Chapter 14 - Landslide

SPOV

Once Eric and I had our fill of one another, we took a few minutes to talk. Okay, I don't think I'll ever get my fill of him but still. We decided that tomorrow being Sunday, we were going to use it for the day it was, rest.

We were going to lounge around in the morning, reading, and talking. Then get back to the farmhouse and make up a lovely Sunday dinner to bring over to Jason and Crystal. I needed to talk to him about the Foundation and well, he isn't a really good cook. I know Crystal will enjoy something that doesn't come out of a brown paper bag.

That was the plan until my phone started ringing. Opening my eyes, I look first at the clock and then reach for the phone. When I see the caller ID, I bolt up in bed.

"Jason?" I ask with what I know is panic in my voice. I can't help it. It's 3:30 in the morning. Unless he's drunk, there is only one reason to be calling me.

"Sook, we are on the way to the hospital. Crystal said she isn't having these babies unless you're with her."

I'm out of bed and pushing on Eric to wake up. He rolls over to see me on the phone.

"We stayed the night in the city. We will be there in ten minutes," I say to him.

I can hear Crystal in the background. She is so not having an easy time.

"Tell her to try to relax," I say to him, "and you too."

"Yeah, I…" He is cut off from another moan from Crystal.

"Tell her we're on our way." I say.

"Okay, love you, Sis." He says and hangs up.

I run to my bag and grab a pair of yoga pants and look for underthings as Eric jumps out of bed.

"It's time?" He asks.

I nod. "They're on the way to the hospital. Crystal said she isn't having the babies until I'm there." I say and grab for a shirt.

"Doesn't seem to be up to her." He sort of chuckles.

"I know that, you know that," I turn to look at him as I reach for shoes. "You want to tell Crystal that?"

He thinks about it for a moment and then shakes his head. Good man.

We are out of the loft and into his car in less than five minutes. Pulling out onto the main street, Eric turns to me slightly. "Did Jason call Crystal's family?"

I shake my head. "All she's got is me and Jason." I sigh. "Her Daddy died overseas. Her Momma passed on a year after they married. She's an only child. Her Dad has an uncle and a few kids, but she isn't close. In fact, I think the last time she saw him was at the wedding." I sigh again thinking about the fiasco that was.

"Not a good memory?" He asks.

I shake my head. "Every family has one relative that you wish never came to an event. Well, Jed Norris arrived with his fourth wife, Trixie who was maybe a year older than Crystal. They both proceeded to pound drinks at the open bar all through the cocktail hour and then decided that Trixie was going to give Jason a lap dance. When Crystal protested, Jed tried to smack her. Well you can imagine how that went. Especially when the Sheriff and three out of five of the Bon Temp deputies were in attendance at the farmhouse. They took both of them away and well, that was that."

Eric looks at me. "Jason and Crystal got married at the farmhouse?" He asks.

I smile. "Yup, down by the lake," I say to him. "It's one of the places we still feel our parents and Gran."

We don't talk anymore. But it's only a few blocks to the hospital. Thinking of the hospital reminds me of last night.

"Eric," I say to him. "Thank you so much for helping with the housing. I think it's something both my parents would really be involved with." I look out the windows.

Eric pulls my hand up and kisses it. I turn to look at him and smile. He lets our hands fall back between us, but he doesn't let them go. I like the feel of my hand in his. Hell, I like the feel of any part of my body touching his. But this is something else. It's comfortable, safe and soothing. Exactly how it's supposed to be.

We park the car and make it in the doors when I hear Jason.

"See, babe, she's here." He announces my arrival.

"Sookie!" Crystal screams and holds her hand out to me. I grab it and she pulls me closer.

"You're here." She says.

I smile and push back a few of the wayward strands of her hair. "Of course I am," I say to her. "Where else would I be?" I ask her.

She seems to visibly calm when I touch her face.

"We're going to get you through this, honey." I say to her. "And when it's all said and done, we are going to have two more women that can boss my big brother around."

I say with a wink to Jason.

"Oh no," he says with a shake of his head. "They are my girls. They're going to worship the ground I walk on."

I look from him to Crystal. "Delusional, isn't he?" I ask.

She laughs at that.

"You're coming in, right?" She asks.

I look up to Eric. He smiles and nods.

Looking back to Crystal, I lean down to hug her. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Another contraction hits and the nurse announces it's time to go out.

Eric walks over, kisses Crystal on the cheek and then me. "I'll call Amelia and Pam. We'll be waiting when they arrive."

I nod and proceed down the corridor. Crystal hasn't let go of my hand. I can't really blame her. Jason is a great husband. But at a time like this, a girl really needs another woman. Since neither of us have our moms, we are all we got.

I look back once and see Eric watching us. I see one of the nurses come up to him. I know her. She's very nice and has known our family for years. I'm assuming she's directing Eric to the waiting room. I hate to leave him out there but I can't say no to Crystal.

He smiles and nods to me. I know he understands. We turn and head up in the elevator to Crystal's room.

"It's going to be alright." I say to her. "I can't wait to see my nieces."

She looks up at me but before she can say anything, another contraction hits.

***0***

Eric's POV

I look around the waiting room. I'm waiting a few hours to call Pam. Which in turn was a very bad mistake. She let into me for five minutes on how I should have called her and Amelia first thing.

"What if we weren't there when they were born?" Pam screamed at me.

"It's not like you are in the room with them." I say in my defense.

"Irrelevant. I hope to God when you and Sookie have kids, you don't wait to call me."

