Jail's Bait: Time Served (Book 5)

The sedatives were wearing off, and Kap was regaining consciousness.  The dreams he had were weird and confusing, and when he felt the warm lips press against his own, he felt glad to have something to focus on as the world came back along with the light, driving away the darkness-And then he opened his eyes and realized that the man kissing him was not Marquis.  “Oh Jezus- not you again..!” he yelped as he pushed Melo away.  “Stalker much..?”

Melo was unruffled.  “You look okay,” he smiled.  “Did they fix your stitches..?”

“Will you please go somewhere..?” Kap said with desperation.

Melo held up his hands in mock surrender.  “Look, I just wanted to tell you that I thought about what you said.  If this will prove my love to you, when I get back to campus I’ll turn myself in to the authorities and confess about the date-rape drugs.”

Kap stared at him then with suspicion.  “Well…if you’re serious about doing that, then good luck to you.”

Melo hesitated.  “There’s something else… you know how the world works, even now in 2018.  I will confess about those girls I slipped the roofies to, but football players aren’t supposed to be gay, and if they are, they don’t come out of the closet.  Would you allow me to keep that under wraps..?  None of the guys will come forward; they’ll keep their mouths shut.”

As angry as he was with Melo’s actions, he had to agree that making him come out was a whole different kettle of worms.  “Are you sure those dudes you date-raped won’t send you some kind of message..?  There’s all kinds of ways to silently get your point across,” Kap asked archly.

“I can handle it,” Melo replied candidily; “but I can’t handle never being able to play ball again.  I’m still doing my penance from losing you, right…?”

“Damn straight.” Kap’s dark eyes flared.

Melo frowned, turning to leave, “Just remember this; when you believed that we had just gotten drunk and then did our thing, you were perfectly happy to justify how you wound up with feelings you couldn’t understand or relate to.”

“Are you trying to justify the fact that you raped my dude?”

The voice came from behind Melo, who turned around in surprise.  “What the-”

WHAM.

For the second time that day Melo was knocked off his balance and landed him near across the room, landing on the floor and skidding for a second before he regained himself and got to his feet.  “HEY-” he cried out to Marquis, who faced him, fists clenched.

Kap began to get out of the bed to get between them, but- “Do NOT get up, Kap, this is between me and this asshole,” Marquis growled, freezing Kap to the spot.  He then turned to Melo, who was still pulling himself together.  “Get out.”

“Oh- you want a piece of me, BITCH???”  Melo spat, getting up in Marquis's face, chest heaving.

Marquis, however, was as unruffled as Melo was a few minutes ago.  “Get out, or I’ll show you the same move I taught Angelina- the quickest way to send a nigga to the hospital…” he said in a deadly whisper.

Melo, remembering how easily Angelina dispatched Hooch, hesitated.  “I could take you,” he replied confidently, after a moment.

“Hooch thought that about Angel too, I suppose.  Are you so sure...?”  Marquis's eyes arched with a dark fire that chilled Melo to the bone.

“Please, Melo, just go,” Kap pleaded, holding his hand out to the man to wave him out of the room.

Melo studied Marquis and Kap, and then nodded grimly.  “This aint over, and I’m talking to both of yall.”  And with that he left the room.

Kap let out the breath he was holding back, and turned then to his lover.  “Marquis, I need to say-”

Marquis held up his hand, silencing Kap.  “You need to be quiet right about now.  The floor is mine.”  And with that he kicked the door shut.

* * * *

About twenty minutes ago the doctors came to the OR waiting area to let Malik know that the surgery was a success and that they were de-prepping Lamar; and the anesthesia used during surgery would be wearing off any moment…

About ten minutes ago they let Malik know that Lamar was set up in a hospital room.  He sent word down to the Emergency Room waiting area, and headed there…

For the last five minutes he sat alone by Lamar’s bedside, willing him to wake up… Lamar, however, stayed fast asleep.

Then suddenly, Lamar’s eyelids began to twitch.

Malik’s own heart began to beat fast.  He leaned over towards the prostrate form.  “Are you still asleep..?” he whispered.

“Not while you’re grumbling in my ear,” came a small whisper.  The grin was already on his face before Lamar opened his eyes to look at Malik.  “Hi,” Lamar said, yawning.

