Deliver Me (19 page)

Tag
was about to lose his mind. His daughter was inside the house with a crazy
woman, and his man was wearing a Kevlar vest trying to talk her down off the
ledge. When the band came back on stage to do their encore, Erik was no longer
on the front row. Tag assumed his lover had gone backstage to wait for him. 7’s
Mistress performed the complete five song medley they had been practicing. Tag
and the band wanted to go out in style. They played hard for fifteen minutes
solid, giving Nashville something they would never forget. Tag was high on
adrenaline when he took his last bow. He stood still in the middle of the stage
soaking up the energy from the crowd. He allowed himself to absorb the
excitement coming off twenty thousand people. It was a feeling he would never
forget. His high was quickly extinguished when he saw Echo’s face.

When
Tag walked off the stage after the show, it was like déjà vu. Echo ran to meet
him halfway, not caring if the crowd saw her. She told him there was an
emergency with Delilah. This time, it wasn’t his sister; it was his daughter.
He didn’t hesitate going with Carl who had the SUV waiting underneath the arena
to take him to Erik’s. As with the last time, he told the rest of the band to
stay behind for the after party, but unlike the last time, Sloane and Pauly
said, “Hell no.” Tag convinced Cade to stay behind and represent the band one
last time.

Now,
here he was, on his knees begging every god and goddess to keep his man and
both those babies safe. Gus had filled them in as soon as they arrived. Mack
was holding Bethany who was now conscious but in shock. The EMT wanted to take
her to the hospital, but Mack refused. She would want to be there when the
situation was diffused and her baby was safe in her arms. That would bring her
back around. When the EMT asked how he was related to Bethany, he didn’t hesitate
to say he was her boyfriend. Gus, Sloane, and Pauly hadn’t left Tag’s side
other than to grab some water the EMTs offered.

When
the SWAT team changed positions, Tag stood up. He wanted to know what was going
on. Standing around feeling helpless was driving him crazy. He needed to get
closer and find out what was being said. Fuck it, he was going to the house and
listen. He had taken three steps when chaos ensued. A gun went off inside the
house, and a rifle was fired from somewhere outside. The SWAT team scrambled,
most of them running inside the house. Gus tried to grab Tag, but he twisted
away from the big man. There was no way he was going to sit by while his family
was in the house. He had to know what was going on.

The
officer who had been talking to Erik earlier intercepted him at the door. “Sir,
you can’t go in there. It’s a crime scene.”

“If
you don’t get your goddamn hands off me, so help me God…”

“Lee!”
Erik came out the door holding Delilah. “We’re fine, Baby. We’re both fine.
Where’s Bethany?”

Anne
came out the front door carrying Brady. The nanny looked shell-shocked, but she
was alive. Bethany ran up on the porch yelling, “Brady! Oh God, my baby!” She
took her son from Anne and checked him over.

Tag
wrapped his arms around Erik and Delilah and allowed the tears to fall. “I was
so fucking scared.” He kissed Erik on the temple before kissing his baby girl
on her tear-stained cheek. She was no longer crying, but she was snubbing,
trying to calm down.

“What
happened? I heard a gun go off and, fuck, Baby, I…” Tag couldn’t say it out
loud. He knew Erik and Delilah were safe, but for a second the worst scenario
imaginable had crossed his mind.

Officer
Mooney exited the house and shook his head at Erik.

“Sarah,”
Erik whispered and sank his face into Tag’s neck. Tag took Delilah from Erik
and handed her to Gus, who was standing next to them. He held his man with both
arms while he sobbed over the loss of his friend. The porch was getting crowded
with all the men in uniform securing the crime scene. Bethany and Brady were
wrapped up tight in Mack’s arms, and Echo was checking on Anne.

When
the initial shock wore off, they were all directed to the yard where the EMTs
checked everyone over. One of the policemen must have called Anne’s fiancé. He
arrived, running to where she was sitting in the back door of an ambulance. She
insisted she was fine, but he wanted her checked out at the hospital, just in
case. Erik encouraged her to go, promising to call on her later. He had already
looked over both babies, but he also allowed the emergency workers to evaluate
them as well.

After
Erik gave his statement as to what happened, they all were allowed in the
house, just not in the cordoned off section of the living room. Sarah’s body
was removed through the front door in a black bag. Erik was standing in the
kitchen door, staring into the living room. Tag couldn’t imagine what it was
like being in such a traumatic situation, and he had no doubt Erik would relive
what happened over and over. Sarah handed Delilah over to Erik before taking
her own life in front of him. The sniper shot Sarah as soon as he saw her point
the gun at her head, but his disarming shot was too late. Tag vowed to be there
for him and help get Erik through it all.

Now
that Tag knew his family was safe, he said, “Let’s all go to my house. Echo,
grab the kid’s things, and I’ll get Erik’s.”  The crew worked together, and
soon they all were headed to Tag’s big house.

By
the time they arrived, the shock was wearing off, and Erik was coming around. Once
they were all settled into Tag’s huge living area, Erik recounted the events of
the night, leaving out the last gory detail. Everyone already knew the outcome,
so there was no need for him to say it.

Cade
arrived shortly after the rest of the crew. He pulled Tag into his arms,
hugging him tight. “I’m so glad she’s okay. Glad everyone’s okay.” He walked
over to where Gus was holding Delilah and held out his hands. “May I?”

Gus
passed the baby to Cade who cradled her in his arms and smiled. “Hey there, Delilah.
I’m your Uncle Cade. You don’t remember me, because I’ve been a royal jackass.
But that’s all behind us now, okay?” The tall blond looked comfortable holding
the little girl.

