"What room number is it again?" Clay asked as they wandered through the halls.
"Nineteen," Said Ray. "She's got a private room so we should all be able to sneak in without getting in trouble."
"Pick up the pace. I promised to be there when she woke up." Metal growled.
"There's seventeen…so nineteen should be right-"
"What are you doing here?!" Jess's voice carried to them through the closed door as they approached. The pitch and tone instantly got their hackles up.
"What am I doing here? Really, Jessica. I'm your mother! They called me!" A woman's voice came from the otherside as well, crisp, clear and patronizing. "You're lucky we were looking at condos to buy up for the business in Atlantic City! We might not have gotten here so fast. Of course the trip was cut short and we'll probably miss out on a prime opportunity, but you needed me, so I'm here."
"Ah, hell no!" Metal snarled, speeding up his pace, ready to bust down the door and cause some damage. Sonny was right behind him, ready to back him up with no questions or thoughts given.
Their brothers grabbed them and hauled him back from the door at the last second.
"What the hell are you doing, Jase?" Sonny protested, hot under the collar and ready to rip.
"Hey! Just slow down, alright?" Jason snapped quietly. "We go in there all fired up then we all get kicked out. We gotta do this smart, no matter how much we want to bust some skulls in."
"No…they-why would they call you!?" The weak voice inside started shaking as it pitched higher.
"I would imagine because she's the emergency contact on your file, Jessica. Didn't that occur to you?" A man's voice spoke next, unbelievably belittling and condescending.
"Let me in there," Metal seethed, teeth clenched and eyes blazing. "I ain't asking, Jase."
"We can't go in there till you agree not to lay a finger on either of those assholes." Ray said quietly.
"Oh, I ain't promising that." Metal rumbled darkly as the woman's voice rose again with grating 'affection' and reason. "My shovel is gonna be busy and I'm gonna need a second bag of lye."
"Hey…big guy, we all wanna hurt them as much as you do, but it would upset Jess," Clay murmured quietly. "She's had a bad enough day already, let's not add us getting arrested to it, ok?"
Scott's rage diminished a fraction at the mention of Jess and he took a deep breath before muttering, "Fine. But I don't like it."
Jason nodded, "Sonny. Get the door. Metal? You stay being me, got it? Rest of you, spread out on entry. Three, two, one-"
This was a nightmare. It had to be.
The beeping of the monitor increased by the second as Jess stared at her mother, Ellen, and her step-father, Harold. She hadn't seen them in two years, not since the last time she went home for Christmas. Phone calls with her mom were in an attempt to keep her happy enough to leave her on the health insurance. That at least was a more level playing ground. She could just hang up if she needed to. Here, and now, still a little out of it from the drugs, pain and surgery, Jess felt like a child again, trapped and without options, knowing they were going to lecture, demean and argue with her till they were blue in the face and she was too worn down to fight anymore.
"For goodness sake, Jessica, I don't know why you're acting like this!" Ellen reached out, seemingly affectionate and attempted to brush her hair back. "It must be the meds they have you on, darling, we'll set this all to rights when we get you home-"
"Don't touch me!" Jess blurted, pulling her head away and wincing when the movement hurt.
"Jessica!" Her mother recoiled, obviously offended and seemingly concerned. Maybe she was. Jess could never tell what was an act, what was delusion and what was real. "Don't speak to me like that! What have I ever done to deserve this from you? I don't understand why you're acting like this!"
"Just leave!" Jess begged, too exhausted to have anything left to put into this fight.
"Jessica-"
The door burst open, not quite slamming against the wall but still making the three occupants of the room jump.
"Alright, that's enough. Step away from her." Jason said sharply as he entered. Every inch of his presence reminded Jess that he was used to being in charge during impossible situations and that was exactly what she wanted right now.
Her mother might not be a pirate or a terrorist, but Jess sure felt like a hostage.
