Somewhere along the line, Detective Platt arrived.
Nevvie glared at him and pointed to the gore still drying on her. “Not my imagination anymore, is it, Detective Fucktardo?” Her voice bore an unmistakably shrill edge of hysteria.
He took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, ma’am.”
“Nev, love, please calm down,” Tyler said. “It’s not his fault. They didn’t know.”
“They should’ve known!” she screamed. “I told them! They should have fucking known it was him when I told them about him!”
Tyler gave the detective credit for maintaining his composure. “Ma’am, even you admitted you didn’t know how he could find your sister-in-law.”
One of the deputies walked over and spoke to Platt. His face clouded. “Where?” He looked at the three of them. “I’ll be right back. Wait here.” He and the deputy left at a fast jog.
Crime scene technicians were still processing evidence, but at least someone had covered Alex’s body with a sheet. Tyler had hit him with each of the six shots he’d fired, the hollow-points doing their job admirably.
He’d never admit it, but he was pleased to overhear one of the techs say it looked like at least two of the slugs went through the back of his skull, the others hitting him in the torso.
A cold calm had also settled over him.
“Look,” Nevvie said, a shrill, brittle edge to her tone, “can we please wash off? I want his fucking brains out of my hair.”
Crime scene techs had already photographed them, so one of the deputies nodded. “It’s okay,” he told the paramedics.
Tyler simply pointed to the hose coiled around the shed corner. One of the paramedics got it, turned the hose on, and helped Nevvie rinse off. She yanked her shirt off, apparently not caring everyone could see her bra. Tom pulled his shirt off when she finished and handed it to her. She pulled it on over her wet bra.
Tyler pulled his shirt off, too, and washed off the blood and gore Nevvie had transferred to him.
Detective Platt returned a few minutes later, carrying a duffle bag. “We found this bag at the edge of the property. This was in it.” He held up a zip-top evidence bag. When Tyler saw what was inside it, he let out a harsh laugh.
“Oh bloody hell! How did he get his fucking hands on that?”
“That’s my address book,” Nevvie said, blanching. She looked at Tyler. “That’s the one I wanted y’all to bring to me from the Tampa house. He went to our fucking house? He was in our goddamned house?” She burst into tears again.
Tyler held her. “It’s all right, love. He shall never hurt us again.”
Tom placed a hand on her shoulder. Tyler hated seeing the bruises on his lover’s body. He’d have two black eyes, and need surgery for his nose, no doubt.
But at least he was alive.
They were both alive.
And Alex was gone for good.
Tom’s voice sounded thick and garbled through his swollen lips. “He’s dead, Nev. It’s over. He’s gone.”
“He was in our fucking house! He could have hurt our kids!” A look of horror crossed her face. “The kids! Where’s the kids, and Mom and Dad? Are they okay?” Tyler knew she was still two breaths from hysteria.
“They’re fine,” Tyler assured her. “They’re at Ben’s house next door, with a deputy.
“Oh, thank God!”
Detective Platt wanted one more run-through from Tyler on what happened, but he assured Nevvie and Tom that no charges would be filed.
“Let them take you to hospital, loves. Please,” Tyler begged.
Together, Nevvie and Tom both groused, “The hospital!”
Tyler rolled his eyes. “Right. The fucking hospital. Whatever the bloody thing is called, go. I’ll follow along shortly once we’re done here and I get Mom and Dad and the boys and everyone else home.”
Tom patted her shoulder again. “Come on, Nev. Please, baby girl.”
She wordlessly nodded. Tyler kissed her and scooped her up from the chair someone had found for her to sit in. He carried her to the back of the ambulance where the paramedics helped her inside. Tom had already been put on a gurney, and they loaded it inside as well. Tyler watched while the paramedics climbed in with them, closed the doors, and took off with sirens blaring.
He looked up at the sky and took a deep breath. Then he turned to the detective. “Let’s please get this over with.”
Detective Platt nodded. Then he stuck his hand out. It puzzled Tyler, until he realized what he wanted. Tyler shook with him as the detective smiled.