That brings me up short. Have I thought about a future with Sookie? Hell, yeah. But the idea of someone else mentioning our children, other than Sookie and I makes it, well, real.

"Pam, if and when Sookie and I are in the same boat, you will be the first call I make." I say to her.

"You better, asshole." She says. "We are on our way. I'll call Laf on the way."

Within the hour after I called Pam, we were joined by Sam, Lafayette, Tara, JB and Alcide. All of us waiting on some news of the Stackhouse's newest members.

I look at my watch again. It's been seven hours since we got the phone call from Jason. Seven hours that poor woman has been in labor. The thought of what she's going through just makes me squirm. Would I be able to put Sookie through that? Could I stand there, watching my wife in pain and know I'm the reason for it? The thought of Sookie as my wife is not new. Except suddenly, the concept of her in pain, giving birth to our children feels incredibly real.

Before I can continue down that thought path, Amelia comes to sit next to me. "I can almost see the thoughts in your head." She says to me.

I smile at her. "You a mind reader now as well as a therapist?" I ask her.

She shakes her head. "Nope, but I know you. I can tell you this, my brother to be, the day Sookie is in Crystal's position, will be the happiest of her life."

"It's been so long." I say to her. "Do you think there is anything wrong? I mean seven hours is a long time isn't it? Wouldn't they tell us if everything was going okay?"

She shrugs. "Babies have their own timetable. They'll get here when their good and ready and not a moment sooner."

I nod, knowing that she's right. It really doesn't make me feel any better. But I know she's right. I think it's all this waiting. The TV has nothing on this time of day. Unless of course you are into Hollywood gossip or cooking shows. Maybe the cooking show would be entertaining if we weren't in a hospital. But right now, it's just damn annoying. There is nothing to read and the room is gray and cold. The seats are not nearly big enough for someone as tall as me and there really isn't anyway to get comfortable. Waiting rooms should be inviting and soothing. Not cold and hard.

I'm about to suggest that we all go and get coffee when Sookie walks in. She looks beat but the smile on her face is bright. She is still wearing what I think are hospital scrubs and I can't believe that even covered head to toe, she looks adorable.

We all stand up.

The larger smile appears on her face when she sees everyone in attendance. She nods to everyone who is talking at once. I don't know how she hears them because I can't.

"They got here just a few minutes ago," she says to all of us. "All three are doing fine. The girls are little on the small side, but not by much. We can go in when the nurse comes and get us. I thought it better to give them some time alone."

I pull Sookie into my arms. Relief rolls over me. I've not know Crystal long. But the thought of something happening to her is just inconceivable. Knowing she's alright lifts a weight off my shoulders that I didn't know I was holding.

"Her blood pressure?" Sam asks.

Sookie turns to look at him. "The doctor's were prepared and if anything went wrong, the ER was on standby for a c-section. She was a real trooper. The medication they gave her, helped a lot. Since she's been trying to stay off her feet, her swelling wasn't as bad as it would be, normally. They want to monitor her for a few days. But other than that, she's perfect."

"Good, now we can know their names!" Pam yells as she pulls Sookie out of my arms and into hers.

I look around the room confused.

"They wouldn't tell us the names. They wanted to keep something a surprise when Jason let slip that the twins were girls." Sam says. "I don't know why?"

"They wanted something to be left for the birth." Amelia says. "You remember how mad Crystal was when Jason accidentally told what they were having?"

"How could he accidentally tell you something like that?" I ask.

"Oh, well," Amelia says. "Crystal had just started having some trouble. They had gone to the doctor and then met us all the Merlottes. When we asked, he told us that ALL his girls were fine." She laughs. "I thought he was going to lose body parts when Crystal heard what he said. He tried to back peddle. But the damage was done. We all heard it and knew what it meant."

We all laugh along with her. I can honestly say that Crystal would scare me if she was angry. But a pregnant Crystal would be terrifying. I hope in my heart of hearts that Sookie never has reason to get angry with me when she's carrying our children. Though, deep down, I know that hope is ridiculous. I've not known many pregnant women. But what I've heard and seen, you can tick them off at a drop of a hat.

"You okay?" I ask Sookie as she makes her way back to me.

She smiles and nods with tears in her eyes. "They're so beautiful, Eric. I'm so glad I didn't miss this."

I pull her close to me. "Me too, baby. Me too."

***0***

Bill's POV

I hear an incessant beeping noise that will not stop. I feel like I'm lying on something soft. Taking a minute, I try to figure out where I am. We left the cabin and headed out. Then I heard all the noise and the next thing I remember someone was asking my name. We were in some sort of an accident and now I'm somewhere soft and well, loud.

I open my eyes slowly.

"Oh, William, he's awake." I hear beside me. I know without looking that it's my mom. Her voice isn't one that you tend to forget.

I try to move my head but it feels heavy.

"Honey, oh, Billy," she says and leans down to hug me. "I knew you would come back to us. I knew all those things those horrid people were saying wasn't true. My baby, oh my sweet perfect boy." She says touching my face, my shoulder and then finally my hand.

"Lizzy, let the boy breathe." I hear from the other side of me. "We have time to get to the bottom of all this. Let the boy have a minute."

She sniffles and moves away from me. "Of course." She says. "But that woman is going to insist on speaking to him and I just don't think…."

"No one is going to speak to him until the doctor says he's ready. Now would you please stop?" He asks.

I look at him. I think this is one of only a handful of times that I've seen my father contradict my mother in any fashion. I wonder if I'm really awake or if I'm dreaming.

