It's been a month and a half since our world was flipped upside down. A month and a half since Hunter ridded the world of one corrupt scumbag. The day that he was finally able to put his tragic past completely behind him and look forward to a beautiful and fulfilling future. So many things have happened in that six week period.
First, we finally got our house back. Liz, the slut next door, lost her job after her boss's wife found them in bed together. The homewrecker strikes again. Because she no longer had an income or a sugar daddy, she was evicted from her house. I may or may not have thrown a neighborhood get-together to celebrate her departure.
And our new neighbors...
You guessed it. Elijah and Griffin purchased her house and are now just one side yard away. I figured Hunter wouldn't be overly thrilled considering my history with Griffin, but he pleasantly surprised me. Hell, I think he was probably the most excited out of everybody. He says he's pumped to not have Liz there anymore, and while that may be true, I know him and I guarantee he's overjoyed that he gets to harbor his beloved bromance with Elijah. I like having them close, but I also like having privacy again with my husband. We have enjoyed our quiet evenings together, tacos in hand and Netflix on the TV. We cuddle up on the couch under a blanket every night and finally get the opportunity to have a normal newlywed life without all the...distractions. Plus, I get to walk around without a bra on and we get make passionate love on every countertop in this house.
Second, we are recovering from our injuries nicely. After the swelling in his face finally went down, the fractures had stabilized and he didn't require a titanium plate or any additional surgeries. That was an absolute blessing. My cast has been removed and Hunter's should come off very soon. Not soon enough because the amount of whining I have had to endure from him is chart-topping. I've pulled so many objects out of his hand after I caught him trying to shove them inside the cast to scratch his forearm. I felt like a toddler mom who is constantly pulling stuff out of the kid's mouth. His wounds all healed without any infections, the scars are there but not horribly noticeable and he never got pneumonia on my watch. I may have gloated about my nursing skills a time or two, but that's neither here nor there.
Third, Helen and Patrick are going strong and wedding plans are in full swing. They will be joining us in marital bliss in two short months. They wanted a really short engagement and it's no secret that they want to start making babies as soon as freaking possible. As for the other romances in our group, Elijah and Jade are still coddling their long distance relationship, but I know how much Elijah is struggling. I keep telling him to hold on and things will get better, but there's a lot of pouting going on from that grown ass man. As far as Molly and Bryson, they are head over heels in love. Although Molly doesn't know it, I was recently informed that an engagement ring has been purchased and will be decorating her finger very soon. Why they tell me this exciting news when they know how bad I am at keeping secrets is still a mystery to me.
Kevin has had a couple dates, but nothing has stuck.
But the biggest shocker of them all...
Justin and library girl are proving us all wrong. They have been inseparable and he actually made it through the first chapter of Moby Dick. I mean, I didn't say that he understood any of it, but he made an effort and we are all proud of him for it. She's a little different and I've only been around her a few times, but I'm happy for Justin nevertheless.
And in the romance department, that leaves me with Griffin. This time has not gone without its challenges. Even after all these weeks, I firmly believe that Griffin is still holding out hope that Hunter will share me with him. He will always make my insides stir when he's around because the man is downright gorgeous, enticing, and heart stopping, but I will never allow what happened in the bathroom that day to happen again.
Occasionally, in Hunter's absence, Griffin will still make perverted comments, but there's not that intimidating unpredictability there once was. I don't feel like he would cross the fuck it line anymore. Even so, there are still gentle grazes of his hand or a kiss to the forehead, but nothing that has made Hunter's head pop off. Griffin has tested the waters enough to know what he can and can't get away with, from Hunter and from me.
With that being said, I think Hunter has finally accepted that my friendship with Griffin will always be a little more "hands-on" than my friendship with say...Hunter's brothers. As time went on, Hunter's insecurities eased and he realized once again that I'm not going anywhere. I may be more affectionate with Griffin than I am with the other guys, but I will always be the faithful loving wife I am was destined to be. There's an unspoken agreement and it seems as if everybody finally knows where things stand.
Fourth, the investigation is complete. It's been a long process and the team hasn't given us any updates. Elijah said he wasn't going to reveal what they found until everything was over and we had properly recovered. He refused to stress Hunter out while he was on the mend and I appreciate his thoughtfulness.
