It’s been the longest two days in history. I have been poked, prodded, X-rayed, and had nothing to eat but bland hospital food. My anxiety is through the roof. Once the doctor agrees I can go home, Zoe, who thinks she’s funny, helps me get dressed in a pair of comfy yoga pants, a Bob Marley t-shirt, and a boot on my foot. I hold the pair of dreaded crutches I’ll be walking on for the next six or so weeks across my lap while Zoe wheels me down the halls and toward the front door in the mandatory wheelchair. I’m so glad to be out of here, they could have wheeled me out on a gurney naked, and I wouldn’t have cared.

We reach the front door and come to a stop. Parked in front of me is a Tahoe with the back door open. North is leaning against the door with his arms crossed at his chest. I look over my shoulder to Zoe. “What is he doing here?” Zoe pats my head and I roll my eyes.

North pushes away from the truck and walks over to us. He leans down, taking the crutches out of my lap and passing them to Zoe. Before I can protest, he picks me up bridal style and carries me over to the waiting truck. “I’m here because I want to be, sweetheart. You’re going to need help getting in and out of a vehicle for awhile. Consider me your legs until you’re better.” He winks before gently placing me inside.

Zoe puts the crutches on the floor, then gets into the front seat. I can’t buckle the seatbelt because I’m sitting sideways, but I realize I don’t need to. North drives like a granny. Seriously, I don’t think the man drove over thirty miles an hour the entire way home. Bless his heart.

When we pull up at my house, I’m not surprised to see Ridge’s truck out front. North opens my door and once again, picks me up like a bride. He slowly carries me to the front door that is now open with the remaining three Michaelson brothers standing there. North stops, giving me a moment to look all of them over. For the first time in a week, I finally feel like I can breath. We have a lot to talk about, major decisions to be made, but something tells me everything is going to work out just like it was meant to.

Cash breaks up my deep thoughts when he grabs me out of North’s arms. “How are you feeling, Pretty Girl? I hope you’re hungry.”

At that comment, my stomach decides to let everyone know just how hungry I am. Cash walks me toward the kitchen and I smell it before I see it. Vagina Tandoori Indian Cuisine. My mouth waters at all of the food laid out on the kitchen counter. Cash kisses my forehead and sets me down on one of the barstools. “I’ll get you a plate.”

Oren walks in. “I’ll get some drinks.”

“It’s good to see you at home, Hot Lips.” Ridge leans into me and brushes a kiss across my lips.

“Boys, there’s time for all of you to be touchy feely later. My girl needs to eat then take a shower.”

I glare at Zoe and she just shrugs her shoulders. “What? You’ve only had a sponge bath for two days. You need some deep scrubbing.”

I drop my head on the counter. I lift my head when I hear chuckling. “Sorry, Alley Cat.”

I glance back at Zoe. “Glad you think this is funny. I have to have help getting in and out of the shower. Guess who drew the short straw on that one, bestie?”

“I don’t remember drawing straws. Did I miss this?”

Oh, Oren. “No, you didn’t miss it. I was joking.”

Oren clears his throat. “Well, I did read that you need to stay off of your foot, so you’re going to need help getting around. I would be more than happy to help you get in and out of the shower.” Oren is grinning at me and my mouth drops open. “Ouch! What the hell was that for, Ridge?”

“That was to shut you up. If Alice needs help, she can ask us. She just got home, Oren. Give her at least an hour before you start propositioning her.” Ridge shakes his head at his brother. He comes over to me, running his hand across my back. Whispering in my ear, “I’m more than happy to help you, Hot Lips.” I bat Ridge away, laughing for the first time in a while.

“It’s okay, boys. I have a shower seat, so I should be fine.”

I laugh again at all of them pouting.

“Wait. Where’s Dobey?” I ask while looking around.

“He’s still at Ben’s house. I wasn’t sure how long it would take to check you out of the hospital. He promised to bring him home first thing in the morning.”

“I can’t wait to see him. Zoe, I think I’ll move into my dad’s room until I get this stupid boot off. That way I don’t have to go up and down the stairs.”

“I’ll go grab you some clothes to wear after the shower, and maybe tomorrow one of the guys can take you up to your room to pack a bag,” she says as she heads up to my room.

I look up and the Michaelson brothers are staring at me. “Do I have food on my face or something?”

North rubs the back of his neck. “Alice. We need to apologize.”

I hold up my hand stopping him. “Hold up. We’re all to blame. Y’all just tossed me out without giving me a chance to explain. I need to know that if we continue our relationship, we will always communicate. I realize that I lied to you, but it wasn’t just my secret to tell. It involved Zoe and the ladies at the apartment, also.”

Oren speaks up. “We understand. Zoe explained the situation, and we feel bad about the way we reacted. We’ve talked and we hope you’re willing to continue being with us.”

“Honestly, I haven’t wanted anything more in my life. The whole time I was held captive, I just prayed that I would be able to see y’all again,” I say as tears roll down my face.

Oren scoops me up into a hug and I can feel his whole body shaking. Ridge moves in behind me and hugs us both. I’m in a twin sandwich and my dirty mind immediately goes back to my shower dream. Lord help me.

Zoe clears her throat. “Ok guys. Al needs a shower and some rest. Why don’t y’all come by tomorrow.”

The twins reluctantly let go of me. North hugs me and gives me a kiss on the temple while Cash squeezes my hand. All the guys say their goodbyes and Ridge volunteers to come back tomorrow to help me move my stuff downstairs. Exhaustion is setting in fast and I barely make it out of the shower before I crash.

