Family Bonds: Book 2 of Sista

by Blackstar1979

Family Bonds the sequel to Sista. The the Superstars and Sistas have been through a lot that have carved out bonds where there were none. Will the past rip apart the bonds that have been forged or make them stronger? Reviews are welcomed as always.

26. Chapter 26 A Thin Line between Love and

Chapter 26

A Thin Line between Love and Hate

Attorney Derrick Spencer, an attorney of 10 years with Strickland Law called his boss after getting a 70 year old man out of an unlawful interview 30 minutes ago, it was now 8:30 in the morning on the first of the year. He sat in his sports car. When the call is connected he gets out of the car and leans on the door. After explaining his actions his boss a senior partner was so calm about saying no. Keeping his tone calm as well he says "Well if you won't clear me to do my job, send me to the woman who can." Derrick had a really good bullshit meter, and that old man's story made his hair stand on end. "Look Strickland and I say this with the most respect I can, if you disallow me to take this case under the company without a team of 6. I'll put in for my 3 months of vacation due to me, and work it that way. You gave me this case, and I am going to take it. Why, because I'm not letting this old man get hung out to dry for protecting his wife. No I'm not related to him. How do I know he's not snowing me? The same way I knew your kid was guilty. Call it instinct. This man defended his wife and for his trouble he's been attacked by a State cop that needs his shiny new shield recycled." Derrick didn't see it coming but on some level he knew it was bound to happen. Becky Strickland thought she had to prove herself by being the boss's daughter, what she was going to end up doing, is proving them out of business. Her nickname was the hatchet, if she didn't get her way she was ready to fire you. Her father was paying more and more to replace the people she fired. "Well ma'am if that's my only choice, I'll come and clean out my desk. Here is a little tip from a smart ass as you call me. When you end a contract as you just have, the company now gets 45 days to pay for my share of the business as a bonded Partner, I have 20 shares at a what is now half a million dollars. "After I feed your rat" as you call me doing this my way. I'll go directly to Ivey Enterprises and bid for my own firm. Maybe I'll just start hiring the attorneys you let go in the past 10 months, since the merger you have been throwing a lot of heavy hitters to the wind. No this isn't about you firing my wife which has a higher success rate than I do. This is about gaining a win for someone not able to afford 7 of us to agree with him until he goes broke then letting him down. Yes I accept that I've lived a privileged life." He gets off the phone with his most recent former practice, calls his wife, she agrees to work Davenport's case with him, ending that call, he goes back in into the police station. The old man was half out of it, as he sat in the integration room cuffed to the table. "Hey Mr. Davenport, it looks like you have yourself a team of two." The old man lifts his gaze and says thank you then stares off into the middle distance if front of him.

Wendell was two seconds from telling the head trauma doctors to go fuck themselves. He'd secured his drugs, and on his first break put the shit in his car. Everything was insane this morning, with all the dumb asses that had accidently shot a loved one bringing the New Year. It was now 9 am and the chaos had died down, but since everyone was held to the sleep restriction that left him to perform tasks that were lower than his title. He was on his way out the fucking door when a doctor called and told him to take the woman to her room from trauma. "Look I'm the head and of the nurses in this department get someone else to do it." Fuck his loud mouth had gained him attention he really didn't need right now. Doctor Lucas Sheldon Jr. (the Lead doctor & owner of this network) turns around and levels him with that blue stare with his arms crossed. Wendell had thought this guy was still on vacation. He says into the phone "I'll get right on it." Heading back into trauma he grabs the portable oxygen hooks it up and slides it under the bed, the thing smashed his hand. Muffling a curse he stands up and looks at the old woman, he'd read her name on his IPad putting two and two together, he now knew who he was looking at. Hooking up her monitors on the racks along the head of her bed he looks down and she is looking at him. "Hello Mrs. Davenport, I'm Wendell I will be taking you to your room. The oxygen mask puffed and he knew she was saying something or trying to. Walking to the head of the bed he pumps the release and pushes the bed out of the room. On his way down the hall he stops at the nurse's station to make sure his name was off the on-call listing. Standing at the elevators was a coroner that was on temporary rotation here. He looks at the covered body on the bed and the doors slide open. As the man walks forward Wendell pushes in front of him and says. "Mine's living that means I go first." He walks in had he just stole the guy's elevator sure, but he was ready to get this over with. The guy says something and Wendell hits stop. "Wait what you say?" The guy said take all the time he wanted he was paid hourly, and it wasn't like Mr. Denton was going anywhere. Wendell walks out of the elevator and steps to the covered bed, the door dings signaling a close he waves his hand in front of the sensor and pulls the sheet back. He couldn't be seeing this, there had to be some mistake. Lowering the sheet he is met with the tattoo on his brother's neck. His legs almost went out from under him it was his big brother. His brother is dead. What the hell. The temp walks over and pushes the button so the elevator wouldn't take his charge without him. He asks did he know the deceased. Wendell nods and walks back in the elevator in a daze after completing his last task for the day, he drives with his mind on autopilot, pulls up in front of his house and didn't even remember getting on the highway.

Walking into his home he wonders if anyone else in the family had been informed. What the hell happened, had his bro offed himself, or had someone found out his plan of hiding in his ex-wife's house offed him." He needed answers his bro wasn't the type to just give up on life. His girls washed him up, and he walked into his office, and got on the information super highway, someone had to know something. Google didn't let him down, a page popped with his third search. "Father of local recording artist slays Glenview man and attempts to kill wife for affair". Wendell read the tabloid twice. The old fucker killed his brother then tried to take out Sally Davenport. The old guy had it wrong. So Chad had actually went to that house. His last task of his shift he was taking her to her room. He'd seen the name and she looked like the big bitch his brother had married only older and smaller. Pulling up a more reliable source, he pulls up the news app and it read "Glenview man Slain by father of Local recording artist". Wendell slammed his fist on the desk and one of his girls jumped as she came into give him his house phone. Hours later after a restless sleep, he speaks to his mother and still had no real answers for her.

Paula is sitting in the den of Ivey Mansion she opens her newspaper app when she sees the article with Joshua and Angel's leaked wedding photo on the front page. She thinks it has something to do with the baby, reading the headline she gets up and runs back to her room. "Mark, Mark, wake up." He mumbles something into his pillow. "No you will want to hear this. "Glenview man Slain by father of Local recording artist." Mark mumbles bummer sleeping. "Mark look at the recording artist in question." Mark turns his head and squints at her screen then sits straight up taking the phone.

Marks mumbles as he reads "Personal Touch lead singer's father Michael Davenport slays man and reaches out and more than touches wife for affair. What the fuck? Jonathon is going to blow his top. Well that hospital is going to be crawling with reporters. Did you see the other story?" Paula shakes her head no. Mark turns the phone around so Paula could see the photo of Angel laid out on the stretcher in the background you could make out the inside of the med crew vehicle. "I hate camera says "Angela Davenport Frontwoman for Personal Touch former lead from Angelic Impression on her way to Sheldon Medical early this morning unconscious after home invasion." Paula says Sophie is going to flip out, and reaches for the phone. Mark says "Sheldon Medical has now been turned into a three ring circus. The security team and the hospital staff is going to have a field day keeping those fucking vultures at bay."

Candy and Deon got here shortly after Joshua had been placed in this room. Watching him fade in and out and each time he woke ask about Angel tore her up. Luke had come in and she'd asked him if he knew anything about Angel, he said he was meeting with Middlebrooks soon. Joshua's face looked like what happened someone beat the shit out of him. His clenched fists, twitched as he gripped the railings, she pushed the button though he was asleep he was clearly in pain. Candy looks at the rope burns on his wrists and arms seeing it just made her look back up at the road map of his battered face, his jaw was swollen, and bruised, his right eye black and blue. Oh yeah real fair fight, stop him from kicking your ass, by putting him out with drugs and just wail away. Closing her eyes she reined in her anger. The door opens and Candy's breath catches as she stares at her half-sister Diamond. She hadn't seen the female since Passion's funeral. Diamond says hello, walks closer and starts changing Joshua's pain med, Candy watches as the empty one is replaced with one with the same wording. When Diamond pulls a needle. Candy couldn't stop the panic filled question from bursting from her mouth. "What are you giving him?"

Diamond turns the little bottle around in her hand and says "It's Saline to flush the tube to make sure it stays clear." Candy says oh but watches her hands intently as she flushes Mr. Davenport's tubing. Diamond watches as the pain med must be taking away some of the pain because Davenport's fist were starting to unclench from around the railing when his hands slide to his sides Diamond looks at the screen over his bed. "The spasms are calming down as well." Candy's gaze flitted from Davenport's face and then back to the screen over his head. Sighing Diamond says "I'm still the same nurse I was before you found out who our paternal sperm supplier was." she watches as Candy takes Davenport's hand in her own. He stirs but doesn't wake Diamond leaves the room.

Glenn sat in his truck, he'd read a few hot sheets but the one that had him on his way to Grandville South was a picture of Angel out cold in the back of an ambulance. Band troll wasn't mentioned, or seen in the shot. He couldn't even keep the reporters out of her face. Glenn thinks about the time he'd made an entire crew turn around and leave without a clear picture of her when she had her miscarriage. As much as his mind screamed at him that this was a bad idea, the louder voice of his heart told him to go. NO the kid wasn't his, and yes Mark may be sore at him, but Mark wasn't anywhere near her, or his face would have been splashed all over the local news, Texas loved a good Taker sighting. This could very well be his last chance to see her.

Sophie came awake to the sound of her cell phone ringing. Moving the recliner, she'd sat in when her dad was in this room upright, she looks at her sister then looks at her phone. It was Paula, clearing the sleep from her voice she says "Hey Paula no she's in a room now. I would have called you but she wasn't moved into a room until about 6 this morning, it's almost noon now. No she's in the room my dad and Joshua was in. Yeah the one with no ground access. No JC is still not here yet. Luke and Middlebrooks have got both of them monitored JC's heart rate was really low and Angel's was too high. Luke didn't want to try to do the C-section before getting both of them stable as he could. Luke has Angel on a fluid mix that she hasn't threw up or at least she hadn't before I fell asleep about 2 hours ago. Angel woke up but hasn't been fully awake for more than a few minutes at a time, but it's something. Luke's dad has come in, he's an internist. He gave her a medicine to stop the retching her Esophagus is swollen. I saw the footage. When she got off the phone with you she thought it was Joshua coming in until the door opened. She tried to slam it in the punk's face, but he pushed himself in knocking her off her feet, she smacked the shit out of the back of her head. The last time she woke up she was asking for Joshua, I've seen him at the very least I was able to tell her that he is safe. Hold on Paula I'm getting a message from the system, I'm not letting anybody up here but the immediate family and people I trust." Sophie swipes her screen and reads the request for entry and almost drops her phone. "Paula, I'm going to have to get off here. I have to go have someone removed from the premises. I don't know how she found out but I be damned if she walks in this room." Paula tells her about the news reports and the tabloid splash. "They can't get up here and as far the Joshua thing I recommended Strickland to handle Michael." Getting off the phone. Sophie walks to the door as Jonathon walks in, as she is walks out telling him she would be back soon. As the door closes behind her, Sophie looks at her screen again. Motion catches her eye and she looks up at Jonathan's business partner turned fiancé Gloria, as the older woman heads in her direction after addressing her by name.

