Not gonna lie, I actually forgot about this story for a bit. Sorry. Didn't mean to make you guys wait so long.
Sadly, Jack and Don both had work the next day. Their days went by quickly and Don picked Jack up from the library. She climbed into the car and gave him a kiss hello. Don drove them home. The two cooked dinner together and had a nice quiet night to themselves. It had been so busy lately with the boys in town that they just wanted some time together.
Boyd had let Grady borrow his car or the date. Bible and Gordo were going to stay at the motel. Boyd had some paperwork he had to do and Gordo was just going to sleep and watch tv. Norman was actually out with a few friends from his University. They were out drinking.
Renee was waiting on Betty's porch when Grady arrived. He walked up to the step and stopped when he saw her. She was wearing a beautiful mint green dress and wore red lipstick. Her hair was curled simply. She looked beautiful. Renee took in his appearance. He was clean shaven ad he wore a suit. He cleaned up well.
"Well, aren't you just pretty as a picture." Grady teased and Renee leaned against the pole on the porch. She smiled.
"You don't look to shabby yourself." She told him. Grady grinned and held out his arm. Renee walked down the steps and linked her arm with his. He brought her to the car and opened the door for her. Seeing Grady with manners was something else. It was slightly surprising. He could behave himself in public, yes, but to be a total gentleman was slightly shocking. "So, where to?" Renee asked. Grady looked at her,
"Figured we could go see a movie and get some dinner. How's that sound?" He asked her, slightly unsure if it was what she wanted to do. Renee smiled gently.
"That sounds perfect." She told him gently. "But, I'm choosing the restaurant." She teased.
"Then I'm picking the movie." Grady retorted with a teasing smile and he began to drive away.
"No, the times they offer pick the movie." Renee countered and Grady chuckled.
In the dark theater, Grady had taken her hand. She squeezed it slightly and looked at him with that soft smile of hers and he felt himself relax. He had been bouncing his leg nervously. He was used to beign around women and getting laid and everything like that, but Renee was so much more than that. She was sweet, kind, understanding. But she was strong and stubborn and wouldn't back down from a challenge or argument until her point was made.
Renee looked back at the movie and rested her head on Grady's shoulder. The two forgot about the popcorn. Something else that Grady had admired about her was the strength she had in herself. Renee was sure and confident in what she was able to do. She had worked as a war nurse in some of the bases during the war. She survived Pearl Harbor when she was just in training. Grady had been told how she had lost her fiancé during the attack and she still kept with her duties.
She could understand them better than most could. Renee wasn't in Germany, but she was still part of the war. She had seen blood, gore, burning bodies, missing limbs. She saw her own hell and Grady respected her for that.
After the movie, the two, still holding hands, left slowly and Renee lead them down a street to a restaurant they had passed on the way there. It was a small Italian place. It was a good choice. The food was amazing. Renee had a small glass of wine, but Grady didn't drink. He didn't want to be rude and lose his manners. He would drink later or another day.
The two talked and avoided the topic of war. They talked about Norman and the two talked about how worried Norman was that they were on a date. They laughed. Renee told him embarrassing stories from growing up and Grady shared a few embarrassing stories from the war, leaving out the parts about any actual fighting. Renee laughed at her little brother's mishaps.
At the end of the evening, the two found themselves on Betty's porch, saying goodbye. Grady was about to leave but stopped. He turned back to Renee who just looked at him oddly.
"Grady? Everything ok?" She asked softly. Grady just looked at her for a moment before gently grabbing the sides of her face and kissing her. Renee was so startled she didn't know what to do. It was a quick and simple kiss and it was over before she could react. Grady let her go and smiled down at her stunned face as a blush crept over her features. She just stared at him.
He tried so hard not to laugh. He chuckled and kissed her cheek before telling her goodnight. She just nodded, still stunned. Renee could hear him laughing all the way back to the car. She didn't move until Grady drove away and Betty opened the door.
"Everything ok?" Betty asked. Renee turned to face her and nodded. Betty laughed and opened the screen door. Renee was still blushing as she went inside. "It went well I take it." Renee nodded.
"How'd it go, man?" Gordo asked as Grady came into the room. Boyd had gone to his own room to get some sleep. "You kiss her?"
Grady grinned and nodded. Gordo congratulated him and Grady laughed and sat.
"Man, she's somethin' special. I'm tellin' ya." He confessed.
"Man, you in love." Gordo teased and Grady laughed, not bothering to argue. "Looks like everyone's gonna have to come up and visit us for a wedding too!"
"Fuck you, man." Grady said almost laughing. Gordo shrugged.
