DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING EXCEPT KAMERIN CAINE AND MAKAYLA TAYLOR

"Kamerin. Mackayla." Mac said knocking on the front door of my cousin's door. "Kamerin! Mackayla!" He said again. After not getting an answer he decided to kick down the door. He ran in with my father, sister, and boyfriend. Mac stopped dead at the sight of us lying on the floor. His daughter and his goddaughter.

"Kam." Flack said firmly tapping me on the face. "Kam!" He reached over and put his two fingers on my neck and another two fingers on Mackayla's neck."Can you get a pulse?" My sister asked. "Barely. Call an ambulance." Mac opened his phone. "This is Detective Mac Taylor I need an ambulance over on Madison Ave. and Broadway."

Mac waited for the ambulances to show up and they all jumped in. My father, sister, and boyfriend were with me and my uncle was with my cousin. When we got to the hospital my cousin and i were rushed through the double doors to be examined. When we were all settled and the examination was finished my cousin and I started to slowly regain conscienceness. We were able to hear what was going on in the room.

"How are they doctor?" My father asked. "They're fine. They took a beating to their arms, legs, ribs, and faces. Do you know who did this?" "Chad." I mumbled. I heard everyone jump. "What?" My sister asked. "Chad." I said louder. I slowly opened my eyes and saw the doctor standing over me shining a flashlight in my eyes.

"She's alright." "Who did this to you?" "Chad McKnight and Tom McGregor." "Are you sure?" "I saw them." "Well if you remember we'll leave and let Flack take your statement." I watched them all leave and my boyfriend come in and sit by me. "Can you tell me what happened?" I took a deep breathe in and I promised myself that whatever may happen I will not cry.

"Mackayla and I had just got home from a kareoke party. We got in and I went to put my bags upstairs." I thought about me setting my bags down and coming downstairs and finding something completely appalling. "Ok what happened next?" "I uh, came back downstairs and found Chad kicking the Mackayla and hitting her. I ran down and fought him off but Tommy got me from behind and kicked the back of my legs and slammed me down."

"I tried to get back up but Chad kicked me in the face." "Ok how did you get those cuts on your arms?" "Um, Tommy tried to stab Mackayla." I said tearing up. "I uh, fought with him to get the knife and he knicked me while we were fighting. I turned around and took the knife and stabbed him in the abdomen. It was shallow because I didn't want to kill him." "Ok how did you get those bruises on your shins?" "Chad grabbed me by my hair and let Tommy kick me. It was payback for stabbing him."

"How did Mackayla get those burns on her arm?" "Chad pulled out a lighter and put it ot my back." I said untieing the back of my gown and showing him my lower back. I saw the mirror on the side table by Mackayla and saw a big red slash on my back. "Ok. You can tie yourself back up now." I tied the back of my gown back up and continued with my story. "He walked over and Tommy had me by my hair and made me watch Chad burn Mackayla's arms. I flipped out. I dug my nails into Tommy's wrist and scratched him. I grabbed his wrist and flipped him."

"What happened after that?" "I started to punch him in tge face. I broke his nose and Chad came over and kicked me in the ribs. He told me to shut up. He then walked over and started to beat Mackayla. He uh, kicked her in the the shins and hit her with a baseball bat and things he could find." I stopped and thought about what i said. I started to cry. I hid my face in my hands and just cried. I felt Don sit next to me and wrap his arms around me and give me a hug.

"It's ok." "No it wasn't I tried to fight and save Mackayla but I couldn't. I could only watch her get beaten by my ex and his step brother." "Ok. Lindsay's going to take pictures of your marks. Ok? It's just for evidence." "Ok." I was completely scared and I tried to hide it. I looked at him and I knew that he knew I was terrified. "It's going to alright." "I hope so." "I know so." "Ok." I just nodded and stared at my feet. He gave ma a kiss on the forehead and left.

Lindsay came in with a camera. "Are you ready?" "Yeah." I said untieing my gown again. I held it on while she took pictures of my back. Then she moved from my back to my ribs. Then she went to my legs while I retied my robe. She had me turn around so she could see the back of my legs and she got pictures of my arms. I walked over with her to Mackayla and moved her arms so that Lindsay could take a picture of the inside of her arms.. Then she took pictures of her legs and I had to roll her on her side so that Lindsay could take a picture of the back.

When she was done Lindsay started to talk to me while she scraped under my finger nails slowly and throughly. "How are you holding up?" "Fine. Where's Lucy?" "Searching the crime scene." "You mean Mak's house?" "Yeah?" "Is she alone?" "No. She's with Hawkes." "You have to go to the house. Chad's hiding in the basement probably waiting for her. Don't let her go down there alone." "Kam relax you're jsut high strung." "No I'm not Lindsay. He's mad because I broke up with him and he found out I'm dating Don somehow. He's going to go after Lucy." "Why would he go after Lucy?" "Because he believe's it's Lucy's fault I left him. Lindsay go get her or he's going to do to her what he did to me and this time he might kill her."

