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911, What is Your Emergency?

By: komrad1156



"911, What is Your Emergency?"

"As you all know, one of our own has a big event coming up this week. Reece Anderson is completing his probationary period and will become a full-fledged member of our team this Friday."

Everyone in the house stood and clapped. Some whistled and there were calls for, "Speech, speech" followed by, "Yeah, but make it a short one!" The other EMTs laughed as Reece stood up. The captain motioned for him to come up front so in spite of his overall shyness, Reece stood next to his boss. 

"Thanks, everybody. I appreciate how everyone here has helped me learn the ropes. The captain took a chance on me and helped me get into the training pipeline after my mom passed away last year. Most of you know I was in my junior year of college kind of lost my way and then dropped out. I was really floundering until Ken over there..." Reece stopped to point to his primary trainer, Ken Fernandez, "talked me into looking into EMT certification. The captain agreed to sponsor me and the rest is..."

The applause was cut short when the PA system blared. "Unit 3 respond. Multiple car accident with injuries the intersection of Denny and Terry." That was Reece's team. 

He grabbed his gear just as he'd rehearsed and done so many times before during the two months. In that short time, he'd already pretty much seen it all from fender benders to people incinerated inside a burning vehicle. On his second response, he'd witnessed a decapitation which was the result of a high-speed chase involving the police. The suspect darted in and out of traffic at very high speed and didn't notice the 18-wheeler slowing in his latest new lane. The Mustang he was driving slammed into it doing well over 100mph. Chase threw up when he looked inside and saw the headless body in the passenger seat. Since then, nothing had gotten to him like that but it was still difficult to see any accident that involved children or fire. This one sounded like it might be bad.

As they arrived on scene, Reece noticed a silver sedan that had been T-boned by a white pickup truck at the worst intersection in the city. A police officer was attending to someone in the sedan while it appeared the driver of the pickup truck was standing next to it apparently unharmed. He couldn't see her face but she didn't appear to be seriously injured. Since he was still technically on probation, Reece was assigned to the pickup while Ken and another team member attended to the sedan.

He grabbed his gear and ran toward the small, older looking F-150. The passenger was a woman who appeared to be in her early '30s. A uniformed officer had her blowing into a breathalyzer. She was clearly distraught and Reece heard her saying, "I didn't see them. They just came out of nowhere. Is everyone okay?"

"Ma'am, I just need you to blow into the breathalyzer for me. We have EMTs on scene attending to the other vehicle's passengers."

"Is there anything I can do, officer?" Reece asked her.

"She's got a nasty gash in her forehead but otherwise seems okay. I can't say for sure I'm guessing she's well over the legal limit. She better hope no one in that other car dies or she could be looking at serious jail time."

"Okay, let me know when you're done so I can treat her."

The woman finished with the breathalyzer which the officer took from her. "Go ahead. You can took a look at her now."

Anderson took a few steps and came up behind the woman. "Ma'am. I'm here to help you. Are you okay?"

When she turned around, he didn't immediately recognize her. There was a considerable amount of blood on her face and if it actually was her, he hadn't seen her in years. But he couldn't help but think that was her. "Ma'am? I need to take a look at that cut. Do you mind?"

She leaned against the banged up front of the vehicle as Anderson pulled on a pair of latex gloves. He saw the cut wasn't deep but because there are so many capillaries in the face, any cut can bleed like hell, and this was one of them. He got out some alcohol wipes and began cleaning off her face. As the dried-on blood was cleared away he was struck by just how attractive she was and that's when it hit him. "It's just superficial, ma'am. You're gonna be fine." He put a small bandaid over the cut then asked, "Ma'am? Is your last name Kennedy by any chance?"

She was non-responsive at first then slowly looked up and said, "It used to be. That was my maiden name. Do we know each other?"

Reece could smell alcohol from two feet away. "I believe so. Did you used to work at Seattle Memorial Hospital?"

"Yes. I still do. Were you a patient of mine?"

Just then the uniformed officer stepped and said, "Is there anything seriously wrong with her in terms of injuries?" Reece shook his head and explained it was just a superficial cut from her head hitting something sharp like the buckle on the shoulder harness. He started to explain what he thought happened when the police said, "Okay, thanks. That's all we need." He pulled out his handcuffs and said, "Abigail Kennedy-Wilson, you're under arrest for driving under the influence. You have the right to remain silent..."

Anderson watched as she was put in the patrol car and driven off. As he stared at her face in the rear window, he began recalling how it was he knew her. She'd been so kind to him. In the background he overhead Ken and the others. It was the sound of the Jaws of Life that snapped him out of his trip down memory lane. He ran over to the sedan and said, "What's the story here?"

He could see a woman in the front seat who appeared to be unconscious. Ken was working furiously to get the door off. He grunted, "White female, late '30s to early '40s took a direct hit to the driver's side door. She's breathing but unconscious. Multiple abrasions, possible internal bleeding."

Fifteen minutes later, she was in a neck brace, on a gurney, and still unconscious as she was loaded into a waiting ambulance. Ken was pushing the gurney and Dale Jansen was bagging the woman. He couldn't tell whether or not she was still breathing on her own.

______________________________________________________________________

"Where were you yesterday?" Reece asked weakly.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't here but I had to take a day off, Reece. I got married," she said with a subdued excitement. She'd been by the young boy's side every day since he was admitted with kidney failure three weeks ago. He was scheduled for surgery the following morning and Abby Kennedy-now-Wilson had postponed her honeymoon so she could be there for him. He was too young to fully understand all of this, but he was still very brave for a 12-year old boy.

"You did?" he queried.

Abby showed him the big diamond ring on her finger and said, "Yes, I did. Is that okay with my favorite patient?"

Reece was exhausted. He was always exhausted. Just staying awake took all of his energy. But he thought Nurse Abby was the nicest person he'd ever known except for maybe his mom. "Oh, sure. Of course it's okay. I should have known you have a boyfriend," he managed to say.

"Really? Why is that, Reece?" she asked as she held his swollen hand.

He did his best to look at her as he tried to tell her, "Because you're so pre..." Reece wasn't able to finish his sentence. He couldn't fight the heaviness in his eyelids any longer as he fell back into a deep sleep.

Abby woke him up at 2pm. It was time for his final dialysis before the surgery the next day. Three hours later, Reece's blood was as clean as it could get and that wasn't saying much considering how long he'd been living without a functioning kidney. He slept nearly all of the rest of the day and all night. 

Abby was there at 5am to wake him up and at least try and get him to have a bowel movement before surgery—if there was anything for him to eliminate. Reece didn't have much of an appetite, and he had wasted away over the last several months. Even so, what remained of him was bloated because of his body's inability to get rid of excess fluids. She held one puffy hand as his mom held the other when they wheeled him in for surgery at 6am. "You're going to be just fine, Reece," Abby told him. 

"I love you, honey!" his mom told him as she kissed his forehead. "I'll be right there when you wake up, okay?"

"Okay," he mumbled. He turned his eyes toward Abby and said, "Will you be there, too?"

She was supposed to start her honeymoon that afternoon. Her shift ended at 10am and she had a 2pm flight for the Poconos. As the charge nurse, she'd made sure she was on duty when Reece went in for surgery. A delay would mean changing tickets and cost her and her new husband several hundred dollars they didn't have. Even so, she knew she couldn't abandon him. "Yes. I'll be there too, Reece."

"Promise?" he managed to say.

"I promise," she said as she squeezed his hand a final time.

