“I got this for you.” She set it down beside Annalee. “Breve latte.”
“Mmm.” Annalee hit a button and raised the bed. Then she released Tommy’s hand and took the coffee. “You know me so well.”
Tommy really did have to go. He kissed Annalee’s cheek and then hugged her mother. “Thanks for letting me be here.”
Her mother’s smile did nothing to hide the worry in her eyes. “It means the world to Annalee that you’re here. To me, too.”
Annalee’s parents truly were two of Tommy’s favorite people. He looked deep into her mom’s eyes. “Please. Call me if anything changes.” He grabbed his backpack. “I’ll be here tomorrow after school.”
Not until Tommy pulled in the driveway twenty minutes later did he remember about the conversation he needed to have with his parents. He had researched the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. They had a ride-along program Tommy wanted to take part in as soon as possible.
The talk couldn’t wait.
Especially when his parents were asking every other day about his acceptance to a handful of top schools. Which was he going to attend and when was he going to make his decision. “Registration happens early spring,” his mom had told him last night. “The sooner you let the school know, the better.”
Tommy parked his car in the garage and cut the engine. Yes, he was interested in a number of universities. The plan had always been that if Tommy didn’t become a doctor, he’d be a lawyer, like his father. Everything about his high school courses, his ACT and SAT test scores suggested one of those careers was the logical path.
He stepped out of his Jeep, took his backpack from the passenger seat and headed inside. At the top of the stairs from the garage into the house, Tommy heard his parents in the kitchen with Malin and Johnny. They were laughing about some YouTube clip. A dancing dog, from what Tommy could see on the computer.
“Hey.” His dad motioned for Malin to turn the volume down. A hush fell over the room. “How’s Annalee?”
Tommy set his backpack down against the wall and slipped his hands in his jeans pockets. “She’s tired, that’s all I can tell for now. Otherwise… she’s so positive.” He shrugged. “You wouldn’t know she was getting chemo at all.”
Malin walked up and gave Tommy a side hug. “I prayed for her.”
“Me, too.” Johnny was eight years old, but he had a wisdom that made him seem much older. He joined Tommy and Malin. “She’s going to get better. Right?”
Tommy shared a look with his parents, who stood a few feet away. “Yes.” Tommy patted the top of his little brother’s blond head. “She is, Johnny. I believe that.”
Later, after Malin and Johnny went to bed, Tommy asked his parents to join him in the living room. His mom and dad took the sofa and Tommy sat in the chair opposite them. His mother frowned. “Is… she worse than what you said?” She leaned forward, studying Tommy. “Tell us.”
“It’s not that.” He shook his head. “The worst side effects don’t happen until a few days from now.”
“And they get worse with each treatment.” His dad took his mother’s hand. “I researched it.”
Tommy held his breath. Give me the words, Lord. Let them understand what I’m about to tell them. Please.
His dad’s smile was easy. “So… you want to talk about something else?” He sat back and crossed his legs. “Have you decided which school?”
“Every day my friends at the gym ask me.” His mom’s eyes lit up. “We all have graduating seniors and their kids have all decided.”
Tommy slid to the edge of his chair and planted his elbows on his knees. “Actually… that is what I want to talk about.” He hesitated. “My plans for next year.”
“The best thing about Duke is it’s closer than Harvard. Not even a ten-hour drive.” His dad grinned. “But who’s counting?”
“I… didn’t pick Duke, Dad.” He looked to his mom and back to his father. “I didn’t choose any of them.” He straightened. “Actually… I’ve decided to skip school—for now, anyway.” He watched the shock begin to hit. “Because I want to be a police officer. That’s what I want to do…. I figured we needed to talk about it.”
The disbelief on his parents’ faces began to morph. His father stayed quiet, calm. But his mom… Her brows formed a V and lines appeared across her forehead. She stood and put her hands to her face. Then she lowered them and sat down again. “Are you kidding?” The question was rhetorical. “You must be.”