"Do you know where you are, son?" He asks me.

I try to talk but my throat is dry and tight.

"Don't try to talk." He says. "You came in unconscious. They put a feeding tube in. Once they assess you, I'm sure they will take it out."

I nod my head slowly to let him know I understand.

I start doing my own assessment. I feel sore all over. Several of my body parts feel numb and one I can't move. I look at my father with the question on my face.

"I'll get the doctor," My mother says. I don't acknowledge her as she leaves but keep looking at my father.

He sighs. "It's best that you hear everything from the doctor." He says to me. I just keep looking at him. I'm in no mood to argue with him. I argue with him constantly. Well I did when I was at the firm. I thought when he made me a partner that meant he valued me and my judgment. But that wasn't the case. The first year I was partner was miserable. Any discussions we had ended in an argument. Finally I just stop telling him things. I soon found out that he was so caught up with his own affairs that he didn't really think about me and what I was doing. If I didn't tell him, he didn't know.

I really didn't want to get into an argument here. One, well I can't argue. And two, I've no idea what the hell is going on.

"The damn doctor is with another patient," my mother comes through the door in a huff. "I told you we should have flown him home immediately. We could have our private doctor and a private suite at the hospital." She huffs again.

I look from her back to my father. Hoping one of them will tell me what is going on.

"Elizabeth, you know that was not an option. Now would you please stop making things worse." He growls at her. He actually growled at her. If I wasn't in so much pain I would be enjoying all of this.

"Do not tell me I'm making this worse, William Compton. You are not the one with this..this thing on your ankle!" She points down to her foot. If I could move my head, I would look to see what is she's referring to. But since moving my head sends shooting pains through it, I'll find out later.

"You're not the one that was hauled into court. You're not the one who has had to sit by and hear others whispering about what is going on with our son. No, you've locked yourself away in your office and decided to ignore the whole damn issue!"

Okay, what issue?

Just then, a woman in a white coat walks in. "Ma'am, you will need to keep it down," she says to my mother. "You are disturbing other patients. We made a concession for a private room because of the situation you and your son find yourselves in. However, I can't allow you to disturb the entire floor. If we have to come in again, I'll be forced to call security and have you removed."

"WHAT!" My mother screams. "My son was kidnapped, beaten and who knows what else and you're telling me you will have me evicted from his room." She turns to my father. "William say something."

I hear my father sigh. "Nurse Lipton, again, I sorry for my wife's reactions. She's been under a lot of stress lately. Perhaps now that Bill is awake, I should take her back to the hotel and let you all deal with Bill. The sooner he is released, the sooner we can get him home and out of your way."

"I'm not go…" My mother begins but my father is quickly around me and has her by the arm.

"I will not allow you to make another scene," he says to her. What scene has my mother made? "Now walk out the door and we will be back after they've seen to Bill. With any luck, we can have him back in New Orleans by tomorrow or Tuesday."

She pulls away her arm. "William Compton if you think for one moment."

"Is there a problem in here?" I hear from the door. The man standing there is stall and broad. His suit is blue and ill-fitting. Or maybe it's just because it looks like he slept in it.

"No, Detective," my father says. "Mrs. Compton and I are just heading back to the hotel for a few hours."

The man at the door nods. "I'll let the other's know," he says and leaves.

Detective, what are detectives doing here? Is it because of the accident? Are they waiting to take my statement? Maybe Victor has threatened my parents? I don't know why he would. He has Lorena and she's who he needs to get the money. Hell, I'm lucky he didn't take me out back and shoot me.

My mother looks at me and then back at the door as if she's debating who she should be listening too. Finally the battle in her head stops and she moves toward me. "We'll be back in a few hours, my sweet boy." She says with a kiss to my forehead.

My father waits at the door for her. As she moves past him without a word, he nods to me and departs.

"I'll see about getting your doctor." The nurse says. "In the meantime, I'll get someone in to take out the tube." The nurse says rather quickly and leaves the room as well.

Now without anyone else in the room, the infernal beeping just sounds twice as loud.

***0***

Lorena's POV

Our landing in Dallas is uneventful. It was Victor's idea to fly into Houston and then drive the five hours to New Orleans. I hated to fly. I always have and he knows it. Normally, he will allow us to drive or take a train when we can. But I think he wanted to fly on purpose. It's like it was some kind of punishment for my feelings for Bill.

"Come on, Rena," he says as we pick up our bags and head to get the rental. Bruno's friend, Mario is right behind us not saying a word.

I pull my arm away from him. "Stop calling me that." I say and huff.

"Since when do you hate when I call you Rena?" He asks me. "You've always liked it."

I just shake my head. "My name isn't Rena."

"Oh," he smiles at me. "I get it. Getting into your new name huh? Well good. You need too. Come morning you are heading into that bank." He says. "Then you and I are heading to Europe for awhile. I already have the paperwork for us. We will be brushing the dust of this place off our feet and seeing what we can get into in Marco, baby." He pulls me closer.

"No," I say and try to pull away. I can't go with him. I have Bill and a wedding and DC and…

He holds my arm tighter. "Babe, you think I'm leaving you here with him? You're mine. You've been mine for a long time and nothing, not even our phony divorce is keeping you from me."

I look at him. What does he mean phony divorce? I don't understand.

He smirks again. "Don't worry, baby. I'm going to take good care of you. We just need you to hit that bank first thing."

He pulls me along. I look back to see Marco on the phone. He doesn't look happy. Well, at least that's an emotion. Up until now, all I've seen from him is, well, nothing.

