Date: Sat, 9 Nov 2013 12:45:51 -0800 (PST) From: bryan wilson Subject: betting-on-love-and-life-6 This story is a work of fiction involving sex between consenting adult males. If this disturbs you than leave now. I have no knowledge of the sexual identity of anyone mentioned in this story, including any celebrities. This is my original story, please do not copy duplicate or repost anywhere without my express written permission. This is my first attempt at writing all comments are welcome and will be answered. wilson81abc@yahoo.com Please make sure to donate to nifty to help keep the site free for everyone's enjoyment. http://donate.nifty.org/donate.html ================================ End of Part 5 " What is wrong Kyle? " " Sir, I do not want to upset you today, but there is a problem in Columbus and we need to get home now. " " What is it Kyle? What is so wrong that we need to leave now? " " It is Miss. Austin, she has been taken to the hospital. " =================================== Part 6 " What in the hell happened Kyle? " I raised my voice worried about the answer. " I do not have all the details yet sir, but there was an altercation between her and someone who broke into the house. " " Please get on the phone now and call the hospital and find out what condition Mary is in and call the airport and tell Captain Winslow to get the plane ready. " " I paced the lobby worrying about what had happened to Mary, who the hell would break into their house? What had happened to Mary? What was I going to tell Sean? " Kyle walked over to me and put his hand on my shoulder to stop me from pacing, " Mary is in stable condition, from what I could get out of the hospital a man came in through the back of the house and assaulted Mary, claiming to be Jack's father. " " Jesus Christ Kyle, and your team member say nothing? " " I will contact him now sir, I do not know why he missed this. " " Do that Kyle, I have to go tell Sean, and I have no idea how I am going to tell him after I said Mary would be fine yesterday when we were at the airport. " I walked back into the restaurant and sat back down at the table and realized that the waitress had brought our meals while Kyle and I were gone. Sean looked over at me and dropped his fork, " What is wrong Jerry? " I looked up at Sean and was at a loss for words, I could not tell him what happened. I could not tell him I failed him and Mary was hurt. " Sean first off I am sorry, I failed you and I am deeply sorry. " " What are you talking about Jerry? You have not failed at anything. " " It is Mary. She was assaulted in your home this afternoon, she is in the hospital. " I lowered my head and could not look at Sean. " What happened Jerry? How bad is Mary? Where is Jack? " Oh shit, I forgot to ask Kyle about Jack. " I only have a few details right now Sean, but it seems a man broke in the back of the house and confronted Mary about being Jack's father. I have Kyle working on getting the rest of the details now and readying the crew to have the plane ready for us to leave immediately. " " It better not me that damn Clyde Nicolson, I will kill him if he has hurt Mary or Jack. " " I am sorry Sean, I had a guard on your house since Mary got home and I do not know why they missed the intruder. " Kyle came back to the table and knew I had told Sean by the look on his face. He walked over in front of Sean, " Mr. Austin, Mary will be fine, she is at the hospital at the moment but all the tests they have performed have came back clear. She should be home tomorrow. " " What about Jack, where is he at? " Sean got louder with Kyle. " I do not have any word about Jack yet Mr. Austin. I am awaiting a call from the Columbus police now. " " We need to leave Jerry, I have to get home and make sure Jack and Mary are ok. " " I understand Sean, lets go upstairs and grab our belongings and head to the airport. " " Kyle, I want the whole team at the airport now and I want answers by the time the plane is in the air. " " Yes sir. " Kyle said as he headed off to get the team together and headed to the airport. " I need to stop and talk to Mr. Richards first Sean, I need to make sure we have a ride to the airport by the time we come back down. " " Please hurry Jerry, I don't know what I am going to do. Mary relied on me and I wasn't there to help her. " Sean started to get tears in his eyes. I hugged Sean, " I will handle everything Sean, Mary knows you are here for her and you have never given up on her. She understands why you were here and I am sure she does not blame you. " I sent Sean towards the elevators as I went and talked to Mr. Richards. I had him get Alex and the car ready for our immediate departure. I then ran over to the elevator and headed upstairs with Sean. I held his hand and did my best to keep him calm, but I could sense something deeper to this whole situation than he has told me. We got in the room and began piling up our luggage and effects at the front door and Kyle was there with 2 of his team members waiting to carry our things to the car. We had everything gathered and headed out the door, I called Mr. Oliver and asked him to check me out of the hotel I had an emergency and need to leave now. He said he would take care of everything for me and we headed out the front door and into the limousine that was waiting for us. Alex drove us as quickly as he could to the airport and we were there in 30 minutes. I opened the door and Kyle and his 2 team members came running up to the limousine and grabbed everything out of the trunk as I talked to Alex for a moment and gave him his tip. I grabbed Sean's hand and