Tag
was surprised at Cade’s change in attitude. As he watched his best friend baby
talk to his daughter, he felt Erik step up behind him. Erik slid his hands
around Tag’s waist and rested his chin on Tag’s shoulder. Neither one spoke as
they stood together, safe among their family.

When
it was time for bed, Tag and Erik took Delilah with them to Tag’s bedroom. They
were going to sleep with their baby girl between them. Just for one night. Tag
pulled the covers back and laid his daughter in the middle of the bed. Echo had
fed and bathed her, and now she was fast asleep with her thumb in her mouth.
Tag wrapped an arm around Erik’s shoulder and began singing to their girl. The
bedroom door opened, and Sloane and Pauly slipped in, adding their voices. Gus
and Cade looked on from the doorway. When the song was over, the others stared
down at the baby girl they’d all come to love.

As
soon as they were alone, Tag pulled Erik’s t-shirt over his head and tossed it
to the floor. He needed to feel Erik’s body. He needed the skin on skin contact
to remind him what he could have lost. Erik pulled at Tag’s shirt, lifting it
up and off. “I wanted a closer look at this,” Erik said as he ghosted his
fingers across Tag’s new ink. A microphone, a white rose, and a stethoscope
were intertwined with the words
My Life, My Loves
written in script above
and below the design. “I love it. And I love you. I wanted to tell you so many
times, but I didn’t want to rush it. Then tonight,” Erik cleared his throat and
blinked his eyes.

“I
know, Doc. I know. Watching you walk into your house and having to wait, not
knowing. That was the hard part. Not being in there with you. I love you, Doc.
So fucking much, and I never want to be away from you again.” Tag placed his
hands on both sides of Erik’s face and poured his heart and soul into his
lover’s mouth. Their kiss was filled with so much love, Tag felt it to his
core. The two men stood in the middle of Tag’s bedroom, holding each other. No
more words were needed. When Delilah grunted in her sleep, they stripped down
to their underwear and got in bed with their daughter. Tag turned out the
bedside lamp before twining his and Erik’s fingers.

Erik’s
house was cleared by the police a couple of days later. Lee hired a cleaning
crew to remove any remnants of what happened. As much as they enjoyed being in
Lee’s big house with all the crew, they were ready to go home. When Lee told
Erik he wanted them to live in Erik’s house, he was overjoyed. It would take a
while for the sad memory to go away, but if he had Lee and Delilah there, he
would be okay.

When
Erik entered his home to talk to Sarah, he knew she was beyond help. The
wildness in her eyes spoke volumes to the pain she was in. He would never
forgive himself for not reaching out to her, getting her the help she needed.
When she handed Delilah over to him, he took a few steps back. The SWAT team
said they would take a disarming shot, not shoot to kill, but he didn’t want to
be close to her when it happened. When the baby was safe in his arms, a look of
peace washed over Sarah’s face. She told Erik she loved him right before she
put the gun to her temple and pulled the trigger. Erik received a call from
Officer Mooney a few days later letting him know the autopsy showed no signs of
Sarah ever being pregnant.

Erik and Bethany went to visit
Anne at home, taking the babies with them. She assured them she was fine, but understood
if they wanted a new nanny. Erik explained his and Sarah’s friendship, and
finally made Anne see that what happened was in no way her fault. If anyone was
to blame, it was him for not seeing the pain his friend was going through. Since
the crew was staying in Nashville through the holidays, Anne was given the rest
of December off with pay to relax and take a mental vacation.

Erik
saw the patients he already had scheduled the next week, but after that, he
closed the clinic until after the first of the year. He needed this time to
spend with his new family. He needed time to heal. Bethany recovered quickly
with the help of Mack. Wherever Bethany and Brady were, that’s where you’d find
the big bodyguard. When Erik asked Bethany about that, she shrugged. “We just
sort of happened. When I was helping Echo set up for your birthday party, Mack
took Brady from me. Our eyes met and, well, yeah.”

Erik
didn’t care how it happened as long as his best friend was happy and Mack took
care of her. Sloane and Pauly no longer hid their affection for one another
around the crew. It was nice to see so much love flowing. Cade hung around a
few days, making sure everyone was okay and then he left to be with his family
for Christmas. Gus made himself useful changing diapers. He was so in love with
Delilah, Erik and Lee rarely got to hold her if the big man was around.

With
Christmas less than two weeks away, Erik and Lee began decorating the house.
Erik never put up a tree, because it was always just him and Duke. Now, he had
a boyfriend, a baby girl, and a whole new family to celebrate with. Echo and
Bethany took care of feeding everyone. The men took care of watching the kids
while Erik and Lee got things ready for Christmas.

When
it was time to put ornaments on the tree, both Erik and Lee brought boxes into
the living room. “I had some ornaments made for our first Christmas together,”
Erik told Lee.

“I
did too,” Lee said, grinning. The men swapped boxes and burst out laughing when
they saw what the other had done. Both boxes were filled with specially
decorated ornaments with everyone’s names on them. They had shopped online
together for Delilah’s first year decorations that included every Disney
Princess ornament they could find. They also purchased boy things for Brady.

Once
the tree was trimmed, Echo said, “Now all you need is something for the top.”

Lee
opened a box and pulled out an angel. “I’ve got that covered.  This angel has
been in our family a long time. I think my great-grandmother gave it to our mom
when she was a little girl. Anyway, Delilah was always the one to put the angel
at the top of the tree. Last Christmas, she smiled and told me she couldn’t
wait to watch her son or daughter do the honors.” Lee smiled sadly as he
reflected on his sister. “Delilah, wherever you are, this angel’s for you.” Lee
climbed the ladder and added the angel to the top of the tree. There wasn’t a
dry eye in the house.