Chapter 1 #2
The rest of his evening was spent on filling out paperwork on the shooting.
It seemed like there was an endless amount of paperwork that he needed to fill out, but he did each one of them with his notes nearby.
The mother had been arrested as he thought she would and put in a cell far from her son.
It was going to be a lengthy trial for the two of them, and he couldn’t wait to get it over with.
Three lives had been taken, and there was a lot to answer for.
Penrod was due at his brother’s house that night, and he wasn’t looking forward to it.
They’d not ask him questions about the shooting, but they would tell him how sorry they were for it happening.
As soon as he was in the door, he nearly went home.
All his brothers were there with Mac, too.
He loved Axel’s wife as much as he did his brother.
Debra Author was there as well, and he greeted her with the same hugs that he’d given the rest of them.
She seemed to be as much a part of the family as Mac was, and he was happy.
“How’s your heart acting up today?” Debra had had two minor strokes just two weeks ago that she was recovering from.
If not for the quick thinking of Kahana, a doctor, she might well have died.
The hospital was going to be sued when a nurse told Debra not to come in, wasting their time with indigestion again.
“I hope you’re doing what the doctor tells you.
Kahana will make sure you’re all right if you listen to him. ”
“I’m sticking to my cardiac diet as I’ve been told and getting my amount of stress under control as well. It’s difficult with everything going on, but I’m working on it.” He told her that he was proud of her. “I am as well. I never want to go through that again. It was scary.”
Her grandda had died around the time she’d been having the symptoms of the heart trouble.
Her cousin, Phil, as everyone was calling him because he hated the shortened version of his name, had brought a will to the reading of the will, and they allowed him to clean out the law office that Debra was to inherit.
In addition to the hospital being sued, she was also suing the law firm that had allowed access to the firm by her cousin, and he’d been arrested as a result.
“We’ll be eating soon. Your mom has made me something different than what you guys are eating, and that’s about the sweetest thing I’ve ever had done for me.
” Penrod told her that her mom worried about her as well.
“You’ve all been so good to me, and I feel loved.
Now if only I can get the will taken care of and my firm up and running, I can get back to normal.
Or whatever that word means to people nowadays. ”
“It doesn’t mean all that much to me anymore. I think normal is highly overrated.” They both laughed, and she thanked him. “It’s all right. I needed a good laugh, too. It’s been a hell of a couple of days.”
“I bet it has.” She didn’t ask, but he could tell that she wanted to.
Being an attorney, she’d know better than most not to talk about an ongoing investigation.
When she sat down and did her breathing the way she’d been told—in her nose and out her mouth, he sat quietly beside her.
She would stress out easily, but she seemed to be getting a handle on things better daily.
“I don’t want to get overwhelmed by the stress that I’m having.
I have to learn to control what I can. I’m trying, but it’s difficult to do sometimes. ”
“You do what you need to do, and the rest of us will be here for you when you need it. There isn’t any problem that big that you’ll have to take it on by yourself.
Just breathe, and you’ll be fine.” Debra nodded and told him it was getting easier.
“I hope so. You need to take care of yourself over anyone else that’s around. ”
They talked about the weather and how the storm had knocked a few trees down.
It was safe topics, and she seemed to be all right with them.
He even told her about his morning at home, getting ready for work when he’d nearly left the house with two different kinds of shoes on.
He’d had to go back in his place twice because he’d forgotten his keys, too.
She laughed at his mistakes, for which he had intended, and they enjoyed their visit.
When dinner was called, he walked with her to the dining room table and even pushed her chair in for her.
Kahana sat beside her on the other side when he sat down.
He wondered if Kahana had a thing for the pretty attorney and was going to try to get him to admit it by asking Debra out.
She said yes, and he could see the steam coming off the top of his brother’s head when he heard about it. Good. Maybe he’d get his butt in gear.
~*~
Kahana wanted to pop his brother in the head when he asked Debra out. He didn’t know why; he didn’t want to date her. But the thought of his brother getting to her first irked him something terrible. He decided to ignore her and his brothers for the rest of the night.
“Do you have rounds in the morning?” He glared at his brother. “Don’t look at me like that. You’ve had every opportunity to ask her out, and you didn’t. Next time, be a man and ask the woman out.”
“I don’t know why I’m so pissed at you.” Penrod nodded as if he understood. “What? You know that I was going to ask her out, or you thought that I was.”
“Frankly, I don’t care. She said yes to me, and I’m going to take her to dinner.
She’s a nice, very attractive woman, and I’ve not been out on a date in more weeks than I can remember.
You want to date, then find yourself someone else.
” He growled at Penrod. “Oh, come on. You know that’s not going to bother me.
I’m the one who carries a gun all the time.
You’ll have to be meaner if you want me to be afraid of you.
” He stretched his neck twice and heard it finally pop.
“You always have the best luck with women.” He said because he was cute. “Nah, you’re ugly as sin, and you know it. The only reason she said yes is because she felt sorry for you. That’s it, isn’t it? You told her how you can’t get a date because of your ugly puss, and she felt sorry for you.”
“You’re just jealous. And have you looked in the mirror of late?
Christ, it’s small wonder you don’t scare little children when you’re out.
Speaking of which, are you on rounds in the morning?
I might need your help.” He asked him what he needed because he could always change his schedule around.
“I have a big table that’s finally finished from the jackasses Spindle and Son.
I was wondering if you could help me finally get it into storage.
I was going to put it into a house, but I’ve never gotten around to looking for one. I’m sick of condo life.”
“I am as well. Every time I come here to Axel’s home or the parents, I realize what I’m missing in being between people who have no tolerance for noise.
And all I’m doing is walking across the floor to the kitchen.
Or they hate it when I take a shower when I get home from work.
I know it’s late, but damn, do they have to pound on the walls every time?
” Kahana said he understood. Sometimes he takes two showers a day, and they get pissy with him.
“We need to find ourselves a place that has our own four walls and no neighbors.”
“I’m all for that.” Kahana looked at Debra. “You take her out and then no more. I have no idea why I feel like knocking the shit out of you for asking, but don’t do it again. All right?”
“Yeah, sure. But you might want to clear that with the others, too. I’m thinking that she’s going to be busy for the next several weekends by the way that Audon and Stamos are eyeing her.
” He could see it then, his brothers vying for her attention.
He didn’t know how to make his intentions known without pounding a few heads.
Instead, he let them have their fun. He was going to get his turn soon, and that would be the end of it.
He looked over at Penrod when he said his name.
“You’re looking murderous. Please tell me that you’re not going to pick a fight with them in here?
If you do, then Axel is going to murder you. He just got his house all set up.”
“I’m fine. Really, I am. I don’t know why it bothers me so much, but it does, and there is nothing I can do about it, so I might as well give it up.” He looked at Penrod then. “You’re a good brother, and she’d be lucky if you found a wife in her.”
“Let’s not go that far. It’s only a date.
And to be honest, I only asked her out so that I could see your reaction.
” He rolled his eyes. “Well, it got you thinking, didn’t it?
Christ, the look on your face was priceless.
If I had known I’d have gotten that kind of reaction from you, I wouldn’t have done it at all. I’m sorry.”