by Tey Holden
“You are going to have to shoot me, bitch, or give me what I want!” At that moment, Charles began to walk towards Addy.
Karen tried to get up, she was afraid Addy wouldn’t shoot him. As she stumbled toward Charles, he continued to move towards Addy, making it impossible for Karen to reach him in time.
“Shoot him, Addy! Shoot him!” In panic and in tears, Karen yelled in a ferocious tone from her kneeling position. Addy didn’t hesitate when she heard Karen’s voice and shot twice.
Karen looked in awe. Addy had actually shot. However, the kickback from the gun was such that it threw her to the ground, and she missed. Charles was still standing and laughing at her.
“You are a dyke, but you shoot like a woman.”
Both Karen and Addy began to gather themselves from their respective places to go head on with him. He was about three feet away from Addy when a huge Canadian goose fell from the sky and hit Charles in the head knocking him unconscious to the ground.
Addy immediately jumped on him followed by Karen who had just about made it to them.
Addy yelled, “I got him, Ker! I got him!”
“Hold him down, babe! Hold him down!” Karen was on the ground holding Charles feet. Addy’s body was right across Charles holding him down.
It was then that the security officers and the constable arrived, ran towards them and grabbed a very groggy Charles and immediately handcuffed him. Karen was a pack of nerves, and was all bloody, but she took Addy in her arms. “Are you okay, baby, are you okay?”
Addy was shaking. “Yes, are you? Where is Alex? You are hurt! Oh, my God! Let me get something for your head.”
“No, stay here. I’m okay. Alex is in the house.”
“I’m here, M’Addy. Mommy, I called the police!” She came running to them and hugged them as soon as she saw the police there. Peanut Crunchy came out with her.
“Mommy, M’Addy are you okay?”
They held their daughter and cried together still kneeling on the ground. The constable and the PI came closer to help them up, and walked them inside the house. “Ms. Larsen, Dr. Naylor is on his way. He’s coming to see you.”
“Thanks, Constable Johnson.” Someone handed Addy some gauze to place on Karen’s forehead. They sat on the sofa almost numb, unbelieving they had made it through the terrible ordeal. Karen was in pain, but it was the thought that Addy and Alex had been in such grave danger, and her inability to help then that hurt the most.
Addy got up from the sofa. “Where are you going?” Karen asked, still apprehensive.
“To get some ice for your foot and more gauze.” When Addy came back, she saw Karen near tears. Addy knew that it was not like Karen to cry in public, so she took her in her arms and held her.
Alex was used to seeing her moms cuddle and kiss, but she had never seen Karen so shaken. She was worried looking at her moms. “She will be fine, Little Bit. We just had a very scary moment out there. Soon Dr. Naylor will arrive and will take care of Mommy. I think she twisted her foot, and might need a stitch on her forehead.”
Addy decided to distract Alex who continued to have a very worried face looking at her mom’s bloody forehead. “Alex, did you see how I got that bird?”
“It was like a miracle!” Alex proclaimed as she laughed. “And did you see how I poked him in the eye?” Alex asked.
“Yes, that was awesome, baby. Did you learn that in your karate class?” Karen added to also pretend that things were okay.
“Not really. I just heard two of the older guys talking about self-defense. I thought I’d give it try, and it worked!”
“It sure did. You are some warrior!” Addy said to Alex while looking at Karen, who was smiling slightly but still looked tearful. Addy winked at her, and Karen cried and chuckled at the same time burying her face into Addy’s shoulder.
JP and James arrived knowing that something was wrong when they heard the sirens. The police and the PI were still roaming the perimeter of the house and waiting for Police Scotland to arrive to take Charles into custody. As annoying as he was sometimes, JP’s silliness offered a refreshing distraction now. “Heavens! Heavens! Are we ever going to have peace around here? You would think that hardly anything happens in this tiny, little, forgotten town and as of lately there’s been more crime here than in New York City!”
Alex looked at him and smiled. She loved her uncle’s nonsense. “If things continue like this, I’m going to sign up for your karate classes.” He talked to Alex directly. “One can never be too careful! By the way, I don’t know if you know, but there is a huge dead bird in front of the house.”
