The Beginning of the End

Part Two

Kate POV

One day, her dad needed to go to the hospital for treatment and her mother was supposed to take him but she never showed up. Luckily, he had friends who would always be on standby, knowing she would do something like this at some point. They would go over to wherever he was and wait until it was time for him to leave and if she happened to actually show up, he would go with her, otherwise, he would go with them.

It was painfully obvious that she really didn't care about him, even after all the years they were married. She was just waiting for him to die so she could collect everything from his insurance policies, pension, properties and everything else she felt she deserved because they had been married while he earned most of that. She felt he owed it to her because he stripped her of her status and her image was tarnished while they were still married and, after they divorced, it was proven that she was responsible so she lost everything. There wasn't any alimony so she had to find other ways to survive. In short, she had to marry someone else with money because she didn't have any skills to do anything other than lay on her back and spend money. Amazingly enough, she found someone who she actually fell in love with and he accepted her son as his own. He was a successful IT businessman who would be able to take care of her and support them both. He was nice, the few times we met him, but we couldn't figure out what the hell he saw in her. She was an absolutely horrible person once you got to know her, but she put up a good façade. Despite all that, she still couldn't let go of her ex-husband and the disgrace she felt from being ostracized in the community.

On the fateful day, her father's friends took him to the hospital for his treatment and called Rhi to let her know what was going on. We just happened to be with her for lunch when she received the call, so we dropped everything, jumped into her car and headed to the hospital. My god she was a mad woman on the road, calling her mother repeatedly, only to be met with silence. Listening to the calls through the car, it was obvious her mother was declining the calls. The last time she tried, the call went straight to voicemail, indicating she turned off her phone so she was forced to leave a message.

She sounded like she was possessed by a demon from hell when she growled out, "Where in the FUCK are you? You were supposed to take dad to his treatment! You better stay away from the hospital because if I see you…" Reaching over I disconnected her call and was met with her blazing green eyes.

"What in the fuck did you do that for?" She seethed.

Being used to her wrath, I calmly told her, "You don't ever make threats over the phone. You know better than that!" I stopped for a moment, letting that sink in a little before continuing, "At least wait until you're face to face with her before you threaten her. Fuck Rhi."

Sighing, she takes a deep breath trying to calm down but she was unable to relax her muscles. Her jaw is clenched and muscles twitch under her skin. Her hands are gripping the steering wheel so hard her knuckles are white.

"If something happens to him, if she's the cause of…" She mutters through clenched teeth then pauses and shakes her head slightly before continuing, "No matter. She's in for the shock of her life and you guys get ring side seats."

Turning her head to look between me and Ana, the laugh that comes out of the wicked smile that has formed on her face is one of the scariest sights and sounds I've ever seen and heard. I most definitely will never forget it and I'm sure that I speak for Ana as well when I say I certainly hope that we never see or hear it again. Ever.

I glance at Ana whose face I can imagine reflects my own and can tell she's just as concerned as I am. When I look back at Rhi her body is relaxed, her breathing is calm and she's humming Freddy Krueger's tune from A Nightmare on Elm Street. It's extremely unsettling and sends a chill down my spine. Unsure and concerned I'll say something to cause any further stress I say nothing and let it go. We'll deal with that freaky shit later.

We're silent for the rest of the ride, listening to Rhi hum that creepy tune over and over like a broken and distorted music box. I've never been so relieved when the hospital comes into view. However, my relief is short lived when we see some MP's and a group of her father's friends waiting outside in front of the entrance, it almost seems like they were waiting for her. Their body language indicates a mixture of concern and apprehension as they turn and watch as we pull in and she parks at the curb, tossing her keys to the valet. As I'm getting out of the car, I glance around but I don't see a trace of her mother, thank god, because that means he's being treated in peace and Rhi doesn't have to deal with her.

Not even sparing any of them a glance, she rushes inside the hospital in search for her father. Ana and I trail behind her watching as she tears through the hallways in a way that started her nickname, 'Hurricane Rhi.' She doesn't leave a path of destruction, yet, but she does leave her mark and evidence that she was there. Finally, after maneuvering her way through the halls she comes to his room and stands in the doorway for a moment, calming herself. There's a nurse near his bed getting IVs situated to start the process. He's lying in bed with tubes poking into various locations on his body. There are a few IV bags full of liquid sitting in a pile on a counter, waiting for their turn to be used.

"Hi Daddy. Are they taking good care of you?" she says as she enters the room, her voice happy, almost angelic. It's the complete opposite of what it was minutes ago. "Hi, my Sweet. Fancy meeting you here." He chuckles looking at her, his blue-grey eyes dancing as he laughs. She rolls her eyes and laughs as she leans down to kiss his cheek.

Turning to Ana and I he winks and smiles, inviting us in. "Come on in ladies. Kate, Ana you both look as lovely as ever. How are your parents?" I can't help smiling at him and his kindness and sincerity and sense of humor. So far the therapy hasn't robbed him of that and I hope to hell it never does. The world is a better place because of him, in more ways than one.

"Thanks Captain. My parents are well. You look amazing yourself! Are you doing something different with your hair?" His thick brown crew cut is still full so I rub my hand over it as I lean down and give him a kiss on his cheek.

He shakes his head and rolls his eyes, "Kate, you and your labels. Dad will suffice." He chuckles. "Also, you better snap that picture quick because between this damn treatment and Rhi I'm sure it's going to run away quickly!" He looks at Rhi's expression but laughs a little harder.

She hates when he jokes about things like his health. Ironically, she's the same way and she hates to admit it. It's how she's dealt with the bullshit she has happened in her life. Ana and I have talked about things and we've concluded that when he dies, he won't truly be gone because she is his mini-me, identical in every way except physical looks.

