*~*~*~*
"Mr and Mrs Burns, I am Doctor Masters."
Bluey nervously extended his hand to the white coat clad specialist. "How is our daughter?"
"Her knee is smashed and will require extensive reconstruction. She may walk again, but it is touch and go at the moment."
Hannah buried her face in Bluey's chest and sobbed, while his arms folded around her, lost for words.
"Apart from her knee, she is in good order. She's in a lot of pain but she is awake and constantly asking for you both. This way, please."
Hannah and Bluey entered TJ's room and were shocked by all the tubes coursing from their daughter’s body. Her leg was in a cast but TJ bravely smiled at her parents, studying their worried faces.
"I love you, baby," Bluey's big heart was breaking.
TJ reached for the big man's hand. "I love you too, Daddy." She reached for her mum, trying to stem the tears streaming down her face. "I love you, Mum."
Hannah broke and wept openly but when she could speak, she kissed her daughter's head. "I love you, baby."
"Is Gwendolyn okay? Where is she Daddy?"
"I don't know, baby. She ran off," Bluey replied, glancing over to Hannah.
"It wasn't her fault, Daddy. Please don't blame her," TJ pleaded painfully.
"What happened, TJ?" Hannah finally asked.
"A woman snuck up on the car and started tormenting Gwendolyn. I've never seen a more frightened look on a girl's face in my life. Gwendolyn was trying to get away and jumped out of the car, but the woman caught her and she was shaking her. She was talking harshly to her, but I couldn't tell what was being said. Gwendolyn broke out of her grip and then jumped into the car and drove off as if she was being pursued by the devil himself. She lost control of the car and we slammed into a tree. And that's the last I remember," TJ reported painfully.
"I know exactly who it was and I aim to put it right!" Bluey exclaimed.
"Oh, Daddy, please find her. I am afraid for her. It wasn't her fault!" TJ pleaded.
Bluey's face was aglow with indignation. He glanced over to Hannah and peered into her soft, compassionate eyes.
"We need to find her," Hannah pleaded with her husband.
"Any idea where she may have gone, TJ?" Bluey asked.
"No, sorry, Daddy." TJ began to feel the pain again and her face contorted.
"What about friends?" Bluey enquired.
"As far as I know, I was it. Oh... arr no, I don't think so," TJ mused and then dismissed the thought.
"Whatever it is, it may be worth checking out," Bluey pleaded.
"It's just a guy at school she hung around with for the few days she was there."
"What's his name?"
"Matt Barns."
"I am going to go and see if I can find her. The neighbours have been good enough to drop a car down for us to use until I can get ours sorted out again. Will you stay here with TJ, honey?"
"I'm not letting my baby out of my sight," Hannah explained.
Bluey drew Hannah against himself in a hug and kissed her, then knelt by TJ and kissed her forehead. "I'll be back as soon as I can. I love you," he pledged and was gone.
*~*~*~*
Bluey contacted Phelps and explained the situation.
Phelps blew out his breath in frustration. "We need to find her before court on Tuesday. Monday is opening arguments and I can bluff my way through that, but if she is still missing Tuesday... I’ll get the uniform boys to check out Matt Barns and case the neighbourhood to see if anyone has seen her. I would say if Marlene has been in her head, whatever she said to her wasn't in your best interests. Gwendolyn will be running from the accident and she’d have no idea if your daughter is alive or dead. Unfortunately, she’ll also be running from you and I’ll bet she’ll be thinking you won’t be interested in her anymore and will do whatever needed to avoid you. Gwendolyn will be hiding from Marlene Styles, too. You've got one frightened little girl there, Mr Burns, and we need to find her… and fast."
Bluey's anger exploded towards Marlene Styles. "Why...?! Why did that dreadful woman do this to her... and to us?!"
Phelps slapped the big man on his back. "Well, we obviously have some loose ends to tie up at the moment, Mr Burns. We’ll deal with Marlene Styles once we get things back on track. If you have any connections with the big man upstairs, now is the time to use them."
