My Daughter, Audrey [ON HOLD]

The Kiss

“Alright, we saw what you did to Johnnie, try us now!” the oldest boy sneered, this time showing Peter the barrel of a gun. 

               Peter slipped his hands into his pockets and continued walking forward.  If the boy wanted to kill him, he would’ve shot him already.

               “Yer takin’ a daft chance, laddie!”  the youngest boy squawked, trying to sound cold and mature.

               “If ya shoot me, you’ll find nothin’ on me.   Go a’ead ‘n’ search me.”

               The two boys looked at one another, and seeing the thrill of possibly finding something, leaped forward.

               Peter grabbed the oldest boy by the wrist, twisted the arm backwards until it could no longer budge. The boy let out a scream, but Peter silenced him by, in one movement, dislocating his shoulder.   The youngest boy, who was as tall as him, and possibly nineteen years old, grabbed his friend’s pistol and fired.   Peter pulled the boy towards him, wrapped an arm around the boy’s throat.  

               “Ya want to try that again, lad, aye?  Ya want to fill me up, aye?”  Peter tightened his grip around the boy’s neck.

               “Yer mad!  Let me go!”  The boy gasped and kicked out in fear that his lungs would fail him.

               Peter felt a warm gush run down his arm.  He smelled the strong scent of iron, and it took him a few seconds to realize that it was coming from him.  Peter looked down and saw his right shoulder pulsing blood.   Peter threw the boy to the ground and placed a heel across his throat.  “Ya shot me, bloody bastard, how would ya like a bullet in yer ‘ead, aye?  Like the taste of led, aye?”   Peter hadn’t broken out before in awhile.  Everything he had felt as the nineteen year old that once roamed the streets, too, came out again.   His blood was boiling, his fists were ready, and his heart was shielded from all emotions.  Peter had wounded plenty of boys before, this was nothing new.   Peter wrenched the gun out of the boy’s hands and pressed the tip against the boy’s forehead.    His finger curled around the trigger, it wasn’t until an image of Audrey flashed in his mind, did he think twice.

               Yes, the young girl, who would be fatherless if he murdered the boy.  Even if he wounded the boy, he would be caught and charged, no matter who attacked who first.   He was still young enough to be considered a hoodlum.  He thought of Jennie, too, who would be left to raise Audrey all by herself—that wouldn’t be fair.   Peter’s face twitched in final decision and he tossed the weapon hard against the wall, breaking it beyond repairs.   “Git up!  I don’t want to see yer lousy face again!”  Peter freed the boy and didn’t continue down the alley until the boy was out of sight.  

               Peter examined his shoulder and winced at the throbbing pain.   He clutched it gently and walked towards the door he had last seen Jennie.  On his way down, a nearby door opened and voice shot into his ears.  His immediate reaction was to search for something and throw it at the stranger, but when he saw Jennie’s sweet, trusting face hiding behind the cracked door, his defenses collapsed.

               “You’re bleeding!  I called the cops and they’re on their way.  They know about those boys, oh, come inside!”  Jennie aided Peter inside and latched the door behind them.   

               Peter was shaking.  “Jennie, if it hadn’t been for ya ‘n’ Ace, I probably would’ve killed him.  I would ‘ave!”

               “It’s alright, love, just calm down.   You didn’t harm anyone, don’t be like this.”

               “I know, but to think I would’ve is frightening.  But I would have killed him if he touched either of ya.”

               “I know, Peter.  Just relax so I can tend to that arm.”  Jennie rushed to her bathroom and took down all her medical supplies.  “Stupid boys!  They’re always causing a riot here.  I wish I lived somewhere else, but I don’t.”

               “Well, it’s no place for Audrey,” Peter breathed, looking over at the girl still sound asleep on Jennie’s bed.

               “You’re right, I’m sorry that I didn’t think of it earlier.”

               “Don’t blame yerself, lass.  I didn’t mean to sound that way.  But, I can try back at my place, hopefully he’ll understand.”

               “I can go with you, if you’d like?”  Jennie offered as she peeled off Peter’s jacket carefully.  “Oh, you poor thing!  You took the bullet badly, but it went straight through your arm.  Good thing, though.  At least, I think it did.”  Jennie peered at the wound closely and dabbed away the blood until she could see that bullet had tunneled through the flesh and out the other side.  

               “Thank you, Jennie,” Peter said quietly.

               “You’re welcome, Peter, anytime.”  Jennie smiled and turned her attentions on his arm.  She didn’t want to stare at him for too long, or she would find herself entranced in his stunning blue eyes.  It took her awhile to clean up the wound, and once she bandaged and cleaned him up, she gave him a soft kiss on the cheek.  

               Peter didn’t kiss her on the lips like he so desired to do, instead, he picked up her bloody covered hand and kissed it gently.  “Git some sleep, lass, ya deserve it.  Thank you again.”

               Jennie blushed and she collected the medical supplies.  “Good night, Peter.  I made a spot beside Audrey.  I’ll be in the other room.  Night.”

               Peter smiled and went to his spot in the bed.  He climbed it, gave a kiss on the top of Audrey’s head, and fell asleep soundly.