Chapter 07

Freyja did everything she could to support her brother throughout the day. Getting Gunner composed enough to fill out the paperwork the hospital had after the Old Man died hadn't been easy. His stutter was back in full force due to his anxiety, which made it hard for him to speak. So, she had to interpret for him when people had questions. Freyja was relieved when Damien arrived at the hospital that evening. Gunner needed his husband and daughter more than ever. Little Zoe was excited to see her Aunt Freyja, so, she and Damien swapped jobs, with him handling Gunner and her taking the four year old to a little play area in one of the waiting rooms.

"Did Papa Gee get hurt?" Zoe asked as she fidgeted with one of those old style toys with the colorful wooden beads on twisted metal wire paths that Freyja hadn't seen since she herself was a small child.

Gotta make sure she washes her hands after she plays with that thing, she thought to herself.

"No, no, your Papa's okay. He didn't get hurt. It was someone else he was trying to take care of," Freyja said.

"Someone from work?"

Freyja wasn't sure how to answer that. Gunner had mentioned Zoe thought he was on a work trip, and now it was clear he hadn't been. She hated lying to Zoe. Kids were often far more sharper and observant than adults gave them credit for. She remembered she had been at Zoe's age. She heard the Old Man accusing her mother of having a boyfriend not long before her car accident. Even as a kids she knew the implications of the accusation and the timing of her mother's death.

Thank gods the Old Man is dead.

"Someone from Papa Gee's past. It was a person he and I knew a long time ago. He got sick and didn't have anyone else to help him get better. Your Papa wanted to do what he could," Freyja said.

"Was it the Bad Man?" Zoe asked.

Of course.

Zoe must have heard Gunner talking to Damien about the Old Man at some point in the past. Her brother didn’t even like to hear his own name because it reminded him of their father. He had taken his husband’s last name too. She wondered if he’d change his first name or not, and why he hadn’t done so already.

"What do you know about the Bad Man?" Freyja asked.

Zoe made a painfully adorable face as she thought, twirling one of the wooden beads around on the plastic coated wire track. Freyja wanted to give her niece the biggest hug possible, but let her think about her answer. She looked just like her fathers and deserved all the love and safety in the world.

After a few moments of contemplation, Zoe said, "Papa Gee took you away from the Bad Man to keep you safe. The Bad Man said and did bad things. He always always hurt people. Papa Gee didn't want to help the Bad Man but Daddy Dee thought it would be a good because Daddy Dee and Papa Gee are good people."

"I thought she was asleep when we were talking about that," Damien said softly from the doorway of the playroom.

"Kids have a way of overhearing things," Freyja replied.

"Was Papa Gee able to help the Bad Man?" Zoe asked. "Did he make him better? Is he nice now?"

"Oh, baby," Damien said before crouching down to give his daughter a huge hug. "Papa Gee did everything he could."

"Where is Gee?" Freyja asked.

"Should be right behind me," Damien whispered.

"I'm right here," Gunner said, his voice less shaky than before.

Freyja got up and gave him a hug. "You did everything you could."

He returned the hug silently.

"There anything I need to do?" She asked.

He shook his head. "No, everything's done for now. It's late. You should get some rest, Freyja. Damien's gonna follow me to the hotel I'm staying at."

Damien picked Zoe up in his arms as he got to his feet. "Nope, I'm driving, you give directions."

"What about my car?"

"Frejya can drive it to the hotel, and I'll bring her back here for her's. You need to get some rest, Love," Damien explained.

"But-"

"I agree with Dee. You're exhausted. I'll drive your car then hitch a ride with him back to get mine."

"You should stay at the hotel too," Damien said. "Gee said you've been crashing at...that house. Cleaning it."

"Nah, it's okay. Save your money. I've got a nice cozy setup in the garage," Freyja replied.

***

"I feel like shit for making him do this," Damien said as he drove Freyja back to get her car. “I should’ve just told him to ignore it. Stay home.”

The hotel was about fifteen minutes from the hospital, so it didn't take Freyja and Damien long to shuttle Gunner and Zoe there.

"Don't. You know he would've tried to help the bastard anyway. It's not like you really had to do much to talk him into it," Freyja replied. "It's just the sort of person Gee is, you know?"

"But I did, though. I pushed him to come here after he got the call about the bastard. Thought helping would give him closure or something. I don't know. I was such an idiot," Damien's voice cracked a bit as he spoke.

"And if you hadn't and he'd gotten the call the guy was dead? It would've left a different kind of gaping hole. Gee would wonder, 'Could I have done something? Would things have been different if I had tried?' and it would have eaten at him for years. I know he wishes he hadn't waited so long to get out of there when we were kids. You did the right thing, Damien."

He pulled into the parking lot near where Freyja had parked. He was silent for awhile. The place was practically deserted given the early morning hours. The city was by no means deserted at 3am, but it was close. Almost peaceful save for the distant hum of traffic on the highway and even more distant police sirens.

"I'm sorry I got him to rope you into this," Damien finally said as they approached Freyja's car.

"Huh, you know I lost my job and apartment right before this, right?" Freyja asked.

"Yeah, but-"

"But nothing. This is the only gift the Old Man ever gave me. I have place to crash and shit to sort through. Sure, it's not what I'd like to be doing but it's something to keep me occupied for a bit while I figure out my next move and you know how Gee can't stand the thought of guns, right?"

"The Old Man had a few guns?" Damien asked as he parked next to Freyja's beat up maroon sedan.

"More than a 'few.' I've been crashing in the garage. It's bigger than the house and full of gun safes. I haven't even bothered to try counting anything yet. Been focusing on the health hazard that is the house first."

"Was he living in the house or the garage?"

"They found him in the house. Pretty sure he was living in it. The Armory is way too clean. Looks like he didn’t even smoke in there, which is surprising, to be honest. I'm calling the garage 'The Armory' by the way," she explained.

"I gathered that."

"Thanks for the ride, Dee, and thanks for being there for Gee. You should get back to him and Zoe," Freyja said.

"You gonna be okay to get back to The Armory?"

She gave him a quick hug before opening the door. "Yeah. I'll be fine. You take care of your family, okay?"

"It’s your family too, Freyja," Damien said as he leaned into the passenger seat of his car.

"Yeah, but you know how I feel about what happened. I’m trying not to tap dance. Gee needs you more right now."

He nodded. Neither of them needed her to say it but she did anyway. It was evident she had hated their father. She had just barely managed keeping a solemn face while the hospital staff was in sight, but only then.

"Stay safe, Freyja. Get some sleep if you can," Damien said.

"No problems there. I'll sleep like a baby tonight," Freyja replied. "Drive safe and get some rest too."

She was tired, but also more than a bit elated. The drive back to the Armory was longer than the one to the hotel had been, but she had plenty of energy. Freyja did her best not to skip to the door of the metal building. She fixed herself something to eat, a ham sandwich with spicy mayo, before laying down on the air mattress at almost five in the morning.

Thank the gods he's finally dead, Freyja thought as she drifted off to sleep. Thank gods.