by Terri Marie
"They'll make it appear like I ran away for no reason, just like they did before!" Brian buried his face in the pillow.
"Vincent is a great attorney, and he'll make sure they don't step on your toes. Besides, I'll go to jail again before I let them send you back to your parents, okay?" Tyler stood up, reached inside the warm water and picked the washcloth up. He ran the bar of soap lightly over the cloth.
Brian looked up at Tyler quizzically, but didn't say a word.
"Close your eyes," Tyler calmly instructed, and then softly wiped Brian's face and neck off. He pulled down the sheet to the boy's hips, and then placed the clean gown on his body.
"Give me a couple of towels, Emma, and some clean water," said Tyler as he pointed to the bathroom.
Emma sat the water down on the table, and then handed him the towels. She watched in awe as Tyler ran the damp washcloth through Brian's hair. She'd had to change the water three times, for him to rinse all of the blood from the kid's hair. He found a comb in the drawer of the nightstand, and slowly combed Brian's hair back from his face. She was so close to weeping from witnessing the compassion in this man's heart. Tyler Montclair just bathed a runaway teen and didn't flinch, thought Emma. Everyone should take lessons from him.
"Do you feel better?" Emma asked as she put a clean sheet on top of Brian and gave him a new pillowcase.
"Yeah, thanks," he mumbled as a tear slid out of the corner of his eye.
Emma could tell that he'd never been shown compassion or received care like this. Tyler hadn't skipped a beat, and it appeared like he knew exactly what to do. He must have realized the only way to get Brian to acknowledge how much he cared, was to do the unexpected…to do something that the teen's parents had probably never done; take care of him. With the gentle bath, Tyler got Brian to let down his walls and not be afraid to be vulnerable. Emma knew that when Tyler said he cared, and would help, he meant it. She could only imagine what a great job this man had done at raising his younger siblings.
Without thinking, Emma leaned down and kissed Brian's cheek. "Brian, would you feel better if I just stayed here with you?" Emma knew then that she couldn't allow herself to feel torn. Three of her friends had been wounded, but there were also three others who could tend to them. Brian was young, inexperienced with hospitals, and frightened. He had so much more to lose than the rest of them. If he got sent back to his parents, he'd suffer a fate way worse than being shot. His torture could last for years, again, before they finally killed him.
"What about Renee?" Brian's cheeks reddened.
"I'll take care of Renee," said Tyler. "I'll make sure she continues to heal. Besides, when you two start feeling better, you can visit each other. My brothers, Sean and Vincent, will stay with Jacob. We're a family, Brian, and we take care of our own. You're a part of that." The nurse brought in a blanket and handed it to Tyler. He laid it gently on top of the sheet.
"Other than Renee, no one's ever given a shit about me." Brian looked out the window.
Emma turned his face so she could look at him. She knew the kid wanted to break down and cry, especially after everything he'd been through, but Brian had learned to man-up long ago. "Well, it looks like you got yourself a roommate." Emma sat down in the chair beside of him.
"I'm going to go check on Jacob and Renee, but I'll be back to visit you in a couple of hours, okay?" Tyler smiled when Brian nodded his head.
After Tyler left, Emma watched as Brian stared at the empty wall.
"Would you like to watch television or something?" she asked, trying to break his trance.
"Do you think Tyler meant what he said?" Brian turned to look at her.
"Yes, he really meant it. When Tyler says he'll do something, you can take him at his word. I would know, because he rescued me too."
"How?" he asked as he squinted his eyes.
"I don't normally share this story, but because I know some of your painful past, it's only fair that you know some of mine." Emma took a deep breath. She'd tried so hard to put that phase of her life behind her, and she knew it'd be painful to talk about it again. She'd have to be strong while revealing it, because Brian would have to do the same thing for the authorities at some point today. She waited a minute before speaking, to make sure she kept her composure.
"It's okay, Emma, you can tell me. I won't say anything to anyone." Brian looked at her with compassion in his eyes.
