Safe Haven by Reggie Ridgway Page 21
Safe Haven by Reggie Ridgway
Copyright 2011 by Reggie Ridgway
Smashwords Edition
All rights reserved
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author's imaginations or are used fictitiously.
Safe Haven
The sign on the wall outside the Fire Station showed a silhouette of a baby wrapped in a blanket. Under the title SAFE HAVEN, the words printed in several languages promised anyone who wanted to drop off an unwanted baby could safely and discretely do so here. The implied promise was that their baby would be taken care of and the mother abandoning her child could do so without the fear of punishment.
Heather studied the sign and sighed resignedly. She looked around to see if she was being observed before going back to her car. She opened the rear door and began to softly murmur to the child sitting in the car seat.
She assured the child that everything would be alright. She promised she would return for him as soon as she could. The child looked at her and although he didn't understand every word she said he gave her a trusting and happy grin. He was about two years old and could already say a handful of words. He seemed to understand what his mother was telling him and was ready for the adventure which awaited him. Walking now, potty trained and able to feed himself, he was well on the way to being self reliant.
With a monumental effort she lifted him still sitting in the child seat and strapped down tight. He clutched a stuffed bear in one hand and his sippy cup full of chocolate milk in the other. Slowly she made her way back up the driveway to the Fire Station and gingerly sat her son down by the Safe Haven sign. She kneeled and embraced her child fiercely for a long moment before slowly walking away.
She waved sadly, fighting back tears and threw him a kiss as she drove off. The child put down his bear and waved back and threw his own version of a kiss while looking all around him at his new surroundings. He loved being outside and this was a pristine day. The sun was rising and the birds chirping in the trees above him. He watched them intently and squealed when he saw a bushy tailed squirrel bound from limb to limb.
Inside the firehouse the men of Station 99 were just waking and going about the daily ritual of making coffee and fixing breakfast. Some were taking their showers and shaving, oblivious to the small visitor who was about to change their lives forever.
Just then the alarm squalled plaintively causing everyone to stop what they were doing and listen intently. There followed an emotionless female voice informing them of a car fire on the Interstate which was fully involved and causing the two outer lanes to be blocked.
The men of Fire Station 99 mobilized as they had so many times before and without delay. Half cooked food was reluctantly left on the stove to cool. Unshaved men still in their pajamas silently pulled on their jump suits and gear and slid down the fire pole to the waiting ladder truck. The heavy garage door began its lumbering ascent as they piled in and fired up their gleaming red chariot.
As they began to back out of the Fire Station, Matt sitting in the rear cockpit shouted
"Stop!"
Riley the seasoned veteran of Station 99 and the driver hit the brakes and shouted, "What's up Matt"?
"There's something here." Matt replied, already scrambling out of his seat and rushing over to the car seat.
Heather sat forward in her seat and peered through the film on her windshield in disbelief. Here she had done as the sign had instructed and now her baby may be in danger by the people she had left him with. She took in a sharp breath and almost screamed. She was parked in the parking lot along the beach where she usually stayed, not a beach condo but the comfort of her own car, her home on wheels. She was homeless. She told people she had been thrown out of her nice suburban home by a religious fanatic father when he found out she was with child and not yet wed. These beach parking lots only five miles from where she grew up were her new front yard. She'd been waiting here across from the Fire Station where she left her son, keeping an eye on him, hoping he would be safe until he was discovered. She watched in disbelief as a fireman jumped from the ladder truck and scooped up her pride and joy and held him aloft for the other firemen to see.
"It's a baby." Matt said.
"We can see that." Riley quipped. "Put him down before you drop him.
Matt, followed orders and the men piled out of their rig, the lights on top of the cab flashing but the siren turned off.
"I bet it’s a Safe Haven baby", Fred offered, gesturing to the sign by the garage door.
"But this child is at least two years old. The law was for mothers who could abandon a child under the age of five weeks." Matt said.
"Maybe the mother didn't know about the law and the age restriction." Fred said.
"What do we do Chief? We got a call and we can't leave the kid here. There is no one to watch him inside." They all were peppering him with questions at once.
Riley scratched his head and held his fire helmet under his arm. "We got to take him with us. He's already in a car seat. All we have to do is seat belt him in and take turns watching him while we put out the car fire. Shouldn't take more than a few minutes and then we can bring him back here and figure out our next move."
