He didn’t make it…
He’s dead?
My knees buckle, but my fall is broken by strong arms that catch me just in time, and I’m pulled into a warm, hard chest.
A waft of musk hits my nose, so it must be Logan who’s holding me. Quinn crouches down to pick up my phone from the ground before speaking into it.
“Amy? Ames, what’s happened?” he asks.
“My dad… he’s… he’sdead.” As soon as the word leaves my mouth, a cry rips through me, the sound of my voice echoing down the deserted street as I wail. Hot tears stream down my face as I curl into Logan’s body. He holds me close, his hand holding my head to his chest, my body trembling as I sob uncontrollably.
Quinn returns and places a hand on my arm. I shift to face her and wrap my arms around her, her own tight around my back, where I cry on my best friend’s shoulder.
After what feels like hours, I’m lifted off the ground and carried over to a cab that’s idling on the curb. I’m cradled in Logan’s lap as he strokes my hair softly.
Somewhere along the line I stopped crying.
Now, I’m just numb.
We pull up outside my house, Logan helps me out of the car, his arm banded around me to keep me upright as we make our way up the path towards the front door. Once inside, my mom is waiting for me in the living room along with my aunt and uncle on my dad’s side.
She rises from the couch and hurries over to me, pulling me into her arms where she begins crying. “I’m so sorry, honey.”
“What happened?”
She pulls back, swiping her tears away. “He was shot while on duty. It was during a raid or something… I’m not sure…”
“I don’t get it. Why now? He was only months away from retirement… why now?” my voice cracks and she pulls me into a hug again.
My dad had been a police officer since he was eighteen years old. It had been his one life dream. In the whole of his thirty-seven year career on the force, he’d not once been hurt severely while on duty, except for the odd scrape here and there. He was due to retire not even five months away.
Why did this have to happen now?
“Amy?” I hear behind me. I spin around to find my little brother, AJ, scrubbing at his eyes and my heart breaks. God, he’s only eleven.
Anthony Jr.AJ.He was named after my dad.
I drop to my knees and hold my arms out to him. He wraps around me tight and his body shakes as he cries against me. I bury my face in his neck and cry with him.
“It’s going to be okay, AJ. I promise.”
“I want dad,” he cries.
“I know. Me too.”
∞∞∞
Later on, I’m sat on the couch with my head on Quinn’s shoulder, her hand clasped in my left and Logan’s in my right, Dwight sat off to the side of us. I don’t know how long we’ve been sat here, but my eyelids feel heavy and my head hurts from all the crying, and soon, my eyelids drift closed.
The next thing I know, I’m moving, being carried and laid down on my bed. My shoes are removed, and the covers are pulled up around me.
“I’m gonna stay with her, can you let Dwight know? I’ll call him tomorrow,” Quinn whispers, the bed shifting as she climbs in beside me.
“Sure thing,” Logan replies.
I’m too drained to speak or even crack open an eye, so I just lie there. I feel a hand run over my head and soft lips press against my temple.
“Sleep well, babygirl,” is the last thing I hear before sleep tugs me back under.
