Secrets of Sanctuary Hospital Andrew and Mia's Encounter
Page 6
Chapter Four - New Friends And New Enemies
Cleaning up after dinner, there is a knock on the door. I go and answer figuring it’s Jeff’s men and am surprised to see that it is Mrs. Wolf, Brian and another girl. When I fail to say anything, Ms. Wolf smiles. Just then, Paul and Julianne cross the foyer and I can see Ms. Wolf’s surprise as well as theirs. After they stare at each other for a few moments, she turns back to me. “Jacob, is your uncle at home?”
“Sure, come in.” Stepping back, they enter and I turn about to call for dad when I bump into uncle Francis who is staring at Ms. Wolf. Turning back to Ms. Wolf, I see the same expression on her face and decide to introduce them before getting dad. Uncle Francis leads her into the living room. Mom follows dad and I in and then after introducing Ms. Wolf to mom, dad turns to me. “Jacob, why don’t you show Brian and …”
“Jennifer” The young girl replies as my father looks to her.
“Why don’t you show Brian and Jennifer around the grounds?”
Ms. Wolf interjects. “Mr. Taylor, if you don’t mind, I would like to ask Jacob a few questions about this afternoon?”
“Please sit” He motions to the couch and Brian, Jennifer and Ms. Wolf sit as uncle Francis takes the sole chair and mom, dad and I take the opposite couch.
“Mr. Taylor”
“Jonathan, please” It’s still so strange hearing him refer to himself as someone else.
“I’m sorry to interrupt your evening, but I was hoping that Jacob could tell me a little bit more about why he left this afternoon?” Her eyes shift to me, but I immediately turn to dad not sure what I should be telling her.
Dad straightens his shoulders and a look crosses his face. “He thought a friend needed some help with a situation, but by the time he went to check on him, there was nothing anyone could do. It won’t happen again.”
She shakes her head. “Jonathan, look, I know what you are and can see now that everyone is connected, I suspect Grant is somewhere in this house as well.” As she says this, Grant, Julianne and Paul come into the room. “I don’t know what you are doing here and I hope that I’m not wrong about you, but I’m sure that you know what we are as well.” I see my dad nod. “I believe Jacob stumbled over something this afternoon that may help me with a situation that I am investigating and that has caused someone to go missing.”
“May I ask whose missing?”
“Laurel’s brother, Anthony. I know that he was here the other night and that something happened which concerned him. He asked me to keep an eye on you, but I am more concerned with what I originally came here for and what I think Jacob and Julianne may have stumbled upon.”
My eyes shoot over to Julianne and I can see that she is staring at Ms. Wolf. As I turn back to her, my mother grasps my hand, telling me to wait before answering.
“Ms. Wolf” my mother addresses her
“Stephanie please”
“Stephanie, I don’t know what you think he and Julianne came across, but may I ask what it is you are investigating.”
She stares at mom and after several moments, she scans us all and appears to come to some sort of a decision. “Anthony called me in as a favor. I work for the DEA. He said that Charlie had come across a drug dealer that was shuffling drugs in this area through school children, but that his department had closed the investigation. Anthony was convinced, especially after Charlie went crazy and attacked his family, that he needed help and that Peter and his group had somehow infiltrated the police department to stop investigating the drug shipments. I was sent down into the school to pose as a teacher to see what I could find out. Jennifer has become very close to Greg’s sister and two days ago, she overheard a conversation that Peter did Greg a favor in going after Julianne to warn her off of Greg and his cohorts because Greg took care of that problem with the cop. I called Anthony and told him what we suspected. Then, after Jacob disappeared, I heard Greg and Tim talking about spreading the word to the others. I need to know what your son knows and if he has any knowledge as to what happened to Anthony.”
Dad turns to me and nods cautiously. “You’re right about Peter doing Greg a favor with Julianne.”
She interrupts. “How do you know this?”
“I saw Greg and Tim go outside before your class today and I followed them out. They met with this Peter and coach McDonough at the field and were talking about it and some shipment which is coming in three days. They were also talking about using some drug on Charlie.” I stop not wanting to say what happened.
I see her eyes soften and her voice becomes low. “Jacob, I know that Anthony had to take out Charlie when he attacked Laurel. Off the record, he told me everything. You can speak freely with me. Anthony and I go back a long way and he helped me. I am not trying to hurt him or anyone in his family. I know about Laurel being his daughter and although I work for the DEA, I came here tonight as his friend. I’m worried about him and as I’m sure that you are well aware, from looking at your group, those of us in our world sometimes have to stick together. I need your help and I need you to tell me what you know.
