Jackson walked into Greenlee's room and instantly saw the relief on her face.
"Thank God. What were you thinking Dad?" she reached up and hugged her father holding him tight.
Jackson pulled away and sat on the edge of her bed, "I'm sorry honey. I saw that gun aimed at JR and all I could imagine is Marissa getting startled and that bullet hitting you. I wasn't there to protect you that night and I will be damned if I'm not there to protect you again."
Greenlee was quiet for a moment as she contemplated having a father that cared about her enough to step in front of a bullet for her. "Dad why was JR there and why was Marissa holding a gun to him?"
"You didn't hear what they were saying?" Jackson looked confused.
She shook her head, "When I saw that gun I froze. It was like being stuck in an elevator. Everything went silent all I could focus on was the gun."
"I don't know why JR was there I imagine he was looking for AJ." He started.
When Jackson said AJ's name Greenlee knew instantly what would drive Marissa to pull a gun on JR. "No, please Dad don't tell me. It's not possible." She shook her head praying it wasn't true.
"AJ didn't make it through the surgery. Marissa understandably blames JR." Jackson held her hand.
"Oh my God. When is all this pain going to stop Dad? First the party and now…" she couldn't bring herself to say the words. Greenlee remembered losing her baby and how hard that had been she couldn't contemplate the pain that Marissa was going through right now.
David sat down at his desk leaning back finally letting a breath out. The sounds of the heart monitors screaming out echoed in his mind. They had just closed the young boy up thinking the surgery was a success when his heart stopped. He could see Griff pounding on the boys chest. He saw his little boy jump off the table when they shocked him. He heard to monotones tone indicating the lack of a heart beat. He remembered his knees hitting the ground when Griff pronounced the time of death. It seemed impossible for his Grandson to be gone.
"David?" Leo sat across from David worried about his brother.
"I'm ok Leo. Why don't you go find Greenlee?" David wanted to be alone.
"She's got Jackson and Ryan. Right now you need me more than she does."
David laughed, "Ryan. That putz he's exactly why you need to be with her right now. If you're not careful you'll never get her back."
"Do I want my wife back sure but I can't ignore the fact that she's got years of history with Ryan. I can't come back in to her life and expect her to just leave him."
"You're a fool brother. If you only knew what's gone on between those two." David was more than happy to fill Leo in on what had happened.
Leo held his hand up, "Listen it's not your place to tell me about her life that's something she and I need to talk about. Now stop trying to change the topic talk to me David."
"You want to sit here and talk about how I let my Grandson down? How once again I let down someone I love. Is that what you want to talk about Leo?" He hated to yell at his brother but he couldn't contain the anger he felt.
"David it's not your fault. You can't blame yourself."
"Can't I Leo? You weren't here you have no idea what I've done. My father killed himself I stood there and watched him put the gun to his head and I did nothing. I begged you to help me and kept you from Greenlee and we both know how that turned out. Our mother almost got you killed because of me. Mine and Anna's daughter died because I couldn't do anything to fix her. I left my daughter alone with the Chandler's I wasn't around to save her after the tornado's. I hurt Greenlee in ways I never thought possible. God is punishing me for all the bad I've done in my life. Careful Leo stay around me and you'll end up dead for real."
"David…" Leo started.
"No Leo get out of here. GO! Stay away from me!" David pointed his finger at the door pleading with Leo to leave before he got hurt to.
Leo pulled his brother into a hug, "I'll never give up on you David you should know that by now."
Tad opened the door for Dixie they both entered the dark house solemnly. The day had started with hope and now it ended in sorrow.
Blue light emanated from the living room. The girls were laying on the coach with Opal watching a movie.
"Mommy! Daddy!" Kathy saw them entering the house. She ran into their arms Jenny close behind.
Dixie and Tad held tight to their girls savoring the moment with them.
"Well ya'll are just in time. Kathy and Jenny just finished watching Tangled I was just getting ready to put them to bed. Why don't you two wait down here I'll put these two to bed and we'll talk." She reached out her hand to the little girls.
"It's ok Mama I'll put the girls to bed." He picked Jenny up and held tight to Kathy's hand as they walked up the stairs.
As Tad took the girls up stairs Dixie told Opal the news about AJ. She went over the events of the day. How they had all prayed for that little boy but it wasn't enough. God still took that boy from them. She told her how heart breaking it was to hear Marissa's screams. Opal listened in horror as Dixie explained how Marissa almost shot JR. How it was Jackson that finally got through to her. Opal and Dixie held tight to one another's hands as they prayed for AJ, Marissa and the Chandler family.
Upstairs Tad laid the girls in their beds. Pulling the covers over their pajamas. He sat down on Kathy's bed and pulled out one of his favorite bed time stories, "I'll Love you Forever". He read the story to his girls drinking in this moment with them. By the time he reached the part of the story where the young boy turned nine his girls were fast asleep. He closed the book and stared down at their sleeping forms.
