James's P.O.V.
"We all know eventually Logan is going to be running this place. And that will make you a very lucky man." I smirked as I sipped from my big plastic water bottle holding the few files under my arm as I walked down the hall with another surgeon who was a bit older than me, and a nurse who just assisted in a surgery of mine. David, the other surgeon had just asked me how Logan was doing with what happened yesterday and I told him fine. I didn't honestly believe that. And Annie, my nurse, was trying to tell me in my marriage, I was the lucky one. I did sincerely believe that. "You know Dr. Brennen is getting up there in age." I lowered my water bottle from my lips and glared at David as he pulled open a door for both Annie and I. "They are going to start looking for a replacement for hospital director. I honestly think Logan would be the best bet."
"The next time you see Logan make sure you tell him that. It will further stroke his huge ego." David laughed waving to both Annie and I as he went down a separate hall towards his office. I shook my head looking down at Annie who was reapplying some Chapstick on her ruby red lips and opened my mouth. I was going to ask her if she wanted to join me in a late lunch, just as the intercom came on over head us, and blared my name.
"Dr. Diamond. Extension 5. Dr. Diamond. Extension 5." I sighed out quickly walking to a random nurse's station in the hall way we were in and reached over the counter smiling big at the male nurse glaring at me. I quickly picked up the phone and hit 5 standing up straight.
"Hello? Is this James Diamond?"
"Yes, this is him."
"Hello Mr. Diamond. It's Miss Abbigail Foster, Sammy's teacher." I frowned leaning against the counter and shoved my hand in my scrub pocket. "I was just trying to get ahold of your husband and didn't get any response so I'm calling you." Annie touched my arm gently and motioned to the hallway we were walking down, and I nodded watching her walk away.
"Okay…is everything alright?"
"Well I'm not sure. I know every day your daughter Jessie comes across the street to wait with Sammy to get picked up, and they are still here." My stomach flipped, and I stood up fast, immediately feeling my pockets for my phone. When I didn't feel it, I swallowed hard. "Do you have someone picking them up?"
"Uhm…Yeah…I'll be there in 5 minutes." I hung up without hearing her say goodbye and started walking down the hall towards the stairs that went down one floor, to my office. I nearly jumped down the long flight of stairs, and shoved the door open hard running down the hallway to my office. I flicked the light on by my door and took my stethoscope off around my neck and tossed it to my desk walking to the wardrobe cabinet that had my messenger bag in it, with my car keys. I put my bag over my shoulder and turned walking back out of my office. I opened my bag, heading for the doors to get to the parking garage, and shoved things around, looking for my phone. It made sense. Me not having my phone on me. That's why I hadn't heard from Logan. But, as I stepped out into the parking garage giving up on finding my phone, knowing it would turn up eventually, I knew if Logan was having a hard time, He'd call the hospital. And I knew Kendall and Carlos were going over there this morning, so I knew he would be looked over for a while. Also, Emily was home. So, either they both were asleep and forgot they had to pick up Sammy and Jessie, or…
I shoved the thought out of my head as I took the stairs to the third floor of the parking garage going up to my car. I got in it quick, glancing around the center console as I started my car and pulled my seatbelt on. I didn't see my phone in my car, and quickly drove out of my parking spot, heading out of the garage.
I wasn't worried. I knew there was a good, not scary reason for Logan and Emily not picking up the kids. I wasn't going to panic. Not until I knew what was happening. The army taught me that. To not over react and jump to conclusions without all the facts. Well, being a surgeon helped that mindset too, but I learned it while in the service. I kept myself calm even as I pulled up to the elementary school Sammy went to and saw both him and Jessie sitting on a bench, under a tree, looking at one of his many little books. I parked and got out of my car smiling big at Jessie as she saw me walk towards them. "Daddies here." Sammy looked up quick and gasped out shoving the book at his sister. I laughed squatting down quick and let him run into me. I wrapped an arm around his back pack on his back while the other held under his legs. Jessie walked to me raising her phone and squinted at me. "Why do we have phones if no one is going to answer?" I glared at her knowing that was one of my many famous lines, especially to her older sister, and walked her to the car.