“That’s really all I know…Wait, they did talk about if Anthony got in the way, Peter expected Greg or someone to use the drug on him and when the coach said he tried to break down the mix and couldn’t, Peter got really mad. “
“Did anyone talk about where the shipment was coming in?”
“No, but Peter did say that Charles cost him a great deal of money and that this shipment had to go off without a hitch.” I don’t know why but for some reason when he was talking, I got the impression he answers to someone else.
“Jacob, when you were outside, did you see the type of car Peter drives?”
“No, it was too late. He was gone.”
“Can you give me a description of him?”
“I can tell you he is about 6’4” or 6’5”, brown cropped hair with a strong, muscular build and was wearing a black leather jacket, white shirt, open at the collar, charcoal, gray dress pants, and black dress shoes.” My mom’s mouth drops at my description, probably because it is so detailed, but she says nothing.
Ms. Wolf’s eyes dart between Julianne and myself. “Julianne, I know his boys have been giving you a hard time and you keep trying to challenge them or send them down to the office, but you need to stop and make them think they’ve won. We don’t want them riled in the school or sending anyone any more messages.” Her eyes shoot back to me. “I know they used you to hurt Laurel, but it may also mean you are on their little list and you can’t be mixed up in this. No more following them.”
As she says this, I can hear several footsteps in the foyer and know that it is Jeff’s men. Dad rises. “Stephanie, I don’t know what your back up is, especially with Anthony unreachable, but one of our party sent down a few friends who were in law enforcement.”
She rises. “I have back up through official channels, but knowing what happened to Charlie when he disappeared, I would like to meet your men.”
“Then come with me.”
As she moves forward, Brian jumps up and grabs her arm. “Mom, can I talk to you a minute before you go.” Knowing he wants to talk with her alone, we rise and go out to the foyer, but I can still hear him. “Mom are you sure that you want to meet them. You know what Anthony told you, something wrong is going on here and he thought that they were pretending to be something that they are not. If you are meeting them because I told you that I trusted Jacob and his siblings don’t, it might be dangerous and I can’t lose you.”
“Brian, it is going to be fine. I am only going to meet them, I’m not going to do anything or rely on anyone. I remember what Anthony told me, but you have to remember that I told you he has been under a lot of stress and that can do strange things to you. Don’t worry. You are not going to lose me.” Her tone is very slow and deliberate.
“That’s what dad said before he died. Just promise me that you are going to be careful.”
My heart sinks and I wish I could someho
w convince him that we would never hurt his mom.
Dad is telling Jeff’s men what is going on and who she is when the door opens. They turn to her. “Oh my God, Marcus, I can’t believe it.” She moves quickly and embraces him. “It’s been far too long, how is Laura and Mark?”
He smiles widely. “They are doing really well. I see you’re in the thick of things as usual. I was sorry to hear about Brian. How are you, Brian and Jennifer doing?”
“We’ve been keeping busy. Brian and Jennifer are here with me in fact.” As she says this, Brian comes out, followed by Jennifer and she puts her arm around him. “Honey, this is an old friend of mine, Marcus.”
Brian steps up and shakes his hand and I can see his features relax. “How about I take Brian and Jennifer in the kitchen for a snack and show them around while you talk.”
As they have a snack, I can hear Marcus reassuring Ms. Wolf that our group is very trustworthy and that he has been with us for months. “They are a very strong group and you wouldn’t believe how they work together.”
I hear her giggle. “I know, I was shocked when I went past the children in class and realized I had vampires and wolves from the same family.”
“Their mother is a witch.” Marcus replies matter of fact and I hear her gasp.
“I heard their mother was dead and that they were staying here with their uncle.”
Marcus whispers to either mom or dad that he is sorry, but Stephanie interjects. “I’m sorry, I should have realized. That is none of my business and I won’t say anything at school, don’t worry. Am I correct in assuming that your children are actually young though or are they just pretending to be that age?”
Mom responds. “They are young, but very mature for their age. This is however, the first time they are intermingling with people off our lands.”
“I’m sorry that they had to run into this on their first encounter, Brian at least has had some good experiences with the human world before encountering those here. Hopefully this situation with Greg will be wrapped up shortly. I have come across quite a few good children in that school, but you should tell your children that there are a group of girls that hang around Ms. Varnum who believe that they are witches and practice in the occult. Let your children know that they aren’t and that no information should be revealed to them.”
Marcus interjects. “Will you be going through channels as far as Greg and the others are involved or is this a strictly off the books type of investigation?”
