Brotherhood of District 23 Complete Series

by Amy Briggs

  I needed to remind myself more often of how lucky I was. I wasn’t grateful enough for the good things in my life. That was going to change.

  When I got on the plane, I saw I had a text from Jax, but before I could reply, the mean flight attendant came over to make me turn it off or put it in airplane mode, whatever that is.

  His text said:

  Viv, I’m so sorry about last night. Let me make it up to you, please?

  It was sweet, and I’d planned to reply later, but now I was going to surprise my parents. All of the emotional crap of the last day made me so tired, and I was glad to be taking a couple of days off, even if it was a one-nighter trip to hang with my parents. It was a break, and it was much needed.

  I drifted off to sleep immediately, completely missing takeoff, and I didn’t wake up until we touched down in New Jersey. I looked out the window, recognizing the city lights. Since it was a surprise, there was no one to greet me at the airport, but I was easily able to grab a taxi to my grandma’s, where my parents were. The cool October air of the Northeast hit me as I walked to the taxi stand and caused me to pull my jacket closed tightly as I walked. I definitely didn’t miss the damn cold, that’s for sure, and I was glad I packed a sweater.

  It was about a twenty-minute ride, and while my excitement to see my parents built up, I forgot about my phone completely. When we pulled in front of the house, all the lights were on, literally all the lights in the entire house. I shook my head and smiled. I knocked on the door and heard footsteps approaching making me even more excited; I just loved surprises and my mom was going to be over the moon.

  She opened the door, her mouth falling open immediately upon taking me in. “Hi, Mom! Surprise!” I yelled.

  She gasped and pulled me into a big bear hug. “Baby! I’m so happy! This is the greatest surprise ever! Come in, come in! You must be freezing,” she exclaimed. She was right.

  “Hi, Daddy!” I yelled across the house.

  “Is that my Vivian?” He poked his head into the front room. “Oh my God! What the hell are you doing here?” he asked.

  “I wanted to surprise you guys. I missed you.” I hugged them both again, then set my bag in a corner. “Now, I have to go back home tomorrow night, but we have all night tonight to hang out, and I thought we could have brunch tomorrow before I head back. I know it’s just a quick trip, but I have to work and stuff.”

  “I wish it was longer, but I understand, baby girl. I’m so excited you’re here. Are you hungry? We have leftovers.”

  “No, I’m fine, Mom. Let’s just hang out and catch up. Is grandma up?”

  “She’s resting right now, but you can go see her in a little bit. She needs to rest after she eats.”

  “I understand. Well, let’s have some tea, and you guys can fill me in on all your shenanigans here in the north. I can’t believe how flipping cold it is up here! I’m sorry, but I do not miss this one single bit.”

  They both laughed, and my dad replied, “Yeah, I don’t miss it, either. We’ll be back to Florida soon. Is it still warm and wonderful?”

  “It sure is. It’s been a little cool in the evenings, but that’s because the humidity is gone. It’s that perfect time of year where it’s like eighty degrees but you’re not dying in the humidity. It hasn’t rained in weeks. It’s been super sunny.” I already missed it. I felt like I couldn’t warm up; that cup of tea was going to hit the spot.

  “I’m going to go get the tea going. You want the usual, Miss Viv?” my mom asked me.

  “Yes, please, earl gray.” We’ve been big tea drinkers my whole life. I’m not even sure where that came from. I still drank coffee in the mornings, but my mom always made tea for guests, and she made us tea when we didn’t feel well.

  My dad and I sat down across from each other in the front room of my grandma’s house. He took a spot on the couch, while I nestled into an overstuffed lounge chair like a little kid, folding my knees under me.

  “It’s so good to see you, kiddo, but why the surprise? We’ve wanted you to come for weeks,” he asked.

  “Dad, Mom wants me to move here and hang out with you guys until who knows when. Come on, now. I missed you guys, and I saw a really cheap ticket, so I snatched it up. I haven’t taken any time off in forever, so I figured, what the heck?” That was mostly true. I wanted to get away for a day to escape everything too, but they didn’t need to know that.