The men were unanimous with their decision and mobilized to secure the child in the rig while preparing for the ride to the fire. Riley looked over his shoulder to make sure the child was all set before backing the truck into the street. The lights and sirens were turned on and they roared toward the Interstate.
Heather pulled out of the parking lot breathing hard, still in disbelief at what had just occurred. This wasn't what she'd expected in her wildest dreams. Instinctively she knew her baby was safe with these men, but she couldn't help but be concerned. From the day her baby was born in the back of that converted school bus parked along the beach till now she had operated on instincts. The bus's resident hippies who helped her with the delivery that day two years ago and many others of the homeless set who occupied VW vans and makeshift tents along the Santa Barbara beach all gave her free advise. It was sometimes helpful and sometimes not. It was just trial and error. This was one of those times. She had been told about the Safe Haven option months ago and had been mulling over the option obsessively till today. Raising a child in the backseat of a Ford Taurus was becoming untenable as winter approached. Besides she had no money for the baby much less herself.
Any money she had was hard fought by panhandling or profits from jewelry she made from dumpster pickings. Many nights they went to sleep hungry, clinging together for warmth.
She slowed down and pulled into a parking spot and watched helplessly as her baby sped off inside a fire truck, red lights and sirens howling. She was out of gas and running on fumes or she might have been inclined to follow. She resigned herself to have a little faith in the firemen and wait patiently for their return.
The child whooped with delight as he watched the men quickly put out the car fire. The acrid smell of burning rubber hung in the air. The occupants, unhurt and standing a safe distance near a police car a few feet away talked on cell phones and gestured towards their car.
Soon the car, still smoldering, was winched up onto a tow truck for the trip to the wrecking yard. It was totaled and its occupants sped off in the back of the patrol car hoping they were current with their car insurance premium.
The ride back to the station was calmer as the lights and sirens were turned off and the speed reduced. They pulled into the firehouse and began to pile out of the rig talking excitedly about how good the boy was and how cute he had been. He had come into their life for now and they immediately adopted him not as a burden but as one of them. Hadn't he been with them on a fire run?
"Can we keep him Captain?" Matt asked.
The others chimed in with similar requests, acting like children themselves who wanted to keep a stray puppy.
Reiley shook his head and held the baby in his arms while the baby looked up and said "Da". Reiley grinned.
"He could be our mascot." Fred said.
"We have to call someone and report this." Reilly announced.
"The kid's too old for the Safe Haven system to work. CPS will most likely take him and put him in the system. He will spend the next sixteen years being shuffled around from foster home to foster home.", Toby said softly so as not to alarm the child with that prediction.
Reilly handed the child off and the men began setting about making him comfortable in the living quarters. One of them turned on the TV and changed the channel from sports to cartoons. Another brought some crackers and the child smiled at him gratefully and bit off a big chunk. One of them washed out the sippy cup and put some juice in it before handing it back. The boy seemed to be right at home and instantly made friends with the men.
Outside Heather was out of the car and walking past the fire station. She listened intently for any sign her child was in distress, but was relieved when she heard nothing save the soft breeze from the ocean filter through the palm trees. She went back to her car and resumed her vigil, now more than a little relieved knowing her child was relatively safe. She was feeling a gnawing pain of separation and anxiety though as the reality set in that she was alone. Her son had been her constant companion for the past two years, the only family she had left.
Inside the normally sedate fire house life was suddenly turned upside down. No one knew what to do with the baby. Everyone had an idea about how to proceed, but getting them to agree on anything in the past was usually a struggle.
Reilly, being the chief and the one who was always talking about his grandkids and producing pictures as proof to anyone who would listen, cleared his throat to get the men's attention.
"All right, I think we can all agree he can't stay here." he said sagely.
There arose groans of dissent.
"Calm down. I like him too, but a firehouse is no place for a two year old." he said.
The baby waddled around while inspecting the common room.
"We have to call this in and get someone out here."
"But who can we call?" Matt asked. "Please don't suggest Child Protective Service?"
"Maybe.", Reilly said and looked around the room for answers.
"Let's call the Safe Haven hotline." Larry offered.
"Their rules don't apply to this situation Larry." Reilly said. "But you did give me an idea." He walked purposefully to the wall phone and picked up the receiver.
"What is the 1800 number on the sign over there?" he said pointing to the Safe Haven sign.
