“Thank you.” He hadn’t gotten to know Officer Conway well. The man had a wife and three teenage daughters. A family who prayed for him to come home each day. But his skill and compassion working the job helped Tommy understand the excellence required of every police officer.
A report a few years ago had ranked Indy the tenth most dangerous city in the country. After a few months riding along with the IMPD, Tommy figured Indianapolis would be in the top five if not for its diligent police force. To the core of their beings, the cops he had worked with cared about keeping the citizens and streets safe. They were the good guys in a world with a whole lot of bad.
Since this was his last day as a ride-along citizen, Tommy had an appointment later with Lieutenant Roger Gere. The lieutenant was waiting for him. Tommy took the seat across from the man. He had no idea what was coming.
“Young man.” The lieutenant had a deep voice. “Thank you for coming in today.”
Tommy nodded. “Thank you for taking the time.”
Lieutenant Gere had immigrated to the United States from Ethiopia. He was known throughout the department for going to bat for his officers, working tireless long hours and for being a leader with integrity. His reputation with the Indiana law enforcement was sterling. The lieutenant was driven to protect Indianapolis and the United States.
One wall of his office was almost entirely taken up with an American flag.
The man folded his hands on his clean desk. “I hear from my men and women that you want to be a police officer with the IMPD.”
“Yes, sir. When I turn twenty-one. I’ll probably work in Florida for a few years first.” Tommy felt his heart thud against his chest. Was this…? Were they going to hire him right here, on the spot? Hold a spot for him when he was old enough to wear the uniform? “It’s become more than a dream for me. It’s a passion.”
Lieutenant Gere stood and paced behind his desk. He looked at the framed photos on the wall that ran in a line all the way to the window. “Many citizens have participated in our ride-along program.” He turned and looked at Tommy. “From what I hear, you’re one of the best.”
“Wow… uh, thank you. That means a lot.”
The man crossed his arms. “But I’m afraid I don’t have the news you want to hear, son.”
Tommy’s mind began to race. “Sir?”
“Police candidates don’t necessarily need a college education, Tommy.” He paused. “But my team tells me you have leadership skills. We wouldn’t hire you without a bachelor’s. Maybe even a master’s or a doctorate.” He looked hard at Tommy. “Do you know why?”
Tommy felt his face getting hot. This was the last thing he had expected to hear today. “No, sir?”
“Because of these.” He pointed to the framed pictures. One at a time. “These are lieutenants and captains and even chiefs of police. Each of them started as an officer, young man. But they all had something you don’t have.”
“Higher education?” The prospect of four or more years of schooling before he could don a uniform felt beyond defeating.
“That’s right.” The lieutenant sat back down at his desk. “You get your education, then come back. We’ll hire you with a bachelor’s degree. Then you can get your postgrad education online, if you’d like. We’ll pay for it.”
Tommy swallowed. “That… feels like a long time from now.”
“It isn’t.” For the first time the man smiled. “I have my doctorate in behavioral sciences.” He paused. “The department looks favorably on all higher education. Bet you didn’t know that.”
“No, sir.” Tommy had never thought about it. But postgraduate studies mattered at the top of most fields. Why would police work be any different? He lifted his eyes to the photos on the wall again. If each of those men and women had college degrees, well, then Lieutenant Gere was just being straight with him.
“So, here’s what I want you to do.” The lieutenant leaned back in his chair, his eyes never leaving Tommy’s. “You finish high school and get that bachelor’s degree. Whenever you’re in town, you can do a ride-along. Once a week, if you want.” He lowered his chin, his eyes serious. “And when you graduate, you come see me. If you’re still interested, I’ll have a job for you.”
The man stood and Tommy followed suit. They shook hands at the door and again Tommy thanked him. “You’ll see me around. I’m sure of that.”
“I’m sure, too.”
