Carter remembered the day the older policeman came to their houses door that night at exactly 11:21 pm October 23. Her mother was watching a show with her as they were making cookies which had been baking in the oven the sugary smell she could still smell as if she were standing in that room with the younger Carter Kingsley and her mother. If she had been she would have told her to stop heading to the door maybe it would never had come true. The door had swung heavily open and the older women took in the policeman and went rigid. Her blue eyes going wide at the realization as the officer took off his hat and his eyes were bloodshot.
.No...NO! Her mother had cried out and went to fall at her knees when the officer lurched forward and had caught her in his arms and her body was racked with sobs heavy and long as she cried in the mans arms as he hugged her and softly a tear went down his face. The Kingsley's father had been a well known man in the police force and it was so unexpected the way the shootout had turned as it had been bad. Her father having been shot three times in the torso died on the grime covered streets of Gotham for the one thing he loved equally as much as his wife and daughter. Protecting the city of Gotham and the people in the town. A perplexed ten year old Carter stood with her small hand holding onto the counter as she was slipping off the bar stool standing there.
"Mom what is this man doing here!" She yelled suddenly concerned for her father's safety. The officer and her mother turned around as he let go of her the two adults looking at each other and her mother had breathed raggedly in before sniffing.
"It's your father Carter he was killed." The words hung in the air as she watched her mother look down not meeting her eyes. Her dad dead? No he couldn't be not today. She hadn't even said goodbye.
"Dont you lie to me! He'll walk through this door any minute! I'll show you...he will!" Screaming at her mother and the officer her eyes flashing between the both of them quick and precise. The words finally sunk in as the news anchor started to speak and Carter turned to the TV.
"Breaking News a shootout had just taken place between the Maroni gang and GCPD law enforcement resulting in the deaths of four of our close officers names will not be disclosed until the ceremonies have taken place. The result of the shootout is under investigation as we speak and ten gang members have been apprehended. Reporter Margaret Lewis Gotham News back to you." The breaking news ended and Carter was still as a statue her posture rigid and one of anger. Whipping back to the two she looked at the ground and tears spilled onto the linoleum.
"I didn't even get to say GOODBYE!" She turned running up the stairs and into her room slamming the door and causing a large crack to go up the side of the door. The ceremonies had been quick and Carter had spoken about her father but now at the age of 23 she couldn't remember what she had spoken that day dressed in black and a ghostly look about her as she spoke. Soon after the house had sold and her mother had carted the two of them to Seattle, Washington.
"Why didn't you tell me!" Her mother yelled at her, her face bright red with anger and probably fright. She had the Transfer form to Gotham's GCPD department in her small hand as she yelled at her daughter. It hadn't been that she was mad she was frightened to God's end. Her daughter was following in her fathers footsteps. No way in hell was her baby the only one she had left going to be put in the same situation as her father had been one day which had ended his life. She wouldn't have it no way absolutely not!
"You can't i won't allow you to go." Her daughter stood there and all she could see was her father. Her bright green eyes determined features that danced with beauty. As if her being was a dash of a devil with appearance of an angel.
"I will mom I'm an adult. I want to do this and I will. Don't stop me it'll just push me away from you." She said softly not getting worked up as her mother was at the moment. Her wise green eyes took in her mother as her eyes welled up and tears started down her face.
"I can't loose you too, not after your father I allowed you to join the force when you were twenty if I had known you were going to transfer back to Gotham...I can't loose you." She cried and Carter made her way over to her mother hugging her close as her mother cried the same way as the night her father had died.
"You won't, you never will and you never lost dad either. He's with you all the time." She smiled and hugged her mother tight as the tears slowly over time stopped flowing. Looking up at her daughter she hadn't realized how much she'd grown up and softly a smile graced her face.
"Be careful you understand me..." A copy of her smile, smiled down.
"Always mom...always."
