Chapter 4

Christina sat with her knees tucked up to her chest on the window still in one of Jerry's guestrooms. She was dressed in black pants with a long black sleeved shirt and her black winter coat. It was the day of her mother's funeral and Christina felt numb all over.

After Christina blacked out she woke up in a hospital confused until the events of her mother's death came rushing back to her. She remembered how her mother was murderd right in front of her eyes and how the body laid limp in a pool of blood.

She was told that the police found her lying next to her mother's body clutching her hand and a nasty looking cut on her head due to when she was slammed into the mirror. It was Jerry who told her all of this when she woke up in the hospital bed. The numbness came when she was told all of this, having to relive the moment. It didn't even go away when Jerry started to cry, hugging me to him, and saying that he was afraid he almost lost her too. Christina couldn't feel anything but numbness and her brain went blank, no thoughts in her mind, only the body of her mother and the dead eyes that stared back at her.

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Christina stood between her brothers, Jack and Bobby, at their Mother's funeral. Jack was on her left crying with out shame as they slowly lowered the casket into the ground. Bobby was on her right staying strong as always, he didn't shed one tear, but instead kept a stony face, divided of any emotion.

It seemed like forever until the funeral was over and everyone slowly left to go to Jeremiah's house for the reception. She stood frozen to the spot just staring without any emotion on her face, staring at the grave that my mother rested in.

Bobby turned to look one last time at his mother's grave when he noticed his little sister there, staring off into nothing. He studied his little sister, she was thin, almost too thin and her eyes had big bags from lack of sleep. She has been very quiet lately ever since she woke up from the hospital a few weeks ago. Bobby knew out of all of them, she was taking their mothers death the hardest since she was the one to witness the murrder.

Bobby sighed and walked back toward his little sister who was still standing next to the grave.

Christina snapped out of her daze as she felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see her oldest brother Bobby, standing next to her.

Bobby looked back at Christina, his face emotionless but in his eyes you can see his hate, anger, confusion but also fear. Not fear for himself, but fear for her and in that moment Christina's strong stance broke as she fell to her knee's sobbing. Bobby went down with her blinking back tears of his own as his sister clung onto him sobbing out all the pent up emotion from the night of their mother's death, he knew he had to stay strong for Christina.

"Why Bobby?" Christina sobbed "Why did they have to take her away?"

Bobby choked "I don't know Chrissy." he swallowed "I don't know" he whisperd, putting his cheek to her head, softley stroking her hair as she continued to sob.

I just don't know...

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Bobby got into the car with a sigh and sat thinking. After Christina calmed down enough to get in the car, she didn't speak again, just calmly got up off the ground, looked a Bobby giving him a kiss on the head and walked away. It was killing Bobby because he hated seeing his sister this way, she was trying to be strong and not show her emotions, even though she was hurting.

Just like me.

FLASHBACK

Bobby stood in the bathroom, looking in the mirror at his black eye, split lip, and bruised cheek. Bobby had gotten in another fight today at school, because once again, he was being a "hothead" as some people would call it. He sighed and grabbed a towl, wetting it, to clean his lip.

"Bobby?" A little voice asked.

Bobby looked up into the mirror to see little Christina by the door holding her teddy bear, looking at him with what he would guess was worry for a six year old. "What happened to your face?" She asked him curiously. She walked a little more into the room looking up at his reflection in the mirror.

"Nothing for you to worry about baby, just a little scratch." Bobby replied smiling at her as is to prove that he was fine. She wasn't convinced.

"Not uh, what happened?" Christina once again asked. Bobby sighed and turned around sitting on the toilet seat, patting his knees, telling her to sit down. Christina walked over to him and he picked her up and plunked her on his lap.

"Bobby just got into a little fight with some kids at school today, nothing to worry about.' He told her.

"Did it hurt?" Christina asked looking up at him. "Did what hurt?" Christina softly touched his eye with her little fingers "Did that hurt." Bobby chuckled softly and started to play with her hair, something that Christina was very accustomed too.