When he woke up around noon in the ICU, both his mom and his favorite nurse where there just as they'd both promised. Abby left an hour later and when she returned the following week, the young boy was out of the hospital and on his way to a full recovery. His body tolerated the new kidney quite well and it began doing its job immediately. Within two days all of the swelling was gone and his appetite was back. After five days, he was feeling stronger and was well enough to go home. Abby'd never seen him again after that.

____________________________________________________________________________

"Come on, Abby! You can't sit home again and watch some sad movie again. The trial's over and Eddy's in jail. There's no reason for you to sit around and sulk. Let's get out and have some fun for a change!"

She loved Gayle dearly, but Abby had no interest in going to some bar and trying to get picked up but some drunk stranger. She spent so much time at the hospital the little bit of time she had to herself was precious. Besides, she had laundry to do, groceries to buy, and a ton of errands to run. There was no time to kill an entire evening drinking and the next morning recovering from a hangover. And frankly, she didn't have the money to spend on drinks and dinner. Eddy's secret life had cost them everything they had and then some.

Eddy. She'd been so smitten with him and against her better judgment and the warnings from her friends, Abby had trusted him completely. She knew she shouldn't, but he was just so different from all the other guys she'd dated—fellow nurses, a couple of doctors, and even a very nice guy who as a pharmacist. But Eddy was...dangerous. He was everything Abby wasn't. He had that forlorn James Dean kind of look to him. Not just the dangerous thing but he looked...sad. Handsome but somehow sad. Like the late actor, Eddy had a motorcycle and he liked to ride it—very fast. Abby felt so alive when she was with him. Her life at the hospital was interesting and she genuinely loved helping people—especially children—but it was mostly routine and quite often—dull.

How could she know the car repair shop Eddy owned was a front he used to launder the real money he made selling drugs? How could she know her husband was a real-life version of Walter White from the hit TV show Breaking Bad? Eddy was moving nearly 20 pounds of meth a week in and around the Seattle-Tacoma area and all the way down to Portland, Oregon and up into British Columbia in Canada. His arrest a year ago came as a total and complete shock to her as it did to their neighbors in the quaint Seattle suburb where they lived.

During the trial, all of the details came out. The drugs, the money, the other women. His secret life; a secret he'd kept from her completely for just over seven years. She'd never heard the term "RICO" before but after everything they'd jointly owned was confiscated by the government, she became intimately familiar with it. A judge left her with the assets she'd brought into the marriage which amounted to about $10,000. The nice home, the two cars, and nearly all of their furniture was taken. She'd even been forced to get rid of her wedding ring to pay the first and last month's rent on a modest little apartment in a part of town that made her very uncomfortable. 

Since then, she'd lived alone in a small place a block from Seattle Memorial. She walked to and from and kept her expenses to a minimum. As a registered nurse, she made fairly decent money, but it was only enough to pay for her apartment and living expenses as lawyers and other creditors kept hammering day in and day out for more money. She was now less than four months from turning 37 years old and all alone.

Abby had told her girlfriends 'no' every time they'd asked her to go out and let off some steam. She'd done the same tonight but after thinking about all of this...shit...for the umpteenth time, she called Gayle back and said, "You know what, I could use a night out. Can you come by and pick me up?"

She and Gayle had dinner at a nice restaurant because her friend agreed to pick up the tab. They'd each had two glasses of wine before they went to Gayle's favorite bar and started shooting tequila. Abby only had three more drinks but Gayle was completely wasted.

When they left, Abby insisted on driving because Gayle was so out of it. She thought she was fine but she had had five drinks in just over two hours. Then again, Gayle had had three more than her so there was no way she could drive her old pickup truck. Abby dropped her friend off at her apartment and briefly thought about staying overnight but Gayle told her she could take the truck home and bring it back the next day.

Abby didn't even see the red light when she drove straight through the intersection and slammed into the small sedan. The momentum of the truck shoved the little car completely out of its lane and had completely caved in the driver's door. Abby knew she was beyond the legal limit and she was scared. When the preliminary results of the breathalyzer came back, she had every reason to be. She blew a 0.15 which was almost twice the legal limit. What was left of her world began to fall apart as the police officer handcuffed her and read her her rights.

The following morning, Abby met her court-appointed attorney, a frail little man named Saul Levinsky. He informed her the passenger in the sedan had died from her injuries and that the state was charging her with vehicular homicide. There would be a bail hearing at 10am. Abby was now stone-cold sober and this news sent her into shock. She was unable to think or feel anything but fear. She sat alone in her cell staring into space until the guard came to get her.

Bail was set at $100,000 and Abby didn't have 10% of that to post so she sat in jail awaiting trial. To add insult to injury, her union rep showed up that afternoon and informed that the hospital was suspending her without pay. He said he was sorry as hell, thought it was a dirty deal since she hadn't been convicted of anything, and promised the union would fight her dismissal. For now, though, she had no job and no source of income. 

Later that night, it all came crashing down on her. Abby felt the first tears fall followed by the deepest of sobs. That's when she learned there was no sympathy in jail. Two very large, very intimidating women told her to shut the fuck up. They then went into a tirade about jail, life in prison, and the need to be strong. They told her in no uncertain terms what weakness meant and how it was dealt with. Abby managed to stop crying, but the tears were replaced with a fear she'd never known. She literally shivered as she thought about life in a state penitentiary. At some point, she finally managed to fall asleep but woke up exhausted a few hours later. To her deep chagrin, it hadn't been a dream. She was still wearing prison orange and she was still surrounded by some of the loudest, meanest women she'd ever seen. "This must be the tenth circle of hell," she thought sardonically. "No, that's not true. This is 'only' jail. Prison must be worse than this," she told herself although she still couldn't realistically imagine how that might be so.

She met with her lawyer who began developing a strategy. Truth be told, there wasn't a whole lot he could do for her. She was indeed well over the limit, she ran a red light and the event was caught on video. But the most damning aspect was that the other woman had died as a result. In her favor was the fact this was Abby's first offense. She hadn't even had a traffic ticket since high school. The only other hope she had was that King County, Washington, was one of the most liberal, progressive counties in America. If she drew the right judge for her trial, she could get off with probation. The wrong one could send her to prison for a very long time. More than likely, she would do some jail time followed by a period of probation. An outright acquittal was a virtual impossibility.

Abby agreed to waive her right to a jury trial and hoped against hope she might be assigned a judge who favored rehabilitation over prison. It was a huge roll of the dice because it really did all boil down to the luck of the draw. Two days later, she learned her case would be heard by Judge Hastert. He was most definitely not the progressive type, but he was also by no means a "hanging judge." Saul told Abby she really was at the mercy of the court.

Abby elected to invoke her right to a speedy trial and the date was set for 75 days hence. She met with Saul several times, but he repeatedly told her there was very little he could do. He would demand to see calibration records on the breathalyzer used, he would look into any technical detail he could, but in the end she had very little control over her fate. She would dress modestly, present herself as a hardworking citizen who'd been a caring, concerned, registered nurse for many years, and express her deepest sorrow and regret for her actions.

About a week before the trial, Saul felt he'd finalized his list of character witnesses he wanted to call on Abby's behalf. "Is there anyone else you can think of who could help our case?" he asked her.

"I've given this a lot of thought and the only other person I can think of is the EMT who showed up at the scene. But I don't remember his name."

"How could he help us, Abby? Did he see something you're not telling me about?"

"No," she replied. "But I'm almost certain he knows me from somewhere. It would at least be worth checking into it, don't you think?"

"It couldn't hurt, that's for sure," Saul told her. "You don't know his name so describe him to me please."

"He's about 20-25, dark hair, maybe six feet tall, muscular, and for what's it worth, very good looking."

