by ML Nystrom
“Get down! On the ground!” Shouts from Blue and the other officers filled the room.
“You’re under arrest for—ah!” Blue started saying just before Jonelle cussed and threw a plate at his head. It was paper, so it didn’t hurt, but the flying object distracted him long enough for Billy to snatch up the gun and start firing wildly at everyone. Blue felt a burn in his bicep as he dove for the crazy man. He ignored the pain as he drew back his fist and landed it square on Billy’s nose. Blood spurted everywhere and the fight went out of him as he crumpled into a sniveling pile.
“You’re under arrest for—for—fuck! For being an asshole!” Blue spat, as his fellow officers cuffed the snotty man. “Fuck!” Blue clutched as his bleeding arm. The bullet had only grazed him, but it was deep and hurt badly. “Anyone else get hit?”
“Just you, brother. Damn lucky that asshole has bad aim.”
Jonelle wasn’t through. Screaming like a banshee, she jumped on Blue’s back, biting and scratching, trying to tear the short hair from his head.
“You goddamn motherfucker! You done ruint everythin’!”
“Ahh!” Blue cried out in pain, trying to shake off the violent woman without hurting her. He wanted to punch her lights out but managed to restrain himself while two other policemen pulled her off him. She was down on the ground in seconds, cuffed next to Billy. She spat in his direction, calling him names and cursing.
One officer looked at the mess of a woman and shook his head. “Can’t believe you were ever with this one, Blue. She gotcha pretty bad.”
Blood dripped from his temple and cheek where Jonelle’s fingernails had scraped. Looked like he had new scars to add to the others.
“I’m okay. Call the rescue squad up here and call out the volunteer search group. My kids are lost in these woods somewhere and we gotta find ’em soon, before the sun goes down completely.”
“Ten-four, boss man,”
Billy was cursing and blustering as he was half dragged, half pulled from the house by two deputies. Two others started bagging the evidence. Sirens were heard in the distance as more officers began to show up.
Blue watched as Jonelle was brought out of the house and put into a police car. She was still cussing and fighting, yelling about how she was going to sue for police brutality even though he was the one bleeding. No two ways about it. There was enough evidence in that house that both she and Billy were going to jail and going to be there for a long time. His heart dropped a bit thinking about how and what he would have to tell his kids. There wasn’t an easy way and he hoped he could get through it. Custody was pretty much decided at this point, but he didn’t feel good about the way it came about.
Blue stepped out in the yard amid the controlled chaos, still holding his arm. He managed to pull out his phone and text Psalm.
Blue: Found the meth lab. Operation went sideways. Billy’s under arrest. Kids are gone. They ran off earlier and are lost in the woods.
Psalm: OMG!! Poor kids! Are you okay? What do you need me to do?
Blue fingered the words in the text bubble. It figures her first words were concern for him and his children. He avoided telling her he’d been hurt. No use worrying her further.
Blue: Search and rescue teams need to be assembled. I don’t know how long the kids have been gone but it’s going to be dark soon.
Psalm: I’m so sorry! I’m with your mom and the other women still at the hospital and I’m sharing your news. Betsey is calling Brick and going to get the club members mobilized for the search. I’ll call my dad and he’ll get his church people started as well. Don’t worry, we’ll find them!
Blue clicked his phone off without answering. Psalm was the most optimistic person he knew, always trying to look on the bright side of things and never giving up hope. He prayed there was a happy ending to this story. There were so many bad situations that Michelle and Cody could encounter out there, his mind shut down trying not to list them. A paramedic came over to him and tried to get him to sit down so his arm could be treated. Blue resisted for a moment but then complied.
“It’s pretty deep and needs stitchin’ up.” The paramedic spoke as he probed the wound. “We gonna have a fight about you goin’ to the hospital?”
Blue hissed at the pain of the man’s examination. “Probably. I ain’t leaving here with my kids still out there.”
The paramedic muttered “stubborn” under his breath as he bandaged Blue’s arm tightly. “Just don’t wait too long to go. You’re gonna have a nasty enough scar as it is.”