headed for the plane. As I topped the stairs and walked into the plane I heard one of the guards say, " Looks like the boss found a boy toy on this trip. " I stopped dead in my tracks and cleared my throat as the guard turned around and saw me standing there. " Just what the hell do you think you are saying? " " I am sorry boss, I did not mean anything by that. " " You did not mean anything? What gives you the right to even question my decisions about my life? " " Nothing sir, I am truly sorry. " " You do not owe me an apology you simple piece of shit. You owe Mr. Austin the most sincere apology you have ever given in your life. " Sean was standing behind me, looking like a poor lost child. He could not believe what this man had said and how mad I was getting. " Mr. Austin, I am deeply sorry for saying what I did, I had no right to make a reference on your or Mr. Martin's life. There is now excuse for the terrible words that came out of my mouth. " " Right now I could care less about anything you have to say, I am worried more about my sister and nephew. When and if the time comes for me to accept or reject your apology I will let you know. " Sean turned and walked towards the back of the plane. I just stood staring at this jackass trying to decide what I should do with him. Kyle could see what I was up to and came up towards me and waited for what I was deciding. I turned and walked up to the cockpit and told Captain Winslow we were ready as soon as he was. I turned and walked back towards the back section of the plane to find Sean. As I passed Kyle I motioned for him to come over, " I want that bastard in the back as soon as we are at cruising altitude. I will decide then what to do with him. " " Yes sir. " Was Kyles only response and he sat back down in his seat. I found Sean and had him buckle up as we were prepared to head out. I saw him fumble with the belt as he could not get his fingers to cooperate with his mind. I walked over and took his hands in mine. " Here let me help you. " I buckled his belt and went back to my seat and sat there steaming mad. What a piece of shit that guard was, and on my personal detail. Captain Winslow had us taxied and in the air in a matter of minutes. He announced over the intercom that our travel time would be less than less than 3 hours and should arrive at 4:30 local time. I got up and walked over to Sean's seat, " I am going to go talk with Kyle and find out any new information. Would you like anything before I go? " Sean pulled me down and hugged me, " Tell me it is all going to be ok Jerry. " " It will Sean, I promise you I will make everything right for you and Mary. " " Thank you Jerry, I really needed to hear that. I know you mean it when you say it too." Sean then leaned forward and kissed me. " I will be right back Sean. If you need anything just yell for me and I will come back. " I headed towards the front of the plane and stopped at Kyle's seat. " Any news yet Kyle? " " Yes sir, I just got off the phone with my police contact and he told me that the neighbor has Jack and he is safe. The identity of the person who attacked Miss Austin is still unknown until she is better able to supply a description. " " That is great Kyle. Please call your contact back and I want Jack taken to the house and I want a full security team on premises with him until we get there. I do not care if you have to take the neighbor with him I want that boy safe. " " Yes sir I understand. " " Now about that low life piece of shit sitting over there. Who the hell is he and what do you know about him? " " That is Alan Winston. I just hired him in last month and brought him on this trip to see how he handled himself. I am guessing that it is a wash out. " " You think so Kyle? I usually do not interfere with your decisions on the security team. But did you hear what he said and in front of the rest of the team? " " I did not catch it sir, I only came back to the front of the plane when I heard you raise your voice. " " Well Kyle you know I do not concern myself with peoples opinions about me, but his comment about Sean was totally out of line. He told the team it looked like I had found myself a boy toy in this trip. Do you know what Sean is feeling like right now? " Kyle walked passed me without a word and walked over to Alan and pulled him out of his seat. " Where in the hell do you come off talking about Mr. Martin or any of his guests? " " I am sorry Mr. Watson, I was not thinking and just shot off my mouth. " " All I can say is you had better be damn glad that Mr. Austin is on this plane right now, If he were not I would open that damn door and throw you out right here in front of everyone. No one and I mean no one on this team ever discusses, comments or voices their personal opinions about Mr. Martin or anyone you ever see him with, this includes friends, relatives or business associates. Do you completely understand me Mr. Winston? " " Yes sir. " Kyle threw Alan back in his seat and turn towards the rest of the team. " And that goes for anyone else on this team. I will not have you clouding your minds with details you have no business even thinking about. Your one and only job here is protection for Mr. Martin and anyone he asks you you to look after. If you have a problem with that then I suggest you find another job as soon as we land back home. " Kyle walked back over to me and his head sunk to his chest. " I am sorry Sir. This is two failures in as many days. I will start looking for replacements for myself when we land back home and will have a list for you before days end. " Kyle dropped back in his