Incest/Taboo Miracle Cream

"Just telling it like it is," Cory stated with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Please, Cory, can we not discuss this right now?"

"Sure," Cory muttered consuming the rest of his meal in silence.

"Is he alright?" Delilah asked, in a worried whisper. "Are you alright?" she inquired when Celeste was putting up a brave front but knew if she was alone she would be in tears at that moment.

"I-I'm fine, thank you for asking," Celeste replied in a kind tone loading up the platter with the cut raw onions, leaves of lettuce, and the sliced tomato.

"This isn't healthy for you or him. Have you thought about seeing a family therapist?" Delilah asked, in a professional voice.

"I... think we're beyond the point where that would help us," Celeste admitted wiping the fallen tears from her eyes.

"Would you mind if I talked to him?" Delilah asked, placing a hand on her arm.

"I'd mind," Cory said, cutting in. "They made this mess, they just don't like the finished product," he uttered eyeing the woman.

"Where are you going?" Celeste asked, as she carried the tray to the table watching her son walking towards the door after tossing his empty food box into the trash.

"To stare at the ocean, only have three days before my spring break is over and I have to work the rest of it," Cory said, as he exited the house.

"I don't mean to pry but has there always been this animosity between you four and Cory?" Delilah asked, as she helped to set the table. She watched how Celeste pressed her lips together, trying to hold it together in front of someone she just met. Celeste couldn't say the words so she let her nod answer for her.

"Honey?!" Jairo's laughing voice stilled as he noted the look in his wife's eyes. Quickly setting the tray down on the stove top that held the now done burgers, that hot gooey cheese escaping in a few places. "Baby, what's wrong?" he whispered as Celeste buried her face in his chest.

"He's leaving us for good," Celeste said, fighting to hold back her tears.

"Nothing we can do about that right now," Jairo spoke after a few minutes to wrap his head around it. Not seeing Cassy and Sam just looking at each other and shrugging nor did they see Dayana's and Zoe's downcast eyes at what their mother's words meant. "Where is he?"

"He said he was going to stare at the ocean," Delilah chimed in.

"I'll bring him..."

"No... no, leave him be, I'll be okay, it just hit me hard is all..." Turning her head when they heard Cory's loud curses from outside their rental home.

"Wait here," Jairo said, moving past his wife and towards the front door. Only to have Cory's loud, thunderous 'Fucking cocksuckers!' filling the house as he opened the door. "Cory, whose fucking and who is the cocksuckers?!" he asked, trying to be upbeat about it, noting the anger in his son's eyes, not at him just anger in general.

"Fucking Nebraska," Cory spat out.

"What did they do?" Keeping the door open so his wife could hear their son's words.

"Fuckers turned me down?!"

"How do you know that?" Jairo asked, keeping his smile from his lips knowing his son wouldn't be leaving them as soon as they thought.

"Mrs. Nunes saw the letter in the mail today and she just called me when she picked up the mail."

Jairo nodded in understanding given that is what they had asked her to do while they were gone. "I'm sorry to hear that you didn't get in, maybe you'll hear from the others you sent out soon."

"Maybe," Cory grumbled as he plopped down in the chair on the porch.

"Come inside when you're ready," Jairo said, in a fatherly voice. Patting his son's shoulder lightly before heading back inside. Seeing Celeste fighting back her smile at the news as was he.

Cory contemplated his next move as he heard the conversation happening inside that the walls and panes of glass didn't absorb. Pulling out his phone again and bringing up the student portal for Idaho State. Typing in his name and password, he hadn't checked it or his last out of state college he had applied to yet given that he didn't think they'd send out acceptance letters so soon. Now that he had gotten one, he saw no need to delay the inevitable.