"I'm afraid his looks won't do a thing for us at trial. The key is what he might have to say. I've gotta tell you it sounds like a long shot but I'll check into it. Every person we get to testify as to your otherwise stellar character is a plus." Saul reached into his briefcase and pulled out an envelope. "I'm sorry, Abby, but I'm the reluctant bearer of more bad news. Your landlord is evicting you. You're now three months past due and we both knew this was coming so..."

Abby shook her head and said, "That's okay, Saul. It's not your fault. Besides, I'm not going to be needing an apartment anytime soon."

Her attorney was going to upbraid her for being so negative but in his heart of hearts he knew she was right. If she got anything less than six months it would be a miracle. A year was a more likely sentence and two wasn't out of the question. As the grandson of a Holocaust survivor, Saul Levinsky didn't believe in miracles or even God. "Stay strong, Abby," was all he said as he picked up his things and asked to be buzzed out.

Her mystery EMT was the last witness to be called on the second and final day of her trial. He was even more attractive than Abby remembered. He was wearing a suit and tie and Abby as she tried not to stare at him, it made her realize she hadn't been with a man in a very long time. And this young man was just that—young. He was much too young for a woman her age but dreams and fantasies were the only things she had left so she let her mind wander if only for a moment. She also realized no guy in his right mind would date a convicted felon even if she were closer to his age. She was snapped out of her brief fantasy state when she heard him say, "I do" after being sworn in.


911, What is Your Emergency?



The prosecuting attorney said, "Mr. Anderson, please tell us who you are and why you're here today."

"I'm Reece Anderson. I'm an EMT for the city of Seattle and I'm here as a witness for the defendant." 

Abby's heart fluttered when he glanced over at her. She saw the faintest of smiles and the slightest of nods as their eyes met. Abby was wearing a dark blue dress with a single strand of pearls and very little makeup. Her hair was worn up giving her a look of elegance without being pretentious.

"So tell us how you know the defendant, Mr. Anderson," the assistant DA said.

"Well, I wasn't sure I even knew her until her attorney came to see me. When he told me she'd been a nurse at Seattle Memorial when I was 12 years old, I remembered her."

"What it is it you remember about her, Mr. Anderson?"

"I was sick. Really sick. My kidneys had both failed and I'd been the transplant list for two years when I got so bad I had to be hospitalized. That woman..." he pointed to Abby, "was my angel."

"Angel? That's a bit hyperbolic, isn't it, Mr. Anderson? What exactly to you mean by 'angel.'"

"I was so sick and always so tired. I felt helpless and hopeless. My dad had died when I was young and my mom worked two jobs to support us. Our insurance had paid all it could pay and the bills were mounting up. My mom was there as often as she could but Nurse Kennedy...er, Wilson I believe it is now...was always there for me. I can't remember a time when she wasn't. She held my hand, she read to me, she encouraged me. She did all the things a nurse does but she was well...more than just a nurse. She was like a kind of substitute mom or something."

He cast a glance back over at Abby and noticed a tear falling from her eye. He offered another faint smile then looked back at the prosecutor.

"So she's a nice person. Is that your testimony, Mr. Anderson?"

"Yes. No. I mean, she's not just a nice person. Or at least when I knew her. She was so much more than that. She was caring, compassionate, and...loving. I can't say whether or not her care helped me physically, but I know for sure it made a huge difference in my attitude. I've wanted to thank her a thousand times, but for a thousand different reasons I never took the time. This is my way of doing that." Reece turned to Abby and said out loud, "Thank you. You saved my life."

Abby smiled through the tears welling up in her eyes and nodded as she mouthed the words, "You're welcome."

Saul had very little to ask as Reece's testimony had spoken for itself. In his closing arguments he emphasized how all of the people who had testified spoke to what a wonderful, caring, helpful person Abby Kennedy-Wilson was. He reminded the court this was her first and only offense and pleaded with the judge to consider probation only.

The prosecution countered with the facts. "First offense? I'm sure the victim's family would disagree. This woman killed a man's wife, two children's mother, a daughter, a sister and all because she willingly CHOSE to drive while under the influence. Your honor, the state requests three years in a woman's correctional facility as this woman's character and past performance are irrelevant to the crime."

The judge said he would return with this verdict. Two hours later, the court reconvened.

"Ms. Kennedy-Wilson?"

Abby stood. "Yes, your honor?"

"My understanding is your husband is in prison and that you have no family and no home. Is that correct?"

"Yes, your honor. I planned to file for divorce but now, without a job..."

The judge stopped her. "That's not my primary concern. The issue is you have no place to live and no one to care for you should I impose probation only."

Abby didn't speak. She continued to stand knowing she was about to be convicted and led out in handcuffs.

"Therefore, probation is not an option in your case. I'm afraid..."

"Your honor? May I speak?" a male voice from the back of the courtroom asked.

"Mr...Anderson, is it?"

"Yes, your honor."

"Young man, I'm about to impose sentence. The time for testimony is closed. Please be seated."

Reece fidgeted nervously then said, "Your honor. Please forgive me but if it will make a difference, Ms. Kennedy-Wilson can stay with me. I'll be responsible for her." He paused then remembered something he'd heard on Law and Order before adding, "If it please the court."

"Mr. Anderson," he began. "I should hold you in contempt of court. I told you to sit down. Please do so...now." Reece sat. "That said, I admire courage and it took courage to speak up. So let me ask you, do you understand what this means? If you agree to this, your home is subject to unannounced inspection which means a search of the premises. No probable cause is required so anything found may therefore be used against you in a criminal proceeding. Do you understand this?"

Reece wasn't sure if he should stand or sit. He rose slightly and said, "Yes, your honor. I don't have anything to hide."

"Do you have a firearm or weapon of any kind in your home?"

"No, your honor."

"And you're willing to accept responsibility for her room and board for the duration of the probationary period?"

Abby turned to look at her potential savior. He looked back at her before addressing the court again, "Yes I am, your honor."

"Counsel? Is this acceptable to both of you?"

Both stood and told the court they had no objections.

"Very well. Then I hereby sentence Ms. Kennedy-Wilson to time served and one year probation. Defendant is to wear an ankle monitoring device at all times and is confined to the premises, place of work, place of worship, and a one-mile radius from the residence. You are to meet with your probation officer within 48 hours and then according the schedule he or she sets. Court is dismissed."

Abby turned to Saul and hugged him. "Thank you, Saul! Thank you. Thank you so much!"

Saul released her and tilted his head toward the young man in the EMT uniform who was now standing beside them. "I believe he's the one you should be thanking."

Saul left to take care of paperwork and Abby was now standing alone in front of Reece. She was almost afraid to look him in the eyes but managed to do so. "Thank you, Mr. Anderson. I don't know what I did to deserve this, but I will forever be grateful."

"You may not remember me, Nurse Kennedy, but I've never forgotten you and what you did for me eight years ago is what you did to deserve this. It's my honor to repay the favor. Shall we?" he said as he pointed toward the back of the courtroom.

"I just want you to know I don't have a car so..."

"I have one."

"Okay. But I also no longer have a job and..."

"I have one."

"Well, okay. But just so know, I'm also still legally married even though..."

"Nurse Kennedy? Are you trying to talk me out of this?" Reece smiled and said.

"No, of course not. I'm thankful beyond words. It's just that I want you to know what you're getting yourself into before you..."

"I'm not 12 years old anymore, Ms. Kennedy. So unless you have other objections you'd like to raise." He waited until Abby shook her head. "So again...shall we?" Abby had to be formally booked then immediately released after signing for her meager possessions. The last item of business was being fitted for an ankle bracelet which was attached and activated. Reece's address was entered as the center of the circle in which she was allowed free movement.

