Sworn to Protect, page 16
She nodded. No smile this time. No laughter. “I think it will,” she said.
“Katie?” Lani called, and they both turned as she hurried toward them, Rusty beside her, the car seat in her hands. “Sorry for barging out here like this, but I’ve been waiting in the SUV with your sweetie and she’s starting to squall. I think she might be hungry.”
“I think you’re right,” Katie said, reaching to lift Jordyn Rose from the carrier.
And, Tony was struck again by the picture they made. Mother and daughter. Looking into each other’s faces as they began the process of learning about one another.
“You’re beautiful,” he said, and Katie looked up, startled, it seemed, by his comment.
“I’m a mess,” she murmured, her gaze dropping to her daughter. “And, if I don’t feed this little one soon, she will be, too.”
“You’re beautiful,” he repeated, and she finally looked into his eyes again.
“You don’t have to say that, Tony.”
“I’m saying it because I see it. If I live to be a hundred, I will never forget the way you look right now, standing there with your daughter.”
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“For the truth?”
“For being you. For being here for me. Every time I’ve needed you.”
Jordyn Rose’s face scrunched, and she let out an angry squeal.
“I think that may be our signal to end the conversation,” Tony said, touching the baby’s face and smiling as she rooted toward his fingers. “For now.”
“For now,” Katie agreed, and then she lifted Jordyn Rose to her shoulder and headed across the bridge.
“Good job, Tony,” Carter said, stepping up beside his brothers.
“I don’t think I asked for compliments.”
“No, but you would have been getting criticism if you had made one tear fall from Katie’s eyes. I figured I would be fair and offer you what you had earned.”
“The last thing I would ever want to do is make Katie cry. She has shed enough tears for a while,” Tony said.
Noah nodded. “Agreed. I also think we have all had too many long days and nights hunting for answers to Jordan’s death.” He paused as other members of the NYC K-9 Command Unit moved in. Luke Hathaway and his dog, Bruno. Finn Gallagher and Abernathy. Brianne Hayes and Stella. Reed Branson and Jessie.
They stood together. A team. A family.
“Let’s hope the next few months are a little less challenging,” Noah continued.
“They will be for me,” Carter said, crouching beside his dog and scratching behind his ears.
“What do you mean?” Noah asked.
“I’ve been waiting for the right time to say this. Now that we’re finally able to close Jordan’s case.” He cleared his throat, and Tony knew he was thinking about the brother he had lost. The friend they had all lost. “I guess now is as good a time as any. The injury I received isn’t healing as quickly as I had hoped. My doctor warned me that I may never be able to return to duty full-time.”
“Is he sure?” Tony asked, worried for Carter, wondering what he would do if his law-enforcement job were taken away from him.
“No, but I am.” Carter stood, his gaze traveling over the group of men and women who had forged strong bonds through adversity. They had worked together, trained together, fought for justice together. The strength and power of that was in the face of every team member as they returned Carter’s gaze. “I can’t go back full-time. I don’t even know if I would want to. Losing Jordan made me realize that there is more to life than work. But, I can’t give you guys up. You’re too much a part of me. So, I talked to Lou. He’s agreed to allow me to buy Griffin’s Diner. He’ll show me the ropes over the next few months, and then I’ll take over operations. I may not be working with the K-9 Command Unit, but I’ll still be sticking my nose in all of your business for many years to come.”
For a moment, there was nothing but silence, and then, one by one, the team members began to clap.
“Brother,” Tony said, slapping Carter on the back. “It’s the very best news I’ve heard in a long time.”
“I agree,” Noah said. “Now, how about we save the celebration for after we process the scene. We’ve got a lot of work to do before we can go back to the office and move on with our lives. Tony, head out. You’ve worked too many hours the last few days, and I can’t afford to pay you any more. We’ll meet at the precinct tomorrow, and you can give me your statement and write up your report.”
“You sure?” Tony asked, knowing that Noah was giving him an easy out so that he could join Katie and escort her home.
“I am right now, but if you stand there questioning me for much longer, I might change my mind.”
“Then, I guess I’d better get moving. See you tomorrow,” he called as he took Rusty’s leash from Lani and headed back across the bridge.
Cold rain still fell, splattering the pavement and sliding down Tony’s cheeks, but Queens was straight ahead, hundreds of lights shining through the icy fog, beckoning him home.
He had never expected to be in this place—where contentment and peace and joy seemed to embody the word home. As a kid, he had avoided being in his parents’ house. Their violent arguments had tainted the walls and floor and tinged the air with bitterness. To Tony, home had been an elusive dream, a thing that others attained but that he would never have.
Now, though, he finally understood.
Home was peace, it was companionship, it was friendship and community. It was all of the things he had found while working with the K-9 Command Unit. All of the things he had found with the Jameson family. All of the things he had found in his church. And, it was all of the things he had found when he had looked into Katie’s eyes, when he had watched her hold her newborn, when he had felt the first stirrings of love in the depth of his heart.
He hadn’t expected it.