seat, feeling like a defeated soldier on the battlefield. " Can you ask Mr. Winston to join me in the back for a few moment please Kyle. " I turned and walked to the very back of the plane that held my office for a private conversation with Mr. Winston. I was just sitting down at my desk when Kyle knocked on the door. " Come in Kyle. " " Here he is sir. If you need anything else I will be back up front. " " Thank you Kyle. Please come in and shut the door Mr. Winston. " Alan shut the door and turned back towards me and I motioned for him to take a seat next to the desk. He sat and looked down at the floor. " Mr. Winston, I would like to ask you a few questions. " " Anything Mr. Martin. " " First of all, please look up at me while we talk. I find I get better answers from people when I can see their eyes. " Alan looked up at me and I could see the terror in his eyes, the thought of being face to face with me at this moment had him on edge. " Can you explain to me what possessed you to say such what you did earlier? " Alan let out a breath of air, " I was trying to show off in front of the rest of the team Mr. Martin, I truly meant no disrespect to you or Mr. Austin. " " Well that is one giant piece of this Mr. Winston, but do you realize the position you have put Mr. Watson in with your outburst? He brought you along on this trip to see how you handled yourself and to judge whether you belong on this team. " " I did not know that Sir. I have ruined 2 lives now haven't I? " " Well that depends Mr. Winston. It depends if I let this slide or I accept Mr. Watson resignation and allow a new team leader come aboard and let him deal with your indiscretion. " " I never intended to hurt Mr. Watson or you and Mr. Austin. I just let my mouth get carried away. " " Mr. Winston, that is a major concern for me. What if you let information leak when I am away on a business trip? It could end up costing me billions or ruining a deal completely. " " I would never say a word to anyone about your business Mr. Martin. " I looked at Alan and pushed past his fake facade, I looked deep into his thoughts. I saw the turmoil that was running through his mind. I could see the trouble childhood he had. I could see the failed relationships he had gone through. What I did not see or sense was any deception or plans to hurt me or Sean. But there it was, there was the problem right there. I saw why Alan had said what he did, he wanted Sean for himself. " I will give you one last chance Mr. Winston, and I promise you I know the answer to this question so please think carefully before answering. Why did you say the things you did?" Alan sat there twisting in his seat, he dropped his head and looked at the floor. " I wanted Sean for myself. " " So you think it is alright to insult me and my friend to hide your orientation from the team and in hopes of getting Sean to yourself? " " Yes, No , I don't know Mr. Martin. I really never thought it out that far sir. I just saw him last night when you returned from dinner and I was jealous. " " You have no clue as to who he is or what he has gone through in his life. All you have seen is the outside and wanted it for yourself? That is a very shallow way to lead your life Mr. Winston. " " I am ashamed of myself Mr. Martin. I have never done anything like that before in my life. I do not know why I could not stop myself from saying the things I did. " " Let me ask you this Mr. Winston, if you were straight would it be alright for you to walk the streets and rape any young woman you came across just because you thought she was pretty? " Alan looked up at me in shock his eyes as wide as saucers. " No I would never do that Mr. Martin. " " But that is what you were implying when you did said that as we walked on to the plane. You saw him and the only thing you knew about Mr. Austin was what he looked like. " Alan's head fell and he sunk back in his seat, knowing he was beaten by his own words. " I guess you are right Mr. Martin, I will resign as soon as we land in Columbus. " " I do not think so Mr. Winston, you have an apology to make to Mr. Austin and this time with the whole truth. Then we will decide what will become of you. But I can promise you that for the present time it will not be a part of my personal security team." " I understand Mr. Martin, I am really sorry for the pain I caused you. " " Mr. Winston do you know why it caused so much pain today? Do you know why we are making a rush back to Columbus? " " No sir. Mr. Watson just informed us to hightail it to the airport and we would be heading back as soon as you and Mr. Austin made it to the plane. " " Mr. Austin's sister was attacked in her home this afternoon and is in the hospital and of this very moment since I had to deal with you he is sitting out there not knowing if his 3 year old nephew is safe or how bad his sister is injured. " Alan leaned forward and held his head in his hands and started crying, " Oh my God Mr. Martin I did not know. I never wanted to hurt Mr. Austin like this. " " That is because you broke one of my first rules Mr. Winston, always think about another persons point of view long before you open your mouth and say something that is inappropriate and you can not take back once they have heard it. " Alan sat up and looked at me, the tears flowing down his face. " You are correct Mr. Martin. I will never say anything again without thinking of the consequences my words will bring. " " That is all I ask of anyone Mr. Winston. In this day and age words are the start of all of our problems in this world. " Alan got up and headed out the door and back towards