We Love the Water

Chapter 20

Korra couldn't remember the last time she had ever had this much adrenaline and panic coursing through her system as she struggled to walk along the rough, uneven, snowy-patched terrain, her flashlight scanning ahead for any signs of Sura. Her ears were hyper aware of every sound made in the dark, formidable woods. She could hear the other rescue workers calling for Sura, she could hear the snow and forest floor crunch underneath her feet. Her breath hung in the air as the moon disappeared behind the clouds, somehow adding to her distress. Spots of light coming from the other searchers, police, and search and rescue workers' flashlights danced all around in her peripheral vision. As she walked, she tried her best to steady her breathing and focus on nothing but finding Sura, her voice turning hoarse from calling out her name so much.

Korra couldn't imagine the degree of fear that Sura must be feeling, alone, lost in these woods which probably appeared terrifying in the darkness to a small child. The branches could look like arms reaching out to grab her, ensnare her, scratch at her skin and snag on her clothes and hair, like faceless monsters reaching out from the shadows to harm her. And then there was the dropping temperature. Even though Korra was warmly dressed, she could still feel the cold nipping at her cheeks and nose, but she knew Sura must be feeling it from head to toe, seeping into her very core. Any moment, Korra was expecting to see the little girl's huddled frame at the base of a tree, shivering, her lips turning blue as she began to lose the feeling in her hands and feet. She also imagined that any tears Sura might have cried while she was lost would be frozen to her face. The chances of her getting hypothermia were increased to almost certainty. She would probably get frostbite, that much was fairly certain, and every moment that passed pushed Sura further into danger. Korra knew that she had only been trying to get away from the insane and obviously unstable home she's so far been forced to stay in like a caged animal. She didn't blame Sura for wanting to leave. If she had to live in that house, she would have run off too.

About half an hour ago while Cohen was calling the police, Korra had called her father, but got his voicemail instead. He called her back only a few short minutes later to let her know that he was already on his way because he and his park ranger squad had been called in for a search and rescue mission to Tahno's address. Korra had confirmed that it was Sura that had gone missing and then proceeded to tell her father everything she knew as she dug through the back of her jeep for the emergency kit her parents always told her to keep with her. It included a bigger, brighter flashlight and flares which she stuffed into her coat pockets. He had assured her that he would be there soon, and then hung up after relating that the current search and rescue dog was out of commission for an infection in one of its paws.

Then she had called her mother to explain what was happening and to enlist her help as well. Senna would also be bringing her Nana to help out as well as Naga, since they wouldn't have a search and rescue dog otherwise. Then Korra had helped Tahno get ready for the search as they waited for the rest of the search party to arrive. The police were the first to get there, followed quickly by the fire department and an ambulance with EMTs ready to administer emergency care. Then the friends they had called began showing up, as well as many people they hadn't. Apparently the word had spread and lots of people close by wanted to help look or had just come to take part in the commotion.

After a brief organization meeting that was held by Cohen and the chief of police, they all split up into small groups and began combing the woods. Korra's mom hadn't shown up yet by that point, so she had paired herself up with Tahno and the two of them began searching together.

Her advancement through the trees and brush was now matched by his just a few paces to her right as he called out Sura's name just as loudly as she was, but there was something more besides just hoarseness and anxiety in his voice. Korra picked up on how his syllables were becoming progressively more strained and how his breathing hitched in sharp gasps every now and then, and she knew he was putting far more stress on his knee than what was good for it. But they couldn't afford to stop and rest; every minute was precious and could be the difference between life and death for the child they searched for. Not that Tahno would even consider resting an option if she suggested it, and neither would Korra if she were in his place. The truth was that she could be going much faster if she didn't have to keep pace with Tahno, but it made more logical sense to stay together and help each other search, and she felt better just knowing he was close.

