Dom came to a hard stop a few feet away from Leon's smoldering car that came to a rest on it's roof. His heart thumped hard in his chest as he immediately prepared for the worst. The car was a crumbled mess, with metal debris and glass surrounding the wreckage, and he wondered if anyone could survive such a brutal outcome.
Then he saw her through the smoke, limping her way around the car with a handgun dangling from her fingers. Dom grabbed his shotgun and hurried out the car. As she rounded the vehicle, Billie smiled when her eyes landed on him.
"Hey D," she said nonchalantly, stopping next to the smoldering car. Her eyes went to the shotgun, then back to him. "I guess this is where we come to a break in our road. It was a crazy ride, right?"
An accent flowed through her words that he had never heard before. Dom felt utterly betrayed.
"I trusted you. We all trusted you, and this whole time you've been working against us."
"That's not entirely true," she said. "I mean, yeah I lied about who I was and my real reasoning for showing up at the garage that day, but that doesn't mean I didn't fall in love with everyone. Especially-"
Dom cocked the shotgun, littering the empty casing and prepping another for takeoff. He couldn't bare to hear anymore lies from her.
Billie laughed, and Dom's anger skyrocketed, "You're not gonna shoot me, Dominic. You might play the tough guy, but when it comes to your friends and this sob story, you are weak. You allow your weaknesses to be seen by anyone who spends more than a few minutes with you. You might be strong, but your big heart is your kryptonite. You wouldn't hurt a woman, much less kill one."
Dom's jaw clenched as he pictured all the moments they shared, both good and bad. When Mia and Brian took off for Seattle, and the others drifted away into their own lives, Billie become his closest companion. They spent a lot of nights in front of the television, full off take-out and Coronas, while talking about everything under the sun. Laughs, heartfelt talks about life and the future, even their friendship teetering on the tightrope of romance. Dom never questioned Billie's loyalty to him and their family, but now he wondered how he had missed all the signs. Billie remained vague about her family life and childhood, but he chalked it up to the nasty divorce her parents went through. Even when Dominic extended the offer to fly her sister and father up for the holidays, Billie vehemently denied it. She never even invited her mother down for their Sunday dinners.
"Who are you?" Dom asked.
"Does it really matter anymore?" she asked rashly. "We can never go back to being what we were, so let's cut out the formalities. It all comes down to this," Billie pointed her weapon inside of the car where Letty dangled lifelessly. "Do you have the balls to pull that trigger first?" she turned her back to him, focusing on Letty.
Dom's heart raced in his chest. He'd never hurt anyone who didn't deserve it, but it was taking a lot out of him to pull the trigger. Before he knew it, flames were growing up from the wrecked car, and by the strong smell of gasoline, he was out of time. After he heard her cock back the chamber on her gun, Dom had already made up his mind. He refused to lose Letty again.
"Are you a coward-"
Dom pulled the trigger before she could finish her question, her chest cavity exploding on impact.
Dominic came to consciousness and was fully aware as to where he was, even without opening his eyes. He could hear the monitors beeping… he felt the scratchy sheets against his skin… he knew that sterile, clean smell all too well. His eyes remained closed, though, as he listened to the voices in his room. His body was sore, and he was exhausted, and he wondered if he could squeeze a few hours of sleep in before anyone was aware that he was awake. He wanted to try for real sleep that didn't involve reliving him killing a woman.
"How's he holding up?" he recognized his baby sister's voice immediately.
"Your brother is doing well, Mrs. O'Conner. Two out of three of his wounds are minor, I'd say luck was definitely on his side. Two inches to the right, and the bullet that barely missed his lung would've killed him. On the downside, the bullet to his leg has caused the most damage. It severed his femoral artery, and though the emergency surgery we performed was a success, he's not out of the woods yet. Mr. Toretto lost a lot of blood, another minute before the medivacs arrived and we wouldn't be having this conversation. It's gonna take a lot of rehabilitation and bed rest for him to heal. He might want to thank the angels he has watching over him."
Dom smiled internally. Jess. Vince. His parents. He had quite a few angels looking after him.
"When can he leave?" Mia asked.
