On Probation

by Malone, Misty

  "Yes, sir. Thank you again for your confidence in me."

  The judge smiled at him. "I'll tell you the same thing I told Kelli. You've earned it. Keep up the good work."

  Turning to Kelli, he said, "Miss Matthews, I understand Derek has put rules in place for you, apart from the probation rules, and I also understand he enforces those rules."

  Kelli's face turned bright red, and the judge immediately said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you. I love my wife with all my heart, and I enforce rules in my home the same way Derek does. I'm very fortunate because she realizes I do that only because I love her as I do. She embraces that love and the secure feeling it gives her. I hope you likewise realize how much Derek cares about you."

  "Yes, sir."

  "The reason I told you that is because of what Derek told me the first time we met to discuss your case. He told me then that he felt there was a wonderful young lady inside you wanting to come out. He felt you were that good person at heart, but you'd gotten mixed up with the wrong crowd of people, and lacked boundaries, self-control and self-confidence."

  Kelli looked over at Derek. Her love and respect for this man seemed to grow a little more each day. She looked back to the judge as he continued. "One of the reasons Derek was just promoted is because he is a good judge of character and is good at knowing what people seem to need to be the best they can be. He certainly was right about you. When I read what you did this weekend, catching that purse snatcher, I realized he was right about you. That good person I believe has found her way to the surface, and I believe she's there to stay. That's why I've put you in this new program and am willing to release you from probation."

  "Thank you again."

  "Like I said, you did the work, you've earned it. You and Derek seem to be good together. If he's helped you find your way this far, take my advice. Trust him, let him help you stay on the right path. It fits you well. I can tell you're happy."

  "I am," Kelli agreed quickly.

  "Good," the judge said. "Now, enough advice from me. Who are these two cheerleaders here who obviously care about you?"

  Derek introduced the judge to Phil and Lisa. The five of them talked several minutes. The judge stressed how important he felt it was for people on probation to have good family and friends behind them, and that there's no doubt in his mind that the three of them were a big reason for her success. He thanked them for helping and encouraging her.

  Before leaving, he turned back to Kelli. "Remember to respect this man, as well as your relationship, Kelli, and I'm sure he'll show you the same respect. I truly wish you both the best of luck, and remember, I'm available to perform weddings." He smiled as he left the courtroom, leaving the four of them all smiling as well.

  The judge wasn't completely out the door before Kelli was in Derek's arms. He hugged her tight and kissed her quickly but passionately. Phil and Lisa joined them in what turned into a group hug. Derek was congratulated for his promotion. They were all happy for Kelli's wonderful news.

  They heard the back door of the courtroom open and turned to see a man with a big smile walking in. "Congratulations, Derek. The judge told me about the new program. I like it, and I think he picked the perfect man to run it."

  "Thank you," Derek said sincerely. He put his hand on Kelli's back and led her toward the man. "Kelli, this is your new probation officer, Jim Hathaway. Jim, this is Kelli Matthews."

  "So this is our local hero," Jim said with a big smile for Kelli. "It's nice to meet you."

  "I don't know about the hero part, but it's nice to meet you, Mr. Hathaway," Kelli said.

  Derek could easily see and hear how nervous she'd become all of a sudden, and tried to calm her. "Kelli, you'll be fine. Jim's a nice guy." He looked up at Jim. "She's been nervous about getting a new PO."

  "Ah," Jim said with a big, comforting smile. "I promise I won't bite." He shrugged his shoulders and laughed a little. "As a matter of fact, we probably won't even get to know each other much, since I'll more than likely only be seeing you three times. And I know I'll have my new boss on me if I do anything to upset you too much."

  His big smile and warm eyes calmed Kelli down, and Derek felt her relax a little. "Jim, do you want to meet with her a few minutes now, before we all go to lunch, and get the paperwork all signed?"

  "Sure, if you all don't mind waiting about ten minutes. Then she won't have to come back in for four weeks."

  "I've got time," Phil said. "Why don't you go ahead and do that? Lisa and I can just wait out here in the hall."

