Chapter 24

Epov

Author's Note: All characters belong to Charlene Harris

Five days later:

It had been a crazy week! Last Wednesday at this time I was sitting on a plane with the hopes of Sookie falling madly in love with me. Those plans had not altered too much but the Almighty had different plans for us coming together that was for sure. Thursday my wallet was stolen, that night Pam had killed Quinn, and last Friday when Sookie had dropped the bombshell on us about Quinn, it had been a fast downward spiral from there.

I had been in Salt Lake City with Sookie, Jesus, and Lafayette for the better part of that week. Jason and Pam had stayed in town at his house and dealt with the fallout from the situation. There had been some local media coverage of it but for the most part everyone agreed that she had been in the right to kill an intruder and defend her home.

The national media was less forgiving and had started an attack of Pam's character; going as so far as to state she was once lovers with Quinn and had become distraught when he became a big time MMA fighter, leaving her in a small Podunk town in Wyoming. It really didn't bother anyone in the town until someone leaked pictures of them in intimate positions and I believed it was the time when Pam couldn't remember who she was with after Jason and she broke up. The outcome was predictable. She was asked to take a sabbatical from the city of Green River until all this media storm blew over. There were some very liberal council members and they had to consider the upcoming elections and whether they wanted a murderer on their payroll no matter how justified it seemed.

Although, Pam was still employed by my parents as a junior accountant, it did surprise me how my mother rallied behind my sister. My mother applauded Pam's defense of her home and friend, which frankly shocked the hell out of me. Mrs. Northman went on record for the Rocket Miner telling everyone she would be hosting a women's right to bear arms seminar the following week and Pam was going to be the guest speaker. I hadn't spoken to Pam since the morning when Sookie drove me to Salt Lake.

It had been a helluva week since Sookie dropped a bomb shell on us. Lafayette had been transferred to Salt Lake City the morning after I had Little Dog put down. Sookie left the kids in the tender hands of her Gran and Tara Dawson, to drive me down to SLC. I didn't have any credit cards and most places wouldn't accept checks any longer. So she took care of me, which I guess is her thing anyhow.

After I found Sookie in the kitchen with the kids, a migraine started to pound in the front of my brain. It hadn't let up over the next 24 hours without the aid of medication but there was not too much I could do about it since I we were in the car going to Salt Lake City at 5 in the morning.

Last Friday:

Pam and Jason had left Gran's house shortly before I took Sookie to my house. Neither were too pleased with me; as they walked out the door and I tried to tell Pam we needed to discuss it, she simple walked past me with her middle finger raised and glared. It was one of the least happy moments in my life.

Sookie had the kids bundled together and squeaky clean before heading to Green River in her Buick. We had left Gran and Corbett, with the promises we would contact them later in the evening to make plans for the following day. But it never come to fruition.

I drove Sookie and the kids to my house where we met up with Dick Bellefluer and Dr. Hyde. I was not impressed with either of them and since Dick was telling me he could press charges for withholding evidence; my opinion of him plummeted. I had just about had it with him, Quinn and most people in my life. Thankfully, I guess, he was convinced by Dr. Hyde that I had the best intentions when it came to protecting Sookie and the other women who were immediately involved in my life. So he shut his trap about pressing charges and we made plans to be in contact in the next few days so I could fill them in on some of the shadier money scams Quinn was running on the side.

A few lingering questions were in their and my mind, mainly about how Quinn was contacting his victims and what his lure was. We had all intentions of brainstorming over the next week in hopes something would surface which would allow us to connect the dots between everything he had done for the last ten years. Once plans had solidified; they left and I headed for the upstairs. I felt bad about not showing Sookie around the house but I barked at her to keep the kids out of the basement because I didn't have trigger guards on all of my weapons yet. Her face blanched at the thought and she began lecturing the kids about staying out of the basement. She even locked the door and shut it. Unfortunately, I didn't have a key for that lock and at that time I could have cared less.

My head was pounding and I crashed in my spare bedroom, while Sookie settled the kids into their new bed room. Since I had to pick up the information from my safe in the basement, Sookie quickly figured out she was staying in my house. Her lips were pressed into a thin line the entire 12 mile drive to Green River from Rock Springs.

I wasn't really sure at what time I had finally fell asleep and I had all intentions on going to visit Lafayette in Rock Springs the next morning but about 3:20 a.m. the hospital called informing me they were transferring him to Salt Lake effective immediately and the helicopter would be landing in ten minutes to life flight him to the larger hospital.

I sat up a little too quickly after the phone went dead and in doing so I made myself sick. Sookie must have supersonic hearing because she was at the bathroom door asking if I needed anything as I puked my guts out. Rinsing my mouth out, I opened the door slowly in hopes the light was still off on the other side; it was thankfully.

