Since You Been Gone

Since You Been Gone: Chapter 24

Destiny began to scream hysterically as she watched Justin’s blood pour out around her and her parent’s feet. Que pulled Destiny close to him and tried to calm her ear piercing cries. Everyone was in the room frozen in shock; tears dripping off the faces of many, and gasping drawn in breaths were the only sound that echoed.

Willie fell back against the wall and the sound of the gun dropping made a loud clatter on the tile floors that surrounded the doorway and main entrance area. Willie was wrenching in pain of the knot that was on his head and the pain of his throbbing leg and arm that he hurt in his attempt to get away from Justin who attacked him as he stepped outside to answer a call. Of course he was happy that he had protected Dawn, Que and Destiny…but he had shot and possibly killed a man. He couldn’t even begin to come to grips with his sudden guilt, but he had no reason to feel guilty right?

As Willie pondered those questions in his mind, Dawn slowly began to stagger away from Que and her screaming child letting her tears fall freely down her face. The sight of Justin’s masculine body jerking on the ground in convulsions and bleeding weakened her instantly. Dawn slowly approached Justin’s body and dropped to her knees as his blood soiled her clothing. Dawn didn’t care that Que’s eyes pierced her back as she touched Justin’s neck looking for a pulse. She needed to know he at least had a heartbeat and maybe still had a chance. A low thumping pumped from his neck and then suddenly Justin stopped jerking with Dawn’s touch.

Dawn could not accept the fact of what Justin did as justice enough for him to lie their possibly dying. Death. She couldn't pretend for a moment that it was okay with her for Justin, her childhood friend and current psycho in her life, to be lying at her feet dying because he couldn’t control himself. All these emotions ran through her head in less than in a minute. Her body drenched in his blood and the hole of where the bullet inserted in his back bled profusely.

Dawn cried out, “Please…somebody call 911! What the hell are you all standing there for? He could be dying, I can’t watch him die!”

Dawn continued to cry and pleaded for someone to get Justin an ambulance but nobody could move even at the sound of the distraught in her voice. Que wanted to make a move himself but Destiny’s crying was keeping him occupied at the moment.

Diddy climbed from up underneath the table he had hid under when Justin had ran in suddenly and taken hostage of Dawn and Destiny. He ordered his security guard and personnel to call 911 immediately. The bulky security guard dialled quickly and called for the assistance of ambulance to arrive.

Rob held Drea in his arms as she watched Dawn crying on the floor of her home drenched in blood. Que was doing his best to both soothe Destiny and to reach out to Dawn to keep her from crying. But it he was obviously in need of some help and assistance. Robert pulled Drea to over where Aubrey and Shannon looked on in complete tears.

“When is the world going to stop going out of its way to mess with that girl?” Shannon sobbed out unknowingly.

Rob stumbled towards Que and Dawn trying avoiding the blood that was spilled around his feet. Que couldn’t help but feel slightly relieved that someone had stepped forward to help him with the task at hand. Between his screaming little girl and distraught wife he couldn’t soothe them both at once. Rob took screaming little Destiny from Que’s arms and walked her up the winding staircase to her room. Destiny’s lips were red and her eyes glittered with sadness as she watched over Rob’s shoulder at her sobbing mother.

Que bent down to console Dawn who had now bent over Justin’s body. He didn’t want her to be crying hysterically over the psycho that had tried to hurt and harm them the past couple of weeks, but he knew it hurt her to watch a person she once considered a loved one and friend probably dying right in front of her face. Que pulled Dawn from atop Justin despite her instant reluctance. She looked at Que’s eyes and began to cry even harder. Que pulled Dawn into his arms, soiling himself in spilled blood as he cradled Dawn’s face into his chest to release her cries. Dawn was grateful that Que still wanted to be by her side despite her cries for help for Justin. No one could hold her like he could and no one could make her feel better than he could.

An ambulance arrived and gave Justin oxygen and pulled him inside the ambulance truck to drive to the hospital. Shannon and Drea forced Dawn to go upstairs and change her clothes as paramedics dealt with Justin and the police began an investigation. The police questioned Willie and Que who told them that Willie only acted upon self defence. Once the paramedics and police left Dawn and Que’s family slowly began to leave from the house and the once droning noise of the party began to drown out to complete silence.

Que had convinced Dawn to go lay down upstairs in their bed to try to go to sleep. The girls didn’t want to leave Dawn to have to deal with this, but Que urged them to leave so that Dawn could have her space and time to rest.

“Okay…but I coming over first thing tomorrow morning to make sure she’s okay,” Drea said sternly to Que who only nodded in agreement.

Que didn’t want Dawn to have to deal with the aftermath of anything tonight. He knew she needed a full nights rest and plenty of consoling to get her prepared for whatever tomorrow would bring. As Que walked up the stairs to the master bedroom he heard cries coming from the room. Que walked in to find Dawn curled up in a ball on the bed crying, her hair scattered everywhere and her petite frame shaking with every drawn out sob. Que ran to where Dawn was and picked her up into his arms, like he was her protector and her all. She cried in his arms and Que rubbed Dawn’s back and stroked her hair.

“I can’t pretend it’s okay Que. Baby, I know what he did, I know that he tried to hurt us and I know that he tried to hurt me and Destiny….but I can’t…” Dawn stopped to cry the tears choking back her actual words, “I can’t begin to imagine him being dead…that’s Justin…my Justin…my former best friend…I--”

Que didn’t let her finish. He held her closely, “Shh, I know baby, I know. It’s okay…”

Dawn believed Que that everything was okay and she couldn’t help, but want to not grieve. She just wanted to thank him for being the man she needed whenever she needed him, but she couldn’t right at that moment.

Que rubbed his fingers through Dawn hair and rubbed the temples of her head, her one true weak spot for relaxation he had learned. Dawn looked at Que’s eyes and slowly dozed off in his arms. Que kissed Dawns forehead and moved her under the covers. After changing his clothes and putting on a white t-shirt and basketball shorts Que climbed back in the bed with Dawn cradling her in his arms.

Just as Que began to doze off, the sound of footsteps echoed from down the hallway and broke his slumber. Someone trudged into Dawn and Que’s room and stood on the side of their bed. Waking Que out of his sleep and whining, Destiny spoke, “Daddy…Daddy, I can’t sleep I’m too afraid. Can I sleep with you?” Destiny rubbed her eyes and tears rolled down her caramel complexioned face.

Que looked at his four year old daughter in her pigtails and SpongeBob footie pyjamas and chuckled to himself. She had her mother’s determination in her face whenever she really serious about something.

“Okay, come on,” Que said picking up Destiny from the side of the bed and cradling her in his other arm.

He rocked Destiny to sleep as Dawn slept in his other arm. Soon both Destiny and Dawn were asleep breathing regularly and each snuggling closer under Que. Que lay in his bed with his two favourite girls by his side, no longer torn between whom he could soothe and whom he couldn’t.