Fallen Angel From Revenge to Redemption (6 page)

                  
~Darren~

Never look down on someone unless you are helping them up. -unknown

Sam leaned over and said, “Man you don’t even drink coffee. How have y’all been together for four months and she doesn’t know that?” Sam finished.

“Like I said before, I do now,” I said opening the packets of sugar stirring them into the coffee before I added some creamer.

Sam stood and began to chuckle as he walked to get him a cup of coffee.

I blew into my cup of coffee. It had been a hard long day.

None of my training at the academy had ever trained me for what I walked into. Nothing in my criminal justice classroom had prepared me for the mayhem and dismemberment I had seen in that house today. It wasn’t too hard to imagine the fit of rage that Omar’s dad had worked himself into. I grew up in a home with a mean drunk for a father as well. There were plenty of nights that my dad just had to walk it off. He had abused our mother, and us only if we got involved, but nothing as violent as this. I fired the shot that put Omar’s father down. I would have to go to counseling for two weeks and be on desk duty while I complete it. I had never killed anyone and it was hard watching the life fade from his eyes, I thought as I took the first sip of my coffee.

                          ***

Oh my God I thought to myself. Just when I didn’t think the day could not get any longer. I could hear them before I say them. My mother and my sisters. I stood as they grabbed everyone’s attention walking in with their arms full of food. My mom was talking in rapid Spanish and English combination.

“Hijo, you don’t drink coffee?” my mom said as soon as she approached.

I picked up my cup and looked over to see if Shanice was paying any attention and of course she was. To make matters worse Sam sprayed a mouthful of coffee out of his mouth laughing at me.

“I do now, mom,” I said returning my gaze back to my mother, who had followed my gaze and was taking in Shanice.

“Oh, what are you planning on doing, drinking coffee for the next forty to fifty years because she made it? No, be honest. Tell the young lady you don’t drink coffee already and maybe she will bring you an orange juice, you’re favorite,” mom said simply.

“I think you already did,” I said flatly.

“Ah, don’t take that tone with me, your sisters and I prepared some homemade steak and chicken fajitas for you and your friends. This horrible story is all over the news,” my mom said with a pout.

“I am very grateful mom. We all are. Thank you for being considerate, “I said.

She fixed plates for everyone and watched us dig in and then helped us to clean up our mess.  Shanice had eaten with Lamar and was gathering her things to leave.

“Hijo, your lady friend is getting ready to leave. She is a lovely lady and you should introduce her to me,” my mother said.

I got a piece of gum from my sister and walked up to Shanice as she was leaving.  I took the items that she was carrying and told her that I would like to walk her to her car.

She nodded her head and began just to walk.

“You have a large family,” she said more as a statement rather than a question.

“Yeah, sorry about that,” I responded.

Shanice chuckled softly.

It sounded like music to my ears.

“It was no problem at all, but your mom is a handful,” she responded.

“Tell me about it, you haven’t even seen the half of it,” I said enjoying the good nature of our conversation.

“I bet,” she said still wearing a smile.

“She wants to meet you. Do you mind coming over and allowing me to introduce you to them. I mean you should meet my sisters as well,” I asked with my nervous in my throat. I knew she wanted to take things slow and this might be a deal breaker.

              “I would love to meet them. I look terrible but I can go and speak, that won’t kill me,” she said as she smoothed her scrub top down the best that she could.

“You are beautiful just the way that you are,” I responded sincerely.

              ~Shanice~

You Are Stronger Than You Think

We went over and talked his family after he made introductions. His mother Maria was a beautiful woman with a warm spirit. She was obviously proud of her son. His sisters Penelope and Carmen were younger versions of their mother. They were fun loving and enjoyed teasing their brother.

We made plans for me to join them for a family dinner and said our goodbyes.

When I arrived home, the emotions from the day came crashing down on me. When I am enclosed within the four walls of the hospital it is important that I have my feelings turned off. Normally after dealing with a criminal domestic violence situation, it reminds me of my own. This time my heart just hurt for that family. I still could not shake the feeling that I had failed Alyssa and Omar.

              I kicked off my shoes and gathered my things for a shower. Once the hot water began to cascade down and around my body, hot salty tears also began to fall down my cheeks unchecked.

              When the water began to run cold, I climbed out and completed my grooming. I dressed in a light pink satin nightgown with the matching underwear.

I looked at my phone and there was a message from Darren.

             
D.C.: Are you okay, baby?

              Me: No

              D.C.: What do you need?

              Me: You

              D.C.: I am on my way

              Me: K

I sat the phone back down on the bedside table and lay across my bed until Darren arrived.

When I opened the door, he was standing there. His chestnut brown hair was wet from his shower. He was dressed in a white t-shirt and basketball shorts. I walked straight into his out stretched arms and he accepted me.

We stood there in the door way and he just allowed me to be broken and scattered for just a moment. He sheltered me and consoled me. At some point, he picked me up and carried me inside, while using his foot to close the door. He carried me through the house and laid me down on the bed. He walked back out of the room and turned off all the lights and locked up the house for me.

When he came in the room he took off his shoes and climbed in on the opposite side of the bed. He held me close to his body.

He told me that he was the one who had fired the kill shoot on Omar and Alyssa’s dad. He felt like he had no choice and that it had been a righteous kill. None the less it was his first shooting in the line of duty and it weighed heavy on his heart.