When they arrived at Reece's small apartment, he told her she could use his bedroom and that he would stay on the fold-out couch. "Oh, no. I couldn't do that. That's your bedroom Mr. Anderson. I'll be fine out here."

Reece took the small bag Abby was holding and said, "Ms. Kennedy? Or do you prefer Wilson?"

"Kennedy is fine. As soon as I have the money, I'm going to file for divorce. But I'd prefer if you called me Abby."

"Okay, I will, as long as you'll call me Reece."

"Of course. What's the second thing?"

He took her bag and asked her to come with him. "The second thing is I insist you stay in here. A woman needs her privacy and besides, I'm coming in and out at all times of the day and night. There's no reason you have to be woken up when I come in from work at some ungodly hour of the night."

He sat her bag on his bed and said, "I just need to move this little two-drawer nightstand out here so I can keep my underwear and socks and we'll be all set."

Abby felt more tears coming. Reece couldn't help but notice and said, "I'm really sorry. This is the best I can do. I know it's not much but someday I'm hoping to buy a..."

Abby's tears turned into crying. Her face screwed up horribly as she tried to talk. "I'm just so...I'm just..." She couldn't get the words out. She held her arms open which cause Reece to instinctively comfort her.

He put his arms around her and said, "Shhh. Everything's gonna be okay, Abby. We'll get through this just like we got through my troubles. I'm here for you, okay?" Reece let go of her but kept his hands on her shoulders. He was a good five inches taller than her. As he looked down at her swollen, puffy eyes, he said, "Listen. I have to go to work soon. Why don't you take a nice, long, hot shower, change into something comfortable, and get some sleep? I can't imagine you've gotten a lot of rest the last three months."

Abby was trying to stop her sniffles. Reece wiped away her tears and said, "Okay? Will you do that for me?"

Abby nodded. "It's just that, well, these are the only clothes I have other than the ones in the bag I was wearing the day of the accident."

"That's okay," Reece told her. "Give me your old address and I'll swing by and pick up a few of your things."

Abby sat down on the bed before saying, "I was evicted last month. I was given two weeks to claim them or they'd be tossed out or given away. I'm so sorry, Reece. I've made such a mess out of everything." She began to cry again as she looked away from him.

Reece sat next to her and took her hands in his. "Hey. Don't cry. I'm off tomorrow. We'll go find your things, meet with your parole officer, and start putting your life back together. When I said I'm here for you, I meant it, Abby. Just like you were there for me eight years ago."

Abby blinked away the new tears and said, "You are such an angel. You're still a bit too young to be married, but there has to be someone in your life. You're too good a person not have several girls your age chasing after you." She sat quietly for a moment then said, "Especially since you've grown up to such a handsome young man." Abby tried to smile but it was weak and small.

Reece didn't want to talk about his recent breakup with Paige Melton, his high school sweetheart. They'd dated since his senior year, but he'd had a crush on her as long as he could remember. When he found out she'd cheated on him with his best friend Pete Miller, he'd been devastated. He lost both his best friend and the love of his life at the same time. Between that and the death of his mother, Reece threw himself completely into his work which was usually just enough to keep him focused. Work allowed him to push all the hurt and pain into the background where it stayed until he came home alone to his small, quiet apartment. Having Abby here—just having someone else here—was a kind of godsend. The fact that she was such a kind and caring person made it that much better. And even though he hadn't seen her in eight years, he couldn't help but notice that underneath the tears and mess of mascara, was a woman who was still as pretty as the beautiful young nurse who'd help get him through the second worse thing in his life. Helping her was a pleasure because by doing so, he was also helping himself.

"I don't have a lot of time for dating, Abby. Work keeps me pretty busy. And just so you know, I want you here. Please don't ever think you're imposing and I want you to ask me for help whenever you need it." She was looking down into her lap as he spoke. Reece raised his hand and touched her cheek then gently lifted her chin until she looked at him. "I want to help you, Abby, and I need to know you believe me. Do you?"

Abby felt more tears well up in her eyes. Rather than speak she just nodded her head. She swallowed hard then managed to say, "I do believe you and from the bottom of my heart, thank you." She looked directly into his eyes then put her arms around him again as she began to sob uncontrollably.

Reece didn't speak or try and console her. He understood she just needed to cry. The pain and the frustration had to get out and this was the best way for that to happen. Some two full minutes passed before Abby was able to stop crying and try and control her breathing.

"Sorry," she said sincerely. "You need to get to work rather than sit here with some old woman who can't control her emotions."

Reece stood up but as her arms fell from around his shoulders he took her hands in his. "I'm just glad you feel safe enough to cry in front of me," he told her. "And for the record, you don't look like any old woman I've ever seen." He brushed away her tears one more time and Abby reached up and took his hand in hers. She kissed it and thanked him again for being so kind and understanding.

"I'm just paying it forward," Reece said. "Or perhaps the better phrase would be 'paying it back.' Either way, I'll be here for you no matter what you might need. All you have to do is ask, okay?"

Abby didn't answer and Reece knelt down next to her. "Okay?" he asked again as he squeezed her tiny hand.

"Yes. Okay," Abby said trying her best again to smile.

"That's my girl," Reece said as he returned her smile. He hesitated then said, "I'm sorry. That didn't sound right. I didn't mean you're..."

Abby managed a smile that was almost real. "I know what you meant, Reece, and I wasn't offended. I was actually flattered. Believe it or not, that's the kindest thing any man has said to me in a very, very long time."

Reece stood up then said jokingly, "Wow. Then you definitely need to get out more."

Abby stuck out her leg and showed him her ankle bracelet. "I don't think that's going to possible any time soon, but I can't argue with what you said." Reece laughed and when he did, Abby laughed as well. 

He let go of her hand and said, "Okay. Time to get going. Just remember, we can see a whole lot of Seattle within a mile of this place." He winked and was happy when Abby smiled back at him. "See you tonight. Well, no, you probably won't. I get off at 2am so with any luck, you'll be sound asleep. Sweet dreams," he said.

"Bye, Reece. Be careful, okay?" He flashed a thumbs-up sign at her along with another big smile. Reece was out the door in seconds leaving Abby alone on the full-sized bed.

She sighed as she tried to process everything that had just happened. She'd avoided prison but was now on parole. She'd been saved by this handsome young prince but was essentially trapped here by the monitoring device. She had no job, no home, no money, and only the clothes on her back plus those in a very small paper bag. And yet for the first time since the accident she felt something she hadn't felt in a very long time. She felt...hope.

Abby desperately needed to wash clothes as everything she owned—both sets of clothes—were now dirty. But first, she knew Reece was right. She needed a real shower more than anything else except for maybe some real sleep. He'd been right on that accord, as well. Abby had slept with one eye open the entire time she was incarcerated. She never trusted anyone and she did her best to keep to herself and stay out of everyone's way. Especially those two big women who scared the living hell out of her. "It's over," she said to herself. "You're safe here."

With that thought, she took off her necklace, shoes, and dress, and turned on the hot water. Nothing had ever felt so good to her before! She lost track of time when she noticed the water was now only warm. She quickly shut off the valves as she wondered how long she'd been in the shower. Reece had left at about 3:45 and it was almost 5 o'clock. She must have been in there nearly an hour. The good feeling she had was immediately replaced by one of horror. "Oh, my goodness. How much water and electricity did I just waste on one shower?" She was more concerned with the impact on Reece and his budget than she was on the therapeutic effects the shower had had on her. She promised herself to be in and out in less than ten minutes each time from now on.

From now on. What did that mean? Would that be for a week? A month? The entire year? She couldn't imagine living here and sponging off of someone as nice as Reece Anderson for that long. She knew she HAD to find a job or she'd been sent to jail for violating her parole. Employment was a prerequisite to remaining free. Or at least relatively so.

