Ransom: Laurel Springs Emergency Response Team #1

by Laramie Briscoe

  “No.” Havoc shakes his head. “You did right, I wouldn’t have wanted him here alone. What the hell happened?”

  “He tried to initiate a traffic stop. The car came back stolen, and there was a high-speed chase. The driver of the stolen car lost control and wrecked. When they wrecked, Ransom went after one, Rambo went after the other. All I heard on the radio was Ransom freaking out because he couldn’t see Rambo anymore. We were trying to get to him when he said he was going to pursue. He drug the second suspect with him through the woods while they looked for Rambo. About half a mile away, Ransom heard the dog yelping, and I mean, we all know how he feels about that dog.”

  Havoc has a ghost of a smile. “That dog might as well be his kid, I’m sure there were words exchanged.”

  “He came upon them, and the other suspect was trying to choke Rambo, but somehow the dog had gotten hold of his hand. Ransom threatened to tase him, and when he did, suspect one pulled a gun, shot Rambo, and fired two shots at Ransom. Ransom took one to the vest, one to the arm, and then the suspect charged at him before he could get a clean shot off. It got physical, but in the end, the suspect was cuffed. Officers finally got to them, but both Rambo and Ransom lost a lot of blood. I’m not sure if the shot to the arm was a clean in and out either. The specialist has been back there with him. They’re talking surgery.”

  “Can we go see him?” Leigh asks, her voice watery with unshed tears. She holds onto Havoc with one arm, Cutter with the other.

  “He’s asked that you all be brought back once you got here.”

  “We’ll be out here waiting on you,” Dad tells them as he motions to Havoc and Leigh.

  “No.” Menace, turns to look at me. “He asked to see Stella too.”

  My heart is pounding, and I’m doing my best to keep the tears in as I nod.

  “Stella?” Dad questions.

  But I’m already following, not even caring what’s being asked, what’s being talked about. I can hear everyone behind me, but I don’t pay them any mind. We all enter the room together, and as I look at him, perched on the edge of an examination table, it’s like we’re the only ones here.

  I notice immediately that Leigh and Havoc don’t rush forward. I’m almost sick to my stomach as I get a good look at him. He’s shirtless, bandages wrapped around his shoulder and over his ribs. He’s got cuts and bruises everywhere. His face, that I love to give him shit about, sports a cut on his chin, above his eye, and a split lip. I want badly to go to him, to wrap my arms around his body, but I’m not sure what to do, and I don’t want to hurt him. I’m searching for a sign.

  The sign comes when a crooked smile spreads across his face and he reaches for me with his good hand. Tears are already streaming down my face and I’m trying unsuccessfully to hold it together. I somewhat do, until his deep voice speaks.

  “Come here, babe. I’m okay.”

  And with those words I rush into his arms, hugging him as tightly as I dare.

  “What the fuck?” I hear my dad say right as I hear my mom slap him on the back.

  And then I hear. “It’s about fuckin’ time,” and I know that comes from Menace, who’s been the only person Ransom’s confided in.

  The sweetest thing I hear though? Ransom when he whispers in my ear. “I told you I love you last night, but I did it like a pussy because I thought you were sleeping. I’m saying it now, and I know you can hear me. I love you.”

  Fuck the tears, they fall like crazy. “I love you too, I’m so glad you’re okay.’

  “Hey.” He pulls back, cupping my face with his good hand. “I ain’t going anywhere.”

  I lick my lips, rubbing my nose with the back of my hand. “I’m going to hold you to that, Ransom Thompson. I’m going to hold you to that so hard.”

  Chapter 29

  Leighton

  Sitting beside my son’s hospital bed is a place I always pray I’ll never be, especially since he decided to follow in his father’s footsteps. I’m proud of him, there’s no doubt about that, but I worry. We live in tumultuous times and not everyone loves police officers like I do.

  My hand holds onto Holden’s tightly as we listen to the surgeon speak. She’s just given Ransom something to relax him and she’s explaining to us that his surgery is minimally invasive.

