Jennie settled into a moderate stride for her morning run. She was moving briskly along the lake front with trees all around. There were a few people out but not too many. She was enjoying the exercise, enjoying pushing herself and the feeling of the exertion.

Running was one of her pleasures; it had been all the way back into her high school years. She began her day with it as often as not. These days she'd taken to running in the park by the lake, where the scenery was so gorgeous. She had an iPod that was providing the kind of music that she liked to run to. It ran mostly to Clapton and such. It was good music to get your stride moving to.

Jennie Salton led a fairly simple life. She reveled in the fact that she was doing what she wanted to do. As long as she could remember she'd wanted to be a lawyer. Her parents at first thought it was just a fantasy that she'd dreamed up and would never be serious about but Jennie did have one trait that was one of her foremost: an ability to stick to decisions that she'd made.

She was always grateful for the fact that her Mom and Dad had seen her through law school and successfully a member of the bar before their accident took them both from her, leaving her fairly well off but very lonely.

There had been, in her search for the fulfillment of her goal to become a lawyer precious little time for 'romance' but Jennie kept her goal in front of her and didn't allow the lack of an outstanding social life bother her.

At the age of 32 she had already practiced law for almost seven years, and found that she was good at it. She'd landed a decent job in a very good local firm right out of law school and had become a valued member of the group ever since.

One of the benefits of her love to run was that it kept her weight down to where she wanted it. She was fairly small breasted, 34 c, and, fitting a kind of mould that is present in a number of women, was larger in the butt. (At least she thought that she had a big butt.) Her running helped to keep all of that in check. (If the truth were told by the outside observer, Jennie's butt was both wonderful and one of her very best assets but she didn't always view it that way.) For her run that day, she was sporting a new pair of black, spandex running pants. She had been initially torn about buying them and wearing them but they were the style and she was trying to overcome her shyness and thoughts about her butt, so she wore them to run today. It was also part of Jennie's way to face a problem, image problem or otherwise, totally head on.

"If people think my butt is too big," she'd said to herself, "Then let them not look!"

She paused her run for a few moments. She needed to select more music from her iPod, which was tucked in a small packet with her wallet. She took the packet out to redo the music, when it happened.

The kid had apparently been watching because as soon as Jennie's iPod and wallet were out and, for that moment, vulnerable, he flashed in and grabbed it and ran.

Two things happened then at the same time. Over his shoulder, with a snicker, the kid shouted to Jennie:

"Lady, you've got a big ass."

At the same time a cop car had stopped on the road and the cop, getting out to simply survey the scene at the lake front before walking it a bit, saw what happened.

Patrolman Sammy Conte, about to be a sergeant, was cruising and was about to take his morning turn at the lake front, when he saw the grab and run occur. He took off in a direction that would allow him to head the thief off.

The comment from the punk was all that Jennie needed. She'd been a sprinter for the college women's track team and had held honors for her ability in that field. She took off after him.

He looked over his shoulder grinning at her and the grin faded immediately, when he saw that the lady was not only running after him but gaining on him steadily.

She was almost up to him, when she said to him:

"Big ass, huh?" and reached out for him.

Just then the punk, the cop and Jennie collided and tumbled together in one huge rolling pile. The punk, out of sheer desperation, recovered first, and began to spring to his feet, as Sammy Conte and Jennie both stirred into action. Sammy made a grab for the kid but Jennie growled:

"I have a big ass, huh?" and grabbed the kid securely by the nuts.

The punk's cry was almost cosmic, as Jennie not only had him by the balls but both tugged and squeezed.

Sammy was laughing so hard that it was almost impossible to get the cuffs on the kid but Jennie was in a rage:

"Do I have a big ass, punk?" she demanded, and accompanied that by one more squeeze.

"No, no, no, lady, nice ass, nice ass! You're gonna rip them off, please."

"Uh, ma'am," Sammy said, "I've got control of him now. You can let him go."

It was only the voice, fairly calm for all of the rough stuff that had just gone on, of the policeman that brought Jennie around.

"Oh, yes," she said, letting go of the kid's balls.

Sammy was still grinning as he gave Jennie a hand to help her up from the pavement. She ignored the hand and sprang up herself.

"Let me just secure him in the cruiser and then I'll talk to you," Sammy said.