“Hi,” Malik said, tears of relief splashing his face.  His brain began to race- Lamar’s not gonna die… Lamar’s not gonna die…  As the realization that the surgery was indeed a success grew, the flood of tension Malik wasn’t even aware he held onto suddenly broke free, and he lowered his face down into Lamar’s bedsheets, sobbing uncontrollably.

Lamar, startled, reached up with a slight wince to pat Malik on the head comfortingly.  “What is it, baby,” he asked with trepidation.  “Is it my dad..?”

“N-n-no,” Malik said after a few moments and he could regain his composure.  He sat up again and wiped his face off, smiling through his tears.  “I just- I thought I’d lost you,” he explained.

“Not just yet,” Lamar promised.  “But what happened..?  The last thing I remember is walking up the stairs at Crimson Crest after that awful will reading.  And why does my chest hurt..?  Did I fall down the stairs..?”

“Don’t move about so much,” Malik warned him; “you passed out, and you were rushed to the hospital.”  Malik took a deep breath.  “I’m not going to keep anything from you.  We caught you before you fell back, but… before you reached the second floor landing, your heart reached its limit, and damn near gave out on you.”

“It did..?  Oh, my god…” Lamar lifted his arms fast, and yelped.

“Slow down,” Malik cautioned once again.

Lamar looked at Malik, and then did as he was told, gingerly reaching for his chest- and then realizing that underneath the covers lay yards of surgical bandage across his upper torso.  “What the hell..?” he asked in a whisper.

“That donor heart I signed you up for was already on its way here to Seattle; and you were unconscious, so… your father and I consented to the surgery,” Malik confessed, letting it out in a sort of whoosh.

Lamar’s eyes grew wide, and he put his hand on his chest, trying to feel a beat.  He gasped when he found the pulse.  “This is a new heart..?  It’s beating so strong… oh my god….”  But then he turned back to Malik, a frown on his face.  “You went behind my back anyway-” he started.

Malik interrupted him.  “Now baby, you listen to me.  Do you realize that from the first day you and I met when we were 6 years old, the only time we’ve been apart is when I got locked up for that year when we were 18?”

“Yeah, I know, but what does that-”

“Besides that one year, you and I have never been apart.  NEVER.”  Tears sprang back to Malik’s face and spilled fresh down his face.  “We don’t know what life is like without each other.  We’re two halves of the same coin… when I get too out of control you anchor me.  I bring you out of your space and show you how to enjoy life.  We always learn from each other.  And there’s one more thing you haven’t figured out.”  He lifted his head and bellowed out, “HE’S UP..!”

The room door swung open to reveal Sophie the maid, bringing by the hand Malik and Lamar’s 4-yr old daughter, Jamara.  She was dressed in Malik’s favorite pale blue colors, from the barettes in her hair to the pale blue baby-doll dress that girls her age wear the best.

“Daddy!!” she cried happily, all lit up like a Christmas tree as she ran and jumped onto Lamar’s bed and flung herself into his arms.

Lamar was so happy to see her that he didn’t even mind the excrutiating pain she just caused him.  “Oh, Jamara baby, how are you??” he crooned into her hair, hugging her back.

“I’m finnnneeee,” she said in her baby-bright voice.  “I made you a get-well card.”

Sophie held it out to him, and it showed a fingerpaint of three blue blobs and a yellow one, with a black handprint on the bottom.  “Oh, you signed it and everything,” Lamar said, grinning at the handprint; “you are very accomplished.  Awwww, this is beautiful, precious.”

“Daddy, are you still sick?” Jamara asked, her eyes wide and ready to cry at the wrong answer.

Lamar smiled at his daughter.  “No, baby, I’m okay now, just a little tired.”

Jamara grabbed at his bedsheet and pulled.  “You gotta get up, Papi says I gotta go to school.  You gotta come with me..!”

Lamar frowned at Malik, who seemed to be strangely quiet during this whole exchange.  “School..?”

“Kindergarten; I signed her up for it.  Her first day is next month, when she turns 5,” Malik replied, patting Jamara on the head.

“Oh…” Lamar said, with a wistful look on his face.