She was about to inform him that she thought they might need to veer to the left, when she suddenly heard rustling and the sound of strangled pants coming from just up ahead of them. Korra aimed the beam of her flashlight in the direction of the sounds, her heart leaping into her throat and then dropping again when the source of the noise turned out to be Norah sitting in a slumped position on an old fallen log and not Sura.

"Mom?" Tahno worded warily as they drew closer to her. "Are you okay? What happened to your group?"

"We… got separated," she answered roughly in between strangled breaths. "Have you… heard anything?"

Norah stared up at them with her hand clutched to her chest. Korra noted her color-drained face and the way her eyes bulged as she struggled to breathe, and it seemed to be getting worse. "Norah, do you have asthma?" she questioned.

Tahno groaned in distress. "Yes, she does," he replied for her before snapping at his mother, "Where's your inhaler? You always have one with you."

Norah shrugged helplessly before dropping her gaze to the ground again in what appeared to be an attempt to refocus on her breathing. "I… forgot it," she finally wheezed out.

The panic swirling in Korra's mind doubled and watched as the frail woman in front of her appeared to be choking to death in front of her very eyes. "What do we do?!" she screeched at Tahno's equally horrified face. "Should we get her over to the ambulance?"

Gurgling sobs began to mix with the shallow wheezes as Norah's face wrenched back up to stare at them. She looked like a much older woman and a terrified child at the same time. "No! I have to find my baby!" Then she bent over and hacked a few times with a rattling groan before once again concentrating on moving the air in and out of her lungs.

Tahno shook his head. "Moving her would just make it worse. She needs her inhaler. Run and get it; you can get there faster than I can. She keeps a spare in the kitchen. In the drawer by the dishwasher."

Korra didn't waste another second and was spinning on her heel and sprinting for the house before the last word was even out of his mouth. The light from her flashlight bounced in a frenetic rhythm against the trees and forest floor as it all flashed by her. Her feet pounded as fast as they could, hopping over various roots and rocks as the cold air sliced inside her throat like a knife, and all she could do was keep praying that everything would be okay. That Norah wouldn't die and that they would find Sura, safe and soon.

The dozens of blinding lights shining all around the large house directed her like a beacon, and within a few short minutes Korra was racing up to the back door, dodging around a couple of people milling around the yard and throwing herself inside the kitchen.

"Excuse me!" she panted out sharply as she shoved past a woman she had never seen before to get to the drawer that contained the inhaler. She stopped for a second, her eyes wildly scanning what now seemed to be an endless row of drawers as she smacked both hands to her scalp. 'Which drawer did he say it was in?!'

"Young lady, might I have a word?" the female voice sounded from behind her.

Korra could barely make sense of whatever it was she was saying to her. Nothing mattered right now except for the two lives that were now suddenly hanging in the balance. "Sorry, I can't help you," she answered flatly as she dropped to her knees and ripped a drawer open to scramble through its contents. She was going to have to go through every single one until she found the inhaler since she didn't have the faintest clue which one it was in.

"I understand the severity of the situation of course, but I'm inquiring in the interest of Sura Malek, and I believe you're a close friend of the family. Is that true?"

Korra gritted her teeth and went to the next drawer, tossing hand towels everywhere in her frenzy as she snapped in reply, "Yeah, but I'm kind of busy right now."

"Yes, of course, but while you're here maybe you wouldn't mind answering a few questions? According to my records, Sura is severely autistic with very limited verbal ability, and surprisingly, many friends and acquaintances of the family were unaware of this fact or even of her existence until tonight when word of her disappearance got out. I've also learned that Mr. and Mrs. Malek are currently in the middle of a rather unpleasant divorce, and there have even been some mentions of what sounds like an affair-"

Korra paused for a beat and turned her head to give the young, professional-looking woman a sharp glance. "You heard about Tiffany?"

The woman raised her eyebrows before responding, "I was actually referring to a story I heard about someone named Senna. Are you telling me there's more?"