"When I was nine years old, my mother died from breast cancer. I felt lost. I had no siblings, but I would have done anything to have a sister to lean on." She closed her eyes and pictured her mother's gorgeous face and long red hair. "My mom and I were incredibly close. My father was an alcoholic, but he'd stopped drinking a couple of years before my mother got sick. Once she was diagnosed, all hell broke loose." Emma looked down at her hands, smoothing out imaginary wrinkles on her scrub pants.
"What do you mean?" Brian prompted.
Emma wanted to end her story and run off to the bathroom, until she felt Brian's hand wrap around her shoulder. She was so surprised by this young kid's comforting gesture; she knew that she'd have to tell him everything. If Emma withheld her past, so would he.
"After her diagnosis, my father began to drink heavily. He drank until he passed out. I made sure he ate and I took care of the house, while babysitting part-time for a neighbor. Unfortunately, I didn't make much money. My father had a good job, installing phone lines, but when he stopped showing up to work, they fired him. The thirty dollars I was able to make a week, wasn't enough. We lost our house."
Emma got up and slowly walked around the room. "My father got us a seedy motel room in a bad part of Miami. I'd sleep on the floor with a blanket, while he'd pass out in bed or on the chair." She stopped and looked briefly back at Brian. "It wasn't long before he found out how much money he could earn by selling drugs. He never took the stuff, but his drinking remained out of control. I continued to take care of him, though. I'd walk to the laundromat every evening with a bag stuffed full of dirty clothes, and then I'd pick us up something to eat at a small restaurant on my way home." She briefly closed her eyes. "Our motel room always had people running in and out of it, but I couldn't ask any of them for help, and I certainly didn't have any friends to turn to." Emma looked over at Brian and chuckled.
"You? No friends? I can't even believe that no one wanted to be your friend." Brian returned the laughter, but his eyes looked sad.
She sat back down in the chair next to his bed. "I'd pushed all of my classmates away. It would have been awful if they found out where I was living, and I didn't want to risk being sent to a foster home. Regardless of my situation, I felt it was my duty to fill my mom's shoes and take care of him. But what had started out as acts of kindness, became expectations. He'd get mean."
Emma turned towards Brian, and saw that she had his undivided attention. "After years of moving from one scuzzy motel to another, I was getting tired. I'd given up all hope of ever having a different life. But one day after school, I met this really nice boy. He was super sweet, and he'd asked me out. I figured, as long as I had him pick me up down the street, he wouldn't know where I was living." Emma could picture her father sitting in urine-stained pants in a small chair by the bed.
"I didn't realize he was following me while I walked home that day. He wasn't being a stalker, or anything like that, but he was trying to catch up to me. When I got to the motel room, my father came stumbling out of the door. He accused me of stealing fifty dollars from him. I didn't, nor have I ever, taken anything that didn't belong to me. Imagine my horror when the boy came up behind me and uttered my name in shock. My father promptly swung at him and he took off running."
Emma was growing more tired the longer she talked about the skeletons in her closet. No matter what, she'd have to finish this for Brian.
"Did you ever see him again?" he asked.
"When he saw me with that boy, he called me all sorts of names. He then took everything I owned from the motel room, and threw it in
to the parking lot. He told me I was dead to him, before locking the door. I waited outside to see if he'd change his mind when he sobered up some, but in the morning, after I'd been sitting there all night, he came outside, glared at me, and kept on walking. I knew then that he meant it. I never saw the boy or my father again." Emma felt a smile spread across her face.
"Where did you go?" Brian asked, while readjusting himself some in the bed.
"I went to the ocean. I'd never felt so scared and alone in my entire life. I was only seventeen. I ended up on a pier with every intention of jumping off of it. I couldn't imagine feeling the way I did, another day. When I got to the edge of the pier and stepped onto the railing, I felt hands grab me around my waist. I was pulled back down to the ground faster than I could blink." Emma couldn't help but laugh at the memory.
"Mr. Tyler Montclair, from Montclair Pharmaceuticals," Emma enunciated her words. "Was fishing off of the pier. He'd had a business venture in Florida, and was spending a couple of days in Miami before heading back to Michigan." She could just picture his tanned skin, gorgeous blue eyes, and warm smile, as he introduced himself.
