Romance I Want to Hold Your Hand

Dave had turned as the nurse spoke on the phone. As soon as she ended the call, he demanded to know why she called for an ambulance.

"There's a bullet which appears to be lodged against your spine. It may be nothing, but it could be a serious health issue for you. You require a doctor and a well equipped hospital. I'm sure you'll be x-rayed before any decision is reached regarding the bullet. Please sit down and wait quietly."

Somehow the report of a man with a bullet in his back at the local high school became a possible shooter in the school. In less than a minute police cars began pulling into the school parking lot. Then an alarm sounded and the ensuing announcement stated the school was in lock down.

Dave was agitated and annoyed that the nurse had called for an ambulance. He could have easily driven the few miles to the local hospital. He had no doubt that the item in his back was not life threatening. The phone rang and Nurse Baxter quickly answered it.

"There is no danger that I'm aware of to anyone in the school. As I told the dispatcher, one of the people present at the shootings Saturday night appears to be carrying a bullet from that event."

Several police officers accompanied paramedics into the nurse's office at the school. Dave recognized one of them from the scene of the robbery attempt.

"This is way overblown," Dave asserted. "My back was itching a little so I asked the nurse to remove what I thought was a piece of glass in my back. I feel fine. I can drive to the hospital."

"Mr. Lassiter, you will not be driving anywhere until you are checked at the hospital. Nurse Baxter made the right call," the paramedic declared as he closely checked Dave's back. "We need to transport you immediately."

As Dave was placed on a gurney, an announcement was made that the lockdown had been lifted and there was no emergency in the school. As Dave was wheeled down the hallway, word quickly spread around the school that he had been shot Saturday night during the robbery attempt.

Kids flocked to the windows to watch one of their favorite teachers loaded into a waiting ambulance.

Kate had been given a week off with pay and would then be doing desk work until she was cleared in the shooting of the two criminals. With nothing else to do, she and her mother decided to go shopping at a mall an hour east of their home.

Kate was looking at shoes when her mother's phone rang. She recognized the ringtone as her Aunt Gloria's. She wasn't paying much attention to the conversation until she heard her mother mention Dave's name.

"He has a bullet in his back?" Rita repeated in disbelief. "How? When? From the robbery attempt? How serious is it?"

Kate quickly moved close to her mother and began asking questions. Rita ended the call and tried to answer her daughter's questions.

"Dave asked the school nurse to look at his back this morning. She found a bullet lodged in his back and possibly in his spine. She called the ambulance and all hell broke out when it was reported a man with a bullet in his back was at the high school. It went into lockdown before they sorted it all out. Paramedics took Dave to the hospital."

"He said he was fine!" Kate stated with obvious concern. "We have to get to the hospital. What if he's paralyzed or something!"

Dave had been admitted quickly and as expected, the doctors ordered an x-ray before touching the bullet in his back. He had to wait in the emergency room for the doctor to study the results.

"Good news!" were the first words from the doctor when he returned to David's cubicle. It's a small caliber bullet, probably from the .22 the police confiscated at the scene. It isn't in contact with your spine, although it is becoming infected. I can just remove it and start you on some antibiotics. I can see why you thought it was just a piece of glass.

The bullet was removed and a small bandage placed over the small incision in a matter of minutes. Dave stood and looked around for his shirt. As he reached for it, the curtain used in all ERs to give patients privacy was suddenly ripped aside. Dave was surprised to see an obviously emotional Kate staring at him. Rita stood behind her while half dozen nurses and other personnel looked on.

"You told me you were fine!" Kate fumed as she stepped closer. "You were shot and never thought to tell me? That was a damn lousy thing to do!"

As she spoke, Kate swung at Dave. He easily caught what he thought was a weak effort for a slap. He smiled to himself as he caught her other hand just as easily. He slowly pulled Kate's hands down and behind her back. He then pulled Kate tightly to his chest and sought out her lips. Kate willingly met him half way. The two of them stood locked in a passionate kiss for what Rita thought was an unusually long time.

Noticing so many people had watched the scene unfold, Rita felt compelled say, "It's okay. It's just something they do. She didn't really want to hit him. She isn't even angry."

