by L. Ann Marie
“Yeah, you did, you saved little Ben’s life, Ricky, he wouldn’t have made it with another knife wound,” I tell him in his ear.
“You saved us both, Ricky. I was too weak to get the gun, you freakin’ shot him with a broken wrist,” Jessie says in a groggy voice.
“Good job, Ricky,” Brantley says softly.
Tess, Jeremy, and Brenna come in. “Who’s first?” Tess says, looking at Pres. Jeremy comes to Ricky. I lay him down gently and Jeremy climbs on the bed. Brenna stands on one side while Tess stands on the other.
I throw chin to Pres and go out to talk to the waiting room. Jess runs up to me in the hallway. “He’s in surgery; we’ll need to get the doctor Baxter’s is sending up to surgery for him.”
She walks back out with me. I hold her elbow. She’s shaking. Everyone stops talking. “Little Ben is in surgery, he was cut and stabbed. Baxter’s are sending a doctor to deal with the carving on his back. The doctors here are dealing with the stab wound. Everyone knows where surgical waiting is. Jess needs people with her. As soon as Jessie and Ricky get squared Pres will be out.”
Nancy hugs me then Jess. “Ricky and Jessie?” she asks.
“Jessie has stitches on his side and arm; he has two broken fingers and a broken rib. Ricky has a broken wrist and three broken ribs. They had to wait for guys to leave then took on four grown men. Two were dead when VP got there, the other two are in the hospital somewhere, I guess, they were out.” Nancy and Jess nod. Kate comes running in and hugs Jess. “Nancy, take Jess up, I’ll take Kate to Jessie. When the boys are released I’ll bring them up.” She nods, pulling me down. I kiss her and she smiles, or tries to.
Kate follows me back and runs to Jessie’s side; she kisses his head, telling him she’s so glad he’s okay. The doctor asks her to step back, so Jessie gives her his hand while the doctor checks the fingers on the other hand. He puts him in a splint and wraps it with gauze and tape. While he’s talking to Pres and Kate, I talk to Brantley.
Jeremy kisses Ricky’s head then climbs down. “Thanks,” is all he says. Ricky throws him chin. When the doctor moves away from Jessie, Jeremy climbs up and they do the same thing over Jessie; Kate and Pres just watch.
We watch Ricky’s wrist get set and casted. The doctor checks his ribs and says they need to be wrapped; I help him sit and see his back. “Did you see this?” Fuckin’ grown men punching his kidneys. They were hitting for maximum damage.
“I’ll need a urine sample and a blood test. I didn’t check him yet, he went to X-ray while I was helping with the other boy.”
I nod and hope VP finds them all. I wish I was with them right now. Ricky doesn’t look as shaky as when I got here; I wonder if it’s what Jeremy’s doing.
Once the cast is on and the doctor gets his piss and blood, he discharges both Jessie and Ricky. Pres says he’ll have HS take them to his house, but they both refuse, they’re waiting for little Ben. I knew they’d never leave their Brother. Kate has someone get fruit and juice for them and we take them to the surgical waiting room.
Jess comes right to Pres; he hugs her until she steps back. “The doctor found where he was bleeding and stopped it. Another doctor is with him now working on his back. He says he’s got extensive damage.” She looks up at him with a question in her eyes.
He asks everyone to step out but holds Kate’s hand and tells the boys to sit down. They both do gingerly. “Tiny, stay.” I stand by the boys. He pulls his phone and shows her the picture he took. Her hand goes to her mouth and her knees buckle. She sinks down, but he catches her before she hits the floor. Kate stands by her side, half hugging her and holding her up.
“Tell me Steve is finding these bastards.” Tears are running down her face.
“The boys took out four. Steve, Danny, Cloud, and Bob are looking for the others now. They won’t come back until they find them,” Pres says. She nods and backs up to a seat; Kate goes with her and holds her while Pres nods for me to open the door. Once everyone is back in, Pres asks that Tess, the kids, and Nancy stay here in the waiting room. The Brothers throw chin and say they’ll be around. He calls to get an update on the guard that got shot and looks relieved by what he’s hearing. When he’s done he looks at the boys. “He was shot in the side and is doing fine, a little more than a flesh wound. When he fell he hit his head on the curb.” We all nod, relieved. Losing Brothers sucks.
