You have to be hard, as a police officer. But sometimes you have to be soft, too.

Such was the case Tuesday night when Birmingham South Precinct police officers found themselves on one of those scenes cops hate the most.

A father. Overdosed and dead.

A mother. Overdosed, and barely alive.

And crying children left behind, alone and frightened by what's going on around them.

It was one of those nights and Officer Michelle Burton did what she had to do - she found her soft side. The moment was captured with a photo, and her proud husband, a Jefferson County sheriff's sergeant, praised her in a social media post that is now being shared hundreds of times.

This is what Sgt. Brian Burton wrote: "Last night, my wife Michelle Burton told me she would be late getting off work because of a call she was on where the parents of 4 small children had both overdosed. Michelle said the father was dead and the mother was critical. She spent the rest of the night taking care of these babies. She got home at 4 this morning. I've never seen her more beautiful than in this picture. What an incredible woman."

South Precinct officers responded just before 9 p.m. to an apartment at Tom Brown Village public housing community on Fifth Court North. Neighbors called 911 after hearing the children crying inside the apartment and checked on them, only to find the mother and father unconscious inside.

When police arrived on the scene, they found the 30-year-old father dead on the kitchen floor. The 35-year-old mother was unresponsive on the couch but did have a pulse. Rescue workers were able to revive her with Narcan, and she was taken to St. Vincent's Hospital.

South Precinct Lt. David Rockett said officers found four children inside, all of whom belonged to the couple: a 7-year-old girl, a 3-year-old boy, a 2-year-old boy and a 1-month-old girl. "It was a real sad situation,'' Rockett said. "At least one of the parents survived. If there's a silver lining, it's that."

He said neighbors and family members helped them with the children at the scene, but said protocol mandated they take the kids into protective custody. They took the children to the South Precinct where Burton and others took care of the children in the break room while DHR social workers rounded up diapers and foster homes.

The photo, police officials said, perfectly captures the essence of policing. "A police officer's job is very hard and very demanding. We come across a lot of scenes of a tragic nature, especially when children are involved,'' said South Precinct commander Capt. Ron Sellers. "Our first priority is to help the injured, but then we turn our focus on the children to make sure they are safe and well-taken care of. We're glad our officer was able to help here."