73 Blacktop Obsession
"Dom, you will hold her until she wakes up." Shayde said, her jaw clenched as she talked, stopping at the door to walk out.
"I can hold her all night." He said, nodding.
"Allright big tough guy. You can all night or as long as she will stay asleep." She nodded, looking at Hector and Han, exchanging glances, knowing the medicine would not last all night. "I want this cleaned up and I want you all out in the living room because we need to have a meeting." She said, turning on her heel sharply and walking out.
"Hey Shayde, everything okay? Is my girl okay?" Tej asked, looking concerned.
"I'm gonna need you guys on standby tonight. Please." She said.
"Yeah, no problem." Tej nodded, looking at Roman, worried.
"We got you." Roman nodded and promised.
"You're not gonna like what you see, I've already taken care of it so please do your best to not lose your shit." She said, folding her arms. "They'll be out here in a bit. Dom is gonna hold her for as long as he's able to." She said, pouring herself a shot of whiskey and downing it.
"You know she's gonna wake back up, right?" Tej asked, worried.
"Oh, I am well aware. Big tough Dom doesn't but he can deal with it because he didn't want to give her the meds when it started and now she's hurt herself. House meeting when they get out of the garage." Shayde downed another shot. "Oh and her car's fucked up because she busted the glass with her feet, head and hands." Shayde swiped at her eyes, refusing to cry. Tej and Roman looked at each other, eyes wide.
"Anything we can do?" Tej asked, watching her pour another shot and down it.
"Just make sure they are in the living room while I try to calm myself down. It's bad, Tej. It's really bad." She said, shaking her head. "I could literally kill him right now with my bare hands." She said, slamming down the shot glass and shattering it.
"Whoa, whoa, Shay. Come on, let me get that cleaned for you." Tej said, moving her away gently from the glass.
"Sorry, I don't realize my temper sometimes." She said, shaking her head. "I'm fine. I will be back in a minute." Shayde said, coughing back her tears.
"Brian, talk to me man, what happened? Is she okay?" Tej asked, meeting him at the door, looking anxious.
"Dom fucked up and didn't give her the meds before it got out of hand. We need to stay ready to help but out of the way for now, Bro." Brian said, looking around. "Especially with Ro's mouth. She looks pretty sliced up, but she's okay. I made sure of it myself." Brian promised. Carter, Hector and Han came in quietly. None of them looked happy.
"Yo, Homies, Shay said come in and sit yawl's asses down." Roman said, his hat on backwards as he paced. Tej rolled his eyes and looked at Brian with dread.
"That's not what she said." Tej hit him, giving him the look of shut up.
"That's what she meant, homeboy. I was paraphrasing." Roman said, watching Dominic bring in Kaidyn who was bloody and bandaged up with a lot of gauze. Roman looked at Tej, who was clearly trying to keep his temper in check.
"Yeah." Tej said, his face turning red from anger." That's what she meant. You're right. My bad." Tej shook his head after seeing how bad Kaidyn was. She looked like a bloody rag doll.
"Keep it chill." Brian hit Roman and looked at Tej.
"Chill? You did see her, right?" Tej muttered quietly, giving Brian a look of exasperation.
"Yeah, I know, it's bad. Just stay calm" Brian said in a deep whisper
"We need to talk. You guys need to understand what Kaidyn sees with these flashbacks." Shayde explained, looking at the group.
"Yeah, why don't you explain it, Sweetheart?" Carter encouraged.
"So easy for you to ask me to explain it and relive it, huh?" Shayde asked, shaking her head while she folded her arms.
"Shayde, Sweetheart, I did not mean to sound insensitive. Let's not argue." Carter said quietly.
"No one's arguing, Carter. Just stop." Shayde growled.
"Go ahead, Shayde, let them know what we deal with and what she sees. What she goes through all the time." Han said, nodding, fully supporting Shayde. He gave Dominic a glare.
