"It's beautiful Megan." Jules said.
It wasn't the reaction Megan was expecting when she had shown her mother the tattoo that she got on her upper left arm.
"Really?" Megan asked, "I was expecting something else."
Jules smiled. "It's awesome. The SRU logo, with the Navy sword, embellished by white and red roses."
"Yeah, "Megan said, as she looked down at it, "Because dad was part of SRU, and my granddad was in the Navy. The red rose for the lives saved…."
"And the white rose for the lives lost and gone to heaven." Jules finished, "Just like your dad's."
Megan looked down at the fresh ink.
That's why I got it.
"So, it's been…"
"A month." Megan finished.
Megan had tried to convince her mother into coming with her, but Jules was adamant that she didn't need any of it. That, and Jules had her own things to attend to.
"It's been a month since your father died." Laura Green- the SRU psychologist stated, "How do you feel about that?"
"I feel lost." Megan admitted. Since her father's death, she had seemed fine, but inside her mind was a self-prescribed hell, "Like I don't know what to do. I'll be eating breakfast, and I still expect him to come down the stairs and sit across from me. It's just…"
"It's hard," Laura finished, "I know, but you'll get through it, and I'll help you through it- if it takes one week or one year of therapy- I'll help you."
"Thank you." Megan replied in a weak voice.
"Why don't you tell me how you feel- how do you feel when you wake up in the morning, or when you're doing things that you're father would've helped you with."
"I don't sleep very well." Megan said, "I don't know why. Well- every time I do sleep, I dream of my dad, and then when I wake up, I think he's still alive."
"That's called sleep induced paranoid delusions." Laura explained, "If you're having a hard time sleeping, I can prescribe you a medication to help with that, but why don't we finish up talking?"
"Ok."
"What makes you happy?"
"It's going to sound stupid."
"Believe me, Megan; I've been doing this for close to ten years- I've heard it all."
"What makes me happy is my job." Megan thought out loud, as she rubbed her arm, "Ow."
"Did you hurt your arm?" Laura asked.
"No, I just got my first tattoo."
"Oh- what is it?"
Megan rolled up her sleeve, and showed the psychologist.
"Can you tell me why you decided to do that Megan?" Laura asked her.
"What do you mean?"
"I just find it peculiar that a person who is trying to get over the death of a family member would symbolize said death in a graphic way."
"Because it's all that I have left," Megan replied, with tears in her eyes, "It's to symbolize the sacrifices that my father and my grandfather made to save those who cannot save themselves."
Laura passed her a box of tissues. "Megan- are you familiar with the five phases of dying?"
"No."
"The five phases of dying are typically applied in situations where a person is told that they are going to die. The phases are denial, anger, bargaining, depression and finally acceptance. These phases can, and have been applied in situations of people coping with the death of another person. It would seem that you are trying to jump to acceptance, when you may very well be in the bargaining or depression phases."
"Ok…"
"In the past month have you found yourself thinking that, at any minute, your father is going to come through the door, and give you a hug?"
"Sometimes."
"In the past month have you felt so powerless, so disconnected that you have thought of, or considered suicide as a possible solution?"
"No."
"That's good Megan," Laura said, as she grabbed a small paper pad and started scribbling some writing on it, "But at some point, you may have those thoughts. I'm going to try to prevent it by prescribing anti-depressants. I'll also get you some proper medication that will not have any negative reactions with the anti-depressants that will allow you to sleep."
"But- my job…" Megan started.
"This won't affect your job." Laura assured her, "You were taking pro-active precautions in coming to me for assistance. But, if your SRU skills decline, I may have to decrease the size of the dose if you're doing well."
"And if I'm not?" Megan asked, "If I'm not doing well?"
"If there's evidence to prove that the medications are effective, and that your job is affected, then I will be obliged to remove you from duty."
"Your name?"
"Julianna Perrasmith."
"Ok, Mrs. Perrasmith." The SIU lawyer continued, "You were in fact married to Kristopher Perrasmith, correct?"
"Yes."
Jules, and Emily Makinson- her lawyer, along with Ed and Greg, with their SIU lawyer sat in a Strategic Response Unit conference room for the hearing of the cases that Jules was suing both Greg and Ed for Disregard of Officer Safety & Wrongful Death of a Police Officer.
"Ms. Perrasmith-" the lawyer continued.
"It's Mrs. Perrasmith." Jules corrected.
"Mrs. Perrasmith- were you aware that your husband was taking Ceptrilicil- a sleep inducing drug?"
"Yes- my husband had seen his doctor a week before his death and he was diagnosed with sleep apnea, so he was given the drug to insure that he would get a proper night's sleep." Came Jules' reply.
"Is it possible that your husband was- 'hazy', and therefore did not have the proper cognitive function to be a part of the security detail?"
"No. The security detail was at 1500 hours. My husband had woken up at 0900 hours. He was taking additional vitamins to counteract any negative side effects of the drug."