The three of them started to laugh. “M’Addy shot the bird!” Alex announced with great excitement.
JP became wide-eyed. “Uncle JP, maybe you should get a gun and practice shooting birds with M’Addy.” Alex’s comment got Karen to chuckle. Her nerves were giving way to laughter now.
“How did that happen, Adriana? What on earth possessed you to shoot a bird in the middle of this tragic crime scene?” JP asked in his usual exuberant tone and demeanor making Alex laugh, as usual. Alex proceeded to explain the whole incident to him.
JP’s eyes were huge. “Goodness gracious! That is an incredible story. If I hadn’t seen the huge bird and Alex hadn’t told me, I would have never believed it. How fortunate can you be?”
“It was sort of funny too, Uncle JP.”
“I don’t know about that, Alexandra. I don’t think people pointing guns and shooting is funny.” Alex immediately became serious. As fun as he was, JP always managed to say the right things to Alex, which had somewhat vindicated him in Karen’s eyes.
Carol and Marshall also arrived. “Is everyone okay, and what’s with the dead bird in the front?”
Everyone laughed and Alex again took great pleasure in explaining. “And you saw all of that young lady?” Marshall asked somewhat worried that the matter might have affected Alex emotionally.
“Yes, first it was scary because I thought the man was going to hurt Mommy Karen and kill M’Addy, but when M’Addy shot the bird and it landed on the guy, it was funny.”
James sat next to Karen. “How are you feeling?”
Marshall also went over to check Karen. “Are you hurting?”
“Some, but Dr. Naylor is on his way, oh wait. There he is now.”
“Okay, let’s go into the next room and give the doctor and Karen some privacy.” Marshall rounded up Alex, JP, and James and took them to the rec room. Carol went with them.
“Thanks, Marshall.”
“Anytime, Addy.”
Dr. Naylor took a look at Karen’s head first and then her ribs and finally her ankle. He took care of the bloodied head and wrapped the ankle. He gave her a band to put on around her ribs. Charles had kicked her hard near her rib cage.
“I would like to take some x-rays. I need you to come into my office. We need to check this today. Ice it now and don’t move around too much. Here, these are pain pills. I will leave some for later, but you need to come to the clinic. I’ll be waiting for you. I’m glad your ordeal is over. He will be behind bars for a long time, for life if we are lucky. We don’t need his kind around.”
As Dr. Naylor examined Karen she was watching Addy in the distance. Addy had been called aside by the Police Scotland inspector and the PI. Karen’s eyes filled with tears. Dr. Naylor thought he had hurt her. “Does it hurt?”
She looked back to him. “No.” She wiped away her tears. “I’m so proud of her.” She didn’t intend to voice her thoughts but the traumatic event, had been intense and she was not her normal self.
Dr. Naylor smiled and patted her leg. “Karen, you and Addy have taught this old man a great lesson. Before I met you, I’m ashamed to say, I was not in favor of gay marriage. Meeting the two of you changed my mind. If anyone asked me if I knew the perfect couple, I would have to mention your names. I know of no man-woman arrangement that can even come close to what the two of you have. So, yes, she is a great woman, and you
are very lucky to have each other. Alex is lucky to have such great parents.”
Karen was moved by Dr. Naylor’s words, and shed a few more tears. “Now, now! This is all over and you can have your peace at last.” He patted her leg and got up to leave. “Thanks, doctor.”
“You are welcome.”
“I will be expecting the two of you, Addy. I need to x-ray her.” Addy had rejoined them.
“We’ll be there, Dr. Naylor.” Dr. Naylor had always remained a good friend, ever since that dreadful winter night when they had all risked their lives to take Sarah’s son to the hospital. He always thought that if it hadn’t been for Karen the child would have died. Addy saw Dr. Naylor leave and bid him goodbye. “We’ll be there as soon as we clear things up here.”
When all of the officials left, the group in the rec room rejoined them. Alex had been so impressed with her ability to poke Charles in the eye and the shooting of the bird that she just couldn’t stop talking about it. It was fortunate that in the midst of a tragedy, there had been a fortuitous amusing situation, which had indeed helped to distract Alex from the enormity of the real tragedy that could have occurred. Hopefully, one day, all she would remember from this sad moment was how she poked the bad man in the eye, and how Addy shot the passing bird that fell on him. There was no need for her to know that he was family, or the history that would go away with him.