"No, no, no!" Cory hissed, when Idaho State had waitlisted him and Utah had deferred him. Yet, by now, they should have made their choice, so he knew Utah was a lost cause. Surging from his seat, beginning to pace along the porch knowing there was only one college left and he loathed to check it. Knowing if he did get in he would be stuck in state with his family. A family he was hellbent on getting the hell away from. Nevertheless, working part time at the local Hardees didn't pay enough to make his great escape from his home life. So he had to ask himself a very, very, very hard question. Did he want to go to college or just go to a trade school? Whereas college would cause him to have another four years being around them, or the two it would take to become a welder, or the four to become an electrician. Either way that would still mean years. "No!" Cory screamed out when he brought up UNC student portal and there in green, bold letters 'Accepted' greeted him. Stomping out into the yard, "Do you get off fucking up my life?! Huh?! Do you?!" he cursed the heavens as he shouted out at the sky. "Haven't you done enough to me?!"

"Cory, why..." Celeste appeared in the doorway of their rental home, turning her head when she saw his phone on the seat of the chair. Not believing her eyes when she saw those eight green letters on his screen. Squealing in joy as she danced in place as her eyes quivered at this wondrous news. "Baby!" Celeste cried out as she ran towards her son. "You got in!" she exclaimed throwing her arms around his neck, her momentum caused them to spin around in place. "I'm so happy," Celeste whispered into his neck as she pressed her 32D breasts into his chest as she held her son tightly to her.

"Mom?! What's going on?" Dayana asked, from the doorway.

"You're brother got in. He's going to UNC!" Celeste said, joyously.

"Really?!" Dayana asked, in disbelief as she heard her father and sister getting up from their seats at the dinner table.

"Mmmhmm," Celeste hummed as she walked hurriedly with Cory's phone in hand and up to her to show her daughter just what she had seen. "Isn't that great news, honey?" she asked, smiling at Jairo.

"Of course, it is," Jairo said in a light hearted manner, yet the question remained why did it appear his son did not like hearing that news.

"Now we have the time to fix what we broke," Celeste whispered to Jairo and their daughters.

"That's kind of up to him, dear," Jairo spoke nodding to how Cory was taking the news. "Come on, let's give Cory time to calm down," he said, seeing his wife nod in understanding as she took hold of his hand.

"So you go to UNC too?" Cassy asked when Dayana sat back down at the table.

"We do, you live on campus?" Dayana asked, taking a sip of her Samuel Adams Bavarian lager that Sam was kind enough to share with them.

"Oh, no," Cassy said, wrinkling her nose at the thought. "I stay with my folks in Morris Grove. What about you?"

"Durham, and we mooch off our folks too," Zoe said, shooting her mother a smirk from the foot of the table when she released a 'Hmpf!'

"What are the odds of that?!" Sam asked, shooting Jairo a friendly smile.

"Remind me to buy a lotto ticket," Jairo spoke peering over at his wife who rested her hand on his forearm and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"So, how long have the two of you been married?" Delilah asked, taking a bite of Celeste's coleslaw.

"Twenty-four years," Celeste said, lovingly, brushing her thumb along Jairo's forearm. "We've had tough times, and really, really good times, but we stuck it out together."

"How long have the two of you been married?" Celeste asked, returning Delilah's question.

"Ten years," Sam spoke up looking over at his wife who was leaning against him.

"My first husband was an abusive prick, took me some time to wise up that he was never going to change. So, I had to, it was a struggle with raising Cassy on my own at first, I was so thankful for my friends who pitched in when they could see me struggling with running everything and working two jobs just to keep the lights on. Then when Cassy was about to turn eleven, I met this adorable man here," Delilah said, "and I couldn't be happier."

"Were you married before you met Delilah?" Jairo asked, taking a bite of his burger, or what was left of it.

"For a brief moment in time I was," Sam said, shadows playing along his face at what he had lost so long ago. "It was a freak accident, one of those times you just pulled the wrong straw, if you know what I mean," he spoke looking at the both of them.

"What happened?" Dayana asked, taking an interest.

"She was struck by lightning," Sam said, truthfully.

"I'm so sorry, that must have been so hard for you," Celeste uttered in sympathy.

"It was, but then I met Delilah. I think I was given a second chance." Which earned him a round of 'Awes' from Celeste, Dayana, and Zoe, and blushing cheeks from Delilah.

