So I've done it! Way later than I hoped and about four chapters longer than I had planned but the final chapter is up! Thank you all for reading!
"I have to tell her!" Levi begs as Vanessa practically marches him back down the rear steps and into the sand.
"No, what you have to do is go home, Levi. It's dark and your dad probably doesn't know where you are…" She can't believe he would pull something like this. It's a good thing that Hailey was in the shower.
"NO!" Levi pulls free and rushes back to the steps. "He's here! He's here and I need to tell her!" Vanessa races up the steps after him, finally realizing what he's so upset about.
With all the commotion on the steps, Ronnie's heavier footsteps aren't heard. No one notices when he slowly pushes the unlatched door open and steps inside. He'll have to come up with a plan as he goes. He couldn't shake the feeling that the kid knew something so he'd stayed close…waiting. He was giddy with the fact that he'd been right. Things seemed to just be falling in his lap and with the boy and the girl, getting Hailey was going to be a piece of cake.
Little Dove…I've found you…and it's time to pay.
He pulls a gun from the waist of his pants and silently makes his way into the apartment.
"You saw him tonight?" Hailey had just pulled on a shirt when Vanessa and a very distraught Levi burst into her bedroom. "Here?" He's here…The blood pounding in her ears makes it hard to concentrate. She vaguely hears Vanessa say she is going to get her phone and call Jay.
"I was bringing pizza home and he stopped me and asked if I knew you. He…he said he was your friend but I didn't believe him. Then I saw these pictures of you and there was one of him and…and…" The adrenaline that carried him here is starting to drop and he suddenly feels like crying. "The paper…it said…It said you're a murderer but it's a lie. It's a lie right, Hailey?" Please don't be true…
She wants to tell him it's a lie. Tell him the truth but the words get stuck in her throat. If what he's saying is true and Ronnie is really here, the last place Levi should be is with her.
"We should get you home." His shoulders fall, head dropping in disappointment but he nods and starts out of her room.
Hailey shuts her eyes for a moment, breathing deeply, trying to gather her thoughts. Getting Levi back to his dad is her top priority. Then she's going to find Booth and one way or another, this will all be over. Wiping her clammy palms on her shorts, she steps into the hall, right into her worst nightmare.
The brunette bitch almost got to her phone. She was so focused on making that call that she didn't see him coming. He struck her hard in the back of the head with the butt of his gun, catching her and lowering her to the floor quietly. She's out in the middle of the floor, right where anyone could see her so he drags her by the legs behind the couch.
"Well, shit…" The muffled curse is whispered out as he stares at the streak of bright red blood left behind from dragging her body. Before he can think of a way to cover it, the lying little shit of a boy steps into the hallway. Ronnie presses tight to the living room wall, waiting for him to get closer.
"What the…"
"Not another sound." Ronnie slaps his large hand over the kid's mouth, hauling him back against his chest.
I can't breathe…He'd been paralyzed with fear when the hand clamped over his mouth but now he's struggling. He can't stop staring at the blood on the floor. Vanessa…
"No!" Hailey's vision blurs upon entering the hallway, slamming back into focus with sounds and colors that are too big and bright. This can't be happening.
"Well, well, well." Ronnie squeezes Levi tighter against him, an evil grin spreading as the boy spasms in his hold, whimpering behind his hand. "I've missed you, Little Dove."
The fear his voice brings is nothing compared to the fear of seeing Levi in his hold.
"Let him go." Her voice waivers but she tries again. "Let him go and I'll walk out of here with you." He's the most important…Jay's voice sounds in her head and she knows without a doubt that she would do anything to save him.
Ronnie snorts, loosening his hold slightly, laughing a little as Levi gulps in some much needed air. "Oh…you're gonna walk out of here with me. The question is…Who do you love more?" The gun he tucked back into his waist clicks as he cocks it. "The kid…or the girl?"