"Eric, are you alright?" Sookie's silhouette was beautiful, she had a clingy material hugging her hips and I could tell her shoulders were bare. I groaned and she mistook it as I was really sick, pressing the back of her hand to my forehead and unintentionally pressing her chest against my bare arm.

"No, not really." I muttered, walking past her. I had some Topamax in the medicine closet in my real bedroom. I had left it there for just such an emergency. Sookie followed me into the narrow hallway that led to the bathroom. The pill container was hidden on the top shelf behind the Aleve; I fumbled for a second before grabbing the right bottle.

"What are you doing? Are those pills? Eric stop! Talk to me!" Sookie was grabbing at the pill bottle which had the damn child proof cap on. Giving up I handed her the bottle. Leaning my body and head against the bathroom wall, I closed my eyes to gain some mild relief.

"Would you please give me one out of there? I can hardly see straight and I have to get to Salt Lake like now." All I really wanted to do was crawl into a cave and wait out this pressure building in my head.

"Why are you taking these? They are prescription. You can't drive after taking one." But she still shook one out of the bottle and handed it to me. Without water I swallowed it down, wishing it were a magic pill to take away all of my problems not just the pounding in my head. "Did they transfer Lala, to Salt Lake?"

It hurt to talk but I know from past experiences it hurts worse to move your head too much so I croaked out a yes.

"Well… crap!" Sookie turned on her heel and picked up her cell phone. And started punch numbers at a rapid pace. I didn't watch her but I heard the tones clearly through the night. "Hey, it's Sookie, Sookie Com-Stackhouse." Pause with a question from the other end. "I know it's actually early. Really early. Is there any way you can come watch my kids. I am going to call Gran but she just cannot pick up and run over here in the middle of the night." Pause with a female's voice talking incoherently through the phone. "Actually, I'm going to call my Dad right now. I'm going to see if he can drop her off about 7 or so." More female tones coming through but I couldn't make out any of the words. "Yeah, they moved him to Salt Lake. I'm not sure when." A question tone but no actual words. "That is a long story: someone took his credit card numbers and maxed them out, so he can't really get down there without some help. Okay half an hour. Great, yeah it would be great to see him, if he can make it. Thanks Tara, you're a life saver."

Sookie clicked off the phone briefly and then started grabbing things quickly; I could feel her rush past me as I had my eyes still closed willing the migraine medicine to kick in. The phone went off a few minutes later, I must have crawled over to the bed because the hallway light was on and my head felt less achy.

"Hello?" I muttered into the receiver of the land line.

"Eric?" Pam inquired.

"Yeah, who else would it be?" I was a bit foggy about everything right that second as voices filtered up the stairs.

"Uh, could you just put Sookie on the phone?" She was mad at me for something but I really couldn't think.

"Are you mad at me?" It was barely a whisper but she heard it.

"I'm frustrated some of these things could have been prevented, scared that my soul is damned and worried about Lafayette." She choked out; even in my confused state I could hear the tale tell signs of tears in the making.

"I know it's late and really lame, but I'm sorry. I love you. Let me go get Sookie." Slowly I got up; making sure the shifts in my equilibrium was not going to make me sick again.

"Did you find her yet?" Pam was starting to get impatient.

"I have a migraine." I was trying to go quickly but I was still really uncomfortable.

"Well, my give a damn broke yesterday so hurry it up." She barked over the phone.

"I think I stepped in a big pile of who gives a shit about the same time your give a damn broke, so fuck you." Wincing I stepped into the hallway and flicked the light off.

"Same to you, Asshat."

"Good to hear that we are back on speaking terms."

"Isn't though." She snarked.

I looked down the stairs and there was Tara and Tray Dawson. She was holding a smallish dog in her arms that immediately started barking at me when it saw me. I winced again as the piercing sound reached the deep recesses of my brain. The thing had the look of Yorkshire terrier in it; which cause me to think of Big Dog and in turn caused me to think of Lala.

I had heard through the grape vine Tara had hammered at Tray to get the pup, but hadn't made it over to see it. My heart seized as I saw Little Dog's bed in the corner and realized he would never make it home. I felt like a mess and pushed the phone towards Sookie while stomping to the kitchen.

There was a fresh pot of coffee wafting towards me and automatically I reached for a travel mug. Tray wandered into the kitchen behind me not saying anything just studying me.

"So how is Pam doing?" Tray never was one for regret but he had always been a compassionate man.