"You don't have to be a doctor to see that," quipped one of the nurses as Kate finally leaned back and Dave released her hands.

Kate turned her attention to Dave's sculpted upper body. She tenderly ran finger over an angry looking scar running diagonally across Dave's chest to his abdomen.

"Is that from Afghanistan?"

Dave simply nodded. Once again he found Kate in his arms, sobbing this time.

"Please be more careful. I don't know what I'd do if anything ever happened to you. Promise me you'll live a long life. I think I've fallen in love with you."

Rita gave a slight gasp at Kate's words. She then nodded her head in the knowing way mother's have. Dave hugged Kate tighter as he whispered in her ear.

"I fell in love with you the first time I saw you, Kate."

"Love is a wonderful thing, but this is an emergency room," interrupted an older nurse. "We need to prepare for the next patient, so would you please take your slaphappy lady to the lobby?"

The next Friday evening, Dave arrived at the Daniels's home to pick up Kate. She made certain that Rita saw the overnight case she carried as she left with Dave. She didn't want her mother calling her cell, or worse yet, reporting her missing.

Kate persuaded Dave to take her shopping at the local mall the next day so she could pick up a few things for his sparsely furnished apartment. They had made love several times the previous night and it had been everything Kate had hoped it would be, but he really needed better linens and towels, among other items.

It wasn't a surprise when they ran into a few of Dave's students. One of the girls, Amber, was obviously eager to speak to Kate.

"You played volleyball when you went to Evanston High. I saw your name on the plague the year we won the state title. I heard you were one of the best players on the team," Amber praised.

"Yeah, it was the same year Justin Bascom led the baseball team to the state title," Melody Johnson added.

"Justin Bascom went to school here? He won rookie of the year last year and led the league in doubles this year," Dave stated. "He does insurance commercials and has all sorts of endorsements."

"He was the most popular guy in our class," Kate volunteered. "He never gave me the time of day. When I asked him to sign my yearbook, he didn't know my name."

"Getting back on topic," Amber insisted. "Miss Oliver coached our volleyball team last year, but she moved to Texas this summer. The school hasn't found a replacement for her yet. Would you like to be our coach?"

"I don't think the school allows non faculty members to be head coaches," Kate replied thoughtfully. "It would be fun, but you need to find a teacher, or possibly an administrator. I'm not sure if administrators qualify."

"You're right about that. The thing is, the head coach can have an assistant with no connection to the school as long as they pass the background check," Amber pointed out. "Mr. Lassiter could be our head coach and you could be his assistant."

"Just a minute," Dave protested. "I don't know anything about volleyball. I'm not sure Principal Benson would allow a man to coach a girl's team. That may be against school policy."

"You'd better tell Mr. Hanson. He coaches girls' softball. Mr. Edwards coaches girls' field hockey," Amber replied quickly.

"Mr. Lassiter, don't you want to see us girls play volleyball in our tight shorts," Melody teased.

"That's probably the biggest reason I shouldn't do it," Dave responded. "Kate might get upset with me being around so many attractive young women in those 'tight shorts'. I don't want to embarrass you girls, Kate or myself."

Kate simply stared at Dave until he began to fidget. "Okay, if Kate wants to coach and Mrs. Benson agrees to it, we'll coach the girls' volleyball team. I just hope I don't regret it."

Volleyball practice began after the Christmas break, but tryouts were held in mid December. Dave began to think he had made a mistake in agreeing to be the head coach. When the girls began coming out of the locker room, he couldn't help but do a double take. Almost without exception, they all looked athletic and as Melody had mentioned, wore tight shorts that greatly flattered their athletic figures.

He didn't realize he was staring until Amber spoke. She was just to his right. "If you think we look good, wait until you see your girlfriend in her uniform. You won't be able to take your eyes off her."

That was the moment Kate stepped onto the court and Dave realized Amber was right. The girls looked athletic, but Kate looked like a Goddess. She saw Dave standing by Amber and trotted over to speak to him.