the front of the plane, I watched as he passed Sean. He slowed as if to say something but just put his hand on his shoulder and squeezed and walked on his way back to his seat. I called Kyle and asked him to join me in the office and ask Sean to join us. I watched as Kyle make his way back towards the office and stopped and got Sean on his way through. The both of them dragging themselves, beaten down by the twist of life on our perfect day. " Sean I wanted Kyle to bring you back so I could tell you about Jack. He was next door at the neighbors and he is safe. I sent a full security team to retrieve him and take him to my home and keep him safe until we land and can get to the hospital and check on Mary. " Sean looked up at Kyle and he shook his head yes, Sean jumped up out of his seat and hugged Kyle, " Thank you Kyle, you do not know what this means to me. " " I do know Mr. Austin and I am very sorry my officer did not do his job and stopped this all from happening. " " As soon as they have Jack back at the house and settled I will arrange a call so you can talk with him Sean. " " Thanks Jerry, I really do appreciate all you and Kyle have done for me. " " It was no problem Sean, I just wish it did not have to happen. Can you give me and Kyle a few minutes and I will come join you back at your seat Sean? " " No problem Jerry. " Sean turned and headed up the aisle back to his seat with a happier look to him. " Now Kyle the Mr. Winston problem, God why does this shit have to happen today of all days? " Kyle looked at me with a question in his eyes, " What did you see Mr. Martin? " " Please Kyle it is Jerry, I am not mad at you do drop the Mr. " " Ok Jerry, what did you see? " " Well the reason he acted an ass is jealousy my dear Kyle. He saw Sean last night when we came back from dinner and wanted him. " " He what? " Kyle screamed. " He wanted Sean for himself and thought by saying what he did would cause Sean to run from me and he could make a move on him. " " That little bastard, I will kill him. " " Now Kyle save that for our next project. I think I have this one handled. I told Alan he would no longer be a part of my personal security team and he had a truthful apology to make to Sean. " " I know what you are saying Jerry, but I wish you would have discussed this with me before you told this to Mr. Winston. " " You are correct Kyle, I should have talked this over with you first. I was just going on what I saw when he was in here, from now on I will talk over anything to do with your team before I make any recommendations. " " Thank you Jerry, that will make things smoother. " " Now has there been any more word from the hospital or the police? " " The police are still waiting to interview Miss Austin to find out who was involved. The hospital has not made any changes to her condition. " " I guess we will have to wait till we arrive to decide on what steps we will take next. I do hope you realize where I am headed with this Kyle? " " I do Jerry. I have no problem with the direction. " " Can you start a file on Clyde Nicolson before we land in Columbus? Also contact Michael at the New York office and have him call me later tonight. " " I will call Sam now and get the file started. " " Thank you Kyle. " I leaned back in my chair and started to form the plans which would occupy most of my time the next few days. The twists and turns that life would throw at the plans had to be taken into consideration. After the episode with Brad this week, would I be able to go thru with what I had planned? I headed back out to the seating area to be with Sean. I walked up behind him and stood behind his seat and massaged his shoulders. I bent down and breathed on his neck and kissed his ear. " You doing alright Sean? " " I'm worried Jerry, what if something happens to Mary before I get home? I could not live with myself if anything happens to her because I was not there Jerry. " " I know Sean, it is a burden being away from home. I have done it for many years and have still not come to terms with it. I will be right beside you as long as you want me there Sean. " " As long as it's not one day less than forever Jerry. " I walked around in front of Sean's seat and hugged him, " I will be here for forever and a day Sean. " Sean held onto me and I could feel the tears start running down his face. I knew this was eating him up inside, but I know from experience it is hard to console someone who is beating themselves up inside. " Can I ask you a question Sean? " " Of course you can Jerry. " " Who is this Clyde Nicolson you mentioned earlier? " Sean took a deep breath and leaned back in his seat, " Him and Mary dated in high school and he was always a dirt bag in my opinion. After they graduated Clyde got into drugs and I think he is the one who got Mary into prostitution. When Mary got pregnant Clyde went around and told everyone he was the father to help protect Mary. He thought it would stop everyone from guessing he had her on the streets making money. After Jack was born, Clyde would come around to the house every other month or so still bragging the same old story that he was Jack's father. Last year after one of Mary's treatments he stopped and I was in no mood to listen to his shit and told him I knew the truth and he needed to shut the hell up and leave and not come back. He told me as he was leaving that it would not be the last he saw of him and that he would get his son when that bitch was dead. I chased him down the street and beat the shit out of him. " " Has Mary told you that Clyde is not the father of Jack? " " She said there was no chance