Part 4: Mike Donleavy

Mike Donleavy was driving his squad car east on Jackson Street when he spied a young man walking west, limping and staggering. Mike put on the flashers and pulled over to where the man was passing in front of a boarded up storefront. The man stopped as Mike got out of the car and shined a light on him. Mike could see that the man’s face was bloodied.

"What happened to you?" Mike asked.

"Some of the locals didn’t like the fact that I carried an empty wallet."

"You were robbed?"

"Can’t rob what you don’t have. I was dead broke before the attack. I think that might be why they attacked."

"Well, let’s get you to Cook County so the docs can take a look at you."

"I don’t need a hospital. They just hit me a few times and took off."

"You’re lucky, but you’re also bleeding. Cook County won’t cost you anything, and frankly you could use a little cleaning up, so get in."

Mike frisked the man to make sure he was not carrying a weapon and then opened the back door of the squad car and the young man climbed in. Once Mike was back behind the driver’s seat, he checked the rearview mirror and saw that the young man was curled up in a corner with his eyes closed. "Maybe you could use a little help getting to wherever you're going. After all, despite everything, mister, God still loves you."

Later, when the young man was finished in the emergency room, he put on his faded jacket that was much too light for a Chicago winter. When he reached into his pocket, he found a weekend pass for the Metra train system and a tightly folded dollar bill with a stain (could it be blood?) on one corner.