Trevor's heart raced, his body completely tense for what he knew had to come next. His mother's words rang true and he was ready to take her down. He didn't know if all the security members were dead or if some of them were just paralyzed from the tranquilizers. He thought, she's coming full force, executing her plan before she can be stopped. Almost as if she were on a death mission which means she plans to…kill everyone!
He called out to her, playing on her emotions unsuccessfully. She had no more regard for him. He'd hurt her beyond repair. Taunting her, rubbing his love for Symóne in her face. Now it was his turn to hurt.
Lori's thoughts were, I can't wait to see the look on your face while you watch them die. Watch her die!
“Lori!” he called out to her again.
“Trevor,” she answered snidely.
“You should have just stayed at the institute and gotten the help you needed.”
“And miss all the fun? No way. Your time is up, you don't get any more chances,” she snarled. “You, should have just given me what I wanted! This time you're going to lose everything!”
He had stopped midway down the stairs. His mother had warned him to protect Symóne and himself at all cost. If he continued down to the bottom, she could injure him and get to Symóne.
He felt if she is intending to hurt them, he was going to make her come to him.
He backed up the steps one by one, keeping an eye on her location, waiting for her to show her face. In the background, police sirens were wailing in the distance, getting closer. She was almost out of time. It was now or never.
Just as he reached the top step, her shadow darted across the foyer, moving out of his view. He could only see her if he leaned out over the railing, which he wasn't willing to do. She was under the stairs, making her way to the lower end.
He looked and waited, then out of the corner of his eye, he saw a black figure loom the bottom of the stairs. He turned to it, aiming his weapon, but heard the shot before he felt it. He grunted, falling to the floor dropping his gun, landing on it when he fell. Lori had shot him, hitting him in his side.
Hearing the shot too close for comfort, and what sounded like Trevor's moan, Symóne started for the bedroom door. At the same time she reached for the knob, she heard foot steps rushing up the stairs, and she backed away. She panted, fear for Trevor and herself consuming her.
A loud thud, and a whimper broke the tempo of the steps, where Trevor had grabbed Lori by one of her legs as she tried to leap over him. He pulled at her, hissing at the wound in his side, wrestling her as she fought to free herself of his grip.
She had dropped her gun, but it didn't go far from where they were. The scuffle was intense, he'd grabbed her thigh, digging his fingers into her muscles, and Lori grunted angrily.
“Trevor, are you okay?” Symóne cried out.
“Stay in there!” he demanded, his voice strained as he continued to fight Lori. He was bleeding badly, becoming weaker by the moment.
She kicked at him, grazing the bottom of her sneaker across his lower jaw. He grunted at the impact, then yanked at her, pulling her from being within reach of her weapon.
She kicked at him again, this time striking his head, right above his eye, breaking the skin and causing blood to ooze down into his eye. He fell back, hissing loudly as his teeth grated together at the pain in his head.
Now temporarily freed, Lori heaved herself forward, grabbing her gun and getting to her feet. She started for the bedroom door, and Trevor forced himself over onto his knees, holding his side and shaking his head, attempting to throw the excess blood from dripping into his eye. He reached for his pistol, but by the time he got to his feet, Lori was at the door.
She reached for the door knob, turning it, then pushing it open, seeing Symóne turn and bolt toward the closet once she realized it was Lori who stood in the doorway, not Trevor.
She fired a shot, and Symóne hit the floor.
“Yes!” Lori cheered herself.
Symóne was down, blood streaming from underneath her.
“Symóne!” Trevor called, his voice pitched. He was rushing toward her when Lori turned on him, putting the muzzle of the pistol right in his chest.
“Don't move!” she threatened.
“Oh my God! Symóne!” he cried as he saw her laying in her own pool of blood.
He became dizzy, his knees buckled, and he went down on all fours. He was weakened by the loss of so much blood, and from the sight of his pregnant wife on the floor.
Lori put her foot down on Trevor, mashing him to the floor. She then put the muzzle of her pistol to his head and made her speech before the police made their way inside the house.
“You see what you made me do Trevor? This would have never happened if you'd just given me what I wanted in the first place! Now, you get to watch her die, then you're going to die,” she growled.
“Please, Lori. You don't have to do this. It's not Symóne's fault what you think I did to you. Let me help her—please,” he begged.
Lori took her foot off of Trevor and used it to flip him over, facing upward, not realizing that his pistol was beside him. When his hand fell on top of it, he discreetly cupped his hand over it. His breaths were harsh, he coughed and wheezed each time he tried to inhale.
“I'm sorry Trevor, but you had your chance,” she smiled in his face.
She straddled him, and cocked her head to the side, contemplating something, then leaned toward his face.
“Just one last kiss—to say goodbye?” she asked.
Trevor inhaled and coughed out another breath. His vision became blurred, his eyes closed and he felt her lips touch his.
Another shot fired, then glass shattered downstairs. The police had broken the glass door to let themselves in, calling out to anyone who would answer. They moved with caution, checking all over the house. It was silent for the most part, until one officer stepped inside the master bedroom.
“They're in here!”
He had his weapon drawn, casing the situation.