Malik was milking this for all he was worth.  “Her FIRST DAY to kindergarten… isn’t it great that we’ll BOTH be there to take her to her first day of school..?  Our baby girl is growing up.  Unless you wanted to miss that, of course,” he added wryly.

Lamar kissed the top of Jamara’s head and looked up at his lover.  “You’re playing real dirty.”

Malik’s smile was just as pointed.  “Damn straight.  You had to know what you would miss, what you would be leaving behind.  You had to be reminded of who, besides me, can’t live without you.”

Jamara looked up with awe at her fathers, one and then the other.

Lamar hugged her close once again, the look on his face suggesting he’d lost this argument, and was okay with it.  “I can’t win; not with the two of you ganging up on me.  I love you both so much.”

“We love you too, Daddy…” Jamara giggled.

Malik reached over and picked up Jamara and placed her back on her feet.  “Sophie, take her back home, please.  Her daddy needs rest now.”

Sophie nodded.  “Of course, sir.  It’s good to see you back with us, sir,” she added to Lamar, who waved.

“I’ll be home soon, baby,” Lamar said just before Sophie led Jamara out of the room.

Jamara waved with her free hand.  “Bye, Daddy, bye, Papi…” and then she was gone.

Tears splattered Lamar’s face then as he turned to regard Malik, who faced him with folded arms.  “That was the wickedest thing I have ever seen you do, and that is saying something,” he said, his voice full of emotion.

Malik knew Lamar wasn’t really angry; so he just stood there.  “I had to get your attention,” he said simply.  “Can you still talk about dying honorably NOW…?”

Lamar reached out, and Malik climbed into the hospital bed and let Lamar snuggle into his arms.  Lamar rested his had against Malik’s chest.  “Baby, you were right all along… I was so stuck on doing the right thing for a stranger, I can’t believe that I wasn’t even thinking about Jamara, and her future… about the moments that Jamara will need us both to be there for… her first school dance, her grade school graduation, her first boyfriend, the first ass-whipping her boyfriend will get if he touches her the wrong way… I can’t leave all that to just you to take care of…”

Malik smiled.  “Well, the deed is done, and you can’t give the heart back.  And your little girl is thrilled to see you.  Your father hasn’t left the hospital since they brought you in, and even the staff at HT and Crimson Crest are all concerned about you.”

“Especially me.”

The woman Malik and Lamar knew as Stella the maid had just come into the room.  “How are you, Lamar..?”

“I’m fine- it’s Stella, right...?” Lamar said with a curious smile.

Malik got back to his feet.  “Stella, thanks for the great concern, but at this moment I think we should restrict the visitors to just family, okay?”

She nodded.  “Before I leave, there’s something I need for you two to know.  Malik, your father gave me the job at Crimson Crest so that I could keep an eye on Lamar from a distance… and I’ve been there since I left the long-term care facility.  They do good work, don’t they..?” she added somberly, pointing to her cheek.

Malik frowned.  “Stella, you’re not making sense- wait a moment, didn’t you faint after seeing Leo in the cave?”

“I’m better now.  Lamar-” she began.

He interrupted her.  “Don’t get me wrong, I’m flattered, but why are you so interested in me, Stella...?”

She took a deep breath and faced them, unflinching.  “It’s because- when I came out of the long-term facility my name was Stella Waters, but when I went in, I was… Claire Clark.”

Malik gasped.  Lamar sat bolt-upright in bed- then fell back, groaning from the pain.  Malik and Claire both rushed forward to smooth him down; “Slow moves, Lamar,” Malik cried out in exasperation.

Lamar, however, was too stunned to move again, anyway.  “It-it can’t be…” he finally gasped.

“They said the facial reconstruction was extensive, but I never expected a whole new face like this..!” Malik exclaimed, staring in shock at her.

But Lamar was shaking his head in wonder, staring deeply at the woman claiming to be his mother.  “It’s in her eyes… you can really see them.  Ma’s eyes… Ma..?  is that really you?”

Claire smiled.  “The last present I gave you before I left was a light blue nightlight, so that when you missed me you could turn it on and-”

“-and you would be thinking of me, and missing me too,” Lamar said quietly.  “Only you would know about that, Ma.”

