Chapter 6 –
"Ebony, what can I do for you?" Chief Boden smiled as Ebony knocked on his office door.
"Hey chief" Ebony returned the smile and paused, "Can I talk to you?"
"Of course you can! Take a seat." Boden pointed to the seat in front of his desk and leant back, folding his arms as he did so.
"Thanks." Ebony shut the door gently and sat down in front of the chief, she took a deep breath wondering where to start.
"What's Benny doing back here?" Ebony jumped straight in and Boden was taken aback by her abruptness.
"Have you seen him?" Boden asked, he could tell that she was angry with her father's return. "Who am I kidding, you must have seen him if you're this angry. How long ago?"
"A week ago." Ebony leaned back in her chair. "Kelly fed me some line about needing help when his job was on the line?"
"Ah." Was all the chief could say.
"How could he let that son of a bitch back into his life? Our lives?!" Ebony was getting irate. She was angry at the sudden appearance of their father, that had been the last thing that she had expected upon her return to Chicago.
"Calm down Ebony. Kelly hasn't told you about his injury has he?" Boden said quietly, but loud enough to stop Ebony in her tracks.
"What injury?" Ebony looked at Boden seriously, "Chief, what injury?"
"He should really be the one telling you this." Boden tried to deflect, he didn't want to betray Kelly's confidence.
"Chief, I'm not in the right headspace to speak to Kelly at the moment. Just tell me." Ebony answered truthfully before saying softly, "Please, I've always been able to rely on you for the truth." She hoped that would butter him up and it did.
"Hang on, are you not speaking to Kelly?" Boden asked curiously.
"I don't know chief. I'm just so angry that he's here. I haven't seen Benny since I was 14. I mean I know that Kelly never had a problem with him, but after everything he put me through…" Ebony trailed off spiking the chief's interest further.
"What does that mean?" Boden raised an eyebrow at the youngster.
"Nothing."
"Ebony." The chief challenged her, not in a threatening tone but in a supportive manner. "Sweetheart, I know that you have had a difficult relationship with Benny but is there more to this than we know?"
"Please leave it chief. I don't want to get into it." Ebony looked up directly into Boden's eyes before flicking them away. "Now please, what's this about Kelly being injured?"
"I won't go into details but he fractured his shoulder pretty badly. He went months without treatment, taking opiates on the side. It nearly cost him his job." Boden said slowly, he watched as Ebony process the information, determined not to forget that the previous conversation needed finishing.
"You're kidding me, right?" Ebony shouted, "Untreated? Opiates?"
"Calm down kiddo, it's sorted now." Boden said, "But for some reason Kelly sought out Benny."
"I don't get it; you've been more of a father to us than he ever was." Ebony tried to regain her composure. Since the day their mother had died, Boden had been there supporting her and Kelly. When the siblings had fought, Boden was their mediator. When Kelly had been stuck at the academy, needed to pick up extra shifts or just needed a break, Boden was there to look after her. He treated her as if she were his own.
"I don't know either sweetheart, but from what I can see Benny has been good for Kelly." Boden tried to reason but Ebony was suspicious.
"He was always good to Kelly anyway." Ebony responded flippantly
"Now that is the second time you've mentioned that and come to think of it, you have said it on and off for as long as I've known you. I think it's about time you offered me an explanation." Boden diverted back to the original conversation, but stopped when he saw Kelly opening his office door. "Kelly."
"Chief, I…" Kelly stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Ebony sitting in front of the chief.
"Ebony, so this is where you are. What are you doing here?" He asked, he hadn't seen her since that morning when she had made her excuses and left again. She'd been doing that ever since Benny had stopped by unexpectedly. Ebony had said that she was out looking for jobs, but he wasn't convinced that was the entire truth. Kelly knew she would take long walks when contemplating big events in her life, in the past he had always been with her but not this time apparently. Was she avoiding home to avoid running into Benny?
"Kelly, what can I do for you?" Boden asked his lieutenant, who had clearly had something important to say before stumbling upon his sister.
