Chapter 42: Ep 10 - Part Four: End to End

Airianna paced the floor in the waiting room of the hospital. When Nash had called to tell her they’d found Berry alive, she’d screamed so loud that her father had rushed to her side. Luckily, he had—because she’d fallen over. She showed her father her phone, and she’d read his lips when he’d thanked God. Then they’d rushed to the hospital.

“Mr. Williams?”

Airianna watched her father stand. She turned to the door, where a nurse stood, a clipboard in her hand.

“I’m Mr. Williams.”

“Mr. Stone is awake and can see you now.”

“His wife?”

“She said you and your daughter can come in.” The nurse nodded and turned to show them to Berry’s room.

Airianna had caught most of what was said. She knew they were going to her uncle’s room, but what had the nurse said about her aunt?

The nurse showed them into a room and then left, closing the door behind her.

Airianna cried as she rushed to the bed where Berry Stone lay, his face so pale he almost looked like a ghost.

“Airie,” Berry breathed as he wrapped an arm around her.

“Uncle Berry,” she cried against him. “I thought we were too late to save you.”

Jeremy Williams watched his daughter and best friend. If it wasn’t for Airianna and her detectives, his best friend would be dead.

Berry looked up at him and mouthed, ‘thank you.’

“It was her and her boyfriend,” Jeremy said, pointing to his daughter.

He watched Berry look down at Airianna, then back up at him.

“She has a boyfriend?”

Jeremy grinned. “The detective who found you.”

“The one with a sling?” Berry asked, confused.

Jeremy nodded. His friends would know about Detective Jackman if Jeremy wasn’t so stubborn about their relationship. But she’s a grown woman. And Nash is her muse.

“You didn’t tell me the detective was Airianna’s boyfriend.”

Jeremy turned to Tammy—Berry’s wife—and smiled. “I was kind of fighting it.”

She snorted. He knew she understood. After all, she was best friends with Britney and helped them through her death. And understood that he couldn’t bear to let his little girl go. To his mother or another man.

“Does your mother know?” Tammy asked.

Jeremy nodded.

“I can’t hear what you’re saying, but I know you’re talking about me.” Airianna stood up from hugging Berry and wiped her eyes.

Jeremy smiled as he watched his daughter glare at them.

“I was just telling them about your detective.”

Airianna’s face brightened at the mention of Nash. Jeremy sighed. There’s no denying it—his daughter is in love.

~🔮~

Airianna carried the mail into the house and dropped it onto the table. It has been two weeks since they rescued her uncle. They found that he owed the mob boss money, not realizing the man was a mobster—if that’s what they’re still called.

It wasn’t for anything illegal.

He hadn’t wanted to tell his wife, but they were close to losing their house since he lost his job and couldn’t find another. Jobs have been hard to find since covid-19 hit. But he should have come to her father; he would have helped Berry find a better job than the stupid eight-dollar-an-hour job he found flipping burgers. But like Berry said, even when restaurants opened again, it was too late. Their house payments were too far behind.

Someone had told him about the boss, but no one mentioned death for non-payment. Airianna didn’t get that. If the man killed people, how the hell did he get his money?

Then her detectives discovered something disturbing.

The asshole was putting life insurance on the people borrowing money from him, then he killed them and took his share before the widows got their cut of maybe a grand. Shit, that wasn’t even enough to pay for the funeral. Oh wait, they didn’t even get to see the body.

Damn, how was he getting away with it?

“Something on your mind?”

Airianna looked up when her father tapped her arm. He smiled and repeated his question.

She shook her head. “Not really. I was thinking about that horrible man who almost killed Uncle Berry.”

Her father scowled at her. “Why in the world would you think about him?”

“Just wondering how he got away with what he was doing.”

Her father nodded. “It is strange. But I think your detectives are figuring that out. They think he had an accomplice in the law, don’t they?”

She nodded. “They think he may have a lawyer in his back pocket, taking care of all the legal mumble jumble.”

Her father nodded and looked at the mail on the table. “Bills?” he asked.

She shrugged. “I haven’t gone through them yet.”

He looked up at her. “Has he written you again?”

Airianna froze. She’d forgotten about her pen pal. She hasn’t written him since she told him about Nash, and he wrote her a horrible letter telling her if she didn’t stop seeing the detective, he’d have Nash fired. Like he could do that…

But why would he say such a thing? They were only pen-pals. Right?

Her father went through the mail and sighed with relief. “If he writes you again, tell Nash.” He turned and left the kitchen.

Airianna sighed as she collapsed into a kitchen chair. Why would her pen-pal care if she was dating someone? They’ve been pen-pals for a few years. They met online, in a room for people with disabilities like hers.