"We want to keep him for observation overnight but he should be good to go tomorrow morning. As I said though, he'll need to return in a few weeks to start rehabilitating his leg."
"What about her?"
"She's recovering from a concussion, but otherwise, she's perfectly healthy. I saw on her records where she suffered a major brain injury a few years back, so as a precaution we did a MRI, and fortunately everything looked to be on the up-and-up, nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, her brain activity is operating in a more desirable range since her last scan a year ago. Both your brother and his wife will be just fine. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to make my rounds for the rest of your clan."
Dom peaked his eyes open and turned his head, peering around for the woman the doctor referred to as his 'wife". His heart jumped into his throat at the sight of the tiny body in the bed a few feet away from his. Her face was covered in scratches and a nice purple bruise spread across her cheek, but she looked otherwise unharmed. No gauze-wraps or monitors hooked to her body, other than an IV drip for fluids.
He rested comfortably again knowing that Letty was only a few shaky footsteps away.
"Thank you so much, Dr. Griffith," Mia said before he heard the door shut.
He heard her footsteps, slow and deliberate as they came in his direction. He could feel her presence on his left side, and he didn't have to look up to feel the unnerved energy radiating off her body. Her small, warm hand grabbed at his much bigger one, with her thumb rubbing soothing circles across his knuckles.
"Are you just gonna lay there pretending to be out of it?" Mia spoke to him, a smile evident in her voice.
"How do you know I'm not still out of it?" Dom replied, his voice raspier than usual.
"I'm your sister, Dominic. I know you better than I know myself."
Dom finally opened his eyes, the harsh lighting forcing them shut again momentarily. He looked up to see his baby sister at his side, eyes red-rimmed and tired. She wore her worry on her face, and it made her look much older. He didn't like that.
"How are you?" he croaked.
"I should be asking you the same thing," she smirked with a tilt of the head, "Brian told me about your little stunt during the shootout. You got a death wish?"
Dom smirked a bit and tried to sit up, but his stitches made any movement agonizing. Mia assisted in raising his bed to a more comfortable position, "If Rome would've died right there, all of that would've been for nothing. How's he doing?"
She pushed her hair back behind her ear with a sigh, "He's fighting. Four broken ribs, fractured skull, jaw and orbital bone, 2nd and 3rd-degree burns to his upper-body. Any longer and he wouldn't have made it. They placed him in a medically induced coma until the swelling on his brain goes down, but they're being optimistic."
"And Roger?"
Mia's head dropped and tears filled her eyes, "Roger went into cardiac arrest this morning. He didn't make it."
Dom felt immense guilt at the news. He wanted nothing more than to save everyone, and that included Roman's father, but he had failed.
"Hey… don't," Mia placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "You did everything that you could. He was stabilized this morning… he just couldn't fight anymore. We just didn't get to him in time."
"And Roman doesn't know?" Mia shook her head. "He's gonna be devastated."
"I know. Brian was inconsolable. Roger was like a father to him. They had to sedate him," she said softly, swiping a fallen tear away.
Dom shook his head somberly.
"He get to keep the arm?" he asked, referring to the nasty shot Brian took.
"Yes. Nothing. A few rods and pins couldn't fix. But he won't be driving for a while… same for you. At least not until you fully recover."
Dom began to protest, something Mia expected from the both he and her husband.
"Racewars is in two months… that's not an option," Dom tried to sit up again, but was once more floored by the pain in his chest.
"You should listen to her," a raspy voice called from Dom's right. Both he and Mia turned to see Letty wide awake, watching them bicker like teenagers. "She's never steered you wrong before."
Dom smiled giddily, and he had no idea why. Something about her presence gave the room a different aura, one that left him inebriated in peace.
"Like the time she begged you not to go to the races with Vince because you were supposed to help her with her science project while Dino was in Charlotte."
Dom grinned at the memory, "I remember that. That thing was ugly."
"But it kept you from getting arrested for the second time in a week. I told you I had a bad feeling that night; I had no idea it'd be cops there. Poor Vince - Dad made him sit in county the whole weekend," Mia recalled with a grin. Then it dawned on her. "Letty, that was over fifteen years ago; how do you remember that?"