Jeremy goes to Jess, Brantley follows. “He’s going to be okay. He’s going to be better because of this, but he needs his Little Brothers to help him. You have to let him have that so he can be okay.” Brantley is talking, but I know this is from Jeremy.
“I want to lock him in a closet so he never gets hurt again,” Jess says softly.
“You have to let him grow up and become who he’s supposed to be. He needs his strong; he’ll get it from his Brothers,” Brantley says again. Jess nods and hugs Jeremy then Brantley.
They sit by the boys. Jeremy leans on Jessie. I watch Jessie’s face form a grimace as he bends to kiss Jeremy’s head. A nurse comes in and talks to Pres. The boys were drugged but it’s nothing needing additional care. It seems to have worn off already.
Danny calls in for information but doesn’t give any. Three hours have gone by. The boys look done in. I get them Tylenol to help with the stiffness that’s got to be setting in. Nancy sits by Ricky, letting him lean against her. He’s going to be ours. I can’t get the fuckin’ anger out of me. Someone beat these boys, took skin from little Ben. I want to kill someone.
A tall doctor comes in. “Ben James?” he asks.
Jess stands by Ben, Kate at her side. “Ben will be fine, I used filler tissue and grafts to cover and camouflage the damage. The scarring will be minimal, but he needs to stay until we know the tissue takes and there’s no infection. We did extensive cleaning before we started, but I like playing it safe. Because I was able to get to him before he was sutured and his skin was stretched I see no lasting damage or problems for Ben’s future.” He smiles and everyone takes a breath.
“When can I see him?” Jess asks.
“He’s in recovery, the nurses are readying a room for him. I was told it is a private suite.” Pres and Jess shake the doctor’s hand and thank him. He tells them he’ll be by tomorrow, the Baxter’s are flying him in until little Ben is ready to leave.
Pres pulls his phone. “Who’s with little Ben?” He listens. “He’s being moved to a private suite, find out where it is and get the floor covered.” He hangs up and calls Danny. “VP with you?” He listens then tells him all the doctor said.
A nurse comes and tells Jess to follow her. We all go; the nurse purses her lips but doesn’t say anything. Nancy moves up to her and has her laughing. She shows us to a waiting area and Pres pulls Jeremy into his arms and grabs Jess’ hand. When the nurse walks away Tess and Brenna go into the room. The couches here are more comfortable, but the boys look miserable.
Pres comes out. “Jessie, Ricky, little Ben needs to see you.” They slowly walk the corridor into the room.
I wait with Kate and Nancy. “How bad was it?” Kate asks.
“They carved rat into him, big enough that they were throwing the skin pieces around. Ricky said little Ben signed for them to wait until some of the guys left, then he started fighting the guys. When he saw they were all down he passed out. Ricky couldn’t wake him up. He said he took down two guys like that.” I have to stop and swallow a couple of times. “When VP got there Ricky had just shot a guy in the head. He was crawling to Little Ben with a knife. They will all need help with this; at least he won’t ever see what his back had on it.” They both have tears on their faces. I pull them to my chest.
“I hope Steve and Danny find them,” Kate says on a sob.
Nancy nods and steps back. Pres comes out of the room with Tess and the little kids. “They need some time. Darren is on his way.”
Kate looks at him. “He’s not riding here, is he?” She looks like she’s going to be sick.
He goes to
her and holds her, talking softly. “He’s with two from HS.”
“I’m going to take the little kids and Tess home,” Nancy says.
“I want to see little Ben then I’ll come with you,” Kate says.
“Take all but Jessie and Ricky; I want all the kids at the compound on lockdown. No one leaves until we hear from VP and Danny,” Pres tells them. They both nod. “Tiny, stay for Ricky and Jessie. I’m not leaving little Ben until VP gets here.” I nod; I wasn’t leaving until I saw him.
The old ladies and kids leave. Ricky and Jessie come out with Jess. I stand so I can go see him before I leave. “Uncle Steve’s with him, he needed a minute.”
“How the hell did he get in there? We’ve been right here the whole time,” Pres says.