I’m woken the next morning by a slobbery tongue and dog breath. “Dobey! Hey baby, did you miss your mama? I sure missed you.” I rub his head and he rolls over begging for a belly rub.

Zoe walks in and plops down on the bed. “That dog has been going crazy since you disappeared. Haven’t you, big boy?”

“I’m starving.”

The doorbell rings and Dobey jumps up to investigate. Zoe follows behind him. “Stay put, I’ll see who’s here.”

“Where do you think I’m going to go, Zoe?!” I shout at her back.

A few minutes later Zoe, Dobey, and Ridge walk into my room, but the only thing I can focus on is the smell of coffee.

“I come bearing gifts,” Ridge says while holding up a bag and a drink holder filled with cups of coffee.

I sit up and hold out my hands. “Come to mama.”

Ridge smirks at me. “Sure thing, Hot Lips.”

“I was talking to the coffee.”

Ridge hands Zoe the goodies and scoops me up bridal style carrying me into the kitchen. He sits me down on a bar stool while Zoe hands me a cup of yummy goodness.

“Eat up and then I’ll carry you upstairs to get your things. Unless you want me to go upstairs and pack up your underwear for you.” Ridge grins and wags his eyebrows at me.

“Don’t you dare.”

I grab a biscuit with cheese and sausage out of the bag, eating it quickly just in case he’s serious about packing up my stuff without me. Lord help me if he finds my Rocket Rabbit.

He carries me up stairs and is surprisingly respectful while I grab everything I think I’ll need for the next week or so. I’m packing the last few items from my bathroom when the doorbell rings.

“Are you expecting company?”

“Not that I know of. Maybe it’s for Zoe?”

“Al! You’ve got company,” Zoe yells up the stairs.

Ridge picks me up. “Let’s go see who it is. I’ll come back for your stuff.”

I hear giggling as we come down the stairs. Sally, Vicki, Stella, and Erica are all standing there with casserole dishes in their hands and looking at us with envy.

Sally is the first to speak. “Oh, Alice, we’re are so happy you’re safe. I feel so responsible. Detective Duff stopped by with some questions and he told me that you were very brave. You could have given me up at anytime and saved yourself.”

Ridge sat me down on my feet and Zoe hands me my crutches. I reach over and give Sally a tight hug. “I told you that I would keep you safe and I meant it. You’re family now. All of you are.” Both of us break down sobbing and I realize I do have a true family. I may have lost my mother and father, but I have Zoe, the Michaelson brothers, and all my girls.

Erica, Vicki, Stella, and Sally put their dishes in the fridge. Apparently in the south it’s a tradition to bring a casserole when visiting a hurt or sick friend. Who knew? We have a nice visit, but my energy is leaving me fast. I notice Stella is acting strange and fidgeting a lot.

“Stella, are you okay?”

She looks to Sally before answering my question. “Zoe told us that we are no longer selling FLAG.” She looks down in her lap and when she looks back up at me, I see fear that I haven’t witnessed since the first day we met. “We’re all wondering where that leaves us now. No one wants to move, but we know we can’t afford the rent and other expenses you were paying when we worked with you.”

“My brothers and I actually have an idea about this.” I glance at Ridge, wondering what he and the rest of the Michaelson brothers have up their sleeves. “Meet us at the lobby in the warehouse tomorrow morning at nine. Just make sure all the ladies are there.”

Sally nods. “Of course. I’ll have them all downstairs waiting for you.”

Ridge claps his hands together. “Perfect. Alright, Alice is starting to look a little worn out–” I smack him in the gut “–Ouch! As I was saying, Alice needs to rest and we have a busy day tomorrow. Thank you all for stopping by.”

The ladies all stand and start toward the front door. “Sally,” Ridge calls out. “Take my card. If you need anything or if there’s a problem getting everyone there in the morning, be sure to call.” Ridge pulls a business card out of his wallet and passes it to her.

“Thanks, Ridge. I’ll see you guys in the morning,” Sally tells him.

We wave them off and I lay back in the couch, suddenly exhausted. Ridge sits down beside me and I voice my concern about tomorrow. “Ridge, I don’t know what you and your brothers have in mind, but I already had a plan for them once we stopped selling FLAG on the streets.”

“I’m sure you did, but we thought…”

I stop him right there. “Y'all thought? We just went through this. You just assume you know everything, but none of you ask me anything. I had plans for them. I was sending them to school or whatever they wanted. You can’t just walk in here and start making plans and overriding everything I’ve already done.” I’m practically panting by the time I’m finished.

“Can I speak now?” Ridge turns, grabbing both of my hands in his. “Zoe told us all about your plans. Actually, Zoe yelled it at us. We wanted to do something to help you, and to show you that we’re sorry and are behind you no matter what you do.” He squeezes my hands. “We’ve purchased tablets for all the ladies. Our intention is for the ones who are interested in going to college to take the test that determines where they will need to start. The ones that have other plans will work with us to get started on the right path. We don’t want to overrun you, Alice. We just want to be there with you.”

Damn those Michaelson brothers.

I lean over and kiss Ridge on the lips. “I’m sorry I jumped to conclusions.”

“It’s alright. We all need to work on trusting each other more. Especially if we want this relationship to work.”

“You’re right. I’ll start talking to you guys more, and y’all need to have a little more faith in me.”

I yawn and my eyelids begin to get heavy. Ridge picks me up and begins to carry me to Dad’s old room. He kicks the door closed behind him, placing me on the bed. I watch him take off his boots and proceed to lay down beside me. “You need to rest, and I just need to hold you.”

I burrow as close to him as I can and close my eyes, letting the beating of his heart lull me to sleep.