“My superiors are the ones who approved this endeavor so I will contact them and let them know that the matter is probably coming to a head in two to three days because if we can catch them with the shipment, I’m sure we can send them away for a long time, but in the meantime, I need to see if I can locate Anthony and that will be off the books. If they somehow have him and have used whatever they used on Charlie, then I need to get to him first because from what Anthony told me, Charlie involuntarily phased before the full moon and was quite violent. Laurel cannot afford to lose another parent and my superiors cannot find what they believe is a rabid wolf; they’ll put him down on site.” I hear her earrings cling and wonder if she is shuddering.
“Do you have any indication of where he might be or if they have him, where they could be holding him?”
“I know that Anthony followed Peter to a warehouse one evening but he reported that they must have moved the lab to a new location. He noticed that there were signs there regarding upcoming renovations.”
“Was he able to determine the new location?”
“We were investigating a few, but nothing yet. I know that he was snooping around a new area before Laurel was hurt, but I didn’t get the exact location.”
“Could he have been getting close and that is why they hurt Laurel?”
Before she can answer, Charlie comes bounding into the kitchen and starts a conversation with Brian. Excusing myself, by the time I reach the hall, Julianne is there and all I can hear is Marcus suggesting that they check out the areas and see if they can find any trace of Anthony or the others. Dad interjects and asks Stephanie if she would like to leave Brian and Jennifer here for the night while she is searching. Although Stephanie replies that Jennifer is only pretending to be a teenager, my father suggests that she may want to consider having them stay anyway considering that we don’t know what is going on with Anthony. “Stephanie, I know that Anthony probably made you very wary of us, but I assure you, that we are not involved with this Peter in any way nor are we out to harm anyone. We came here to assist my wife with the building of a hospital wing and if this Peter did grab hold of Anthony and he somehow drugs Anthony to talk, I would hate to see your children on their own while you are out investigating. I’m sure that they are strong, but still, despite Peter and Greg being human, they are involved in something very sinister and have only who knows how many working with them.”
Marcus interjects. “He’s right and I can assure you that the ones in this house are fighting on the same side you are. They would never harm anyone. We have been fighting alongside of them for months now and I can assure you I have no qualms in leaving my son and wife up at Sanctuary with his family while I’m down here.”
“Are you sure it would not be an inconvenience considering how many people you have here already.” I can hear the wavering in her voice and know that she is unsure about leaving them, but is struggling with the idea of leaving them own their own as well.
“It wouldn’t be any trouble at all. There are plenty of rooms available and I’m sure the girls have something Jennifer could wear tomorrow and the boys have something for Brian. We’ll even put them in a room where if you come back early enough, you can bunk with them.” My father notes and then follows them out into the hallway. Stephanie goes into the kitchen to speak with Jennifer and Brian and I follow dad upstairs to help him get a room ready.
When we come down, Stephanie and Jeff’s men are gone and Charlie is in the living room with Brian, Jennifer and Nicole.
The next morning is hectic with everyone returning and getting ready for school. From the grumblings, they didn’t have any luck tracking Anthony and there were no traces of Peter. Stephanie calls into her superiors and reports that the shipment is expected in two days but they she has no leads at this time as to where it will be delivered. It sounds as if they will be casting a wide net over the area surrounding the school. This Peter must be quite the dealer for such an endeavor.
The day drags on and I can feel Brian’s heightened anxiety on what his mother must be facing. For as much as our world causes problems, I can’t imagine what it must be to face every day realizing that not only is my mother in danger from things from our world, but also from the dangerous job that she has.
As gym rolls around, I see Brian staring at Greg and Tim every time they turn their back, almost as if he is willing the destination of where the shipment will be and then it hits me, maybe we can get that information, or at least I can. Moving to Julianne, you need to start a game of basketball, I whisper so low that only she and our group can hear. I see her eyes grow wide and know that she knows I am inviting trouble and cannot figure out why, but she goes over to the closet, grabs a ball and blows her whistle. Line up, odd/even will be the teams. I see Greg, Tim and his group position themselves so that they will all be on the same team and maneuver myself so that they will have easy access to me once I steal the ball. I need Greg to hit me and hit me hard enough that I can grab hold of him for a few seconds.
His team easily scores three baskets and are pretty much playing monkey in the middle with the rest of us when I barrel ahead and grab the ball from John and head to the basket. Passing Greg, I stumble as if having problems and as luck would have it both he and Tim pounce upon me, knocking me hard to the ground. Tim grabs the ball and I grasp Greg’s head pretending to be in a haze and yelling to Nicholas that I have the ball. I can hear him laughing, but as I concentrate, I see flashes of the Ashnault Trucking Company and Pier 12 on Longme
adow. Greg slaps my hands. “You don’t have the ball, idiot and as he removes my hands, I allow him to slam me against the parquet floor and hear his self-satisfying humph. Nicole runs toward me and I hear her panicky voice but wink at her as she kneels beside me ensuring that I get up slowly so that Greg will not suspect a thing.