Gloria gets up as Sophie heads out of Angel's room and towards the first set of elevators that will take her to the waiting room of anyone that requested a visit with Angel, from the ground level. "Has Angel awaken again?" Sophie says no and gets in the elevator. Gloria not wanting to just stand around follows her inside. Sophie tells her that Sophia's side of the family sent a request to visit her sister. Jonathon had spoken of how his ex-wife's kin treated him and more importantly his girl. The thought of them under the same roof made heat surge into Gloria's face. She calmly states. "With everything that is transpiring right now, your mum's kin's presence may be more of a hindrance than a help." Now that the statement was out in the air between them, Gloria hoped she hadn't stuck her foot in her mouth.

Meeting Gloria's gaze Sophie tells her "Sophia's family isn't going to be here long. I have no intent of letting any of them anywhere near my sister or my nephew." Gloria seemed to relax as she ran her hands down her suit pants. She says she has an idea but wonders why they would want to come now since according to John they tried so hard to make Angela feel as if she were an outsider. "It's true and my only thought is that Madam Springer either wants camera time, or some sordid shit like that. The last time she was in my sister's presence was at the funeral. I will not have her upsetting Angel, and if Jonathon gets wind of her presence with all the news and other media around here I don't need him going ape shit. Thanks for stopping him at the house by the way." Gloria says if Angel hadn't called out to him she doesn't believe he would have stopped. The doors open and they get in the second set of elevators to take them to the ground level. On the 3rd floor Luke and part of his security team steps in the car. "You won't believe who is here." He says right now with the fact that he's just had to fill out a report on a cameraman that tried to climb the side of the hospital to get a picture of where Joshua was rumored to be, and fell on his damn brand new Lexus, he'd believe just about anything right now. "Ouch. Well Madam Springer and her followers are sending me request to visit Angel." Luke stops the elevator and sends it back up. "What are you doing? I'm going to have them removed." They stop on a higher floor and he walks out asking her to come with him.

Sophie was on his heels, as he crossed the threshold of his office. Turning around he asks Gloria and his security team for a moment with his fiancé. Closing the door behind his mate he says. "I'm doing what is best for my patient and my future family. I'm getting you the hell back upstairs. I'm running their name through my system and sending the attention whores on their way." Sophie says that Gloria and she were heading down there to do just that. "No, you're pissed it's written all over you face and in your body language." He takes her hand that she had curled into a fist. Rubbing his thumb along her knuckles while meeting his mate's glare he continues with a calm that was surely born of his training. "They have nothing to lose by having their pictures splashed all over the news or tabloids." Sophie pulls her hand out of his, saying she is pissed that they thought they were going to visit her sister after the all years of making her feel unwanted and now that she didn't want them in her life, here they are. "Through the years I have been in Angel's presence when they treated her like shit, you think it doesn't equally piss me off?" Sophie asks since when did he give a shit about social image. "Sophie listen to yourself. I already have the media trying to climb my building. I don't want you down there throwing your public image away over people that aren't worth it. Yes for a few seconds, it would feel great until after the first camera flash, and the first tabloid, and news article, the first video, and blog. Chase Ivey, your father, wants to draw people here to spend lots of money and bring their business to Grandville he wants to take away the divide but If WrestleMania happened downstairs staring Sophie Ivey CEO of Ivey Enterprises, you really think his organization would keep growing or even on a more personal note, do you honestly think your image could survive a hit like that. You're angry right now, but they're not worth the energy you're putting forth to be angry at them." She sighs and says she hates to admit it but he's right because she wanted to go down there and punch the bitch in her face. Luke hugs his mate and she hugs him back. "See the other thing you don't see with that plan of action, is that if anyone put their hands on you even in defense, I'd would have break things on them. So to prevent my waiting room from becoming a crime scene, I think it's best to let my staff get them out of your strike zone, out of my hospital, and far away from Angel."

Tiffany Springer sits with her twin sons Nathan and Gathan alongside her mother. The Matriarch of the Springer set, Madam Sierra Springer and her baby boy Richard Preston Springer. They knew that Angel wasn't on the first floor where they had been stopped and asked to wait in this room. Nathan gets up and asks "So how long do we have to sit down here. Angel Girl is up there somewhere and needs her family that be us. Not Jonathon." Gathan mumbles Angel is repeating Sophia's mistakes.

Sierra levels both of her twin grandsons with a glare, they both go quiet and Nathan sits down beside his mother again. Looking over at her oldest daughter Tiffany. "If you don't put a leash on your boy's mouths the hospital will continue this waiting game. Angela and I haven't been as close as we should have been." Tiffany blinks her 3 inch fake eyelashes and says that was because Angel is trouble with a capital T. Madam glares at her child "Finding out that Angela married and didn't even invite us puzzles me. Sophia invited us to everything she ever threw, whether she had on a mad or not." Richard says this was a waste of frequent flyer miles and money coming here. "Angel spent years trying to fit in and so I will give her what she has craved for all this time. She will get a proper place in our family, and I'm going to be a Great grandmother, I know I wasn't the best of grandmothers to that girl, but you'll see I'll be the greatest great-gran the world has witnessed. Don't you see, if we treat her right she'll forgive us, she's very forgiving and will need an older female that she can trust to help her now that she has a child? I may be able get invited back to Ivey Mansion, and have life back to how it was. Don't you remember Richard? We used to travel here at a moment's notice and stay in luxury via a little suggestion to my dear Sophia? Angel isn't in a position to tell us no right now anyway, according to that news broadcast this morning." Richard points out that Sophie Elaine or Chase Ivey wasn't too pleased with them either. Madam's eyes glazes as a smile touches her handsome features. "We'll get more flies with honey than vinegar, between that underdog turned producer Jonathon McBride, and that fine well off older man Chase W Ivey, Angel had real stars at her wedding and real important people, ones that make big decisions. I'd always believed Angel's music was her hobby and that Angel lived off of Sophia and Chase. The interviews I have seen on the way here, makes me think my Sophia had blinders on when it came to her oldest girl. Angel is going to need assistance, and I am here to provide it for her. I can rebuild a relationship that benefits us all. Someone will have to babysit when she goes back on tour. I don't see Sophie doing it, she has Chase's business to run. So that leaves me. Madam Great Gran Sierra has a good ring to it doesn't it?" Richard says she was dreaming big, but hey they were here so might as well. "If you are going to be negative you may leave now." Sierra dips her head under her large church hat blocking her son's view of her face and smiles to herself as she thinks "We will see who is dreaming when I'm staying in the room I prefer at Ivey Mansion, watching my great grandchild and waving at the cameras, taking the little brat out in public while building my status as the grandmother of a musical star, and a woman that now runs a major corporation, then all will be envious of little old me. Maybe I'll have a book ghostwritten about my life helping my grandchild... What was her title? Sierra looks at the magazine she'd picked up at the airport. "Oh yes the Frontwoman of Personal Touch. In a few years Angela will come in and say oh Madam I couldn't have done this without you. Sierra already planned to tell her granddaughter that yes she could have, but she was glad for the second chance. Her son Richard didn't see the big picture, he didn't realize that there was an infallible plan in motion and she Madam Sierra Springer was at the wheel. Minutes later a woman sitting across from her asked was she talking about Angela Davenport. Sierra smiled her best smile from beneath her large church hat, and asked who was asking. When the woman said the name of a major news station Sierra lifts her head and says "Yes she's my granddaughter."

Luke makes sure Sophie and Gloria are back up in Angel's room before he catches the series of elevators to take him back to the ground level. His pager goes off he was being paged following a curse under his breath, he tells his security team to remove the five people he identified immediately. It was probably for the best, fate knew what his plan was and had foiled it. They wouldn't have remembered what he looked like from the funeral and they never paid him much attention, he could have went in that room and told them to leave his hospital. He wanted desperately to believe that would be all he said or did, because he was pissed that that bunch of filth came here. He wouldn't have his lover or her family upset by that bunch of attention whores. Checking his pager it was Diamond. Hitting the elevator that would take him to back to Joshua's suite of rooms, he walks in the hall and sees that his patient Joshua who wasn't very patient was up and trying to get out of the bed. "Joshua you haven't been properly released."

Joshua looks at the one person he hadn't seen since waking up, and having lucid thought return. He was sore but hell he'd had worse. "Then do it, I have to get out of this room. My wife is here somewhere." Candy asks doesn't he trust her? "Candy, I trust you but hearing that Angel is okay is not the same as seeing her for myself." Candy says then he didn't trust her. "This isn't about me trusting you, this about a part of my fucking bloodline that stood over me and told me that he'd be gentle with my WIFE." Luke trades a look with Candy. Candy runs her hands through her hair and walks out of the room. Deon throws him a dirty look over his shoulder as he follows Candy into the hall. Joshua looks at the floor while holding on to the side of the bed. "What's going on Luke, what has Candy walking out and Deon shooting me dirty looks just because I want to see my wife?" Luke tells him Angel's condition and Joshua felt like the wind had been sucked out of the room. "How's JC?" Luke tells him about trying to keep his heart rate stable and the fact that either way they are going to have induce labor since Angel has stopped dilating. "What about a C-section?" Luke tells him the risks that he'd mentioned in consult with his father, Middlebrooks, and Sophie that since Angel wasn't staying conscious for long periods of time on her own giving her the necessary anesthesia to do the procedure could do more harm than good. Joshua tries to pull himself to a standing position, his ribs protested to the point that he felt lightheaded, and if it weren't for Luke being only feet away he would have been on his face. Luke helps him back in the bed. Joshua lays back and glares at the ceiling.

Luke walks out into the hall leaving his soon to be brother in law to digest the information overload he had to be experiencing. Candy and Deon was standing just outside. "Give him a minute I told him about Angel about JC all of it." Candy asked did he have to tell Joshua everything at once, saying he had just woke up a few minutes ago. Luke meets her glare and says "He asked and it's never been one of my practices to withhold information. If you'll excuse me." Luke soon enters his office and rewinds his camera system to see if his security put Madam and her band of merry idiots out of his fucking hospital. Putting his thumb under his chin and his pointer finger across his lips he watches as the security insist that they leave and not return. Madam calmly asks, on whose orders were they operating under? The team lead says the owner had ordered them off the premises. It may have been petty of Luke, but he chuckled as Madam turned on her heel and stuck her nose in the air so hard her hat flew off to reveal a bald head. No, patterned baldness wasn't funny, but Madam Springer deserved a lot more than to be doing the mortified shuffle as she hightailed it out the door with people snapping pictures of her for the years of torment she'd doled out to Angel.

Luke: Hey call me

Sophie: What's wrong are you in someone's room or have you taken your dad's advice about a break?

Luke: In my office I'm taking my 30 minutes Off-call so the system won't start requesting I log out. I don't need another counseling from a senior someone in my employ and I sure as hell don't need one from my father who is still on the board of directors.