"Stop it, Sam," Delilah stated bashfully.

"I'm surprised we haven't run into each other on campus yet, what're your majors?" Cassy asked, eager to build a rapport with the two of them.

"Economics," Dayana stated.

"Education," Zoe piped in.

"Huh? Didn't take you for the teaching type. I know the high school guys are just going to love you," Cassy said, with a flirty smirk.

"Good thing I'm going for the special needs class, at least then they'll learn something that's not printed on my tits or ass," Zoe retorted causing Cassy to burst out in laughter and her father to shake his head at her.

"Zoe, do be careful with your words. You don't want to give this poor old man a heart attack, now do you?" Delilah asked, teasing her husband as she rubbed his back.

"What about you?" Dayana asked, her eyes flickering over to the door as it inched open.

"I'm training to be a nurse," Cassy said, before draining the last of her beer. "Want me to get you another, Dad?" she asked, looking around her mother. Watching how Sam tipped his glass towards himself.

"Sure, thanks, sweetheart," Sam said, not saying a word he noted how Celeste was slyly eyeing her son as he noted how her son just fell into the chair by the door from the corner of his eye.

"Cory, you know we have plenty of food left if you're still hungry," Jairo said, turning in his seat. Arching an eyebrow as his son's head rested on the top of the head rest peering up at the ceiling like a zombie.

"What I want isn't going to happen. So why bother?" Cory muttered.

"Son, I know you're upset about Nebraska, but what about the other schools you applied too?" Jairo asked, trying to repair the foundations of their relationship that they had spent the past five years destroying.

"Deferment and waitlisted, so they'll just string me along without the courtesy of dinner before the circle jerk," Cory stated in a dispassionate tone.

"Well, that's a visual that I never wanted," Cassy uttered handing her father another beer. "So you didn't get in, it's not the end of the world. Plus why would you want to go to a school so far away?"

"Who are you again?" Cory asked, without looking at Cassy.

Cassy felt her cheeks heating at that indifferent tone of his. "I'm just saying UNC isn't a bad school. You'll save tons of money staying with your folks."

"You assume that's something I want, you know what they say about assumptions, Ms. Pixie Queen," Cory said, rudely.

"Cory?!" Celeste gasped. "Apologize, right this second?!"

"Why? Please enlighten me on which word I used that was vulgar? For I don't recall using any such word," Cory muttered.

"So I'm a Pixie, huh? Got to say that is a name I haven't been called before. Don't know if I like how you say it though," Cassy said, taking a sip of her beer as her eyes lingered on Cory's body.

"Don't really care either way," Cory shrugged his shoulders. "Now where's my cellphone?"

"You'll get it back tomorrow," Celeste stated in a motherly voice. "You're being rude to our..."

"You're guests, not mine, I didn't warrant a plate at your dinner party remember?" Cory stated finally looking at his mother. "Kind of makes you wonder why we're not close, huh?"

"Fine, Cory, if you can't be polite, go to your room," Jairo said, in a stern voice.

"Don't mind if I do," Cory spoke pushing himself out of the chair. "If you find my words rude, I apologize, for what I do not know. Pixie," he nodded before walking off to his room.

"Man, you weren't lying; he is an ass," Cassy stated looking back at Dayana. "Who pissed in his Cheerios?"

A knock came upon his door as he was lounging on his bed reading 'Catcher in the Rye' for his English class. "Yeah?" Cory answered not bothering to peer at whomever it was that stood in his doorway.

"Sorry to bother you, but your mother said there was a bath..." Her voice stilled as Cory simply pointed to the door. "Would you mind?"

"Depends on if it's number one or two?" Cory answered as he turned the page.

"Two, I'm afraid," Delilah muttered embarrassingly.

"Turn the fan on when you're done," Cory said, walking out of the room with his book in his hand. His green eyes moved around the living room, then up the stairs when he heard laughter coming from the second floor. So he knew his sisters were with their new friend. Looking around for his parents when he noted the cleared kitchen table. Not hearing either one of them around Cory just opted to wait on the couch so the smell would clear out before he went back to his room.

