Her Big Day, My Last Day

Rather than clinging to some faint hope and suffering through the pain, I'd rather end it all cleanly.At the hospital, the doctor tried to talk me out of it, again and again, asking me to reconsider. I didn't argue. I just signed my name on the organ donation form, firm and final.Seeing that nothing would change my mind, the doctor stood, patted my shoulder gently, sighed, and walked away.While I waited at the billing counter to settle my treatment costs, a video on my social feed caught my eye and cut deep.Two nights earlier, the department had gathered at The Milton Hotel to celebrate Jocelyn cracking a major case. I'd missed it. My condition had flared up that day.The video had been filmed during the dinner. A few drinks in, someone had started egging Jocelyn and Brian Castor on. "Go on, give her a hug!"Brian looked bashful and waved his hands. "I couldn't possibly. Jocelyn belongs to James. How could I hug another man's girl?"He was doing it on purpose.If there was

I was drifting in and out of sleep when an insistent phone ringing dragged me awake.The second I picked up, Jocelyn's voice came through, sharp and rattled in a way I'd never heard from her before. "Get over to Brian's parents' place right now!""What's going on?"Brian took the phone, his voice shaking. "James, I think someone's been watching my parents' house. It has to be one of the suspects from an old case who slipped through the net. I hate to ask this of you, but I'm genuinely afraid something might happen to them."Being harassed or targeted for revenge came with the job when you worked for the department. But even knowing how dangerous a situation like this could be, the two of them still wanted me to handle it alone.My throat tightened. I forced the words out. "This needs to go through the department. I have to go."Jocelyn snatched the phone back, her voice turning hard. "What could you possibly have going on this late at night? For ten years, all you've done i

Thanks to the anesthesia, the euthanasia wasn't nearly as painful as I'd imagined. I felt my body go loose and soft, felt my consciousness peel away from it, bit by bit.Just as I thought everything was over, my eyes opened again.I realized my soul had drifted to the police department, straight to Jocelyn's side.Her face was dark with worry. Beside her, Brian complained, "Tch! Of all times to bother you. James knows exactly how important this case is to you."Jocelyn shot him an irritated glance and yanked her hand away, then called me again.This time, the nurse who'd just brought me the phone answered instead."James Dempsey? He just finished the euthanasia procedure. He's being transferred to the organ donation room now.""What did you just say?" Jocelyn shot up from her seat. "Who's dead?"Only after the nurse repeated herself did Jocelyn finally react. She ignored Brian entirely and bolted out of the office."Wait for me! I'll drive you. You're in no state to be behind

"Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to be here today. But I'm not here to celebrate. I'm here to apologize to every one of you."Two years ago, I already had the key evidence for this cold case in my hands. I chose not to report it to the department right away, and because of that, the suspect went on to kill two more women using the exact same method..."The room, once loud with chatter, went silent except for the constant clicking of camera shutters.Jocelyn looked braced for the worst. Her face stayed completely blank as she finished her statement, then bowed deeply toward the cameras.That same afternoon, the department announced their decision on Jocelyn's case.Because she'd deliberately concealed evidence, a serious violation of the department's professional standards, they stripped her of her detective title. She'd never be allowed to work in criminal investigation again for the rest of her life.That was how fast Lento City's celebrated heroine, its