In Need of You

Chapter Thirty-Three

Elisha wiped away the blood splattered across Sabrina's face with a wet towel. He glared into her vacant eyes as she tried to muster a smile. A tear slipped down her cheek till it fell off the edge of her jawline. Wiping its remnants away with his thumb, Elisha pulled her into his embrace and ran his hand over her coils. He felt her fingers tighten around the waist of his sweat pants. "It's okay, beautiful," he said, pressing a kiss against her forehead.

"Detective Brysen," an officer said, knocking at their bathroom door. "The suspect's brother hasn't been detained yet. Captain Alders is waiting on your word, sir."

Elisha glanced at her and nodded. "Thanks for the heads up," he said. He ran his hand over Sabrina's hair one last time. Her silence said more to him than the last hour of hell they went through. That woman was stronger than she believed she was. But she shouldn't have gone through this, he thought. It was the only way Elisha knew he could protect her, yet she still fell in the hands of harm. He should have made her stay with Ms. Zora and Madeline. She would have been far away from this shit, but she insisted, more like persisted. He frowned, holding her body tighter. As much as he wanted this to be over, it was far from it. "I'm going to go upfront just for a little bit, okay."

She nodded, not saying a word. She covered her face with both hands and whimpered.

"Do you want me to send one of the EMTs in here to check her out, detective?" The officer asked, still waiting outside the bathroom door.

"Yeah," Elisha replied. "Let them know that she's in shock and six weeks pregnant."

"Yes, sir," the officer said. She made her way from the bathroom door and out of their bedroom.

"It's gonna be okay, Sabrina," Elisha said. He placed his hands on both of her shoulders. "It's okay to cry. It's okay to be scared. I'm right here with you."

Cupping her chin with his index finger, Elisha kissed her lips. He glared into her eyes once more, then stepped out of the bathroom. He was done trying to figure out why the people who he was once close with were trying to destroy him. Their explanations, their reasons, their excuses. Enough was enough, Elisha fumed.

Ava and Kevin came into the one place that became his sanctuary and tried to tear down. Now Ava's dead body was sprawled on his living room floor. Her blood tainted more than just the physical portions of his home; it tainted the emotional fibers that held it together. He took a deep breath as he walked into the living room.

Daniel was now sitting on his couch. He held onto the gun he shot his half-sister with. His finger flicked the safety switch off and on. He stared off into the depths of the kitchen. His lips were parted as if he had lost his motor functions. Elisha may have asked too much of him. He maybe even drove him to this state of insanity. All he knew was that Jonah was behind every person intruding into his life. He saw Captain Alders walk inside his home. His hair went from black to streaks of dark grey overnight it seemed.

"I hate this happened to you, Detective Brysen," the captain said, shaking Elisha's hand. "I should have had detail secure the place."

"This wasn't your fault, captain," he spoke. "It was mine. I knew Kevin and Ava had been scoping us out for the past couple of weeks. I should have informed you of this."

Captain Alders shook his head. "Son, you came to me in good faith. You told me what you assumed was happening, and I didn't make the full effort to follow through with you. That's my fault. You didn't kill anyone--"

"But I conspired with Daniel to keep a track of their movement, sir," Elisha said. "I broke my oath to the badge."

"Not in my book you haven't. You were protecting your family, Brysen. I can't fault you for that."