Page 2 of Heart of a Hero

Driving around the ball field, she pulled to a stop at the middle school. Unlike Laura, Olivia was full of energy, itching to race toward her friends.

“Bye, Mom!” Olivia chirped, her bright smile lingering as she hurried toward the others near the door.

The short drive to her office was a soothing transition from the chaos of getting the girls off to school to the calm of her workday. Nestled just down the street from the county seat in Easton, the North Heron Health Department came into view. Karen parked in her usual spot and took a moment to gaze around, letting the serenity of the early hour wash over her before heading inside.

The office was quiet, the kind of stillness she cherished. Flicking on the lights, she smiled. Being the first one in was her favorite part of the day, the solitude offering a rare moment of peace before the whirlwind of house calls began.

She moved to the coffee machine tucked in the corner of the break area. Once she poured another cup of coffee, she returned to her desk.

Sitting down, she allowed a few quiet moments to sip her coffee and review the day’s schedule. Something about these early morning moments—before the phones started ringing and her colleagues bustled in—centered her like the calm before the bustling chaos.

Hearing soft footsteps, she looked up and smiled. “Hey, Selma.”

Her nurse’s aide smiled in return, then lifted a bag, giving it a little shake.

“Oh my God! Did you make your world-renowned coffee cake?” she asked.

Selma Thompson laughed. “Well, I doubt it would be classified as world-renowned, but yes, I did.”

Karen moaned, thinking of the extra calories she would quickly and eagerly devour. Until Selma’s cake, Karen had always considered coffee cake to be dry. Selma had a moist and chewy family recipe filled with cinnamon and topped with local pecans.

Before Selma could make a cup of coffee for herself, Patrick Bellows, their physical therapist, walked in and hugged Selma from behind. “I smell your coffee cake. I might have to divorce my wife and marry you just to get your family recipe.”

Selma pursed her lips. “My Alfred might have something to say about that. But grab some plates so the others can get to business quicker this morning.”

Next in were Sharon Bundy, their occupational therapist, and Miles Markowitz, an LPN. Since they hadn’t announced anything, Karen wasn't sure, but she suspected Sharon and Miles were dating. They had come in together for the past coupleof weeks, and their side-eyed looks toward each other were hardly hidden.

Their speech therapist, Nicole Havand, hurried in just before the last one arrived, Rick Salvador, their counselor. He spied the cake and grinned. “This is the first good thing about my morning… maybe even my week.”

“What’s going on?” Selma asked.

“Twin boys in their senior year of high school. They’d better get scholarships, or I might have to start selling plasma!”

With her daughters only two years apart, Karen knew they’d both be in college simultaneously and shuddered at the thought.

Once seated, the meeting ensued as they reviewed their current clients, then looked at the schedule for the week. “I’ll start my morning out with Bess Crowder.”

“Good God, I heard what happened!” Selma exclaimed, shaking her head. “First, you had to see her sister Belinda when she was shot, and now you’ve got Bess, who got hurt breaking up a car theft ring!”

“Those Crowder girls certainly know how to end up in the middle of things, don’t they?” Patrick shook his head.

“Will they need my services?” Rick asked.

“Right now, I’m not sure until I get in there and see her. I’ll let you know what I find out.”

After the meeting, she filled her travel cup with more coffee and grabbed her purse and nurse's bag. Walking out of the building, Sharon caught up to her.

“I wanted to tell you that Miles and I are dating. I know it can be awkward to have a workplace romance, but I really like him, Karen. He and I have talked about how we won’t let it affect our jobs, no matter what happens with us.”

Karen lifted a brow but simply nodded. Sharon and Miles were both excellent employees, and she would hate to lose one orboth if they broke up and decided they couldn’t work in the same place.

“I applaud your foresight to think about everything, and I hope the two of you are happy together while not wanting your relationship to affect the workplace.”

“He is so much nicer than the last guy I dated.” Sharon huffed. “Even though we only went out a few weeks, I quickly realized he was not the kind of man I wanted to be with.”

Sharon was a young woman with her head on straight, but Karen hoped their office romance wouldn’t backfire. As they reached their cars and she said goodbye, Karen couldn’t help but think about Laura. Though Laura was only fourteen, Karen knew her daughter would be ready to date in a couple of years. Backing out of her parking space, she prayed that her daughters would make good choices.

As she drove down the road, she cast her thoughts on the young woman she would visit. Shaking her head, she knew her coworkers weren’t wrong about the Crowder sisters. Belinda had been shot by someone afraid that she’d inadvertently photographed the aftermath of a murder. When she’d come home from the hospital, her detective boyfriend ensconced her in his place, where Karen had first met Belinda and Bess. Now, more recently, Bess had been injured when she stumbled across a ring of car thieves. It just so happened that Bess was also dating a detective, and Karen was heading to his place.

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