Larry read off the number and Reilly punched them in. He had to listen to a menu and punch in more numbers before he was put through to a live operator.
"Can I have your name and address?" the woman said immediately when she answered.
"This is Chief Raymond Reilly, Station 99, and Santa Barbara, California. I just have a question if I may."
"What's your question?" the woman said as if this was a routine conversation she went through every day.
"Hypothetically, if someone were to drop off a child at the fire house and they were older that the five week cutoff, what would our responsibility be." he said sounding vague and not willing to give any details.
"Hypothetically, Chief Reilly you would have a problem on your hands which is beyond our scope of responsibility. My opinion though, off the record mind you, is that you must turn this matter over to the police." she said conspiratorially.
"That's what I was thinking Miss.", he said feeling foolish for having called. "If that situation ever comes up we will have a protocol now. We were just having a meeting and someone came up with this scenario." Reilly thanked her for her time and replaced the receiver.
"What did she say?" the men all were crowded around him and seemed to be talking at once.
"She said this would be a matter for the police." he said and looked around at the men who were looking back with disbelief. Just then the station house door opened and men started streaming in for work. It was time for the shift change. His men came over and began peppering him with questions about the baby.
Reilly told them about the situation and they were in agreement with the need to not get the Child Welfare people involved yet.
Most of Reilly’s crew said their goodbyes and left to go home.
Reilly stayed behind not willing to go home yet and leave this situation open for the next crew who would be spending the next 24 hours with this little child. He volunteered to stay over on his own time and baby-sit until they could come up with a solution.
Over the next few hours there were several trips made to the convenience store where the cashier gave the fireman a quizzical look when he purchased disposable diapers, baby food and other items not usually needed around a firehouse. They made a temporary crib out of some rescue equipment and took turns watching the toddler who was happy to meet the new crew. Just like before he was well received by the firemen and they adopted him into their group without argument.
Outside the sun was starting to set. The parking lot began to empty as vacationers and tourists left to return to their timeshares and hotel rooms. One car remained, however and Heather watched through the unwashed windshield shivering a little as the temperature began to drop. She pulled a blanket over her and began to sob when she noticed the scent of her child. It was the first time she had cried since leaving Shawn at the firehouse and the feeling of separation and loneliness was overwhelming. It was the not knowing what was happening inside that was the worst. She was hungry but unwilling to go to her friends, the hippies in the converted school bus who were always happy to share their food with her and Shawn.
When her tears began to subside she began to have doubts about her decision to abandon Shawn. She did it out of love and protection for him. She knew his health and welfare was in danger living out of this car. Their prospects were bleak, and even though they had one of the most scenic views in the world from their home and a wonderland for him to play in every day, there was a cost. She couldn’t keep him safe and the car was not a home. Still she was struggling with the loss of his companionship and now that he wasn’t there with her she couldn’t stand it.
She had to get him back. But how? If she walked up to the door and demanded his return, she didn’t know what would happen. They might even arrest her. They might still keep Shawn and turn him over to the State. She might never see him again and he would be shuffled around from foster home to foster home. Her only hope was to steal him back. She would just have to wait until they were all asleep and then she would quietly sneak in and get him. She had observed the comings and goings of the firemen and noticed the door was not locked. Last night before she dropped Shawn off she had noticed that everyone was asleep and no one was standing guard.
She began to feel a little better now that she had a plan for getting Shawn back. She was feeling foolish for having left him there in the first place, but people do crazy things when desperation sets in and no other solution is available. Maybe if she had known about the Safe Haven option when Shawn was born she might have been more willing to let go, but now after spending two years with him, the bond was too strong. She realized now that letting go was not an option. She would find a way to raise him no matter what.
It was now 2 AM and there had not been any activity she could observe inside the fire station. She exited her car and looked around to make sure she wasn’t observed. She felt like a criminal doing this but her mother’s instincts had kicked in and she had thrown all caution to the wind.
Quietly, she made her way to the front of the brick building and stood on her tippy toes to peer inside. The light was dim from the kitchen or a bathroom but she could make out the fire truck and some men sprawled out in front of a TV on some couches and easy chairs. They seemed to all be asleep.
