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One of them looked like he just stepped out of an old American western movie and had a circular badge with a star on his chest. The other man seemed somewhat familiar to me but I couldn't quite place him. He sported a long, bushy beard, and dark, somewhat hooded eyes with brows that appeared to have been drawn in straight lines.
"I think we got 'im, Eli," the bearded man said, holstering his pistol.
"Reckon so," the other man said, spinning his revolver before holstering it. "And you didn't even need a helmet this time," he added, causing the bearded man to smile. Looking down at me, he added, "Yer gonna be jes' fine, pardner." He looked at the bearded man before continuing. "C'mon, we'd better get you back."
I heard Harmony cry out in pain and turned my attention back to her. By then, emergency personnel were all over the ward, tending to the wounded and trying to sort out what had just happened. A medic was looking at Harmony's leg and that's when I saw the blood. Oh my God, I thought. My Harmony had been shot!
Stunned, I looked and saw another medic tending to Melody's hand. It appeared that she had been shot as she covered Mackenzie with her body. The medics wasted no time, and rushed them both to Emergency, having first placed them on gurneys.
I looked around, but the two strange men were already gone and it seemed no one was in a hurry to find them. I also noticed that Carol was no where to be seen. I tried to stand, but a medic stopped me.
"Hold on, mate," the medic said as he sliced my jeans. "We need to check this out first." He cleaned my wound and put a bandage on my leg. "You're going to be just fine. The bullet just grazed your leg."
"How are my wives?" I pleaded. He looked at me funny for a moment before responding.
"If you mean the two women who were shot, they're being taken to Emergency. Don't worry, we've got everything under control," he said. "Can you stand?" I put my weight on my good leg and found I could stand okay. I nodded my head.
"I'll be fine," I told the medic. I went to Mackenzie's gurney and saw Melody's blood on the metal side rail. The blanket covering Mackenzie was also splattered with blood. I also saw the indent in the rail where the bullet struck and realized that if it hadn't been there, Mackenzie would've been hit as well. My daughter was shaking like a leaf as she lay there. We both cried as I took her in my arms.
"I'm afraid we'll need to reschedule her infusion for tomorrow," I heard the doctor tell us when he came by. "The whole facility is on lock-down for the time being. Besides, we'll need to clean Mackenzie up and get her settled down first. I've already arranged a room for her to stay in tonight. The nurse's station has that information for you."
"Thank you, doctor," I said. Two nurses came to us and removed the blood-soaked blanket, quickly replacing it before wheeling Mackenzie away. I started to follow, but was stopped by a policewoman in uniform.
"Mr. Other? I'm Senior Sergeant Lauren Gillespie," she said. "Can you tell me what happened here?" She listened and took notes as I told her everything I could remember. When I finished, she looked up at me.
"These two men you spoke of... Do you know where they went?"
"No, Sergeant, I don't," I told her. "They were there one second, then gone the next. I didn't even hear them leave."
"Interesting," she murmured. "Perhaps we'll catch them on the surveillance video. I will need you to come to the station and provide a description of the men you encountered for our sketch artist. Would you be willing to do that?"
"Of course," I said. "I'd like to check on my wives first, if you don't mind."
"Wives?" Lauren asked, her eyebrows raised.
"It's... a long story," I said.
"Of course," the sergeant said.
"What about Carol Morrison? I don't see her here."
"And who is she?"
"My ex-wife. She was also married to the dick... er, Mr. Morrison. She's Mackenzie's mother. She was here when this all started." Lauren looked at her notes and shook her head.
"I'm not aware of a Carol Morrison. There was a woman who was severely injured in an accident as she tried to leave the parking lot," Lauren said. "I'll look into that. Check on your... wives, then come to the station, please. Don't delay. Give them my name. They'll be expecting you." She handed me a card, thanked me for the information I gave, then left. Shaken, I headed for Emergency.
The place was a madhouse when I arrived. I checked in at the main nurse's station and was informed that both my women were undergoing surgery and would not be available for visitation for several hours yet. Instead of waiting, I decided to head over to the police station.
I gave them Lauren's name and was escorted by an officer to the sketch artist, a fairly attractive woman who appeared to be in her late twenties. As Lauren said, the artist had been expecting me, and I spent the next two hours or so providing the artist a description of the two men I saw. Lauren came into the room shortly before we wrapped up and looked at the sketches on the artist's computer.
