Mason skidded around the corner and stopped the Escalade over two spots as he parked in front of the public hospital. Lee parked next to the Escalade just as Mason opened the back door. Blood had smeared over Kelley’s face and Mason pressed two fingers against his pulse.Lee opened the other door and grabbed Kelley’s shoulders and pulled him out of the car slowly. He kept his head in one hand as Mason came around the side and grabbed Kelley’s legs. “My mom’s working tonight.”Lee nodded as they headed towards the electronic doors and walked inside the reception area of the hospital. “Help us!”“Mason? Oh, dear Lord, what happened to this boy?” Carey James grabbed a gurney and quickly placed the stethoscope on Kelley’s chest the moment Mason and Lee put him on the gurney.“Kids from Private attacked him in the parking lot after the game. He took a baseball bat to the head.”“Dr Ingwe!” Carey was now pushing the gurney as two other nurses joined her into a trauma bay and another nurse b
Kelley spent the next week in the hospital before he was discharged and he walked into the lobby of the hospital to find half of the football team waiting for him along with Jesse. Applause rang out and the guys all slapped Kelley on the back. Even Lee gave him half a smile.“There he is!” Jesse grinned and gave him a bear hug.“What are you all doing here?”“You’re officially Public now.” Arlo’s voice was slightly over confident.“It took me getting beaten up to be official. I didn’t know I was your type, O’Neill.” Laughter rang out around them and Arlo grinned broadly.“You’re not that hot, Kelley.”They all walked to the parking lot with Mason carrying Kelley’s bag and Kelley was surprised to see his Escalade in the parking lot. The guys all made their way to various vehicles, some of which didn’t look roadworthy at all, and drove off with well wishes.“Thanks, Mason … for everything.”“You’re welcome, Kelley, I mean it. Now, it’s time to take you home.”Kelley froze in his steps a
Mason and Kelley fell into a brotherly routine. Nobody seemed surprised or fazed by the knowledge that Kelley was now living with Mason and his mother. They took turns with the Escalade and Mason’s Ford F-150 truck to drive to school.After school Kelley would stand on the side lines while the rest of the guys practiced football and he found that he actually liked helping the Coach. He gave advice when he saw mistakes and gave them the rundown on each and every team they’d play that season.Kelley found that he could remember mundane little things about different players and coaches from previous games and his knack to recall game details proved invaluable. It was a week later when Kelley sat at the kitchen table and drew up old game plans of every other Coach’s gameplays.Coach Maxwell sat in silence as he watched Kelley. Lee and Mason spoke in low voices. “That’s everything I remember.”“Kelley, this is amazing.” Kelley grinned at Coach Maxwell.“This run I remember from Heathcliff
“No! Don’t touch me!”Kelley, Mason and Lee jumped up at the same time as Marella’s scream came from upstairs. Lee was the biggest and he physically pushed them out of his way as he ran up the stairs. Mason stopped and chuckled and Kelley grinned.Kelley and Mason stood just inside the room watching Lee as he held and soothed Marella. She was crying and Lee’s hand soothed over her hair and down her back. She was bunched up on his lap and he spoke soothingly to her.“You’re okay, I won’t let them touch you ever again.”Mason turned towards Kelley and whispered. “If I didn’t know any better I’d say Lee likes her.”“I can hear you, Mason.”“I was whispering!” Mason looked perplexed and Kelley moved towards the bed.“Don’t touch her, Kelley. I’ve got her.”Kelley stood his ground. “You okay, Marella?”“I said I’ve got her.” Lee looked angry and Kelley took a step backwards with his hands raised in surrender.“I’m okay, Kelley.” Marella’s voice was soft but clear.“Lee …”“Piss off, Mason.
