BOMAW Vol. 10-12 (156 page)

Shawn glanced her way, knew that she was already upset enough and backed away from the officer going immediately to her, as if blowing smoke from his nose, he put his arm around her and moved towards the room with the officer behind them, and two others joining him. Back in the waiting room, the officers stood looking them over, "Where are the other people that were with you all?" They asked the room in general.

No one knew what to say, or what was going on, Gert stood because she worried about her men and the others. "What in the world is going on now? What do you mean, where are the other people? They left, to thin out the crowd and calm this place down, as you asked."

It was clear that the officers were agitated, there had been too many present, and now, too many missing to know who might have killed the woman in the other room, but they knew it had to be one of them, because she was under arrest for the crime against the woman in critical condition.

"We want a list of everyone that came to this hospital connected to the patient, Meribel McPherson." The lead officer ordered.

"Why?" Gert asked again, with Shawn and Sylvia still standing.

"Ah ma'am, we ask the questions here, you answer them, now as we said, we want a list of all who entered this hospital."

Everyone in the room sat back, Sylvia and Shawn took a seat and stared at him and the other officers in a clear united front, no one was willing to say a word. Everyone was quiet, not muttering a sound.

"I'm going to ask again, we want a list-..."

"Everyone in this room is here to see a patient admitted under emergency. Not one person here is under any obligation to say a word to either of you. This bein' the United States of America, we live under a constitution that prohibits what you doin', we don't have to say a word. Fact is, we're not going to, unless you have a valid reason for approaching us this way? Otherwise, we gonna end up collectively charging your department with harassment." Gert continued firmly, everyone remaining quiet as she spoke.

The officer stood glaring from her to each of the faces staring back at him. He had little choice but to inform them. "It appears, that someone from this group, has taken it upon themselves to avenge Mrs. McPherson."

"What?" Bart asked.

"The woman who has been charged with hit and run, was killed in the last few moments. I need a list of all who came to this hospital to see her today, and I need it as soon as possible."

Gert backed up and sat hard in her seat, among the gasps of shock that went around the room. Everyone looked at each other in disbelief.

"Well, start giving names."

All sat quiet, until Shawn spoke up, "I can give you a head count of my family. Every one of them that was here today, to see Meribel, was present and here the whole time. We don't even know the woman's room, or where to find her." adding, "Furthermore, you all saw each and every one of us here, out there when Derrick needed to be sedated."

"There are people missing, who are they?" The officer demanded.

Shawn looked towards his father, and then at Meribel's uncle, he was staring at the officers, "I think, maybe, you are looking for my nephew - he seems to have disappeared." Meribel's uncle spoke up. The police looked at him, "Your name?"

"Carlos Alvarez."

"Okay, Mr. Alvarez, care to step out here, tell us about him."

Meribel's uncle swallowed nervous, nodded, stood, looked at everyone sitting there, including his son, daughter, and Carmine's sister and brother. They all sighed. They already knew what to expect. Their uncle had argued with his sister, telling her, not to let Carmine come, that if he came, he would do something like this; it had proven to be true. Carmine had spent most of his adult life in prison. He'd just been released not quite a year and wasn't having a good time back out. Carlos had warned Letté - "We take him, he cannot be trusted, he is looking for a way, to go back in - back to the life he knows - with his friends. Leave him here." His sister had not listened, she allowed her son to come along, and something told Carlos - her act was deliberate - as if she knew that her son needed to go back in. Every since his release, living back home with her, she'd been stressed and put through the wringer with him, his drinking, his fits of temper, unable to find work, his excuses for not moving forward in his life. Carlos followed the officer outside, the others of his family stood, excused themselves and walked out to join him there.

Everyone in the room sat quiet. Shawn leaned forward, his face went into his palms. He remained in that position so long, Sylvia leaned towards him, "You okay?"

He nodded that he was, but he wasn't, she could tell. She rubbed his back, trying to console him, soon his daughter was on the other side of him, "Daddy, you okay?"

"Son, why don't you all head back to your hotel, you all were on that long flight here - you bound to be worn out."

Vivian was turned away, fighting back emotions of her own, for once glad that Jake hadn't been present to be in the midst of it all. Crystal sat between Shawn2 and Luis, watching him, waiting for his decision. When he sat back, his face was red, he looked strained and tense, besides the bruising to it, to his neck from Derrick. Taking Sylvia's hand in his, he stood, "Yeah, we're at the Holiday Inn right down the road, I gotta get out of here for a bit." He looked at Crystal and Angela, "What you gonna do?"

"We're gonna stay, Angela can stay with me, so we can be here for Sasha." Crystal spoke up, and of course Angela agreed.

Shawn looked at Shawn2 and Luis, "There's a pool there boys and a game room, you're welcome to come back with us."

They both shook their heads, worried about their father.

"Okay, well - call me mom, dad, when Derrick wakes up, I think he'll be out for a while." They both nodded at him.

He turned to his wife, noticing that she too looked tired and weary, they were both suffering from Jet lag, with his arms around her, they left the hospital - made it to their hotel room, got into more comfortable clothing, climbed into bed together, wrapped their arms around one another tightly, forced themselves to relax and went to sleep.

*

On the road towards Camp Daniels, Kevin, Marcus and Joseph rode with Shanna and Royce in her Cherokee Jeep, Ben drove Royce's truck, Mundo, Darren and Isaac riding with him so that each of them could get their own vehicles. Shanna would ride back with Royce, keeping Joseph with them and leave her Jeep behind. Kevin rode all the way sleeping, and had to be woken up when they left having fallen asleep in his grandmother's car. He wasn't saying much to anyone and when they arrived in Camp Daniel's, he didn't want to get out there either, ignoring everyone as they got out of the vehicles to go into Shanna's and Sylvia's home to use the bathroom, get their keys and then re-lock up the house. Not wishing to waste any time and wanting to get right back there, Mundo was back on the road in his Blazer - taking Isaac with him and Ben would take Darren, who was out cold. Marcus jumped into Ben's car and would be following Mundo, with Ben warning him, "Do not fuck around driving my car, get right back to the hospital."