Not till Tommy was in his Jeep headed home did he try to make sense of what had just happened. The highs and lows of the conversation mixed together. There would be no police job right out of high school, if he wanted to work for the IMPD. Which would make his mom happy. But the lieutenant definitely liked him. There was no denying that, or the fact that he wanted to hire Tommy. Someday. He definitely did. Tommy rolled down the window and took a deep breath. He would be a police officer in time. He would.
Just not yet.
* * *
REAGAN HAD LOOKED forward to this night since last Christmas.
The kids were in bed and Luke was working in his office at the back of the house. So this Saturday night was the perfect moment. Since their first year of marriage, each Christmas Reagan had found a quiet evening to decorate their family tree.
Their decorations were not fancy or elegant. Rather, every one of them contained a family photo. Some were handmade when the kids were little. Others had small pretty frames.
Reagan carried the third and final box from the Christmas closet. The house had been decorated in reds and greens and garlands since Thanksgiving weekend. But with Reagan’s work at school, and Annalee’s sickness, the ornaments had stayed in their boxes.
Until tonight.
Yes, hanging these precious memories on the tree was one of Reagan’s favorite moments of the season. A time to remember the kids’ sweet faces from years gone by. A time to remember. Reagan smiled at the first box. Christmas, itself, was like this. A mix of the happy times from Decembers gone by. Hope for those yet to come.
Reagan used her phone to start a quiet instrumental Christmas album through the house. “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” played first.
“Perfect,” Reagan whispered. She opened the box, and there at the top was the large cardboard star, covered in glitter. Tommy had made it when he was just two. Back then he’d had one request as he gave it to her. “Keep it on our tree forever, Mommy? Okay?” Reagan could still hear his young singsong voice.
Her answer had been immediate. “Of course, Tommy. This will be our family star forever.” And so it had been.
She lifted it from the box and as she did the front door opened. Tommy walked in, and from the moment their eyes met Reagan knew.
Something was wrong.
He stopped, then he came and sank into the chair nearest her. He nodded at the yellow cardboard cutout in her hand. “My old star.”
“Yes.” She set it down and came to him. “I’m doing the tree tonight.”
Tommy nodded. He leaned forward, his forearms on his knees. “I talked to Lieutenant Gere. Since my ride-alongs are done.”
“Okay.” Reagan had no idea where this was going. Had he taken a job? Already? She sat in the chair beside him. The ornaments could wait. “What did he say?”
Tommy looked at the floor. “He won’t hire me.” His eyes lifted to hers. “Not until I have my degree.”
Reagan forced herself not to move. Not to speak. Tommy wasn’t going to work as a cop right out of high school! Her heart soared with relief.
“I know.” Tommy linked his fingers behind his head and looked up at the tree. “You’re thrilled.” He looked at her again. “It’s okay. I get it.”
Again Reagan stayed silent.
“He said as soon as I get my degree, I’ve got a job. And I can do ride-alongs once a week between now and then. Whenever it works with my schedule.”
The relief stopped short. Four more years. That was a good thing, but still… one day she would most likely have to live with the reali
ty. Tommy in a uniform. Doing the right thing. Putting his life in danger for others. People like those who saved Luke and her the other night.
It was time to tell him about his grandfather. There could be no better chance than now. She slid her chair closer and put her hand on Tommy’s knee. “Son, there’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you.”
“About what I just learned?”
“Sort of.” She folded her hands, her eyes on her son’s. “I found out something about your grandpa Tom… a few months ago. He was a hero, Tommy.” She paused. “But I found out new information the morning of the 9/11 anniversary. When we were in New York.”
A puzzled look came over Tommy’s face. “Why didn’t you tell me then?”
“I… had to process the news. I planned to tell you when we got back, but then…”
“Then I told you I wanted to be a cop.” Tommy was tracking with her. “And if I knew Grandpa was a hero, I might want to be one, too.”
“Yes. Exactly.” Reagan was still ashamed of how she’d handled the whole matter. But right now she could make things better.
Sympathy warmed Tommy’s eyes. “It must be quite a story.”