I don't say anything as we head out and get the car that Victor has rented. What name he is using, I've no idea. I haven't really been listening since he told me he was taking me away from Bill.

Getting in the car, we start out. I don't feel like talking so I just stare out the window. I need to make a plan. I can't leave Bill, not like this. I'm his. I don't care what this Victor says. I'm with Bill. He wants me. We're going to DC and he's going to be a senator and I'm going to be his wife. I'll do anything for him. I'll be anything he needs me to be. I'm the best for him. I'm his.

"So, if you don't want me to call you Rena, what can I call you, baby?" He asks me.

I turn to him. "I..I'm Sookie." I say in a very soft voice. Yes, I'm Sookie.

***0***

EPOV

An hour after Sookie came to announce the girl's arrival, we were allowed back to see them.

When we walked in, I took in the sight before us. Crystal had both babies in her arms and Jason was sitting behind her, holding all of them. I heard a click of a camera and when I turned, I saw that both JB and Amelia were snapping pictures of the beautiful family before us.

"Hey," Crystal says with a smile. "You want to meet the two that have been kicking my bladder for the last month?"

The babies are quickly handed off. One to Sookie and the other to Pam. They are both holding them like they are the precious little things they are. They didn't get much time with them, because everyone wanted to hold them. I was even handed one. Though, I've never held a baby before, she seemed so perfect lying there. She actually opened her eyes and looked at me. I know that babies can't see very well when they're born, nor can they smile. However, if you had a stack of bibles near by, I would swear on them that she looked right into my eyes and smiled.

We soon gave the children back to their parents.

"All right," Pam says. "Names, I want names!"

Everyone laughs at Pam's outburst. Though she wasn't as loud as I know she can be. Probably because she didn't want to disturb the cherubs.

"Fine," Crystal says. "I guess I made you all wait long enough."

She holds up the baby she's holding. "Everyone, I would like you to meet Katherine Scarlett."

Jason holds the one he's holding. "And this one is Patricia Savannah," he says.

I see the tears in Sookie's eyes. I know that her mother's name was Patricia but I'm not sure of the rest.

Jason looks at me and smiles. "My mom was Patricia," he lifts the baby a little. "Crystal's mom was named Katherine. Also, Crystal and Sookie's favorite movie of all time is Gone with the Wind."

I nod but don't really understand. I look at the others who are nodding.

"Eric," Sookie says. "Scarlett O'Hara's real name is Katie Scarlett in the movie and the book."

"Oh," I say. "Okay, I understand all that."

Jason nods. "And Sookie's character in her books is,"

"Savannah Blue," I say cutting him off.

He nods. "Yup, so we have the three women we love the most in our little girls," he smiles to Sookie. "We thought of naming one Sookie. But you my dear sister are one of a kind."

She is crying and I let her go as she goes to hug her brother.

"I love you so much," he says to her. "Never leave us again."

She shakes her head as she pulls away from him. "Never again, I promise."

We stay for a few minutes more before we leave to give the new mother and her babies time to feed and rest.

On the way out, Sookie, Pam, Amelia and Tara make arrangements to go to the new family's house to clean and make several meals for them. Not to be outdone, we men, decide to join them and help with yard work and stack the split wood that Jason's hasn't gotten too. It's still warm but fall and winter will be here before we know it. Surely this isn't something Jason will want to think about and I for one am happy to help.

We make plans to meet up the next day before we all go our separate ways.

Sookie and I decide to stay another night in the loft just in case Crystal or Jason need anything. I think she also is hoping that we can head back to the hospital later to visit just the six of us. Sookie loves everyone. Her friends are near and dear to her. But I know how much her brother and Crystal mean to her. They are the only real kin she has. Well, not as far as I'm concerned. But I could see the connection between the siblings. I've seen it quite a few times. It's almost like they are connected in a way I never could be with Pam.

Sookie is very quiet the whole way back to the house.

"Are you okay?" I ask her.

She nods. "Yeah, just thinking," she says and smiles at me. "Those babies are beautiful, aren't they?"

I nod as we pull into the garage and get out. We head over to the elevator and are up and back in my loft in moments.

There is a question that has been burning in my mind for awhile now. I take a chance and ask it.

"Sookie," She turns and sits on the couch. "Did Jason and Crystal plan to have twins."

She laughs. "Well, it's not like something like that can be planned."

I sit beside her. "No, I mean well," I don't know how to put this. "Was there a reason for Crystal to be…"

She puts up her hand. "Are you asking if they got pregnant with IVF?" She asks.

I nod, glad that I don't have to say anymore.

She shakes her head. "No, twins run in our family," she says. "My granddad was a twin, so was my dad and Aunt Linda." She says.

This is the first I've ever heard about this. "Your Grandfather and your father?" I ask her.

She nods. "Well, Gramps had an identical twin. He died when Gramps was in his twenties. I never met him. He was up north somewhere and had a real bad car accident. By the time that Gramps got to him, he was gone." She sighs. "I don't know anything more about him. Gramps wouldn't talk about him and Gran told us all to let it be. My dad was a fraternal twin with my Aunt Linda."

I nod for her to continue.