Hailey won't choose. She couldn't. With a calmness she didn't even know she had, she makes her way towards Ronnie. "I'm walking out that door…no tricks, no games. You found me. It's over. You won, Ronnie. I'm yours." She stops right in front of him, hating herself for what she's about to do.
"This is what you wanted all along." Somehow her hand doesn't shake as she reaches out to touch his face, turning his head so she can brush her lips against his. She waits, fighting the urge to gag at the feel of his mouth on hers. She just needs to distract him enough to get Levi out of the way.
It takes longer than she expected but finally she feels him relax his arm, moving it from Levi to her hip and she doesn't waste a second. Her teeth sink into his bottom lip at the same time she shoves Levi out his hold, sending him tumbling over the back of the couch.
"RUN!"
"You stupid bitch!" Ronnie lunges for Hailey, just missing her ankle as she follows Levi over the couch.
"Levi, go!" He's just standing there, eyes darting between Vanessa's unconscious body and Hailey.
"You should have listened to her, kid." Ronnie drags the back of his hand across his bloody lip while he points the gun at Levi. She took his boy away from him…he was going to take this kid from her. Pulling the trigger is one of the most satisfying things he's ever done.
Hailey doesn't think…doesn't hesitate, just moves. One second she's on the couch watching as Ronnie raises the gun and the next she's diving towards Levi, pushing him out of the way. A searing pain burns across her hip but she rolls, pushing up to her elbows and knees. Before she can stand, Ronnie roughly grabs her hair, pulling her up from the floor.
"That…" Ronnie drags her towards the back door, "was a mistake."
"What, did you get lost?" Jay steps out onto the deck expecting to find his son but there's no sign of him. He finds Smalls on the leash and the file strewn about the table, definitely not how he left it. With a sigh, he picks up the papers and photos and carries them back inside.
"Hey, I gotta run up the street real quick." The first place Levi would go after seeing that file is to Hailey and Vanessa's. Jay pulls his phone out and dials Vanessa's number, rubbing at his eyes when she doesn't answer. He tries again with the same result and then dials Hailey's cell, still no answer.
"I should probably take off anyway, thanks for the pizza." Kevin follows Jay outside, looking around for his kid but Jay doesn't seem too worried so he assumes he knows where he is. "Let me know what she thinks of the idea. We play this right, we could have this guy behind bars before the weekend." After Hailey and Vanessa left, Kevin had started thinking about how he could end this. Seeking out Booth was the obvious and easiest choice but they'd need Hailey to do that. She'd need to be willing to put herself out there as bait and that's a lot to ask of her.
"I'll talk to her tonight, see how she feels about…"
A shot rings out from somewhere up the beach, cutting Jay off.
"Was that…"
"Yeah, it was. You got your gun?" Jay is already calling the shot in, waiting as Kevin runs to his car to grab his weapon. Together, they start up the beach. Jay isn't sure where the shot came from but the sinking feeling in his stomach has him leaning towards Hailey. The feeling intensifies when he hears a distant scream.
"Let's go!"
He's never run faster in his life. He shot her. He didn't have to look back to know that Hailey took a bullet that was meant for him. He needs his dad. They need help.
"Levi!" He hears his dad call out and Levi stops.
"Dad…" Tears are streaking his face but he doesn't care. His dad can fix this. He can help. "Hailey…he shot her…and Vanessa she…she…" He's gonna puke.
"Where are they?" His relief at seeing his son unharmed is fleeting. "Levi! I need you to focus. Where are they?" Jay grips his shoulders, trying to break through the shock.
"He's at their apartment. I'm sorry, dad. I'm sorry…" Levi presses his face against his dad's chest, sorry for all of it.
"It's okay." Jay's own arms wrap tight around him, giving the comfort he can. "Levi, listen." Jay steps back, his hands once again falling to his son's shoulders. "I need you to go home. Go home and lock the doors. Call Trudy and you keep that door closed until she gets there. Understood?" When he nods, Jay pushes him into a jog back towards the house.
