The Chairs Between Us

Scars

We walked through the tombstones until Officer Jones stopped at one

Jack H. Williams

1976 - 2014

We will never forget our fallen brother.

Officer Jones placed the flowers down and took a ring off his finger, "This is my partner Jack... and he was my fiancé...," He smiled, "It feels so nice to finally tell someone. We kept it a secret for so long... He was always scared that people would think of us differently. He didn't want to lose his parents or our partners."

He wiped his eyes that were watering up, "He was coming back from the station when he was hit by a drunk driver... His unit rolled into a ditch and no one knew he was there... dispatch called out that he wasn't responding... His unit was smash up everywhere. There was some much broken glass... I was the first to respond and by the time I found him... he was already gone."

"They took me off duty for awhile afterwards," He rolled up his sleeve to show his wrist where there was a tattoo of a black heart with a blue line through it. It seemed to be covering up something.

A scar?

He traced over the faint line with his finger, "I tried to kill myself two days later.... I thought cutting my wrists would be quick but all of my partners cane to visit me at the right time. They got me to the hospital and saved me. I screamed at them to just let me do it. I saw Jack in the hospital talking to me.... telling me to come back to him... I sat through a year of therapy until I stopped seeing him."

He put his sleeve back down, "I know what you are going through, Dominic. I know that it is hard to keep going but we have too... it's kind of weird to think that if I wasn't here, I wouldn't have been able to save you."

I just stayed quiet and nodded my head.

He rubbed his eyes, letting out a breath, "Thank you for listening, Dominic. If you ever want to talk or need anything I am here for you. I am pretty sure Liam thinks the same."

I waited on silence for a bit.

He probably wants me to talk now. I don't really want too but I should.

I sighed and looked down at my feet, "My brother was hit by a drunk driver too... I was in the car but my brother was... paralyzed... He seemed to just give up... All I ever see now is him... Even when I am with Liam he is still there but it is like it isn't him... I know I need to move on but I don't know how."

Officer Jones engulfed me into a hug, "I know it is had to move on but we all have to. You can take as long as you want. It is always better to talk. Like I said I am here for anything you need."

I felt tears dripping down from my eyes, "I would like that... thanks."

He nodded, "No problem... do you want me to take you home?"

I nodded again, "If you don't mind... I actually have a flight that leaves in a couple of hours."

He chuckled, "Okay."

He walked over to Jack's tombstone and put his hand on it, "I will see you later."

He turned back to me, "Alright let's get going."

We began our journey back through all the graves. I looked over at his tattoo again, "So... I like your tattoo."

He smiled, "Thanks. It was the only way to cover up something so horrible with something so beautiful." 

He laughed, "I sound so cheesy."

I shook my head and laughed too, "No I like it... Mine a little too big to put a tattoo on it. My whole arm has it. I wish I could cover it."

He shrugged, "Mine doesn't cover the whole thing either but it is definitely better than it was before... You make it the way you want it."

I nodded, "Thank you for everything. You have been so nice to me."

He wrapped his arm around my shoulders, "Anytime... You remind my of myself so much. It's hard not to help you... Now stop with all this depressing stuff. You are going to make me cry again." 

I laughed.

It's nice to have a person who knows what I am going through. Maybe coming here wasn't such a bad idea.