by Morris, T M
“I don’t want any more coffee, Dad. I want Lucy found. I want her and my baby safe and back with me. I swear I will never let her out of my sight again.” Devon yelled at the top of his lungs unaware tears streaked down his cheeks.
“Really, Devon.” Sylvia sighed as she breezed into the den dressed in a royal blue silk dressing gown. “There is no need for shouting. Keep calm. The police and the FBI will find her soon.”
“Did you know she may be in Sydney’s house?” Devon asked.
Sylvia blanched. “Sydney’s? Do—do you think she’s behind Lucy’s kidnapping?”
“She may very well be, Sylvie.” Jonathan rubbed his temples. Weariness was threatening them all. “There’s been a report from one of Sydney’s neighbors. She saw a large blond man tackle a woman dressed in white and then carry her into Sydney’s house.”
Sylvia collapsed into the nearest chair; looking as if she’d aged ten years in the half second it took for her bottom to hit the seat. Behind her the telephone rang. “Oh! Oh! My sister will have a stroke when she hears about this! Thank God she’s in Europe right now. What could be going on in Sydney’s mind? I mean, I knew she fancied herself to be in love with Devon, but I never thought she was so obsessed. This is insane.”
“There’s movement at the house.” Claire reported from the telephone table. The car that drove away from here with Lucy is leaving Sydney’s house, but it doesn’t have the same license plate. They’re headed toward the interstate.”
“I can’t take anymore. I’m out of here. I’ll save her myself.” Devon muttered and before anyone could decipher what he mumbled, he was squealing his tires down the drive speeding toward the nearest interstate access. He would stake his own life on a bet that Lucy and her captors were heading toward the same access road. They had to be headed for Boone County.
“Which way do I turn up here to get on the interstate going east, Syd?” Melvin glanced toward the woman in the passenger seat.
“Can’t you read Hillbilly? You turn right.” Sydney rolled her eyes. She turned to look in the backseat. “Your new husband is an idiot, Lucy.”
“Devon is very intelligent.”
“Devon’s not your husband anymore.” Sydney bellowed. “I’ll be sure to console him until he accepts you’ve deserted him. I’ll make him happy in a way you never could, you lying, gold-digging, country bumpkin slut.”
“Don’t you call my Lucy any of those awful names again or I’ll throw you outta this car without even slowin’ down. I mean it too.” Melvin growled, staring at Sylvia with venomous eyes.
Lucy sighed. She couldn’t reason with these two. It was plain to her that one was unbalanced and the other was insane. Deciding which was which could occupy her for days. Maybe they were both crazy? Lucy hoped she would survive the ordeal. After all she had read somewhere most kidnappings ended when a body was found.
“Watch it! You idiot!” Sydney screamed, breaking into Lucy’s musings. The car swerved sharply then came a loud crashing of metal on metal sending the car into a spin and Lucy into the side door, smashing her head against the window. Once the car stopped spinning, the force sent Lucy colliding with the back of the front seat before she slumped in a daze into the floor.
“Lucy? Lucy?” Devon wrenched the rear door open.
Lucy opened her eyes to see Devon bending over her where she lay in the floor of the rear seat. “Are you okay? How’s the ba—umph.”
Melvin slammed Devon across his shoulders with a baseball bat he had pulled from under the seat. “Get away from my wife.”
Devon blocked another swing from the bat to his head with his arms. “Your wife? She’s my wife, you idiot. We were married this morning.”
Devon ducked out of the way of another blow and dove toward Melvin’s knees, knocking him to the ground. The bat clattered to the pavement, out of reach. Devon was on top of Melvin and throwing punches as fast and as hard as he could until Melvin was half conscious and bleeding profusely.
Devon stood slowly and looked to Lucy. She ran into his waiting arms. All around them lights flashed and sirens blared. The police were finally catching up with them.
“You are not going to take him from me, Lucy. Do you hear me?” Sydney staggered toward the pair, blood oozing from a gash on her forehead. In her hands she held a small pistol. She aimed it at Lucy and pulled back the hammer. “He’s mine. He has always been mine. I won’t let you get in my way. Neither you or your bastard.” She squeezed the trigger.
Lucy felt herself hit the ground a millisecond after she heard the blast of the pistol. She looked up to see Melvin fall to the ground next to her.