"Poor Norman's gonna have you as a brother in law." Gordo said and leaned back on the bed. Grady let out a bark of laughter at the thought. Norman would have a heart attack. Grady changed into sleep wear and dropped onto the bed. His mind drifted to the date and Renee. She was beautiful in that dress and her smile was as bright as the sun. these were his thoughts as he fell asleep.
The next morning the three woke and got ready for the day. Boyd asked him about the date and Grady told him about it as they got in the car and drove over. Everyone, save Jack and Don who had work, was meeting up at Betty's for breakfast. Norman was going to be there, too. Grady couldn't wait to see Renee again.
The three men were sitting at the table with Renee and Betty. Food had been set in serving bowls and plates and everyone was beginning to serve themselves. David sat on Betty's lap as she put food on his plate.
"Norman is late." Renee commented.
"He's probably on his way." Boyd told her as he passed a bowl of scrambled eggs to Gordo.
"He's never late." Renee stated. "Ever. If anything, he makes sure he's early."
"I wouldn't worry about him." Grady told her. "Kid knows how to take care of himself. Probably overslept is all." Grady told her, trying to reassure her. She nodded her head and took a bit of sausage. Fifteen minutes later, Betty called to see if she could reach him. They had his dorm number. No one answered. They waited ten more minutes.
"I can drive over there, see if he's just sleeping. I believe he was out with some classmates last night." Boyd suggested. Renee looked at him and nodded. She was beginning to panic. Grady offered to go as well. Gordo was going to stay behind.
Grady and Boyd found Norman's place empty. There was no note and everything looked to be in it's rightful place. His roommate was also gone. They asked around, seeing if anyone had seen Norman. No one had seen them since last night. Grady and Boyd went back to Betty's house.
"Should we call Don or Jack? Didn't they sign as a form of guardian?" Renee asked.
"I don't know. They may not be able to help. I'm starting to wonder if we should report him as a missing person." Boyd suggested.
Jack was walking around the library and putting books back on their shelves, humming to herself as she went. It was a quiet day as usual. Hellen was there and they agreed on going for lunch together. She heard the phone ringing at the reception desk and heard the woman working there answer it. Jack kept putting books on the shelf.
High heels clicked their way across the wooden floors of the library and stopped at her aisle. She looked to see the receptionist, Judy, looking at her.
"Jackie, you have a call. It's Don." She told Jack. Worry went through Jack like a harsh wind. Was everything ok? Jack went to the desk and picked up the phone.
"Don? Is everything alright?" She asked immediately.
"Yeah, hun. Everything's fine. Norman was supposed to meet everyone at my sister's for breakfast and he didn't show. Boyd gave me a call about an hour ago, letting me know Norman wasn't there. He wasn't at the campus either." Don began to explain. Jack was worried. How was this not an issue.
"Did they find him?" She asked. Don didn't sound upset, if anything he was amused. He snorted slightly.
"Yeah. I called Ryan to see if he could look for him. Turns out, Norman and his buddies got themselves arrested." Don told her. She gasped. "Yeah. Public intoxication." He told her, chuckling. Jack covered her mouth and tried not to laugh.
"Oh my word." She said quietly. "Did you tell Betty?" Don snorted.
"No. Haven't even picked him up yet. I was thinking of leaving him in there for a while." Don told her. Jack giggled.
"Don, you're horrible. But I can see what you mean." Jack said and paused. "I am having lunch with Hellen. I can see if I can get someone to cover my afternoon shift and pick him up after lunch." Don chuckled.
"If you want. Do you want to borrow my car?" He offered.
"No, I have enough for a cab. I'll see you at Betty's still, right? Aren't we all doing dinner again?" She asked.
"Yeah. I'll see you there. Make sure Norman's cleaned up. And don't be too hard on the kid." Don said. Jack laughed quietly.
"Oh, I won't be. I just can't wait until the boys hear about this." Jack admitted. Don laughed, picturing their mixed reactions. Renee was going to have a fit.
"You wanna give them a call?" Don asked. Jack assured him she did. They said their goodbyes and Jack hung up. She dialed in Betty's number. She picked up on the second ring.
"Hello?"
"Betty? It's Jack. Do I have a story to tell you!" She teased.
"Norman Edwards." A guard said to the cell of young men. There were about five. Three were still passed out. "Someone is here to get you." The guard said and opened the cell. Norman stood and walked out. His head hurt and the lights made it worse. The guard chuckled. "Sorry I had to lock all of you up. Next time, let the ones who are making trouble be. Just move on." He advised. Norman nodded and the man rested a firm hand on his shoulder and lead him out to the small lobby.