He hadn’t even wanted it.
But, God had led him on a long and winding path to the one thing that had been missing from his life.
“What do you say, Rusty?” he asked as he neared the end of the bridge and the long line of police cruisers waiting there. “Ready to find Katie and Jordyn Rose so we can go home?”
Rusty’s ears twitched, his tail swinging wildly. He barked once, tugging at the end of the leash.
“Okay,” Tony said, unhooking him. “Find!”
The Lab took off, springing toward the police cruisers, shooting straight as an arrow toward the car where their future waited.
EPILOGUE
Graduation day came just like it always did with the K-9 Command Unit. Only this one was different—a redo of the graduation that should have taken place ten months ago. Katie had been preparing for a couple weeks. Not for the ceremony itself, but for the memories that would come with it.
It seemed like a lifetime ago since her alarm had gone off, and she had gotten out of bed, queasy with morning sickness, wishing she could stay in bed. She had taken the day off work so that she could be there when Jordan congratulated the team for graduating another successful pool of puppy candidates.
He had already been heading out the door when she had dragged herself out of bed, and when he had kissed her goodbye, she had had no idea it would be for the last time.
Even now, that broke her heart a little.
Even with all of the joy having Jordyn Rose and Tony in her life brought, her eyes burned with tears when she remembered waving goodbye to Jordan as he walked down the steps.
“I still miss you, Jordan,” she said, lifting the wedding photo that sat on the end table in the living room. She had thought about moving it after she and Tony had begun dating, but when she had mentioned that to him, he had kissed her tenderly and told her that he had loved Jordan, too.
She knew it was true.
“We both miss you,” she murmured, setting the photo down next to the one Tony had taken at the hospital. She had come to love the exhaustion in her face and the triumph there. She didn’t look anything like the defeated woman who had been afraid she could not raise a child on her own. She looked strong and peaceful and joyous.
It had taken a while, but she finally felt that way, too.
Her path had led her through dark tunnels, but God had proved that there was always light waiting on the other side.
She hoped she would remember that when the next heartache happened.
And, it would.
There were no guarantees in life.
She understood that. Just like she understood that there would always be another celebration, another moment to enjoy, another reason to smile.
She was learning to be present in the moment, to enjoy each day and to embrace the miraculous moments in the midst of the ordinary. The sunrises and sunsets. The snow-laden branches of the towering evergreens. The first sweet call of the songbirds in spring.
The soft cooing of a baby waking to greet the day.
She glanced at the baby monitor and smiled as Jordyn Rose made herself known.
“Here I come, sweet girl,” she said, hurrying to the nursery and lifting her from the crib.
Katie had already showered and dressed. She had read her Bible and had her quiet time. All she needed to do was change Jordyn Rose, feed her and grab the already-packed diaper bag, and she would be ready to ride to the graduation ceremony with Ivy and Alexander.
At 9:00 a.m. sharp.
Alexander had called her the previous evening to be sure she remembered. This would be Carter’s last official day on the force, and Noah planned to give him an award for exemplary service.
She glanced at the clock.
Quarter past eight.
Forty-five minutes to feed and change the baby.
“Easy as pie,” Katie said as she settled into the old rocking chair with her daughter.
Jordyn Rose still had chubby cheeks and a rosebud mouth. Her eyes had turned the same dark blue as Katie’s, but her hair color had deepened. It was a rich chocolate brown, the fine thatch of hair she had been born with already growing into a shaggy mop of wild curls.
She was a beautiful baby, but it was her happy-go-lucky personality that always made Katie smile.
“You are a lot like your father, you know that?” she said, as Jordyn Rose sighed contentedly, milk dribbling from her mouth.
Katie should have known better than to get ready before she fed the baby. She was learning quickly that messes happen, and they happen more when you have an infant.
“I am going to be a royal wreck before we even leave the house,” she said, glancing at the clock.
“Come on, sweetheart. You need to eat up. We are going to see the puppies today. Grammy and Poppop are coming with us, and your uncles and Tony will be there. Come on. Let’s get you burped. We still have plenty of time.”
But, of course, when she had said that, she had not been counting on spit-up, or another diaper change.
She also had not counted on a lost baby shoe or a missing pacifier. By the time she finally managed to get them both dressed to semidecent standards, someone was knocking on the door.
“Hold on,” she called breathlessly as she balanced Jordyn Rose in one arm and scooped the diaper bag off the floor.
She managed to open the door and nearly stumbled into her father-in-law, who was waiting on the landing.
“Whoa there, kiddo. We don’t want to start the day with a wild ride down the stairs.” He smiled as he steadied her, his eyes so much like Jordan’s, she couldn’t help smiling in return.
“It has been a bit of a rocky start to the day.”
“Well, it is about to get a whole lot better. Hand me the bag and the kid, and let’s get this show on the road.”
“I can carry—”
“Are you going to deny me the pleasure of helping my favorite upstairs neighbor?”
“When you put it that way, I guess not,” she said, laughing as she handed him the bag and the baby.