Mason, Kelley and Lee sat in Kelley’s car looking out over the harbour down by the docks. The smell of fish permeated the air and the three teens all had serious looks on their faces as they spoke in low voices.“When we strike it needs to be quick, quiet and with no comebacks.”Mason scratched his chin thoughtfully. “We need to keep it close to home as well. The three of us.”Lee nodded his agreement. “The more people know the bigger the chance that it gets out.”“We take our time. Our plan needs to be foolproof.”Kelley grinned. “I’ve got that covered. I know their routines, their houses, how to get in and out again.”“Who’s first on our list?”“How much can we trust Arlo?” Lee and Mason both looked at Kelley in surprise.“Why? We just said …”“We’ll need an alibi if anyone comes asking.”“I don’t think we should involve one of our teammates, even for an alibi. They won’t be as trustworthy,” Lee said.“I’m not asking my mom.” Mason shook his head as he spoke.“Jesse will vouch for u
Back in the car Mason started to laugh and Kelley glanced over at him. “What?”“Did you know your so-called friend uses no-hair products?”“Why would I know that?” Kelley’s frown spoke volumes, he didn’t want Mason to answer that question.Lee gave a half smile from the back seat. “What did you do, Mason?”“I mixed it with his hair gel.”They all laughed at the image of Hanson’s hair falling out in clumps as Mason drove back to lower Yorkdare Bay. They settled in the living room with a clear view of the dining room where Marella sat doing her homework.“There will be retaliation.” Lee’s voice was low even though Marella had her earphones in her ears.“The way they think … they’ll try to hit us where it hurts the most … Marella.” Kelley glanced at her.“We already foiled that plan but nothing stops them from coming after her again.”“Not if we strike again … before they can retaliate.” Mason smiled as he said that.Lee’s interest was piqued now. “How?”Kelley pulled his ringing phone f
It had been a few days since the truce had been called and things seemed peaceful for the time being. Something was bothering Lee though. He’d been broody ever since and pacing up and down whenever they met up. “What’s going on with you?” Mason had had enough of Lee’s mood swings now. “Nothing.” Kelley taped a box shut and turned to look at Lee. “Lee, come on, it’s us. If you can’t talk to us then who can you talk to?” “Steve Jones is getting out of jail next week …” Kelley looked up at Lee with the tape roller still in his hand. “Who’s he?” “He’s the man who turned himself in so he could save me.” Lee’s jaw clenched and Kelley put the tape down on the closed box. “How can we help, Lee?” Mason stepped closer to them and Lee swallowed emotion away, his eyes betraying nothing. “I feel like I have to do something for him.” Mason clasped a hand on Lee’s shoulder. “I get that … have you gone to visit him?” “No. He’s in jail because of me.” Kelley shook his head. “He’s in jail bec
Lee turned his head away from her. She more than liked him. He didn’t know how to respond. Lee stiffened as Marella’s hand landed on his arm. He gritted his teeth and clenched his eyes shut. Marella removed her hand and Lee started the car. Marella stared out of the window with her heart in her throat. Lee wasn’t a talker or a toucher, he never touched her and the only time he had was that night with the fight, to prove his claim on her. She wasn’t sure what claim that was though. The night Lee had stopped next to the road to help her change that tyre had been a turning point in her life. She’d liked the quiet, broody boy. He was huge and at first she’d been frightened when he loomed over her. “Give me that,” Lee had said and then proceeded to change her tyre. He could text just fine but speak? He couldn’t hold a conversation and he preferred to just watch and listen. She was completely in love with him, since that first morning when she woke up to find him asleep on the floor next
It was a week later when Jesse called him. It was a go. Nobody talked about his little meltdown, instead they walked on eggshells around him. Lee and Mason hovered, worked out of his study and at night Milana occupied his mind with sex. It wasn’t a bad deal, except that they all watched him, constantly.Nobody told her that it was Ernesto that he had killed and neither did he. He kept quiet and he waited. He tried to be himself, it was hard, but he tried. It didn’t fool his brothers though. They knew something was up and Connor finally broke the ice.“I can’t really decide who’s the crazier motherfucker, you or Lee.”Kelley looked up from his laptop and Lee huffed out a laugh. “Kelley. Definitely Kelley.”“You stabbed your father over thirty times, how am I crazier than you?”Mason leaned back against the sofa and took turns to look at them. “Did you see that guy’s face? You caved his skull in with your bare hands!”“Soft in the head just took on a whole new meaning for me,” Kelley sa
The front door opened as Kelley walked up the two wide stone steps. “Welcome to Meadow Lake, Kelley.”“Ernesto.”Kelley followed him to his office and they sat down on the two sofas facing each other. Ernesto poured them each a drink, assuming that Kelley would want one. He didn’t really but he took it and emptied the glass.“So what brings you to my little town?” Ernesto looked smug and Kelley fought to keep the sneer from his face.“I want to know where Milana’s mother is,” Kelley said.“I see.”Kelley’s expression remained stoic and he could see Ernesto was thinking about his answer. It wouldn’t be a good answer, Kelley knew that too. Kelley shifted slightly and pulled the pistol from under his jacket.Ernesto’s eyes followed the movement and his left eye twitched as the pistol came to rest on Kelley’s thigh. “Where is she?”“She’s dead. She killed herself four years ago,” Ernesto said calmly.“You didn’t think to share that news with her daughter?”Ernesto shifted and Kelley’s han
Kelley walked into his study with a grin on his face. He’d barely slept the previous night, despite his exhaustion. Once hadn’t been enough and he’d reached for Milana a few times until the sun rose and he’d gotten up for Kyzer.He walked over to the couch area and moved the one he and Milana had been on back to its original place. His tie was on the back of the other couch and it slipped to the floor against the wall just as he reached for it.Kelley moved the couch away from the wall and bent down to retrieve his tie. The wooden part of the skirting lay on the floor and he pushed the couch further away and picked it up. He looked at the piece in his hand, the edges a little jagged, like it had been cut out.He pulled his phone from his pocket and turned the flashlight app on and directed the light into the hole that had been hidden by the skirting piece. He lay flat on his stomach as he moved his phone and something caught his eye.Kelley stuck his fingers inside and it gripped the
