Trial By Fire - Bouncing Back, Book 1

Fifteen

Thomas stared at his phone, wondering why the hell his usually punctual son was missing from class. Though he was content that they never put themselves in precarious positions that could threaten their ranks, he still worried about his only child. Now that they had been together for a few months, he finally saw what his son loved so much about the girl. He had to agree that her methods helped Memphis flourish as a person and a soldier.

Answering his phone, he asked, “What’s going on?”

“Mental snap,” Memphis replied. “What do I do, Dad? We didn’t get that far in training. I knew I had to remove her from the situation before she lost it, which I did. I knew I had to talk her down, which I’ve done, but now she’s…”

Thomas scowled, his concern growing as he cut his son off. “Memphis, are you trying to tell me that Ken had a mental snap?”

More crying in the background had him realizing that the girl was in dire straights emotionally. He also knew it would not be advisable to let her stay at school, as it would likely result in the place becoming her personal hunting ground. Thomas glanced around the class, his eyes landed on Markus, and he called the teen over. “I need you and Nix to watch the class for about ten minutes or so. Memphis needs me.”

“You sound like it’s a matter of life and death,” Mark joked. He didn’t realize the situation just yet.

Shaking his head, Thomas gave him a look that said more than he could with so many students hanging around. “It will be if we don’t get Kennedy out of here sooner rather than later.”

“Oh…” Mark’s face lost all semblance of colour. He knew exactly what Thomas meant by the seemingly innocuous words. “Sir, today’s her eighteenth birthday. If anything happened, it may have triggered some memories she definitely would not want the school finding out about. I got no idea how, but it’s like only Mem can talk her down in those moments. Nix can, too, but he’s usually under lock and key when she flips, even though she’s no threat to him.”

“Then it’s a good thing he’s with her now,” Thomas breathed as he put the phone back to his ear. “I’m on my way. Location?”

The relief in his son’s voice was audible as he answered, “Library, projector room – first floor. ETA?”

“Less than ten minutes.”

“Ok,” Memphis murmured. The line crackled, and he could hear Memphis talking to Kennedy in the background. When he came back, the teen said, “Dad? Call Aunt Tem. She said she'd fill you in.”

Thomas nodded, now knowing that the situation was more than just a couple of teens looking to get a day off school. “Will do.”

Hanging up, he stopped at his office and closed the door. He used to worry about calling the woman Declan married and was always nervous about pissing the other man off. Yet, in all the years they worked together, Declan never once showed animosity if the guys needed to call Temperance. Instead, he encouraged it, especially if it involved Kennedy.

“Thomas, thank God you called. Memphis needs to get Kennedy out of that school ASAP. With her mental state, I honestly should not have encouraged her to go today. Damn it. I should have kept her home.”

Confused, Thomas frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“Kennedy,” she said. “Listen, my son pulled something today that set off her entire day. She was looking forward to going so that her and Memphis could enjoy a fun evening for her birthday, but Hans went and shoved a tub of butter in her face as soon as she woke up. Dad used to do that, and it triggered her. Declan learned the hard way when we first got married, but she won’t do to a child what she can do to a grown adult.”

Thomas didn’t need to ask what she meant. He knew. Licking his lips, he said, “We don’t have time, do we?”

“Has she already started crying?” The woman asked cautiously.

Having heard the girl while talking to his son, Thomas felt the colour drain from his face. “Yes. Why? What’s going on with her, Tem?”

“After the tears comes the emotional lockdown. The probability of leaving casualties in her wake is already high. You need to get her out of there now,” Temperance revealed.

“I got you, Tem. I’ll be sure to get them out of the building before that happens. Does Declan know?” He questioned.

Temperance murmured, “Yes, he knows. I told Memphis to take her to your house as the silence and calm will help immensely. As long as it’s just them, there shouldn’t be an issue.”

******

Kennedy hiccupped, shaking as she sat on the floor against the wall. Her blue eyes were wide in fear and apprehension as she watched Memphis move a few things around. Having called Trace, he found out that there was a rear entrance that led to the hallway just outside the maintenance staff office. She was sure that their little misunderstanding a few minutes ago would end their relationship, but he stayed with her.

