Waves of Reckoning (The Montclair Brothers)

by Terri Marie

  She didn’t know there were tears on her face until Tyler leaned over and wiped them off with his thumbs. Renee looked up at him, then over at her friends. They too had painful looks on their faces while staring at Robert. She could clearly see the damage, as if they were each wearing signs that pointed to where it hurt. Renee felt so many emotions all at once. As she let her eyes roam over the other faces in the courtroom, she saw nothing but victims sitting side by side. They were wearing buttons or t-shirts with the face of their loved one whom Robert had murdered. Some were holding hands in prayer, while others were damning Robert to hell with their eyes. Renee’s head began to spin.

  She felt Tyler’s hand on her damp arm. “Baby, let’s go home.”

  But his words sounded as if she were in a tunnel. Her eyes were glued on Robert’s as he smiled at her. His face showed no remorse, no evidence that he had even one grain of decency. Nothing. He slightly lifted his hand, holding it in a shooting motion. His evil smile broadened.

  Emma was kneeling down by her feet, holding her hands. Renee didn’t know when she’d come over, nor how long she’d been there.

  “Sweetie, come with me. I’ll take you outside to get some fresh air.” Emma’s voice sounded so far away.

  Someone was fanning her face but Renee wasn’t able to take her eyes off of the monster. Maybe he had a plan to grab one of the guns from the bailiffs. Everyone was sitting ducks. If she stood up, there’d be no way he could miss. She’d have to make herself a clear target to protect them. Yes, she’d stand up just in case. But the crowd of people around her were blocking Robert’s line of sight. One of them would get hit instead. Renee had to push them out of the way. Get down! she yelled, but no sounds came from her mouth. She was going to vomit, and there was no way she would allow Robert to see even one ounce of weakness.

  Renee pushed people aside and ran towards the bathroom. The floor seemed to be tilting, but still she ran. Bursting through the stall door, she began vomiting as if she’d drank poison. The pain in her stomach was gripping, the shakes were uncontrollable. A man’s arms reached around her…Robert. The pain intensified as she tried to fight him off. He’d killed everyone and escaped the bailiffs. Now she was cornered. The stickiness on her legs…people were yelling…Robert’s arms grew tighter around her and she felt herself being pulled away to her death.

  ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

  “Call an ambulance, Emma!” yelled Tyler as he wrapped his arms around Renee, trying to remove her from the small stall. She was fighting him with everything she had. Seeing the spot of blood on the back of her skirt, he enveloped her and dragged her backwards from the stall. Once he got her near the sink, he felt her body go limp. Tyler scooped her up in his arms and hurried outside of the bathroom. As he ran with her to the courthouse doors, he could hear the ambulance sirens. Not knowing if they were coming to help Renee or not, he burst through the doors and out to the street. He started to take off towards his car when Vincent stopped him.

  “Stop Ty. They’re coming.”

  “Vinnie, she’s losing the baby!” Tyler’s eyes were burning and he feared he’d lose Renee too. Her skin was still clammy, her breathing was shallow, and she lay in his arms as limp as a rag doll.

  People began to gather around them as the ambulance came to a halt. The paramedics rushed quickly to Tyler’s side and helped him to lay Renee down on the stretcher. He jumped into the back of the ambulance, trying to keep his head together enough to answer all of their questions. Tyler wanted to hold her, but he had to stay seated so they could take care of her. This is because of Robert! Tyler angrily thought. But he couldn’t allow the killer to occupy his mind right now.

  When they reached the hospital, Renee was starting to come around. Tyler couldn’t make out what she was saying, nor could the paramedics. As they went inside, they were directed upstairs to labor and delivery and were met in the room by an obstetrician and a nurse.

  “What’s wrong?’ Tyler quickly asked.

  “I’ve got her chart right here. We’re going to do an ultrasound real quick and I’ll examine her when she returns. Do you know if she hit her head?” Dr. Callaway asked.

  “No. When she passed out, I was holding onto her. She threw up right before that.” Tyler wished he’d hurry up and check Renee out.