that he was the father. After they graduated and Clyde started using drugs Mary stopped sleeping with him. " " If this turns out to be Clyde trying to push his way back into Mary and Jack's life than we need to find a safe place for the three of you until the police can catch him and put him in jail. " " I know what you are thinking Jerry and I can not let you put yourself in danger because of that stupid ass Clyde. " " Sean, look around you babe. Unless he shows up with the U.S. Army I do not think that he will be able to bother me. " " Lets get back to Columbus and see what Mary has to say and what the police have come up with then we will talk about what we need to do. " " That is fine Sean, please keep in mind though that I will keep you three safe and I will not take no for an answer. " " I know Jerry, I can see the determination in your face. I want you to know I am with you and any of your plans. " " Would you like anything to eat or drink Sean, I just realized we never finished breakfast. " " I could use something to eat and maybe a stiff drink, might settle the nerves. " " I will be back in a few with some food and drink. " I walked up towards the galley and stopped and asked Kyle, " Would you like something to eat Kyle, we never got to eat breakfast before we left. " " That would be great Jerry, I will be up to help you in just a minute. " I walked into the gallery and started pulling things out of the fridge to make sandwiches for all of us. I was making enough for Kyle's team as well, I figured maybe a small peace offering on how things went when we boarded the plane. I was working well and stacking up sandwiches when Kyle came into the galley. " Glad you made it, you can help get the condiments set out and tell your guys there are sandwiches in here for them. " " I will pass the message on to them Jerry. I just got off the phone with my contact in Columbus. He said they will be talking to Mary within the hour. " " Any word from the team picking up Jack? " " They are at the Austin's house and are getting things packed for Jack and almost ready to head to the house. " " Finally some good news. Make sure the guard who was there this afternoon at Mary's is at the house when we get home. " " He is already at the house and under orders not to leave until he has spoken with me or you in person. " " Thank you Kyle, I am glad I have some good news for Sean. " We finished up our work in the galley and set out some other things to go with the sandwiches as I took 2 plates back towards our seats. I stopped at the bar and poured me and Sean a whiskey and walked over and handed Sean his plate and glass. " I have some good news for you Sean. The police will be interviewing Mary within the hour, and the team is at your house now gathering up things for Jack and will be heading to my house soon. " " Wonderful Jerry, I am relieved that Mary is better and Jack is in good hands. " " We should be able to talk to Jack about the time we land in Columbus. That will give the team time to get him to the house and settled before we call. " We sat there and ate our sandwiches and finished our drinks. Sean looked up at me and seemed a little sad, " Do you think I forgot babe? " " With everything you have going on I didn't know if you would remember. " I pulled up a plate with a slice of chocolate cake on it and handed it over to Sean. " I would never forget your dessert no matter how much I had going on. " Sean smiled and took the plate and proceeded to eat the cake, " Thanks Jerry. " " Your welcome Sean. " I cleared the plates and glasses and headed back up to the galley, I went up to the cockpit and checked in with Captain Winslow. " How is it going Captain? " " All is going smooth Mr. Martin. How are you today sir? " " It is Jerry, and I am better thanks. How much longer till touch down? " " We will touch down in about 30 minutes. We just talked with the tower and are in line for final approach. " " Thank you Captain, I will see you after we land. " I headed back to my seat and as I passed the main cabin I was surprised at how quiet it was and thought maybe I should stop and say a word. I was rather harsh with them earlier. " Gentlemen, I want to thank you all for a wonderful week in Vegas. You all did an excellent job. " I walked on back to my seat and sat next to Sean, who was sitting there leaning back in his seat with his eyes closed. " Penny for your thought. " " I don't think they are worth that much Jerry, besides you don't need to ask or pay me for them. " " I do Sean, I have told you I do not look at a friend just to look. That to me is an invasion of privacy. Something like the police busting your door down without a warrant. " " Jerry, anytime you want to look you can look. I have no secrets from you. " " Sean, I just can not do that. I have done that when I was younger and caused so much trouble I promised myself I would never do that again. I just is not worth the possible loss of a friend to look. " " Ok Jerry, but I want to be as open with you as I can and I know that would be the fastest way to show you all I have. " " That is nice of you Jerry, but there is something to be said about learning all those things in a relationship. " " You're right Jerry, I'm sorry for putting you in that position. I know you told me that you wouldn't do that. I admire your honesty. " Sean leaned over and kissed my cheek. I turned and planted a big kiss right on his lips. " That does not mean I am an angel Sean, remember that. " I laughed " Come back to the office a minute Sean. Lets see if we can get a hold of Jack. " Sean jumped up out of his seat