She could see Shawn. He was asleep himself in a makeshift bed they had created for him from some rescue equipment. There was one man asleep on the ground next to Shawn’s bed. She thought she recognized him from this morning as the person who was in charge when they were preparing to go to a fire and took her son along for the ride. She grinned when she thought how Shawn would have loved that ride. He was always laughing and pointing when the fire trucks roared past when they were living along the beach.
She tried the door and found it to be unlocked. Apparently firemen do not fear the bogey men or perceive a threat from strangers. Maybe it was like a church, where the doors are never locked and always open for anyone who would enter. She opened the door and listened with her heart stopped for any alarms to sound off. Nothing happened and she quietly closed the door behind her. She waited a moment to allow her eyes to become accommodated to the dim light.
Her plan was simple. Grab Shawn and run. She really hadn’t planed for any contingencies should she be caught. It would just have to play out. She was beyond reasoning now and was unafraid of anything. Still her heart pumped so loud in her ears she just knew it would awaken the men. There was noise from the TV left to play some late night talk show. Conan was making fun of some congressman or senator. The only other noise came from the men themselves. It was as if they were having a contest to see who could snore the loudest. It was almost like being in a pigsty, although the place was immaculate.
Step by step she approached the bed upon which her son slept. She could see that he still clutched his teddy bear and her heart warmed at the sight. There were baby wipes and diapers and baby food on the nightstand. Someone had been reading to him from Dr Seuss. “Horton Hears A Who”. She smiled, remembering the book, and how her own mother had read to her.
Reilly couldn’t sleep. His eyes were closed but the events of the day kept playing as if he were watching a video. ‘Would he have done anything different had he the opportunity?’ ‘No.’ He thought. ‘This kid deserves a fighting chance. It was fate that brought him to this fire house and it was up to them to respond. He was the one who always followed the rules. Hell, he made the rules. What was happening now was an aberration. A bending of the rules, if you will. Someone dropped this kid off on their doorstep without a hello or goodbye. No note. Nada, and two years old to boot.’
He had read that in Nebraska, one could drop off their unwanted teenager. He chuckled at the thought of some unruly 19 year old being dropped off at a Safe Haven site. He knew he had the support of his men, both shifts. He was like a father to most of his men. They would come to him like he was their pastor with all manner of problems, big or small, it didn’t matter. The fact was, he was good at problem solving. It was his gift. Yet this problem was his own by design and had many facets which could effect others for the rest of their lives.
If he played by the rules and called the police, who would in turn be obliged to involve the Child Protective Services, there would be ramifications he wasn’t sure he could live with. The CPS wasn’t known for it’s successes but more for it’s failures. The prisons were filled with people who grew up in that system of foster care and institutions. Of course there were exceptions to the rule, he nodded to himself but as was frequently the case , no good came out of it.
Whatever was going to happen, it better be sooner than later. The kid can’t stay here more than 24 hours, no matter how cute he was or how much everyone was falling for him. If he could, he would take him home. Amy, his wife of thirty years would have known what to do. He had been floundering since she passed last year. Husbands were not supposed to outlive their wives. This was a case in point. She was his whole life and now she was gone. Cancer had robbed him of those twilight years they had been looking forward to. He was to retire soon and they had been all gassed up and ready to go in a forty foot RV. She had been his traveling buddy. Never complained no matter how cold or primitive things got. She had been a real trooper.
That was why he was so unsure of what to do now in this situation. She had been his moral compass. When the men needed advice he would put them off until he could ask Amy. Of course he would get the credit if the advice was good. What would Amy do?
He looked at his cell phone. It still had Amy’s number on speed dial, he hadn’t the heart to erase it. Sometimes he would call the number just so he could listen to her outgoing message. “Hi. This is Amy. I’m not here right now but if you leave me a number and a message, I will get right back to you. God bless you and have a great day.”
If she had answered instead of a recording he would have had a heart attack. He smiled in the darkness. Suddenly he heard the door to the firehouse open and snicker shut. His eyes fluttered open but he remained still. If there was a thief in his house he had as much chance of success as an armed thief at a gun show. It was dark but the ambient light from the quarter moon was filtered by the skylights located thirty feet above. It cast a patina of shadows across the floor. Movement off to his right caused him to shift his gaze, without moving his head. Whoever it was they were not too bright and he guessed by the shadow not too big either. He could make out a form coalesce from the shadows and it was coming closer and closer. A hand materialized near his head and instinctively he grabbed it. He heard a shrill scream and he almost screamed himself when he realized he was holding a female wrist. Lights came on and he blinked in the glare of the fluorescents.