A wide smile spread across her lips, "I remember a lot. I guess the wreck knocked my loose screws back into place."
Mia didn't try to contain her excitement, jumping up and down at the titillating news from Letty. She skipped over to Letty's side of the room, merrily hopping in the tiny bed with her friend, who seemed just as estatic about her recovering memory.
"Easy Mia," Dom warned as if she were a child, watching the two reconnect with a smile, his heart swollen with love and admiration.
"We need to do a few tests to really be sure," Mia rambled off questions about their past, putting Letty's mind to the test, and the woman had no qualms answering each accurately.
Feeling comforted at the sight of his heart and soul rejoicing in a hospital bed like they never missed a beat, and a little high from the morphine drip, Dom rested his head back on his pillow and fought sleep. He wanted to be on his feet, checking on the rest of his brood, but he realized that he no longer needed to be that eagle eye watching over them. They had all, at some point, proven to be strong on their own, without him. He knew they could handle themselves, and would go to the end of the world for one another. It may take a while, but they would lean on each other to garner strength through this ordeal, the same way they overcame anything else in their path.
"Letty…" his sleep-filled voice called to her, and she turned his way, "Stay out of trouble while I nap, please."
She flicked her insulting finger at him, garnering a grin out of Dom before he finally succumbed to the good meds.
"Now that he's out, can we walk and talk?" Letty said, flipping the blankets off her legs and tossing them over the bed with a groan. She was extremely sore but already tired of being cooped-up in bed. She wanted to go see her friends.
"You really shouldn't be out of bed yet, Letty," Mia objected but pushed the wheelchair over to her bed anyway.
"I can't lay here forever, Mi. I need to go see Leon, and Brooke."
Letty eased off the bed and down into the chair and wheeled herself over to Dom's bed. When they arrived at the hospital, she fought tooth-and-nail to be in a room with him before she would be seen herself, going as far as filling out paperwork as his wife. She wanted to be close when he came to, to see for herself that he was okay. She wanted him to know that she would be by his side, the way he was for her. Letty stood on wobbly legs and peered down at his resting face.
For once, he wasn't worrying, or angry, or thinking too much, but simply at peace. Of course, the morphine was probably the reason for his serene state, but she knew that look, she recognized that look. It was a look of contentment, satisfaction almost. It was the same look he wore while lying in a hospital bed after running her down the first night they met.
"How could I ever forget you?" she whispered with her face pressed into the crook of his neck. Everything about him was familiar once again; the stench of motor oil seemingly etched into his skin, the light snores coming from his mouth, she knew it all. It was a part of her, he was a part of her. She pulled away when she felt the heavy emotions stinging at her throat. "You're still an asshole for leaving me, leaving all of us, and so am I. But you're our asshole... you're mine."
Letty felt compelled to place a gentle kiss on his cheek, the faint smell of his aftershave teasing her senses, before returning to the wheelchair. Mia wheeled Letty out of the room and down the hall to Leon's room.
They watched through the window as he sat up in bed helping his daughter navigate through the pitiful selection of television options on the tiny box mounted in the corner of the room. Kara was also there, and Letty was surprised to see her laughing at whatever they had settled on watching. She wasn't glued to her iPhone or rushing off to an important meeting. Letty was even more surprised to see her dressed down in a plain t-shirt and cut-off shorts with her hair pulled back into a sloppy bun.
"Why didn't you tell me Leon's ex-wife was hot?" Mia asked as watched on. "Her legs are to die for."
"Because her horrible attitude overshadowed her looks, but after she helped me out at the station, I guess I can give her a break," Letty said. "You haven't met her?"
"We weren't exactly on the greatest of terms before you showed up."
Leon finally turned away from the TV and spotted them at the window, waving them inside.
"Letty!" Jess squealed, hopping out of bed to greet her at the door.
Letty grinned at the girl, holding her scraped knuckles out and receiving an enthusiastic bump in return.
Kara jumped up as well, though her face was less than happy, "You've got some nerve. I oughta have your ass locked up for getting him hurt," she snarled with her finger pointed at Lett. "He was doing fine before you showed up, and now look at him!"