and ran back to the office with me and sat like a caged animal as I started dialing the phone. " Hello, this is Jerry Martin who am I speaking with? " " Hello Mr. Martin, this is Lieutenant Black. How can I help you today sir? " " Has the team made it back with Master Jack? " " Yes sir he is here and the house is secure and no problems. " " Can you take the phone to him please Mr. Black, I have someone here that wants to speak with him. " " Right away sir, one moment as I head to his room. " I handed the phone to Sean, " Just a minute he is headed to his room to take him the phone. " Sean stood there holding the phone and waiting, " Jack!!!! How are you doing little man? " " I'm good uncle Jerry, where are you and where is mom? " " Listen little man I am almost home now, I will be checking on your mom and then I will be where you are as soon as I can. Can you be good for me while they are taking care of you? " " Yes uncle Jerry I will be good. " " Great little man, I will be there as soon as I can. Love ya buddy. " Jerry hung up the phone and grabbed me and thanked me for calling Jack so he could talk to him. Then kissed me and we played tongue tag for five minutes before we returned to our seats. We then heard Captain Winslow announce, " We were descending into Columbus, please take your seats and buckle up. " We were loading the luggage into the limousine when I asked Kyle to step to the back with me. " Kyle, please contact Captain Lewis Marshall, he is on the Columbus police department and tell him I need to meet with him at the hospital if he can be there in the next 30 minutes. " " Right away Jerry. " I got in the limousine and we headed off towards the hospital. Sean was sitting there holding my hand afraid to let go and I think more afraid to get to the hospital and see Mary. " I pulled his hand up and kissed it, " It will be fine Sean, relax babe. " " I know Jerry, I'm just so worried about Mary. If I see a bruise or a cut I am going to lose it, I swear. " I turned and looked Sean in the eyes, " No you will not Sean, you will be calm and strong for Mary. She needs you to be the level headed one right now she knows I am not so let her think you can handle this no matter what. " Sean sighed, " You're right again Jerry, I will try my best. Just promise me you won't leave me and you will stay right beside me. " " I am not going anywhere Sean, only if I am needed I will step away for a moment but will not be far from you. I do have one meeting while we are at the hospital, but you need not worry about that right now. " " God Jerry, I can thank you ever minute of every day for the rest of my life and I don't think it will be enough. " " You do not have to thank me at all Sean, I will do anything for you and Mary, you are a part of my family now and that brings me unconditional love. " Sean leaned over and laid his head on my chest and I just held him the rest of the trip to the hospital. I got an idea just then, but it would have to wait till tomorrow before I could explore the possibilities. We pulled up in front of the hospital and I nudged Sean and told him we were there. We got out of the car and headed inside. We stopped at the information desk and found out what room Mary was in and headed upstairs. " Remember Sean, calm and strong. " I smiled at him to help ease his tension. " I will try Jerry. " He squeezed my hand There was a policeman and one of my security team outside Mary's door, Sean saw them and got a look of panic on his face. " They are there just to prevent any trouble Sean, Mary is still fine. " " Jesus Jerry, I almost had a heart attack when I saw them. " Sean laughed a little. We walked into Mary's room and she was sleeping, I could see from the door that she did not look good at all, the bandages and the I.V's were a dead giveaway. I pulled on Sean's hand and whispered, " Calm and strong. " He turned and walked over to Mary's bed and gasped when he saw her. She looked like she was in a car accident, her face bruised and swollen. I put my arm up on Sean's shoulder and held onto him. He grabbed Mary's hand as gently as he could. " Mary, Mary my sweet sister. Who the hell did this to you? " I looked at Sean and leaned down while he was kissing Mary's hand, " Calm and strong babe. " Sean nodded his head, he looked up at Mary's face so battered it was nothing like the bright cheerful face that had left us the other day in Vegas. Mary started to move and opening her eyes as far as she could, " Sean is that you little brother? " " Yes Mary it is. How are you feeling dear? " " Well I imagine I look like shit, because that is about how I feel. " Mary let out a small chuckle. " I am sorry Mary, I should have been at home with you. This would have never happened. " Sean said as he fell to the floor crying while he held Mary's hand. " Sean Patrick Austin, get off that damn floor and listen to me. This was not your fault and if you had been here things could have been worse. I do not want you blaming yourself and if you do I swear I will have Jerry take you out back and kick your ass. Is that understood Jerry? " " But Mary,...." Sean tried to get out before Mary started again. " But my ass little brother, what happened is no ones fault and had you been there I am sure I would be sitting next to another grave in the cemetery and I could not handle that. Do you understand that little man? " " I am sorry Mary, I just feel terrible I was not there for you and Jack. " " Oh My God, where is Jack? " " He is fine Mary, one of your neighbors had him and I sent a security team to pick him up a couple hours ago. He is now at my house with