"You're just a bit freaked. Kam it's normal." She said finishing the last nail. "Ok Just a few more pictures and then I'm leaving." "Ok." I waited for her to leave then I threw off my gown and put my clothes on and grabbed my stuff. I ran to the parking lot and drove off. I wasn't just going to let my friend go through what I just went through.

I rushed to the house as fast as I could without breaking the speed limit. I couldn't get pulled over. The last think I needed was to get caught. I pulled up to the back of the house and ran in. I snuck in the back way and found Chad starting to beat on Lucy. He had his back to me and I knew that was my chance. I ran up behind him quietly and wrapped my arm around his neck. I pulled back and heard him gasp for air and slammed him down.

"You son of a..." I kicked him in the face with my sneaker and looked at Lucy. "I was never here." I texted her telling her to get out. I told her she wasn't safe. I looked down at Chad. I crouched down by him. I started to whisper in his ear. "I'll see you later." I said through clenched teeth. I heard Hawkes come towards the stairs so I ran to the kitchen and snuck out the back door. I got in my car and drove off. I ran back to my hospital room and got back in my gown and sat down gently on the sheets and turned the tv on ans started to click through the channels.

I knew that Mac was going to find out that I snuck out and be furious with me but noone would listen to me what other choice did I have? I wasn't going to let Lucy die! A couple hours passed and Mac came storming in. "You were at the crime scene?" He said looking furious with me. I wasn't going to lie. "No one would listen to me! I said Chad was going to go after Lucy and no one believed me! So yes I want to the house and saved her life." "Kamerin you vould've been hurt again. You could've got arrested for messing with a crime scene in an open case!" "I'm aware of the consequences of my actions." I said firmly. I looked him in the eys. "I'm not sure you were. You could've lost your job!" "It didn't matter to me. Yes my job is important to me but it's not my life. I would gladly give up my job if it meant saving a couple lives." "Well I hope you're glad with your work. Now IAB is going to question you about what happened." "Bring it on!"

"This isn't a game Kamerin!" "I never said it was! Nor am I treating it like one Mac. I'm ready for whatever happens to me. And if I lose my job. I lose my job but at least I saved your daughter and god daughter from being killed. That's all that I cared about. If I wasn't there to help I gurantee you that Chad and Tommy would've killed Mackayla and Lucy! Then poor Mackendra would be an orphan." 'No she wouldn't she has her father and me." "Mac, Mackendra's father died last year." "How do you know?" "Because I want to school with they guy! He died in my arms Mac!"

I thought back to Cole. It started out as a normal day off and ended with me sitting on the ground in a park with Cole bleeding out in my arms waiting for the paramedics. I was talking to him about his daughter when he got shot. I was showing him pictures and everything. In fact I had planned for him to come with me up to New York and see her and Mackayla but unfortunately one gunshot changed all that.

It was pouring and he was asking me about his daughter. So i told him. I knew he was going to die but I still told him he'd make it. I was just trying to keep the hope going but it didn't work. He bled out and died. My father and sister found me holding him and crying. I was rocking back and forth. My sister had to pull me away while my dad checked his pulse.

I walked over and threw my clothes back on. "What are you doing?" "Well if I'm going to be questioned by IAB I'm not doing it in my hospital gown." I heard my phone go off. I turned to open it when I saw nurses rush Lucy down the hall. I ran to the door awith Mac right behind me. I turned my head and looked up at him. "I told you." I said with no emotion.

I ran down the hall following the nurses. I had to wait outside as she was rushed to the operating room. Lindsay and Danny were standing right behind me. I turned around. "Where did you find her?" "Kamerin." Lindsay said softly. I could see she was about to cry. I turned to Danny. "Where did you find her?" "At the crime scene. Why?" I clenched my fists and teeth and walked back to my room. I grabbed my stuff and ran to my car once again. "I knew it!" I screamed.

I ran to my car. I got in and floored it. This time I didn't care if I got pulled over. I knew they didn't find Chad. I knew how he could be. He could only be found when he wanted to be. I drove up to Lucy's house. "Chad! I know you're here Chad! Come out and fight me!" I still had my fists clenched. He came up. His eyes were all red and puffy. I could tell he'd been crying. He was covered in blood which led me to only one conclusion.

"He's dead isn't he?" "You killed him." "Good. He deserved what he got." Chad snapped and lunged towards me. I quickly stepped to the side and turned around. He ran into the wall. He came back after me and I let him run past me and I grabbed him by the arm and whipped him back. "You've screwed with me for the last time Chad." "Oh sweetie the funs just beginning!" He tried to come after me and I flipped him. He kept trying to get me and I kept moving out of his way. "Stand still coward!" "I'm no coward. I'm a hell of alot braver then you. I don't go running away whenever something goes wrong. I face it and deal with it."

