911, What is Your Emergency?

"Can I make you some breakfast?" she asked changing the subject. "I think I saw some bacon and eggs in your refrigerator."

"On one condition," he said.

"Name it."

"You have to let me take you to dinner this evening to celebrate. I get off at 6pm and we can go to..."

"Oh, no. No way. You're not spending another dime on me after all the money you spent yesterday."

"Well, we're not going to do nothing. That's a promise. If you won't let me take you to dinner then you'll have to come up with another idea. But one way or the other, we will celebrate your birthday."

Abby blew out the candle then said, "Okay. After all, I am in your custody. I'll come up with something inexpensive while you're at work." She sat there for a moment before asking, "Reece? Do you even know how old I am?"

"Um...no. I'm only guessing but I'm thinking maybe like 31 or 32?"

Abby laughed and said, "Okay, I know you're a nice guy, but you're being ridiculous."

"Are you 33?" he asked with some incredulity.

"Hardly," she said. "I'm 37 today, Reece, and I feel every year of it."

Reece stepped up behind and said, "Oh, really?" He started grabbing her shoulders and arms.

"What do you think you're doing?" she said playfully.

"Seeing how old you feel. From my perspective you don't feel a day over 36."

Abby turned around and went to stand up. "Okay, buster. You're really in for it now!" As she stood, she stepped on the blanket just as Reece pulled back. By the time she finished that one short sentence, Reece was once again totally naked in front of her.

She was looking into his eyes with a huge smile until she realized what had happened. She didn't want to look down, but she couldn't stop herself. She didn't stare, but she stopped breathing when she briefly saw just how much of him there was to see.

"Oh, my God!" she said as she spun around. "I am so sorry! Again. You scared me twice yesterday and now I've seen you twice in one morning without any..." Abby was staring at the refrigerator in the corner as she said, "Can you please go put on some pants or something?"

She heard Reece picking up the blanket again and start walking toward the bedroom. "I thought you said you'd seen it before," he teased as he went in and found a pair of sweatpants.

Abby didn't want to respond but it just came out. "I have. It just didn't look anything like that."

When he opened the door, he realized the little flickers were candles. Not birthday candles, but the ones he kept in a drawer in case the power went out.

There were two cupcakes in the middle of the table. Each one had a small birthday candle it. There was also a bottle of red wine and two glasses on the table. In the flickering light, he could see Abby was wearing the off-white sweater and a pair of jeans with some white socks. Her hair was soft and full. The small amount of makeup she wore really did make her pretty face look gorgeous.

"Is this okay?" she asked as though she had no self confidence. Truth be told, most of it was gone. Not many women could have gone through everything Abby had been through and not feel that way.

"Are you kidding?" he said to her. "This is perfect." He walked toward the small table where she was standing and said, "Wow. Now there's the beautiful nurse I remember from eight years ago—only you're even more beautiful now than you were then."

After blowing out her single candle and making a secret wish, Abby watched as Reece poured them both a glass of wine. Reece raised his glass and said, "To new beginnings."

Abby said, "I'll drink to that" as she gently touched her glass to his.

"So you asked me how old I am and I told you. Do you mind telling me your age, Reece?"

He laughed and said, "I'm old to legally drink wine with you." He took a sip then said, "But just barely."

It was Abby's turn to laugh. "You know, when I said there should be several girls chasing a nice-looking guy like you, you didn't say much. Is there anyone in your life, Reece?"

Reece wasn't much on sharing feelings but he did tell her about Paige and the betrayal.

"I'm sorry. I can't imagine how painful that must have been."

"Do you mind telling what happened to your husband. You know, why he's in prison?"

Abby sighed then started talking. Unlike Reece, Abby needed to talk. She took him all the way back to Genesis to when they first met, how he charmed her, how a good girl fell for a bad boy, the nice home, the money, and then the fall, the arrest, the trial, being RICO'd, and trying to start a new life only to fuck that one up, too.

"I guess pain is relative," he said thoughtfully. "When I was living with kidney failure, I thought no one was worse off than me. Then later on, when my mom got sick, I watched her deal with unbearable pain near the end. It made me think about other people and the pain they live with. Especially kids, you know. It made me feel pretty lucky. And when talk about me and being painful, I can't imagine what you've gone through, Abby. I'm just glad I can help."