  “She’s been eating?” Tyler nodded. His patience was wearing thin. “Everything’s been fine until now. We were sitting in court, waiting for the verdict to be read. Then she got clammy…Shouldn’t we get her evaluated or something?” Tyler stood up and held Renee’s hand.

  “Is she involved in a crime?” asked Dr. Callaway.

  “No! Robert Preston’s verdict is being read. She’s his ex-wife. This whole mess has caused her so much stress…” Tyler blinked back tears. Everything this woman has had to endure would have crushed any other person, but she had stayed strong.

  “Has she mentioned any illnesses or if she’d noticed any bleeding?”

  “No. Please, I don’t mean to be short with you, but I’m really worried.” Tyler watched Renee’s eyes flutter open, but then she slipped right back out.

  “Transport’s here to take her for an ultrasound. While she’s gone, I need to get a little more information from you.”

  Tyler answered Dr. Callaway’s questions the best he could. Renee had been feeling movement, and she never complained of any bad symptoms she was having, other than having to run to the bathroom a lot. The morning sickness she’d felt at the start was gone now.

  Emma poked her head inside the room. “I’m here, okay?” Tyler watched her look at the empty bed and then back at him. “We’re all here. Can I hug you?”

  He closed his eyes and nodded. When Emma threw her arms around him and held on tight, he thought he’d lose it. No matter what was going on in the world around them, they’d be there for each other no matter what.

  Emma stepped back and looked at him. “Do you want me to stay here with you? The others are down the hall.” Without waiting for a reply, she sat in a chair, held his hands, and gently pulled him down to sit next to her.

  “I’m scared, Em. She didn’t come this far just to lose our baby or her life.” He felt Emma hug him again.

  “Listen to me, Tyler. She’s going to be fine and so is the baby. I think she got too stressed out today looking at Robert. For a bit, they were staring at each other. Her face took on a different hue before she ran off.” She held his hand and brought it over to her lap.

  “He needs to be thrown in prison, far away from here. Did they find him guilty yet?” He didn’t want to think about Robert having a hung jury or a mistrial…all of the things that Vinnie told him could go wrong.

  “We don’t care about Robert right now. There’s nothing that will change by our presence inside the courtroom. First we need to make sure that Renee, the baby, and you, are doing okay. Then we can deal with that son of a bitch.” Emma’s anger was starting to boil over.

  They sat quietly for a bit, each lost in their own thoughts. Finally Renee was wheeled back into the room on a gurney and then lifted into the bed. The doctor approached them just a couple of minutes later.

  “The placenta is still attached and the baby looks fine. We’ll be monitoring them both, closely.”

  “What about the bleeding and the fact that she’s not waking up?” Tyler wasn’t happy at all. Something was clearly wrong.

  “Based on the symptoms you described and what we’ve gathered from the EMT report, it appears as though she had a pretty big panic attack. That trial is plastered all over the news. You guys went through quite an ordeal.” Dr. Callaway shook his head and put on a pair of gloves. He pushed the call light and asked for the nurse to come in and assist him. “It’s probable that her mind has just shut down for a bit. The mind will do that sometimes to protect itself.”

  Tyler and Emma stood in the corner of the room as the doctor examined her. Renee’s face became slightly distorted but then she relaxed.

  “She’s not bleeding anymore. It�
�s not uncommon for women in their first trimester to spot a little bit. We’re going to draw some blood, get an IV started, and keep her until she regains consciousness. When she wakes up, which I anticipate will be soon, I’d like to ask everyone to avoid bringing up stressful topics.” Dr. Callaway watched Renee’s heart monitor.

  “You’re sure they’re not in any danger?” Tyler followed the doctor’s line of vision. The numbers didn’t mean anything to him, but he was reminded of the shooting, and his jaw clenched.

  The nurse walked in with IV equipment and a lab tray. She spoke softly to Tyler so she wouldn’t wake up her patient. “These numbers are good, so don’t be alarmed. They may go up and down, but she’s not showing any kind of distress.”