Sophie knew that Middlebrooks sending him home a few nights ago still irked him, though she was working within the guidelines of his system. She was glad her lover stopped ignoring his own damn system. She'd caught him a few times hitting ignore when it would ding at him and say he'd had 12 with no break. She calls him "Hey"

Hearing his lover's voice he leans back in his desk chair. "Hey I just watched the Springer set get their walking orders. They got their moments of fame, Sierra was sitting with that noisy woman from channel 32 the one that you thought was a metrosexual man. It really won't matter. After I tell you this you are going to be glad that you take after Nana Barnett, and that Angel takes after Jonathon's side. Why? Oh because Madam Sierra Springer has no hair on the top of her head. No I mean shiny. The giant hat took her wig of dark brown tresses when she flipped up her nose in the air and was about to stride out of the door. Oh yeah she left. Sputtering, grabbing the hat, and covering her face, like the camera flashes were water to her wicked witch." They finish their conversation just chatting. A knock sounds at his door. "I have to go sweetheart. I guess someone saw me come in here." She surprised him in one of the ways that he's surprised her. He didn't even hear the beep and hiss of her leaving Angel's room but when he walked to his door his mate was standing on the other side with a cup of his favorite coffee and a Deli bag. "Thanks" taking her gift over to his desk he gestures for her to have some. She shakes her head and says she's one cup from running around the hospital, and she's already eaten. Opening it there was a deli sandwich and a note inside. He takes it out and reads it aloud. "Since I know asking you to get some sleep would be a waste of time, and it's going on 5 pm take this gift of food and caffeine Fiancée's Orders. Love; Sophie." He smirks at her. "How did you get over there without being eaten by the media storm down there, not that I'm complaining in the slightest?" Taking a bite he almost bit his tongue. He hadn't had real food since the gala last night there was only so far his stash of granola bars would take him. Finishing off the sandwich in record time. She says that her father had the sandwiches delivered and she'd found his stash of coffee. "So is he back in Texas?" She says yes and he was heading up after he took Nikki to Ivey Mansion. His IPad beeped at him he turns the screen her way asking her to do the honors she slides his name back onto the on call bar. "My system should be happy I've been off-call for an hour which is strange because I could have sworn I set it for 30 minutes." Sophie smirks and says maybe it was a glitch. "Yeah I think her name begins with an S and ends was Middlebrooks." Sophie tells him not to be annoyed at the doctor she was just looking out for him. "I guess you're right. She may need to take herself off-call I don't even know how long she's been here, all I know is she was here before we arrived." They wrap up their chat as he finishes off the coffee. The system dings at him that Middlebrooks took herself off-call when he see she's been on for 17 hours he deleted the automatic counseling the system generated. He'd received a gift, so her not having to sit through a meeting that neither of them had time for was his gift to her.

6 pm after getting Nicole back to Ivey Mansion Chase heads to Sheldon Medical Center. Robert trailed him they'd spoke as he'd been flying back to Texas to sort out what the hell the voicemail he'd received from Sophie was about. Bobby had convinced him to let him and his STOP team temporarily resume watch. Chase had to admit after viewing the surveillance footage Bobby's girlfriend Captain Wildflower sent him, his hired security had dropped the fucking ball. Even watching from the different camera angles he could tell when he knew and when the team should have known that there was a breach. Joshua is 5'10 and 160 pounds the man that was taken away in handcuffs topped off at 6 feet and the damn sleeves on the jacket rode higher. When that door opened and he pushed his way in, Chase was livid that no one went to check out why in the middle of the foyer his girl lay on the floor. No calls were made to the house no calls were made to the police until well after Jonathon tackled the intruder. When Chase saw one of the security just watching like it was movie night, he wanted that man fired on the spot. The only reason the police came was because of a call that was placed to them by the med crew that Jonathon had called. Chase, Bobby, and Bobby's #1 STOP Agent Andrew Stark plows through the media creating a 3 foot in diameter circle around themselves as the media scurries like the rats they were to get out of the way, reporters from every network bathe Chase in questions. All to which he sternly replies "No comment"

Glenn had convinced himself to get out of his truck and walk in the hospital, the media was just as nuts as ever. He gets out and walks briskly through the throng of people. Being 7 feet and 300 pounds had its advantages he hits the main lobby. He wondered if Angel would be awake by now. He sends a request to visit Angel on the screen, it asks his name and relation. Not willing to be defeated so quickly by a tablet attached to the wall. He taps in Cousin Markus L Callaway. A checkmark appears next to Mark's name and a room number in the thousands popped up. A piece of paper prints out and he had her room number. Now to cancel the request he taps the name and tries to drag it into the delete bin. It would not move. Unease washed over him. He'd digitally forged his best friend's name, to see a woman that may not even be awake or even worse, not want to see him. Looking at the paper he thinks of crumpling it up, but just can't make himself follow through with the action. He was tired of Angel running from him. Maybe if she told him to get lost, she would stop invading his dreams. He'd been ready to be just friends, but the minute she said hello to him in Mark's kitchen, it was like his feelings for her rushed back double time, and fucking Megan imaging the one sane female that got away, just made it harder not to dream about the real thing. He was tired of sleeping with Angel's hoodie around his pillow with her scent, but he couldn't seem to make himself throw the only thing she'd left in his possession away. The night he'd convinced Angel to give him another chance after Megan told her that he was married. She'd let him walk her home in the early morning away from Band Troll's club. When she went back to the room he had been staying in at her house to pack and get ready to go on the road, to give them both time to get their shit together, Angel had taken the thing off and he'd scooped it up in his luggage. It was folded neatly and inside a get well bag that he carried now as he walked to the bank of elevators.

Chase and Jonathon goes to greet Markus in the hall with the correct bank of elevators to take them the rest of the way to the no ground access room that their girl was in. Mark had said he was going to stay at the house, so Sophie telling them that Mark was on his way up, sent alarm bells through Chase's head. "You know this could be someone besides your nephew don't you?" Jonathon says that's why he decided to come and say hello. They both were thinking what happened with Paula on Thanksgiving, Chase wasn't taking any more chances. Jonathon must have been thinking along the same lines, because when Chase looked down he saw Jonathon stick his bandaged hand into his jean pocket. The elevator opens and disbelief and anger narrowed Chase's eyes. Standing before them was a male that was a WWE superstar, but it was no Markus Lucas Callaway. Glenn (KANE) Jacobs walked out of the elevator and Chase grabbed Jonathon's jacket before the younger man swung. Being purely physically reactionary here right now, wouldn't help the situation, only make it worse. Jonathon rears back pulling his sleeve out of Chase's grip about to make Glenn see the solar system. "MacBride Don't! Angel will need both of us to continue to be free men. Head back up, I will join you in moment." Chase meets Jonathon's angry jade stare, Jonathon says fine and storms back into the car they rode to this floor in. He turns his attention back to the look of surprise on Glenn's face as he put his hands down from the defensive stance he'd taken when John drew back to hit him. Chase was tired of Jacobs pestering his child as well, but beating this man bloody with the media storm he and his son Robert had just walked through, would not bold well for his daughter's birth father. Sighing he says to Glenn "This ends now we need to talk" Chase waves for Glenn to proceed him in to one of the meeting room's closing the door he makes sure to keep to his side of the table. "You're not Markus, so now you've assumed someone else's identity to further pester my daughter. I don't know what drove you to show your puss around here today, so please enlighten me." Chase stood with his back against the only exit with his arms crossed over his chest. Glenn says he didn't owe Chase anything. Chase steps to the table and leans on it gripping the edge so he wouldn't end up beating the shit out the fucker. "On the contrary, the utility of keeping that man out of prison by stopping him from ending you." Glenn attempts to say something. "If you think for a second that MacBride wouldn't have tried his best to end your life you are a fool. So since my suggestion that he remove himself from your presence justifies your continued heartbeat, I would say this query of mine is a small price that you owe me. Why are you here?"

Down a few floors Bradley walks into his little sister's room Cassandra was getting dressed she was being released tonight. "Hey Brad, I called mom and daddy, but they aren't answering their cells or the house phone. Have you heard from them?" Bradley said nothing as he grabbed her bags that had the clothes she'd came here in. The clothes she was wearing today was the product of Rapture going out and buying her an outfit. It fit and not tightly or too loose it fit like it was made for her. The shirt buttoned up and the shorts were easy to fasten. No unnecessary twisting and turning her torso, or trying to pull anything over her head. If he kept this up, her infatuation with him may give way to something stronger. Brad had started staying out of the room more and more after her mom and dad had left. At first he'd took up his usual post by the window then she'd woke this morning and Rapture was with her, but Bradley had gone. She really didn't know how she felt about that, but she would pick at that thought pattern later. When Brad returned she saw signs of old Bradley, he was short with Rap, hardly said anything to her, and kept staring off into space. She wasn't going to deal with him doing this drug shit again. What the hell happened in the 14 hours since her mom called and wished her and her bro and early happy New Year? She'd called Joshua and Angel, no one answered their phone. Where the hell was her family? "Rapture, I need to talk to my big brother alone, can you give us a minute?" He bends down and kisses her on the cheek, and says he'll go pull the car around. Since Bradley's roommate was mad at him again, she'd taken back her car so Rapture had offered to take them back to the house. Bradley had stiffened at even that. "Bradley what's going on? You know you can talk to me. Is it the dr…drugs again?"

Hearing her suspicion and underlying fear that he was relapsing made him speak up. "No sis, I just have a lot on my mind ok." Seeing his father pushed and shoved around by the cops pissed him off. He'd spoke to Vash and Vash had told him that a lawyer was heading to the police station to meet with his dad. Finding his mother's room she was sleeping when he went to visit her, the scars around her neck and on her face scared him shitless. The fact that his little brother was here as a patient, also made him want to catch the cowardly fuckers that would use drugs to gain an advantage in a fight. He and Joshua had went toe to toe a few times back in the day, but tranquilizing your opponent then beating on him had to be an all-time low that not even in Bradley's drug induced stupor would he have entertained such a punk ass idea. After seeing their work with the stalking and kidnapping and all around being little creepy cowardly bitches, he was glad he stopped calling his little bro Boy Smyth. The Davenports weren't perfect, far from it but at least when all was said and done Joshua Davenport was someone you could trust not to stalk you, kidnap you, and if he beat your ass, he didn't need a needle to knock you out. Cassandra was speaking to him. "Huh?" She asked him was he listening to her just now. He had to get out of his head. He tells her he missed it. She asked about their parents and their siblings. There wasn't any use in hiding shit from her she'd already thought he back slid because of his spacey silence. Drawing his hands through his inky black hair he drops his hands to his sister's shoulders as he walks in front of her where she sat on the side on her hospital bed. "Sis I got to tell you something and you're not going to like it." Her light brown eyes met his and it came out of him everything anger, and a large dose of fear for his parents, and his siblings the shit that spewed from his lips and transferred a look he never wanted to see again on his little sister's face. Her world was being tipped over, just like when he admitted his drug problem, and once again the person doing the tipping was none other than himself. All her false bravado crumbled as tears slide down her cheeks, she slowly put her arms around his waist and he held her until her body stopped shaking. The sound of her crying punched him hard. The door opened and Bradley's head snapped around. Rapture took quick steps towards them and if Bradley hadn't been facing his sister he knew the big male would have been in his grill. Rapture asked Cass what the fuck Bradley did to her. Bradley is about to step back when Cass pulls him back to her and tells Rapture that Bradley didn't do anything to her.

