By Totem - FOR THE LOVE OF A FAMILY (short)
Disclaimer – You know the Drill, they are not mine!
Read at own risk!
The man inside was always going to kill himself, either directly or in directly, 6 years been in the san Francisco Police force had taught him to read signs and he was reading this sign loud and clear Death was to follow. Trudeau knew that this man was going to die today, either by his own hands or the hands of the police force. Suicide by cop – either way Trudeau was already blaming himself. He was crouched behind an armed police car looking over to his partner Morris. The details were coming in from the reports and accounts that had been gathered from neighbors and no doubt Morris had more news. He crouched down next to his partner of seven years –
"Trudeau I just spoke to the neighbor, he's not alone in there. He has a kid" Trudeau turned to his partner instantly things were getting worse, with just that one word 'kid' this whole set up had been worsened by ten times. Not only was this man who had barricaded himself in the house a risk to himself but there was a child in there with him.
"How come we never knew about this before?" he asked angered,
"We were told just now by the neighbor" Morris explained
"An hour into this shit and only now we find out? Look no more waiting I want a team set up. We are going in. Shoot to kill – this man is armed and dangerous so suit up"
Morris nodded, he understood that this wasn't like before; they couldn't wait for this man to understand, to come to his senses they had to act to save this kid.
"I'll get the team gathered" Morris said standing, Trudeau nodded and then stood to get a Kevlar on and end this shit, he was going to end it once and for all. They couldn't wait for the unemployed twenty eight year old with too much debt and not enough money, to give up, on his, own. This was it the cause, the force they needed. This man wasn't going to die by his own hand. He had pushed them, forced them now he was going to die by the hands of the San Francisco Police. Suicide by cop
Trudeau turned to the team that had been gathered. S.W.A.T - Special weapons and Tactics. There weapons not so special they did the same as all the other weapons – they killed. Trudeau didn't like it to end like this – he never liked to wind up forced to kill but now he had been informed that there was a boy, a little boy all of five years in there with this lunatic. They couldn't all stand around now knowing that. Action had to be taken. He gave the go and so the team assembled – they were in position. Trudeau felt strangely connected with the man inside the house. He felt as though he had failed him. From this point things happened so fast. Morris and Trudeau entered the house first – it was all very stealth.
They soon found themselves stood opposite this man, a monster. No longer did Trudeau feel for this man who held the five year old on the shoulder tightly with a gun pressed against his temple. Not far from where they were stood lay a woman, pale blood drained, she was dead.
"Let the boy go" Andy suddenly sprung into full cop mode. "Let him go, James we can talk this threw" Andy was trying to stay calm but he could see the fear in this boys eyes. Fear that a boy should never know. Comments were thrown across the room, Trudeau and Morris pleaded with him, they gave him options. But he was too stupid to take them. He lifted the gun and so did both Morris and Trudeau. Shots were fired. BANG, BANG, BANG!
The next thing they knew two bodies fell to the floor. One been that of James's, who had become the victim of suicide. He was killed by the hands of the two officers. He had forced them. Then the other was that of the five year old who had taken a bullet in the back From the man who had used him as a way out. Trudeau got to him first as Morris called for paramedics.
The boy lay on the ground as blood poured from him, his eyes wide as the pain was so obviously unbearable. He took two shallow breaths as Trudeau tried so very hard to save this boy doing everything he knew how. The paramedics swarmed into the house followed by more officers. He had the boy held to him as he slowly died. Trudeau watched the boy lose the battle as life left him.
After a while he found himself sat on the porch, the night sky lit up by only the stars. His shirt once white was now soaked in red liquid the crimson life of the young boy who was lay dead along with the rest of his family in the living room of what had once been a family home. His head was spinning, as he replayed the past events of the day looking for clues – to explain why all of this had happened. They had made a mistake; they hadn't known that the boy had been here all along and his mother lay dead only meters away. They hadn't known any of that. He felt as though he had failed them, failed all of them. The mother, who looked to be only in her twenties and pregnant with what would have been the second child, The father so over come with the everyday stresses of living he found this to be his only way out. And the boy, the young boy He was dead! Death! His life ended it was over!
He felt a hand on his shoulder, turning slightly he looked up into the eyes, understanding,
"Go home Andy" Morris said.