Addy kept nodding enjoying how amused Alex was with the shooting of the bird. Alex came to her and kissed her. “I love you, M’Addy.”
Addy closed her eyes and held her daughter tight almost in tears. “So you liked how I shot the bird, was that a good shot or what?”
Alex laughed. “I don’t know M’Addy. I thought you were supposed to be shooting the bad man.”
“Nope, that was not my plan. I had it all figured out.” Alex climbed on her lap as everyone watched and listened to the interaction of the two.
“Na! You missed, you missed, M’Addy. I saw how you fell on your butt!” Alex laughed her heart out.
“Nope, that is not how it happened. I saw the bird coming and I said ‘if I can shoot that bird for sure it will land on the man and I won’t have to shoot him,’ I was not going to shoot a person! I had it all figured out.”
Alex still kidded her. “No! You missed, you missed! I saw you! You got lucky. I don’t know how you got the bird. It was like a miracle!”
“I agree with Alex. It was a miracle, if you ask me,” JP remarked.
“Uncle JP, are you taking the bird with you to roast it?” Alex asked him in jest.
“Yuck! No!”
Alex laughed, she loved to mock JP, and he loved her for it. “But on second thought, maybe I will and I’ll bring it to you to eat. Would you like that?”
Alex wrinkled her nose. “Yuck! No!”
JP rolled his eyes. “You are your mother’s child! And by that I mean Addy.” He looked at Karen who couldn’t have had a more satisfied face from her restful position on the sofa. “Goodbye, JP!”
Everyone said goodbye, aware that Karen had to go to Dr. Naylor’s clinic. Addy thanked everyone for coming. James smiled and slowly pushed JP out of the house. “Call us if you need anything.” Marshall offered to drive them to the clinic. Addy thanked her, but declined the offer. She knew that they needed to be alone to gather themselves.
When everyone was gone, the three smiled at each other. Karen laid her head back on the sofa and closed her eyes. She was sitting with the good leg on the sofa and the hurt ankle on the ottoman. Alex climbed onto the sofa and settled by her mom.
“Are you okay, Mommy?” Alex leaned forward to hug her mom.
“Yes, baby, I’m fine, but be careful with my leg and my ribs, I’m still hurting a bit.” She hugged her daughter dearly, but her eyes were totally absorbed on the figure in front of her. “I couldn’t be happier, Alex.” Alex pulled back to look at her mom and saw her looking at Addy, and she smiled. Karen extended her hand and Addy took it. Karen kissed it gently. Addy sat on the edge of the sofa, and kissed Alex.
“Mommy, are you going to kiss M’Addy?”
“You bet, Little Bit. She’s my hero.”
Addy leaned forward and kissed her while Alex watched smiling. “I like to see you kiss.” She then bolted off the sofa when she heard Peanut Crunchy barking. “Peanut Crunchy! Oh no! I hope he didn’t pee on the carpet!” She ran to find him.
“I hope not!” Addy exclaimed. While paying attention to Alex and the Peanut Crunchy situation, she felt Karen’s hand on her thigh.
“Did he pee inside?” Addy asked.
“No! I’m taking him to the patio.”
Addy chuckled and turned to meet Karen’s eyes, which hadn’t moved from their focal point.
“My butcher.” Karen gave her that name after the car accident with the cow.
Addy chuckled. “It’s been years since you’ve called me that.”
“It seemed as if it was just yesterday. I’ll never forget it. We had meat for a year, and we even gave some away.” As Karen talked Addy smiled and looked at her with a loving face.
Karen smiled, but couldn’t hide her pain. “My ribs hurt, even from smiling, Addy.
“Let’s get you to Dr. Naylor, and get this over.”
Alex came back. “Okay, M’Addy. He went pee pee and pooped. What are we having for dinner? Is there any dinner? Can we order pizza?”
Upon Alex’s reappearance, the moment was interrupted. Addy looked up and smiled and then looked at Karen. As she got up, she ran her hand deliberately up Karen’s thigh and up to the place where Karen liked it. Then she got up and walked to the kitchen.
