Lawfully Challenged

by Ginny Sterling

  “Duchess, TRACK.”

  The Malinois leaped into action pulling the leash on the reel as far as possible. Cindy took off running after the dog in an effort to keep up and keep from losing the leash. She would release her once she was sure that it was safe to do so. But here at the wooded park, there was some chance children were nearby and she didn’t want Duchess to frighten them any more than the sight of twenty officers combing the woods would do already. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw that she set the pace for the team. Duchess was hot on the trail of something as she suddenly veered towards the left, darting through trees carelessly. Cindy was having a hard time keeping up with the dog and pulled her in to release the leash.

  “Track! Track!” she encouraged, letting her smell the bag of clothing again as a refresher. Barking, Duchess took off and Cindy followed as closely as possible as she scaled over downed tree limbs and through brush. Ahead, she could see a dark-haired girl sitting in the mud by the creek bed. Duchess skidded to a stop, barking repeatedly at the side of the girl.

  “DUCHESS! SIT!” Cindy roared out the command as she saw the girl’s arms fly up protectively against the massive dog that was barking. Glancing back over her shoulder, she saw that the others were just now breaking through the tree line. She turned back to see how the girl was doing, to see if she was injured… only to come face to face with a gun.

  “You will call off the dog and step back, lady.” The man stared at her, his face flushed. His eyes darted around the area as you could hear the rest of the team coming through the wooded area. It would be moments before they arrived.

  They were in a truly bad situation. No matter the direction, there was someone in the line of fire for any other officers arriving on scene. The man was smart. He’d put himself directly between Cindy and the other officers. The girl was to his back. If shots were fired, there’d be a chance Cindy or the girl was hit by a stray bullet.

  “Sir, put the gun down,” she ordered, and slowly moved her hand towards her holster. She had to try to take him down herself before someone to her back arrived with guns drawn.

  “Don’t do it or I will shoot. Call off the dog, now!” Duchess’ barking was making all of them feel anxious and nervous. She knew that Cindy needed protection and was waiting for the order. Poor Duchess was snarling and trying to stay calm, but everything in her was desperate to aid Cindy.

  “Duchess,” she called, looking over her shoulder in a falsetto voice that shook with fear. Be calm or Duchess will be frightened as well. Enoch’s words came rushing back. Confident. Have the situation analyzed before you send your dog in. The woods had looked clear, so they’d rushed in. Now she needed Duchess at her best. She needed to be at her best, too! “Come here, Duchess.”

  “Good! Now shut up her barking, before I do,” he ordered harshly as the Malinois came closer to where the two of them stood. The young girl was sitting up in the woods, watching her. Her eyes were fearful as she stared at the man and Cindy. Duchess was now close by and she could hear Enoch calling her name in the distance. The man holding the gun on her was scared. His hand was shaking, making the gun shake. A scared man was a desperate man, a dangerous man.

  “Duchess. ATTACK!” Cindy screamed out, dropping the leash and reaching for the gun.

  Eight

  Cindy pushed the gun away from her face just as it went off, making her ears ring from the explosion. She silently prayed that no one behind her was hit by the bullet as it whizzed past her head. She also said a prayer for the man, as she knew what it was like to be on the receiving end of Duchess’ attack.

  Goodness the dog was fiercely terrifying!

  High-pitched screams echoed in the woods as Duchess went wild on the man’s arm. Cindy almost felt sorry for him as she remembered what it felt like to have that sweet golden-brown muzzle clamp down angrily through the padding. This man had no padding and each time he screamed, she was reminded of that. Her stomach clenched at each disgusting crunch she heard. Wresting the gun from his hand, she threw it onto the ground out of reach. Pulling her own gun from the holster, she leveled it on the man before calling back her dog. Duchess growled and held on to his arm for dear life, pulling him to his knees.

  “Duchess, RELEASE!” Cindy ordered, holding her gun on the man who was sobbing from pain and fear, as he clutched his mangled forearm against his chest. He was screaming obscenities at her and Duchess, but she didn’t hear them. Only Enoch’s terrified but proud face held her attention.