Julianne opens her mouth as if to say something to Greg, but I shake my head slightly and suddenly her features change telling me that she now understands what I did and I nod letting her know that I got the information.
The bell finally rings and we file out. Mom is waiting for us. I slip into the front seat. “Is Marcus at the house?”
“Yes, why?”
“I have a lead for them to follow.”
I can see the disapproval raging in her eyes but her voice strains to sound calm. “Jacob, I thought you were told not to follow them. You can’t get involved in this.”
“Mom, I didn’t follow them, they aren’t even aware that I did anything really. We were in gym and I let Greg barrel into me.”
She turns and although her features appear stunned, her eyes tell me that she knows immediately why I did that. “That is a very clever move, and you’re sure that he doesn’t suspect anything?”
“I’m positive. They were even gloating about how they put the little pipsqueak in his place when he thought he could steal the ball.” She smiles widely and hands me the telephone.
After telling Marcus what I learned, Nicole asks me how I manage to get the information, but I really can’t explain to her how and can see her disappointment as my mother tries to convince her that everyone’s talents are different and that she is sure that Nicole’s abilities will flourish once she becomes more comfortable with everything.
Two minutes after we pull into the driveway, Stephanie, Brian and Jennifer pull in. Stephanie heads right into the study while Brian comes over to us. “Why would you do that? Are you trying to get yourself hurt?”
Knowing I can’t tell him the real reason, I try to shrug it off. “I just wanted to give Greg a different target. I saw him staring at some of the smaller boys and figured he was up to no good so I wanted to divert his attention. Hopefully, he and the others will be gone soon.”
Although his features tell me he accepts my explanation, I can tell he doesn’t like what I did. Despite this being our first time out, I feel more stable than Brian at what is going on and wonder if it is because of my strength and new found powers or if he has just seen too much of what is around us and suffered at the hands of both worlds. Heading inside, I can hear them making plans to check out the spots tonight and Stephanie asking how they came across the information.
I hear Jeff interject, trying to joke it off. “Come on, even you know that in all those old shows, dealers like piers and trucking companies to move the merchandise. The internet is great for showing trucking companies and my men went out early this morning along the piers and saw some activity around Pier 12 that appeared odd, even for fisherman.”
Stephanie’s voice slips into authoritative mode. “Marcus, make sure that your men understand that no matter what we find tonight, we cannot move in. If we do, we will lose the shipment and we can’t risk that, especially if they are as big as we suspect.”
“And if Anthony is there?” Jeff retorts.
“Our plan is to observe and determine the best way possible to extract him during the raid. If we get him out beforehand, we could risk their calling the whole thing off or moving it to an unknown location.”
“But…”
“Look doc. I guarantee you that if we lose this opportunity, the drugs will be in that school within a week, if not sooner and how will you feel when you are treating a kid for a drug overdose? That is if you even get the opportunity and they don’t pass you and go directly to the morgue. I don’t mean to sound cold, but Anthony knew what he was getting himself into when he signed up for this job. Our job has to be to observe, let my team move in and slip him out without their seeing him.”
Dinner that night is very tense. I can see the disapproval in Jeff’s eyes for their plan, the anxiety of Brian, Jennifer, my parents and to my surprise, even uncle Francis.
After they leave and everyone settles in for the night, I can hear Brian pacing in his room. Jennifer tries to comfort him and for a while, I don’t’ hear movement, but by 11:30, he is pacing again. Getting up, I knock on his door. “Do you want to go downstairs for some milk and to talk?”
He follows me downstairs and I hear dad slip out of the study, where I can smell he has a fire going. “Go in and sit” I open the door. “I’ll get some milk.”
Dad’s in the kitchen when I enter. “Thanks for giving us the room. I promise, we won’t be too long, but he has been pacing and worrying for hours.”
He smiles, his features full of understanding. “You take care of your friend and if you need anything or either of you want to talk later, I’ll be in the office.”
“Thanks dad.”
He hands me the poured glasses of milk and we both exit. “Are you alright?” I enter and see Brian staring into the fire. “I’m just nervous, I wish my mother would stay behind a desk like she promised, but she just can’t seem to do it. There is always something pulling her into danger, just like my dad.”