Blue couldn’t care less about another scar. He had to stay on scene until the investigation wrapped up and then he was going into the woods, searching all night if he had to until his kids were back in his arms. Thank God for small-town folk who were gathering to help. Between the Dragon Runners, the sheriff’s department, and Psalm’s parents’ church people, there would be several hundred bodies out looking for Michelle and Cody.
The sun was making its slow descent and dark was just a few hours away. Nights were bitter cold now and his kids were out there in the woods alone. Blue closed his eyes and prayed for a miracle.
Twenty-Four
Marla Helton came out of her house wiping her hands on her apron. The sun was almost down, bathing the horizon in dark colors of purple, peach, and charcoal gray. The town had been buzzing all day from the story of the kidnapping and Betsey’s attack. Psalm had called several hours ago to let them know of the lost children. Her church ladies had rallied the troops and the casserole brigade had started taking oblong glass dishes to the Rivers Edge bar for the club members to take up to the Lair. Betsey had been released from the hospital and was organizing food for the searchers now combing the woods for her grandchildren.
Marla shivered in the cold air. There was the smell of snow coming soon. Her husband Jedidiah knew these woods well and had joined in the search. She bowed her head again and said another prayer to the Almighty, asking for everyone’s safety.
The sound of crunching twigs had her raising her head to the woods edge. Her heart leapt in her throat as she saw a blood-covered dog appear and two kids crowding next to him as they painfully made their way out of the wooded area just beyond the garden.
“Lord God Almighty Christ!” she declared, running toward them.
The dog was limping badly but kept steadily moving forward, the two kids huddling close and shivering. When he spotted the woman coming at them, he started whining and collapsed on his side.
“Ms. Helton! Sam’s hurt!” Michelle cried out when the dog fell. Her face was covered in dirt and streaked with tears. The ragged nightgown she wore was torn beyond saving. Cody wasn’t in much better shape as he squatted next to the heavily panting animal.
Marla dashed away the sudden moisture in her eyes and took control. She was a no-nonsense woman and knew how to handle most crisis situations. “Come on, little bit. Let’s get to the house. We got a lotta phone calls to make.” She bent over and scooped the dog up in her strong arms. Sam wasn’t a lightweight by far, but Marla had been slinging hay bales and working a farm all her life. Carrying the animal wouldn’t be easy, but she was determined. He didn’t make a sound as he was lifted into the air. Instead, he rested his head on her shoulder as if to say “I made it. I’m done.”
“Sam killed a bear,” Cody said, walking next to the woman. His teeth chattered and he wrapped the dirty towel he was wearing tighter around his thin shoulders. His matter-of-fact attitude made Marla think he was in shock.
“He bit him in the neck and wouldn’t let go,” Michelle said, her voice cracking. “Even after the bear hit him he wouldn’t let go.” She was wrapped in a nasty towel as well and just as much in a zombie state as her brother.
Marla clicked her tongue. “I’ll call Doc Jackson first as that’s the quickest one.” She puffed as they reached the back porch. “I bet she’ll make a house call for this here dog. Open the door for me, little bit. I’ll call 911 and let your daddy know where you are. Might be
we need a person doctor here too, and Doc Holbrook owes me a favor.”
Marla managed to climb the steps with the heavy animal and placed him on the living room sofa. Blood still oozed from three parallel lines in the dog’s side and there were more gouges on his back. One of his legs was badly mangled and looked like it could be broken. “Lord have mercy, Sam,” she intoned as she picked up the phone and started dialing people. The kids crowded close to their canine savior, not wanting to leave his side.
“Is he gonna die?” asked Cody, his lower lip quivering as he ran his small fingers over the dog’s thick head.