"Yes Chrissy, it hurt for a little while, but I hurt him back." Christina was still softly stroking his cheek when she asked another innocent question. "Did you cry?" Bobby was surprised of that question, but when he thought about it he really shouldn't be, for Christina wasn't known for the type to keep her thoughts to herself.

"No Chrissy, I didn't cry." Bobby finally answered. "How come?" Christina questioned again. Bobby sighed again "Because crying is for babies like you and Jackie, not for big boys like me." He answered. Christina sat thinking, her nose turned upwards and her lips pouty. Bobby smiled at the face, sometimes the things Christina does was way too cute.

"So, if I don't cry, I would be a big girl?" Christina finally asked. Bobby shook his head "It's okay to cry Chrissy, It's just not something a man should do." He told her.

"But I wanna be strong just like you!" Christina replied, with a little pout. Bobby's face softened, he was not used to such praise like that. Sure he knew that his brothers looked up to him, but to hear someone say they wanted to be just like him. Bobby Mercer, tough guy hokey player, hothead badass, was something he was not used too. Bobby pulled Christina closer to him kissing her on the forehead. "You are Chrissy, you are." Christina beamed up at him, making him smile.

"Does this mean I can drive a car now?"

Bobby burst out laughing.

End of Flashback

"Come on, lets get this over with" Bobby says as he starts the car. Christina sighs then straps her seatbelt and sat back in the car as Bobby started to drive to Jerry's house.

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"Wow" Green says as he sees Bobby slowly drive by looking for a parking spot. "Been a long time since anyone saw that face around." He remarks.

"Who's that?" Fowler asks, looking at his partner for answers.

"Bobby Mercer." Green tells him, looking at Bobby as he open's the door for Christina putting his arm around her, kissing her head. Before Green turns back to his partner. "Heavyweight Champion, played hockey Michigan Miller."

Fowler looks around, his gaze stopping on Jack "Who's the kid crying?" Green turns to look where Fowler pointed then back, nodding slightly.

"Jack Mercer. First class fuck up, third class rocker." The two cops pause as they see Christina and Bobby make their way towards Jack, as Jeremiah talks to two elderly women.

"You okay?" Bobby asked Jack. Jack nods unable to use his voice, afraid that he would start crying again. "You sure?" Bobby asks again before he wraps one arm around him in a quick hug.

"I love you, y'know?"

Jack looks at him, tears forming in his eyes nodding. Bobby drops his arm and start heading toward Jerry, quickly wiping the tears Jack fallows.

"I thought you said there were five of them?" Fowler asks confused "Four guys, one girl?"

"Angel, pretty boy, ex-hustler, soldier." Green said simply. "And the girl?" Fowler asks.

Green looks around then points Fowler to the teenage girl standing next to Bobby, Jack and Jeremiah.

"Christina Mercer, the youngest of the bunch, smart, pretty, but don't let her small size fool you though, she can pack a punch if you asked for it." Green laughed slightly, and then turned back to his partner. "She's turning sixteen around Thanksgiving; she was the one to witness the murder."

Fowler looks back at Christina as she hugs Jeremiah, then turns towards his partner.

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"Do you remember when I built that tree house, and you burned that shit down." Jerry said smiling. Bobby laughed "Come on man!"

"Boy I wanted to kick your ass!" Jeremiah half yelled.

"Come on man, besides this is made out of brick, I'm not gonna burn it down." Bobby said knocking on the brick as if to prove his point. "Well yea, now!" Jerry said walking towards his front door his brothers behind him. "Oh yea." He said turning towards Jack "No smoking in my house so your gonna have to put that shit out" He said slapping at Jacks hands. "Sorry" He said almost as an after thought. Jack rolled his eyes but put it out anyways, going into the house.

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"I don't get it." Fowler stated getting out of the car with his partner. "If this woman was such a god damn saint, how did she end up raising four total fuck-ups?" He asked, not counting Christina.

" Evelyn Mercer cycled hundred's of kids out of foster-care system, and into perment homes." Green started. "And in 30 years, she only came upon five lost delinquents so far gone, she couldn't find anyone to take them in, so she did." Green paused and looked at his partner, stopping.