Watching him, she noticed how his shirt bulged over the muscles of his arms, riding up over the waistband of his jeans until she could glimpse his abs. The sight of his tightly toned body did things to her that she didn’t understand completely. Feeling lost in her own darkness, she felt his arms surround her, his body heat warming her chilled skin as he held her close.

“It’s okay, Kenni. I got you, baby. I’m right here with you and my father is on his way. We got this,” he whispered, smoothing his hand over her red locks.

Choking back another sob, she clenched her hands, bunching his shirt in her slender fingers. He pried one hand off, bringing it to his lips as he smiled softly at her. His eyes were clear, and his stance was calming.

She winced, “I’m sorry.”

“Ken, you have nothing to be sorry for. It’s a breakdown, not a breakup. You’re so strong, so don’t let this drag you down. This is one day, and you’re allowed to feel overwhelmed sometimes. You’re only human,” he whispered, pulling her onto his lap. Nudging the side of her head, he breathed a laugh.

Frowning, she shook her head, “I don’t know how you can do this.”

“I’m telling the truth, Kenni. Listen,” he moved, cupping her face in his hands as he stared into her eyes. “Listen to me, okay? You are the one person I can honestly say is practically unbreakable, but that doesn’t mean you don’t break. It doesn’t mean that you can’t sit down and let all that pain and anger out by having a good cry.”

Rolling her eyes, she fell back on her usual routine of using sarcasm to survive. “You’re a…”

His lips silenced her, numbing her mind for a few moments. When he pulled back, he smiled, pressing their heads together. “You of all people know how the team gets our s**t done. Baby, listen to me, okay? You’re spiteful, strong, and reliable. I love how you take charge, getting things done. You have the brains, beauty, and brawn to survive and look good doing it. This is just a setback. This is just your mind telling you that you need a timeout for a little while and rest for a bit.”

“I punched you,” she muttered.

“What? That little love tap was a punch? Get real,” he scoffed. His grin returned when she realized he was joking with her.

Minutes later, the door opened, the light from the main room temporarily blinded them. Powerful arms pulled her off the floor, holding her close as the familiar scent of her Thomas’s cologne filled her senses. His voice seemed distant as he carried her through the halls and out to the Jeep in the parking lot.

Someone handed her bookbag over, and another snapped the seatbelt in place as her mind shut down to cope with the darkness edging into her thoughts. She heard Jaxon and Nix arguing, heard Memphis shut it down, and she felt the softness of Andromeda’s hand smoothing back her hair as Skylar whispered soothingly to their friend.

Memphis watched the team flock to her side, happy she wasn’t fully alert. He was too late to stop Mark before the passenger door was slammed shut. The sound making his girlfriend jump in her seat, curling into herself as she whimpered. Grabbing his best friend, he shoved him out of the way.

“What the hell, Mark! I said gently shut the door, not slam it,” Memphis snarled.

Phoenix separated them, his eyes hardening. “Think about it, Mark. She’s living a nightmare in her head, lost in her dark thoughts, and you slammed the Jeep door. What do you think it sounded like to her?”

“Oh s**t,” Mark breathed. “I’m so sorry. I forgot.”

Lukas rolled his eyes, “Forgot? Yeah, just like you to forget that s**t. All muscle, and no brain? Are you sure you’re related to me?”

“Shut up,” his brother said darkly.

Sliding into the driver's seat, Memphis glanced at his friends. His gaze landed on Keith, who was wearing a worried expression. “What’s going on?”

Keith looked pointedly at the girl in the Jeep, “Is she okay?”

“She just needs some rest,” Memphis replied. An idea hit him, and he turned to Keith, “Mind doing me a favour?”

The other teen shrugged, “Yeah, sure. What do you need?”

“Bring my bike to my house after school?” Thinking he would deny the request, Memphis was slightly shocked when Keith agreed. “Thanks man. I’ll s-”

“You owe me nothing, Memphis. Just take care of Kennedy. By the way, if she’s up to it later, Ry wants to have dinner with her for her birthday.” The other teen said before he watched the pair drive off.