"I have a team of people committed to pray, so yes, Father is well involved in our situation," Bluey replied.
"Tonight is Saturday night. I'll contact Police Operations and get them onto it straight away," Phelps explained. "We've got less than forty eight hours to find her."
*~*~*~*
Chapter 44
Gwendolyn shivered in the dark. The bridge over the swamp cast an eerie shadow on the surface of the water, obliterating the crescent moonlight’s reflection. The still, heavy air smelled of stagnant water and the sky was punctuated by pinpoints of starlight. She climbed under the bridge and folded into a support beam, but Its cold metal chilled her even more.
She remembered Hannah and Bluey and the love they offered freely. If they were going to court on Monday as Marlene had said and were anticipating getting rid of her, why didn't they just tell her? And if they were going to get rid of her, why were they taking her to the Pasta Place?
Her empty stomach rumbled at the thought of food.
She rested her head against the cold steel and began to cry. Even if they hadn't intended to get rid of her as Marlene said, she had blown it anyway. The thought of TJ, lying next to the crashed car and not moving, shocked her to her core and she couldn’t get the image out of her mind.
"Oh, TJ, I’m so sorry. You were my best friend." The tears plopped into the still water, only ten feet below. Gwendolyn wiped her face with the back of her hand and sniffed. But the memory of Bluey holding her and proclaiming his daddy love for her was too much and she broke again, sobbing hard in the dark; and then the loss of Hannah’s love and comfort, her soft touch and her warm, wise mother words, tore into her heart and started the tears flooding again.
Her heart was breaking, but she had to get over it.
She’d messed up, big time and any chance of going back to the Burns' was finished. The only one she had now was Gwendolyn; and Gwendolyn had to survive.
The loneliness was all consuming and out of sheer desperation, she cried out to God. "Bluey and Hannah trust You. Please, if there is any way You can undo this horrible mess and return me to my family, I will follow You for the rest of my life."
A sudden peace overcame Gwendolyn and she rested her weary head against the steel and felt strangely warm, while her stomach stilled its hungry groaning and feeling unnaturally safe in the presence of a mighty someone, Gwendolyn drifted off to sleep.
*~*~*~*
The sounds of clopping footsteps on the wood above her head panicked Gwendolyn from her nap and she curled into a ball, trying to avert being detected.
There appeared to be only one person and the smell of cigarette smoke wafted down into her nose. She held her breath, hoping they would go away, but they stopped just above her head and settled to the wooden bridge floor, exposing their dangling legs hanging over the edge in Gwendolyn’s plain sight and not two feet from her face. A red ember from a cigarette butt spiralled down into the water below and hissed as it extinguished in the stagnant pool. Then there was a sudden bright flash as a match lit and more cigarette smoke wafted past her.
Gwendolyn suddenly gasped and jumped as a face leaned over the edge. "What are you doing under there?" a boy’s voice broke the silence. Another match lit and her hiding place was exposed.
She felt disorientated and then she heard her name.
"Gwendolyn, is that you?"
"Who are you?" she nervously called back.
"Matt Barns."
"Matt!" she suddenly felt relieved and the camaraderie of familiarity. "What are you doing here?" Gwendolyn asked, thankful for the company and climbing out of her hi
ding place.
"I might be asking you the same question," Matt said.
"It's a long story," Gwendolyn huffed dejectedly.
"Well, I think my reason for being out here is connected with you," Matt offered.
"Huh?! I don't get it," Gwendolyn was confused.
"The cops were around, looking for you. I don't know why they would come to my joint, but anyway, the old man went berserk and started laying into me for attracting the attention of the coppers, especially since his crop is just about ready for picking."
"Crop?" Gwendolyn looked more confused.
"Weed," Matt set her straight.
"Oh!"
"So why are the coppers looking for you?"
"I think I killed my sister!" Gwendolyn suddenly choked.
"Whoa, I thought I was a bit of a crim, but you’ve hit the big time!"
"It's not helping, Matt!" Gwendolyn peered down. "I loved TJ."