"Thank you for letting me use your restroom," Delilah spoke walking into the room. Seeing his nod as she walked over to the chair. "Cory, I'd like to speak with you, just the two of us," she said softly, getting comfortable in her seat. "I'll start," Delilah uttered when Cory remained silent and only turned a page in his book. "I'd like to address this anger you have. It's not healthy for a boy your age to be pent up with it."

"Uh-huh."

"I'd like to help you work through it if you'll let me," Delilah said, in a warm tone.

"Who are you, and what business is it of yours?" Cory asked, finally looking over at her.

"I'm Dr. Mathews but you can call me Delilah," she said, flashing him a smile.

"Great, a shrink, just what I need," Cory groaned.

"Yes, it seems you do," Delilah stated with a nod. "Would you like to tell me why you're so... confrontational with your family?"

"You like to tell me why you let your daughter ruin a perfectly good band shirt?" Cory retorted dodging her question.

"She bought it, why couldn't she do what she wanted to it?" Delilah replied with an arched eyebrow.

"They caused this, ask them, now if you'll excuse me..."

"I'll just follow you around until we get to the bottom of this," Delilah stated cutting him off. "After all, I do have three whole days to devote to this. So you might as well just get this off your chest or you can expect me to be your constant shadow."

"Have fun with that," Cory said, getting up from his seat. "What the...?!" He cursed when a hair tie struck him in the back of the head. Turning to look back at her, Delilah wasn't even trying to hide her smile from him.

"So you're not quick to anger yet take every opportunity to show it. Interesting."

"I'm so happy I could amuse you," Cory said, sarcastically.

"Sarcasm. I bet you rely on that a lot to keep people at bay, am I right?" Delilah asked, with a twinkle in her eye. "Do you find that it makes yourself feel superior to those around you when you do?"

"What kind of psychobabble are you trying to pull here?" Cory asked, crossing his arms.

"I see, closing yourself off. Protecting yourself. Have you had to do that a lot?"

"What business is it of yours?"

"Personally, it's not, but I saw how your mother was today. Do you like making your mother cry?" Delilah asked, in a professional voice. "Does it make you feel big and strong to know that you're the cause of those tears?"

"Don't care either way," Cory said, waving her off. "Funny how someone who says they're a survivor of spousal abuse, yes, I heard, I'm not deaf, can so easily defend the abusers. Really need to work on those contradictions there, Doc."

"Abuse?!" Delilah uttered in shock. "Cory, come back, sit down..."

"Fucking ain't happening," Cory growled walking back to his room slamming the door closed. Glad there was a lock on it. He wasn't going to talk to her, a complete stranger, about this. Ever!

It was around ten at night when another knock came on his door. "Cory?" His father's voice filtered through the door. "Come shoot off fireworks with us. I got a bunch of Roman candles." He couldn't keep his smile from forming on his lips as he heard his son's scampering feet.

"You got the candles?" Cory asked, with a suspicious look.

"And a mortar and shells," Jairo nodded.

"Nice," Cory said, he did love setting those off. "Where we going?" he asked, following his father out the front door.

"To the beach," Jairo said, over his shoulder. "Come on, everyone is waiting," he spoke, smiling over his shoulder at his son. "We couldn't very well start without you."

Celeste's sandy blonde hair undulated in the ocean breeze as she, along with her daughter's, stood on the sand dune waiting for the two of them to arrive. "Sam's getting the mortars set up," Celeste said, peering down at them as the argentine rays of the moon shone down upon them.

"I got us towels to sit on, Cory," Dayana said, wrapping herself deeper into her mother's shawl to fight off the chill of the night air.

"So, I'm guessing the neighbors are your new buddies now?" Cory uttered looking over at his father.

"Their good people, Cory," reaching around and placing a firm hand on his son's right shoulder, "why not try to get to know them?"

"Maybe if they kept their noses out of my business that might be possible," Cory retorted.

"They're just eager to get to know us, Cory," Celeste said, running her hand along his back when he and Jairo crested the dune.