“Alex, I think dinner tonight will be a ham sandwich because we need to take Mommy to see Dr. Naylor.”
After going to Dr. Naylor’s clinic and having x- rays taken, he concluded that nothing was broken and sent them home with more pain pills. At home, Karen decided to go straight upstairs to her bedroom. Addy and Alex helped her get settled on the bed. Alex lay next to her. “Mommy did you know the bad man? Why did he ask you for money?”
As usual the women looked at each other before saying a word. Addy was going to answer as she usually did, but she stopped when Karen took the question. “Alex, sometimes things are hard to understand, but there are some things you need to know.”
Addy quickly interjected, picking up the conversation while looking directly at Karen. “Alex, the world is full of bad people. That man was a thief, he was looking for money, saw our nice house and assumed we had money, and decided to rob us.” Karen frowned and pursed her lips but said nothing. They had a rule to never to contradict each other in front Alex. Matters could always be discussed later.
“Is he going to jail?”
Addy answered still looking at Karen. “Yes, Alex, he will be in jail for many, many years, you might graduate from college and he will still be in jail.” Karen understood Addy’s message. Considering the turn of events, there was no need for Alex to know the unpleasant details behind the altercation. It was not necessary to concern her with matters that could not affect her now. In time, she would learn the ugly truth regarding that terrible side of the family.
“Good because I don’t want him around here ever again.”
“Okay, young lady, why don’t you go shower, so that I can help Mommy get ready for bed?”
“Okay, but can you come and read to me?”
“Yes I will. Now scoot!” Alex slid out of the bed and went into her bedroom, which by now had a bathroom of its own. According to Karen, if they continued to make more additions to the cottage, it would someday look like the Manor. But nevertheless, Alex needed a bathroom and it was built.
“So, we are not telling her the story of my wretched family?”
“I don’t think we should yet, someday maybe, but not now. We will make sure Charles spends the rest of his life in prison.”
“You are right. I almost told her. I’m not thinking well. What a day, Addy. What a day!”
“I know, honey
. I never thought I’d shoot someone, but I was ready to do it. What the hell, I actually shot at him. If it hadn’t been because I’m such a bad shot, I would have killed him,” she stopped for a minute, “and you know what? I wouldn’t have been sorry at all! God forgive me for being judgmental and having evil thoughts, but that man is not good. Every time I think of what he put us through trying to take Alex from us, my heart stops. No, he’s not good.”
“Come here. I can barely move. I must be all bruised inside, judging by how I hurt.” Karen took her hand a pull her towards her and kissed her. “You are an amazing woman, Adriana. I’m proud of you. I love your determination and take charge attitude.”
“You shouldn’t move much. Let me help you undress and put on a T-shirt, even if it’s just for a few minutes, I think karate kid will be here again to check on you once she gets out of the shower.”
“I’m glad it’s all over, Addy. I felt helpless today. After so much preparation and readiness, there I was all broken up on the ground, unable to help. And look who ended up with the gun in hand! Maybe you should take some classes.”
“No, our gun days are over. I hope to keep that gun in the safe, where it belongs.” There was more silence.
***
Charles and Tobias were charged with murder and arson among a list of many other crimes. The PI informed Karen of all that transpired in the short time period since Gregory was picked up by Police Scotland.
Addy was happy to see Karen much more relaxed now that the ordeal was over. She knew the toll the family situation had taken on Karen. It had been a nightmare knowing that her own family was trying to deliberately hurt her. First by trying to take away her property, then her child, then setting the stables on fire and now trying to hurt them physically. What was most painful of all was when they had tried to take Alex from them to gain access to the property. Karen never forgave them for all the pain and suffering they went through.
Karen’s worst fear always was that they would make an attempt against Alex’s or Addy’s life. She thought them capable of anything, most especially the possibility that they would abduct or harm Alex. Since the custody battle, neither of them had a moment where they could feel that Alex was ever safe unless she was with either of them. They lived enslaved to their fear, putting the well-being of their daughter above everything at whatever personal sacrifice. Now they were finally freed of this deeply rooted fear.