BOMBSHELL

by Xyla Turner

  She laid there, unconscious, because I hit her with my stun gun. Just enough volts to knock her out. She was thoroughly surprised, which was hilarious. How did she not expect me to retaliate after she took my fucking husband and now my baby? I knew he would come for her. Which was good, because I wanted him to see me when I took his second unborn child away. She would never have kids by him or anyone else after I got finished with her. I’d gut her like a fucking fish right in front of him.

  The elevator door chimed, but there were no footsteps. Maybe somebody was going down. Either way, I moved towards the door with my stun gun ready. A key was in the lock and as soon as the door opened, I shot him with my other stun gun. I held on, because Joshua was big and the normal volts it took to knock her out, wouldn’t be enough. He jerked back and forth and it looked kind of funny, seeing him not in control. Once he stopped jerking, I pulled the prongs from him, and slowly dragged him to the living room. He was a big man, so it was literally inch by inch. Yoga was working in my favor or it could have been pure anger and adrenaline. I cuffed him to the dining room chair and table. I knew he would come for her. There would be no rescuing his fair lady today.

  Fuck that.

  I dumped some water on Joshua to wake him up, because I needed to get this done. When he came to, he saw that I had his dear Samantha propped up against the wall with a knife at her throat. He tried to speak, but was unsuccessful. He coughed a few times and tried again.

  “Alura, what the fuck are you doing?” His voice was gruff.

  “Righting the wrongs that have been done to me and my unborn child.”

  “What?” he asked confused.

  “You’re such a fucking idiot. Why the fuck do you think I’d let her carry our baby, when our unborn child didn’t make it? If mine died, so will hers. She won’t carry another fucking baby again.”

  “Alura, this is crazy. You don’t mean that. Our child has nothing to do with this.”

  “Yes, it fucking does. I was your wife, I carried our child for three months and then it was taken away from us. The chance to be a real family was ripped from us. Now she comes along and wants to take my place and her child will not take the place of our child. Fuck that.” I pressed the knife in her neck. “That won’t happen as long as I’m here.”

  “Alura, what happened at the institution?”

  “What?” She blinked. “Oh, my daddy told them I was fine and he’d take care of me. I’m not crazy Joshua, you know that. I just needed another perspective and now I have to avenge the death of my child.”

  A knock came on the door. I motioned for him to answer it.

  “Yeah?”

  “Mr. Kelly, is everything alright?”

  “Yes, everything is fine. Thank you Craig,” he replied.

  I waited for the footsteps to recede then I said, “Now to get this done, before we are interrupted.”

  I lifted my knife high up, while Joshua screamed for me to stop. I stabbed that bitch right in the center of her stomach. Then there was a bang and the door flew open. I went to stab her again, but was tackled by two men. Joshua was yelling and I think I saw tears in his eyes or maybe they were my eyes. The men grabbed the knife from me and held me down. I watched the blood seep from her into the carpet and closed my eyes, because I now felt peace. There would be no child and I could rest at night.

  JOSHUA:

  “Call the fucking ambulance! Uncuff me!”

  Daniel searched the woman for the keys to the cuffs, while Trevor called the ambulance. Apparently, there were no keys to the cuffs, so Daniel took a hammer and broke off the legs of the table and stokes in the chair. Alura laid on the floor, pressed down by Trevor’s boot, with her eyes closed, looking like she was preparing to be taken into the sky. I was losing my fucking mind. As soon as I got free, I ran to Samantha and Trevor threw me a towel and said, “Put pressure on the wound. The ambulance will be here in five minutes.”

  I sat on the floor and pulled Samantha in my lap putting pressure on the wound. I whispered in her ear, “Baby, hold on, okay. Daddy’s got you. I love you. We’ll get through this.”

  I started to choke up for a minute, because I couldn’t hear her breathing and I couldn’t imagine life without her. So help me God, I would kill Alura with my bare hands and send her remains to Antarctica.

  Trevor looked at me and snapped, “Focus, man.”