Jack was standing there, signing papers when he walked in. She had a hard look on her face and her jaw was clenched shut. Norman swallowed. He's seen what Jack can do. Jack turned to look at him and he approached.
"Thank you officer." She told them. The one who lead Norman out bid her a good day. She grabbed him by the arm and tugged him outside. The two stood on the sidewalk, waiting for a cab in silence. Norman looked at Jack who was fighting back a smile. Norman looked at her oddly. Jack glanced at him and burst out laughing.
"You look like shit!" She exclaimed and laughed. Norman just looked at her.
"You're not angry?" He asked. She started laughing harder.
"No, Norman! You're a young man. You're going to do stupid things." She assured him. "God, I can't believe you got fucking arrested for being drunk!" She yelled and laughed harder. "Oh, Grady and Gordo are going to be so disappointed. Did we teach you nothing about drinking?" She teased. Norman started laughing softly. His head still hurt and he had to shield his eyes.
"I feel horrible. I don't even know what I was drinking." He admitted. Jack laughed harder and put a hand on his arm.
"We'll get you taken care of. I'm taking you to Betty's so we can get some food in you. Boyd went to your place and picked up some of your things. Don and I want you staying at our place or Betty's tonight. Don't want you getting into trouble with the school." Jack explained.
"What do you mean?" Norman asked. Jack looked at him and had a smile on her face. A cab arrived and they climbed in. She gave the man Betty's address and they were off.
"Boyd and grady went to look for you at the school. No one had seen you and they had started to get worried. Don called Ryan and he was the one who told us what had happened. The school doesn't know. Don called them and told them you were simply staying with us for a few days." Jack explained. Norman looked at her, slightly surprised. One of the rules he has to follow is not get arrested. If that happened, he was at risk for losing a scholarship and the ability to stay in a dorm for a semester. He would have had to go home or move in with Don and Jack.
"Thank you. Thank you both." He told her. Jack smiled and assured him it was ok.
"Don't thank us yet. You better believe I'm not letting you go back until I know you can handle your liquor." Jack told him. Norman's stomach lurched. He wasn't sure if he ever wanted to drink again.
Jack and Norman arrived. She paid the cabbie and the two got out. Jack pushed him through the door and shouted, alerting everyone at their arrival. Renee came running down the hall and smacked him.
"What the hell do you think you were doing?" She yelled. "We had no idea where you were!" Norman winced and held his head.
"Can you stop yelling, Renee?" He asked her.
"Hey, Norman! How you feel?" Grady hollered and Jack pushed the boy down the hall to the kitchen. Boyd was sitting at the small table in the kitchen. Betty was heating up some food for the boy and some coffee. Norman rested his head in his hands and Boyd chuckled.
"I guess you won't be doing that again." Bible said to him. Norman groaned. Gordo laughed and put a cup of water infront of him.
"Hey, Man. You're gonna wanna drink a few of these. Jack's gonna make you drink again tonight." Gordo told him.
"What?" Norman asked worriedly and looked at the woman. She shrugged.
"Gordo and I are going out to get some good alcohol. I don't want you going back out with friends without you knowing how much you can handle." She told him firmly. "Think of this as punishment for getting arrested." Norman groaned.
"Norman, you were always such a light weight." Renee scoffed from her spot in the kitchen.
"What, you think you can drink more?" Grady asked her. She looked at him firmly.
"Of course I can. I could probably give Jack a run for her money." She told him matter of factly. Jack, hearing the challenge, turned to look at her, eyebrows raised.
"I accept your challenge." She said. Renee looked at her and the two women shared smirks. It was going to be a fun night. Grady and Gordo laughed. Jack was a riot when she was drunk.
"Jack, you sure that's a good idea?" Bible asked, looking up from his newspaper. "Remember last time?"
"Which time, Bible? In Germany?" Jack asked, exasperated.
"Yeah. It was right after the war in Germany ended." Bible told her.
"What did she do?" Betty asked, knowingly. Grady barked out a laugh and Gordo snorted. Jack crossed her arms. Betty set food in front of Norman. Jack stared at him until he started eating.
"This I must hear." Renee said as she sat next to her brother.
"You boys are just exaggerating it." Jack said, trying to defend herself. "And who is the idiot who lets a drunk person operate a tank?" She asked.
"You drove the tank drunk?" Betty asked. Boyd shook his head.
"Nah, man. She tried. She ended up thinking we were being attacked by Germans. Some people started throwing grenades. They would throw them away from the base so no one would get hurt. Kinda like fire works." Gordo explained.
"So here's Jack," Grady started while laughing, "She fell in the tank trying to duck, thinking we were being bombed. She's screaming and kicking up a storm." Boyd picked up the story as Grady laughed.