“Melvin!” Lucy reached over to roll him over. Copious amounts of blood flowed from a wound near the center of his chest.
“Sydney!” Devon shouted. She, again, was aiming for Lucy. “I won’t miss this time. No one else is stupid enough to get in my way.”
Officers were shouting ‘drop your weapon’ and ‘freeze’ all around them but Sydney paid them no mind. Once again she pulled back the hammer with her thumb.
“Don’t shoot! Drop your weapon!” More officers yelled. Shots rang out. Devon covered Lucy with his own body.
Sydney’s eyes grew wide. She looked at her hands which were empty but covered in her own blood. One of the officers had shot her in the shoulder and another had grazed her wrist. Another pair of officers took her into custody. Paramedics were just arriving.
Devon rolled off of Lucy. She sat up and turned back to Melvin. She brushed her hand through his thinning hair. Melvin coughed, “I’m sorry Lucy, honey, but I couldn’t let her hurt ya or our baby. All she said she wanted was to help me get ya back home so’s she could marry her Devon.”
“Shh. Don’t say anything; the paramedics will be here any second.” Lucy sniffed and looked up at Devon. “Please understand, Mel, I love Devon and he’s the baby’s father—not you. We never…we never….”
“I know.” Melvin coughed again. “I jus’, I jus’ wanted ya back so bad. I do love ya. I’ve always loved ya.”
“Oh, Mel.” Lucy smiled with tears coursing down her cheeks as she watched her old high school boyfriend breathe his last. The paramedics rushed over, but it was too late for Melvin.
Devon pulled her up by her elbows and hugged her fiercely. The paramedic gently pushed them out of the way. “I love you.”
Lucy cried, “I love you too.”
“Get away from him!” Sydney shrieked from the curb where paramedics were treating her wounds.
“Shut up, Sydney. You’ve just committed murder. I don’t think you’ll be getting out of jail anytime soon.” Devon called over Lucy’s shoulder. He didn’t plan to ever let her go again.
“Can we go on our honeymoon now?” Lucy asked while she nuzzled his neck.
“As soon as every loose end here is tied and including getting you checked out by a doctor; then we’re out of here.”
“Are you sure this is necessary? It’s so early in my pregnancy it couldn’t have been harmed in the crash could it?” Lucy asked as she lay on the table getting her tummy slathered with goo.
“It’s just a precaution.” The radiologist replied.
For what seemed like forever silence blanketed the room. Devon couldn’t wait any longer. “Well? Is the baby okay?”
For a moment the doctor remained silent further unnerving the couple. Lucy chewed on her lip. “I’m not going to lose the baby am I?”
The doctor smiled. “I don’t think so. It looks like they will be just fine as long as you take it easy and refrain from any more excitement like you had tonight.”
“Oh, it won’t be a problem, doctor, I assure you. I won’t be doing anything that exciting ever again.” Lucy paused. “Did you say they?”
Devon chorused, “They?”
The doctor grinned broadly. “Twins.”
Devon ran his hands through his hair and chuckled. “Twins.”
Lucy was dumbfounded. “Twins? Oh, my goodness.”
&nbs
p; Epilogue
“Hey y’all.” Devon backed into the room, his arms full with two small bundles wrapped in pastel colored flannel receiving blankets. “Hey y’all. Everyone, I want you to meet my children. This is Clayton Jonathan James and this is Mary Claire James, my daughter.” He beamed unable to contain his pride.
“How’s Lucy?” Carmella asked as she took the baby girl from Devon.
“She’s very tired, so she’s resting.” Devon explained as he handed baby Clayton to Jonathan. “The doctor says you can go back and see her in a couple of hours. I wanted you to see the babies.”
“Clayton? Where did you come up with Clayton?” Thad asked.
“It was Lucy’s father’s name.” Devon said. “And you all know Mary Claire was Mom’s name.
“She’s beautiful.” Sylvia choked.
“Very much like her mother.” Devon agreed. He blinked rapidly to clear the moisture glistening in his eyes.
“But Clayton is much better looking than his father,” Claire teased. Everyone laughed.
Devon smiled. He couldn’t believe how much one woman could change his life. How she changed it for the better.
After a short time Devon said, “I know you all want to get acquainted with the babies but they need their rest too. They’ve had a busy first day. So let me take them back to their mother.”