  I glared at him, but he was fucking right. I started whispering in her ear again, “I love you. Remember, you love me too. So you can’t leave me, okay. We are going to get that house, you are going to take my name. Mrs. Samantha Kelly. I like that.” I exhaled, “Mama, I like that. You and me, we’re a unit, remember.”

  I heard the sirens from the streets. They were getting closer. Her body was so limp and I couldn’t tell if she was breathing or not. My head felt so heavy. I buried my face in her hair to hold back my roar and to inhale her scent so I could remember it. I couldn’t bear to lose her. I wouldn’t make it.

  “They are almost here, mama. Just hold on for me.”

  The paramedics came in, put Samantha on a stretcher and ushered her out. All I heard was she lost a lot of blood and I had no idea what that meant for the baby. I was scared to ask. I just wanted to make sure she was going to be okay. They let me ride in the back of the ambulance, while Trevor said he would handle the cops and Alura. I had no choice but to let him handle it, because at this point, if I had to, she would be missing. I think Trevor knew that about me, as he eluded to it before. He was aware of how I dealt with business partners who crossed me. He and I would need to have another conversation. Once all this blew over. If it all blew over.

  They took her from me when we reached the hospital. Daniel had to calm me down on more than one occasion. I almost had the throat of one of the attendants, who was joking around with a nurse rather loudly. We were in the fucking emergency room, shit wasn’t funny. Why his dumb ass couldn’t figure that out, just made me more pissed. Nobody would tell me anything, even though I told them I was her fiancé, they said they didn’t have anything to tell just yet. I contacted her parents and let them know. I sent the jet to get them, so they’d be here in a few hours. My parents wanted to be here as well, so I sent the other jet to get them. Roslyn, Elliot and Vicki were also informed and would arrive within the hour, which caused me more anxiety, because I had nothing to share with them. Trevor walked in a little later and motioned me to the side.

  “What happened?” I asked.

  “How is she doing? Any word?”

  “No, nothing yet,” I sighed.

  “They are keeping Alura in jail on suicide watch, because she was spouting off some shit about being free now. I told them you would be pressing charges as soon as you left the hospital, that Samantha had been stabbed, and the paramedics corroborated that story. The police should be here any moment to get your statement. They want to know about your relationship with Alura and they’ll ask about your marriage. You might want your publicist or lawyer to handle this?”

  I looked at him, a little impressed and surprised. I wasn’t sure what his angle was about this whole thing. It seemed he was looking out for my best interest, or was it Samantha’s. I couldn’t tell.

  “I’ll get both of them on it,” I turned to Daniel and said, “Call Spade and Lanie, explain to them the situation and tell them to get down here now.”

  I turned back to Trevor and said, “Thanks for the heads up.”

  He nodded and went to sit down.

  About three hours later, her doctor came out wiping his hands and with a blank expression on his face. I vowed not to read too much into this and stood up to meet him away from everyone. Although they all stood up, but didn’t approach.

  “Are you the fiancé?” the doctor asked.

  “Yes, how is she?”

  He sighed, “She lost a lot of blood, but I did the best that I could to stop the bleeding. She just came out of surgery, but we are still touch and go at this point, for her and the baby. With the amoun
t of blood that she lost, it’s just too early to tell. We may need to terminate the pregnancy in order to save her.”

  “So, you are saying?”

  “I’m not trying to say anything, I’m asking, what would she want? She is only about 3 months along, it is nearly impossible to save the child outside of the womb at this point. However, we will try, if that is what she wants.”

  As the doctor talked, I went over in my head all the things Samantha said about the pregnancy, her doubts about her motherhood, her career, her goals, then about the change she needed, starting over with him and the baby.

  “If you can save the baby, do it. But I want her to be able to make more babies if you can’t. Understand?”

  “Understood.” The doctor nodded to confirm, “Keep holding on, we are hard at work.” He turned to leave.

