Background
When a camping trip turns into a nightmare, the whole family is drawn into the danger.
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Summary
Hmm...Here we go in a nutshell...
When brothers Cody and Jack McClellan go to the state park for a 'men's weekend', Cody goes hiking and stumbles across a botched assassination attempt. Shot and left for dead, he is rescued by his brother, who drags him out of the park in search of their car. Chased by the hitmen, lost and trying to keep Cody alive, Jack keeps hearing Bible verses he learned as a kid. Angry at God, he refuses to pray, but depends on himself and fellow campers to save his brother.
They escape the woods, but the hitmen aren't finished.
At the hospital, Cody crashes. With the heart monitor blaring 'flat-line', Jack begs God to allow his brother to live. Without any more medical intervention, the monitor blips to life again and the trauma team, headed by Abby Kitman, stabilizes him and rushes him to surgery.
Cody awakens the next day to find one of the Lehman clan (the hitmen) bending over his hospital bed. Dressed in orderly's garb, he injects a toxin into Cody's IV tubing. Again saved by Jack and Abby, Cody is put into a medically induced coma until an antidote can be found.
Because the Lehmans are high profile killers, the FBI is involved in the case and assists in finding a way to save Cody. But it's weeks before he is strong enough to return to his family and home.
It's his first night out of the hospital. Jack, Laine and Travis have come over with tamales for dinner. But as they're preparing to eat, the doorbell rings.
Jack approaches the door, revolver drawn, but is relieved to find Dr. Abby Kitman there. The chemistry between the young doctor and Cody was obvious, even to the children, who make sport of it while they eat.
Abby asks if FBI is having her followed and is angry that agents have been assigned to her but realizes that the concern is real.
End of previous segment:
She looked up at him, eyes confused and scared. "Why? What did I do to them?"
"They don't like your doctoring," Jack answered, when Cody seemed unwilling to do so. "You saved Cody, not once, you know, but twice. Doesn't exactly put you on their Christmas card list."
"Should I be afraid?"
"I am." Laine's voice was hushed, almost too quiet to hear. She glanced at Abby and then away.
*****
Jack squeezed his wife's knee, kissed her forehead and pulled her into his arms.
The mood in the peaceful, quiet living room turned dark, as if someone dropped a heavy curtain over a sun-lit window without warning. No one seemed willing to speak, and the ticking of the grandfather clock filled the silence. The children's conversation, mostly muffled by the wall between them, floated in; Katie's high chatter and the boy's deeper responses, punctuated every few minutes by laughter. Katie's voice chimed, clear and loud, "To get to his other side, sillies!" followed by
Michael and Travis' moans and 'boos'.
Jack took the cue, smiled and cleared his throat. "Rudy told me a joke today."
"No," Rachel said before Jack could continue. She made eye-contact with her oldest and, arching her eyebrows, picked her tea glass up from the coffee table and took a sip. She never let her gaze lower from him.
"It's not that bad."
"Not in my house," Cody said, taking another bite of dinner. He chewed, looking at his brother. "I was his partner for a long time, Jack. I know all his jokes, and ..." He cocked his eyebrows, mimicking his mother's expression to a tee. "Not in my house."
Abby frowned, ignoring the fledgling banter, caught in her own thoughts. Uncomfortable with both the idea of evil chasing her in the night and of federal protection, she felt trapped between the two, and wondered how best to proceed. She pushed her long hair over her shoulder just as Cody shoved his bangs out of his face. Neither noticed the similarity of their movements. "I heard one today at work," she started, deciding to table her concerns for the time being. It didn't seem to belong in a room full of family, so near the chatter of children. "A patient went in to see his doctor, and the doctor tells him he has good news and bad news.'The test results weren't good,' he says.'I'm going to give you a prescription, and you're going to have to take it for the rest of your life.' The patient nods, obviously relieved. 'I thought it was much worse than this,' he thinks. 'Medicine for the rest of my life isn't so bad.' So he goes off to get his prescription filled." Abby smiled, keeping her eyes on Laine, Jack and Rachel, never even glancing in Cody's direction. "Well, he gets home and looks at the prescription bottle and sees that there's no refill. He grabs his cell phone and dials the doctor's phone number. 'Doc!' he yells. 'Doc! There's no refill on this prescription! I thought you said I had to take it for the rest of my life!'" She grinned, eyes dancing, ready to drop the punch line.
"No refills--that's the bad news," Cody interrupted.
Abby turned to him, wide-eyed, her mouth pouty and slightly opened. "You killed my joke!"
"I didn't kill it," Cody protested as he lifted his tea glass and sipped. "It died of old age."
Abby's eyes widened even more, and she allowed her jaw to drop. "Old age! Old age? That joke is not old!" She turned to Rachel. "Did you know it?"
"She's calling you old, Mom!" Cody tried not to laugh.
Rachel acted like she didn't hear her youngest and nodded reluctantly. "I do. I know a lot of jokes though, honey."
"Laine? Did you know it?"
"I live with Jack. I know every old joke ever told." She smiled sweetly at her husband, who frowned, trying to decide how to take the comment.
He decided to take his mother's lead and ignore it. "Oh, honey," he laughed, "my daddy used to tell that joke. It's as old as you are!"
"No, it's not," Abby protested, giving in to the giggles that were beginning to rise from them all.
"Well, then," Michael called from the other room, "it's at least as old as me!"
"Oh, yeah?" Abby shot back. "Not impressed, infant!"
Cody grinned. It occurred to him that she seemed to fit in well. He felt his face flush at the thought and hoped Jack didn't pick that particular moment to glance in his direction.