"You probably should close your mouth and stop drooling," Kate whispered loud enough for the girls to hear. Dave felt his face flush as gales of laughter echoed across the gymnasium.

Dave wisely let Kate handle nearly all of the coaching chores. He helped with the equipment and paperwork. Since thirteen girls tried out for the team, Kate decided to keep them all on the roster. The tryouts were held on three afternoons and Kate used them more as instructional periods since none of the girls would be cut from the team. Everyone was excited and eager to have the season begin after the first of the year.

Christmas break was anything but a joyous relaxed holiday. It began a few days before Christmas when Kate begged off on a dinner date with Dave. She told him she had some friends coming back to the area for the holidays. They had cajoled Kate into spending time with them. Dave told her he understood and to enjoy herself.

Dave had a civics class project he and his students were working on. It involved the older cemeteries in the area. Many of them were in a state of disrepair and neglect. The students were making a video of their findings. It was scheduled to be presented at the City Council meeting to be held on December 28th.

One of Dave's students was told by an older relative that a retired teacher from Evanston had spent a great deal of time and effort gathering information on local cemeteries back in the late seventies. Since Kate had canceled their date, Dave picked up Terence and Tim to make the hour drive. They had an appointment to speak with the retired teacher. The kids wanted to present a well documented, meaningful video to the City Council.

The meeting went well. The kids were given some new information regarding several of the older cemeteries in the Evanston area. Before returning Evanston, Dave took the boys to a local steak house.

As they were waiting to be seated, Terence pointed at a booth in the back. "Look! It's Justin Bascom! I wonder if I could get his autograph?"

Tim suddenly acted nervous. "Let's go someplace else, or skip dinner. I need to do some homework tonight."

"We don't even have school for a week! Why would you do homework... oh, shit!" muttered Terence.

Like Dave, the boys had seen Kate walk out of the ladies room and take a seat next to Justin Bascom. She was dressed in a pretty dress that revealed more than a little cleavage. She directed her radiant smile at Bascom. As she sat down, she kissed him on the cheek. Not bad for a man who didn't know her name. Dave felt his heart break.

"You guys are right. We don't have time for dinner. Let's head home," Dave said in a low voice.

The ride home was quiet. Dave tried to not let the boys know how badly he was hurt, but he knew he was doing a poor job of it. For their part, the kids tried to get Dave's mind off his problems with Kate.

"Let's get some more pictures and videos of the old Sherman cemetery tomorrow," Terence suggested. "I'll bring our video camera and Tim will have his phone. Now that we know some of the people buried there were Civil War veterans, we should get their names and some history on them."

Dave was on the verge of declining, but realized he would just look even more pathetic by doing so. The three agreed to meet at the old cemetery at ten AM the next day, which was the day before Christmas Eve.

The small parking lot was shaded by brush and trees with just a narrow path leading to the cemetery a hundred yards up an incline. As Dave pulled in, he didn't see Tim or Terence. He realized he was a few minutes early, so he decided to wait in his truck for them. He had managed little sleep the night before. He couldn't get Kate being with Justin Bascom out of his mind. 'Meeting some friends' was what she had told him. Kate had lied to him.

Dave was surprised to see a police car pull into the lot. He wasn't nearly as surprised when he saw Ken Holden step out of the cruiser. Dave climbed out of his truck as Holden approached the back of his truck and smashed a tail light with his baton!

"What in hell are you doing?" Dave demanded as he moved to look at his truck more closely.

"I pulled you over for having a broken tail light, you dumb bastard. Now you're getting agitated. You're trying to attack me and I have to defend myself. I even called in for back-up." As he finished speaking, Holden swung his baton and struck Dave a hard blow across his back.

The blow caused Dave to stagger as pain shot through his body. His mind flashed back to Afghanistan and the agony he felt when his vehicle hit that roadside bomb. He had managed to pull two of his fellow soldiers to safety by shutting off that agony until his comrades were safe.

Dave straightened up and turned to face Holden. If Dave staying on his feet surprised the bigger man, the smile Dave had on his face stunned him. Holden pulled the baton back to strike Dave again, but that blow never landed. Dave dropped to the ground and used a leg sweep to take the Holden to the pavement.