I will be returning to work in a couple weeks and I couldn't be more excited. Although I love my time off with Hunter and the rest of the crew, I take pride in what I do and the difference I make in people's lives. I was born to be a nurse and I miss my staff and the patients. Every single one of my employees have reached out during this time to tell me how much they can't wait for me to return. They have brought us dinners, sent us gift cards and flowers, and made me feel appreciated. It means the world to me. Griffin is adamant about escorting me to work, to ensure my safety, but I only agreed to one week tops. Once I know everything will run smoothly, he is going to have to find some other way to occupy his time. Surprisingly, Hunter was perfectly copacetic with Griffin's request. As much as he worries about Griffin's intentions, my safety is and always will be his top priority.
As far as Hunter's employer, they have decided to let all the employees work remotely indefinitely. They found out that they could achieve the same productivity and be fiscally responsible at the same time by not having to pay rent on some office space. Hunter was thrilled to not have to spend any more time with John. Apparently, the dude is a real treat to work with.
It is now Friday and a busy day at that. I have a couple doctor's appointments, a few errands to run and some wedding things to do with Helen. We are having the whole crew and my parents over to the house tomorrow for dinner and a game night.
I am in between appointments when my phone rings and I look down to see my husband's smiling face come across the screen.
"Hey, handsome," I answer.
"Hey, beautiful. What are you doing?"
"Just left the doctor. Getting ready to get some lunch and then off to run more errands."
"How did your appointment go?" he asks.
"Everything was good. My hand is almost completely back to normal and the doctor was pleased with my range of motion. He's cleared me to go back to work."
"Well, that's good. Hey, when do you think you will be home? I need to run out and pick up a few things for tomorrow. Since I'm not cleared to drive yet, I need someone to chauffeur me around. So stupid."
"Sorry, babe. After I get done with my errands, I am meeting Helen to do some wedding stuff. Can Elijah drive you? Or any of your brothers? Maybe my parents?"
"I wish. Elijah is busy putting together some PowerPoint presentation about the investigation findings. Apparently, he is going to present it to all of us after dinner tomorrow night. Such a fucking nerd. My brothers are all at work and your parents are on their way to Ikea to get some furniture that your dad says they don't need. I heard your mom call him an asshole in the background and after he mouthed off, the line went dead. I'm really grateful to not be on that particular excursion."
This makes me laugh. "I can only imagine the bickering of epic proportion taking place in that vehicle right now. If he's smart, he'll keep her far away from the cutlery aisle. Why don't you text Griffin and see if he can drive you? I talked to him earlier and he said he's just hanging out around the house today."
"Sure, maybe I'll call David Koresh while I'm at it and see if he wants to grab some lunch and form another cult. That sounds equally as fun."
"You're being ridiculous," I scoff. "Everything has been fine with Griffin, he has a vehicle, you need a ride, so call him."
"Fuck, fine," he pouts. "But if starts wanting to share stories about your tits, I'm done."
"Yeah, because I'm sure that's what he plans on conversing with you about. I'm pulling into the drive thru so I'll call you later. I love you."
"Love you, too."
I hang up the phone, get my lunch and before I can pull out of the drive thru, my phone rings again. This time it's Helen and I'm happy for it. I don't have the energy to fight with Hunter about the Griffin situation. I have too much on my mind already. Helen tells me that the florist had to reschedule our appointment so my afternoon just freed up for a couple hours. As much as I love hanging with Helen and doing wedding stuff, this secretly doesn't hurt my feelings. Honestly, I really just want to take a nap but I have so much to do today and just not enough time.
Several hours and many appointments and errands later, I pull into the driveway and I am completely spent. Griffin's truck isn't there and when I go in the house, Hunter isn't there either. I drop off my stuff and walk next door to talk with Elijah. He answers the door and God love him, he looks just as exhausted as I do.
"Hey, Jenna," he says, opening the door for me to come in.
"Hey, Commander. Whatcha up to?"
"Just finished up the PowerPoint presentation and was getting ready to make something to eat. You hungry?"