She sighs again. "It isn't a really good story," she says. "Linda and Daddy were about as different as night and day. Where Daddy was blonde and blue-eyed, Linda was dark and green eyed. She left home when she was about eighteen. She met some guy and well," she shrugs. "Gran tried to stay in touch with her, but she was really wild and wanted more than Bon Temps could give her." She pauses again. "I guess something happen with that guy. I remember hearing about something like he was in jail. That's why she came back the first time." She shakes her head. "I was only with her two times. Once right before Daddy and Momma died and then again just after. She showed up looking for some help. I was only four the first time, and she only stayed the night. She and Daddy had a big fight and she left. The next time was just after they passed. Jason and I were already staying at Gran's place by then. Momma and Daddy's house had been locked up. Gran wasn't sure if she was going to rent it out. But it was in trust to Jason and I for when we turned of age."

She pauses and I ask if she wants some water. She nods and I go to get us both some. Back, I put in beside her and she sighs again.

"You don't have to tell me," I say to her.

She shakes her head again. "No, I want to."

She takes a sip of her water and continues. "This time she showed up with a little girl. I had just turned five and Hadley, my cousin was a few years older. She looked like Linda but had darker brown eyes." She says and shivers. Her eyes were mean. That's what I remember. They weren't friendly at all." She shakes her head. "Anyway, she showed up, and wanted to talk to Gran about my parent's house. I don't remember much of it and I was so little, I just remember that Linda wasn't too happy with whatever Gran was talking about.

She and Hadley stayed a few weeks. Linda would go out, a lot. That I do remember. She wouldn't come home until early morning and we were told to stay away from her room while she slept. Hadley was a handful. When Linda was up, she would yell at her a lot and call her bad. She would say that I was the nice girl and Hadley was the bad girl. I don't know why. I didn't talk to Linda and tried to stay out of her way.

I remember Gran would try to keep us out of Linda's way and keep us entertained. But Linda would always find us and start yelling at Hadley again.

I really don't know what happen next. I mean, I was little. In my mind, it all happened kind of together. But Gran and Linda had another fight. The next morning, Hadley and Linda were gone. Gran tried to find her, but she kind of disappeared into the wind." Sookie takes another sip of her water. "When I turned twelve," she says. "We got a call that Linda had died. She only had one number on her when they found her and it was the farmhouse. Gran and Jason went down to see what happen. There was no mention of Hadley and Gran was worried. I guess," Sookie shrugs, "Linda had gotten into some really bad stuff. Child services had come and taken Hadley away when Linda had been arrested a few years before her death. Gran tried everything to find her, but she had been moved around from place to place. The social worker hadn't checked on her for at least six months and by the time they located where Hadley was supposed to be, she had run away." She sighs again. "The people who had her were still cashing the checks for her but didn't report her missing. There was some investigation to see if they had actually killed her. But in the end, they labeled her a runaway."

She sits for a minute and neither of us says anything.

I take her hands in mine. "I'm sorry, Sookie."

She looks up and smiles at me. "There isn't anything to be sorry about," she says. "I just wish we could have helped her, you know. I don't remember either of them much. I was so little at the time. But Hadley deserved better than to be put in those situations." She shakes her head. "I think that is one of the reasons Jason and I were so eager to keep the centers open. Many of them have crisis centers and help for people like Linda and Hadley. I really hope that she found her way to a place that would help her."

We say nothing for a few minutes before my phone starts to ring.

I look at the ID and look back to Sookie.

"Hi, Lafayette," I say to him.

"Hi. Is Sookie with you?" He asks.

"Yeah, she's sitting right here."

"Good," he says. "I've got some news."

"Hold on," I say to him and hit the speaker phone. "We're here, Laf." I say to him.

"Sookie," he says. "They found Bill."

Her eyebrows go up. "Where is he?" She asks.

"Okalahoma University Medical Center," He says.

"WHAT!" We both say at the same time.

"There was some kind of an accident," he says. "Ana will call me later to tell me more. But get this, he's saying that he was kidnapped."

I look at Sookie waiting to see what her reaction is going to be.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me!" She shouts out.

Yeah, pretty much what I thought.

***0***

Bill's POV

The removing of the tube was downright painful. I swear the person who did it, wasn't trained in it at all. Either that, or they are very much into pain.

I had to wait another forty-five minutes without any other word from anyone before I heard a knock on the door.

I say for them to come in, but it sounds very horse still.

In walks a very pretty woman with long blonde hair and carrying a clip board.

She smiles at me. "Good afternoon, Mr. Compton," she says. "I'm Doctor Suzanne McKittrick, your attending physician." She says. I take a moment to look her up and down. She is very pretty, even in her hospital garb. Two other men walk in with her and they are also dressed in hospital scrubs.

One comes to take my vitals while the other busies himself at the counter.

"Wha..what's wrong with me?" I ask her.

She looks down at the chart. "You have a broken right ankle, a fractured right femur. Your radius and ulna of your left arm was fractured in three places. You have three cracked ribs, and two displaced vertebrae in your neck. You have a major concussion along with many contusions and abrasions." She looks back down to her clipboard. I'm assuming to see if she had missed anything. "Considering the accident you were in and the fact that you were in the rear of the van and not restrained, you are very luck, Mr. Compton." She says and takes a syringe from the nurse that was at the table.

"What's that?" I ask her.

"It's something for the pain," she says and pushes it in the little piece in my IV. "With both your right leg and your left arm out of commission, we will need to you to be very still for awhile. Also, we aren't sure about your vertebrae yet. We have you scheduled for another MRI this afternoon. We did one when you came in, but there was a lot of inflammation." She says. "We should know more when we get the results."" She says. "We didn't detect any internal bleeding and now that you're awake, we will see to any other problems you are having." She says.

"When do I get to go home?" I ask her.