"I don't run away." "Chad who are you trying to kid? When your mom died you left Indiana and ran to Maine. When your father died you left Maine and ran to Kentucky. When your best friend killed himself you ran from Kentucky to Miami. Then you're step father finally died and you ran from Miami to New York. You can't handle the truth. It kills you to confront things because all of it is your fault. I've tried to help you Chad but you've made things worse and that's why I left you." "Yeah for a lousey cop." "He's not lousey Chad. He's more of a man then you ever were." Chad grew mad and pulled out hs pocket knife.

I knew I had to move fast or he was going to ram that right into me. I stepped to the side again and watched him trip over the rug and fall. I ran over to him after I saw he was in pain. I rolled him over onto his back. "Take it out. Take it out." I knew he was referring to the knife sticking out of his abdomen. "Chad," "Take it out!" "Chad listen to me. You penetrated the abdominal wall if I remove that knife you're going to bleed out and die." I looked up and saw blue and red lights flashing and I thought we were saved.

Flack and the gang ran in. Chad ripped the knife out of his side. "Chad no!" But it was too late the knife was out and he was bleeding. There was nothing I could do. I just sat with him until he bled out. "I'm sorry for what I've done." "Hey," I said softly rubbing his back. "It's ok." "No it's not. You're right I do runaway." He let out one big cough. "That's not something I wanted to be right about." "I'm so sorry Kamerin. Tell Lucy and Mak I'm sorry too." "Alright. I will." I waited for him to bleed out and once he was gone I put my hands over his eyes and closed his eye lids.

"Kam." Flack said sweetly. I got up. "I'm fine." I said walking out. I got in my car and drove to the hospital. I went to visit Lucy to make sure she was ok and once I did I went to my cousin's room. I pulled a chair up and sat by her side. She began to wake slowly. "Kam?" "Hey Mak." "What's wrong?" "I was just thinking. This maybe one of the worst nights of my life." "Why's that?" "Do you remember what happened at the house?" "You mean where Chad and Tommy broke in and started to beat us?" "Yeah. That. Well Chad got Lucy too." "Oh my god! That monster! Is she ok?" "Yeah she's fine. Her parents are with her now along with everyone else. Um, Tommy died from the stab wound and Chad fell on his knife and bled out."

"Kam it's not your fault." "I know. But he was still a friend whether he beat on us or not. He was still an old friend." Mackayla looked me in the face. "Is there something you want to tell me?" "Cole was supposed to come up with me to see you and Mackendra." "He was!" Mackayla said smiling at the thought of Cole. "Yeah but he didn't make it up." "Why not? Let me guess he chickened out. That's just like him!" "Mak," I said with tears in my eyes. "Cole's dead." "What?" She said as tears came to her eyes.

She searched my eyes for the answer. When she realized I was telling the truth she started to cry. I sat next to her and gave her a hug. "I know you don't want to hear it but I'm going to tell you what happened because you deserve to know." I took a deep breathe and gathered my thoughts. "I ran into Cole at the coffee shop and we started to talk. He asked me how you were doing and I said that you were fine. That you and your baby were fine. He told me he knew he was the father. He didn't come and own up to it because he wasn't ready to be a father. But you should've seen him. He was completely grown up and ready to be a father."

Mackayla started to cry harder. "We were talking. We started to walk through the park talking. I showed him pictures and I told him I was going up and invited him to come up with me. It was a crazy day. It was raining like crazy and everything was just so hectic. I was talking to him more about Mackendra when a car pulled up and shot him. They drove off before I could get them. I grabbed Cole as he started to fall."

I started to tear up at the thought of it all happeneing. It was playing over in my mind as I told her. "He was bleeding badly. I told him that he was going to make it. He looked me right in the eye and told me that he could see I wasn't telling the truth. He told me he could always tell when I was lying by looking me in the eyes. I told him I was just trying to keep the hope flowing and he laughed lightly." I started to really cry at the thought of his last words. "He smiled at me and thanked me. I just looked at him and softly told him that it was my pleasure. And I sat there on the ground with him lying in my lap as his face started to turn pale and his hands went cold. I saw the smile slowly slide from his face."

Mackayla was really crying on my shoulder. I could feel my sleeve was completely soaked. "But you know what he told me before he died?" Mackayla lifted her head and moved her gaze to the floor. I curled my finger and put it under her chin and lifted her had up so her eyes met mine. "He told me to tell you that he loves you and Mackendra and he never ment to hurt you when he left and that he's sorry." I pulled my hand back and watched as she set her head back down on my shoulder and cried some more. This was truly the night I wish I didn't remember.