Chapter 3
Rick crept down the hallway, one arm around his brother, toward the voices in the room ahead, as Captain Ron brought up the rear. Coming to the door to the living room, he saw Palmer pull the rug out from under his wife's feet, then raise a poker and start toward her. Instantly he pulled out his gun, yelling, "Down, Laurie!" then fired at the woman, striking her in the shoulder. As she went down, the three men rushed in, with the policeman recovering Palmer's weapon and cuffing her. Rick and A.J. went to Laurie, dazed, who was trying to stand up. They each took an arm and raised her up, then she saw A.J., with a black eye and torn shirt. "Oh, A.J!", she cried, as he hugged her. "Are you all right, oh look at your eye!" Grinning at his sister-in-law, he told her,
"I'm fine, just a little bruised, thanks to you and the guys here." Rick put an arm around her and held her, saying, "Thank God you're safe, I heard her force you inside."
Laurie sniffed, saying "If you hadn't come down the hall, you were right, she is crazy." He stroked her hair, only to feel a lump on her head. "Sweetheart, did she hit you?" She nodded, hastening to add, "She tried to
knock me out once she got me inside." Both Simon brothers held onto her as
Captain Ron handed Catherine Palmer off to a couple of backup officers, kicking and screaming obscenities at Laurie the whole time. He came over to Laurie and asked, "Are you all right, you gave Rick quite a scare there." "I'm all right, thanks to you guys. Did you have a hard time getting in.?", she added, as they started out the door.
The captain chuckled, "No, except for the two guard dogs next door. Rick is very resourceful, fortunately he was able to give us the time to jump over the fence." The older Simon grinned, "Well, thank you,
Captain Ron, that's one of the nicest things you've ever said!"
A.J asked, "What did you do, Rick?" "I threw a stick and yelled, "Fetch!", he laughed. As they came down the path toward the street, a sports car drove up, and Linda jumped out, calling, "A.J.!" In a flash he ran to her, then embraced her, as she burst into tears and kissed him. Cecilia and Towne got out of the car, as Rick heard Laurie start to sniff again. Raising her face to his, Rick kissed her, saying "Laurie, darling, I'm proud of you. You helped save A.J. in spite of my being so stubborn."
Her eyes lit up, and returning his kisses, she said, "Rick, the only time you're stubborn is when you don't want to see someone you love hurt. And I," she sighed, holding him tightly, "don't ever want you to ever change, except," she looked at him shyly", let me help once in a while?"
He laughed and kissed her, only to hear the clearing of throats, as he saw Captain Ron pointing at his watch, and realized it was getting late. "Good grief,", Cecilia said, "The rehearsal and dinner, it's only in a couple of hours. A.J., do you feel up to it?"
Her younger son nodded, as Linda put her head against his shoulder. "We've got plenty of time, let's do it! Linda and I can do our part right now, " he teased, turning to face his fiancée. Laughing and blushing, she kissed him, then let him lead her to Towne's car. Rick and Laurie went to pick up her car, as the Captain volunteered to take care of the police report.
Once they got back to A.J.'s condo, he held an ice pack to his eye as he told them how Catherine Palmer had pulled up alongside him, pulling a gun then slugging him when he wouldn't let her handcuff him. She had forced him into another car a couple of blocks away, then threatened to take Linda hostage if he didn't cooperate.
"All I could think of was how dangerous she was, she kept telling me I was
dead, but did I want my bride to suffer, too." She had left him handcuffed in a bedroom, only coming in to tell him his sister-in-law was coming. Linda put her arm around him as he said, "She said that if I made one sound, she would kill Laurie. She stuck tape on my mouth, then locked me in. Thank God she didn't lock the windows, I thought I was hearing things when Rick opened the one in back of me." Rick shook his head, "I thought we were
lucking out when the first window opened, then when I saw A.J., I knew it was going to be all right."
His younger brother grinned at him, "Yeah, even though he was cussing at how heavy I was the whole way down the hall." Cecilia hugged both of her sons, then said, "I think we're ready for a wedding, don't you?"
At the rehearsal, Father Nick, who had married Rick and Laurie, looked at A.J. and Linda, then turning to Cecilia, smiled and said "I always thought someone special would come along for your boys, I just never thought I would be around to see it!" Asking A.J. if he was ready to rehearse his vows, the younger Simon looked at Linda and told her, "I'm ready for the real thing now." Taking her hand, he faced her, saying.
"I, Andrew Jackson, take you Linda, to be my lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, til' death do us part."
A radiant Linda repeated her vows, then as his brother before him, A.J. waited only until Father Nick said, "I now pronounce you man and wife", then he kissed her. The priest threw up his hands, laughing, and said "Ok, A.J. and Linda are married!"
As the new Mr. And Mrs. Simon held hands to go down the aisle, they both went to over to Rudy, who had given her away, then to Cecilia, embracing them. Stopping in front of Rick, A.J. threw his arms around him, saying, "Thank you for being my big brother." Choking up, Rick embraced him, "I'm so proud of you, A.J., be happy." He hugged Linda, and she whispered to him, "Thank you for being such a great brother, I'll take care of him for you."
Laurie was teary when she embraced the two newlyweds, and watching them go down the aisle ahead of them, Rick took her hand and squeezed it, bringing a smile to her face. As they followed behind, Laurie softly said, "I do." Bringing her hand to his lips, he repeated, "I do, too."