"Okay, folks, mortars are primed and ready, you just say the word and away we go?!" Sam said, with a wide boyish smile. Being a demolition expert he did enjoy the smell of gunpowder on the air. Seeing them all moving towards their towels while his wife and stepdaughter sat on their own beside Celeste's and Jairo's.

"Cory, would you mind if I snuggled against you, I'm a little cold," Dayana said, softly.

"That bad?" Cory asked, referring to her cycle.

"Seems it's going to be one of those months," Dayana said, resting her head on Cory's shoulder soaking in the warmth of his body. A small smile appeared on her lips when she felt Cory gently rubbing the small of her back.

"Isn't the ocean romantic in this light," Zoe sighed, glancing over to her brother and flashing him a sensuous smile.

"What are you trying to get at?" Cory urged her on.

"Nothing," resting her hand on his inner thigh, "just stating how beautiful it is tonight," Zoe said, inching closer to her brother.

"Fire it up, Pops!" Cassy shouted in encouragement.

Cory craned his head skyward as the starburst colors played along the surface of his eyes. He had no idea why fireworks always seemed to lighten his mood. He wondered if that was like with everyone else in the world. That the loud concussion of the shell, the howling squeal as it sored skyward before the gunpowder sparked exploding the shell apart to dazzle them with those bright, colorful flashes of reds, blues, greens, yellows, and everything in-between. Hearing his parents chatting with the neighbors, the chuckles that rolled on the air, the smell of the burnt gunpowder before it was carried away by the flowing breeze. Rubbing Dayana's arm when she began to shiver slightly, feeling her snuggling tighter to his side as he did.

"I'm going to do better at being a sister, Cory," Dayana whispered low as Sam informed them that there were only four shells left. "We might not be close, ever, I have to live with that, but I'm going to try."

"I never thought we would get to this point. That you would rather run off to somewhere across country than go to the same college as us. That you would rather put us out of your mind and go about life pretending we don't exist," Zoe said low, so not to be overheard as she rested her chin on Cory's left shoulder. "I'm going to show you the sister you should have had all these years. I know it's too late to say I'm sorry for the things I said to you."

"Cory?!" Zoe and Dayana spoke as Cory abruptly got to his feet and walked down the dune. Causing his parents along with their guests to turn their gaze towards him.

"Where are you going, son? The fireworks are almost over," Jairo spoke slyly glancing over at his daughters wondering what they said to him.

"For a walk," Cory grumbled.

"Wait..."

"I'll go, you all just enjoy the show," Delilah said, quickly getting to her feet. "I'll make sure he stays safe," she whispered to Celeste and Jairo who nodded.

Cassy quickly got to her feet and scurried over to Zoe and Dayana. Taking off her leather jacket and placing it along Dayana's shoulders when it appeared she needed it more than she did at the moment. "So, the grumpy brother just abandons the cute ladies," Cassy said, with a flirtatious smile, nodding her head when Dayana thanked her for the jacket. "I take it, it kind of gets bad for you, huh?"

"Not always, but there are occasions," Dayana said, looking off to the right of her as Cory was swallowed by the darkness of the night.

"Okay, I said I wouldn't ask, but what is his deal with you all?" Cassy spoke looking at the two of them.

"We kind of weren't the best family to him for the past five years," Zoe said, vaguely.

"Huh? You all seem to go out of your way to make sure you don't step on his toes," Cassy said, perplexed. "I don't mean to pry but something doesn't add up here."

"He was born with a small dick, okay, we harassed him for five years about it. Happy?!" Zoe hissed low, trying to hold back her tears.

"Whoa, whoa, no need to cry about a little pecker," Cassy said, callously. "If he can't take a little ribbing every now and again that's on him," she uttered trying to comfort Zoe only to be brushed off.

"It wasn't a little ribbing, it was every day," Dayana admitted. "Every hour, every time we entered a room, every time he came home, you get it now?" she asked, with a pointed look. "I asked you to drop it, but you wouldn't. Thanks for the coat, I'm going back to the house," Dayana stated the pain was evident in her eyes as she held out Cassy's jacket to her.