"Kara-" Leon tried to intervene but she wasn't done giving Letty an earful.
"No, Leon - she needs to hear this," Kara closed the distance, towering over Letty in the chair. Letty's jaw clenched as she did her best to hold her tongue in front of the child, who watched the altercation nervously.
Letty held up her hand to pause her, "Mia, why don't you take Jess down to the cafeteria? I heard they have an ice-cream place in the foodcourt."
Mia got the gist and removed Jess from the tense situation, leaving the three adults alone. Letty stood from the chair and leaned against the door.
"I'm all ears," she said with a fake smile.
"Do you realize how hard it was to get him past whatever the hell your crew was? How much he struggled letting that part of his life go? When I met this man, he was lost and alone with a toddler and no clue of which way to go next. I helped him move on to a life of positivity and success without relying on crime and criminals to get him there. Then you waltz back into the picture like some shitstorm and he takes a damn bullet!"
"First of all," Leon smirked, already knowing what was to come. He saw something in her eyes, something familiar. He imagined a young Letty posted up on a wall at a Toretto after-party, scowling at the many skanks surrounding her man. "If you were so fucking influential in his success and happiness, you would still be his wife and not just his bitter ex. Leon is my family, and has been a hell of a lot longer than he's been your fucktoy. I've known this man since he was twelve years old, and not once have I ever asked him to throw himself into danger for me, but he has, and many times. This man rushed me to the hospital after I got ran down rather than leaving me to die like other people. This man pulled me from a crumpled car and waited in a hospital for hours for me, all while the cops were looking for us, risking his freedom for me. And you're right, ever since I showed up again, his life has been shit and I'll solely take the blame. But not from you," Letty unloaded on her. "You're a bitch, and I won't hear a thing from your lips until you learn to not be a cunt. Ten years ago I would've already made you swallow your teeth for talking me the way you do, but I'm trying to be the bigger woman here for Leon and Jessie's sake," Letty clenched her teeth and closed the gap, standing toe-to-toe with the much taller woman. "But I'm feeling a lot like my older self and I won't hesitate to put you down if you don't get off my back."
The intense staredown that followed Letty's heated rant sent the temperature skyrocketing in the room. Neither woman was ready to back down, but Leon knew that they weren't in any condition to throw down, especially in a hospital.
"Kara," he called out to her but she didn't budge. "Kara!" he yelled louder. "Leave her alone. I'm a grown man. I'm the reason I'm in his bed, not her."
Kara smirked and stepped to the side, mock-bowing for Letty.
"I'll leave you and your highness alone," Kara grunted and dismissed herself from the room.
"What the hell did you see in her?" Letty asked while easing back down into the wheelchair. Her legs ached, and she was convinced that she pulled a muscle during the wreck.
"Probably the same thing I saw in every woman I've ever taken a liking to, including you," he smirked, "she's mouthy."
"That mouth of hers is gonna get her hurt," Letty warned and wheeled herself next to the bed. He was shirtless with gauze wrapped around his right shoulder and upper torso. She genuinely felt bad that he was in here. "Does it hurt?"
"I'm not feeling a thing right now," he smiled. "Don't feel bad for this. You didn't pull the trigger."
"Well the bitch who did is rotting in hell as we speak."
"You caught her."
"Damn right I did," she replied.
"That means my car is totaled, huh?" His voice was playful, but his eyes serious, and she knew that he already knew about his car.
"I'm sorry, man. I'll make it up to you."
"No shit. You can start by being on Jess duty until further notice now that she's been kicked off the soccer team," Letty's jaw dropped, "Apparently Coach Carson thinks our family is a little too high-strung for public events, and the other parents don't want her around their kids."
"Leon, I am so sorry. I never intended for that to happen,"she said guiltily.
He shook his head with a smile, "Don't sweat it. Jess hated soccer anyway. She only joined because Kara was a sports nut as a kid, but it wasn't something Jess enjoyed. But, that does mean she'll have a lot of spare time while I'm working. Figured you could go down to part-time at the shop and you two could hang out."