Holden was surprisingly quick for a big man and quickly regained his footing, only to have Dave's foot smash into his left knee. Dave hadn't learned any particular fighting discipline in the service. What he had learned, however, was to inflict maximum damage to his opponent and to end the battle as fast as possible. Holden dropped to the ground and reached for his damaged knee only to have Dave's elbow meet his face in a savage blow. Holden went down for the count.

A sudden blow on the back of his head stunned Dave. His last memory was seeing two policemen pulling their legs back to kick him. When he regained consciousness, he was in a hospital bed with a wrist handcuffed to the rail.

Kate had returned home late the previous night, so she slept in. She was getting dressed when she heard her mother and father speaking. She somehow knew it was about Dave.

"He's in Evanston General. He should be okay, but he's pretty bunged up according to William. I know Holden was trying to scare Dave off, but that was no reason to attack him.

"William said Ken's knee required surgery and his nose was badly broken. He was still unconscious when the paramedics got him to the hospital."

By this time, Kate had thrown on some clothes and rushed to the kitchen to question her father. "Are you talking about Dave? Was he hurt? Did that damn Holden attack him?"

"Dave's in the hospital. He attacked Holden when he stopped Dave for a broken tail light. Dave hurt Ken pretty bad. It took two other cops to get Dave under control. He was banged up pretty good in the struggle. Dave and Holden are both at General Hospital.

"Dave attacked Holden? That doesn't sound like something he'd do," Kate opined. "I wonder if Holden goaded him into an altercation."

"Judging from the results, that would have been a poor decision on Holden's part," Kate's father stated drily. "Once Dave heals up, he's going to find himself a guest at Evanston's jail. Is it possible we misjudged him so badly?"

"Dad, you saw how calmly Dave handled Holden at the Chamber Ball. He just isn't the type to attack a person, especially an officer on duty."

"How did Dave act last night?" Rita asked. "Was he his usual self or was something bothering him?"

"I didn't see Dave last night. I had some friends come into town for the holidays, so Dave agreed to cancel our date so I could spend some time with them," Kate explained.

"You cancelled your date last night and today he gets into trouble with the police? Was he upset?" Rita questioned.

"No! He was fine with it. He told me to enjoy myself. Now I have to go to the hospital and see how he's doing. Maybe I should find a lawyer for him."

Kate was directed to the waiting room of the hospital when she asked to see Dave. Every seat in the waiting room was filled. Kate recognized most of those in the room as Dave's students, including several girls from the volleyball team.

"How's Dave doing?" Kate asked Amber. "Have you heard anything?"

"Like you care," Amber replied snidely.

"What does that mean?" Kate demanded.

"Whatever," was Amber's reply as she turned away from Kate to speak to a friend.

Kate quickly realized that all of Dave's students were giving her the cold shoulder, After an uncomfortable few minutes she left the waiting room in search of a nurse who could tell her Dave's condition. She was baffled by the reception the kids had given her.

Kate finally spoke to Cindy Bennett, a nurse in the geriatric wing of the hospital. "I didn't see him, Kate, but I heard through the grapevine that he was worked over pretty good. He'll be in the hospital for a few days to make certain he doesn't have any complications from bruising or any as yet unknown, internal injuries.

"He really did a number on Ken Holden. I heard his knee requires surgery. His nose was badly smashed. Your boyfriend's in some hot water. They have him cuffed to the bed. He isn't allowed visitors. He doesn't seem to be very popular among your fellow police officers."

Hearing that Dave was recovering was the only positive thing Kate managed to find out at the hospital about his condition. She had also learned that his students were upset with her. She wondered if they blamed all police officers for the actions of a few. Why would Dave attack Holden? It made no sense based on what she knew about Dave.

Christmas was a somber time in the Daniels' household. Kate was depressed. Dave was still in the hospital and not allowed visitors. He was being charged with breaking several laws and would probably be found guilty of at least some of them, if not all. It was likely he would lose his job at school and even serve some time in prison.

