by Iris Bolling
The kicking stopped; someone else was there. She heard a scrambling and then a car pulling away. “Tracy?” She heard a voice, but didn’t recognize it. She tried to open her eyes, but couldn’t. Tracy tried to speak to the person talking to her, but she couldn’t. She called out for Jeffrey; then she lost consciousness.
At Maxi’s the celebration was in full force. This was a huge victory for the DA’s office; it represented the end to the Latin Eagles reign over the Blackwell area. The tension turned into relaxed nerves for the moment, but the celebration was short lived. Brian’s cell phone rang. “Thompson,” he said with a drink in his hand. He dropped his drink and stood. “Where?” he asked, and looked around the room for JD. He hung up the phone, then dialed a number. “Protectee down,” he said and gave the address. He looked directly at JD. All of a sudden other cell phones and pagers started to go off.
JD looked around, and then looked at Brian. “Is the jury back already?”
Brian had a blank stare on his face. “B, what is it?” Calvin asked.
Brian looked at JD. “It’s Tracy.”
“What about Tracy?” JD asked.
“She was attacked.”
JD and Brian ran out of the bar and jumped into the Suburban. As Brian pulled away from the curve, JD frantically dialed Tracy’s cell phone: no answer. Brian drove nonstop while he relayed the information he had to JD. As Brian talked, I should have gone home raced through JD’s mind.
When they arrived at the scene, emergency vehicles were everywhere. JD spotted Tracy’s car and jumped out before Brian came to a complete stop. JD ran towards the car, where an officer tried to stop him. JD pushed him away and went to her. Tracy was lying face down on the cement with an officer bending over her. At first sight JD felt as if a knife was being driven straight through his heart. She was covered in blood. Her face was badly beaten, and from what he could tell her body was badly bruised. JD could not believe this was happening. The woman he loved was lying on the ground, so still. For a moment, he was actually afraid she was dead. He removed his suit jacket and covered her. He knelt down beside her and began talking to her.
“Tracy,” he called out. JD pushed Tracy’s hair from her face. “Tracy, baby; I’m right here with you, baby. I’m right here with you.” There was no reply.
“She’s not conscious,” the officer stated.
JD lifted Tracy’s head from the cement and placed it on his lap. “Tracy,” he whispered in her ear, and kissed her. “Baby, please,” he said quietly, “stay with me.”
The EMT bent down to check her vitals. He began talking into his walkie-talkie: “We have a female, age 20 to 25; she has bruises to the face; broken hand and ribs; possible internal bleeding.”
JD assisted as the EMT put the brace beside her and gently turned her over. JD moaned; the other side of her face was so bloody you could not see where the injuries were. They picked her up off the ground, and placed her on the gurney, then continued working. Tracy remained motionless. JD stood over Tracy, talking to her the whole time. The action happening around him was a blur; his only thoughts were with her.
They put Tracy in the ambulance and JD jumped in. He prayed. He never asked why this was happening; only that God would give him the guidance to get through it. A calmness filled JD’s heart. God would not take her from him, not now. There was so much they had to do together.
When they arrived at the hospital Tracy was taken directly into the trauma room. A nurse approached JD asking questions about Tracy. He answered and watched as they worked on her. She seemed so still, he thought. Two federal agents appeared by his side. JD looked at them. “Get away from me.” He sneered though his teeth. They both stepped back, but did not leave his side. A doctor approached JD. “Mr. Washington?”
“Harrison,” JD corrected, putting his hands in his pocket.
“Mr. Harrison, we have a couple of issues happening.”
Magna and Calvin came into the area. JD did not turn; he remained focused on what the doctor was saying.
The doctor continued, “She has a broken hand, numerous facial bruises, broken ribs, and that’s just on the surface. We are going to do X-rays to determine the extent of internal damage.”
JD calmly replied, “Thank you, doctor.” He watched as they took Tracy down the hallway.
Calvin knew not to press JD; he had seen JD this way when his father died. But JD needed to know some things. “JD,” Calvin said, “they found a body at the scene, and he was shot. An Eagle tattoo was on his left shoulder; he was one of Juan’s men.”
“Get Brian, Calvin,” JD said while walking into the waiting area. He pulled off his tie and sat on a bench against the wall. Calvin sat beside him, not saying anything, just sitting next to him to let him know he was with him. The two agents flanked them.
Magna came in. “They have a second man down; shot in the car that fled the scene about a mile away.”
“Dead?” JD asked.
“No, they’re bringing him in.”
“Here?” JD asked too calmly. Calvin shook his head to Magna indicating not to answer.
“I’m not sure,” she lied.
JD nodded as he laid his head back against the wall. He smiled. “Tracy wants Cynthia to handle the wedding,” he said to Calvin. “Can you believe that?”
“Yeah, I can,” Calvin responded. “Tracy’s like that.”
JD smiled then slowly a disheartening look emerged.