  “Luckily for you, the bullet missed most everything that would be a major problem. Based on the x-ray it should be relatively easy for me to go in there and get it out. Now I do believe it may have grazed your scapula, which is your shoulder blade. If it did and there is debris from it, I’ll clean all that out while I’m in there. You’re looking at a recovery time anywhere from four to eight weeks, depending on what I find when I get in there.” She’s talking to all of us quickly and efficiently. “You’re very lucky, Officer.”

  “I know I am.” He turns his head to give us a soft smile, reminding me of the little boy he once was.

  “We’ll be back to get you shortly.” She turns to us. “When they come to get him, they’ll show you where you all can wait. There is a waiting room full of uniforms out there for you, and I promise you’re in good hands.”

  As I watch her leave, I feel more secure in knowing she’s the one who will be taking care of my son. Glancing over at him, I see his lips moving, but he’s getting groggy, and I can’t understand what he’s saying.

  “Ransom, say it one more time for me.”

  He forces his eyes open wide. “Stelle, I need to talk to Stelle.”

  Holden makes a move to get up, but I put my hand on his knee. “I’ll get her, you spend some time with him.”

  Leaving the room is like having a weight lifted off of my shoulders. In all the years I’ve been with Holden, he’s never been injured like this, I’ve never been picked up by a fellow officer and taken to the hospital to make sure he’s okay. This day has taken years off my life, and as I approach the waiting area where everyone has gathered, I see Stella.

  Only today I see her differently than I ever have. For so many years I’ve seen her as that little girl I used to watch when Whitney had meetings at The Café. The cutie I took to the playground, holding her hand tightly as we’d walk down the street and then back up has morphed into a gorgeous woman. She sits with her legs crossed, one foot bouncing back and forth, her arms crossed over her chest, worrying her thumbnail in between her teeth. Renegade and Menace flank her, both of them appearing to be as nervous as she is. It’s plain as day what Ransom saw in her. Great heart, beautiful spirit, and blue eyes like her mama’s. As I walk toward her, it feels like this morning was a century ago, and I blush at making a comment regarding her beard burn. Lord, if I’d only known that was because of my son. The thought makes me laugh – just like his own dad.

  “Stella, Ransom is asking to see you before they take him back for surgery.”

  She’s up and walking to me before I can even blink. “Is he okay?” She twirls a piece of hair around her finger in what I recognize as a nervous gesture.

  “He’s gonna be fine,” I tell her, because I kind of think if I keep saying it, it’ll be true.

  “I know.” She lets out a breath I’m not even sure she knew she was holding. “He has to be.”

  The two of us make our way back to the room they’re holding Ransom in, Ryan and Mason following. As we enter, I can hear the affection in his voice as he greets her. My son is so in love with her, and I’m wondering now as I watch the two of them interact how I didn’t see it. They’ve been around each other with all of us, and I’m kicking myself for not seeing it. The chemistry is electric between them.

  “What do you need me to do?” She sits in the chair I vacated when I left, leaning closer so she can hear him speak.

  “Please go check on Rambo. Tank texted me and said they’ve taken him into surgery, I don’t want him to wake up without someone he knows and loves there. He knows Tank, but not well. He knows you, babe. If he sees you, he’ll know everything’s gonna be fine.”

  My heart clenches and I choke aroun
d a sob I try to keep within my throat. The love my son has for this dog is enough to bring me to my knees. Holden grabs my hand, caressing it softly as he tries to calm me down.

  “What about you?” Stella asks, running her hand along his forehead.

  “Forget about me, I’m fine. I have my mom and dad, everybody in my department is here. Rambo’s by himself.” I see tears well in his eyes. “That doesn’t seem right to me. What if…” His voice cracks loudly. “What if something happens? I want him to have someone there he knows. Please, babe, go. I’m fine, but I’m worried about him.”

  Stella has tears running down her cheeks as most of us do, mine started when I heard his voice crack, and I’m not sure I’ll get them to stop. She turns to look at me, the two of us having a conversation without words that I’m not sure either of us are prepared for. “I’ve got him,” I assure her. “As soon as I know something, I’ll call you. As soon as he’s awake, we’ll call you. Go check on Rambo. He’s right, he’s a member of the family and he can’t be left alone. It pains me to say this, but he probably knows you more than us now.”