  She watched as the other officers moved into action, fetching the girl and calling for a stretcher. The young girl had a broken leg and that was why she hadn’t moved an inch. The other officers quickly shoved the man down in the foliage and secured his feet, since his arm was in such bad condition. The paramedics were on the way and the throng of people was filing past her in order to get to work on handling the scene, but she didn’t hear them. Nothing. Her ears still rang from the gunshot, yet she heard Enoch’s sweet voice pierce through the ringing and rising hysteria of what just happened.

  “You did great, Princess. I am so proud of you right now!” He pulled her into his arms and just held her as she broke down. Cindy couldn’t help it. The rush of adrenaline and fear was overwhelming. So much could have happened or gone wrong. He walked her away from the other officers and called Duchess to follow them. “Shhh, let it out. I’ve got you.”

  “I have never been so scared in my life,” she breathed against his shirt, needing solace.

  “I know, but you did great today.”

  “I feel like such a failure breaking down like this,” she admitted, pulling back and wiping her nose. His proud gaze almost had her crying again at the depth of emotion.

  “No, don’t feel that way. It’s an emotional escape. I know, I understand.”

  “Do you cry like a ninny?”

  “No, I am one of those weirdos that laughs,” Enoch answered softly. “Can you imagine me trying to defuse a bomb and giggling like an idiot?”

  “No, not really. Did you truly do that?” she asked, laughing through the tears. “Or are you just trying to make me feel better?” Duchess sat at her feet, trying to lick her hand to comfort her.

  “Yeah. It used to irritate the hell out of my partner. He is the one that called me Mad-dog first and it stuck. After his death, everyone used it. If I tell people it’s because I was angry, it makes me sound tough. If I tell them I giggle when I am scared to death, it loses something in translation,” he said sheepishly, wiping the tears from her face tenderly and dropping a kiss on the tip of her nose.

  “I am so proud of you today. Now, take a deep breath and wipe your gorgeous face, Princess. You need to show the world what an amazing woman you are. The media pulled up not long after we did, and they are going to want to talk to you. Chin up, you’ve got this.”

  “I’ve got this because you are here,” she admitted.

  “There you go, arguing with me again,” he said thickly, stroking her hair lovingly. “You’ve got a handle on the situation because you are an amazing officer.”

  “Thank you.” Cindy felt him cup her face and she rested her hands atop of his. He leaned down and kissed her gently. It seemed almost sad, like a parting or a goodbye. Before she could question it, she was being pulled in a different direction by Chief Martin and the news crew that had arrived on scene.

  The lights were blinding her as they asked question after question about how she had apprehended the man. It was all so much, happening so fast. Once the questions were answered and they were starting to put away the cameras, she felt such exhaustion. Emotional and physical. She just wanted Enoch’s warm arms around her, to comfort her… and he was gone.

  Nine

  “I figured you’d be here,” Cindy said quietly as she opened the door to the kennel and saw him sitting on the floor, surrounded by pups and dogs of a variety of sizes. She’d gone with her gut instinct and realized that the place he always seemed to feel comfortable was the kennel. She could tell that h
e hadn’t gotten far in their training on some of them by the way they ran around, chasing each other and rolling on the floor. The utter lack of discipline was charming and heartwarming. She didn’t blame him, she’d let puppies roll all over her, too… if she was upset about something, and she assumed he was.

  “Want to talk?”

  “Nothing to talk about.”

  She almost smiled at the blunt tone he used. If she didn’t realize that he was doing it to protect himself, she might have been angry and left. This was her man. Her soft, sweet, gentle man that hid who he was behind a façade.

  “Puppies work, you know. They aren’t as good as coffee ice cream, but they are easier on the waistline.” She took a seat next to him and laid her head on his shoulder, knowingly. After several moments, she looked up from the wriggling furry bodies struggling to climb on their laps to his beautiful profile.

