Chapter Two: And so it begins!
On their way back to the office Dog's phone rang. He looked at the ID and saw that it was the number from the office. With a queasy feeling in his gut, he answered the call.
"What is it Duane Lee?", he asked his son on the other end.
"No Mr. Chapman, Meredith speaking!", she said and you could tell that she was very agitated.
"What's wrong Meredith?", he asked alarmed.
She took a deep breath.
"Ten minutes ago your son walked through the door and shot at us without any warning. I hid myself, but Duane Lee could not." she told him sobbing.
"Oh my god! What's wrong with Duane Lee?", he asked.
Beth looked alarmed at her husband.
"He was shot in the stomach I can't stop the bleeding!", she cried in the phone.
"Calm down honey. Did you call the ambulance?"
"Of course I did, they on their way, but it's taking so long!"
"Hold on honey, we'll be there in a few minutes!" he tried to calm her. She was very distraught.
"Yeah I will, but I fear for Duane Lee, Mr Chapman."
He nodded and could feel the tears were building up very fast.
They ended the call and Dog turned to Tim.
"Push the pedal, Tim!", he yelled in despair. Tim nodded and sped up storming through the streets.
A few minutes later
When they arrived at the office, the ambulance was already there. Dog jumped out of the car just before Tim could stop the car. Like lightning he shot out to the paramedic.
"What's wrong with my son?" he asked worriedly. One of the paramedics went to him and took him aside.
"Mr Chapman I assume?"
Dog nodded his head yes.
"Your son lost a large amount of blood, but we could stabilize him for the moment. We'll take him to the hospital. That is all we can say. Please be patient!", the paramedic said and went back to his colleagues who brought an unconscious Duane Lee to the ambulance. After they got him in, they drove off as fast as they could.
Paralysed Dog stood there, looking after them. A tremor ran through his body and the tears ran over his cheeks. Beth hugged her distraught husband.
Meredith waited for them in the office. She was sitting on a chair shivering and she had tears in her eyes. She had only known Duane Lee for a few hours, but she liked him and it hurt her that he was injured so badly. She knew, that she would never forget this day when she had witnessed such a horrible incident.
Shortly after the ambulance had left, Dog came in the office. She could tell by the look on his face that he was not only sad but inflamed with rage. Her heart raced and her hands were sweaty by the sight of him, he looked murderous.
Poor Leland, he will pay for that! She thought sadly.
"Meredith?", Dog asked her.
She looked up and in his eyes. She could see the storm raising in these blue eyes.
"Yes?", she said.
"Please would you come to the hospital with us!", he said tired.
She nodded and stood up. They went to the SUV and drove off to the hospital. The ride was silent, nobody wanted to say anything.
At the hospital
Beth, Dog, Tim and Meredith waited for the doctor in the waiting room. Dog paced back and forth in this little room and made the others feel nervous. Beth was sitting next to Meredith holding her hand.
"Why is it taking so long?", Dog asked annoyed, more to himself than to the others.
Beth stood up and went to her husband. She grabbed his hand and looked at him insistently.
"Big Daddy, please calm down!"
"Calm down? How can I do that? My son was shot by my other son! I can not calm down!", he roared.
Meredith who watched the scene in front of her, shuddered. She didn't want to be his enemy when he got this angry he looked like an avenger. But she could understand him perfectly. She couldn't imagine, how he must have felt.
Her thoughts were interrupted, as the door cracked open and the doctor walked in.
"The Chapman's?", he asked.
Dog turned around and looked hopefully at the doctor.
"Yes! How is my son?", he asked and grabbed Beth' hand. Soothingly she stroked his hand and waited for the doctor to answer the question.
"I am Doctor Swanson. Your son is stable. In this moment he will come out of the surgery. But his wound is serious. If he can live through the next 46 hours, he'll survive!" Doctor Swanson told them.
Dog swallowed hard and nodded.
"Can we see him?", Beth asked her voice cracked.
Doctor Swanson nodded.