"You really are a saint, Reece. I kid about you being my angel but if it weren't for you, I'd be sitting a prison cell right now." She sat and stared at her glass then said, "I'd be alone and afraid. When I think about everything I've lost and especially this last part that was all self-inflicted, I can't help but stop and think how lucky I am to have you in my life. I guess maybe that's why I asked if you believe in God because all of this seems like more than luck. It's as though it...and mostly you...are some kind of...miracle."

Reece was feeling so many things but unlike Abby he couldn't put them into words. He settled for telling her, "That's funny because I feel the same way only it's you who's the miracle."

Abby finished her wine and said wistfully, "I find it hard to believe you're only 21 years old. My husband is three years older than me and even now he's nowhere near as mature—or for that matter as thoughtful and caring—as you are even though you're 20 years younger." No response was needed. Abby just needed to say it. She picked up both of their glasses and rinsed them out before setting them on the counter.

"I think I'm going to go to bed a little early tonight if you don't mind," she told him.

"But you haven't eaten anything. Can I at least make you something?"

"I had something before you got home. I'll be fine. Thank you for asking, though. It's so sweet. It's so...you."

As she walked back past the table, she put her hand on Reece's shoulder and ran it along his back to the other side of his body. "Thank you for such a lovely birthday," she said.

"Abby. Wait. I have something for you."

"What? What do you mean? Reece, please tell me you didn't buy me anything else."

He walked over to the couch where he'd sat his gym bag and reached inside. "I couldn't help but notice you were wearing a pearl necklace at the um...in court." He turned around and walked over to her and said, "But you didn't have any earrings to go with it so I..."

"Reece. You can't do this!" she said as he held out the soft, fuzzy box. "It's too much. Yesterday was too much. This is...crazy. I can't accept..."

Reece took one of them out of the box and said, "Hold still." As he reached up, Abby didn't move. Although he had no experience with putting an earring on, he knew to be careful as he guided the post into the lobe. He put the clutch-back on it and said, "There." He handed her the other one and said, "I got lucky with that one. Maybe you should do the other side."

Abby's hand was trembling slightly as she took it. She didn't say anything else as she slid the post through the tiny hole in her ear.

"Come over here," he said. He took her hand and led her to a small mirror and stood behind her. He pulled her hair back as she turned slightly left then right. "Do you like them?" he asked.

Once again, tears were welling up in Abby's eyes. "I love them. They're so beautiful."

Reece gently set her hair back in place and said, "They are. Just like you."

Abby felt her heart pounding as Reece slowly ran his hands down her arms after smoothing her hair. She reached down and took hold of his hands and pulled them around her waist and held them tight. As she fought off the urge to cry, she said, "Why are you so good to me? What did I ever do to deserve this?"

Reece lowered his head and put his face next to hers. "Being you is what," he whispered. He could feel himself growing and thought he'd die if she felt him. He slowly pulled away to make sure that didn't happen.

At the same time Abby wanted to push back against him hoping she might be able to just feel him against her body. She also wanted to take his hands and put them where they almost were that morning. But when she felt him pull back, she knew he didn't share her feelings. She let go of his arms which told Reece she didn't feel the same way about him as he did about her.

Abby turned around and said, "They really are beautiful. I love them." No matter how much she wanted him to kiss her, it was obvious a handsome young man like this would never be interested in a woman her age—especially with the baggage she now carried. She decided to play it safe and kissed him on the cheek and told him thank you again and good night.

Reece wanted nothing more than to kiss her, but he knew a gorgeous woman her age wouldn't be interested a man (he wondered whether or not she even saw him as a man) his age. The kiss on the cheek answered is question.

"Good night, Abby," he responded. Before he got to the couch he said, "Oh, I can't believe I nearly forgot to ask. I'm graduating from my EMT training program tomorrow. I was wondering if you might want to be there. I mean, it's okay if you don't, I just thought..."

"Are you kidding?" she said interrupting him. "I wouldn't miss it for the world. Of course I'll be there. What time is it?"

"It's at 10am so if you want to ride with me, we could go to lunch after or something."