The parole office was still open for another five minutes. She decided to call and make an appointment for the following day. She grabbed her cell phone and clicked the on button before she realized it no longer worked. It not only hadn't been charged in over three months, it had been disconnected for non-payment. "Great," she thought to herself. "Looks like I'll be walking there tomorrow." Then she had to ask herself how far it was from the apartment which caused her to wonder what she'd have to do if it was more than a mile away. Abby rarely ever swore but the frustration welled up inside her again. "Fuck it!" she said out loud to no one. "Fuck it all to hell."

Exhausted, she lay down on the bed just to rest her eyes. When woke up, she wasn't sure where she was and the strange noises she heard caused her to scream.

"It's okay, Abby. It's me." Reece was standing next to her. 

"Jesus! You scared the hell out of me. What time is it?"

"It's about 2:30am. I'm sorry to startle you but when I came in you were well, laying on the bed so I..."

Abby realized there was a blanket over her and that she'd fallen asleep completely naked. "Oh, my gosh. Reece. I'm so sorry. I took a shower and I only meant to lay down for a few minutes. I never meant for you to come in and see me like..."

"It's okay, Abby. I'm sorry if you felt embarrassed being seen like that, but I wasn't, you know, looking or anything. I just thought you'd be cold. It's the middle of winter and it's freezing outside so I tried to slip in and just cover you up. I didn't mean to scare you."

Abby was wide awake now. "No, it's my fault. I haven't slept like that since...since before the accident. This is the first time I've felt safe enough to fall soundly asleep in months." She sat up being careful to pull the blanket up around her neck. "Thank you for taking care of me. You really are my angel, Reece."

It was dark in the bedroom but there was enough light from the living room to make out the outline of each other's face. "Takes one to know one, Abby."

"I'm glad you can't see me right now," she said quietly.

"Why is that?" Reece asked.

"Because I feel like I'm going to start crying again."

Reece sat down on the edge of the bed and said, "Why? Are you okay? Are you upset at me?"

Abby shook her head. "No. Of course not. I just can't get over how good you've been to me. I feel so undeserving and so..."

Reece reached up and found her face. He ran the back of his hand up and down her cheek. "In my mind, you're deserving of not only this but of so much more. I'm the one who feels so inadequate. I want to have a nicer place and better things to make you feel more at home but this little bachelor pad is all I have—for now. To me, this is home. I'm just glad you're here with me, Abby."

Abby let go of one side of the comforter and reached for Reece's hand. "Reece? Do you believe in God?"

Reece hesitated then told her, "No. Not since the death of my mom. I prayed and prayed for her to get better but she just kept getting worse until breast cancer killed her. I never really did believe but that just confirmed what I already knew: there's no one 'up there' listening. Why? Do you? It's fine with me if you do."




911, What is Your Emergency?



"No, not really. I mean, I never thought about it too much until the accident. I mean, I had a lot of science courses in my RN program and I tend to trust science a lot. But when the woman I ran into died, I couldn't believe a loving God would let a wife and mother of two be taken in the prime of her life. Why not take someone like my drug-dealer husband who's in prison for selling meth to kids instead? It just doesn't make any sense."

"I don't have answers to that, Abby. At least not beyond what I just said. My conclusion is things like that don't happen because 'God needs that person in heaven more than loved ones need them on earth.' It's just a matter of timing and circumstances. Had she tied her child's shoe, she'd have been seconds away from the intersection rather than in it. Had she not gone back to check the door, same thing. And I'm not judging when I say this. But had you not been drinking..."

Abby squeezed his hand. "I know. You're right. It was all my fault. You can't imagine how sick it makes me feel. I've lost my job and my home, but I'm alive. I killed someone's wife and mother. Someone's daughter is dead because of ME."

Abby began to cry again and Reece reached out and put one of his arms around her shoulder. "I can't imagine how much it hurts, Abby. But please understand I'm not blaming you for what happened. I'm not trying to minimize or trivialize any of this. I just want you to know that I don't see that girl when I look at you."

He could tell Abby had nodded her head. "Thank you for saying that, Reece." She squeezed his back and asked quietly, "What girl do you see when you look at me? Can you tell me that?"

Reece stroked her shoulder-length dark brown hair. "I see the beautiful girl who was there for me every time I woke up in the hospital. I see the warm smile and the bright eyes and I hear the sweetest voice I've ever heard other than my own mother's." He kissed on the top of the head then said, "That's who I see."

Abby took his hand and held it to her face. "Reece? Would you stay here with me? Not...like that...of course. I just mean...would you stay here next to me until I fall back asleep?"

"Sure. Just let me use the bathroom and get out of these clothes." He stood up then realized what he'd just said, "Okay, I didn't mean it like that. What I meant was..."

For the first time, Reece heard Abby giggle. "I know what you meant. Go ahead and do what you need to. I just want to have someone I trust near me. It's been so long since..." Abby stopped without saying another word as the feelings she'd had in the courtroom washed over her.

She heard Reece in the bathroom and the sounds of having a man in the house with her brought back another flood of emotions. She now almost wished she hadn't asked Reece to stay with her because for the first time since that fateful day she felt the overwhelming need to touch herself...down there.

Reece brought another blanket to lay over himself as he got onto the bed. That meant there would be no bodily contact. "Is this okay?" he said as he turned over on his side.

Abby hadn't been touched by another human being except in the worst, most intrusive way during cavity searches since she went to jail and it had been months prior to that since a man had even held her let alone...

"It's perfect. Thank you, Reece. My angel."

Reece turned over and reached across and touched Abby's face. "Again, takes one to know one, my angel," he said.

Abby scootched herself back toward Reece as far as she could then pulled his arm over her body. She kissed the back of his hand goodnight and as she did, he could feel the warm tears running down her face.

The next time she woke up, it was naturally. Abby forced one eye open enough to read the LED on the alarm clock. It said 7:05am. This time, she felt rested and...peaceful. As she tried to force herself to get out of bed, she became aware there was something on top of her. It took her brain a moment to realize it was Reece's arm. Somehow, it had gotten underneath her blanket and it was draped across her body with his hand hanging loosely in front of her chest. Abby felt her heart beat faster.

"It wouldn't be so wrong if I just lifted up my arm," she said to herself. Slowly and carefully, she did just that letting Reece's arm rest on her rib cage. There were only about three inches left on her side of the bed but she moved toward it as slowly as she could. Just before she felt like she might fall off, she felt it. Her gasp was short and quiet but it was unmistakeable. She turned slightly so that his hand would rest directly on top of the soft mound. More than anything she wanted that hand to gently cup her waiting breast. Her nipple was already very hard and that feeling...returned. Ever so carefully, she lifted her left hand and slowly placed it on top of his right hand then gently pressed down. Reece stirred slightly and Abby instantly felt mortified. She held her breath waiting for him to flinch or move or even worse, ask her what in the hell she was doing. 

Embarrassed beyond words, Abby willed herself to slide off the edge of the bed. "What in the world is wrong with you, girl?" she thought to herself. She turned to see if he might possibly be awake. He wasn't but for the briefest of moments he really did look like an angel to her. It was just after sunrise and a small amount of light was streaming in through the dark, gray clouds outside. He was so beautiful—so...angelic.