"But only for a few minutes your son needs to rest!", he told them and went out. The Chapman's and Meredith followed him to the hospital room in which Duane Lee was brought in.
Meredith shrieked at the sight of him. There were tubes all over Duane Lee it was a horrible sight which brought tears in her eyes and she had to leave the hospital room.
Beth looked sympathetically at her. She knew exactly how she must have felt because she felt the same way. It broke her hurt to see her step-son in this situation. He didn't deserve it.
Slowly Dog walked to the bedside of his son, with tears streaming down his face. He took Duane Lee's hand and squeezed it carefully.
"Get better very quickly son. I need you!", he whispered, his voice breaking.
Tim, who stood behind his brother, put his arm around Dogs shoulder and squeezed it.
"He will be fine. He is a fighter, like every Chapman is!", Tim said certainly.
Dog nodded before he turned around and stormed out of the hospital room.
Tim and Beth went out of the room, too and followed Dog who went straight to one of the nurses.
"Excuse me, Ma'am?" he said to the nurse.
The nurse turned around and looked at him questioningly.
"Yes? What can I do for you, sir?", she asked.
"My son Duane Lee Chapman is laying in room 3154. Can you do me a favour and call me please, if his condition changes?", he asked. "I have to go and catch my other son!", he added sadly.
"Of course sir!", she said, smiling sympathetically.
"Thank you Ma'am.", he smiled back and finally he left the hospital.
He stopped at the parking lot and waited for the others to arrive there.
Half an hour later at the office
The picture of Leland Chapman were clipped on the board. Sadly Dog stood in front of it while Beth and Meredith went to the shop nearby to buy tea. Tim stood outside behind the building, smoking one cigarette after cigarette.
"Why have you done it? What's wrong with you son? That isn't you. It can't be! That's not the way I raised you. What did I do wrong?", he asked the picture in despair.
"Why your brother? You weren't only brothers, but best friends. Tell me why have you done it! d**n it!", he cried.
"You know that I have to find you, before the police do. And you know, that I will find you and than you'll get what you deserve!", he said angrily to the picture.
Exhausted from the days events, he let himself fall in his chair, his head resting in his hands.
He sighed and he hoped, that he would find his son, before the police would find him. He wasn't up to loosing one of his sons. He was plagued with self-reproach.
After a while Beth and Meredith came back with steaming, hot cups of tea. Each carried a tray with two cups of tea on it. They put the trays on Dogs desk.
Beth took one of the cups and passed it to Dog. He smiled his thanks to her which she returned.
Meredith took another one and went out to where Tim stood with a cigarette in his hand. She smiled sadly.
"Here you are! Have a wonderful hot tea that will calm down your nerves!" she said smiling and passed him the cup. He returned the smile and took the cup thankfully.
"Thank you!" he said quietly.
"What do you do next?", she asked worried.
He sighed.
"I know Dog, he will go after his son and he WILL catch him and we will help him!" he answered and sipped on his tea.
"Oh it's hot!", he said and grimaced with pain.
"Yeah, they didn't offer cold tea!", she said giggling.
"Yeah right!", he laughed.
He flipped the cigarette away, grabbed her hand and guided her back inside the office.
Meanwhile Beth was sitting on Dog's lap and both sipped on their tea, staring thoughtfully into nothing. They looked up as they heard Tim and Meredith enter the office.
"And now?" Tim asked, looking at the picture on the board.
Dog followed his gaze and shrugged.
"Normally we would call one of the relatives but in this case that's impossible. We are his relatives and we have no idea where he could be, do we?" he said sighing.
"Yeah, but he must be somewhere. he just can't vanish!", Tim said.
"True, but where?", Dog said thoughtfully.
"Well, we have one option!", Tim said.
Dog and Beth looked questioningly at him.
"We go searching!" Tim said grinning.
Beth rolled her eyes.
"Yeah how logical!", Dog snapped at his brother.
"Oh come on, that's not the time to get aggressive.", Tim said and looked sympathetically to Dog.
Dog snorted, picked up his things that he needed for a hunt and went out to the parking lot.
