Chain Reaction 3.1.72: My Hero

 

 

A/N: So this chapter intersects with the others, but I try to make it obvious where. Then it pushes forward some. It was either take each pov in chunks or pull a 'soap opera' kind of deal where we jump from one to the other in order to stay chronological. I chose this method.

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Darrin

     Mike and Ivy were told to stay at home, that I would bring Brent to them. Chief Foster is giving me a bit of a reprieve before he chews up my ass for everything that just happened.

    "He's on his way; it's going to be okay," I hear Mike telling Ivy. He's holding her, trying to comfort the distraught mom, and the sight doesn't infuriate me like it might've before.

     "Why can't I go to the station?" she asks him.

     "Because Darrin is already on his way." He must feel the cold draft from the opened door. "In fact, he's here."

     Ivy spins around, and several things happen at once: She dashes over to me while I hold Brent; she hugs us both, kisses me on the cheek, and takes her son from my arms. Then she stands there, crying and holding him. Mike is crying too, so she hands Brent to him.

     "THANK YOU!" She bowls me over, throwing herself into my arms. I have to take a few steps backwards.

     This is why I became a police officer. I wanted to save people. I wanted to save kids from a life of fear and abuse. I wanted to save moms from being beat to death by their husbands. I didn't want other kids to share my fate. And it all comes rushing back as this mother treats me like a superhero.

     "It's okay now, Ivy." I hug her back. Otherwise, I have no idea what to do with this woman I'd previously despised. I kind of hate to admit it, but she's sort of grown on me. Oh, I still think she's completely batty--but not in a dangerous kind of way. Her living with us has been entertaining if nothing else.

     She gets out of my arms and looks beside herself with relief. She keeps repeating 'it's okay' as if talking to herself.

     "I think I need a drink," I tell them. I killed a man and am very likely to be fired if not reprimanded in some way. As I go into the living room, I decide to let Mike handle the lunatic.

     I only barely listen as they talk. Bug barks. Brent giggles. And I try to grapple with everything that happened.

     I'd never killed anyone before. Sure, I've shot people, but I never fired a gun with intent to kill like I did today.

     He was going to kill him. He was going to shoot a child. He was going to murder Mike's precious boy. My precious boy. No way in hell was I going to let that happen. 

     I'm so fired. Well, fine.

     Mike and Ivy walk into the living room, Ivy carrying Brent. She puts him down on the couch, sound asleep.

     We need to go to the hospital to check on Aunt Em. Uncle Alex is probably beside himself right now. I walk over to Mike to tell him, thinking maybe Ivy can stay at home with Brent and possibly visit her later. Then, Ivy surprises me again.

     "Darrin, you're my hero."

     She snuggles up to me, and I kind of hug her back. "Um, okay?" Next to me, Mike is doing the best he can to hold in the laughter. Ivy is practically purring. This is so weird.

     She looks at both of us. "Oh, stop it." She knows we're laughing at her. "Can't I just be happy for once?"

     "Sure," I reply. I guess I'm much farther down on Ivy's sh*t list now. "Fine, yes. We can be happy. We are happy. Brent is safe."

     She probably senses my stress level. "And I don't care what anyone else says or whatever happens. You're a hero, Darrin. Understand that?"

    Mike grins and hugs us both, putting me in the middle.

    "Okay," I tell her. "But, Ivy, we seriously need to get to the hospital."

    "Is she going to be okay?" She's asking about Aunt Em.

    "I don't know, but we'll call you."

    "Okay." She kisses my cheek. Yep, she's bonkers.

    At the hospital, the sight of Uncle Alex makes me want to fall through the floor. His beloved is terribly injured, and it's all my fault. I never should've let Aunt Em go down there alone. She was adamant, but I still should've stopped her. I hope Alex doesn't hate me after this, even if I wouldn't blame him.

     We get back, and exhaustion eats at the corners of my sanity. Then, Mike surprises me.

      Okay, I like this surprise.

     Ivy had spent her nervous energy decorating for Winterfest. It's not for a while yet, and I'm surprised she found the stuff. But I honestly don't mind.

     "Darrin, I see what you're doing." Mike's beautiful eyes draw me in.

     "Huh?"

     "You're traveling down the path of self-hatred."

     I bite my lip to keep it from shaking. However, I have to release it to say, "But it's all my fault."

     "Stop it. It's not your fault. Just like it wasn't your fault with what happened to me. It was all his fault. Drake hurt me. Drake kidnapped Brent. Drake hurt Aunt Em."

     "I should've stopped her. I don't know what I was thinking. But Marco believed her. I can't believe he let her go alone." I'll deal with the Marco issue later. Well, we're both in deep sh*t.

     "It's not your fault she got hurt."

     "Yes it is! I'm supposed to protect people!"

     Ivy walks over.

     "You couldn't have known what would happen," she tells me. Brent sleeps on the couch again. He'd been up to play with the tree, but Ivy said he wanted to sleep on the couch instead of go to his room. I get the feeling she's going to sleep down here with him.

     Mike looks at me as if to say, 'See, even crazy girl knows it's not your fault.'

     "You two don't understand."

     "What were you going to do, huh?" Mike asks. "Cuff Aunt Em to a cactus?"

     "Maybe I should have."

     "Then what? You would've gone down there, not knowing what to expect, having a fully-focused Drake in front of you-"

     Ivy cuts in, "And he would've hurt Brent."

     "I still would've stopped him! What do you think I've been trained to do?" They don't get it! Both Marco and I acted reckless and stupid. I don't know his thoughts, but I know I was scared at what Em told us. Scared! She believed Drake, and I believed her, forgetting everything I've ever learned. In essence, when it came to an intense and personal situation, I bailed on my training.

      "You were trained to catch the guy and use deadly force when necessary."

      "Oh, don't even start with the 'deadly force' thing!" I could've missed and hit Brent! Maybe I need to be locked up in a mental hospital.

     Ivy watches me. "There's no use talking to him about it now, Michael. This is going to take time. He knows what we think; now he just has to let it sink in."

     Great. They really are teaming up against me. "No, you two just don't get it. That was textbook on what not to do. I threw everything out the window and did whatever the plum I wanted to at the time, forgetting everything else. I gave up my morals."

     Mike gives me a look. "Sometimes, that's what you have to do. Sometimes, things go beyond all sense or reason. Don't they?

     "A few different situations come to mind," he finishes.

     "Fine." I'm upset, but at the same time, I love him to pieces. He's reminding me of how I gave up on following my morals by accepting he's a murderer, something he did in a fit of rage. Plus, his wording 'beyond all sense or reason'--that comes from that very graphic dream I had about him--when I'd passed out at the bar--when I talked and he heard--while he was still engaged to Ivy. I do indeed love him beyond all sense or reason. I accepted a gray area.

     Sure, I'm probably fired. Yes, I should've stopped Aunt Em. But that can't be helped now. The Snake is dead. I killed him. I put everyone around me at risk to do so, which was stupid, but it's done. No one is upset I did it, not even his own father. These two think I'm a hero. All I can think is maybe I am, but I'm one messed up hero.

     I pray Emily is okay, but one thing is definitely for sure: she's free. We're all free.