"Are you absolutely certain these are the two men you saw?" Lauren asked, her brows furrowed.
"Yes," I told her.
"You said the taller man appeared to be wearing a badge of some sort. What did the badge look like and did you see anything written on it?"
"It was round, with a star in the middle," I told her. "I'm not 100 percent certain, but I thought it read, 'Texas Rangers.'"
"Texas Rangers, eh? A bit outside their jurisdiction, wouldn't you say, Mr. Other?"
"I suppose so," I answered.
"And you say the man with the beard called him Eli?"
"Yes, definitely."
"Well, a Texas Ranger wearing cowboy gear named Eli shouldn't be too hard to find," Lauren snarked. "Have you ever seen these two men before?"
"No, never," I said, shaking my head. Lauren pulled out her tablet and ran her fingers over it for a bit before showing it to me.
"Is this one of the men you saw?" she asked. I looked at her tablet and saw a sepia-tone picture of the bearded man who shot the dickhead.
"Yes, that's him," I said.
"Are you absolutely certain of that, Mr. Other?" she asked, a scowl on her face.
"Yes, I'd recognize that face and that beard anywhere," I told her.
"I want you to think about this carefully, Mr. Other," Lauren said. "It's a crime to knowingly pass on false information, you know."
"I'm not lying to you, Sergeant," I emphasized. "That's one of the men I saw shoot Stephen Morrison."
"That's impossible," she said. "Do you know who this is?"
"No, I don't," I said. "Who is he?"
"His name was Ned Kelly," Lauren explained. "He was a bushranger hanged in 1880. This is the last picture taken the day before his execution."
"Ned Kelly? That's impossible," I exclaimed. I had heard the story of Ned Kelly - how he wore a suit of armor the day he was taken down, and how he supposedly said, "such is life" when he was hanged. "How can that be?"
"That's what I'd like to know," Lauren said. "Are you certain you don't want to change your statement?"
"Positive. Look, Sergeant, I told you what I saw. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to go check on my family." Lauren regarded me for a few moments before answering.
"Alright, Mr. Other. Go see to your family. But I may have additional questions for you later," she said.
"I'll be here, at least for a while. But I have to get back to Bathurst soon."
"Let me know when you leave, if you would please," Lauren said.
"I will," I said. "Did you find out about Carol?"
"Yes," Lauren said. "She fled the scene when the shooting started. Her car was broadsided by a large truck as she tried to leave the parking lot. Apparently, she was in such a hurry to leave that she didn't look. She was taken back to Emergency. From what I gathered, she was lucky to survive, but did suffer a broken leg."
"And Morrison?"
"Definitely dead," Lauren told me. "He'll not trouble you any further." Good, I thought. If there was ever a man who deserved to die, it was Stephen Morrison, the scum-sucking piece of crap who stole my family and tried to kill me - twice.
I went back to the hospital and checked in on Mackenzie. The doctor had just given her something to help her sleep and informed me her infusion had been rescheduled for the next day. Seeing her asleep in her bed, I kissed her forehead and left to check on Melody and Harmony.
The nurse at the Emergency desk gave me the room number where my two wives had been taken. I got there just as they were wheeled in from recovery. The nurses made me stay outside the room while they got the girls situated.
They were still a bit groggy when the nurses let me in and I saw the bandage on Melody's hand and the cast on Harmony's leg. I hugged and kissed them both and then it hit me like a sledgehammer - these two wonderful women had put their lives on the line to protect me and Mackenzie.
Each of them had taken a bullet for us and could've been killed in the process. I couldn't help myself - I sobbed as I realized just how close I had come to losing these two women.
"It's alright, sweetie," Harmony said. "We're going to be just fine." I shook my head as I cried.
"I almost lost both of you," I said through my tears. "I don't think I could make it without you."
"You know what they say about 'almost,' right?" Melody asked. I nodded my head as tears continued falling down my face.
"Yeah," I said with a chuckle.
"So, what happened? Did they haul dickhead away?" Harmony asked.
"Yes," I told her. "In a body bag."
"He's dead?" Melody asked.
"Most definitely," I told her. I told them about the two strange men and how they shot dickhead right through the eyes.
"Do you know who they were?" Harmony asked.
"No. But I was told that one of the men I saw shoot dickhead fit the description of Ned Kelly," I said.
