by Jamie Hill
Danny panted to catch his breath. He looked at Brady. "Thanks, man. You saved my life."
Brady looked from one family member to another. "Right back atcha. Do you think someone could untie me?"
"We need handcuff keys." Danny turned to Gina. "Do you think you might call the cops now?"
Frozen with fear, the phone pressed tightly in her hands, Gina nodded.
* * * *
Brady opened his eyes and looked around. The sterile, white room looked familiar, and he knew he was in the hospital.
Gina jumped from her chair at his bedside and got in his face, looking into his eyes. "Hey! You're awake!"
He blinked. "Are you a dream?"
She smiled. "Nope, I'm real. Why, you been having dreams about me?"
He swallowed. "Every god damned day. Every time I close my eyes. I can't get away from you. You're always there."
"Well, maybe that should tell you something, scemo."
He turned away from the intensity of her gaze. "What happened? I was in a car accident, right? Is Costa okay?"
A look of confusion crossed her face. "Costa's still in a coma, no change. The car accident was last week, Brady. Do you remember anything after that?"
He closed his eyes, trying to think. "Warehouse. Gunfire." He opened his eyes and looked at her. "Were you there?"
"Yeah, baby. I was there." A tear glistened on her cheek.
"You saved me."
Gina climbed into bed with him and snuggled up to his good arm. "No, you saved me. Ah hell, maybe we saved each other."
His head ached and he had no idea what she was talking about. Brady didn't care. He wrapped his arm around Gina and drew her close, kissing her forehead. She's here. This is no dream. Holding her tight was the only thing he cared about. He never wanted to let her go. He closed his eyes and sighed.
* * * *
On the last day Brady spent in the hospital, there was a party-like atmosphere in his room. The lieutenant and a bunch of people from the department brought in a cake. Everyone stayed long enough to enjoy a slice and give Brady static for breaking the rules, almost dying, but solving the case.
He sat up in bed, Gina by his side, and listened to the lieutenant fill in the blanks for him.
"Dominic Morrow is going to pull through," the boss said. "His hired hand, Rudolph 'Rocko' Haskins is dead. What we've been able to piece together, from various statements, is that Haskins killed Roy Watts and Richard Allen. We found Allen's body yesterday. We also believe he killed Xavier Tesco, though we've yet to find the body. Oh, we just found your Explorer, Marshall. They left it in long term parking at the airport, probably trying to throw us off. You'll be thrilled to hear it's been stripped, right down to the pack of gum you kept in the console since you quit smoking. Everything's gone."
"Figures." Brady shrugged, tightening his one-handed grasp around Gina's waist. "Hey, it's only stuff. I'm alive. I've got everything I need, right here."
Gina's eyes were bright and her face flushed as she smiled up at him.
Damn, she's beautiful. She's almost glowing. He smiled back but tried not to get too mushy in front of everyone.
Forrest went on, "It seems the three import agencies were colluding in a drug running and stolen goods operation. By working together, they kept the heat off any one company. Morrow was the ringleader. Allen was obviously dispensable; as I'm sure your brother would have been, eventually." He looked at Gina. "He's lucky to have made it out alive."
"I don't know if he calls it lucky." She raised her brows. "He's looking at prison time."
"We're working with him on that. I think by the time he tells us everything he knows, and if we can convince Detective Marshall here to testify on his behalf, we might get his sentence down to three to five years. He might do twelve months of that with good behavior."
Her face lit up. "Twelve months! That wouldn't be so bad! Oh, Brady, do you think you might?"
He smiled. "What, testify for him? He came through in the end and saved my hide, so yeah, I think I could be persuaded."
She planted a kiss on his cheek. "You saved his hide, too. My family will never forget that."
"Oh, good. Maybe your father and I can be buddies. Play golf together or something."
"Or something," Gina teased, still smiling at him.
Forrest chuckled. "For now, we're going to try this bed rest thing again. You're on departmental leave for thirty days, Marshall. No work, just rest. Think you can handle it this time?"