Just then Abby realized that while she was out of bed she was standing there completely nude. "Shit!" she cursed as quietly as possible. She tiptoed toward the closet and found what felt like a sweat shirt. She quickly pulled in over her naked body then felt around for something—anything she could wear to cover the rest of her. She found a pair of his jeans and removed them from the hangar. She made her way out of the room then pulled on the pants with the realization she didn't even have a clean pair of underwear to put on. To make matters worse, his size 32 waist was five inches bigger than her own. The hips were too tight, the waist was too big, and the size 36 inseam was way too long. She hopped over to the table, took a seat in one of the chairs, then rolled the pant legs up over her ankles. "Okay, now for a belt," she told herself.

The closest thing she could find was a chip clip with a pretty strong magnet in it. She doubled the material then clipped them up on the side as best she could. Abby tried to imagine just how "beautiful" she must look with her tangled hair, sweatshirt, and clown pants. 

She looked around and saw what she was hoping for. A coffee pot! She hadn't had a decent cup of coffee in well...almost as long as she hadn't been with a man. She opened a couple of cupboards before she found a can of Yuban dark-roast coffee and some filters. She poured in enough water to fill the pot then added in several scoops of the dark, rich flakes. When she poured herself a cup, she couldn't believe how good it felt in her hands. Even better was the unbelievably delicious aroma! She took a first sip and smiled. "Oh, my God! That's better than sex!" she said out loud.

"Your husband must not be very good at it then," she heard a man's voice say.

Abby nearly choked as she was taking a second sip. In fact, she came very close to spewing. "Oh, my God! You scared the hell out of me," she said with no malice.

"I seem to have a real knack for that," Reece said. "Is there enough for me?" he asked.

"Oh, sure. I made a full pot. I didn't expect you up this early," she told him.

"Obviously," he teased. "Normally, I wouldn't be but I smelled the coffee brewing and it smelled so good, I couldn't stay in bed," he said as he poured himself a large mug.

"May I?" he asked as he came near the couch where she was curled up.

"Oh. Geez. I'm sorry. Of course. I mean, it's your couch!" Abby moved to the side and made room for Reece to sit down.

"How did you sleep?" he asked as he took his own first sip.

"Great," she said truthfully. "I haven't gotten that much sleep since..."

"I understand," Reece said. 

He looked over at her and said, "I guess the first thing we need to do today is get you something to wear."

Abby burned herself swallowing too big a gulp as she heard what he said. "What? Oh, my goodness. No, we don't need to do that. I just need to throw my stuff in your washing machine and I'll be fine."

Reece chuckled. "That's gonna be tough considering I don't have a washing machine. But there is a laundromat about a block and a half from here."

Abby looked over at him and said, "Um...I can't even stand up in these let alone go outside in them."

"Yeah. I noticed. You need to put on some weight," he kidded. "Or let me buy you something to wear."

Abby turned toward him and said, "Reece. I can't let you do that. I just need to get my things washed and I'll be fine."

He smiled and said, "No, that's not true. The white blouse you were wearing when...you know...has blood all over it, remember? And the dress you wore yesterday has to be dry cleaned. So unless you want to look...like that..." he said pointing to the chip clip, "you're going to have to swallow your pride and let me help you get started starting over. Think you can do that?"

Abby looked down and away then back at him and said, "You may just be the nicest person I've ever met."

Reece gave her a pair of sweats he'd had for many years that were almost small enough to stay on without something as classy as a chip clip. "There! You look like a million bucks!" he told her.

Abby gave him a look that said "watch it, buster" but she was so thankful for his friendship she couldn't hold it. When they went outside, she was wearing a baggy gray sweatshirt, faded blue sweatpants with a hole in the right leg, and the flats she'd been wearing the day of the accident. It was around 40 degrees and her feet were freezing but she was grateful not to be in jail.

There was a Target store catty-corner to Reece's apartment which Abby said would be perfect. "No way," Reece told her. "They have crap. I'm a guy but I know their stuff is second rate. There's a women's clothing store just up the street. We'll go there instead of Target."

"No! That'll be way too expensive. All I need is a pair of jeans and something warm to wear on top. Really."

Reece ignored her even as she started to head in that direction. He reached out and grabbed her hand and pulled her in his direction. "Nope. You're coming with me. After all, you're in MY custody, right?" 

She wanted to protest further but when she saw his smile she simply melted inside. What weak resistance she had faded when she saw his perfect, white teeth and soft, full lips. "Yes, sir. You're correct. I promise to be a good girl and do this your way."

"Good. At least we've established who's in charge around these here parts!" he said while continuing to smile. He pulled her close to him then put his arm around her shoulder. "Jesus it's cold out here. We've gotta get you a coat, too."

Fifteen minutes later, they were walking into a store called CATO. It was a step up from Target, but it wasn't exactly high fashion. Then again, even when she was working, Abby couldn't afford nice clothes from a store like Nordstrom or Belk. The thought of ever buying from Saks or Neiman Markus made her laugh out loud.

Reece opened the door for her and Abby stepped inside. The warm air felt SO good after being out in the cold, raw 40-degree morning. "Okay, let's find you something to wear," he told her.

Abby wandered around the store once then said, "Okay. I know exactly what I need and it will only be a couple of things. You need to tell me if it's too much, okay?" Reece nodded as she grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the underwear section. She picked up one pack of panties which had three pairs in it. She showed it to Reece who shrugged meaning that was fine.

She then chose two bras. One was black and the other nude. She showed him the price tags with a hopeful look in her eye. Reece looked at her as though he was very upset. "Are you kidding?" he said. "You expect me to pay for these, too? Panties AND bras? Really? Do you think money grows on trees, young lady?"

Abby hit him playfully and said, "Don't be mean. I can't go around braless you know." Reece just raised one eye which caused Abby to hit him again. "You're terrible!" she said. "So is this okay?"

"Of course it is. Get whatever you need," he assured her.

Abby picked up a pack of socks of various colors then grabbed a pair of jeans and a sweater. "Okay, this will take care of it," she told him.

Reece raised an eyebrow again only this time it meant, "You've got to be kidding."

"Is it too much?" she said with genuine concern. "I can find a cheaper sweater. I just thought it was really pretty and..."

"Three changes of clothes, minimum, and that's final." Abby started to argue but Reece held up a hand and said, "Uh-uh! Go! Shop! Three outfits. And don't come back without them," he said with mock authority.

He saw a tear well up in Abby's eye again and said, "Okay, that's just not gonna work today. No more tears and no more sympathy. Now go and spend my money. I command it!"

Reece stood outside the changing room as Abby tried on the things she took inside. He wasn't paying any attention when he heard, "Pssst! Pssst! Reece? Can you come here?"

He turned around and saw her peeking out of one of the changing rooms. He walked toward it and said, "What is it?"

"You mean other than feeling utterly guilty about all of this?," she said. "I need your advice." She pointed to her the things she had laid out and asked him, "Which ones should I buy?" 

Reece looked them over and said, "They all look fine. Whatever you like is okay with me."

He went to turn around but she reached out and grabbed his arm. "No! You've gotta help me. Do you like the blue or the gray better?"

Reece saw two very nice sweaters laid out over a pair of jeans and said, "Both. Get both."

Abby gave him the skunk eye. Then she pointed to another set. "The black or the off white?"

Two more pretty sweaters on top of some khaki pants. "Get both."

"Men!" Abby said. "Can't you just please give me your opinion? She pulled him inside and he noticed she was only wearing one of the bras she'd planned to buy and a pair of the panties. The price tag was still sticking out. "I need your opinion so please don't be dismissive. Which ones do you like best?"

He was pretty sure Abby wasn't thinking about being topless. He knew women totally got into buying clothes, but it just wasn't his thing. "My opinion?" he said. He turned from looking at the clothes to looking at Abby. He briefly looked down at her then back at her face. "I think you look sensational."

