Finding Serenity

by Amanda Perry

  It took a long time for Grumpy and me to be able to speak of Grammy without tears, but we never stopped talking about her. She was the only mother figure I ever truly had, and I would never dishonor her by pushing her from my mind and memory. Grumpy agreed with me and never got upset when I wanted to talk about her. It was hard on him; they were married for forty-three years when she passed away. I know him well enough to know he would have rather run from the hurt he felt when we lost her, but he didn’t. We made a pact to remember her in every way we could and speak of her often.

  “Ya always were just alike.” Grumpy sighs, rubbing at the stress lines on his forehead. “I know yer strong as hell, ‘n I know yer gonna bounce back real fast from this whole thing. But ya ain’t bulletproof, Tayter-Tot. Ya know ya’ve always got me ta talk at if ya need someone. I don’t care what ya need ta talk ‘bout or how uncomfortable it might-could get. Ya need me, I’m there.”

  “I know, Grumpy, and I love you to the holler and back for that.” With a long sigh, I drop back onto my pillows. “Right now, all I want to do is eat this food, down this soda, give you a long hug, call Evelyn and Michelle, and then sleep. I’m really just too tired to think or talk about much more at this point.”

  “Fair ‘nough.” He pulls his phone from his pocket with a wicked grin. “I’m gonna call ‘em two brats ‘n put on the speaker so I can hear ‘em yellin’ at ya fer waitin’ so dang long ta call ‘em, though.”

  I glare angrily at him as he dials Michelle’s number. “You’re such a mean old man.”

  An hour later, Michelle and Evelyn have finally finish yelling at me for not calling them first thing. Tears were shed by them and me. They relented on coming to visit right away, agreeing I need to get some sleep. They made me promise I’d call as soon as I woke up, so they can come see I’m not dead for themselves.

  Grumpy was all too happy to listen to their yelling, but eventually, he grew bored and made his way to a table in the corner where a magazine sat. He’ll be occupied for a while, which is good because there’s no staying awake for me. It doesn’t take long after hanging up for me to drift into a deep sleep.

  6

  Taylor

  “I told you we should have waited for her to call us. She’s going to be pissed if we wake her up. You know how she is when she gets woken up,” Michelle’s nervous whispers break through my sleepy brain, pulling me to consciousness. “She gave us the gist of what happened, and Grumpy already filled in the rest. We’ve seen her, and we know she’s okay. Maybe we should just come back when she wakes up.”

  If I had to guess, I only managed an hour of sleep, and I’m tempted to yell at her to shut up and leave me alone. Her comment about me being pissed over being woken up is an understatement—I’m a total bitch if my sleep gets interrupted.

  “Y’all’re scaredy cats.” Grumpy snorts from somewhere across the room. “Ya came ta see the gal, so wake ‘er up ‘n see ‘er, fer pity’s sake.”

  “I’m already awake, assholes.” My voice—rough from sleep—comes out harsher than I mean it to.

  I crack one eye open, then the other, and blink a few times to clear my vision. Michelle and Evelyn stand to the left of my bed, and Grumpy sits at a small table in the far corner of the room with a newspaper in hand.

  Michelle picks up my hand and squeezes it. “Don’t be mad at us, we wanted to see for ourselves that you’re alive. We were so scared, Tay...” She breaks down before she can finish talking.

  “If you hadn’t gone and gotten kidnapped by crazy psychopathic fuckheads, we wouldn’t have had to wake you up to make sure you’re not dead.” Evelyn doesn’t cry. Of the three of us, she’s the hardest emotionally. She doesn’t allow things to get to her and keeps calm in every situation. When a tear escapes and she angrily swipes it away, I know I can’t be mad at them for waking me.

  “I missed you guys, too. It’s been a really shitty couple weeks.” My two best friends lower down and wrap me in an awkward, but welcome, three-way hug. We cry, laugh, and exchange I love you’s for a while.

  It’s amazing to be back with my best friends, my sisters. My whole family is here now, and I finally believe things will be okay.

  “Okay, nobody move. I need to get a picture of this before it goes away.” The deep voice sounds from the doorway of the hospital room, and I roll my eyes.

  I glare at the newcomer over Michelle’s shoulder. “Who invited the douche biscuit to the party?”