Korra let out a loud groan and resumed her hunt through a utensil drawer. "I'm not telling you anything, and besides, you've got your facts wrong."

"Would you care to enlighten me then? I'm very concerned for Sura's welfare, and this seems like an extremely dysfunctional environment for her. What would you say the day-to-day family dynamics are like from your perspective?"

In her mounting frustration, Korra opened the next drawer so hard she jerked it clean out its tracks. "Look, I don't know, okay? I'm not the right person you need to ask and this is definitely not the right time." How much time had gone by? The panic was sweeping in again and various kitchen objects were now being thrown across the floor in her haste.

"Then who do you suggest I speak with if not you? I would really appreciate the opinion of someone outside the family," the woman drilled on.

Any trace of cordiality that might have been in Korra's attitude before was completely depleted at this point, and she was now practically shouting as she threw open more drawers. "I don't give a flying fuck, lady! Talk to her nanny."

"I've already tried talking to Hannah Perkins, but unfortunately she wasn't willing to discuss her employers with me. In fact, she looked frightened at the very idea of telling me what she thought about them. Why do you think that is?"

"Oh, I don't know? Maybe because they're complete psychos?!" Korra bit out angrily, still cursing herself for not concentrating on Tahno's instructions more, but she was down to her last few drawers and it wouldn't be long now. As she got closer to the end, she was semi-aware of the stream of words that came flowing out of her mouth as rapidly as her hands moved to rummage for the elusive inhaler. "Honestly, I'm surprised Sura hasn't run away before now, and I don't blame her at all for wanting to escape. I would go crazy locked up in here, having to deal with those two pathetic excuses for parents! If they're not making asses of themselves by fighting with each other, then you can be sure they're off somewhere finding other ways to make asses of themselves. Norah is a spineless coward and usually more worried about her image than her daughter's quality of life, and Cohen never seems to care if Sura lives or dies. He ignores her and bullies everyone else. He's a cold, manipulative, heartless, asshole, bigot, and he can rot in Hell for all I care! There, is that enough opinion for you?"

If the woman made any response, it didn't register in Korra's mind. She finally found the inhaler in the third-to-last drawer, and she jumped up to run back outside. "If you really care about Sura's welfare then get your tail in the woods and find her!" she called over her shoulder as she sped out the door.

Tahno wasn't sure how much more strain he could take at this point, either mentally or physically. His fear for Sura's safety had been escalating by the second since they had discovered her disappearance over an hour ago, and now his mother was rapidly falling apart at the seams, leaving him the least sure in his life that everything would turn out fine. Just moments after Korra had left him alone with his gasping, wheezing mother, he had felt a sudden absence of comfort and strength in the midst of this nightmare, and only now did he realize she may not even be able to find her way back to him. On top of all that, the pulsating pain in his knee had been steadily climbing since they had first begun the search, and it was now spreading to encompass his entire left leg and was really getting to the point of being non-ignorable. Through adrenaline and willpower alone had he so far been able to keep from collapsing on the ground and succumbing to the physical agony.

He stood next to Norah as they both waited for Korra's return with the inhaler, his grimace deepening as the rattling in her chest became harsher with each inhale. "Just hold on. She'll be back soon," Tahno tried to mutter comfortingly as he leaned his weight on his good leg. He didn't trust himself to sit down because he wasn't sure if would be able to get back up again.

Suddenly the sound of someone's approach met Tahno's ears, and he turned to see the beam of another flashlight getting closer. "Korra? Is that you?" he called out earnestly, astounded that she would have been able to make it back so fast.

"No, sorry it's just me," answered a voice startlingly similar to Korra's as the form of Senna came into view, along with that of Naga being held on a leash. "What's going on here?" she asked as she turned a worried look down to Norah.

"She's having an asthma attack," Tahno replied before continuing to explain about the inhaler and Korra's mission to retrieve it.

Senna shoved Naga's leash into his hand and dropped next to her old, estranged friend, her hand coming up to rest on Norah's back as she spoke intently into her ear, "Alright, honey, listen to me, you're going to have to relax."