"As well as expected." I wasn't really in the mood or frame of mind to have any conversations with anyone right that minute. My dog was dead, my best female friend killed a fiend and my best male friend was in a coma on his way to Salt Lake City; so far my life sounded like a really bad country song.

"He is in a place where he can't hurt anyone else." Tray was looking at me levelly.

"I realize that but I wish Pam wasn't the one who had sent him there." I paused sipping the coffee, forgetting for a second about life. The bitter sludge I had just swallowed was a Stackhouse trait; if the coffee couldn't be chewed is wasn't strong enough. "Are you working tomorrow, well today?"

"Yeah, but Tara is going to stay over with Gran to help her out with the kids. We can spend the night for a few; it might even do Tara some good. She has been hounding me about having a couple of our own; this adventure might put the kabash on that for a while." He grinned at me in a conspiratorial fashion.

I shrugged thinking that Copley and Amelia were both really great kids and I doubted it would halt any of Tara's material instincts. Sookie came in the kitchen and flipped on the light, I instantly shielded my eyes with my hand. She didn't take much notice of my actions and went to grab her purse off of the table. It was just after 4 in the morning and I realized Gran wouldn't be over for another couple of hours. I told Tray to take either room to crash in but the kids would probably freak if they woke up before Gran's arrival.

"I already told them that Eric." Sookie absently commented from the refrigerator. She emerged with an arm load of fruit I hadn't remembered was in there. Placing it on the counter she instructed Tara on what the kids needed to eat for the day. A list of allergies and medicines they would need if there was a problem. She had a typed out set of instructions outlined of their normal daily routine as well as what they could watch and couldn't.

She steered me towards the door and grabbed two small travel bags; while barking instructions to the wide eyed couple as we walked out the front door. I meekly followed her to the car and sat in the passenger seat without complaint. I had been over an hour ago when we left, it was a few minutes before sunrise and we were coming up to the, what I affectionately called the, Martian landscape. The eerie sunrise cast a red tint over the mounds of cream hills, the dwindling river looked similar to a lava flow, and the lack of vegetation only added to the fantasy of being on the alien planet.

I fell asleep shortly before the sun was completely over the horizon. Sookie gently shook my shoulder, the car was still and I knew we had arrived at the hospital.

"Eric, wake up." I could hear her voice soft as velvet. There was a rattling sound and she pressed something into my hand. "Take this; you will more than likely need it."

It was my friend Topamax. My head was pounding less than it had before I took the first pill but I knew from experience it was better to stay on top of it rather than let it get completely out of control. I took the pills for the next three days in a prevention mode.

We decided to return home when Lafayette was downgraded from critical to serious but stable condition. Jesus was going to stay with him and I was comfortable enough with his progress to leave without calling the nurses' station ever hour. Lafayette was on cloud nine as everyone was taking care of him but on the day we were getting ready to leave he asked if I would take him with me.

"Why do you want to go?" I was very interested in his request.

"Have you heard about the deprogramming these folks do here?" Lala was a bit wide eyed still and I think somewhat confused at times. The doctor reassured us that with head trauma injuries it is common to have confusion for a length of time afterwards.

"Who are these people?" Thinking with a frown on my face try to remember anything about deprogramming.

"The Mormons!" Jesus let a little chuckle at Lafayette exclamation.

"I think Jesus will be here to protect you." I patted my buddy gingerly on his good shoulder; he crossed his arms over his chest and pouted a little like a kid. It reminded me of Copley whom I had been missing over the last day. I knew Sookie was missing them as well and her Gran had been granted her wish. Since Sookie was unable to nurse Amelia for the last four days her breasts had dried up, leaving her withdrawn and moody by the new development.

The drive home was uneventful and we returned to Green River just shy of 5 at night. Tara was standing on the porch with Amelia in her arms while Copley was swinging from Tray's arm like a monkey. It was a bit of relief to see the kids happy. Yet, I think Sookie would have rather them been crying for her the whole time we were gone.

Tara gushed over how well behaved the kids were while Sookie was gone and was over the moon for both kids. Tray had a wiry grin on his face and quietly he told me Tara had flushed her birth control pills down the toilet last night. He shrugged his shoulders and said the rugrats weren't that bad and to have one or two of them under foot wouldn't be that bad. I was impressed at Tray's attitude considering his sister Hallow had four kids that were some of the most ill-behaved children I had witness to date. Patting him on his back, I just shook my head trying to wrap the idea of me and my friends having kids to contend with.

Copley swung off Tray's arm and landed on my leg, which he clung to. It hurt a bit considering I had an injury on that leg in California during a tournament but I ignored the pain for as long as I could. Two hours later I still had a twinge in my knee and ended up taking some Ibuprofen. It sucked getting old.