THE LAST FIGHT.
~~~~~
I STILL COULDN'T COME UP WITH ANY PLAN THAT DIDN'T INVOLVE RECKLESSNESS.
The sun was hiding behind thick clouds and the moon was starting to rear its head.
A dull ache throbbed in the back of my skull reminding me that I had been doing a lot of thinking. I looked back to see Mr Rush still focused on the book he had been reading.
I crossed my arms and stared at him amazed at how calm he looked with everything that was going on.
"You know for someone who is being held against his wish you look too calm." I commented, voicing out my thoughts. "What are you reading?"
"The secrets of life." He replied, looking up. "Have you thought of something yet?"
"No. But it would help if we both think about it please I'm starving and hungry." I complained and as if on cue my stomach rumbled. "See."
I had used the toilet earlier which made me more dehydrated and hungry. I couldn't take my eyes away from the shower so I had to use it hoping that if I freshened up then I would be in a better position to think.
It worked only now I was more than famished.
Mr rush laughed shaking his head. He opened a drawer under the table that I didn't even know was there. He brought out a can of water and handed it to me. "It's not been opened. I have been saving it for rainy days. Mike usually brings food by 2 and 6 I don't know why he is not here yet."
I gulped half the content of the bottle down so fast I started coughing. "Thank you." I choked out. I wiped my lips and dropped the bottle. "How about something to eat....."
Just then the door was pushed open startling me. I looked around for something to defend myself with, but there was nothing. I picked back the bottle in a frenzy, remembering years ago when I had to use a vase for protection.
"I see that you guys have met. Dad meet Mira." Mike said, coming in with a brief case which he dropped by the side of the bed.
There was a lingering smirk on his face that I wanted to slap out. I hated how he was enjoying this, enjoying my misery. I rushed to him but he quickly brought out his gun stopping me on my tracks. "Don't try anything stupid!" He spat. "Noah would soon be here. He thought he had outsmarted me, he and his stupid sidekick Peter." Mike scoffed. "Stay calm so you don't end up bleeding from your mouth when he finally comes to get you."
My heart beat accelerated. "Mike you don't need to do this. You don't." I muttered, trying to reason with him. "Please, you can turn back now let me go and Mr Rush here, I promise no one will know. You can be a better person Mike."
"You must think I am Noah. The man who changes his ways for you huh?" He laughed. "Not to worry I don't plan on killing you except he makes me. I like you Mira." He smiled, walking further into the room so that he was a few inches closer to me. I tried to move back but I was backed up against the bed, he lifted his hands to touch my cheek and I winced.
"St--o-p." I stuttered falling on the bed.
"She said stop." Mr Rush added, his eyes on me soaking in my fear.
"Dad stay out of this." Mike warned. He trapped me on the bed, trapping my legs between his knees. "I have always wanted you can't you see that? Why Noah? I gave you everything, I could give you more."
"Ple..please.. No... don't.." I cried out as his lips traveled to my neck while he pressed the gun on my lower belly.
"Stay the fuck away from her!" A voice yelled from outside.
Mike turned around to see who it was. I knew who the voice belonged to and I was sure Mike did too. He stood up from the bed and I sighed in relief getting up too.
Noah was pointing a gun at him and he too was pointing a gun at Noah. But while Noah was seething, Mike was amused and calm.
Noah looked over at Mr Rush and they both nodded in silent understanding.
Mr Rush made to stand up but Mike quickly caught up to this. "Not so fast dad. Sit." Mike commanded his voice lethal. "You started this Dad, it is only fair that you witness first hand how it all ends."
Mr Rush reluctantly sat down, his eyes on me.
I tried to calm him down, to tell him that all will be fine when Mike grabbed me by the waist pulling me to him.
He wrapped his arm around my neck while pointing his gun on the side of my skull. I swallowed deeply and focused on breathing as his arm on my neck choked me.
"You know that I mean it when I say that I will blow her head off and you will never see her again!" Mike threatened.
Beads of sweat formed on my forehead as he spoke. I tried not to cry but I was well aware of the tear stains covering my vision.
"Let her go and I will give you what you want;" Noah yelled, his eyes on me. From his eyes I could tell that he was up to something. I shook my head in warning not feeling good about whatever it was he was planning to do.
"You must think me a fool." Mike frowned. "Open the briefcase!" He ordered pointing at the briefcase on the floor. Noah looked down at it, then he picked it up his eyes still on me. It was then I understood what he was trying to tell me, I had to find a way to get rid of Mike's hold on me.
"What's the code?" Noah asked, I nodded knowing what he wanted to me to do. I used my elbow to hit Mikes rib with as much force as I could muster. He yelped falling on the bed. I ran to Mr Rush panting.
