Three Years Later, He Came Back Begging novel Chapter 244

Aiken let out a bitter, self-deprecating laugh. He had no idea where to even begin. It wasn't just his vacation that was canceled—his entire career was about to undergo a massive overhaul.

When he had received the call from his captain that morning ordering him back to the station, Aiken had felt a familiar knot of dread. He had been abruptly pulled from his personal life enough times to know the drill.

He had known right then that he was probably going to have to bail on Bonnie.

Walking into the captain's office, Aiken's only thought was that taking three consecutive days off over the New Year's holiday was simply too much to ask. The precinct was always understaffed during the holidays. Taking a ski trip right now was bad optics.

He had planned to negotiate. If he could just get one day off to ring in the New Year with Bonnie, he'd gladly take extra shifts for the rest of the month to make up for it.

But the moment he sat down and the captain slid the official transfer orders across the desk, Aiken knew the trip to the mountains was completely dead in the water.

"Bonnie," Aiken started, his voice thick with guilt. "I just got handed a transfer order. I'm being moved to the Major Crimes Unit at the main branch. The application I put in a while back finally got approved. It’s a combination of things. They factored in my father's history, the commendation I just got from the joint task force, and a veteran detective retiring who freed up a slot. Plus, there's a massive cross-state case that just dropped, and they need all hands on deck immediately, so I..."

So, he had to report to Major Crimes the second he hung up the phone.

When Aiken had first read the orders, his initial reaction had been pure, adrenaline-fueled elation. But that joy had quickly been drowned out by the agonizing reality of the timing. Out of all the days in the year, why did it have to happen today?

He had practically begged the captain for a two-day extension. His captain had immediately chewed him out, screaming that there were officers currently in the field working through active injuries. He had warned Aiken that if he dared throw away this hard-earned opportunity for a vacation, he could go stand at his father's grave and beg for his forgiveness.

"I'm so sorry, Bonnie," Aiken whispered.

Listening to his explanation, Bonnie felt a strange, inexplicable sense of relief wash over her. It felt as though a cloud of dust had finally settled.

"Putting aside the fact that this has been you and your father's dream for years," Bonnie said softly, "the department needs you, and you have to follow orders. It's okay, Aiken. Just please, be safe. Selfishly, I hope you don't always rush to the front lines. Your life is the most important thing."

Hearing her calm, genuinely caring response, Aiken felt a sudden, sharp spike of panic pierce his chest, though he couldn't explain why.

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