Jack walked in to the hospital room as Todd and Blair were packing her things and readying her to go home. "Mom, Dad, where's the kid?"
Todd snickered, "He's in the nursery. We're going to leave soon. We'll go get him or the nurse will bring him over."
"Can I see him?" Jack asked.
"Of course. He's your brother." Blair answered. She hobbled around, very weak. Todd supported her arm whenever she moved. He treated her as if she were made of glass, Jack noticed. "Okay, I'll wait here. Are you okay, mom?"
"I'm going to be. I'm on my way. How was your session? Did you see Zeus again?"
Jack faltered a bit, "It was fine. He was there. What's wrong, I mean, is that how it is when you have a baby?"
"Somewhat." She did not want to tell him about her near miss, nor did she want Todd to relive any of it. "Ohhh, here he comes!"
The nurse wheeled him in. He was wearing a little blue knit cap that was pointed on top. He appeared to be a teeny elf. Jack said, "Oh, snap, he's so little!"
Todd lifted him, so natural at it, and offered him to Jack. "Want to hold him?"
"I can't...no, not yet I mean, wow, he's puny."
Blair laughed, she so wanted to hold him, but was still reeling and not sure about her strength. She wanted to be certain she could handle it, so she steered clear for the moment.
Todd said, "Come on, give it a shot, it's easy. Put your hand under here," he instructed, "and the support his head like this. There you go."
Jack looked up at his parents with such a precious expression that Blair wished she had a camera. "Wow, he's so cool," Jack said. His parents both smiled. Jack added, "You two made a good thing."
Todd said, "All right, you'll be holding him all the time at home. Give him up, we've already completed our discharge papers, and we've gotta go. You can help, take your mom's bag. Did you bring the car seat with you?"
"Yeah, me and Williams put that bottom part into the back of the limo."
"Perfect, thanks Jack."
Blair stood wobbling. "Todd, I have to sit down."
He helped her to the chair. Jack watched as his father doted on her, as if she was a priceless item. He smiled. He'd never seen any man that his mother was with ever treat her quite the same way.
After a few minutes, Todd got Blair into a wheelchair, and Jack carried the bags. Todd handled the car seat, which doubled as a baby carrier, and the three of them headed out. the limo was in front of the hospital. An older woman said, "Oh look, he got a limousine for his baby's homecoming!"
Todd smiled at her. "Thanks, lady."
Blair said, "It's better than that, he owns it."
The three of them maneuvered getting both Blair and the baby inside the beautiful stretch car. Blair sat back and nestled into the crook of Todd's arm, and Jack, watching them carefully, was letting the baby hold his finger and wondering at how strong the grip was. He looked at them, and back to Ray. "You two, you're like you just met or something."
Todd said, looking to Blair a minute and smiling into her face, "What do you mean?"
"You act like...I don't know, two teenagers in love. Or like you just fell in love last week."
Blair said, "We did. We fall in love every day, Jack. At least I do."
Todd responded by brushing her hair back from her face and pulling her head down to his chest. Jack hated to disturb them. He didn't want to, but he knew he had to tell them. He then realized he was afraid to say it in front of his mother, and waited until they got home so he could get his father alone and tell him.
Arriving at the penthouse building, there were balloons in every shade of blue lining the entrance. Blair smiled, "Oh, Todd."
"Nothing too good for my buddy's homecoming." For a moment, he wondered if Jack was feeling at all strange seeing him loving this new baby, knowing what he had done when Jack was born. He'd ask him directly later.
Inside the penthouse, there were more balloons. Starr had made a "Welcome Home Little Ray" banner. Blair was pleased, and tired from the journey. She asked Todd to help her to bed, and he put her into her favorite nightie, as he loved doing. Then he put the baby into the lace-trimmed bassinet next to her bed, and kept an ear peeled, opening the baby monitor in case either of them needed him.
He went back to the living room, and adjusting the monitor there, he said to Jack, "I can only remember two other times I felt this way."
Jack said, "What were they?"
"When I saw Starr for the first time, but it was different. She was older, and had lost that little baby thing. And the second, was a tie."
"What's the tie?"
"When I first held you, and looked into your face when I helped bring you into the world, and when I brought you back and watched your mother hold you for the first time again."
Jack was not sure what to say. He knew his father was still filled with guilt for his mistakes. Jack, however, had somehow already gotten past that and felt his father had more than let him know what he meant to him. He felt he should say it, but couldn't find the words. So, he said, "Dad, you love us so much. I can tell. And the way you love Mom. I know you love me."
"I do, more than my own life."
This Jack was certain of. "I know. I believe you. Dad, I have to tell you something. I didn't want to tell you in front of Mom."
"Sure, what's up?"
"It's about Zeus. Today."
"What about him? You can tell me anything, it's okay."