He bent down over Kathy kissing her softly on the forehead, "I'll love you forever," he whispered in her ear. He turned and looked down at little Jenny holding tight to her teddy bear. He rubbed his finger along her cheek. He leaned down and kissed her forehead, "I'll like you for always," He turned toward the door. He stopped at the wall bending down and turned on their princess night light. Before opening the door he turned back to them, "As long as I'm living my babies you'll be." He finished the page he closed as turned away from his sleeping girls to join his own mother.
Marissa and Bianca stood in the middle of the hospital hallway. Bianca had held Marissa tightly in her arms since the moment she gave that gun to Jackson. She could feel her shirt being soaked by the woman's tears but she didn't care she wanted Marissa to feel her love in this darkest moment of her life.
With the hallway empty except for Angie Marissa pulled away from Bianca and turned to the doctor. "Angie I'm so sorry."
Angie walked over to the two women, "Oh baby you don't have to apologize to me. I can only imagine the pain your feeling right now. If you need anything, and I mean anything you just let me know."
"Angie there's something you can do for me." Marissa grabbed the woman's arm before she could leave them.
Angie nodded at her, "Angie can you take me to see my son?" Marissa needed to see him one last time before…before the funeral.
Angie turned to the nurses' station and picked up the phone. She told the other person on the line they were on their way down.
Angie motioned for the two women to follow her. They walked quietly down the corridors taking the elevator to the surgical ward. She stopped in front of one of the rooms and opened the door for them. She waited outside as the women went inside.
Bianca held tight to Marissa's hand as the young woman walked towards the still form lying on the table. Her arm fell as Marissa let her go. She stood back and let Marissa have this time with him.
Marissa stared down at the little boy lying before her. She thought back to holding him that morning protecting him from a bad dream promising to never leave him. She placed her hand in his shocked by how cold he was.
A sob escaped her lips as she laid her body over his, "Oh AJ honey you're so cold." She rubbed her hands along his arms trying to warm him up. "Bianca he's so cold he needs a blanket. AJ hates to be cold." Tears streaked down her eyes as she looked around the room for a blanket.
Bianca found a blanket on one of the counters and brought it over to the woman. She watched as Marissa wrapped the little boy in the blanket wishing there was something she could do for both of them.
"There you go honey, snug as a bug in a rug." Marissa wrapped the blanket tightly around him. She ran her hand through his blonde hair. She looked down at him, "I think their wrong Binx he's not gone. Look at him he's just sleeping. He just needs sometime to wake up."
Bianca looked up at Marissa's hopeful face, " 'Rissa…."
"No don't say it Bianca. He's not gone." She turned back to her little boy refusing to believe he was gone. "AJ honey it's time to wake up. Come on baby wake up for mommy." Marissa shook his body gently begging him to open his eyes.
Bianca couldn't watch her any longer she put her arms around her, "He's gone 'Rissa. Feel his chest." She placed the young woman's hand on top of his chest over his heart holding her had there, "There's no heart beat honey. Feel his face baby…"
Marissa placed her hand on his cheek and felt how cold he was. His face was white as snow. There was no beat of his heart under his chest. No breath came from his lips. He would never laugh with her again. He would never bring her flowers he picked at the park. He would never graduate from high school, or get married, or have children of his own. She leaned her body over his and cried for the little boy who would never experience life.
Bianca let her have a moment alone with him. She stood in the back of the room making sure to no interrupt them as the tears streamed down her face.
Marissa climbed up on the table with AJ holding him close to her. "Oh baby Mommy's so sorry. I did everything I could to protect you but I failed." She rocked him back and forth singing him soft lullabies' as the tears streamed down her face. She was unable to stop the tears from flowing.
"You know baby Grandma Krystal gave me a diary that was your Mommy Babe's. She wrote about how much she loved you and how she used to read you stories at night. I know you're with Mommy Babe now. She'll protect you forever. You make sure to give her a big hug and kiss from me." She kissed his forehead and closed her eyes holding tightly to the little boy.
"Goodnight room, goodnight moon, goodnight cow jumping over the moon, goodnight light and the red balloon, goodnight bears goodnight chairs, goodnight kittens goodnight mittens, goodnight clocks and goodnight socks, goodnight little house and goodnight mouse, goodnight comb and goodnight brush , goodnight nobody goodnight mush, and goodnight to the old lady whispering "hush".
She fought back the sob that threatened to escape her lips long enough to finish the story Babe had read him every night before bed, "goodnight stars, goodnight air, goodnight noises everywhere." She managed to whisper in his ear before giving in to the grief.
'Goodnight Moon' by Margaret Wise Brown and 'I'll Love You Forever' by Robert N. Munsch were both used in this chapter.