by MLJ Quigg
“You okay with it, baby?” I asked.
“Hell, yes, more than happy. They all deserve it. I love you,” she said.
I took her hand and kissed her knuckle. “I love you, too, baby.”
“I’ve got some paperwork for work to do tonight. It’s easier to do it at the house, so do you mind if we stay there for a while?” she asked.
“Of course not, baby. All you had to do was say something. Hell, I’d move in there if it made it easier for you guys,” I responded.
“Can you really move in? I would love that. I want you with me all the time. I miss you when you’re not.”
“Hell, yes. I’ll pack some stuff up and start moving it over during the week. Is that okay?”
“Yes. I would love that,” she said.
“Well, kids, it looks like I’m moving into your place. I’ll be there full-time from now on,” I said to them, and they all nodded, smiling.
God, I fucking love my family.
Monique
It was three days until the wedding, and I was as sick as a dog. I’d woken up in the morning and couldn’t breathe. My chest was tight, and I was coughing so much I was hacking up phlegm. It was fucking gross. My throat was killing me, and it hurt like hell when I swallowed. I ached all over, and every time I moved, I had shooting pains in my joints and muscles, and my head was pounding so badly. Derrick called the doctors, and they were on their way because I just couldn’t get up to go to them.
“How are you feeling, baby?” Derrick asked as he came in and sat on the bed next to me.
“I think I’m dying,” I rasped out a whisper. It even hurt to fucking talk.
“No, you’re not, baby. I’m not letting you go anywhere. The doc should be here any minute, and they’ll get you fixed up,” he said.
“I hope so. This fucking sucks.”
“Still hurts to talk, baby?”
I just nodded my head and groaned. Fuck, this was bad.
“Here, try to drink this. It’s just chamomile tea, or so Claire says.
She told me to bring it up to you and said it should help the throat,” Derrick said. He leaned me up and put the cup to my mouth.
I took a small sip and groaned. Oh, man, that hurt so badly I had tears in my eyes.
“Hey, it’s all right, baby. You’ll be fine once the doc gives you something for the pain. Close your eyes, and get some rest. I’ll bring them up when they get here, okay?” he said.
I nodded very faintly and closed my eyes, and the next thing I knew, Derrick was whispering. I opened my eyes, and Derrick was talking to an older gentleman, who came over and asked me some questions, which I answered. He then examined me and concluded I had a severe chest infection and tonsillitis. No wonder I was hurting so much. He gave me an injection of antibiotics and some painkillers, then gave Derrick a script for him to fill out at the chemist for more antibiotics and painkillers.
Derrick walked him out and came back not even five minutes later.
“I sent Hulk to the chemist to fill out the script. He’ll be back soon,” he said quietly.
“Okay,” I said.
“Sleep, baby. I’ll be here,” he said, so I did exactly that.
When I woke up, it was dark. Derrick walked in, picked me up, and took me to the toilet when I told him I had to go. When he returned me back to bed, he gave me a dose of medicine, and I fell back to sleep.
The next time I was coherent, it was dark again.
Derrick was cuddled up and was whispering to me. He moved, and the next thing I knew, there was something cold wiping my face.
I groaned, and he gave me his attention.
“Hey, baby, welcome back. How are you feeling?” he asked.
“A bit better actually. What do you mean welcome back? What time is it?” I asked. I was still raspy, but nowhere near as bad as I had been.
“Ten p.m. You got a fever and were out of it for a day. I kept up the medicine, but you just kept going back to sleep. You scared the fuck out of me, baby,” he explained to me.
“Really? I’m sorry. I don’t know where I got it, but I felt horrible. I mean, I still feel like shit, but I’m one hundred percent better than what I was. Hold on. A day? What day is it now?” I asked.
“Don’t you dare fucking apologise, baby. This wasn’t your fault.
It’s Thursday.”
“Holy shit, it’s two days until the wedding?” I asked.