She gasped and tears sprang instantly to her lashes as she whimpered, "Oh, thank you, God."
Unbelievable relief crashed over Jess like a wave and she nearly burst into tears as all seven of her Bravo family stalked into the tiny room. They balanced themselves to each side of the room, with Clay, Brock and Trent taking the far side and Sonny, Metal and Jason taking the side her mother and step-dad were on. Ray stood near the door, watching the hall and blocking the exit with his arms crossed.
"Who the hell are you?" Harold exclaimed.
"Well, sir, we're kinda like the seven dwarves," Sonny drawled with fake calm. Jess was skilled enough at reading other people's emotions to feel the anger rolling off him in thick waves. It both scared her and made her feel ridiculously validated. "And that lovely young lady laying there is our Snow White, and you people are the evil queen and her annoying bird. You can decide who is who."
"I think you have the wrong room," Ellen stated stiffly, recovering quicker than her husband and looking them all up and down with distaste. "Leave."
Scott chuckled almost darkly as he circled round with his brothers and positioned himself between Jess and her mother, forcing the woman to back up three steps without even touching her until she was past the end of the bed.
"Oh. We have the right room. And you're leaving. Not us." He said almost pleasantly. The weird hint in his voice made Jess's hair stand on end. If the air around Sonny had been thick, it was almost chokingly thick around Scott. Jess should have found that terrifying, and she didn't, which worried her a little more on some level.
"Get away from my daughter! You have no right to-" Ellen gasped. "Jessica! What is this?! You couldn't possibly know these…these gorillas ?!"
Heart hammering in time to the quick *beep* in the background, but feeling less shaken than she'd been a few moments ago, Jess said the first thing that popped into her head.
"They're my gorillas, and I want them here."
"Y-your-" Ellen spluttered and tried to get a line of sight with her daughter as she started to visibly fume. "What do you think you're playing at? Are you sleeping with one of them!? What the hell is this? I knew it was a mistake to let you go off on your own! You clearly can't take care of yourself! Just look where this got you! Why are you doing this to me, Jessica? I've only ever tried to support you and look out for you, but at every turn you push me away! How can you be so cruel to your own mother?!"
Jess tensed at Ellen's shifting tone. It sounded perfectly rehearsed. A worried, concerned mother distraught over the poor life choices of her child? It was almost believable. Years of lectures and knowing how Ellen would turn next taught Jess to be ready.
She shut down, shoulder tucking slightly and eyes staring into nothing as she started to detach from reality. That was safer. Just stay quiet and ride it out-
A hand took her own and Jess was dragged back into the world. She turned her head to see Trent crouched next to her, holding her hand. Clay took a spot next to him, a hand lightly resting on her shin.
"You're ok." Trent said quietly. "Take a deep breath for me. Ignore her. We're fine."
"You're not alone, Jess." Clay murmured.
Ringing started in her ears and she closed her eyes, trying to breathe like Trent wanted her to. It was hard to calm down when the heart monitor served as a constant reminder of how not calm she was.
"I think it's time for you to go." Jason stated coldly, letting his stance do the threatening. "Your presence here isn't good for Jess."
"That is my daughter! I don't care who you people think you are, you can't keep me from her!" Ellen snapped, holding her ground with no sense of self preservation.
"Your daughter? Funny, I thought parents looked after their children and didn't put them in situations where they won't go to a hospital because they got taken off the health insurance and then they nearly get a ruptured appendix and could have fuckin die!" Jason said, smiling and chuckling a little with false pleasantry. "Does that sound like a loving parent to you?"
"You're exaggerating, and you clearly don't know Jess very well," Ellen said coldly. "She's overly stubborn, like her father, and needs sufficient motivation in order to see reason! She needs help and she won't take it! I've reached out multiple times, offering my hand, and she refuses! This was my last resort and I took absolutely no pleasure in it. I assure you."