  “Okay.” She pushes her hair back behind her ears and wipes her face clean. “I’ll go to him.” She turns to Ransom, leaning down to kiss him. “I swear to you, if something happens while I’m not here, you’ll pay.”

  The laugh I hear from him is totally his father. “I would expect to.” He grabs her hand as she straightens up, kissing her knuckles. “I love you,” he whispers and it tears my heart to pieces.

  “I love you too,” she whispers back, and I almost feel as if I shouldn’t be sharing this moment with them.

  Giving them their privacy, I hug Holden tightly, needing to feel his strength around me.

  “I didn’t drive myself.” She looks around the room.

  “Take your mom’s car,” Renegade tells her. “I’ll drive her home in my squad car, put her in the back,” he jokes. “She’ll love it.”

  “She’ll kill you.” Stella laughs at her dad as she goes over to give him a hug. “Thanks Dad, love you.”

  “Can one of you all notify the police agencies, let them know she’s going to check on a fellow officer, so they don’t pull her over?” Ransom asks, his eyes slipping closed.

  “I got this part.” Menace stands, pulling his keys out of his pocket. “I’ll escort her. You don’t have to worry. We’ve got him and you taken care of. Only thing you have to worry about it is getting better.”

  Finally, I see a smile spread across his face and he slips into the darkness of the medication they’ve given him. Stella looks back at me one more time.

  “Go. I promise you, he’s in great hands here. Make sure Rambo is okay.”

  She nods, exiting the room with Menace close behind, and for the first time all day, I feel like this is all going to work out the way it’s supposed to.

  Havoc

  I’ve had a few rough days in my life, but this is the roughest and longest I’ve ever had. Sitting in my son’s hospital room, waiting for him to wake up from the surgery he just endured is one of the most nerve-wracking things I’ve ever done. When I sent Leighton out of the room – telling her to get coffee and check in with Stella – it was as much for my sake as hers. I need a few moments, and I’m taking them.

  Leaning onto his bed, I grab hold of Ransom’s hand with mine. “Wake up, bub,” I almost beg him. All I want is to see his eyes, know that he’s awake and okay.

  “Dad.” His voice is a croak as he turns his head to face me.

  “Hey.” Even I hear the relief in my voice. I grip his hand tightly. “How you feelin’?”

  “High as fuck,” he answers, amusement in his voice.

  “In any pain?”

  “Can’t feel anything,” he assures me.

  As I watch him, I see him as the little kid he used to be. The way his hair used to fall over his forehead, into his face. It’s not long enough to do that now, but I still brush my hand along the skin there.

  He coughs, his voice scratchy. “You okay, Dad?”

  The concern in his voice is what breaks me. The tears I’ve been holding back since Cutter told me what happened, are now flowing down my cheeks unchecked. “No.” I shake my head, trying to hold back the sobs that are threatening to escape. “Lost fuckin’ years off my life when I heard what happened to you. This has been my fear since you told me you wanted to follow in my footsteps,” I admit, wiping my face off.

  “Funny you say that,” he says, this time his voice seeming to be stronger. “It’s my fear too, only for you. Since I was a kid, I’ve been scared to death that something would happen to you in the line of duty. It’s one of the reasons I joined, same with Nick. Both of us thought that if we were around to help, to watch over y’all until you retire, we could prevent anything bad from happening. I know it’s stupid.” He sniffles. “I mean if anything, this has shown me how mortal I am. But I would still do everything the same. If something happened to you, I’d wanna be there, right next to you, and that’s why I decided to be a cop. You’ve always been my hero.” His gaze is clear and strong as he looks at me. “And all I’ve ever wanted is for you to be proud of me.”

  “God, Ransom, I’m proud.” I let the tears flow. “I’m so proud, and I’m so thankful that you weren’t hurt worse. That you’re gonna come home, and you’re gonna rehab.”

  We’re quiet for a moment, and I say the words that have been threatening to come out since I sat here.

  “If you choose not to come back, nobody would blame you.”

  “Fuck that.” He grins. “It’s in my blood. I love it, no matter how dangerous it might be. I’m addicted to it, and I love helping people. Learned that from the best.”

  “I love you, Ransom. Just promise me, you’re gonna be careful, and if you ever do wanna quit, you’ll get no judgment from me.”