  “Your mother just worries about you, honey. But I do understand. You look tired, honey. Was it a rough flight?”

  Thinking back to all the crying I did last night and the soul searching I did earlier, I just shook my head no. “No, I’m just tired from working a lot, I guess. I took a nap on the plane ride here.”

  “Well, I know how important your business is to you, but you need to make sure you’re taking care of yourself too, baby.”

  “I know, Daddy.” I smiled at him. I was so happy to see them. I wished they were all back in Florida, including my grandmother.

  Mom came back in with her tea set on a little tray with some shortbread cookies too. “Oooh, shortbread cookies?” I said.

  “I know they’re your favorite. I figured you might like a little snack with your tea, sweetheart.”

  “Thank you so much. Now sit, sit, tell me what you crazy kids have been up to with grandma.” I took a bite of one of the shortbread cookies, and as it hit my tongue, it practically melted. It was heaven with the hot tea, warming me up and hitting me with my love for sugar. All the angst had drifted away.

  “Oh, please, dear. We are old. We are all just hanging around, trying to keep grandma comfortable. Your father here has been to two Jets games, though, so he’s in hog heaven. I’ve been reading nonstop, and I have some books for you to take back if they’ll fit in your bag. Other than that, I read to grandma and I am trying to quilt. It’s quite a bit harder than I expected.” She laughed.

  “I think it sounds really hard, and tedious so good for you, Mom.” I giggled.

  “So tell us what you’re up to, kiddo? Taking over the real estate world of central Florida, I’m sure,” my dad said.

  “Yeah, remember that commercial sale I told you about? Well, that’s moving along, and should be closing in the next two weeks I think. The buyers and sellers know each other, so it’s been super easy, and my commission is nothing to sneeze at. The people I’m working with are awesome too. It’s a couple, one is a firefighter, and the other is a detective. They are buying an old gym and converting it to a gym/training facility for MMA fighters, you know, mixed martial arts.”

  “Well, you seem very excited about it, dear,” Mom said.

  “I am. They brought a friend with them to the meeting, another firefighter. We ended up hitting it off and have spent a little time together.” I dipped my toe in the water of telling my parents about my dating life.

  “Well, well, a firefighter, eh? What an admirable and difficult job. What’s this boy’s name?” My dad asked it like we were in high school.

  “His name is Seth. Seth Jackson.” I smiled. “He was a Marine too.” I dropped the little bomb on them.

  My mom froze for a moment, then shook herself of it when it was apparent that my dad and I had noticed. “Well, isn’t that lovely. I wonder if he knew Michael.”

  “I don’t think he did. Seth is a bit older than Michael and was probably getting out when…” I trailed off, not wanting to upset them.

  “How much older is this Seth character?” my dad asked.

  “He’s not old, relax. He’s in his early thirties,” I said defensively.

  “Well, is he a nice guy? I’m guessing you really like him if you’re telling us about him,” my mom offered.

  “He is. He’s one of the kindest, most gentlemanly men I’ve ever been out with. He might be a keeper,” I blushed a little thinking about him. I hoped that he was all right, and I made a note to reply to his text when I went to bed that night.

  “Well, that’s good enough for us then, dear,” my dad repl
ied. “Hopefully, we’ll get to meet this gentleman when we make our way back to Florida soon.”

  Lowering my shoulders and remembering that they were only here to take care of my ailing grandmother, I asked the question, “How is she doing, really?”

  My mother sighed. “She’s not doing that great. We are really just making her comfortable at this point. There’s not much more the doctors can do, and we have a nurse who comes every day. She’ll be very glad to see you, though.” My grandma was a stubborn lady who we’d begged to move to Florida, yet she wouldn’t budge on staying in the Northeast.

  “I’m so sorry, Mom.” I went over to her and gave her a big hug. We held that embrace for quite a while.

  “It’s so good to see you, sweetheart. It’s starting to get late, so why don’t we get you a bed set up, and then we’ll get some rest, so we can have a nice brunch or something tomorrow? Does that sound good?”