"Fine," Jennie replied and took up her iPod and wallet and re attached them to the belt where they normally were secured. She also got out her phone and called her office, she was relieved that it was a light morning and she could afford to be late a bit.

She told the secretary and receptionist that she'd be late, and then briefly explained why!

Then the big cop was back; he was still grinning.

'You're smiling officer!" Jennie said, almost in an accusing voice.

"Well, yes, uh, ma'am; it's just such a treat to see a punk like that get an ass kicking from a 'victim'," he said, smiling.

"It's Jennie," she said, holding her hand out. "Jennie Salton."

The cop got a strange look on his face for a moment but Jennie was a person who noticed such personal traits.

"Officer?" she asked.

"Sorry, ma'am," he began to say.

"It's Jennie," she interrupted.

"I know," was his answer. "My wife's name! Lovely name."

"Thank you," she said.

He asked her then to go through what had happened. She gave a description of the incident, not omitting the kid's comment about her 'big ass'.

The policeman grinned.

"Smiling again, Officer Conte?" Jennie said warily.

"Sorry, ma'am, uh, Jennie," he said. "Allow me to say that you're butt is nothing short of perfect!"

He was obviously embarrassed as soon as he said it. Jennie smiled and said:

"No, I'm not going to report you for commenting on my ass, especially, when the comment was such a nice one. I'm not even going to report you to your own Jennie!" she conclude, with a smile.

Almost automatically he said, with pain in his voice, not thinking before he said it:

"My Jennie died of cancer a year ago."

Now it was Jennie's turn to be embarrassed: "I'm truly sorry for what I said; I meant no disrespect, Officer Conte," she said.

"It's Sammy!" he said and then: "I know that, Jennie. Maybe I'd better just get this information."

When the information was finally all gathered, Sammy said that he'd take the kid to the station, and that someone would be in touch with her about testifying.

"I hope you will," he said, "It's the only way to put a stop to these kind of ugly incidents."

"Oh, I will," Jennie said, "I'm a trial lawyer and won't let this slide."

"I thought that I recognized the name, Salton," Sammy said.

Jennie gave him a serious look and said: "Officer Conte,"

He interjected: "Sammy!"

"Sammy," she said then, "I apologize for making the comment about your Jennie."

"It's not a problem!" he said, "It's still so much a shock at times. But I need to get going here."

"I'm going to finish my run," she said.

"Shall I stay to make sure you're okay?" he asked.

"Are you going to stay so that you can watch me run away?" she came back with a grin on her face.

"Well," Sammy quipped at her, "I just want to make sure that his information, you know about your ... Uh ... Was wrong."

She gave him a sly smile and began her run again, saying over her shoulder:

"Bye, Officer Conte!"

Sammy Conte said, so that she could hear him: "Definitely wrong!"

Jennie grinned at him, as she left.

"He's a cutie!" she said to herself, as she ran along the lake front.

She got a hero's welcome at the office, where someone had heard the report on the scanner, and they'd discovered the details.

They were clapping and cheering, when she walked in, all of them, even the chief partner, gathered in the lobby of their suite.

Jennie blushed and made a curtsey to them all.

One of the younger lawyers asked:

"Did you really grab him by the balls, Jen?"

"I did!" she asserted, "He said that I had a big butt! That was unnecessary!"

They roared at the news that she'd given and she was taken into the coffee room where they all had coffee with her before settling down to work.

When everyone was back at work, Mr. Meers, the chief partner, was still there and said to her:

"That must have been a bit of a fright, Jennie!"

"It was but the adrenaline got me through it," she said.

"Fortunate that Officer Conte was there," was his next comment. She agreed with that totally.

"Good cop, apparently," he continued, "He's to be made a sergeant next week, I hear."

"Really?" Jennie asked, then thought and said: "Maybe I should go to the ceremony to show some support."

"Great idea," he countered and then said: "Just glad that you're okay, Jennie."

"Thanks, Tom," she countered and gave the older man a hug.

Jennie's next shock was two days later. She was out for her early morning run again, wearing a similar outfit, the black spandex running pants, kind of capri style, and a tee shirt. She was a bit more wary this time, and tensed as she heard footsteps behind her.

