by Barb Shuler
Deciding I needed to just ask, I went over to Derek’s room but stopped to listen to the events of the day. My heart clenched and raced all at the same time. The girl Derek described sounded like Abbie. She was only ten, for fuck’s sake. Or was she eleven all ready? Either way, she was so innocent and sweet. I hated these people so much. All of those nasty, vile demons deserved to be sank into the deepest fires of hell. I buried my face in Ryan’s hair as she played with my hair. I had to keep myself together.
My head shot up when I heard Drew say Jackson had been shot. I gasped and turned to walk out. I needed air. Oh God, he’d been shot. The area was clear of all save a nurse pushing a lady in a chair back into a curtained room. When I saw her face I froze. My mother was here, too? She saw me and pushed the nurse away, rolling herself over to me. She glared daggers at me and tried to take Ryan out of my arms. Oh, hell no.
“Get your hands of my daughter, bitch!” I snarled as I turned slightly, my gaze seething as she tried again to unhand my arm from my daughter. Ryan started to cry and I bristled.
“Let her go! You have no right to her. You’re a traitor. It’s your fault your father is dead!” the bitch said. Before I could react she slapped me across the face. The slap crackled across the air as I stepped back, my hand went to my cheek.
“He. Was. Not. My. Father!” I seethed. I wrapped my arms protectively around Ryan when she started to wiggle and cry out “Da Da Da.” My heart was breaking. I never wanted her hurt by these fucking people.
“He was, you stupid twit. He took care of us. He gave you everything you needed. And what did you do? You ran off and whored yourself out. You’re disgusting,” she snarled.
“... fuck you, lady!”
“Get the hell away from her,” a sharp voice came from behind me and I saw the bitch’s face blanch. I turned slowly to see Jacks standing there. My knees wobbled and it was only the grace of God that kept me on my feet.
“Da Da Da!” Ryan kicked, shrieking and flailing as I tried to stay upright. Jacks moved - gingerly - to my side and took the shrieking baby from my arms. He bumped me with his body and I took a few steps towards where Dani Lynn, Drew and the Sheriff were standing.
“It’s over, baby,” Jacks whispered in my ear… and the dam broke. I started to sob as I turned into his body.
24
Where to now?
Jackson
I had been waiting for our family to get to the hospital. Gabe told us he’d called Dani Lynn and that they were on the way. What I hadn’t expected was the tidal wave of emotions that rocked through me. I was worried about my arm, and shoulder. It hadn’t been that long ago that my collarbone had been broken, and now, I’d been shot. Just my luck, right? I knew Kristol was going to be upset about today’s events, and now she would have something else to worry about. I hated that. I never wanted to be the one to make her worry.
I was talking to the nurse in my cubicle about the upcoming surgery. Seems they needed to go in and take a look just to make sure there was no hidden damage. I wasn't impressed. That would mean more time away from Kristol and the kids. My head shot up when I heard her sweet voice. I got up off the bed and moved to the curtain to look around.
The moment I looked out I saw some old bag in a wheelchair slapping Kristol across her face. The sound bounced around the emergency room. It truly took me a minute to register what was going on. Was that her mother? Oh, hell, no. Not on my watch. My anger hit a new level of red and I pushed myself to move forward. I snatched the IV out, ignoring the nurse calling my name. The nurse tried to stop me. She made a valiant effort but that wasn’t happening.
I needed my girl to know I was here. She wasn’t alone. I wasn’t going to stand by and let this happen to her anymore.
As I got closer I could see Kristol was shaking. I saw Dani Lynn ready to jump to Kristol’s defense, but thankfully Drew saw me first and kept her with him by the room Derek was in. I had to move slow, but I was getting to my girl. Ryan saw me and started to call out to me. My heart did that funny little flip it always did. Her tear streaked face seemed to make my anger take on a life of her own.
“Get the hell away from them,” I snarled at the old bitch in the chair.
Ryan’s cries turned to shrieks and I carefully moved to Kristol’s side and took her. She curled her little body against my chest and I closed my eyes, fighting to keep myself in control and upright. The room was already spinning, which was not a good sign. I turned Kristol away from her mother.