Claire came over to the bed and hugged her son.  “New heart, huh,” she said then, touching Lamar’s chest tenderly.

“New face, huh,” Lamar said with a small smile, quietly touching his mother’s cheek.

“They do good work; none of us had no idea it was you,” Malik said with a nod.  “Well, welcome home, Ms. Claire.”

“I didn’t want anyone to know about this. I didn’t come to make trouble-” Claire tried to explain.

“It’s fine,” Lamar smiled.  “What matters is that you are okay and healthy.”

She smiled, reaching out to pat his arm. “Listen to you, worrying after me when you just came out of major surgery.”

Lamar’s face changed, revelaing his guilt.  “I’m so sorry, Ma, for not coming to see you more.  The last six months-”

But Claire waved her hands.  “Don’t worry about it, because I deserved no visitors; I was a terrible mother.  But I’d like to change all that… I’m here now.  We’re together again.”

They smiled at each other as the door opened and Danny came in, followed by his brother Lionel.  “Hey, you’re awake,” Danny said to Lamar, going to lean in and hug his son with relief.  “Thank merciful God that it worked.”

“Hey, Dad…” Lamar smiled, hugging him back and then hugging Lionel.  “I’m fine, really, just a little tired.  Where’s Trey?”

“Downstairs with Ray,” Danny replied with an inward shudder; “they figured to kill tow birds with one stone; give us some alone time with you and meanwhile take a few more moments to get to know each other, with them being twins and all.”

“Listen, Lamar, about that DNA thing Joe mentioned in that will,” Lionel said.  “I’m fine with leaving things the way it is. As far as I’m concerned, you’re my nephew.   End of story.”

Thank you, Lionel, Claire thought to herself as Danny and Lamar smiled gratefully.

Danny leaned over to Lamar.  “Listen, son, about the consenting to your surgery thing-”

This time, it was Lamar who held up a hand.  “You did what you had to do for your kid, I get that now.  Jamara kind of helped me realize that survival is what parents have to do.”

“Amen,” Claire murmured.

“Soooo, Lionel tells me that we’ve got more to celebrate, eh?” Danny said expansively then, turning towards the woman with the maid’s uniform on.

She shook her head ruefully.  “Lamar already knows…. so I guess Lionel told you, huh?”

“Dad…” Lamar said with caution.

Danny waved his son down.  “I got this, Lamar.  Well, Claire, you look great.  I wouldn’t have ever known it was you.  You were beautiful before, and you still are beautiful.

“Thank you, Dan,” Claire blushed.

Danny nodded.  “I understand that you did all this to try and keep out of trouble.”

Claire nodded.  “That’s correct, Danny.  I don’t want to make any, and I don’t want any coming my way either.”

“We can start there,” Danny said, reaching out to hug his ex-wife.

Lamar smiled brightly.  “Thanks,” he mouthed to his father.

* * * *

Jake lay asleep, his throat wrapped in a cast. Sitting by his bedside was she who spent the last few moments wondering whether she should try to hold her son’s hand, or if she should be better off waiting in the ER waiting room…

Jackie Stevens Re’Vanche was having a crisis of conscience.  She had spent the better part of her life wrapped up in secrets and lies, smothered over with greed and ambition.  With her mix of Creole-French and African-American DNA, she was always extremely pretty, as was her older sister Marquette.  The boys in her grade school were bowled over by her, but she ignored them all- until she got to the seventh grade and ‘noticed’ Lamar Clark, her classmate.  Every day for lunch for the previous five years she’d spied Lamar playing basketball with his best friend Joop during recess- but in the seventh grade she began to notice those two skinny boys grew some, and began to fill out and look really good to her.  Lamar especially shone out with his smooth, light skin, his soft pink lips, and his hazel eyes that changed color with the light.  Lamar noticed her noticing him, and after a few awkward starts, the cutest girl in the seventh-grade started going out with the hottest boy in class.  The problem was, puberty was setting in with her and she began to develop- fast.