"No, I had a late lunch but thank you anyway. How did it go with the PowerPoint?"
"Everything is good. I need to proofread it, but I'm exhausted and tired of looking at the damn thing."
"I can look over it if you want me to. They call me the grammar police at work because I'm constantly marking up all their emails and fixing their mistakes. I won't show the slides to anyone else, I promise."
"Jenna, you would be my hero. I may be a ruthless killing machine, but I can't spell for shit. It's so bad that I end up just changing a word because not even autocorrect can determine what the hell I'm trying to say."
I laugh and pat his chest. I give Elijah my email address and confirm that it came through. About that time, Griffin comes walking through the door with an armload of bags and enough takeout food to feed a small army. Apparently, I am Elijah's grammar hero and Griffin is his culinary hero. I give both the guys a hug and a kiss on the cheek before walking back home.
For the rest of the evening, Hunter and I catch up on our DVR recordings. I last about an hour before I am asleep. Hunter cradles me in his arms, carries me to bed and cuddles up behind me for the night.
~
Hunter is already out of bed by the time I finally get up. It's already ten in the morning, but our guests aren't set to arrive until around five. I roll out of bed and when I enter the kitchen, there is a note on the counter from Hunter. He is next door hanging out with Elijah. I make myself some oatmeal and open my laptop to get to work on proofreading the PowerPoint presentation. Elijah was right, he can't spell for shit. A couple words were difficult to decipher, but after an hour or so, I ensured that he wouldn't have anything that Hunter could bust his balls about. I add a couple slides to the end of the presentation because there are some things that I want to add to the meeting.
I save the presentation, close my laptop and clean up my breakfast mess. I help myself to a long, hot shower, get myself dressed and ready for the day. There's a lot of information that's gonna be presented to the group tonight. Some informative, some shocking, some exciting and some life-changing. I just hope everybody's ready for this.
I spend the rest of the day before our guests arrive cleaning up, doing laundry, preparing food and getting everything ready. I connect my laptop to the TV so we can present the PowerPoint on a bigger screen.
I had just finished laying all the food out on the counter when Hunter returns and the guests start to trickle in. Everybody fills their plates and we spend the next hour feeding our faces and catching up with one another. I love having everyone together, laughing, joking around and reminding me how good it feels to be surrounded by this family.
When everyone finishes their meals, Elijah and I direct the group to the living room to get started on this presentation. There's a lot of information and I'm excited to share it with everyone. I give Elijah the clicker and let him present his information first.
"I wanted to wait for everyone to come together because what happened six weeks ago affected us all in so many different ways," Elijah starts, clicking on his first slide. "When Hunter contacted us a couple years ago about his father, we were given some information, but put in a holding pattern until Ivan was released from prison. Hunter and I exchanged a few texts and emails, but knowing what I know now, I wish I would have been in communication with him a lot more than I was. When we were activated earlier this year, I came to realize that this man who I agreed to protect was more than some abused kid with an ugly past. He was more than some client and the wallet behind some job. As much as I try to deny it, Hunter turned out to be an extraordinary human being and someone I now consider a close friend. Now, don't get me wrong, there are still days that he gets under my damn skin..."
We all laugh as Hunter flips him the bird while taking a swig of his beer.
"But along the way, I found out that while we were trying to take care of him and Jenna, they were actually taking care of us. These two have changed my life and the lives of my men in so many different ways. It was no longer about some job. They made us look at life differently, how we live it and who we have in it. They showed us the love of family, the value of friendship and the quality of life. They made us see that putting down roots was far more important than traveling all around this world for yet another mission. Every single day, we disconnected ourselves from the people around us. We pushed everyone away and refused to trust another human being. We only saw the world in a negative light, through a filthy window, but Hunter and Jenna showed us there was so much more to life than the corruption. My team and I will still work tirelessly to stop the evil, but we will now also take the time to see the virtuous."