Ken Holden was giving interviews from his hospital bed. He painted a very disturbing picture of an enraged Dave Lassiter catching him by surprise as Holden looked at the broken taillight. Kate was at a loss as to how she should proceed. Everything had turned so bad so fast.

On the morning of the City Council meeting, Dave was released from the hospital and taken to jail to await his hearing. Chief Mason had made it abundantly clear that she was not to be allowed anywhere near Dave, or the jail.

Kate had not been sleeping or eating well, but she kept her appointment with her friends that evening. She had explained to the mayor how Justin Bascom wanted to address the council about a donation he was making to the city. Mayor Gordon had Kate placed on the agenda so she could introduce Bascom.

When she arrived with Bascom and another friend, Kate was surprised to see the chamber meeting room was filled to overflowing with students from the high school. They were milling around, clearly impatient for the proceedings to begin.

She saw Terence by a wall and thought he would be excited to meet a famous baseball player. "Terence, this is Justin Bascom. Justin, this is Terence. He goes to Evanston High."

Justin held out his hand to the young man only to be snubbed as Terence turned and walked away.

"You have some nerve!" Amber practically snarled at Kate. "You just had to show off your new boyfriend while Mr. Lassiter is sitting in jail."

"My boyfriend?" Kate repeated in shock. "You think he's my boyfriend?" Kate suddenly realized why the kids were so cold to her. For some reason, they thought she had dropped Dave and taken up with Justin Bascom. Why would they think that? Kate thought back to the day she visited the hospital. The kids must have thought she had broken up with Dave even then. What had happened to give them that impression?

Kate had been given the last slot on the agenda. City Council wanted to end the meeting on a high note. The return of a prodigal son making a charitable donation was considered that high note.

Since it was the holiday season, the meeting proceeded quickly. No one wanted to spend unnecessary time at a boring meeting. The time soon came for the students from Dave's civics class to give their presentation.

"Mr. Lassiter couldn't be here tonight," Amber stated somberly. "We're going to proceed without him. He's been telling us all semester that doing the right thing isn't always easy, but it's the only way a man or woman should ever conduct themselves. He told us that the truth will win out, even it takes seems to take a lot of time.

"My classmates are here tonight to deliver an uncomfortable truth. We don't trust the police in Evanston! Committing crimes and covering them up seems to be commonplace for them. The police are supposed to protect us from criminals, but who protects us from the police?"

By this time, the City Council members were whispering to each other, obviously annoyed and upset with the direction the student presentation was going. Chief Mason was red faced and angry as he clenched his jaw and stared at Amber.

"We didn't dare give this piece of evidence to our local police force, for fear it would just disappear. We've decided to present it here tonight," Amber continued. "Just to be certain there can be no cover-up, copies of this video are being sent to several media outlets as I speak. I ask that you watch this video and form your own opinion."

Amber turned toward the large monitor mounted on the wall as the video began to play. The video was in high definition. It began with Holden pulling his cruiser into the parking lot near Dave's truck. The audio clearly caught every word spoken as Holden smashed the taillight on Dave's truck. There were gasps when Holden, with no provocation, struck Dave across the back with his baton.

Kate was stunned as she viewed the video. Holden had initiated the confrontation! She watched in amazement as Dave took Holden down and then smashed his knee before delivering an elbow to Holden's face. She was concentrating so hard on Dave she almost missed the two policemen who had approached Dave from behind. One kicked Dave in the back of the head as Holden collapsed while the second cop began kicking Dave in the ribs and back! The beating went on until the two officers were panting from the exertion. They then called for ambulances for Holden and Dave.

The meeting room was thrown into chaos. It took the chairman several minutes to establish order. He thanked the students for bringing important information to light and promised an investigation into the actions of the police officers involved in the arrest of Dave Lassiter.

He then introduced Kate with the hope her news would help improve the mood of the audience. Kate's eyes were tearing as she took the podium.

"I never thought I'd be embarrassed or ashamed to be a police officer. I am today. I apologize to every member of this community; especially Dave's students who witnessed betrayal by those who are expected to enforce lawful conduct and keep them safe. Those animals are not who we are. I'll personally dedicate my service as a police officer to regain your trust and respect.

