teeth, or had anything to eat so he was
reasonably sure he’d missed something. He was halfway down the
stairs when he realized that Jazzie had said she’d called the
police and by then he could hear the sirens.
Roscoe Waite was just coming around
when Cain entered the hall. Quinn was still sitting on the floor,
but she said she was all right.
“ Where’s that fucking
girl? She’s gonna get sued after I’m finished with her. She had no
reason for knocking a man out in his own son’s house. Cain, you see
to me first. Quinny said she was all right. Look at what she did do
me.”
Cain ignored his father and looked at
Quinn, then at Jazzie. Quinn had a knot on her forehead that would
be painful for a while and Jazzie had a busted lip that could use a
couple of stitches and her eye was bruised. He was just going to
look for Julie when the police knocked on the door frame to his
open door.
“ Do you know this young
woman, Dr. Waite? She claims she was just passing by and sat down
to enjoy the view. I think she might be hurt too,” the officer
said, humor evident in his voice.
“ Yes. She belongs to this
bedlam. This man—” Cain pointed to his father. “He does
not.”
Cain picked up a protesting Julie and
sat her down on the couch in the living room. Every time she
started to rise, he pushed her back down again. Finally, he leaned
down to her and whispered in her ear.
“ Get up again and I will
pull you across my knees and beat your ass. I’m not in the best of
humor right now.”
“ Well neither am I. And
you just try it, buster, and I’ll tell your wife what we did where
she is currently standing.”
Cain was too furious with her to
explain. His sisters had been hurt, as well as Julie, by his
father. It was all he could do not to pound the man into the floor.
The only thing going through his head was the amount of witnesses
there were in the room.
“ Miss Waite, I have a
report that says this man here isn’t supposed to be within a
hundred yards of you. That true?” Officer Tanner, Jake, he’d said,
asked Jazzie.
“ Yes. One hundred yards or
he goes to jail. If this young lady hadn’t punched him in his
balls, he might have really hurt us all. It happened so
fast.”
Cain looked at Julie who was trying to
pull a pillow over her belly. Dropping to his knees in front of
her, Cain fought her, trying to get the pillow from her.
“ Do you have to make
everything we do a fight? Damn it, Julie, let me see.” Cain glared
right back at her when he noticed she was glaring.
She hit him with it. “You know, I think
I might have mentioned this before about your bedside manner. You
might think about taking an anger management course or something.”
He pinched her thigh to shut her up. “Ouch! You ass, that
hurt.”
Cain could hear his sisters laughing at
him. The sound was so unexpected and long-forgotten that he ignored
that they were having fun at his expense. “Jake, would you mind
handing me my medical bag from the front closet? Julie has pulled
some stitches and I want to make sure they don’t need to be put
back in.”
“ I’m not hurt, I was
covering myself up, you idiot. Will you please go play in the
street and leave me alone?” She pulled the pillow back onto her
lap.
As soon as the officer left the room,
Cain cupped both hands on Julie’s face and kissed her. It was quick
and hard, but it left them both slightly breathless. “Julie, this
is Quinn and the other one in the chair behind me is Jasmine or
Jazzie. They’re my sisters. Well, two of them anyway. The man the
police are taking away, that’s our father.”
Cain didn’t look up when he heard her
draw a sharp breath, but continued to examine her wound. He hated
his father more in that moment than he had all his life. When Julie
lifted his chin with her finger, she was smiling.
“ I thought they were,
well, that one, Jazzie, I thought she was your wife,” Julie
whispered to him. It was low, but Jazzie could hear.
“
reasonably sure he’d missed something. He was halfway down the
stairs when he realized that Jazzie had said she’d called the
police and by then he could hear the sirens.
Roscoe Waite was just coming around
when Cain entered the hall. Quinn was still sitting on the floor,
but she said she was all right.
“ Where’s that fucking
girl? She’s gonna get sued after I’m finished with her. She had no
reason for knocking a man out in his own son’s house. Cain, you see
to me first. Quinny said she was all right. Look at what she did do
me.”
Cain ignored his father and looked at
Quinn, then at Jazzie. Quinn had a knot on her forehead that would
be painful for a while and Jazzie had a busted lip that could use a
couple of stitches and her eye was bruised. He was just going to
look for Julie when the police knocked on the door frame to his
open door.
“ Do you know this young
woman, Dr. Waite? She claims she was just passing by and sat down
to enjoy the view. I think she might be hurt too,” the officer
said, humor evident in his voice.
“ Yes. She belongs to this
bedlam. This man—” Cain pointed to his father. “He does
not.”
Cain picked up a protesting Julie and
sat her down on the couch in the living room. Every time she
started to rise, he pushed her back down again. Finally, he leaned
down to her and whispered in her ear.
“ Get up again and I will
pull you across my knees and beat your ass. I’m not in the best of
humor right now.”
“ Well neither am I. And
you just try it, buster, and I’ll tell your wife what we did where
she is currently standing.”
Cain was too furious with her to
explain. His sisters had been hurt, as well as Julie, by his
father. It was all he could do not to pound the man into the floor.
The only thing going through his head was the amount of witnesses
there were in the room.
“ Miss Waite, I have a
report that says this man here isn’t supposed to be within a
hundred yards of you. That true?” Officer Tanner, Jake, he’d said,
asked Jazzie.
“ Yes. One hundred yards or
he goes to jail. If this young lady hadn’t punched him in his
balls, he might have really hurt us all. It happened so
fast.”
Cain looked at Julie who was trying to
pull a pillow over her belly. Dropping to his knees in front of
her, Cain fought her, trying to get the pillow from her.
“ Do you have to make
everything we do a fight? Damn it, Julie, let me see.” Cain glared
right back at her when he noticed she was glaring.
She hit him with it. “You know, I think
I might have mentioned this before about your bedside manner. You
might think about taking an anger management course or something.”
He pinched her thigh to shut her up. “Ouch! You ass, that
hurt.”
Cain could hear his sisters laughing at
him. The sound was so unexpected and long-forgotten that he ignored
that they were having fun at his expense. “Jake, would you mind
handing me my medical bag from the front closet? Julie has pulled
some stitches and I want to make sure they don’t need to be put
back in.”
“ I’m not hurt, I was
covering myself up, you idiot. Will you please go play in the
street and leave me alone?” She pulled the pillow back onto her
lap.
As soon as the officer left the room,
Cain cupped both hands on Julie’s face and kissed her. It was quick
and hard, but it left them both slightly breathless. “Julie, this
is Quinn and the other one in the chair behind me is Jasmine or
Jazzie. They’re my sisters. Well, two of them anyway. The man the
police are taking away, that’s our father.”
Cain didn’t look up when he heard her
draw a sharp breath, but continued to examine her wound. He hated
his father more in that moment than he had all his life. When Julie
lifted his chin with her finger, she was smiling.
“ I thought they were,
well, that one, Jazzie, I thought she was your wife,” Julie
whispered to him. It was low, but Jazzie could hear.
“
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