She looks at me like I've got three heads. "Well," she looks to the door. "I'm not sure about that." She says. "There are some people outside who would like to speak with you. They have to wait until I say you are stable. However, I'm not comfortable with doing that until I see the…"

"Doctor," I say. "I very much would like to get back to Louisiana," I say. Knowing that there is a mess there I need to clean up. "I would like to do that as quickly as possible. So please, just let those people talk to me. I promise, I won't hold you responsible."

She looks at me for another minute. "I'm not sure," she says.

"Please," I say to her and try to smile. It hurts a lot. So, I'm sure that my smile isn't giving off its usual charm.

She sighs. "Very well," she says. "But I am going to warn you and them," she points to the door. "If I suspect you are going into distress, I'm putting a stop to the questioning."

I nod and she turns to the door.

She looks out. "You can see him now," she says.

In walks two people that I know. What the hell is the DA and ADA of New Orleans doing here.

Mr. Frank Pierce walks toward me with two other gentlemen. He nods.

One of the other men looks at me. "Mr. Compton you are under arrest for grand larceny, forgery, bank fraud, embezzlement, falsifying records, failure to file, Identity theft, and wire fraud. You have the right to remain silent…."

I listen to him give me my Miranda Rights as I go through the charges in my head. What they hell are they talking about. How could they know anything?

Once they are done, ADA Anabeth Mason comes forward. "Are you willing to talk to us, Mr. Compton?" She asks me.

"I want a lawyer," I say to her.

She smiles. "I thought you might," she says to me and looks to Pierce.

"I would like it if you would call my parents. Also, send in my fiancé. She should be here by now." I say to them as they turn to the doors.

Ana turns around. "And who might that be, Mr. Compton?" She asks.

"Her…" I swallow hard because this is as much as I've spoken since I awoke. "Her name is Sookie, Sookie Stackhouse."

"Oh," Ana looks around the room. "I don't think you will be seeing her."

Ana and Pierce walk out while the other two get comfortable. I'm assuming that they are officers of some kind.

I close my eyes and wait for my parents to return. Hoping that when I open them again, this will all be a bad dream.

***0***

Victor's POV

The five and half our trip from Houston was, well uncomfortable. It isn't the first time me and my babe have move across the country. It is, however, the first time we've had a chaperone.

I hate this. Why did I get involved with Paulie again? Oh yeah, because the money was good, the babes were hot and the blow was kick-ass.

How was I supposed to know that my best supplier would get pinched just after I wired him the funds? How was I to know that said supplier was willing to roll on his best distributors to make a deal with the Feds? It's not my fault the guy sings like a canary.

Paulie thought it was my fault, though. He had to take care of the snitch and it cost him two men. Now I owe him for the lost money, the lost profit and the training of the two men. All in all, I owe him three large. Not that I probably couldn't take off. But Paulie has a lot of friends. I may be able to stay hidden but not for long. His friends shoot and ask questions later.

Serves me right for getting involved with this stuff. I should have stuck to what I know: Conning and killing. Though the killing only happens when we need a new con. I've only done it a dozen times. Well, maybe a few more. Definitely a few more since I met my baby. She sure knows how to pick'em though. She's got us into some pretty cool places. Who knew that I was smart enough to be a lawyer. Granted, I lied, cheated and stole my grades. But hey, I''m a crook pretending to be legit. The guys who helped me get my grades, well, they are crooks masking themselves as high society. Assholes, is what they are.

I pull into the hotel. Not as fancy as those I know my baby has been staying in lately. But it's understated and out of the way. Perfect for us.

I walk in and get one of only two suites they have in the hotel. Mario had demanded that we were in the same place. I wanted to tell him what he could do with his demand, but hey, I'm really not ready for lead poisoning.

We make our way into the suite. It really isn't anything fancy. It has a sitting room and a separate bedroom. Rena walks on back to the bedroom and into the bathroom. She hasn't really said anything for the last few hours. I should be worried about her. But she gets like this when she's taking over a person's identity. I can't really fault her method. When she finally comes out from under, she is the perfect imitation of her host. It''s awesome.

Mario's phone rings and he moves over to the windows to take the call. I'm busy plugging in my laptop to find out when the bank is open and if there is anything else we need before heading out. If everything goes as planned, we will have the money tomorrow. We will need to get over to First Federal in Jacksonville, Florida by Tuesday and we will have the money transferred to the Cayman Islands and to Paulie. My baby and I'll be on the first plane out of the states that afternoon. Everything is running just like I expected.

"I'll tell him." I hear behind me.

I turn around. "Tell me what?" I ask him.

I see that Rena has made it back into the living room and is looking at Mario.

The big guy looks are her briefly and then turns to me. "There's been an accident," he says. "Bruno's dead."

I hear him but I can believe what he's saying. "What?" I ask.

"Where's Bill?" Lorena asks.

"Lorena," I say. Now is not the time to worry about that idiot.

"STOP CALLING ME THAT!" She screams and runs closer to Mario. I grab her before she has a chance to get within arm distance of him.

"Where is he? I need to see him. What happened to him?"

"Calm down, babe," I say into her ear. "Mario only said that Bruno was dead." I look up and he nods.

"See, stop it." I say to her.

She goes limp in my arms but I know she hasn't passed out. If she keeps this up, she probably would. She usually does when she is this upset.

"Compton is in a hospital in Oklahoma. He's alive. That's all Paulie's people were able to find out." He says.

"I need to get to him." Lorena says as she tries to free herself from my arms.

"I understand that there are officers there waiting to talk to him." Mario says.