We hadn’t taken more than five steps when I whispered to her, “It’s over, baby.” She curled into me and started sobbing against my chest. I leaned my head down and rested it on hers as I spoke softly. “I’ve got you.”
We stood there until she was able to control herself enough to walk into the big room where Derek was. I moved to the other bed after the nurses started fussin’ about me being on my feet. She kept telling me to go back to my room but, yeah, if I moved I was falling over. So, that was a no go. Kristol turned a shade of white that had me reaching out for her when the nurse started checking the bandage on my shoulder. I pulled her to sit beside me.
“Oh, God... what... what happened?!” she stuttered out, trying to take Ryan back from me so the nurses could work. Ryan wasn’t having that. Her body jerked and she let out a loud cry, her hands reaching for me again.
“Da Da Da!” See, my girl knew I needed her just as much as she needed me.
“Ryan, stop. Come on, baby, we aren’t going to leave him.” Kristol tried to console her, but it didn’t work. I sat up more with a groan and took a deep breath as I looked at the nurses.
“Can you hurry that up so I can hold my girl? She’s gonna bust eardrums here soon,” I winked at Kristol. The nurse moved to put another gauze over the ones already turning red and I sucked in a breath. “Shit…”
“Hold still, Officer Landry, almost done. I know it hurts, I’m sorry,” the nurse said, glancing over at Ryan who was still crying out for me. I finally put my hand up and Kristol turned to help her into my good side. Ryan’s little body shook with tears as she laid against me. I closed my eyes and let out a long sigh. “Shh, I got you. I got you, princess.” I reached over and took Kristol’s hand in mine and gave it a squeeze.
“She okay?” Derek asked, looking over at us. I nodded.
“She’s okay, D. She’s sleepy, it should be nap time for her about now.” I looked at the clock and nodded. I gave Ryan a kiss on the head and closed my eyes as a feeling of dizziness hit, followed by a warm flushed feeling.
“I gave you another shot of Demerol, that should help with the pain until they take you to surgery. The Doctor will be right in with y’all,” the nurse said and walked out. I let out a ragged breath when Kristol looked at me, worry written all over her face.
“I’m gonna be alright. It’s normal procedure. I swear. They just need to make sure nothing was damaged that they can’t see.”
“Landry?” I lifted my eyelids and let out a small yawn, shifting in the bed and tugging Kristol closer to me. Her soft smile made my lips curl at the corners. Despite the pain I felt fine. She was now free, no one would be after her, and we could be a family. I glanced over at the Doc and raised a brow.
“Which one, Doc?” Derek asked. The doctor looked a little confused as he opened the folder in his hands. The nurse came in with another folder and pointed at me. She scowled and I gave her a big grin.
“Well, both, it seems.” He chuckled and moved over to Derek. “Seems you have a gash in your thigh. I think you should be fine with stitches and antibiotics. This scan showed nothing vital was harmed. You got lucky, son. Now, once we stitch this up you are not to get the stitches wet. You’ll have to keep this clean and dry until you have them removed. If you take care of it by staying off of it, keeping it dry and letting it heal you shouldn’t have much of a scar.”
“Ah, come on, Doc. I at least need something to show off,” Derek said. I heard the grunt and looked over to see that Dani Lynn had sw
atted him in the back of the head. I snorted out a laugh. When Ryan wiggled and whined I clamped my mouth shut and grimaced.
I tuned the Doctor out as I looked down at the little girl on my chest and kissed her head. She was almost asleep. Her little eyes were half closed and she was steadily blinking. I smiled against her hair as the Doctor made his way over to me. Derek was listing to Dani Lynn fuss over him and I looked up to meet Kristol’s gaze again. I gave her a wink before looking at the Doc.
“So, what’s the damage, Doc?”
