Chapter 44—Jade

Everyone is staying at our house. Raine stays in the hospital for two more days recovering enough to be released. He can talk again thankfully. Hope and I and Zack took turns staying with him when he was in the hospital. Dad had to deal with the Detectives and then he had to spend a day working. We are all sitting around our dining table eating our first real meal since everything happened. Raines grandfather had to leave this morning after he was released. But Zack and Dani are still here. They have been very supportive and helpful since they arrived. Raine seems really glad to have his Dad around. There is no awkwardness between Dani and Hope thankfully. They actually get along great. I hope they can continue to have a good relationship for the sake of Raine.

Detective Bennett is going to come by after dinner and give us the latest update on Ezekiel. Raine is in really good spirits even though he is in a lot of pain. It’s going to be a while before he can play guitar again. But the fact that Ezekiel will no longer be hunting them down has alleviated a lot of stress. He can concentrate on getting better instead of worrying about our lives being in danger. That is the best part. Zack has to be back in Los Angeles tomorrow, but Raine and I are planning a trip out there next weekend.

We all sit in the living room talking, laughing, and eating the dessert I made. I'm sitting next to Raine on the couch, and he is holding my hand. Just that simple act makes me happier than anyone can imagine. The freedom to love him without having to keep it a secret. Dad and I had a long talk while Raine was in the hospital. He gave us his blessing. But he doesn’t want us to rush into marriage for a while. I can live with that. Raine and I know that we will be together. And that’s what matters right now.

Zack pulls out Raine’s guitar and starts to play. I have never heard this one before. He’s singing and its beautiful. I am really listening to the words. It’s about Raine. About how he had lost him and then was united with him. The lyrics clearly state that he is talking about his child, his son. Hope and I both have tears in our eyes. This song is moving, heart wrenchingly beautiful. Zack is smiling now as he sings. When he’s finished he starts to talk about it. “I wrote this song after I found out Hope was pregnant. I didn’t really know what to do with all the feelings I had. So, I sang about it. But it was too personal for me to ever let anyone hear, other than Dani. When I found out you guys were alive, I started adding my feelings about that. I like that the song now has a happy ending. It’s much better than it ever was before, and I think I'm ready to release it. What do you all think?” Raine speaks first. “I loved it. I think it’s the best song I have ever heard of yours. You should definitely release it on your next album.” “I'm glad you feel that way because I would like to record it with you. Would you be interested?” Raine is smiling from ear to ear now. “Of course, I would. I would be honored.” I look over at Hope and I see that she is still crying. But they look like happy tears because she has a bright smile on her face.

Detective Bennett interrupts our little love fest when he arrives. He has lots of papers in his hands. He sits down and explains that Ezekiel is being held without bail. He is being charged with twelve counts of kidnapping. Twenty counts of child endangerment. Twenty counts of domestic abuse. And 3 counts of attempted murder. He is also going to be charged for stealing the money he took from Hopes father and the father of one of the other women. It turns out that some of the land the compound was on was not his and he will be charged for that too. It sounds like an open and shut case. They have loads of evidence against him and witness testimony from the women. We will also have to testify. He assures us there is no way he is getting out. He will be in a maximum security prison for life. And other prisoners don’t like men who abuse children. So, he won’t be having a very good time once he arrives there. He may wish at some point that Raine had killed him. But I know Raine is glad he didn’t. Ezekiel is getting what he deserved.