Sam got the job and Albert wrote up the contract. See he was smart; he knew when to hang on to people who did a good job. They spent a lot of time going over the different designs and textures for walls, cabinets, and flooring. Sam gets an idea of what Toby wants in his home before he leaves town. Allen listened to it all so he could make sure it all got done to his specifications. He was excited about the work he wanted done.
Living in Louise's home was easy. She gave Travis the guest room which had very little for him to get into. Toby got Stan's old room. Louise knew he could barely stand Frank, so she kept him out of his room. They spent a lot of time at the store weeding through the applicants for manager and teaching him the ins and outs of the business in depth.
One lady stood out, she had been an office manager for a distribution center. The overall manager of the company was arrested a few months back. It had been in all the news and the man had been so distraught about being held accountable for the thefts, he hung himself. From her side, she knew something was going on and had for a long time, but no one would listen to her or do anything. As she made a list of missing or stolen items, she was ignored.
When the owner finally showed up to find out why they weren't making money. She passed him the list that was two inches thick of single-line computer print read out. The manager tried to blame her, and she lost her job, but as the investigation went on, she was proven innocent. She began working there when she was seventeen in the distribution center working her way up to the office. She got her job and back pay but doesn't want to work there anymore. Not after so many bad things were said about her as everyone covered their butts.
She went to community college for an associate degree in business and was the main office manager for three years. She is divorced with a son who is twelve and everyone likes her. Toby noted she knew how to dress and was well-spoken. The job was offered after three weeks of looking.
*
Monica Harper was the new manager and Louise was busy teaching her the business. They had one month before Toby needed to be in LA. Sales were slow but it gave them just enough time to work each invoice together to ensure that Monica knew how to work the order. Louise found her quick, good with numbers, and above all willing to learn.
*
Toby commissioned Bob and his brother to move the customer service desk. He wanted to make extra floor space for a popcorn machine, kegerator, and wine cooler display. The newest game consoles were also to be sold there. The kids can fight over who will play on the new setup.
Just a few things a well-stocked home theater room needs. He took his cue from the many game rooms he had seen. So, over the weekend he and his brother downsized the counter and moved it back against the wall with three feet to move around behind it. They could still see the front door just fine Toby noted when he arrived a few minutes after opening. Louise was impressed and wondered why he hadn't suggested it to her. But the place was his now, she was just an hourly employee at this point.
The only problem was the flooring, Bob filled in the gap with plywood to keep people from tripping. Toby went out and bought a large area rug to cover the whole thing from Lowe's. He'll have Sam weave it together with the correct flooring as he has seen the flippers do on TV later. He thinks the rug gives it a homey look with the theater chairs displayed on it.
Word was out that Toby spent a lot of time at the store, so they had a lot of autograph seekers and as Missy called them lookie-loonies, or giggly girls, or more often women glaring. The only good thing is, sometimes they bought a system. The T's is what Alli calls them enjoy the attention. Toby enjoys flirting and Travis enjoyed amazing women when he spoke to them and did his own flirting.
For Liana, he was a sponge and retained everything he learned.
He had progressed to sixth-grade work, but she had diverted his focus. Louise has a baby grand in her home she used to play. Liana has had Travis working on playing the piano and sitting on phone books to be high enough to play. They found a teacher who works with him three times a week.
The woman thought it was a joke when she was asked to evaluate him. They were working on expanding his original piece and he was not interested in working on anything else. That was fine with Mrs. Lettie, Toby paid well. She would sit with him if they wanted and play what she was told. She explained the concept of music and the combination of cords as he worked on his composition to add more depth to it.
All he needed was longer fingers, she told his father. Taking his suggestion on the notes she played his haunting song as he told her the next note. Right now, he has three pages of his melody. Mrs. Lettie was impressed with his progress as Leila came in to take over the care of Travis. Between Liana, Mrs. Lettie, and the evenings with Leila, Toby had Travis covered. Everyone was making money. Travis was happy and Toby was able to spend some time with adults. And it appears he made back everything he spent that day by the movie ticket sales that were still going strong. It boggled his mind. Sure, it was good, but people were calling it a cult classic already. Some people claim they have seen it ten times as they look around the store.
*
He watched as the men bore holes into the ground as they prepared to level the house. There went all of the beautiful landscaping around the house he thought as other men dug out the holes to get under the house to level it. One man slipped under and then another as Toby freaked out. He thought the house was a slab house. The thought of being under there freaked him out. The other men passed them cinder blocks and jacks. It reminded him of videos of spiders snatching bugs as they passed by their layer and took them down in a hole to eat them.
