The Ryan Report -- Episode 221 "Den of Thieves"

Ryan's Bio | Read the episode recap

I read somewhere that you might get three great loves in your lifetime, and you'll own two great dogs if you're lucky, but you'll only get one great partner. And for me it's Detective Javier Esposito.

The bond you have with your partner... well, it's hard to explain. It's not simply that he's your best friend -- he's also the guy you know has your back, no matter what. He's been out there, on the line with you, day in and day out. It's a connection that goes beyond what you normally share with someone you work with.

The only thing I can really compare it to is the bond that occurs between soldiers during combat. You can't really explain it, you can't really compare it -- you simply have to experience it. You know, deep within yourself, that you can trust this person with your life. And with that trust comes the responsibility to do the same for your partner.

Now, it's not all life-entrusting and having someone's back -- most of the time what this boils down to is listening to Espo's stories about his crazy landlord or backing him up when he makes outrageous claims at the bar. It's allowing him to crash on my couch when he needs to or letting him win at Madden after I've beaten him three times in a row. It's the little things, the day-to-day things. If I buy the first coffee of the day, he's got the first beer of the night.

But recently, things got a little less day-to-day and a little about having Espo's back. It was a rough time -- there were accusations made by IA and painful history brought up. Having to listen to the accusations of some Internal Affairs guy who doesn't know Espo, doesn't know what he's done for this city, doesn't know what he's done for me? It was unreal. Whenever anybody makes claims like those about a fellow cop, let alone my partner, well... it's nearly enough to make me lose it.

At the end of the day, we managed to put everything to rights. In true Esposito fashion, he even managed to help his old partner emerge from the shadows and get back to his normal life.And the IA guy? Well, he turned out to be a murderer and a corrupt cop. I'd like to say I was surprised, but after he started throwing around accusations about my partner, I stopped being a fan of his.

After all that, things pretty much got back to normal. I got the next day's first coffee and Espo got that night's beer. But I have to admit there was a moment where I was worried that something would happen to my partner. That he might have to leave the force... or worse. And that was a very scary thought. Almost unthinkable.

I guess it's sort of like how they say it's impossible to imagine a world without yourself in it. It's impossible to imagine working with someone else.The Ryan and Esposito partnership is like peanut butter and jelly, Hall & Oates, beer and pizza -- it goes perfectly together.

So the next time he starts gloating 'cause he beat me at foosball or says exactly the wrong thing in front of Jenny, I'll have to remember that. Because even though he drives me crazy, he's my partner and I've been lucky enough to get a great one.