Jess gives him a small smile. “He was standing at the back of the room. I don’t know how long he was there. Little Ben saw him and put his hand out; that’s when I noticed him. All he said was ‘need a minute’.” She has tears running down her face again. I pull her to me. She reaches my stomach, but I hold her until she quiets. Jessie hands her tissues. He’s looking tired. “Thank you, boys, he needed you just like Jeremy said he would.”
“Always,” Ricky says. I’m proud of him, not even a hesitation. He’ll be a good Brother.
We all sit. Twenty minutes later VP comes toward us. Jess sucks in a breath. He’s red. “Goin’ back, LP1’ll be out in a minute. Got leads from little Ben.” He’s watching Pres, so focused on his face but aware of everything; his eyes scan, but he never turns his head.
“Do whatever it takes; let me know if you need anything,” Pres tells him in that deadly voice. VP nods and turns.
“Steve!” Jess says, her voice is shaky. He stops and turns toward her but doesn’t move. She runs to him and pulls him down, talking softly, then she kisses his cheek. He stands straight and looks at her for a couple of seconds then nods and walks away. At little Ben’s room he stops and says something, then walks down the corridor.
Danny jogs toward us, kissing Jess’ cheek then goes to Jessie. He hugs him gently, telling him he loves him. He ruffles Ricky’s hair, telling him he is a fuckin’ good Brother. Throwing chin, he jogs down the corridor the same way VP left.
Jess looks at Pres. “My brother is as deadly as Steve, isn’t he?” My eyes whip to Pres. He looks at the boys then back at her and gives a small nod. “Good.” She walks back to the room. I follow.
I only stay for a couple of minutes. He’s on his stomach, tired and in pain; he’s not saying anything, but I can see it. Jess gives us a couple of minutes. I tell him how proud I am of the three of them but especially him, holding the boys off until they could manage the four left. It was a courageous move. He throws chin then asks if his back is really fixed. I tell him what the doctor said. He seems relieved. I fist bump him when Jess comes in. “Later, Brother,” I say as I walk out the door.
I take the boys, leaving four guards with Pres. He still has the two from Security on the floor, although they didn’t see Danny and VP until they were leaving. Pres will be in the room, so I’m not too worried. He can take care of himself.
At the house I carry Jessie in and up the stairs. Ricky waits in the truck with HS from the gate. They’ve doubled up tonight. Kate is relieved. Chet is in the house with her, but she’s been anxious for Jessie to get home.
Ricky moves through the house slowly. Nancy made up the downstairs room for him, but he wants to sleep upstairs. I carry him up and lower him at the bathroom. I grab some sweats and tell him to leave the shirt off then help him into his bed. “Should’ve stayed downstairs, you won’t be able to get out or back in this bed alone,” I whisper to him.
“The boys must be scared. They need to know I’m good. After they leave for school can you come get me?” Fuckin’ kid.
“Yeah, you did good today, Ricky. You saved your Brother. This is one of the hardest things Brothers deal with. Danny once told me it’s kill or be killed for Brothers, it’s not like there are other choices. You did what you had to, you kept everyone living.” I bend and kiss his head. “I would hate for something to have happened to you and I never had the chance to tell you I loved you. You’re a special kid, you’re our special kid, and I’m proud of you.”
I see his tears. “Yeah. Thanks, Tiny, I love you guys too.” I leave before we both need tampons.
Chapter Nine
Two days later...
I open the door and Danny and Doc are standing there. What the fuck does he want? I wait for an explanation. “Doc came to check on Ricky. He’s been taking care of Jessie.”
I open the door wider and step back. Sally came yesterday. Ricky didn’t say much to her, but he’ll have something to say to Doc. “Where’s Sally?”
“She’s at the Women’s Center. They had an emergency,” Danny says.
“I know you don’t want to see me, but Ricky needs to be checked. He’s got broken ribs and bruised kidneys. I need to know he’s drinking enough and breathing okay.”
“He’s in the kitchen eating.” I point the way.
When Doc walks in Ricky drops his fork. “I don’t need you here, I’m fine.” He’s not into forgiveness today. I don’t blame him, so I keep my mouth shut. I can take him to the doctors if he needs it.
