Page 54 of Loving Lizzy

His frustration grew in his chest. Anger rolled in his gut as he drove to Chase’s hospital. His instructor planned to meet him in the PT room with patients needing massage.

As he made the last turn around the bend, his phone rang, and Kassie’s name popped up on the screen.

“Hello, beautiful. I didn’t miss the instructor, did I?” he answered his phone.

“No. He changed his plans. You’ll meet at the team building.” Kassie’s voice sounded a bit strange.

“We’ve never met there,” he told her.

“Don’t mind me, I’m only the messenger,” she offered as an excuse. “I gotta run, a patient needs help. I’ll check on Lizzy later, don’t worry.” Kassie hung up the phone.

He frowned as he turned down the road toward the new building. Chase mentioned the facility to him, yet he never went to see it. Over the last few months, the team had their hands full with the return of Whiskey and Ash, not to mention Leo and Catherine’s situation. Because they only used him as a backup, he didn’t have a reason to enter the building.

He parked his car and walked to the front door as Leo walked out.

“Damn glad to see you, Michael,” Leo grasped his shoulder.

“I’m supposed to meet my instructor here. Did one of the team members get injured?” He followed Leo through the hallways and into the kitchen.

The team sat around the table as if they were waiting for him. A solemn hush descended upon them as he approached.

Chase stood up and made his way to Michael. He extended his hand and shook it as he greeted him.

“Hey man, I’m glad you made it. Kassie will check on Lizzy when she finishes her shift. Carol and Victoria will stay with her until then.”

Micheal seemed confused. “Didn’t Kassie tell you my instructor planned to meet me here?”

Taco grinned, Shadow lowered the brim of his ball cap, Saint crossed his arms and everyone’s attention focused on Leo and Chase.

“Class got cancelled,” Leo ordered. “Follow me.”

The team stood and followed Michael and Chase as Leo led the way to one of the lower floors. Leo placed his palm on the side of the door and Chase stepped inside. Michael followed. Leo nodded to the two men and walked away.

Michael scanned the room. The inside resembled his granny’s parlor. A hutch lined the wall full of dishes. The dining table appeared as if it was set for company. A chandelier hung from a hook in the ceiling. A sideboard contained platters and steel warmers. Pictures hung on the wall. A mirror hung on the opposite one. A large window covered the other side.

“What are we doing here?” Michael moved further into the room wondering why the team building contained such a room.

“We felt you needed to blow off some steam.” Chase handed him a bat. “Tear it down, brother. The team set it up for you with the help of Ivan’s men. We can’t imagine how hard this must be for you to stay strong while watching Lizzy fight. This is your chance to let it go.” Chase closed the door behind him leaving Michael all alone.

He tapped the wood into the palm of his left hand as he walked around the pristine room, noticing the cracks in the dishes, the chips on the rims of the glasses and the peeled off paint on the chairs surrounding the table. Each of them resembling pieces of his marriage, cracked, chipped, peeled and broken. Swinging, he swiped dishes off the table. A temporary rush filled him as they crashed to the floor.

He surveyed the room catching his image on the glass of the China hutch. “I missed Conner’s birth.” He slung his weapon into the glass watching it explode before him. He twisted and slammed it down on one of the chairs knocking the back completely off. He swung the handle down, down, down, beating the wood into submission. “This is for the damn mission which kept me from meeting my son.”

Michael spun and hit the sideboard sending the platters flying. “Why can’t she accept how much I love her?” He whirled the bat into the wood and continued pummeling the sideboard until it lay shredded on the floor. His heart raced; his blood pounded in his veins as he sent the bat flying into the chandelier. Shards of crystals sprayed the room. “For the year I spent searching for her.” He knocked the leg off the table making it sit lopsided. “This one for keeping me from comforting my wife while she buried him.” Another leg shot out. “I missed caring for my wife while she fought cancer alone.” The third leg went down, and the table teetered as if trying to balance itself before finally tipping. The crushed dishes slid across the surface to the floor. One by one they piled on top of each other. He smashed the end of the bat into the dishes, grinding them into splinters.

His chest heaved up and down as he gave one final swing to the table. “You can’t take my wife. We deserve a happily ever after. I refuse to let you have her.” The table cracked in half, and he pounded it to the ground. He let out a guttural cry as he fell to his knees and dropped the bat. Michael felt helpless to save his marriage, and most importantly, his wife. She appeared unbearably weak and fragile after one chemo session, he doubted she’d make it through five more.

The room fell silent as he breathed deeply. The door opened as Chase extended an arm to help him up. Leo stood on his other side with his hand out. He gripped them as he stood.

Saint handed him a wet towel to wipe the sweat from his brow. Shadow offered him a beer while they made their way to the upper floor. Taco worked in the kitchen pulling out baked potatoes from the oven. Matthew nodded to him as he set the table.

The men took their seats and glanced up expectantly at Michael as they waited for him to join them. He walked to the remaining empty chair and pulled it out. The conversation at the table began.

“Taco, the task force wants to meet with you and Matthew on Tuesday. Since you oversaw the last operation with Saint, I want you to represent the team. Saint and Shadow will pay another visit to our friend, Jameson. Chase took in two of the teens rescued from the last trafficking bust. Kassie and Claire will continue working with them. The young woman, we call Stacey, thinks she can identify some of men we detained. Saint and Shadow will take her with Claire to identify them in the morning. She’s obviously terrified and Kassie indicated she’s a runaway. They’re working on figuring out her living situation.” Leo paused as the platter of steaks passed to him. He stabbed one with his fork and Taco scooped out salad from a big bowl into smaller ones. The team began to pass it down the line until everyone received one.

“On the home front, Catherine’s test returned and she’s free from bedrest. On Friday morning, Kassie will give us a demonstration on infant CPR.” The team groaned in unison earning a dirty glance from their leader. Leo turned his attention to Chase. “How’s the egg hatching situation going? Did you do your part yet?”

He wiped his mouth on a napkin before he began, “Yes, smart ass. It’s turned into an emotional week.”

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