ABC Modeling Company Pt. 01

The prick starts walking to Ron saying, "We only want to have some fun. We won't hurt them. Much. Ha, ha, ha, ha!" His buddies chuckle with him then he continues, "You got us thrown out of there which means we get no pussy tonight. We just going to take these three and call it even."

Ron just stood there. The guy starts doing crazy bad kung-fu movie moves with the knife while walking towards Ron. He thinks Ron is scared I think Ron will wait until the last second and then beat the shit out of him. Instead, the guy stabs Ron in the shoulder and pulls the knife out. Ron just stands there. He doesn't move or say anything.

Now I am on the ground, crying, hysterical, making a mess of myself, and thinking my brother went mental and is going to die. The second guy with a knife starts walking faster towards Ron with his knife out and is going to stab him right in the gut. I can't look, my eyes are full of tears.

I hear a crunch, then another crunch, then a whack, then a whistling sound like someone threw a knife, a groan, followed by two more crunches, like bones breaking. Then I hear some light moaning, more crying, a "holy shit did you see that, I got it all on tape", and my brother softly saying "Wilson, call 911, there are two dead people and five injured at the Monte Carlo 3000 back parking lot."

He then walks over to us, sits down and asks, "Can someone help me, I need a hand?" He calmly lays down, all three of us rush immediately to his side. I am closest, he sternly grabs my hand and puts it on his shoulder. I can feel blood underneath.

He says to me is a soft calm voice, "Don't worry about me, this is just a scratch compared to normal. Have them take me to Tri-County hospital and ask for Major, I mean Doctor Mark Schmidt the third in the ER. He will know what to do."

Within a few minutes several ambulances show up and an army of police cars. Because I am family, I ride with Ron and a policeman to the hospital in the ambulance while Beth and Cindy stay behind and give statements.

Inside the ambulance, I ask the officer, "Aren't you going to ask me what happened?"

The nice man answers, "Mam, your friend has just been stabbed and is in serious condition. I know paramedics, the way they are rushing, this is serious. You are in no condition to accurately answer my questions, if you don't mind, please continue holding his hand, it helps him relax, and we will get to this when the time is right. I can almost write the report now, but I will wait for all the facts."

I turn towards the paramedics, "We are going to the Tri-County hospital, phone ahead and make sure Major, I mean Doctor Mark Schmidt the third is there are waiting for us. Tell him Ron Townsend is coming. Now!"

The 1st paramedic yells up front, "Take us to Tri-County Stat".

They take off quickly with sirens and lights going. The second one gets on the phone and made a call and repeated my words verbatim including using Major. I could only imagine what they think of me. I don't care.

Seven minutes later (I timed them) we are at the hospital and a doctor meets us at the door. I confirmed it was the right doctor and they take Ron away. There is an older very good-looking man there that waved for the officer to walk over. They talk for a few minutes and then the officer takes off. The man looks at me, smiles, and he too takes off.

Chapter 10 – The Hospital

Ten minutes later Beth and Cindy walk in and hold me as we cry. Ten more minutes pass and Wilson came to us with some bottles of water and holds my hand as we sit down. All I can do is cry. After I slow my crying, Wilson said he had to leave and go pick up my parents. He has already talked to them, explained what we saw, and explained that after I was ok, he would pick them up. An hour later they are at the hospital with tear-soaked eyes.

Two hours later Dr. Schmidt came out to see us, "Ron is fine. He had a little bleeder but nothing that a little operation can't fix. As you know, he has been through much worse. He will stay the night and you can have him tomorrow. No work or much of anything for a few days but then he will be back to his regular self. He was one of the nice ones and I am glad to see he made it back home safe. So, unless you have any more questions, I will go check on my patient."

I hiss, "Wait for one-second doc. What did you mean by and I quote, 'As you know, he has been through much worse?'"

Mark has a shocked look on his face then says, "Wait one second please."

He came back fifteen minutes later, looks at me and asks, "Are you, Anna?"

I nod yes.

He says, "Come with me. I can only take one of you at a time."

I am led to the recovery room where Ron is laying down. He has sensors, tubes, drips, monitors, blinking things, noisy things, he looks like a puppet with all the hoses for strings.