“You, sir, got very lucky. The bullet went straight through your shoulder. It seems to have missed anything of importance. With that said, you still need to be taken to the OR to have it cleaned out and stitched up properly. We’re waiting for a call that there’s an open OR bay. You’re not critical, so you have to wait your turn. After surgery you may have to endure a few weeks of PT to make sure you still have full movement in that shoulder. Dr. Crosse will explain all of that to you after he’s been in there and seen what he’s working with.”
“Alright Doc, thanks,” I said as I laid my head back. Between the adrenaline rush, the drugs and the sweet little girl in my arms I was so relaxed I started to drift off.
I don’t know how long I was out. The pain shooting through my body and the cries of babies is what pulled me from my sleepy haze. I blinked a few times as I tried to gather my wits. Jesus. It was like I was in a fucking cloud. The voices around me finally started to come through. I could make out Kristol’s voice, Drew and Dani Lynn, but there were others. The loud shrieking that registered next was Ryan. No doubt in my mind. I tried to say something, but my mouth felt so dry. It was like the Mojave in there.
I fiddled around until I found the box that would lift the bed and sat up. My movements caught everyone's attention. I gave Kristol a hesitant smile as she rushed over to my side. Her eyes were red and swollen and there was a bruise forming on her temple. It ran down to her cheek bone. I narrowed my eyes and tried to push out the words.
“What happened?” Kristol pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and looked away from me. Ryan had stopped crying, but it wasn’t until she turned her slightly that I saw my baby girl had a pink bandage; no, that was a fucking cast on her arm. I grunted as I sat up, tugging the covers off of my legs with my good hand.
“No, get your ass back under those covers, Jackson,” Drew said as he halted my movements to get out of the bed. “You need to relax, okay? We’ll tell you what happened. Your girls are fine.”
“Here, take a drink, Jacks.” Dani Lynn handed me a glass of water and I took a long drink. I sighed before I looked back at Kristol.
“Tell me,” I growled out.
“Don’t you use that tone with me,” she snapped. I raised a brow. “I didn’t hurt her!”
“Whoa,” I said holding up my good arm. “I wasn’t saying you did, love, but I need to know what happened and who I need to kill for hurting my girls.”
I saw her shoulders slump. She shifted Ryan in her arms. Ryan was sucking on her pacifier as she laid against her mama.
“We had a tumble on the stairs.. It’s my fault, but I didn’t mean to fall. I just…”
I gave the room a look and narrowed my eyes. Had someone upset her?
“She had a bad moment while you were in surgery. She slipped on the stairs. I was right behind them. I swear, Ryan and Kris were looked at, and they’ll both be fine,” Dani Lynn said, squeezing my arm.
I mouthed, “thank you” to her and looked over at Kristol. “Come here, baby,” I said, my good hand out for her to take. “Come lay with me.” When she was on the bed I smiled and kissed her head. Ryan let out a little grunt as Krisol placed her on my chest and I laid my head back. “You sure, you’re okay?” I asked her.
“I’m okay, just tired,” she said, yawning.
“Y’all rest. We’ll go check on the kids and get something to eat. We’ll come back in a few hours and check on you,” Drew said.
“You want me to take Ryan, Kris?” Dani Lynn asked.
“No,” I answered for her. “Leave her, she’s okay.”
“Alright,” Dani Lynn said. “Her diaper bag in is the closet. She has snacks and juice boxes in there.”
“Thank you,” Kristol mumbled against my shoulder.
A few minutes later they were gone and we settled back into each other. Tomorrow was a new day, and a new start to our lives.
25
Togetherness
Kristol
The last four weeks have opened my eyes to the way life can be. What it should have been like for us all. Jackson has been home, recouping from being shot, his surgery, and mentally coming to grips with everything that's happened over the last six months. He'd asked me one night while we were alone if there was anything else he needed to know. He wanted to be prepared for it if there were.
That night, I bared my shattered life to him. Of course I didn't go into specific details, gliding through the rapes and torture because let's face it, it was over and he didn't need that stress again. Dani Lynn had gotten me used to talking to her therapist, Dr. Crandall about my demons, so all Jacks needed was to know that I'd been shattered and he’d helped make me whole again. It was easy to see now how I’d been able to fall in love with my very own hero.