Brady looked at Gina. "Thirty days at home in bed? Um, yeah. I believe I can follow those doctor's orders."
She kissed him full on the lips this time. Brady kissed her back, and then pulled away, feeling a heated blush creeping up his face.
"Take it easy." Forrest smiled and stepped back. "I've got one more man to visit, so I'm going to take off."
Brady nodded soberly, still feeling bad about Costa. "Give his wife my best."
"Will do." Forrest left, and Mel approached the bedside, eating a piece of cake.
"Great to see you up and around, Marshall."
"I feel great," he admitted truthfully. "Thanks for all your help with everything."
"Anytime." She swatted his shoulder affably. "You take care, now."
"Will do." He watched her walk out, and said goodbye to the other cops who were now being politely shooed out by a nurse.
When they'd all gone, the large black woman tidied up the trash and shook her head. "Thought they'd never leave!"
"Sorry, Thelma," he smiled at her congenially. "I know I'm not supposed to have that many people in here."
"What are you talking about?" She looked at him. "I just wanted a piece of that cake!"
Brady and Gina chuckled. "Take the rest of it out to the nurse's station," he suggested. "Enjoy."
"Thanks. We will!"
Gina hopped off the bed. "Hang on, Thelma. Brady, you didn't have any cake, sweetie." She cut one last piece, setting it on a paper plate.
"I don't want any. You're all the sugar I need." He patted the spot she'd vacated, encouraging her to come back.
She grabbed a fork and returned to his bed. "Okay, I want more cake, then."
He smiled, and nodded to Thelma as she left with the tray. Turning his attention back to Gina, he teased, "Isn't that like your third piece?"
She shrugged slyly. "I need to keep up my strength. I'm eating for two these days."
His jaw sagged open, but before he could say anything someone rapped on his door. He tore his gaze away from Gina to see who it was.
"You up for a visitor?" Joey Costa asked from a wheelchair, being pushed by his wife.
"Junior, you son-of-a-bitch!" Brady sprang from the bed and went to give his partner an awkward, one-armed hug. "You're awake! You're talking! Nobody told me."
"I asked them not to. I wanted to surprise you myself."
Brady hugged Rose and returned to his bed, where he sat on the edge. "So you're really okay?"
Rose smiled and answered for him through her tears. "He woke up asking for a cruller, can you believe that? Like nothing ever happened."
Costa added, "Doctor's say the river must have been cold enough to keep me intact all the time I was under. They're still running tests, but so far, there doesn't seem to be any impairment."
"It was damned cold, I remember that." Brady nodded.
"I don't know how to thank you, man." Costa's eyes welled up. "If it hadn't been for you—"
"Some other good Samaritan would have come along and saved you, stealing all my thunder. You would've been fine."
"You saved me, Brady. Rose and I, and the family, can never thank you enough."
"Just get better. I've got thirty days sick leave, and I want you beside me when I go back to work."
"I've got thirty days, too." Costa nodded. "When we get back, we'll both be raring to go."
"We'll give 'em hell then." Brady raised his hand for a fist bump and Costa knocked knuckles with him.
"See yo
u later."
"You bet." Brady smiled at Rose and watched her wheel his partner out. He turned back to Gina and grinned. "Did you know about him?"
"Yeah," she admitted. "I wanted to tell you, but he was adamant about surprising you."
He stood and placed his good hand on his hip. "Besides, you had something else to tell me. Did you really say you were eating for two?"
"Yep." With her finger, she swiped the last bit of frosting from the now-empty plate. "I'm assuming it's just one kid. Twins don't run in my family, anyway."
"Gina." Brady took the plate from her and set it aside. He raised her chin so she faced him. "How did this happen? I mean, I know how it happened, but I thought we were so careful."
"I was surprised, too. Your boys must have busted right through one of those drug store condoms." She winced. "Are you angry? I really wasn't sure how you'd feel."