"He told me something, and it's bad. He said that Carlo won't stop trying to get even with you. He said he didn't think jail would stop him. Nothing would. He said he vowed to get revenge on you no matter what it took. He was, like, warning us."
Todd didn't respond. He filed the information in his head. He was already certain Carlo had something to do with it, based on the gas lighting. "Don't worry about it, Jack. No one is going to hurt this family while I'm living."
"I know, Dad. I just wanted to tell you."
***
"We seem to have things under control, finally. Have the guards start bringing the prisoners in that lounge to their cells, a few at a time." John closed the walkie talkie and looked to Natalie. "What have you got for me?"
"Missing prisoners. It's not good," she said.
"Give it to me straight."
"Michael Leona."
John's face looked greenish. "The Slice and Dice."
"What?"
"Nothing."
"I knew you'd be interested in him. He was one of them?"
"He was. Anyone else?"
"Yeah, there's about 12 more." She started reading the rest of the names, and they were interrupted.
"Lieutenant, there's a security officer who needs to speak with you," Brody said, bringing the man toward John. The guard was rubbing his head, and looked disheveled. He was wearing an orange jumpsuit, as if a prisoner.
"No, this didn't happen," John rolled his eyes.
"He knocked me out, I'm sorry, Lieutenant. On the way to the cells, he was lagging, complained of a stomach ache, bent over, and when I went to see, he hit me with something. I blacked out. When I woke, I was wearing this."
John knew that whatever came next was not going to be good. He steadied himself for it. "Who knocked you out?"
"Hesser."
John grabbed the walkie-talkie and got on his channel, "Hesser's on the loose. Don't let him out of this place. He's wearing a guard uniform. Scour this hell hole until you find him!" he looked to Natalie, "Not good."
"Oh God, John."
After about thirty minutes, everyone reported back into John, and it was evident that Hesser was gone. He'd found a way to get out, and taken his best shot. He was out in the world, possibly headed to Llanview. John said to Natalie, "Get on the phone and warn Manning. Don't tell it to Blair, get him on the line personally." He watched her head into the corner to make her call. "Jesus."
Pushing through the woods surrounding Statesville, Carlo was struggling. Not able to move as fast as he wanted, because of the deep forest around him, he pushed aside branches, stepped over logs, sometimes stumbling, as he attempted to put as much distance between himself and the penitentiary. "Manning, it's coming, my boy. It will take me quite a time, but your day is coming." He stopped, angry with a branch that grabbed at his face, leaving a scratch. "I promise you, you have not seen the last of me. No one has."
Todd snickered, "He's in the nursery. We're going to leave soon. We'll go get him or the nurse will bring him over."
"Can I see him?" Jack asked.
"Of course. He's your brother." Blair answered. She hobbled around, very weak. Todd supported her arm whenever she moved. He treated her as if she were made of glass, Jack noticed. "Okay, I'll wait here. Are you okay, mom?"
"I'm going to be. I'm on my way. How was your session? Did you see Zeus again?"
Jack faltered a bit, "It was fine. He was there. What's wrong, I mean, is that how it is when you have a baby?"
"Somewhat." She did not want to tell him about her near miss, nor did she want Todd to relive any of it. "Ohhh, here he comes!"
The nurse wheeled him in. He was wearing a little blue knit cap that was pointed on top. He appeared to be a teeny elf. Jack said, "Oh, snap, he's so little!"
Todd lifted him, so natural at it, and offered him to Jack. "Want to hold him?"
"I can't...no, not yet I mean, wow, he's puny."
Blair laughed, she so wanted to hold him, but was still reeling and not sure about her strength. She wanted to be certain she could handle it, so she steered clear for the moment.
Todd said, "Come on, give it a shot, it's easy. Put your hand under here," he instructed, "and the support his head like this. There you go."
Jack looked up at his parents with such a precious expression that Blair wished she had a camera. "Wow, he's so cool," Jack said. His parents both smiled. Jack added, "You two made a good thing."
Todd said, "All right, you'll be holding him all the time at home. Give him up, we've already completed our discharge papers, and we've gotta go. You can help, take your mom's bag. Did you bring the car seat with you?"
"Yeah, me and Williams put that bottom part into the back of the limo."
"Perfect, thanks Jack."
Blair stood wobbling. "Todd, I have to sit down."
He helped her to the chair. Jack watched as his father doted on her, as if she was a priceless item. He smiled. He'd never seen any man that his mother was with ever treat her quite the same way.
After a few minutes, Todd got Blair into a wheelchair, and Jack carried the bags. Todd handled the car seat, which doubled as a baby carrier, and the three of them headed out. the limo was in front of the hospital. An older woman said, "Oh look, he got a limousine for his baby's homecoming!"
Todd smiled at her. "Thanks, lady."
Blair said, "It's better than that, he owns it."
