Scariest morning ever!

*Warning* This is very lengthy but not nearly as long as the morning felt

The premise to this story is that ArJay started the swing shift yesterday and should have been home at 2 am. You will understand the should have been shortly.

I woke up-ish at 5, rolled over and saw ArJay was not there. Sometimes he sleeps on the couch when he comes home late not to wake me and to fall asleep to the couch, so I figured that was it and went back to sleep. I woke up at 6:15, came downstairs to no ArJay. So at this point he is 4 HOURS late. This is not normal, 1-2 hours normal if a last minute call out, 4 made me worry. I automatically called him and got voicemail, about 4 times.

At this point I start freaking and call dispatch. THe dispatch lady was NOT helpful. I identified myself, asked if my husband was on a call out. She said " Umm.....yeah...I think he might be..." I asked if she was sure and she must have sense me annoyance because she said hang on. I heard her in the background radio his badge number and a bunch of police number gibberish. I didn't hear his voice but another officer say a bunch of gibberish back. She gets back on adn sounds less sure " UMm.yeah..I think he's on a call out" ME:"Do you know when he will be back" her: "Um.. no...I have no idea when he'll be back". So at this point I am thinking that other officer informed her he was dead or gravely injured and she just doesn't want to be the one to tell me.

So I hang up, took a deep breath and said an impromptu, informal prayer. I believe it was more along the lines of "please no" and " Help me calm down". I instantly thought "OK he is fine, that lady is just dumb and thought she didn't need to tell me details" Not the most christ-like thought, but that's honestly what I thought :0)

Alianna woke up late, of course when I actually wanted her up to distract me she slept in! When she did wake up I was actually in a zen-like state of calm thinking, whatever comes, we (Alianna and I) will be fine. DOn't think I still wasn't seconds from calling the hospitals though.

I got a call at 8 am( 6 hours late) from ArJay's number. The first thing I heard was" I'm alright" from my sweet husband's voice. I think that was the first deep breath I took all morning. Turns out he was way out in the boonies-with-no-cell-service-area of the nation all night. He had tried to call multiple times but could not get through and was nowhere close to areas where he could drive real quick to call. He tried to come home 3 times but kept getting calls he was sent to or felt he had to answer for his own conscience. A quick rundown includes: A car with nearly 400 pounds of marijuana, a guy tried to catch a car on fire with his fiance and the girl he hit on in it, and the first one he stayed after shift for was a guy who kidnapped his 1 month old daughter.

HE was exhausted and did not have to go on that call but wanted to and told me that was why he became an officer, to stop guys like that and protect innocent people. Sometimes he makes me soo proud I can't believe how blessed I am to be married to someone like that. IF only he could be superhero when it doesn't make him 9 hours late and make me hyperventilate......