"I'd love to, Reece. But I have to look for a job, too. I only a limited amount of time to find something, but I definitely want to be there. Hey! Now I have an excuse to wear my new earrings, right?" she said excitedly.

He loved her smile. He thought this might be one of those rare nights where he'd have to um...take things into his own hands, as it were, to deal with all the stress and pressure of being around someone so attractive who wasn't interested in him.

Abby loved when he smiled at her. She couldn't remember the last time she'd masturbated, but she planned on closing the door and quietly diddling herself while fantasizing about being with the handsome, young man who had no interest in her.

"So good night then," she said as she closed the bedroom door still imagining Reece having kissed her rather than just accepting a peck on the cheek. Somewhere out there was a very lucky girl who would one day Mrs. Reece Anderson. Someone very pretty, someone very smart, and someone much younger than her. That much she knew for sure. But for now, she would imagine that girl was Abby Kennedy.

Reece tried not to stare but Abby looked so beautiful it hurt. She wore her long skirt which covered her ankle monitoring bracelet and the sweater she chose fit perfectly in all the right places showcasing her beautiful, soft breasts and tight waist. He made it a point to ogle her and did his best not to look at all lest he get caught staring at her soft, round mounds.

Abby's concerns were proven valid. Reece barely looked at her all morning in spite of her attempt to look as pretty as she could for him. Well, he wasn't blind. He could obviously see the tiniest little lines which had formed around the corners of her eyes. To Abby, they looked like trenches from World War I. They were deep and hideous and it was no wonder a cute, young guy like Reece had no desire to look at her. She'd be lucky to find a guy under 50 who still had his hair and a relatively flat stomach willing to date her. She sighed out loud as the pulled in to the station.

"Everything okay?" Reece asked as he turned off the ignition.

"Oh. Um, sure. Of course. Why wouldn't it be? I mean, you're about to graduate! This is just so amazing, Reece. I'm really, really proud of you," she said sincerely.

As Reece went around to open her door, he thought to himself, "Great. She's proud of me. That's exactly what my mom would have said. Then again, she probably looks at me more like her son than a potential boyfriend and why wouldn't she? She could have pretty much any guy she wants so why would she settle for some kid just starting out in his first job?"

"Watch your step," he said as he grabbed her hand when she nearly stepped in a puddle. When they got inside, Reece was met with a lot of handshakes and congratulations as was the one other probationary trainee who was graduating with him.

"Reece! Good to see you, my man!" Ken Fernandez said as he came up and slapped him on the shoulder and shook his hand. "This is your big day, buddy!" He saw Abby standing next to him and said, "Okay. Who is this beautiful woman? Did your mom have a sister you never told me about?" Ken's smile proved he wasn't being mean. Still, the age comment made Abby wince internally and serving to reconfirm what she knew. Even this guy closer to her age thought she looked old.

"No. We're definitely not related. This beautiful woman is Abby Kennedy-Wilson. You know, the one who took care of me when I was in the hospital."

The look on Ken's face changed telling Abby he just put two and two together. He didn't say it but she thought he was probably thinking, "Oh, right. The killer." If he was, he didn't let it show.

"Hi. I'm Ken. It's a pleasure to meet you Ms. Kennedy-Wilson," he said as he offered his hand.

"Thank you. Same here, Ken. And I'm going by Kennedy only now, but please call me Abby, okay?"

"Sure thing, Abby." He leaned in a bit and said as though he was revealing a state secret, "This kid thinks you're the greatest thing since sliced bread. And you really are as hot as he said you were!"

Just then Ken's wife walked and said, "Okay, there. I heard that. Hi, I'm MaryAnn, Ken's wife. Please excuse my husband. He's a hopeless flirt." She grabbed his hand and pulled him away as she said, "At least when he thinks I'm not listening." Ken waved goodbye as MaryAnn drug him off.

Abby was given a place in the front row for the ceremony and she used Reece's iPhone to capture his graduation on video and to take some stills with the captain as he presented him with his certification certificate.

As they stood around talking, Ken ambled back over to them with MaryAnn by his side and said, "Excuse me Abby, but Reece said you were looking for work. We were wondering if, well, we really need a nanny for our two kids. MaryAnn works for the city and between us, we have a lot of gaps we can't cover with our kids. We can't afford to pay you a lot, but I think we could make it worth your time."