  "Derek, as program director, you have to sign a couple of them, as well, so come on back with us. I can tell she's a little nervous. Maybe she'll feel better if you're there beside her."

  He could tell she was fighting nerves again and quickly agreed. "Sure. Let's go get the paperwork done. Phil, Lisa, there's a waiting room in the probation department. Why don't you come on with us and wait there?"

  Half an hour later, the paperwork was taken care of and the four friends were enjoying lunch.

  During lunch Phil announced, "We're all going to dinner tonight, my treat. We've got some celebrating to do."

  They made their arrangements for dinner, and Phil and Derek returned to work.

  Since neither of the girls had to work and there was no college, they spent the afternoon visiting at Kelli's apartment. They laughed and joked a lot, but they got some serious talking in, as well.

  Phil got home from work, and was visiting with the girls when Derek arrived fifteen minutes later. Lisa mumbled a rather quiet hello to him, and Kelli noticed how quiet she was after Derek's arrival. She told Lisa she wanted to show her something in her room, and when they got there, Kelli asked, "What's wrong, Lisa?"

  "What do you mean?"

  "Why are you so quiet? You act like something's wrong."

  Lisa paused, looked at Kelli, and slowly looked toward the guys in the living room. "Something is wrong," she admitted, "and it's time to fix it." She headed into the living room, and Kelli followed, mystified.

  Phil looked up and smiled when Lisa entered the living room, but paused when he saw her paled expression. "Lisa? Are you okay?"

  "No, not really," she confessed. She turned to Derek and said, "Derek, I want to apologize to you. Phil and I got into an argument after you and Kelli left the other night, and I called you an overbearing, abusive jerk. Phil wasn't happy about it, and he let me know it." She turned red, but continued, "But I still felt that way."

  Phil had a frown on his face. "Lisa?"

  "No, let me finish, Phil. I have to say this." She didn't miss the warning he was giving her, but she ignored it and continued. "Kelli and I talked today, and now I want to apologize. She made me see I was wrong. She told me she'd never hurt so much as right after that spanking, but then she told me while she was cuddled in your arms afterwards, soaking up all the love and comfort you were providing her, she was so glad you'd done it."

  Derek glanced at Kelli, who looked surprised, and then back at Lisa as she continued. "She explained that by making her wait until the next night, knowing all day she was getting another spanking and why, you forced her to think. That extra time to think is what made her finally hear what you'd been telling her."

  Derek pulled Kelli into his arms proudly, kissing her forehead.

  "So now I see that I was wrong, and I feel awful. I'm really sorry, Derek. I realize now how much thought you put into that, and you knew what would help her. I feel bad now about the awful thoughts I had about you. Can you forgive me, please?"

  Derek glanced over at Phil, who was looking much happier, and proud. He glanced at Kelli, and saw her surprised, but proud expression. She went over to Lisa and gave her a hug, saying, "Thank you, Lisa."

  Derek smiled and went to both girls and wrapped his arms around both ladies. "I'm awfully proud of both of you." Addressing Lisa, he said, "Lisa, I'm glad to hear you talked to Kelli when you were concerned about her. She's had a problem in the past with choosing friends wh
o tend to use her instead of looking out for her. She's obviously got a good friend now."

  Phil was smiling, listening intently.

  Derek wasn't done yet. "When she explained her feelings to you, I have to give you credit for hearing what she said. Once you've made up your mind about something, it's hard to have an open mind to hear what you don't want to hear. Does that make any sense?"

  Lisa slowly nodded her head. "I think so. I'm glad she was able to convince me, though, because I'm sorry to admit it, but I really did think you were an overbearing, abusive jerk. Sorry."

  Smiling, Derek asked, "Am I still an overbearing, abusive jerk, or are we friends?"

  "I hope we're still friends, if you're not too upset with me. I really am sorry I doubted you."

  "No problem. Thanks again for being such a good friend to my girl. I appreciate it." Turning to Kelli, he pulled her in for a hug as he said, "And you, young lady."

  Kelli's eyes opened wide when he called her that. That was usually not a good thing. He gave her a quick kiss on her cheek and said, "I've been awfully proud of you, and today all your hard work paid off. Now hearing you talk like this, I just want to kiss you." He smiled and did just that.