“I wish the circumstances were better, and I’ll deny I ever said this. But thank you for saving the state of Georgia a trial. You did good.”
“Yes, well, it doesn’t bring Emily back, I’m afraid.” He stared at the sheet-shrouded body. Crime scene techs were preparing to load Alex into a body bag to transfer him onto a gurney. “That man was pure evil. He’s caused our family untold grief over the years.”
“Some friendly advice? I know it might not seem like it now, Mr. Paulson, but I advise you to seek some counseling. Even seasoned law enforcement can’t shrug something like this off.”
“No.” He watched the two techs unfold the body bag. “I have my own form of therapy, Detective.” He looked at Platt. “I can assure you, while I’m not happy things came to this end, I will not lose a moment’s sleep over that man’s death. He brought this day of reckoning upon himself.”
* * * *
Nevvie had little patience with the hospital staff, even though she knew they were only doing their jobs. She didn’t like being separated from Tom. They finally relented to putting them in adjoining ER beds and keeping the curtains between them open.
Tom looked over at her. “Behave, baby girl,” he said. They’d given him a shot of painkillers that already had him loopy. He needed to be taken to radiology, and doctors had told him he’d need surgery for his nose. They also suspected a concussion. With his past history of TBI, which Nevvie recited to them chapter and verse as they examined him, they wanted to keep him overnight for observation.
The doctor turned to Nevvie. “And it wouldn’t be a bad idea for us to keep you overnight, either, ma’am,” he said. They’d already hooked a band to her belly to monitor the babies. So far, everything looked fine, their heartbeats sounding strong and normal. They would be doing an ultrasound on her as a precaution when a tech became available. Her ankle had been x-rayed, and it was only a really bad sprain. She now sported a bulky Aircast on it to mobilize it.
“I hope you put us in the same room,” Nevvie said.
“We’ll see what we can do. We can probably arrange something.”
“Good.”
Peggy and John arrived an hour later and hurried into the ER.
“Where’s Tyler?” Nevvie asked, her voice growing shrill. He should be there!
“Calm down,” Peggy said. “He’ll be along in a little while. We left the kids with Kelly. Tyler’s finishing up with the detectives. He said he’s going to pack a bag for both of you and grab himself a shower. Andy will drive him here when he’s ready. It’s all right. I told him if he needed to be here sooner I’d call him.”
She relaxed, fighting the urge to burst into tears again. “They won’t charge him? Are you sure?”
John shook his head. “Nope. No charges. Clearly self-defense. Well, defense of a third person, but the same thing.” He leaned in and kissed her. “I’m really proud of you, honey.”
“For what? Nearly getting me and Tommy killed?”
“Stop that,” Tom scolded her from his bed. “You did good. You distracted Alex.”
“Yeah, but if Tyler hadn’t shown up, we’d both be dead.”
“Hush, you,” Peggy said. “Tommy’s right.
“I should have called the cops,” Nevvie said. “I can’t believe I was so stupid.”
Tom slowly turned his head to look at her. Both of his eyes had nearly swollen shut. Still, he jabbed a finger at her. “Don’t make me come ove
r there and spank you, baby girl.”
Stunned, she stared at him for a second before the giggles burped out of her, unbidden. She couldn’t help it. He couldn’t sit up by himself because of his ribs, he could barely see, much less talk, and there he was, threatening to spank her?
The giggles turned into full-fledged laughter that made Peggy and John smile.
Tom managed something resembling a smile through his swollen and split lips. “There’s my baby girl. Behave yourself.”
* * * *
Tyler and Andrew arrived after Tom returned from radiology. A broken nose, three cracked ribs, and a concussion. Other than that, he was fine.
The painkillers made Tom fade in and out of consciousness. After they moved Nevvie and Tom up to a room, John went out on a food run for them instead of them having to eat hospital food. They were able to wake Tom up enough to eat before he went back to sleep again.
Detective Platt stopped by a little before eight that night to talk to them again. Tyler glared at him. “You already got our statements. Wasn’t that enough?”
