in.
“James you’re scaring me. What’s going on?”
“Keep your phone on you. If you don’t hear from me in ten minutes I want you to call the police and send them to Bev’s house.”
“What? Why?”
“Cassidy, please. Ten minutes. Not a second longer. Do you understand?”
“ Y,yes, I understand.” She walked away and closed the door as I pulled out of their as fast as I could. I was grateful that Aunt Bev lived as close as she did, but even still it would take me at least five minutes to get there.
C hapter 7 ~ F ragile
~ JAMES ~
When I pulled up the drive, the gate open, I spotted Jane’s car, Cal’s truck and another vehicle with California plates. My suspicions were correct. It had to be Derek. It was then evident to me that he was stalking Jane and she was too naïve to say anything about it. I parked the truck and pulled my gun out of the glove box, thankful I had put it in there the day before.
I decided to go in the back door and quickly made my way through to the front of the house. I heard some loud voices, a bang, and dread filled me as I hurried toward the foyer. The next few minutes were a blur. I vaguely remember seeing Derek pulling a screaming and bloodied Jane toward the top of the staircase when I confronted him. He was armed and on higher ground, but I had the training he didn’t. Before I could stop it from happening, he shoved Jane down the stairs and pointed his gun at her. Without any reservations I shot him. He fell back to the floor before he even managed to get a shot off.
My vision became skewed as the bright light of the desert filled my eyes. I was in my fatigues and sweating my ass off. Someone was yelling at me for help and after a moment I followed the voice of my comrade. We performed CPR on a fallen soldier as we waited for help to arrive.
My vision blurred again and I was walking in the foyer of my Aunt’s house trying to console Jane. I watched them wheel Cal into an ambulance while they diligently worked on him. I don’t quite remember making it to the hospital, but once I was there I was back in reality. I demanded Jane get herself checked out.
The horror of the things that came from her mouth , while I was in the examining room with her, had me completely nauseated. If I had any idea what had been going on with her and Derek he never would’ve seen the light of day.
A t Jane’s insistence, I left to go check on Cal. I stepped outside briefly and when the cold winter air hit me I knew I was going to lose it. Rushing toward some shrubbery, I hurled the contents of my stomach to the ground. How was it possible that Jane lived with such horrible things happening to her? If anyone ever hurt Cassidy the way Jane had been hurt, he wouldn’t survive the beating I would dish out. When the heaving stopped I made my way inside and found Cassidy and everyone else as we waited on news of Calvin.
~ CASSIDY ~
We waited in the waiting room for hours , all sitting silently, desperate for any news on Cal. Over and over we were told someone should be out soon. Cal’s prognosis wasn’t good. We knew it was bad, but I refused to let him leave me. The police gave us enough details for us to know that Cal and James had saved Jane’s life, but not before Derek had put a bullet in my brother. We were told that Derek was also in surgery, but that he too wasn’t expected to survive.
I was sitting with my father, watching James console Jane, when the doctors came out and asked for my brother’s family. My father, Lisa and I walked into the room they guided us to and I assumed Jane would be right behind me. I couldn’t take my eyes off the two doctors who looked to us and began talking in words I didn’t understand.
“So he made it through surgery?” I was numb and unable to vocalize anything, but I recognized my father’s voice and the question he
“James you’re scaring me. What’s going on?”
“Keep your phone on you. If you don’t hear from me in ten minutes I want you to call the police and send them to Bev’s house.”
“What? Why?”
“Cassidy, please. Ten minutes. Not a second longer. Do you understand?”
“ Y,yes, I understand.” She walked away and closed the door as I pulled out of their as fast as I could. I was grateful that Aunt Bev lived as close as she did, but even still it would take me at least five minutes to get there.
C hapter 7 ~ F ragile
~ JAMES ~
When I pulled up the drive, the gate open, I spotted Jane’s car, Cal’s truck and another vehicle with California plates. My suspicions were correct. It had to be Derek. It was then evident to me that he was stalking Jane and she was too naïve to say anything about it. I parked the truck and pulled my gun out of the glove box, thankful I had put it in there the day before.
I decided to go in the back door and quickly made my way through to the front of the house. I heard some loud voices, a bang, and dread filled me as I hurried toward the foyer. The next few minutes were a blur. I vaguely remember seeing Derek pulling a screaming and bloodied Jane toward the top of the staircase when I confronted him. He was armed and on higher ground, but I had the training he didn’t. Before I could stop it from happening, he shoved Jane down the stairs and pointed his gun at her. Without any reservations I shot him. He fell back to the floor before he even managed to get a shot off.
My vision became skewed as the bright light of the desert filled my eyes. I was in my fatigues and sweating my ass off. Someone was yelling at me for help and after a moment I followed the voice of my comrade. We performed CPR on a fallen soldier as we waited for help to arrive.
My vision blurred again and I was walking in the foyer of my Aunt’s house trying to console Jane. I watched them wheel Cal into an ambulance while they diligently worked on him. I don’t quite remember making it to the hospital, but once I was there I was back in reality. I demanded Jane get herself checked out.
The horror of the things that came from her mouth , while I was in the examining room with her, had me completely nauseated. If I had any idea what had been going on with her and Derek he never would’ve seen the light of day.
A t Jane’s insistence, I left to go check on Cal. I stepped outside briefly and when the cold winter air hit me I knew I was going to lose it. Rushing toward some shrubbery, I hurled the contents of my stomach to the ground. How was it possible that Jane lived with such horrible things happening to her? If anyone ever hurt Cassidy the way Jane had been hurt, he wouldn’t survive the beating I would dish out. When the heaving stopped I made my way inside and found Cassidy and everyone else as we waited on news of Calvin.
~ CASSIDY ~
We waited in the waiting room for hours , all sitting silently, desperate for any news on Cal. Over and over we were told someone should be out soon. Cal’s prognosis wasn’t good. We knew it was bad, but I refused to let him leave me. The police gave us enough details for us to know that Cal and James had saved Jane’s life, but not before Derek had put a bullet in my brother. We were told that Derek was also in surgery, but that he too wasn’t expected to survive.
I was sitting with my father, watching James console Jane, when the doctors came out and asked for my brother’s family. My father, Lisa and I walked into the room they guided us to and I assumed Jane would be right behind me. I couldn’t take my eyes off the two doctors who looked to us and began talking in words I didn’t understand.
“So he made it through surgery?” I was numb and unable to vocalize anything, but I recognized my father’s voice and the question he
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