Ben herded the kids upstairs and was jumped by Karen and Penny when he entered the living room. He hugged them back and kissed their cheeks after they kissed his. He assured them he was much better and they stopped clinging to him.
Frank and Jayden came over to shake his hand.
“I’m really sorry I wasn’t more help in that fight,” Jayden said with an embarrassed wince.
Ben had pushed the event of the fight into the back recesses of his mind after enduring his painful week in the hospital. It had been the trigger for the entire ordeal. He twitched as it all came crashing back and his eyes closed briefly as his head throbbed. The hole in his memory surfaced and demanded his attention. He forced a shaky smile on his lips as he looked at Jayden whose expression turned to worry. “Hey, you were hit by a coward’s punch. I’m just glad you’re ok. I don’t… remember how it ended. Do either of you remember or hear what happened to the jerks after the fight.”
Frank looked at him in surprise and began to speak but Jayden put his hand on Frank’s shoulder.
“The cops got them,” Jayden just said with finality.
Frank glanced sideways at his friend.
Ben frustration flared as he looked at the two men. He knew something happened and the fact that it was being kept from him was rubbing his nerves raw. “How bad was it?” he asked with a grim expression.
Tina and Lucy appeared at his elbows and took his arms to lead him to the table. Ben planted his feet and wouldn’t budge. His frustration suddenly boiled up.
“No, I want to know. Hannah wouldn’t tell me anything in the hospital. The nurses said they didn’t know. Someone knows but no one will tell me and that’s really starting to bother me.” He fixed his eyes on Frank. “You were there. What happened to those men?”
“They weren’t men! They were monsters!” Karen barked angrily.
Ben saw she was trembling hard and Penny looked pretty upset too. Jayden was immediately at her side holding her hand with a concerned and sympathetic look on his face. Frank collected Penny against his chest.
“They made me feel like I was back with Mr. Shakir. Like I was nothing again. The big one touched me and I felt dirty!” Karen continued. “Lisa and Lori tried to stop him but he hurt them too. Then you saved us! You stopped him. That’s what happened!”
“I’m sorry. I- I didn’t mean to make you relive that experience. I just have another hole in my memory and it’s eating at me. I need to know.”
“Maybe we should talk about it later?” Tina suggested and Ben nodded in embarrassment.
Ben nodded and felt deeply ashamed for his outburst and the scene he made. “I’m sorry,” he said to the group, his cheeks burning.
“It’s alright. Come on, let’s eat while the food is hot,” Lucy suggested.
They sat Ben down between Gabriella and Catherine and took the seats across from Ben. Once everyone was seated Ashley took her daughter’s hands and was thrilled to see everyone join in until the loop was complete. She bowed her head to say her prayer and once she was done she stood.
“If I might say a word?” she said looking around the table. She saw everyone was waiting for her to speak so with pink cheeks she began.
“I just wanted to say how wonderful it has been for us since we moved to this neighborhood. The welcome and acceptance we have received has been… almost overwhelming. More than just neighbors, it feels like we’ve been welcomed into a family. As we gather here tonight to celebrate the eve of a very special day it reminds me that tomorrow is yet another example of that welcoming spirit. I feel blessed to be part of this extended and growing family and I’m so happy my children have the privilege of experiencing this!”
Cat and Chanel were beaming huge smiles across the table at Ashley who blushed further under their gaze. Cat’s parents were pretty happy too. Jack stood up.
“I’ll keep my speech short as the food smells really good!” he got chuckles for that.
“I recently got over a prolonged and acute case of being a stubborn fool and reconnected with my wonderful daughter only to find I was welcoming a daughter-in-law into the family at the same time. We’ve had a little time to get to know each other and I have to say I couldn’t be prouder of my daughter for her choice… this time!” That got him laughs and a swat from his wife. “Welcome to the family Chanel!”
Chanel stood and hugged her soon to be in-laws.
“Let’s eat!” Jack said as they returned to their chairs.
A cheer went up and the containers were opened and passed around.
The mood was joyful, light and relaxed as everyone enjoyed the dinner and the lively conversation. Ben struggled to join in but his mind just wouldn’t stop returning to that gap in his memory and it spoiled his mood and appetite. Tina and Lucy were aware and traded looks.
