The boys all filed into the house, Jack was lagging behind, it was the first time he had seen the house since he was shot.
He wasn't sure how it would feel. For him it was a relief to be home, after such a long stay in the hospital. His right arm was still in a sling, it was still healing. The other boys had gone upstairs to make sure that his room was still neat, so he could lie down if he wanted. The doctors had told them plenty of rest was good and they intended to make sure he got it.
He had only been in the house for a second when he saw Bobby's face in the stairs, "Oh, Jackie, can we see you up here, please."
There was something about the tone of his voice that made him wonder what they were up to. He climbed the stairs slowly, not wanting to be ambushed. He didn't think his brothers would hurt him after being out of the hospital for such a short time, but he didn't know what kind of joke was coming.
He finally made it to the top of the stairs and found all of his brothers standing outside his room, looking at something inside. "What's up?"
Bobby turned and smiled devilishly at him, "Quiet, you wouldn't want to wake goldilocks, would you?"
"Huh?" Jack walked toward his brothers to see what they were talking about. When he looked in the room there was a girl asleep in his bed, clutching his leather jacket to her chest.
"So I guess the fairy isn't as much of a fairy as we thought or is she your girlfriend?" Bobby made a limp wrested gesture toward him and Angel and Jerry couldn't help but laugh.
Hearing the commotion the girl opened her eyes, saw the boys and leapt to the top of the bed still clutching the jacket. Fear and anger raged in her eyes as she stared at the three of them. Jack pushed the other boys out of the way and slowly approached the girl, "It's ok, it's me Jack. They won't hurt you."
He stroked the side of her face until she calmed down and looked at him. Her eyes changed when she looked at him, her voice sounded calmer then was expected, "Jack, I'm sorry, I wanted to surprise you."
Jack's eyes showed emotion that his brothers had only seen when it came to them and their mother.
The girl got up and hugged him gently, taking note not to hurt his arm. Bobby, Angel and Jerry had slowly made their way into the room. They had enough practice when Jack came to live with them to know not to spook this girl anymore than she already was. They were interested to know who she was. Out of the blue, half giggling and looking at his brothers, Jerry said, "I know who she is."
Talking louder, "Dawn, is that you girl?"
The girl raised her head and smiled at him, "Jerry, you old fart, how have you been?" She walked over to Jerry and gave him a hug. "Sorry to hear about ma, how are you holding up?"
"Pretty good, haven't had much time to think about it," he said looking at Jack. Jack blushed.
Dawn turned back toward Jack, "Were you planning on calling anyone about this?" She pointed to his arm, "Ronnie and the guys are out of their minds. You know Ronnie, he read about you getting shot on the internet. Freaked out, we all thought you were dead," she frowned. "I came to see if it was true, I told them you were stronger than they were giving you credit for."
She put her arm around his waist and gave him a kiss on his cheek. "So who are you friends?" Then she put her hands up, "Don't tell me, let me guess."
She approached the guys. "I know Jerry," she turned to the other African-American guy. "Tall, muscular, lady's man, you must be Angel and let's see, tall, but not to tall, muscular and a knot-head, you must be Bobby." She smiled at Jack, "Isn't that the way you described them?"
Jerry laughed so hard that he could barely stand.
Bobby and Angel stepped forward, doing their best to intimidate Dawn, "And who, may we ask, are you?"
She turned and smiled, "Jack can explain it, I have to go down and finish dinner. Jerry, there is more than enough, please call Camille and the girls. I would really like to see them." She turned and went downstairs.
The brothers three looked at Jack, Jerry was the first one to speak, "I know the story, so I am going down to see what's cooking and to call my girls." He smiled, patted Jack on the shoulder and left, leaving him alone with his two older brothers.
"So," Angel said, "Who is she and what's her story?"
"What is she to you?" Bobby added, sounding annoyed because he couldn't intimidate her.
Jack felt a little uneasy, "Well, I guess you could say she is my girlfriend."
"You can't have a girlfriend, you never have before, and do you even know what to do with a girl?" Bobby and Angel were shooting questions at him faster than the bullets came on that unfortunate day.
The questions to him were stupid, he had been with Dawn for a year and before that they were friends for 6 months. He had all intentions to answer their questions, but their noses perked up, "What is she cooking? Whatever it is it smells good."
The two boys turned and started to go downstairs, they both turned around in unison, "Are you coming, you wouldn't not want to see your girlfriend." Jack wanted to say something, but he just blushed and pushed passed the two of them.