Sleepy firemen came out of their warren of quarters, rubbing their eyes and complaining at the interruption. Luckily they were in cloths.
“Who are you? What are you doing in here? What do you want?”
’The girl,’ he thought. ’She couldn’t be much older than sixteen.’ She stood before him sobbing and gibbering. He couldn’t make out what she was saying. Instincts took over and he released her. “Now now, no need to cry, we are here to help. My name is Reilly. Captain Reilly. These are my men.” He spent a moment introducing them to him.
She stopped sobbing and shook each of their hands. She visibly began to regain control of herself but she still shivered.
‘She couldn’t weight more than ninety pounds soaking wet’. Reilly thought.
Someone offered her a warm blanket and wrapped it around her. She thanked them and they offered her a seat. She collapsed into an overstuffed leather couch and it seemed to swallow her. She looked up through misty eyes and met the stairs of a half dozen men gawking at her with mouths ajar. She looked into the makeshift bed and was relieved to see Shawn hadn’t been disturbed by the ruckus.
Reilly watched her and making a deduction asked, “Is he yours?”
She nodded and pursed her lips. She looked at her shoes, at the fire truck, out the window, anywhere but into his questioning eyes. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust him. She felt grateful to these men and they made her feel warm and comfortable inside. It was a feeling she wasn’t used to and maybe that was why she was mistrusting. In the past if someone was nice to her they usually wanted something. These men surrounding her gave off a different vibe. Helpful without being judgmental and definitively not threatening. They all had concerned looks on their faces which began to soften her resolve to take Shawn and run.
Finally she began speaking to no one in particular. “We have been living out of a car for almost a year now.” She managed to tell the story without tearing up. Her insides were clinched but she was tough on the outside. She was independent and living on her own had made her street smart which was what helped her survive. She hated people offering charity but usually took it for Shawn’s sake. Since he was born it has always been about him. He was the center of her universe. She had known that it was wrong to give him up this morning but had rationalized it was for his own good.
“My name is Heather.”
Reilly looked around at the stoic and sober faces of his men and shook his head.
“Where are your parents Heather? Why are you living out of a car?”
This was the hard part for her. She hated telling anyone her tragic story and most of the time she made one up. Sometimes she said she had escaped from Juvy after being knocked up by one of the guards. She had an active imagination and could come up with some real hair raisers. She decided on the truth however, these men deserved as much.
“My mother is dead. My father raised me by himself but he abused me.” She spoke in a whisper and Reilly had to lean in close to hear.
Reilly and his men took their turn at not being able to look her in the face. The rage built in Reilly like a forest fire. “Listen to me. You are safe here. Shawn is safe here. Just like the sign says outside, this is a Safe Haven. We took Shawn in without question and we can take you in as well.” The last words almost choked in his throat and he had to stand up or blubber like a baby.
“We have plenty of room here and in our hearts.”
Heather almost lost it then. No one had ever told her anything like that since her mother had died. She was barely no older that Shawn when that happened, but when she closed her eyes she could see her mother’s face any time she wanted and it often gave her comfort. It was as if her mother was always with her guiding her and protecting her. When she became pregnant either due to her father’s drunken act or by his friends who came over often, she knew she had to escape.
“Thank you”, she managed to say and gave them a grateful smile which melted their hearts like it was made out of butter.
They talked for a while in low voices. Shawn slept oblivious to what was going on a few feet from his bed. Most of the firemen returned to their sleeping quarters after giving Heather a hug. She felt like she had just found her long lost brothers and had a feeling she didn’t know she could feel. Family. She had a family now. Reilly was like a father figure to her and she listened to him explain that everything would be all right. She yawned and after accepting a sandwich and a glass of milk which disappeared like magic, she curled up on the couch next to Shawn and instantly fell asleep.
Reilly quietly paced the floor on the other side of the fire truck. He couldn’t sleep and was working out a plan. Now that they had found Shawn’s mother the idea of turning him over to the police was moot. Heather was technically an emancipated minor and returning her to her child abusing father was out of the question. They just needed a plan to get her some help. She could never sleep another night in her car. They needed to find a place for them to stay. She needed an income. These were not unattainable needs and they were in the business of rescuing people. Heather needed to get her high school diploma and although going to school was a long shot, getting her a GED was not out of the question. She could go to a trade school, like dental assisting or something. They could work out something for day care for Shawn. He wasn’t sure how all this was going to come to fruition but things had a way of sorting themselves out once a plan was put in motion.