“Is that how you lost him?” The question is out before I can stop myself and I regret it as I see the pain etched in his features as he goes over and kneels by the fire. His voice is barely a whisper and his eye bore into the fire. “We thought we were getting away from everything bad for a while, my dad had just come back from an undercover assignment and we decided to go camping. Everything was great the first few nights and then dad got a call warning him that one of the men that he had just put away made bail. Little did dad know when he was talking to his partner, that his partner and his family was being held at gunpoint and they traced his call to dad. They killed his partner and family and came after us. Mom and dad took a few of them out, but then they grabbed dad and me. Mom and Jennifer were trying to follow, but she didn’t get to us before they sent us off the side of the cliff. Dad hit the rocks pretty badly on the way down, he tried to phase and get to me, but they shot at him. I landed on a ledge and was pretty badly hurt. I don’t know how my dad made it back up to me, but just before he died, he bit me and I survived, but he was too far gone.”
Sitting next to him, my voice cracks and my tone is barely audible. “I’m so sorry. How long ago did that happen?”
“Two years ago. Since then, mom has been promising to stay behind a desk, but this is the second time she has gotten involved in field work. She keeps trying to reassure me that she will be fine and I know that she is strong, but things happen and I…” He stops staring into the fire, lost in what I know is a quagmire of emotions.
“Can I do anything to help?”
“You’re doing it now. It’s nice to talk to someone without having to hide who I am or the details about what happened to my dad. We have been on our own since dad died and even before then, we fought so hard to fit in and hide who we are, that I never felt as if I could even talk to anyone.”
“Did you ever talk to Laurel about things? I know you tried to be her friend”
“No, Mom and dad always warned me against it, although they would never explain why and considering that we lived so close, it would have been nice to grow up with family of our own at least free to talk to them, where Laurel and I are only a few days apart, we probably would have even gone through the transformation together, but for the circumstances changing us.”
“Jacob, can I ask you a question?”
“Sure”
“Is your family really related or did you all somehow come together. I mean considering your aunt is human and then the difference between some of you.” His eyes fall to the floor.
I don’t want to lie to him, but need to cast a wide enough net so as not to give too much information. Although he is from our world, I don’t know what information is really allowed. “Nicole and I
are really twins and I consider Nicholas and Kayla my siblings, but I guess technically they are my cousins. My mom’s sister died before we were born, so we have always been together with my dad’s family. We came across Jeff, Grant and their family after we had some trouble and we have been together ever since.”
“You are very lucky. At least you don’t have to hide all the time.”
“I am very lucky. Brian, you know, now that we are friends, you can always talk to us. I’m sure that once your mom gets to know us better, she’ll learn that we really aren’t out to hurt anyone and whatever Anthony thinks is wrong, he will come to see that he is mistaken. We don’t want to hurt him or anyone he knows. As far as tonight, don’t worry, I know that Jeff has been chasing our kind for a long time and his men seem very capable, I’m sure they can help your mom and that she will be home soon.”
“Jake, do you know if anyone has heard anything about Laurel and how she is doing?”
I smile at him. “I think that she is doing better. I know that they said she regained consciousness and that the doctors were helping her.”
“Yes but considering her state of mind and now everything with Anthony disappearing, do you think that she’ll be alright?”
“There are plenty of physicians up there that can help her and the rest of Jeff’s pack are there and can help her with her phasing.”
“There’s a wolf pack up there!” His eyes widen as he turns and stares at me.
“Sanctuary is a great place, it is not only a hospital, but there is a school where we all learn to work together.”
“Do you think that the people who run it would allow me to visit Laurel there if she stays for a while and I could convince my mom to go up there?”
“I’m sure that could be arranged, but in the meantime, do you think that you could get some rest. I’m sure your mom would feel much better if you got some sleep.”
“Would you mind if I stay down here? I would like to see my mother when she comes in. I’ll rest on the couch.”
Rising, “I’ll get some pillows and blankets and wait with you.”
“You don’t have to do that, I’m fine.
“I want to.” Grabbing two comforters and some pillows, I catch dad in the hall and he nods before I re-enter the living room.
Waking with a start, I can hear Stephanie and the men enter, they are arguing in hushed tones. It sounds as if they have found Anthony and that Steven thought he could grab him without alerting the others, but Stephanie refuted the idea. As she argues with him, she sounds like she is trying to also convince herself that he is strong enough to hold out one more day. It sounds as if they overheard arguments among Peter’s men regarding their inability to do anything with him until the shipment comes in for fear that the body could be discovered and cause them trouble.
Looking over, Brian is still asleep. I rise and slip out of the room. As I enter the hallway, they stop immediately. Stephanie looks so torn, that I hope to give her some breathing room. “Brian is in the room and he is anxious to see you.”
She smiles. “Thanks for staying with him. I’ll go and see him now.”
I head upstairs to alert dad as to what happened and for some reason, I don’t completely understand, something else comes to mind.
