Broken Dreams

Chapter 21

Meanwhile, back at the prison, all hell had broken loose. There was a major fire outbreak in the kitchen. The extent of damage was incredible. Many had been killed and many more had been injured. None of the inmates and wardens present in the kitchen at the time of the explosion survived. Everyone was burnt to a crisp.
When the news broke out, the Porters and Wesingtons were in a state of mourning. Michael was a troublemaker and a disgrace to the family but he didn't have to die like that. The media circus had started back up again. The Porters and Wesingtons were set to hold a press conference. A meeting was currently underway at the Porter's residence to choose who would address the press.
"I think I must address them" the Patriarch of the Wesingtons said
"Why must you address them? What did you know about my son? You are the one who banned us from seeing him! Now you want to speak for him? You must have lost your mind"
"Betty!" Will reprimanded
"Oh shut up! He wasn't your son so you were glad to be rid of him. He is my son! My blood! And I'm the only one allowed to speak on his death." she stated and walked off.
To say they were shell shocked is an understatement.
"Forgive my wife. She hasn't been the same since the news broke about his death in the fire" Will apologized to old man Wesington.
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The crew got together weekly but an emergency meeting was held without the kids.
"Is it really over?" Jane asked
"No" Todd and Ben said
"What?! Why?" the girls asked
"I don't know if you remember but I told you that I had a feeling that we were being watched at one of our gatherings" Ben said
"Yeah I remember and I told you that you were being paranoid because of your cop senses" Sally replied
"I wasn't. I got a couple of people I trusted to keep an eye over you girls with the consent of your men of course and I was right. A group of guys had been watching us and they reported back to Michael's mom" Ben explained
"Oh my gosh! Really?!" the girls exclaimed
"Yes, unfortunately" Todd responded
"Unbelievable. But why? Didn't the Wesingtons ban them from staying in contact with him?" Jackie asked
"They did but she's a mother. Look at us. Do you think anyone could stop us from being with our kids?" Jane said
"Right but we're not raising psychos" Sally said and they all laughed
"Okay, so how does that explain the situation not being over?" Jackie asked
"I've been watching Mrs Porter. Prior to the accident, she made a lot of shady moves and for someone who's son has just died she's a little too calm for me." Ben said
"We all grieve differently" Sally replied
"Yes but how she spoke of him in that press address of hers didn't sit well for me. It was as if he was still alive" Josh stated
"Because he is" Ben said emphatically
"What makes you think so?" the girls asked
"I have this hacker source who hacked into the prison CCTV files as well as the surrounding areas. We found out that Michael caused the explosion. He had been in the kitchen for several times over the years and knew all about the place including a secret exit that had been supposedly sealed. The main footage showed him entering the kitchen area and few minutes later, an explosion. Another camera caught him leaving the prison facility in a warden uniform" Ben explained
"Oh dear!" the girls gasped
"He's coming for me" Jackie stated matter of factly
"He won't get you, babe" Todd assured her
"Why you and not Sally or even me?" Jane questioned
"I exposed him to Sally. He's been wanting her for a while and I ruined it. Todd led the move to get him arrested" Jackie explained
"Hurting Jackie hurts me and he knows that" Todd said
"Okay so, can't we sic the media onto them?" Sally asked
"We can and we will but we need to take precautions" Josh said
"What kind of precautions?" they asked
"We aren't alone anymore. The children need to be kept safe. You ladies are even pregnant" Todd said
"And I'm even further along" Jane said
"Exactly but I have a plan" Ben said
"What plan?"
He spent the next hour laying the plan out for them and how it would all go down.
"This is crazy!" Sally exclaimed
"It'll be okay,babe"
"Benjamin Brown, I am not ready to be a widow. You promised me that you will be by my side for years and we will raise all our children together" she cried
"And I will keep my promise. Trust in me" Ben replied and pulled her into an embrace as she cried softly
They were all quietly taking in the news and the plan.
"No more casualties! We have lost way too much! It is time they felt our pain." Josh exclaimed
They all nodded their agreements and set off for their homes waiting for all hell to break lose once and for all.
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Several months had passed before Michael made his move. Jane had given birth to her baby and Jackie was due any day now. Sally was showing now. It was confirmed that she was carrying twin girls just like Jane. The day she found out it wasn't just one baby as the previous ultra sound had shown, Sally was inconsolable. The pregnancy was unlike the previous one because her peace of mind was mostly non existent. She couldn't help but stress over the impending confrontation with Michael. Her doctors advised she be calm. For the past couple of months, she had been working from home. It was Monday evening and she and her mom had just put the boys to bed when a call came through that Jackie was in labour.