"We were just sitting around while she was yelling at us to get in. She kept asking why we were just sitting there. I think Norman was standing next to her hatch." He said. Norman smiled to himself and nodded.
"She had gone in head first and couldn't sit up right." He told them. Jack glared at him. "It was funny." He admitted to her.
"Traitor." She mumbled.
"Jack's in the tank and trying to get it running. Don't sitting outside with the rest of us just calling to her, trying ot tell her it was just people getting rowdy. She starts to go for the big gun that's attached to the tank at her seat." Boyd explained but Gordo stepped in.
"Man, I just saw Norman start to dive in, yelling at her to stop. Man I didn't know what was goin' on!" Gordo said. "This crazy woman tried to start shooting up the camp! She was gonna gun us all down!" Gordo said. Grady was laughing.
"Norman and Don had to pull her out of the tank." Bible stated.
"Who even let me in the tank?" Jack asked, embarrassed. The men exchanged looks.
"Jack, we don't mess with you. If you wanna do something, you're gonna do it." Bible told her. "We value our lives enough to know not to step in. Don's the only one brave enough."
"Remember that one time Jack tried to fight him?" Grady asked with a laugh.
"Right after McMurphy let her start drinking again? After she got back from being taken?" Boyd asked. Norman perked up at his. He hadn't heard this one yet.
"You tried to fight Sergeant Collier?" Norman asked. Jack rolled her eyes.
"This is not going to be a time we share my drunk stories." Jack said firmly. The boys just ignored her.
"Yeah, man. After Jack got taken she couldn't eat. Don had to tackle her to the ground to get her to go to the medical tent." Gordo started. "After she got better and put weight on, we let her drink one night. Hell, Grady and I were drinking too. She started getting mad at Don for tackling her." Grady was laughing in the background. Boyd spoke up.
"Norman, if you are ever drinking with Jack and she starts getting frustrated, you run." Bible told him seriously.
"You three are making this sound so much worse than it was." Jack tried to defend herself. Betty was laughing and Renee snorted.
"Did you punch Don?" Betty asked, laughing.
"She didn't just punch him!" Grady laughed. "She nearly fucking took him out."
"War Daddy, Don," Bible corrected himself and sat up in his chair, "He tried to get her to sit down and he tried to take the bottle away from her. They started yelling. This one," He said pointing at Jack, "took it upon herself to tackle him. She charged him and knocked him into the mud." Boyd was starting to laugh at the memory. "Never seen someone so small take out such big person."
"This crazy ass kept trying to hit him. Don had to throw her off so he could get up." Gordo told them. Norman was smiling at the story. He could see Jack trying to fight Collier. It was funny.
"She got in a few good hits." Boyd said. "Don just kept laughing at her when she tried to tackle him again. He didn't budge. He kept shoving her away. She gave up and stormed off. Found her sleeping on some other tank the next morning. She had no clue where she was." Boyd ended. Renee and Betty looked at Jack. Jack was blushing and the two women laughed.
"Boyd, did you ever drink?" Norman asked. Boyd stilled and his smile vanished. Jack found her opportunity.
"Boyd's been absolutely shit faced." She told Norman with a smirk and sat in the last seat. Grady was about to tell the story but Jack stopped him. "Shut up boys, I'm telling this one since I was actually sober for it. Ok so we had stopped for the night and we were by a river. We had just taken the town and it acted as a port. Our tank was stopped near the docks so we decided to go eat dinner on one of them. It had bene a really long week and we decided to drink. I didn't really drunk much but Boyd, Boyd drank a whole bottle on his own before he ended up in the river." Jack told them.
"How did he end up in the river?" Norman asked. He wasn't there for this either.
"Grady kept trying to take his mustache and the two were struggling to throw the other in the river. They were both completely shit faced so it was only a few seconds before they fell in." Jack stated.
Renee laughed and Grady slightly glared at Jack. It wasn't one of their finer moments. Jack had lied for their sakes. They were actually fighting over who Hitler would fuck for a chocolate bar. She was saving that for another time.
They sat around for a small while, swapping drinking stories before and during the war. After a while, Jack shooed Norman off to take a shower. Boyd handed him a bag of the clothes they got from Norman's dorm. After Norman had cleaned up, Renee told him to go rest in her bed. He was exhausted from staying in the cell. He was out like a light.
Don arrived after work and the group had dinner. Betty's husband joined them. He was a nice man, quiet and reserved, but he enjoyed the soldiers and their loudness. The group let Norman get some sleep and Jack debated on whether or not he should drink again that night. After talking to Don, she decided to let Norman choose if he wants to drink or nor. Next weekend, she would have Norman come over and have him drink excessively. She didn't want today to happen again.