"Of course I'm not angry! I have no idea how I do feel, yet, but I promise you I'm not angry." His fingers still under her chin, he brought her face forward to meet his.
"I didn't want the baby to be the reason we got back together," Gina murmured, their lips touching.
"And it wasn't. We got back together because we love each other, and both of us realized all that other stuff didn't matter." He pressed his mouth on hers.
Gina uttered a pleasure-filled moan, sinking into the kiss.
He wrapped his good arm around her and squeezed, thinking just how wonderful it was to hold her close again.
"Excuse me," someone said from the door, adding a loud knock for good measure.
Brady dragged himself away and faced the door, where Jack and Crystal stood.
"You two need to get a room," Jack teased.
Brady waved his hand. "We have a room. We just can't get any privacy."
"We can leave," Jack offered. "We heard you were going home today and wondered if you needed a ride." He eyed Gina's possessive grasp on Brady and smiled. "Looks like you've got that covered."
"We do," Brady agreed. "Gina and I are back together."
"Wonderful!" Crystal clapped her hands.
Jack smiled and nodded. "Glad to hear it. Congratulations, you two."
"So, do you want a big wedding?" Crystal asked.
"You sound like my father." Gina rolled her eyes playfully. "He's ready to book a cathedral and invite the whole town. We haven't even begun to discuss a wedding, yet, though we might have to soon."
"Her father, eh?" Jack raised his brows at Brady.
Brady nodded sheepishly. "He's come to visit me twice. Truth be told, he's a pretty nice guy."
"Interesting. Gee, maybe you can go into the family business."
"Only if I choose to hire him." Gina folded her arms across her chest. "I'll be running East Asian Imports for the time being, while my brother goes in for his, shall we say, attitude adjustment."
Jack laughed. "That's a novel way of putting it!"
"Danny's actually a nice guy, too," Brady offered. "I've spoken to him on the phone. I wanted to thank him, and he felt the same way."
"Sounds like things are working out real well." Jack nodded.
"Better than I could have imagined." Brady smiled.
Picking up on something Gina said earlier, Crystal raised a suspicious eyebrow. "Why might you need to discuss a wedding soon?"
Brady looked at Gina, and she nodded.
He turned back to Jack and Crystal. "We're going to have a baby."
"A baby?" Crystal squealed. "Oh, my God!" She hugged Gina then Brady.
"Wow." Jack shook his hand. "This day is full of surprises."
"Good ones," Brady agreed.
"Yes, very good ones." Jack stepped in front of Gina. "So, what do you say, Gina? I never meant to start all this trouble, I was just watching out for my friend. Are we good?"
Gina smiled. "We'll both watch out for him from now on. Yeah, we're fine."
Jack exhaled with obvious relief and they hugged. When he pulled back he asked, "So, which one of you is going to learn to change diapers?"
Gina pointed at Brady, at the same time he pointed at her. "Hey, I have to carry the kid for nine months. The least you can do is change his pannolino when he gets here."
Brady chuckled. "Maybe. We'll have to negotiate that one."
"You know," Jack stepped back next to Crystal and slipped his arm around her waist. "I suggested they might practice changing diapers by babysitting for Cindy. We could use an evening out…or a weekend."
Crystal's eyes lit up. "Oh, yeah! It might take several evenings, and a few weekends, but we could definitely teach them everything they need to know." She looked at Gina and Brady and grinned.
Brady wrapped his arm around Gina from behind and pulled her back against him. "Sounds good to me," he murmured in her ear.
"Me too." She snuggled against him happily.
"But first, I'd like to get out of here. Take me home?"
"For starters." She reached behind him, grabbed his butt, and squeezed.
~The End~
Family Honor
Dedication:
To Judith for motivating me to tell this story.
I couldn't have done it without your encouragement!
Chapter One
The body was strategically placed in the alley, posed carefully in the same manner as the previous two victims. Knees bent to one side, arms crossed above her head, and her hands clutching a pair of cheap red pom poms. Her uniform skirt and matching vest had once been white and crisp, but were now yellowed from age and blood-soaked. Just like the others.