"She sees me covering her while I am bleeding out and she has blood pouring from her head from being shot. While I am covering her and bleeding all over her, her Mom of all people." Shayde repeated. "She sees me dying right in front of her." Shayde said, her voice full of anger. "She went to bed happy and a kid that night. I was out and had just come home not long before. We were all settled in for the night and then the agents just stormed her room. Imagine being that young and someone entering your room with loud noises and shit and guns. Think about how terrified and confused she was. You know why she panics, that is why. Blood takes her back to that day. I'm sure Brian can tell you how they storm houses and the fucking chaos it creates." Shayde shot a look at Brian. He looked down, almost ashamed of being an agent. "She doesn't realize I just passed out because I was shot multiple times. She just thinks I am dead. That is what she sees over and over again." Shayde said, standing in front of the group. "She relives it over and over." Shayde said, looking at each one of them in the room. They were all silent. "It replays in her head and she hears it over and over. Anything that sounds like a gun, anything that catches her off guard. She can't remember stuff but she knows something bad happened. When she has flashbacks, she is not herself. She feels like she is crazy half the time because she is scared out of her mind and she has no clue why. Tell me why I wouldn't medicate her?" Shayde asked, looking at Dominic and Carter.
"Shay, come here." Carter held out his arms, concerned for her mental state.
"I'm good right here." Shayde held up her hand. "She thinks her mom died that day. She had to learn how to walk, talk, eat and be normal again. She thinks I am her sister. She couldn't process me as her mom. I've tried for years and it was causing her more stress. I've told her many times and she has forgotten every. Single. Time. I can't play the mom card and I have to be the sister." She took in a deep breath. "You guys have no idea how much she has been through, what I have been through." She paced. "I was shot and had to get better before I could even help her. Thank God for Han and Hector. Because they know. They were there. They know, they've been there with me." Shayde said, shaking her head, glaring at Carter like he had betrayed her.
"I'm sorry." Carter said quietly.
"Sorry, but sorry doesn't excuse what you guys just did. Dom and Carter, how would you think that after eight years of dealing with this, she could get through this naturally?" She hissed. "That's not how this type of injury works. Am I right, Hector? Han? They can probably tell you as good as I can." Shayde said, running her hand through her hair.
"She's right, guys. She can't get through this without meds." Hector nodded.. Han, eating a bag of apple chips nodded as he leaned on the couch, his arms folded.
"I thought maybe if I explained what she is seeing and reliving every day, you would understand a bit more. I know it's hard on all us seeing her but think about what she sees. It has to be so hard for her." Shayde said, feeling bad for Kaidyn. "I couldn't even have my husband, her dad, around because I had to be on the run and you weren't there, Carter. I don't know how you or Dominic think you can go behind my back and make a choice like this. I really don't get that at all. You have no right. Either one of you." Shayde glared, taking a deep breath, wringing her hands to keep them busy.
"What can we do to help her?" Jesse asked, looking at Kaidyn sadly. "She looks so messed up." He observed.
"That's a great question, Jesse. One I wished Dom and Carter had asked themselves before they tried to play doctor. We can try to be supportive and help her but we can't let her hurt herself. That means giving her meds when she needs them. She is not okay without them." Shayde said, glaring at Dominic and Carter. "Believe it or not, it's okay to be on medication. It is not a bad thing. It doesn't mean there is anything wrong with her. She is perfect no matter what." Shayde threw a glance at Carter. "She may not do the things she used to but that doesn't make her who she is as a person." She kept looking at Carter specifically, knowing how he cared about image. She walked over and got a chair and put it in the middle of the room and sat on it backwards, staring at Dominic and Kaidyn.
"We don't want her to hurt herself. That's why the doctor has these meds. Han and I had to get trained on how to do this stuff, guys." Hector said, shaking his head.
"It's not like we enjoy having to do it." Han interjected. "They aren't drugs. It is prescribed medication." He reiterated.
"Han, can you please get me a drink? I shattered the shot glass over there a bit ago. Can you get me a new one please?" Shayde asked, staring down Dominic.
"Are you hurt, My Shayde? Are you okay? Any cuts?" Carter asked, looking at her with deep concern.