Mark points to a chair and says, "Sit. I am only going to say this once, so you better listen closely." I sat down, he had my full attention. "I know your brother. I know who you, Cindy, and Beth were immediately by the way he lovingly described you three. For the record, you three are even more beautiful than he described. Ron is a good kid and a very smart kid. Intelligence picked him out quickly due to being quiet but very keen. He has a sixth sense when it came to danger."

"He called in help before the group even knew they needed it. He was everywhere. Sometimes help was not quick enough so a well-placed sniper shot solved the problem. Sometimes he got into it like he did tonight. That martial arts training he had as a kid really helped him out, but they taught him all kinds of shit."

"As a surgeon, I get to see a lot of stuff when sitting with the generals. Your brother's videos were often the show of the day. He would come out of nowhere and save a group of guys from certain death or prevent many deaths. But in doing so, he came my way a few times. The generals called him the Ghost Soldier, I heard him called many names. It wasn't until tonight that I discovered that Ron is the Ghost Soldier."

"TMZ was in here and gave me a copy of the original tape. I tip them off occasionally, so they helped me out. I recognized the moves from the movies I saw with the Generals, it was him. Some guys were in here earlier, scary guys, I had to make some promises."

"I asked them what was going to happen to Ron. I told them I saw the tape, it was self-defense. They agreed with me. They told me that the two guys in the morgue will be just fine and the other four when they recover from their lengthy hospital stays, will never step on this side of the Mississippi River again. No charges."

Mark sat down, took my hands, and then started talking a little softer, "I heard that I was asked for by Ron yet when he got here I asked how he was doing, he looked at me blankly. Then based on your comment I gather that he hasn't told you anything. When I last saw him, it was after a rescue mission. His Humvee was hit by a roadside bomb and he was knocked unconscious and taken by the bad guys."

"They didn't know that guys like him have GPS items, we knew exactly where he was. Typically rescue missions get a few hard-core volunteers and a few because it is their turn. For your brother, they had to turn most of them away, they wanted a quick-hitting force. They went in, they tore the place apart, killed everyone, and then took the time to bring him out slow and steady as that would cause him less pain. They beat him up bad."

"I fixed him up and never saw him again until today. As I see it, one of three things happened. One, the blast caused memory loss. Two, he could not handle the carnage, flipped out, and fell into a bottle. Or three, he remembers everything but is trying to forget it. I hope it isn't #3."

Sniffling and yet again crying, I ask, "What can we do?"

Mark answers, "Nothing. You could get a shrink and help him get back his memory. But he was such a nice kid, I think he might be better off without those memories. If they come back naturally, then so be it. There are many services and specialists that can help. My recommendation get him a job, a family, a wife, a girlfriend, keep him happy, keep him busy, and he will be all right.

"I know he loves all three of you girls. It was obvious to anyone that asked for your pictures. He keeps them in his wallet. He could talk for hours about you three. He will do anything for you three. Anything. Be good to him, I don't want to ever see him again. You understand me, young lady? That is an order."

I stand up, wipe my eyes, did I am sure was the world's worst salute, gave him a big kiss on the cheek, and then held him in my arms as I said, "Thank you" about 100 times.

Chapter 11 – Going Home

A nurse guides me back to the waiting room where Beth and Cindy attack me with hugs and kisses. Mom and dad hit me with the next wave of hugs and kisses. I walked over to Wilson and say thank you and gave him a kiss too. The poor guy starts blushing.

Mom is first, "So, what did the doctor have to say?"

I thought for a minute and then spoke softly, "Two guys died tonight, four more will be here a while. Ron goes home tomorrow with us." I take a deep breath, then continue, "I won't say anything else here, it can wait for a better time."

Beth and Cindy smile at me and then Beth says, "We are going to call a board of directors meeting here and now. All board members are present."

Cindy then spoke up, "I want to expand the board of directors of the ABC Modeling Company by one member and we are going to create a new position, Head of Security. Everyone approving says I."

Beth, Cindy, Mom, Dan, and Wilson all say "I".

Beth finishes, "The motion has passed. We will negotiate a salary when the victim wakes up."

For the first time in a long time, I had to smile. A cute nurse shows up and asks for the family to follow her.