"Tabatha-Jean Burns, are you kidding?! She's dead and you killed her?!"
Gwendolyn suddenly burst into tears and nodded.
Matt didn't know what to say.
"What are you going to do, Gwendolyn?"
"I don't know. I guess I am going to keep running and hide out for as long as I can. Then when the cops find me, it will be off to Cranbourne."
"The kook house?!" Matt exclaimed incredulously.
Matt and Gwendolyn sat, just staring at the water for a long time pondering the situation.
"You can't stay out here, Gwendolyn. The gangs meet here to rumble and if they found you, I wouldn't like to think what they would do to you," Matt suddenly offered.
"Can you hide me then? Just until the smoke clears a bit and I can get out of the city," Gwendolyn pleaded.
Matt swallowed. "If the old man found you, he'd kill me and then… I don't know, Gwendolyn."
"Please, Matt. I haven't got anywhere else to go," Gwendolyn pleaded.
"Okay, come on. You'll have to stay in our old barn down the backyard. The old man never goes there. But you'll have to stay quiet, or it'll be curtains for both of us."
"Thanks. One day I'll repay you," Gwendolyn assured.
The two teenagers walked down the back streets until they came to Matt's place. Gwendolyn eyed the old barn in the backyard of the house and the two dilapidated wooden doors covering the entrance. Matt lifted one door and pulled it at the same time. The door gave way under his force and dragged against the ground. Gwendolyn walked inside and Matt closed the door behind her.
"Remember, keep out of sight and don't make any noise. I'll bring you some food in the morning. If we get caught..." Matt tapered off.
Matt walked into the house and found his old man asleep in the chair. The television was talking to itself and empty beer bottles were everywhere. He turned to leave the room when a large man appeared on the screen, pleading for anyone with knowledge of his missing daughter, Gwendolyn Burns.
"She may be injured and very frightened. Gwendolyn and her sister were involved in a car crash earlier today and her sister was taken to Memorial Hospital with non life threatening injuries and Gwendolyn disappeared from the accident site." A picture of Gwendolyn flashed up on the screen and a contact number followed.
Matt grabbed a pen and wrote down the number, almost beside himself with relief. His face broke out in a smile and he felt joy for Gwendolyn. The impulse to head back out and let Gwendolyn know of her fate was thwarted by an angry man blocking his path.
"Finally decided to come home ya young good for nothing. I oughta give ya a hidin' just for breathin'. Get to bed 'fore I give ya a knuckle sandwich."
Matt didn't dare disobey his father again.
One thrashing was enough for tonight.
*~*~*~*
Chapter 45
Bluey dragged his tired and disheartened frame back up to the hospital and into TJ's room. He had been searching for Gwendolyn nearly all night, with no result and the weight of responsibility for the mess they’d been thrust into was resting heavily on his shoulders.
Hannah lifted her head from TJ's bed and watched Bluey shuffle tiredly down the corridor and into the hospital room, through the open door. She glanced up at the clock on the wall: 4 am. "No sign of her?" Hannah whispered, standing to hug the big man.
"No, not even a glimpse," Bluey reported. "How's TJ doing?"
"She stayed awake for as long as she could, hoping to hear some good news. The pain got pretty intense, so the nurses gave her something to make her sleep."
Bluey stood beside the sleeping form of his beloved daughter. "Oh baby, I am so sorry," he whispered. "If we hadn't become involved in trying to help out a stray cat…"
"Hey, hey, Mr Burns! Father's plan was for Gwendolyn to come into our home and I still believe it is. Offering Father's love is always a battle and it comes with a price, especially when we are fighting against the Evil One. I thought we all understood the cost; TJ certainly did. Where is this discouragement coming from?" Hannah gently chided, rubbing her hands up his arms.
Bluey dropped into a chair and hung his head dejectedly.
Hannah drew near her man and massaged his tight scalp. "We can't give up the battle, honey, just because we got shot in the heart. Your women are depending on you, Bluey, to be strong for us and show us how one of Father's true sons defends and protects us; and how he trusts His God above all else. Don't give up, honey; just wait on Father and He will sort it out."