*
With an audible groan, Toby watched as Frank, Louise's son drove up the driveway parking right behind his truck. "What the hell is he doing here?" Toby complained as he made his way downstairs. He hasn't called his mother for two months. Why is he here now? He didn't want to have an insane conversation with this fool. He and Travis were alone for the first time in a long time as he approached the house, Toby made his way downstairs. Liana was discussing her leave with the HR people at the school district office. Leila was with her mother packing for the move still. They only had a little left and then they would be out. Sam plans to tear the place apart once they are out.
*
"Hey Frank," Toby called out trying to be sociable as he let himself in.
"What are you doing here?" Frank demanded angrily.
"Your mother asked me to stay with her for a little while. I'm getting ready to move to LA to start a new movie."
"What happened to the fancy house?" Frank smarted back.
"That house belongs to the director, and he has a new group there and I felt it was time to go," Toby told him, wondering why he was being so hostile. He was being nice so what is his problem?
"You sure have wormed your way into my mother's life haven't you." Frank snidely said.
Toby wondered if Louise told him he bought the store. Was that why he was angry with him? "Hey, Frank, your mother wanted to sell the store and I paid her exactly what she wanted for it. I'm not taking advantage of your mother in any way. She plans to retire when she has trained our new manager."
"Our manager, what the hell are you sleeping with her too?"
"What! No man that is gross. She is like a mother to me. You're lucky to have her," Toby told him, hearing Travis at the top of the stairs. He looked up not wanting Travis to hear these idiots ranting.
"I know she is my mother, not yours."
"I'm not trying to steal your mother. She is a good woman. I bought the house next door so I can keep an eye on her. Frank, she is getting older fast. That is why I bought the store so she could retire and relax for a while. She wants to go to LA with us for a little while and I want her to be able to relax and enjoy life."
"Who do you think you are? She is my mother and that was my store," Frank said, so angry to the point Toby thought he was going to swing on him and prepared to block his fist. Toby thought this wouldn't be much of a fight because the man was a wimp.
"Your store? Interestingly, you never came there. She assumed you had no interest in the place or her, that is why she sold it to me."
"She has had no interest in me since you came along. Then I swing by to just see the old home and your damn truck is in the drive. You're taking over her life," he yelled and turned away. Toby thought he was going to leave. As he turned back, he held a small caliber handgun and pulled the trigger and Toby went down.
"Fuck you, you son of a bitch," Frank yelled and saw Travis standing on the stairs looking at him with fear in his eyes.
The pain in Toby's chest was killing him but he didn't move. He hoped this idiot would think he was dead and leave and hopefully not shoot him again. He prayed he wouldn't try to hurt Travis, or he would have to go after him or not. But damn this hurt.
Frank knew that baby couldn't say who did this being only one year old. He turned and left the house. The workers paid no attention to him as he got in his car and left. The amount of noise they were making with compressors masked the sound of the gunshot. He slunk away thinking he was free, and the son of a bitch was gone. Maybe his mother could return the money he paid for the business to the estate, and he could run it after all.
As the door closed Toby called out, "Travis get my phone." He could hear Travis running and hoped he would hurry, reaching up he felt where the pain was radiating from his chest, feeling the blood draining from his body he applied pressure with his hand and lay against the floor trying to hold the blood in. Praying he hurried, he remembered he hadn't made arrangements for Travis. Thinking he was invincible he put it off and now looked at him. Who would take care of him if he died? Tears came to his eyes as Travis charged towards him with his phone in hand. "Thanks, sweetie," he said and called Louise. He didn't know the address to even call for help.
"Hey, Toby, what do you need?" Louise chirped happily and he hated to bring her down, but he felt his life slipping away as blood pooled in front of his face. His breathing was becoming shallow, and he knew he didn't have long.
"Louise, I'm in the entry of your house. Frank shot me and I need help. I think I'm dying," Toby told her and listened as she screamed for someone to call 911.
"Oh my god, I'll be right there," taking the store phone from Monica she told the operator who was shot, the address for the ambulance, and who did the shooting. Sirens were already blaring from the local fire station a block away as the group locked up the store. They sent customers fleeing as they closed frantically to get to Toby.
*
The paramedics were working frantically on him; they had just closed the door to the rig when the girls charged the front of the house.
Linda was holding Travis as the paramedics worked on Toby. They came rushing out when they heard the sirens. She collected the frantic child. The Police arrived and Travis began telling the policeman what happened when he asked Linda. Toby had gone unconscious as they loaded him on the gurney.