She was surprised, when Sammy Conte, wearing running shorts and a tee shirt, got into stride beside her.

"Hey, Sammy!" she said, her breathing easy. "Nice to see you."

"Serving and protecting!" he said with a grin.

There was a kind of look on his face that made her know that something was coming:

"Say it!" she said, "Or you'll burst."

He laughed, and then said: "Watching your butt also. Doing my own research."

"Officer Conte," she said softly, "You do know what happened to the last guy that made comments about my butt!" She was grinning, as she finished saying it.

"Just being friendly and peaceful here," he said, holding up his hands as he ran, "Just friendly and peaceful."

She gave him a huge smile and they ran on, companionably together.

She watched for him after that.

She made it a point to be at the city hall ceremony where he'd be promoted to sergeant. She slid into a seat toward the front of the crowd, next to a short Italian looking woman, probably in her late 60's.

"They all look so handsome," Jennie said softly to the woman next to her.

"Yes, especially my Sammy!" the woman said then.

"Which is your Sammy?" Jennie asked, intrigued by the thought of who this might be.

The woman pointed to Sammy Conte and said: "He's my Sammy, made sergeant and I'm so proud. My beautiful Sammy."

"He is handsome," Jennie said, and then she turned and said: "Mrs. Conte?"

"Yes," the woman answered.

"My name is Jennie Salton, your son saved me last week from a mugging," Jennie said with a smile.

The woman smiled at her. "Oh, yes, the Jennie; Sammy told me about you. I think that he was smitten."

"Probably my name," Jennie said.

The woman laughed and said in a soft voice: "Actually, miss, I think it was your butt, from what he told me."

Jennie laughed, and the woman, who told Jennie to call her 'Rosa', said:

"What a lovely laugh!"

Then the ceremony started, and, as he was receiving his sergeant's badge, Sammy cast a loving glance at his Mom, and was instantly surprised to see Jennie Salton sitting with her.

Sammy approached the two women, who were waiting for him. Rosa had insisted that Jennie wait with her.

"Two beautiful women to see me get my sergeant's," he said, smiling broadly, and enfolding his proud Mom into his arms.

When the hug was broken Rosa said: "Go on, hug her too, Sammy! She deserves it. Only no funny business with her butt!"

Jennie broke out into a giggle, as Sammy Conte put his arms around her. She sighed immediately, a profound sigh that wasn't missed by any of the three of them.

"Lunch Mom?" Sammy asked, as Jennie was about to excuse herself politely.

"Lovely," Rosa said, "Lunch with my handsome Sammy and his girlfriend with the pretty fanny."

Both Sammy and Jennie got really embarrassed, as the diminutive woman beamed at them. Jennie recovered first and said:

"Only if I get to pay as a thank you for helping me out!" Jennie said.

Sammy began to protest but Rosa said:

"Sammy, let her; let the lovely lady say 'thank you', it's polite."

"Yes, Mom," he said, and they went out together.

Lunch was a big hit. When they were finished eating, Jennie paid, as she said that she would. Sammy said then:

"Mom, I can take you home now and then I need to get back to work. They'll be handing out new assignments today and I need to see when I'll be working."

Jennie broke in at that point:

"Sammy, I can take her home; I have a light schedule today. It's no problem."

"Good," Rosa said, "Then the girls can talk about, you, Sammy."

He blushed a bit again, and Rosa said:

"Isn't he cute!"

Jennie laughed and agreed that Sammy was indeed cute. The two of them, Rosa and Jennie, got on as though they were old friends.

"You were kind of hard on him," Jennie said at one point.

"Oh, he's a big boy and can take it; so much like his Poppa! A wild boy, when he was a teen ager but I made sure that he never got in with those wild kids who are now all in prison."

"Lovely man," Jennie said, and then added gently: "And I'm not really his girlfriend!"

"Yet!" Rosa said, giving Jennie a good bye kiss, and thanking her for being there today and for the lunch. Just as Jennie turned to go Rosa said to her:

"Don't hurt my Sammy, please!"

Jennie went to her and hugged her tightly: "Oh, Rosa, I'd never do that!"

"I know, honey," Rosa said, "But I'm his Momma and I have to make those noises!"