Brian walked in. JD stood as he approached. They both stepped to the side away from everyone. “How’s Tracy?” Brian asked. JD took his hands and ran them over his face, then shook his head, but never responded. “It was definitely Juan’s men,” Brian continued. “At the moment questions are being asked about the shooter.”
JD was standing with his back to the wall facing the door; Brian was facing JD with his back to the door. The door opened. EMTs walked in with a Hispanic man on a gurney. “Where’s your weapon?” JD asked, as he began walking towards the young man. Brian stepped in front of him, but JD pushed him out the way. The two agents grabbed JD and pinned him against the wall. It took both of them to hold him down. Calvin and Brian stepped in.
“Let him go,” Brian ordered. “Let him go!”
The agents released JD, then stood in front of the doors leading to the trauma center. “I can’t let you in there,” Brian told JD. “We know you’re hurting; we want to kill him, too.
JD looked at them, as if they did not understand. “Did you see what they did to her?” he asked calmly. Ashley walked in and saw Brian and Calvin standing with JD. She ran between them, put her arms around her brother’s waist and laid her head on his chest, just the way she did when their dad died. JD put his arms around her and began to console her.
“She will be all right,” JD told her as he kissed the top of her head. JD was resting his chin on the top of Ashley’s head as she cried. “It will be all right.”
JD saw the doctor who had been working on Tracy coming down the hallway. JD went back into the trauma area as the doctor approached. Ashley, Calvin and Brian joined him. “Mr. Harrison, the good news first: in addition to the broken ribs, Ms. Washington has a punctured lung. We can go in and stabilize that situation. However, there is a complication.”
“What complication?” JD asked.
“Ms. Washington was in her first trimester.” Ashley was holding on to JD’s arm and felt his body tense.
“She’s pregnant?” JD asked.
“Unfortunately, the child did not survive the attack. However, I believe Ms. Washington will recover.”
JD did not speak or move, his mind was racing. Tracy was pregnant, with our first child, but the baby is gone.
“Mr. Harrison, I know this may sound terrible, but she is a very lucky young woman. One more kick to her ribs and she would not be with us now. I need to go back in. I’ll be back as soon as I have more to tell you.”
“Is she awake?” JD asked.
“No.” The doctor recognized the worry on J
D’s face; he had seen it time and time again. “Mr. Harrison, she is a strong young woman. She is going to make it through this and she will be able to have other children.” The doctor turned and walked away.
This was too much for JD. He caused this. He was so intent on protecting everyone else; he let this happen to Tracy and their baby. Ashley held JD and held him tight. It was her turn to comfort her brother. She looked up at him and could not read his expression. That scared her. Whenever JD was mad or hurt, she could always see it in his face, but at this moment she could not read her brother. Calvin, who usually was the voice of reason, could not contain the anger he was experiencing. As he looked at JD standing there motionless with Ashley, Calvin knew he had to walk away. He could not state his feelings at that moment, for it would only set JD off. Brian walked away; busting through the doors with so much force it broke the glass pane.
A crowd had gathered in the waiting area. Gavin and Carolyn were there along with James and JD’s mother. Martha walked through the door as JD fell to his knees. James ran inside. Calvin came out the door.
“Is she dead?” Carolyn asked.
They all looked at her.
“Is that your prayer, Carolyn?” Calvin asked as he walked out the exit doors to get some air. James followed, taking Ashley out for some fresh air. JD grabbed his mother’s hand as he stood. He towered over his mother as she looked up at him.
JD hung his head. “Mama, I can’t do this,” he said, shaking his head. “I can’t.”
“Hold your head up, son,” she said. She smiled. “Tell me how she is.”
He relayed what the doctor told him. Martha stood there looking up at her son. He was the spitting image of his father. Her heart was breaking for him. The guilt was all over his face. But now was not the time for self-pity; he had to be strong.
“Tracy stood in this very hospital not long ago, feeling just about the same way you are feeling right now. Not once did she say I can’t do this. She was strong for you. Now you need to be strong for her. It’s not easy being the person everyone turns to for strength—and having that one person you turn to out of commission. You want to just give up, give in. Well, you can’t, because if you do: son, look at me.” He looked down at her. “If you give up, who is going to be there for Tracy when she wakes up?”
“Mama, they savagely beat her and killed our child. I can’t let that go.” JD kissed her on her cheek, and then walked away. He heard what his mother said loud and clear. But he was not ready to let go of his anger; not yet.
JD walked to the waiting area; Carolyn started to say something. He put up his hand to stop her. Damn if he was in the mood for her. He walked out the door to where Calvin and Brian stood. He could see James in the distance consoling Ashley. For a moment, it was comforting to have someone else to help with his family. He smiled to himself; he was glad James was in business and not law. He prayed Ashley would not experience anything like this.
The three friends stood there in silence. Brian and Calvin were itching to voice their opinions.
Brian started. “Juan needs to be taken down.”
“I knew you were going there. But we got to stick with the legal system,” Calvin tried to reason.
“I’m all for the legal system. I pledged my life to it. But the legal system did not protect Tracy today. She is alive because of our bond,” Brian argued.
