Underneath the Peonies (Tom Hanson)

Chapter 12: End of the World

Tom's POV

Vivien woke up with me when I got ready for work. She was a little sluggish, but the smile on her face never left. She packed me a little sack lunch and gave me a kiss goodbye. What I did to deserve her, I'll never know.

When I gave her a kiss, I grinned at her and said, "stay here. Don't move. Wait for me. I'll be home before you know it, and we can start packing."

She smiled at me tenderly and said, "I can't wait."

We kissed once more, and I was out the door. I had already given Fuller my days off. Two weeks in Vienna with Vivien. I could not wait another minute.

In my pocket was a nice ring that I picked up for her. I have been waiting to give it to her in Vienna, just to make the trip extra special. She deserves so much, and I wanted to give her a ring to show her that I truly meant it when I said 'I do'.

I can't explain it, but when I was filling out a report I thought I felt my heart physically stop. My fingers began to tingle and sweat perspired around my hairline. My stomach began to twist, and I lost all my energy. At first I thought I was hit with the flu, but as quickly as it came, it left. I felt better and I went back to work but I just couldn't shake that weird feeling that I got.

I completed a case yesterday, so today I was just finishing my report on it. I was typing away merrily on my typewriter when Fuller's office door opened. I didn't pay him any attention until he called out my name.

"What's up, coach?" I asked after I finished my typed out sentence.

"Line one. Sounds urgent."

My eyebrows dropped, trying to think of what could be so important. I tapped the last period in my sentence before I leaned over my desk to grab my phone. I brought the receiver up to my ear and greeted cheerfully, "it's Hanson."

"Is this Thomas Hanson?" It was a woman's voice. I didn't recognize her and she certainly wasn't Vivien.

"Yes, ma'am. What can I do for you?" I asked while taking my finished report out of the typewriter with one hand and placing it in a folder.

"This is Nurse Montana from Metropolis Hospital. I have your wife, Vivien, here—"

"Woah," I stopped her. "Viv? Why?"

"We think you should come down right away. I suggest you have someone drive you."

"Oh, oh my god," I said, sitting up straighter and gripping the receiver in my hand tighter. "Is she okay? What happened?"

The nurse was silent for a moment before she finished with, "I suggest you come down as soon as you can."

I didn't waste another moment. I slammed the phone down and stood up so fast my chair pushed away and nearly fell over. I ran around to grab my coat that I had placed behind the chair and Doug's voice grounded me. "Hey, woah, what's the rush?"

"Vivien is at the hospital," I said as I put my coat on. "They want me to come down right away."

I began frantically smacking my pockets to find my keys. "Where are my keys? Has anyone seen my keys?"

"Easy," Doug said calmly as he stood up. He ran his fingers through his giant hair and said, "I'll drive you."

Viv has been to the chapel a couple of times since Fuller became our captain, so she got an earful the first time he met her. Thankfully, he warmed up to her and said that she could come by if she absolutely needed to but she had to come in through the back door, like the rest of us officers.

I ran into Fuller's office and told him about the situation. A wave of concern rushed across his face, and he told us to drive safe. Doug and I booked it down the stairs, and jumped into his car. As he was driving us to the hospital, I kept urging him to go faster and he thankfully ignored me. I guess it's a good thing that I didn't drive.