3am

Chapter 23

We make our way back home slowly. When we finally pull into the driveway at Becca's, both she and Lila bolt from the door. Becca grabs James up in a hug. After a while, he beats on her back gently. "Mom... mom! Okay, mom! I can't breathe here... Moooooom!"

Eventually Becca lets go, only to be muscled out of the way by Lila. Who then proceeds to nearly squeeze the breath out of James. After a few minutes, Becca shepherds us all into the house. When we get inside and she gets a good look at us, she gasps. "What happened?!" I start to explain, but she cuts me off. "Never mind. Showers, the both of you!" She herds us up the stairs. She sends James into his bathroom while I'm shown to the master bath.

"Um... Becca? I don't have any clean clothes..."

 "Don't worry," she replies softly. "I found some that you had left behind. They should still fit. And I'll toss these in to wash if you want."

After my shower, Becca and I sit out on the back porch while James and Lila play in the basement. I tell her what happened. "Wait, it was your brother that did this? He was the guy terrorizing this city for the last two weeks?"

"Yeah," I sigh. "I find him again after two decades and lose him all over again in the span of an hour."

"Does... does James know? That he was your brother?" I nod. "Does he know he killed him?"

"I don't know. I tried to keep it from him, but kids... they're more perceptive than you know."

Just then, Lila and James bail out the back door and into my lap. "Daddy, are you staying here tonight?" Lila asks.

"Yeah, are you daddy?" James echoes. "I really want you to," he adds quietly. I shoot a glance over at Becca.

"Well..." I say, stalling for time. "It really depends on what your mom says."

Becca nods. "I think it's best if you do," she says. "James might have nightmares and you know he only calms down for you. We can set you up in the spare room."

"YAY!" Lila and James shout, clambering down from my lap to bail into Becca's. They wrap her in a constricting hug from both sides. Becca untangles herself from them eventually and we lead them both inside and up the stairs to bed. I tell Lila goodnight and leave Becca to tuck her in while I go tuck in James.

"Daddy," he asks as I enter the room. "Did I kill that man?"

I sigh. "Yes son," I reply. "You did. But in this case, you did the right thing. That man was an evil man. He hurt many people and he would have hurt me and possibly you, had you not shot him." I pause to gather my thoughts. "Now, it's time to go to sleep. If you need me, I promise, I will be right next door."

After tucking James into bed, I head off to the spare room where Becca is waiting. We make up the bed, and then spend the next two hours talking about us, the kids, the past, and the future. "Maybe, if you want to, that is, you could move back home," she tells me as she gets up to leave. "We could give it a trial run at least."

"I've missed you, Becca," I say in reply. "I really have."

"I've missed you too, Zeke."

I climb into bed and snuggle down under the covers. Just as I'm drifting off, I feel the bed shake as two wriggly kids climb in and snuggle down with me. I drift off with a feeling of complete happiness, something I haven't felt in a long time.

~The End.