In Her Father's Footsteps: Chapter 1

It was something that had been brewing in thirteen year old Brandon Wolcott's body for years. He had never felt quite like a very masculine boy; never played sports, wasn't really attracted to the vast majority of girls at the middle school that he attended. Growing up in the small community of Waterford, Ohio had sent him to a school that was largely populated with students that grew up on farms... The FFA was popular in the school, and the boys were all buff and bigger than Brandon; the girls almost always opting for jeans and button down plaid shirts in lieu of dresses; something about mucking out horse stalls. He heard the front door open.

“Brandon,” He heard his dad’s voice float up to his room. “I’m home, and your mother and sister should be home soon as well. They were about twenty minutes away when I talked to them.” Brandon’s dad had picked up a shift at work with the village police department to help cover for a fellow officer that had some stuff to attend to with his own family. Brandon cringed at the use of his male name. The feelings of having something not matching between his brain and physical gender was really starting to wear him down. He stood, stretched and went down stairs. His dad stood there, hanging his coat up.

“How’s Wallick’s mom doing?” Brandon asked, genuinely concerned about the answer.

“She’s critical but stable,” Eric Wolcott replied. “She had least three strokes.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “It’s not looking good for her.” Brandon frowned. He knew that his friend Wyatt would take the death of his grandmother hard if she passed. “I’ll keep you updated.” He unzipped his uniform shirt, revealing his bulletproof vest. He never went on duty without it, even if he was working the Detective Bureau. You just never knew what was going to happen.

“Is there anything we can do to help?” Brandon asked, opening a cupboard and pulling out a glass to get some water.

“The doctors are doing all they can,” Eric said, giving the young man’s shoulder a squeeze. “I’m going to go change and you should get ready to go as well. We’re leaving as soon as your mom and Tia get here.” Brandon’s mom and older sister had been out doing some shopping for a baby shower of a family friend.

“Ok,” Brandon said, taking a gulp of the cup of water. It was gone in seconds. He turned and went up stairs. At the top of the stairs, he went to his room, pausing to glance into his sisters room with the sun shining in, illuminating the room in a bright pink glow. The room was neat and orderly, Tia’s makeup neatly laid out on the vanity, her desk organized. Even the closet, which stood open, was organized. Brandon could see some of her dresses, and he wished that he could put one on for their trip out to dinner that evening. They were celebrating Eric getting promoted to Lieutenant over the Patrol Bureau. He was going to be moving from heading the Detectives to leading the street units. Brandon shook his head and went into his room and pulled off the shirt he had on, replacing it with a dress shirt. He was going to have to come out, and soon, him not saying anything was beginning to cause him serious mental anguish.