“It is.” Reagan started at the beginning. “Apparently Grandma got a call a few days before the 9/11 anniversary. From a woman who had been trying to track her down for nearly twenty years.”
Tommy narrowed his eyes. “Okay.”
“The reason she’d been looking for Grandma is because… her husband had worked in the same building as Grandpa Tom.”
According to the woman, her husband, Bill, worked on the same floor as Reagan’s father. When the plane hit their tower, Bill wasn’t sure what to do, so he waited. After a while, though, it became clear that they needed to evacuate. So Bill tried to take the elevator down.
“But the elevators weren’t working, so he rushed across the floor and found Grandpa Tom.” Reagan felt her fingers begin to tremble. She’d told Luke the story, but it was difficult. Reliving her father’s final moments.
As Bill stepped into her father’s office, people were starting to panic. Smoke was streaming in at the edges of the walls, and the building was shaking. The weight of the jet, the burn of the fuel, all of it was melting toward them. So Bill did the only thing he could think to do.
He called his wife.
“From that moment until the tower collapsed, Bill was on the phone with her.” Reagan couldn’t imagine how horrifying, to be Bill’s wife. Unable to do anything to help him. “So the story from that point is what Bill’s wife heard while she was on the phone with him.”
Apparently in the middle of the panic, with maybe thirty people frantic for a way out, a man jumped up onto his desk and began shouting for everyone to calm down.
“He told them his name was Tom Decker. He said, ‘I’m going to heaven today, and I’d sure like to take the rest of you with me.’ ”
“Wow.” Tommy leaned forward. “I can picture that.”
“Bill hadn’t been a man of faith.” Reagan paused and chills ran down her arms. “But over the next fifteen minutes, your grandfather told the group about Jesus. How he had died on the cross for them, and how the gift of heaven was free to any who asked.”
Bill’s wife—still on the phone with her husband—could hear Reagan’s father shouting this through the office space. Whatever that man tells you, she had said to Bill. Do it. Please. Do it now.
“And so all thirty of those people—including Bill—got on their knees and asked God to forgive them for whatever wrongs they’d done. Then they asked Jesus to be their Savior.” Tears fell on Reagan’s cheeks. “They were still praying together, when a terrible sound filled the phone line. And then the call went dead.”
Tommy stared off for a moment. “He could’ve called Grandma with his final minutes.”
“Right.” That had been one of the hardest parts for Reagan. What her mom would’ve given for that final conversation. “The thing was, Grandpa’s relationship with Grandma was so strong. So solid… they had shared those moments before he left.”
Her mom had also told her that before her dad went to work that day—like every day—he had found her in their home office and hugged her. He told her he loved her and that he was easily the happiest man alive because of her. And that he couldn’t wait to come home to her at the end of the day.
Only that never happened.
The story seemed to be landing on Tommy, making its way through his mind to his heart. The same way it had hit Reagan when she first heard it. “See, your grandfather had not chosen a dangerous job. He was a businessman, which should’ve kept him out of harm’s way—at least at work.”
“True.” Tommy took Reagan’s hand. “I can’t wait to meet him one day.”
Reagan smiled. “You’ve always had a little of him in you, Tommy.” She brushed at her wet cheeks. “Especially lately.”
“Thank you.” Tommy’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. “I bet Grandpa Tom would’ve loved me being a cop.”
“Yes, Tommy. I think he would’ve.” Reagan stood and pulled Tommy to his feet. She hugged him and then stepped back. “And you know what? I think I like it, too.”
Tommy looked at her for a long beat. “What are you saying?”
“I’m telling you I’m in favor.” She lifted her face and smiled at him. “My son wants to be a police officer. What could make me more proud than that?”
“Mom?” Tommy shook his head. “Are you serious?”
“I am.” She put her hand on his face for a moment. “I can’t fathom losing you, Tommy. Four years from now when you put that badge on, I’ll pray for your safety every day.” She felt fresh tears. “But I won’t stop you. Not when being a policeman makes you a hero… just like your grandpa Tom.”