In the meeting room Glenn met the hazel even gaze of Chase W Ivey they'd met years ago when he was first coming into his storyline in WWF. Angel had been there with a VIP pass to see the superstars. The minute she'd seen him in his classic red and black costume, she'd ran from him and it seemed like somethings never changed. Now that Chase had vocalized his deceptive behavior by sneaking up to this floor under Mark's name, he saw why both of Angel's fathers would have more than issue with his presence "I don't really have a reason that would make any sense to you. I know how it appears." Chase remained quiet his gaze didn't waver. "Look Mr. Ivey I came to give her this. It's hers with a note that I would like to give her." Glenn hands him the bag. "When I saw the news article, I came to check on her, I know I made a mess of her trust in me. I need to at the very least get some type of closure."

Chase's gaze moves to the bag in his hands he takes out the note, reads it and tosses it back on the table. "That won't be delivered." Chase pulls Angel's hoodie from the bag. Then meets Glenn's gaze once more. "Your Unhealthy obsession with the idea of my daughter, stops now. You know very well that she doesn't want anything to do with you, or you wouldn't have come up that elevator under an alias. Her feelings for you or lack thereof, hasn't been a secret for a time now. She doesn't want you as a mate, a friend, or anything for that matter. She's married and in the process of having her first child of that union, there is your closure. I've informed the owner of this hospital that you are here, I'm going to give you a choice of leaving now, or being removed the expiration of this chance at leaving under your own power is in the 5 or so minutes it takes him to arrive." Glenn chooses to walk now, before Luke arrived. "That's the smartest idea that you've voiced since I have met you. Glenn Dale Jacobs leave Angela the fuck alone, or I will bury your career, and then your body." Glenn reaches for the note on the table. Chase raises an eyebrow. "You're wasting time." Glenn snatches the note and walks towards him to get out of the door Chase steps aside. Glenn walks out into the hall gets in the elevator that will take him back to the ground level.

Up in Angel's room, Bobby stood just inside the door. As Sophie filled him in on Angel's condition and the fact that the Springers tried to come for a visit. Jonathon had reentered the room moments ago, and went to his daughter's side. Sophie turns to him and ask where Chase was before he can answer, Luke sends her a message that Glenn was on site posing as Mark, and had been escorted off the premises the minute he walked out of the ground floor elevator. Luke went on to say he'd be damned if he had another situation like what happen with Paula on his hands. "So first the Springers and now Glenn." Sophie says as she watches her father walk back to the door of the room and let himself in with his card. "What's that in your hand?" Chase holds up the hoodie and says Glenn wished to return it. "The hell he would." Chase says his sentiments exactly. Chase and Bobby soon leaves the room saying they were going to sit in the area by the elevators. There was only supposed to be three people in the room at a time. That left Sophie, Gloria, and Jonathon.

9pm Michael sat in the corner of the cell in a daze. He wanted to know how his wife was doing. The attorney that was covering his case said a lot to him, but most of it he didn't grasp and it wasn't for lack of trying. He knew he was in a lot of trouble, but he would have done it again. The degenerate had come into their home an attacked his wife. Looking down at his clenched fist, yes he would have done it again. A man's voice breaks his reverie, Michael looked over and couldn't believe who he was seeing. There were too many ghosts from the past popping up for his liking, first his daughter's ex-husband and now he sat feet away from his Joshua's birthfather and the brother that crashed his son's wedding. Michael could have went another two decades without seeing this filth. His eyes were drawn to the bruising on the man and the younger man that sat feet away from him. He wondered what turn of events landed these two in here tonight. The lawyer had told him not to utter a word, because it could still be used against him even if not in interview. Michael had no plans of speaking to anyone but his lawyer and if he ever got the chance and she had survived he would speak to his wife. Closing his eyes he sat against the wall listening to their dialog, hoping his stay here would be very short lived. The younger man was a well of information that scared Michael, they had incapacitated and hidden away his son. He prayed that someone found Joshua soon, his former office closet wasn't a large space. This year had to improve, its start was ripping apart his life.

Patrick had once again been sent to the hospital and then to jail, but this time his pap wouldn't be getting him out because somehow James Smyth his pap, had got himself arrested too. "I told the money that we had him, but if you're here then I may have lied to her, because I tied Boy up like you taught me." Smack. His pap hit upside his head and told him to hush up. "But pap, if Boy stays in that closet trussed up like that he gonna be dead by morning. Have you called ma?"

Someone was holding her hand and she prayed it was Joshua that he was really okay and not kidnapped by his family. That all of this was some kind of bad dream. Her throat hurt and so did most her, she felt weak opening her eyes, Angel looks at the owner of the hand holding hers, it was her father. "Dad?" Sophie and Gloria comes into her visual line. Sophie asked how she felt. "Tired and sore" her JC made himself known with a series of kicks, she put her other hand on her belly. Something started dinging and Sophie left her visual line and so did Gloria. Her dad continued rubbing her hand. Her skin was super sensitive to the touch, so the gentle touch felt like sandpaper. Middlebrooks and Luke are soon heard and her dad stops rubbing. Luke walks closer and shines his pen light in her face asking her to follow it. The motion made her dizzy, and his usually gentle aroma that didn't bother her bothered her now. Trying to swallow she saw spots. Blinking her eyes from the lighted assault fresh pain hits her head, and she tries to breathe through it. Where was Joshua, she was grateful she wasn't alone in the room, but where was her husband? Patrick his brother had come into the house wearing Joshua's jacket, and had his key to the door. What had happened to her lover? Her body began to feel weighted and she was beginning to feel the room spin again. Her breathing was becoming labored. "Where is…Joshua, Smyth family… took him?" Luke tells her that he is here. She couldn't see him and he hadn't said anything. Hope swelled as she says "Joshua?" Dr. Middlebrooks comes into her line of sight.

Middlebrooks walks closer to the bed. Keeping her eyes trained on Angel's read out she then meets her patient's eyes. "Joshua is being cared for here he is safe here. I need you to calm down." She verbally walks Angel through one of the balloon exercises, though Angel doesn't answer each of the questions, her levels even back out, at Sandra's repetitive calming tone. The doctors soon leave the room after Angel goes back to sleep. Looking at her IPad Middlebrooks says to Luke "22 minutes according to when Sophie and Gloria first alerted us that she was awake." They talk until Luke's pager goes off and part ways.

Later that night Candy sits in Joshua's room, Deon went to the club, Vash had retrieved his phone and gave it to him. Middlebrooks had come in and told him that they were going to induce labor since Angel was awake and had been awake for over 30 minutes, this was the longest she'd been awake. "Bro everything is going to be okay." Candy says as she touches the back of his hand, which is clenched around the bedrail as if at any minute he's going to rip it off the bed.

Joshua is afraid for his mate, and his child, and pissed that his bloodline had fucked up Angel and his first New Year's Eve as man and wife, and today the first of the year was hanging on the edge of the crapper.

Cassandra lays In Rapture's living room on his sectional reclining sofa she really wanted to go home, and be in familiar surroundings but due to the investigation and the news that painted her father as a jealous lover who killed the man her mother was allegedly having an affair with, and attacked her. Bradley offered to get her a hotel room. Rapture offered for her to come here. When he said that he didn't want her alone even Bradley agreed. So she'd excepted his offer and after he'd drove Bradley to his roommate's home and been locked out he took him to the only other place her brother wanted to be right now, and that was up and the medical center. Cass wanted to go to her mother's room also, but sitting up for as long as she had was beginning to wear on her. She knew her daddy and her mom loved each other, and she couldn't and would never, believe that her mom would cheat after over 45 years. Nothing made sense.

Rapture walked out of his kitchen and handed Cassy a plate of baked fish and a side salad. He really wished she would eat, though he understood her emotions was still on a roller coaster. Her old man was in Jail for killing her mother's latest tryst. Rap slept with a few married women from the club in his time, and to think that he could have met his end like the guy that went into that little normal middleclass looking house, and came out in a bag really made him glad he no longer chased that type of action. If it was true man he really didn't see that old man killing anyone, but hell he thought of how he would be ready to knock someone out for messing with his girlfriend. He still wanted to pound the fuck out of who had put his woman in the hospital. He'd been watching the news, to see if that story got anymore play, but with the old man going nuts and killing a guy his connection to her brother who lead a band being in the hospital and the frontwoman in hospital after someone breaks in as well, he knew that the story about Cassy's car crash into Ivey Mansion's gate was not going to get much more ink. After she eats half of her dinner, he takes her plate and wraps it up. He walks back out into his living room to find that she was no longer staring off in to space, his woman had fallen asleep. He wasn't one for having her uncomfortable so he picked her up and carried her into his bedroom after making sure she was comfortable, he went to go sit in his den and that is where he fell asleep.

11:45 pm Luke briskly walks pass Sophie who is coming back from grabbing a cup of the rocket fuel Luke had in his office, that the world knew as coffee. Her dad had asked for a cup, his jet lag was catching up to him but telling Chase W to go home, would be wasting her breath. It would be like telling her or Jonathon to go home, she would after she saw that her sister and her nephew was okay. "Hey what's going on?" Luke tells her that since Angel was awake this was the best time even if they had to assist with push to deliver JC. She was dilated as much as she was going to get and he didn't want either of their health to start waning for waiting too long. Sophie followed him after giving her dad the coffee he follows as well

Sophie walks into the room, Middlebrooks was scrubbing up, and so was Luke. She watches her sister's doctor with a cool stare. She trusted Middlebrooks, solely because Angel trusted her. She tries to follow what Angel is looking at, and then sees what Luke must have went to do, which explained why he was coming from the north wing of the hospital. On a monitor was Joshua in a picture in picture. "Dose that thing have sound?" Joshua meets her gaze and nods. They start and on one of the times her sister begs to push Middlebrooks tells her to do so. Jonathon and Joshua remind Angel to breathe. Sophie stood in a trance as she watched her sister, it was one thing to read books but to be witnessing this miracle was a whole different story. Luke moves higher and makes sure the oxygen in the nose cannula is up high enough but not too high, to where if she breaths in harshly it will send her out. Joshua keeps talking to Angel until on the final push she screams for him to shut the fuck up, that he had did this to her, and she'd get him. Her sister sounded demonic.

12:33am January, 2 2015 Jonathon-Chase Leonel Davenport is born. Not risking any strange activity, Luke cleans JC up and gives him his first exam ending with his ID Tag, saying that JC was 6 pounds 4 ounces of blue eyed screaming redhead. Angel was beyond tired but she wanted to hold her baby. "I want to hold him." Luke turns around and places him on her lifting her hand to the small screaming baby she says. "Mommy loves you Jonathon-Chase. As if he were waiting on her to address him he soon calms down. Looking over at the screen that held the image of her husband, she says with a weak smile "we did it babe."