He is leaving his room and smiles at me. “I know they are back and that Anthony is being held. You were right to give Stephanie some room, she is very emotional and struggling with her decision and sometimes Steven pushes too far.” I feel my mouth drop and can’t believe he knows what I was doing.
“Dad if they have him and they are using the drug on him, they may be hoping that his family takes him out like they did Charlie. You need to call James and see if he can come here. If we can get hold of Anthony and whatever they are giving him, maybe he can break down the substance and stop him from turning on his family like Charlie did.” I can tell from the smile on his face my dad is impressed, but I can also see the concern creeping into his eyes.
“You really have grown up and matured. Jacob, do you know what made you think of that as a solution to the problem?”
“Not really, it’s just something that came to me when I heard them. Will James come?”
“He is already on his way, but he is going to need access to a lab and we need to get Jeff’s men to construct some sort of holding cell for Anthony here or get him up to Sanctuary. We will need to contain him.”
“I have your lab access solved” Mom says joining us. Dr. Jeffers owes me some favors and I told him that a researcher friend of yours was coming to get approval on some new drugs, but needed to conduct a few last minute tests. He is making arrangements for us now.”
It is so strange seeing my parents like this. I knew they could work together, but they seem so different now away from Sanctuary.
She turns to me. “You should get ready for school, but Jacob, please today especially don’t take any chances. They may be very skittish or worse yet, overly suspicious, especially since they have Anthony and are struggling over what to do with him before the shipment comes in. So please, promise me that you will not do anything and won’t even get close to them.”
Hugging her, “I promise that I won’t even go near them. I won’t give you a reason to worry today.”
My father smiles and places his hand on her shoulder. “I’ll be there and we’ll all keep an eye on them. They’ll be fine” She smiles back at him and I turn to go and get ready.
Everyone is charged at school. The students are charged over the upcoming holiday and playoff games which the football team will be participating in, the teachers are scrambling to get in last minute assignments and tests. Our group is concerned over tonight’s events. Running into Greg’s group, they appear nervous too. Ms. Wolf’s team is monitoring the area in case the shipment comes in early and Jeff’s men are in the shadows, but considering the time of day, I’m sure that they are not finding it easy. In gym, Greg’s men are particularly annoying, bashing into students, Brian is thrown to the ground twice, Charlie once, but when they go after Nicole, I bash Greg and as we both fall to the floor, Julianne, comes to break us up immediately, but not before, I get a glimpse of Greg stabbing Anthony with a substance, I suspect is the same as the one they injected Charlie with because I hear Greg taunt Anthony about maybe letting him lose so that his family can finish him off like he finished off Charlie but hoping that he gets Laurel before that happens. The disdain that drips from his mouth as he talks about Laurel makes my stomach churn.
Julianne whispers to me. “Jake remember what you promised your mother.”
Although it makes me want to toss my lunch, I turn and apologize to Greg. His answering smirk tells me that he thinks he has won and that he won’t stop coming after us now that we are conciliatory and he thinks he has the upper hand. Thankfully, the bell rings a few minutes later and the real hell is soon to begin.
After leaving school, Brian, Stephanie and Jennifer meet up with us in the driveway and the wait for us begins. Brian is particularly anxious when Stephanie leaves, knowing that she is now entering a den of danger. From speaking with her men before departing we know that the shipment did not come in during the day, but then again, everyone expected that they would utilize the cover of night.
Uncle Francis offers to go with her after learning what I saw. Despite her initial objections, she acquiesces when uncle Francis convinces her that if Anthony is in trouble, he may need immediate medical assistance that a normal physician cannot render and that, they will need to get him out under official radar.
The waiting is unbearable, as graying twilight blankets our home, so too does it blanket our mood. Sarah is pacing in her room because despite Jeff’s lack of police experience, he insists on going to help in the extraction of Anthony arguing that he has been chasing vampires for the past fifty years and that he is sure he can be helpful in this and that if Anthony phases, uncle Francis can’t get near him. Despite trying to hide it, I can see that Mom is anxious too since dad decided
to go and ensure that Francis and Jeff are backed up. This is really becoming a family affair. I only wish that they would allow me to go since I know that I am the strongest of all and although we are not dealing with our kind, if I could stay in the background, I’m sure that I could manipulate it so that if things needed to happen and people needed to slip, fall or go flying across the room so that others could escape, I could make it happen without anyone discovering me.
As the hours tick by, the anxiety in the house is thick enough that I could swear I see an intense graying aura emanating from every room occupied. As 9:30 rolls around, mom insists that we should all try to get some rest, despite everyone retiring to their room, no one is sleeping and I can hear the whispered conversations around me. By ten o’clock, I hear my mother scooting across the granite foyer and unlatching the door. James has arrived and to mom’s delight, he is accompanied by uncle Gabriel.
