Chapter 16
Tennyson
Ten winced as a nurse cleaned and irrigated the cut on Everly’s arm, but his daughter barely flinched. Everly’s Little Mermaid nightgown was stained with blood, both her own and Aurora’s. The nurse spoke quietly to her as she worked.
Aurora, who sat beside Everly was being worked on by a nurse of her own. She was still crying for Fitzgibbon. Thankfully, Ronan had texted to say he and Fitz were on their way. He’d done what he could to help Aurora, but the only thing that could soothe her was her father.
“You’re gonna glue my skin together?” Everly asked the nurse.
“I am. The glue will form a hard shell around your cut that will keep it from becoming infected.”
“That’s super cool. Me and Aurora know this kid at school who likes to put glue up his nose so his nostrils stick together. One day, he couldn’t get them unstuck and he had to go to the nurse. Remember Aurora?”
Aurora stopped crying and giggled. “Kenny P. is famous for sticking things up his nose.”
The nurse gasped in mock horror. “We don’t ever stick anything into our noses, ladies.”
“We would never,” Everly said, setting a hand over her heart. “Right, Aurora?”
“Right. Oww!” Aurora let out a yelp as her nurse cleaned her cut.
“I’m sorry, sugar plum. We have to make sure no germs get into that cut. Now comes the glue.”
“Is it gonna hurt?” Fresh tears poured down Aurora’s cheeks.
“Not at all.”
Aurora watched cautiously as the nurse applied glue to the gash on her arm. “That didn’t hurt at all.”
Aurora shook her head.
“You’re gonna be good as new in a few days, honey. I promise. Same for your friend. You should take it easy tonight and probably stay home from school tomorrow.” The nurse winked at Ten.
“Sounds good to me.” Everly moved so she could lay down on the gurney. Aurora joined her.
“You’re next, Mr. Grimm.” The nurse who had worked on Everly was the one helping Tennyson.
Ten flinched as the nurse started to clean his left arm.
“Your families are here,” a voice said, outside Ten’s room.
“Daddy!” Everly and Aurora said at the same time, as Ronan and Fitz came into the room.
“How are you doing, honey?” Ronan asked, setting Everly’s pink bag on the foot of her bed.
“I’m okay, Daddy. My arm is a little sore, but I’m tough. I’ll be just fine. Nurse Kerry said so.”
“I’m not tough. I cried, Daddy.” Aurora reached for Fitz, who sat on the edge of the bed and hugged her tight.
“Of course you’re tough,” Fitz said. “Tears are just your pain leaking out of your body. If it helps, I cried in the car.”
“Because you were scared?” Aurora set both hands on Fitz’s cheeks.
Fitz nodded. “I was scared, but look what good hands you were in. You look good as new.”
“I’m okay, but my nightgown is ruined. It’s got my blood on it.” Aurora gagged again.
Fitz’s eyes widened. He held his hands out in front of Aurora’s mouth, looking as if he were going to catch her vomit in his hands. “I brought clothes for you to change into.”
“Okay, Mr. Grimm, you’re good as new too.” Nurse Kerry straightened up. “And you are?” she asked, pointing to Ronan.
“I’m Ronan O’Mara, Ten’s husband and Everly’s father.”
“You’re next.” Kerry motioned for Ronan to sit on the edge of the gurney. “What happened to you all tonight?”
“Someone threw a brick through our living room window,” Ronan said softly, as the nurse began to examine his injury.
“Why would someone do that?”
“Long story, but it has to do with my work as a detective.” Ronan sighed. “We danced a little too close to the fire this time.”
Kerry hummed under her breath and continued working on Ronan. “Okay, you’re good to go as well. You all need to take it easy tomorrow. I’ll get started on the girls’ release papers and take home instructions.”
“Thank you,” Ten, Ronan, and Fitz chorused together.
“It’s my fault, Daddy,” Everly said, her eyes glassy. “I shut my gift off. I just wanted to be a normal kid watching a movie with my family. I didn’t see the brick coming.” Tears flowed down Everly’s cheeks.
“Honey, it’s not your fault,” Ten said quickly, reaching for his daughter’s hand. “I didn’t see it coming either. I was so tired and worn down from everything that happened over the last few days. I can’t even tell you who it was who threw the brick.”
Aurora gagged again. “I can taste blood! Ick! Ick!”
“I’ll go get you a bottle of water, honey.” Ten got out of his seat.
“Want me to come with you?” Ronan asked.
