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“I… That would be great, but why would you do this for me?”
“It wasn’t just me. Mason helped. We both want you to go to school and have the life you expected to have.”
Henry’s eyes glistened, and he looked away. “You really should be on that youth task force. You don’t take shit off people, but you care, and you make other people care too.”
Jack reached for Henry’s hand and squeezed it. “I do care. When I said you could call me any time, I really meant it.”
He nodded. “Yeah, I know.”
“And if you need to talk?—”
Henry held up his hand. “Not now. Maybe if I get this job, I’ll feel better, and I’ll be able to say things that seem like way too much right now.”
Jack nodded. He understood about things that were too hard to say. He had some of his own, or he had before Mason and Gray had forced him to open up. Henry needed time and Jack could give him that, for now at least.
“Hi Jack, it’s good to see you,” Lieutenant Marsh said.
“You too.”
“It feels strange being here again,” Jack said, as he followed Marsh into his office.
“How much longer ’til the doctor clears you for duty?”
“Another week or two probably. If my PT doesn’t kill me before then.”
Marsh laughed. “You look much better than the last time I saw you.”
“I’d like to think I couldn’t look worse.”
Marsh frowned. “You didn’t see yourself lying on the floor covered in blood. I’ve seen plenty of guys go down, and I wasn’t sure you’d make it.”
Jack shivered. “Well, I’m glad I didn’t live up to your expectations.”
“Not expectations. Fears.”
“You’d miss me?” Jack asked.
“Hell yes.”
“Hmm. Then you might hate me for this meeting.”
“Shit, you’re not quitting on me, are you? I can get you more counseling sessions if you’re?—”
Jack held up a hand. “No, I’m not quitting. I want to be on the youth task force. You’ve always said I was good at talking to people, especially kids.”
The lieutenant laughed, and a knot formed in Jack’s stomach. “Look, I know I screwed up and I just got re-instated, but I think?—”
The lieutenant held up his hand and cut Jack’s words off. “I’m not laughing at your request. Well, I am, but not for the reason you think. I was going to insist you apply for the task force as soon as you came back. Thornton asked for you, and Andy said we’d be crazy if we didn’t utilize your skills.”
“What? I didn’t know Andy was involved.”
Marsh smiled. “He’s acting as a consultant.”
“I talked to him yesterday to let him know I’d been reinstated, and he didn’t say a thing.”
“He recommended you a few weeks ago. I told him not to say anything because you weren’t cleared for duty yet.”
The full force of what Marsh had said hit him. “So, you think they’ll hire me?”