  “I am the party, turd waffle,” he quips back.

  My eyes narrow, and he meets my glare. Evelyn and Michelle back up from our hug, their heads bounce back and forth as they watch the stand-off. Finally, Dylan breaks first, cracking a smile before laughing.

  He strolls over to me, hugging me tightly. “I’m glad you’re okay, Waffle.”

  “Thanks, Biscuit.” I hug him back, truly happy he tagged along. He’s the protective big brother I never wanted, but somehow adore.

  He backs away and wraps his arms around Michelle, lovingly holding her to his side. The two of them are beyond perfect together, and it makes me want to cry happy tears whenever I watch them.

  Dylan whispers something softly in Michelle’s ear, and her eyes grow wide. She spins around, putting her back to me. I can’t make out her angry whispers, but I can clearly see her shake her head at him. Dylan doesn’t possess the ability to keep secrets. I know exactly what he asked Michelle, and I find her attempts at discretion humorous.

  “I’m not stupid, Michelle,” I huff and pull myself to a sitting position in the bed. “I know what you two are arguing about. Might as well come out with it now.”

  Michelle freezes, slowly turning her paling face to me. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Evelyn snorts out a laugh. “You’re such a shitty liar.”

  Grumpy hoots with laughter. “Ain’t she? Girl couldn’t lie worth a damn when she’s knee-high to a grasshopper, ‘n it’s only got worse o’er time. Ain’t got a clue what y’all’re bitchin’ ‘bout, but I can tell ya that gal is lyin’ through her teeth ‘bout it.”

  “Shush, old man. You, too, Evelyn! I wanted to do this my way, damn you all.” Michelle rests her hands on her hips and narrows her eyes.

  “You still can, Michelle.” I take her hand in mine, pull it off her hip, and squeeze. “We won’t bother you about it if you want to wait.”

  “It doesn’t count if you all figured it out already,” she whines. “I don’t get it, though. I thought I did so good keeping it a secret.”

  “One a y’all best tell me what in the hell’s goin’ on ‘round here?” Grumpy slams his newspaper down and jumps to his feet. “Y’all’ve been talkin’ in circles fer ten minutes now, ‘n I wanna know what in tarnation y’all’re goin’ on ‘bout!”

  “Calm down, Grumpy.” I chuckle. “You’re going to lose even more hair than you already have, and you can’t afford that.”

  Grumpy jabs his pointer finger in my direction. “Yer pickin’ a switch when I get ya home, Tayter-Tot.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” I wave him off and turn my attention back to Michelle. “We’ll wait to get the official news if you want us to wait.”

  “Screw it.” She throws her hands in the air, then pulls her phone from her pocket. She taps on the screen a few times then spins it around to face me and Evelyn.

  I bounce up and down in my seated position. “I knew it, I knew it, I knew it! This is the best news ever.”

  The black and white ultrasound picture takes up the entire screen. I try to hold in my excitement a little bit, but the small squeal I meant to come out ends up a scream. Evelyn joins me.

  Thunderous footsteps sound from the hallway, bringing our excitement to a screeching halt as we watch and wait for whoever may be running and why.

  I develop a small hunch as to who the running feet belong to, and my theory proves correct when Syn and Maverick rush into my room at full speed. Their eyes scan around, completely alert and focused. Maverick finds Dylan right
away and takes a quick step toward him.

  Dylan’s a decent looking guy. His blond curls are short and stylish. He only ever wears jeans and band shirts with his black tennis shoes. He’s cute, but he’s my big brother. He’s also not the most built guy in the world, so someone as massive as Maverick heading his way must be like Michael Cera being sought out by Dwayne Johnson.

  Bless Evelyn’s dumb ass for defending our big brother. She steps in front of Dylan, ready to face off with Maverick and now Syn, because he’s noticed Dylan as well. Maverick hesitates, clearly not expecting Evelyn’s silent challenge.

  “Okay!” I hop out of the bed and place myself between my crazy family and my rescuers. “Let’s all take a quick breath to introduce ourselves, shall we?” I continue without waiting for anyone to reply, “Great! I’ll help. These are my best friends, Evelyn Porter and Michelle Christie. This is Dylan Christie, Michelle’s husband and sometimes my friend, depending on the day.”