Noah rushed to Mike and kicked the gun from his hand then he grabbed Mike's collar and pulled him up. Mike started to laugh out loud even as Noah hit him across the face.
Mike fell down with a thump, his hands moved to his pocket and he brought out a gun but he wasn't pointing it at Noah he was pointing it at his dad.
"This is all your fault dad." He said through clenched teeth as he staggered up. Noah tried to pick up his gun too but Mike was in control now. "Don't you dare!" He yelled. "Move over." Mike ordered gesturing for Noah to get away from his gun. Noah obeyed even though Mikes gun was pointed at me not him.
"Mike calm down...." Noah said gently trying to reason with him.
"Don't you dare tell me to calm down!" Mike shouted as teardrops fell down his eyes. "You took my fathers love away from me and his money, you took everything away from me!"
He turned to face his Dad who was now standing by my side all eyes were on Mike anticipating what he would do next while fearing for our life's.
"Why dad. Why do you trust him more than you trust me even though you goddamn know that he is a Criminal even worse than I am!"
Mr Rush shook his head in objection. "He was a criminal. He was willing to change but you my son, I gave you so many chances yet you failed me."
"I did it all for you. For us! Why can't you see that!" Mike spat.
"Son stop all this..."
"No its too late." Mike cried out. "Its too damn late. It happened all at once, Noah rushed to Mike and took the gun from his hands punching him over and over on the stomach. They were close to the window and it scared the shit out of me because I knew Mike was capable of anything, I mean he kidnapped his own father.
"Stop. Noah!" I screamed, not knowing what else to do.
Mike was a bloody mess now, he was staggering and splatting out blood from his mouth. I thought it was all over until he looked at me and my heart stopped. There was something in his eyes, as if he had been possessed by all his demons at the same time.
My heart beat started at once and accelerated. "Don't..." I stammered.
Before I could say another word Mike mustered all the strength he could and pushed himself off the window taking Noah with him.
I screamed so loud my whole body jerked from it.
~~~~~
Seconds turned to minutes, minutes to hours and hours to days but the image of Noah sprawled on top Mike never left my mind even as I sat by his side watching him breathe peacefully on the hospital bed.
I could still not forget how scared I was when I had rushed downstairs to see Noah bleeding from his mouth as the sharp edges of the gate went deeper and deeper into his skin. Noah had managed to get Mike underneath him so Mike had taken most of the blow.
When I got there he wasn't breathing anymore.
I was shaking and confused on what to do. It felt like I would pass out. My heart was beating so fast against my chest, my hands shivered.
Mr Rush had come down almost immediately and luckily I was able to gather enough courage to call 911 and fortunately they were already around the vicinity just a few miles away where an old man had suffered from an attack. I didn't know whether to pull them off the gate or not, the memory shook me to my bones most especially a breathless Mike.
I shook my head forcing myself to bury the memory like I had done for the last two weeks. The doctor waltzed in after a while with a smile on her face.
She was about five foot tall, dark and plump. Her hair was cut very short and curled up on her head. She wore very little make up but looked pretty anyway, most likely because she was always smiling. She didn't wear any accessories of any sort but from the lab coat the blue of her gown could be seen from the up. She was smiling at me while I admired her.
"He would be discharged today. When he wakes up that is." She said, going over his report.
"Thank you doctor." I whispered whirling my head around to look at her. She held my shoulders reassuringly and smiled.
"You can go home now we would take care of him." She promised.
"No. I want to be here when he wakes up." I insisted. She shrugged and nodded before leaving.
I waited for a while before I stood up from the sit and leaned on his bed. I bent and placed a kiss on his nose remembering when I used to be so scared of being in Hospitals.
I had been here for more than two weeks with Noah and it felt like home. That bleached smell, the bad hospital food, the small bed and small brown coach, the equipments here and there, everything felt like home to me because it was where Noah was. He was my priority and with him was where my home was.
I was about to lean back when I felt a hand pull me closer. Noah's eyes were opened now and his hands firmly held me and he pulling me to a soft kiss.
"I love you." He whispered into the kiss and I smiled knowing that it was true, that it was real, everything from before might have been planned but his love for me wasn't. He really did love me as I did him and nothing in the world is more perfect than loving him who loved you too.
He pulled out of the kiss and intertwined our fingers.
"I know that I am not the kind of man you want to be with. I. I regret my past. But I will live everyday proving that I am no longer that man. I know that I don't deserve you, that I am..."
"Shhh.... All is fair in love isn't it?"
A tear drop fell down my eyes and I quickly wiped it away. He wrapped his hands around my waist and I smiled. "I love you too. I don't know what I would have done if anything had happened to you."