"Aye, aye Captain." I give him a salute, "Say cheese!" I laugh and wink at him, pulling out my phone and snapping his picture. He laughs when I turn to show him the screen. He's got a smile on his face and is sticking his tongue out. "Perfect!"

"Ok you two, break it up." Rhi laughs. "How are you feeling daddy? Are they taking good care of you? Or am I going to have to step in and be the muscle?" She laughs and smiles sweetly at Nurse Kelli, who's been busy hooking him up to all the machines. When she turns to look at Rhi, she rolls her eyes and laughs along with everyone else.

"Now Rhi, why ever would you think that I'd treat the Captain here any other way? Do we need to step outside and go toe to toe?" She stands up and puffs her chest out, her face cracks into a toothy grin and we all laugh.

Walking over to her, Rhi smiles and wraps her arms around Nurse Kelli in a hug. "You know, he absolutely adores you. You're his favorite nurse, but don't tell the others because it'll start a brawl and I'm not prepared to be that much muscle right at the moment." Her eyes sparkle brightly at her better-than-a-dad-joke joke; she laughs and we all groan. "You love it and you know you do."

We're silent for a few moments as Nurse Kelli finishes setting up the treatment. When she's finished, she nods to us and glances at the Captain, who winks and motions with his head for her to leave.

"Ladies? Come sit down and make yourselves comfortable." He orders us gently. "Rhi? Do you know where your mother is? I'm sure you don't but just take a stab at a guess."

I look over at Rhi who seems to know where this is going but Ana and I are completely confused. She snorts, "It doesn't really matter where she is. It's obvious she's not here where she said she would be. Just one more thing that makes it obvious that she only cares about herself."

He sighs deeply and rolls his eyes shaking his head slowly. "Rhi, she's on her way over here. She was summoned to a very important meeting with my superiors and our attorneys." He stops, waiting for her reaction. He seems pleased when her head snaps to attention and a wicked smile grows impossibly large across her face.

"Oh really? I'm sure she was excited to l learn what it was about, wasn't she?" She laughs and continues, "So why is she coming here?"

He looks at her for a moment, unsure of where to start, "They're stripping her of her credentials. She will no longer have access to the hospital or anything else on base. I didn't want to tell you in case there were problems but I wanted it to be a surprise." He pauses, "We've been fighting with her and her attorneys for this to come to an end ever since she remarried. We've finally been able to cut her off completely so she no longer has access to anything or anyone on base." The look he is giving her is intense and his gaze penetrating, like he's trying to force the information into her brain. When it doesn't seem to be getting his point across he tells her what he's trying to convey. "Rhi, she will never be able to have any contact with you on base. No one on her side of the family will be able to contact you either."

Ana and I watch as she slowly takes in this information. She looks confused, her brows pinched in the center, her nose wrinkled and a frown on her face. We're just as confused as she is, even more so because her face suddenly straightens out and surprise sets in.

"Really? She's really going to be gone?" The smile on her face is a dead giveaway for her happiness, yet there's an underlaying whisper of sadness that flashes in her eyes. "Wait. Are you ok with this? What you want matters more than what I want."

"Yes, my Sweet, this is what I want. I've only been able to tolerate her being around because of you. I hate to admit it but I did need her help for a few things until you were old enough to be independent. Fortunately for me, you matured early, so we don't have to wait until you're 18. You are the only thing that matters to me. You know, next to my career." He smiles as she jumps up to hug him. I can sense the relief and fear pour out of her body like rain bursting from a thundercloud. Just as quickly as it manifests it disappears when Joe, one of the Captain's attorney's and friend, enters the room.

Joe clears his throat and says, "I'm sorry to interrupt but she's here. How would you like to handle this?" He looks at Rhi and her dad, who starts to sit up.

"Daddy, Joe and I will handle this. You've suffered long enough. We'll be right back." She stands up and turns to Joe. "Let's do this."

Ana and I watch as she straightens her back with poise and confidence and walks out the door with determination. Ana and I know Rhi well enough that we can tell she's about to explode so we hop up and turn to say something to the Captain.

"We'll be…" I start to say but he cuts me off with a chuckle.

"Please hurry, she's going to enjoy this a little too much and I seem to be tied up at the moment so I can't be there to help. Unfortunately, I must leave it to you two to handle things. I'll see you when you come back." He laughs quietly and waves us out of the room.

Rushing out of the room after Rhi, we're focused on intercepting her before she can get to the door. When we see her, she's standing inside the front door with Joe and they're quietly conversing. He's got some papers he's showing her. She's nodding slowly, confusion marring her face once again. She hands the papers back to Joe and turns to look at us, the gleam in her eyes evident and the wicked smile returns to her face. Fuck. Captain was right. She's going to enjoy this way too much. We're going to have our hands full.

She turns and charges at the doors with an energy that would solidify her notorious nickname, confirming her intent because she tore out of that hospital on a rampage, hell-bent on complete destruction. She exited the doors just a few seconds before Ana and I did and Rhi was right, we were getting ringside seats, along with everyone else standing outside. Let me just say, it's a good thing there was a lot of muscle present because it took three people to shield her mother from Rhi and four guys to hold Rhi back. I'm pretty sure they had a feeling something would happen but I doubt they knew it would be this bad.

The two of them glared at each other, fire blazing in her mother's eyes and her head held high like she was superior to everyone. Rhi countered with a look of her own, that wicked smile plastered on her face and the gleam shining brightly in her eyes. The more I watch her, the more she reminds me of Hannibal Lecter from Silence of the Lambs.

Shrugging off the four men surrounding her, Rhi looks at them, "You can let go now. I'm fine." Turning back around she hisses, "Hello, mother."