"Yeah, well I don't blame her for not wanting help from people who didn't stand by her when she was roofied by her friends." Metal growled, accidentally letting slip what the others had suspected but not had confirmation on. Hackles rose further and the tension rose instantly in the air.
"That was a prank gone wrong and everyone knows it!" Harold rolled his eyes. "She was being stupid and there were consequences. Nothing actually happened to her and she's lucky. Good lesson learned, if you ask me."
"Ohh, hoo," Ray drew a deep breath, shaking his head and digging his fingers into his arms as Jason put out a subtle hand to stop Sonny from moving. "We did not ask you."
"Who are you to dictate what is and isn't good for my daughter? Hmm?" Ellen's hand went to her hip as she glared at them all, flicking her dyed black hair over her shoulder. "I know your type. Swoop in on vulnerable girls, make them feel special and wanted before you sell them off to the highest bidder- well she is my baby girl, mister and if you think-"
"Mom, stop it," Jess's voice carried louder and stronger than she expected it to, briefly silencing the woman and drawing Jason's sharp gaze to her. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Scott step closer to her, his arm reaching out to lean against the side rail of the bed. It was a simple move, but it gave Jess courage.
"Not now, Jessica-" Ellen said dismissively.
"Yes. Now. Ellen." Jess was suddenly angry, frightened and horribly grieved all at the same time, because this was it. She knew this was finally it. "You don't get to speak to them like that."
Ellen and Harold stared at her with that look she'd learned to dread in her teens. Her hand tightened around Trent's, desperate for some kind of anchor point.
"Leave. I'm done." She said, quieter this time and shaking horribly as she struggled not to retreat into herself.
Ellen's eyes filled with tears and her face began to shatter. Guilt immediately twisted Jess's gut.
"Jessica, why-"
"No," Jess's voice shook more as she looked her mother straight in the eye. "I don't want you here. I'm done with you and all of this bullshit. Leave."
"Jessica-" Ellen got choked up, shaking her head and working not to cry. "Baby, you don't mean that-"
"How dare you, you ungrateful little-" Harold started to say loudly, making Jess flinch and look at him, unconsciously ready to move. He'd never actually ever hit her, but he'd tried once the last time she saw him and that was enough.
Brock was moving in to block his line of sight before he ever finished and with a presence Jess could never have fathomed coming from the typically gentle and mild man, snarled, "You don't get to speak to her. At all. Don't even look at her."
"This is ridiculous! I'm calling security!" Ellen tried and failed to sound calm as she wiped at her eyes.
"Oh, we already did," Ray said pleasantly. "And her nurse too."
Jess felt something bounce next to her on the other side and she looked down to see the red call button that Scott had just dropped onto the bed.
On cue, an extremely short blonde nurse came storming in, took one look around and demanded, "What the hell is going on in here?!"
"I want them gone," Ellen announced, waving her hand around at the seven men. "Now. I'm her mother and they're clearly upsetting her."
"Oh, people are leaving, that's for sure, but you don't get a say." The blonde stated as she stomped over the monitors, glared at them and then turned to Jess with the softest change coming over her. "Sweetie, who do you want gone? I'll toss' em all out the door personally if I have to. Don't let my size fool you."
"I want her and him gone." Jess whispered, pointing to her mother and step-dad. "But can the others stay, please!? I…I really really want them here…"
Something in her face must have been broken and desperate because the nurse didn't even blink at the request.
Turning briskly she snapped her fingers, pointed at Ellen and Harold, and then the door.
"Out. Now."
"You can't-"
"Oh, yes I can. And in the interests of my patient and the absence of security, I would be happy to enlist the services of these fine gentlemen to do so." The nurse spoke with confidence radiating from her tiny stature.
"We were called in! Ellen is her mother, for god's sake!" Harold protested.
"A mistake on our part, obviously," Stated Naima coldly from the doorway as she arrived with the stance of an angry momma bear. "And one that will be rectified shortly so that nothing like this ever happens to Jess again."