  He pulled away long enough to say, "Phil, I don't know about you, but I think our girls are maturing."

  Phil had Lisa in his arms and had to agree. "I think so. I'm proud of both of them."

  Phil took the four of them out for dinner, as promised. They celebrated Kelli's great news, and Derek's promotion. Kelli assured the others they could celebrate with wine, but she wasn't going to break her probation rules. They wouldn't hear of it, and the ginger ale flowed freely, which was fine with all of them.

  Derek surprised Kelli when they got home. "Honey, we're going to the new steakhouse this Friday, since we didn't make our last reservations. We still haven't celebrated us, as a couple, and you finishing your semester so well."

  "How were you able to get reservations there on a weekend so soon? I know they're booked up on weekends for a month or so."

  "I'm not exactly sure," Derek admitted. My friend who got our first reservations told me he'd see what he could do, and called me back an hour later with reservations for this Friday at 8:00. I couldn't believe it. Does that work for you?"

  "Absolutely. It still sounds expensive, but they say their food is delicious, and it's very romantic."

  "That sounds wonderful to me," he said, and gave her a passionate kiss, which she returned just as passionately.

  ***

  Derek looked appreciatively at Kelli when she opened her door Friday evening. "Kelli, you're absolutely beautiful tonight."

  He gave her a kiss, and she blushed and looked away, saying, "Oh, Derek, stop. I was thinking you look terrifically handsome, though." They laughed as he escorted her out the door.

  The employees at the restaurant were all extremely friendly, and Derek and Kelli couldn't believe the wonderful table they showed them to, next to a window overlooking a moonlit lake.

  They were wrapped up in their own little world, enjoying the atmosphere and delicious food, the beautiful view outside, and most of all, each other. They were a bit startled when a couple stopped at their table. The gentleman said, "Excuse us for interrupting your meal, but we recognized you two from the paper." Looking at Kelli, he said, "You're the young lady who caught the purse snatcher." Turning to Derek, he said, "And you're her boyfriend who knew the police had made a mistake and went and solved the case on your own, along with her brother. We just wanted to stop and tell you both how much we appreciate what you did. Not too many people would have done what either of you did, but we'd like to thank you for it. It's good to know the men are behind bars, where they belong."

  Derek and Kelli looked at each other, stunned. Derek recovered first, and standing, he shook the man's hand. "Thank you for the kind words, sir. We both appreciate them. Kelli's the hero here, I just did what I had to do."

  "You're too modest," the man replied. "But when we read the story in the paper this evening we commented that this town needs more people like you two. Again, I'm sorry I interrupted your meal, but we just had to thank you for getting those men off our streets."

  The couple walked away and Derek sat back down and looked at Kelli. "The story in the paper? Do you know what he's talking about?"

  "Not a clue," she assured him. "Remember that reporter who asked us a couple questions? I thought he was just putting a little something in the paper about them being off the streets finally."

  Derek nodded. "That's what I thought, too. What did he mean he recognized us?"

  "Again, I have no idea. Maybe we better go home and read the paper tonight."

  He smiled and agreed. "Maybe we better." They went back to enjoying their dinner, forgetting about the couple.

  Ten minutes later, however, as they were finishing their meal, another couple stopped by. "Excuse us," the gentleman said, holding out his hand, "but we just had to stop and congratulate you two."

  Derek stood and shook his hand, as the gentleman apologized. "I'm sorry for interrupting your meal. We don't want to keep you, but we wanted to tell you how much respect we have for your quick actions, and your bravery."

  "Thank you. That was very kind of you to say." The couple smiled at them genuinely, and went on. Derek sat back down and looked at Kelli, with a grin. "We are definitely going to read the paper when we get home tonight."

  After a few more minutes, the waiter came to ask if he could get them some dessert. "You've filled us both up with the fabulous food. All we need is our check, please."

  The waiter looked a bit uncomfortable. "Your check has already been paid, sir, including dessert, so if you'd like some, I'll be happy to bring the dessert cart, and we can wrap it for you to take along."