They were only friends because he understood her. They were both deaf and understood what it was like to be different. But they never dated. She wasn’t interested in him that way. And he wasn’t interested in her like that. Was he?

~🔮~

Airianna stared at her new painting. It wasn’t a normal painting. It was swirls of different colors like her dream had splattered against the painting… A touch at her arm had her turning. She smiled up at Nash. He smiled down at her and then looked at her painting.

“What’s that?” he asked, pointing at the painting.

“I’m not sure,” she admitted. “I don’t understand it.”

He looked back at her. “So, are we on for tomorrow night?”

Airianna bounced on her toes. She was more than ready for it. They were going to go on their very first true date. She didn’t count their other dates. If you could call them that.

“Yeah.” She gave him her brightest smile.

He grinned and pulled her against his chest with his left arm. “I like it when you smile at me like that.”

She felt her cheeks heat. He touched her left cheek with his right hand, something magical swirling in his eyes.

“I like it when you blush.” He leaned his head forward and kissed her.

Airianna moaned as she leaned into him. His shoulder was healed—mostly. Sometimes he grunted when he used it, but for the most part, he had use of it. His captain said he would have to take a test to be sure he could shoot his gun, but other than that, he was doing good.

She still gave him shit for letting himself get shot, though. She liked to rile him because he kissed her to shut her up. Which just made her do it even more.

He stepped back and touched her cheek again. “I have work to do tonight. We may have cracked the case on the cohorts of the man who kidnapped your uncle.”

She nodded. “Thank you for going so far with this.”

He grinned. “It’s our job. Besides, I know you won’t be able to concentrate on anything else until this is solved. So, let’s say I’m a bit selfish. Because I want you to concentrate on me, on us.”

She smiled and moved to kiss him again. He kissed her gently on the lips, then backed away again.

“If I keep kissing you, I’ll never get back to work.”

She giggled. “Is that such a bad thing?”

He growled and pulled her against him. His lips were delicious, and she was addicted.

“I’m sorry, but I need to go.” He backed away from her, a sad look in his eyes.

She nodded. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He looked at her painting again, then back at her. “Have your father look at that; make sure nothing is wrong.” He blew her a kiss, then turned and left.

Airianna looked at her painting and frowned. She has never painted anything like it before. She picked the painting up and carried it to her father’s study.

“Daddy?” she whispered as she opened the door.

He looked up at her from his computer, concern on his face.

“Everything okay?”

She nodded, then shook her head and showed him her painting.

He got to his feet and walked around his desk to get a better look.

“When did you paint this?” he asked, looking at her.

“Just a little bit ago. Nash saw it and told me to show it to you.”

He nodded and looked back at the painting.

“What does it mean, Daddy?”

He looked at her and smiled. “Nothing you need to worry about, dear one.”

She read his lips but didn’t smile at his words. He didn’t know what it meant, either.

~🔮~

“You look beautiful.”

Airianna smiled up at Nash as he stood outside on the front porch, staring at her in her new dress.

“Thank you. It’s new. Do you like it?” She spun in a circle so he could see it.

The dress flapped above her knees as she spun in a circle. It was a peach/tan color and brought out her eyes and skin tone; it had spaghetti straps and hugged her breasts and hips.

She’d hoped he would like it when she got it. And by the look in his eyes, he did. Her hair was down and flowing around her. She flipped it behind her, and he grunted.

“Let’s go before I change my mind about waiting for the right time,” he growled, pulling her outside and down the stairs.

She giggled as he helped her into his truck.

~🔮~

“This is such a nice place,” Airianna said as she looked around the restaurant.

He’d gone all out for their first date. Her heart skipped a beat when the waiter led them outside.

“I thought we could sit under the stars,” he said, looking up at the sky.

She barely read his lips, but she got the gist of what he’d said. She looked up at the stars and sighed. It was a beautiful night. Perfect for eating outside.

He looked at her and smiled, then pulled out her chair. He motioned for her to sit. She smiled as she sat in the chair.

“What would you like to drink, madam?” the waiter asked.

He stood beside the table, watching her, waiting for her to respond.

Airianna hadn’t heard the waiter’s words and worried he would find her rude if she asked him to repeat them. She’d been looking at Nash and wondering what else he had in store for tonight. Were they finally going to take their relationship to the next level? Was he going to make love to her tonight?

“I’m sorry. She’s deaf. Can you repeat your words slowly so she can read your lips?”

Airianna read Nash’s lips and turned her head to the waiter.

“But of course,” the waiter said, smiling at her. “What would the madam like to drink?”