Rick crept down the hallway, one arm around his brother, toward the voices in the room ahead, as Captain Ron brought up the rear. Coming to the door to the living room, he saw Palmer pull the rug out from under his wife's feet, then raise a poker and start toward her. Instantly he pulled out his gun, yelling, "Down, Laurie!" then fired at the woman, striking her in the shoulder. As she went down, the three men rushed in, with the policeman recovering Palmer's weapon and cuffing her. Rick and A.J. went to Laurie, dazed, who was trying to stand up. They each took an arm and raised her up, then she saw A.J., with a black eye and torn shirt. "Oh, A.J!", she cried, as he hugged her. "Are you all right, oh look at your eye!" Grinning at his sister-in-law, he told her,
"I'm fine, just a little bruised, thanks to you and the guys here." Rick put an arm around her and held her, saying, "Thank God you're safe, I heard her force you inside."
Laurie sniffed, saying "If you hadn't come down the hall, you were right, she is crazy." He stroked her hair, only to feel a lump on her head. "Sweetheart, did she hit you?" She nodded, hastening to add, "She tried to
knock me out once she got me inside." Both Simon brothers held onto her as
Captain Ron handed Catherine Palmer off to a couple of backup officers, kicking and screaming obscenities at Laurie the whole time. He came over to Laurie and asked, "Are you all right, you gave Rick quite a scare there." "I'm all right, thanks to you guys. Did you have a hard time getting in.?", she added, as they started out the door.
The captain chuckled, "No, except for the two guard dogs next door. Rick is very resourceful, fortunately he was able to give us the time to jump over the fence." The older Simon grinned, "Well, thank you,
Captain Ron, that's one of the nicest things you've ever said!"
A.J asked, "What did you do, Rick?" "I threw a stick and yelled, "Fetch!", he laughed. As they came down the path toward the street, a sports car drove up, and Linda jumped out, calling, "A.J.!" In a flash he ran to her, then embraced her, as she burst into tears and kissed him. Cecilia and Towne got out of the car, as Rick heard Laurie start to sniff again. Raising her face to his, Rick kissed her, saying "Laurie, darling, I'm proud of you. You helped save A.J. in spite of my being so stubborn."
Her eyes lit up, and returning his kisses, she said, "Rick, the only time you're stubborn is when you don't want to see someone you love hurt. And I," she sighed, holding him tightly, "don't ever want you to ever change, except," she looked at him shyly", let me help once in a while?"
He laughed and kissed her, only to hear the clearing of throats, as he saw Captain Ron pointing at his watch, and realized it was getting late. "Good grief,", Cecilia said, "The rehearsal and dinner, it's only in a couple of hours. A.J., do you feel up to it?"
Her younger son nodded, as Linda put her head against his shoulder. "We've got plenty of time, let's do it! Linda and I can do our part right now, " he teased, turning to face his fiancée. Laughing and blushing, she kissed him, then let him lead her to Towne's car. Rick and Laurie went to pick up her car, as the Captain volunteered to take care of the police report.
Once they got back to A.J.'s condo, he held an ice pack to his eye as he told them how Catherine Palmer had pulled up alongside him, pulling a gun then slugging him when he wouldn't let her handcuff him. She had forced him into another car a couple of blocks away, then threatened to take Linda hostage if he didn't cooperate.
"All I could think of was how dangerous she was, she kept telling me I was
dead, but did I want my bride to suffer, too." She had left him handcuffed in a bedroom, only coming in to tell him his sister-in-law was coming. Linda put her arm around him as he said, "She said that if I made one sound, she would kill Laurie. She stuck tape on my mouth, then locked me in. Thank God she didn't lock the windows, I thought I was hearing things when Rick opened the one in back of me." Rick shook his head, "I thought we were
lucking out when the first window opened, then when I saw A.J., I knew it was going to be all right."
His younger brother grinned at him, "Yeah, even though he was cussing at how heavy I was the whole way down the hall." Cecilia hugged both of her sons, then said, "I think we're ready for a wedding, don't you?"
At the rehearsal, Father Nick, who had married Rick and Laurie, looked at A.J. and Linda, then turning to Cecilia, smiled and said "I always thought someone special would come along for your boys, I just never thought I would be around to see it!" Asking A.J. if he was ready to rehearse his vows, the younger Simon looked at Linda and told her, "I'm ready for the real thing now." Taking her hand, he faced her, saying.
"I, Andrew Jackson, take you Linda, to be my lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, til' death do us part."
A radiant Linda repeated her vows, then as his brother before him, A.J. waited only until Father Nick said, "I now pronounce you man and wife", then he kissed her. The priest threw up his hands, laughing, and said "Ok, A.J. and Linda are married!"
As the new Mr. And Mrs. Simon held hands to go down the aisle, they both went to over to Rudy, who had given her away, then to Cecilia, embracing them. Stopping in front of Rick, A.J. threw his arms around him, saying, "Thank you for being my big brother." Choking up, Rick embraced him, "I'm so proud of you, A.J., be happy." He hugged Linda, and she whispered to him, "Thank you for being such a great brother, I'll take care of him for you."
Laurie was teary when she embraced the two newlyweds, and watching them go down the aisle ahead of them, Rick took her hand and squeezed it, bringing a smile to her face. As they followed behind, Laurie softly said, "I do." Bringing her hand to his lips, he repeated, "I do, too."