you aren't born with strength, you cultivate it

RHYS | Do you feel all alone?

Published: 28 JUNE 2023

"Do you feel all aloneWhen you stand in the crowd?Are you scared of the dark?Well there's no leavin' now""Black Water" | The People's Thieves

The re-introduction of Rhys Valentine

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"Don't forget your phone!" Jenny hollers from the other side of the house, likely scrambling to get ready for her own day of work.

With his hands full, and mind buzzing with both nerves and excitement, he gives a loud noise of acknowledgement, hardly having the capability to form words. Shoving the items further into his chest, he brushes past Djenna with a kiss to her forehead as a wordless thank you. Xander ushers him out the door to his jeep, lugging around a pile of papers of his own. The pair make their way to their respective seats, Rhys dropping his load of necessities on the floorboards as he climbs inside. He kindly takes the other man's files and carefully disposes of them on the dashboard to secure his seatbelt.

Meticulously, Rhys returns to his load. He quadruple checks the array, noting down everything gathered. His phone, wallet, badges, duffle bag (filled with many more things he can't really be bothered ensuring the neatness of), cup of coffee, and, last but not least, a brown paper bag filled with food for lunch. When he found his daughters preparing not only breakfast, but his lunch as well before he even had the time to get out of bed, he had to try his best not to cry. His heart felt as full as his stomach when he had finished scarfing down the large meal. Rhys had promised himself to return the favor someday, maybe in the way of a night out with just the three of them. Father-daughter bonding; like the time they went shooting and then drove around the county and talked.

Xander starts the engine and expertly backs out of their driveway, hardly worrying about the white picket fencing lining the pavement while he expertly avoids it. Without a second look, they're off to Sandy Shores for Rhys to be dropped off at the half-way point.

The weeks building up to this moment have both been uneventful and stressful all the same. While there was no mistake that Rhys was ready to be reintegrated into police work, there were a few factors they couldn't test without being on the field. But the Sheriff and Undersheriff put gallons of trust into him, convincing him that he could do this even when the doubts kicked in. The calming hours of combing through paperwork and getting the logistics out of the way was simple, relaxing, and eased him back into the swing of things swiftly. Returning to the dull drone-work of paperwork wasn't daunting nor was it dreaded. Instead, he jumped headfirst into it like a fish to water. He finished most things ahead of schedule, giving him more time to comb through his old case files and peruse newer ones both in relation to his reason for coming out of retirement and not.

Today's surprise to the rest of the Blaine County Police Department was in the works for months. While they were slightly behind schedule due to his incident with Theodore Pruitt, they were still on track to pass his trial phase before Reigns would be relinquishing his position as Sheriff to finally retire. Though, no one was particularly worried about the next head, seeing as he's been Chief of Police and brought back the State Troopers to lead them as their Colonel. Robert Less was the least of their worries, leaving all the Deputies to enjoy their last month or so with their long-standing Sheriff. Rhys could only wonder who the legend of a man would choose as his Undersheriff. He hoped Vincent would continue his role, unless he decided to step down alongside their Sheriff.

"Are you ready?" Alexander asks, grey-brown eyes flitting to him momentarily to focus back on the road in front of him. They had just passed the infamous, and less trafficked, 68 Motel.

Rhys hums noncommittally, "As much as I can be. There're many factors to think about that I'd rather not touch on, not to mention the fact that I don't know if I'll even be able to finish what I'm rejoining for."