  He sat there silently, shutting his eyes and laying his head back onto the wall. She watched as his Adam’s apple worked convulsively a few times.

  “Talk to me. Tell me what you are thinking,” she encouraged softly and grabbed his hand. She held it firmly in her hand and set it on her lap.

  “Remember how you felt when you were afraid of messing something up? Of being in a situation that reminded you of something you’d already gone through? I had that today,” he said painfully and gave a thick scoff, running his hand through his dark hair. “Group isn’t until next week either.”

  “I’m here, talk to me,” she offered, gently kissing his knuckles and holding their clasped hands against her heart. “You can tell me anything and I will happily listen.”

  “I don’t think I can.”

  “Why not?”

  “Cindy…” she felt so much ragged emotion tearing at him as she saw a tear slip down his tanned cheek. That was the first time he’d ever called her by name instead of “Princess”.

  “Look, I know it’s something painful whatever it is. It’s emotional. Those are the hardest things to open up about. But I’m here. I’m here for you,” she promised, feeling fiercely protective of him.

  “And if something happens and you are suddenly gone? What then?”

  “What do you mean?” The pain in his voice was devastating, breaking her heart.

  “I’m afraid to get too close or want too much. Today was a prime example. I came through those woods and saw that man’s gun in your face. I couldn’t think. It was like being in Iraq again.”

  “Tell me what happened there,” she urged softly.

  “Johnny and I were partners. Best friends. We each had a dog, so we could work independently but we were partners nevertheless. You sent the dog in to sniff out the bomb, then we went in with gear on to disable it. Safety first, right?” he said sadly. There was something about the tone that told her it still tore at him.

  “So, Johnny and I were going building to building, clearing the way when Dog and Bishop, that was Johnny’s rottie, his Rottweiler. Dog and Bishop start barking indicating there was a bomb nearby. So, I tell Johnny that I have it – I will disable it. And I hear barking again. Bishop is going crazy. There is all this barking, I’m sweating buckets and trying not to laugh because I’m nervous. My laughing used to piss off Johnny something fierce. When I cut the wire…” he took a shaky breath and she saw another tear streak down his cheek.

  “I cut the wrong wire, Princess. The bomb went off in my face, killing Dog instantly but that was only the half of it. It was tethered to a homemade pressure bomb in the other room. I heard a roar, felt the detonation and felt the room coming down around me. When I pulled myself from the rubble, I found Johnny. Our suits to protect us can only do so much. When my bomb went off, it threw me backwards. I was safe from the fire. When Johnny’s went off, the suit could only do so much. He died on the scene almost instantly… and it was my fault.”

  “It wasn’t your fault.”

  “It was. I cut the wrong wire and I hesitated. Today, I hesitated again. I should have ordered Duchess to attack, but I couldn’t move when I saw what was happening. But you did. I was so proud of you and so ashamed of myself.”

  “You did fine. You were there in case something went wrong, but I had to stand on my own two feet and do this. You gave me that strength.”

  “You didn’t need me, but I found that I need you. I’m afraid to get too close because what if something happens and you’re gone? I lived through the loss of a friend. I don’t think I could live through losing you, Princess.”

  “I’m not going anywhere,” she promised, feeling tears in her own eyes as he looked down at her. The ragged, raw emotion in his eyes was like looking into a flame. It was so hot, so burning.

  “If you were gone, it would be like being blinded from the sun. I would lose everything,” he admitted, cupping her face. He leaned down and kissed her tenderly. Cindy knew in that moment she would give up anything to see him smile. Poor Duchess was beside herself and laying across both their laps, whining in response. She could feel the emotions in the room and wanted to comfort her family.

  “I love you, Puppykins,” she whispered with a smile, looking into his eyes. He threw his head back laughing, wiping his eyes.

  “Why’d you call me that?”

  “Because Mad-dog doesn’t fit you.”

  “And Puppykins does?” he asked, laughing, embarrassed at the moniker she’d given him. She saw that his hands were trembling as if he was scared of this very moment, this revelation. The open honesty between them. She wasn’t mocking him. She adored him and all his tender, gruff ways.

