It had a wall of glass windows that were bullet proof, and each individual had to be buzzed in by the office attendant.
The doors could be opened from the inside, but it kept the general public from waltzing in anytime they felt like it.
Which definitely gave us some piece of mind when it came to protecting our children.
It was especially nice as a parent of my own kindergartener, too.
I felt comfortable sending her to school, knowing that every possible thing was being done to keep her safe.
A loud banging from the area of the office had me poking my head out of the my room to find a large, blonde man in a KPD SWAT shirt with a large gun on his hip hammering on the glass doors, while Laura hurried to open it for him.
“Make sure it’s him before you let him in,” Mrs. Redden chastised Laura gently.
I agreed. The man was big. We wouldn’t stand a chance against him if he got through and he wasn’t the child’s father.
“Can I see your ID or badge?” Laura asked through the glass.
He glared at her, but showed his badge, which seemed to appease Laura.
Pushing on the bar that opened the door, she stepped back quickly and moved. Good thing, too, or she’d have been run over.
He charged to us quickly, his eyes on the now sleeping little girl in my arms.
“Is she okay?” He asked in his deep, rumbly, growl.
I nodded. “We had to use her EpiPen. She’s good, though. Her heart rate’s a tad fast, but her breathing’s normal. Her lips are no longer blue. She was stung by a bee on the playground.”
I saw the large man visibly wilt as he finally made it to my side.
His large, scarred, tattooed arm lifted, resting his enormous hand on the small girl’s head, sifting his fingers through her long dirty blonde hair.
It was really sweet, and I could tell instantly that he was a wonderful father.
His eyes lifted as he caught me watching them, and something hard and unyielding snapped down, veiling his emotions from me.
I blinked in surprise. That took skill right there.
Must be a cop thing.
Leaning forward, I let the girl’s head drift off my shoulder into my waiting hand. The dad understood instantly, holding out his arms, taking the child from me.
He took in my spunky Captain America scrubs and shook his head. A small smirk kicking up the side of his top lip.
“Luke!” A woman’s voice called from the entrance.
I turned to see a beautiful blonde coming through the front entrance. A paramedic.
Another woman with red hair followed behind her, pushing the stretcher.
His face showed instant relief at the sight of the woman who charge forward and threw her arms around the man and child.
Wife.
Had to be.
“What’s going on, is she okay?” The woman asked worriedly.
I explained, cutting off the man’s words. “She was stung by a bee on the playground. A little over seven minutes ago,” I said looking down at my watch. “We used the EpiPen on her. Lower left thigh.”
As I explained what had happened, and what her stats were, the red headed woman started taking down notes on a clip board, documenting what I was saying.
The other woman, the blonde, watched me with an intentness that showed her concern for the small girl.
When they all left together, five minutes later, I watched as the big man stepped up into the back of the ambulance, and the red head shut the doors behind the couple.
My heart panged as I wished I had something like that, then I ruthlessly shut that thought down.
Love was a fucking joke.
I should know. I’d been in love before. I’d also had that love ruined, forever tainted by my ex.
Nope, no more love for Reese Doherty anymore.
Or so I kept telling myself.Chapter 2Daddies. Better than a superhero any day.
-Katy
Luke
I walked into the school the next day, Katerina’s small hand held in mine.
“Daddy, don’t forget you’re picking me up today,” Katy informed me happily.
I rolled my eyes. This was the fourth time she’d told me in the twenty minutes it’d taken us to get to the school.
“I know, honey. I was the one to tell you, remember?” I asked as I opened the first door that led into the school.
“Yes, daddy. But you forgot last time,” she scolded me.
I snorted.
By forgot, it meant I was five minutes late picking her up, which was to be expected when I had to pull over a car that was going more than thirty miles an hour over the speed limit. In a school zone. Weaving. And talking on a cell phone.
“Yes, baby. I’ll be here,” I said again.
As I walked Katy to her class, I stopped at her teacher’s door and squatted down, giving her a kiss on the forehead before pulling her into my chest.
God yesterday had been terrifying.
I’d gotten the call while I was at work, and couldn’t get here fast enough.
She’d had reactions like that before, which was why she had the EpiPen in the first place, but I’d always been with her when it’d happened.
As I watched her walk into class and hang her bag up under her cubby, I felt my heart pang at the realization that I could’ve lost her.
Jesus.
Standing, I turned and made my way back down the hall, purposefully not walking on the red footsteps seeing as every single kid in the place wouldn’t deviate from their path.
My next destination was the nurse’s office to give the nurse another EpiPen.
Just in case.
The room was bright and cheerful. Pictures of a sick Winnie the Pooh and Piglet were painted on the wall with a doctor Tigger taking care of them.
In the corner of the room were two cots for the children, and on the opposite side was a glass enclosed office where the nurse, from yesterday, sat behind a large mahogany desk.
She was much cuter than I remembered.
Although, my mind hadn’t been centered on the woman as it was now.
What did she say her name was? Had I even gotten it?