Cop Tends to Baby Boy after Mom Gets in Crash, 27 Years Later They Meet at Sheriff’s Office — Story of the Day

Certain people will give their heart and soul to save people, regardless of hardship or the lemons life gives them. Reuben was always one of those people, but one day his good deeds came full circle.

Reuben was a loving person. He and his wife raised seven children in a humble town, and their entire community loved them. Reuben was a police officer in the city and was well-respected. He had seen a lot of tragedy as a cop but always kept his cool in every situation. "If I can help, then I have to help," was his life mantra.

Police officers at the station always told him that he was too brave for his own good. "One of these days, you're gonna get yourself into something crazy," his sergeant said. But there came a day when he saw something that brought him to tears.

It was a crazy accident in the middle of town that involved a mother, Rachel, and her three sons. The car had overturned, and the other vehicle wasn't to be found, which suggested it was probably a hit-and-run.

The three boys, including a baby, were all okay in the backseat, but the oldest son told Reuben their mother was unconscious in the driver's seat. Rachel was immediately taken to the hospital and put in ICU. Reuben waited with the children, but the woman needed extensive treatment and would need to stay in the hospital.

"I just wanted to make you proud, sir."

At the time, Reuben had no idea if Rachel would pull through, so he took her sons out for dinner. Later, the doctors told him that Rachel would need to stay for some time. The kind man couldn't just abandon the boys and go home, so he decided to take them back home with him.

"You can play with my kids until your Mama's all better. And they'll be good food, too..." Reuben spoke softly to the two boys, Joshua and Nathan, while holding the baby in his arms. The brothers looked at each other and nodded reluctantly.

Reuben had seen many accidents in his time and knew that the kids would be traumatized. The man was stressed and, for the first time in his life, afraid. All he cared about was taking care of the kids and praying their mother survived.

"Mom looked like she's not gonna make it," the oldest son, Joshua, said to Reuben.

"Don't worry, boy, she'll pull through," Reuben replied.

He didn't know how he and his wife, Susan, would care for all of the children, but it didn't matter to him.

Although his job didn't pay much, he always managed to make sacrifices and provide for his family, and now, for the three boys. Nathan and Joshua were 8 and 10 respectively, but the youngest was a 7-week-old baby, Anthony. He needed the most care, and Reuben was nothing less than a father to him for as long as he needed to be.

At home, Reuben's wife and all of Reuben's children welcomed Rachel's boys with open arms.

The kids understood what their new guests were going through because they remembered their father being in dangerous situations. "Don't worry, crazy stuff happens a lot, but we have your back. By the way, our mom makes a mean lasagne," Reuben's oldest daughter said.

Joshua, who was the most overwhelmed, asked Reuben when their mother would be okay. Reuben replied, "We're not sure yet, but this is a home for you. Where there's room for 7, there's room for 10." As sad as the kids were, they felt welcome in Reuben's home.

They waited daily on their mother to get better, but Reuben's wife and kids did a good job trying to distract them.

Meanwhile, Reuben learned that Rachel didn't have a next-of-kin because her husband had left her when she fell pregnant with her third son.

They hadn't heard from him since, leaving Rachel to raise the children alone. "They have nobody else," the nurse told Reuben over the phone.

Thankfully, weeks later, Rachel made a full recovery and came back to her children full of gratitude.

"Reuben told us that you would pull through, Mama!" Joshua said. Rachel thanked Reuben and Susan a million times for looking after her boys and made them her baby Anthony's godparents.

"Well, you're probably the only one here who doesn't know this yet, but... My wife makes a mean lasagne."

20 years later, Rachel tells Anthony about the story of her accident and how Reuben and Susan took care of him for three weeks. Joshua and Nathan, too, told their younger brother about the kindness of Reuben and his simple philosophy of helping people.

Perhaps that's why Anthony's older brothers were obsessed with buddy cop movies, and he grew up idolizing them, too.

Inspired, Anthony decided to join the police force. His mother was against it at first, knowing the dangers of the job. "I don't want to lose you," she told her sweet young man.

He replied, "I was saved once. I need to help everyone I can." He wanted to be as brave as the man who saved his life.

On his first job as a cop after getting his license, Anthony is called out to help a family in a dangerous situation. The family was stuck in their car in the middle of a storm, and Anthony had to pull them out.

He managed to save the day and was called to the city sheriff's office. Anthony decided to bring his mother and brothers along as they were in town. He wanted to share his special moment with the people who supported him the most.

When Anthony walked in, the sheriff was surprised. Rachel, Joshua, and Nathan were speechless, too.

"Anthony?" the sheriff says. "Yes sir," Anthony responded as he slowly realized that the sheriff was Reuben, the cop who saved him.

Rachel, Nathan, and Joshua ran to hug Reuben immediately. As tears rolled down his cheek, Reuben presented Anthony with an award for bravery in service.

"I just wanted to make you proud, sir," Anthony said.

"I'm more than proud. Where there was room for 7, there was room for 10. Saving your family has been one of my greatest joys," Reuben replied.

Reuben's entire station stood to congratulate Anthony as he walked out. Rachel wept as she watched Anthony receive his praise. After an emotional group hug, the three brothers, Reuben, and Rachel agreed to have dinner together.

"What's on the menu, sir?" Anthony asked.

"Well, you're probably the only one among us who doesn't know this yet, but... My wife makes a mean lasagne," Reuben replied. That night, Anthony and his family were once again welcomed by Reuben, Susan, and all of their children with the same love and warmth from years ago.

What can we learn from this story?

• Always help those who can't help themselves. If it weren't for Reuben's brave and kind heart, Rachel and her sons would've been helpless. But thanks to Reuben's selflessness, they all survived.
• Life can come full circle in unexpected ways. Although Anthony was just a baby when the accident happened, he was still inspired to help others because of the stories that his family told him.

Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.

If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a police officer who dies saving a colleague's child.

This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone's life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.