Ten shook his head. “Stay with the girls. There’s a vending machine in the hallway by the ER entrance. I’ll be right back.”
He hurried out of the room and through the door leading from the ER to the waiting room.
Ten took a deep breath. The first in what felt like the longest time.
Even though his gift hadn’t told him who threw the brick, he had no doubt; Dutch Vance.
There was no way Autumn Miller would have had enough strength to throw the brick as high and as far as it went.
He’d texted Cisco Jackson who he thought the culprits were.
All they could do now was wait for the Salem Police Department to catch up with Vance and Miller.
Ten sighed, digging in his pants for his wallet.
He knew he’d stepped over the line in laying out what Autumn’s future held in store for her.
Not to mention adding what was going to happen to Vance.
He’d been angry and full of pride, making sure Autumn knew that her life was about to hit the skids.
Now, not only was Tennyson paying for his hubris, but Everly, Aurora, and Ronan were too.
The vending machine had cold bottles of water and ginger ale. Ten fed the machine two dollars and pressed the code for water. He watched as the bottle dropped into the slot. Repeating the process with two more dollars, Ten pressed the buttons for a bottle of soda for Everly and Ronan to share.
A shadow appeared behind Ten as he bent to retrieve the drinks from the machine.
“Surprise, asshole!” a familiar voice said.
Ten turned to see Dutch Vance dressed in a pair of blue scrubs with a surgical cap and mask.
If Vance hadn’t spoken, Ten wouldn’t have been able to recognize him, which he knew was the point.
When the security film was reviewed, no one would be able to say who it was that assaulted Ten and he had absolutely no doubt in his mind that he was about to be assaulted.
Ten opened his mouth to shout for help when something hard and cold pressed against the back of his head.
“How does it feel to be moments away from having your future stolen from you? First, I’m gonna shoot you, then those little brats. I’ll leave Detective O’Mara alive. He’ll know the meaning of pain when I take away his entire family. Now, stand up slowly and don’t make any sudden moves.”
Ten didn’t need his gift to know the person standing behind him with a gun was Autumn Miller.
He did what she asked, his eyes on the security camera bubble over his head.
“You’re not going to get away with this, Autumn Miller and Dutch Vance!
” He knew the cops who’d examine the camera footage would be able to read his lips at the very least. Ten might die, but his killers would be caught and punished.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Vance slammed Tennyson against the wall. “Just for that, I’m gonna kill your daughter slowly, while her father watches.”
Ten’s head connected and he saw stars. Giving his head a shake, he blinked until Vance came back into focus.
“Fuck you, Vance!” Ten lifted his left knee and rammed it into Vance’s balls.
He shoved the wailing man toward Autumn, who crashed into the wall behind her, dropping the gun in the process.
Both would-be assassins fell to the floor.
“Tennyson!” Ronan shouted from down the hall. His footsteps thundered as he ran.
“Gun!” Ten shouted, pointing to where it had fallen.
Vance moaned and rolled onto his stomach as he reached for the gun. His fingers grazed the grip.
Ronan’s foot on top of his hand stopped Vance in his tracks. “Don’t fucking move.”
The doors to the emergency room slid open and half a dozen armed police officers stormed inside the building. Two burly officers cuffed Miller and Vance and read them their Miranda warning as they were marched down the hall, through the doors and outside.
“Thank God Jude had those officers on standby.” Ronan asked, setting his hands on Ten’s shoulders. “Jesus, Ten, are you okay?”
Ten nodded, even though his entire body shook with excess adrenaline. “How did you know I was in trouble?” It was a much closer call than Ten wanted to admit. He could still feel the ghost of the gun barrel pressed against the back of his neck.
“Everly said you were in trouble. I rushed out here as fast as I could. You obviously didn’t need me with the way you had both of them on the floor.”
“I’ve never needed you more in my life than I did just now. They were going to kill me, Ronan, then Everly so that you’d spend the rest of your life in pain mourning our losses.”
Ronan shook his head. “There’s no way those assholes would have gotten anywhere near our daughter. I guarantee you that. Fitz was armed. I wasn’t. We left the house in such a rush that I didn’t think to grab anything.”
Ten wrapped his arms around Ronan. “It’s over.
We’re going to go home in a little while and before we know it, everything will be back to normal.
” Ten had no idea if that was the case or not.
With the trauma of the night and his head slamming into the wall, his gift wasn’t giving him any information, but he was going to do everything in his power to make it so.
Ten’s family was counting on him and he wouldn’t let them down.