Warring emotions make Joshua take a shuddering breath before he says "Yeah you did great babe." Joshua says as he watches his son lay on his wife, as she weakly rubs his little hand with her finger. Jonathon asks Angel if he could hold his grandson. Joshua watches on the screen as his father's eyes turn from their usual dark hue to a lighter jade as a smile curve his features and he speaks in the his native tongue to his first grandson. Joshua knew what it meant and couldn't agree more.

Jonathon held his grandson and walks closer to the screen. He speaks to the image of his son. "Joshua he has your eyes. In Gallic He says to JC something he told his own daughter when he first heard her and meant every word then, and did now, as he held the future of his bloodline. "You are excellent a gift from the heavens. I'll love you till I draw my last breath and there forever after." Chase says well at least Jonathon didn't get lost this time and almost miss it. "I've seen much more of this hospital than I ever wanted to by now no offense Luke." All agree that this year the goal was to keep the Davenport's out of the hospital as much as possible.

Angel watches, as her son is passed around to the people she loved. With everything that happened throughout her pregnancy, she knew she was blessed to have her son. Angel's fear that she would end up like her mother was dashed the moment she laid eyes on her son. "All I'm going to say Josh is that you were right." He asked her about? "What you said about when I first saw him dispelling old fears." She knew her husband wanted to be in here, and she was so glad that Luke at least gave them this way to see each other. Pain had made her lash out at him, but hearing Joshua's voice, and seeing that he was bruised but not broken, and safe, and not in any of the scenarios involving the Smyth family taking him from them burned like wild like fire on a dry forest floor in her mind, calmed her beyond words. It was one thing to be told your mate was safe, it was another to hear him and see him for yourself. She'd watched Luke walk in and turn on the screen. When she'd first saw Joshua's face two emotions ran through her, seeing what his own family had done to him angered her, but that thought pattern was pushed to the back of her mind when her mate spoke to her. He told her he'd tried but just couldn't get in there, and didn't want to miss the birth of his son, so his brother in law had set it up to where at the very least he could be here with her via video. JC is soon passed to Sophie. As she watches her little sister interact with JC, Sophie's usually super serious expression smooths into a huge smile, as she spoke and cooed at her nephew. "Where is he going to be?"

Middlebrooks steps aside and reveals the in room infant bed that sat in the corner of the room. From childhood to adulthood, she cared for the mother, and after speaking it over with Luke, they had arranged for any care to be taken care of in this Suite. "Angela he will be in this suite at all times." Luke chimes in and says that is why he served as an aid to Middlebrooks during delivery, because he wanted as less confusion and stress on her as possible. Angel smiles as she tries to fight a yarn. "If you need to, go ahead and rest, with all these fine people in this room and my brother in law watching on that screen, JC wouldn't get far anyway." Sophie and Joshua both say Luke had that right. They soon watch as Angel drifts off sleep.

8am Glenn reads and rereads the article so her and band troll had did it. "Frontwoman of Person Touch beats the odds and delivers healthy baby boy in lieu of home invasion and other complications". Pictures weren't permitted via a threat of legal action from the Headquarters of the Ivey Enterprises Law offices. Angel was a mother now. Chase's words stung but Glenn guessed truth lay in the older man's words. Though he hated to admit it, the more Glenn thought about it. It was the idea of Angel rather than the woman herself. She had moved on and had once told him if he cared for her like he'd claimed, he'd leave her alone. Yes she was nice to him, and had forgave him, but his actions after that damned text message and Mark's wedding were inexcusable, sometimes I'm sorry just wasn't enough to restore her trust in you. He pushed her trust and security in him pass the point of no return. As much as he'd love to blame Dave solely, it was him that ripped her to shreds in the voicemail on a day when she needed him the most. He'd fucked up a lot in this past few months, it was going to be a really long time before he went with anyone. Grabbing his suitcase he walks out to his cab, he'd spoke to Vince and had been granted a spot in WrestleMania this year. It was time to go back on the road, and do something with himself except fuck up or fuck with the fragile friendship he had with Mark. Mark had told him near Thanksgiving to stay the fuck away from his family, well fucking his married sister on Christmas and causing her to loose what was left of her mind, was sure to put a strain on their already strained friendship. Glenn boards his plane and looks at the direction of Grandville South, shaking his head he takes his seat. Yup it was time to move on with his life. Roman walks on the airplane and sits seats from him. They nod at each other. Before the doors close three federal officers walk on the plane and take Roman off the flight. Glenn thinks well at least he wasn't wanted for rape or the other charges or no crazy shit like Roman. Vince fired Roman the minute the story hit the news he'd skipped out on bail. No one had known where Roman was hiding and Seth Rollins had sworn he didn't know when his call was traced and his activity tracked to a hotel room Roman was using under an assumed name. Seth was now in trouble for helping evade authorities. Dean Ambrose was fired after it was revealed that he'd been slipping Roman money by writing bad checks. He'd followed Roman's orders to withdraw his getaway money from the account that Evie had used to bail him out. He'd been caught and taken down at the bank window. It was rumored that the account had belonged to Angel's Small business classification of Angelic Impression INC. but the funds were transferred and the account had been closed it was dinged with the withdraw. The recent losses in roster were probably what gave Glenn a spot, but he would take it, he had to get away and stay away from this area.

Brenda Smyth walked along the corridor of the Sheldon Medical Center. She went to the first desk and asked to see her son. Calling him Joshua left a bad taste in her mouth. All she'd done for Boy, for him to turn his back on them and never look back. She'd thought that when he grew up, she could talk to him, but the time away had just fueled his dislike. Lots of children had much worse experiences and still loved their parents. Seeing his room, she looks in through the small window, he lay in the hospital bed asleep. Her Patrick and her husband had got back at him for making them out to be bad people in his music. She fluffed her large mound of blonde hair, and walked in letting the door close behind her with a small click, she locks it. Easing over to the bed she watched him sleep. This was her oldest, it had taken her a long time to deal with having a child, then losing him to the system. She moved the button away from his hand. James had worn his ring, the impression was clear on her Boy's skin. Reaching over, she slaps his bruised cheek he flinched she slaps him again that did it, he reached for the button came up with air, and opened his eyes. Shock registered and then it was clouded out by anger. Her own blue glare turned back on her. "Good morning Boy. Did you sleep well?" His empty hand clenched into a fist. "You might want to relax. I have something I want to say to you, and you are going to listen." He says the hell he will and demands she get the fuck out. She reaches out and attempts to slap him again, though she saw that it clearly caused him pain to do so, he blocked her strike attempt by grabbing her wrist in an iron grip. "Let go of me, I'm your mother." She swings her other hand and once again his quick reflexes caused them both pain, as he catches her and pressing his thumb into her hand telling her he'd break her fucking hand. She tries to pull her wrist out of his grip, he moves his thumb up and presses in harder his face may have shown strain, but his eyes were blue fire. Bracing her foot on the bed she yanks her hands free of his grasp, or at least she thought she had the minute she pushed against the bed he'd let her go she landed on her butt, on the floor in a heap. "Boy okay maybe I've been going about this the wrong way. You don't know what I've been through because of you, and for you to show me such disrespect is a sin. You owe me"

He looked down at her with no remorse it was him or her, and he picked him end of story. "Let me make this perfectly clear I nor my wife owes you shit but fucking prison time. So if you're here to get more bail money sorry the bank's is closed bitch." As he spoke he tried to follow the cord with his fingers to where she had moved the damn button. Where was Deon and Candy? He glances over at the screen it was in screensaver mode. Brenda Smyth started crying he didn't give a shit about her fucking fake tears of grief. Images of his 10 year old self on the day his life changed forever played before his mind's eye.

Flashback

!0 year old Boy Smyth walked home from school, he'd had a great day his 5th grade teacher and neighbor Mrs. S Davenport had took the entire 5th grade class to the local orchestra performance, Boy loved anything with strings all his classmates made fun of him, the drums were easy but the strings in Boy's view painted the picture better than the drums. As he was half way home his day couldn't even be dulled by the clouds that seemed to come out of nowhere, and dump gallons of water on him. He saw his dad's car and went running waving his arms if his dad was out in the middle of the day that meant that he wasn't home drinking or doing any of the smelly stuff he did. He tripped and fell but rolled with the fall like he saw on TV, and got back up and ran to the passenger side of his dad's car. Out of breath he says as he gets in. "Hey dad you won't believe it the trip was great. I want to learn to play a stringed instrument?" Boy was pleased with himself he'd remember the term from his music class exam. His dad said they couldn't afford it, and asked why his clothes were all fucked up. "Glenview elementary has a band can I join please they'll teach me and Mrs. Davenport says it's free" His dad asks about the not free clothes he had fucked up. "I fell in the mud just now, I'll wash my uniform if you show me how to use the new washer." Boy looked up at his dad's words and tone. That was way the wrong thing to say. His dad got angry and told him he didn't make deals with little bastards. "Um Dad what's a bastard" not having heard the word before he was curious. It must have been a cuss word, because out of the blue his dad struck out and backhanded him in the mouth. Boy knew how his dad felt about Boy's crying so he closed his eyes, the blow hurt something awful and he tasted blood, he knew the taste it was like when his mom would get mad and hit him. His dad usually only hit him at night, when he was drunk and smelled like down stairs. But his dad was driving not down stairs and it was only 2:56 pm according to the dashboard clock. "Why you hit me for pop?" as they pulled into the garage and the door lowers to the ground Boy undoes his seat belt and pulled the lever to open the door. He wasn't to please about being hit in the mouth, now he'd have to tell the class how he fell again, they made fun of him because he seemed to be the clumsiest kid in 5th grade. He touches his lip and saw the blood on it, he raised his hand to pull the mirror of the sun blocker down so he could see his busted lip. He dad yells that he is getting his blood all over his new fucking car, and the one sided fight was on. Boy goes to drop his hand and block another swing that was the wrong thing to do, Bam Boy see's stars as his dad slammed his head into the window. He couldn't help it this time, the tears came on their own. Boy had never yelled at his dad but he did then "Please dad stop." That made it worse his dad started calling him a fucking cry baby, and told him he'd give his punk ass something to cry for and he did. Boy lost count the amount of times his head made contact with the window. He woke up to really a bad headache because he felt like he was going to puke and had somehow got in his bed, with only his underwear on. Looking at his window it was night time, if he had to puke he had better not do it in this bed. Getting up he felt like he was really going to be cutting it close. He got up and wobbled to the hall bathroom, man he was walking like his dad after a few of the drinks his parents taught him how to make. He hated making them, because it was like he gave them the stuff that his mom once told him made them beat on him. It was his fault. After puking and using the bathroom he walked back to his room holding onto the wall he felt dizzy. He prayed his parents were asleep, he really didn't want to play bar tender tonight. "BOY get your ass down here." They both yell and snicker at each other. So they from the smell that was coming up the stairs, they had the Smokey stuff going. He groans his stomach hurt and there were bruises he didn't have before on his stomach and on his sides. Those could be covered and he wouldn't have to explain them away. He knew what happen to kids that talked to the police, they ended up in dark rooms with rats and other things that ate them for telling on their parents. That's what his dad had told him, Boy was scared of rats so even when Mrs. Davenport asked him he would lie to her, she wasn't going to defend him against the rats that would eat him. The side of his face was going to be really ugly by school tomorrow, as if he needed help in that department. He raked his hands though his long light brown hair it was to the middle of his back, his mom told him haircuts were for sissy rich kids, he'd asked her why she got her hair cut then. That had gained him pain so he'd stopped asking her questions. That worked for about a day, then she just found something else to hit him for. From today's car thingy, he now knew not to ask his dad no questions either, even when it was day time. Boy had just made it to his room when he heard them yelling at each other. Thinking that maybe they would knock each other out he crawled back into his bed. Bad Move His dad growled from the doorway and his dad was right. The next thing Boy knew both them started beating on him he begged them to stop until the trip down the stairs, he lay there watching their feet as they stomped down towards him, his last memory before passing out and waking in the hospital was his dad picking him up and throwing him against the wall.