"I'll walk back with you," Zoe said, getting to her feet.

Cassy just stared in confusion at what happened. In the years she's been sexually active she's never struck out like this before with the same sex. Wondering how she read their body language wrong. When she was picking up the 'I want to fuck' vibes coming off of them unless they weren't directed at her. Looking to her stepfather, then to Jairo, shaking her head at the notion of what popped into her mind.

"Should I just save these last four for later?" Sam asked, wondering how this wondrous night could so quickly disintegrate.

"Yeah, lets save them for Monday night," Jairo said, with Celeste nodding along.

"Who would have thought I would get stood up," Cassy said, in a sigh. Flashing Jairo a coy smile as she leaned back on her arms. If she wasn't going to be feeling the warmth of a woman's legs around her that didn't mean she wasn't going to feel another kind of warmth.

"I'm sure you'll..."

"Somebody help!" Delilah's scream filled the air causing Jairo to jump to his feet and race towards the sound of her voice. Sam was already ten yards ahead of him having bolted at the first sounds of his wife's terrified voice.

Minutes prior...

"Do you shrinks get a kick out of nagging people until they talk?" Cory complained when Delilah reached his side. Feeling the surf washing over his feet.

"Just the stubborn ones," Delilah retorted with a smile on her lips. "I did tell you I was going to shadow you until you talk to me. You can't begin to repair your relationship with your family until you get whatever is bothering you off your chest."

"You seem to think I want anything remotely to do with them," Cory stated coldly.

"Why wouldn't you want to repair this rift between you and your family?"

"Because why should I? I wasn't the one who did this, why should I repair something I didn't break?"

"Yet, I see them reaching out, offering you that hand, yet you constantly slap it away. Why?" Delilah asked, trying to get a bead on Cory's mental health.

"Because they fucking haven't earned it!" Cory hissed. "Seeing how you like prying into my personal life which obviously doesn't involve you, and probably won't after this vacation is over. Have you forgiven your ex-husband for the abuse?" he asked, shooting her a pointed look.

"This isn't about..." Delilah stammered being caught off-guard.

"I'll take that as a no. So, pray tell, why should I forgive them?" Cory inquired, with an arched eyebrow as he came to a stop. Feeling the surf rising to his ankles before rolling back out to sea. "When you can't even forgive your own abuser."

"Then tell me so I can understand," Delilah said, taking hold of his arm when Cory began to walk off again.

"Why? Why is this so damn important to you?" Cory asked, feeling the breeze ruffling his shirt as it flowed across it.

"Because, it is, a young man shouldn't be so angry all the time, it's not healthy for you. If you keep this hate in your heart you'll just carry it over into your other relationships. Do you want that? Do you not want to have any meaningful relationships with anyone? I'm sure you'll want to get married and have kids. Think of how this unresolved anger would affect them? Would you keep them away from your family just to punish them for whatever they've done to cause this... distance between you and your family?" Turning her head to the right when she heard sounds of laughter approaching and the splashing of feet in the surf.

"Well, look who it is," sneered the man from earlier on the beach flanked by two of his cohorts who've been drugging and raping women for the past two summers. So far they've been lucky enough not to be caught by the police given how they talked the women they would drug into renting the room under their names and were long gone before the drugs wore off.

"Oh, has the play boy been trolling the beach for some tail?" Cory retorted instinctively moving his body in front of Delilah. "You should probably head off," he said, over his shoulder to Delilah before turning his attention back to the man. "You do realize it's like eleven at night. No one out here to apply that witty charm, or lack thereof, on. Unless you count fucking a hole in the sand, sex," Cory said, keeping their focus on him and not on Delilah. Slyly loosening up his body so he could roll with the punches that he knew would be coming. It was something he had learned to do when he and his father were out in their backyard.

"How about you," reaching behind his back and pulling out a locking, five inch knife, "call those bitches out here and I'll carve them up real nice after we're done fucking them," the man said, running the side of the blade of his knife along his tongue.