So many emotions and so much love in this room. That's the reason the tears are falling freely down my face. There's receiving the love of those close to you and then there's realizing that you made the disbelievers believe. You reached the unreachable. You touched the untouchable. You warmed the hearts of the iciest men on the planet. That's impactful and monumental beyond comprehension. I'm moved, I'm inspired and I'm honored. I'm proud of what Hunter and I have accomplished. We took the love we received from family, friends and from each other and projected it onto a group of the most exiled men until all they could do was absorb it and accept it reverently. If there's one act that would grant you access through the pearly gates of Heaven, this would be it. To be able to shine light through the impermeable.
"So, with that being said, we offer you all our most sincere gratitude for the impact you've made on our lives," Elijah continues.
I'm so moved that the words get caught in my throat and when I look at Hunter, I find him to be in the same predicament. All I can manage to do is place my hand over my heart and nod back at Elijah and the team with a smile. I look at my parents and the pride that resonates from them is palpable. The brothers all nod their heads in agreement. Elijah smiles back and clicks on to the next slide.
"When Jenna and Griffin were captured, I was by Hunter's side the entire time and seeing the love he carried for her was unexplainable. He was devastated, heartbroken and willing to sacrifice his own life for hers the entire time. To find the kind of love that you would surrender your own life for is unique and extraordinary. The kind of love you don't find often enough in our world. Whatever he needed to do to save Jenna was his only priority, the only thing he could think about. He never gave up fighting for her, not one time. And Jenna, I've never seen someone so selfless and brave in all my life. When she loves, she loves fiercely and unconditionally. She protective and smart. Hunter, do you remember what I told you that night in the kitchen?"
I look up at my husband as he nods his head. I watch his lips part and wait for his recollection of the conversation.
"You said that she is tough. You've known women like her and they always surprise you. She may be sweet, but that fire within her that everyone passes off as her just being sassy is the force that's gonna save your life...in more ways than one. She's loyal and she's headstrong. When put in a situation where she either has the choice to die to save the man she loves or the other way around, she'll choose neither. She's brilliant enough to outsmart her enemy. She'll save you, herself, and the world. She'll find another way, a way that we would never think to plan or prepare for. She's protective and her love is fierce. Don't discount her or underestimate her strength. She'll save us all...mark my words."
My mouth falls open as I look back and forth between my husband and the boss. The words they spoke about me, their confidence in what I was capable of, the things they saw in me that I was never able to see for myself until I was put into a position where that was my only option. These men make me feel powerful and they make me feel loved. I cover my mouth with my hand, the tears falling faster.
"That's what you did, Jenna," Elijah says. "You saved us all."
I turn and tuck my head into Hunter's chest as he wraps his arms around me. I cry into his shirt for so many reasons. I cry for the tragedy we overcame, I cry for the happiness I feel, I cry for every single word they said and the way they look at me. I'm so overwhelmed that I don't know how to process everything going on around me.
"With that being said," Elijah goes on, "this entire mission was successful for reasons we never planned. Success didn't come from prolonged preparation, not from skill and experience and not from training and combat. This mission was successful because of love. Thank you for showing us another way."
With my arms still around Hunter's waist, I turn my head and smile back at Elijah. "You weren't supposed to make me cry tonight. Please move on with the presentation because I don't think my poor heart can take anymore."
This causes the room to buzz with gentle laughter. Elijah flips through a couple more slides until he gets to the one explaining the investigation. I walk into the kitchen to grab a tissue and wipe my snotty face. Not wanting to miss anything, I quickly make my way back into the living room to hear what Elijah has to say.
"When we originally scouted the warehouse, we observed cases of guns, crates of ammo, pallets of electronics and drugs. It was suspicious and we couldn't understand how they had such little security and surveillance on that type and amount of inventory. It wasn't until that horrific day in the warehouse that we discovered what was really in there. It wasn't at all what we had expected."
Elijah flips to the next page where a picture of a medication vial pops onto the screen. It's not labeled and even though I proofread this presentation, I don't know the details of the investigation any more than the rest of the people sitting in this room.
"What we found in those crates didn't include guns or ammo or stolen electronics at all. In a way, it was far more dangerous. Jenna, tell everyone what you found in that room and how the kidnappers were able to detain you all."