"Ned Kelly? The bushranger from the 1800s?" Melody asked.
"That's what the police said," I responded.
"How is that possible?" Harmony asked.
"Beats me," I told her. "The important thing is that you two are going to be okay. It could've been a lot worse. So, what did the doctors say?"
"I might regain most of the function in my hand eventually, but I'll have to undergo a lot of physical therapy," Melody said. "Fortunately, it's my left hand, and I'm right-handed."
"And I'll be stuck in this cast for the next six weeks," Harmony added. "They had to put pins in my leg."
"Ouch," I said. "I owe you two my life, and Mackenzie's," I added after a few moments.
"That's alright, our love," Melody said. "You'll have the rest of your life to make up for it," she added with a sly smile.
"Gladly," I told her as I wrapped my arms around her. "I suppose I should call home and let your parents know what happened before they hear about it on the telly."
"Yes, you should," Harmony said. I pulled out my phone and made the call. William and Martha were understandably upset, but thankful that their daughters survived the ordeal. I passed the phone around and let the girls talk to their parents and the kids.
"How long are you going to be stuck in Sydney?" William asked when I got back on the phone.
"I don't know. Probably another couple of days," I told him. "Mackenzie's infusion is rescheduled for tomorrow, and the girls will be recovering here for at least a day, maybe longer. I just got back from the police station and haven't spoken with the doctor yet."
"No worries, Terry," William said. "Take whatever time you need. Just look after our girls."
"I will," I said before we ended the call. The girls and I talked for about another hour and I could see they were getting tired. I considered going back to the hotel, when there was a knock on the door.
"Mr. Other?" the man at the door asked.
"Yes, that's me."
"There's a Carol Morrison asking for you," the man said. "Said she would like to speak with you." I looked at my two wives and they both nodded their heads.
"She did, did she?" I asked somewhat sarcastically.
"Yes, sir," the man said. "Follow me, if you would please."
"What the hell," I finally said. "Let's go." I followed the man through the maze of corridors until we came to Carol's room. The man ushered me inside, telling me to let him know when we were finished. I thanked him and looked at Carol lying in her bed. She was covered with bandages and had a cast on one leg and an arm.
"You look like shit," I told her. "What the fuck were you thinking? Did you know dickhead would be there?"
"No, Terry, I didn't. You have to believe me."
"No, I don't," I told her. "You've lied and set me up before, so I have no reason to believe a damn word you say."
"Perhaps you're right, Terry. I'm sorry about what happened. But no, I had no idea Stephen would be there," Carol said. But the way her eyes shifted as she spoke seemed to indicate just the opposite. It was as if she couldn't admit her foreknowledge of the dickhead's actions. If she did, she could easily end up in jail. I decided to change the subject.
"What happened to you?" I asked, looking over her bandages and casts.
"When I heard the shooting, I ran. I left the hospital and thought I'd leave as fast as I could. I guess I wasn't looking and got hit by a truck," she said. "The next thing I know, I'm here. Honest, Terry, I had no idea he would be there."
"I find that difficult to believe. What's this crap you're telling Harmony that I slept with you? You know that's a damn lie."
"I know. It's just..."
"Just what? You thought you could destroy my relationship with Melody and Harmony. To what end? Did you honestly think either of them would believe you? Perhaps you thought they would dump me, the way you did. That's it, isn't it? You thought you could break us up so you could move in on me, didn't you?"
"Terry, I..."
"Don't say another word, Carol," I spit angrily. "I bloody well don't want to hear it. Did you know that while you were running for your life, Melody took a bullet protecting YOUR daughter from the dickhead?" Carol looked at me in shock. "That's right - your ex-husband came this close to killing your daughter. And where were you? Huh? You weren't even thinking of her, were you?" Carol looked down and I saw a tear fall down her cheek. I shook my head in disgust.
"You need help, Carol," I told her. "Serious professional help. Get this through your thick fucking skull. You're dead to me. You hear me? DEAD. I don't ever want to hear from you ever again. Ever. Goodbye, Carol." With that, I turned and stomped out of her room and went back to see Melody and Harmony.
I spent the next couple of hours with my ladies, then went to see Mackenzie. She had just woke up and was eating her dinner when I walked into her room. I gave her a tight hug and kissed her forehead.
"How are you feeling, pumpkin?"
"Wiped," she said. "What happened?"
