In The Safety Of A Lie - COMPLETED!

Chapter 48

Joey could hear parts of what was going on. He guessed that Jimmy had to kill someone based on the bits and pieces of what he could hear outside his room. It was their job; no way of avoiding it. They were cleaners. They got rid of problems. Davy and his men were a problem. He couldn't help but wonder how Evelina was taking it all. He wondered if Jimmy had shielded her from seeing the gruesomeness of their job.

Wondering quickly became a thing of the past however, as pain reverberated throughout his body. He could barely withstand it as jolts of stinging shot throughout every inch of his body, paralyzing any action he could try. He wanted to curl up and protect his body, but the fact that all of it was happening internally and not externally made that feat impossible.

He tried to focus on Evelina, but hearing her panicking resulted in heartache and not something pleasanter. He knew that she was scared. He wanted to be with her; to hold her; comfort her. He was covered in a cold sweat. He felt freezing, but when he touched his skin it felt hot and damp. His body shook nearly uncontrollably at this point from shock and the chill that ran throughout his veins.

He heard the front door open. He didn't hear it close after a few minutes though. He wondered what they were doing. He had heard the sirens wailing and they sounded like they were at a standstill outside their house. Jacob hadn't told him anything other than to hang tight as he whisked the doctor away.

If Joey were to guess, he assumed they were surrendering themselves to the local police. Nothing made sense. This wasn't their standard procedure.

He pushed the blankets down to his waist. His teeth were chattering and he was feeling more chilled, but the coldness was necessary. He wasn't about to risk being shot again because the police couldn't see his hands or thought he was hiding a gun. He could see blood seeping through the new makeshift band aid that the doctor had quickly applied to slow down the bleeding.

He caught a glimpse of his dead brother on the ground. Part of him was relieved to see the body and proof of his death. Yet he felt heavy. A dull ache, not from physical pain, made itself known inside him. It hurt that his brother was dead. He had battled years with the idea of having this happen, but the fact that it was his blood brother deterred him from actually doing it. He had hoped for redemption for him, but that clearly was no longer in the cards. The realization of his only family being dead was hitting him harder than he could have anticipated. He was going to miss him in spite of the obvious anger and aggression that his brother had toward him. No matter how twisted it was, to some degree he had welcomed the beat downs with Davy, it had been their chance to see each other. He couldn't figure out the feelings. Perhaps it was the pain making his judgment cloudy. He wasn't sure.

He recalled what Davy had told him about always hating him, but he still could remember a time when they did everything together. They had actually had a normal brother relationship for a time. Davy had been different then he had been now and over the years. He had been a good brother --- a protective brother. The violent side occasionally came out, but somehow he restrained it, maybe it was because of how young and naive Joey had been. That was the Davy that he wanted to remember — the protective older brother.

He felt lightheaded with an intense pounding echoing throughout his skull. His body was pulsing in pain. He could feel his heartbeat vibrate through his wounds. Salty tears dripped down his face. He could hear the police clearing the house. His vision drifted into darkness before he saw a living person. He didn't know what happened next.

Time felt infinite. Joey's mind floated on clouds to a place that he wanted to be. He could see Evelina laughing. It was infectious. The sun shimmered on her face. Her soft, blonde hair was pulled back in a clip. She was gorgeous; peaceful.

He could feel himself smiling at Rose. Her face was baby soft with baby wrinkles covered her body. He gently tickled her little belly with just one finger. Her eyes were a murky gray. The color he knew would be there for a while until her body decided what color they should be. Life was perfect.

He fought to stay in the dream, but his body jolted awake. He felt tingly and sore. His eyes frantically looked around at his surroundings. He saw a pair of medics hovering over him with a defibrillator.

"Welcome back." One of the medics said. "Give him something for the pain." He nodded at the other medic before turning back to Joey. "We're almost to the hospital. Stay with us, buddy."

The realization that he was in an ambulance dawned on Joey. The vehicle hit a pot hole hard. Joey winced. A groan escaped his mouth as pain swept over him. He couldn't help but pinch his eyes shut. "Where's my wife?" He barely could mutter.

"Sir, we're almost to the hospital. Just keep hanging in there." The medics didn't answer his question.

Joey reopened his eyes after a few shaky, shallow breaths snuck out of his mouth. He could see an officer sitting on a bench nearby. He tried to focus his blurring vision on him. "Where's my wife? Where's Evelina?"

"Mr. Markes, let's just have you focus on staying alive right now." The officer leaned forward and told him.

Joey gritted his teeth together as they hit another bump. He swallowed hard, unsure of how long he'd be able to stay conscious. "Just tell me where my wife is." He moaned.

"She's safe, Mr. Markes. I'll tell you more after they get you fixed up at the hospital." The officer refused him more details. "Just focus on staying alive."

Joey couldn't argue anymore. Blackness was impairing his thoughts. He blinked a few more times before drifting unconscious once again. He wasn't sure if it was from the pain or from the meds he had been put on, but he prayed that the sleep would put him back in that peaceful dream. It was the only thing that helped keep his mind off of Evelina and Rose's safety. He was fighting for his life right now. He had to fight to stay alive to protect them. It was the hardest battle that he'd faced in his life thus far. He couldn't fail now. He needed to stay alive for his family and that was that.