"Jay?" Once Levi is well on his way back to the house, Kevin points out a figure clearly dragging another person towards the old pier.
"I'm going after them. I need you to go up to the apartment," Jay points to the steps as they jog closer, "stay with Vanessa, make sure she…" He has to swallow before he speaks again. "Make sure she's okay." They go their separate ways after that.
"I can't…breathe." His arm is crushing her windpipe and it's all she can do to keep up with him. Her hip hurts, burns, and the blood seeping down her leg makes her sick. "Ple…please." She chokes it out, desperate for air.
"Shut UP!" If anything, Ronnie tightens his hold around her neck. The sound of sirens is getting closer. The kids doing no doubt. He can't get to his car…can't chance the street. His only chance of getting out of here with Hailey is if he can make it to the shitty little marina he saw earlier.
"BOOTH!" At Jay's shout, Ronnie starts to run. He's fully dragging Hailey now, ignoring the way her hands claw at his arm and the way she wheezes, struggling for each breath. He's not going to make it. For a second, he thinks about leaving Hailey and running but he's waited too long to have her and if he can't, neither will they.
"Stay back! Stay back or I'll shoot her right here!" Ronnie pulls Hailey fully upright, shoving the gun into the side of her head as he makes his way walking back onto the pier.
Spots dance in front of her eyes, she's going to pass out. She tries to call out to Jay. Tries to tell him to stay back but nothing comes out. I don't want to die…
"There's nowhere for you to go." Jay steps onto the pier, gun trained on Booth. "Let her go." Backup is right behind him so he keeps moving closer.
Booth stumbles, righting himself a moment later but the trip was enough to shift his arm just enough for Hailey to drag a breath in. The tears come next but not from fear. Sure…she doesn't want to die, not like this, but she's more angry than anything. This was supposed to be a safe place, her do over and he was ruining it all.
"I swear to God I will shoot her! Back up!" His back hits the rail at the end of the pier. This is it. The end of the line.
"Come on man…be smart. You shoot her and you're dead. Let her go and you can walk out of here with me. You'll get the chance to see your son again."
"Don't speak about my son! He's nothing but a shell now and this bitch is responsible for that. I'm not letting her go!" Ronnie digs the gun further into the side of Hailey's face.
She winces, a smaller trickle of blood dripping down her cheek from where the gun cuts her temple. Every single slap and kick and punch…every cruel word and unwanted touch from Casey and Ronnie flashes through her mind. She's not that scared girl anymore…won't be her ever again. Fight back, Hailey!
"You should have shot me when you had the chance cause now…I'm gonna shoot you and one of your own is gonna kill her.". She'd die by someone he worked with. It would add to the suffering.
Hailey looks to Jay, whispering that she's sorry just as Ronnie lifts the gun, pointing it at Jay. She closes her eyes and does the only thing she can think that will keep anyone else from getting hurt. Throwing all her weight backwards into Ronnie, she takes them both over the railing and into the sea below.
There's a moment…when you're dreaming, that you realize you're in a dream. Something too fantastic…something so horrible…so…big, happens that you know it's not real. If this were a dream, that moment would be now. Jay would roll over in the tangled sheets and wipe the sleep from his eyes but he's not waking up. This is real life…not a dream.
His feet are moving even before he fully understands what he's about to do. He saw the blood oozing from the gunshot on her waist. Booth had been holding her up. Could she stand? Was she able to swim? It's only 30 feet to the dark waters below but it's just enough time to relive every moment of his time with her. The last thing he thinks before he plunges into the water is that it wasn't enough. Not nearly enough.
Hailey hits the water feet first. During the fall, Ronnie let her go and she'd righted herself just before hitting the water. Even hitting feet first it hurts. Her whole body feels like it hit a wall. For a moment, she can't tell what way is up. The panic is immediate, causing her to suck in a mouthful of water. Breaking the surface seconds later, she sputters and chokes up the water, finally sucking in a breath. She's alive. She survived.