"You tried calling your dad, or sister? I can't find my phone."
"Yeah a couple times actually. But no one answered." I nodded as I slid Sammy into the backseat of my four door BMW, into his booster seat making sure he was buckled in tight, while Jessie got in the passenger seat up front. Once I deemed Sammy safe, I shut his door and went to mine waving softly to, I assumed Sammy's teacher, and got in quick. "Is everything alright dad?"
"Yeah. I think your dads head is hurting him." She nodded slowly looking out the window and I drove off, looking in the rearview mirror at Sammy who was playing with an action figure he probably found in the back seat. "How was school bud?"
"Fun! I got to pet a bunny rabbit!" I laughed merging into traffic and sat back relaxing a little bit. "I want to be an animal doctor when I get older daddy. Like you and poppa, but with animals instead!" I nodded looking back at him again and saw him digging through his backpack. "Can I get a bunny rabbit?"
"Maybe. We'll ask poppa."
"Chicken." I glared over at Jessie who smiled wide at me shrugging. "That's why we always go to you first when we want something. Because we know you'll say yes. You're a big softie."
"Of excuse me for loving you brats too much." Jessie laughed loudly throwing her head back and I smirked.
I made small talk with my two kids as I drove us to the house, feeling my stomach growl. Sammy told me more about his day and Jessie started telling me about her solar system project she got assigned today, just as I pulled down our street to our house. I hit the breaks hard seeing a yellow police tape line squared around my house with three police cars blocking my driveway. I felt my heart drop into my toes as I quickly pulled over to the side of the road and parked in front of my neighbor's house. I unclicked my seatbelt seeing Juliet's car, and Carlos's mustang in the driveway and started to panic. "Daddy?" I looked over to Jessie quick and then to Sammy in the back who was sitting up straight to look at the scene around our house.
"Go to Mr. and Mrs. Johnson's house and stay there until I come get you."
"But dad…"
"Now Jessie. Take your brother and go." I got out of my car quick and slammed the door hearing hers open behind me. I ducked under the police line and jogged across my huge grass lawn and sucked in a hard breath seeing a cop standing guard at my front door. "Where is my husband? And daughter?" The cop stood up straight as I got in front of him and opened his mouth. But hearing Emily's voice made my heart skip a beat.
"Daddy?!" I quickly shoved past the cop, aggressively shoving him and went inside my house. I stopped immediately seeing my daughter on our couch, being held by Max who looked pale. And like he had been crying. "Daddy! Someone took poppa! And Aunt Juliet!" I walked forward fast and got on the other side of Emily, sitting down hard. I pulled her into me letting her cry openly on my chest. I looked at Max as he stood up and quickly walked out of the living room to the dining room. As I watched him walk away I saw bullet holes in the huge family picture hanging above the fire place. I pulled my daughter harder into me then seeing the rope on two chairs in the middle of the room. I told my brain, now is the right time to panic.
"What…what happened Em's?" I pushed her head off me softly and held it up still wiping under her eyes as she cried out, closing her eyes.
"James?" I turned my head slightly and watched Carlos walk into the room, Max behind him. Carlos quickly sat down on the coffee table in front of me and Max took his seat beside Emily again. Emily cried out and threw herself into Max who looked only at Carlos. I turned to him and felt my throat swell. "Logan and Juliet were taken by Shawn and his brother Austin. We don't know where they are but we're looking for them right now. We went to their apartment and found picture after picture of Logan and Juliet along with serious hate mail to Kendall and you." I slouched a little shaking my head and Carlos gave me a sad look shrugging. "We have no idea why. We don't know anything except what Emily told Kendall." I snapped my head to Emily who was crying with her eyes closed clutching onto Max and took in a deep breath.
