Chapter 3 - A Cake in the Wilderness
"Captain... I don't understand," David stammered, looking from the grinning officers to Sarah, who was openly weeping now, her hand resting over her mouth to muffle her sobs.
"You didn't really think the entire precinct was going to let an innocent man spend his birthday staring at a blank wall, did you?" Captain Miller chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest. He turned to Officer Hayes and gave him a sharp nod.
Hayes reached into his tactical vest and pulled out a small key ring, unlocking the side panel door—the secure service hatch that was normally used only for passing legal briefs and contraband checks between attorneys and inmates.
With a metallic click, the heavy glass partition didn't just slide open; the internal latch released, allowing the middle section of the reinforced glass frame to swing inward on heavy hydraulic hinges, bridging the gap that had separated David from his family for three excruciating months.
The stale smell of disinfectant was instantly overpowered by the rich, sweet scent of buttercream frosting and chocolate sponge.
"You've got ten minutes before the warden does his rounds," Captain Miller said, his voice dropping into a conspiratorial whisper. "Make 'em count, Cross."
Before David could fully process what was happening, Sarah broke through the open partition, dropping her purse to the floor and throwing her arms around his neck. The impact knocked him back a step, but he caught her tightly, burying his face in her hair, breathing in the familiar scent of lavender and home that he had dreamed about every single night on his narrow cot.
"I told you I wouldn't let you spend it alone," Sarah sobbed into his shoulder, her fingers gripping the fabric of his orange jumpsuit as if she were afraid he might dissolve into thin air.
"How... how did you pull this off?" David muttered against her ear, his voice thick with emotion.
"It wasn't me," Sarah pulled back slightly, smiling through her tears as she gestured toward the officers. "It was them. Officer Hayes heard the warden discussing your case file last week, and Miller... Miller remembered what day it was because it’s his son's birthday too."
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Lily squeezed her way between them, wrapping her little arms around David’s waist. "Daddy, open the cake! Mommy put thirty-five candles on it, but the box started smoking!"
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