"I know I know, geez cuz - chill!" Marcus, unable to resist, leaned, slipped in a CD blasting it and drove off behind Mundo. Ben stood shaking his head, wondering what now was going on with Kevin? He'd offered to drive him to pick up his car, he only shook his head and climbed in with Shanna and Royce, who also would be heading right back after dropping him off at home where his vehicle was parked. So he'd immediately un-strapped the car seat from Royce's truck and transferred it to the SUV - strapping it into place securely while Darren slept on in the basement on the sofa. That done, he came back in, grabbed some finger foods for Darren in case he woke on the way back, placed them in his diaper bag. He also checked his diaper, changed him as he dozed on and off, and then loaded him up in the SUV, strapping him into his seat. As he walked around to his side of the vehicle, a car pulled up. He stood in the door of the Navigator and got it started, turning the air on and looked at Darren, he was right back to sound asleep. Satisfied that he was okay, he turned to the vehicle that pulled up and parked beside of him in the driveway. It was a white guy, blonde hair. When he opened his car door and stood outside of it, looking at him; Ben, instantly knew who he was, after all, Isaac looked just like him.

They stared at each other a few moments, with Victor staring at him, trying to figure out who he was.

Ben stepped out of the door and closed it so it would get cool inside the car, also, he didn't want him, Victor, to know that he had his son, he might try to get him, and that he was not going to let happen, Darren was with him, he was staying with him.

"Can I help you?" Ben finally asked him.

"Yeah ah, who are you?" Victor asked, looking from the house to Ben.

"Ben."

"Ben? Ben who?"

"McPherson, how can I help you?"

"McPherson? I see, where is everybody?"

"Gone." Ben answered.

"No shit, gone where? Where's Crystal, you know Crystal?"

"Yes, I know Crystal - she's gone as well."

"What the fuck man!" Victor exclaimed in frustration, "Are they back from California or not?"

"Yes, we're back from California - but there's a family matter going on that we all had to attend."

"You went to California with them?"

"Yes, I did."

"So like, who are you? I mean, other than a McPherson, what have you to do with Shawn, why are you in his SUV?"

"He's my father - I came here to get it for him."

"He's - your father?"

"Yes. Look - while I can think of nothing better to do, than stand here and shoot the shit with you, as you can see, I'm on my way out, so ah, we'll have to do this another time."

"Wait up, where are they? Where's Crystal?"

"She's with the family."

"Where - with the family? I need to know - quit fuckin' around with me dude!"

"I'm not your dude okay, and as for the rest; that's privileged information I haven't been given permission to give. You'll have to wait for her to contact you."

"So what the fuck is going on, she playing games with me or what?"

"How the hell am I supposed to know what she's doing, no doubt chilling after you fucked her over."

"You don't know what the hell you're talking about, it's none of your fuckin' business - so stay out of it."

"Yeah, well - I'll tell her you dropped by, if I see her - and - if I remember."

"Hey! When are they coming back here?"

"Not sure, like I said, if I see her, if I remember, I'll tell'er you came by."

"Hey-..."

Ben had the door open about to climb in, "Name's Ben, not hey!"

"You livin' here or something?"

"What's it to you?" Ben asked, one foot up in the vehicle, one hand on the stirring wheel - the other on the door.

"My wife's livin' here, that's what!"

Ben smiled, "Yes, I know. Later." He got in, closed the door, locked it, backing out, he smiled at Victor, winked and reversed out of the drive, correcting the SUV, he pulled off.

"Fuck this!" Victor jumped in his car and quickly backed out, corrected his car around and decided to follow Ben.

Checking his rear view mirror, Ben shook his head, smiling, he kept driving. "You wanna follow me, huh asshole, be my guest." Ben stayed on the road, checking Darren who was still sleeping; he jumped on the interstate.

Hours later, Madison, University Hospital...

Jake and Paul were back at the hospital, sitting in disbelief as Vivian filled them in on all that had happened, Shawn2 was with them. They were in the hospital cafeteria, eating as she gave a detail by detail account. They would eat, then take sandwiches, coffee and other beverages back up with them. Letté and family were still there, part in the room with Meribel, part in the cafeteria getting something to eat, the others gone for a hotel; and Carmine, to all of their surprise, walked back into the hospital and gave himself up to the police and was taken away to the station and booked for murder. Everyone there, the McPhersons that is, secretly hoped he would get away and just disappear, but for some reason they didn't understand, he showed up to go back to jail - and as all knew, no doubt he would get life. This Vivian also told Jake. Derrick was still asleep, his mother and lil'Luis was with him. Bart, Carlos, Derrick Jr and Esperanza went to the Holiday Inn where Shawn and Sylvia were staying, booking themselves a room. Crystal, Angela and Lucy was in Sasha's room, getting to know Crystal and Angela while they kept her company.

Jake could only shake his head, staring into Shawn2's eyes as he ate. "You okay boy?"

He nodded, still eating, "I just want my mom to wake up." He looked up at Jake, "She's not gonna be in a wheel chair is she? I mean, I want her back the way she was."

"We all do Shawn."

"I'm glad that lady's dead - I hope my uncle gets away and they never find him."

"Yeah, me too." Jake murmured, looking back at Vivian, "So how's Shawn?"

"He hasn't come back yet, I imagine they're waiting for Derrick to wake up. You know, he really loves you all - but you guys have really worked him over, I bet that attack hurt his heart more than his body." Vivian spoke her thoughts from what she'd observed so far.