a full team on duty. We will be heading there as soon as we are done here. " I told Mary and leaned down and kissed her forehead. " How am I ever going to thank you enough to make up for all you have done Jerry? I must be going to hell because my angel is already here on Earth watching over me and my family. " " Shhh Mary, you need not worry yourself about thanking me. You are a part of my family and I would do anything for my family. " I told Mary as a tear ran down my cheek. I knew she was thinking about her own mortality, and the end coming her way soon. The door to Mary's room opened and Kyle stuck his head in, " Jerry can I see you for a moment? " " I will be right back Mary and Sean. " I leaned down and kissed Mary and grabbed Sean's should and lipped, " Calm and Strong " I walked out into the hallway and there was Captain Marshall, " Hello Captain, I want to thank you for meeting me here. " as I shook his hand. " It was no problem Mr. Martin, how can I help you today? " " I want to know what you know about the Mary Austin case and how the investigation is going. " " Can we talk in private Mr. Martin? " " Sure Captain Marshall. " We headed down the hall to a small room they used for counselling meetings. As we entered Captain Marshall pulled a file out from under his arm and laid it down on the small table. " I want you to read this then we will talk. " I opened the folder and started reading, most of it was about Mary's condition and her injuries. I got to the police report and they had come to the conclusion that Clyde was responsible for the attack on Mary and that he was attempting to take Jack Austin from her when it happened. " Captain Marshall, I have this information already. Have you or your officers questioned Mary yet? " " The detectives will be here within the hour to talk with Miss Austin and see if we can get her to identify Mr. Nicolson as the perpetrator. " " Were there any witnesses putting Mr. Nicolson in the vicinity prior to the attack? " " We have had several neighbors give us the description of a man lurking behind several houses prior to the attack that matches Mr. Nicolson's description. " " Have you talked to Chief Jacobs about this case yet Captain Marshall? " " This is not the type of case that the chief would be involved in Mr. Martin. " " I think I would like you to give her a call and inform her that this is a personal matter to me and I would like her here within the hour. " " Mr. Martin, I can not call the chief for a case like this. This is handled at the station and detective level. " " Fine Captain, can you hold on for just a moment. " I pulled out my cell phone and dialed Kim's number. " Hello Kim, this is Jerry Martin, How are you doing today? " " Hello Mr. Martin, I am fine. How are you today? " " Well I am not so good, I am at the hospital with a Captain Marshall and I was wondering if you could join us here as soon as you can. " " I will be there in 20 minutes Mr. Martin. " I hung up the phone and turned to Captain Marshall, " She will be here in 20 minutes. " Just then Captain Marshall's phone rang and he answered it, " Yes mam, 3rd floor room 312. I will be waiting on you mam. " " Well I see you have some pull in our little corner of the world Mr. Martin, I did not intend to offend you Sir. " " It is not a problem Captain Marshall, the Austin's mean a lot to me right now and I want this case handled as quickly as possible. That young lady in there does not have much time left here on Earth and I do not want her to spend that time worrying about a piece of shit like Clyde Nicolson. " " I am sorry Mr. Martin, I will personally oversee this case and I will assure you that we will close this case as quickly as possible. " " Thank you Captain Marshall, your department will be well compensated for all the work you do. " " That is not necessary Mr. Martin. " " Once Chief Jacobs fills you in on all the details Captain you will understand. I do have one request of you before I leave, Can you keep the head of my security team informed on all the progress made on this case? " " Security team? " " Yes Captain Marshall. " I opened the door and asked Kyle to step in the room. " This is Kyle Watson and he is in charge of my security teams. If you could keep him informed for me I would deeply appreciate it. " Kyle shook Captain Marshall's hand, " Pleasure to meet you Captain. " " Like wise Mr. Watson. " Captain Marshall turned to me, " I will keep him informed on all the updates to the case Mr. Martin. " " Thank you Captain, I will be back in Mary's room. Please come get me when Chief Jacobs arrives. " I turned and left Kyle and Captain Marshall standing in the small room as I walked back down the hall to Mary's room. As I walked into the room Sean had pulled a chair over to the side of Mary's bed and was sitting there with his head on the bed rail holding her hand and talking softly to her. " Well it looks like Mary is well enough to head out on the town already. What are they putting in that I.V. of yours? " " Mary tried laughing, " Stop it Jerry it hurts when I laugh. " " I am sorry Mary, but I miss that smile and laugh of your's sweety. " Mary smiled as best she could and took my hand, " Thank you Jerry. " and kissed the back of my hand. I smiled down at her and gently stroked her hair, " There will be a couple of detectives in here in a little it Mary, and while they are here I want you to make Sean leave and I will be in the hallway having a meeting the Chief of police. " " Jerry, how the hell did you get her down here on a weekend? " " She came because she knows how special you are Mary. " I