Being Lamar Clark’s girl placed Jackie in the company of the seventh-grade’s thug-wanna-be, Joop Worthington- it was trouble you asked for if anyone called him by his first name, Malik.  As immature as Joop acted, she couldn’t figure out what made him best friends with a classy boy like Lamar.  But then she spent more time alone with Lamar and Joop, and she finally began to see that the thug-pretender was actually one of the nicest, most loyal friends Lamar had.  It was only a coincidence of gold that Lamar’s other best friend was RahRah Howard, a really cute ninth-grader who just happened to be her sister’s boyfriend (Marquette was 16 while RahRah was only 14)!  As far as she was concerned, it was a small world.

Meanwhile, Jackie’s infactuation with Lamar was reaching its peak, and on one afternoon after school she found herself in his bed, both of them caught up in puppy-love’s spell, and she willingly surrendered her virginity to him, as he gave his to her.  Sex became addictive after that, and Lamar and she had so much of it that she was sort of getting bored with his style, and started wondering what sex with another boy would be like- and then she ‘noticed’ Joop.  So one day when Lamar was home sick she saw her chance, and asked Joop to take her home to his house.  She wasted no time when they got there, and Joop’s mother, Ms. Jean, was so street-like she didn’t even care that he closed the door while they were both inside his bedroom (something her own parents would never allow).  Jackie started teasing him, and before she knew it they were having sex on the floor of his bedroom (Joop warned that his bed squeaked)… and it was incredible.  She loved the warm closeness of Lamar when he held her, but with Joop it was more wild, more…sexy.  Her titties would arch and point straight in the air when Joop fucked her, which became a regular thing to the point that his mother thought they were actually boyfriend and girlfriend.  She knew that the only reason Joop kept quiet about their sex was because she knew Lamar meant more to him than she did, and after all, Joop was just a boy with sex on the brain; she learned to shut him out.  Of course, she still had sex with Lamar, liking the way she could compare the two kinds of intimacy.  But then it all changed almost a year later, that night she woke up past midnight and caught RahRah sneaking into their house; Marquis was just three months and her father had banned RahRah from ever coming there again.  RahRah begged Jackie not to tell her parents that he was there, and that he would do anything she wanted in exchange for her silence.  That part of her which craved sex began to twich- and in no time at all RahRah had her legs spread wide on her bed, his fifteen year old dick hitting her in deep places she didn’t know she had- and with him it was different than the warmth with Lamar or the wild with Joop- this was deep in her body, making her toes curl and her nipples leak… with RahRah she had her first real orgasm, muffled and silent as she tried to be.  RahRah spit all his load inside that secret darkness, and collapsed on the bed on top of her, heaving as his seed continued to flow into her like a running faucet.  Then he pulled out and climbed back out the window, making her swear that he was never there.  The next morning when Marquette, with baby Marquis on her hip, asked if she’d seen RahRah the night before (she had expected him), Jackie lied and said she saw nothing; so the matter was dropped.

She began to feel guilt- guilt over all the secret sex she’d been having, and coming in between friends- and now she was fucking her sister’s boyfriend as well!!!  She felt like a real whore.  What was she thinking..?  She decided to slow down with the sex and stop cheating on Lamar, anyway.  But by then it was too late.  She began to have morning sickness and her breasts were growing at an alarming rate.  Remembering Marquette to have the same problem last year, she went to her sister and explained her symptoms.  Marquette told her that it sounded like she was pregnant, and Jackie let her believe it was Malik, that she would never live it down if Lamar found out.  Marquette helped her get the blood test and when it was proven she was with child, Marquette called their grandfather for help.  As he did with Marquette a year before, he offered his house to Jackie as long as she swore against her father, whom he detested.  She was so scared that they would find out about RahRah that she agreed instantly to renounce her father.  That night at the Stevens household, the fight of fights rattled the windows.  Both Jackie’s mother and lil Marquis cried and cried as her father bellowed that she was outcast for all time for rejecting them, the night she left with her bags in her GrandPere’s limo.  That was the last time she saw or spoke to her father; her mother, however, kept calling and keeping in touch in secret.