"We're her family, not these clowns! You can't kick us out!"
"You are not my family. I don't want to see either of you again. Leave." Jess heard herself say softly, but loud enough to be heard by everyone. She looked anywhere but the face of her mother, feeling suddenly too exhausted and numb. Her gaze landed on Jason and she nearly begged, "Please…please make them leave? I don't want them here. I can't-"
"Remove them, without touching them, if you could." Ordered the blonde nurse as the light beeping in the background hitched up to an alarming rate.
Jason reacted without hesitation. "Alright boys, you heard her. Let's move."
"Jessica!" Ellen cried, her voice pitching hysterically now. "Don't do this! I'm your mother! I love you! Why are you doing this?!"
Jess tried to block her out, curling away from the door and onto her side painfully while putting her hands over her ears. The movement made the IV's in her hand and arm pull and poke.
Someone added their own larger hand over top of her own while another rubbed circles on her back and Jess clenched her eyes shut, waiting for it all to end.
Bravo corralled her step-dad and mom with their collective body mass and pressured them out of the room without so much as laying a single finger on them. It was probably the hardest thing they'd done in a while because it was sorely tempting to physically drag them away.
Once in the hall, the door closed on the commotion and Jess uttered a dry sob.
"It's gonna be ok. I know it doesn't feel like that right now, but it will be. I promise."
Clay was still with her.
"She's my mom!" Jess sobbed.
"I know."
"Why does she have to be like that? Why can't she be what I needed her to be!?"
"I don't know."
"I still love her! I don't want to hurt her…but, I can't have her in my life anymore!" Jess cried, finally opening her eyes and meeting the blue of her brother. "Why do I have to still love her when she's like that?!"
Clay was crouched where Trent had been. He reached back and grabbed a chair instead, dragging it over and sitting before taking her hand tightly in his own.
"I don't know the answers to that either, but I've asked the same thing about my dad. Only thing I've figured out is that you don't pick your parents, but you can pick your family, and your's is going to make sure you get through all this, Jess. Promise."
The door opened again, letting in the more distant yelling of Harold and Ellen as Naima slipped in and closed it again.
"Hey…oh, Jess," Naima hurried over as Jess moved weakly, wordlessly asking for a hug. Naima and Clay helped her into a position where Naima could hold her without it being painful and Jess sobbed into her shoulder. "I'm sorry, honey…I'm so sorry. We should have updated your file for the emergency contact when you came in! I told them to make sure she wasn't called, but one of the younger rookie nurses didn't get the memo and went off the file. She let her in here and feels absolutely terrible about it."
Jess sobbed for a while until she felt way too weak to do so anymore. Her side throbbed from the use of her abs and the exhaustion was deep in her bones.
The door opened again.
"Bridgette! Thank you for helping handle that! What a mess."
"Of course. There was no way those two were staying," The short blonde nurse from before was back. "How's she doing? The poor thing. We should do checks. Talk about the catheter coming out and make sure those stitches are holding after all that."
"Yes, I can help with that," Naima looked up at Clay and said gently, "Clay, we're going to need a moment."
"Yup. Jess, we'll be outside, ok? No one's getting past us through that door."
Jess nodded and went limp as the rest happened. Naima told her what she could about her surgery, but explained that her doctor would be in later to tell her more about what she needed to know and discuss next steps. Jess knew the surgery was successful and that she was doing well, all things considered.
Mercifully, her stitches were fine and some of the other less pleasant medical articles would be removed soon.
She was so tired.
"Ok," Naima gently tucked her in under the blankets again and rearranged her pillows. "I think that's good. Do you want those cavemen back in here?"
Tears springing back into her eyes, Jess nodded vigorously.
"I'll get them," Bridgette said lightly. "They're pretty anxious to see you, sweetie. You're a lucky girl to have such a protective family looking out for you!"