At that time, Mia was pushing the door open, both girls entered cradling Styrofoam bowls toppled with an assortment of fresh fruit. Mia walked toward Letty with an extra bowl.
"All they had was fruit - and a really crappy selection of pudding," she said while handing over the bowl, "Everything good here? Where's Kara?"
"She went to go cool off," Leon said with a grin. "Jess, Letty has agreed to become your sitter for the unforeseeable future. Now that Grams is off with her boyfriend gallivanting around Jamaica, someone will have to look after you while Kara and I work."
"Awesome!" she exclaimed. "Ginger and Frankie will be best friends!"
"Shit! Shit! Shit! " Letty cursed and sat down the bowl of fruit, quickly wheeling her way to the door.
"Lett, what's wrong?" Mia asked.
"I haven't seen Ginger since this morning, when I left her with Dominic. He must've left her with someone else," Letty said frantically. She didn't like leaving Ginger alone, but the pup could handle it. What she couldn't handle was being around complete strangers without getting overwhelmed with excitement. Letty didn't want anyone to overreact to the German Shepherd's large stature and playful behavior and take it for aggression.
Letty didn't wait for a reply from Mia before yanking open the door and wheeling out.
"I better go with her, in case she runs into Kara again," Mia said and hurriedly stood for the door.
"Mia…" Leon said softly to her back. She stopped and turned to him. "Are we good? We haven't really squashed what happened back then. The night of Letty's funeral."
"We're good, Le. In hindsight, it was all silly."
"You know I love you, little sister. I was just hurt about Letty. Before I met Kara, you two were the only women of substance in my life. The thought of losing one of you crushed me, and that led to me losing you both."
Mia smiled a warm smile, "You haven't lost either of us, Leo. We're family, so you're stuck with us forever."
Brian laid awake long after the sedation wore off, staring at the starch-white ceiling above his bed. When he had it memorized, his eyes moved to the floor. He meticulously counted every square, studied every groove in the tiles until he grew bored with that. Anytime he felt himself beginning to think about Roger or Roman, Brian found something different in the room to be interested in. Anything that kept his mind off the reality outside of those walls.
He was heartbroken over the loss of the only guy who stuck around to help him become a respectable young man. Roger was a powerful force during his youth years, and was the person who convinced him to join the police academy. Of course, it caused a rift between Kelly and Roger, but Brian was confident in his choice to pick a profession that could make them both proud. After the LAPD took him on, he fell out of contact with both his mother and Roger, and he regretted it now more than ever.
Brian swallowed the lump in his throat again and blinked back tears. He still had to deliver the news to his comatose friend that his father didn't make it. As much as he wanted to break down, Brian was forced (mostly by the sedatives) to pull himself together for the sake of his family, and Roman.
The door to his room burst open, and a beaming bright smile came hurling in his direction.
"Daddy!" Jack screeched as he made a mad jump for the bed, scaling the rail with ease.
"There's my little guy," Brian said, his pain immediately washed away and replaced with pure bliss. Jack's tiny arms wrapped around his dad's neck and Brian soaked up the warmth from his love.
"That one is a little ball of energy," Kelly, Brian's mother, trailed in a few seconds behind.
"Yeah… nothing like me as a child," Brian teased with a laugh.
Kelly pulled up a chair next to his bed. She sat and watched the interaction between her only biological child and grandchild. She always saw her son as a dedicated family man, and knew he had all the qualities to become a loving and doting dad, but she never expected to see it with her own eyes. She had been harsh on Brian when he wanted to join the academy, fearing losing her only son to the dangerous life of being a police officer, but eventually, she accepted his chosen life path and supported him every step of the way. That is, until the first time she saw his face plastered across her television screen with the words 'wanted' next to it.
"You've really made a life for yourself here, Brian," Kelly said with a smile.
"It hasn't been easy, that's for sure. In fact, the past decade of my life has been a terrifying rollercoaster, but when Jack was born, everything seemed to come together. I couldn't imagine leaving him behind like Dad left me."
