New Beginnings (27 page)

With his good hand, he swept the tears from her cheeks. “Guess a guy can’t get away with anything in this town.” His dark eyes radiated fondness and caring. And love, Anabelle suspected.

Standing at the foot of the bed, Anabelle took in the intimate scene. Rafael had welcomed Sarah’s kisses and had called her shortcake, surely an affectionate name. They acted very much like a couple, a sea change from the time Sarah had first arrived in Deerford, and Rafael had gone out of his way to keep a distance between them.

Anabelle cleared her throat to remind them that she was also in the room. “How are you feeling, Rafael?”

“Hi, Anabelle. I’m okay.” He held up his bandaged hand. “Sort of messed myself up though.”

Sarah backed off without letting go of Rafael’s good hand.

“What happened?” Sarah asked.

“I was driving home, I’d left the academy a little later than I had intended. I was going to call to let you know I’d be late.” The tender look in his eyes was meant only for Sarah to see.

“Anyway, I was pretty close to Deerford when I noticed a farmhouse on fire right near the highway. Flames. Smoke. The whole ball game. There weren’t any fire trucks in sight. I was right near an exit, so I peeled off. When I got there, some old guy screamed at me that his daughter and two grandkids were sleeping upstairs. They hadn’t come out yet.”

“You went inside a burning house?” Sarah gasped, apparently reaching that conclusion based on his condition and the smell of smoke in his clothes.

He shrugged as though it was something he did every day. “Somebody had to; and the old farmer was so wrinkled and withered, he looked like a flock of geese flying by would blow him away.”

A fist of fear grabbed Anabelle’s heart and squeezed hard, nearly sending her into cardiac arrest. Rafael could have died!

Wide-eyed, Sarah asked, “What happened to the children?”

“I managed to get inside and up the stairs. It was really smoky.” He coughed at the memory. “By the time I got to the kids and their mother, the stairs were fully engulfed. I knew we couldn’t get out that way.”

“Did you have to jump?” Anabelle envisioned broken ankles for all of them.

A smile hitched up the corners of Rafael’s lips. “Nope. I did what I used to do when Daddy grounded me for something and I wanted to sneak out of the house. I yanked the sheets off of the mother’s bed, tied them together, and anchored them to the bed frame. I sent mom down first, and she helped to catch the kids.”

Anabelle wondered if Elena knew of her son’s youthful escapades.

Seeing Sarah turn as pale as one of those sheets, Anabelle dragged a chair over and made her sit down. “Put your head down between your knees,” she ordered.

“So how did you burn your hand?” Anabelle asked.

“The fire was traveling pretty fast. The curtains on the window we were going out caught, and I had to pull them down. Then, dumb me…”—he touched his injured forehead—“I cracked my head on the window frame trying to get out of there in a hurry. I half knocked myself out.”

Dr. David Weller, the ER physician, strolled into the cubicle. Out of his residency about four years, he wasn’t much older than Rafael. “How’s our hometown hero doing?”

“I’m no hero,” Rafael protested.

The doctor ignored his comment and shot a questioning look at Anabelle.

“I don’t know how he’s doing,” she said, “but the rest of us are thanking the good Lord he’s still in more or less one piece.”

“I’ll say an amen to that,” the doctor agreed, approaching Rafael. Using his flashlight, he checked Rafael’s eyes. “I’m a little concerned about his head injury. He may have a concussion.”

“I’ve just got a little headache, doc. I’m fine. Honest.”

“Maybe.” He glanced at Anabelle. “I thought you retired. Are you working tonight?”

“No, I’m a friend of the family. Elena and her husband are out of the country.”

“I see. Well, I could release Rafael to go home if there’s someone there to check him every two hours, see if his eyes are equal and reactive.”

“I can do that,” Sarah volunteered.

Dr. Weller raised his brows.

“Sarah is staying at Elena’s house to take care of her granddaughter—Rafael’s daughter, Isabel—while they’re away,” Anabelle explained.

“I’m Isabel’s mother.” Sarah stood as though ready to challenge the doctor if he questioned her right to be there.

Nodding, he said, “Rafael, are you all right with this young lady looking after you for the next twenty-four hours?”

“Fine with me.” He sat up on the edge of the bed and swung his legs over the side.