Before he could finish the last word, Abby shrieked and threw up her arms over her breasts. "Oh, my God. Get out! Get out, get out, get out. I am so embarrassed."

She was pushing Reece out the door as he said, "You're gonna need a skirt for job interviews, too!" 

Moments later, Abby came out wearing the black sweater and the khaki pants. She stormed right by Reece as she walked toward the back to grab a very long, size 6 black skirt off a rack. A few moments later he heard her say, "If you want me to buy the skirt, I'm gonna need shoes, too."

"And a purse, too, right?" Reece said in a polite but taunting way.

She popped her head out and said, "I take back every nice thing I said about you! Yes, a purse, too." She'd been carrying a small clutch with her the day of the accident and it wasn't suitable for much of anything.

Reece couldn't resist. "It's really cold outside, you know. Won't that mean you need a coat and gloves?"

The door popped open again and Abby just glared. She stomped out wearing the skirt then stomped back in holding a pair of 2 1/2 inch black heels in size 7 along with a black coat. 

Reece couldn't help but laugh when Abby kicked open the door with her foot as she tried to balance everything she'd carried in all at once. Reece noticed she'd left two sweaters inside so he reached in and grabbed them once Abby was outside. When she heaped her pile of clothes on the counter, Reece casually dropped them on top. "We'll take these, too, please," he said in his politest voice.

Abby crossed her arms and tapped her foot. "Do you know how much this is going to cost?" she said. "You have no idea, do you? That's because you only buy Levis and sweat pants and socks for yourself once a year. You don't know how much women's clothes cost, do you?"

The girl finished ringing them up and said, "Your total is $637.24. You saved $114.12 today because of our after-Thanksgiving sale."

Reece handed her his credit card and Abby grabbed his hand. "No. No! I will not let you spend this much money. We can take back three of the sweaters and the skirt. I can interview in the khaki pants.

"We'll take all of them," he said to the clerk as she handed him the receipt. He signed his name then took the coat from the pile and held it up for Abby to put on. She pretended to still be mad at him but he could see something besides anger in her eyes and that look told him it was worth every penny. He handed two of the bags to Abby and carried two himself.

When they got home he and Abby set the bags on the bed. Abby fought back more tears as she said, "Reece. This was way too much. I promise I'll repay you once I get a job. Every penny."

When he looked at her he saw something he hadn't seen before. He couldn't put his finger on it but it warmed his heart in a way he hadn't felt since he was in...

"If you want to repay me, then you can get ready to go visit your parole officer."

Fortunately, it was only about a half mile to his office. She'd had to sign some forms stating she understood the terms of her parole. Finding a job was at the top of the list. She would see him every Wednesday until released or sent to jail for violating the terms of her release. He wasn't a mean man, he was just doing his job and that meant making sure Abby was 100% clear as to her responsibilities.

Reece had also insisted they stop at the drugstore on the way home. She started to object again until he reminded her she would be interviewing for jobs and needed to look her best. He quickly added she didn't need makeup but that it something most employers expected. Rather than argue, she ended up buying some sheer foundation, mascara, eye shadow with a half dozen colors in it, some blush, and a tube of lip gloss. Reece wasn't a big fan of lipstick but so he has happy she didn't buy any. Then again, she wasn't buying any of this for him. He was thinking that a woman like Abby didn't really need any makeup but he had to admit she might even look prettier with a small amount than she already did and she looked very pretty as it was.

Reece was working a day shift the following morning so he was up at 5:30am. When he sat up on the couch he thought he saw a fire. He threw off the blanket and sheet and jumped out of bed. He was almost to the table when he realized it was a cupcake with a single candle in it.

"What the hell?" he said as he stopped near the sink where he planned to get a cup of water or something.

Abby was sitting there in the otherwise completely dark room staring at the cupcake. "Today's my birthday," she said very quietly. "Wanna celebrate with me?" As she asked him that, she turned around slowly then suddenly flipped her head back around straight. "Oh, my God!" she said instinctively.

Reece looked down and noticed his manhood was less than a foot away from her face. "Jesus, Abby!" He nearly jumped all the way back to the couch where he stripped the blanket off the bed and wrapped it around his waist. "Holy, shit! I'm so sorry," he said.

"No worries," she told him. "I've seen it before, remember?" She hadn't actually seen it. Rather, she'd only seen a kind of silhouette and immediately turned away.




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.




911, What is Your Emergency?



Moments later, Abby heard a call that sent a chill through her. "Dispatch, Unit Three's vehicle has been hit. We have injuries on the team. Will advise."

Unit Three was Reece's vehicle. Abby felt sick. And helpless. "Dispatch, Unit Two. Anderson is pinned inside the vehicle and is unconscious. Get an ambulance here STAT!"

Abby was shaking. She stood up, set the coffee down then said, "I'm a registered nurse! Send me out there. Please!"

The captain was standing next to Connie when he said, "I'm headed out, Connie." He turned to Abby and said, "If you really are a nurse, come with me. Let's go!"

Abby lifted up her skirt and ran to the emergency vehicle the captain used. She slid in next to him as another EMT rode shotgun. Abby was praying to the god she didn't believe in. She couldn't deal with one more loss in her life. She couldn't get this close to happiness and have it snatched away. Rather than waste her time talking to herself, she began recalling her days in the ER at Seattle Memorial. She was running through checklists and the life-saving steps.

She could barely see the green mile-markers as they clipped by. As traffic slowed, the truck moved into the emergency lane with lights flashing and siren blaring. They slowed considerably as they approached the beginning of the accident scene which had grown in the last 20 minutes since the first call went out. Abby felt sick as she saw one car after another crushed or demolished. Flashing lights from another vehicle were faintly visible up ahead and the strobes grew brighter with each passing second. Finally, she could make out the EMT vehicle which had been hit hard by a very large truck of some sort. It may have been a dump truck, but she couldn't be sure and she didn't really care.

As they pulled alongside it, the captain shouted orders to the EMT and told Abby to come with him. As they approached the vehicle, Abby got her first glimpse of Reece. There were two of his fellow EMTs working to extricate him from whatever had him pinned. He wasn't actually inside the cab but rather in a small space behind it. He was bent over and splayed out on the roof of the cab as the EMTs were cutting metal with their power tools. After what seemed like an eternity, one of them shouted, "He's out. Get a gurney over here NOW!"

Abby's heart was in her throat as they lowered him down. "His left leg is bleeding heavily!" one of them called out.

The captain gave Abby a shove and said, "Go!"

She ran up to them and said, "I'm a nurse. I'll take care of him. Give me a tourniquet!" she shouted. One of the men who'd helped him down handed her a long rubber tube which she grabbed as she visually assessed his wounds. There was a large cut in the left calf below the knee. She placed the tourniquet around his leg just above the knee and tied it tightly enough to stop the flow of blood.

"Okay, we've got him from here," one of the EMTs told her.

Abby turned to him and said, "The hell you do! I'm going with him and no one is gonna stop me!" The captain, who was overseeing everything, nodded to the EMT.

"Okay, then follow me," he said. The two of them pushed the gurney toward the next waiting ambulance. They were stacked up like taxis at the airport and were taking on the injured based on the seriousness of the injury. Reece was loaded inside one of them and Abby climbed in beside him. As the ambulance roared off, she found some scissors and cut away the material around his lower leg. She could see the tibia was fractured but her sense was he wouldn't lose the leg. She just didn't know how much blood he'd lost.

They were about halfway to Seattle Memorial when she saw Reece trying to open his eyes. She knelt down next to him soaking her new skirt in blood but she didn't know or care. "Reece? Can you hear me? Reece? It's Abby. Can you hear me?"