"Where is Kendall?" I looked back to Carlos and he nodded to my dining room, and I stood up fast. I walked to it, shoving the door open hard. I ignored the three cops siting at my table and continued out to my backyard seeing Kendall sitting in one of our lawn chairs, head down. He had his elbows on his knees, and both hands locked behind his head. He had his back to me, but I still could tell he was crying. As I walked out to him quietly shutting the glass door behind me I swallowed hard hearing him sniffle. As I got closer to him I saw his legs bouncing up and down, and a pack of cigarettes down at his feet. "Ken…" Kendall jumped up fast and turned to me, fists clenched down at his sides. I gasped and stepped forward fast seeing his nose bandage and both corners of his eyes, black and blue. He also had a bandage on the side of his head, by his temple. "What the fuck happened?"
"Those two fuckers came into your house, beat me and took my wife and your husband. Max told me…he said they were not gentle with either of them and all I want to do is go out and find them, so I can put a bullet between their eyes." I reached up to touch his nose, which looked broken, but he shook his head fast and turned, walking over towards the small concrete area that had two basketball hoops. "I let them take them. It's my fault. If something happens to her…it's my fault. If something happens to Logan, it's my fault." I frowned bending over slightly and picked up his pack of cigarettes. I went to work on lighting one, and once I did I tossed the package on the empty chair he was sitting in and inhaled deeply and slowly closing my eyes. As I exhaled and opened my eyes I saw he was watching me like he was worried I was going to lose my mind. I was surprised I wasn't already.
"Why didn't anyone call me?" He laughed and shoved his hands in his jeans looking down.
"We tried. I even had them call the hospital. But we were told you were in surgery. And then no one called us back." I nodded and breathed out hard flicking my cigarette and glanced over my shoulder hearing the glass door open.
"So…what now?" I looked back to him to see it was just Carlos and Max and he shrugged while also shaking his head. "Do we have any leads or anything?" Kendall opened his mouth just as Carlos got to me, and Max walked to his dad.
"Actually…we do." I turned to Carlos inhaling deep and he raised his phone, shaking it. "I just got a text from the guys who were at Shawn's apartment. They found some interesting files in there. I guess Shawn and Austin's parents were killed about 12 years ago. During a police raid of a drug dealers pen." I frowned looking over to Kendall who was walking towards us, Max very close. "The two suspects, uhm their parents, were killed dead when they tried to shoot first. A tiny baby girl was found on the scene, skin and bones. She was adopted a day later by two doctors." I swallowed hard and he shook his head looking right at Kendall. "We were the officers first on the scene. And James and Logan were the ones who adopted that baby girl. Jessie." I also looked to Kendall who, finally looked like the bad ass cop I knew.
"Their doing this for revenge?" Kendall looked at me before looking to Carlos and nodding his head up at him once. "Do you remember the address of that meth house?" Carlos nodded slowly, and Kendall sighed out looking back over at me. "I think I know where they took them."
"Can I come?" We all looked to Max and Kendall simply grabbed the back of his neck and started walking back to my house. I followed fast and walked next to Carlos flicking the cigarette down to my feet.
"If he gets to go, I'm going too."
"Both of you are staying. Emily needs you here James." Kendall said it matter of fact and pushed Max into the house going right to my dining room table. "Do you guys have any extra gear in your cars?" One of the male officers nodded and stood up fast. "Get me it. And call two more cars out to this address to watch Mr. Diamond and his kids, and Max."
"Dad come on…" Kendall ignored Max again and turned to Carlos.
"Are you able to get strapped up?" Carlos grinned big and nodded pushing past him, going to my living room.
"Dad!" Kendall turned to Max quick and we all went quiet. "Is mom going to be okay?" Max said it through tears and It broke my heart. It made me want to go out to my own child and hold her. And then get my other kids and just hold them. I quickly patted Max shoulder as I walked past him, and Kendall pulled him into a hard hug. As soon as I walked out into my living room I went to the couch and put Emily in my arms. She wasn't crying anymore but still held onto me like she was terrified. I looked over to the cop standing at my door and cleared my throat.
"Can you get my kids next door? Sammy and Jessie?" The cop nodded, giving me a sad smile as he turned, and another cop stood in his place. "Uncle Kendall and Carlos are going to go get poppa okay?" She nodded against my chest and I closed my eyes slowly. "Everything is going to be fine."
Even as I said, I didn't believe it.