  “They’re in good hands, Mr. Montclair,” began Dr. Callaway. “When she wakes up, we’ll let you hear the baby’s heartbeat.”

  “Really?” Tyler’s mood immediately shifted.

  “Yes, really. Call me when she awakens,” Dr. Callaway instructed the nurse. He turned back to face Tyler. “Remember, maintain a positive atmosphere. I need to write her up some orders.” The doctor patted his shoulder before leaving.

  “No trial talk, Tyler,” Emma warned.

  “If the verdict is good news, I’ll have to tell her so at least that stress will be gone.” Tyler hoped to God it’d be good news.

  Emma walked over to Renee and kissed her forehead. “We’re going to make this world a better place for her, Tyler. I’m going to go talk to Vincent and get that good news. If there isn’t any, I’m totally prepared to make some up.” She turned and walked out of the room. Tyler knew that look well; come hell or high water, nothing was going to stop her.

  Tyler carried the chair over next to Renee’s bed and held her hand in both of his. You are both definitely Montclairs, thought Tyler. He brought her hand up to his lips and slowly kissed the back of it.

  Chapter 7

  Vincent watched Emma walk down the hallway towards him. Being inside of a hospital again was making his insides feel as cold as ice. He hoped she wasn’t coming to tell them bad news. The last thing Tyler needed was to lose the baby and Renee. He’d had no idea that she was pregnant, and so his fear mounted. Vincent had to be careful not to react to the news yet. Once Renee and the baby were safe, he’d allow himself to celebrate. He slowly stood up with his brothers and Brian when Emma reached the lounge.

  “Tell me they’ve read the verdict,” she said with her hands on her hips.

  “I don’t know, Em. I’m still waiting for the prosecutor to return my call. There’s no television in here either.” Vincent wished he had some good news to pass on. “Listen, we all know about Renee’s pregnancy now, but I don’t think it’s wise for us to mention it until we’re sure mom and baby will pull through.” He stared at Emma, hoping she had the answers he wanted to hear.

  “They’re both doing okay, but Renee has to rest. The stress was way too much for her to endure, so she had a panic attack. She still isn’t awake yet…Can you try to call again, Vincent?” Her irritation was mounting.

  “Yeah, sure.” Vincent, full of concern, retrieved his phone from his pocket and dialed Furrow. It went to voicemail again.

  “I’m going to the courthouse to find out…” Emma started to walk off, but Jacob held onto her.

  “Honey, that place is going to be surrounded by a mob of reporters and spectators. There’s no way I’m letting you go down there.” Jacob pulled her into his arms.

  “I’ll call some more numbers and see what I can find out. Sit tight.” Vincent walked out of the lounge and took the elevator down to the first floor. He didn’t want to risk getting bad news in front of Emma. Vincent had learned long ago not to assume how a jury would vote. He spotted a television, but some kids were watching cartoons on it. Getting out his phone, he called the prosecutor’s office instead of Furrow’s cell phone. He got a recording and then stood patiently while he was connected.

  “Mr. Furrow’s office, Rebecca speaking. May I help you?”

  “Hi, Rebecca. This is Vincent Montclair. I wasn’t able to be inside the courtroom during the verdict for the Preston trial. Have you heard anything?” He hoped she had.

  “Mr. Furrow is walking in right now. Just a second and I’ll transfer your call as soon as he gets to his desk.” He waited for another brief moment before being connected.

  “William Furrow.” Vincent couldn’t help but notice the happy tone in his voice.

  “William, Vincent Montclair. We had an unexpected family emergency, so we had to leave the courthouse before the verdict was read.”

  “Yes, I noticed you guys weren’t there. Robert Preston was found guilty on all charges! I’m sorry for missing your calls, but the media was holding me up.” Furrow chuckled.

  “How did Robert take it?” Vincent hoped the bastard was suffering.

  “He laughed and then started to sing some bizarre song while bending down and banging his head repeatedly on the table. The defense has asked the judge to have Preston psychologically evaluated before sentencing, on the grounds that his mental status has grossly deteriorated. If they’re going to pull a psychiatrist out of their bag of tricks, we’ll also have Robert evaluated separately. Any good doctor will be able to see right through his bullshit.”