Near the end of dinner as the younger members began to drift away back downstairs, the doorbell rang and Rain brought Catherine’s daughters back to the dining room with her.
Jack and Lynda stood and smiled anxiously as Sophia, Rachel and Megan immediately walked up to them and gave them warm hugs. Jack had a moment when his emotions overwhelmed him and he had to dab at his eyes with a napkin. Lynda was far less reserved and let her tears flow as she clung to her grandkids. Catherine and Chanel shared in the tears as well.
Crisis averted the three ladies pulled up chairs next to their grandparents and got plates to enjoy the food. Catherine was beaming smiles at her daughters for making her parents feel so welcome.
Hannah and Ryan were next to arrive and the boy immediately headed downstairs. Ben met Hannah by the entrance to the living room and gave her a hug. She caught the desperate look in his eye and glanced over at Tina and Lucy who had worried looks on their faces. She saw Lisa and Lori looking her way as well with identical expressions of concern.
He leaned in to speak quietly to her. “I need to hear what happened to the men I fought. I remember the fight right up to starting with the last guy, the big one.”
She looked at him cautiously. “Ben, this isn’t really the right time to discuss that.”
“I’m sorry Hannah, I tried to push it back but it’s eating away at me. The more people won’t talk about it the more anxious I become. I’ve already embarrassed myself in front of everyone tonight and while I’d like to avoid that again my brain won’t let it go. People have answers to what happened during that empty interval in my memory and I need them.
Hannah looked into his eyes and saw the desperation. He could no longer wait. She knew he had a hard time with memory holes but she also knew he wasn’t going to take this news well. She nodded and gestured for Lisa and Lori, who had been witnesses to join them in the living room. Tina and Lucy followed.
She guided Ben to sit in the middle of the couch and the twins immediately sat on both sides of him with their legs tucked up under them. Ben’s face was showing his genuine concern. Hannah pulled the ottoman to sit before Ben. Tina and Lucy knelt on the carpet on either side of Hannah.
“There were four men who assaulted the group before you entered the room. It is my understanding you fought the man who knocked Jayden unconscious.” Ben nodded. “He has a badly broken ankle but will be fine. He’s in custody. Hector fought another man who is in custody as well.” She paused and Ben’s unease went up.
“The man who fought Frank is still in the hospital. He had a very bad concussion and is taking some time to recover. We do expect him to heal fully but it may take some time,” Hannah said looking into Ben’s eyes. He was beginning to tremble and the women sitting at his sides held his hands a little tighter.
“I spoke with the man whose ankle you broke. He was quite forthcoming about how the big man, Pete, liked to have ‘a little fun with the bitches’. The man sexually assaulted Karen, Penny, Lisa, Lori, and who knows how many other women.”
“What happened to him?” Ben said nervously.
Hannah gave him a worried look. “Ben, you had to protect the women-”
“Hannah, please!” His voice was tight with anxiety.
“He’s dead, Ben.”
Ben twitched badly and barely registered the twins hugging him tightly to calm his tremors. He’d beaten someone to death.
For years he’d carried the guilt of the deaths of Mr. Leparre and the four boys in the house fire but their deaths hadn’t been the result of his own violence. He’d simply held the door.
The men he’d killed in France in that slave ring hide out, he’d quickly been able to come to terms with that. He’d been unarmed and they’d been armed criminals of the worst sort. It was kill or be killed. More importantly, he had to save the girls.
But this man, he beat up people and molested women. He deserved to be punished but Ben had killed him.
With his fists. Like Walter had killed Margaret.
He should feel… something… shouldn’t he? Instead there was just this coldness creeping into his limbs.
“Son?”
The word and the deep masculine voice which delivered it was like a splash of cold water. Ben blinked and saw he was alone in the living room facing Master Sergeant Jack McGovern.
“It’s my understanding that you’ve just discovered you took a man’s life. This isn’t your first time though, is it?” the sergeant asked.
“No… but I beat someone to death. Just like he did,” Ben said.
Jack looked at him and nodded. He understood from speaking with Cat that there had been extenuating circumstances that led Ben to his violent act.
“I know a little something about how that feels. Maybe we should talk?”
Ben’s eyebrows rose as he looked into the man’s compassionate gaze. He nodded. He needed to talk.