"Hey," Abby called into the dining room again, "I heard a good one that I bet you don't know! It's a knock-knock joke. You start, okay?"
"Okay, but knock-knock jokes are for old, lame people," Michael responded. "Knock-knock."
Abby smiled, bait taken. "Who's there?"
Silence floated in from the other room, followed by a hoot and Travis' laughter, which actually did turn out to be contagious.
They finished the evening with ice cream, stupid jokes and tales of the pranks and practical jokes they'd pulled in college, medical school, and the police academy. Abby stood as the old grandfather clock chimed a stately nine times.
"Have to go." She looked down at Cody, resisting the urge to touch his shoulder. "You need to go to bed even worse than I do."
Cody nodded. "I'm glad you decided to come over though," he said as the doctor walked to the door. She glanced over her shoulder, allowing a tiny smile to pass between them. He stayed in the living room recliner as the other adults moved, first to the door to see Abby off, and then to the kitchen to straighten up.
"I'll help you get Cody upstairs before we go," Jack offered. "School tomorrow. Maybe. Still haven't heard from Aulers about the kids going back, have you?"
Rachel dropped a plate into the dishwasher. The clatter brought the three children running to see what had broken. "Go check on your dad, kids," Jack ordered and motioned Travis to follow.
The door had barely swung shut behind them when Rachel looked up into Jack's face. "How much longer, Jack? How much longer do we have to live this way ... to feel this way?"
"I know we're going to get these guys, Mom," Jack lied. "It won't be much longer."
She raised her face to meet his eyes, studying them intently. "I wish you lied better than your brother," she whispered. She turned before he could answer, dried her hands and took a cup of hot tea from Laine, who had been preparing it quietly as she and Jack talked. As she left the kitchen, carrying the drink to Cody, she heard Michael cry, "Dad, it was a set up! How did you fall for such a dumb trap? He shot you!" She stepped quickly to the game console and cut off the game. "Time for a bath," she said. The grouchiness of her tone surprised her. "Michael, you're first."
"Oh, Grandma!" Michael stared at the dark screen of the television as if trying to pull the system back on. Giving up, he dropped the controller on the couch beside him and frowned at her.
"Hey," Cody cut in. "We can play again tomorrow. I've got nothing but time for now, kiddo. Mind your grandma."
He looked up at Rachel, and she could see from the shadow in his blue eyes that the game had been a little too close to reality for his liking, as well. She gave him a weary smile. "I'm bringing Katie up in 20 minutes," she said to her grandson's retreating back. "Be done by then, please."
Michael had started for the stairs. "Love you, Dad."
Cody smiled in his direction, but the smile only served to make him look more tired. "See you in a few."
Rachel looked down at her granddaughter. "Don't let your daddy do anything he's not supposed to do, sweetie."
"What's he not supposed to do?"
"Almost anything." Rachel tapped Cody on the head and followed Michael out the door, calling, "Don't forget your towel this time, Michael."
Katie carefully crawled onto Cody's lap, snuggling against him. "Don't worry, Daddy. I'll take good care of you." She sighed, indicating complete satisfaction. "Make my hair dance, Daddy," she whispered. Sleepiness slowed her voice and dropped it to a whisper
Cody smiled and began to gently blow into her golden curls. It had been their special goodnight game since Katie grew her first pale locks. The grandfather clock ticked the minutes in the quiet house, competing with only the occasional clink of dishes from the kitchen and a splash from the bathtub upstairs.
"Okay, Katie, m'darlin'," Rachel started as she stepped off of the stairway a few minutes later, "it's your -"
She was hushed by both Jack and 'Lane, who pointed in unison toward the recliner. Cody sat, eyes closed, breathing slowly. Katie had curled up against him, padding his casted arm with her doll blanket, and now snored softly beside him. "I think bath can wait 'til morning," Jack said.
As he lifted his niece into his arms to carry her upstairs Rachel touched Cody lightly on the cheek. He started from sleep and grabbed her wrist, holding it in a death grip, not fully awake.
Rachel winced and gasped through clenched teeth. "Cody," she said firmly, "let go. You're hurting me."
His hand opened as if he'd grabbed hot coals and he blinked away the last of sleep. "Mamma, I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm so sorry."
"I'm fine." Rachel rubbed her arm, delivering a smile that almost convinced him she was telling the truth.
"I was dreaming ..."
"It's okay, son." There was an edge of tension to Rachel's voice. "It's going to be okay." She paused, then reached for the Bible on a nearby end table. Pulling her glasses from a front shirt pocket she put them on, flipped through several pages of the old book and put in in Cody's lap.
He looked down and read the verse from Deuteronomy that she indicated. Do not be afraid of them; the Lord your God himself will fight for you.
He stared down at the words for a minute and nodded slowly. "Thank you, Mom."
Jack stood quietly, watching the two of them. His fledgling faith struggled with the thought that evil lurked outside, waiting for them to let their guard down for even a second.
Author Notes
Characters:
Cody McClellan: early 30s, widowed, father of two. Private investigator
Jack Mc - mid-30s, husband and father, police detective
Laine Mc- Jack's wife
Rachel Mc - Jack and Cody's mom
Michael and Katie - Cody's kids, 6 and 12, respectively
Travis - Jack and Laine's boy, also 12.Frank Aulers - FBI agent assigned to the Lehman case
Dr. Abby Kitman - ER trauma doc
Lehman brothers - the bad guys, of course! They are assassins who target minority civil rights and political people
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