Airianna giggled at him calling her madam, then straightened and cleared her throat.

“Water would be fine.”

The waiter nodded and looked at Nash.

Airianna felt Nash’s chuckle as he ordered his own drink. When the waiter was gone, he looked at her and smiled.

“Just water, huh?”

She nodded. “I want to be aware of everything that happens tonight.”

His eyes squinted, and he leaned across the table. “What are you expecting to happen tonight?”

Airianna’s skin erupted in goose bumps. She’d heard his words. Damn, how did she answer that without sounding like a sex-crazed slut?

“I… uh….”

He smirked. “Don’t worry. Nothing you don’t want to happen will happen.”

“What if I want it to?” she whispered.

He studied her for a moment, then grinned. “We’ll see.” He looked at the door, where she figured the waiter was returning with their drinks. “First, we’re going to enjoy our first real date.”

She smiled. “Okay.”

They ordered their food and talked. When the food arrived, they ate in silence for maybe a minute before he said something to her that made her choke on her food. It wasn’t anything dirty, just something funny. She heard half of his words and read his lips for the rest.

She liked being with him when it had nothing to do with her dreams or his work. She found they had a few things in common, and he liked it when she called him out on his shit.

When they finished their dessert, he asked for their check and looked deep into her eyes.

“How about a walk?”

She grinned and nodded. “I would like that—very much.”

He looked up when the waiter returned with their check. He placed his card on top of the check; the man nodded and left to pay their bill. Nash pulled a twenty from his wallet and put it on the table.

She smiled at the tip. “That’s generous of you.”

He grinned at her. “I’m not usually this generous with tips. But he left us to our date and only came when called. He didn’t interrupt us or spill anything.”

She giggled. He was right. The waiter had left them to their date—it was nice.

“Sir,” the waiter said when he returned with Nash’s card.

Nash nodded to the man as he stood. He held his hand out to Airianna. She took it and let him help her to her feet. Neither of them had drunk any alcohol; they were both sober and ready for the walk. Maybe something more…

Nash turned from her and reached for his jacket he had placed on the back of his chair. It was hot enough; she wasn’t surprised when he’d taken it off. A noise in the night had her jumping. She doesn’t usually hear sounds around her. Nash grunted, his hand pressed to his chest as he turned to her.

“Nash?” she asked, watching him.

He looked at her, his eyes open wide. She looked at his hand over his chest and cried out as she rushed to him. He fell over just as she made it to his side. She knelt beside him and moved his hand from his chest. There was blood everywhere.

“Nash,” she cried.

“Airianna, hide,” he wheezed.

She shook her head. “I’m not leaving you.” She pressed her hands to his chest and put pressure against the hole.

Someone shot her detective.

“Help! Someone call 911, please!” she cried out, hoping someone would hear her and call 911.

“Airianna, please get out of sight,” he wheezed.

“No!” she cried.

His hand moved to her hair, and he brushed it out of her face.

“Please.”

She shook her head and pressed harder on his chest.

He looked around them as if he was looking for the shooter. There was no one around. He looked back at her and placed his hand over hers on his chest.

“I love you,” he whispered.

She hiccupped. “I love you too. But isn’t it a bit early to share that news? This is only our first date.”

He chuckled, then coughed. She watched as blood trickled out of his mouth.

“Someone help!” she cried out again.

“Ambulance is on its way,” the waiter said from the doorway to the restaurant.

Airianna didn’t know anyone was behind her until Nash tapped her arm and repeated the waiter’s words. She nodded. What is she going to do if her muse dies? She didn’t paint for the month they’d stayed apart after their fight. What about him dying?

‘No, you’re not going to think about that!’ she ordered herself.

“Airianna,” Nash whispered, his hand moving in her hair.

“No.” She shook her head.

“Don’t forget me.”

“NO!”

“I love you….” His hand fell to the ground, and his head turned away from her.

Airianna pressed harder on his chest. “No, no, no,” she cried.

She shook him and got no response. “Nash!” she cried.

Nothing.

“Please don’t leave me.”

Nothing.

“Nash!” She shook him again.

Nothing.

Airianna slapped Nash across the face, hoping he had just passed out.

Nothing.

Airianna screamed so loud she felt her hearing aids vibrate. How could fate do this to her? Give her the one thing she never knew she needed, then take it away.

“Nash,” she whimpered as she fell over his chest, not caring that his blood ruined her dress.

She’s never wearing this dress again; she’d bought it for him. There will never be anyone for her, never again. He was the one. The one person for her.

Her muse.

She cried as she laid over his body.

Fate was a bitch, and Airianna was its slave.

TO BE CONTINUED