An officer's choice

by Traveling Master

This is my first time and this story is just a test run. An officer is pondering about events that lead to the death of a man and is wondering if he could've have saved him. i know bad summary, but i accept any flames and advice. this is just a test run.

Death, it comes and goes. Being a police officer in New York you end up seeing it happen so many times that it doesn't even faze you. It was always like that for me. So why is it that I am bothered by this certain person's death? He wasn't famous or special. He was just some random guy. As I pondering this in my office, I decided to look back at how it came to be.

Flashback

I was on patrol as every other officer does. I barely noticed the commotion happening across the street. Two men, one an average size and the other the size of a hulk, were arguing until the hulk man suddenly punch the guy. It looked like he was hit by a train. I decided to ignore it, fights always happen in New York so why should I care. I was about to leave when the man gets back up again. Instead of running away or cowering he just stood his ground. The hulk man continued to punch him but the guy never wavered. He just keeps getting up. I have to admit, the guy can take a punch. It was clear that the hulk man was getting angry, so before anyone could even say anything he pulls out a gun and shoots the guy. That's when I acted immediately by using my taser and shocked him until he was twitching like a fish out of water. I called ambulance and checked on the guy. It was too late; he was shot in the heart. He was gone.

End of Flashback

Maybe it was because I was to slow to react, or maybe I didn't care enough to do anything. I should've done something but didn't. I was a disgrace and was thinking about resigning. That's when I looked at my badge which represents an officer's pride and honor. As I look back to when I first joined the force, was my pride in honor just going along with the job and not caring? I realized that an officer's true pride and honor is not in him/herself but in protecting people. My view of things changed, I vowed to never let this scenario happen again. I have to remain strong, and I have to always protect others. Good timing too, for I just got a called requesting backup. I packed my gear, exit my office, and enter my car. I paused looked down at my badge and sighed. I will not make the same mistake again. I started my car and drove to my destination.