  Right after the doctor left, Samantha’s parents came in the room, looking around. I knew the mom right away, because she was a spitting image of her daughter. They had the same eyes, hair, chin, nose, everything. It wasn’t clear what the father contributed to the making of his daughter, because there was no physical evidence of it. I walked up to her mother and introduced myself, she immediately gave me a hug, saying thank you for taking care of Samantha and them. Her father assessed me and shook my hand. They asked for the update from the doctor, so I filled them in with what I knew. I told them that my family would be here in a few hours as well and if they needed a place to stay, they could stay at my hotel or at my place. I had plenty of room and Samantha did say that I could fit a small village in there.

  More hours passed and my parents showed up, hugging her parents, sharing their condolences. Then they went off to a corner and started talking more about Samantha and me. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but I figured if it took the edge of the craziness, then so be it. I went to the nurse’s station to get an update, but they had none. I almost demanded to see the doctor, but Vicki and Elliot came up to me, saying that I should go get some coffee or just rest. I outright refused, but Vicki raised her eyebrow at me and said, “Samantha would be pissed if you caused a stir like this with her parents and yours here. You don’t want to do this.”

  I looked up and saw four pair of eyes on me and nodded as I turned to go to the cafeteria. “Call me the minute something changes, I’m going to get coffee.” I turned to make sure they heard me and saw Elliot put his hand on the small of Vicki’s back and guide her over to where the parents were sitting. Something was going on with them. The move was intimate.

  Half-way to the elevator, I heard footsteps behind me and saw it was Samantha’s father. We acknowledged each other with a nod, then boarded the elevator and silently went to the cafeteria. After her father took the first sip of coffee, he turned to me and said, “So, what exactly are your intentions for my daughter?”

  So much for small talk.

  “Well, I love her if that is what you mean?”

  “No, love does nothing at the end of the day, when ex-wives, current wives or whatever you call them these days are stabbing my baby.”

  Red hot anger boiled under my skin and I knew my face was turning varying shades of red that this was my fault. I already felt like this was my fault, but to have him say it like that, with no tact, just solidified it for me. I guess I know what his daughter did get from him – ‘straight-shooter.’

  “Sir, with all due respect, I am beating myself up about this every second. I would have killed that bitch myself, if I didn’t have to ride to the hospital with Samantha.” I started to raise my voice as anger was eating at my resolve.

  “Good to hear.” Her father responded.

  I continued as if I didn’t hear him. “Short of tying Samantha down to stay with me, move her in, give her a personal driver, buy a house in the suburbs like she wants, marry her, plant my kids in her, I do everything I can to try to keep her safe.” I exhaled, “I could put a chip in her, but have you met your daughter? She would smack me again. She gives me absolute hell if I try to even act like I want to control her life. I usually ignore her, but it’s a hassle every single fucking time.”

  Her father smiled and said, “That’s my girl.” He stuck out his hand and said, “Name is Martin.”

  I took his hand and said, “Nice to meet you sir.”

  “So you want to marry my Sammy?”

  “Yes, sir, but –“

  “But, what?” her father cut me off.

  “She thinks we are too new, she just barely agreed to move in with me yesterday.”

  “She’s giving you hell.” He smiled, like he was proud.

  “Every single time,” I muttered.

  “That’s our mantra,” he proudly stated, “Give ‘em hell!”

  I’m glad he thought that was good. I, being the recipient of that hell, did not see that as something to be proud of or something to be a mantra.

  “I hear that’s what you do and one of the reasons why you are so successful in your business.” Her father pointed out.

  I looked at him square in the face, but didn’t say anything.

  He continued, “So, I assume you know why she would in turn do the same to you. She won’t be controlled, she won’t let go, she’ll fight until the battle is over and that’s what I taught her. You would be wise to accept that about her, but strong enough to withstand it to help guide her.”

  He looked at me pointedly in the eyes as well.

  “She’s not infallible, she will need help and she won’t ask because she has too much pride like her father. However, if a man is any man at all, he’ll embrace that quality, build her up, partner with her and let her soar.” He tipped his coffee cup to me.

  “That’s what I hear you have done. That true?” he asked me.