It was true and Jess got choked up thinking about how they'd basically driven Ellen and Harold out and saved her from the family drama.
Naima leaned over and kissed her on the top of the head while wiping her tears away.
"It's been a rough day, honey, and it's ok to cry, but try to let those boys make you smile. You deserve it and it'll be good for you, ok? Try to get some rest, and no worrying about anything, got it? We're taking care of everything. And I mean, everything ."
"Ok," Jess whispered just as the boys filed in.
"Hey there, little ocean-fearing buddy!" Sonny greeted her cheerily, as if nothing had just gone down and this was just another day at the Bulkhead.
Hearing his voice first instantly reminded Jess of how he'd introduced himself and the team the last time they'd come in the room and she found lips wobbled into a smile despite herself.
"Hey…" She murmured quietly. "So which dwarf are you?"
A huge grin spread over his face and he said, "I'm Thorin Oakensheild."
The smile around Jess's mouth twitched into a bigger one as she said, "Those are the wrong dwarves, silly. And there's thirteen of them, not seven."
"Are they?!" Sonny pretended to be surprised. "Oh well, must be all that running Jason had us doing yesterday. Lack of oxygen is makin me forgetful. Which dwarf am I…hmm..let me see…"
"Well, we all know Full Metal is Grumpy," Said Clay as he settled near the window.
"Thought I was Bashful," Scott grunted as he dragged a chair in from the hall.
"Nah, Brock is Bashful," Jason said, hooking another chair with his toe and dragging it in noisily. He ducked a little and waved to a passing nurse when she glared at him for being disruptive, whispering, "Sorry."
"I might be Bashful, but that's better than Sneezy over there," Brock said, nodding to Trent.
"No arguments," Trent sighed. "I hate allergy season."
"I thought he would be Doc?" Ray said.
"Nah, he's not Doc, I am," Jason told him. "I'm the leader."
"So who does that make me?"
"Happy, cause you're so damn positive all the time." Grumbled Metal.
"Who's Dopey?" Jess asked, the reeling storm inside starting to dissipate with all the joking around.
"Clay." Six voices said at once.
"I knew they were going to say that." Clay laughed, shaking his head.
"Then that makes Sonny…?"
"Who's the last dwarf…"
They had to think about it for a moment before Sonny suddenly exclaimed, "Sleepy! That's who I am!"
"Heyyyy!" The team cheered and laughed. "Fits pretty well, actually. You can fall asleep anywhere."
"Yeah, especially in briefings." Ray scolded lightheartedly.
"How are you doing, Jess?" Jason asked seriously, studying her carefully as he swirled the contents of his coffee cup.
"I'm ok, I think," Jess suddenly felt shy, "T-thank you for getting me here…Naima said that it could have been really bad if I hadn't been brought in. I'm really sorry for all the trouble-"
"Hey," Scott said with a hint of sharpness in the gravel. "None of that."
"Yeah, we're just glad you're ok and that we could help," Trent added more gently.
"D-did they get rid of my mom?" Jess asked quietly, picking at the edge of her blanket and not looking at any of them.
"They sure did, and she won't be getting back in here," Ray promised, "We've sweet talked our way into being allowed to stay here with you round the clock in partners until you're allowed to go home. That should hopefully be tomorrow some time. There's no way she's getting past us."
Worry that she didn't realize had been lingering around her jaw released and Jess relaxed into the pillows with a soft sigh. She wanted to talk. Wanted to explain, or something but she couldn't formulate words in the right order anymore.
"You should get some rest," Trent prompted.
"Don't want to." Jess mumbled, fighting her falling eyelids. The meds were loosening her thoughts and they slipped out without a filter. "It…I- I wanna feel safe…you guys make me feel safe…like hear you talking…want things to be normal…don't want you guys to leave…please don't go yet?"
Half out already, Jess jerked back to waking with a sudden fear that they were gone already.