"Well, I find that very strange, as the drug panel that was performed following the death…"
"Inadmissible." Emily stated, "There was no reason for a drug panel to have been performed following the death of my client."
"Well, regardless, a drug panel was performed, and no vitamins were found- only trace amounts of Ceptrilicil" the lawyer continued.
"Are you done examining my client, Harold?" Emily asked, calling the lawyer by name.
"Yes."
"Good." Emily continued on, "Sargent Greg Parker- you contacted Julianna Perrasmith at 1205 hours on the date in question, regarding on the location of her and her husband?"
"Yes." Greg answered.
"When Mrs. Perrasmith informed you that Mr. Perrasmith was already out in town, you informed her that you would contact him yourself, and that Julianna Perrasmith was not required to report for duty for the security detail of the court security?"
"Yes."
"So it was your decision to use only Officers Lane, Perrasmith and Scarlatti?"
"Yes."
"Harold- with your permission, I'd like to call upon a witness."
"Please."
Emily got up, and opened the door and ushered in Spike.
"Your name please." Emily asked, as they both sat down.
"Michelangelo Scarlatti. My team calls me Spike."
"Thank you Mr. Scarlatti," Emily responded, "From a professional standpoint, would have the security detail at the courthouse have been easier had the entirety of Team One from the Strategic Response Unit been used?"
"Yeah, I suppose so." Spike replied, as he looked over to Greg, then Jules, "But we had things under control."
"Had there have been another officer assisting you with the access control- would the firearm that Mr. Santos used been noticed before he was cleared to enter the courtroom?"
"Yes, I guess so."
"Mr. Parker, Mr. Lane-" Emily addressed, "As Mr. Scarlatti just pointed out- the security detail may have been easier had the entire team been present. What were the reasons?"
"According to the information at hand," Ed explained, "We had reason to believe that three officers were going to be enough for the detail."
"Then why did Greg Parker call Mrs. Perrasmith at 1205, inquiring if both officers Julianna and Kristopher Perrasmith could be present? Is it possible- Greg, that you disregarded the safety of the officers that you command by okaying the use of less than a full Strategic Response Unit team?"
Greg bit his lip. "Yes." Came his reply, "I made the decision to use only three officers."
"Fair enough," Emily said with a smile, as she turned over a page in the file in front of her, "Let's move on."
"To what?" Harold asked.
"To the accusation of Wrongful Death of a Police Officer." Emily explained, "Now- part of that ties into the Disregard of Officer Safety that Mr. Parker just admitted guilty to."
"He did not admit guilt." Harold said, as he turned to the woman at the end of the table, who was transcribing the hearing, "What was said?"
The woman cleared her throat, "Mrs. Makinson asked 'Is it possible- Greg, that you disregarded the safety of the officers that you command by okaying the use of less than a full Strategic Response Unit team?' and Mr. Parker replied with 'Yes- I made the decision to use only three officers.' "
"How does that read to you, Harold?" Emily asked.
Harold didn't reply.
"I thought so." Emily stated, as she continued on, "Like I was saying, the accusation of Wrongful Death can be linked to the Disregard of Officer safety. If the safety of the officer was disregarded by a ranking superior, it therefore makes the death of an officer in that situation wrongful, but I digress. Edward Lane- you are the Team Leader of Team One?"
"Team Leader and tactician." Ed corrected.
"Sorry about that," Emily apologized, as she corrected her records, "Do you prefer Edward or Ed?"
"Ed."
"Michelangelo Scarlatti," Emily asked Spike, "In the suspect engagement- who was the first officer to make a verbal engagement with Mr. Santos?"
"Both myself, Ed and Perra made chartered demands to Mr. Santos to drop the weapon, for a peaceful surrender."
"And when he didn't surrender the weapon?" Emily asked.
"Ed started suspect engagement as a negotiator."
"Ed," Emily continued talking, "Did you to, the full extent make any and all attempts to negotiate the suspect from a Threat Level Red, to any lower threat level?"
"Yes- I started negotiations, but Mr. Santos was unresponsive to negotiation tactics." Ed replied.
"I'll refer to the transcript," Emily said, as she pulled out the transcript, "Lane- 'Put the gun down, and let the judge do his job. This judge will make sure the law is upheld', Suspect, unclear. Then, Mr. Perrasmith said 'See these guns here sir- Heckler and Koch MP5 A3, capable of firing in 3 shot bursts and fully automatic at eight hundred rounds a minute, so unless you want a live demonstration, I suggest you put the gun down.'- Correct?"
"That sounds right." Ed guessed.
"Why did Mr. Perrasmith continue negotiations? Are you an incompetent negotiator? Did you pass the negotiation responsibilities onto Kristopher Perrasmith?"
"Yes." Ed replied.
"I refer to the Strategic Response Unit Operations Manual- Section 2, subsection 3, titled 'Rules of Suspect Engagement'. Paragraph One- line 3, 'The officer that makes first contact with said suspect will henceforth be the principal negotiator in any incident, non-violent, violent, or critical in nature.' " Emily said, as she read from the manual.