End of flashback

She hadn't cried when they were beating the fuck out of him and knocking him down the stairs of his childhood home. She probably didn't shed a tear when she kidnapped his wife and freaked her out. Brenda gets to her feet as she stalks toward him. Shooting her a glare he says. "Someone will come in here and see you?" She admits to locking the door and asked him why he disliked her so much couldn't he remember the good times instead of the one bad one, before he was taken from her. He watched her every move he wasn't 10 years old anymore. "The one bad one…even if that was true. You almost killed me and you wonder why I hate you?" She flinched and told him it's wasn't nice to hate. "Oh well to fucking bad I loathe you. You let him go upside my head and you didn't do shit to stop it. I lost all respect for you when you helped him time and time again. This is about money you want me to give you let's see bail money for the father and half-wit brother that after drugging me beat my ass in my club."

"You shouldn't call your brother names. Boy yes I wanted money still do need it, but you don't understand. You sit there judging me and telling me you hate me, I was sad that they took you from us from me. I cheated on your pap and he found out a little before you turned 7, and I felt bad that he would take it out on you. I went along with it because James threaten to leave me. I had to save my marriage. I'm sorry I hurt you Boy. Can you ever forgive me? And help me out of you and your wife's life for good." He told her he'd never give her anything, not money, not forgiveness, nothing which was better than she gave him. She stepped closer he clenched his fist "I'm your mother." He says he don't remind him. "I tried to reason with you. I apologized. Now I'll have to take what you owe me for bringing you into the world."

She walks away from him bumps in to the monitor it came on. He tried his best not to look at the screen. He watches her move to his closet she finds his wallet and says the card she was holding was the one Patrick had caught him using when they were staking him out. It was his Platinum Ivey Banking Visa credit card. He had to get her out of here before Angel woke and said something or JC made a sound, he didn't want her to see them. Or Angel to see her. She could have the fucking credit cards all he would have to do is cancel them before she made a purchase. Of all the things he wanted to scream at her trying to keep a level tone he says "Okay you've now got what you want you can leave." She asked for the passcode. He tried for a straight face, but there was no way in hell he would give her his real code. "My birth year" She suddenly ran back towards him oh fuck. Was the last thing he thought before she jumped her heavy ass up on the bed? Her landing on him took his air and his bruised ribs protested. Breathing hard he says "Not the kind of mother son time I want get your fat ass off of me." he tries to push her backwards. She rocks back, but rebounds, she put her hand near his face. Joshua blocks crossing his arms in front of his face, when she swings from the side, he is ready for the swing, catching her fist intending to turn her wrist into a pretzel Kung Fu style, but before he could apply the pressure she starts squeezing his midsection with her thighs. He refused to yell out but the shit hurt worse than her landing. He moved his hands back to defend himself instead of attack. He'd thought he saw Candy on the screen it went black what was taking her so long. He thought as he fought for breath.

"You lied to my face. You don't lie very well Boy. I can make you tell anything I want to know I'm very persuasive." His angry glare turning to a pained wince as he huffs out for her to get off him. She could see the pain in his face. "What's the code I can't put up bail purely by credit card because I'm not on your account and I'm surely not Joshua Davenport?" He says another number. "You aren't going to change it are you?" She knew he told the truth about the second set of numbers. (Panting brief pause, shakes his head no.) She bounced on him his breath whooshed out of him with a groan as his gaze unfocused and his eyelids flutter. "I know you think you will but you won't." She watched as Boy started to fade leaning forward his eyes widen and his lids flutter closed. When his head starts to droop he'd passed out she secures his arms across his chest with the bed straps that were there to keep people from falling out of the bed. When she rocked back putting her weight on her thighs instead of his torso an idea sprung to her mind. Slapping him she watched as he flinches and his eyes open instead of hate, she saw fear as he tried to weakly pull his arms loose. Running her hand down his cheek and trailing his chin strap with her finger he tries to push his head back into the bed away from her touch, she grabs the bottom of his goatee. This probably would be the only time to hear him say it. "Say I love you momma. Say it" He swallows and tried to pull his beard out of her grasp.

Candy had loved seeing her godson she got to hold him until he woke cranky demanding food. She put JC in his infant crib after his feeding. Angel went back to sleep the minute he was done. About to make a greedy son / father joke to her bro she turns and stops. Begging her mind to be playing tricks on her. She shuts her eyes and opens them again Candy got closer to the screen, and shock and anger flooded her system his mother pounced on his midsection he was half out of it. Candy shuts the screen off. Needed to get back to Joshua's room she walks out of Angel's room and runs down the hall. Middlebrooks was coming out of one of the sleep rooms for the staff Candy says "get help Joshua's real mom, she's hurting him." Candy then bolts to the stairs and down to her bro's floor, her fast decent sounded like thunder on the metal stairs in the echoed stairwell. Coming out on his floor she says "I'm coming bro." She makes it to his door only to discover it locked. Looking in she wanted to bust the fucking window. Why the fuck was she sitting on him. When she'd been upstairs the audio on the room was shut off if she hadn't been about to turn it up and tease her bro she would have missed it. So she had no Idea what had this bitch sitting on her best friend. The elevator dinged and Middlebrooks came towards her. "Please tell me you have the key or something to get this door open." Middlebrooks looks at the door and moves to the side of it flips a lever and the light over the room turns green. Candy pushes the door it is still locked. "The handle won't even go in."

Inside the room Brenda demanded Joshua tell her he loved her and call her momma like he'd did as a child. Back then he'd meant it. He fought the panic of not being able to move and says. "You got the bail money." He pulled to get free he'd never like being restrained and the fact that she was sitting on him with him not able to defend himself was freaking him out. He heard a click but the relief he felt at seeing his friend at the door over Brenda's shoulder vanished when his mother demanded he say it and put her hand on his neck. She tells him last chance. Holy fuck it was hard enough to breathe with her heavy ass sitting on him. He met her eyes "Why?" Just like childhood asking her questions was bad. She pressed her hand up under his chin. His eyes hurts and he knew he was turning red from the heat in his face and the fire building in his lungs he was about to be killed by his birth mother. She let's go and air rushed back into his lunges. He took in too much air and started coughing. That hurt to the point he was starting to fade. In his mind he shouted at himself stay awake, only chance. She slapped him and eases off on pressing him into the bed.

Candy hadn't done this in a minute but when she saw her bro changing colors she'd just have to pay for the door if she broke something. She couldn't stand 10 feet away and watch that bitch take out her friend. Putting her jacket over her hands she starts pushing at the window where the rubber molding held it in place she got in Joshua's old house like this when she forgot her key, back when they were roommates. She couldn't fit her body through it but she could get her arm through and unlock the damn door. She pushed as hard as she could. Middlebrooks called someone, demanded they wake up, and auto unlock Joshua's room saying her override only works if it's digitally locked from the patient.

Brenda was no nurse like Patrick but she was sure purple wasn't a good color for Boy's face. She let go and watched his color come back as he wheezed and coughed his eyes watered. Was he crying? "You're pap was right, you've gone soft, but you're still mine. Hey none of that." His watery eyes started to hood she slaps him and leans back letting him get his wind back. "Tell me you love me." He said nothing just stared at her huffing like he'd ran a damn matron. "You're going to say it." She reached for his neck again. He tried to pull his arms free again. Lowering her hand she presses his own crossed arms into his chest under the restraints. He hisses out that he can't breathe she lets up on her hold. "Here is the deal, you say you love me, and leave that code in place, or I take you away from your wife and child. I saw the headline have you got a chance to hold him." Something else enters his gaze. "I'll take that as a no. So it's your choice love or death. Either way I get the money. Don't make me kill me you Boy. I just want to hear you say you love me and call me momma like you used to." Placing her hand on his cheek he flinched and said please don't. "Like I said your choice. Say it I…" A scratching sound made her turn her gaze back to the door someone was trying to get in but the female was from the band not a hospital staff. She turns her attention back to her son. "SAY it Now or so help she'll watch you draw your last breath." She clamps down pressing her thumbs under his chin and glares into his face. His eyes widened, he starts turning colors. She watches in dark fascination his body shook he gasped out just above a whisper I… love …you. Smiling she lets go and is about to climb off of him when all hell broke loose he passed out, she slapped him. The little band bitch ran in and before Brenda could react she is pulled backwards an off of Boy by her hair. She hit the ground and it knocked the wind out of her, the Band bitch starts punching her in the face and slamming her head into the floor she reaches up and grabs the little's blonde tits, and squeezes. As she screams "Get off of me you little slut."

The minute the door buzzed and opened Candy ran in the room his mother was killing him. Hearing Joshua struggle to say he loved her made Candy's vision go red, his mom slapped him. Candy ran over and yanked the older fat bitch off her bro. She screams and pounded on the bitch grabbing fistfuls of her bleach blonde hair and ramming her head into the floor. All the fear and stress of the past few hours came out in an angry guttural shrill as the bitch grabs her breast. "OW I DON"T SWINIG THAT WAY BITCH. SHIT LET GO!" Candy hits the woman in the side of the head until she released her tits and went for her neck. Candy ducks her head down and hit the woman until she is lifted in the air By non-other than Bradley. "Put me down she tried to kill Joshua."

Bradley puts her down, she then runs over to his little bro's bed. Security comes in and he steps away from the downed women with his hands up. Luke walks briskly through the throng of uniforms and tells them. "Not him, her Get her up and out of here, the police are waiting at the rear entrance." Luke watches as Bradley drops his hands the minute the team grabs a daze Brenda Smyth up and marches her out of the room. Bradley looks over at his brother.

Middlebrooks stood at Joshua's bed undoing the straps that held his arm across his chest. She touches the pulse point at his wrist and his eyes fly open full of panic. He breaths in harshly and starts making a snorting noise his face twitched as he, pulls his hand from her grasp putting it on his throat. Middlebrooks tries to put the oxygen on him telling him to relax.

Before the doctor said anything else and upset Joshua even more Candy tells him to breathe out through his mouth as she rubs his neck he trusted her. A few more tense moments and her old trick worked. Joshua was regaining his color and the facial twitching was starting to subside. He tried to say something to her and it just dissolves into weak coughing. She moved her hand and instructed him to start trying to breathe regularly now. She could see it was still hard for him. His breathe in, shudder, wince, and release routine wasn't going to help.