  “That sounds perfect, Mom. I love you.” I forgot how great it was to get a hug from your mom. “I know things have been hard, but it’ll get better,” I whispered.

  “I know, dear. I know.” She squeezed me a little tighter then came with me to get me settled in the spare bedroom.

  “Night, Daddy.” I ran over and gave him a big hug too.

  “Good night, sweetheart, thank you so much for surprising us.” He gave me a great big bear hug.

  My mom helped me put some fresh sheets on the bed, then she sat down on the edge. “So, this Marine firefighter, you really like him?” she asked.

  I sat down on the bed too and leaned into her. “I do, Mom. I told him about Michael last night, and he got very upset. I haven’t really talked to him since then, though, so I’m not really sure it’s going to work out, but I hope it does,” I confessed to her sadly.

  “Well, sweetheart, we learned the hard way that the military and deployments can do awful things to a man’s psyche. Tread carefully with him, for you do not know what he has been through. But don’t make the same mistakes we did with Michael. If you care for him, talk. Even when you don’t want to, make sure you’re both ok.” She leaned into me, resting her head on mine. “We didn’t know how badly he was hurting, Viv, and we didn’t know what to do. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about him. Losing a child is the worst thing that can happen to you in the world. You have children thinking they will be there, you will watch them grow up, and you will pass away before they do. There’s something unexplainable that happens to you when your child leaves this earth before you.” She turned to me. “You know that’s why I hover over you, right? I worry. I know that you’re not him, but you’re our baby, and it would kill us to lose you too.” Her eyes began to fill with tears.

  “Oh, Mom, I know. I’m sorry that I get snippy with you. I love you so much.” I hugged her again.

  “Ok, sweetheart, get some rest. Your flight is tomorrow evening?”

  “Yep, it’s at seven tomorrow night, so we have the whole day to sleep in, visit with grandma, and best of all, eat!” I giggled.

  Smiling back at me, she said, “Sleep well, baby girl. Thank you for the present of surprising us. You have no idea how happy you’ve made me.”

  “Night, Mom.”

  After she closed the door and left me by myself, I grabbed my phone from my purse and turned it on. Several messages from Jess popped up, and when I read them, I tossed the phone to the side and lay down. I wouldn’t be responding to anyone’s messages, instead, tears fell from my eyes and my heart sank.

  She hadn’t returned my messages, and I had to go to work in the morning, so I couldn’t camp out on her porch. I did drive by and saw her car was in her driveway, but all the lights were off. If she had gone out downtown, she wouldn’t have driven, so she could have been anywhere.

  I took myself home, checking my phone every five seconds until I decided I really did need to try to get some sleep. I had tried calling her on my way home from meeting with Savannah, but it went straight to voicemail. While everyone else on my shift was doing a forty-eight-hour shift, I was doing a twenty-four because I’d called out today. They’d get me back for it the next day, and I’d be doing all the bitch work, so getting some rest was pretty crucial. I decided that it was a sleeping pill night; there was no way that the anxiety wouldn’t keep me up all night.

  When I lay down on my bed, I thought about everything that had happened that day. Unsure of my ability to fix things with Vivian, I again resolved to try. My sister said I was in love with her. Was I in love with her? I wasn’t sure, but I was certain that I needed to set things right. I owed her an explanation. I definitely didn’t want the last time I saw her to be the last time I saw her for good. I turned on my meditation music. Unable to shift my thoughts completely away from her, I fell asleep with my phone on my chest, hoping that her call or text would wake me.

  Early the next morning, I woke with a headache after not having slept well at all despite the sleeping pill. I wasn’t really surprised, considering how I felt when I went to bed. She had never returned my text, and so with my head hanging low, I took a shower and got myself to the station to start my shift. When I arrived a bit early, Brian was in his office reading and yelled to me as I walked by.

  “Jax! You feeling better?” He gave me a sarcastic look over his coffee cup.

  “Yeah, I am. Sorry about yesterday,” I said.

