This story is posted for one reason and one reason only – THINK. Think about what is going on, people. Did six police officers really lose control, chase down and kill a man for no reason? I have a definite opinion on that. Of course, I am married to a police officer. I am married to a police officer who has spent part of the last week near that city – thankfully not in the heart of it. We have friends and a neighbor who have been in the middle of that mess. Officers who are putting their lives on the line to protect people who hate them, despise them, who were just throwing bricks, BRICKS at them! And there they are on duty protecting and serving the public... because that is what they do. We know a fire fighter who was fighting a fire while his hose was getting slashed. Can you imagine how hard it is to fight a raging fire as the water you are depending on starts spewing out on the street instead of on the fire? Did I mention that in his spare time my husband is a volunteer fire fighter?
Why haven't I updated my stories? I have been sitting at home, praying that my husband comes home. Praying that our friends come home. Listening to "friends" bash the police or say we signed on for this when he took this job. I say bullshit. We signed on to protect and serve. Not to deal with people trying to do what has happened this week. This is not normal. This is not freedom of speech. This is not innocent until proven guilty. This is throw the officers under the bus and make them scapegoats. This is wrong. I guess I don't have as many "friends" as I thought. It has been quite an eye-opening week.
Think, people.
This is my opinion. It is my right to express it. You can disagree. It is also the life I lead.
I love my husband. I pray that he comes home safe and sound. I pray every officer on patrol is safe. There is too much hatred for those that are protecting and serving their communities. God speed.
Holly looked around the empty aisles of her store and sighed. This was her everything, her livelihood, her home, her life. This was her business and her home. This was where she spent her days and where she slept at night, not that anyone else knew that. In this neighborhood she would get hurt if anyone knew she was here alone at night. Heaving another sigh, she grabbed a broom and began to sweep the floor. No need in standing around doing nothing. Then she began straightening the merchandise that lined the shelves, starting with the area closest to the door. That was the reason she was able to hear the commotion so clearly. That is why she saw the police car stopped in the street. That is why she saw the officer get out of his car to patrol the area. That is why she saw the massive out-of-control throng storming down the street, trashing everything they came across. When they spotted the police car it was as if there was a neon sign proclaiming "game on." As the hoard of people swarmed the street, Holly realized that the officer was crouching in her doorway behind a large potted plant. It wouldn't hide him for long.
Peering both ways quickly, Holly cracked open her door and grabbed the wobbling officer by the collar of his uniform, dragging him backwards into her store and locking the door quickly. She didn't speak to the man as she began dragging her once neatly organized shelves up against the door and windows. The officer realized that this woman was providing him with some sanctuary and drug his aching body over to help her. Together they barricaded themselves inside, hoping it would last until help arrived. Holly ran to the back of the store and made sure that those doors were locked as well. Returning to the uniformed man she asked, "Any hope of back-up?"
"Not likely. The streets are a madhouse right now." Holly watched as he sank to the floor and closed his eyes.
The poor man looked horrible. His dark blue pants were torn and splotched with unknown dirt. His once-crisp white uniform shirt was now wrinkled, torn, smudged, and covered in a multitude of colors including blotches of blood red oozing from various cuts. His thin curly blonde hair was tousled and coated in what could be brick dust. What concerned Holly was the lump on this man's forehead, just above his eye. It was raised and a lovely purple/greenish color. Shaking her head in disgust and worry, Holly got a popsicle from the freezer and knelt next to the man leaning against her counter. "I hope this doesn't hurt too much" she whispered as she laid it against the lump. "Sorry I don't have ice." He didn't move. Listening to the commotion outside it was obvious that they weren't going to have a lot of time before the storefront glass was shattered and the shelf-barricades were destroyed. "You are going to have to help me." Holly pleaded. He didn't respond. Thankfully his phone did. "Hello?"
"Who are you and what are you doing with this phone?" a deep voice bellowed.
Holly squeaked her reply. "They are rioting outside my store. I have an injured officer barricaded inside with me and we need help, fast. They are going to get inside soon. Can you help us?"
There was a shuffling sound on the other end of the line, as if someone snatched the phone from the initial caller. A second male voice, this one not as deep as the first, came on the line. "We are going to get there as soon as we can. Which store are you in? And is there another way out besides the front entrance?" Holly answered the questions quickly. "Okay sweetie. You are doing a good job. You keep taking good care of Officer Ambrose and we will get you out of there just as fast as we can. Promise."
Carrying the cell phone with her, Holly got another popsicle for the lump on his head. Thinking about the news coverage and what his family might be going through, she looked through his contacts. Sure enough, he followed that helpful hint and had a number listed as HOME. Praying someone answered, Holly pressed the button. Then she wondered what she should say to the person who cared for the injured officer.
"Oh, thank God Dean! I thought that was your car I saw on t.v.! You had me so worried! This is so crazy! I can't believe what I am seeing! People are rioting in the streets, throwing bricks at police officers, breaking into stores, setting trashcans on fire and throwing them at people – it's crazy! Dean? Dean? Honey, talk to me." The woman who answered the phone obviously cared a lot about this man and was glued to the television watching for him and updates about where he could be.