“All right. I’ll discharge you into her care. I’ve cleaned and sterilized your burns. That dressing ought to last the weekend, but you’ll have to keep it dry. You’ll need to see your own physician first thing Monday to have him check the dressing. And your concussion.”

“I’m in the Sheriff’s Academy, doctor. I can’t miss—”

“Yes, you can. The academy doesn’t want you there if you’re injured. Get clearance from your own doctor before you go back. Understood?”

Rafael’s shoulders slumped. “Yes, sir.”

“Okay. If he has any problems, young lady, you call 911 and get this hero back here in a hurry.”

“I will. Thank you.” Sarah knelt to help Rafael put on his shoes.

“I’m so grateful you weren’t seriously injured,” Anabelle said. “Because I know your mother and how worried she’d be, I’d like you to call her sometime tomorrow to tell her you’re all right. Otherwise, she might hear through the grapevine what happened and get on the next plane home.”

Rafael scowled. “There’s no need for her and Daddy to come home early.”

“You’re right, which is exactly why you need to call and reassure her. She left you her itinerary, didn’t she?”

“Minute by minute,” Sarah admitted.

“Then you’ll call her tomorrow?” She addressed Rafael in the same firm tone she’d used with her own children.

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll call her tomorrow.” Rafael stood up and helped Sarah to her feet.

“I’ll make sure he does,” she said.

Feeling confident Rafael was in good hands, Anabelle headed home herself. She had the distinct impression that the young couple was heading into a permanent relationship.

She knew Elena—and Isabel—would be pleased.

The following morning, Cam brought the newspaper in and dropped it on the kitchen table in front of Anabelle.

“Looks like Dr. Weller isn’t the only one who thinks Rafael is a hero,” Cam said.

Holding up her reading glasses, Anabelle read the headline splashed across the front page:
ROOKIE OFFICER CALLED HERO
. What followed was the story of Rafael saving a young mother and her two children at the risk of his own life. Both the mayor of Deerford and the police chief were quoted as saying Rafael deserved a Medal of Honor for his bravery.

Lowering her glasses, Anabelle said, “Rafael didn’t seem comfortable last night about being called a hero.”

“Given that headline and the story, I think he’d better get used to it.”

A little over a week later, Elena watched the skyline of Chicago appear out the airplane window. Since Rafael’s call, she’d vacillated between worrying over her son’s injuries and thrilling to the sights and sounds of Spain.

She’d been worried enough that she called Anabelle, who confirmed Rafael was being well cared for by Sarah. She thought Rafael would be able to return to his studies at the academy soon, although with limits on his physical training program.

Still, the need to actually see her son, hug him, and know for sure he was all right grew in her belly like a cancerous tumor. Strands of fear metastasized, paralyzing her brain and wrapping themselves around her heart.

She shivered and pulled her cardigan more snugly around her.

“Querida, no matter how hard you look, you won’t be able to see Rafael until we’re all the way through customs. He will be waiting for us beyond the roped-off area.”

“I know that.” She didn’t spare Cesar a look as she continued to stare out the window. “As soon as we land, I’m going to call him.”

With an amused chuckle, Cesar sat back in his seat.

The pilot announced, “Prepare for landing.” The flight attendants took one last pass through the plane before buckling themselves into their seats.

Moments later, the plane touched down, raced forward on the tarmac until the pilot reversed the engines, braking the plane to a slow taxi.

As soon as the flight attendant indicated it was all right to use electronic equipment, Elena used her cell phone to call Rafael.

“Hi, Mama. Welcome home.” The sweet sound of his voice brought tears to Elena’s eyes.

“Are you all right?” she asked.

“Sure. Sarah and Izzy and I are all here waiting for you. Was it a good flight?”

Elena wasn’t sure. She’d worried the whole time about her son.

Once the seat belt sign went off, Elena nearly shoved Cesar into the aisle to get their carry-on suitcase and jackets down from the overhead bin. She wanted to get through customs as quickly as they could.

The customs officials apparently had other ideas. The line moved as slowly as an aging caterpillar, weaving its way back and forth without any apparent progress.

At long last, they broke through the quagmire of bureaucratic paperwork. Elena dashed ahead, leaving Cesar to push the cart filled with suitcases.

