Authors: Unknown
“
Why aren't you in Texas keeping order?” she asks.
Jackson squeezes her thigh, probably meaning for her to shut up.
“
Let her go. This is between you and me, Zack,” Jackson says calmly.
“
Babe, tell me he made you leave me,” Zack says in a pleading voice.
“
I made her come with me, she didn't want to. She insisted she loves you,” Jackson says.
What is he trying to do?
“
We were never a couple Zack,” she says slowly.
“
You said you loved me!” he screams.
“
Don't Sadie,” Jackson cautions her.
She blinks at that, wishing she could do something, anything.
“
You betrayed me, Sadie. I can still forgive you but I need you to change. You can't be the same faithless whore if I take you back,” he nods toward Jackson, “He dies for touching what is mine, and you can come home.”
Sadie wants to scream angrily. She owes Jackson too much to let the crazy bastard kill him.
Decision made, she jumps up and stands between Jackson and the gun. Jackson stands to grab her but she moves beyond his reach.
Zack doesn't shoot.
His face an angry purple color he screams, “You choose him!” Then he shoots.
**
Jackson
**
He can't move or the bastard might decide to shoot. Sadie blocks most of Zack's view of him. He takes the opportunity, cautiously reaches for the gun tucked in his back.
“
You choose him!” Zack snarls. Looking over her shoulder, he sees Zack's fingers tighten on the trigger.
He knocks Sadie as the shot rings out.
Bringing up the gun, he unloads the clip on Zack.
The sick bastard dies before he hits the ground.
He falls beside Sadie and grabs her. The bullet hit the left side of her chest. The wound is bleeding heavily, and he tries to stop it.
He reaches for his phone and calls 911.
“
Nine-one-one. What's your emergency?” the operator asks.
“
Sir, calm down. Please tell me what happened so I can send help,” she says. That's when he realizes he's sobbing.
Six years ago...
Jackson's life had become endless driving, drinking, and working dead end jobs. He'd decided to take a few months to get his head together and the few months had turned into a full year. He hated that he couldn't find a path, he hated that losing his parents still hurt so much. His best friend had lost just as much as him, but he'd moved on.
The Texas sun is settling into the horizon when he decides to pack up and leave. He knows that if he spends another night camping out here, it will turn into two and then three. If he wants to get his life on track, he has to act now. He packs up his tent and sleeping bag. Grabbing them with brusque movements, he starts walking towards his beat up truck.
A chilling scream splits through the air and the hairs on his arm stand on end. Fuck, he isn't superstitious but that scared the crap out of him.
Another piercing scream fills the air and he recognizes it for what it is: a cry for help.
He drops his gear and run in the direction the screams came from. He shuffles through the dense foliage with very little light from the late afternoon left. He comes into a small clearing and spots a figure fighting on the ground.
Once he makes out what it is, he lets out a roar of rage. A man is straddling a girl and raining punches on her small face. The man is confident that they won’t be disturbed because her screams don't bother him.
Jackson rushes and tackles the man off her. He lands on top of the sick son of a bitch and sees the vague look of surprise on his face before he starts punching him. Jackson punches the man until he is exhausted. He knows once he snaps out of it that he just killed him. It doesn't make him feel anything.
He turns and sees the small girl huddled next to a tree quietly crying. She looks up at him through blue tear streaked eyes that take up a big part of her delicate face. His initial thoughts gone, he realizes she is more of a woman than child.
“
Are you okay?” he asks gruffly. She nods.
Good god, how can anyone hurt someone so small and delicate? He did the right thing by killing that piece of shit. If he hadn't been here, she would have...
He cuts that thought off and rubs his face with his bloodied knuckles.
Movement catches his eye and he sees that the woman-child has gotten to her feet and is approaching him cautiously. Despite the vicious punches the man landed on her face, she only has slight bruising on her cheekbones and brow.
“
He was my mom's boyfriend. I was just trying to draw and be alone,” she stops and takes a deep breath, “We have to do something about the body. If anyone finds him, we'll be in trouble.”
Her narrow shoulders are straight and her face is more composed but there is still a great vulnerability to her.
Jackson nods, “I will take care of it, just wait a moment, and I can take you home.”
A look of pure panic crosses her beautiful face.
“
I can't! My mom will see me and she will... My mom doesn't care. I won't go back there. Can you give me a ride? You can drop me off whenever you want, as long as it's far enough from here,” she begs.
“
How old are you? I could get in trouble for kidnapping you kid,” he says reasonably.
“
I'm sixteen, but I look older,” she says.
No she doesn't, she looks exactly like a sixteen year old.
“
Please, I won't be any bother. My mom won't go to the police, she only cares about the government check I bring in,” she pleads.
Against his better judgment he agrees. She even helps him hide the body and cover their tracks. By midnight, they are on the road in his old junker. She looks impossibly small in the passenger seat and he offers her his jacket. She takes it and smiles shyly up at him.
“
Thank you, for saving me,” she says.
“
I'm glad I was there to help,” he says a bit gruffly.
“
I'm Sadie by the way,” she says.
“
Jackson,” he says.
Jackson
“
The hospital food sucks! Did I die and go to hell? I'm pretty sure this is the type of food they feed people in hell,” Sadie says, most likely to a poor nurse.