Joshua hurt all over. Having Middlebrooks, Candy, Bradley and Luke standing over him made him uncomfortable. He focused on Candy as Luke told him he was going to put him on oxygen and run a treatment through it to take away some of the discomfort in his chest. Luke put the mask over his head before he turned it on Joshua tries to tell Candy what he tried moments ago. "Thanks" Candy puts her hand on his. Luke lowers the bed not to have him flat on his back that would freak him out. He was still high enough to see what was around him but not sitting up. Joshua knew by now that the medicine that was bubbling in the little cup with the funny smell was going to make him sleepy. But his eyes would stop feeling like they were going to pop out.

Hours later Mark Paula, Janet, the twins, and Nikki head up to Sheldon medical to see their new cousin JC and Mark was going to check on both of JC's parents. Jonathon called to tell him about JC being born, but also Paula told him that Candy had called her saying something about Joshua's birth mother trying to kill him. His uncle told them to go to Luke's clinical office across the street and take the walkway over to the hospital that was how Deon and Chase were avoiding the media storm downstairs. Mark asked what rooms, ready to put the number in his phone his uncle told him when he arrived to just call and he would come to the main floor to retrieve them. Mark soon pulls into the covered parking area of Luke's clinical office. He was to check in through Luke's office and someone would tell them how to get to the skywalk. Paula said she knew how since the twins went to Luke for pediatric care at this office. Mark checked in anyway. Paula shrugged but when Bobby instead of a nurse came to take them over Mark figured that this was more than a tactic to avoid being hounded by the press. They are showed to the room Mark had visited Joshua in when he was kidnapped. That explained a little of why a room number wasn't given. Andrew's presence was a shocker. He owed that man a lot he was the one who delivered Alana to the hospital during the rescue of his youngest twin. Seeing the man brought that thanksgiving nightmare front and center, Andrew was not here as a visitor he was in full gear.

Angel woke a few minutes before Mark and the Callaway clan plus one arrived. She feeds her son when she looked over at the screen, Joshua's camera was off the window that had once held his image was black. All she saw was what her camera saw which was herself and Sophie who stood by her bed, her dad had gone to greet the others. Since after giving birth Luke put her on stronger meds she was bottle feeding JC. This was the first time she was getting to hold him by herself. Mark came in first "Hey big guy" the minute JC finished Mark picked him up, and she watched that side of Mark that not many saw, come out as he talked to his littlest cousin as he spoke to the twins not in the classic baby talk, but he talked to him like he expected him to talk back. Asking him questions and saying stuff like see you know what not to answer already.

Mark looked down at his little cousin and said "Little one it's me your cousin Mark." His cousin gives off a high pitched wail. Sophie asks did he want her to take him. Mark shakes his head no as he chuckles "Well I see that you are going to be doing Screamo soon just like your momma." Angel smiles and says JC's full name in Gallic and he seems to calm, as if he were waiting on something. The spell was broken the minute she stopped, he opened his blue eyes and started up again making little fist as he wailed. Angel reached for him and Mark put him back in her arms. She started speaking to him and calling his name. Well that must be his dad in him Mark thought. Thinking of the similar affect Angel had on her husband. Hell Joshua would fight a brick wall if he thought he could win. Thinking of his cousin he wanted to check on him. Not knowing whether Angel had been told about Brenda's attack on the boy Mark says "Janet wanted to come in are you up for that?" Angel nods and says sure. Mark heads out and tells his daughter that she could go in.

After Janet and Nikki left Paula came in. Angel kept glancing at the screen. Wondering why Joshua hadn't come back online. She wondered was his set up like hers if so he would just have to hit the remote on his bed. Paula was speaking to her. "Huh?" Paula asked about the camera set up. "Oh Joshua was on there when I had JC. I was just wondering why he hadn't turned his screen back on." Paula said maybe he was asleep. "Mark said you went to go check on Tracy how she is?" Paula tells her that Tracy was doing much better, and that she sent her congratulations. "Tell her I said thanks." She watches her cousin hold her son's sleeping form. "Wow you're really good with him." Sophie excuses herself saying she had some calls to return. She leaves the room and Paula puts JC in the infant bed. Paula made Angel's day when she revealed that the infant crib was on wheels and rolled it closer to her bed and locked the wheels. "Good looking out cuzo." Paula says always. Angel was getting sleepy again and put her hand through the railing near her baby she could feel his warmth and it calmed her more than any drug ever could.

Mark was brought up to speed and he would have a conversation with Glenn the next time he saw the fucker. No wonder Jonathon said Chase sent Bobby to greet them. Throughout the day all of them get to visit with Angel and JC. Walking into the elevator he rode down to Joshua's floor and was met with another part of Bobby's team standing outside of his younger cousin's room. Mark IDs himself. The man ducks his large frame into the room telling Mark to wait here. Soon the guy comes out proceeding Candy and walks down the hall near the elevators Candy comes out and brings him up to speed on what the hell happened. Mark crosses his arms over his chest. "Does he know you out here telling me?"

Candy looked up at Mark and says "Yeah, Joshua sent me out here to tell you, but more importantly to make sure the guard had it right about it being you. My bro is having real trust issues right about now, but hell, can you blame him?" Mark says no. Candy turns and looks through the little window that she had tried to pop out, and turns back to Mark telling him that Joshua was told not to try to say a lot while on the oxygen. Mark says he just wanted to visit and he'd keep any question close ended. Candy walks back in the room.

Mark walks in behind her, his cousin's usually hooded gaze met his and Mark sighs the kid's eyes were bloodshot the scratches and bruising around his neck and forearms was fresh compared to the other shit marring his face and the rope burn that went from his wrist and disappeared up the sleeve of his hospital gown. Candy walks over and sits near Joshua's bed. That little Rocker Pixie spitfire, had really went to bat for her friend, and more than likely saved his life today. Though Mark didn't have any issues with her before, her loyalty to his cousin just made him like and respect her that much more. He addresses Joshua. "Man, she's a keeper true friends are hard to find." Joshua looks over at his friend and puts up a finger. Mark speaks to his cousin for a time and watched as Joshua starts falling back asleep. Joshua's eyes went from his usual hooded to closed before Mark could even turn around to leave. He turns to Candy and says "it's good he has you, he's going to be zonked for a while." Candy told him it was the med since Joshua wasn't able to do a topical this time. Mark nods and says "Yeah, I can see why proscribing something dealing with touching him would be a hell no right about now."

Bradley sits in his mother's room she was awake he'd given Cassandra's house key to Vash who went to clean up the house. His wife Cindy insisted on helping him clean because she knew how Vash felt about his family and didn't want him there alone. Bradley hadn't left this room today, but once and the time he did he walked in on yet another shit storm, involving a part of his family. Man, if he ever saw any of the Smyth boys or that bitch in a dark alley he would use their asses for target practice. He still wanted to see his nephew but didn't want to get too far from his mother's room. She was faring very well physically, mentally the look in her eyes spoke of fear. He tried to speak to her but they both were kind of in their own thoughts which made conversation nearly nonexistent. He was scared to ask about what happened to her what if the news had it right. What if after all those years and all the shit he and Cassandra, but mostly he, put them through had his mom snapped and tried to leave their dad? It made no sense, none of the scenarios that were in the paper made sense. They were the rock of his faith in relationships. Nah, he hadn't tried to get into one, but he thought of his parents as a good model. His dad was the head of the household always had been, and he'd worked hard all his life and respected his wife's choice to work as well. Their mom was the model of a woman that didn't take lightly her role as second in command. He just didn't see his mom throwing it all away after over 45 years, what the hell could some younger guy give her. Bradley knew that some chicks were cougars but his mom didn't play that shit. She held family high on her person. Her only jewelry other than her wedding bands was stuff that screamed hey I have grown kids, and a husband, like the charm bracelets from them with their birth stones around the word mom, heck the only other ring she never left home without, was her class ring, yeah she was really trying to attract the younger crowd with a ring that read class of 1968. His dad wasn't a violent man, there were only a few times where even anger registered on his face. You had to push really hard, to get more than a get out or something of that nature. Hell if he was, Bradley would have got more than (money and a get out) for the shit he pulled. He just knew his mom was going to flip out after he told her that Rapture was taking them to the house, he knew his mom didn't like the male, but Bradley had no car. Their parents' car was still in the shop and Joshua was in the hospital, Vash was still at the house. Other than taking a cab which wouldn't work because his check from Logan didn't hit his account until Monday. He sat in back with his mom Cassandra sat in the front passenger seat in front of their mom since Cass had to have her seat reclined a little. Bradley sat behind Rapture his mother held his hand.

Sally sat in her daughter's friend's vehicle watching her oldest her thoughts were everywhere. Aside from being sore she was fine, but that was only in the sense that her attacker hadn't broken anything on her. She was going home. That thought put up a struggle in her mind. Home was where she lived, but going back to that house scared her. She didn't know where memory stopped and illusion began. She thought she remembered seeing Michael, but was that her memory or was it illusion and her desperate wish for him to help her. It had to be reality, because she was alive, but where was her husband? Chadwick had said she'd thrown her girl to the wolves and he'd been right there to pick up the pieces. Had Cassandra honestly thought that she hated her? Would her parental decisions cause her daughter to always select that type of male? Rapture was a very large and mean looking man, he was respectful but what if what had lurked in the cunning non-threatening looking gentleman that her daughter had married surfaced in this man. She had to speak to her daughter she would, she just had to. She tried her best not to meet Rapture's eyes at all. Their car was still in repair, Bradley revealed that he no longer had the privilege of driving his roommate's car. Now that Bradley had fixed up his roommate's home, she had locked him out, and had her locks changed. Her recovering drug addict son was homeless, and her eldest daughter was dating a man that looked like the devil. When she asked why he hadn't called Joshua saying that Joshua would have driven her home. Bradley did give her some good news about her youngest son and daughter, Angel had JC and he was healthy. Arriving home, Sally sat in the living room on her sofa and Vashon and his wife Cynthia were there. They'd cleaned up the house, Sally was embarrassed to have a woman that look at her as a sort of mother figure, see her home disheveled, but she was thankful that she didn't have to see the effects of her attack. Her daughter's friend Rapture left saying he had to head to his club, Bradley only had today to collect his things from his roommate. Sally told her oldest that he could stay at the house. She hadn't spoken it over with Michael, but she didn't want her son on the street, and having him here at night was more for her comfort than his. When Vash and his wife took their leave, Sally looks at her daughter that kept staring at her and a question that desperately needed and answer burst from her. "Cassandra where is your father?"

Attorney Derrick Spencer, Michael Davenport's attorney drive his client to the Ivey Suites he's sent Sophie Ivey a message directly this morning and at least the top was willing to help. Hell she'd called him back the moment he mentioned the man's name. The new head of Ivey Enterprises wasn't a criminal attorney, but her father was legend in these parts, this afternoon was the first time he'd heard her speak other than in her address to the company via video he'd been a part of, during the merger. She was still willing to help, even after he admitted that he was no longer employed by Strickland, she told him she knew and appreciated his honesty. Yeah his client had been dealt a few one two punches in the past few hours. When the judge told him he wasn't to go within 100 feet of his wife, Spencer thought he was going to have catch the man, he just looked like a deflated balloon. Arriving at the Ivey Suites he asked did Michael need anything, he just shook his head no. After getting his client squared away in his suite Spencer called his own wife this case was awfully close to home.