"I… can't," Norah responded, sounding even weaker than before. "Su… Sura-"

"-Will be fine. We will find her, but you're not helping her by panicking, so trust me and calm down," Senna said in a voice that was both commanding and soothing.

Tahno watched in amazement as Senna's efforts seemed to actually be taking some effect. Norah slowly followed Senna's instructions to lean forward and calm her mind as Senna kept murmuring assurances that everything would be okay while lightly massaging the area of her back right behind her lungs.

Several minutes passed with Tahno scanning the woods with his flashlight every so often for any sign of Korra's return, and Norah finally managed to get her bearings enough to breathe without too much strain. "Thank you for coming," she mumbled to Senna in a voice that was still brittle but no longer broken up with ragged gasps. "I wasn't sure if you would."

A small, tender smile appeared on Senna's face as she stretched an arm across her shoulders. "Of course I came. We got here as soon as we could. Tonraq is helping with the organizing and my mother is at your house trying to help anyway she can," she informed them as she took Norah's wrist and looked down at her watch to check her pulse. "I was directed to head over this way with Naga because they said one of you would have something of Sura's she could use to pick up a scent. She's not an official search and rescue dog, but Korra once trained her to track a trail, so it's definitely worth a shot."

Norah hastily pulled Sura's dupatta out of her coat pocket and held it out in the direction of the large white dog's nose.

"Here," Senna said as she stood and gently took the soft, purple fabric from Norah's outstretched hand. Then she unhooked the leash from Naga's collar and let her smell it as she gave the authoritative command, "Search."

Naga dropped her head to the ground almost immediately, her nose twitching fervently as she began making a slow, haphazard path through the brambles. Norah carefully raised herself to her feet, her eyes glued to the dog as she started to follow.

"Korra's probably on her way with your inhaler. Maybe we should wait," Tahno began to say as he eyed his mother worriedly.

"I think I'm alright now," Norah replied offhandedly as she kept going forward, Senna at her side with a helpful hand on her back.

Tahno walked tentatively behind them, gritting his teeth as he leaned heavily on his now extremely dirty and battered cane. "She may not be able to find us again, and you could have another attack," he continued to object. "She could just be seconds away."

"You can stay and wait if you want. Oh, look!" she interjected abruptly, the beam of her flashlight showing Naga's suddenly much more direct and quick progress through the trees.

"She may have found a trail!" Senna exclaimed as both women picked up their pace to catch up with the dog.

Tahno forced himself to block out all pain and lifted his cane off the ground to jog after them. He wasn't aware of how much time passed by as they chased after Naga, and the only thought that pounded in his brain was the hope that she really had found Sura's trail and that they were headed in the right direction. He was beginning to fear they may lose sight of Naga when his ears suddenly picked up the sound of her excited barking.

When he, his mother, and Senna finally caught up with her, they found Naga barking and whining loudly as she pawed at the entrance of an old sink hole that a tree had fallen across, covering the majority of it. The sound that came out of Norah's mouth when they shined their lights into the hole and spotted Sura was almost unholy, and Tahno felt a short lived sense of relief at finally finding his little sister. But then the tension began building again when it became apparent that they couldn't get to her and they now had to figure out how to actually save her.

"Sura, can you hear me?! Come to Mommy, sweetie!" Norah shouted hoarsely through the tiny opening, her arm stretching in as far as it would go.

The hole wasn't really that deep, a few feet perhaps, but underneath it was a cave like structure of indeterminable size that was mostly claimed by underbrush. How Sura could have gotten down there was a mystery.