Norman had told her the whole story about how two of his friends were getting rowdy and he and the rest of the group tried to stop them, but they made it worse in the end. It was actually a pretty funny story.
Food was cleared away and betty put David to bed. Gordo and Jack broke out the shot glasses and bottles of alcohol. Gordo had gotten a bottle of Jack Daniels but Jack insisted he also get a bottle of Jameson.
"alright, Renee, let's see how much you can hold." Jack challenged as the two sat at the kitchen table. Don pulled Boyd aside.
"What are they doing?" He asked, confused.
"Renee and Jack are going to see who can out drink the other. It came up in conversation and they all wanted to see who would win." Boyd explained. Don smiled and shook his head. Jack was going to regret it tomorrow. She has the worst hangovers.
Norman woke up half way through the challenge and nearly fell over at the sight of Jack and Renee downing shot after shot. They were drunk by now and giggling. Jack saw Norman walk in and she laughed loudly. Renee turned and snorted, covering her mouth.
"He looks like he seen hell!" Jack yelled and snorted. Renee nearly spit out her next shot but knocked it back before giggling.
"He looks like shit." Renee slurred while she laughed. Gordo and Grady looked at Norman. He only looked a bit tired. He just woke up. Renee grabbed the bottle of Jack Daniel's and tried to fill Jack's shot glass again. Grady took the bottle before she could spill it. "C'mon, Jack! How much you got?" She asked. Jack snorted.
"I fucking lost count." She cackled and Renee snorted. The two would tease and laugh and snort as they knocked back shot after shot. Norman was worried they would end up with alcohol poisoning.
Luckily, Renee decided to stop. She had about ten shots and had to stop. She was starting to feel sick. Jack had been drinking in large quantities than Renee since many mistook her for a boy in Germany. Even when she was a woman, she would drink heavily.
"Oh, come on! We just started. Sit the fuck down." Jack teased. Renee laughed and leaned back. "Grady, you're next, fucker. Ima out drink you and your girl." Jack declared. Grady and Gordo had been taking a few shots and were on their way to getting drunk but were sober enough to know Jack needed to stop. Don stepped in.
"Jack, I think you've had enough." He said fondly as he began to pull her up to her feet. She fell back against him and looked up at him.
"Your eyes are fucking pretty." She told him. Don and a few others laughed. He led her to the living room and sat her down. Renee and Jack had drank it quickly so the alcohol would be catching up to them soon. Renee was feeling ill and Betty got her a glass of water while she herself was drinking a glass of wine. Betty wasn't a huge drinker and preferred to stick to wine. Don, Boyd, and Betty's husband stuck to a beer or two.
"They are going to be a nightmare to get back to the motel." Betty's husband commented to Boyd. Boyd nodded and watched as Gordo tugged Norman into a seat and poured him a shot in Jack's glass. They kept urging him to drink it and he did. By the end of the night, Jack was passed out on the couch, Renee had gone to bed and Norman, poor Norman, was throwing up in the bathroom. Boyd had gotten Gordo and Grady to the car with the help of Don. The two were singing loudly.
It was an interesting night. They found Renee could swear just as badly as Jack, Gordo and Grady thought they were the best singers in the world, and Jack had somehow managed to make it outside, barefoot and running down the street. Norman wasn't very drunk but his body was rejecting the alcohol, he was still a bit hungover.
Grady told Jack there was a spider on the floor and she ran out the house before anyone noticed. The only reason they knew she left was because the screen door shut. Don and Boyd bolted out after her and Betty watched from the porch with Renee. Renee was cheering her to run faster and Betty laughed. Boyd was waiting by the car incase Don couldn't catch her. Norman joined them as Don reached Jack. He wrapped his arms around her waist and turned to face the house. He lead her back, promising there were no spiders.
When she reached the house, Norman could see she was crying, extremely concerned about the possibility of a spider being there. Don had gotten her to the couch and told her to sleep. She was out like a light. It was around this time Renee had decided to go to sleep. A small while after Jack had fallen asleep, Renee began sobering up and decided to sleep as well. Boyd took Gordo and Grady back to the motel. Betty laughed as they left. Before they were rounded up, they made norman do two more shots. This sent his stomach over the edge and he was vomiting in the bathroom.
He brushed his teeth and came back to the living room. Jack was no longer on the couch and Betty had brought him a pillow and blanket. He thanked her, still a bit dizzy. She just smiled at him. Don came back inside. He had put Jack in the car. Don sat on the couch next to Norman.
"Jack told me about what happened, how you got arrested." He said. Norman looked down at his hands.