"Your former adoptive 'father' went off the deep end. He somehow got hold of a gun and tried to kill us. Fortunately, Melody protected you," I told her.
"Is she... okay?" Mackenzie asked, shocked.
"She was shot, but she's okay. The bullet went through her hand."
"Oh my God," Mackenzie gasped. "What about Harmony?"
"She took a bullet in her leg protecting me. They're both recovering."
"What happened to him?"
"He's dead," I told her.
"Good," Mackenzie said in an angry tone of voice. "I'm glad he's dead. What about... Carol?"
"Your mother fled when the shooting started," I told her. "She didn't get very far. A truck slammed into her car and she was brought back into Emergency."
"She ran? While Melody got shot protecting me?" Mackenzie asked, her eyes wide.
"Pretty much," I deadpanned. She looked away from me, but I could tell this upset her tremendously.
"I hate her. I never want to see or hear from her again," Mackenzie snarled as tears fell down her cheeks. I took my daughter in my arms and held her as she cried on my shoulder. I know most fathers would probably have chastised her for what she said about her mother, but the truth was, I felt the same way, so I let it pass. Mackenzie eventually calmed down and lay back on her bed.
"So where is she now?" my daughter asked.
"She's recovering in another room," I told her. "Her leg is broken and she's got a bunch of other injuries. Nothing life-threatening."
"Do you think she knew the dickhead would be here?"
"She says she doesn't, but I have a hard time believing her," I said.
"So do I," Mackenzie agreed. We talked for a bit longer and I could see she was getting tired, so I tucked her in and bade her a good night before leaving. When I got back to Melody and Harmony's room, I saw Lauren had arrived and was in the process of taking their statements.
"Mr. Other. I'm glad to see you made it back. How is your daughter?" Lauren asked.
"Tired and a bit shaken, but otherwise okay," I told her.
"Do you think she's up to giving a statement?"
"I don't know. She was pretty tired when I left her room, but you can ask," I said.
"I'll do that, but I may not need it. I would like to speak with Carol Morrison, however," Lauren said. "While you're here, there is one thing I would like to show you." She pulled her tablet out and brought up a video. "This is from the CCTV at the scene of the crime." She started the video and showed it to me.
I could tell the video was taken from a camera posted above the point where dickhead shot at us. When the shit hit the fan, I saw everyone react. After Harmony tackled me to the floor, I saw the two men appear behind me. They didn't walk in or run - they just... appeared. They pulled their pistols and fired one time.
I saw myself turn to look at them, and saw the short conversation that took place. After I turned away from them, they disappeared. I looked at Lauren, shocked. She took the tablet, slowed the video down and showed it to me again. There were no cuts, and no edits in the video. They appeared, then disappeared just as fast.
"How is this possible?" I asked.
"I don't know," Lauren told me, shaking her head. "But from what little I can see, your description appears to match what the CCTV captured."
"Any idea who they really are or where they came from?" I asked.
"No, and no. Right now, I'm reporting them as two unidentified males who just happened to be at the right place at the right time," she said. "I can't very well tell my superiors Morrison was shot by a man who was hanged 140 years ago, now can I? Aside from you, no one else reported seeing them. If I didn't have this video, and Morrison's dead body in my morgue, I wouldn't believe they were even there."
"Something I don't understand, Sergeant. First off, why was Morrison here to begin with? He was in prison for attempting to murder me. And how did he get that gun?" I asked.
"Mr. Morrison was here under a trial work release program," Lauren explained. "And from what we can tell, he somehow got hold of a used syringe from a sharps disposal bin. When he saw you, he jammed the syringe in the guard's neck and took his pistol."
"How is your officer?" I asked her.
"He's been hurt worse before, but Morrison nearly filled his carotid artery with air. He's a tough bloke. I imagine he'll be blowing the froth off a few cold ones by this time tomorrow," she said.
"I'm glad to hear that," I told her.
"Right," Lauren said, putting her tablet away. "If you'll excuse me, I need to go speak to a few more people. I take it you'll be here at least one more day."
"That's correct," I said. "Maybe two or three. I don't know yet."
"If I need anything else, I'm sure I'll be able to find you," Lauren stated as she glanced at my two lovely wives. "Catch you later," she added on her way out the door.
"So, how was Carol?" Harmony asked after Lauren left the room.
"Pretty banged up," I said. "Claims she didn't know the dickhead would be here."
