The Following Week

'I wonder how the girls are doing.'

'Emily texted me earlier. She said they're both doing great.'

'That's wonderful.'

Lisa and Jeff were sitting in front of their fireplace drinking wine. They had just come home from a romantic dinner for two. Lisa was in a red cocktail dress and Jeff was in one of his best suits. Both of them felt giddy from the wine, laughing all the while.

'You looked lovely tonight,' smiled Jeff.

'You bought me this dress,' laughed Lisa.

'You make this dress much more beautiful,' smiled Jeff.

Lisa laughed.

What they didn't know was their lives would be turned upside down. Four of Giovanni's friends had pulled into the mansion in a dark van, all four of them loaded with guns.

'I love you, baby,' smiled Jeff, leaning in to kiss Lisa.

Suddenly, there was a bang. Lisa jumped.

'What's that noise?' she asked.

'I don't know,' said Jeff, 'let me go look.'

Lisa nodded nervously as her husband walked up to the front door slowly.

Jeff turned around to face Lisa. He smiled at her.

'I love you,' he mouthed to her.

'I love you, too,' Lisa mouthed back.

Jeff, slowly but surely, opened the door. Suddenly, he found himself on the ground.

Lisa screamed. The four men dragged Jeff into the living room. They were all tall. Italian men, all of them friends with Giovanni.

'WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?' asked Jeff.

'YOUR LIFE!' said one goon whose name was Randy, 'WE KNOW WHO YOU ARE!'

Lisa cowered behind the couch. She was scared.

'Toni, guard the door,' said Johnni, 'David, find his bitch.'

Lisa clapped her hand over her mouth. She snuck off to the basement as quietly as she could. She hid behind the door, cracking it slightly to see what was going on.

'YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS!' said Jeff.

'What makes you say that, asshole?' asked Randy, 'humour me.'

'My security system and my surveillence cameras,' said Jeff, 'asshole.'

Randy's eyes went wide with fear. He shot Jeff in the chest.

'RUN!'

All four men ran into their van. They drove out as fast as they could.

Lisa ran to her husband. He was bleeding bad.

'FUCK!' he yelled, 'LISA!'

'I'm here, Jeff,' whispered Lisa, 'I'm here.'

Jeff looked up at his wife. He placed his hand on her cheek.

'Hospital…' he whispered, 'take me to the hospital…'

Lisa nodded. She picked Jeff up and carried him to the car. She sped off.

'THIS HURTS!' groaned Jeff, 'LISA!'

Lisa dialled Emily and Rebecca's number. She comforted Jeff as she sped off to the hospital.

'You're gonna be okay, Jeff,' she said, 'I promise.'

Emily answered her phone. She practically jumped for joy when she saw who it was.

'Mommy!' she said in a cheerful voice.

'Emily, where's your sister?' asked Lisa.

'In the kitchen,' said Emily, 'why?'

'Put the phone on speaker,' said Lisa, 'this is urgent girls.'

Emily put her phone on speaker. She walked into the kitchen.

'Who is it?' asked Rebecca.

'It's Mommy,' said Emily.

'Mommy, what's wrong?' asked Rebecca.

Lisa began to cry. She could barely talk.

'Your dad,' she sobbed, 'he's been shot.'

Those three words sent ice through the twins' veins. They couldn't believe their eyes.

'What?'

'We're going to the hospital,' said Lisa, 'please stay strong.'

Emily hung up. She and Rebecca were both sobbing.

'Did I hear what I think I heard?' said Murphy, coming downstairs.

Neither of the twins could answer. Emily was leaning against the couch, Rebecca had collapsed to her knees.

'What happened?' said Connor, helping Rebecca to her feet, 'who called?'

'It was Lisa,' said Murphy.

'What happened?' asked Connor, 'tell us.'

'Daddy…' sobbed Emily, 'Daddy…'

Murphy held his sobbing wife. The rest of the gang came running into the living room.

'Yo, what happened?' asked Romeo.

'Daddy got shot,' choked Emily.

Everyone gasped, covering their mouths with their hands.

Emily sobbed harder now, hugging herself close to Murphy. Murphy soothed his sobbing wife.

'Shh…' he whispered, 'shh…'

'Mommy said she's taking him to the hospital,' said Rebecca, 'we should go.'

'We'll drive you,' said Connor, 'let's go.'

Connor drove Rebecca's Camero. This was such a bad situation he didn't care that he was driving a pink car. Everyone else went with Jane. Connor sped through traffic until they arrived at the hospital. In a frenzy, both twins went bolting into the hospital.

'WHERE'S OUR DAD? WHERE IS HE?'

A nurse came bolting out into the waiting room. She immediately recognized the twins.

'Follow me.'

Everyone ran after the nurse. She took them into where Jeff was.

Both twins gasped in horror.

Jeff was hooked up to tubes and a monitor. He didn't look well at all. The twins knew what this meant: he was dying.

'Girls?' said Jeff in a hoarse voice, 'is that you?'

The twins nodded.

Slowly, Jeff lifted his arms, opening them.

'Come here,' he whispered, 'come to Daddy.'

The twins walked up to their Dad. They crawled onto the bed, hugging him tightly.

'I'm dying, girls,' whispered Jeff, hugging both of his daughters, 'some of Giovanni's friends came and shot me.'

Emily and Rebecca didn't answer. They cuddled closer to their Dad, nuzzling his neck.

Jeff kissed both of his daughters on the forehead. He sighed, pain resonating through his body.

'I love you both so much,' he whispered, 'I'm so proud of both of you.'

'Daddy…' whispered Rebecca.

'I love you, Rebecca Jane Ouellet,' whispered Jeff, 'and I love you, Emily Lisa Marie Ouellet. You're both beautiful, strong, wonderful women. Even though I'll soon be with God, I'm always gonna be in your heart.'

'Don't go…' whispered Emily, 'please…'

'I love you,' whispered Jeff, 'my daughters.'

The twins watched sadly as Jeff closed his eyes. He took his final breath. He was dead.

Everyone in that hospital room began to cry. Emily and Rebecca hugged their Dad, sobbing hard.

'No…' sobbed Emily, 'no…'

Connor and Murphy walked up to the hospital bed. They embraced their sobbing wives, tears flowing from their eyes.

'DADDY!' shrieked the twins, 'DADDY!'

Isabelle buried her face in Rocco's shoulder, sobbing hard. Jane collapsed on her knees.

Lisa got up. She patted the brothers' shoulders.

'Excuse me,' she said, 'please let me hug my girls.'

Connor and Murphy moved. Lisa crawled onto the bed, embracing her daughters. She sobbed along with them.

Connor and Murphy held the twins' hands. They closed their eyes and recited their prayer.

And shepherds we shall be for Thee, my Lord for Thee

Power hath descended forth from Thy hand

Our feet may swiftly carry out Thy commands

So we shall flow a river forth to Thee and teeming with souls shall it ever be

In Nomeni Patri

Et Fili

Spiritus Sancti