“I’m not.” Oh, boy. Tommy felt his heart begin to race. “Why… would I joke about something like this?”
“Reagan.” His father’s tone was suddenly sharp. “Please. Let’s listen to him.”
“Listen?” His mother uttered a sound that was more cry than laugh. “Tommy… you’re the A student, the one who always wanted eight years of college. Remember?”
“She has a point.” Tommy’s dad looked confused.
“Of course, Mom has a point.” Tommy stood and paced a few feet toward the window. When he turned back he worked to keep his voice level. “I was supposed to do big things at school, I know that. Be a doctor like Papa or a lawyer.” He looked at his father. “Like you, Dad. That’s all we’ve ever talked about.” He didn’t want to sound rude. “But I changed my mind. I don’t know how else to say it.”
His mother crossed her arms. “You can’t just… change your mind. You can’t—” She seemed to hear her harsh tone for the first time. She looked away and when she turned to Tommy again, her eyes were damp. “A police officer? Tommy… do you know how dangerous that is? With how things are?”
“Yes.” Tommy felt an angry chill run down his spine. “That’s the price of defending the streets, Mom. So that you and Dad and Malin and Johnny can be safe.”
“Okay. We… want to help.” Tommy’s father sounded almost desperate to restore peace. “I know an officer at the downtown precinct. I could ask him about their ride-along program.”
Light burst through Tommy’s heart. “Really?”
“Sure.” His dad looked at his mom and then back at Tommy. “I mean… I’m assuming you want to do that. Before making up your mind.”
“I’ve made up my mind.” Tommy had to be clear about that. “This isn’t… some tangent. It’s what I plan to do. Kids are out there being trafficked right now.” He returned to his chair. “But yes. I’d love if you could connect me with your friend.”
His mom stared at his dad. “What are you saying?” Her voice sounded shrill. “That you’d… help him make this decision?”
“He said he’s already made the decision, Reagan.” His dad looked down. “We can talk about it later.”
“We need to talk now.” A tear fell onto her cheek. “He’s throwing away his future, Luke. We can’t let that happen.”
Tommy couldn’t believe this conversation was happening right in front of him. He stood. “I’m going to bed. I can’t do this.”
He hugged his dad and then stopped short in front of his mother. “I was worried about how you’d take this.” His own eyes felt damp. “But I never thought… you’d react like this.”
“Tommy…” His mom called after him as he walked away. “I’m sorry. It’s just… you can’t be a police officer right out of high school!”
That last line stopped Tommy cold. He turned and stared at his mother. “I’m not going to respond to that. Mom, I… I’ve never seen this side of you.”
“Reagan.” His father sounded disappointed. “Please.” He looked at Tommy. “Son, we’ll talk more later. Your mother… she needs time.”
“Okay.” Tommy nodded at his dad and gave his mom a final look. “I hope you’re better tomorrow.”
Once he was in his room, Tommy exhaled. He trudged across the floor and dropped to his knees at the foot of his bed. Only rarely did he do this when he prayed. Most recently during Annalee’s scan. And now, in light of his aching heart.
He had no choice tonight.
With his head bowed, he asked God to help his
mom understand and he thanked Him for his father’s response. Then he prayed for the real reason he was on his knees. Annalee’s health, her survival. And he promised God this wasn’t the only time he’d be here begging for help. He’d be here every night.
Until Annalee was well.
12
Luke’s head was spinning. He called in to the office that morning and told his secretary he wouldn’t be in. “Reschedule my meetings and cancel my calls,” he told her. “Something’s come up.”
Something Luke had never imagined. That his son who had aced school all his life would change his mind about attending college and choose a career in law enforcement. Reagan had gotten up earlier than usual and left him a note on her pillow.
Gone to workout.
I’ll shower there.
I have work at school all day.
I love you, but Luke… we need to talk later.