"So... Ra*e and mur*er, got it," Cory muttered hearing Delilah racing back to where his father and her husband were. "You really didn't think this through did you?" he asked, tilting his head to the side. His body moved on reflex as he saw one of his buddies taking a swing at him. His right jab sailed through the air landing on the man's chin dazing him, while breaking one of Cory's fingers. He couldn't think about that at the moment as his other came barreling in on Cory's exposed right side while their leader stood there with menacing eyes and a sadistic grin on his lips watching it all.

Cory took a punch to the left eye knowing that was going to bruise yet it wasn't nearly as strong as his own father's. "You call that a punch?! My grandmother hits harder than that!" Cory taunted as blood trickled down his chin from his cut lip. He could already feel his left eye swelling up. The man on his left allowed his anger to get the best of him causing him to make mistakes earning him a left uppercut to his jaw breaking two of Cory's knuckles in his left hand. Which as you can imagine caused the man to fall on his ass into the surf, who by a very curious twist of fate landed on top of a jellyfish stinging the hell out of his ass and balls. Who also jumped up immediately and began to scream at the top of his lungs and pranced around like a little stuffed chicken. However, fighting off two men at once had never been his experience and Cory was quickly subdued in a full nelson.

"Now you're going to call those girls and tell them to meet you out here, and I'll make sure that you watch as I take them over and over again," the man said, evilly.

"They won't even feel that teeny tiny dick you have..." His head jerked to the side as the man's fist landed on his jaw. "Aw. Can't handle the truth," Cory chuckled his teeth stained by his blood. He screamed out in pain as the man ran the blade of his knife diagonally down Cory's chest from his right shoulder to his left hip.

"Now I'm going to start cutting off parts if you don't cooperate," the man said, in a testy voice when he took hold of Cory's chin. His head jerked to the side in disgust as Cory's blood splattered across his face as Cory's answer to his demand. A blood curdling scream pierced the night as the man slid his knife into Cory's body puncturing his spleen.

"They're going to kill him!" Jairo heard Delilah's yelling voice as his muscles burned as he ran like the wind. His nostrils flared as he heard the sounds of fighting in the distance. Sam's image was nothing but a blur as he flew past. His eyes narrowed, the muscles in his left arm tightened as he swung coldcocking the man that was running around in circles laying him out cold. His jaw tighten as Jairo's eyes noted the man standing before his son. Bolting like the coward the man was at the sight of Jairo. Leaving his friend to fend for himself as Jairo ran after the man.

"Where do you think you're going you little bitch," Sam barked grappling with the man once he tried to make his escape after releasing his hold on Cory and tried to make a break for it.

"You dare to touch my son!" Jairo roared his anger fueling his fist as he pounded on the man. In truth, the man was knocked out in the first punch. Jairo's chest heaved; his anger spent as his bloody right hand was raised covered in the man's blood. Looking back when he heard the sound of a splash. His eyes going wide in fear at the sight of his son starring down at the knife that was lodged in his chest. "Cory!" Jairo scrambled to his feet as his son looked at him with a blank expression on his face. "Cory!" The urgency was clear in his voice as his feet kicked up the sand as his son's blood spread along his shirt. "I got you," Jairo said, his voice trembled as he caught his son's body in his arms. "Don't! You can't pull it out," he warned as Cory's primal mind was in control as the shock had sent his conscious mind to sleep. Looking over as Sam body slammed the man he was wrestling with hard into the ground knocking the wind out of the man.

"Here," taking off his shirt and tossing it to Jairo, "wrap that around the knife, hopefully it will stop the blood," Sam said, as his foot pressed down on his opponent's chest. Unbeknownst to anyone that the couple that had been renting the house that overlooked the spot had already called the police when the elderly couple noticed the first signs of trouble. So when Jairo's and Sam's heads snapped up as the blue and white lights bathed the sandy beach they were very, very surprised by their appearance.

"What's going on here?!" The approaching officer asked, with his weapon drawn.

"Please, call for an ambulance, my son's been stabbed?!" Jairo said, in a frantic plea.