The officer tried to hold them back. What they thought they could do was beyond them, but they were there and wanted to see what kind of shape Toby was in. Seeing the amount of blood on the floor they all began to freak as the ambulance pulled away sirens blaring.
"Where are you taking him," Liz called out, clinging to one another crying.
"Baylor the shot was to his heart and that is the best place," the police officer told them, sending them deeper into despair. The ambulance took off and the police had questions as Travis screamed for Alli the siren was scaring him badly. The poor thing was frantic as she took him from Linda.
"Frank shot my daddy, he called him a son of a bitch," Travis told her, hugging her neck, and tucking his head to block the sound. They both cried for his daddy.
"How does he know about someone being shot," Alli asked the sky above, a baby shouldn't know about such things.
*
At this point, about twenty people were standing in the drive and the police were questioning them all. The street was lined with police cars. This area doesn't have crimes, maybe a break-in or two, so every available police officer was there. When the call went out that the victim was Toby McBride, news vans were there within minutes.
Alli sat on the tailgate of Toby's truck holding Travis. He was a fountain of information shocking the officers with a recap of the conversation and how the shooting happened. Word for word he told them what was said and what he saw.
Liana showed up after receiving a frantic call from her mother. Travis lunged for her as she walked up unsure if she should get involved as she held him close. She was trying to comfort him as he quickly told her what happened to his father. The poor thing was frantic. Everyone knew Frank shot his father, Travis put it out for the world.
*
Toby was coming as they pushed him into the emergency department and the bumps jostled him awake. He heard all the talk about his vitals. They meant nothing to him. His biggest concern was Travis and who had him. His problem was he couldn't raise his head or open his eyes to ask a question. He was doing well to keep breathing. Is this what dying feels like he questioned? If so, it would be so easy to just slide right into that comfortable feeling.
He could leave all the pain behind, but who gets Travis? Next of kin popped into his mind and that would be his father. No way in hell was he going to let that happen. He started fighting for his life. He turned away from the bright light back to the black void of pain forcing air into his lungs. He had lived with pain his whole childhood and had been in pain and bruises he could handle. He just had to keep breathing. That was his goal. No way was he leaving Travis on his own. His main focus had to be to keep breathing.
"Call Doctor Master he has an emergency coming up to the O.R.," someone called out and that was the last he heard. He felt holes being poked in him and someone pressing on his chest as the blackness drew him back in.
*
He felt he may be winning; he saw no bright light. Beep, beep, filled his mind. He tried to lick his lips, but couldn't something was in his mouth. The taste of plastic fills his senses. Ok, whoever fixed me did a crappy job. I hurt too badly to be fixed up, filled Toby's mind as he woke up. A humming noise started, and something began to squeeze his arm. He groaned and then something began to squeeze his legs. What was that? He started moving and regretted it immediately. Letting out a groan someone stepped to the side of his bed and was messing with the buttons. He heard the beeping, and he was gone again.
He opened his eyes, and he thought he saw Candace standing at his bedside checking all the monitors and the black took him again.
Someone was talking. It was hard to make out what they were saying, but he knew it was Candace. He would know her voice anywhere. She had a sexy raspy voice and he could pick it out in a crowd. Why had that woman taken such a hold on him?
He is waking up, give him a few more minutes and he could do it. "Ten people are waiting to see him already," she told someone and gently brushed his hair to the side of his forehead. "He is still handsome, he'll be just fine," he heard her say.
"We'll check on him later, come on we need to let them know he is doing fine. That bullet missed all his vital organs by centimeters. He is a lucky man," A masculine voice assured her.
Toby heard them leave and was relieved to hear the man's opinion. He will be Ok and apparently still handsome according to Candace. Why did she have to be such a bitch? Whatever she did, put him out again.
*
They arrested Frank two days later for attempted murder. Louise called and talked to his soon-to-be ex-wife once she calmed down. She told Louise he had been erratic since Christmas complaining about Toby taking over his mother. She never expected him to take his jealousy that far. The poor woman was feeling so guilty for not calling and warning her how upset he was. But the man was upset about something all the time. How was she to know which one he would react to first?
Mike came along with five other executives and sat with Louise for about two hours. She thinks they only came to get the story straight and not lose their cash cow. Alli gave everyone a quick rundown of what happened. Later she did the same with the press who was camped out in front of the hospital.
Once they found out he would live Mike needed to call the Alien's people and tell them what happened. He shook his head at the absurdity of Louise's son's jealousy as had everyone else. What a waste of life, if he had shot him one inch to the left, he would be gone. As it was that strong peck muscle it absorbed most of the impact of the small caliber bullet they were told.