"He literally grabbed my hand and had me off of that pier in minutes. Next thing I know, we were sitting down at a restaurant, and I was spilling my guts to him. I don't know why I did it, but Tyler's very easy to talk to. He doesn't judge. When he told me he had to catch a plane and get back to Southfield the next morning, he asked me to come with him. At first, I was really scared, but then I found myself looking at my choices. Things were pretty bleak in Miami. I had no money, and no place to go. A seventeen year old girl isn't safe on the streets. Anyways, I went with him. Tyler rented me the apartment I'm in now, and gave me a job at the company doing filing. With an actual address, I was able to get my transcripts and other records transferred. He enrolled me in high school so I could graduate." She got up and sat next to Brian on the bed.
"I took the bus to school every day, but Tyler would bring me to and from the office. For my eighteenth birthday, the Montclair brothers pitched in and bought me a small car. I began working at the company full-time as a secretary, and when I learned the ropes, Tyler hired me as his assistant. One day, I told him that I owed him my life. This is what he said to me: "Be the best person you can be, try hard in life, never lie to me, enjoy what this world has to offer to you, and never ever allow anyone to bring you harm again. You come to me. This, Emma, is what you owe me.""
"That totally sounds like something he'd say!" Brian was beaming.
"And you know what? He'd say the same things to you. We're your family now, Brian. Tyler is a great guy. All of the Montclairs are wonderful men, but if they ever cross paths with your parents, you'll really see those guys in action."
"I don't ever want to be near my parents again. Ever. You can understand that, can't you? I'd do anything necessary to get away." Brian was serious, and Emma knew it.
"We all adore you, Brian. No one is going to hurt you."
All of a sudden, there was a knock on the door. Emma got up to answer it, knowing it was the nurse coming to check on Brian.
But it wasn't.
"We're here to speak with Brian," said the detective, as he walked past Emma to his bedside.
"Not without us," said Vincent, as he and Tyler walked into the room behind them.
Chapter 5
Tyler walked around Vincent and the detectives, to the other side of Brian's bed. Emma knew Tyler wanted to face everyone, yet still be close to the kid he'd vowed to protect.
Tyler leaned down to look him in the eyes. "Brian, we're here and we're going to be with you every time someone, other than hospital staff, comes in to talk to you. Vincent's your attorney, and if he feels that their questions are overwhelming you, or inappropriate, he'll stop this interview and make them leave. You don't have to be afraid of anything. Now, they're going to ask you about your parents and you have to answer them. That's the only way we'll be able to prevent the hospital from discharging you to their care. Vinnie and I aren't going to let anything happen. You'll be safe under our watch."
Brian creased his forehead and stared at the detectives. Emma could see the numbers on the heart monitor go up and knew that he was getting upset. She walked around, stood next to Tyler, and held Brian's hand.
Brian glanced over at the doorway." Okay, let's get this over with. I'm obviously not in any position to run. I'm injured, and that officer outside is making sure I stay put."
"I'm Detective Delcan, and this is Detective Joy. The officer outside isn't here to keep you prisoner, he's making sure Robert Preston, or anyone else, doesn't try to harm you again. If you start getting tired, or aren't feeling well, just let us know and we'll come back later." He got out his pad of paper and a pen. "I need you to tell us your full name."
Brian looked at Vincent, who nodded his head.
"…My name's Brian Johnathan Waters."
Emma squeezed his hand tighter.
"How old are you?" asked the detective.
"I'm fourteen. I'll be fifteen on August the eighth." When Brian took a deep breath, Emma could see what appeared to be a look of defeat cross his face.
"Could you give me your address?"
"It's in Southfield—" Brian abruptly stopped himself.
"Brian," began Vincent. "You have to tell them the truth."
"Why? They're just going to contact my parents. Don't you guys understand that they'll come here? Besides, my parents don't give a shit about my health!" His eyes began to water.