The three of them maneuvered getting both Blair and the baby inside the beautiful stretch car. Blair sat back and nestled into the crook of Todd's arm, and Jack, watching them carefully, was letting the baby hold his finger and wondering at how strong the grip was. He looked at them, and back to Ray. "You two, you're like you just met or something."
Todd said, looking to Blair a minute and smiling into her face, "What do you mean?"
"You act like...I don't know, two teenagers in love. Or like you just fell in love last week."
Blair said, "We did. We fall in love every day, Jack. At least I do."
Todd responded by brushing her hair back from her face and pulling her head down to his chest. Jack hated to disturb them. He didn't want to, but he knew he had to tell them. He then realized he was afraid to say it in front of his mother, and waited until they got home so he could get his father alone and tell him.
Arriving at the penthouse building, there were balloons in every shade of blue lining the entrance. Blair smiled, "Oh, Todd."
"Nothing too good for my buddy's homecoming." For a moment, he wondered if Jack was feeling at all strange seeing him loving this new baby, knowing what he had done when Jack was born. He'd ask him directly later.
Inside the penthouse, there were more balloons. Starr had made a "Welcome Home Little Ray" banner. Blair was pleased, and tired from the journey. She asked Todd to help her to bed, and he put her into her favorite nightie, as he loved doing. Then he put the baby into the lace-trimmed bassinet next to her bed, and kept an ear peeled, opening the baby monitor in case either of them needed him.
He went back to the living room, and adjusting the monitor there, he said to Jack, "I can only remember two other times I felt this way."
Jack said, "What were they?"
"When I saw Starr for the first time, but it was different. She was older, and had lost that little baby thing. And the second, was a tie."
"What's the tie?"
"When I first held you, and looked into your face when I helped bring you into the world, and when I brought you back and watched your mother hold you for the first time again."
Jack was not sure what to say. He knew his father was still filled with guilt for his mistakes. Jack, however, had somehow already gotten past that and felt his father had more than let him know what he meant to him. He felt he should say it, but couldn't find the words. So, he said, "Dad, you love us so much. I can tell. And the way you love Mom. I know you love me."
"I do, more than my own life."
This Jack was certain of. "I know. I believe you. Dad, I have to tell you something. I didn't want to tell you in front of Mom."
"Sure, what's up?"
"It's about Zeus. Today."
"What about him? You can tell me anything, it's okay."
"He told me something, and it's bad. He said that Carlo won't stop trying to get even with you. He said he didn't think jail would stop him. Nothing would. He said he vowed to get revenge on you no matter what it took. He was, like, warning us."
Todd didn't respond. He filed the information in his head. He was already certain Carlo had something to do with it, based on the gas lighting. "Don't worry about it, Jack. No one is going to hurt this family while I'm living."
"I know, Dad. I just wanted to tell you."
***
"We seem to have things under control, finally. Have the guards start bringing the prisoners in that lounge to their cells, a few at a time." John closed the walkie talkie and looked to Natalie. "What have you got for me?"
"Missing prisoners. It's not good," she said.
"Give it to me straight."
"Michael Leona."
John's face looked greenish. "The Slice and Dice."
"What?"
"Nothing."
"I knew you'd be interested in him. He was one of them?"
"He was. Anyone else?"
"Yeah, there's about 12 more." She started reading the rest of the names, and they were interrupted.
"Lieutenant, there's a security officer who needs to speak with you," Brody said, bringing the man toward John. The guard was rubbing his head, and looked disheveled. He was wearing an orange jumpsuit, as if a prisoner.
"No, this didn't happen," John rolled his eyes.
"He knocked me out, I'm sorry, Lieutenant. On the way to the cells, he was lagging, complained of a stomach ache, bent over, and when I went to see, he hit me with something. I blacked out. When I woke, I was wearing this."
John knew that whatever came next was not going to be good. He steadied himself for it. "Who knocked you out?"
"Hesser."
John grabbed the walkie-talkie and got on his channel, "Hesser's on the loose. Don't let him out of this place. He's wearing a guard uniform. Scour this hell hole until you find him!" he looked to Natalie, "Not good."
"Oh God, John."
After about thirty minutes, everyone reported back into John, and it was evident that Hesser was gone. He'd found a way to get out, and taken his best shot. He was out in the world, possibly headed to Llanview. John said to Natalie, "Get on the phone and warn Manning. Don't tell it to Blair, get him on the line personally." He watched her head into the corner to make her call. "Jesus."
Pushing through the woods surrounding Statesville, Carlo was struggling. Not able to move as fast as he wanted, because of the deep forest around him, he pushed aside branches, stepped over logs, sometimes stumbling, as he attempted to put as much distance between himself and the penitentiary. "Manning, it's coming, my boy. It will take me quite a time, but your day is coming." He stopped, angry with a branch that grabbed at his face, leaving a scratch. "I promise you, you have not seen the last of me. No one has."
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
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