"Hey sweetie I was told you should be awake," Louise said, running her hand over his arm, cupping his cheeks. She was torn between being here for Toby or going to the jailhouse and seeing what was wrong with Frank. Stan called her several times to let her know his take on the situation. He was a lawyer but a corporate one. He has no idea what to do for Frank. He thinks he was working up the nerve to go to Louise to move back in with her. Then find Toby there and his hopes of managing the store are gone. In Stan's opinion, he just snapped. Louise couldn't tell if Stan was jealous of Toby too or not. They both must get over it was her attitude. Why he was carrying a gun was their biggest concern. Was he suicidal or looking for Toby?
*
"Come on Toby, Travis is with Linda. She and the girls are taking good care of him. He is very concerned with knowing you're Ok. He keeps insisting Linda call so he can talk to you. Come on Toby you're going to be fine. The bullet missed your heart, you're just sleeping because you're lazy," Alli said standing on the other side of the bed taunting him. She and Louise had been sitting in his room for the last eight hours. But once the nurse told them he should be waking up from his three-day sleep she started pressing him to wake up.
What she didn't understand is, if it was just a chest wound, why was he in surgery for twelve hours? That Candace had been keeping them updated on his progress dismissing his injuries. Then why is he hooked up to a dozen machines? He looked pitiful so vulnerable and Alli hated seeing him like that. He was Superman to her; he couldn't be injured.
With a quick jerk of his foot, Toby's eyes popped open. "Ok I hear you," he mumbled through the mask on his face. At least that plastic thing was out of his mouth so that was progress. So why is Alli yelling at him?
"Good now wake up and come back to us. We have been so worried," Louise told him, squeezing his hand on the other side of the bed.
"Travis," he called out using his remaining energy.
"Linda has him, he is fine but worried about you. I promised to call when you woke up." Louise told him.
"I can't think that painkiller is too strong," Toby complained as his speech slurred but he was fighting to wake up.
"Ok, we will talk to the nurse when she comes in. They're just trying to keep you comfortable. You have been moaning a lot."
He moaned again and said, "Because I'm trying to wake up." He finally opened his eyes and saw their concerned smiling faces. The urge to cry overwhelmed him, they cared. Reaching out his hand Louise took it and Alli reached for his other and they held hands as he got his emotions under control. Turning his attention to Alli he asked, "How are you?"
"Worried sick about my boss. Liz is in the waiting room. Monica left to take care of her son and Bob had installs today but he will be back. Right now, the store is closed due to illness,"
"Ok, but tomorrow back to normal, I'm not dying so open up," Toby told them.
"It is the slow time of the year, don't worry," Louise offered. "What about Frank?" he asked.
Louise cleared her throat and told him, "he is in jail. They picked him up the next day."
"You know I never meant to upset him," he told her in a long slur.
"We all know you didn't. He had some issues we didn't know about," Louise told him.
Slipping back to sleep for a little while. He woke again as if he hadn't fallen asleep and continued the conversation about the idiot Frank.
Shifting painfully in his bed he tried to sit up higher as Louise raised his bed using the bed control. Her phone rang and as she answered she said, "Travis" passing the phone to Toby.
"Yes, hello," Toby said, taking the mask off his face, so it didn't scare him with the muffled sound.
"Oh, Hi Linda, thanks so much for taking care of Travis.
Yes, let me talk to him," he said, sounding so much better to them. They knew he didn't want to worry Travis. It was taking everything he had in him to sound so healthy.
"Yes, it is me, sweetie."
"Are you Ok?" Travis asked, sounding so concerned.
"Yes, I'm doing better, they just wanted me to sleep for a while."
"That Frank was mean to you."
"I'm so sorry you saw that. Frank did something very wrong."
"He made a loud sound and yelled at you."
"I know it was a loud bang."
"Can I come and see you?"
"Sounds good, maybe tomorrow."
"You be ok by then?" Travis asked.
"Not all the way, but yeah, I'm sure Alli will bring you to see me," he said and smiled at Alli.
"I sleep with Leila."
"Oh, you did," Toby laughed and smiled whispering to Louise, "He said he slept with Leila last night.
"Well lucky you, Louise wouldn't let me," he said and watched Louise give him a sour face.
"I like her, she is good to me."
"Yes, she is so sweet to you."
"Morgan has a car, and I can drive it."
Toby heard someone call out 'he is the neighbor's boy,' giving him the specifics.
"The neighbor has fun. We will have to buy you one."
"Linda says I need to let you sleep."
"She is right, I'll see you tomorrow, be good, and don't get into the girls' stuff."