Tahno barely noted the fact that Senna was radioing in the news that Sura had been found and what their location was as he surveyed the scene and tried to figure out what they could do. He peered in through the narrow gaps of the hole again and could see that she was definitely conscious but was making no signals that she noticed her mother practically screaming her name or that she was trying to claw her way through to her. The five year old's eyes were open but glassy and staring straight in front of her. She was eerily still except for a small, trembling shiver that enveloped her frame. Except for being unresponsive and covered in dirt, it was impossible to tell what all was wrong with her, but it was clear that they needed to get her out of there before her condition deteriorated any further.

He tried moving the obstacles between them and Sura, but the tree covering the opening was too large to be budged by just three people, and the branches were too cumbersome and too close together for any of them to fit through. All they could do was wait for the rest of the search party to arrive to either cut the tree away or try to move it so they could get her out. As they waited, Tahno removed his coat while Norah kept on attempting to entice Sura to move, then he slipped his arm through an opening in the hole and aimed the best he could, tossing it in her direction. She didn't even flinch as it landed on her, and his efforts only managed to make it cover one half of her.

Tahno then became aware that Senna was signaling their location with the beam of her flashlight, and soon after other searchers began to arrive. The first ones to show up were some of the local police officers, and one of them fired a signal flare in the air right over their heads. More came then and orders were being radioed for forestry tools and emergency workers.

Everything that happened next began going by in a blur as Tahno helped in any way he could. In no time at all, the woods all around him seemed to be completely full of people and lights and shouting. Then he suddenly singled out Tonraq's face in the crowd, and his firm, commanding presence shifted the atmosphere into one focused purpose. Through the combined efforts of all those there, the tree was finally shifted and they managed to enlarge the opening over the sink hole. All of a sudden, Cohen emerged from the group of people who had hefted the tree, and he made his way through the hole with the most determined look Tahno had ever seen on his face. Tahno held his breath and watched with everyone else as his father reappeared almost immediately, Sura clutched tightly against his chest.

Norah was right there to meet him, exhausted and emotion-filled sobs racking her body as Cohen put the little girl in her arms. Several EMTs surrounded them at once, and Tahno could no longer see what was going on, but he did manage to hear the official word of confirmation that Sura was indeed going to be okay.

At that, Tahno's legs gave out from under him, and he found himself not caring one bit that he had collapsed to his knees or that tears were cascading down his cheeks. The most bizarre sensation was filling his chest from the inside out, making him lightheaded and apathetic to anything else.

Sura was alive. She was safe, and she was going to be okay. Tahno hadn't realized before how many horrible scenarios he had blocked from his consciousness until it was okay to dismiss them. He was shaking. He needed something desperately, but he didn't know it was. And then it was there. Soft hands were cradling his face and pulling him into the warmest, most reassuring comfort he could have imagined. His arms came up to wrap around Korra as she sat on the ground next to him and held his unsteady frame securely to her. He pressed his face into her neck as she rocked him soothingly, helping him to settle his sobs of relief until he was able to pull away and stand up.

The crowd of people were now all moving in the direction of the house, and Korra helped Tahno walk on what had become an insanely painful limp now that the pressure of the search had dissipated. As they reached the edge of the forest, he could feel blackness beginning to seep in, and Korra must have noticed he was about to pass out because both her parents were suddenly there, and he didn't even remember how he ended up on the couch in his family's living room. He just opened his eyes and all of a sudden he was there, Korra's concerned face peering at him as she held his hand. Then the rim of a cup was being pressed against his lips, and the unmistakable taste of Nana's disgusting herbal tea was dribbling across his tongue. He coughed, making most of the hot liquid spew out his mouth.

"Oh no you don't!" he heard Nana scold warningly. "My tea's the best medicine you'll find in the whole world, and you look like death warmed over. Now bottoms up!"

Tahno grimaced but closed his eyes and obeyed as he downed the bitter contents of the cup and then shuddered as it made its way down his throat. He felt the effects almost immediately and opened his eyes as his vision sharpened again and he was able to focus. The pain was also dulling quite a bit, and he looked down at the cup before transferring his suspicious gaze to Nana. "Is this stuff even legal?" he questioned skeptically.