"Your father was set in his womanizing ways. He was never the type to settle down. Always partying and bar-hopping, frankly, I couldn't have picked a worse man to start a family with. I knew he was no good, but I loved him. Since I was sixteen years old, I loved that man. And I put up with a lot of his crap, but when you were born and I saw how detached you two were, I knew it was time for him to go. He was not happy about fatherhood, and I myself refuse to force someone to be a parent when they clearly aren't in the right frame of mind to do so," Kelly sighed with a small smile, "Your father wasn't man enough to be there, but I can see that you are. What I watched you do out there for your brother, and your friends... Brian, I couldn't be prouder."
"You turned your back on me too, Mom. After all that stuff went down in LA, you literally slammed the door in my face," he reminded her. His words came off harsh, but they were truthful.
Kelly dropped her head, "And that makes me no better than your father, but son, you were wanted. You were on the lam, and you and I both know the first place the cops would look was with me. I was so hurt that you turned to a life of crime, a life far different than how I raised you. I just didn't understand what made you throw away your badge and your life after working so hard to get on with the LAPD. What were you thinking?"
"I was thinking that I finally found somewhere I belonged," he said. "It only took a few weeks of knowing these people to know that I wanted to be here, with them."
"I know I missed a lot of your life, and I'll never forgive myself for that," Kelly stood and moved to his bedside. She cupped his scruffy cheek gently, her other hand smoothing over Jack's dark hair, "But I don't want to miss another second of his life, or yours. You are my only child, Brian. The only family I have left on his silly little planet, and I don't want to go back to Barstow knowing there's a handsome little boy out there without a grandmother to spoil him rotten."
Brian fought back tears as he leaned into his mother's palm, the warmth of her touch comforting him. He knew he was to blame for their strained relationship - bailing on his badge and becoming a wanted criminal was a lot for a mother to look past. But he still couldn't excuse her brash and harsh reaction to his cry for help. Being on his own hardened him, and his anger for her pushed him to prove himself.
The door to his room pushed opened, and his wife stepped inside.
"Sorry if I'm interrupting," she said, flashing an apologetic smile their way.
"Nonsense," Kelly waved off, "You get in here with your family."
Mia walked over and gushed at the sight of her husband cuddling with their boy. Even with his face blue and purple from his battle with Timothy, Brian was still the most beautiful man when he doted on his child.
"How ya feeling?" Mia asked him, nodding to his wrapped arm.
"Better," his eyes flicked between Kelly and Mia. "Mom, this is Mia O'Conner, formerly known as Mia Toretto. My wife."
Kelly held out her hand to Mia, "You are absolutely stunning. Well done, Brian."
"That's really sweet, thank you. It's nice to finally meet you, though I wish it was under different circumstances," Mia smiled, shaking the older woman's hand.
"Honey, I'm sure you know how stubborn Brian is, and he gets that trait from me. Sad to say, if it wasn't for that maniac kidnapping me, chances are that I wouldn't be here, meeting you and Jack today. That's not on him, that's on me."
"Well, I'm glad you're here, we both are," Mia said politely. "I'd love to get to know the woman who birthed such a wonderful, yet frustrating man. And I would love for Jack to have a relationship with his only living grandparent."
"That would be wonderful-"
Mia interrupted her, "No disrespect, but this group of people has survived a lot in the last decade or so, and for some God forsaken reason, trouble seems to find us. But through it all, we've stuck together. Even when we wanted to run for the hills, we had each other's back. And we will continue to do so, so if our wild, not-so-perfect lives are too much, feel free to walk back out that door. But as his wife, I refuse to let anything or anyone hurt him again."
Brian grinned at his wife as he watched the perplexed look on his mother's face. Mia was an O'Conner now, but she would never shake that fearless Toretto bite. She was the queen of the Toretto/O'Conner jungle, and as a lioness she did her job of protecting and loving her brood. Kelly twisted face finally broke into a smile and she gave a slight nod.
"Like I said Son… well done," Kelly smiled before heading out the room.
"Really, Mi?" Brian asked with a grin as she stared cautiously at the door.
"What? She needs to know that this family is non-negotiable. If I can't run away when you get on my nerves, then neither can she," Mia shrugged.