I’d never seen Garrett hurt anyone, and the way he was punching this guy scared me. The other guy got up and grabbed something from a car. When I saw he had something in his hand I screamed for Garrett to watch out, but the next thing I knew, he’d hit Garrett over the head. I watched as Garrett fell to the ground. I screamed out as loud as I could, and then I saw the lights. The police were pulling up from everywhere.
One of the guys called out, “Jimbo! The fuzz are here! We’ve got to go.”
I watched as one guy hit Billy three more times before finally letting him go. He dropped to the ground and began crawling over toward Garrett.
I jumped up and ran to Garrett, calling out, “Garrett! God, please no. No!”
All of a sudden, people were everywhere, and Garrett was being put into an ambulance. Billy had blood all over him, and Margie was standing off to the side, talking to the police. I started to make my way to the ambulance. A police officer grabbed my arm.
“Please let me go with him. He is my fiancé. Please,” I begged.
They shut the doors, and I watched the ambulance drive off.
“Miss, I promise, I will drive you to Brackenridge myself. I just need you to answer a few more questions. Did you know any of the other men?”
I wrapped my arms around myself to try to calm my shaking body. I shook my head. “I’ve never seen them before in my life.”
“So, you’ve never seen them before at this dance hall?” the officer asked.
Then, I remembered one of them had said a name. I spun around to face the policeman. “Jimbo—that was what one of the guys called out. Jimbo was the one who walked out with Margie.”
The police officer shook his head. “You just gave me everything I needed. I know exactly who they are. Jimbo Duran has been causing trouble for us for the last six months. We didn’t have anything to use to put him in jail, but with the assault on your fiancé and his brother, we do now.”
Margie walked up. “He told me he was taking me to a frat house.”
I glared at her. “This is your fault.”
She went to open her mouth to talk, but she shut it.
I shook my head and started pointing my finger at her. “I will never forgive you for this—ever!” I screamed.
Billy came up and took me in his arms. “Emma, it’s okay. Garrett is going to be okay.”
I tried to push Billy away. “He is not waking up, Billy. He. Is. Not. Okay!”
Margie began crying. “Em, I’m so—”
“Don’t call me Em! Only Garrett calls me that. Don’t you dare call me that.”
The officer took me gently by the arm and began walking me to his car.
I looked back and shouted, “I hate you, Margie. I hate you!”
I jumped when I felt someone touch my shoulder.
“Daddy!” I said as I jumped up and into his arms. “Oh, Daddy, no one is telling me anything, and they won’t let me in there to see Garrett. Please just tell me he is okay.”
“Emma Rose…calm down, okay? Garrett is going to be all right. He does have some big injuries, but he’ll be okay.”
I began crying as I nodded my head. “What kind of injuries?”
“Well, he is very lucky that he didn’t really get injured when they hit his head. Billy said Garrett moved at the last second, and they barely caught him, but they did hit him again when he was down.”
I tried to think back to when it had happened. “Daddy, I don’t remember them hitting him when he passed out.” I thought for a second and then looked at my father. “I did look away at Billy though.”
My father nodded his head. “Emma, I need you to sit down, okay?”
I started shaking from head to toe, and then I felt someone grab a hold of me. I turned around. “Julia!” I threw myself into her arms.