Nana snatched the cup away as she shot him a threatening stare. "Hush!" she commanded in a deadly whisper. "Don't you realize there are at least a dozen members of the law enforcement in this house?"

Korra giggled as she squeezed Tahno's hand reassuringly. "Don't worry. Just because something's not technically legal doesn't mean it's bad for you."

"It's okay. I know better than to put up a fight if your grandmother wants to force feed me anything," he muttered as he sat up fully and looked around. "What's going on? Where's Sura?"

"She's in the kitchen, drinking hot chocolate," Korra answered with a grin at Tahno's confused face. "She's fine. She had slight hypothermia and some superficial frostbite, but they thought it might be more harmful for her emotionally if they took her to the hospital, so they're treating her here. Other than that, just some scratches and bruises. You haven't been out of it for that long and you weren't even really unconscious, just kind of in a daze. Your mom's been worried about you, but I think she's afraid to let Sura out of her sight."

Tahno shook his head in bewilderment. "Wait, you mean Sura's not freaking out or catatonic like she was when we found her?"

"You should see for yourself," Korra told him, still smiling softly at him. "When you're ready to get up, that is."

Tahno began standing up immediately, letting Korra help support him as he did. The kitchen door opened before he could reach it, and he stopped, startled as he took in the sight of his father halted in mid step.

"Oh, you're up," Cohen worded gruffly before clearing his throat. "Well come on then." Then he stood aside, holding the door open as Tahno and Korra entered the crowded kitchen wordlessly with Nana behind them.

Tahno stopped and gazed down at the sight of his mother sitting cross legged on the floor with his sister in her lap. The blanket from Sura's bedroom was wrapped around her shoulders and she sipped at a cup that Norah was holding for her. She had obviously been cleaned up and doctored a bit, and he noticed that she seemed pretty much back to herself. Her sleepy looking eyes roamed continuously around the room, as usual, not focusing on one particular thing for any length of time. Although, Tahno did notice that her gaze seemed to keep returning in interest to the corner where Naga was curled up on the floor.

His mother looked up at him as he timidly approached them and smiled in contentment to see her son was okay, giving him the resolve to bend down and stroke Sura's hair before planting a gentle kiss to the crown of her head and then rising up to stand next to Korra again.

"See? Everything's fine," Korra murmured as she pressed against Tahno.

There was some quiet conversation going on in the room between some remaining police officers and paramedics and his and Korra's parents, but it seemed that most people that had shown up for the search party had left. Tahno finally felt a sense of calm settling inside him as they began to talk about getting Sura to bed, but then a woman he hadn't noticed before came in from outside with two of the policemen behind her, clearing her throat in a bid for attention.

"Excuse me, but I'm afraid we have some further issues to handle here. My name is Paula Rose. I'm with Child Protective Services, and the complicated circumstances of this situation have come to my attention. I'm concerned that this is a dangerous environment for a child like Sura to be living in, and may have in fact led to her running away and jeopardizing her life."

"And just by what evidence have you determined that?" Cohen demanded as he stepped forward, his face a thundercloud of worn out forbearance.

"Hold on, what exactly is going on here?" the police officer who already been in the room asked.

"As it turns out, the child was apparently driven away from her home in fear, subsequently putting herself at risk. But she is an innocent victim in this, as she was trying to escape the violent nature of her home life. It's my opinion that she should be placed in protective custody until it is otherwise determined safe for her to stay with her family."

Norah slowly rose to her feet, still holding Sura as she stared hollowly at the CPS worker. "You are not taking my child away from me," she declared sternly. "She isn't in any danger here. We love her. No one is going to hurt her, and no one is taking her away."

"I have to go along with Mr. and Mrs. Malek. What evidence is there of abuse?" the chief police officer requested.