“Yep. Look, we can postpone it for a week to let you get better properly. I just want you back to normal, not sick at all, not even a trace of it,” he said.
“No, I’ll be okay. I’ll just keep the medicine up and sleep. I’ll be all right.”
“Okay, baby, but if you’re not better by tomorrow night, we are postponing it, and I don’t fucking care. You’re the one I care about. Everyone understands.”
“Fine.”
“Now, I’m going to run a bath for you, clean you all up, give you some more medicine, and you’re going to sleep some more,” Derrick stated.
I nodded, and he did just that.
I woke up Friday morning, and felt like I was going to be fine. I got up and went to the bathroom, and when I came out, Derrick was standing at the door.
“What are you doing up, baby?” he asked.
“Going to the toilet and brushing my teeth,” I replied as I climbed into bed again.
“You sound heaps better. How are you feeling?” he asked, coming over and sitting on the bed next to me.
“Heaps better,” I said with a smile.
He smiled and kissed my forehead. “Okay, I have to head to the clubhouse for a little bit. Claire is here. I will pick up the kids from school today, okay?”
“That is fine, honey. Take it easy, and say hi to the guys for me.”
“Will do, baby. I love you. Tomorrow is the day I make it legal, and I can’t be any more fucking excited.” He kissed me quickly.
“I love you, too,” I replied.
“Try to get some more sleep.”
“Yeah, I will.” I closed my eyes and drifted off once Derrick left.
Hearing a noise, I opened my eyes as Claire came in, talking on the phone.
“I should only be gone twenty minutes tops,” she said into the phone, then listened and hung up. “Madilyn has come down with what you have by the sounds of it and is really sick at the moment. The school called and wants her picked up. I rang Derrick and told him, and he is sending Hulk, who should be here by the time I get back. Derrick is still going to pick up the boys when they finish school and will bring them home.” “No worries,” I said.
Claire walked out, and after hearing the door downstairs close, I drifted off to sleep again.
I woke up to a commotion downstairs. It didn’t sound right, so I got out bed and made my way downstairs. When I reached the bottom, I noticed Claire was out cold on the floor in front of me by the front door. I heard a female voice yelling to the right of me. I poked my head around the corner, and Madilyn was holding her head, crying.
“Where the fuck is that slut, you little bitch?” I heard being yelled.
I couldn’t see who it was, so I made my way around the wall to get a better look and saw Katrina Semenov pacing in front of Madilyn. She walked closer and yelled in Madilyn’s face again.
“Please, I’m sick. I don’t feel well.” Madilyn groaned, holding her head.
The fucking bitch pulled a gun and pistol-whipped Madilyn. She fell to the ground and didn’t move.
“What the fuck are you doing? She’s just a little girl.” I ran out and tried to get to Madilyn.
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the fucking slut herself. You are dead, bitch. You got my family killed. I will take you and then that fucking arsehole Thor out,” she said, sneering. She pointed the gun at me and just shot.
I turned as the shot fired and felt a ripping pain in my side. I put my hand on it, and it was pissing out blood. Fuck.
Katrina raised the gun again, and I ran at her, gra
bbed her wrist and twisted it, and then I grabbed the gun with my other hand. She let go and pushed me. I fell back, and as I went down, the edge of the coffee table connected with the back of my head, but I was coherent enough to point the gun and pull the trigger, hitting her between the eyes, and then everything went black.
Derrick
I’d been at the clubhouse for about two hours when I got a call from Claire saying the school called and Madilyn was sick. It looked like she might have caught what Monique had. I still had work to do, so I asked Hulk to go over there and told him I would still pick up the boys in the afternoon.
I was about halfway through the paperwork when my phone rang, interrupting me
“Hello,” I answered.
“Hello, Mr Adams. This is Ms Jenkins from your children’s school. I know Madilyn went home sick today, but it looks like both Connor and Jackson have come down with it, as well. I tried calling Ms Henderson and Claire, but no one answered. Is there any chance you could come and get them, please? They are not well at all,” she asked.