“You look lovely, Katie. Make sure you tell my wife I told you so.”
“Did she put you up to it?”
“No. She simply commented that every man in her life knows how to give out a compliment. Except me. Apparently, she was the one who taught the skill to our sons and to Tony.”
“They are all very good at it.”
“Because they are all very good men. It is a nice thing to get to my age, look at your children, and know the values you tried to model and instill made a difference in their lives. I only wish...” He shook his head and headed down the stairs.
“That Jordan were here?” she guessed, knowing this day was as hard on the Jamesons as it was on her.
“What else would I want? I have a wonderful wife, great sons, beautiful young women who love them. I have two darling granddaughters. Life is good, but I will never stop missing Jordan.”
“Until we see him again,” she said quietly.
He glanced over his shoulder and offered a sad smile. “Until then.”
“Are you two going to lollygag all morning?” Ivy called through the open window of the couple’s Cadillac. “You know how bad traffic can be. If we don’t get moving, we’ll be late.”
“Then we’d better hurry,” Alexander said with a laugh as he opened the back door and put Jordyn in the car seat. Minutes later, they were on the way, weaving through morning traffic as they made their way to the canine-training center. It wasn’t far, but traffic made it a long ride. By the time they arrived, the ceremony was almost ready to begin.
“We had better hurry,” Ivy said, grabbing the diaper bag from the trunk. “It will be awkward if the chief’s family walks in late.”
They hurried across the parking lot, entered the auditorium and took their seats near the front. It didn’t take long for the ceremony to begin. Noah gave a speech that honored Jordan and the legacy he had left behind—a strong K-9 Command Unit devoted to the community and to justice. In honor of his memory, a German shepherd puppy that had been deemed suitable for training was being named Jordy in keeping with the tradition of naming police dogs after fallen officers.
Surprised and touched, Katie wiped tears from her eyes as Noah put a collar bearing the name Jordy around the rambunctious dog’s neck.
“Jordan would approve, don’t you think?” Tony said, sliding into the seat beside her.
“I thought you were behind the stage with the graduates?” she whispered, leaning her head against his shoulder, loving the feel of his warmth against her cheek.
“I was relieved of my duty. Apparently, there has been a sudden change in the program. Noah asked all the K-9 officers to sit in the audience during this part.”
“A sudden change?”
The last time the program had changed, it had been because Jordan hadn’t shown up. Two days later, his body had been found.
She shuddered, pulled her jacket a little closer and hugged Jordyn Rose a little tighter. She had every reason to be thankful for the life she had and for the second chances God had granted her. The day Martin’s body had been recovered from the river, she had known she could move forward without fear, but sometimes she still felt haunted by the memories of all that had happened.
“A change doesn’t have to be a negative thing,” Tony reminded her.
“I know. It’s just...”
“A lot of bad memories.” He squeezed her hand, winding his fingers through hers and smiling as Jordyn Rose cooed.
“Hey, sweetheart,” he whispered. “Want to sit with me?” He lifted Jordyn Rose gently, settling her into the crook of his arm.
Seeing them together filled Katie’s heart in a way she never would have imagined could be possible. Even after heartache, love could grow. She knew that now. Understood just how surely God had been guiding her path through the tragedy of losing Jordan and the terror of being stalked by Martin.
Tony must have sensed her gaze.
He met her eyes and smiled, that simple sweet gesture filling her heart to overflowing.
“I love you,” he mouthed.
“I love you, too,” she responded and felt the joy of that to the depth of her soul.
When Noah finally placed the last K-9 police collar on the last graduating candidate, the crowd erupted with applause. The well-trained dogs stood near their handlers, tails wagging, tongues out. They would be put to good use in the community—searching for the missing, sniffing out explosives, finding drugs and offering closure to families by locating bodies of those long missing. There were German shepherds, Malinois, Labs and retrievers. A basset hound bayed happily as he trotted across the stage.
Jordyn Rose was wide-eyed and alert, her dark blue eyes focused on the dogs.
“I think you have a budding K-9 handler there,” Alexander whispered as the last graduate crossed the stage.
“Maybe,” she responded.
If that was the path God guided her daughter to, she wouldn’t try to stop it.
Go wherever He leads.
That was what Jordan had always said, and that was what Katie planned to tell Jordyn Rose when she was old enough to understand.
Noah approached the podium again, with an unfamiliar young man beside him.
“Ladies and gentlemen and fellow dog lovers, as many of you know, our precinct has had a season of mourning. We lost Chief Jordan Jameson in a senseless act of violence. The day he was murdered, his K-9 partner, Snapper, disappeared. We spent countless hours searching for him. There were several possible sightings, but we were never able to verify them. Not long ago, one of our officers saw Snapper on the adoption website of a local shelter, but by the time we contacted them, and despite the fact that Snapper was microchipped, he had already been adopted out. Since then, we have made several attempts to contact his current owner, but we were unable to reach him. I’m going to be honest, I had just about given up hope of finding my brother’s dog.”