At least she’d told him she loved him. Last night when they went to bed Reagan hadn’t said a word to him. Not a single word. He understood. She was angry because he’d brought up the Indianapolis ride-along program. But that was only because Luke had wanted to help somehow. Reagan’s reaction had been so negative. Their son clearly needed an ally.
Even after taking a night to process their new reality, Luke could barely draw a full breath. Tommy wanted to be a cop? He wanted to skip school when Ivy League universities were offering him full-ride scholarships because of his grades?
Reagan’s reaction had been so quick, so biting, Tommy never had the chance to tell them the most important part: why he wanted to do this.
Why would the son of a lawyer—the grandson of a doctor—with grades and test scores better than anyone in the state, suddenly change his mind and want to be a police officer? At a time when some people want to defund police?
But that morning as Luke scrambled a few eggs and made a spinach smoothie, his shock and disbelief gave way to the slightest hint of something else. An emotion he hadn’t expected.
Pride.
Tommy had always been an exceptional son. Never mind his grades and scholastic accolades. What stood out about their oldest child was the way he cared for people. First day of third grade, a new kid arrived with braces on his legs. Kevin was his name. The child limped and kept to himself and until he met Tommy, the boy had no friends.
According to the teacher, Tommy welcomed Kevin to hang out with him and the guys during recess. When a fourth grader came running across the yard and tripped the boy, Tommy fought back.
So much that he wound up in the principal’s office.
Luke and Reagan had met him there and Luke would never forget what the woman told them. “Tommy will have to miss recess for a week because he fought back. But off the record, it was the exact right thing to do. Kevin needed a defender and Tommy stepped up.”
Tommy stepped up.
It was the same thing Luke and Reagan had heard about their son in middle school when a couple kids threatened a girl on the bus. Tommy put himself between her and them and told the pair never to speak to her again. If they did, they’d have to get through him first.
Luke glanced at the framed pictures of his kids on the fireplace mantel. Tommy was six-three and muscled from his time in the weight room and on the basketball team. But he was wiry. Never the intimidating lineman type. No, it wasn’t Tommy’s physical presence that allowed him to speak up for someone being bullied. It was his heart. His concern for others.
Last year it had been an incident on the basketball court. Tommy’s team had been visitors at a nearby school, and the opposing team had an attitude bigger than the gym. Just before halftime, their point guard pushed Tommy’s teammate. Hard and on purpose. Three additional Northside guys jumped off the bench and rushed the floor to teach the kid a lesson.
This time Tommy didn’t throw a punch or retaliate. He put himself between the offender and his own angry players and somehow he defused the moment. Entirely. Later his coach told Luke, “Your son has this innate ability. He knows when to get in someone’s face, and he knows when to talk the same person off a ledge.”
And Luke remembered what the elementary school principal had said. Tommy stepped up. He stood for what was right and true and he looked for a peaceful resolution, whenever possible. He was born with a strong sense of protecting those around him, looking out for those who couldn’t look out for themselves.
And wasn’t that what being a cop was all about? What it was supposed to be about, anyway?
Luke knew exactly how he was going to spend this day. The situation with Tommy was too important to put action off even a single day. He made himself a cup of coffee for the road and set out for the downtown precinct of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.
His friend was expecting him.
Detective Mike Lockwood had married one of the lawyers at Luke’s firm six years ago. Not long after, Mike joined Luke’s monthly prayer breakfast. Luke and Mike hit it off and sometimes they’d catch up over coffee after the breakfast was over.
Today the plan was to meet at the park across the street from the police station. Luke took a bench in the shade of a hundred-year-old oak. Ribbons of warm sunshine shone through the branches.
Luke saw Mike exit the station and head his way. Mike had played running back for Indiana University’s football team a decade ago and he’d gotten stronger and faster since then. He was a friend to the community and a presence at every call he answered. Black and bald with warm brown eyes and a keen perception. The sort of cop who could see right through you. Which was why the IMPD had promoted him to detective.
The two shook hands and Mike sat down. Luke didn’t waste time getting to the point. “Tommy rocked our world last night.” He shrugged. “He wants to join the police force.”