I nod at him and tell him I'm taking Lorena into the other room.

He nods and I move with her into the bedroom and close the door.

"Let me go," she says. "He's in the hospital. He's hurt. I need to get to him."

"Baby, calm down. We need to stick with the plan. If they know about the accident, they know that Compton was in the back of the van. They know that something's up. What are you going to do? Just waltz in there and take up vigil at his side? What if he told them about us? You let a lot slide in your confession time with him."

She looks shocked. I nod. "Yeah, the boys told me what you and Billy-boy were talking about. You need to play this one smart, baby."

She is crying now. "But what if he's hurt?" She says.

Why does she care? I know she said she loved him. But damn, this girl doesn't know the meaning of the word.

She flops down on the bed mumbling to herself. I decide the best thing right now is to leave her alone. Let her deal with this her own way.

I walk out and close the door behind me. Mario is sitting on the couch waiting for me.

"Paulie wants to know what you're going to do now." He says.

I shake my head. "Nothing's changed. If Compton sang, they won't be able to confirm anything until morning. We'll be at the bank first thing. By the time they can get a warrant or put a hold on the account, we will be half way to Jacksonville. Everything will be fine."

He nods. "I'm ordering food." He says and goes to look at the menu.

I sit down and make like I'm looking up stuff on the computer. But really, I'm just thinking. I need to think and my head feels like it's going to pop. It's been three days since I had any shit and I need it.

I look over to Mario. There is no way he has any. Paulie made sure that I got guards that didn't partake in the same type of recreational stuff as I did. Fucking ass.

Deciding I need something, I grab the menu from Mario and see that they do have a bar service. I throw it back at him. "Get us a bottle of wine." I say to him.

He is about to say something and I stop him. "Just do it, man. It isn't like I'm going to lose my shit over a few glasses of wine."

He sighs and nods. "Fine. But that's it."

I go back into the bedroom. Lorena is curled up on the bed and has cried herself to sleep. I walk over and pull the bedspread over to cover her. Brushing her newly blonde hair out of her face, I wonder why she always refused to go blonde before. She looks really nice. I'm going to have to insist she leave it this way for awhile.

Walking back into the other room, I see Mario getting off the phone once more. Deciding that I've had all the news I can take for awhile, I drop down on the couch and start clicking through the channels trying to find something mindless to watch.

I land on a old black and white movie that I know Lorena likes. Something about two girls swapping places or something. I let the dialog consume me as we wait for the food and wine to arrive.

***0***

Bill's POV

It is almost dark when my parents return. Not like I'm in the hospital or anything. Why would they bother to rush back.

"Are you rested?" I ask them both.

Neither of them say anything. I look behind them expecting to see Sookie. I look from one to the other.

"Where is Sookie?" I ask. Neither of them says anything.

I roll my eyes. Even that small little motion hurts. "Mother, tell me you called and told her that I was injured? I know that you don't completely approve of her. But she is going to be my wife. You need to make this work with her. I will not allow…"

"Enough, Bill." My father growls at me.

"William, please?" My mother says.

He shakes his head. "No, I will not allow the mockery to go on one moment further." He says and turns to me. "Sookie will not be coming." He says to me.

I try to laugh but the breathing deeply hurts my ribs. "Don't be ridiculous. Didn't mother tell you, I've set a date. Sookie and I…"

"Have you informed Sookie of this decision?" My father asks.

I look at him. "I don't understand?"

"It's simple, son. Did you or didn't you discuss your nuptials with Sookie?" He asks me.

I shake my head. "There is no need. Sookie and I planned on marrying. It was just a matter of the timing. This will be the best time for me and the campaign."

He huffs. "Have you spoken with Sookie?" He asks me.

"What does that have to do with anything?" I ask him. "What is with all these questions? Why is the DA from New Orleans and why are these men," I point to the two in the room, "here and why have I been given my rights?" I ask them.

My father turns to the two men in question. "I understand my son has asked for a lawyer?" He asks.

They both nod.

"Well, until one arrives, I'm acting as his council. Will you please give us a few minutes."

They look at one another and then stand. "We will be just outside," one of them say.

I watch as they both leave and shut the door behind them.

"What is going on?" I ask both my parents.

My father turns on me. "You are in a deep hole of shit and you've brought us all down with you."

My father spends the next twenty minutes outlining everything that has transpired in the last week. I listen without saying a word. Because truthfully, what am I going to say. Once he's done, he waits for me to say something.

"You heard what they said." My mother breaks into the silence. "Our son said he was kidnapped. They probably had him do all these awful things." She brushes my hair off my face.

I look to my father. Hoping he is going to take the same position. He just shakes his head at me.

"I was kidnapped," I say to him. "They want the money and they…"

"The money you stole from Sookie? Or the money you stole from her Foundation?" He asks me. "What about her name that is forged. I picked up on that and I've never seen anything that she's signed. What about the prenuptial agreement that would give you rights to everything Sookie owns? Was that part of your would-be kidnappers?"

"Why are you treating me like a defendant on a stand?" I ask him. "I'm your son."

"Yes, you are my son. You also happen to be my partner. You are implicated, the firm is implicated, I'm implicated and oh, you're mother is on house arrest for violating the restraining order Sookie has." He points to my mother's ankle. Now that she's sitting, I can see the device she has on.

"What?" I ask. "This is all a simple misunderstanding. I'll talk to Sookie tomorrow. She'll see this for what it was. I never meant to hurt her. She has to believe me. This was all those people's fault."