"Hey. You're ok. Close your eyes. We'll keep talking nonsense so you know we're here. We're pretty good at that." Scott had shifted closer, half leaned on the edge of the bed as he reached out and took her hand.
"We ain't' goin anywhere for a while, little buddy," Sonny told her. "And you heard Ray. Two of us will be here at all times."
"Ok…" Jess let her eyes fall shut and stay that way, gripping Scott's hand tightly. "If…if you were Marvel characters, who would you be?"
"Ohh!"
Genuine excitement to answer the question rose through the room and for the next few minutes the grown men turned into children, arguing good naturedly about who was who and why.
Jess listened and let it sooth her towards sleep. As long as they were talking she could relax.
A warm, calloused palm pushed her hair back from her forehead slowly, and Jess couldn't help releasing more tension at the touch. She thrived on physical contact and it was often denied her or lacking over the years. Her housemate's remedy for how cuddly they all were was to have a platonic pile up/cuddle session on the couch every few weeks and watch a movie.
The motion repeated and Jess started to drift, only half aware that the conversation had shifted from Marvel to Star Wars. Trent was adamantly arguing some random point and getting teased mercilessly for it.
The door opened after a light knock.
"Excuse me," A male new voice stirred Jess back to the edge of consciousness. "I'm looking for Jessica Barlowe?"
"Yeah, she's the one in the bed," Jason said quietly, "What can we do for you, officer."
"Well-"
"Hey! Trevor Bailey? Is that you, little man!?"
"Brock Renyolds!" The serious note of the newcomer lifted and a smile was evident now, "Man! It's good to see you! How have you been?"
"I am well," Jess heard the telling sound of a bro hug shoulder clap, "Look at you! Not a rookie anymore! Your brother mentioned you went the cop route after you had to step down from active duty!"
"Yeah, it's not exactly what I wanted or planned on, but it's a good fit. This is temporary though. Hoping to go the SWATT route in a few years."
"Of course you are!" Brock laughed, "Guys, this is Trevor. He's the little brother of one of my best buddies from basic. Trevor, this is my team."
"Oh! Like, the team? Wow! That explains the muscle and death stares!" Trevor joked, getting a light hearted laugh from the guys.
"So what brings you in here?" Brock asked.
"Ah. Well. We got a call from a very concerned Ellen Whittlock saying that her daughter, Jessica, was being held against her will, brainwashed and manipulated by a group of seven men. She also said that these men threatened to kill her when she tried to intervene at the hospital. That wouldn't happen to have been you fellows, would it?"
"For the love of-" Scott's dark growl made Jess startle back towards waking, cutting him off. He hushed her when her eyes fluttered and he resumed brushing her hair back from her forehead with slow, steady motions. It worked like a magic spell. Her eyes slammed shut as she relaxed again and her breathing deepened. Whispering he finished off, "That woman is the one we should be calling the cops on."
"Oh?" Trevor asked, his tone slipping back into business rather than the previous comradery. "Care to explain?"
"Metal, is she asleep?" Ray asked softly. "Don't want her to know until she's doing better."
"Don't know," Scott admitted as he studied her tear stained face and the dark circles under her eyes. "Trent, what do you think?'
"Jess?" Trent whispered softly, "Hey…little buddy, you awake?"
Jess ignored him, drifting peacefully with the lull of voices around her and not caring at all what was happening anymore. She was safe and happy right now. That's all that mattered.
"Yeah, I think she's out."
"Ok, so you wanna explain what's going on?" Officer Bailey asked.
"Long story short, her mom is bitch and her step-dad is a piece of shit." Sonny announced.
Somewhere in Jess's mostly asleep mind she mentally nodded. Yup. That was an accurate statement.
"She's been putting the pressure on Jess for as long as we've known the girl, trying to force her to move back home, go the career route she envisions and get back some control over her, I don't know," Ray said, keeping his voice low. "The woman has some serious narcissistic tendencies, major delusions and unbelievable control issues."