“Three people down!” he alerted the rest.
Two more rushed up to assist that officer while the others continued to case the property.
The officer who had first found them, pulled Lori's body off of Trevor's.
Chapter 21
“Mr. Harrison? Mr. Harrison?”
He moaned, a tightness in his chest restricted his breathing, and his head and face felt sticky. The cuts were padded with gauze and tape. He blinked, barely opening his eyes, squinting at the light in the room.
“Mr. Harrison can you hear me?” a female's voice called out.
As his eyes opened a little further, a blurred figure appeared in front of him. A small light moved from one eye to the other, then it clicked and went away.
Reality crashed into his memory and he attempted to sit up, but couldn't move.
“Symóne!” he cried.
He began kicking the sheets from over him, and someone stopped his motions.
“Mr. Harrison, please. Be still or you'll break your stitches,” the doctor warned him.
Because he was belligerent, they gave him another dose of morphine. He felt calm all of a sudden, then he was out again.
It had been two days since the incident and he was waking again. This time, he heard familiar voices.
“He's waking up! Trevor?” Faye called as she stood over him, while he tried to focus in on her face.
The worry in her voice was evidence enough that something was wrong.
“Trevor, son…” his mom sounded tearful.
The sound of her voice ignited the flow of tears pooling in his eyes. His lips quivered and he couldn't speak. He waited to hear the devastating news of his wife and unborn child. His eyes closed tightly, not wanting to see anything but her face.
“Trevor, please. Look at me,” his mom pleaded.
He couldn't. He just couldn't. While his chest rose and fell with each deep breath, he only saw memory flashes of his life with Symón
e. The more he saw her face, her round belly, him cradling and embracing her every chance he could, he began to cry harder.
“Hey man, everything's going to be okay,” said Alex. He sounded close, like he was standing on the other side of Trevor, across from his mom.
“Lori won't be an issue anymore. She's gone…for good,” he confessed.
“How?” he finally opened his eyes enough to see Alex, Faye, Drew, and his mom.
“You don't remember?” his mom asked.
Trevor shook his head no.
“You shot her. She was on top of you and you shot her in the side of her chest. She's gone, she can't hurt you anymore.” Julia explained.
“And…Symóne?” he asked.
They all looked at each other, then his mom took a deep breath.
“Now Trevor, I want you to remain calm,” she warned him, placing her hand on his shoulder for emphasis.
“Mother!” he screeched, irritated at her prolonging efforts.
“I just want you to stay still, that's all! Promise me you'll stay still?” she pleaded.
“Fine!”
She stepped out of his way, then looked behind where she was just standing.
“She's going to be fine. They both are,” she told him.
He turned his head toward the direction his mom was looking and that's when he heard the machines. The heart monitor beeping, the baby monitor pulsing a steady rhythm that took Trevor's breath away.
She lay on her back with her hands placed upon her stomach, sleeping peacefully. He wondered why she hadn't awakened at the conversation of everyone in the room.
“So…she's okay? Completely?” he asked.
“Yes. She's being kept sedated so that she will remain calm and her wound has time to heal a little bit. She was worried about you, stressing herself and the baby. She'll probably be waking up in another hour,” Faye explained.
“Her wound? Where did the bullet hit her?” he asked.
“In her chest. It missed her heart and the baby. She had to have a blood transfusion,” Faye said, holding up her arm where she had a bandage over a small bruise in the crease of her arm. “…and so did you,” she said, then Drew held up his arm, showing a similar situation.
Drew was all smiles, proud of his act of kindness toward his brother.
Trevor sighed in relief, holding out his arm welcoming an embrace from his little brother. He rushed in, but hearing the gasps coming from his mom and the others, he slowed his pace and gave Trevor a gentle hug.
“Thanks Drew. I guess you can say you saved my life now?” Trevor smiled and so did Drew.
“Thank you too Faye, for helping Symóne. I owe you guys big time,” he breathed.
“No Trevor, it was my pleasure. I would have given Symóne a kidney if she needed it. I'm just glad that the two of you will be fine and able to get your lives back. The doctor says that you should be back to normal, able to work in a couple of days, as long as you take it easy. But Symóne, he wants on complete bed rest until the baby is born.”
“Yes Trevor. Please do as the doctor says. Drew and I can stay as long as you need us to, if you want? I don't want to be invasive, but just so you'll know, we're willing if you want?” Julia offered.
“That's another month away. I'm sure Drew misses Madeline?” he looked to his brother.
Faye interjected, “Well, we've talked about that. I'm going to spend my days off watching over Symóne. That way your mom and Drew can fly home for a couple of days to handle some things at home, then they'll come back.” she smiled. “Besides, you can afford the plane tickets anyway big baller,” she teased.
Trevor chuckled, then hissed at the pain setting in. The monitor started beeping and a nurse came in and offered him a lighter dose of pain reliever that wouldn't put him to sleep.
He agreed to it, then she released the fluid into the tube attached to the IV. He felt better instantly then looked over at Symóne.
“Excuse me?” he called to the nurse.
“Yes Sir?”
“Is it possible for me to lay with her?” he looked over at Symóne again.