"Trust me Fowler, these men are nothing compared to what they could've been."

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-"Hey there, you must be Daniela." Jack said reaching out his hand to Jerry's oldest daughter who was holding a dog.

"And you must be Amelia." Bobby said scraching the dogs chin. "Nice dress Amelia." Bobby said still petting the dog, the girls giggled.

"I'm Amelia!" Jack laughed "I know" Bobby said also laughing. "You guys probably don't remember us, but I'm your uncle Bobby, and this is Cracker Jack." Bobby whispered the last part."Dont teach them that, man." Jack complained.

"You're not my uncle, your white." Daniela said. "Grandma Evelyn is white." Amelia defended.

"Yeah see, were a different kind of uncle, your grandma adopted me and Uncle Jack, like she did your daddy." Bobby explained.

Amelia looked to the side. "You're a policeman!" She said pointing towards Green and Flower. "You're so smart!" Bobby whispered to Amelia before turning to the cops.

"That's right, and you're all under arrest, so doesn't anybody move." Green said smiling at the girls. Bobby and Jack stood up as the girls ran away."Hey were ya'll going!"

"What about me Green, You gonna arrest me too?"

"All depends Bobby. You keeping straight?" Bobby shrugged "Straight-ish." Green smiled "How you doing man." he said doing the little brotha hand shake thing.

"Jack."

"Green."

"Sorry about your mom brotha, give me some love." Green said also doing the manly hug thing. "Thanks for coming Green; Mom would've been happy you made it." Bobby said. "Shit, your mom would have been happy you came to her funeral." Green replied.

"Didn't come for the funeral."

Green and Fowler looked at each other, a silence settled over the group. "Thanks for the offer, but we got it under control." Fowler said breaking the tense silence. Bobby nods "Yea, I can tell by the looks of things when I drove in." Bobby said. "The place looks completely different. Detroit's finest cleaned it up huh?" Bobby said with just a hint of sarcasm in his voice. (Just a little bit)

Green laughed a little."Yea be easy Bobby. We got these punks." He said "Kids playing basketball across the street, saw two gang bangers, running in there, shooting up the place-" but he didn't get to finish as Bobby interrupted him.

"Oh come on Green." Bobby said in somewhat of a moan of annoyance. "I used to make a good living in this place because cops like you guys, couldn't find tits in a strip joint." He said. "Why don't you just come inside, have some coffee and doughnuts." Jack snorted in laughter at that, "And then take your boy, and get the fuck out of here okay? Come on." He lightly slapped Fowler on the arm and turned towards the house, Jack following biting back laughter.

Green looked on smiling, and then looked towards Flower and gestures towards the house also following Bobby.

"Charming guy." remarked Fowler as Green chuckled.

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Christina stood looking out the window in her "room" as she watches the little exchanged between her brothers and the cops with interest. "They just can't leave, always having to get their stick up someone else's ass." Christina muttered to herself. She was startled when she heard a laugh behind her, whipping around she saw Green there.

"Always have to have a stick up someone else's huh?"

Christina grinned and shrugged. "You should know, you're the one putting it there." She replied. Green laughed again and walked over to her. "Give me some love." He said hugging her. Christina smiled into the hug. "How've you been?"

Christina shrugged letting go. "Could be better but hey, I'm still alive and kicking. Unlike Mom."

Green frowned "Yea I'm sorry about that, but I promise I'm going to find the fuckers that did this." Christina looked at him, even though she didn't like cops, she knew she could trust Green, he was one of the few that weren't crooked. Plus she didn't grow up with him for nothing.

"Y'know he's not gonna rest until he finds them right." Christina said, it wasn't a question it was a statement. Green sighed and nodded. "I know."

"Good. Because I'm not gonna stop them."

Green snapped his head back up. It wasn't what she said that shocked him; it was how she said it. Her voice was hard with determination and anger, it surprised Green a little.

"Go home Green, and don't try to stop something that's going to happen anyways."

And with that Christina walked past him and out the door, leaving a stunned Green behind her.