“Sure, I’m leaving now. I’ll be there in about forty-five minutes,” I said.
“Okay, just come to the office by the front gate to retrieve them,” she said.
“No worries. I’ll be there soon.”
I hung up and headed out the door to leave.
When I arrived at the school, I got the boys from the sick room, and as we were heading to the car, my phone rang again. I looked at the name and saw it was Hulk. He had to be at the house.
“Hey, man, are you at the house? Are they okay?” I asked.
“Sorry, Prez. I’m caught on the fucking freeway. There must be an accident up ahead. The traffic is slow but moving, so I’ll be there soon,” he said.
“That’s all right, man. The school called, and the boys have come down with it. The poor things look like fucking shit. We will be at the house in about fifteen minutes. You just ride safe, okay?” “Will do, Prez. See you soon,” he said and hung up.
“We’ll be home soon, boys. You just relax. I’ve got you,” I told the boys.
They really didn’t look well.
“Okay, Dad,” they both replied.
When we got home, Hulk was pulling in at the same time, so we all made our way to the door. It was partially opened, which was weird, so I opened it fully, and the first thing I saw was Claire, passed out on the hallway floor just past the front door.
Hulk ran up to her and checked her over, and she had a pulse.
I walked further into the house and into the lounge room when I noticed Madilyn was lying on the ground by the entrance. Running over to her, I saw she had a gash on her head that was slowly dripping blood. I checked her pulse, and it was strong.
“Call an ambulance,” I yelled.
I then looked up and saw a figure on the ground by the lounge. When I rushed over, I realised it was that fucking bitch, Katrina Semenov, and she was fucking dead, had a bullet hole in her head, and her eyes were glassy.
“Monique,” I called.
Walking to the other side of the lounge, I found Monique on the ground, and there was blood every-fucking-where.
“Oh, fuck, baby,” I said as I rushed to check her over.
By the blood seeping out of her side, which was slowing, it looked like it had nicked her, but she had a shitload of blood near her head. When I looked at her head, she had a huge cut on the back of it, so I checked for her pulse and found it was strong.
I heard the sirens.
“How are the others? Monique is bad. She has a gash on her head and is bleeding like a stuck pig,” I called.
“Madilyn is coming around, Dad. I think she’s okay,” one of the boys responded.
“Claire is coming around, too,” answered Hulk, calling from his position with Claire.
The paramedics and police raced into the house, and then the girls were loaded on gurneys and taken away. I tried to leave with them, but I was told by the police that I couldn’t.
“Look, when we came home, they were right where you found them. We only checked them out to make sure they weren’t dead. Then we called for an ambulance and stayed with them to make sure they were all right,” I said, getting pissed.
“How did you come to be here? Run us through the day until you found them,” The police officers spoke like he didn’t fucking believe me.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake. Fine.” After explaining everything that had happened up until then, I asked, “Can I go and be with my fucking wife and daughter now, please?”
“What’s the number of the school?” the police officer asked.
I gave him the school’s number and mine. “Look, you have my number and name, and since I live here, you have the address, so can I go now?”
“How do you afford this place?” he asked.
Fuck, this guy was pissing me off. I just wanted to be with my girls. “Fuck, really? This is my wife’s house. She owns it.” “What’s her name?” he asked.
“Don’t you think you should’ve asked that first? Jesus fucking Christ. Her name is Monique Henderson—you know, of Henderson
Security. Oh, yeah, you’ve heard of her all right. I’m leaving. I need to be with my girls. You have all the information you need. This is bullshit. If you have any further questions, I’ll be at the fucking hospital or here. Hell, just fucking call me. Come on, boys. Let’s go see how your mum and sister are doing. Hulk, call Macca and tell him to get here, and then get your arse to the hospital. I want him to stay here and cover the house until they get rid of the body,” I stated.
Hulk nodded, and the boys and I walked out. Fuck them. My family was more important.