She notified Ben who assured her that it was okay for her to leave the children with her mom because they were being protected. She set off for the hospital but she never arrived.
Michael thought he had the upper hand because he was able to successfully grab Sally. He, however had no idea that it was all a part of the plan. They knew that they only way to finally put an end to this was to draw him out.
The night that they formulated their action plan, Jane let them know that even though Jackie had ruined his plans, ultimately, he still wanted Sally for the mere fact that he never got to have her in the sense that he wanted to and that in his sick mind, he knew that laying hands on Sally after all they did to keep her away from him would hurt them deeply.
After Jackie came out of the delivery room, the plan was set into motion. With the exception of Sally, all the women and children were sequestered in an apartment near the hospital with top security.
She finally opened her eyes and realized she was in some sort of warehouse.
"Hey baby" he greeted her with a smile
"Michael" she gasped
"Yes, Michael"
"I thought you died?"
"I know but here I am in the flesh"
"But how?" he pulled a chair closer to where he had her bound and told her the story unknown to him, he was being recorded.
A team had been discreetly hot on his tail when he grabbed Sally. They were waiting on Ben's arrival to set the ball rolling.
As Michael kept talking, a car sped into the warehouse surprising them.
"Get away from my wife!" Ben shouted
"Oh , Benjamin Brown, way to make an entrance. Welcome to the party" He said smugly
"I won't say it again. Stay away from my wife!" he said with a warning shot
"Such a violent man you married, dear Sal. You chose that over me?"
"I did and I would do it a thousand times over" she spat out which earned her a slap across the face.
What ensued after was chaos. Ben charged after him like a bull. Punches and kicks were being thrown by both sides but Ben definitely had the upper hand considering how trained he was. He disarmed Michael and made quick work of setting Sally free.
They were about to get in when, "I wouldn't do that if I were you" Michael said as he spat out blood. They turned and saw that he had Ben's niece, Laura in custody.
"Dear Lord!" Sally exclaimed
"Go" he instructed
She hesitated.
"I'll be right behind you" he assured her
She got in the car and drove out.
"Laura, stay calm" Ben said and without warning fired at the men surrounding her killing them instantly.
"Nice job" Michael complimented, "I was going to get rid off them anyway"
Ignoring him, he beckoned to Laura to come over to him which she obliged.
"You have no moves, Michael. I am going to take my niece and go"
"You won't do no such thing!" and then his phone rang and he got distracted.
With that, Ben instructed Laura to slip out. Michael was too preoccupied with his call. The moment his body turned rigid was when he realized that whoever was on the other line had told him that the news had hit that he was alive and had come after Sally.
"You thought you were so smart, didn't you?" Ben mocked
"I don't think. I am" Michael retorted and charged at Ben
A second fight broke out and this time it was more intense. Ben barely made it out. He dragged himself out of the warehouse. Sally saw him coming and got out of the car to meet him and then there was an explosion that threw him like a rag doll across the lot.
"Ben!!" she screamed and then she passed out.
The scene was chaotic. The ambulance and fire brigade moved quickly. The fall had been dangerous for the babies and it seemed they were coming.
Sally's heart had also stopped in the moment that she saw her beloved husband being thrown.
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It had been several weeks since the incident. In that time, Michael's mother had been arrested and Michael had been finally declared dead because this time there was a body.
"Hey"
"Hey"
"Don't ever do that to me again" Ben said
"I promise if you promise" Sally said
"I do" he smiled and stretched to hold her hands
"Omg, you guys are awake!" Jackie screamed drawing the attention of the nurses.
It was a whirlwind of activity after that but the doctors told the expectant relatives that they were out of danger and they would make a full recovery.
Later on, they told them what had gone on when the warehouse exploded and how Sally's heart stopped and went into labour but came back to life after a random suggestion about placing her hand on Ben's heart would bring hers back which it did.
"My babies?" she cried
"In the nursery" Jane said
"Thank God" Ben and Sally said
"Right there with you" Todd and the rest said
"It's over?" Sally asked
"Yes, finally" Todd assured
"How do we know for sure?" she asked
"I followed up keenly and Michaels' body was part of the charred ones. It was tested several times" Todd stated
"Thanks man" Ben said
"No, thank you for coming back to life" Todd said
At that moment, Sally's mom and Ben's mom wheeled the twins in along with the boys.
Everyone excused them and they enjoyed some quality time with their children.
Sally looked over at her family and thanked God for ensuring that her dreams didn't turn out broken.
THE END