Morning arrived and his crew from yesterday arrived for work and relieved the other crew who said their goodbyes and left for home. Reilly filled the new arrivals in on Heather’s situation. They were ready and willing to help as Reilly had trained them to be resourceful. Then the miracles began to happen. Matt came in with a big grin on his face. He had called in earlier asking how the baby was doing. He had taken a special interest in him since he had been the first to discover him outside the firehouse. “My wife and I have been talking and even before we knew of Heather’s existence we had decided to adopt the baby if we could. Now that Heather is here we may have a solution to keep her and her son together. We have been searching for an aupair for our daughter who is about Shawn’s age. My wife has been wanting to return to her teaching career and this may be a way to make everyone happy.”
Heather’s eyes were wide with excitement as she listened to Matt’s proposal. He showed her a picture of his wife and daughter and she nodded excitedly.
“If Heather agrees, she could be our aupair. She could attend night school if she wants to earn her GED. Her and Shawn could live with us with room and board included as well as a salary. We could watch Shawn while she goes to night school. She would have an address now and be eligible for assistance from the state.”
Reilly beamed. “That sounds like a great idea to me. Heather?”
Heather was sitting very still with Shawn on her lap repressing a shout of glee.
Shawn was thrilled to see his mom when he awoke and clung to her at first before toddling around the firehouse like it was his house. She nodded excitedly and hugged Matt and Reilly.
“Then its settled. Matt can have his wife come and pick you up and you can go see your new home. Leave your car with me and I’ll work on getting it fixed up.” He had already gone outside to inspect it and noticed it needed a tune up, brakes and current registration.
Heather agreed and was very excited about the prospects of living in a home with a real bed. Having a job and getting her high school diploma and working on a career path was like a dream come true. She had always wanted to work in the medical field and enjoyed helping people. Reilly explained how the firehouse had a scholarship program which she would be welcomed as the recipient should she choose to. She could go to any school she wanted.
She promised to bring Shawn around often to see his extended family and friends and maybe get another ride in the fire truck. Matt’s wife Connie came and she and Heather instantly bonded and she brought little Emma. She had an extra car seat and the guys helped get Shawn situated in her SUV.
Heather smiled like it was Christmas morning as she waved to her friends when the SUV pulled away from the curb. She had hugged each of them goodbye and there wasn’t a dry eye in the place.
One night about a month later a call went out that a house was on fire. Reilly’s crew arrived to find a balding man with a pot belly standing in front of his two bedroom house which was smoking but not fully engulfed. He wore silk pajamas and a house coat but was shivering in the chill. He babbled how he was awakened by the smoke alarm and found his house full of smoke and heard the crackling of a fire.
The men quickly put out the fire and fire hoses snaked in and out of the home. They wouldn’t let the man inside although he was insistent. Soon two police cars arrived. They showed the man a search warrant and he paled as they came out of his house carrying stacks of child pornography, video equipment and a laptop computer.
They had received an anonymous tip that the house was a hub for child porn and may have been a house where porn videos were filmed as the house interior was recognized in the films. No sign of a captive inside but children’s toys and cloths were found. He claimed to be childless which raised more suspicion and he was cuffed and paraded in front of his neighbors who made statements to the effect they always wondered why so many strange men were coming in and out at all hours of the night.
Heather never knew about her father’s arrest and subsequent trial and sentencing to twenty years in prison. She might have been happy to know he spent many years being beaten and tortured by his cell mates who were not happy to be living with a child molester.
Reilly made sure the cause of the fire was never investigated. Faulty wiring was listed as the cause. The police were just glad to get another predator off the street and the laptop proved invaluable in tracing down some more who were later arrested. The insurance totaled the house and sent a check to Heather. She never asked questions but put the money away for Shawn’s education.
Heather was true to form as she brought Shawn by the firehouse often. In later years Shawn graduated with honors and applied to school to become a fireman. Reilly was retired but he made sure Shawn got in and was welcomed to work in the very firehouse where he was once abandoned. Heather became a registered nurse and she works with her pediatrician husband and they live in a house overlooking the beach where she once lived in a car.