  Dylan, ever the nice guy, raises his hand to wave at Maverick and Syn. I proceed with the introductions, ignoring the goober. “Guys, this is Maverick and Syn. They’re two of the four guys who saved me.”

  “Oh.” Evelyn deflates, almost as if disappointed in not being able to lay the hurt on the two men. “Well, fine then. You can stay.”

  “Gee, thanks,” Syn says sardonically.

  Grumpy, who was leaning against the far wall watching the show go down, finally pipes up, “Why’d ya two yahoos come runnin’ in here like yer damned heads were on fire, anyhow?”

  Syn scratches the back of his neck nervously. “We heard screams and thought she was in trouble.”

  “My heroes.” I clasp my hands to my heart and sigh dramatically.

  Maverick spins, pinning me with a glare. “When a girl was just rescued from some fucked-up individuals, some of whom aren’t accounted for, screams bloody murder, it tends to put a guy on edge. So, sue us.”

  “It wasn’t a bloody murder scream,” I balk. “It was an excited scream.”

  “Yer hootin’ ‘n hollerin’re the same fer any occasion, Tayter-Tot.” Of course, Grumpy gets his two cents in.

  “What do you mean by that?” Michelle asks, poking her head around Dylan.

  Maverick’s brow scrunches. Why is that attractive to me? “By what?”

  “You said some of them aren’t accounted for,” she presses.

  Maverick drops his head forward, pushing his hands over his hair, tugging at the end of the tied back half ponytail. “Yeah, the person Taylor saw when she first attempted an escape might become an issue. We got a call just after we left earlier. During the interview process, a few of the girls mentioned some talk going around. The man Taylor saw is supposedly behind the entire operation. He saw Taylor and decided he wanted her. He’s not the kind of person to let shit go, so we don’t think he’ll simply disappear without going after what he wants.”

  “So, Taylor’s still in danger from this guy?” Dylan stands taller, jumping straight into his big brother role. “Why can’t you guys just track this bastard down and arrest him or shoot him?”

  Maverick sizes Dylan up before shaking his head. “It’s not that easy, man. Criminals of this caliber don’t just hang around in public with giant signs on their foreheads stating what they’re wanted for.”

  “Then, what do we do?” Michelle’s voice shakes with fear.

  Syn steps forward to stand next to Maverick. “We called in a sketch artist, hoping Taylor could sit down with him and maybe get a better idea of who we’re looking for.”

  The two of them stand less than a foot away from me now and a fleeting thought that they must have showered passes through my mind. They both wear two different colognes, but miraculously, they blend well. Both smell amazing. I probably smell like hospital soap and antiseptic. Of course, I’d be the freak to go around smelling people. I may need some professional help or something.

  Michelle sniffles, drawing me out of my hot male haze. “What if he comes after her before you can find him?”

  “Hey!” I bark. Everyone in the room jumps and turns to me. “You will not get upset over me when you’re busy growing my niece or nephew in that belly. Go get some milk and some broccoli and take a nap or something, or I’ll send Grumpy after you.”

  “Hot damn! Imma be a grampa?” Grumpy easily breaks the tension and seriousness in the room.

  I throw my hands in the air and roll my eyes. “Hello? Remember me? Your only grandchild?”

  Michelle giggles through watery eyes. “You are a grandpa, Grumpy.”

  Grumpy waves me off. “She don’t count. She’s gettin’ too old now. We need little bits ‘round here. ‘Bout damn time. I am gonna be Grampa, right? You ain’t gonna deny a little ol’ man that kinda happiness, would ya?”

  Leave it to Grumpy to lay it on thick with the emotional and hormonal one. As if right on cue, Michelle bursts into happy tears. “Of course, Grumpy. I don’t have grandparents that are around here. The baby needs a great-grandfather.”

  “Darlin’, I may be great, but I ain’t old. The little bambino can call me Grumpy, or Grampy.” He embraces Michelle in a warm hug and whispers in her ear. His voice is too low for me to hear which is shocking, but whatever he says brings more waterworks from Michelle.

  I snort and turn to Dylan. “Yeah, you already have a highly emotional woman. Now, she’s pregnant and hormonal. You might not survive this.”

  Dylan ignores my joke and scrunches his nose in disgust. “Broccoli and milk?”

