Page 141 of Jackass

“Baby, they are already at the hospital. We need to go, too,” he said, leading me to the mouth of the alley.

“No, Jack. We need to find Charlie,” I urged.

“Sammy, the guys are out there looking for her. But, baby, you weren’t responding to anyone for so long. You need to see a doctor.”

“But Jack,” I cried.

“Sammy!” he barked. “You are no good to Charlie like this. You are going to get checked out.”

“Ok, Jack,” I whispered, tears sliding down my cheeks.

Jack loaded me into an ambulance. Before he could climb in, Sheriff O’Rourke, Beck’s dad, walked over.

“She ok?” he asked.

“She wasn’t responsive for about twenty minutes, so she’s going to get checked out,” Jack answered. “What’s up?”

The sheriff looked at me. Something in his eyes told me I didn’t want to hear what he was going to say.

“We just received a call.” He paused and looked at Jack. “Shots fired at the motel.”

Chapter Thirty-Four

Derek

I didn’t know why I was still here. I should have gone home after I signed the fucking papers. Samantha wasn’t mine anymore. I wasn’t sure she ever was.

I knew I fucked up when I lost control. I fucked up long before that by lying to her. I wanted her to be happy.

Jack made her happy.

What a clusterfuck this all was. My baby fucking brother. What were the odds? I should go home. Something was keeping me here. It wasn’t Sammy or Charlie. She wasn’t my daughter. I’d known that from the beginning.

I refused to believe it was Jack.

I didn’t need a brother. I didn’t need any family. I was doing just fine on my own.

Sure you were, that’s why you married a girl you barely knew not long after your mother died and your father went to prison.

My fucking father.

I’d turned into him. He was the reason I didn’t want kids. He should have been the reason not to get married.

A loud knock interrupted my thoughts. I answered the door, and Marsha stood there with a little girl.

“Is that Charlie?” I asked, staring at the frightened little girl.

“This is our baby, Derek. Isn’t she beautiful?”

I looked at Marsha. How had I never noticed the woman was crazy?

“Are you going to let us in?” she asked.

I moved out of the way, letting them into the room. Sticking my head through the doorway, I looked around for her parents. Why was she here?

“Marsha, what are you doing here? Why do you have Charlie?”

“I am here because we are a family, Derek. You, me, and Charlie. We can go home now. Back to Arkansas.”