Chapter Text
Athena was out on patrol. There weren’t too many calls today, but she didn’t dare call the day ‘quiet’. The first call she received in nearly an hour was to her cell from Maddie. “Hey, Maddie! What’s up?
“Athena, hi! Um. Oh, jeez. I have no idea how to say this.” Maddie tittered, “Um, do you know where Bobby’s phone is?”
“His phone? I’m pretty sure they left it with him when he died.” Athena scoffed, “They probably left him in the body bag in the coffin to avoid transmitting that damn virus. Why?”
“Okay, so I probably sound crazy and please don’t freak out or anything, but he called me.”
Athena immediately pulled her cruiser over. “I’m sorry, what? Who called you?”
“Bobby. Or Bobby’s phone at least.”
“What did he say? Was it him on the other line?” Athena’s voice was shaking but her body was frozen.
“I don’t know. It was silent and then there was a lot of static. It was muffled and the voice kept cutting out. All I got out of it was ‘Mad, help, buried, lab’ and I don’t want to get your hopes up, but—”
“All those words are strangely familiar to just be coincidentally coming from my husband who died in a lab’s phone number.”
“Yeah.”
Athena felt her entire world shift. Her head hurt, her heart was pounding. Her husband is dead. She buried him. Now there’s a chance he’s actually still alive? “Maddie, I’m coming to the call center. Can you see the location on like Find My iPhone or something?” Athena turned her lights and sirens on and barreled towards dispatch like a bullet train.
“It’s not coming up, he must’ve had it disabled. Do you think you can get a search warrant?”
“I need probable cause that a crime was committed and I don’t think a phone call from his number is enough to prove that.”
“If I can get the number to call 9-1-1 I can pinpoint his location. I’ll keep calling the number from my desk, but Athena— this is all still a pretty big if.”
”Maddie, there is a chance the love of my life is still alive. I don’t care how small it is, I’m going to fight for him, since he couldn’t fight for himself.”
Maddie smiled, “Okay. I’ll see you in a few minutes.”
“Hey, Maddie, can I ask you one more favor?”
“Anything.”
“Don’t tell Chimney or Buck about this.” Athena said firmly. “I don’t need them playing detective when my husband’s life is on the line.”
Maddie paused and stared down at the text she had just sent to a group chat with Chimney and Buck:
Maddie: Call me when you two have a chance. Had a very weird call 2day.
Chimney: Swinging by the call center and bringing you a sandwich soon :)
Buck: Me too
Chimney: Because he wants half of the sandwich.
She nervously laughed and began furiously typing, “Mhm, yeah. I can definitely do that.”
Maddie: DO NOT COME!!!!!!!!!!!
“Thanks, Maddie. See you in a few.” Athena hung up the phone and smiled, wiping away her tears. She knew about the slim possibility of this being anything, but the glimmer of hope that Bobby could be alive radiated through her.