leaned over close to her ear and whispered, " And I told her if she did not come I was calling the mayor. " I laughed and smiled down at Mary. " You are just too sweet Jerry. " Just then there was a knock at the door, and Kyle came in the room. " Jerry, the detectives and Chief Jacobs are here and would like a word with Mary. " " We will be right out Kyle, thank you. " I looked at Mary and nodded my head at her and she knew what I wanted. " Sean, can you please do me a favor? " " Anything Mary. " " Can you go down to the cafeteria and grab me something to drink. I am over all the water the keep giving me. " " I will be back in a flash Mary. " " Take you time brother, I am not going anywhere and I will be talking with the detectives awhile. " Sean and I headed out of the room and as we walked out I saw the detectives and Chief Jacobs. I walked over to them, " Thank you for coming so quickly Chief Jacobs. " I said as I shook her hand. " It was no problem Mr. Martin, this is detective Arnolds and detective Nash, they will be handling Miss Austin's case. " " Nice to meet you both. " as I shook their hands. " She is waiting on you. But before you go in I want to tell you one thing. Mary is very ill, The doctors have given her a couple more months to live so please do not upset her. " I said and the look on my face made all three of them step back. " We will be a gentle as possible Mr. Martin. If we get the information we need it will be the last time we will have to disturb her. " " Thank you gentlemen, that is all I ask. I moved away from the door so they could head in and talk with Mary. " Kim we can talk down here please. " Kim and I headed down the hall to the small room we used earlier, Captain Marshall was still standing there and saw me and Kim walking down the hall towards him and headed our way. " Chief I am sorry to bring you out on a Saturday, I will follow this case personally and make sure that we do all we can to finish this quickly. " " Lewis, we will talk as soon as we are finished with Mr. Martin. " " No problem chief. " we entered the small room again and walked inside and closed the door. " Chief Jacobs I want to thank you again for coming so quickly. " " Please Mr. Martin, after all you have done for me and this police force we can never repay you. " Captain Marshall looked at Kim when she said that and had a questioning look on his face. I knew he was not informed about anything I have done to help the police departments. " I have asked Captain Marshall to keep my head of security informed on the case and any changes that happen as they happen. As long as I have your word that Kyle will kept in the loop and constant contact I will allow yo to finish this investigation. " " Mr. Martin, you have my word that Kyle will be kept up to date on all aspects of this case. If he is not and you find out different you contact me on the phone and I will find out why. " Kim said to me. " And Lewis, I mean he is to be kept updated about every detail it does not matter how small the information is I want Kyle kept up on everything. " " Yes Chief, I will oversee this 24 hours a day until we have closed the case. " " Chief Jacobs, If the evidence shows that Mr. Nicolson did do this to Mary and is continuing with his claims I would like him kept out of the system. I assure you know what I am talking about. " Kim lowered her head then looked up at me, " Yes Jerry I understand. " She was not happy about it, but she understood me and left it at that. I walked out of the room and left Kim and Lewis to their talk, I am sure he had a lot of questions and Kim had a lot of explaining to do. I walked up the hallway and pulled Kyle over the the side, " I told Kim that if Clyde was involved in this I wanted him kept out of the system. " Kyle looked at me, " Are you sure Jerry? I know what he has done it terrible, but do you want to really do this? " " Look Kyle, If he is claiming to be Jack's father and has it in his drug clouded mind that he is, he will not stop till he kills Mary or Jack or both of them. " " Your right Jerry, I am sorry. " " I know Kyle, I do not do this lightly my friend. I will not have a drug crazed monster hurting this family. " " I understand Jerry, I will make arrangements in case it unfolds that way and we are not caught unprepared. " " Thank you Kyle. " I paced the hallway looking down memorizing the pattern on the tiled floor. I was lost in thought when I ran into someone in the middle of the hallway. " Excuse me sir I was not paying attention. " I looked up and saw someone that was out of place in the hospital. He looked like he just crawled out of a cardboard box in some alley. Oh shit I thought, that is Clyde. I looked over at Kyle and pointed towards the man and lipped, " Clyde. " Kyle walked towards the man and as he got close had his hand on his gun, " Can I help you find someone Sir?" The man looked up at Kyle and just smiled, " Only if you know where that worthless whore is. " and he pulled his jacket back and pulled out a handgun and as he went to point it up at Kyle I heard a shot ring through the hallways. It was deafening, I fell to the floor grabbing my ears. The next thing I know I have people all above me pulling at me and my clothes. I can not really hear what they are saying, the ringing in my ears is stopping me from hearing their words. My arm, why could I not get my arm to move? Where was the pain coming from? ========================================== The tension builds for them back in Columbus, I hope to have next chapter out soon. Enjoy and remember to let me know how you are enjoying the story. Bryan