The wipers scraped a steady rhythm across the windscreen as Antony and Jack cruised through the rain-soaked streets of Aberystwyth. The police radio crackled between bursts of static, its voice swallowed by the storm. The town lay grey and blurred beyond the glass, streetlights bleeding into the downpour.
"Did you ever catch that kid who pranked you?" Jack asked, scanning the empty road ahead.
Antony snorted.
"Prank? Puncturing a police vehicle isn't a prank. It's a crime."
Jack shrugged.
"Still, don't let it get under your skin."
"I had him," Antony muttered, tightening his grip on the steering wheel. "Another few seconds and I'd have caught the little sod."
Jack rubbed his cold hands together before pressing them against his face.
The radio crackled.
"Unit Three, respond to a traffic obstruction on the A487 westbound."
Jack glanced toward Antony.
"Another road blocked. Must be this weather."
"Aye." Antony sighed. "Speaking of weather... my wife rang earlier. Needs me to pick up her medicine after shift. This cold always sets her allergies off."
"If you forget, you're dead."
"Oh, she won't kill me."
Antony grinned.
"She'll just make me wish she had."
Jack laughed.
His smile lingered as an old memory surfaced—his wife laughing on a rainy night much like this one.
Antony glanced sideways.
"How's Lizy doing? Talking yet?"
Jack's expression softened immediately.
"She's trying. Still hasn't called me 'Dad' yet."
"You hardly leave her any chance," Antony teased. "You're always here."
Jack smiled to himself.
"Tomorrow's my day off. I booked tickets for the new rides at the kids' park."
"Lucky girl."
"I've been looking forward to it all week."
Antony laughed.
"Is there a single ride in this country you haven't taken her on? You spoil that kid rotten."
Jack shook his head.
"No."
A quiet smile spread across his face.
"She's the one spoiling me."
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Only the rain filled the silence.
Antony finally broke it with a grin.
"You know... you're probably the best officer in this station."
He glanced at Jack.
Antony shook his head. "Best officer at the station, best dad at home."