"Hey, wait for us!", Tim yelled, running after him. Beth shook her head unbelieving.
"Grow up!", she rumbled and followed behind them.
On her way out, she grabbed Meredith and pulled her with her.
"Hey Big Daddy, you forgot something important!", Beth called out.
"What?", he snapped.
"What's happening with this poor girly?", she said and stopped right in front of her husband.
"Oh sorry honey, I was so busy with myself, that I forgot this. For now, you come with us and you will sleep tonight in my house. You have had a terrible day and it would be irresponsible to send you alone to your home. Is that fine with you?"
Meredith nodded her head yes.
"Yeah, that's fine with me." she answered stunned.
"Good, then it's settled!", he said and it was clear that he was glad about it.
They got in their SUV and drove off the parking lot behind the office.
Dog's home
Lyssa was relaxing on the couch with a book in her hands.
Finally her siblings and her daughter were in bed and she had time for herself.
The house was quiet when the children were asleep and she enjoyed the silence so she took her favourite book – Lord of the rings – she made herself comfortable on the couch.
After a while she was interrupted by a loud noise coming from the outside. She was startled and her book fell out of her hands and on the carpet. A little scared she went to the back door and looked out the window. But she couldn't see anything. She shook her head and turned around.
"Now I'm getting paranoid!", she said to herself and went back to the living room. Before she could settle down, she heard the noise again.
Slowly she became scared. She looked around but couldn't see anything and so she grabbed the telephone. She had a very bad feeling in her gut so she went quietly up the stairs. When she was up the stairs, she stopped and waited, phone in hand, ready to dial her Dad's number. She stood there stock still and made no moves. She could hear, that someone was tampering with the door. Her heart raced and her hands were shaking but she swore, that she would defend herself and the kids who were still asleep.
A few minutes later the back door was pushed open.
Convulsively she clasped the phone and waited in her hiding place.
Silence ruled the house and Lyssa breathed heavily She hoped, that the intruder would be gone, but she couldn't tell. She couldn't see anything. Slowly she turned around and walked silently in the room of her daughter. Abbie laid in her bed and sound asleep. She sighed in relieve that her daughter hadn't heard anything and hadn't woke up yet.
She smiled as she watched her before she went to the window in her room and looked out. And there she saw him and she recognized him immediately. It was her older brother Leland but she wondered why he had sneaked around the house.
What did he want? Why was he here and not with their father at the office or on the hunt? she wondered.
In that moment the phone rang. Shocked she winced at the sound and grabbed the phone tighter. The phone rang again. She slid to the floor. She came to her senses and picked it up.
"Chapman?", she asked, her voice shivered.
"Lyssa, everything okay?"
"Yes now it is. But can you tell me, why Leland is sneaking around the house?", she asked her Dad.
"What? Leland is there?", he yelled in the phone and Lyssa winced.
"Dad? What's wrong?", she asked him frightened.
"Lyssa, do me a favour and stay where you are! Leland is out of control."
"Okay Dad, but hurry!", she said scared.
"Yes Baby girl. I'm there in a few minutes. Hold on honey!", he assured her.
She nodded and hung up the phone. Curious she stood up and looked out of the window but Leland was nowhere to be seen. Slowly she went to the door and opened the door ajar. It was quiet in the whole house. She opened the door completely and walked out to the floor. Quietly she went downstairs.
Silently she went farther until she ended up in the living room. She turned around but couldn't see anything. Finally she heard the SUV's from his father and sighed happily. She rushed towards the door, opened it and run to the parking lot, happy to see her family.
Dog jumped out of the car and run to his daughter. He pulled her into a bone crushing hug.
"Is everything okay?", he asked her concerned.
"Yes, now it is!", she said.
Meredith, Beth and Tim went to them. Beth and Tim hugged a shaking girl, before they introduced her to Meredith.
"This is Meredith. Today she was a great help! Tonight she will sleep in our home. Welcome her and be nice to her.", he introduced them to each other.
They shook hands and smiled at each other. Then they went inside and Dog told his older daughter what had happened that day.