"We'll come back to that, Brian. We aren't here to upset you. Now, do you know who shot you or who started the fire?" Detective Joy asked.
"I heard the gun fire, but I didn't see who was shooting. The smoke was too thick. There's someone chasing us named Robert Preston, Renee's husband. He has shot at us before, on the freeway. I'm positive it was him," he blurted.
"And the fire?"
"I have no idea. The house was old though, so I don't know exactly how it started." Brian appeared to be relieved that the questions were not directed towards his past life.
"Why are you here, in Castle Lake?" Detective Delcan briefly glanced at Tyler.
"I was homeless, okay? Renee Preston and Emma, here, got me off the streets. If it hadn't been for those two, and the Montclairs, I'd still be eating out of trashcans." Brian tried to laugh, but failed miserably.
Tyler and Vincent looked at each other. Their sad expressions spoke volumes.
"We're glad your friends kept you safe. Did you know Robert Preston before you met Renee?" asked Delcan.
"No, I've never met him before. I still haven't, other than his deadly introductions with guns. Renee had already told me how horrible her husband was, but I got to see it firsthand. We all ended up having to hide from him, especially after he tried to blow our brains out once before. We were literally running for our lives. We had to find a safe place to go. I mean, it's not like we could have hung out in Southfield. We drove up to Castle Lake to get far away from the psycho. The big house, that caught on fire, belonged to the Montclairs. We figured that Robert wouldn't find any of us up here." Brian winced in pain.
"Are you doing okay, buddy?" asked Vincent.
"Yeah, I'm okay," he replied as he tried to adjust his body.
"The doctors who are treating you, Brian, need to contact your parents to get their consent, and to obtain some medical background on you. You're a minor," began Detective Joy. "Can you tell me how we can contact them?"
"What if they come here!? Brian raised his voice.
"Let's move on to another question," interrupted Vincent. "Make it an important one, because my client needs to get some rest." Emma could see the irritation on Vincent's face.
"According to our sources, you may have been a witness to a crime that took place in Southfield, involving Tyler Montclair."
"You're done," said Vincent, as he turned and held open the door.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Tyler waited until the detectives were gone
before telling Brian what a great job he'd done. While Vincent and Emma stayed with him, Tyler walked down to check on Renee before heading to see Jacob. Sean was with his twin, but was probably exhausted. Renee's door was closed when he approached, and he could hear a nurse talking to her, so he patiently waited out in the hallway. He was still trying to calm himself down from the detectives questioning Brian. Why would they even bring up the witness topic? Tyler was grateful that Vincent had intervened. His brother was very protective of his clients, and he was a shark inside of a courtroom. He'd be Brian's first line of defense against his parents.
The nurse stepped out into the hallway. "Hi, I'm Diana, Renee's nurse. I don't think we've met before."
"I'm Tyler Montclair," he held his hand out and shook hers. "May I see her?"
"Now would be a good time. She's awake."
When the nurse walked away, Tyler slowly opened the door.
"Oh my God, Tyler, you're okay…" Renee held out her hand and started to cry.
Tyler went to her. We almost ended before we even got a chance to begin, he thought sadly. Looking at her like this, was breaking his heart. If I see Robert, I'll put him in his grave.
"I'm okay, Baby. I was so worried about you." Tyler held her face. "I didn't think we were going to get everyone to the hospital in time."
"I'm so glad you're here! I haven't really talked to anyone. The nurse said that you guys were stopping by, but they've been keeping me medicated. I sleep a lot." Renee motioned for him to bend down so she could give him a kiss. "I heard that Brian and Jacob made it out of surgery okay. I was in such a panic when I woke up. I didn't know where I was, or if anyone was alive."
Tyler knew he had to change the topic. "Have the detectives come in to question you yet?" He wished he could clone Vincent.
"No, but they left their card with the nurse."
"Okay, don't talk to them unless Vincent is with you. He's now your attorney. He's representing all of us because the detectives are making their rounds. They just got done questioning, Brian." Tyler didn't want to bring that up, but knowing how close she was with the kid, he knew she'd be angry if he withheld information about him.
