Chapter 27 Sirens in the Distance

Chapter 27 Sirens in the Distance
Susan was curled on the floor with hands clutching her belly, face pale and slick with sweat,and breathing in short, panicked bursts. Lilly knelt beside her,and laid one arm around her sister's shoulders, the other pressing her phone to her ear, voice cracking as she shouted into it.

"Yes….labor….premature…hurry! She's six months old .... Contractions started ..please!!!"

Mom was on her knees a few feet away, rocking back and forth, hands over her ears, sobbing soo hard her whole body shook. "It's my fault... my fault..." The words came out in broken gasps, barely audible over the chaos.

Robbinson stood in the center,with gun still in his hand,his finger was off the trigger now, but shaking like he might change his mind any second. His face was a wreck,his nose bleeding from my punch, eyes wild, tears mixing with the blood.

The dominance he'd tried to force had crumbled completely; the sleazy charm was gone, replaced by raw, desperate panic. "I can't... I can't let this out," he muttered, almost to himself. "The business... the family... every godforsaken thing..."

Ruby had backed against the wall, one hand on her belly,and the other raised like she was trying to calm a wild animal. "Robbinson,put it down. Please. For the baby. For us."

He swung the gun toward her slowly, unsteady. "You... you did this. You chose him. My son. You have been fucking shit outta my son damn it Ruby"

I stepped between them, hands up. "Robbinson,don't. You don't want this."

He let out a broken laugh. "Want? I never wanted any of this,all I wanted was a family. A name. Respect,and now look at what happened. Affairs,lies,abuse, incest,my blood in all the wrong places." His voice cracked. "I should've ended it years ago."

The gun swung back toward his own temple, with his finger tightening on the trigger.

"No!" Mom lunged forward, grabbing his wrist. "Don't! Please,think of the children! Susan, Lilly, Richy, and the babies…"

He shoved her away,gentle enough not to hurt, but firm. She stumbled back,and fell against the couch. "Let me go, Annie. Let me fix it the only way left."

I moved closer. "You pull that trigger, you destroy them all anyway. Susan and Lilly are already carrying trauma,and the babies are your grandkids,growing up without you. Ruby... me... Mom. You think that's fixing anything?"

His eyes met mine. Wet and lost. "I regret it, Richy. The cheating,the hiding and letting Humphrey... I should've stopped him,I should've claimed you. Susan. But I was a coward,Sleazy, Remorseful in flashes. Now it's too late."

The gun trembled,his finger white on the trigger.

Susan groaned from the floor. "It hurts... bad... they're coming too fast..."

Lilly: "The ambulance….sirens…I hear them!"

Distant wail, faint at first, then growing. Blue-red lights flickering through the curtains.

Robbinson's eyes flicked to the window. "Police..."

He looked back at us,and gun lowered an inch. "They'll arrest me and expose everything. The abuse records,the affairs,the pregnancies. My name is ruined. Business and family gone!!!."

Ruby stepped forward. "Then don't give them the chance. Put the gun down,let's face it together."

He shook his head. "I can't. The shame..."

I took another step,close enough to smell the scotch on his breath. "You think suicide fixes shame? It multiplies it and leaves the kids…your kids,to carry it alone. Susan and Lilly are already broken. The babies... innocent. You pull that trigger, you're the final monster in their story."

His hand shook harder, with gun wavering between his head and the floor.

The sirens were louder and closer now.Tires screeching outside.

Robbinson's face crumpled. "I don't know how to live with this."

"Then live with it," I said. "Fight it, Own it,But don't quit."

He stared at me,his son. Bloodshot eyes searching mine,then at Ruby, at Susan and Lilly, still huddled on the floor.

The gun lowered. It dropped from his fingers and clattered on the hardwood.

He sank to his knees, with Sobs tearing out of him. "I'm sorry... God, I'm sorry..."

I kicked the gun away,under the couch.

Sirens were right outside. Red-blue flashing through the windows.

Doors slamming. Voices shouting. "Police! Open up!!!”

Mom stumbled to the door and opened it.

Officers rushed in,guns drawn. "Hands up! Everyone!"

We complied,and raised our hands. Chaos shifting from family war to legal nightmare.

Paramedics pushed past and went straight to Susan and Lilly.

"Ma'am—contractions?"

Susan nodded, gasping. "Six months... hurts..."

They worked fast.Stretchers,monitors. "We need to get them to the hospital. Now."

Lilly: "Both of us?"

"Preterm labor possible,stress induced. Come on."

They loaded Susan first. Lilly followed, holding her hand.

Robbinson stayed on his knees,while the Officers cuffed him. "Sir—you're under arrest for the firearm…"

He didn't resist, just sobbed. "I deserve it."

Ruby watched,face pale, with hands on her belly.

Mom turned to me,with red eyes . "Richy..."

I looked at Ruby. Then the door,and Paramedics rushing the girls out. Sirens wailing.

The climax peaked,mutual destruction threats hanging. Robbinson broken. Family in pieces.

I made the choice. Quietly and desperately.

"Ruby," I whispered. "We run."

She looked at me. Eyes wide. "What?"

"Tonight. Before police dig deeper,before charges. We take the baby and start over,somewhere else."

She hesitated. Then nodded. "Okay."

Immediate aftermath: Paramedics gone. Officers questioning everyone. Robbinson in cuffs. Mom crying. Susan and Lilly en route to hospital.

I slipped to Ruby. "Pack light. Meet me at the park in an hour."

She nodded and slipped out the back.

I waited and watched the chaos,then left,into the night with sirens fading behind.