"I'm sorry about that, sir. It won't happen again." He assured Don. Don smiled.
"Son, you're young. You're gonna mess up. Just try not to get arrested again." He said and put a firm hand on Norman's shoulder. Norman looked at him with a small smile of thanks. "If you get in trouble for doing that again, we're gonna pour a whole bottle of Jack down your throat." He said with a smile, threatening Norman. Norman laughed.
"Sounds fair, sir." Norman said.
"Alright." Don said quietly. "Get some sleep." He said and stood. He walked over to Betty. "Thank you for letting everyone be here for so long." Betty smiled.
"It's fine, Don. They are a good bunch. David likes them too. It's been quiet lately so having them here livens it up a bit." She told him. "However, you have to get groceries next week. If I'm feeding them, you have to pay for it." She teased and Don smiled, agreeing. He gave her a hug and he kissed his cheek and bid him goodnight.
Don took Jack home and got her to bed before climbing in next to her. He was glad she had off tomorrow. She was not going to feel good.
Don was right. Jack didn't wake up until after noon and rolled out of bed. She felt like she had bene hit by a bus. She showered and stumbled into the kitchen. She struggled to make herself some food and coffee. Jack regretted trying to out drink Renee. She sat at the table and began eating, trying to get something in her so she could get rid of the hang over. She had drank a full glass of water and half a cup of coffee. She was eating some egg when the phone rang. She grimaced at the sound and stood to answer it.
"Collier residence." She grunted into the phone. No one spoke. "Hello?" She asked, irritated. This was the second time this happened. "Look, stop calling if you aren't going to talk!" She yelled and slam the phone down, hanging up. Jack sat back down to eat. She wasn't going anywhere today so she wore some black pants with her green shirt from the army. It was a tee shirt and it was comfortable. Sometimes she used it as a night gown.
Jack spent the day just reading and relaxing and trying to nurse a hangover away. She made dinner and was setting the table when Don came home. He set his things down on the chair and hugged her, kissing her head.
"How you feeling, Jack?" He asked and she groaned into his shirt, breathing in his scent. He chuckled and kissed her head again. "Maybe next time, don't drink so much." He said as he sat down, moving his brief case to the floor. Jack put the food on the table and sat down as well.
"I remember running down the street." She stated. "Did that actually happen of was I dreaming?" Don laughed quietly.
"Yeah, Bible and I had to chase you down. He almost got in the car to follow you. I had to drag you back to Betty's." He told her and put food on his plate. It was what she first made the group. Shepherd's pie. This time she had all of the ingredients and a working oven. It was still delicious. Jack grimaced at the fact she had tried to run away. It explained why her feet hurt thought.
"Don, sometimes the phone rings and no one is on the other end. Could the phone be broken? It happened again today." She told him. He frowned.
"I've picked up a few of those as well. I can ask about it. Most likely it's something on their end that isn't working." He told her. She nodded. They ate in a comfortable silence for the most part. They would chat idly. Don helped Jack clear the table and they found themselves in the sitting room, reading. Jack rested her head in his lap and he stroked her hair. It was a calm, quiet evening.
The next two weeks passed smoothly. Jack didn't drink excessively again, but she did drink on occasion. Betty had a barbeque one weekend and the group was introduced to a few of their friends. Every so often the boys would be over at Don's apartment and Norman was able to stay out of trouble. His friends from university did drag him out drinking but was able to stay sober for the most part.
One night, Jack and Don were woken up by a knock on the door. It was Norman. His friends dragged him out drinking and were starting to get rowdy. He decided it was time for him to leave and decided to see if he could stay the night at Don's. His roommate had the key to the dorm and Don's apartment was just two blocks away from where they were. Jack laughed at Norman and Don smiled. They let him stay the night, glad he would be somewhere safe. He was relatively sober but not completely. Jack was just glad he was out of trouble.
It was a good thing he left when he did. The next day, Norman learns a few of them got arrested again. It was the same two starting trouble and the rest of the group decided to let them get in trouble. They weren't sure if they would be drinking with those two again.
In those two weeks, Norman also asked a girl out on a date. Renee and Jack flipped out. They were so excited for the date and bugged him about it all day. Norman had taken her to the movies that night. The next day Jack and Renee drilled him for details. He just laughed at them and told them about how it went. They asked if he kissed her and they screamed when he admitted he did. When Jack told Don about the date, he couldn't help but smile. Norman was a good kid and he deserved a good girl. Don felt bad for Norman's loss of Emma and was glad he was moving on.
At the end of two weeks, everything had seemed to settle in a routine. Every so often either Norman or Renee would have a date, they met up for meals every so often at Betty's, sometimes they would go out as as a group to visit D.C. It was nice and Jack was going to miss them when they would have to leave.