  I bite my lip to resist cracking a smile. “It’s good for the baby. Now, take her to get something healthy, then go home. I’m not going to let her worry about me.”

  Evelyn nods her agreement. “She’s right, Michelle. Let’s go grab a good lunch, and if you want to do something afterward, we can get her apartment all ready for her to come home.”

  “Oh, we can stock the fridge!” Michelle perks up at the idea, pulling away from Grumpy. “She never has food in her fridge. Mostly Diet Coke and string cheese.”

  “I’m standing right here, you shitheads,” I growl with my hands on my hips. “Get lost, and if you even try to touch my soda, I’ll hurt you all. Except Michelle, I’ll wait until the baby gets here before I whack her.”

  “Thanks, I think.” Michelle winks before giving me a hard hug and heads for the door. “It was nice to meet the two of you. Take care of our girl, please.”

  “She’s safe with us,” Maverick assures her.

  Dylan and Evelyn hug me before following Michelle out of the room. Grumpy grabs his newspaper and folds it up. “I’m fixin’ ta fall asleep’n ‘at crappy ol’ chair, Tayter-Tot. If that happens y’all’re gonna have ta put wheels on tha thing ‘n push me outta here, cause I ain’t ever gettin’ up. While these two fellas’re here with ya, I’m gonna head home fer a little shut-eye. That okay with ya?”

  “Of course.” I wave him off, sit back down on my bed, and smirk. “I don’t need a babysitter, anyway. I’m a grown-up.”

  Grumpy rolls his eyes and huffs in disbelief. “Yer barely twenty-four ‘n goin’ on twelve, lady, don’t exaggerate.”

  “Whatever,” I mumble, slinking down in the bed. Grumpy hugs me quickly before he leaves my room, chuckling at my pouty behavior. Just before he exits, he warns the guys they better keep me safe or else. His threat is funny to me, but not so much to the guys.

  Once the room clears, Syn and Maverick grab chairs and drag them to either side of my bed. “The sketch artist said he’d be here within the hour. Are you okay meeting with him?”

  I shrug. “Yeah, I don’t mind.” I want to say it’s a waste of time for me to meet with a sketch artist, but if it’ll help find that scum-sucking rodent, I’ll do it their way. “So why are the two of you back here and what happened to Marak and Allistar?”

  “We just pulled into our driveway when we got the call about the man you saw,” Maverick explains, leaning back in his chair. “We agreed to grab something to eat and head right back. They got
pulled away by some other agents for a few minutes. We told them we’d be in here with you when they were finished.”

  “So, you two drew the short sticks, huh?” I smirk.

  Syn chuckles. “Not quite. I’d much rather be in here with you than deal with work shit.”

  “Well, I will say I’m glad to have you guys here,” I mutter and pick at the blanket beside me. “I don’t really want to be alone yet.”

  “You’re safe with us, Taylor.” The vehemence in Maverick’s voice gives no doubt of his determination to protect me.

  I don’t understand why these men are sticking around and helping me. Dr. Lenny said it isn’t normal for them, but I can’t bring myself to dislike the attention. They saved me from hell, and they’ve been nothing but kind to me. I only have a short time in the hospital before I go home and never see them again. I may as well enjoy my fun while I can. Plus, they’re so nice to look at.

  Marak and Allistar take the brief quiet moment to enter my room. They say hello and go about finding spots to sit. Syn gives up his chair to Allistar, and instead, steals the end of my bed to sit on. Marak hops onto the free counter space near the sink and swings his feet a few times. I grin at him but don’t say anything.

  “Have you made all your calls to family, letting them know you’re all right?” Marak asks after a moment of silence.

  I nod, grateful for the change of subject. If I never have to think or speak about this whole cluster fuck again, I’ll be a happy camper. “Grumpy is my only family in the state. I have some family in Oklahoma, but I’m sure Grumpy called them. Evelyn and Michelle are my two best friends, more like sisters really, and there’s big brother Dylan. That’s everyone, though I will need to call my boss at some point.”

  Allistar straightens up. “What about your parents?”

  I shake my head in the negative.

  Maverick frowns at my response. “What about a boyfriend or something?”

  I shake my head again. “Nope.”

  Syn grins wickedly. “Girlfriend?”