Michael sat in the window of the suite. He'd been banned from going home. The court had put a restraining order on him. All that he knew was that his Sally had survived, not knowing in what shape she was in was tearing him up inside. Of the numbers he knew by heart the only number that could get him some information was Bradley. Cassandra was still in the hospital to his knowledge, and from the account of the Smyth men's conversation in the cell he had no clue about Joshua. Michael's cellphone was probably still plugged in under his night stand where he'd placed it two nights ago when his biggest finical concern was to finish repairing his car or buy new. Not wondering if his life would end behind bars. The policeman that had arrested him told him that he would be watching him. His attorney told the officer not to speak to him. What the officer told Bradley and seeing the look on his son's face made Michael hesitate before pushing the last digit that would connect him to his son. He pressed the number and got his son's voice mail. Leaving a message he says "Bradley Albert it's your father please call me back at this number son." It took two tries to get out that one sentence. Putting the phone down he stared off into space waiting for the only life line he could hope for, to return his call. He'd always prided himself in being proactive but there was no action he could take.

"They have it all wrong." Sally says as Cassandra shows her tabloid after tabloid even the local paper had it wrong. The Pyramid Tribune was out for blood. Sally had to stop reading they hadn't released Chadwick's name and when it was discovered that he used to be wed to her daughter, Sally didn't see her or Michael looking any better. She was painted as a harlot her husband painted as a murdering vengeful lover. The phone rings Cassandra answered and handed her the phone. It was her mother "No ma-ma that is not what happened. Michael saved my life he did not to try to end it." She quickly said in Spanish so her mother would understand. Sally knew this could get a lot worse before it could get any better. Ending the call with her mother Sally places the phone back on the base. "Cassandra there's something I have to tell you before that man's name is revealed, the deceased is Chadwick." Her daughter looks shocked and asked what happened. "He… He was in your bedroom. He planned to kill me and use your grief for the passing of us both as his vehicle to reunite with you. He planned to then take your life as well after the remarriage for insurance." Sally tells her daughter her account of what happened. Bradley knocked on the front door. Sally jumped at the intrusion of sudden sound. Needing a moment, she excuses herself to go let him in. His childhood knock was what gave him away (knock pause knock, knock pause Knock, knock.) Walking towards the front door she didn't miss the sniffle that came from her girl in the living room. Wiping her own eyes Sally opened the door. The phone rings again but the next thing out of her daughter's mouth was and fuck you too. Cassandra slammed the phone down. In a town as small as Pyramid there was going to be a lot of that. Her Joshua and his wife's band was being nominated for a Grammy this year. The news had drawn a connection to Joshua and Angel as the children of the Harlot and homicidal mad man. By the time this was over their names would be the preverbal cow patty sitting in the sun. "Cassandra please don't answer the phone anymore." it started ringing nonstop. A news truck pulls up and Bradley flipped it off while bringing in his belongings. "Bradley don't egg them on." He grumbled something. Sighing Sally says quietly "oh god please help us through this, my husband is in jail my children upset, and the walls seem to be closing in on my small once peaceful home." After finally getting his things in, Sally watched as Bradley slid glances her way. When she turned to walk back into the living room she saw Cass getting to her feet. "Cassandra you shouldn't be up and bout what did you need?" Her daughter says to unplug the phone, and a hug from her momma. Sally hugs her girl.

Bradley walked into what used to be his and Joshua's bedroom. His mother had told him the answers to some of what he was scared to ask. His cellphone rings and he lets it hit his voice mail. If the press wanted his comment, they would have to bleep him the whole time. His mother was the same person he'd knew her as. The fact that Chadwick thought he would get back with Cassandra in any way, was a testament to the fact that the guy didn't know his sister. Chadwick dumping her for her best friend tore her up, him threatening her life if she didn't sign the divorce papers was the end game. Bradley had beat Chad's ass so many times about him going up side his sister's head, when they lived in the house their parents moved them into, but Chad had always apologized, and gave her gifts, and by the next week he would be the center of her world again. Bradley had got tired of the shit and moved out, following an art student across country that had him ready to pop the question, that decision he would always regret. For the shit Bradley had called Joshua out on, about turning his back on the family for him not coming around but for the holidays. Bradley should have been looking in the fucking mirror, if anyone turned their back it was him, and then he came back, his parents invited him back into their home as always, and he'd even managed to fuck that up by attacking, and terrorizing his parents for drug money. Bradley called his voicemail client up on his screen about to hit delete thinking it was some damn reporter, when the sound of his father's voice gave him pause. Closing his eyes, he hit repeat.

Hours later Cassandra tried she really did try, to go to her room it was immaculately clean. She sat on her bed with the door open, to think Chad had been here this was where he tried to take her momma away from her. He was dead and couldn't hurt anyone he'd revealed to her mother about conversations they had when she first moved into the home in G North. She was so angry back then, but even back then she knew in her heart that her momma and daddy still loved her, because they gave Bradley and her a choice and didn't put them out with nowhere to go. Her daddy paid all their bills for 4 years until Bradley got a job and she married Chad. She'd thought she was really sticking it to her parents by running off and getting married in Vegas. Bradley had got tired of fighting Chad, she was stupid back then even getting mad at Bradley for messing up Chad just because Chad would get her candy or flowers and jewelry and apologize to her. Cass had let Chad convince her that she didn't need anybody but him, and abracadabra a low self-esteem fat idiot named Cassandra Denton was born. Bradley went after his artist girlfriend and for years until their parents moved to CO she hadn't saw her big brother except on special days, they were both shamed into going to Joshua's college graduation. Getting up she couldn't do this, she couldn't stay here in this room. Looking over at her dresser the sight that sent her out of the room, was there was a discoloration on the carpet was that blood on her floor? Cassandra walked out of her bedroom and locked the lock Joshua had put on it when he'd turned it into his music room. She walked to her parent's room and knocked, no answer. She eased the door open and her mother wasn't in bed but over in the corner sitting in her father's recliner with the family photo album laying on her lap, she'd fallen asleep. Cassandra looked at the pictures that her mom had been looking at, it was the one of Joshua and Bradley as adults on one side and a shot that Sophie had taken at the Christmas party. Cassandra moved her eyes across the landscape shot. From left to right top row standing behind the sofa, her dad, her mom, her big brother. Bottom row from left to right sitting with a hand on each of their shoulders was her with her dad's hand on her shoulder, her little brother with their mom's hand on his shoulder, and her newest little sister with Bradley's hand on her shoulder. She hadn't noticed before, but though Angel had her hand on her belly she had her other in Joshua's. Closing the book her mother jumped and opened her eyes. "It's just me I couldn't sleep. Are you staying in the chair or are you getting in the bed?" Her mom patted the chair and said the bed was just too big without her husband, and that it has his scent. Most men had their area of the house. Their dad had his area of the bedroom. The rest of the bedroom had changed many times the bed got bigger, the dresser got larger, the night stands matched everything perfectly, if you looked in from the door you would think Better Homes and Garden was about to take a picture, if you looked behind the door you saw her father's area. It hadn't change in the over 3 decades, his chair, his carved elephant side table. Now when not tinkering around the house he was up here in his chair watching the mounted TV. They made such a show of taking all of Joshua's stuff out of the house, when he moved into Ivey Mansion. Joshua and Bradley mounted it the day after Joshua's Bachelor party. When their dad asked wasn't it Joshua's he just shrugged and said it looked better in his dad's corner. Looking at the off television and seeing the remote where their dad usually laid it knowing tonight he wouldn't be coming home and sitting here just made Cassandra even sorrier that her ex had caused all this. "I think I'm going to head downstairs I just can't sleep in my room tonight."

10pm Roman had to give it to his female. She had a kinky side and had lots of money, yup it was a match made in heaven. He had some of the best lawyers and was out on bail he'd even promised to go back when he had to. The woman grinned at him like she was hungry. Shae Prime had been a part of Kyle's originals he invited her to the motel he'd been hiding out in and shown her a rough good time. The pity party was over about Candy, life happened and he couldn't change the fact that her old man "trained" her or that he almost killed her on at least three occasions. With Shae the more shit he thought up to do to her the more she liked it. He was her toy and she was his. Shae wasn't only married she was married to the owner and operator of Prime Oil. Shae was the new face of the GSSEC. She didn't like going into G North for their meetings it was beneath her, so she'd hired him as her live in bodyguard, and Guard her body he did. He'd lied about what happened and went with the old story of mixed signals as far as the rape on the ship goes. He told Shae's lawyers that he and Candy did lots of scenes that "looked" real. He'd found Candy's name on an old contract that he'd found from when he used to work for Kyle, back then he could get Candy-bar to go along with anything, Mention her outsider status, tell her that she was in a relationship with an adult, and presto, he could lead her ass off a cliff back then. One of the guys did help that surveillance video disappear. Video was video all you needed to do was find the main computer and bring your tools. Yeah the guy had caused a federal satellite to go off line, but there was no more video of Roman raping Candy on a ship. The medical evidence was erased that is what really got Seth busted. There was rumor that the doctor that did the kit still had a copy Roman would find him and get it back. Since she never recorded any of their other encounters it was back to his words against hers. He still felt she deserved better than him but that Bass player that pushed her down to fight him was the main problem, and Roman was going to be a problem solver. Roman knew if he got cleared that WWE wasn't going to hire him back, the media fucked him and the only other person that could fuck up his trial was if they convinced Candy to testify. The last time he and Candy were alone on the boat she told him she loved him. if he got rid of Bass player he wanted to see once and for all if she was telling the truth, or was she just trying to spare her life. This time his boys were in on it as well. The Shield may have started out as a WWE group but he was the leader in real life and his boys were just happy he'd got them sprung as well. Dean and Seth were eager to repay him. Mark's kid had walked in on him and Candy and he would have shot her if it hadn't been for Candy throwing off his aim. He is slapped on the thigh bringing himself back out of his thoughts he grabs Shae's chin and pushes her back on her bed. Her bound wrists are in front of her which was her only rule for their play time. Scooting her over the edge of the bed he lay on top of her and reclaimed his control of her body and her breath.

Inside his parents' home Bradley walked out into the night making sure to lock the door he caught a ride with Leo one of his co-workers from the construction company to Ivey Suits. The guy makes a sideways joke about him meeting a female, Bradley cringed and says "Nah it's business of another sort but I got you on Monday as far as gas money." Bradley gets out of the car. The guy reminds Bradley of Logan's no drug policy and drives off. Bradley was a foreman and he found out from the grapevine that Leo wanted the position so he would have speak to Logan if the guy was a snake and tried to burn him. Right now he had family business to attend to. That was no body's business but his.

Author's Note: I want to thank so many people for helping me get this far. I want to thank all of my regular readers and I also want to personally thank my newest reviewer welcome to the party . I also want to thank you Cassandra my wonderful beta reader and thanks to my Sophie without you I would not have a proper title for this chapter thank you all :End Note