It was a Friday and Jack was going to meet Don and the rest of the group at Betty's for dinner. It was about two weeks to the wedding and she was excited.
Sometime during the day, a pen had exploded over her dress. She called Betty and let her know she was going to be late. Jack had to stop home to change. She was wearing a yellow dress that was now covered in blue ink.
Jack entered the apartment and headed to the bedroom. She pulled out a pretty lavender dress and slipped it on. She looked at her reflection and decided to take the time to fix her hair and reapply her make up. She put on mascara and eyeliner on her top eyelid. She had finished putting on red lipstick and looked at her reflection with a soft smile when someone knocked on the apartment door loudly. Jack was startled but made her way out of the room and to the front door. Whoever was knocking was knocking quickly, as if they were hurried. She furrowed her eyes and opened the door.
"Hello, what's-" she started but froze. Richard was standing there, fuming. He reeked of alcohol and body odor. Jack panicked. She was alone and afraid. She didn't have her gun like she did in Germany and Richard was much bigger than any Nazi she faced. He was a wide man. Jack Tried to slam the door shut but Richard shoved it open, pushing her back in. She ran to the kitchen and picked up the phone she began dialing in a number when he grabbed her by her hair.
"No you don't, you bitch!" He roared and yanked her back. She screamed and dropped the phone as she stumbled to the other side of the kitchen, tripping over a chair and landing on the floor. She tried to stand, using the wall as a support. "You fucking whore!" He yelled and threw a chair at her. The back of it hit her but the rest missed. She slid back to the ground and Richard flipped the table, knocking everything that was on it onto the floor, including a small vase of flowers Don had brought her.
"Stop! Please!" She screamed as tears fell down her face. Richard yanked her up by her arm and tossed her again. She stumbled into the counter and caught herself.
"Don't fucking tell me what to do, you whore! Fucking take my money and think you gonna get married! You think you're fucking special? Think you're pretty?" He yelled at her and advanced. Jack pushed herself away from the counter and went to the other wall. He began lifting dirty dishes from the sink and throwing them. Jack screamed as each one broke against the wall.
"Stop it! Stop!" She cried. Richard tried to get to her but was slowed by the table he knocked over. Jack tried to run ot the door that was still open. He managed to reach her and grabbed her dress, pulling her back and onto the floor, taking out the small table that was in the hall. There was a mirror attached to it that fell, cutting her slightly. The back of her dress was torn slightly.
"Fucking, bitch!" He yelled and kicked her. Jack cried out. "Fucking think you can fucking do that to me?" He roared. "To your fucking family?" He yelled and kicked her again.
"Hey!" A third voice called. Richard turned to see a young man. Jack recognized him as one of the door men. He was an older gentle man with thin grey hair.
"The fuck you want?" Richard spat at him. "This ain't your fucking business."
"You need to leave. This is not your home, sir." The old man stated firmly. Richard glared at him and Jack propped herself up. She was crying. "Sir, I will call the police and have you arrested if you do not leave."
Richard thought for a second. He turned and spit on Jack before shoving past the door man. The older man waited until Richard was gone before moving forward to help Jack. His tone softened.
"Ms. Edwards, are you all right?" He asked as she stood, he put a gentle hand on her arm. She nodded and sniffed.
"Thank you. I'm alright." She said weakly. She began to make her way down the hall, trying to calm herself. She was crying still. She was shaken up.
"Do you need me to call anyone? Perhaps I should call Mr. Coll-" He began to suggest but Jack turned to him, pleadingly.
"No, no please don't tell him. Don't call him, don't tell him. I just need to get this place cleaned up. I need to e somewhere." She pleaded. He looked at her and pressed his lips to a thin line. He didn't like leaving Collier in the dark but he couldn't do anything unless Jack allowed it. "I'll be fine." She offered with a weak smile. "I'll be fine, I just need to clean this up." She said and sniffed, trying to stop crying. The man sighed in defeat.
"If you need anything, please come tell me." He told her. She promised she would and closed the door after he left. The moment the door shut, Jack sunk to the floor and cried. She felt so weak and out of control. She felt helpless and scared. He had completely caught her off guard and she couldn't fight back. Could he have killed her? What would have happened if the gentle man hadn't stepped in?
Everyone was sitting at betty's table, waiting for Jack to arrive. Betty told them she would be a few minutes late but it had been much longer than it should have. People were getting worried.
"What could be taking her so long?" Renee asked Grady. Grady couldn't offer her any advice.
"It's possible she had to work late, just got held up. Traffic isn't helping either." Boyd said, trying to help offer ideas. Don was bouncing his leg. Boyd was probably right, but he still worried.
