The ringing of his phone made Mike jerk for a split second, subconsciously glancing up at his partner's desk, only to find Steve deeply engrossed in a phone conversation.
At the second ring, he picked up the receiver, woefully considering his options on just who would be trying to bother him now.
"Mike Stone?"
"Michael, it's Pamela Hendricks."
The somber voice made his heart drop in an instant and Mike clenched the receiver tighter, before getting up and walking the length of the phone cord to close his office door.
"Pam, how are you doing? I have been thinking about you, Jack and Bonnie."
Before she answered, he could hear her sob for a few moments, the mumbling of noises in the background suggesting the kids were home.
"I…I still can't believe he's gone Michael.", she said between tears, and he could hear her shift the receiver to the other ear, "A month ago, we were planning our vacation together, and ordered a big ham for Christmas because the kids would be home. And now…now he's dead, gone. I tried to call the bank to see if they can lower our monthly mortgage payment somewhat since I am working off only one income now and they refused to do it. The bills keep coming and people have moved on and somewhere in all of this, my family has fallen through the cracks of everybody's memories. Jeremy spent a lifetime serving the citizens of this town and they won't even come forward to honor his legacy after he gets brutally gunned down?!"
"I understand, believe me, I do.", he said soothingly, the anger over this situation affecting him just as much as Jeremy's wife, "Did Eugene Haggert get a hold of you yet? He's the president of the Fraternal Order of Police for this district. Last I talked to him, he was looking into funding options to make sure you get to keep that house."
"He did, yeah. Tried to talk to the bank also, and they wouldn't budge. Thanks to your help, he said that there'd been a number of generous donations, which will cover the payment and utilities for a few months. It buys us time to figure things out at least."
"I am glad to hear that.", Mike said and pursed his lips for a moment, trying desperately to stay optimistic in a situation that challenged all of his beliefs in the criminal justice system, "You just remember that you're not alone in this. Jeremy was one of us, one of the best. I am not happy with the outcome of the trial, nobody here is. But that doesn't mean you are forgotten, Pam. We're here for you and we're going to make sure you stay in that house, even if I have to stand on a damn street corner collecting donations all day myself."
Mike didn't realize he'd raised his voice until he saw Steve's head snap up, insecurely glancing over at him, before resuming his conversation.
"You're one of a kind, Michael, you truly are. How is it that grand men in this town either lose their spouses or get gunned down by heartless thugs?"
Swallowing hard at the dreaded question he had no answer for, Mike hesitated for a moment, eyes drifting over to Jeanie's picture by his desk, holding back the tears as the emotions from a turbulent month threatened to overcome him.
"I honestly don't know, Pam.", he finally admitted, his voice shaking, "And I am not so sure that one bad thing happening will prevent the other one from happening as well."