"I have heard several testimonials from people close to the family situation with alarming reports. One in particular about the horrific neglect Sura has suffered and especially about the aggressive behavior of Mr. Malek. I won't reveal who spoke to me now for the safety of the witnesses, but they can be called to speak again in court," Paula informed them.

Despite the attempt at discretion, several pairs of eyes darted to look at Korra, since she was the only one there who could have been described as 'close' to the family situation. Tahno looked questioningly at her as well, hardly believing what was unfolding. Apparently Korra was indeed the witness in question, as he saw her narrow her eyes at the woman in a way that exposed her involvement.

"I barely remember even talking to you!" Korra defended vehemently, not bothering to conceal her identity as the source. "I was freaking out. We were all scared to death that we wouldn't find Sura. You can't call me out on something I might have said back then!"

"So you take back your statements that you don't blame Sura for running away from her parents' fighting, that she doesn't receive the care she needs, or about her father's bullying tendencies?" the CPS worker asked her calmly. "I urge you not to lie about the status of Sura's wellbeing."

Tahno felt shock radiating through him. Why would Korra say any of that to someone who could take Sura away from them? Those things might have been true in a certain context, but she absolutely wasn't being abused and didn't need to be placed in protective custody. He watched Korra's face carefully as she gulped visibly and inched her gaze to look at him as if in apology, then she dropped her eyes to the floor as she seemed to become overwhelmed with shame.

A heavy sigh escaped the chief's lungs as he looked to Cohen and Norah tiredly. "We can't ignore this I'm afraid. I think it's best we place her with CPS temporarily until this gets sorted out."

"No!" Norah cried as a look of utter terror took hold of her features. "She won't be able to handle it. Don't you understand? She'll be terrified! I just got her back. Y-you can't take her away." Her voice began lapsing into sobs once again as her arms trembled in their hold around her daughter.

Sura's tiredness mixed with the sudden rise of tension in the room was making her noticeably distressed. Little cries began coming out of her mouth and she raised her hand slap herself on the head. Tahno went over immediately to help his mother keep her from injuring herself as nervous muttering began rising among those watching.

Cohen stepped even closer to Paula, jabbing a finger in her direction as he addressed her in his most imposing tone, "Look here, we've never harmed a hair on Sura's head and she's always had everything she needed. You may have heard some unsavory reports, but look at her! Hasn't she gone through enough for one night? My wife is right, taking her away would inflict much more harm than any good you think it would do, temporary or not."

Paula stared back at him, not intimidated in the slightest. "I refuse to stand by while I believe a child may be in danger."

"Let's just get this over with," the chief muttered unhappily as officers stood by to assist in case matters had to get physical.

Judging by his mother's reaction to what was being said, Tahno figured there was a good possibility that things were about to get very physical. The look in her eyes promised death to anyone who tried to touch her baby.

But before the situation to escalate any further, Cohen suddenly stepped in between his family and the officers, his palms raised in what looked like surrender. "Don't take my daughter away from her mother. She's not the one who's to blame in all this; I am. I'm the only one. I drove Sura away. I have a problem with my anger and I let it get the better of me. If you have to take someone away, take me. Not Sura."

Tahno felt his jaw gradually drop away from his face. He couldn't see his father's face from his vantage, but his eyes darted in between the back of his head and the face of the police chief, which was furrowed in seriousness. "Are you confessing to child abuse, Mr. Malek?" he asked gravely.

Cohen's shoulders slumped in defeat. "Yeah. Whatever will make you leave her alone."

Time slowed down as Tahno watched his father being handcuffed and led away for a crime he knew he wasn't really guilty for, but both he and his mother knew they couldn't say anything, because it was either him or Sura.

Author's Notes- Ok, I wrote the first few paragraphs, but beyond that, this is allllll Alaburn. So while this was magnificent, Alaburn still wishes for me to relay her apologies for it taking forever and making all of us wait. But in my opinion, it was well worth the wait. You hear me Alaburn? WELL WORTH THE WAIT.

Thank you so much for reading and reviews are love.