His eyes were glazed telling her he was going in and out of shock. After several moments, she saw them focus. When they did, he tried to focus them on her. He looked for several seconds, then blinked. "Reece? Can you hear me?" she said again as she ran her hand over his cheek.

He tried to speak but couldn't. His lips moved slightly but no sound came out. "It's okay. I'm here. You're going to be all right," she told him.

She saw his lips move again. "You're..." His voice was a hollow whisper. Abby leaned her head down and put her ear to his lips. "You're...my...angel."

Abby raised her head and looked into his eyes. "Yes. Yes I am your angel. And I'm here for you." She was crying again. She told him, "I'm here for you and I always will be."

She saw him try to speak again and she said, "Save your strength. It's okay. We can talk later, okay?" She stroked his face and his hair as her tears fell.

She saw him shake his head ever-so-slightly. "No. Can't wait. Come close."

Again, Abby placed her ear next to his mouth. "My angel—Abby. Abby."

"Yes, I'm Abby," she said.

"I know," he croaked. He tried to raise his hand but it was unbelievably heavy. She took in hers and listened. "Abby? Abby?"

"Yes? I'm listening."

"I...love you...Abby. You're my...angel and I love..."

Abby's tears fell without measure. Reece was unconscious. The EMT next to her asked her to move aside. He had to check to see whether or not Reece was still breathing. As she slid out of the way she knew he couldn't hear her but she said, "I love you, too, Reece. I love you, too." She let go of his hands as the EMT placed a bag over his face and began pumping. He squeezed the bag two times every few seconds making sure oxygen flowed into Reece's body. He continued this all the way into the ER when one of the many doctors lined up to receive patients took his report. 

"Okay, got it," the doctor said. Abby recognized him and he her.

"Sorry, but you can't be in here anymore. You'll have to wait out here."

Abby knew she wouldn't have been allowed inside the ER even if she were in good standing with the hospital, but in this case, there was no way in hell the hospital could afford to let her anywhere near a patient.

After a little over an hour, the doctor came out and found her. "I'm sorry about being so rough with you, Abby, but you understand, right?"

"I don't care about any of that. Is he okay? That's all I want to know. How is he?"

"He'll be fine," the young doctor told her. "He has a compound fracture of the tibia and he'd lost about three pints of blood, but the tourniquet saved his life. Be sure to tell the EMT who put it on what a great job he did, okay?"

Abby didn't care who got credit for the work, she just wanted to see him. The doctor led her back to a kind of trauma ward they'd set up whenever there was a mass-casualty event like this.

"He's resting comfortably now. As you know, we couldn't give him any morphine because he'd lost so much blood. But we've given him a pretty good amount for the pain so he may be a little bit out of it for awhile."

Abby saw his bed in the line of patients and ran over to him. He was awake and as soon as he saw her he smiled. "It's my angel," he said sleepily.

She bent down and hugged him as tightly as she dared. "Are you okay? Are you in pain?" she asked with genuine concern.

He lifted his arm and put it around her and held her next to him. "Am I in pain?" he repeated. "No. I'm not in any pain. The morphine is pretty amazing."

Abby laughed. As she tried to raise up, he stopped her part way. He looked into her eyes and said, "I'm not in pain, but I am in love. With you, Abby Kennedy. I'm in love with you."

Abby couldn't help it. The tears flowed again. "I love you too, Reece Anderson. I love you so much it hurts."

He pulled her toward him and for the first time, he kissed her. Abby melted into him as she kissed him back. He wasn't completely out of it. She moaned when she felt his tongue touch hers. They kissed for a very long time. When it ended, Reece said, "Abby? I can't get out of bed so I can't get down on one knee but..."

Abby shrieked with excitement. "But if you'll have me, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Abby Kennedy, will you marry me?"

Abby was still crying and she didn't give a damn. She nodded her head furiously as she managed to say, "Yes. Yes! Yes, I will marry you, Reece. Of course I will marry you!"

Abby never left his side until she took him home two days later. He was able to walk in his cast with the aid of crutches. She helped him into the bedroom then took them from him and said, "Let me get your blanket and pillow so you can lay down and get some rest."

He reached out and grabbed her and said, "Uh-uh. Not yet." He opened the top drawer of the dresser and reached in all the way to the back until he found what he was looking for. He turned around and put one hand on the bed and began lowering himself to one knee.

"Reece. No, you can't do that. You'll hurt yourself."

He ignored her and grimaced as the spike of pain made it's way past the barrier created by the heavy dose of oxycodone. He opened his hand and produced a large diamond ring. "This was my mother's, Abby. She wanted me to have it to give to the woman I would one day love and marry."

Abby put her hands over her mouth and fought back the tears. "I promise to buy you one of your own one day, but for now, I want you to have this. So formally, Abby Kennedy, will you be my wife?"

Abby's hand was trembling as she offered it to her young finance who slipped it on her finger. It was the tiniest bit too big but very close to a perfect fit. "Yes. Yes I will be your wife, Reece Anderson."

He struggled to stand up and she grabbed him with both arms. He stood then took her in his and said, "I love you, Abby. And I want to make love to you."

Abby smiled, nodded and hungrily kissed him. Moments later, they were both naked and in bed.

Because of his cast, Reece lay on his back as Abby lay next to him and kissed him. She saw him begin to grow hard and said, "Oh, my God! I knew you were big but...oh, my God!" She reached down and gently lifted his growing cock while kissing him deeply.

"Mmmm. That feels so amazing," Reece said. He raised his hand and softly cupped Abby's left breast causing her to moan softly.

As she continued stroking his cock, he slid his hand down her body until it disappeared between her legs. She was soaking wet and dying for his touch. Abby gasped as he ran his index finger along her clit. He stopped to use the tip of his finger to roll over it time and time again.

"Oh...my...god!" Abby cried. "You have no idea how much I've wanted you to do that to me," she whispered.

Reece gently inserted his middle finger inside her pussy while using his thumb to continue massaging her clit. Abby stopped fondling him as she gasped sharply.

"I want you inside me, sweetheart," she said. "Will you please fuck me?"

Reece's leg hurt like hell but everything else worked just fine. He raised her up and lifted her on top of himself. She was careful not to bump the cast as he lowered her down.

"I love you so much, Reece," she told him as she bent down and kissed him. "You saved my life. You truly are my angel."

She reached between her legs and grabbed his swollen member and lined it up perfectly. As she lowered herself onto his waiting cock, Reece pulled her close and kissed her. She took him all the way inside her as he said, "And you saved mine making you my angel. I love you too, Abby."

Abby lifted herself up and down, over and over, feeling his fullness inside her. All of the hurt and pain of the past melted away as she basked in the warmth of his love. Nothing else mattered but him and her—together. Abby no longer felt old. She felt...loved. And beautiful.

Moments later, she increased the rhythm until she felt herself tense. At the same time, she felt Reece release the huge load of semen that had built up inside him for so long. 

"Yes. Yes. Oh, fuck, yes!!" Abby screamed.

As he came inside her, she continued to gently slide up and down on him until she'd taken every drop. Then she just stayed there holding him inside her not wanting this moment to ever end. Reece kissed her again and told her how beautiful she was and how much he loved her.

Three months later, her divorce from Eddy was granted. The next day, the two of them, along with Ken and MaryAnn, stood before a justice of the peace and exchanged vows. The cast was gone and the leg was healing well. Abby had never been happier caring for their two children until she'd learned she was pregnant with her own first child.

Reece promised to love and cherish her with all his heart until death do us part and she had done the same. Abby knew that when that day finally came she would still be okay because she had found her angel, and he would always be there to watch over her just as she would always watch over the man she so dearly loved.