"I'm not, I'm being good."
"Good to hear because I know you're nosy." He laughed again as tears came to his eyes. He was so relieved to hear he was fine and well taken care of.
"Ok, you have a good night and kiss all the girls and tell them thanks for me."
"Ok, I will."
"Love you, baby," Toby told him.
"I'm not a baby, I'm big," he complained.
"Yes, you are my baby and will always be."
"No, I'm a big boy."
"Ok bye, big boy and thank you for getting my phone. That was very brave of you."
"Louise said Frank did a bad thing."
"I know he was mad, but you shouldn't hurt people."
"Leila told me that too."
"Yes, we can talk about it tomorrow," Toby told him he was completely worn out.
"Bye," Travis said so sweetly.
He held the phone to his ear a second longer letting the conversation soak in.
"Is he Ok?" Alli asked, watching his reaction to the conversation.
"He is fine. The neighbor to the left has a four-year-old with a motorized car and he got to ride in it earlier and wants one. But he is fine, just concerned that you're OK," Louise told him and Alli, again he grimaced as he moved.
Reaching up he felt the bandage over his chest. It was huge for a small bullet wound. He relaxed back and he was exhausted.
"The Doctor had to open you up to stop the bleeding. The bullet missed your heart but hit a major blood vessel. He took a vein out of your leg to replace it," Alli told him after Candace finally told her the truth earlier today.
"Masters did it?"
"Yes, and Candace has been in and out of here checking on you," Louise told him, "She has been very friendly. I can see what you saw in her. She is a beauty." Louise told him.
"Yes, too bad she doesn't act pretty."
"I brought your phone. I had to fight with the police to keep them from taking it as evidence. I proved Frank and you haven't been in touch, so they let me keep it. Missy has been freaking out since the news got to LA quickly and she is desperate to talk to you. She was going to fly out, but I talked her out of it. I told her you would be fine so do not make me a liar," Louise teased. "We also lied and told them Liana was Travis' mother. They believed us by the way Travis lunged for her when she came to see what happened. Otherwise, they were talking about calling child services. I told them no, we would get his mother here quickly, and Liana showed up and saved the day."
"Good thinking, they would have had him adopted out real quick. I'm sure the dark hair and curls helped."
"Yes, plus she is a good liar. She rolled into the role real easy. I'm going to get Liz she has been frantic to see you," with a quick clumsy kiss on the cheek Alli left the room.
"We have all been very upset. I'm so sorry Toby this is way beyond my craziest dream of what he could be thinking. He has only called me twice in the last three months. Both times were to vent about the divorce."
"So, you hadn't told him I bought the store," Toby asked, sounding exhausted.
"No, he hasn't called, and I figured he didn't give a damn about what I did. Did you tell him? Was that why he was so angry?"
"Yes, the way he was talking I thought he was mad about that. Apparently, he was just mad about me being around you," Toby said as Liz came in the door her concerned face changed as soon as she saw him kind of sitting up. Quickly she came to his bedside not knowing if she should touch him or not. Lifting his right arm to hug her she stepped into the one arm hug.
"So how are you doing?" she asked once the tear-filled hug ended.
"Groggy but good, my chest hurts, but they say I'll be fine. But Liz my chest won't be pretty anymore," he told her jokingly.
"Yeah no more sexy naked shots, the world is going to miss that," she teased back fawning over him. She ran the back of her hand over his cheek stubble smiling so happy to see he was doing better.
A light tap at the door brought Candace in. "Oh, I'm so pleased to see you're awake," she said walking towards the monitors but not happy he was sitting up so high.
Toby watched as she approached. This is the first time he had paid attention to the room. It was big and nice, and he wondered how much this was costing him. He must be getting better. He is worrying about money again. "I'm doing fine, could you back off the painkillers I'm looping?"
"Let's give it one more day. You have been through a lot."
"Last time you punched that thing I slept for hours don't do it again I need to be awake."
"No, you need to be sleeping so you can heal. Every time you move you pull against the stitches and your body needs a chance to heal. Today is for sleep," she told him, flashing that beautiful smile that caught his attention so long ago.
Sleep did sound good and whatever she did drew him back under quickly.
"He is going to be fine. He is doing well so go home and get some rest. Once he can get up and move around, he will be a handful so rest for now," Candace told them as Toby slept.
"We will see you tomorrow," Louise told her, happy to see she is still involved. She knew she wouldn't let anything happen to him. She saw it in her eyes the first time she came out to tell them how he was doing. As she spoke to them about his condition, her love and concern showed on her professional façade. He had gotten under her skin as he had the rest of them.