The next time that Jennie saw Sammy Conte was a few days later, during her run. He moved into stride next to her. She was pleased to see him and gave him a special smile and a hello.

"You know," he said, "I have several pairs of these running pants; I don't wear the same pair running every time."

"Why I never noticed the running pants at all!" he said quickly.

"Liar!" was her grinning reply.

Then he said:

"Hey, I apologize for my Mom and her enthusiasm. I think that she was bowled over by your first name, is what it was."

She answered: "Please don't apologize; she's simply marvelous and we got on so well. I did tell her that I was not your girlfriend, and her answer was simply: 'Yet'."

"Yeah," he said, "That's my Mom! You always know what she's thinking."

"Did you get your new assignment?" Jennie wanted to know.

"I did," he replied, "I'm going to be on second shift for a while; new sergeant and all. But I don't mind it. It's just such a great thing for me to have made the grade."

She mused. "You mean 11 AM to 8 PM?"

"No," was his reply. "It's 3 PM to 11 PM, actually."

Then he was silent for a bit, and finally said:

"I was, uh, going to ask you to dinner; you know, on me this time! But I'm not sure about the timing and the new schedule."

"You were?" she asked, as she stopped running.

"Well, yeah," was his reply.

"Tell you what," she said, "Why not come to my place for dinner? You get time off from work, right?"

"Well, sure but I was going to ask you out," was his reply.

She gave him a huge grin and said: "But I'm asking you in, and then next time will be out and on you."

"Well, I'd really like to take you out; so, why don't we and then I'll be happy to come to dinner."

"Lovely, we'll do it your way. Your wish is my command." she replied.

"Oh dear, say that and you'll end up inflating my ego and inflaming my lust!" he said smiling, as they jogged.

That caused her to laugh and she replied:

"Tell you what; I'll keep an eye on your ego and I'll certainly risk inflaming your lust, as you put it."

They both enjoyed the back and forth and the exercise together.

Jennie was out the next morning, again at the lakefront on the wooded trail for her morning run. She noticed Sammy ahead of her stretching and, she thought, waiting for her.

"Hey, Sammy," she said as she approached.

"Hi, Jennie," he said and dropped into a stride next to her.

"Changed your m.o., officer," she quipped.

He looked at her and said: "How so?"

"Well," she began with a broadening smile, "You can't look at my butt, while I'm running, if you wait for me ahead of where I am, instead of coming up behind me."

"Lady, you're trying to make the cop blush!" he said in a mock complaining voice.

"Tell me it's not true and I'll back off!" she said.

"Yes, like you backed off of that punk!" he said, grinning at her.

"Well," she explained with mock patience, "He stole my wallet and my iPod and told me that I have a big ass!"

"Not saying a word about your ass!" quipped Sammy in return. "Don't want you going for my nads!"

Jennie laughed then and said: "My, my you're fun!" Then she got a sly look on her face, turning toward him, as they matched each other's easy stride, and said:

"You can look, Sammy, I won't hurt you!"

"Secretly? Out in the open? Shall I be obvious about it?" he asked.

"You certainly make a project of it," she said.

"But it's such a nice ass, it needs to be made a project of!" was his response.

"Ohh," she said and they dropped the subject, but she didn't forget what he said.

Their evening out was to be the next day. Jennie found herself unusually in a flap about it. She had always been a career driven individual, and that was certainly encouraged by her doting parents. She never particularly felt 'overlooked'; she never thought about it very much. This attention from this big, handsome policeman was a bit beyond her experience. But she thought that she liked it.

Sammy made his way up the path that ran by the lake. They'd been sharing their runs for a number of days now. They even set a date for the dinner out, now that he was getting used to his new schedule. He was running faster today, since he'd had a late start. It had been a busy night and he slept a bit later than he thought he would. He was constantly looking for Jennie ahead of him. As he rounded a corner, he saw a crowd gathered not too far ahead. His policeman's instincts kicked in and he sprinter to where the crowd was gathered.

"Please let me through," he said, "I'm a policeman."

The crowd parted for him and there was Jennie lying on the ground in obvious pain, one of her legs was twisted cruelly.

"Oh, Sammy!" she said breathless from the intense pain in her leg.

He sunk to his knees and cradled her head. She began to cry immediately.

"What happened?" he asked, not only to her but to the crowd.