I take a deep breath and look around the room. "Griffin and I were taken down by an aerosol concoction that was sprayed through the vents. It wasn't until I escaped in that building and looked around did I discover that what was in that concoction was a medication we use in the hospital to sedate our patients. Midazolam, also known as Versed, is a potent benzodiazepine that we administer through a patient's IV, but they had somehow managed to put it in an aerosol form. It may already be a thing, but I'd never seen it before in that form. I guess what confused me the most is that these men working for Ivan weren't pharmacists or chemists or even international drug dealers. I couldn't understand how they were able to acquire such a large quantity to begin with and also how they were able to alter the structure of the drug. We aren't dealing with rocket scientists here."
"Here's the thing," Elijah takes over. "You've never seen it in aerosol form because it wasn't created safely and by educated professionals. Much like methamphetamine can be made by drug addicts using things people may already have laying around their house, what Ivan and his men had created had the potential to harm a lot of people with his homemade concoction. To say the least, the FDA did not sign off on this particular cocktail."
"So, if this was just a statewide operation, how were they able to acquire an inventory of that magnitude?" Hunter asks.
"You're right about it being only statewide, but when we cracked into all those crates and boxes, they weren't full of the Midazolam. Most of it was equipment that they were planning to essentially cook it up with and the rest of the boxes contained other sedatives like Chloroform and ingredients for drugs used to incapacitate people."
"I don't understand," Helen says. "Where did they get the Midazolam to begin with?
"Great question," Elijah says. "With our friends in the FBI, we were able to do some major digging. Apparently, Ivan had accomplices that worked in the hospitals and pharmacies that stole the medication a little at a time over a three year period. It would have been so subtle that nobody would have noticed unless they were actively looking. One or two vials missing over a couple month period doesn't sound like a lot, but when you factor in multiple individuals and a three year time span, it adds up. He didn't have a huge inventory as we had originally expected, but what they were concocting could have done major harm. After speaking with several colleagues of mine in the medical field, there is an extremely long list of medication interactions, in addition to multiple contraindications. If an individual with one of those interactions was the criminals' targets, it could have killed them. This was a big stop, not just for Hunter and Jenna, but for a lot of people. This shit had the potential to cause a lot of damage."
As Elijah clicks over to the next slide, Patrick asks, "Who were they going to sell this stuff to?"
"We found several invoices on the counters for local dealers, piece of shit criminals with rap sheets longer than my arm. But when we hacked into their computers, we found out that they were planning to present it college students, specifically fraternity houses and such. They were essentially marketing it as the next big date rape drug. They had also enlisted a few individuals that we discovered worked at bars and clubs across the state."
"Oh my God," Bryson gasps. "So what happened to all those distributors and potential clients?"
"All taken into custody, interrogated and facing jail time. Every bit of inventory was recovered and is being analyzed. We shut it down before it could ever be put on the streets. When my team and I took this job, we were under the assumption that we were just taking down some convicted felon with retaliatory tendencies. Little did we know, we would uncover something and somebody far more corrupt. We saved a lot of innocent lives and that's far better than any paycheck."
Elijah continues on with the rest of the presentation, but his audience all sit here with their minds blown. This is a lot to take in. It was far bigger than any of us could have ever imagined. But with that being said, it's humbling to know that we were a part of shutting down such a reckless operation.
When Elijah finishes with his last slide, we all decide to take a break and eat the desserts that Helen brought over. I think we all need a little time to process all this new information. That was by far the heaviest PowerPoint presentation I have ever been a part of. I take this time to walk into the bedroom and make a quick call. The person on the other end of the line is a huge part of my section of this presentation. I confirm their location before hanging up the phone. I send a text to my next guest appearance and let them know that I will initiate the Zoom call here shortly.
Walking back into the living room, I grab a piece of Dutch apple pie, a scoop of vanilla ice cream and sit down at the kitchen table. I'm only able to eat a quarter of it because my stomach is fluttering with butterflies. My presentation is going to change things, enrich lives and make heads spin. I'm excited, but I'm also extremely nervous. My phone chimes and I look down to see that my guest has arrived. I advise them to stay in their vehicle until I give them the green light.
Gathering everyone up and directing them to the living room, I stand in the front of the television and wait for everyone to take a seat.
Believe me, they will want to be seated for this particular show.