Cindy and Beth have the sorriest, depressed, look I have ever seen on their face. They're not family and should not follow. I say, "Well, come on you two, us three sisters go everywhere together." You would have thought it was Christmas morning and they were six again.

We are led to a recovery room where three gorgeous nurses are looking him over from top to bottom. Ron is up but on pain meds and extremely happy. He was so happy that he tented the bed sheets significantly with the three girls touching him.

They looked at us and explain, "It's a natural reaction to female nurses when patients are on pain meds. If we were 80-year-old hags, the effect is the same. One of you is a very lucky woman." Mom turned eight shades of red but kept quiet.

Ron drifts in and out of sleep and can't talk. He looks rested and at peace. Dad had Wilson take him and mom home, he knew there was no way the three of us will leave the room. He has a troubled look on his face but says nothing. We spent the night in the hospital chairs. They weren't very comfortable but there were no complaints.

The next morning mom, dad, and Wilson show up with new clothes for Ron, coffee for us just the way we like them, and some breakfast sandwiches from our two, favorite fast food restaurants.

I eye Wilson and immediately he gets defensive by putting up his hands and explaining, "You told me to take care of your parents and I quote, no limit. Since they are still here, and they are worried about you all, I made them nice and happy by getting you all your favorites. It's not often all of you eats a whole meal."

Mom interjects, "We thought you could use a good start to the day and we asked Wilson to get your favorites. He forced us to eat at home first. I am still amazed at how nice all of your employees are and how talented they are."

I spoke up first, "They are not employees, their family. We don't know any other way to treat people. We all had wonderful and caring parents. Since we are not having children, we treat them as family."

Wilson got a word in, "I have never been so happy in my life, I would do anything for these girls."

In a coherent moment Ron pipes up, "Can I go home? I like the nice soft bed with the strawberry smelling sheets at home. This bed is like sleeping on some rocks in the desert."

I look at one of the nurses and say, "Would you please get the doctor and start the process for his release?"

The annoyed nurse says, "The doctor will be making his rounds before noon, you will need to wait for him then we can begin the process."

My dad pointed at me to stay seated then used his deep daddy voice on the poor nurse, "That woman there and her two friends donated the fifth and sixth floor of this hospital. Now you get a doctor in here stat and then you better let Dr. Matthew Sturgeon know that I am here. Yes, Dr. Sturgeon that is the top cardiologist, CEO, and one of my old military comrades to get his ass down here and explain why we can't leave. NOW GO!"

The nurse turned white as a ghost and ran from the room crying.

Dad shrugs his shoulders, "Sorry, my sense of humor is gone today. I will apologize when she comes back" and then he sat down next to mom and received a huge hug. He smiles.

Five minutes slowly pass, nobody spoke, it's like everyone is holding their breath.

A man walks into the room. He is older but dripping with wealth and power. I met Matthew once before when we handed over the large check. I knew he was dad's friend and his eyes came to life when he recognizes me and dad.

Matthew runs at dad and yells, "How are you doing old man? My God, it's been ages since I have seen you. Anna, Beth, Cindy, let me give you all a hug. It is great to see you all again. You have no idea how much the expansion has meant to this area. Nobody else would invest a dime. What can I do for you? I was just told to get here asap by my secretary."

Dad points to Ron, "That sorry ass private wants to go home and your nurses didn't seem to give two hoots. I am sorry I yelled and threatened her but that is my son. He got a tiny flesh wound yesterday and is ready to go home. I have had very little sleep, I am hungry, and I want to go home as well. Can you make this happen?"

Matthew replies in his deep voice, "Why, you lying son of a bitch! That kid came in here with a four-inch gash and lost two pints on my table. I know, I was there. I listen to the radios, heard your kids name and personally assisted in the surgery. The surgeon is good, I like those military docs, they get lots of experience."

"I also saw the two bodies in the morgue, broken neck and a knife to the center of the heart. I found four more with critical but nonlife-threatening injuries. I saw the video as well. I sure as hell want him protecting my daughter all right. The breaks are textbook nonlethal disable moves."

"How the hell do you do that vs six guys in four seconds? The wheelchair will be here any minute. That nurse had an attitude adjustment and will be making daily house calls to change the dressing until he heals. Any questions?"

I pipe up with an evil grin on my face, "What took you so long?"