The dining room remained quiet for exactly twenty seconds when Kelley walked out before everyone started talking at the same time.“That was intense,” Sylvie breathed.“You!” Marley stood up and pointed her finger at Sylvie. “You couldn’t keep your eyes off him the entire time. Get over it, he’ll never love you. He loves her!” Marley pointed at Milana and sat back down.“Shut up, Marley,” Jesse said softly.“Is that true?” Mason asked. “Are you still in love with Kelley?”“I should go talk to him,” Lee said.“No!” Milana said fiercely. “I’ll go talk to him, if any of you go up there now he’ll probably kill you. He won’t hurt me.”“Says the one that tried to kill him,” Marley muttered.“You created this whole mess, Marley. You should listen to Jesse and shut the fuck up,” Milana hissed and walked out of the dining room.Nobody moved and then Jeannie stood up and glared at all of them. “This is all levels of fucked up but Kelley’s right about one thing. You all want to get angry and gla
The weeks sped by and Kelley became broodier and quieter than ever before. He spent more and more time in his study catching up on work and spreading their business further, moving across continents and into other markets.He went to sleep each night with his back turned towards Milana but they always woke up attached to each other in some way. Today would be a test for all of them. They were planning a family dinner and Kyzer was already three months old.He rubbed his temples, wishing the headache would go away. It was the one constant ever since the coma. He had one every night and probably would for the rest of his life. He had an hour before everyone would knock down his front door.Milana walked out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her body as Kelley closed the bedroom door behind him. She didn’t look at him but rather looked past him. His grip on her arm made her waver because he hadn’t hurt her, not once since that night he gave his ultimatum.“Mila …”“I need to get re
Kelley was standing by the crib when Kyzer’s face scrunched up and he picked him up before he had the chance to scream. He changed him and then sat in the rocking chair as he fed him the bottle he’d made. He didn’t feel like he’d missed anything but Kyzer was bigger and heavier and his face had changed a little.The door opened and Kelley looked up just as he pulled the empty bottle from Kyzer’s mouth. He placed the bottle on the table next to the rocking chair and lifted Kyzer to his shoulder. Three burps later and Kyzer was already half asleep.Milana had remained standing in the doorway, leaning against it. Tears were running down her cheeks and she hadn’t bothered to wipe them away. Kelley tucked Kyzer in, sighing softly in his sleep, before he turned to face Milana.He gripped her hand in his as he walked past her and pulled her behind him towards their bedroom. His bedroom, since none of her things had been in the dressing room when he’d changed earlier. He waited until she was
Kelley’s eyelids fluttered and he blinked a few times before the ceiling came into focus. He tried to swallow and felt the nausea rising. Kelley’s hand rose to his face and he felt the tube going down his nose.He started pulling, slowly and swallowed the nausea down. The pipe seemed never ending and when the last bit popped out of his nose, he gagged. The beeping was low in his ears but irritatingly there. Kelley turned to look at it with a frown and then he switched it off.He ripped the patches off his chest and stumbled to the bathroom. His hand was against the wall because his balance was up to shit. Something was trailing on the floor behind him and he felt for the light switch and stepped back as his reflection appeared in the mirror.“What the fuck,” Kelley whispered.He looked down and saw the bag half-filled with urine. ‘Why the hell do I have a catheter?’ he thought to himself as he picked it up and placed the bag on the counter. His head felt fuzzy but he wasn’t in pain at
Five weeks later …Mason looked at his phone for the hundredth time. It wasn’t going to magically ring. He rubbed his hands over his face and walked out of his office at the warehouse. His calm veneer was cracking, his soul was splitting off piece by piece.Their family was breaking and he had no idea how to fix it or even if he wanted to try and fix it. Carey wasn’t talking to him, Marella wasn’t talking to Lee and Connor was like a bear with a sore tooth. Grace had been with Carey for two days now, she’d taken her for the weekend.Marley was the only woman that was talking to them. Steel had drifted to the other side, he’d had no choice. Milana was his detail and he stuck to her side. Connor had lost his shit, broken three chairs and Steel had had to drag him away from Milana.Kelley had survived brain surgery, even though the odds had been stacked heavily against him. There had been swelling, another brain bleed and another surgery, he’d survived that as well, even though his docto
Two weeks passed and they’d fallen into a routine with Kyzer. Kelley did most of the heavy lifting, bringing Kyzer to their bed so Milana could feed him. The doctor’s timeline had been four weeks and Kelley made sure she stuck to it.She looked healthier, her hair shining again although she hadn’t gained any considerable weight yet, though Kyzer had. His pediatrician was happy with everything and Kelley felt like he could breathe easier.He hadn’t heard from Sylvie and he doubted he would and as the days passed he felt more comfortable. Mila looked more and more like herself again and at night she slept in his arms, her head on his chest like they’d always done.Kelley opened his eyes and gripped his erection through his pajama pants. He hated sex dreams, especially now. It was still early, not even six am yet. Milana’s side of the bed was empty and his cock twitched at the thought of her.Kelley closed his eyes again and tried to adjust himself in the loose pants. “Do you need help w