and honored to have with us today Dr. Laura Fredricson. Welcome, Doctor."

"I'm glad to be here." replied Laura as the camera panned out to show her in the chair next to the sofa the reporterettes were sitting on... and it was my rather biased opinion that Laura's shapely legs were much hotter looking than theirs.

Priya: "First of all, Dr. Fredricson, why are you forcing the process to go through the Courts, rather than the arbitration that Dr. Moore suggested? After all, if you win this initial hearing, he can tie things up in appeals for months."

Laura: "Because Jerry Moore's narrative is false, which is why your competitor KXTC is chanting it. This is not a matter of negotiating a settlement, it's a matter of the law. Jerry Moore is trying to get around the law establishing the State Medical College; he's simply breaking the law and violating sanctified contracts in several areas, requiring a legal action in Court. To even consider his so-called (air quotes) 'negotiation' is to sanction his violation of those laws."

Catrina: "Let me ask you how things are going with starting up the State Medical College. Will you be able to meet your stated goal of starting classes this Fall?"

Laura said with a smile: "Yes, we will have at least one group of students in class for Fall semester. Most were in the University's Medical School program before it was gutted by Jerry Moore and Lionel Carmela's Climate Change agenda and requirements to sign illegal 'loyalty documents', and we'll have at least one class of new admissions. And we also will have the Faculty in place to teach that first class of students."

Priya: "But you won't be able to build new School facilities for Fall semester. What will you do about that? Will the University rent you classroom space?"

Laura: "We're already working with the University Hospital Administrator and Hospital 
Board on those things. As of right now we're not going to be renting space on the University campus, but we'll be able to rent classroom space near the Hospital. I won't go into details on that until we finalize those arrangements, but we are laying that groundwork."

Catrina: "So after this hearing and a legal resolution to these issues, it'll be clear sailing to begin building the buildings and putting the infrastructure in place?"

Laura: "It should be, Catrina. We're ready to move forward, and we think we'll be able to, beginning next week..."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"That seemed reasonable." Paulina said after the interview concluded.

"It was 'fair and balanced', anyway." I said. "Priya was asking the harder, 'gotcha' questions, while Catrina was lobbing the softballs. But yes, it was a lot better than the way KXTC would have treated Laura... which is why Laura won't give KXTC the time of day."

"Except for Catrina's question right at the end, there." Cindy said. "I got a vibe that she knows something, and that that was a setup."

"Just like what Carmela said." I replied. "But I sure would not have expected Catrina to play that game."

"Unless she knows that we know." Cindy said.

"Okay, you Crowbar people." Teresa said. "Enough teasing us. What are y'all talking about?"

Cindy said "I think they have a plan to ambush us if and when we win the Court case. And I've already told Callie what to expect, and we're countering their plans now." She told us what the ambush and the countermeasures were...

Part 3 - Sandstorms

10:00am, Saturday, June 4th. The music of Darude's Sandstorm began blasting in the TCPD Headquarters gymnasium as the twice-Defending Champion and No. 1 seed, Joan Laurer, came out of the women's locker room at the far end of the room. She walked through a thin gauntlet of about 30 people to the boxing ring in the middle and climbed into it.

Then her challenger came out of the men's locker room and walked through a gauntlet of about 30 people. When he got to the base of the ring, the music suddenly stopped playings, and Joan issued the challenge:

"Would you like a shot... at the title?"

"Don't mind if I do." said the Challenger, Daniel Patrick of the SWAT Team. He climbed up into the ring to an acclaim.

Patrick, the third seed, had defeated his SWAT partner and No. 2 seed, Robert Kalsu, in the semifinals. Joan had pretty much destroyed the fourth seed, Jerome Davis. His lack of enthusiasm in the first minute of the match was my first clue that he was going to take a beating, but Joan spared him the pain and just took him down and forced him to yield halfway through the first round.

The contestants were given the 'rools' by referee Micah Rudistan, who had won the Boxing Division less than an hour before. Then they took their places at opposite corners, the bell rang, Referee Rudistan commanded "Box!", and we were AWN!

"Wow, it's come to this." Lt. Teresa Croyle said quietly to me as we watched from near the bulletin board where the brackets were posted. "There can't be more than 75 people here. We used to have 200 to 300 for the finale."

"Yeah, I know." I said sadly. "But what can we do?"

Indeed, the Matches had not had the excitement of past years. The contestants were forbidden crowbars, and could only use standard-issue Police batons, a.k.a. 'billy sticks', which were smaller than crowbars or old-style billy sticks that had some heft on them. And while some martial arts were permitted, for the most part only the standard personal combat training moves that were taught to all Police at the Academy, and fortified by one Command Deputy Sheriff Cindy Ross, were used. It made for a very boring competition.