  “I can’t believe this!” Vincent was livid.

  “It’s nothing to be worried about. Before his punishment is handed down, you guys can give your victim’s impact statements, and that’s going to hold a lot of clout.”

  “I am going to worry because he’s a sociopath and great at manipulating people.” Vincent wasn’t happy that this phase of the trial was going to be postponed, or that Robert might get to spend his days in a psychiatric facility. He’d leave that part out when he talked to the rest of the group.

  “Don’t stress about it, Vin. We’ve got him by the balls.” Furrow sounded confident, but Vincent knew first-hand what Robert was capable of. He really was the master puppeteer.

  ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

  Tyler watched as Renee opened her eyes. She seemed confused, unaware of where she was. She bolted upright in the bed.

  “Tyler?!”

  “Shhh. It’s okay, Sweetie. You’re in the hospital. The baby’s fine, you’re fine, and now I am too. How do you feel?” A smile widened on his face.

  “I don’t understand…” She looked at the leads on her chest and then down at the IV in her arm.

  “You had a panic attack in the courtroom, so we brought you here to make sure you and our baby are doing okay.” Tyler stood up and wrapped his arms around her.

  Renee quickly pushed him away. “I have to get to the courtroom! The verdict’s going to be read!”

  “It’s already done. He was found guilty on all charges. There’s no need for you to be afraid anymore.” He hoped to God that was true.

  “I wanted to be there, Tyler. It was important to me.” Renee let herself sink down into the bed.

  He knew he was going to have to get her off of the subject. “There are some people in the lounge who’d really like to see you. Are you up for visitors?”

  “I’d like for Brian to come in. Is he here?” Renee’s face relaxed some.

  “Yep. We’re all here on the unit. I’ll go get him for you.” Tyler kissed her cheek and then left the room. When he got to the lounge, he saw Jacob and Sean trying to keep Brian engaged in a conversation about sports, but it was evident that his mind was a million miles away. The elevator doors dinged, and Vincent walked around the corner towards them.

  “Guilty across the board!” Vincent announced.

  Plenty of excitement erupted in the room.

  “So he’s going to prison for the rest of his life?” asked Brian.

  “Yes, he’ll be locked up for the rest of his life.” Vincent smiled but Tyler read right through it. Soon, Jacob and Sean stared at him as well, but didn’t say a word.

  “Brian, Renee’s awake now and she’d really like to see you.” Tyler gave him her room n
umber and watched as he quickly headed down the hall. When Tyler saw Brian disappear into the room, he turned back to Vincent.

  “Okay, Vinnie. Spill it,” said Tyler as his brothers agreed.

  “Robert was found guilty, but then he began acting crazy in the courtroom. Knowles asked Judge Weddle to have the monster evaluated by a psychiatrist before sentencing.” Vincent looked down at the ground.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me!” exclaimed Emma. “So he could end up in a mental hospital instead of a prison?!”

  Vincent made a motion to hush her. “Em, I wasn’t thrilled either, but we have to be careful. Brian and Renee do not need to hear this information right now. Furrow said they’ll have their own doctor evaluate Robert, and that we shouldn’t worry. Keep in mind that if they find him to be crazy, he’ll still be put inside of a prison. It’s not like he’ll be going to a regular psychiatric hospital. But he’ll definitely be more comfortable.” Vincent said with disgust.

  “I can’t believe this,” said Tyler. “When Renee hears about this she’ll explode. We can’t say a word to her about the psychiatric part. Just say he’s been found guilty, like I did.”

  “How did you find out?” asked Vincent with a curious expression.

  “I lied. She was getting worked up when she realized where she was. I had to say something to calm her down.” Tyler watched as everyone agreed with him.

  “Where will he go then?” Emma asked with worry.

  “Probably Ionia. That’s less than two hours from here. But, let’s not jump the gun. We’ll all be able to make impact statements before his sentencing. Guys, no one needs to freak out about this.” Vincent said calmly.