Chapter 53 Thomas
THOMAS
Hannah
You stole my blanket last night
Me
I did not.
Hannah
Yes, you did! I woke up and you and Arson were hogging my blanket! I thought that’s why we had separate blankets, so we don’t have this problem anymore.
Me
Apparently I need to get myself a weighted blanket too.
Hannah
Yes, you do. I’ll add a second one to my cart now.
Me
Thank you baby. Still on for tonight?
Hannah
Yes, though I would be more excited if you told me what we’re doing. You know I don’t like surprises.
Me
I know, but this is a good surprise. I promise. I’ll pick you up at your house at eight.
Hannah
Sounds good. Gotta go
Idon’t question the abrupt end in conversation, both of us are constantly being called away for work, so it’s not unusual for one of us to not respond for a few hours at a time, or send a text half crafted.
A jitter rolls through my body today as I think about what I have planned for this evening.
I’ve held off long enough, but it’s time to tell Hannah I love her.
Sure, I could have told her long before now, I mean we are still technically engaged to the outside world, and practically live together, and we have a plan to discuss it again in the near future, but we’ve never taken things at a normal pace.
We’re different, and that’s not a bad thing.
I do know that I can’t hold back from saying how I feel about her for much longer, though. That’s why, tonight’s the night.
I have my trusty Iron Man underwear on, and a mental plan of how I want tonight to go. Sure, things don’t always go to plan, but it can’t hurt to be prepared.
Hannah left before I did this morning, so I was able to get my living room all set up.
I have tea-light candles placed delicately around the room, and blankets organized in a comfy pile, and I have snacks and bubbly champagne in the fridge.
Maybe it’s a bit much for a confession of love, but we’ve done things a little bit backwards in our relationship, so I want her to know how special she is to me.
My radio beeps on the dash, pulling my thoughts away from plans for tonight.
“Possible overdose, 918 East Longview Avenue, age twenty-three.”
“Fuck,” I curse under my breath. “1831 responding.”
I throw my vehicle into drive and turn the sirens on, listening as the dispatcher gives me what little information she has. They’re in the backyard.
My heart sinks with each beat as I drive to the scene.
I knew they didn’t get them all. As I pull up to the scene with two other officers, I call out to Arson, “Stay here.” He flops into a seated position in the backseat.
I don’t normally take him out of the car on calls like these.
Throwing myself out of the car, I leave it running and slam the door behind me, already reaching for the Narcan I keep in my belt.
Officer Young is rounding to the back of the house where the gate is wide open. I run through the gate, assessing the scene before me.
Two people are hovering over a young man laying on the ground. I can’t see his face, but his arms are limp at his side. “Ivy Ridge PD, we’re here to help. EMS is on its way, can you tell us what happened?” I say with each step closer I take.
“I don’t know man, one minute he was fine, the next he collapsed,” the man on the right says.
I’m about to drop to my knees and start administering the Narcan, when everything changes.
The sliding door on the back of the house flies open, revealing the two undercover officers held at gunpoint by two older men.
I step back from the man who was laying motionless, but is now sitting up with a gun in his palm, pointed right at me.
I drop the Narcan from my fist, reaching to pull my own gun.
We can’t move, can’t even radio out to tell dispatch what is happening so we can call for backup, can’t even warn EMS. My heart drops. Hannah’s working today. There’s a chance that she and Miles will be the one to arrive on scene any minute. I can’t bear the thought of her near any of this.
The man in the back holding one of our undercover guys speaks first. “This is exactly what we wanted. Officer Cunningham, pleasure to see you again.”
“What do you want?” Officer Young asks.
“To get revenge. You arrested our leader, the man who let us live like kings, and now, our time has come. Did you really think we were stupid enough to not know these two idiots were undercover?”
“Why lace the drugs you sell?” I ask, my gaze focused on him.
“Why not?” he shrugs.
“Do you not care about all the lives you’ve taken?” I question.
He shrugs again. “Enough with the questions. We brought you all here for a reason. I’ve had enough of this.”
He points his gun in my direction, and before I can react, he pulls the trigger.
Pandemonium erupts around me as pain lances through my right upper thigh.
I don’t react to the pain, only focusing on what’s happening around me.
The two officers beside me respond, shooting the suspects, and freeing the two undercover officers.
It’s quick, but we’ve taken back control of the situation.
I fall to the ground, my injured leg no longer able to bear my weight. I reach for my radio, shouting, “Shots fired, shots fired.”
My head swims as I try to put pressure on my wounded leg.
Blood seeps from between my fingers, rushing too fast for me to be able to stop it.
My body feels heavy, too heavy as my consciousness wanes.
The radio at my shoulder is too loud, the dispatcher desperately trying to get more information from me, but I can’t answer. I’m fading, fast.
The only thing on my mind as I lay back into the grass is Hannah. Her beautiful soft smile, those freckles on her cheeks, and how much I love her. She’s the person I want to spend the rest of my life with, and if this is it for me, I’m glad I found her.