Danny steps closer. “Ricky, I know you’re pissed, but he just needs to check your lungs. With you being wrapped you can get pneumonia. The last thing you need is to be coughing with broken ribs. Let Doc check you out, then he’s leaving.”
He pushes on the table to stand and puts his arms out at his sides. Doc moves closer, dropping his bag on the table and pulling his stethoscope. I watch as Ricky barely answers him. He drops his stuff in the bag and lifts Ricky’s shirt. He looks at his back then unwraps his ribs. As he’s wrapping him back up, Doc tells him he’s sorry for the way he treated him and Ricky was right; he was an asshole about it. Ricky stares straight at me with his jaw clenched. He doesn’t say a word. Doc’s shoulders drop. He tells him he’s good and he’ll be by tomorrow.
“No, Sally or Amanda can check me.” He turns around and sits, finishing his lunch.
I walk behind Doc and Danny. “He needs to get over this,” Doc says. I growl.
Danny puts his hand on my shoulder. “I’ll explain on the way back and I’ll talk to Amanda. I should have thought of her first.” I nod. Doc looks at us surprised. I want to punch him right the fuck out. Danny pushes him out the door. “Tell Ricky I’m sorry, I didn’t get it.”
“Anything from VP?” I’m not sure if he knows or not.
He looks at Doc then back at me. Doc stepped down from Officer. He’s not privy to information anymore. “I’m meeting up with him in a couple of hours.” I throw him chin and watch him walk away. I close the door before Doc opens his mouth and I hit him. Fuckin’ clueless moron.
Ricky looks up when I walk in. “Danny apologizes and says he’ll talk to Amanda.”
“Thanks. I know I’m being a di—jerk, but he’s a grown freakin’ man and didn’t have the balls to say he didn’t want me. He treated me like crap then wants to make sure I’m okay?”
“I get it, Ricky, I’m not saying he’s right and you’re wrong. I’m not saying anything. I think Amanda would be better for you. She won’t piss you off.”
He smiles. The bruises on his face are getting lighter, but his eye looks worse. “She’s hot too.” He loses the smile. “Bob will kill me if I step out of line with her, though. He’s scary when he’s pissed.”
I laugh. “Remember you don’t touch what belongs to a Brother and you’ll never go wrong. Learn it now, it may save your life later on.”
He nods and clears his plate. “Can I go see little Ben today?”
“See if he’s up for visitors. Jess asked Brothers to wait until he got home.” Officers have been going up, but VP isn’t back yet and Jess is nervous. I don’t want to tell him that, though.
He nods. “He asked me to come up with Darren and Jessie. I think he wants to talk.” He looks do
wn.
“Did you talk to the counselor Kate set up yesterday?” This is the first time he’s brought it up.
He looks everywhere but at me. “Yeah, but he doesn’t get it. He talked more about home and sh..stuff.”
“I’ll take you up with the Little Brothers, set it up.” He needs to get it out. I’ve seen enough shows to know he can’t keep this in. Dr. Phil would have a field day with these kids.
I go out the front and call Nancy, letting her know where we’ll be. She thinks it will be good for him too. I check in with Transport to make sure everything is running smoothly; it is. I love my job. Once Jess gets the pages set up, I do a couple of hours a week at the office, then the Prospects schedules and check-ins. My busiest weeks are the Brothers training weeks and they only happen every other month. It leaves me open to help when someone needs it, like today.
Ricky comes out dressed telling me they’re ready. We pick up the Little Brothers and head to the hospital with HS in front and behind us.
* * *
Nancy
Heather is helping me empty boxes from today’s order. “It’s getting busier. It makes the day go by fast,” she says, grabbing another stack of hangers.
“Summer is coming. It’s pretty steady until the kids go back to school.”
“Are the kids going to the Kids Center for the summer?”
I look at her and think. “Yeah, it’s in CJ’s contract.” We need to decide what we’ll do for Laconia and vacation; I’ll have to ask Tiny and CJ.
The boys and Sheila have been so good with Ricky. I thought for sure there would be hard feelings because of the adoption, but they’re happy for him. Sheila is pissed at Doc and Sally, but hasn’t said anything to me since Ricky told the kids what happened. She didn’t say a word yesterday when Sally came to check on him. I didn’t either. I thanked her before she left but that was it. I wonder what today was like.