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“It’s Dustin,” Brandi speaks, her voice cracking. “He was the only other one on-scene.” She starts crying silently but shakes herself out of it and wipes her eyes.
“There’s nothing you can do here, Margot. You should go,” Poppy says, looking at me over the computers.
“I’m not going anywhere. I’ll take the third position. You take care of our boys.” I move to the third station and boot it up, preparing to help however I can. “I know Maya isn’t going to care. It’s all hands on deck right now.”
Although I’m rusty, I have the credentials and the experience, and I worked in a massive center when I was gone.
We coordinate the fire department’s response to the fire, balance the incoming 911 calls, and stay apprised of what is going on with the shooter.
As they are unable to find him, the sheriff requests the neighboring agencies to assist in the hunt. The State Police, Marine Patrol, and Warden Service all respond to help. The county has two K-9 officers, both of which respond to the scene as well. An officer being shot will bring them all out to help in the hunt.
As the hours wear on and still they can’t find him, I don’t know what to do. Dustin has been transported to the hospital and is in surgery. One of the deputies went to Nikki’s house to notify her of what has happened and to watch their child while she goes to the hospital to be with her husband.
I stay in dispatch until the fire is put out and the manhunt is the only thing ongoing. None of us speak. The pain of what has happened to us as a whole is unbearable. Still, as the night wears on, I know that I’ll have to get some sleep. When the relief comes for Poppy and Brandi, I decide to go home and get some rest. I’m afraid to be alone though.
Making my way outside, I’m surprised to see Jake standing in the parking lot.
“Lilly,” he says. “I need you.” Without a word, I go to him.
I’ll always go to him.
16
JAKE
I goto her and there has never been a more beautiful woman. Her face is pale, her eyes and nose red from crying, her features delicate and soft, her hair thrown up in a sloppy ponytail, leaving stray blond strands hanging freely where they have escaped throughout the night. Her outfit is wrinkled, but I don’t care.
Everything about her is perfect.
And she’s mine.
“Jake. Have you heard anything?” she asks me, and I can see the fear in her eyes.
Shaking my head, I say, “I haven’t heard anything. I was thinking we could go take a shower and change. Then go to the hospital to be there for them.”
“Yeah, that’s a good idea,” she whispers, pulling her arms across her chest and holding them close to her body.
“Sweet Lilly-girl. I’m not leaving you alone.” I have always known what she is thinking, and there is no way I’ll leave her. Not tonight, when it could easily have been me who was hurt instead of Dustin.
“I don’t have any clothes.” She doesn’t look at me, but I can tell that she is relieved not to be alone for the night.
“I don’t care. We can stop by your place and then run by mine. I’m not worried about it. I’ll follow you home.” I motion to her waiting car, then stay where I am until she is safely in the front seat and ready to pull out of her parking spot.
Only then do I get in my cruiser and follow her to her house. The drive is short, and I debate staying in the car while she goes inside but think better of it. There is a guy out there who has gunned down one of our own, and there is no way in hell that I’m letting my woman out of my sight.
Closing my door as quietly as I can so I don’t startle her, I cough so that she knows I’m behind her. She doesn’t turn around, jump out of her skin, or shriek, so I figure that Margot knows it’s me. She holds the door open for me to follow her inside once she has it unlocked, and I’m impressed with what she’s done with the little house.
Pristine, the living room looks like it has been taken straight from the pages of a magazine. There are decorative pillows on the couch that match the walls, and I’m taken in by the photo that hangs on her wall. It’s one that her mother had taken on Margot’s prom night. It’s also the first night we kissed.
I have the same picture.
I was smiling down at her, and she was looking right at the camera. It was the same picture she hung on my living room wall when we were together. I never removed it, leaving it where it belongs even though she left me alone.
I still remember what I was thinking in that moment. It was the first time I knew I was going to marry her one day.
Margot leaves me in the living room while she goes to another room. I sit down on the couch and prepare to wait for her to take forever to get ready. I pull out my phone to make sure there aren’t any updates that I might have missed.
There’s nothing.