At first, living in an ancient chateau in the lap of Parisian luxury made up for the loss of her family and Lamar, but after Jacques was born she began to resent the baby for taking her away from her Maman and her Papa; his very presence was a constant reminder of betraying Marquette with RahRah.  She began to allow the nannies and governesses to pick the baby up when he cried, teach him how to walk, talk, read, properly eat…. Basically, all the things that a mother should do to bond with her child, Jackie let the servants handle with Jacques.  Meanwhile, she lost her birthing weight and soon began to realize her growing power over men, as she noticed the Paris boys and men were just as infactuated with her as the boys were back in Seattle.  Her grandfather was a businessman; noticing his he decided to set her up to make her ethereal beauty work for her.  He made some phone calls, got her an agent and a publicist, and the supermodel, Jacqueline Re’Vanche, was born.  By age nineteen she was the crème of the Euro-fashion world.  But those secrets she kept for her own self-pity started the splinter that eventually would grow into a wedge between mother and son.  At present the wedge was now a chasm that she may never be able to bridge with him now…

“How is he?”

She turned around, wiping her eyes- and saw RahRah standing there, being assisted by Marcus.  “You shoudn’t be walking around,” she said absently; “You- go find him a wheelchair,” she commanded to Marcus.

“I know you are used to ordering people about, being a diva supermodel,” Marcus replied, “but here in America, I’m an NBA AllStar- and just as famous as you.  Remember that the next time you open your mouth to bark orders….”

Jacqueline looked at Marcus, and then smiled.  “You are right; I apologize.  And I do recognize you.”

Marcus nodded.  “No problem.”  “But she is right, I should find a wheelchair for you,” he added to RahRah.

“Thanks, baby.  Hello, Jackie,” RahRah said then as Marcus left the room.

“Hello, RahRah,” the supermodel sighed, staring down at Jake.

“Well, how is he..?” RahRah asked timidly.

“Our son..?  He’s still sleeping,” Jacqueline replied.

RahRah sighed, looking at her.  “I’ve heard your reasons for not telling about us, Jackie.  But you also kept my son from me in the process.  Don’t you think he might have been better off if you had just given him the one thing he only ever wanted- which was to know who I was...?”

Jackie jumped up with frustration.  “Oh, not you too… Look man, I know I did the boy wrong- I’m just tired of everyone ganging up on me about it!!!”

“And this is what I wake up to… my parents and their first fight,” Jake grumbled in a weak voice, waking up at last.

Jacqueline rushed over to the hospital bed.  “Oh, Jacques, I’m so happy that you-”

“Get out.”  His voice, though strained and hoarse, brooked no argument whatsoever.

Jacqueline stiffened from the simple rebuke.  “I’ll be waiting in the waiting room.”  And with a haughty turn, she strode from the room.

Meanwhile, Jake was staring at his father, who came to sit on the side of the hospital bed.  “I didn’t mean to shoot you,” he said through a scraped-sounding throat.  “Are you okay…?”

RahRah smiled.  “I’m fine son, the damage is light and I’m already healing.”  This was an exaggeration, but RahRah was more concerned about dealing with this than with his own health at the moment.  

Jake nodded.  “Okay then, I’m glad you’re getting better.  You can go too,” he said sullenly.

“Not likely, son,” RahRah replied, adamant.

“Don’t call me that,” Jake growled.

“It’s what you are.  It’s what you fought so hard to become,” RahRah said directly.

Jake turned his head towards the wall.  “You aren’t obligated to-”

RahRah, however, interrupted him.  “Now hold on.  You wanted a father- now you got one.  Lesson one:  SHUT UP, until Daddy finishes talking.”

Jake turned his face back to RahRah- and he wore a stunned expression, but he said no more.

“Thank you.  Lesson two:  we missed a lot, you and me- and you’re now a grown man.  So I’m not going to talk to you or at you like you’re a small kid.  This is man-to-man shit here.  Got me?”

Jake, wide-eyed, nodded silently.

“Good.  Now, as I was about to say before, I want to let you know that I wasn’t there before because I didn’t know you even existed; but now that I know you exist, you have me- for life; whatever you need.  Call me at 3am- I’m on the phone. But I’m giving it to you straight, I won’t be the one to sugarcoat anything.  I’ll back you if you’re in the right, and I’ll call you on your shit if you’re wrong.”

“Can I say something?” Jake asked stubbornly.