“I don’t know, sugar pie,” Marla answered. “Doc Jackson’s on her way so we’ll just have to wait and see. The Lord above takes care of those who do his work and I’m pretty certain that includes dogs. Sam’s done been a guardian angel tonight and I know the good Father is watching over him.” She pressed a clean towel to the dog’s wounds. “Michelle, you put your hands right here and hold this. I’m gonna call Psalm and let her know you done turned up at the house. She’ll take care of telling everyone at the Lair. Gotta call Agnes and get the phone tree started. You just stay right there and we’ll get some food in ya while we wait for your daddy. I reckon he’ll be along soon.”
Marla went into the kitchen and said a quick prayer of healing for Sam and thanks for the children’s return. She called Psalm and didn’t preface the news, just blurted it out quickly. Then she started to bang around pots and pans. Best to stay busy, as people would be showing up soon and the kids needed feeding. She didn’t pay attention to the tears traveling down her wrinkled cheek.
Cody and Michelle sat on the floor next to the couch, their hands on Sam’s head. The dog’s tail thumped sluggishly and Cody started crying. “Please don’t die, Sam!” His little voice quavered. “I love you, please don’t die!”
Michelle was shocked to feel the tears running down her own face. She hadn’t thought she had any left. She buried her face into Sam’s neck and sobbed, letting the emotions of the day take over. She was safe and could let go. “Thank you, Sam,” she whispered.
Sam’s tail gave one more thump and was still.
I swiped the screen on my phone to end the call and turned to Betsey, tears flowing freely down my face. I dialed Blue as I spoke. “The kids just showed up at my parents’ place. They’re tired and hungry but they’re okay.”
Betsey was sitting in the kitchen area, a bandana around her head covering the bandage and the small bare spot on her head. She clapped her hands and raised them high, “Praise Jesus!” she shouted, and began to cry. “Lord have mercy! My grandbabies are okay!”
Tambre stopped arranging the many casseroles that were scattered over the wide counters and went to hug the sobbing woman.
“Psalm, I’m really busy here. What is it?” Blue’s words found my ear. My breath hitched as I told him the good news.
“Christ,” he said softly, his voice breaking up as I listened to this strong, tough man lose it over the phone, crying in relief that his children were safe.
“There’s more,” I said, my throat still tight with worry. “Sam came with them. Mom said he was attacked by a bear while protecting the kids and is in pretty bad shape. He—he may not make it.” I hiccupped, fresh tears welling up in my eyes as I thought about my beautiful, brave dog.
“I’m—I’m sorry, Psalm. I hope he does make it.” Blue was trying to hold it together but the news of his children was more than he could take. He sounded distracted and I wasn’t sure that my dog’s fate really concerned him, but I had to forgive that as these were his children. “I have to go get to my kids.”
I wiped a hand across my face and put on a smile in case someone was looking. “Yes, you do. Go now and I’ll see you later.”
“Uh-huh.” He hung up. No endearments. No “I’ll text later.” Nothing.
When I heard the click, I felt my heart start cracking.
Twenty-Five
The bell on the door jingled with a happiness that not many people were feeling. Both kids wanted to see Sam and Blue was relieved that the animal had pulled through. He was covered in stitches, wearing a giant plastic cone around his neck, and in rough shape but still breathing and still fighting. He whined and tried to get up from his bed on the floor of Psalm’s shop when Blue brought the children over to visit. They both cried and curled up next to him, his tail thumping softly as he settled down with both his kids around him.
“I owe that dog my kids’ lives,” he told Psalm as he leaned on a display counter. The air was filled with spicy Christmas scents of cinnamon and pine. Psalm was slicing a loaf of fresh soap into bars. Somehow she’d made a bright green pattern into the design that resembled a decorated Christmas tree. Blue marveled at the woman’s talent and creativity. He inhaled the piney scent.
“If you’re still looking for a home for him, he has a place at my house. That is, when I get one. We’re staying up at the Lair for now, but I know Mama won’t mind having him there now. He could shit all over the floor and she’d still hug his neck and cook him steak every night for saving the kids.”
Psalm smiled lightly and cut another slice; the wide, sharp blade thwacked as it went through the soft loaf. “Consider it done. I thought about adopting him permanently myself, but I expect the kids need him more than I do. I’ll get the paperwork together this afternoon.”