"Can you spread some of that concern to Kaidyn?" Shayde asked, trying to keep her tone in check in front of everyone. Carter gave her a look she knew he would be upset with her and talk to her about it later but she didn't really care at the moment.
"I'm on it." He said, getting up to get it.
"I thought she was getting better." Letty asked quietly.
"She was, Tran has set her back by hitting her in the head so much. She was getting better and we hardly had any flashbacks and then this all started afterwards." Shayde replied coolly.
"You sure it's not because she didn't want to come to Florida?" Carter asked snarkily. He knew Kaidyn had been the reason she had held off coming back to Florida because of it being where everything had happened and she loved California so much.
"No, you know it was never her decision. I was doing what was best for her. But it seems somehow no matter wherever we go she gets hurt." Shayde sighed, now very irritated.
"Did they find Tran? He's gotta get caught for this after what he did to me and now her." Jesse said, shaking his head. Jesse had been able to be saved thanks to a neighbor calling an ambulance and Brian had learned Tran had played dead that day so he'd leave the scene.
"No, he's still on the loose. Somehow, ironically. Word on the street is he is still alive because people that were going to take him out became compromised." Shayde looked at Carter. "So anyone who finds him and takes him out will have to die because he is MINE. I want him brought to me when he's found. If anyone touches him, they will answer to me." Shayde warned, her eyes narrowed.
"Hey, Shay. Got your drink." Han said, coming up beside her with a cherry sour.
"Thank you." Shayde started to reach for her drink, her temper making Han take a slight step back.
"First, I am gonna need your guns, please." He requested, looking away, not really wanting to have to piss her off. He held out his hands expectantly.
"Why should I? Is it really that big of a deal?" Shayde asked, sighing in annoyance. Hector and Han both nodded yes.
"Well, for the safety of our guests and this house we worked hard on and to control those angry impulses you get, I am going to say yes." Han nodded, still holding out his hands and moving his fingers to tell her to hand them over.
"He's not wrong, Sweetheart. Your temper is a bit...uncontrolled tonight." Carter said in agreement.
"I wonder why that would be." Shayde asked sarcastically, making Letty smile.
"Shayde…" Carter warned.
"Don't Shayde me." She warned. "Here." She rolled her eyes, handing it to Han. "Drink please." She said, looking exasperated.
"Shayde, I know you have more. Come on. I give you the drink and you give me two guns. We can't be trigger happy when we are angry." Han said, trying to sound like it was less of an order and more of a request. He knew where Kaidyn got her negotiating skills from.
"You're correct. But only because if I fired the gun, it could trigger her. So here." She said, reaching in her boot and handing him the pistol. She then reached behind her shoulder and pulled one out of a strap under her shirt. She slammed it down in his hand aggressively. "That's the only reason I am giving these to you." She huffed.
"Thank you for your understanding. Now can I have the knife and I will give this to you." He promised.
"Han, I am going to kill..." She sighed, getting impatient. She tapped her foot.
"There's been enough blood tonight, please." He reasoned, not batting an eye but inside getting a bit nervous, even though he trusted her. He knew she was at the point of being pushed by anyone who was trying to test her.
"I appreciate you cleaning it up and you are correct again. Here." She pulled the knife from the messy bun in her head. "Whatever, take them all. I am so mad at them both right now I don't need a damn weapon." She warned, looking at Carter.
"Oh my gawd, Bruh." Roman's mouth dropped open. Brian hit him to make him shut up.
"Here's your drink." Han handed her the drink. She downed it and handed it back to him.
"Was it worth all of that? Really?" Shayde asked, making Han have to hide his grin.
"You guys decide what you are gonna tell Kaidyn that happened because we can't risk telling her what really went down because it might trigger more flashbacks. I refuse to let her blame herself for any of this. Even if it was her fault, it wasn't. So you guys work it out. Figure out how to explain her car because she won't be happy. I am going to go over here and try to get that horrible day out of my head. Most of the time I can get it out and push it out my mind but days like today are not easy. So you guys work that out." She walked to the bar in the room, grabbed a bottle of Jack Daniels and walked out of the room.