"Who Bill?" He asks.

"What?" I ask him.

"Who kidnapped you and made you do all these awful things to the woman you supposedly love?"

"I…" I stop. "I…I can't tell you." I say to him.

He huffs. "Carter is defending me and the firm in any actions taken against us. We've already been served. He has suggested you get your own attorney." My father says.

"What?" I ask him. "Who am I supposed to get? Carter Lewis is the best defender in the state. Why won't he defend me?" I ask him.

The door opens and I see the man in question walk in. The door closes behind him and he smirks at me. "Because you're guilty as sin and I don't defend people I don't think I can win with."

I try to sit up but my ribs argue against the idea. "How am I supposed to defend myself against these allegations?" I ask him.

He shrugs. "I put a call into someone I know that has less morals than I do." I want to laugh at that. Morals, yeah, my ass. "He will be here in the morning." He says. "Until then, I'm advising my clients to separate from you until the DA has made its final decisions on how they are going to prosecute."

He says how, not if. This is really happening.

"I'm not leaving my son." My mother says.

"You have no choice, Lizzy," Carter says to her. "You want to come out of this with just that thing on your ankle, you do what I say."

She looks at me and then back to the other two men. Again, I can see the argument raging in her mind.

Finally she gets up. "When this is all sorted, we will forget this all ever happened." She says and kisses me before walking out the door.

Both men look at me. "From this point forward," Carter says. "You need to say something to Liz or William, you do it through your lawyer."

They both go to walk out.

"Father," I call out after him. He hesitates for one moment and then walks out.

I look at Carter. He gives me a half smile and shrugs. "Good luck, kid." He says and walks out the door.

Suddenly I'm alone and I don't know what to do with all the silence.

***0***

SPOV

Lafayette couldn't tell us much more about Bill. All he knew was that Ana was there and they were waiting to talk to him. He had no idea how he got into the accident or how this story of him being kidnapped came to be. He told us that when he knew, we would know. But he wanted to make sure we knew in case we got a call from any of the parties involved.

We thanked him and he hung up.

Eric decided that we needed to get out of the loft. So the next few hours, we lost ourselves in the bright sunny afternoon of downtown Shreveport. We went into all the little shops and bought things here and there. We acted like we were any normal couple on a lazy Sunday. It really went a long way to calming my nerves. I know that there were other things he could do to calm them just as much. But we do need to do things other than the horizontal mambo.

After a wonderful few hours, Eric and I went back to the hospital to bring Crystal and Jason dinner. It wasn't much but I knew that it would be better than the food there. Plus, I would guess that Jason hadn't eaten all day.

After dinner, we walked out with Jason who was running home for a shower and then heading back. We told him that we would be back the next day and I was happy that he wanted us there.

"Of course we want you two there," he says. "You are one of the most important people in my life, Sookie. I hope you know that." He kisses me and turns to Eric. "You are too. Thank you for making her so happy." He says.

We got back to the loft and I could tell that Eric was as tired as I was. There hasn't been a night since we got together that we have went to bed without making love. However, after we were both showed and changed, we climb into bed and both sigh at being horizontal again.

Eric pulls me close and holds me close to him. I think his fingertips have grazed over every part of my body exposed at least twice. His lips kiss my forehead every few minutes and I hear him whispering how much he loves me as I respond in kind.

Making love to someone takes on many different forms. I think we found another one.

Not soon after his fifth kiss on my head, I feel his breathing deepen and know he is asleep.

I smile and snuggle a little closer. I feel him embrace me tighter and no that there is no safer place in the world than in his arms.

That's the last thought I have until morning.

***0***

Lorena's POV

I fixed my hair into my signature ponytail and dressed in a pretty little sundress with green and yellow flowers.

It was three minutes passed nine when I walked into the bank. I knew that for what I needed them to do, I would need to go to the gentleman sitting at one of the desks to the side.

He looks up at me and smiles.

I give him my biggest southern smile and hold out my hand. "Hello there, I would like to close out my account please?" I ask.

"Well, of course, Miss…"

"Stackhouse," I say to him. "My name is Sookie Stackhouse."

The man goes to sit behind his desk and I take a seat in front of it.

He takes my papers and starts punching away at the keys. His face changes and looks again at me and then down at me papers.

"Is there a problem?" I ask him.

"Oh, uh, no," he says. "I will just have to get my manager to approve this." He picks up the phone and says my name to the person on the receiver. He is listening and nodding. No doubt the man on the phone knows I'm a brilliant author. Or maybe he's heard of the Foundation. Either way, the man says nothing and hangs up. Perhaps he was getting his bottom chewed out for making me wait.

"It will be just a moment," he says. "Please excuse me?" He says and stands.

I watch as he makes his way to the other side of the bank and is speaking to someone. Well that was rude. I'm a southern lady. He should be treating me better than that.

"Excuse me, Miss." I hear from behind me.

I look up to see a man standing there.

"Yes?" I ask.

"I understand you would like to close out your account." He says.

I nod. "Yes, I don't understand…"

"Just this way, miss." He says motioning me toward an office on the second floor.

I look at him and then back at the other man. I point to him. "He was helping me." I say to him.

"Yes miss." He says. "But my name is Mr. Chadwick. I'm the President of the bank."

"Oh, well, it's nice to meet you." I say as I stand. "I'm Sookie Stackhouse."

He nods. "This way miss and we will get this all squared away."

I allow him to steer me toward the stairs like a gentleman deals with a lady. I smile at him as I ascend the stairs.

***0***