Chapter Forty Four

 Earl climbed out of his car and limped around it to face us.  It looked like he hadn’t slept since the incident in the park.  He was pale, aside from the half of his face that was one giant bruise.  He was sweaty, and his eyes...  I couldn’t decide if they looked empty or full of too many thoughts, but they were terrifying!  He looked possessed...

 He saw my fear, and smiled as he revealed a handgun.  It pointed in our direction.  I gasped and pulled Madison behind me.

 “Earl...  Who’re you aiming at?” Jay asked slowly.

 “Who do you think, f**k-face?  I wasn’t kidding when I said it wasn’t over between us the first time, was I?  Think I was foolin’ when I said you’re dead?”

 “Just making sure,” Jay said with a note of resignation, as he started sidestepping away from Madison and I to get us out of the line of fire.  “I mean, I didn’t think you’d want to hurt a woman and her child,” he added, trying to feel out if Madison and I were going to be safe.

 “That is my f****n’ woman, and that’s my f****n’ kid!”

 I crouched.  “Madison...  Take these keys, run in the back door.  Remember how Mommy taught you to call nine-one-one?” I whispered.  She was staring at Earl.  “Madison!” I hissed.

 “Okay, Mommy.”

 “Hurry.  Tell them we need police and an ambulance.  Give them our address.”

 “Hey!” Earl yelled.  “What the f**k are you sayin’ to her?”

 I stood as Madison ran to the other side of the house.  “I’m just sending her inside, Earl.  She doesn’t need to see any of this.”

 “Yeah, whatever.”  His attention turned to Jay.  “Well?  I’m near your family that isn’t f****n’ yours.  Ain’tcha gonna rip my f****n’ throat out?  Or am I the only man of his word here?”

 Jay had inched his way to the other side of the lawn.  “Nah, that’s not even possible,” Jay said.  “You can’t rip skin with your bare hands, there’s no way.”  He was trying to be brave and make light of the situation, but his voice trembled.

 I saw curtains move in the house across the street.  Earl’s yelling was attracting attention.  “Still gonna be smart with me?  What in the hell could make you so cocky?  You gonna block a bullet, karate man?”

 I wondered if my mind was broken as his question recalled to me our conversation at the dinner party, which seemed like ages ago.  People always ask me if I can block a bullet.  “Earl, come on man.  You guys jumped me, I got a hot head, I’m sorry.  I’ll pay for the repairs to your car.  I will.  Don’t do this.”

 “I don’t give a flyin’ f**k how sorry you are, boy.  I tried to warn you.  You do not f**k with a man’s car!  How f****n’ hard is that to understand?”

 “Earl, people are watching...  You’re going to go away if you do this.  Put the gun down, man.  There’s other ways.”

 “You don’t understand a thing about how the world works.  I know I’m gonna go away.  Few years, tops.  I’ll do it just to prove my point, I don’t give a f**k.  And when I get out,” he looked at me.  “You best believe I’ll be coming to see you, b***h.”  He gave a grin as hollow as his eyes.  “You and that pret-ty little girl of yours.  Oh, she’ll be even more grown up then.  Won’t that...  Stay the f**k back there!”  He screamed at Jay suddenly, who had been trying get closer to Earl without him noticing.  Jay backed up to the edge of my garden, maximizing the distance that he couldn’t close.  He faced Earl sideways, keeping his left side in back.  He’s protecting his heart...  And something about his practicality was breaking mine.

 “Is that loaded?” Jay asked.

 “Got enough in the mag to blow you the f**k away.”

 “Just asking...” Jay sighed.  “Earl, we’re in a neighborhood here.  Really?”

 Earl looked down the barrel at Jay, almost seeming to reconsider.  Almost, I realized, and started crying.  “Oh god, Earl...  Don’t.  Please...” I begged.

 “This is your f****n’ fault too,” he said, not taking his eyes off of Jay.  I knew I shouldn’t listen, but his words hurt me.  “Shoulda got rid of him like I said to.”  He fired.

 Jay cringed, and ducked slightly.  Earl had missed.  “Earl!  Stop!” Jay yelled.

 “No worries,” Earl said, and fired again.

 “Ah!” Jay cried, and grabbed his right arm.

 “Ha!” Earl yelled.  He jumped, and when he came down his injured knee gave way and he leaned on his car.  “Ha!  You f****r!  I got you!”

 Jay’s legs weakened, and sagged.  As if forcing himself to pass some kind of test, he stood again.  He was crying, and trying not to hyperventilate.  I saw blood beginning to flow from underneath the hand covering his wound.  “Yes Earl, you got me,” Jay gasped.  “Call it even, alright?”

 “We ain’t f****n’ even,” Earl said with a grin that mocked Jay’s pain.  “You know when we’re gonna be even.”

 “Earl, I smashed your windows and you just goddam shot me!”

 For an answer Earl fired twice more rapidly, missing and then hitting Jay in the lower right leg.  Jay screamed again, and dropped.  Earl shot again and missed.  “S**t!” he yelled when he tried again, and realized he was out of bullets.  He started limping toward Jay, who was on his side grunting in pain.  “Gonna have to do this the old fashioned way,” he said.  He attempted to grab the barrel of the pistol so that he might use the handle as a club, and dropped it with a yell.  The barrel was hot.

 I started forcing myself to walk toward them on numb legs when I saw Earl’s foot draw back for a kick.  He delivered one with his injured leg, needing the good one to stand on.  Jay was laying on his left side, and couldn’t deflect it with his wounded arm.  Earl kicked him in the chest, and decided it wasn’t worth the pain it caused his knee.  He dropped and put his hands around Jay’s throat, just as I was reaching him.