Hannah's warm wisdom stirred the protector in Bluey's heart. He pulled her onto his lap and kissed her. "You are the virtuous woman that Father talks about in the Bible, my love. I would walk barefoot over hot coals for my girls."
"That's my man. Now pray with me and go and find Gwendolyn. She needs her daddy. TJ and I are safe." Hannah kissed him and her warm lips energised his tired mind.
"I might go and grab a shower and a couple of hours sleep before starting again," Bluey declared.
Hannah's respect for her husband swelled as his determination kicked in again. His tired eyes took strength from the love and adoration of his wife's calming words.
"Okay, honey, remember Father already knows," Hannah reminded him.
Bluey stood; his stance showed a man determined and a new strength flooded through his veins, stirred by the adoration and respect of his Godly loving woman.
*~*~*~*
Bluey unlocked the front door to his home and entered the dark room, flipped on the light but felt empty and cold. The house was just four walls without the love and joy his family filled it with. He made his way to the shower and languished under its soothing flood and washed away the aches and cares of the past eighteen hours with the strong steady stream; then after pulling on a fresh set of clothes, he pulled back the covers on their double bed and fell into an exhausted sleep.
*~*~*~*
Matt Barns stole out into the kitchen of his father's home and opened the cupboard to find something to feed Gwendolyn. It was still early and he hadn't slept much, bursting to tell Gwendolyn about her sister and that she wasn't in as much trouble as she thought. His searching gaze settled on an open packet of biscuits.
"That will have to do for a start."
He grabbed the packet and crept for the back door, but the floor boards creaked under his weight and he stopped to listen, holding his breath. Satisfied he hadn’t been detected, he crept out of the kitchen, pushing open the screen door with his foot as he always did, and tried to catch its spring-loaded return with his hand before it clattered against the doorframe. But Matt misjudged the returning door speed and it slipped past his hand and clattered against the door jam.
Fear rose in him like a tidal wave and the hair stood on the back of his neck. Matt’s father would have heard that and now he was flirting with another beating. He wasn't supposed to take anything from the house without his father's okay and the biscuits in his hand might as well have been his father's wallet. But he was committed now, so he might as well try and get the food to Gwendolyn before the sky fell on him
again.
Matt made it to the barn door and called out, "Gwendolyn!"
"I'm here. Boy, it's good to hear your voice. It's spooky in here."
"Get away from the door and I will open it. I have some biscuits for you," Matt whispered.
He placed his hands on the door and before he could perceive what had happened, the teenage boy was flying through the air and about to crash land heavily on the pebbly ground. The cold, bloodshot eyes of his father bored into him, standing over the crumpled teen’s landing site.
"What in tarnation are you doing with my food, boy; and who have you got in my barn?!"
Matt watched helplessly as his father pulled open the door and saw Gwendolyn cowering in the back of the barn.
"Well, what have we got here? You hoping to have a little get-together without your daddy. I think your uncles might just be interested in a little party and you can watch, boy."
"No…! Dad, please don't do this!" Matt pleaded.
"Shut up, boy!" He slammed the door closed to the barn again, trapping Gwendolyn inside.
"As for you, you worthless scum…" Matt received a well aimed boot for his troubles. "Now get inside, where I can keep an eye on you."
Matt heard the excited voice of his father, arranging with his brothers to hurt Gwendolyn and again he pleaded with his father not to do it, but was met with a stinging back hand. He wiped the blood from his mouth and watched his father disappear outside, waiting for his brothers to arrive.
Gwendolyn was in deep trouble.
Matt suddenly remembered the big man on the television screen, found the number and picked up the phone. The phone rang and rang and he was just about to put it down when it suddenly clicked and a sleepy voice answered... "Bluey Burns."
As he put the phone down, Matt watched four big men arrive and greet his father. They wore cut-off denim jackets, long denim trousers and shaved heads. As the five men walked toward the barn and opened the door, Matt felt sick.
Once they had passed inside, the door closed behind them.