He nodded. “I mostly wanted to check on everyone and make sure you’re all okay.” He handed Tyler a card. “And give you this.”
“What is it?”
“It’s the card for our department’s psychologist. I don’t know if she can see you or not herself, but she can refer you to someone locally.”
“What?” Nevvie asked.
Tyler swore under his breath as he pocketed the card. “Thank you for the information, Detective, but I won’t be needing it.”
Platt nodded and said his good-byes before leaving.
Nevvie glared at him.
Tyler sighed in exasperation. “I’m fine, love. Truly. I do not need to see a psychologist.”
“Maybe you should.”
“Listen to the baby girl,” Tom interjected from his bed. His voice sounded slurred, between the painkillers and his swollen lips.
“This is neither the time nor the place to discuss this. End of subject. Now let me go see what I can do about getting a cot for in here to stay tonight.”
“Oh, no you don’t,” Nevvie said. “You’re going home with them. We’re fine.”
“Love, you can’t walk, and he can barely think straight, much less move.”
She sat up. “Tyler. You listen to me. We’ve got two sons at home who are going to be scared enough as it is. They need you there with them to reassure them we’re fine. They’ve already said we’ll be out tomorrow. Go home.”
“I think she’s right,” Peggy said. “It would be best if you came home.”
John and Andrew nodded.
Realizing he was outnumbered, he saved his energy instead of trying to fight them. “Very well.” He kissed Tom, who made sleepy, fish lips at him in an attempt to kiss him back. Nevvie grabbed his hand when he kissed her.
“We’re fine,” she said. She certainly seemed better now, more emotionally stable, than she had immediately following the shooting. “I love you.”
He caressed her cheek. “Love you, too, angel. Sleep well.”
“You, too.” She looked at John. “Borrow handcuffs if you have to to get him home.”
“Handcuffs,” Tom mumbled from his bed.
“That won’t be necessary,” Tyler assured her. “I’m going. Happy?”
The rest of them said their good-nights and headed downstairs together. In the elevator, Peggy slipped her arm around his waist.
“Y’all done good, Tyler.” Her voice sounded choked with emotion. “Real good. I’m real proud of you.”
“I don’t feel very proud of myself. I lied to them about the gun.”
“It doesn’t matter. I know Nevvie damn sure isn’t going to hold it against you. You saved their lives, Ty. Another few minutes, he would have either beaten or shot her to death, and gone back to finish Tommy. Then probably us and the kids.” She grabbed his chin and made him look at her. “I don’t care what you think. You did good. You saved your family.”
They stepped off the elevator at the first floor. As he pondered her words, he couldn’t help thinking about Emily.
If only I’d had a gun years earlier, I could have killed Alex then, and Emily would still be alive. My family wouldn’t be in pain over her death had I acted sooner.
Chapter Eighteen
Nevvie and Tom were discharged the next morning. Tyler took them straight from the hospital to Dr. Fagen’s office, where the hospital had made Nevvie an urgent appointment because of the events.
“You must be the proud fathers,” Dr. Fagen said when she walked into the exam room.
“This is Tommy and Tyler,” Nevvie said. “My guys.”
“Nice to meet you both.” Dr. Fagen did a double-take when she rounded the exam table and spotted Nevvie’s Aircast, and Tom’s bruised and battered face and the fact that he was in a wheelchair. “Are you all right?”
“It’s been a really bad twenty-four hours,” Nevvie said. “Remember how we told you about my ex?”
“Yes?”
“He found us.”
“Bloody bastard won’t be coming back, either,” Tyler darkly muttered.
Nevvie glanced at him, worried about his mental state, but let it go. “You probably heard about it on the news.”
“Ah. Yeah, that. I did. Well, let’s get you checked out. I read over the admitting doctor’s notes from yesterday, and it looks like everything’s okay. I just want to make sure.” Dr. Fagen set up the ultrasound machine and started preparing. “Are you interested in learning their sex if I can tell?”
“Yes,” Nevvie said. “I can’t stand the suspense.”
“Hoping for a couple of girls to even the score?” the doctor joked.
“That would be nice.”