"Where'd you get that?" Greg asked, knowing fully well that only SRU personnel have copies of the Operations Manual.
"Borrowed it from Megan Perrasmith- the daughter of my client," Emily said, " 'In the event that the negotiator cannot de-escalate the incident using negotiation tactics, or in the event, that the Priority of Life Code becomes threatened, any and all responding Strategic Response Unit members are to use Advanced Police Tactics and or firearms to apprehend, contain and or secure the suspect.' "
"And?" Ed asked.
"You disregarded Strategic Response Unit policies, which are designed for the safety of the officers. Your disregard of Strategic Response Unit policy then caused the wrongful death of Mr. Perrasmith, due to your incompetency in the role of Team Leader and Tactician." Emily accused.
"Don't answer that Ed." Harold intervened, "Special Investigations Unit admits to the accusations of Disregard of Officer Safety and for the Wrongful Death of a Police Officer. SIU will work alongside the command and administration teams of SRU to ensure that the policies are not violated again, and will also assist in any disciplinary action towards Sargent Greg Parker and Team Leader Edward Lane. On behalf of the Toronto Police Services, we apologize and will award the party of the survivors of the late Kristopher Perrasmith one million dollars, minus legal and administration fees for the Disregard of Officer Safety and for the Wrongful Death of a Police Officer."
Jules wrote on a piece of paper and handed it to Emily.
"My client accepts the remuneration." Emily stated.
Megan waited outside the conference room where her mom was in. After waiting for about ten minutes, Jules came out.
"Let's go." Jules said with a smile.
Once outside in the parking lot, Megan said, "I need to stop by a pharmacy."
"Why?" Jules asked, as they got into the Jeep.
"I got some prescriptions to fill." Megan said, as she showed her mom the sheets that Dr. Laura Green gave her.
"What did she give you?" Jules asked, as she started driving, "Going to affect your job?"
"No." Megan said, as she read an incoming text on her phone, "I'm just trying to get over it. Why can't you?"
"I'm over it." Jules said, as she turned a corner, "Now I am."
"Yeah- by suing Greg and Ed for a million bucks?"
Jules looked over to Megan. "How'd you find out?"
"Spike just texted me- he asked if we're installing a private gym in the backyard."
Jules laughed. "We have something else to do too."
Megan sighed, "Does it have to be done today?"
"If you want to get over it, yeah, we do. We're going to the courthouse for the reading of the will."
After Megan filled her prescriptions, and had taken her anti-depressants as directed, they continued on to the courthouse.
Once inside, the security guard escorted them to the office of the Justice of the Peace.
Jules, although was more interested in the courtrooms, as they passed them.
That one- that's the courthouse where my husband was shot.
Once they were in the office, the Justice of the Peace came in.
"My name is Joseph Yasef, and I will be reading the Final Will and Testament of the late Kristopher Allison Perrasmith." He introduced, as he sat down, and opened a large envelope, "The Final Will and Testament of Kristopher Allison Perrasmith. In the event that I have died in the line of duty, as a police officer, my funeral expenses are to be paid under the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Police Services of Ontario Union, local three four five, and the Toronto Police Services. In the event of my passing, other than in regards to my established career, then the cost of funeral and other final expenses are to come from the estate of my finances. All my possessions, belongings, and finances- henceforth as my estate will be passed onto my living successor- Julianna Perrasmith. In the event that Julianna Perrasmith is pre-deceased, my living successor will be Megan Perrasmith. In the circumstance that neither of my successors are available to obtain my estate on the grounds of death and/or mental capacities, my adopted sister- Lauren Perrasmith and her daughter Ella Perrasmith are to claim the ownership of my estate. Exceptions to the ownership of estate are as follows- all of my firearms are to go to my successor save the following; the Smith and Wesson 1911, serial number 56E7891, is to go to Lauren or Ella Perrasmith. The Chilean M98 Mauser bolt action, serial number 77745, is to go to Megan Perrasmith. The gold ring that was found in Germany by my grandfather, which is enclosed with this document, is to go to Megan Perrasmith. The documents containing the information regarding my service records under my employment to LMQ Security and the Canadian Border Security Agency are to be destroyed. The destroying of these documents will be the responsibility of my successor, in the hopes that they destroy said documents in an interesting fashion. In the event of my passing, I ask for my family to seek professional help, should they desire it. If my family cannot afford the assistance, I ask that any and all expenses be paid for by the use of my financial estate."
The judge poured out the envelope. A pair of keys and the gold ring dropped out.
"To Megan Perrasmith." Joseph said, as he passed the ring to Megan.
"And the keys to the firearms collection." He said again, as he passed the keys to Jules.
Jules grabbed the keys tightly, like she never wanted to let them go.
Megan took the ring, and examined it. On the inside of the ring, it was engraved, 'Megan- I always loved you.'