“Not yet.  Marquis is my son, who’s been in my life since his birth, and I love him without question.  But you are my son as well- and I will love you the same, no different.  I promise you that,” RahRah declared.

“Can I say something NOW?” Jake repeated.

RahRah grinned.  “Of course; once we deal with your charges.”

“Charges…?” Jake asked with a frown.

RahRah chuckled a bit.  “You know, to get us all to this place you committed a few crimes- gun possession, kidnapping, endangering the welfare of a minor, animal cruelty, attempted murder, corporate theft and espionage.”

Jake sat up straight in bed.  “What the-” ‘cough,cough’- he started to splutter.

RahRah calmly reached over to grab a pitcher of water and a plastic cup.  “Here’s some water.”  He watched as Jake drank the cup dry and handed it back.  “Better?” he asked.

Jake nodded, clutching at his throat.  

“Now, I understand all this because I know what Im capable of when I get obsessed over something or someone.  I did just about as much as you’ve done, and even worse in some ways.  I had to pay my debt to society, one way or another.  So I did.  Thirteen years in an insane asylum, and I finally learned to own up to my mistakes and learn that the only person I should be focused on is myself, and my child- in this case, my children.   So Jake, you have to understand, I wouldn’t have been able to be there for you for at least most of your life, and that had nothing to do with your mother’s lie.  You would have had to learn to be your own man regardless.  But that’s okay- so what, you were reckless.  We can fix it, as long as you can learn a lesson from your mistakes, son.”

Jake was still speechless- whether it was from everything he just heard or from being a stubborn ass, RahRah couldn’t call it yet.  “So let’s get some of these charges down, okay?” he went on.  “For starters, can you put the Hill family money back where it belongs, in the seven World Banks?”

Jake said, “Yeah, it’s possible.  All I have to do is make a call and tell my people to reverse the move, and in 24 hours the Hill Family fortune will be restored.  But why should I?” he added with a trace of contempt.

RahRah  replied, “Because it’s the right thing to do for your family, for me and your brother as well as yourself.  Okay, well no time like the present.”  He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone.

Jake’s eyes grew dark and he turned his face to the wall.  “Oh, so you’re only in here for the money, huh?  I knew it was too good-”

“QUIET that bullshit, Jake!  You know I’m not in here to play you.  Here’s the phone; make the call. NOW.”

Jake started at the strength of the man’s command.  And yet again, he backed down as he did before.  “Yessir,” he replied as he took the cellphone from his father’s hand, and dialed into it.  Constantly clearing his throat, he spoke to his contact on the other end, and ordered the reversal of the move, the treasures returned to the World Banks, and a confirmation call once it was complete.

He hung up then and handed the phone back to RahRah, who nodded once and pocketed the cell.  “Now that that’s done, I can get Marquis to not charge you with animal cruelty or kidnapping, and I’m not pressing charges either, so that’s the attempted murder charge gone.  Too many people saw you with the gun, so you might still have an arrest on that one.  I’ll speak to Danny and your grandfather Trey about getting rid of any other charges you might have now- what are you looking at?” RahRah asked, noticing the strange expression on Jake’s face.

“Why are you doing all this for me..?” Jake asked promptly.

RahRah looked startled.  “You’re my boy.  I’d do this for any of my children.”

Jake suddenly rubbed his shoulders as if he’d caught a chill.  “I-I never felt like this before…”

“Like what…?” RahRah asked gently.

“Like I… matter to someone- to anyone…” his face screwed up and he turned his face away.

RahRah leaned over and placed his hand on Jake’s shoulder, which tensed up at the touch.  “Come here, son.”

Jake trembled, and then turned into RahRah’s arms, his body starting to jerk with silent sobs.  RahRah held Jake for some time.  “There, there,” he soothed, patting him on the back and kissing the top of his head.

A wheelchair started rolling into the room, but stopped before it cleared the doorway, and backed into the hallway, and a hand reached out to close the door fully.

Outside in the hallway, Marcus nodded to himself as he wiped the corners of his eyes.  Jacqueline came walking back up to the room, but stopped when she saw the closed door and Marcus standing there with a wheelchair.  “What’s going on in there..?” she asked.

Marcus looked at the supermodel with a gentle smile.  “A miracle; a damn miracle.”