“I admit, there are times when we must step out, but those times need to be limited and avoided at all cost. If it’s not, we are simply another version of what we took an oath to stand against.”
“Calvin,” Brian hesitated, “what if that was Jackie in there instead of Tracy?”
“B, you can’t make a decision like this based on emotions.”
JD stood there with his hands in his pockets, looking at the ground as he always did when he was torn between right and wrong. His dad taught him not to do anything that would not allow you to look at yourself in a mirror the next day. But his father also taught him to protect your family at all costs. JD was truly torn here. “The propensity for violence” crept into his mind.
Gavin came out. “JD, the doctor is back.” JD turned to go inside. He stopped, turned to his friends and said, “This case must come to an end. But it must be done according to the law.”
♥
Tracy was in intensive care. As JD sat next to her, he wondered why he had wasted so much time. He had allowed years to go by without her, when he knew from the very first time they met, he loved her. He kissed her hand. “Baby, I am so sorry it took me so long, but there will be no delays from this moment on,” he said. She looked so helpless and weak lying there. But JD wasn’t worried; he knew she was going to pull through. Tracy was strong. She had handled a lot in her life. This was just another hurdle for her to jump. And she would, he knew it.
Brian knocked on the window. JD went outside to see what he needed. “They need you for a press conference. There seems to be a small riot going on in Blackwell. Some of the residents there decided enough is enough. They have taken up arms against Juan’s people. The media’s coverage of the incident has caused the city to go a little crazy. The mayor is asking you to speak directly to them through the media. Are you up for it?” Brian asked.
“I don’t want to leave Tracy alone, man,” JD said. “At some point I have to start putting her first. I just need her to know I’m here.”
Gavin interjected. “JD, the residents over there trust you. If you could just take a moment to speak out to them from here, it could settle things down a little.”
“It’s getting ugly over there,” Calvin stated. “You may be able to save a life here, JD.”
JD thought about it for a minute. He looked through the window at Tracy.
He was exhausted. It had been a long day in court; then this. He was not sure he could conduct himself in the manner needed if the press pissed him off. This needs to end, once and for all; that he knew. “All right, they get five minutes.”
As JD stood at the podium, questions were coming from everywhere. JD remembered why he hated talking to the press. They never stop to listen. The crowd began to settle down, realizing he was not going to speak until they were quiet. “Good evening,” he started. “This afternoon, a young woman I care deeply, no—” He shook his head. “A young woman I love with all my heart was brutally beaten. We believe the attack was related to a case I am prosecuting. At this time, we believe it may be the same individual who ordered the attack on me last month. It does not seem this individual will stop until I step down or I’m six feet under. As you can see, I’m still living and have no plans on stepping down.” He hesitated before he continued. “I would love to do nothing more than to execute him with my bare hands. But I took an oath to uphold the law and I am a man of my word. I will not break that oath. To the residents of Blackwell, please, know I understand your anger and your need to do something. I am experiencing it myself. But I beg you to please stop the attacks. I gave you my word that I would help to clean out your neighborhoods of the gang activity, and I will continue to do that. If you continue with the actions you have taken, it makes us no different from the very people you are fighting against. There must be a clear separation of those of us that uphold the law and those who choose to break the law. If you choose to break the law, regardless of the reason, you will have to contend with me.” He hesitated for a moment, then continued. “Please understand, my attention needs to be with Tracy right now. I cannot give her my full attention and be worried about what’s happening with you all. Please give me the time I need to make sure my family is safe. Once that is done, I promise you my undivided attention.”
“JD, in your position you are charged with the protection of the citizens of this city. What does it say to them when you can’t protect your own fiancée?”
The vein in JD’s neck got thick as he tried to swallow his anger. He cleared his throat. “It’s because of my commitment to the residents of this city that we are here tonight. I could have walked
away when the attempt was made on my life. Many said I should have. But I’m still here because I care about this city. Do you want this job, Charlie?” JD angrily asked. The reporter did not respond. “That’s what I thought. Don’t ever presume it’s your place to tell me what my job is again.”
“JD,” Victoria called out. She knew JD was getting in trouble here. He needed to ease up a little. “Could you tell us how Tracy is doing? Have you been able to talk to her?”
JD took a moment. “I have been in the room with her most of the night; she has not regained consciousness.”
“What was the extent of her injuries?” another reporter asked
“Abrasions to the face and upper torso; broken ribs and a punctured lung.”
“What is the doctor’s prognosis?” Victoria asked sadly.
“Barring certain complications, he believes she will have a full recovery.”
“What about you, JD, you’ve taken some hits—will you be able to recover from this?”
“I can’t answer that yet; I don’t know.”
“A report indicates there was a body on the scene of a Hispanic man. Is there any information you can give us on that?”
“I will have to refer that question to our chief of police. Thank you for your time,” JD said and left the podium.
When JD returned to Tracy’s room, the agent was not there. The nurse came, moving briskly towards them. She entered the room; JD followed behind her, then Brian behind him.