"It's no secret that I've been dating Dave Lassiter. I've fallen pretty hard for him. I need to ask his forgiveness as a police officer and as a girlfriend. I told myself he would never have done those horrible things he was accused of, but doubts were cracking by faith. That will never happen again, if he'll forgive me.

"That brings me to the reason I'm here today. You all know Justin Bascom. He starred in baseball here at Evanston High. He now stars in the American League. He and his new bride are intent on giving back to the community. To that end, Justin has donated $10,000 to be used for the purchase of body cams for the police department. His team has agreed to match that donation! If nothing else, the recent revelations point out how much they are needed. They're a great tool for good police work and an anathema for corrupt and incompetent police officers.

"Justin, would you and your new bride, Bethany, please come to the podium and say a few words?"

Kate stepped down and moved back into the crowd only to be grabbed in a fierce hug by Amber, and then Terence. "We're so sorry we were mean to you. When Tim and I saw how badly it hurt Mr. Lassiter when you kissed Bascom at that restaurant, we decided to put the word out that you were cheating on him. Now I know his new wife was sitting at the table with you. We were totally wrong. I'm so sorry!"

"You mean Dave thought I was seeing Justin? That I was cheating? That's what this was all about?" Kate responded. "I love the guy. I'd never cheat on him. I need to tell him, but I'm not allowed near the jail."

Chief Mason was standing nearby and broke into the conversation. "I've had Dave Lassiter released. I dropped all charges. He'll be getting an official apology from me, as well as the mayor. We need to alter the public's perception of our department or we'll never be able to do our jobs properly. Please use any influence you may have with Mr. Lassiter to limit his reaction to our mishandling of the situation."

"You want me to talk him out of suing the department and the city?" asked Kate with some annoyance. "I don't even know if he'll see me, but if he does, I won't try to influence any decision he makes regarding the department. What Holden and his two goons did was criminal. We both know that. Dave may suffer lingering issues for years to come."

Dave was back in his home for the first time in days. His Christmas tree still stood with a few dozen gifts spread under it. He had only been home for an hour when his doorbell sounded. He slowly shuffled to the door to find Kate standing on his step.

Dave backed up as Kate advanced into the room. She shrugged her shoulders and her coat fell to the floor, revealing a transparent red teddy. Under it, Kate wore only a tiny thong and a red half bra.

"Terence called me and explained the mistake I made when I thought you were out with Bascom," Dave blurted. "I'm sorry. I was so stupid!"

"You thought I was cheating and never even gave me a chance to explain!" Kate complained, but with little heat. "You don't trust me."

As she finished her accusation, Kate made a halfhearted attempt at slapping Dave. He easily grabbed her wrist and grinned as he looked at her other hand. Not wanting to disappoint him, Kate brought her left hand towards Dave's discolored face only to have him grab that wrist and move her hands behind her back.

Kate stepped forward and raised her face to Dave's. Their kiss lasted until Kate heard someone clear their throat. Surprised, Kate pulled her head back and looked around. Standing behind Dave was a very attractive young woman. She was tall and well toned.

The woman looked Kate over from head to toe. "You must be Kate, the woman who broke my brother's heart. It looks like you came here to beg for his forgiveness and you brought the big guns."

"You're Dave's sister?" Kate managed to croak out. "This is kind of embarrassing. I came here to seduce your brother so we could have make-up sex. Being dressed like this in front of his sister isn't the first impression I would have wanted."

"I'm fine with it. I'm Kimberly by the way, and I can see why Dave loves you so much. You really should be more concerned about the first impression you'll give my parents, however."

"Don't worry about that," Kate assured Kimberly. "I'll be on my best behavior for that meeting. I'll be covered from head to toe."

"I doubt that," Kim replied with a wicked smile. "Kate, turn around and meet my parents, Don and Marge Lassiter."

Kate flinched before pressing her breasts even tighter to Dave's chest and whispering loud enough for all to hear, "Sweetheart, it looks like we already have a lot of stories we can tell the grandkids."
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