Battle in the Streets

Chapter 4

Andrews cruised his patrol vehicle down the pothole-filled street, each hole only reminding him what kind of neighborhood he lived in and worked for. Though Brian was used to it by now, he couldn't help but wish they would repave the road at some point. It sure would ease the tension on his sore back.

Occasionally, dispatch and another unit would trade information, sometimes a call to respond to, or a traffic stop. His cruiser remained at a reasonable speed, just fast enough to stay in the steady flow of traffic but slow enough to cautiously keep an eye on everything, the houses, the allies, and of course the street. As a rookie cop, he had to get used to the rhythm of things like this. Brian chuckled to himself. He had come a long way since those days. His mind drifted off to his early memories on the force.

He had been blessed to have his father as his field training officer. Though he hadn't necessarily thought of it as a blessing at the time, it was one. Being away from his family for about five years in the Marines wasn't exactly the best of bonding times. While training his son, Frank Andrews could talk alone with him about things like what happened overseas. As Brian looked back at it now, he realized that he needed the man-to-man, father-son talks they had had.

Another reason it had been a blessing was that his father sure wasn't afraid to let him know if he was doing anything wrong. He had always been that way. Brian's father, Frank Andrews, was sort of a no-nonsense guy. Brian and his sister, Liz, grew up in what some people would call a strict family. No matter what he had thought when he was young, he was glad now that he hadn't grown up any other way. From watching his friends get into drugs to seeing what he had seen in Iraq when he was in the Marine Corps to what he had seen East Effete turn into during his law enforcement career, he had seen it all.

Fading back to reality, Brian's eyes caught a glimpse of a woman at a gas station, frantically pacing at the back of a car. She ran her right hand through her frizzy hair. Her fairly neat, businesswoman outfit stood out from her frantic attitude and body language.

Andrews pulled in, parked along the side of the gas station and trotted to where the lady was standing. "Hey, ma'am?" She looked up, almost frightened by his unexpected, sudden voice. "I saw you as I drove by. What's going on?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I appreciate you wanting to help. It's nothing really you can help me with anyway."

Something inside of him prodded him to ask her for further information. "Try me. Who knows if I can?"

"Alright." She let out a breath. "I don't have enough money to buy gas. My kids are hungry and I was trying to get to work just now. I'll be late if I don't hurry. And... Well, I shouldn't be bothering you with my problems. They're mine, not yours."

Brian thought about his own childhood. There had always been a meal on the table, a roof over their heads, and one another. His family had all they ever needed, a perfect life compared to many desperate, broken families he'd seen through the years. Brian didn't know what this woman had been through the past few years. Whatever had happened, he knew it had been rough. Though he felt the desire to help them inside, he could help everyone. What made this certain family so special that he felt drawn to help them? He didn't even know the answer to that himself.

The corners of Brian's lips raised, forming a smile. He tilted his head, contemplating what he should do. "Well, I gotta tell you this. I wouldn't normally stop for something like this, but something told me to pull over and find out what was going on. So, I've decided I'm going to pay for your gas--"

He had hardly finished pronouncing the "s" in gas, when she gasped and covered mouth with her hand, tears filling her eyes. "Are you serious?"

Brian nodded, smiling as big as she was at the moment. Although he always loved their reaction when he helped people, Brian couldn't always hand out money to needy people like free candy to kids on Holloween. He had a limited income but when he did buy things for people to help them out, it felt amazing.

She shook her head and started to laugh, realizing what had just happened. "Are you serious?" she repeated, still in shock of the surprise offer. "Thank you so much! You have no idea how much this means to me."

"And there's a mission a few blocks from here. Tonight, you can grab some dinner there."

"You bet I will! Thank you!" she exclaimed. A wide smile beamed from her face as if Brian had just saved the world, her world. Nothing was like that feeling of helping people out every day. Big or small, it all mattered to Officer Andrews.