I turned around in the bed until we were facing each other and I hugged him as hard as I could. I wanted to comfort him like he had comforted me. I forgot that I was wearing a thin night gown and that he would be able to see my response to his body been pressed to mine.

This was not my fantasy. Yet my body was stirring to life and so was his. For some reason I really wanted to go all the way with him tonight.

I closed my eyes really tight and decided to seduce him. I started to run my hands up and down his back. I could feel him starting to relax. I leaned down and a placed a soft kiss on his lips. He kissed me back and wasn’t afraid to show me the passion and hungry for me that he had. He ran his hands in light circles across my back and pressed me closer.

“Baby, I don’t have it in me to stop tonight if we keep going,” he said breaking the kiss.

I touched one finger to his face, so I could turn it towards mine and said, “Well don’t.”

Darren let out a pent up breathe and asked me if I was sure. I nodded my head yes.

The rest of the night was filled with passionate kisses and lingering touches. I don’t think there was an inch of my body that his mouth hadn’t been on. It was more than just sex. For the first time in my life someone had made love to me.

        ~Shanice~

You are an overcomer…

It has been a week since the tragic incident with Alyssa and Omar and their mother Isabelle. They had all been moved into regular rooms and their physical wounds were healing nicely but it would be a while before the mental and emotional scars would heal. Mrs. Sanchez had been there every day and only left to get a shower and change clothes.

Isabelle’s husband Aiden’s body had been claimed by his biological family once the medical examiner had finished with it. They were trying their best to make things even more difficult for Isabelle. Even with the abuse, I knew she would have wanted to be part of the funeral arrangements and be able to attend the service. Even though they were legally married, due to the situation, his family was bulldozing her and she was allowing it.

Isabelle had admitted that she hated who Aiden had become, but she remembered a time when she had loved him with all of her heart. She had come to terms with everything and she just wanted to get well and be able to take care of her kids. She only wished that she had left sooner and maybe none of this would have happened.

The police officer had been released and was recovering nicely as well. I smiled to myself as I updated another patient’s charts. Today was my early day. I was going to leave here and have lunch with Darren before heading to the Help Center. 

                ~Darren~

If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere. -Frank A. Clark

I enjoyed an earlier lunch with Shanice. Every time I was with her she had me on cloud nine and climbing.

I have another counseling section with Mr. G. today. Mr. G. was cool but very perspective as well, you couldn’t get anything past him. He was helping me deal with some of the demons from my past as well as dealing with killing someone. I am not having any PTSD that I am aware of.

My thoughts kept going back to Shanice. She wasn’t the kind of young lady that you played around with. She was wife material. She is beautiful inside and out. She had had a couple of nightmares after the incident with Omar and Alyssa. She was still beating herself up about it.

I arrived at the police station and talked shop with the team for a little bit. Everyone took turns telling tells from the world’s dumbest criminals file. I laughed at their stories and let them know that I would be back on the beat with them if I could convince Mr. G. that I had all of my marbles. I also told them about my date and of course they ragged on me. I looked down at my watch and realized that it was five minutes before my meeting, so I excused myself promising to catch up with them later.

I walked down the hall, and tapped on the door to Mr. G’s office.

“Come in,” he advised.

“Good afternoon, Mr. G., how are you?” I asked as I shook his hand and walked over to the sofa and took a seat.

“Let’s jump straight into Darren; do you think that you are ready to go back to work?” Mr. G. asked.

“Yes,” I answered without hesitation.

Mr. G. shook his head to acknowledgement.

“How are you sleeping?” he asked.

“I am sleeping fine and without any medication. No reoccurring dreams, no guilt. It was a righteous kill. One officer was already down. His family had already been harmed by him, and time was of the essence. I had a clear shot and I took it,” I said sincerely feeling no regret.

“Did your actions have anything to do with your past? Is that the reason you have no regret?” Mr. G. asked.

I let out a deep sigh, so that I could keep my temper in check.

“I don’t think information retrieved from my psych files should be used against me,” I said looking Mr. G. straight in the eye.

“I agree, Mr. G. said. Yet, his family is filing a wrongful death suit against you. You better believe that they will pull out all the stops to paint you in a negative light. Not just you, all of us. During this day and age, with all the police killings going on, it won’t be hard for them to find a sympathetic ear as well as a jury that will convict you and use you to make an example out of. We have to get our ducks in a row.”

“What in the world,” I said as I cradled my hands in front of my face in utter stock. In an instant, my life flashed before my eyes. I thought about my son and the case I was building to get custody, my career path tanked, no future and no hope. The wind had been taken out of my sails.

The department is putting you on an administrative leave without pay pending the outcome of the case. The department’s legal counselor that has been assigned to your case is a Diana Wells. She has an impeccable record. She has already released a statement on our behalf, as well as yours to the press. The department is behind you one hundred percent. 

I stood up and looked at my badge and as well as my service pistol before handing them over. I gathered my things and walked out of Mr. G’s office in a daze. It was obvious that the news had gotten around the department. I didn’t stop to speak to anyone.

I went by my mom’s place before going to my apartment and explained the situation to her. I told my brothers to watch over mom and our sisters because I was getting out of town for a little while. I was going up to the cabin in the mountains to clear my head.