Jackson reaches her room and knocks before going in.
He was right, it is a flustered nurse that looks about ready to make a run for it.
He offers her a sympathetic smile as he kisses the love of his life before he takes the chair next to the bed.
“
Hi love,” he says.
“
Hey sweetie. Did you bring me any real food?” she asks sweetly.
He laughs, “You know the rules. Eat your salad.”
She glares at him accusingly, “You know lettuce is not food. What's next? Am I going to be forced to eat flowers?”
The nurse is quietly backing up towards the door.
He distracts Sadie so the nurse can escape.
“
Tomorrow is the big day. Do you feel ready to go home?” he asks.
She rolls her eyes, “It doesn't matter. The nurses are threatening to go on strike if I'm not discharged soon.”
He laughs, “I heard something about that too.”
The hospital has been their home for the last two weeks as Sadie recovers. They had finally kicked him out a few hours ago so he could shower and arrange a place to take Sadie when she
gets released tomorrow.
The past two weeks have been hell. The shot had missed Sadie's heart but it had gone through her lung. She'd lost a lot of blood by the time the paramedics got to them. That wait had almost killed him too. As it is, he feels like he aged ten years since he held her in his arms, thinking she would die. She'd been so close to death, but she'd survived the surgery and then her recovery had surprised even the doctors.
He tells Sadie about the place he rented for them to live. She becomes quiet as he describes it.
“
What's wrong love?” he asks.
She sighs and grabs his hand, “Jackson you don't have to stay with me because of what happened. This is too fast. We haven't dated and it's too soon to move in together.”
“
We had a date, remember? It didn't end like I expected, but we have the rest of our lives to date. We can start with dinner and a movie,” he says.
“
I want that, too. But I feel like you have no choice, and I don't want you to be with me because you feel sorry for me,” she answers.
He can't help it, he laughs.
She glares at him.
Shaking his head he says, “I have no choice but to be with you, because I'm fucking crazy in love with you! I know that when I left you before, I made you doubt that. And it was the stupidest thing I've done in my life, but I can learn from my mistakes. I'm not letting you go this time.”
She smiles broadly and haughtily says, “I can't blame you, I'm pretty fucking irresistible.”
He kisses the smile from her beautiful face.
**
Sadie
**
The next morning...
Jackson is on the hospital bed with her when the nurse pushes a wheel chair into the room. She is dressed and ready to get out of the hospital.
Earlier, many of the nurses had come by to say good-bye and she couldn't ignore the feeling that they were about to throw a party after she left.
A party with real food.
Jackson helps her on the wheel chair and she's grateful for the help. Her legs still feel weak and shaky when she stands for long periods of time. Jackson has refused to talk about what happened with Zack, but he did say that the police wouldn't be pressing charges against him.
They are both free to start their life together. She is ready to risk it all to be with him again. This time if the big bad biker tries to leave her, she'll kick his ass.
She can't help but grin as he gets into the truck, after helping her into the passenger seat.
“
I'm thinking we hit a tattoo shop and see what I can get this scar covered with,” she jokes.
Jackson chokes and coughs, “Are you crazy woman?”
“
I thought we could get matching tattoos!” she says.
He laughs, “I don't know how I feel about getting a tramp stamp.”
“
Really? Because you are covered in tattoos!” she complains.
“
These are warrior tattoos, honey,” he says.
She rolls her eyes at that.
Okay so his tattoos are hot, but she can't let that go to his head. As soon as she is given the okay, she plans on inspecting all those tattoos with much more care.
“
Well, a big and bold 'Sadie' will look very warrior like on you,” she says.
He shakes his head, “Honey, I already have your name on me.”
Okay that is news to her. She doesn't remember seeing her name on him.
“
Where? Oh my God! Is it somewhere creepy?” she asks.
He bursts out laughing at that. His beautiful hazel eyes crinkle a little and Sadie's heart tugs at seeing him happy.
“
You have nothing to worry about, it's not there,” he says.
Now she can't go on without knowing where exactly it is.
“
Where?” she asks impatiently.
“
The sole of my right foot,” he says.
“
Is that symbolic for you stepping on me all this time?” she asks.
“
No! I was just drunk, and I just wanted your name on me,” he explains.
“
Honey, that counts as a tramp stamp,” she says.
“
Woman, that is not a tramp stamp. It's a drunk symbol of my love for you,” he says.
She just shrugs.
“
And you are not going anywhere near a tattoo parlor until you are off all those pain pills,” he says.
She sighs in mock disappointment.
“
So can we get pizza? Please?” she draws out the please and hopes it works.
“
Fine, but a veggie pizza,” he says sternly.
He is taking the doctor's orders too seriously, and she tells him just that.
He shrugs, “I'm getting the meat lovers.”
“
Sadist!” she says.
He chuckles, and drives them to a place that serves stone oven pizza.
**
Jackson
**
“
Can we live here?” Sadie asks around a mouthful of pizza.
They are in a booth at the corner of the large restaurant. The pizza just arrived at the table, and she is probably burning herself, but she looks like she's in heaven.
Her hair is finally her natural color, and her cheeks are a rosy pink that sets off her blue eyes. His own hair badly needs a cut, but he decided to let his beard grow out.