The doctor switched the lights off and applied goo to Nevvie’s belly. After a few minutes of searching, the doctor froze the screen and used the cursor to circle a section. “It’s still a little early, but I think this is Baby Girl Number One.”
Nevvie couldn’t help the smile that crossed her face. “Yeah?”
“We’ll confirm it later with an amnio. Not today, though. I’d rather wait a little longer, especially after the stress you just went through.” The doctor did some more searching and took another screenshot. “And Baby Girl Number Two.”
Tom squeezed Nevvie’s hand. “Girls,” he croaked. “That’s great.”
Tyler glanced at him before a smile finally curled his lips. “It’s brilliant. Adam will certainly be thrilled.”
“I’m not sure Mikey will be. He won’t be the baby anymore,” Nevvie said.
After conducting her exam, Dr. Fagen proclaimed everything was fine. “I want to see you next week, though,” she said. “Just to be on the safe side.”
Relief flooded her. “Thank you, Doctor.”
With Tyler helping, Nevvie got down off the table and steadied herself with her crutches. The doctors in the emergency room said she could stop using them in a week or so, as long as the swelling had gone down in her ankle and the pain had abated somewhat.
Back at the house, Tyler helped Tom carefully make his way to the couch. He lay there while Adam happily showed him how to play his new video game. Tyler got Nevvie settled in a recliner and gave them both stern looks. “No moving. Either one of you. Got it?”
Nevvie snapped him a salute. “Aye-aye, Cap’n Bligh.”
Tom barked out a laugh, which left him gasping in pain. “Baby girl, stop, you’re killing me.”
“Sorry, Tommy.” She grinned at Tyler. “Yes, Sir,” she said, winking at him.
Maybe she was twenty kinds of twisted, but knowing Alex was dead had lifted a huge weight from her shoulders. She’d take the pain of the sprained ankle any day. Her kids were safe, her men were safe, and she’d never have to look over her shoulder in fear again.
Tyler rolled his eyes at her. “Behave, woman.” He jabbed a finger at Tom. “You, too, mister.”
Tom snapped him a salute. “Yes, Sir.”
Tyler laughed as he left the room. Nevvie looked over at Tom and winked at him.
He winked back.
* * * *
The video game only kept Adam’s interest for so long. After an hour, when Tom had fallen asleep due to his pain meds, Adam shut the game off and curled up with Nevvie in the recliner.
“Mommy, can I ask you a question?”
“Sure, baby.” She put her Kindle aside. “What is it?”
“Who was the bad man yesterday?”
She nearly choked. Hell, the “Where do babies come from?” question would have been preferable to that.
She stared down into Adam’s blue eyes and racked her brain for an acceptable answer that didn’t involve lying or using the terms “fucking douchetard” and “abusive asshole.”
“Well, baby,” she finally said, “he was someone I used to know a long time ago. Years ago.”
“Before Daddy and Poppa?”
She nodded. “Yes.” She thought again. Adam patiently waited her out. “He hurt me really bad. Daddy and Poppa saved my life. And the bad man went to jail for what he did. Unfortunately, he was let out of jail too soon and he tried to hurt me again.”
“And Daddy and Poppa saved you again?”
She smiled. “Yes, they did.”
“Is he the same bad man who hurt Aunt Emily?”
She let out a sigh. “Yes, baby. He was.”
His face scrunched up for a moment, deep in thought. Finally, he said, “I’m glad he’s gone. He won’t hurt nobody else.” With that, he got up and put in a different video game and started playing.
Nevvie wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry or throw up her hands in confusion.
It doesn’t matter how old they are. Men just make no sense sometimes.
* * * *
While Tyler hadn’t slept well the night before, exhaustion had taken over. If he’d dreamt, he didn’t remember it. Tonight, with Tom and Nevvie safely back in bed with him, he quickly dropped into a blissful sleep.
At first.
His writer’s brain took over at some point. It spun a terrifying alternate version of the events. In this version, he raced down the driveway too late. When he ran into the yard, Tom was already dead and Alex was in the process of bashing Nevvie’s head in.