"Officer Ambrose is in my store, ma'am." Holly said softly. She heard the woman on the other end of the phone gasp. "I saw what was happening outside and was able to help him in. We are waiting for his friends to come and get us."
"Is he?" She couldn't finish her question.
"He has a bump on the head. I wasn't sure if hearing a familiar voice might help him." Holly suggested.
"Renee. My name is Renee." she said tearfully. "Let me talk to him." Holly held the phone to Dean's ear while Renee talked to him. She watched his eyelids flutter and his hand flinch. She encouraged Renee to keep talking. Then she smelled smoke. "The store next to you is on fire." Holly heard Renee say. In all likelihood the fire was coming through the walls. Holly laid the phone on Dean's chest and grabbed his hands. She started dragging him towards the back of the store.
The smoke was getting thicker. Holly started coughing. She stumbled as they approached the back door of the store. She heard the front windows shatter. Shelves tumbled over. Shouting filled the store. Holly unlocked and opened the back door. With her last bit of strength, she heaved the heavy man into the alley behind everything she owned in the world. Tires screeched to a stop. Two uniformed men jumped out of the unmarked vehicle. The large man with the grey eyes picked up his friend and tossed him over his shoulder. Holly backed out of his way, stepping right into the arms of the man behind her. Before she could do anything but squeal in surprise, the man with soft brown eyes and two-tone hair had swept her up in his arms and carried her to the other side of the car. "Talk later." Slamming the door, he hopped back in the front seat next to the big man and they peeled off. Holly fastened her seatbelt and grabbed Officer Dean's head, laying him over in her lap. As the car careened through the city streets, Holly held on to him so he wouldn't get hurt worse.
"Dean? Dean? What's going on?" Holly heard Renee's voice on her phone.
Fumbling around and finding it, she spoke to the panicking woman. "We are in a car with two men I believe to be officers, friends of Dean's."
"Seth and Roman. Yes, we're friends." the two-toned man in the passenger seat told Holly.
"Brothers in blue." the driver growled.
Holly tightened her grip on Dean's muscular shoulder as she spoke to the woman on the phone. "Renee? They have identified themselves as Seth and Roman." Tires cried as they took a right turn. "It looks like they're taking Dean to the trauma center. I don't think you should try to get there with the way the streets are. Let someone get you when they can. It is too dangerous out here."
"We'll get her when we can." Roman promised as the car careened around another turn and screeched to a halt at the emergency room entrance. He was out of the cruiser and had Dean over his shoulder again before Holly could blink.
Seth yanked open her door. "You'll be safe here and we'll know where you are."
"Bbbuttt…"
"Don't leave Dean. He seems out of it but he'll remember that you helped him. Nothing will happen to you here. And Renee will want to meet the woman that kept Dean alive." Seth wrapped a reassuring arm around her shoulders as he led her inside. "This night is going to get even shittier than it already is. Stay safe." Feeling Holly start to tremble he pressed a quick kiss to her hairline. "I'll be back to check on you when I can." he promised as they reached the door of Dean's ER room.
"Seth…" Holly whispered. He turned back to look at her. "Take care of yourself out there." He nodded at her before disappearing down the hall behind Roman. Holly sank into a chair in the corner of the room, watching nurses and doctors race through the triage area treating multiple patients including Dean. The television in the corner of his room showed the carnage taking place in the streets. Holly saw the street where they had fled was currently filling the screen. People ran wildly through the streets, tearing apart cars, smashing windows, throwing bricks, and taking whatever wasn't burning. Holly's hands involuntarily covered her face as she watched her store – every material possession she owned except the clothes on her back – go up in flames. That was her livelihood, her home, her world. She had nothing now. Nowhere to eat, to sleep, to work. No means to make money, to provide for herself… to fix what was lost. Everything… everything was gone. One rogue tear leaked down her cheek.
"Are you Holly? Are you the one who kept my Dean alive?" Holly didn't know how much time had passed. Her legs were numb from being curled into the chair. She was as close to the fetal position as possible in a hospital chair as she stared at the television and watched her world crumble. A hand touched her hair softly. "Honey? Are you okay?" The beautiful blonde woman knelt in front of the chair. "Holly?"
"It's all gone. Everything." One more tear leaked out. Their eyes met. "Dean's going to be okay. It's a bad concussion and some cuts and bruises. He'll wake up soon. He's asked for you a couple of times."
Renee squeezed Holly's hand. "There are no words for what you did for us, especially on a day like this one. You aren't alone. You didn't lose what really matters." She gently pulled Holly out of the chair. "Those… I can't call them people. Those animals, they lost what really matters. They lost their humanity, their compassion, their ability to reason and think of others. You, you have your heart, your respect of others, your thoughtfulness. You have so much more."
"Priceless." Dean's gravelly voice chimed in from the hospital bed.