ChapterTwenty Five

Gene slowly opened his eyes, even if it felt as if it was taking all his strength to do it. At first things were a bit hazy but, as he blinked a few times, everything came into focus. From the white walls and ceiling, along with the noise out in the hallway, the youngest Barkley knew he was in a hospital room. He turned his head slightly; Jarrod had his hands on the window seal and was looking out. Gene might have said something but he was shocked to see his mother, her head tilted slightly to her left with her eyes closed and sitting next to his bed. What on earth had happened? The moment he asked that it all came back to him.

Flashback

Gene heard the sound of a hammer being pulled back and froze, praying whoever had entered the shack would not pull the trigger.

"Raise your hands slowly." A voice spoke; Gene recognized it as belonging to the man he'd heard talking with Macklin. He did as the man directed and then, at the man's demand, turned around.

"Who are you?" Mr. Roberts said as he took a few long strides; he was practically on top of Gene by the time he finished speaking.

Gene could tell by the look in the man's eyes and the way he was waving the gun in Gene's face, Macklin's partner wasn't really interested in hearing anything he had to say. Figuring he was a dead man for sure if he didn't do something, Gene did the only thing he could…he grabbed the man's arm and started fighting him. He'd heard the gun go off and heard the man yell that he'd been shot in the leg. However, before Gene could make another move, the man managed to pry him off and, twirling him around, pushed him away. There had been another shot fired and all had gone black.

End of Flashback

Gene tried to move and let out a moan as pain shot up his back. That would not have been so bad, but he instantly realized he could not move his legs. However, before he could react to that Jarrod…who had heard his soft moan…turned away from the window and swiftly moved to the side of Gene's bed, making sure he didn't wake their mother as he did so. Jarrod put his hand on the headboard and looked down at his brother whose eyes were wide open. "Gene? How do you feel?"

"I'm alive. Did you all get Macklin and his men? When did mother arrive?" Gene spoke as he again tried to move. It made Jarrod's heart ache for his baby brother.

"Here, let me help you." Jarrod let go of the headboard and, sliding his arms underneath Gene's, helped prop him up on the pillows that lay on his bed. Victoria had brought a few extra ones from the house. The hospital hadn't wanted her to bring them in, but she'd fought them and won.

"Macklin's dead." Jarrod said as he gave Gene a shortened version of what had happened. "We transported you back to Stockton."

Stockton! Gene's eyes widened. Since when did...oh, that's right. The town had actually shocked people when they'd announced that one. "How long have I been out? Has Hannah testified in court yet?" Depending on how long he'd been out, he knew the trial his sister-in-law was scheduled to testify at could have very well already taken place.

"Three weeks, you've been drifting in and out of consciousness, fighting one infection after another. It's good to touch you and not feel heat rolling off you." Jarrod answered as he carefully sat down on the side of the bed. "I or Heath, along with Mother have been with you the majority of the time."

"And Nick and Hannah? The trial?" Gene asked, keeping his eyes on Jarrod.

Jarrod didn't really want to talk about Charles Crown, but Gene had the right to know what had happened while he was unconscious.

"Nick and two of my friends accompanied Hannah to the trial." Jarrod answered. "However, before she appeared, Nick had her dye her hair back to its natural color and remove the glasses. Afterwards, there was a bit of a distraction-one that our friends had planned before time. Nick stayed to help get things under control while our friends slipped Hannah away. That way, anyone who might actually see her leave, would not connect her to Nick. Later, Nick went to pick her up at the hotel our friends had taken her to. She had dyed her hair and donned the glasses once more." Jarrod shrugged his shoulders and continued. "Things on that end are over. Charles Crown is going to prison for a long time. I'm sure Jordan will find another man to replace him; men like Jordan always do." Then, when Gene questioned him about their sister-in-law and nephew's safety, Jarrod shook his head. "None of us think Jordan or Crown had a hand ordering the deaths he did." Jarrod said and then explained what Hannah had said when she heard Jack Robert's name. "However, none of us are taking any chances. I mean, if she's wrong, Crown is still alive and still has friends. That's the main reason she dyed her hair and put the glasses back on…as a safety precaution." He paused and then continued on, "I've made up a false history for Hannah and Chad. As far as the law is concerned, she is Hannah Akins, Chad's her biological son, and the story Nick and she let everyone believe when they first came home will stand." Jarrod paused and then, doing his best to smile, said, "I was skeptic when you said you thought you could hold your own, guess I had that schoolboy picture in my head. I wanted you to know I think you did a wonderful job. I'm just sorry you were injured as a result of this incident." As he talked, Jarrod couldn't help but glance at Gene's legs every now and then.

It felt good to hear such praise coming from his eldest brother. Still…"That bullet I took," Gene looked at Jarrod in earnest. "It paralyzed my legs didn't it?"

Jarrod swallowed hard as he nodded ever so slowly. "It would appear so, but it might not be long term. The doctors can't really say." He paused and then asked if Gene wished that he, Jarrod, had fought him harder when it came to allowing Gene to get involved.

Gene, who heard the guilt Jarrod felt in his brother's voice, turned his gaze towards the ceiling and, after two or three minutes of silence, he looked back at his eldest brother. "Don't blame yourself for this. I'm not sorry at all. Whether or not I ever walk again doesn't matter, I did what I had to do." He then glanced at their mother. "Mother's going to have a stiff neck if we don't wake her."

Jarrod nodded in agreement. "I know, but she hasn't had much sleep and she has refused to leave your side. I hate to wake her." He might have said more only, just as he spoke, Victoria opened her eyes and began working out the kink in her neck. However, when she realized her youngest was awake and propped up on the pillows, she let out a cry of delight and, jumping out of the chair, leaned over and gave her 'baby' a hug.

"I'll go tell the others you're awake and coherent." Jarrod smiled and left his youngest brother and their mother to talk.