Darryl Morris a man who Andy Trudeau had served with since entering the force. Andy Nodded his head slightly as he looked over the street to where the police cars were all parked up. He tried to recall the boy's eye color. Were they blue or brown? He couldn't recall. He stood to his feet and walked away without saying a word. His blood stained cloths, his spinning head his feeling of Failure he left with them all. Walking down the road to his car he set off home. He had a son of three and he wanted to go home and check the boy's eyes. To make sure they were still that ice blue shade that mirrored his mothers. To make sure that he still cared. Because he was scared that he'd forget, that he'd no longer care.
He walked up the house he shared with his wife and son, his family home. The manor, he walked threw the front door. He found himself scared, scared to lose his family. After what he'd seen today it had made him appreciate them more than he had. He shut the front doors and hung his jacket up and threw his keys on the side. He was a mess that was more than obvious to him as he happened to look in the mirror. He started to undo the shirt that was stained with blood, the blood of a young boy who should never have lost his life. Walking threw the manor he threw the shirt to the floor in the laundry room and shut the door on it. Then he turned back and pored himself scotch into a large glass. Filling it as if he was drinking water… Then once he had drunk the liquor he turned and headed up the stairs of the manor. Taking them slowly so not to wake any of the inhabitance of the house. They didn't live alone. Prue's family, her sisters Piper and Phoebe lived with them. They had become his sisters and part of his family also – they had all really grown up together.
Once at the top he walked down to the room where his son was lay down, in a small junior bed. It was more like a cot than a bed really. He knelt next to the bed and watched as his son slept. Pulling the covers up over his son he kissed him softly on the head. He knew that he was safe; he knew his son was tucked up in bed and safe. He checked the child monitor was on, and set the radio on the side, stood up and checked the window was locked then backing up slowly out of the room he took one last look before shutting the door on him. He made his way to the bathroom to grab a shower to get rid of the blood that stained him, marked him.
Pushing the door open he saw his wife lay there in the bed, he lay next to her and ran his hand threw her hair as he looked at her face lit up by the moon light. He couldn't help but think back to the woman lay dead in the house earlier. He lay further down on the bed and she stirred turning on her side she wrapped her arms around his chest and nestled into his neck.
"Umm honey your home" She spoke as he moved his arm around her neck and held her closer to him, he nodded as he looked up into the darkness. She ran her hand over his chest and smiled warmly as he ran his hand over her shoulder.
"Yeah I'm home, sorry I woke you" He said, although he wanted to wake her and his son both. To make sure they were really okay. To look into his son's eyes to show Prue how much he loved her. He settled on telling her sleepy form until the morning. "I love you" He said.
"Love you too baby" She mumbled sleepily, he let her go off to sleep watching her closely, and listening to the radio intently that was sat on the side in the bed room. If either of them needed him he would be there he wouldn't fail them, not them. Not like he had the family today.
The next morning came by and he hadn't slept at all, he had watched to make sure she had been okay and occasionally slipped out to check on his son. He hared the faint murmurs that filled the bed room and looked over to where they were coming from. The radio on the side. Sliding out from under the covers he walked from the room and into the one where his son was. Seeing his son lay crying he walked over and picked him up into his arms and held him to his chest.
"Hey what's all this?" He asked with a smile, "What's with the noise huh?"
In response Andy received a incoherent mumble, as his son rested hi head on his fathers shoulder and hugged him. "You want to come see mommy?" Andy asked seeing his son was still visible tired, "how about you come lay down with me and mommy?" So Andy brought the young boy into the room where he and his wife slept and got back into the bed. Prue awoke and turned to see Andy and her soon.
"Morning you two" She smiled,
"Morning honey" Andy smiled as he lay next to her, she lay her head on his chest as his arm was around her shoulders and they both watched there son who was sat between them play with the bear when had with him.
As he lay with his family near him, after the night he had he vowed from this point he'd never let anything happen to them. Ever, nothing would ever take them from him. He smiled as his son looked up with a grin on the young guys face. His blue eyes sparkling, Andy looked into the blue eyes of his son and then turned to look into those of his wife.
"I love you" He said quietly,
"I love you too baby" Prue smiled back as she looked up at him. The two kisses lovingly and then went back to watching their son. Andy Trudeau was many things. A husband, a father, a brother, a friend, A partner and a cop but he vowed never again to be a failure. Never again to fail, to fail his family or ever lose to a killer.
He would never forget the blue eyes of his son,
The feeling of been with his wife
The love of a family was what kept this man going threw the hard times he faced. The love for his family was what kept him strong.
THE END
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