The pier was over a thousand feet long and with the rip current, she's well over 500 yards offshore at this point. The swim back isn't going to be easy but she can do it. Her first move is sideways, out of the rip, then she slowly starts back to shore.
"Hailey! Hailey, call out!"
Jay's voice has a sob breaking free. It's stupid to cry now…when it's over.
"Jay…" Her throat feels too tight from being crushed by Ronnie's arm and with the tears, she isn't sure he can hear her. "Ja…Jay…" The forward movement she'd been making moments ago is gone. Her body feels like it isn't hers. Shock…she's going into shock.
She's blissfully numb as she slips back under the water without a sound. Maybe dying wouldn't be so bad after all.
Where are you, Hailey? For the first time he can remember, Jay curses the normally tranquil sound of the waves. He's got to find her. There's no other option.
"Hailey!" He hears it then, the faintest of sounds but it was her. From the left? Taking off as fast as he can, Jay starts in the direction he is sure the sound came from.
He calls out for her again and again with no response. No no no no…come on Hailey…
Halfway back to the beach, Jay's hand tangles in something under the water. His first thought is that it's seaweed but it's too soft. Hair…Hailey
There's no time for gentleness as Jay pulls her from the water by her hair. Then he's swimming for her life. It takes too long to get her out of the water. She isn't breathing…It's all he keeps thinking as the paramedics tug her from his arms.
The only sound he can hear is the pounding of blood in his ears, his only focus, Hailey. Seconds, maybe even minutes pass while they work on her. For the first time since he jumped into the water after her, Jay takes her in. She's so pale and so damn still. It's the stillness that kills him, sending him to his knees in the wet sand.
"Come on, Hailey…open your eyes…breathe…" Inside his head he's screaming the words over and over but they leave his lips on a pleading whisper. She has to be okay.
"Stand clear!" One of the medics shouts as everyone working on Hailey lifts their hands away from her. They've got her chest exposed and an AED hooked up to her. It's to help her…give her the best chance to come out alive, but all Jay wants to do is cover her up, shield her from these strangers…from himself.
It's weak and he knows it, but when the AED advises a shock, Jay looks away. He doesn't want to watch this.
"Begin 5 cycles of CPR…" The AED drones on, filling Jay's head with it's incessant beeping but then he hears it. His head snaps back to her, locking in on her face and he swears the frothy vomit sputtering from her pinkening lips is the most beautiful thing he's ever seen.
"We got her…Let's get her loaded."
"Hey, Goldie. How are you feeling?" Trudy enters Hailey's room or rather, the curtained section room of the hospital, shooting her a smile. "You uh…you really scared the hell out of us." And there it was, the tremble in her normally steady and dry tone. It has Hailey and Trudy both, swallowing against the threat of tears.
Because of the emotion coursing through her, it takes a while for Hailey to speak. When she does, her voice is raspy, hurting her throat. "Are they okay?" She's already asked the doctors and nurses who've been monitoring her but they could be lying to her to keep her calm. Trudy wouldn't lie to her.
"Levi's good. He's chomping at the bit to get back here and see you though…and Vanessa's head wound was more superficial than they first thought so that's good. She's got a mild concussion and a few stitches but the doctors said she'll be fine in a few days." Trudy watches as Hailey nods, relief making her body sag into the bed.
"And um…Ronnie?" Hailey hates how timid her voice is but this is the part that seems the most unreal.
"Dead." Trudy reaches out, grabbing Hailey's hand. "It's over." Hailey's hand starts to shake and Trudy squeezes harder. "It's over, Hailey." With her free hand, Trudy brushes some of Hailey's hair away from her face before she sits on the side of the bed. When she starts to cry seconds later, Trudy gently cradles her against her chest, rocking her like a child, mindful of the wound on her hip, whispering that she's okay. Thankfully the bullet that hit her had only grazed her though it was pretty deep. She's going to have one wicked scar.