Abby looked at Reece then back at the couple. "I'd love to. I can't tell you how much that would mean to me. But...well, are you aware of..."

Ken raised a hand and said, "Yes, of course. But we don't believe anyone should be judged by one event no matter what it might be. We're all more than any one thing whether good or bad. So if you want the job, it's yours." MaryAnn told her she felt the same way and wanted her to come meet the kids on Monday.

Abby felt herself tearing up again. She'd cried more in this last year than she had in her entire life combined. But she just couldn't help it. Reece had stepped in and saved her from jail and now he'd helped her find a job without even having to interview and explain her arrest and conviction. Sensing her discomfort, Ken and MaryAnn excused themselves leaving her there alone with Reece.

"So would you like to have lunch with me?" he asked.

Abby dried her tears and said, "Yes. I'd love to."

They made small talk as they ate club sandwiches and drank iced tea. Reece picked up the check and led Abby outside. She was so beautiful to him. The external part was obvious. But the inside was just as wonderful. Several times he nearly told her how he felt but after the hurt he'd felt from losing Paige, he didn't think he could take more rejection. Also, it would make living together very uncomfortable if he told her how he felt and she shot him down. Reece helped her into the car and closed her door. As they drove off, they headed back toward the station.

Neither of them said a word for several minutes until Abby finally spoke. "Reece? May I ask you something?"

"Of course," he said as he slowed for changing yellow light.

"Is there something about me you don't like? I mean, I know I'm older than you. Okay, a lot older, but am I really that unattractive to you?"

Reece's heart began racing. "Why would you say something like that, Abby?"

"Well, I know how old I am, but it's seems like no matter how hard I try, I'm invisible to you."

Reece accelerated once the light turned green. He glanced over at Abby and said, "I'm confused. Last night, when we were standing in front of the mirror, the only thing I could think of was how much I wanted to kiss you. But when you kissed me on the cheek, I knew you didn't have the same kinds of feelings for me as I have for you. But now you're making it seem like I don't have those feelings." He sat there for a moment then said, "Or can you really possibly not know I do?"

Abby looked over at him and said, "You have feelings for me?"

Reece was turning into the station in order to check on the schedule. He'd forgotten to look after graduation and he'd told Abby he just needed to run inside. As he pulled in again, he said, "I've had those feelings for as long as I can remember. Abby, I know it's crazy but...well...I lov..."

"Reece! Get in here! We've got a five-car pile up on I-5. We need every man right now! Get your gear on and take the last vehicle out. Go, go, go!"

He flung the door open and raced inside. There were buzzers and sirens going off and the PA was calling out orders to various crews. Abby sat in stunned silence as she watched the young man she...loved...running toward danger just as he was about to tell her he felt the same way she did. Just then, Ken pulled in next to Reece's car and jumped out. He saw Abby and said, "Come here! I'll take you inside where you can wait."

Abby pulled the driver's door shut, got out and followed Ken inside. He sat her inside dispatch and asked a young woman named Connie to keep on eye on her. "Sure. No problem, Ken. Be glad to. Have a seat over her ma'am. If you want some coffee, there's a pot right over there." She stopped talking to Abby and pressed the talk button. "Unit two, proceed code three. Unit 3, prepare for departure, code 3."

Abby could see Reece pulling on his uniform and throw a bag into the vehicle as it raced out of the station. She poured herself a cup of coffee and sat there listening to the chatter over the radio. Unit one was already on scene and there were now more cars involved. There was a heavy fog from Puget Sound that had rolled all the way across the interstate making it nearly impossible for cars to see that traffic was slowing.

Abby heard Connie say, "Unit Two, be advised Unit One is on scene. Approach with caution, remain code 3. Unit Three, say your twenty."

"Unit Three is one mile north of the scene. Proceeding with extreme caution."

Calls of injuries started coming in. Many were very serious. Then came a report of a fatality. A man had been crushed to death behind the wheel of his car. Initial reports indicated a stalled tractor-trailer in the right lane. It was likely that approaching cars were unaware until it was too late. The fatality had obviously hit the trailer at high speed. Connie was coordinating the dispatch of any available ambulance in the area.