"So, Jackie, does this mean that I can't call you a fairy anymore? By the way, who wears the pants in your relationship?" Bobby just couldn't stop heckling Jack. My brother is growing up and I don't think any of us have told him anything about girls. He has caught Angel and Sophie, but we never really sat him down to talk to him about sex. I hope he is protected, maybe, as his big brother, I should talk to him about condoms and how you should make a woman feel. Like I would know, I don't think I can remember when the last time I was with a woman I cared about. "Yo, Bobby." Angel was taking.
"Yea, what?"
"What are we supposed to think about her, what would ma do? I really wish she was here to help. And what was with the way she acted when she saw us?"
Bobby was about to answer when there was a knock on the door. He went to answer it. When he opened the door Camille, Amelia and Danniella, Jerry's wife and kids, were there.
"Hi, come in. Jerry's in the kitchen with Jack's girlfriend," he rolled his eyes.
"She is a nice girl and her name is Dawn. Bobby Mercer can't you be nice, she is good for Jack and if I remember correctly your mother liked her, shouldn't that be enough?" She gave him a look he was used to meaning don't start in front of the girls.
Camille headed for the kitchen with the girls; Bobby followed swearing under his breath for getting reamed by Camille. The girls ran up to Jerry, he picked them both up and gave them each a kiss and hug. When he put them down they went over to where Dawn was cooking and they said her name, she turned to look, "Jerry, did you hear someone call my name?"
Jerry smiled, "It wasn't me."
She went back to cooking; the girls said her name again. She turned around again, smiled at Camille, "Camille, Hi! Was it you?" Camille shook her head.
The girls giggled, "We're down here." Dawn looked down and knelt in front of them, they hugged her.
While the girls were talking to Dawn, Camille was helping with dinner, all four brothers went to talk in the dining room.
Angel said what Bobby was thinking, "Ok, give it up little brother, tell us the story. Meaning Bobby and I, Jerry seems to already know everything."
"How is that possible, how does he know and we don't?" Bobby was curious
"Jack brought her home about 6 months ago and we met her then. Mom like her, she said that Dawn was good for Jack. Sorry that I am talking about you like you aren't here." He turned to look at Jack.
"I'm used to it."
"Ok, story goes, I met Dawn in New York, she was waiting tables in this club the guys and I played at frequently. She always talked to us, not like a groupie, like we were people. Most of the girls talked to us and giggled and they always wanted to touch us." All the guys knew that Jack was not one to be touched, unless he trusted you.
"Anyway, she came over one night and walked right by. The guys said she was upset because her friend, Shana, was found dead from an OD. I went to find her, for some reason I needed to see if she was ok."
Bobby leaned back in his chair and sighed, "I didn't ask for a biography, just an explanation."
Jack ignored him and continued, "I went to find her and found her out back in the alley. She was crying, guys, crying. I have only seen mom cry and you guys always helped with that, this time I was on my own. So I asked her what was wrong, she ignored me. I asked her again and she looked at me with tears in her eyes, but hate on her face. She reminded me of me when I was young, so I thought would my brothers do. I walked away, but also mentioned that the guys and I were going for coffee after the show." The guys smiled thinking of how they had influenced their little brother.
"Dinner is ready." Camille called from the kitchen.
"Give us the reader's digest version," Angel said sounding a little annoyed by having the story interrupted.
"Went for coffee, talked, found out we have some things in common, wanted to see her all the time." Jack took a breath and continued, "Dated other girls, no one understood, talked to Dawn more, dated her for 6 months, moved in together, been together since."
He let out a long sigh and got up, "Dawn, can I help in anyway." He headed for the kitchen.
"Be careful what you say about her, Jackie likes her a lot. I know she doesn't sleep well, mom found her up at 2:00 am sitting on the front steps like Jack used to. She talked to mom all night, even cried from what she told me. After she went back to bed mom called me all upset. She said one child had missed out on her love, but Jack would help her now. Mom accepted her and so should we, just try to be gentle, remember how Jack was. Just remember she is a girl, like Jack, but a girl." Jerry got up when everyone came in with food. Spaghetti with homemade sauce and meatballs, salad and garlic bread.
Danniella and Amelia came running in, "Daddy, look what Dawn brought us." They were holding up teddy bears with New York Ranger jerseys on them. "She said they play hockey like you, Uncle Bobby, Uncle Angel and Uncle Jack do." They sat their bears in chairs and then sat down themselves to eat.
"So, Dawn, do you like hockey?" Bobby asked between bites.
"Yes, hockey is fun to watch, but more fun to play." She gave Bobby a wicked smile.
"You are putting yourself in an awkward situation, you do know that Bobby plays professional hockey himself, when he isn't suspended." Angel was trying to get something going.
