I hope someone somewhere is reading this. Please let me know if you're enjoying this story with a small review after reading :)


Phil managed to catch himself when Luther the cat tangled himself up in Phil's feet as he passed through the kitchen to his food dish. Phil growled impatiently while Luther ignored him. That cat would be the death of him yet. He had almost been killed trying to save it from Gator's place during the whole Incident, and he was pretty sure the damn cat didn't even care.

"Morning," Maddy said, grabbing a banana on her way to the fridge.

"Sleep well?"

"Of course."

The rest of the morning consisted of their usual routine. By the time Phil dropped her off at school, he was ready to go back to bed. He hadn't slept well the night before. He knew Maddy had her nightmares and anxiety attacks at times, but what she didn't know was he did too. Last night consisted of him leaping awake drenched in a cold sweat, his hand gripped around his alarm clock and raised like a weapon. He could still hear Maddy screaming for his help sometimes. They called it The Incident because there was no other way of describing it. Phil had been attacked by a biker gang he had gone undercover with, and a former member had kidnapped Maddy in an attempt to save her, but it had all gone wrong when Gator decided he was going to kill her anyway to cover up his involvement in the whole mess.

"Hey, I didn't think I'd ever see you come in here again," Teedo said as Phil went in and ordered a coffee.

"I need the extra caffeine," he replied. Teedo was finishing up his breakfast of champions and just nodded. Phil was reaching for change when the door opened and the woman from the night before came in. Phil paused the same time she halted in her tracks. Teedo looked back and forth between them and smirked, going back to his food and shaking his head.

"Hi," she said finally, moving to the next till to order. Phil cleared his throat.

"Hey," he replied.

"Coffee to go. Black," she instructed the cashier, handing over her bills to pay for it.

"I got it," Phil said suddenly, tossing his down in front of the cashier. He had no idea what possessed him to do it. Her smile, though, was worth it.

"Thank you," she said, collecting her cup and moving to leave.

"You're welcome," Phil said back. She gave a small wave as she backed out the door.

"Whoowee," Teedo said, wiping his brow. "What was that all about?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Phil responded, taking his coffee and heading for the door as well. He watched the woman get into her cruiser and pull away. So she was the new cop in town Teedo had told him about. Interesting.

...

"So, who is this Gator person?" Kate asked Keith as they ate lunch. Keith had insisted on buying.

"He's the guy who brewed meth in this town," Keith explained. Kate shivered. She'd had enough of anything to do with drugs. She was wondering if coming here was a mistake. She had been looking for a cleaner start.

"I see," she swallowed.

"He's in jail for a bunch of different things. He won't be gettin' out anytime soon. There aren't anymore drug productions going on here now," Keith assured her. "Thanks to Phil Broker."

"Who is that?" Kate asked.

"A fellow who moved here with his daughter. He single-handedly took down Gator's operation. Blew it all to bits. He definitely made his presence known here, you know what I'm saying? People were nervous of him at first, but he's growing on everyone."

"He sounds impressive," Kate smiled, sipping her coffee. She kept thinking about the man who had bought hers that morning. Was he the man Keith was talking about?

"He's a bit of a loner. Maddy is his number one priority."

Kate locked away this bit of information. She wondered if she would see the man from earlier again.

...

"Aaaiiyye!" Teedo yelped, jumping backwards. The saw stopped instantly.

"What did you do?" Phil asked, trying to see.

"I nicked myself," Teedo gulped. Blood was flowing everywhere. Phil hurried for his first aid kit. Teedo was looking very green when he returned.

"How did you manage that?" Phil asked, pulling out the gauze to wrap up the wound. He'd have to take Teedo to the hospital.

"It jumped," Teedo muttered.

"Come on," Phil said, guiding Teedo to the truck. "Try not to bleed on everything."

"I'll do my best," Teedo said weakly. Blood made him feel very woozy and faint. They arrived to the hospital in good time. Phil knew Teedo was going to need stitches. There went the rest of the work day. He hoped Mrs. Stephenson didn't mind her deck being apart a little longer.

"You don't have to babysit," Teedo said once he was checked in.

"All right. If you need a lift, call me," Phil replied, patting Teedo's shoulder. He walked to his truck when he saw a police cruiser pull in. He paused to watch the woman from that morning get out and pull out a man with a bloody face from the back. Sheriff Keith was with her.

"Hey, Phil," he called, waving. The woman snapped her head towards him, and Phil noticed her small smile.

"Keeping busy I see," Phil responded, gesturing.

"Oh yea," Keith laughed. "Always. Oh, this is our new addition to the team, by the way. Kate Macer."

"Nice to meet you," Phil waved.

"You too," Kate nodded.

"My nose really frickin hurts, man," the guy said, glaring at them all.

"Yea, yea, let's go," Kate said, pushing him forward. She gave one last look over her shoulder at Phil and smirked. He chuckled to himself. She was definitely a no nonsense cop.

...

"I'm really worried about my mom," Teddy said as they walked to their next class.

"Why?"

"She's using again."

"Oh," Maddy frowned. She knew a little bit about drugs, but she didn't know everything. She knew Teddy's mom was addicted to them and struggled with staying sober.

"I wish she'd stop for good," Teddy sighed. Maddy didn't know what else to say. Sometimes she didn't have to say anything. All Teddy needed was someone to listen.

...

Kate hung up her gear and set her gun on the table. She stretched her back as she went for a glass of water. It had been a long, dull day with the only excitement being the bar fight she and Keith had broken up. She was very much okay with that. Boring was good. Boring meant no one died or got stuffed behind drywall. Boring meant no one was going to use her to carry out an illegal mission. She heard the meow of a cat then, and she turned.

"Well, hello," she said, spying a small black cat sitting outside her screen door. She stood and went over to the door, opening it. The cat bolted inside.

"Hey!" she cried. "What do you think you're doing?" She chased after it, but it was quick. Eventually, she gave up, and after about ten minutes, she had a cat bunting her legs and wanting attention. She bent down to pick it up and found a collar.

"Who are you?" she asked, looking at the tag. "Luther, huh? Where did you come from?"

She wondered who was missing their cat and how to get it back to them. She did like the purring, though, and the warmth from its body on her legs. It had been a long time since she had a pet. She hoped Luther's owner wasn't too upset right now.

...

"Luther!" Maddy called. "Dad, where is he?"

"Not again," Phil muttered. Out loud he said, "I don't know, sweetheart. Maybe he made some friends."

"We should go look for him."

"Aw, it's getting dark. We can look tomorrow."

"No! He might get eaten," Maddy said, giving him her sad eyes. Phil sighed loudly.

"All right. Let's go then," he caved. Stupid cat.

...

"Mom?" Teddy asked, pushing open the bedroom door. His heart stopped when he saw his mother lying on the floor not moving. "Mom!"

He rushed over to her, rolling her over. Her eyes were glazed over, and she wasn't breathing.

"DAD!" he shrieked. Jimmy came bounding up to the room in seconds.

"What's wrong?" he asked. Then he saw Cassie. "Oh my God. Cas!" He picked her up in his arms, trying to find a pulse.

"I'm calling the ambulance," Teddy said, running for the phone. His hands were trembling as he dialed. Everything else after that was a blur. All he could think about was what would happen if his mother died. It terrified him.