Hailey cries for what seems like hours. She cries until her stomach hurts and her eyes feel gross and swollen. All the while, Trudy just holds her, keeping her together with the words she whispers against her hair.
"I'm sorry…" She manages a long while later, her throat impossibly tight. "Ugh…I can't seem to stop." Swiping at the tears that linger on her cheeks, Hailey finally sits up and away from Trudy. If she weren't so exhausted, she'd probably be embarrassed. She's got no clue why she's reacting like this. Crying is not her outlet of choice.
"Don't apologize. You've been through it tonight." She reaches for the box of tissues, smiling as Hailey grabs a few. "And there's nothing wrong with you either. What you're feeling? That emotion? It's relief. You've been running for so long that you forgot what it was like to just…be." Her hand once again reaches for Hailey's. "Relax kid, you did good."
Before she gives in to the exhaustion, Hailey manages to convince Trudy to take her to see Vanessa. It takes a lot of promises to be still and sit and to keep it quick. She even ends up agreeing to the wheelchair Trudy insists on using. She just wants to see her friend.
"There's your girl now." Kevin is the one to greet her as she thanks Trudy for the push over. "Glad to see you up and about. She's been real worried about you." Kevin smiles at both of them, telling them he'll stop back later, then leaves.
The room instantly feels bigger without his large frame inside. It's strange to think that such a large man would remind her of a great big teddy bear. A very muscular one off course…but from the few times they've met, his voice and actions have always made her think soft.
Hailey stares at Vanessa, a knowing smirk forming, eyes traveling to the door and then back to her. "Did he just wink at you?" She tucks her lips to hold in the laugh and with Vanessa playfully glaring at her, things between them feel normal. She could almost forget they were in a hospital…that the both could have died tonight.
"Maybe…" Vanessa answers, her own grin lighting up her still too pale face. "So maybe he isn't as bad as I thought he was." When Vanessa had woken up on the floor, she was so disoriented that for a moment, she had no clue where she was. It wasn't until she heard the back door open, the sound of the ocean filling the room, that she remembered. Hailey…Booth…..Levi…When she heard her name, she couldn't place the voice. It was vaguely familiar though. After a tiny moment of panic when he came to kneel by her head, Vanessa had relaxed. He was there to help. He'd stayed the whole time. In the apartment, in the ambulance, even in the exam room right up until they took her up for a CT.
"And?" There's something she isn't telling her, Hailey knows.
"And nothing…" She doesn't know who Hailey is trying to distract by talking about Kevin instead of what happened tonight but she decides to change the topic.
"Heard you tried to die on us…" She means it jokingly, trying to keep it light but her voice breaks and then Hailey sucks in a breath that sounds very close to a sob.
"Sorry…That was a shitty thing to say." Tears fill her own eyes as she looks away.
"Vanessa, I'm so sorry you got hurt in all this. If he…"
"Don't." Vanessa lifts her hand, gripping Hailey's fingers tightly when she places her hand on top. "I'm fine…Everyone is okay. It's over now. We can all put this behind us. 'What ifs' will only drive you crazy."
"Yeah…I just…I'm really glad you're okay." They sit like that for a while, talking about nothing of importance and everything all at the same time. When Trudy returns, Hailey feels a little better. She still has to have things out with Jay, but Vanessa and Trudy were right about one thing. The worst was over.
A quiet knock wakes her shortly after Trudy orders her into bed, though she isn't sure she was actually sleeping. Drifting maybe, but all thoughts of sleep and exhaustion are gone when she sees who's at the door.
"Levi." She reaches a hand out to him, beckoning him closer but he stays put, eyes brimming with tears. "Hey…hey, I'm okay." She sits up too quickly. The sharp sting in her hip and the constant ache in her ribs has her sucking in a pained breath.