“Have you heard anything?” He asks as I sneak out of the room, thankfully, despite Nicholas’ disapproving look, he doesn’t stop me or say anything that will alert uncle Gabriel to what I am doing. Dad always said that his hearing was even better and I swear dad could hear a pin drop a mile away.
Mom is shaking her head and I can see the concern etched in her features. James interrupts. “Do I have access to a lab? My portable material will not be very beneficial if the substance is not typical or if I need to separate it.”
Mom turns to him. “I have arranged for you to test at Mercy. Your cover is that you are a friend of Jonathan’s that is here to get some approval and that you need to conduct a few last minute tests. Dr. Jeffers has cleared it with the staff.”
“I think that I’ll go then and get things set up. When they extract Anthony are they bringing him directly to the hospital?”
“No, they are bringing him here.” Gabriel’s eyes shoot up and his face whips around to mom.
“Is that really a good idea with the children here?”
“We can’t take him to the hospital. We don’t know what condition he will be in and if something could make him change early. Jeff’s men constructed a reinforced the door to the room downstairs and they will be standing guard.”
James interrupts once more. “Mia, you are an hour away, is there any way to get him closer so that there is less lag time?”
“We can’t risk taking him to the hospital.”
Something occurs to me and I head down stairs. Mom doesn’t appear surprised to see me. “Could we maybe utilize one of Stephanie’s special vehicles? I’m sure that they must have something reinforced, maybe he can be held in that and brought closer to the hospital.” Although she was not surprised to see me come down, my response definitely shocks her and uncle Gabriel.
As Gabriel’s surprised mouth closes, he turns to James. “We can talk to Stephanie when she gets back about that possibility but we need to assess what type of condition he is in. From what I could see, the change occurred quickly and was very violent.”
As James leaves, Gabriel turns back to mom. “Have you heard from Andrew? Do we know if anything has happened yet?”
Her face falls and her whole demeanor changes. Putting on a brave face, she smiles but her voice is monotone. “Jacob, I’m sure that your father is fine, you should really try to get some sleep. They’ll be back soon and something tells me that the raucous that will accompany them will wake the whole house.”
Not wanting to make her more anxious I hug her and uncle Gabriel and ascend the stairs. Before returning to my room, I go to check on Brian, knowing that he is probably up and pacing. Opening the door, I’m surprised to see he and Jennifer sleeping, but when I turn to leave, I realize I only hear one person breathing. Staring at Brian’s covers, I realize he cannot be under them. Moving quickly, but quietly, I go over to his bed. His pillows are arranged to make it look as if he is sleeping. How could I have missed this happening? I should have realized it from how nervous he was the other night. Flying out, I close the door behind me, not wanting to worry Jennifer. Downstairs, I find mom and uncle Gabriel in the study. “Mom, Brian has left? He must have gone after his mother.”
She has the phone out immediately, but as she dials each number it goes to voicemail. She goes into the kitchen, alerting Julianne and Paul as to what is going on and grabs her coat as uncle Gabriel does the same. As they are at the door, I grab her hand. “Mom, I have to come with you. Please” Opening her mouth to object, she immediately closes it again, probably realizing that as much as I hate defying her, I have acted irrationally in the past to protect others.
“Grab your coat, but Jacob, you need to listen and stay with us. We need to let the others handle this, there are too many people involved in this already. Things are complicated enough. We need to find and grab Brian if we can, but more importantly, if we can, we need to alert Stephanie and your father then get out of there. We can’t complicate this or get caught in the mix, it wouldn’t help anyone.”
Traveling quickly through the darkened streets, I can’t believe that Brian would do this, or maybe I can, considering what I did to my family when my mom was in trouble. By the time we arrive, the take down is in full swing. Some of Peter’s men are on the ground, shouts are coming from the surrounding buildings and a small boat, and I can see Stephanie heading toward the boat with her gun drawn. Mom has found dad who lets her know that Francis is with some of Jeff’s men behind the warehouse. They are trying to get to Anthony before Stephanie’s men do. It appears that they are going in the front door now and are being met with resistance. As soon as mom tells dad about Brian, he grabs me and we are off trying to see if we can detect his scent leaving mom and uncle Gabriel.
The scents are all mixed together and it is becoming very confusing. “Jacob, keep your head low and don’t get in front of me.”