“Um…I'm not sure that's a good idea. Let me check with the doctor and I'll get right back with you,” she promised and left out of the room.
A few minutes later, the nurse and the doctor came back into the room to give Trevor an answer to his request.
“So, Mr. Harrison? You would like to lay with your wife, is this correct?” he checked.
“Yes. I heard she's been worried and I need to be with her.”
“Well, let's get you over there, shall we?” he smiled.
He went to Trevor's side to help him up, while the nurse grabbed the IV caddy and they both walked slowly with Trevor over to Symóne's bed.
“Now, you can lay on your good side if you want, and we'll raise the side rails and layer some pillows behind you so you don't risk falling. I believe your wife will do much better when she awakens this time, if you are right here holding her just as you are,” the doctor confirmed Trevor's assumptions.
They had been having extreme difficulties keeping her calm, thus keeping her and the baby's heart rates regulated while Trevor was still unconscious.
Although he was very sore from his injuries, nothing was too much to endure if it would ensure Symóne's peace for her and the baby's sake.
“Well, I'm going to take Faye home to get something to eat and freshen up—” Alex started, but Faye rejected.
“No, I have to be here when Symóne wakes up. I haven't had a chance to talk to her. She's been hysterical every time she wakes up. I need to know that she will be okay this time. Then we'll go, okay?” she pleaded with Alex.
He sighed and agreed. It would put Faye's mind to rest if she could see Symóne relaxed and knew for sure that she and the baby were both okay.
Julia and Drew wanted to stay as well. They all were worried about Symóne's health.
Trevor had cradled Symóne's body with his and kissed her many times all over the side of her face he was closest to.
Chapter 22
They all were waiting patiently for Symóne to come to, and only twenty minutes later, the heart monitor began to beep a little more rapidly.
She moaned and her eyes began to flutter, and as she became more aware, the heart monitor beeped a little faster. Trevor gave her a little squeeze, as much as he could, then leaned in to kiss her again.
Symóne's eyes snapped open and she looked over at his face in disbelief. To make sure she wasn't dreaming, she looked over at the bed he was supposed to be in and saw their family and friends all standing, waiting, and watching as the realization hit her.
“Trevor?” she whispered and began to cry as she tried to turn to embrace him.
“It's me babe. Don't move, I'm right here,” he assured her, holding her closely.
Her hand reached to touch his and she leaned her head against his. At that moment, the heart monitor slowed and regulated and so did the baby's heart monitor.
“Is it over? Is she gone…for good?” she asked in a whisper.
“That's what I was told.”
“What about all the guys?”
Alex stepped forward, getting closer to them, seeing that Trevor was concerned as well.
“All but one survived. Three were only tranquilized, and five of them were shot. Four of the victims have serious, but stable wounds, but one of them didn't make it.”
“How did she die?” Symóne snarled.
“Trevor shot her close range. That one single bullet damaged three major organs beyond repair and she bled to death. She'll never be able to bother either of you ever again,” Alex promised.
“I'll believe it when I see her put in the ground,” Symóne spat venomously.
“Well, she was a donor, and most of her working organs that were salvageable have already been removed for donation. Also, one of her other final wishes was for cremation. There is no way that she can come back from any of that,” Alex assured both of them. “Now, yo
u have nothing to worry about. I want the both of you to get some rest, and get ready to go home tomorrow. Vince should be here shortly to speak with the two of you. He's been at your house making sure the cleaning crew was able to get everything back to the way it was.”
“Thanks Alex,” Trevor breathed in relief. “Mom…Drew, you guys don't have to stay at the house if you don't want to. You can go to a hotel and get a room until we come home tomorrow?” Trevor offered.
“I think that would be best, son. I'd rather wait until the doors are replaced,” she agreed.
Trevor furrowed his brows in question, but Vince was walking in just as he was about to ask about the doors.
“Hey partner! You look like shit!” he chuckled.
Trevor snorted, but smiled. He was happy to have such great friends and family.
“Hey, we're going to go ahead and get out of here. We'll be back later to check on you guys,” said Alex.
Faye had been quiet, observing her friend, hoping and praying that this was the last time she would see her in the hospital other than to deliver her baby and future babies. She stepped up to Symóne's side and moved her hair back behind her ear and kissed her forehead.
“I love you girl. Take care and we'll be back to see you later,” she choked on her words.
“Wait! Faye…?” Symóne stopped her.
“Yes?”
“I love you too, and…I will be standing up for you at your wedding six weeks from now. That's a promise,” she smiled. Faye smiled at that too.
All the stress of building her and Alex's dream house, planning a wedding, and going through such a traumatic situation with her best friend, was weighing heavy on her. She was exhausted and it showed. She also was going to have to handle Symóne's client they were currently working on, so she needed to get herself together.
Everyone left except Vince. He had news for them concerning their house.
“So, I just wanted to let you know that the house has been fully restored to its original state, with the exception of the front door. I had Faye to use her connections through Symóne's dealers to order a new one and put a rush on delivery, so it should be here by nine tomorrow morning, and installed soon after. The back door, we were able to have replaced right away. They were in stock where you bought it from,” Vince rattled off.
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