Mike squinted. “Tommy who?”
A ripple of laughter caught Luke by surprise. “That pretty much sums up our reaction.”
“Your Tommy?” Mike leaned forward. “The one bound for Harvard or Duke?”
“The very same.” Luke sighed. “I’ve been thinking all day how I should’ve seen the signs. Tommy’s always had the heart of a cop.”
“Hmm.” Mike crossed his arms. “How did Reagan take the news?”
“Terrible. We haven’t talked about it since.” He hesitated. “It was my fault. I brought you into it. Told Tommy he could maybe do the ride-along program with you.”
A flash of understanding filled Mike’s eyes. “Not the best timing.”
“Right.” Luke nodded. “Definitely.”
Mike thought for a moment. “You think he’s serious? About applying to the department?”
“As serious as I’ve ever seen him.” Luke paused. “I just thought your ride-along program could help him know.”
“I agree.” Mike leaned back against the bench. “Things can get pretty intense out there.”
Mike went over the specifics of the program. “Tommy’s eighteen, right?”
“He is.”
“He’d need to be 21 before we’d hire him.” Mike blinked. “Does he know that?”
“Hmm.” Luke imagined Reagan’s relief at the news. “I don’t think so.”
“There are a few states that’ll take him at eighteen. But it’d be a move for sure.”
What would Reagan think about that? Tommy becoming an officer and moving away all at the end of this school year. Luke put the thought out of his mind.
Mike ran his hand over his head. “As for the ride-along program, there are risks.” Mike raised his brow. “We had a deputy from another department do a ride-along last month. The officer he was with got ambushed, and both men were shot in the hail of bullets.” Mike paused. “They both lived, but it was touch and go for a few weeks.”
The news hit Luke hard. He hadn’t considered the possibility that Tommy could get shot on a ride-along. Somehow he had thought the program would be more informative than dangerous. Like when law school interns from IU shadowed Luke in the courtroom for a day
. But of course spending a day with a police officer would be risky. Criminals didn’t care if a kid was along for the ride. To them, a cop was a cop.
Luke clenched his jaw. Reagan wasn’t going to like this news. He sighed. “If it’s what Tommy wants to do, I think a ride-along is the best thing. Even with the risks.”
Mike gave Luke a light slap on the shoulder. “Your boy will be okay. And maybe he’ll find out it isn’t for him.” Mike smiled. “Then he can get on with college.”
Luke weighed his friend’s words on the drive to his next stop. A visit with his father. After all, many years ago Luke had thrown his parents a curveball far worse than what Tommy had tossed them last night.
If anyone could help him process Tommy’s announcement and what should happen next it was his dad.
Dr. John Baxter.
* * *
REAGAN SPENT THE day running from Tommy’s news. How was it possible that her Ivy League son was choosing a life of law enforcement? Putting himself in harm’s way when he was supposed to be helping people in some medical office or courtroom?
After her workout she drove straight to Indiana University Health Center. She met Annalee’s mother, Donna, in the lobby. The woman had dark circles under her eyes and her smile didn’t last long.
“Annalee’s struggling.” Donna led Reagan to the bank of elevators. “The nausea is kicking in… a couple days early according to her doctor.”
They made their way up to the fourth floor and down a hallway to Annalee’s room. She was asleep when they walked in, but it was all Reagan could do to hide her shock. The girl who had always been so vibrant and full of life had seemingly overnight become small and frail. Her face was sunken and her cheekbones stuck out in a way they hadn’t before.
“She’s lost weight.” Donna whispered as she took the chair beside her daughter’s bed. “I think that’s been happening gradually.”
Reagan pulled up a second chair and positioned it next to Donna. “What’s the plan? For her treatment?”
“Her doctor is taking it very seriously.” Donna didn’t look away from Annalee. “Six rounds of chemo, every couple weeks. Three days in the hospital with each session.”
Truly, Madly, Deeply Page 10