  He smiles widely. “I love you too, Dad. You don’t have to worry. I’m always gonna fight to come home. Especially now that I have someone to come home to.”

  I smirk down at him. “Stella, huh?”

  He chuckles, pushing his head back against the pillow. “Always has been, always will be.”

  Those are the best words I’ve heard. Because if there’s one thing I know, it’s that a man in love is the most dangerous of them all. They will fight tooth and nail to get home every night, and that’s the only thing I’ve ever wanted for my kids. Mission accomplished.

  Chapter 30

  Stella

  My mind travels as fast as my mom’s SUV as we make our way back to Laurel Springs. I never expected any of these events to happen when I woke up this morning. That’s how life goes, though, doesn’t it? Just when you think everything is perfect and you feel like you’ve got your shit together, something throws you for a loop.

  Tears drip from my eyes again and I growl. “What the fuck? When are they going to stop?”

  The medical professional in me knows it’s delayed reaction. I’m coming down from the adrenaline and the shock, but it’s really starting to piss me off. I’m still wiping moisture from my cheeks as we hit the Laurel Springs city limits.

  Menace slows down as we reach the vet’s office, and I follow suit, parking in a spot next to my uncle’s vehicle. When I get out, Menace motions me over.

  “You need anything, you let one of us know, okay?”

  “Got it.” I nod, knowing that this brotherhood is more of a family than most blood families are. “Right now I just want to go check on him. Keep me posted if you hear anything about Ransom?”

  “Sweetheart-” he grins, “-you’ll be the first to know, I promise you that.”

  Grabbing my purse, I walk quickly to the entrance, knocking when I try the door but find it locked.

  “C’mon in.” I hear Uncle Trevor’s voice as he opens the door and then shuts it behind me, locking it back. “While you were on your way up here, things got a little hectic. They’ve released Ransom’s body cam footage, and now everybody wants to know how the cop and the dog are doing. Pe
ople were just coming in and out, so we locked it.”

  “Gotcha.” I wrap my arms tightly around him. “How’s Rambo doing?”

  “They’ve had him back there for over an hour. He was pretty out of it.”

  “Is this Stella?” someone asks as they come in from the back.

  “Yeah.” Trevor pushes me forward. “This is her.”

  The woman holds out her hand to me. “I’m Dr. Scott, Rambo’s vet. I got a call from the PD telling me you’d be coming up once you made sure Ransom is okay. If you talk to him, please give him my best.”

  “Will do, how’s Rambo?”

  She sighs heavily as she motions for me to follow her. “We just got done not long ago. I removed the bullet.” She turns to face me. “He’s very lucky. It missed just about everything it could have hit. It did nick his rib and he’ll be sore for a bit, but more than anything, he lost a lot of blood. His color is pale, and he’s very groggy, but I promise he’s fine. We’re gonna wake him up, I just wanted to make sure you were here before we did it. It’ll be nice for him to see a familiar face.”

  When she opens a door and I see Rambo lying on a steel table, tubes running from his body, his paw shaved with tape around it, I fight back the tears. She’s right, his color is off and his breathing appears to be labored. “Are you sure?”

  “He’s fine, he’s just in a really deep sedation. We’ve cut off the medication and he’ll come out of it on his own faster than you’d think,” she assures me. “We brought a chair in for you.” She points to the one situated next to where Rambo’s head is.

  “Oh, of course.” I quickly take the seat, setting my purse to the side, on the floor. “Can I touch him?”

  “Please, just start rubbing his head,” she tells me as she starts softly saying his name.

  He stirs slightly as she says his name, his tail starting to swish slightly back and forth. Just that motion makes me want to cry. I need to see his eyes, know that he knows I’m here. I rub a little harder. “C’mon, bub,” I coo as he starts to open his eyes slightly. “Open those eyes for me.” I smile brightly as he opens them and then shifts his head closer to me. He whines slightly. “Oh I know, bub, but you’re fine.” When he turns his head into my hand and licks my palm, I cry. I cry for him being hurt, for how scared I’ve been, and for the relief I feel knowing he’s going to be okay. “Yeah you’re gonna be fine, aren’t you?”