With groans of disappointment following him he rushed back to Lucy’s room with his children in his arms. He eased the babies into their beds while Lucy dozed. He stood and watched her sleep for several minutes before he bent and brushed a soft kiss on her forehead.
“Where did you go? I missed you all so much.” Lucy whispered.
“I took the babies down the hall to the waiting room to let everyone meet them. They can’t wait to see you.” Devon whispered against her cheek. He kissed her there as well. “Do you have any idea how much I love you?”
“I have an idea you love me almost as much as I love you.”
“Then you’d be right, Lucy, then you’d be right.”
Thank you for reading A Long Way from Home. I hope you enjoyed it. If you would like to read about Lucy’s cousin Lilly Caldwell look for her story coming soon. Here’s the prologue:
“You aren’t going and that is final. Nobody carrying my name is going to that God forsaken city to prance around in next to nothing. Having her pictures put all over billboards, magazines, and television in stuff that leaves very little to the imagination. No. I won’t hear of it.” Otto Caldwell, known to everyone as Otter, threw up a hand to stop Lilly’s protest. “No. I said no.”
“But Dad, I promise I won’t wear anything that’s immodest. There are different types of modeling, not just runway.”
“And what are you gonna do when they say you weigh too much? You’ll start starving yourself or puking every chance you get. Or worse, you’ll start smoking or doing other drugs. Half those girls look like they’re hooked on something.” He scoffed.
“You don’t know that. I promise you, Dad, I know what it can be like. I won’t develop an eating disorder or take up smoking or anything else. I promise, Dad. Just let me go to New York City. They’re waiting for me in town with a contract.” Lilly pleaded.
“I said no. Those people ain’t got no sense, jerking kids from their homes and families to parade them around advertising products meant for adults. They’ll get you hooked on drugs and they’ll just stand by watching you throw your life in the toilet. It’s all sex, drugs, and partying up there in that city.”
“Dad,” she sighed heavily. “Dad, I won’t have sex until I’m married and I won’t go to any parties until I’m older, okay? Besides, the agency has like a house for under aged models with like a dorm mother and everything.”
“That’s fine with me. Don’t go getting all excited,” he exclaimed when Lilly started to brighten. “I still haven’t changed my mind. You’re not going.”
Lillian Caldwell stood at a crossroad debating which path to take. Obey her father and miss the opportunity of a lifetime or grab her chance at a modeling career she’d dreamed about since she was eight. “I am going, Dad. I had hoped to have your blessing, but I guess I’ll just have to live without it.”
She rose from her chair, carried her dirty dinner dishes to the sink and carefully placed them in it waiting for her father to speak again. She cut a quick glance at her mother, Addie, who had remained silent during the whole of the meal while Lilly and Otter debated. Her mother gave her a look of pleading, but she remained silent. Lilly looked again at her father. “Like I said, I am going to do this. Can’t you find it in your heart to approve of one thing I do?”
Otter scowled. “Miss Addie, you better get your daughter under control. I am not going to repeat myself, girl. If you walk out that door to go to New York City to model, you will be dead to me.” Both women gasped as he continued, “Dead. You will never be welcome under my roof again.”
Lilly’s eyes misted over. “I’m sorry you feel that way, Dad. I love you both, but I am going to do this.” She sniffed and turned to her mother. “I’m sorry, Momma.”
Mother and daughter hugged while they cried softly together. “I know, baby, I know.”
Otter scraped his chair across the floor and stood. He growled, “If you’re going, you best get before it gets dark. But remember, you’ll never be able to come back here.” With that he stormed out of the kitchen door toward the barn.
Addie wiped her eyes. “He means it, baby. Are you sure you want to cut your ties with home so soon? You’re only fifteen.”
“I won’t have another chance, Momma, and I’ll be sixteen in two months.” Lilly picked up the duffel bag she had packed earlier. “I’ll leave now. I’ll call you when I can.”
“How are you getting to town?”
“Beth is supposed to meet me by the mailbox. I’ll only have to walk a half mile. It’s no big deal.” She gave her mother a quick hug and kissed her on the cheek. “I love you, Momma. Tell Dad that I love him too—no matter what.” She hugged her mother tightly one last time. Then with a sniff she straightened her spine, turned and walked out the kitchen door.
Addie slumped into the nearest chair at the table and sobbed convulsively.