  “Oh, yes, very much so. Puppies are warm, loving, adorable and bond to you. Look at Duchess. She loves you as much as she loves me. Unconditionally. I think it’s pretty much the same when you find someone special that fits you just right.”

  Cindy stared into Enoch’s eyes. “Don’t be afraid of living and loving because you are afraid to lose someone. That’s part of life. I would rather have a thousand days with you than to have never met. You are my life,” she breathed. “Don’t ever leave me or run away. If you need to escape, take me with you and let me be there in your light.”

  “Same here. I need you and never want you to leave my side. I can’t explain it and I don’t know how but I know that you were put in my path for a reason,” he admitted. “I just don’t want you to think less of me because you are my everything. My strongest reason and my greatest weakness. You could crush me, Princess.”

  “Don’t pull back from me. Have faith in what is growing between us and faith in the path that God put you on. It’s not always easy, but I swear it’s worth it. I would never hurt what is there between us. Rather, I would be the biggest protector of my sweet Puppykins’ precious heart.”

  Laughing, Enoch moved Duchess and the throng of puppies. He dragged Cindy into his lap and held her tenderly against him. “I love you, too,” he breathed against her neck as she held his head to her shoulder. Cindy barely caught his next words and when she did, she realized that she truly loved this man more than she could ever express in words.

  “But you can only call me Puppykins when we are alone, Princess. They will never listen to me in training if they know you call me that.”

  Epilogue

  It had been a blessed few years and so much had changed in their lives. Not only did they still have Duchess, but Cindy had moved from forensics to helping Enoch train the next set of K-9 dogs. Her decision had been made one fateful day that she’d not been lucky enough to avoid getting hurt. Enoch had been beside himself when she’d been admitted to the hospital for a gunshot wound to the shoulder.

  Then, when the hospital had given her a pregnancy test before giving her any medication… it had come back positive. He’d been devastated and inconsolable. He raged that he could have lost everything and wouldn’t leave her side.

  Thinking back to that night in the sterile hospital room, she’d known then that her life would change again as it had the moment she’d met him. He’d climbed into the hospita
l bed and held her, afraid that she’d be gone someday. She had no plans on putting her beloved new husband through that ever again. They had married in a quiet ceremony only six weeks prior to her being shot. Her entire her life was in that room that night. Enoch, her unborn baby and Duchess, who whined from the end of the bed that her puppy-mommy was injured.

  When Cindy found out that they’d been blessed with twins, she’d walked out of the OB/GYN’s office shocked and amazed. The sonogram had revealed two tiny bubbles that would soon be her children as they developed. That bit of information settled her decision then and there. She couldn’t endanger her precious babies any more than herself. She gone straight to her chief and gave him two options: resign from the force or join the K-9 training program with Enoch. It was a lot for Enoch to handle and if there were two of them training the dogs, then perhaps there could be two at the station or three. Chief Martin jumped at the chance to keep her with the force and was thrilled to hear the news of her pregnancy.

  Cindy and Enoch stood together at the front of the church proudly holding their infants as she reminisced. Looking out over the parishioners, her eyes settled on Chief Martin who had been selected as a godparent to their children. She’d accepted change in her life and was thriving at each new development that had come with it. A husband, a family and now a new career path.

  Enoch’s proud face held the squirming bundle in his arms as he gazed enraptured at the miracle that was their daughter. Cindy saw the love shining in his eyes and felt the same sensation in her own heart. In her arms, was a slightly smaller but just as healthy beautiful baby boy. She knew that her big ol’ soft Puppykins would be an emotional wreck soon if she didn’t draw his attention.

  “Psst…” she whispered softly across the baptismal font as it was her turn to step forward. Enoch glanced up from their daughter’s scrunched up face as she protested the cool water that was poured on her. His smile trembled as she saw he was overwhelmed with emotion. She felt the same. She just hid it a bit better than he did.