"I need to talk to you about this incident, with Shay. She's in a right state." Kelly said, concern plain across his face.
"Ebony can you give us some time please?" Boden asked and Ebony understood immediately. She too had noticed the change in Shay, but it was understandable considering she had been witness to a horrific suicide of a frequent flyer. Ebony nodded to the chief before heading off to seek out Shay.
It hadn't taken long to find her as the blond paramedic stocked up the ambulance following a recent call. "Hey you." Ebony smiled, climbing into the rig and sitting beside Shay as she did inventory.
"Hi" Shay nodded and asked Ebony to pass her the box of IV bags before speaking again. "What brings you here? You've been like a ghost since getting back, I've hardly seen you."
"I could say the same for you." Ebony argued playfully. "You're going out when I go to bed and you're going to bed when I'm up for breakfast. New club scene going on?" Ebony nodded to the wrist bands and stamp on Shay's hand.
"Yeah something like that." Shay shrugged off, "Look, I'm kind of busy."
"Yeah, yeah. I get the hint. You want to be on your own." Ebony sighed, jumping down from the rig. "But I remember someone making sure I had company when I was in that same place a while back."
Anger flashed across Shay's face suddenly, surprising Ebony but not as much as her snapping at her. "When I need the advice of some kid, I'll ask for it!"
"Shay!" Kelly exclaimed from behind Ebony, he'd appeared on the apparatus floor in time to hear the conversation and watch the sudden escalation.
"Just leave me the hell alone." Shay snapped again, causing Ebony to recoil.
"Hey baby." A woman called from the entrance to the engine bay. The raven haired woman had been hanging around their apartment for the last couple of days, was her name Bevan or something? Ebony wasn't sure but she knew that this chick was bad news. "I brought you lunch."
"Hey Devon." Shay smiled and hoped down from the rig, following Devon outside.
"I thought you said you were busy?" Ebony called after to Shay, only to be ignored.
"We need to keep an eye on her Kelly." Ebony said seriously as she watched Shay kiss Devon.
"I know." Kelly agreed but before he could say anything else, Ebony was also exiting the firehouse without saying another word to her brother. He sighed and wondered how long he would get the cold shoulder from her before they were able to actually talk things through.
As Ebony opened her bedroom door to make herself another cup of tea, she heard the sound of glass breaking. Something was going on and she knew she was the only one home. Pushing on through the apartment she was shocked to find 3 guys and Devon raiding them.
"What the hell?!" Ebony shouted loudly, not really thinking. Sure, Ebony hadn't really taken to Devon but she never thought she would do anything this dodgy.
"Fuck!" One of the men snarled, "What do we do with her now?"
"Rough her up!" Devon said hurriedly as she stuffed more of their valuables into a duffel bag.
"Night night princess." Someone said from her left before Ebony felt a blow to the head coupled with one to the stomach before being immersed in darkness.
Sometime later, Ebony could hear Shay asking her something but the world was too disorientated even behind her closed eyes. "Oh my god Ebony." Shay panicked, "Open your eyes baby girl, come on let me see those beautiful blues."
Ebony slowly opened her eyes but instantly shut them when she found the light too bright. "Hurts." Was all Ebony could mutter.
"I know hunny but you need to open your eyes for me, I need to check you over." Shay had her first aid kit beside her and was already pressing a compress to Ebony's head as she waited for the girl to come around.
Ebony gave it another go, opening her eyes and this time kept them open as she studied Shay's concerned face from the floor. She was still lying on her back in the middle of the apartment.
"What happened?" Shay asked slowly.
"Devon…" Was all Ebony managed to answer before Kelly entered the flat to see the commotion.
"EBONY!?" Kelly was frantic as he rushed over to his sister.
Meanwhile, Shay was crawling back from Ebony's side and sat with her head in her hands against the fall. "This is all my fault." Shay muttered as she realised how this had happened.
"What are you talking about?" Kelly's attention was still focussed on Ebony as he helped her up into a sitting position but his question was directed at Shay.
"I gave Devon a key." Shay said slowly but surely as tears began to flow down her face.