Dawn gave Angel a 'duh' look, "I know, the "Michigan Mauler", I even saw him play against the Rangers once. He got some bogus calls on him, but I don't ref so I don't know nothin'."
"Oh please don't inflate his ego anymore than it already is." Jack said smiling
Dawn finally stood up to start clearing the table, "Oh no, not in this house." Jack stood up and with his one good hand, started gathering dishes, "If you cook, you don't clear. We will." He looked at the guys, who stood up and followed his lead.
"How did you do that? They always grumble and groan when I ask for help." Camille was surprised at the way the guys acted.
"I don't know, Jack even does this back home. I just figured that ma taught him well."
"Can I ask you a question?"
"Go ahead, fire away."
"Why do you call Evelyn, mom? I mean I know why I do, but why do you?"
The guys were about to come back in, when they heard Camille ask the question. They looked at Jack quizzically, he just shrugged.
"I call her ma, because she told me to. Well, she told me I could if I wanted to. I talked to her for a long time, she asked about my mother, I told her she died when I was 6. After that it was just my dad and I until I was 11, that's when they took me away. So she said she wished she could have helped me." Dawn put her head down, sniffled and wiped away a tear. "So when she told me I could call her mom, I instantly cared for her. I didn't get the chance that the Mercer boys got, but she was giving me that chance. I saw something in her eyes, my biological mother is dead and my father is a bastard, but Evelyn cared for me. That's why I call her mom." Camille leaned over and put her hand on Dawn's to signal everything was ok.
"Man, Jackie, did you know that she was so fucked up?" Bobby said looking at Jack
Jack pushed him hard, "We are all fucked up, but we had ma and each other to help us deal, she didn't have anyone. She did it all on her own." Putting his finger in Bobby's face, "I am warning you, don't upset her." He walked into the dining room and put his hand on her shoulder. She laid her cheek on his hand; he could feel that her cheek was damp.
Jerry gave Bobby a look, "What? I didn't do anything?"
"Just, for once, listen to what your little brother says. Don't upset her and you won't upset him." Jerry went into the dining room.
By now Jack was sitting down and holding Dawn's hand. You could see how comfortable the two of them were together.
"Camille, we should get going, the girls look tired." They were curled up on the couch with the bears, dozing.
Dawn got up, hugged Camille and Jerry, "Thank you for coming, see ya soon."
After Camille and Jerry left and the dishes were done, they were sitting with the fire roaring, watching TV. A commercial came on and Jack turned to Dawn, "So how are the guys?"
"They're fine now that I called them and told them that you would be back wailing on the guitar soon." She smiled and playfully pinched him on the cheek. He couldn't help but laugh, she was always so playful but so much pain behind it. How did they find each other, two people so screwed up yet they compliment each other so well.
"Don't make me sick my brothers on you." He laughed, and then changed the subject. He seemed to get serious, "So how did you fare with me being away?"
"Ok," he knew she was hiding something.
"What aren't you telling me?" he put his hand on her cheek to turn her face to his.
"Don't get upset, but Ronnie stayed with me while you were gone. You know I hate to be alone."
"He What!" Jack stood up and began to pace. "How dare you, how dare he. He knows how I feel about him being alone with you."
All anyone could see in Jack's eyes was rage. Bobby and Angel hadn't seen that look in years, but why now. "Jackie boy, calm down. Sophie and I fight all the time, but it is worth this or that look." "Plus you are scaring your girl and she doesn't look good."
Bobby was getting up to go to her side. The color had drained out of her face and she was staring at the picture of Evelyn Mercer that hung on the wall. Jack stopped, "Oh my god, Dawn, I'm sorry. I'm ranting. Ronnie didn't touch you did he?"
"Why do you have to assume? No, he didn't touch me, other than to hold me when the nights got really bad. He cares about you and me, so he wouldn't do anything to hurt either one of us."
Jack sat down to put his arm around her and she moved away. She hadn't seen him angry like this in a long time. Jack leaned back on the couch and sighed. He was close to tears, but he didn't want to cry, he said, "I am fine now. Please believe that I'm sorry. When I get better we can go back to New York. Hell, I'll even apologize to Ronnie, even though he doesn't know what I said."
"I'm not going back." Jack turned his head, "What did you say?"
"I said, I'm not going back, I can't"
She got up off of the couch, "I'm going to get a shower before I go to bed, if that is ok with everyone." She looked around the room.
No one objected so she climbed the stairs and shortly they heard the shower.
Disclaimer:
This is my first story, so please tell me what you think. I have many more chapters already written, but I wanted to see what you thought before I post them.
I don't own anything, except the characters that I made up.