Spotting Rafael in his gray Chicago Bulls hoodie sweatshirt, she cried out. Tears blurred her vision. She threw her arms around him, and he lifted her off of her feet.

“Easy, Mama. You’ll hurt yourself.”

She stepped back to arm’s length. “Let me look at you.”

The injury on his forehead had been closed with a few stitches. His burned hand was still red, the skin puckered, but no infection that she could see.

“You’re really all right?”

“The doc says in another week I’ll be doing push-ups and pull-ups with the rest of the class.”

Relief washed over her.
Thank You, Lord
.

Cesar shook Rafael’s hand and slapped him on the back. “I heard they’re calling you a hero.”

“It was nothing, Daddy. Right place at the right time.”

“Sounds to me like it was more than that,” Cesar said. “I’ve been following the story in the
Deerford Dispatch
online.”

“Buela, did you bring me anything from Spain?”

“I did, little one.” Elena knelt and squeezed Izzy in a big hug. Wearing bright pink tights under a pink felt skirt, she resembled an adorable Easter card. “Let’s wait until we get to the car and then I’ll show you.”

Still holding on to Izzy, Elena looked up at Sarah. “Thank you for taking care of my son. And Izzy.”

Her fair complexion turned a charming shade of pink. “I was happy to help.”

“Come on, folks,” Cesar said. “It’s a long ride home.”

Home sounded very good to Elena. Her own bed. Her own house filled with the people she loved.

When they reached the street, waiting to cross to the short-term parking lot, Cesar said, “I talked to Chief O’Hanlon the other day. He said the mayor is setting up some kind of ceremony to present you with a Law Enforcement Medal of Honor.”

“Yeah. I sure wish he wouldn’t do that, though. I’m being razzed like crazy by the guys at the academy.”

“I’m proud of you, Son. What you did tells me you’re going to be a great cop.”

The two of them exchanged a look of camaraderie. After all the years of Cesar pressuring Rafael to make something of himself—and Rafael fighting back—they had finally reached a point of mutual respect as well as love.

Elena smiled, counting this moment as a special blessing from the Lord.

B
UELA, WHERE’S MY DADDY?”

“He’s in the police station with Tito. All the police officers are getting ready for the ceremony.”

“’Cause my daddy’s going to get a big medal.”

Elena cupped the back of Izzy’s head, careful not to dislodge the pretty pink bow she wore. “Yes, he is, sweetie.” Indeed, Elena was filled with a mix of both parental pride and strained nerves.

On this warm, spring afternoon in March, folding chairs had been set up on the town square directly across the street from the Deerford City Hall and Police Department. A portable stage was also in place with a podium and chairs for dignitaries. Flags of the United States and the State of Illinois stood on either side of the stage.

Elena, Izzy, and Sarah had arrived early and were standing off to the side waiting to be told it was time to be seated. Cesar had gone directly into the police station to prepare for his part of the ceremony.

Glancing down the street, Elena spotted Anabelle and Cameron walking toward the town square. She waved and received a big smile from Anabelle in return.

Anabelle hurried up the sidewalk and gave Elena a big hug. “Are you terribly excited?”

“I’m excited, nervous, thrilled, you name it.” Elena’s laugh felt forced. “Face it, I’m an emotional wreck.”

“Don’t you worry. We’ll all be here to back you up. Kirstie drove over from Chicago. She’ll be here in a minute. Ainslee and Doug are coming. So are Evan and Maureen with her two children.”

“Oh my goodness.” Elena placed her hand over her heart. “They didn’t all have to come, but it’s so sweet that they did.”

“It’s not often one of our own receives a Medal of Honor for bravery. Why, I remember Rafael when he was in middle school, all long hair and loud music.”

“He hasn’t entirely outgrown the loud music part, but at least his hair is short now.” She chuckled a nervous laugh. “Say, how’s it going with your new enterprise?”

“We think we’ve found a Web site designer, and Ainslee has contacted a lot of women who do various crafts. They seem interested in selling a few things online.”

“Good for you. If I can find the time, I might sew some scrubs. Nurses I’ve talked to have liked the prints I use.” Elena looked away and saw James and Fern coming her direction.

She excused herself from Anabelle and went to meet the new arrivals. “Fern, it’s so good to see you. How are you feeling?”

Fern made an okay sign with her thumb and finger. “The latest meds are doing wonders.”