Stand My Ground {EDITING}

Chapter 6

Jay's POV (Just before Cameron was stabbed)

I watched out of the window as Cameron conversed with a strange man that looked very familiar to me. The man told her to do something. She looked at Apache and signaled for him to do something. I recognized the signal as retrieve. Cameron taught me all of the signals just in case I would ever need to use them. Why would she want him to retrieve? I opened the front door to let Apache in. He pulled on my sleeve for me to follow. Okay. She wanted him to retrieve me.

I followed Apache outside and stayed hidden behind a wall as I listened in on the conversation. "What do you want?" Cameron asked. I could hear fear in her voice. What was she afraid of? She was never afraid of anything. Why is this baboon scaring her? I chirped like a cricket to let Cameron know I was here. She looked down at her feet then back up, saying she heard me. The man advanced toward Cameron earning a low growl from Apache.

"Sh," I hushed him. I scratched his head to calm him. I turned my attention back to the scene in front of me. The man was squeezing Cameron's chin.

"It's so sad you don't remember me. Don't you remember my promise?" he asked with a tone that I didn't like. Promise? What promise? His next sentence is what yanked me from my thoughts. "Maybe this will help you remember." I heard Cameron gasp and look down. Apache went crazy and chased the man. I limped to Cameron as fast as I could go once I saw her slump to the ground. I saw the knife sticking out of her. Her eyes started close once I reached her and pulled the knife out. I hadn't noticed until I looked up that Jack and Aidan had followed me.

"We need to get her to the hospital quickly or she's going to die of blood loss," Aidan said as he kneeled down to pick up Cameron's limp body.

"Aidan, you're going to school to be a doctor for Christ's sake! You can give her the attention she needs now!" Jack yelled with anger evident in his voice.

"I don't have the equipment to help her," Aidan argued. The two brothers argued for a while longer.

"Guys! You two are going to kill her if we don't get her help fast, so put the argument aside and man up. We need to help Cameron before it's too late," I ordered. The brothers nodded then leapt into action. Jack went to start the car while Aidan went to put a temporary bandage on Cameron and inform his mother and father. I ran to Apache and was relieved to see he had a hold of the guy by the hand. I grabbed the guy by the collar of his shirt and yanked him with me.

I found rope in the front yard and hog tied the guy. I yanked him harshly to follow us. I'll have either the MPs or police pick him up. Captain isn't going to be too happy about this. I just want to know what promise he made to Cameron that would cause her to let her guard down.

At the hospital, I waited out in the waiting room with Cameron's family. It's been hours. Aidan was pacing around the room whereas Jack was clenching and unclenching his jaw in frustration. I had my head leaned back against the wall with Apache next to me with his head on the armrest. The hospital staff weren't going to let him in here at first, but I told them that Cameron was a veteran that just returned recently and would need Apache in case she wakes up with a panic attack. He would be the only one that could calm her down fast enough.

I ran my hand through my hair in frustration. A nurse dropped a tray with a loud bang and caused Apache to whimper which caused me flashbacks. My body started to shake as the flash backs hit me hard. I blinked my eyes to keep the tears back. "Jay, are you okay?" Cameron's mother, Jamie, asked.

"Yes, ma'am. I'm just in a little shock," I lied. The last thing I needed was for them to panic too. A memory of one night on patrol was what caused me to break out into tears. The night I promised to always protect Cameron. I started breathing heavily and my body shook. Apache hopped off of his chair and laid his head on my lap to calm me down. I rested my head in my hands to try and control the sobs. I watched several pairs of feet walk up to me and a hand rubbing my back. I used my hands to wipe away the tears that were falling once I was calm. "Man, I must look weak," I joked.