As the day went on, the tile guys worked hard in the bathroom. I would text Mike pictures of their progress throughout the day.

 

The boys played outside on our property for most of the day. They shot their bb guns, rode their dirt bikes, and played basketball. I was making my lists and getting our upcoming camping trip plans all set with our friends.

 

 

As we always did, Mike and I continued to text about the little things happening at home. We texted about the camping details, the remodel and now the leak under the house the tile guys had found. It was hard for Mike to talk on the phone sometimes at work, obviously, because he was on a motorcycle but also because he was always going from call to call.

 

I continued to update Mike, via text, about the work on the house but he had stopped responding.

 

No biggie, that was totally normal. I thought he was probably on the motorcycle or on a call.

 

As the boys played outside I sat on the couch and browsed Facebook. I saw a post that said pray for the San Jose Police Officers.

 

Hmmm… that’s weird. I continued to read that an officer was hurt, a motors officer, the post said. Now there aren’t that many motors officers in the department and Mike was one damn good rider.  So….couldn’t be him.

 

But still no response to my texts from him.

 

Actually, I realized, the friend I was texting about camping had stopped texting me too.

 

That’s when I started to get worried. Then, as I went on to call and text my police friends no one answered or responded.

 

They knew…and I didn’t.

 

Finally, another officer’s wife, a friend of mine, called me and told me it was Mike the Facebook post had referred to. She said she and her husband would be right over.

 

I sat on my couch, thinking to myself, stupid Mike crashed on his bike and had probably broken his leg. We are in the middle of this remodel, we are supposed to go camping that weekend and now that dork hurt himself. And you know how big of a baby guys are when they are hurt or sick, right?!

 

I let the boys continue to play basketball out in the back as I waited for our friends.  They pulled up a few minutes later, the wife in her car and the husband dressed in plain clothes, yet in his police car.

 

I walked outside and when I saw them, I instantly knew.

 

I knew it was bad. I collapsed on the grass. My biggest fear, my worst nightmare, had become my reality.

 

My living hell had begun.