Quinn

Chapter 13

Quinn sat at the kitchen table while noise surrounded her. Poppy and Finley lay asleep in her lap and she was grateful they had picked out the chairs with arm rests all those years ago, because she had no strength left. Her mind drifted back to the day when she, Jack, and Poppy had bought furniture for their new home. She had been just a baby. A single tear streaked her tired face and she lay a kiss atop her sleeping daughter's soft cheek.

Eilish stormed through the door without knocking and rushed over to kiss her daughter and her grandchildren before noticing anyone else in the room. Quinn was all out of tears, and so she just sighed into the nook of her mother's neck, and closed her burning eyes.

"My dear child," Her mother whispered. "I am so sorry, love. There are no words to heal your heart, but know that I am here and my entire church is praying for you." Quinn moved slightly and smiled up at her mother, then nodded toward a chair next to her. Eilish sat down and placed her frail, fair hand on Finley's head and then took in the room of strangers. Her eyes landed on a familiar face and she whispered to Quinn that she would be right back. Quinn nodded, unable to speak or move.

She watched as her mother walked up to Jack's parents and interrupted the policeman speaking with them by embracing them both without a word. Quinn glanced down at her children again and the sight filled her already overflowing cup of grief. She was in disbelief that she just had to tell her children their father died. They had both cried themselves to sleep on her lap and, even though it was only three o' clock in the afternoon, she assumed they might sleep all night. She certainly wanted to. Pain clouded her head as dehydration from crying set in. Her eyes winced and the policewoman who had not left Quinn's side offered her a cup of water.

"Please." Quinn managed. Once the officer was back she sat even closer to Quinn and spoke in a caring tone.

"I am so sorry for your loss." She said. Quinn looked up at her and decided she would like to befriend this woman. Sensing the wall coming down, she continued. "My name is Anne, and I have been on the force for thirteen years. The worst call I have ever been on was last month. It was a fatal hit-and-run involving a ten year old on a bicycle. He was on his way to school just down the street from his home and was hit by a drunk driver on the way home from drinking all night." Anne paused, taking a deep breath. Quinn sat up straighter, watching the woman's face. It was tired and she had not noticed until then just how grief-stricken it seemed.

"Are you alright?" Quinn asked, unsure what else to say.

"Yes, and no." Anne managed. "See, today is not about me. However, there is a reason I was chosen to be here with you. I have some recent experience with loss and my chief thought that our broken hearts would help each other. Which I thought was such an odd thing to say, but I went along with it. He then told me that he knew you from church and that you had it rough lately."

"I have, oh, that I have." Quinn said.

"I got to the call and since it was near my home address, I had worried it was my son. However, most of the guys know what he looks like and I thought I would have been notified. So I parked the car on scene, I parked close because we were one of the first units there. And as soon as I stepped out of the car, I hit my knees on the concrete. There was a blanket half over the boy and... his bike, his red bike was leaning up against the ambulance." Anne paused as tears flooded her eyes. "I had gotten him that bike for Christmas this year." Quinn reached up to the table and held the officer's hand as she wept. "I know it's not about me today. But I want you to know, you can survive this. You will go on and, know that I am here if you need anything."

Quinn felt tears start to fall again and she looked into the woman's eyes, they were a brilliant amber color and round as the sun, her tears only seemed to magnify her beauty. She felt her heart pain for the woman and somehow it gave Quinn hope that she was not alone.