Pete counted down on his fingers from three. Just as he reached one there was a knock on the door. He pulled himself out of his recliner and walked expectantly to the door.
The heavy door opened and there in the hallway stood Erika. She peered up at him shyly from behind her golden hair, worn bell bottom jeans and pink wool sweater . "Hi Pete" she mumbled.
Malloy stepped aside and motioned for his little niece to come in. Erika came in slowly and sat on dark leather couch watching Pete in the kitchen. He didn't say a word.
"You were expecting me" Erika stated. Pete looked up from the pot of coffee he was making. "I... I guess you know what I'm here for"
He set the coffee on the snall antique table and sat down again. "Not really" Erika bit her lip while studying her hands that were placed neatly in her lap. "You gonna quit?"
She adjusted her position. "Uncle Pete..." she began as he sat back "Uncle Pete..." "Yes?"
Erika stood abruptly. "I messed up today... big time. I could have gotten you killed. I could have gotten everyone killed! A good cop wouldn't freeze out there or panic. They would keep going no matter how much danger they faced. But I... I blew it... So I think giving up my training would be the best thing to do."
Pete sipped his coffee thoughtfully for a moment. "You know... there was this officer I used to know. Not out of the ordinary. Nothing particularly special about him. A young, fumbling, goofy, cop. He made the mistake one day of freezing... freezing when he was needed. He became sergeant"
Erika looked up in awe "Daddy?" "Then there was another officer who was small, skinny..." Pete laughed "Scared of everything. The first time he was allowed to drive the squad car he crashed it into the side of a barn. He's sergeant now."
Erika giggled. "Not Mac? Tell me he didn't" "He did! Why, even Jerry Walters made mistakes! I crashed into the captain once and in doing so, I let a criminal go. The point is, we're all still here. A good officer makes mistakes and learns from them."
Erika smiled and hugged her uncle. She had always felt like a little girl to him but he now realized, with a small pang of sadness, she wasn't a little girl anymore. She was a fine young woman and sure to be a fine police officer.