Matthew's smile went from ear to ear, "It's a minute walk from my office to this room but apparently it takes four minutes to train a nurse in better behavior. She really is a great nurse, one of our best. She was just finishing a double duty because two others did not show up. No, I was not hard on her. I really felt sorry for her that at the end of 24 hours of straight work, she ran into you. I will talk to her again soon. We are getting ready to promote here and this won't stop us. Those nurses, are amazing, makes me glad I am a doctor."

Dad, with a small frown on his face, said, "Thank you, Matt, I am still really sorry I did that. I see that nice young lady coming back with a wheelchair that I assume is for us. So, if you will excuse us, we are going home."

Instantly, dads face has the look of anger again, he steps over to the previously rude nurse that could not look any of us in the eye, grabs her, and gives her a huge bear hug. "Lady, I was so rude I didn't even catch your name earlier. I was an ass, I treated you badly, and I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am. Please forgive me."

Ginger, that was her name, hugged dad back and said "Thank you. Nobody has ever apologized before. They train us to take abuse from distraught families, but it still hurts. Thank you. I will be over tomorrow at noon. Here are all the instructions your son needs, his antibiotics, his pain meds, and a sleeping pill just in case he wants to move around too much. Let's get that boy out of here, get your car."

Wilson was already out-front waiting for us. Few patients leave in a stretch limo in this part of town. I kissed Ginger on the cheek and softly said, "Thank you, we will see you tomorrow at noon. Here is my card, that is our address. If you are here at work, call the number at 10:00 and you will be picked up out front here in this same car at 11:00."

The ride home is quiet. Everyone is tired and sleepy. Nobody is in a mood to talk. We get home, put Ron into my bed again, mom and dad take Cindy's bed. Beth and Cindy start walking to Beth's room when they notice I do not follow.

I whisper, "Go ahead you two. I want to be there if he needs anything."

They understand they go to bed. I walk into my room, sit down in a chair by the bed and pull out my Kindle to read. I didn't last very long. I was tired and stressed.

It is daylight still when my dad nudges me. "I can't sleep either honey buns. Get in bed with your friends and good a good night's sleep. We are leaving later tonight, get the sleep while you can."

There was no sense in trying to fight him, once he said something it was law. I get up, kiss him on the cheek, tell him I love him, and go to bed.

Chapter 12 – "The" Talk

I wake up about 7:00 at night, check on Ron and find Cindy and him talking.

Cindy noticed me standing in the doorway, "Hi babe, your parents are packed, and I think waiting for you. Your dad is ready to BBQ some steaks, you must be starving. Ron and I ate already, he will be asleep in about ten minutes, go eat."

I go downstairs, and Beth and my parents are talking about us growing up and remembering some of the funny stories. Dad saw me coming down the stairs, goes into the kitchen, grabs a pile of steaks, then goes outside to grill.

My mother stands up and says, "Beth, would you excuse us, I would like to have a chat with my daughter, do you mind if I use your private offices?"

Beth has a weird look on her face like I am in trouble or something but says, "Yes, sure, take all the time you need. I will make sure your husband gets the steaks right."

My mom grabs my hand, pulls me into our office, pulls out two chairs, sits me down in one, she sits in the other, then she starts with, "I know that Beth and Cindy are going to fuck Ron."

Yikes, my jaw drops wide open, my eyes bug out, I want to say something, but she put a finger to my lips and says, "Shush, let me talk. I can see it in their eyes. They have it bad for him. He is a young man, he will screw anything with tits."

I am thinking, "Who is this woman?" but wisely I stay silent and manage to close my mouth.

Mom continues, "They are both perfect 10's, hell even I would screw them. I sense though that you might have the same feelings. I know what he is packing, I was at the hospital. How could any woman resist? How could a young, attractive, woman with needs resist that? How could a sister resist that?"

I used both hands to cover my mouth as once again my eyes bug out in surprise. How could she know?

Mom says a bit softer, "If I were thirty years younger, I might try myself."

I let out a "MOM!"

She shushes me again and continues, "I see how you look at him. I saw how you looked at him in high school when he was a nobody, you loved him then. I know how you cried when he joined the Army. I saw the look on your face when you saw the purple heart. A mother knows things. I don't know if you will cross the taboo line between brother and sister. Believe me, I don't want you to. However."