Diamond in the Rough: Chapter 81

John McBain was already in the lobby when Mitch Laurence came down the staircase, followed by the Mannings and Timothy Broderick.  Blood soaked his prison issue shirt at the left shoulder.  Tina, with the children, was standing by the door as well.  She said, "Are you all okay?"

Todd said, "Yeah, Tina, we're okay."

At the base of the stairs, Mitch stopped and Todd, losing his composure, walked away from the group and into the living room, gun still in hand, the other hand pressed to his forehead.  He put a blanket down before sitting on the couch, and put his legs up in front of him.  Blair, handing the gun off to Timothy, followed him.  

Starr said, "Hope?" and the little girl ran to her arms.  They embraced, and Starr said, "We need to call an ambulance, the kids and my father have to be checked."

"Already done," McBain said in his soothing, deep voice.  "You want to tell me what happened up there?"

Sam, standing by John, said, "You're a bad man," and ran up to Mitch, kicking him in the groin.  Mitch immediately went to his knees in front of McBain.

Jack said, "Now that was cool, Sam.  Come here, buddy."  Sam ignored him.  Jack said, "Okay opposite game over."

Sam went to Jack, who picked him up.  "I was scared, Jack," he broke into tears again, lying his head on Jack's shoulder.

"You're a hero, Sam.  You saved Hope.  How about some ice cream?"

"I'll take him, Hope should have something too.  But, they need to get warmed up, maybe some cocoa."  Starr said, bringing the children out of the room.

Mitch paled, recovering from the pain, and John said, "And, you're under arrest for escape, the rape and beating of Bitsy Manning, conspiracy to commit rape on a minor, the kidnapping of Starr, Jack, Todd, Blair, Sam, Hope and Ray Manning, the attempted murder of Todd Manning, and numerous other crimes."

Jack, not sure of the whole story, swallowed when he heard the charges that Mitch was facing.  He could only imagine what his father had learned in Chicago.

Mitch did not respond, he just stared at John, as if staring him down.  McBain made no effort to avoid Mitch's gaze, and didn't give credence to it, either.  John pulled Laurence to standing and lead him out to his squad car.

Timothy said, "So, Jack, are ya all right?"

"I'm okay."

Tina said, "You offered to go with Mitch.  That was a heroic thing to do, Jack."

"You weren't so bad yourself," Jack said to his aunt.

She was still holding Ray, and the two of them had forged quite a friendship.

In the living room, with the tent still set up for the kids, Blair sat beside Todd, and he had his head back and eyes closed.  He put his hand, resting on his thigh, palm up toward her.  She put her hand in his.  She said, "I've never been more proud of you than right now, Todd."

"Same, Babe."

"An ambulance is coming," Blair said.

"Yep."

"We're all right."

"Yep."  He gave her the side eye.  "You saved my life."

"I guess.  Yeah.  Maybe."

"Good shot."

"I had practice."  She smirked, and he smirked back.

He reached across himself and touched her face.  "He knew nothing had better happen to you."

"Likewise," she said.

"He'll get more jail time."

"He might get the death penalty."

"He might.  I'd rather see him suffer, though.  Suffer.  Hmf.  Yeah, that sounds fair.  All I can think of right now is suffering.  My mother's."

It got very quiet, the two of them holding hands in the living room.  She said, "I don't know, I'm almost relieved.  You chose us, Todd.  You could have killed him.  I thought you were going to."

"I could have.  But," he looked to her, and smiled weakly, pushing his hand through her hair.

"Then we would have lost you."

"I know," he said.  "Didn't want that.  Not after all we've been through."

The EMTs pushed through the doors and Blair stood up quickly to greet them, then fell back onto the couch unconscious.  "Shit!"  Todd said, "Blair, hey?"  He tried to turn to her and lift her to him, but the pain in his legs made it too difficult.

The EMT said, "Sir, let me see your legs."

"Check her first.  Now!"

The techs checked Blair's vitals and soon, she stirred.  "What happened?" she asked.

"You fainted," one of the paramedics said.

"Check my husband, he was stabbed."

"We are, ma'am, he just won't let us until we check you.  You feeling all right?  I suggest everyone goes to the hospital for a check up.  The little girl was close to shock, that can be dangerous."

"Hope?  Peanut?  Is she all right?"  Todd asked.

"Currently yes, but we're going to take the whole family to Llanview Hospital, just to make certain everyone's all right.  It's common in situations like this."

"Common?  You get situations like this?" he asked.

"Sometimes.  Home invasions.  Becoming more common, yes."

"Home invasion.  That sounds right," Blair said, groggily.  "I didn't realize how tired I am," she said, and her hands were trembling.

The Mannings were all loaded into the ambulances, Jack and Starr, who had little injury more than emotional shock, went with Timothy and Tina in his car.  The others rode in the sirened vehicles.  Hope went with Blair, and Sam went with Todd.

At the hospital, Sam, Jack, Starr and Hope checked out fine.  Little Ray was as perfect as ever, as if he was totally unscathed by the whole experience.  Hope, who was close to shock at the house, was doing better.  Her color returned; the hot milk and a warm blanket and seemed to be helping her come back to herself.  Starr would not leave her side, and stood by the hospital bed, petting her as she drank some  apple juice.  Todd's wounds were bandaged by the nurses.  He was given a total of sixteen stitches in some of the places where the deeper cuts were.  His pulse raced as they worked, and later, he told Blair that he had realized that getting slashed by Mitch made him grateful there was at least one place Leona hadn't worked his handiwork.  He couldn't shake the feeling that the all-too-familiar pain would stay with him for a few days.

Blair was still in the process of being examined, because of her passing out, split lip, and her bruised jaw, and was in the cubicle next to her husband.  She was instructed to lie back and rest while the medical staff did their tests to assure there were no complications from the "punch" impact that could have caused her fainting.  Since her blood pressure was a bit erratic, she was the last one to be cleared.  Todd moved the curtain that separated them and peeked at her.  "Hey, you okay in there?"

"Yeah, are you?"  She said.  He noticed how weak she sounded.

"We had quite a shake up.  It brought up some bad memories for me.  I'll probably need your love and care all week."

"That's fine, I have plenty of that.  And I'll need yours."

He extended his hand as far as he could to her, and then grabbed a hold of her bed, and pulled his slightly closer after kicking out the brakes.  She took his hand, and held it across compartments.

"Ah, screw it."  he said, jumping off the gurney.

"What are you doing?  You have stitches!"

"Can't let some little stitches keep me from my OTB.  Besides, I had lidacaine.  I can't feel anything.  At least right now.  This stuff would have come in handy . . . well, different times."

He took her hand and covered it.  He stood aside her bed, and at her urging, pulled a chair up and sat. He would do so until he got caught.  She said, "The kids are okay."

"Yep.  We're okay, too."

"Guess we are, yeah, and I'm glad.  I just . . . I think it was a little too much for me.  My heart was pounding so much, holding that gun on him."

"You mean being a heroine and saving me and all that?" he said.

"Yeah.  All that.  Almost losing you.  All that emotion."

"You didn't lose me, not even close.  I'm right here."

She tightened her grip on his hand.  "I know you are."

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
Your comments are 'payment' for the work of the authors. Our writers like to hear your feedback. Please leave a comment when you read.