  “Yes, sir, I’ve tried.”

  “Then you have my blessing. That’s what I want for her, someone that will have her back, won’t let her down and damn sure won’t buckle under pressure. She needs a man, not a boy. She needs to be able to trust him, be safe and secure. Someone who doesn’t take kindly to someone who violates that. If that’s what you provide for her, then we’ll be alright. If you can’t, you can take your billions and your deals and leave my Samantha alone today. She doesn’t want to be rich, she wants to be happy.”

  “I make her happy. I can assure you that I not only love her, but I’ll make anyone who comes against her pay dearly. Nobody touches what’s mine and gets away with it.”

  “That’s what I want to hear son.” The older man patted me on the shoulder and walked off.

  The man was questioning my intentions for Samantha, damn near blamed me for her being here, and gave me my walking papers, but him calling me son, made all of that go away. That was fucked up. He was a concerned father, but one that wanted revenge for this assault and I guess he was trying to find where my loyalties lied. Well, he’d soon find out, they all would.

  Chapter 24: On the mend

  JOSHUA:

  By the next morning, the doctor had informed us that both Samantha and the baby would be okay. They just needed rest at this point, but she should recover remarkably. Later they said we could go in and see her, but one at a time. I didn’t necessarily want to go before her parents did, but the doctor called me, so I told him that her parents were here as well. He waved them over and we entered the room quietly.

  “Samantha, honey, you awake?” her mom coaxed.

  She blinked, but could barely open her eyes all the way. Her lips were dry and she had tubes in her nose. I hated seeing her like that. My anger started to simmer again. They would pay.

  “Honey, can you hear us?” her mom tried again.

  Samantha blinked her eyes open and looked around the room like she was trying to get her bearings and didn’t recognize anyone. Her mom and dad were on the left of her and I was on the right side of the bed. Her eyes landed on me and she put her hand on her stomach. I said, “The baby is fine.”

  Tears pooled in her eyes.

  Smiling and nodding, I repeated,
“She’s fine.” Then squeezed her other hand.

  She turned her gaze towards her parents and the tears started rolling down to her ears. I reached for a tissue, but her mom just wiped them away. “It’s going to be alright, honey. You are okay, now.”

  Her father grabbed on to her hand and said, “We are glad you are okay. Your man Joshua here has been taking care of everything.”

  I looked at him as she looked at me. She squeezed my hand back and attempted to smile. Her mom dug in her purse and said, “Here honey,” and put some Vaseline on her lips, then directed me to give her the water.

  I put the cup of water with a straw to her mouth. She took a few sips, then stopped. Her mouth had to be dry. I leaned down and said, “The whole gang is here to see you. The doctor says you’ll be alright, you just need to rest.” I amended, “you and the baby.”

  “Yes, honey, listen to your man,” her mom chimed.

  Samantha rolled her eyes slowly and they almost stayed closed.

  “I’m just t-tired,” she croaked.

  “Okay, babe, we’ll leave you be so you can rest, I’ll let the doctor know you were awake okay.”

  I leaned down and kissed her on the forehead, her mother and father followed my lead, did the same thing and we left.

  They kept Samantha in the hospital for an entire week, so that is where I stayed, the hospital. She was awake and more alert, but it would take her stomach some time to heal. The doctor said she was lucky, because since the baby was only about 13 weeks, it was still low in the belly. Had she been further along, it would have been detrimental to both the baby and Samantha.

  My parents and Samantha’s parents all stayed at the penthouse, which is another reason why I stayed at the hospital until they kicked me out when visiting hours were over. My number twos and threes were able to handle things for the week and once the news got out about the assault, since we were the first to share it, we were able to put whatever type of spin on it we wanted. A deranged ex assaulted Mr. Kelly’s girlfriend. Charges were being pressed and Ms. Wilde was recovering. Vicki was holding the fort down at S&W, not that Samantha wasn’t trying to do business from the hospital bed. I forbade her, but she was trying to sneak phones from the nurses and other patients.