Things with the raid were still brought up and the “men in black” were still around at times, but everything seems to be all cleared up now. Abraham and a lot of the men on the compound grounds were now in jail and would be until they rotted like the demons they were. There happened to be a lot of bodies carried out of the compound that day. Though with the number of people there, they feared a number of them were able to escape using the underground tunnels. There is no way to be completely sure.
The undercover agents on the compound were both dispatched when things went down. Travis had taken one out, and in defense of his partner, Toby had taken out Travis, and two others before he was killed. They were the only casualties of the day that we all regretted.
My mother, and a few of the others were taken into custody as well for accessories to the crimes their husbands committed, ‘cause they did nothing to stop any of it. Thankfully they’d be off the streets for a long time. They got what they deserved in my eyes.
A few of the girls, the ones that didn’t seem to be completely brainwashed were able to be reunited with their families. Abbie, the little girl that Derek had saved from Connor was now back in the loving arms of her parents. The little girl had been snatched from a playground in Arkansas a year ago. Her parents had feared they’d never see her again. I was there when they picked her up from the station and got to see the happy tears and smiles they shared. If nothing else that happened made any of this better, that had.
Now my days consisted of being a mom to my munchkins, taking care of Jacks - because I wanted to - and being happy. Yes, me. I was happier than a unicorn shitting skittle rainbows while wearing a glittered tutu. I felt the heat of his body before he spoke.
“Mornin’, gorgeous,” he whispered as he placed a kiss on my cheek. My lips pulled back in a small smile when I felt his fingertips on the nape of my neck. I turned slowly to look up at him.
“Morning,” I said, my gaze roaming over his sculpted chest and abdomen. “Sleep okay?”
“Seems I crashed hard. You wouldn't know anything about why that happened, would ya, baby?” I shook my head, fighting to keep a neutral face. My cheeks were burning under his intense gaze.
“You sure about that?”
I nodded as I slid a finger along the scar on his ribs, as I did anytime he was shirtless. And man, thankfully that was a lot… He'd told me about the scar the first night he was discharged from the hospital. I'd noticed it when I was helping him dress. He’d told me how he and Drew had been playing as kids and fell through roof of an old barn. Yes, you heard me, a frigging barn. Boys are daredevils, so it shouldn't surprise me. They'd walked away with a few new cuts but were otherwise fine. I bit my bottom lip as he leaned in cl
oser to me. Swallowing hard I looked up, meeting his gaze.
“You hungry? I can make you something….eggs…”
My words trailed off when he dipped his head and leaned in to kiss me. His lips were soft against mine and my heart started to race.
“No…”
I moaned against his lips. My body came to life, just as it always did when he kissed me like this. Pushing back slightly I looked around and grinned. “What was that for?” I asked, still a little breathless.
“I just needed to make sure you were real,” he said as he cupped my face. I glanced at his shoulder, which was still healing. His arm was in a sling (as per the doctor's orders) and he scowled at it when he saw me looking that way. “I'm fine, love, I promise.”
“We didn't hurt it last.. night…” I shifted on my bare feet and grinned when he pressed in tighter against me.
“No, that was nothing but immense pleasure. I plan to repeat it all, again, and soon, baby. You have no idea how hard it is-”
“Hmm… I think I remember just how hard… it was.”
“Keep that up and I'll strip you down and take you right here,” his lips brushed against my cheek as he pressed into me. His arousal was very evident against my stomach. I swallowed again before letting out a breath. My hands trailed up his sides and just as his lips met mine again there was a thud from upstairs. I pulled back and looked up.
“You hear that?” I asked. He straightened and without a word headed for the stairs.
Taylor and Ryan both had rooms upstairs, down the hall from ours. I followed him up the stairs and towards the kid’s rooms. The door to the kids bathroom came flying open and Taylor streaked out across the hall. He was stripped down to his underoos and acting like a loon. I raised a brow and followed after him while Jacks went to check on Ryan.