"It was a couple of kids," a woman said. "They just ran her down and kept going."

"Ambulance?" he asked.

"Already called one," was the woman's answer.

He got on his phone, never letting go of Jennie, whose head was resting in his lap by then. He called in the incident and mentioned what people had told him about the kids who'd done it. By that time the ambulance had arrived.

He got into the ambulance with her, and got back as they tended her obviously broken leg.

"It might be broken in a few places," the woman attendant said to him. "Are you her husband?"

"No, I'm a, uh, friend," Sammy said. "I'm sergeant Sam Conte of the police department. Is there anything else you can do for her?"

"Not with a break like this," was the attendant's reply.

She turned to Jennie then and said: "Next of kin?"

"No anyone in this area," she answered. "A few distant relations only and they're all back east. Sammy is my closest." She reached out her hand for him, as she said it.

"Is the date off?" Jennie asked him. The attendant just got a questioning look on her face.

"We had a dinner date scheduled for tonight, our first actually" Sammy explained, and then, turning to Jennie, he said:

"Date off? Not on your life, beautiful lady. Even if it's in the hospital, we're on."

Jennie smiled and began to cry. The attendant too had tears in her eyes, as she let Sammy sit next to the gurney on which Jennie was lying.

All that followed was kind of blurred. They gave Jennie something for the pain and she began to fade, as they made their way to the hospital. She never let go of Sammy's hand.

Once at the hospital, Jennie was whisked away to surgery. The ankle breaks were pretty serious. It was a few hours later that the doctor came to tell Sammy that Jennie was resting fine. She was about to be taken from the recovery room to a private room.

Jennie was woozy, when she finally opened her eyes. The firs thing, person that she saw was Sammy Conte sitting by her bed side.

"Ohhhh," she sighed. "You're still here!"

"Tenacious," he said smiling.

The tears began to trickle down her cheeks. "Thank you, Sammy," she said. "It's such a caring thing to do!"

"Haven't gotten my hands on that magnificent butt!" he said, not noticing that someone was standing in the doorway.

"Getting fresh with the patients?" the woman in the doorway said.

Jennie looked up and said: "Bethie!"

"What you doin' here, girl?" Beth wanted to know.

Jennie introduced Beth to Sammy:

"Beth this is my, uh, friend, Sammy Conte, Sergeant Sammy Conte of the police department. Sammy, this is Beth Swinton, she runs this place."

"Hardly," Beth said, "Deedee helps me out!"

"That's Beth's main squeeze, and life time love!" Jennie said. "To see them together and all their mushiness, you'd either get immediately sick or burn with envy."

"Sounds really cool to me!" Sammy said. Sammy had stood, when he was introduced to Beth, and beth went to him to give him a hug.

"Looked like he was already to get fresh with you!" Beth said, giggling and coming over to kiss Jennie.

"Yes," Jennie said ruefully, "We were about to have our first date, when I got run down!"

"Oh dear!" was Beth's reply. She turned to Sammy then and said:

"Sergeant, take care of my girl here!"

"I will, Ms. Swinton!" Sammy said.

"Isn't he polite?" Beth said, grinning at Jennie.

"He is that; his Momma taught him well," Jennie said.

Just then a tall afro american nurse was in the doorway.

"There she is," Jennie said, "The love of Bethie's life, but don't let on to the powers that be."

"Beth is the powers that be around here!" Deedee said with a grin.

"Only, when Deedee lets me," Beth said.

There were introductions then again, and Deedee went to check on Jennie. When she was done, she turned to Sammy and said:

"So, Sergeant, did they catch the mutts that did this?"

Jennie looked at Sammy and he said: "Yes, they have a reckoning coming; I can assure you of that."

"Good!" Deedee said, then: "Well, I have nurses to see to, and Beth has a hospital to run too! You take it easy," she said then indicating Jennie, and to Sammy:

"Take care of her, officer!"

"Gonna do that," was Sammy's reply.

Beth went to close the door as she followed Deedee out; she said to Sammy:

"Sergeant, I'm going to close this door, in case you want to get your hands on her lovely butt!"

"Come on, goose!" Deedee said severely to Beth, who answered: "Yes, ma'am," and left, grinning at Jennie, who winked at her.