"I'm really sorry…really sorry…" Levi manages to force the words out despite the silent tears that fall.
"Levi…what happened tonight is not your fault. Do you hear me?" Finally she manages to sit upright, grimacing as she gingerly swings her legs to the side of the bed.
"He followed me. He found you because of me and I…You almost died." He eyes her cautiously as she gets her feet on the floor. Why wasn't she mad?
Her whole body feels like it's been hit by a truck but she pushes the pain and discomfort from her mind, slowly making her way to him, her hands coming to a rest on his shoulders. "You were so very brave tonight, Levi. Incredibly brave and if not for you, things would have turned out very differently tonight." Before he can argue further, Hailey carefully pulls him into a hug.
That's how Jay finds them moments later. Even though he doesn't make a sound, Hailey still senses him, her head lifting slowly. The cautious way she looks at him hurts. The worst part is, he still isn't sure he'd been wrong to keep the two of them apart. It hadn't mattered in the end but a part of him still thinks his decision was the right one.
"Should you be out of bed?" Not the best choice to start a conversation with. It came off as questioning…a little angry. He watches her shutter her emotions, schooling her face as a result.
"Always following the rules…" Hailey smiles down at Levi but it doesn't reach her eyes. She didn't blame Levi but that didn't mean that Jay didn't blame her.
"No, he's right." Levi steps out of the hug, helping her back to the bed. "You should be resting. Careful."
Jay wants to talk to her alone, she can tell. "You know what? I think you're right. But I'm kind of thirsty. Think you can find me a drink?" With a reluctant nod, Levi heads out, leaving Hailey alone with Jay. A heavy sigh falls from her lips and she lets her eyes close, mentally preparing herself for whatever he's about to say.
"Here…" Jay reaches out. "Let me help you." A sigh of his own, this one full of frustration when she pushes his hands away.
"I'd rather have this conversation upright, if it's all the same to you."
"And what conversation is that?" Her eyes won't meet his but he stops himself from lifting her chin.
"I don't know…the one where you tell me you were right and this never would have happened if I'd just…" She stops talking when he makes a sound of disbelief.
"You're unbelievable, you know that?" Dragging a hand down the back of his neck, he turns back to find her eyes wide with shock.
"Jay?"
"Did you not just stand here and tell Levi that what happened tonight wasn't his fault?" He joins her on the bed, leaving almost no space between them, even though he knows she wants it. "Dammit, Hailey…you're sitting here…a bullet hole in you, they restarted your heart and you still want to carry all the blame."
"Well when you say it like that…" Maybe she was being too hard on herself. She turns her head, finally meeting his gaze. "Thank you, Jay." For saving her…for keeping his word…for being him.
Because it feels right, because she'll blame it on the pain medication they gave her even though it was mild, and because she really is tired, Hailey leans into him, laying her head on his shoulder.
"So uh…now that it's all over, what are you gonna do?" The big stuff, the things between them that he hopes isn't just in his head, they can wait.
She hasn't thought about anything past keeping away from Booth. All she knows for certain is that she doesn't want to leave. "I don't really know. Guess I have to figure that out now." A yawn escapes that she doesn't manage to stop and they both laugh. The only difference is that Hailey's ends on a wince, her hand pressing against her side.
"You've got all the time in the world, Hailey." They've got all the time in the world.
"I want to stay. I know that much." Hailey doesn't resist as Jay helps her lay down, hiding a grin when he tucks her in.
"Get some sleep." He almost kisses her on the forehead out of habit from years of tucking his son in, but stops at the last minute. "We'll all see you tomorrow." He settles with a brush of his hand against her arm before he leaves her to rest.
Tomorrow was a new day. A fresh start. She was finally free to live her life.
Well…there it was. I was sort of thinking of adding an epilogue if anyone was interested…maybe a couple snapshots of the next year or something…not sure. If you are interested and have something you'd like to see, just let me know!