"Ah." Said Trevor. "I see. One of those. Seen more than enough of those. I hate that I have to ask, but what's your relationship with Jessica-"
"Call her Jess." Clay interrupted quietly. "Not the other. Only her mom calls her that."
"Right. Apologies. So the answer to the question?"
"Well, I'd say she's my little sister," Sonny stated, a note of affection slipping in. "Heaven help anyone who makes her cry."
"Yeah, same here," Said Brock.
"Definitely a little sister." Trent murmured.
"Sister," Clay said.
"Hmm, I'm on the fence for her being a niece or a daughter," Ray said thoughtfully. "It's one of those. Jason?"
"Oh, I've definitely claimed her as my new kid. No question about that. She's too close to Emma in age not to be. Metal?"
"Haven't decided. Somewhere between my sister and niece." Scott said softly as he kept to his job of keeping Jess out, brushing his palm through her hair slowly. "I don't feel old enough to be a papa bear."
"Right, so just confirming that there are no romantic involvements?"
"None."
"Ok! Awesome. That clears that up. And just to confirm, you did not in any way threaten Ellen or her husband."
"We did not." Jason stated firmly. "Didn't even lay a finger on them. Security was the ones who threw them out the doors."
"Good. Can you tell me exactly what went down?"
"We arrived to visit Jess, her mother was already here and causing her distress." Jason recounted efficiently. "We asked her to leave, and exchanged words that could not be defined as threatening. We were very pleasant, in fact. Then the nurses had us assist in removing them from the room at Jess's request. We did so without touching either of them. After that we simply blocked the door and waited for security."
"And in that time there were no threats exchanged?"
"None by us. The husband threatened to make our lives hell and the woman hinted at knowing more about us then she'd let on before."
"How so?"
"Well, it turns out she's had a Private Investigator following Jess for a few months now, since we left for deployment," Ray told him, lowering his voice a little as he glanced at the girl sleeping in the bed. "She only knew about us because we had a gathering a few days after we got back last week and Jess was there."
That sentence tugged Jess back from the depths slightly. She shifted closer to Scott with a grimace, sleepily telling herself this wasn't a 'now' problem and unconsciously looking for comfort.
The big man shushed her, and whispered, "You're ok. Sleep. We got you."
"Awesome," Officer Bailey was light toned, but sarcastic as he wrote it all down. "Let's add stalking to the list. Anything else?"
"She's verbally and emotionally abusive and we can all give witness details just from one encounter alone plus signs that come through in our interactions with Jess," Clay commented.
"Pretty sure the step dad has taken a swing at our girl before," added Brock darkly.
"They seem like they'll be a long term problem," Sonny drawled. "Anything you can do about that, law man?"
"Oh, I've had some success with stuff like this just by coming back to them with a heavy hand of evidence and counter witness statements," Trevor said softly, clearly conscious of the sleeping girl. "But she's probably going to have to get a restraining order and press charges if they break it. People like this don't give up that easily, but sometimes you get lucky and they're offended enough to stay away. Did Jess herself tell them to leave, or did she let you guys handle it?"
"She made it pretty clear to them that she never wanted to see them again."
"That's really good, actually." Trevor commented with approval. "Means she's less likely to get sucked back in. Right. Well, I don't wanna wake her up with all the talking and she seems in really good hands, so maybe come out into the hall one at a time and I'll take your statements about the event and get out of your hair. My partner or I will follow up with her later when she's awake, see about that restraining order if she wants it."
"Perfect, thank you so much, man," Brock said, genuine warmth coming through. "You always were a good kid."
"Hey! I'm definitely not fifteen anymore! You can lay off with the 'kid' stuff!" Trevor laughed.
"Yeahhh, look at you…so grown up. Makes me feel so old," Brock teased. "Come on, I'll go first."
The room settled again and Jess let go into the full depths of sleep as the voices around her talked quietly.