  Kelli and Derek both looked at him, amazed. Derek was confused. "Our check has been paid?"

  "Yes, sir."

  "By whom?"

  "I'm afraid I can't answer that, sir, but our manager may be able to. Here he is now."

  The gentleman heading toward them smiled, and Derek stood as he approached. After the men shook hands, the manager explained. "Good evening, Mr. Anderson. I'm Tom Mallory, the manager. When your friend, John, told me why you missed your first reservation you two had here, I was determined to find a table for you as soon as possible, and your dinner would be on the house, sort of our small way of saying thank you."

  "That's not necessary," Derek assured him, "but thank you for the offer."

  "No, I insist. However, after the story in the paper today, apparently other people had the same thought and want to tell you thanks, as well. Six people recognized you from the picture in the paper and have told me they want to buy your dinner." He smiled at their shocked expressions. "The first gentleman convinced me, so I decided he could pay today, and I'll buy your meal the next time you come in."

  Derek looked over at Kelli, and was shaking his head as he looked back at Mr. Mallory. "Really, this isn't necessary. Do you know who paid tonight? I'd like to thank him."

  "He wanted it to be an anonymous gift, Mr. Anderson, as did the others, who, when I told them someone had already paid for your dinner, insisted I take some money to put on an account for you. They all wish to remain anonymous, but said to thank you both, especially the young lady."

  Derek was shocked. "Are you serious?"

  "Totally serious, sir. You have $350 on account, to be used whenever you wish, plus a dinner on the house, including a bottle of champagne." He smiled and said, "I understand you two are a couple, and I wish you the best. You seem like a good pair."

  Derek was speechless, and he noticed Kelli looked uncomfortable, as well. He quickly recovered enough to respond. "Thank you very much, although I still say it's not necessary. We weren't aware anything was going to be in tonight's paper and haven't seen it yet, so if you'll excuse us, we're going to go find a paper. Thank you very much for the wonderful meal. We both enjoyed it immensely."

  "You're qu
ite welcome, and thank you for caring about our town and the lady whose purse was taken."

  Derek left a generous tip, and helped Kelli up and steered her toward the door. They were stopped two more times by well-wishers, and returned numerous smiles. Derek wasn't impressed with the unnecessary attention, but was concerned about Kelli. She was being polite and gracious, but he could tell she was extremely uncomfortable. He tried to politely hurry her through the restaurant and to his car.

  Once safely inside the car, he asked, "How does it feel to be a hero, honey?"

  "I don't like it," she quickly answered. "I know they meant well, but—and what was in the paper? It sounds like there must have been a picture, but where did they get one? Did you give them one?"

  "Don't look at me," Derek assured her. "I didn't know anything about any article they put in at all." He leaned over and gave Kelli a kiss. "Are you okay, honey?" She could tell he was concerned.

  "Yeah, I guess. I just don't like all this attention. All I did was try to get the poor lady's purse back. They're turning it into something way bigger."

  "I know, sweetheart, but most people wouldn't have done that. You really are a hero to some people, especially the lady who got her purse back."

  "Maybe," she murmured, hugging him. "But I really didn't do it to get all this attention. Can we go home?"

  "Sure. It sounds like a wonderful idea. How about my place?"

  "Perfect." Derek watched her as he drove to his apartment, and took her hand in his when he noticed her trembling.

  Once inside his apartment, he took her in his arms and held her close. "It's okay, honey." He led her to the couch and sat down, taking her with him, sitting her on his lap. She was still trembling, so since he knew his voice was comforting to her, he held her tightly in his arms and talked softly to her, trying to reassure her.

  When he felt her relax, he got the paper and sat back, pulling her in close to him, so they could read the infamous article. They were both stunned when they turned to page two and saw a picture of them, looking at each other and smiling. The headline read Local Heroine is Rescued by Her Own Hero. The article and picture took almost half the page, and explained what Kelli had done, that the police initially believed the thieves' story, and how Derek and Phil did their own investigation and revealed the true thieves. The reporter had talked to the police, as well as the judge, to obtain their information.