“Mmm” was his response. His life was still in an uproar. Complications with Jonelle, complications with housing, complications with the kids’ schoolwork, and more, all piled on his back and he had to deal with it all at once.
He glanced over at his kids as they lay on the floor cooing and talking to Sam. The dog swiped his tongue over Cody’s face, making the boy giggle and pet the massive head. Michelle was carefully stroking the animal’s back as she snuggled as close as she could.
“We need to talk,” he said, knowing those four words would put anyone on alert that the conversation was not going to be good. Her eyes darted up to meet his, and he saw a mix of caution, denial, and sadness in them. He had a feeling she knew what was coming, and a huge pain ran through his heart.
“I got a lot on my plate, Psalm. I need to get the house ready to sell, the one Jonelle and I had. Too many memories for the kids and for me. We need a fresh start since it’s just going to be the three of us from now on.” He noted the look on her face when he said “the three of us” but kept going. “Something’s not right with Michelle. She’s too quiet. Doesn’t say much at all and when she does, she’s angry. She’s been lashing out at Cody and at me, throwing and breaking things, just out of control. She has a lot of scars and I have to be there for my little girl.”
“What can I do to help?” Her soft voice made his heart clench up. She was really more than he could ever hope for in a partner but he didn’t dare take what she offered.
He lifted his eyes to hers, the pain in them obvious. “I can’t see you anymore. I can’t start anything with you or anyone else right now. It wouldn’t be right or fair to dump all this on a good woman. You don’t deserve it and I won’t do it to you.”
“Blue, I—”
“You don’t need to be with a man who has this much baggage. It’s gonna be a long time to get my life sorted and it may never get that way.”
Her breath hitched. “Don’t I get a say in this? I love you. I love your children. I know you’re in a rough place right now and you have so much to handle, but I can help you through it. That’s what partners do. Please don’t shut me out. Not when you need me the most.”
His heart caught at her words and he wanted to hear them again and again as much as he wanted to say them back to her. “Yeah, I need you, Psalm. I need you bad in so many ways, but my kids need me more. I let this happen to them when I should have been there. I should have been a better dad, should have protected them better, I—”
His voice broke and Psalm, like she always did, came to him to put her arms around him. He buried his face into her sweet-smelling hair and a
llowed himself one last memory.
“I have to be a dad first and as long as they are suffering, you’ll always be second to them. It’s not fair to ask that and I just can’t do that to you. I won’t.”
“I understand.” She swallowed as she took in the firmness of his statement and he watched as she visibly reeled in her emotions. “I understand more than you think. I understand your grief even though mine was different. When Adam died, I thought my world died with him. There were so many what-ifs and regrets, but you know something? I learned that time does heal. Life moves on and with a little work, it gets better one day at a time. I still have the memory of Adam and it still hurts when I think about what could have been, but I healed and was able to reconcile building a life without him. I’m happy. You and the kids have to go through that process and it’s going to be a rough one. I wish you’d let me help you with it, but I can’t make you let me be a part of your life. I won’t lie and tell you you’re not hurting me. You are. Deeply. But I know something you don’t. I will heal, and I will move on. I’ve done it before and I can do it again. Please remember I’m not going anywhere and my door is always open to you and to the kids, no matter what.”
“You need to find someone else who can spend his life devoted to you.” He meant to sound firm, but his voice lacked conviction. He took a step back and looked at her, hoping to find firmer ground.
She smiled at him with tears shimmering in her eyes. “That’s the beauty of you breaking up with me, Blue. You can’t tell me what to do.”
He shifted his gaze to his children, still petting and talking to Sam. He couldn’t bear to look her in the eye any longer. “Send me the paperwork for the dog when you can. I’ll have Mama come by and get him when he’s ready. Cody, Michelle, we have to go.”
Cody’s little face fell, but he got to his feet. With one last pat on Sam’s head, he shuffled to the door. Michelle wasn’t much better. She stood up and ran to Psalm, clinging to her like a vine. Psalm held the little girl.