We got to the car, and I dialled a number and then started to drive.
“Hey, man, what’s up?”
“Mike, I need you and Dave to get to the hospital. Katrina Semenov attacked Monique, Madilyn, and Claire. We walked into the house and found them unconscious and Katrina dead. Madilyn and Claire were starting coming to, but Monique took a hard blow to the head and wasn’t coming out it. We got held up by the fucking cops for a fucking hour, but we’re on our way to the hospital now.
I’ll explain the rest when you get there,” I stated.
“On it. We’ll be there soon,” Mike replied and hung up.
Next phone call.
“Hulk already called, so we’re on our way to the hospital now, Prez,” Dozer said as he answered.
“Great.” I hung up. He would understand me being short.
“You boys doing okay?” I asked Jackson and Connor.
“Yeah, Dad, we’re okay,” Connor answered.
“Yeah, all okay,” Jackson agreed.
“They’ll be fine, won’t they, Dad,” Connor asked.
“I fucking hope so, son,” I replied.
“So do I. I was so scared seeing them like that,” Jackson said.
“Same here. They are all strong. We just have to wait until we get to the hospital and fucking pray they are all right,” I said, and the boys just nodded, agreeing with me.
We arrived at the hospital and headed straight to the reception desk in the emergency department.
“We’re looking for Monique and Madilyn Henderson. They were brought in by ambulance an hour ago,” I inquired.
“Please wait while I check,” she replied.
She picked up the phone to make a call, and as soon as she hung up, I heard a voice behind me.
“Derrick, boys, they’re this way.”
I turned around, and Savannah was walking towards us.
“How are they, Savannah? Please, tell me they’re okay,” I said.
“They all have concussions but are awake and alert. Monique had to have five stitches to her side and ten to the back of her head. Madilyn has three stitches to the wound on the side of her head. And Claire was pretty lucky. She has a pretty big bump on the back of her head but nothing else. They are going to have killer headaches for a while, but they’ll be fine,” she explained.
The boys and I visibly relaxed, smiling and nodding.
“Oh, thank fuck. You just made my day. I was so scared. There was so much blood, Savannah,” I said.
“That doesn’t surprise me. Head wounds, even the smallest cut, are notorious bleeders. Come on, I’ll take you to them. We kept them next to each other. They are going to be staying for a few days. Madilyn and Monique both have a drip with antibiotics in them. I see Madilyn has the infection that Monique had, so that will help with that, too,” she said.
I nodded and said, “It looks like the boys have caught it, too. I had to pick them up from their school.”
“All right, boys, come with me, and we’ll get you checked while you’re here,” Savannah said.
Nodding, we followed her into the girls’ room and saw them all chatting. They smiled as soon as they saw us.
I walked over and stood between Monique and Madilyn’s beds and kissed them both on the forehead, nodding to Claire.
“How are my girls? You okay now?” I asked.
“I’m all right, honey. Pretty sore, but I’ll recover,” Monique answered.
“I’ve got a killer headache, but overall, I’m fine,” Madilyn said.
“What about you, Claire, you okay?” I asked, looking at her.
“Yeah, I’m fine. A headache like the rest, but I’ll be right” she replied.
“All right, girls, you’re all very lucky. Now get some rest and recover. Boys, come and sit in the chairs, and I’ll check you over,” Savannah said.
“What’s wrong with them? Are you okay, boys?” Monique asked, worried.
“They’ll be fine, baby. The school rang about an hour after Claire picked up Madilyn and said they were sick, too.” I explained the events up until then to her, concluding with, “Fucking arsehole cops had the nerve to question me, thinking I’d done it. I practically told them to fuck off and then came here. I called Mike, and he’ll be here soon. Hulk’s at home waiting for Macca to get there to cover the house until they get rid of the body, and then Hulk will come here. He shouldn’t be too long. Doze knows and is on his way. Don’t know how many others know because I was kind of short on the phone with him.”