"Aren't they lovely?" Jennie said wistfully. "Good friends and in love. It doesn't bother you, does it? I mean, they're my friends."

Sammy squeezed her hand and said: "Momma Rosa didn't raise anyone with prejudices. They certainly seem to love each other."

"Yes, they do!" was her reply. She yawned and then said:

"I'm kind of sleepy, Sammy, if you want to go."

"No one's going anywhere, Jen," he replied.

"Oh, I like that, 'Jen'," She said, "It's what Poppa always called me."

Sammy kissed her on the cheek and said:

"You sleep now, girl; everything else can wait."

She woke a few hours later, and he was sitting by her bed side reading. He smiled as she opened her eyes. She thought for a moment and said, in some distress:

"Oh, my office!"

"I called them; it's all taken care of, " Sammy said.

Jennie began to cry again. "You take such spectacular care of me, Officer Conte."

"Got to," he said gruffly, to hide his own emotion, "If I want to get my hands on your butt and if I don't want Mamma Rosa to kick mine."

She giggled, and then there was a knock on the door. It opened, when Jennie said 'come in' and Momma Rosa stood there with flowers.

"Ohhhh, how pretty!" Jennie said, "Thank you so much, Rosa."

Rosa went to the bed and gave Jennie a hug and a kiss:

"Pretty flowers for the pretty lady." Jennie just blushed.

Sammy stood, when his Mom entered the room and waited for her to come to him to give him a hug and kiss also.

"Momma!" He said, kissing her and holding her for a moment.

"You taking good care of this special woman?" Rosa asked suspiciously.

"Oh, he is, Rosa," Jennie said, "He is."

"He better," Rosa said, caressing his cheek as she talked.

Sammy got her a chair so that she could sit by the bed, and then one for himself.

Rosa looked at him and said: "You can go now, Sammy; I'm gonna stay. I know that you have to go to work."

"Sorry, Jen," he said, glancing at Jennie.

"I'm in such good hands, Sammy," she replied.

He went to the bed, with a very tentative attitude, and kissed Jennie's cheek.

"Give her a kiss!" Rosa said, "A proper kiss; how are you going to win her otherwise?"

Jennie grinned at Sammy's blushing, and she grabbed him around the neck to pull his face to hers. It was a first kiss and it was lovely. Her mouth was open just a little and his lips lingered over hers.

"Better!" Rosa said.

"Yes, Momma," he replied, and blushed again.

Jennie giggled.

"See you later, when I'm off, Jen," he said.

"Good," was her reply.

"Take care of her, Momma," he said to Rosa.

"I will, honey; God bless and you be careful today!"

"Yes," Jennie echoed, "You be careful today."

"Got to with such lovely women taking care of me," was his reply, as he left.

They did indeed take care of Jennie. She'd never been bothered up until that point about the fact that she had no family anywhere near that area. Having Rosa, Momma Rosa, there was a huge comfort to her, as she was getting used to the new cast and moving around with it, once they allowed her.

There was also the very strange effect of getting to know Sammy quite well. The process that is involved with the early dates between a couple began to happen in that hospital room during those few days of her convalescence. They settled into a comfort with each other, as they spoke about their lives, during the many hours off of work that he spent with her. By the time she was to go home, their unspoken commitment to each other had already occurred.

It was a couple days later. They had just finished a meal, with Sammy bringing in something for him and his Mom, to companion Jennie, while she ate. Deedee McWilliams, the charge nurse came into the room.

"Hey, girli," she said, entering with a smile. "See you still have your devoted care takers!"

"I do!" Jennie said. "And they're both wonderful, having taken me under their wings, so to speak."

"Well, we're about to throw your bones out of here," Deedee went on.

"Goodie!" Jennie said with some enthusiasm.

"You'll need a relative to be with you for a few days to help you out; you know, shower and to the bathroom and those kinds of things," Deedee went on.

Jennie got a puzzled look on her face, and said: "I have a cousin in Cincinnati..."

"Nonsense," Sammy said, breaking in, "I'll stay with her."

"You will not!" Rosa broke in. "Did you hear the what the lovely nurse said? You two might be getting on like a house on fire but she's not ready to have you chaperone her to the bathroom yet. That's a job for a Momma. I'll stay with her."