"Let me try to call her, see if she's till at the apartment." Betty suggested.
"Try her work, first." Norman suggested. "Maybe she's still held up." Betty nodded and tried it. The people at the library told her Jack had left about half an hour ago. Jack should have been there by now. Betty called Don's apartment and it didn't even ring. It was disconnected.
"Don!" She called as she went into the dinning room. "Don, your phone isn't ringing. I think it's disconnected." She said. Don stood, worried.
"I'm going home real quick, see if Jack's there. It's probably nothing, we've been having a few issues with the phone lately." He assured Betty and tried to assure himself.
"We can go –" Boyd began to say as the men stood.
"No." Don told them. "Stay here in case she is already on her way here. I'll be back soon." He said as he made his way out to his car. He drove home and pulled into the parking lot. He ran up the steps and ran down the hall to his apartment. He unlocked the door and swung it open. He froze at the sight.
The apartment had been turned upside down. It looked as if a tornado had blown through. There was glass in the hall and the small table was over turned. Dishes were broken on the floor and the large table was on its side and he could only see one chair. There was more glass on the floor in the kitchen and water from the vase. In the middle of it all was Jack, on her knees, trying to clean it up. She was crying slightly and he heard her sniff. Jack heard the door open and looked at him with fear.
Her make up was running down her tear stained face and her dress was torn slightly. She had small cuts and a large bruise forming on her upper arm. Her hair was a mess. Don moved into the hall and closed the door, staring at her.
"Don." She called in a whisper and slowly stood. He furrowed his eyebrows in concern and slowly moved forward. Fresh tears built up in her eyes and she ran to him. He wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I wanted to clean it before I came over, Don. I-" She apologized and Don pulled her away and held her shoulders gently.
"Jack, don't apologize." He told her softly. "What happened?" He asked softly and wiped away a tear as it fell. Jack was silent and he could see her trying to keep it together. "Baby, what happened?" He asked softly. A sob ripped out of Jack's throat and she began to cry again. Don pulled her close, he stroked her hair and waited for her to calm down, assuring her everything was ok. His attention landed on the phone. It was off it's stand and hanging by the cord.
"My uncle." She choked out, catching his attention again. He looked down at her as she stepped back. "Richard, my uncle. He was here, he found me. I didn't know it was him at the door and he shoved his way in. I was so scared, I didn't know what to do. I couldn't fight back. I'm sorry, Don, I'm so sorry!" Jack rushed out everything and kept crying. Don held her close.
"Jack, it's ok. It's not your fault. Jack, breathe. You gotta breathe baby." He told her calmly as she clung to him, feeling safe in his arms. He kept her close, trying to give her a sense of security. It took her a few minutes to calm down but Jack was finally able to breathe again. "Jack, you ok?" He asked. She nodded and wiped her face.
"I need to go put on a new dress." She mumbled. Richard had torn the collar of her dress. Don nodded and kissed her forehead.
"Go change. We can worry about this tomorrow. I'm going to call Betty and let her know we are on our way. Take as long as you need." He told her. She nodded and gingerly stepped over the glass. She still had shoes on but she didn't want to make more of a mess. Don picked up the phone and called betty.
He told them what happened and Betty gasped. Don told them to start eating and that they would be over soon. As he hung up, Jack walked out of the room. She had wiped away the dried blood from her small cuts and put on a light blue dress and fixed her makeup. Her eyes were red and tired.
"Ready?" Jack asked Don. Don pulled her in for another hug. He rested his chin on her head and she hugged him back, relaxing in the safety of his arms. He could see she was tired.
"Are you sure you still want to go?" He asked her. "We can stay here." She shook her head and stepped back.
"I need to get away from here for a while." She told him. He nodded in understanding and held her close as they walked out.
Jack was quiet for the rest of the evening. The group had gotten her to smile again but she wasn't as loud as usual. She would laugh and talk but there was a melancholy air around her and Don noticed. He held her hand tightly and squeezed gently, reassuringly.
Jack's home had been invaded. A place of safety and security no longer felt safe. Someone had barged in and wrecked it and attacked her. Don knew she would need to be reassured she was safe. He wasn't going to leave her home alone any time soon. But they would handle that when it came to that. At the moment, they focused on dinner. She was safe there and she knew it. She began to relax.
That night, she clung to Don tightly, burrowing against his chest and he held her close. He hummed to her quietly and rubbed her back. Jack would have a nightmare that night and she would wake up with a yell. Don would hold her and ease her back to sleep. He held her close and made sure she felt safe.
Sorry I forgot to update lately. What do you guys think?