Tommy smiled, and they hugged again. Then for the next hour Tommy helped her hang ornaments on the tree. They sorted through the photo decorations and placed each one on just the right branch. The whole time, they talked about school and Annalee and Christmases past.
Reagan was sure she would remember this night forever.
And a thought occurred to her. Not only would her dad be proud of Tommy for wanting to be a police officer. He would be proud of her, too. For encouraging Tommy and affirming him. And for being brave enough to support him.
Brave… just like her daddy.
25
In the middle of the battle for her life, Annalee had looked forward to this day more than Christmas. It was the first Saturday in December and she and Tommy were going back to the zoo. Only they weren’t on a double date this time.
Rather, the whole Baxter family and several others were coming together for a surprise they’d all been waiting for.
Dawson Gage was going to propose to Maddie!
Annalee wore leggings under her jeans, a turtleneck to go with her favorite winter coat, and her blond ponytail wig. Her mom stepped into her room just as Annalee finished getting ready. She stood there, studying Annalee. “You’re so pretty, honey.”
Annalee tilted her head. “Do you mean it?”
In the past, Annalee never would’ve asked that. She had been confident in her looks, not because she thought she was the most beautiful girl at church or school. But because she knew who she was on the inside. And that inner faith and peace and strength always shone through when she looked in the mirror.
But since her cancer diagnosis her eyes had looked sunken and dark. The kind of sick no makeup could hide.
Her mom came to her. “Yes, darling.” She put her hand on Annalee’s shoulder. “You’re getting better. I can see it.”
They wouldn’t know until more than a month from now. After her final round of chemo and the scan that mattered most. For now, though, it was enough to know her mom thought she looked better.
They walked downstairs to the front room to wait for Tommy. Her mom sat across from her. “You’re not too tired?”
“No.” Annalee settled back into the sofa. She felt like she was flo
ating. “I’m so happy for Maddie and Dawson. It’s going to be the best day.” She smiled. “Maddie has no idea.”
“She knows you’re all meeting up at the zoo, though, right?” Her mother raised her eyebrows.
“No.” Annalee laughed. And for an instant she remembered how at her worst she couldn’t even laugh without feeling tired. “Maddie thinks it’s just her and Dawson. She has no idea.”
The doorbell rang and Annalee looked over her shoulder. Tommy’s black Jeep was out front. Right on time. The group was supposed to meet at the zoo entrance at noon and then walk together to the lion exhibit at 12:30. Annalee saw the handle of her wheelchair sticking out from his back window. He still had it from their time together yesterday.
Another sun break in this stormy season.
“Time to go.” Annalee and her mother both stood. Annalee kissed her mom’s cheek and hugged her. It couldn’t be easy for her mother to watch Annalee go to the zoo again. Not quite two weeks after she had come down with pneumonia her last time there. “Thanks.” She smiled. “For always looking out for me.”
Her mother nodded toward the door. “Tommy does a pretty good job, too.”
“He does.” Annalee’s cheeks suddenly felt warmer than before. Because she adored Tommy. She couldn’t wait to spend the day with him. She grabbed her gloves and scarf and a knit winter beanie from the end table.
“Annalee…” Her mom walked with her to the door. “You got so sick last time.”
“You heard the doctor, Mom.” She kept her tone kind, full of respect. “It would’ve happened if I’d been home. I had to have contracted the bacteria days earlier.”
Her mother nodded. “True.” She waited while her daughter opened the door for Tommy.
“Annalee.” Tommy’s eyes stayed on hers. “You look… breathtaking.”
She hugged him. “Thank you.” She turned and faced her mother. “Tell my mom you’ll keep me warm.”
Tommy laughed, but he looked nervous. Just like her mother. “I’ll keep her warm. The whole time.”
Truly, Madly, Deeply Page 20
