“Wu…” Priscilla whispers, her body thrashing, but more like she’s fighting something. “Well” her voice gets louder, “Wells!” She screams out, her fists curling, tears streaming down her face, her legs kicking out.
“Principessa.” Primo barks at her, rushing to her side, placing a gentle hand on her face.
“Wells! Jas…Jason!” She yells again, but her body begins to relax.
“Baby girl, mom is here, daddio and Garrett too. Open your eyes, Priscilla.” Eve comes around the other side of the bed, mirroring Primo’s actions.
I stand at the foot of her bed, grabbing on to her legs, rubbing my hands up and down calves. “Sweetheart, b’shert, come back to us.” My voice cracks.
Her eyes flutter and blink then fall closed again as the fight leaves her body. Eve and Primo look to me, just as confused as I am.
“Do you know what she meant? Who is Jason? Is Wells a last name?” Primo demands, I can see him holding on by a thread, watching his daughter fight.
I shake my head, “I don’t know. She never mentioned anyone by that name.” I pull out my phone and call Judah. I start talking as soon as the call connects, “Hey, Priss started screaming about Wells and Jason. Can you check with Bryan to see if that means anything? If he came up with anything in his investigation?”
“Got it.” He hangs up and I sit down in my chair. Scrubbing my face with my hands, I take a deep breath to relax.
A nurse bustles into the room. “Her monitors were going crazy, what’s going on?”
“She was yelling out in her sleep, then she relaxed. She never opened her eyes or woke up.”
She checks the monitors, her iv, listening to her heart. “Sometimes they dream out loud. Let me know if anything else happens or changes.”
My phone rings, I see its Bryan. “Hey, man.”
“Can you tell me exactly what she said?”
“She said ‘Wells’, then ‘Jason’. That’s it.”
“Hm.” He doesn’t say more.
“What? What do you know?” I ask with a bit of heat.
“I’m not able to comment on an ongoing investigation. Let’s just say that this got a lot more interesting and a lot more complicated.”
“Tell me what you know. Who did this to her?” I rage.
“I’ll keep you posted, just know that I am doing everything I can. Once we try things my way, I have a feeling your services will be needed.” He hangs up after that cryptic message.
“What did he say? Who was that?” Primo gets in my face, speaking through clenched teeth.
“It was our police contact, he said that the case just got more complicated, but he believes that our services will be needed shortly.”
“What services? I thought you ran a shelter?” Eve asks confused.
“I do. But…fuck. Golem Guerillas help out when normal avenues fail.”
“Like…vigilantes?” Eve asks, though this time with a smile.
“Yes, I suppose you could say that. When the justice system fails, we deliver our own brand of justice. This isn’t something you can talk about with anyone. My brothers and I are respected members of the community, and that community relies on us to protect them.”
“So, vigilante bankers?” Primo is practically vibrating with childlike giddiness.
I roll my eyes, remembering Priscilla asking the same question. “Like father, like daughter.”
Priscilla 25.
Pain like I have never known courses through my body. My brain is fuzzy and big. Everything feels big, like I’m the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. God, that would not be a good look for me. Although, I would love to meet Ernie Hudson. He can vanquish my ghosts anytime.
I hear voices, male voices, raised in anger. “Explain that again.”
“I searched traffic cameras, finding Priscilla. There was an unregistered, old style police cruiser following behind her for a while before they flashed the lights. I wasn’t able to find any footage after that, there were no cameras in the area where she actually pulled over.”
“It doesn’t make anymore sense the second time around. Fuck!” I recognize that voice.
I can’t seem to open my eyes and my mouth feels like it’s stuffed with cotton. It’d be better if it was marshmallow. Does that make me a cannibal? Ugh, this is too much for my brain.
“Did you check into what her boss might have been talking about?”
“I did. The night of Priscilla’s attack, there was a little boy in the PICU that died. His name was Jason Wells.”
“No!” I scream out, but it comes out muffled. My heart clenches in my chest, Jason died. No, no, no.
“Stanton.” I say in a painful whisper.
“Principessa!” Daddio. I knew I recognized his voice.
“B’shert!” Garrett. Strong hands engulf both of mine, my men.
“Elead.”
“He’s doing so good, sweetheart. Your mother has him right now. He’s been discharged, had his circumcision and everything. She will bring him in soon to see you.”
“M’kay. I love him so much. And you, Garrett. I’m sorry I almost suffocated you with my secret garden, but it was fun getting sprayed with your hose.” I giggle.
“And the pain killers are kicking in. Thank God!” Daddio growls out.
“Kill the pain! Free Tibet! We don’t need no water…”
Priscilla 26.
I wake up again, this time, I feel slightly less oversized sugary treat hell bent on destruction and more like a person. There is a pleasantly warm weight on my chest, and I tilt my head slightly, breathing in the scent of baby. I sigh in contentment, settling back into my pillows.
Moving my hand is like trying to swim in molasses, it’s wrapped in something, a cast maybe, resting my hand on Elead’s back, reveling in it’s up and down motion as he breathes. This is a wonderful way to wake up.
“Hey, sweetheart.” I slowly blink open my eyes, adjusting to the faint light, watching as the face of my Jewish warrior comes into focus.
“Hey yourself, sexy.”
“Your parents are here too, so keep the comments censored, please.” Daddio whines from somewhere out of view.
“You know I basically heard you two make