As we move closer to the area where Stephanie is approaching, I catch something moving to our side. I see the gun before the individual and see that it is pointed at Stephanie. As I yell to her to watch out, I flick my wrist, knocking the gun out of his hand as my father throws a rock, probably to mislead how the gun was removed, but before we know it, shots ring out and someone screams out in pain. As I turn, everything appears in slow motion, Brian has jumped out from where he was and Stephanie turned when I yelled and fired. Brian is down and bleeding, Stephanie falls to her knees and I can see someone behind her with a semiautomatic. Dad rushes to Brian as someone I do not recognize is running toward Stephanie and has now shot the man who shot her.
As Brian whales, he shifts immediately and starts snapping. “Jacob get back, you can’t help him.” Mom must hear our shouts and yells to my father to get back as well as she comes upon him and is chanting something I do not recognize. He seems to calm under her touch and immediately is himself once again. My father and I approach cautiously and place our hands upon his chest, which is covered in blood.
“We need to get him to the hospital immediately, it is not a through and through” Dad calls out to Gabriel who helps him lift Brian, but as they all rise, three men with guns descend upon us.
“Freeze” One of them yells and I see DEA in big white letters on his bullet proof vest.
“We are not part of their group. This is Brian, Stephanie’s son, we came to find him. Please we have to get him to the hospital.”
The men look down as a bleeding Brian writhes in pain, I hear one of them say, “It looks like the picture she has on her desk.”
The one who yelled freeze shouts. “Who are you and what are you doing out here?” He is looking at my father suspiciously.
“We came to find Brian, Stephanie left him with us and he snuck out fearing for his mother. I’m”
My mother immediately interrupts. “I’m a physician at Mercy, please we have to get him there or he’ll die.”
The man speaks into his chest com. “We have two down on the south side, a minor and one of our own. Send an ambulance quickly.”
“Let us move him from here to the street. Is someone bringing
Stephanie?” The man shakes his head and I can hear someone over his com say that she didn’t make it. His eyes glance back to her.
“She can’t be dead!” As the words escape from me, I see them register with Brian and sobs rip from his chest.
“Please you have to help my mom.” He grabs my hand.
My eyes shoot up to dad. “We have to help.” I plead.
“Have them bring her here.” His tone is authoritative and he stares directly at the man in charge. I can tell by the way dad’s pupils are changing he’s compelling the man who finally calls into his communicator to his men. “Bring her to us.”
When they bring her up, she isn’t breathing and the blood is covering the hands and clothing of her carriers.
“Put her down, get Brian to the ambulance and bring down a gurney.” I know he wants to get as many of them away from us as possible. They move quickly with uncle Gabriel, but the man who yelled at us remains behind. He must be her partner. Dad begins compressions, while mom breathes and I slip my hands underneath her closing the wounds, despite knowing that this will only lessen her blood loss, not solve her internal injuries. With each compression, my dad’s hands seem more electrified and finally her heart begins to beat.
Picking her up, we move quickly to join the men bringing back the gurney and move her to the ambulance. When we arrive, they have just placed Brian in one and mom hops in while uncle Gabriel hops in with Stephanie and dad ushers me to the car.
Getting in, the chaos around us seems a bit more controlled and I see several men being pushed into police or DEA cars before we’re off and following the ambulances.
As soon as we reach the main roadway, dad calls uncle Francs. “What happened with Anthony?”
“They got him out. He was unconscious and his vitals are erratic. We are on our way to the house. Are you there?”
“No, we ran into trouble. Is Jeff with you?”
“What’s wrong” He interjects.
Brian’s been shot and so has Stephanie. Mia is traveling with Brian. Jeff, he changed momentarily into a wolf when he first got shot and when Mia calmed him down he turned back. Has that happened before?”
“I have heard it happen on occasion with younger wolves when they are hurt or traumatized, it usually lasts only a few minutes. How bad are they?”
“Stephanie is very bad, her heart stopped for several moments and Brian sustained one bullet to the chest cavity. How far are you away from the area?”
Uncle Francis responds. “He jumped out of the car and is on his way. I’m sure he’ll meet you there. I’ll get Anthony settled.”
“Francis, you need to stay away from him and since we are scattered, I need you to get the children out. If he were to get out of control, he could be a danger to everyone in that house. We need to keep him contained, but I don’t want the children there. Bring them to the apartment and don’t’ let Paul and Julianne stay either. I know that they will say they are old enough, but tell them you need help watching over the other children and then meet us at the hospital.”
“I’ll do that as soon as we arrive. Do you need anything?”
“No, Jacob and I are right behind the ambulances and we should be arriving shortly.”
When we arrive, dad still looks like himself and I know he is doing that so he can help. Two teams are outside waiting for the ambulances and everyone is moving quickly. I hasten my pace as dad whispers “Jacob, go to your mom’s office and wait. We’ll let you know what’s going on as soon as we can. Leaving him, I quickly slip into the office.