  “It’s fine. If it were anyone else, I’d be pissed, but honestly, you never take a day off. Maybe just try and schedule it instead next time?”

  “You got it, Chief. I have quite a bit of time saved up, might even take a real vacation at some point,” I replied.

  “I’m going to insist that you do. There’s going to be a new policy in effect soon that you can’t carry it all over for years, so start planning. And hey, while I’ve got you here, let’s talk about the Deputy Chief’s position, shall we?” He waved me to come in and take a seat, which I did.

  “What would you like to talk about?”

  “Well, you and Matt are the only two qualified for the position, and as I understand, Matt has no intention of taking the test.” I didn’t realize Brian knew Matt didn’t want the job. He continued, “I’d be thrilled to have you move up into the position, Lieutenant,” he said. “Honestly, I think the job was meant for you, Jax. You’ve worked your ass off, the department respects you, you’re ahead of everyone when it comes to technology. It would be an honor to have you. Can we talk about it?”

  I bit my lower lip debating how to handle this situation. I hadn’t even had any coffee yet. “Well, Chief, I think it would be an honor to move up into the position as well. In the beginning, I honestly hadn’t given it any thought, because I assumed Matt wanted it, so that’s why he said that.”

  “Even if he did want it, I’d still have picked you.”

  My eyes widened in surprise. “What?”

  He chuckled. “I don’t know why you’re so surprised. Just because Matt is my brother doesn’t mean I’d have hired him into the position. The fact of the matter, Jax, is that you’re a leader, whether you see it or not. Your experience here, coupled with your military experience, is exactly the kind of long-term leadership I’m looking for. I kind of always suspected that Matt would not want to move up the ranks. You and me, though, it’s in our blood. I can’t imagine doing anything else and I see that in you.” He leaned back in his chair and looked at the shock on my face.

  “Wow, thank you, Chief. I don’t know what to say.” I really was speechless. This had quite possibly been the strangest week for me in terms of my feelings about everything. The things Brian had just said filled me with pride. I did the things I did, the research, the extra time at the station, learning things I didn’t necessarily need to know to do my job because I loved it, and it seemed like the right thing to do. If you’re going to do something, do it right, more or less. But it had never occurred to me that it was noticed by anyone else.

  “You can say that you’ll hurry up and get the paperwork done.” He hande
d me a large manila envelope. “I’ve printed all the paperwork for you so that you don’t even have to hunt it down.”

  “Thanks, Brian. I really appreciate that.” I called him by name, because we were friends, and he definitely didn’t have to do that. He was making this process easy for me, because he genuinely wanted me to do it.

  “Bro, I’d do anything to help you. Literally. We are family, always have been, always will be.”

  “Thanks, man.”

  “Are you ok? I thought you were full of shit and had a late night Saturday, but you honestly look like shit, man.” He casually pointed up and down at me, assessing just how shitty I looked.

  “I had a rough day, but I’m alright. I have had a little trouble sleeping off and on the past few weeks, but I’m getting squared away.” I didn’t want him to send me home, and I didn’t want him to think that my problems were bigger than they were or that they were a problem on the job. After talking to my sister, things had become clearer to me, and it was time for me to man up.

  “Alright, well, get this paperwork done today if possible. Fingers crossed we don’t have a crazy day, and maybe you can get a little rest later. Isabel sent Matt in with some new gloriously delicious coffee yesterday. I just made a fresh pot, so go get yourself some.” He pointed to the door.

  Letting out a little chuckle, I replied, “Yeah, that coffee is the shit, right? She has fantastic taste.”

  “In coffee, yes, in men, ehhh maybe.” We laughed. “Alright, get out of here. I have shit to do, and my fiancée will be in here any minute to quietly give me a hard time about planning this wedding.”

  I laughed and stood to leave. “Good luck with that, man.” I saluted him casually on my way out, heading immediately to the kitchen for some of that coffee.

  Matt was already in the kitchen as well and gave me a what’s up nod. “Hey, man, feeling better?” He used air quotes.