 Jay rolled to his back to free his left arm, and did his best to fend off Earl’s stranglehold.  He managed to knock one arm away, then the other.  Earl kept putting his hands back, and Jay was losing air quickly.

 I formed my hands into the fore-knuckle fists.  I can’t reach his windpipe, but even in the back of the neck this will have to hurt.  I sank in my stance to add power to my strike.  I hit hard and fast, and it was enough to distract Earl.  “What the f**k!” he screamed furiously, staggering to his feet.  I stepped back a bit, not from intimidation but to gain enough distance for the backup technique I’d been practicing against Jay’s advice.  “Are you really that stupid?”  As soon as he started moving toward me, I lifted my knee and snapped a kick out with the instep of my foot.  I had practiced that until I could do it in the blink of an eye, just as I had with the leopard’s paw.  Earl dropped instantly.  Sometimes the testicles are off to the side, I remembered Jay saying.  That may be true, but sometimes you get a dead-on hit.

 I sank to Jay’s side while Earl rolled away from us.  He vomited and started breathlessly cussing at me.  “Jay...  Talk to me,” I said as I caressed his good arm, keeping an eye on Earl.

 “It hurts...” he said between coughs.

 “Madison called nine-one-one, someone will be here soon.  Earl’s on the ground, he’s done.  You’re safe,” I soothed, and stroked his forehead.

 That was how the police found us when they arrived.  Again, it was Officer LanPhere and her partner.  They ran across the yard yelling for nobody to move.  Earl tried to move, and the male officer pushed him back down.  “Get off me, you stupid prick!” he yelled and started flailing his arms, managing to hit the officer with the back of his fist.  Earl vanished in a flurry of strikes from both of their extendible clubs, and I focused my attention on Jay.

 “Laura...  I love you.  Tell Madison I love her.”

 I didn’t have to face down Earl anymore.  I let go and started crying.  “Jay, don’t...  You’re going to be fine.”

 “I hope so...  F****r, I didn’t know a leg could hurt this bad.”

 I used my skirt to wipe at his tears and running nose, and leaned in to kiss him gently on the lips.  “There,” I whispered.  “A magical healing kiss, from a princess to her knight.”

 Through the pain and tears, still a smile came to his face.  “Thank you.”

 “Ma’am?  Are you hurt?” Officer LanPhere asked me, suddenly at my side.  I looked up at her and in the background I saw Earl, who had been beaten senseless, being dragged to the patrol car.

 “No,” I said.

 “Sir?  Where did he hit you?”

 “My arm, and leg,” Jay said through carefully controlled exhalations.

 “Anywhere else?”

 “No.”

 “EMS has a crew together, they’ll be here in no time.  Just try to relax and keep slowing your breathing, alright?  You’re doing great.  We’ve got that creep in the back of our car, he won’t ever hurt anybody again.”

 “Hey, LanPhere?” Her partner called her from next to Earl’s car.

 “What is it?”

 “Want to have a look at this?”

 She went to investigate, and I saw the ambulance approaching.  The two officers started looking through Earl’s car, and the paramedics ran across my lawn.  They let me stay by Jay’s head as they worked to stop the bleeding and loaded him on the stretcher.

 I wanted to ask them if I could go with him, but Madison was inside.  Oh god, Maddie!  I confirmed they were taking him to the same hospital, and ran inside to find my daughter.

 To my relief, she’d hidden upstairs in her room with Mariah.  “Mommy!” she cried with tears streaming down her cheeks, and jumped into my arms.  “Did the bad man kill Jay, Mommy?” she sobbed.

 “No, sweetie.  Jay’s going to be just fine, and the police got the bad man.”

 “Where is Jay?”

 “The ambulance had to take him to the hospital.”  I hugged her tighter.  “Ohh, you did such a good job calling them.”

 “No I didn’t,” she cried.  “They told me not to hang up but I did because I heard a gun and I got scared!”

 “No, you did a good job, honey.  You did perfect.”

 “Good,” she said with a small measure of relief.  “Can we go see Jay?”

 “Yes, we’ll go right now.”

 “Can Mariah come?”

 “No, doggies aren’t allowed in hospitals.”

 “I’m sorry girl, you have to stay,” Madison translated for Mariah.  We went downstairs, and I had her wait while I took Jay’s cell phone from his room.  On my way back out, I paused and noticed two bullet holes through the wall.  Thank god Madison hid upstairs...

Reviews

[Sarah]

Jay crying doesn't really match the rest of his personality. I thought he wasn't afraid of dying or Earl, but perhaps it is just the situation causing him to lose control over his emotions.

Okay ignore everything I just wrote. I didn't realize he was actually shot until I read the next sentence.

Was all handled really well and kept my attention. Sorry, I'm reading this with distractions, so I'm trying to be as helpful as I can.

When the officer said "Where did he hit you?" I was thinking physically hit. So I was confused, thinking didn't he get shot? And now I'm finally realizing that of course he did.

Good for Madison for hiding up in her room. Was that another tactic Laura taught her or did she do that on her own? Also, I thought Mariah would be going crazy with all the gunshots and neighbors would've called the police or come out or something. Maybe out of fear they didn't. Not sure.

[Christopher Miller]

Yeah... he got shot. I'll definitely have to mention Mariah barking. Neighbors would have called, but 9-1-1 would have gotten Madison's call first so the process of getting police and ambulance would already be in motion. Additional calls might have expedited their arrival, and they did show up fast.

[Sira YR]

Oh my god! For a second there I seriously thought that Madison had gotten shot or something. By the way, I wonder where Sara is? Maybe she had left or went out or something but I hope that she's okay and I hope that little prick rots in jail for the rest of his life; as for Brian...well Sara needs to give him a good sock in the jaw and throw his ring at him. :) Anyway, thrilling and I loved it!