characteresque

character :: Connor Marks

Connor was born to protect and serve - ask anyone, they'll tell you the same. And although Connor's proud of all he's done, there's no greater achievement in his life than getting married to the love of his life and becoming a father; and, luckily for Connor, he's gotten to do it...twice, he'll proudly admit. It may have taken getting broken-down, bruised and beaten to get where he is today but that's what a good Marine does: he may get broken down, but he always gets built back up, one way or another.

Childhood was nothing more than a few good, friendly blows between two rowdy brothers, Connor and Jeff, the sons of a housewife (Michelle) and a hardworking, oil rig worker (John). Michelle adored her boys, despite the headaches they caused and had no problems separating the two from one another when their fighting got out of hand; but it was all in good fun. Boys will be boys, after all. When they were harassing one another, the two got along relatively well and school gave them a good, much needed outlet for all their energy, a god-send for Michelle. The two entered their teenage years without much fanfare, both of them taking a shot at football with success but after only a year, Connor called it quits and focused his attention on school instead, or, that was his intention, anyway.

Katelyn was a beautiful, bright young woman who had just moved to Houston and stood in front of the class, confidence radiating like sunshine, detailing her life as though it were a movie. Connor was smitten from the first words that came from her perfect lips but Katelyn wasn't too sure about yet, blocking him every which way he tried to come at her until she finally yielded three years later during their junior year of high school and accepted his offer of a first date; it would be the beginning of something beautiful but beauty, too often, is followed by tragedy. It would be a gorgeous spring day in his fourth period class when Connor would be pulled out, sat beside his brother in the principal's office and dealt the horrific blow: their mother and father were hit by a semi-truck and neither of them survived. The pain was unbearable but Katelyn stuck by Connor's side through the angst he felt and Jeff pushed for the two to live off their parents' savings until Connor turned eighteen the following year. Life was difficult, it was different, but it continued on none the less.

High school and college were a breeze for Connor and Katelyn worked tirelessly as an assistant to a prominent lawyer in town, none the wiser that Connor was planning something big. It would be a romantic dinner, followed by a date beneath the stars when Connor popped the question and the two tied the knot three months later, just before they got their biggest, and final wedding gift: Katelyn was pregnant, much to Connor's excitement. The couple's joy quickly turned to Katelyn's frustration when Connor admitted that he had signed up for the Marine Corps and, should he be accepted, he would most likely be away at training or deployed during their child's birth.

But even with Katelyn's mounting frustration, she could see Connor's determination and supported his decision, even as his daughter Nicole was born, as Connor had predicted, during his deployment. But, if anything, the new girl in his life made him all the more dedicated to do something great with his life and after his service in the Marine Corps had been complete, Connor shifted his focus from the military to public safety. The timing couldn't had been any more perfect as the city of San Antonio put out a call for new, dedicated officers to join the force so, just as he did as a Marine, Connor was called and he, without hesitation, answered. Working as an officer allowed him to help his brother get on his feet and support his own, small family but the long hours and stressful nights caught up with the one happy couple sooner than they had hoped; only a year and a half after his return from the Marines, the two filed for an amicable divorce. Their custody agreement was painless and mutual for the sake of their daughter Nicole and, when the papers hit the table, neither wasted any time in signing them, unaware that an accident would force the two back into each other's lives years later.

Six years had passed since Connor joined the police force and despite his divorce, he was shining in his department, looking forward to a long career climbing the ranks of the police department until a call came. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary: a domestic dispute between a young, victimized mother and her abusive boyfriend that had gotten physical and he had refused to let her leave. Connor responded, as he always did, and ushered the woman and her young child to his squad car per her request, assuring the woman that they could be sheltered for the night and would be able to return the next morning, police by her side, to gather her things. Connor radioed his dispatcher to let them know the situation when he felt a piercing pain in his back followed by total numbness in his legs that dropped him to his stomach. With radio still in hand, Connor was able to send out a distress signal - "Officer down, requesting back-up". He watched as the boyfriend rushed up to a car that he had never seen before, speeding away recklessly down the street shortly before officer closed in on the scene and Connor blacked out. His ex-wife would be clutching his hand, her hushed sobs bringing him to a sobering state of wakefulness as he puzzled out where he was: white walls, the smell of rubbing alcohol, the repetitive beep of the machines. It would be her that would ultimately break the news that the doctors had been waiting to tell him: he had sustained a T-11 spinal cord injury and, as a result, had been paralyzed from the waist down. The man who had shot him had been arrested and was now awaiting trial for the attempted murder of a police officer after fleeing the scene but even as the news sank in, Connor wasn't sure how to process it all. A doctor appeared moments later, noting that with proper physical therapy and training, Connor would be able to use a wheelchair but even with leg braces, his ability to walk again was likely nothing more than a dream. Faced with no other options, Connor accepted the therapy without a second thought and put on a brave face for both himself and his ex-wife. It would take almost fourteen months for Connor to complete his rehabilitation and return to work as an officer - but, as expected, things were never quite the same. He tried to find passion in work at the station for the next several months but, due to both boredom and pride, he had no choice but to leave the department.

Now, the accident is nothing more than a memory and Connor has adjusted well to his new life in Austin, despite his wheelchair. His weekends are spent traveling the U.S on his modified motorcycle while his days are spent catching up with his old police buddies when he's in town, enjoying the life he's lucky to have. Now, all he needs is a new lady in his life to sweep off her feet and one such lady may look little and petite but she is a beast (in a tiny package).

But the miniature butcher and mother of one has troubles of her own, problems that Connor is about to realize become his baggage too, and he's not talking about his new daughter. An ex-boyfriend has re-appeared in April's life and he's not willing to let her slip between his fingers without a fight, no matter what that means for him and everyone else around him. All his life, Connor has chosen to live by his one true motto, even if that means he must make the ultimate, heartbreaking sacrifice in the face of what's right: Semper Fidelis.

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