JESSIE: Tay finally calmed down and I had managed to stand up to Alex enough that he couldn't even look at me. My arm was on fire and my foot was throbbing. "Tay...I need to sit. My foot is killing me.." I said softly. Walker was on the phone, and Ike was kind of helping Dave keep an eye on things. Jacob was on his phone to Dan Johnsen and Tay and Zac ushered me to a chair. When the police arrived, everyone's statements were taken and like I said, Alex was trespassing on our property, we had legal right to shoot him dead. The paramedics took him with a police escort, one his side was stitched, jail was his next stop. The EMT's took a look at me and soon I was in the back of an ambulance waiting to be taken to emergency. "Hang in there guys, I can reschedule everything.." Walker said as Jacob and Taylor fawned over me. "NO!" I exclaimed. "Daddy don't..please...I'm alright...Jakey will go with me to the hospital and Watts is movin' her stuff in tonight." I told him. "Jess.." he began, then Tay exploded. "There is no way in HELL you are going to the hospital without me, Jess. I mean it.." I opened my mouth to argue, not wanting him to be gone when all the doctor's appointments got closer together and i was time for this baby to be born. But I quickly closed it when I saw the determined look on my husband's face, and sighed. I looked at Jake for help. "Umm, Walker? You guys could get on the road as planned...and I could have Tay on a plane tonight. It'd be late, but he wouldn't miss the radio thing in the morning. Then you guys could be home when you planned." I looked pleadingly at Taylor. "I'd much rather you stayed, Tay. But..." I felt tears sting my eyes. "I NEED you here BEFORE this baby decides to be born. Please don't reschedule.." I wiped my eyes. "You wanna take on Tay's schedule now?" Walker asked Jake, grinning. "I am the schedule KING." he grinned back, "Except when it comes to mine. I'm ALWAYS five minutes late." Walker chuckled and put his arm around jake's shoulder. I saw them duck their heads together and then shake hands after a few minutes. "He'll be there." Jake said and then came back to where Tay and I were sitting in the back of the ambulance. The EMT was busy wrapping my quickly swelling, and painful, foot. "All set. Tay can go with you." Jake smiled and looked at my arm. "He gets the honor of checking everyone in to the hotel though. And you get to take two of theses meatheads with you. How the fuck did Alex get in the house anyway?" he looked at Dave. "I dunno Jake. I was here when I was supposed to be, but I didn't come up and check because I knew Tay was leaving and I figured Jess would have gone down to his mom's with him.." Dave answered. "Jake...he's always here when I am up and around, come on. You can't tell me you didn't think I was with Tay. And the only trouble I've had since Eric went to jail were the vultures. I can guarantee you that Dave here will be in my face worse than YOU while Tay is gone." I smiled warmly at Dave. "You betcha Jess." he smiled back. "Okay." Jake said, as the EMT finished with my foot. Ike and Zac both kissed my cheek and so did my father-in-law. "Mom will meet you at the hospital. Leigh and Lacey are with the kids." he said. "See you tonight son." Walker gripped Tay's arm. They all piled into Ike's truck and left. "I'll get someone to clean up the mess before you come home Jess." Jake said. "I'll meet you at the hospital." he kissed my cheek. Dave immediately had the other guys crawling all over the property, "I'll be at the hospital shortly Jess." he said with an apologetic look at Tay. But Tay was too busy looking over my injuries for the millionth time to notice. The EMT shut the doors and then we were on our way.

Back Home Next

TAYLOR: Jess was acting way too brave and in control for my liking. Her arm was going to need more than just a couple of stitches, and the way her foot was swelling I was positive it was broken. I sat behind her in the ambulance, and she leaned up against me. I couldn't help but hug her to me, but she winced. "Jess. I'm sorry. How's your arm?" I asked her. "On fire." she smiled, "But it'll be fine once they give me the local to sew it up. Yay drugs." she chuckled. "Jessie! Don't joke, baby." I scolded, "You could have been killed." She sighed heavily. "Maybe, but I doubt it. The dummy raised his arm to hit me, there were a hundred other ways I could have buried that stupid knife in him and HE would be the dead one. I don't like killing, Tay. It's not right. I would have if you guys hadn't showed up, but only so he didn't kill me first." She shuddered and wiped her mouth, then leaned back on me further and raised her leg a little more. "Damn that hurts.." she grunted and shifted her weight. "You never said how you hurt your foot, baby." I said, out of pure curiosity. "Ugh!" she groaned, "Never kick a man in the jaw unless you have shoes on.." and shifted again. The EMT in the back with us just stared at her. I stroked her hair back, and kissed her cheek. "You probably broke it, Jess." She shrugged, "So I get to WATCH Watts work out instead of train WITH her for a while. I can still do the photo shoots...oh SHIT!" she groaned. "What?" I asked, wondering what finally broke her calm reserve. "My arm....DAMMIT....it's gonna be all scarred and ugly and branded in print." She was actually angry. I looked at her stunned. "Jess...would you rather be dead?" I asked, incredulous. "Don't be silly, Tay. Of course not." She looked at me like I was the one who had lost my marbles. "But I have the perfect solution." she grinned up at me. "Oh, really? And what might that be, miss tough stuff?" I asked sarcastically. "Hmf. Since you asked like that..you get to WAIT." she said. "Besides, I want it to be a surprise." she giggled. I just stared at her. The ambulance was pulling into the hospital driveway anyway. The EMT's did what they had to do and I wound up filling out Jess' forms. At least it was her left arm, it wouldn't interfere with her daily activities., but she was sore. And trying to hide it. They X-rayed her foot after putting eight stitches in her upper left arm. No broken bones but severely bruised. Dr. West came in shortly after that and checked her and the baby over. "Everything seems fine, but I am gonna keep you overnight just to be safe, Jessie." he said. I breathed a sigh of relief. If she was HERE, she have to sit down and rest her foot. I saw her roll her eyes. "Knock it off Jess. You'll do it or I am not getting on that plane tonight." I told her. Her eyes widened. "I'm serious, Jessie. I'll have Dad reschedule EVERYTHING...which means tour will not be over till.." I thought about it, "probably the day the baby's DUE." I told her. It probably wasn't true, but I wanted her to listen to the man. She stared at me for a long moment, then she put her head down. "Alright. No lip. I'll stay." she said quietly. I squeezed her hand and sat next to her on the hospital bed. Dr. West actually gave ME a grateful look. "Okay then. We'll get you all registered and move you upstairs. It's just a precaution, Jessie. You guys DO live kind of far out, be hard to get here on your own if there was an emergency." he looked at her like a schoolteacher did an errant student. "I said I'd stay." she pouted, folding her arms over her chest and the wincing when she jarred her own injury. I pressed my lips together, to keep from laughing. She was worse than Zoe.