She might have looked retro chic, like something from the old American Graffiti movie, had it not been for the fact that the woman was fifty if she was a day. That, and the deep slash running from ear to ear, nearly decapitating her. Through the coagulated gore, the faint image of a small red bird was still visible on the vest.
"My high school mascot was a cardinal." Detective Melanie Curtis' gaze took in the scene and surroundings.
Her partner, Henry Stone, snapped pictures in quick succession as he circled the body. "I'll bet you were a cheerleader, too."
"No way. I was a pom pom girl, on the pep squad."
He paused long enough to shoot her a skeptical glance. "And how is that not the same thing?"
Mel shook her head in feigned disgust. "Not the same at all. We did dance routines to music." She saw his eyes light up and before he could spout off something dirty, she shut him down. "Focus, little dude. Get some pictures of her face. My guess is she's a hooker like the last two. We need to show these shots to Skinny Sheila and some of the other girls in Oldtown. If she turned tricks, someone there will recognize her."
"Damn," Stone muttered as he zoomed in on the woman's face. "She's old enough to be my mother. Think she's still hooking?"
"Your mother is, isn't she?" Mel stepped back to avoid the fake punch aimed at her, and grinned. "Just kidding. You know I love your Umma."
"That's right." Stone straightened his shoulders. "Besides, Korean women don't turn tricks." He seemed to rethink his statement and shrugged. "Not since the war ended, anyway. Nowadays they spend their time keeping alive the centuries-old tradition of making kimchee."
Mel screwed up her face. "Fermented cabbage. Remind me not to invite your mom for the holidays again this year."
"She'll be there, and she'll bring kimchee." He studied the body for a moment, then turned to Mel. "Our man is left-handed."
"What?" She blinked, her mind already fast-forwarding to another Christmas of her father bickering with Stone's mother, and celebrating with a bunch of cops that were the closest thing to extended family any of them had. I'm already dreading the holidays that are still months away.
"Left-handed." Stone drew her back to the present. "Our slasher. He's a lefty. See how the mark is deeper on that side of her neck? The knife went like this." He motioned from the right side of her neck to the left.
Mel thought about that as she walked around and stood behind the woman's h
ead. "Unless he cut her from behind." She made the same motion Stone had, using her right hand.
He shook his head. "I don't think so. Write down lefty." He continued to snap photos.
"Whatever." Mel did as he asked. Her partner usually had a keen perception for that kind of stuff, but this time she wasn't so sure.
Commotion behind Stone livened up the sealed-off alley. "Wake up kids, the grown-ups are here."
Mel glanced up to see two crime scene investigators from the Wichita Police Department arrive with their fancy kits. She got along with most everybody in the cop shop, but the CSIs had been hard to live with since the occupation had landed its own television show. "Hey Martin. Hey Zybowski."
The taller of the two investigators towered over height-challenged Stone by nearly a foot. "You know we'll take pictures, Stone," he said derisively.
"I know I'll get my hands on them sooner if I take my own, Zybowski." Stone snapped a few more shots then stepped back. "But have at it. She's all yours."
Zybowski sneered at the woman. "Like we'd want any of that."
"Show some respect," Mel snapped. "Every victim is somebody's daughter. Maybe somebody's mother. Try to remember that."
"Yes, Detective." The investigator's tone remained snide. He knelt and opened his black bag.
She glanced at her watch. Nearly midnight. Too late to do any more tonight. They'd start fresh in the morning. "We'd appreciate your report as soon as you can get it to us tomorrow."
Zybowski snorted.
"Let's go, Stone." Mel turned and walked away, knowing her partner would follow. As an afterthought she looked back and added, "Check the direction of that slash mark, will you? See if you can tell if our guy was left or right-handed."
"How could we possibly tell that?" Martin frowned at her and got to work with his counterpart.
She turned around and kept walking. She rolled her eyes at Stone who had caught up to her. "Think he's that stupid, or just being an ass?"