"Jairo, Jairo," Celeste called out to her husband as her sandy blonde hair whipped through the air as she raced towards them.

"Ma'am I'm going to need you to stay back," another officer said, blocking Celeste from reaching her husband.

"That's my husband... Cory! Cory!" Celeste screamed out in terror at the sight of her listless son in Jairo's arms.

"This is car 456 requesting back up, I need a 11-41 at my location post haste," the officer said, speaking into his radio that was clipped to his left shoulder with his weapon still drawn on them.

"That's my son! Let me through," Celeste screamed out bucking against the officer that was holding her back.

"Ma'am I'm sorry, but this is a crime scene," the officer said, in a concerned and controlled voice.

Cassy stared in confusion as she and her mother finally made it to the scene, wondering what could have gone on. Her eyes glance up as Cory's wail of pain filled the air when Jairo gently laid him down on the sand and backed way. Then her eyes darted to another officer as she jogged over with a first aid kit. "Oh. My. God!" Cassy gasped at the sight of the knife, of course Celeste saw it too only causing her mother to tighten her hold on Celeste to keep her from running to Cory's side as Delilah gave her statement to the officer that was keeping them back. Noting Cory's blood soaked hand weakly pointing at the man that stabbed him. Turning her head when she heard voices approaching from behind her. Nodding to her mother knowing Zoe and Dayana couldn't see this. Even she had to look away from the sight of Cory's chest when the officer that was administering first aid cut his shirt open.

"You don't want to see this," Cassy said, blocking Zoe's and Dayana's path.

"What's going on?" They asked, looking around Cassy wondering what all the commotion was about.

"It's not good, I don't know all the details, but your brother has been hurt... you can't," Cassy said, taking hold of their arms as they started to move past her. "I know you want to go over there right now, but you'll just get in the way."

"Let go of me you pig!" the leader growled as he bucked and twisted in the grips of the two officers that led him to their squad car. The one that was stung on his ass howled in pain as another rolled him onto it once he was cuffed and lifted him to his feet. The one that hadn't been beaten to a pulp or knocked out sung like a stuck pig, yammering on after being read his rights.

"Cory!" Celeste, Zoe, Dayana called out as they raced after him as the paramedics and two other officers that didn't have their hands tied with unruly perps carried Cory towards the waiting ambulance.

Zoe and Dayana had to catch their mother when she saw all the blood soaked bandages, the knife, and how pale Cory looked on that board. When the paramedic asked if one of them was riding along, Celeste bolted for the ambulance.

"Delilah, mind walking the girls back to the house?" Jairo called out as one officer led Sam and him towards the only free squad car to take them to the station to get their full statement.

"I'll stay with them!" Delilah shouted back.

"The hell if I'm going to the house!" Dayana growled as her hormones flared. Her anger burned as she stomped towards the police car that held the man she had seen earlier that day. Her hands beat on the window as she screamed profanities at the man. Only to have to be dragged off by her sister and Cassy before she too would be charged.

"Come on, I got the hospital on where they're taking your brother."

Jairo raced into the hospital after being set free by the police as Sam took their cab back to their place after being dropped off. He had informed them of the sketch they had tacked to the bulletin board looked awful like the man they were holding before he made the man's face look like hamburger meat. Dashing past the desk, his shoes thumped on the wax floor as he raced to the elevators. His finger hit the call button repeatedly in his impatience. "C'mon, C'mon, C'mon," Jairo grumbled as the elevator was moving far too slow for his liking. Rushing out of the cab, his head turned so quickly as he looked left and right wondering which way to go, one would have thought the man would have snapped his neck. In his frantic state Jairo failed to see the signs slightly above his head. Thanking a very pleasant male nurse after he had pointed out where the surgical waiting room was.

"Jairo!" Celeste cried out; her arms outstretched when she saw his rapid approach. Her mascara stained her cheeks from the tears she'd been shedding waiting to hear the fate of her son. The ten minute ride to the hospital due to the time of night it was, felt like an eternity for her. All she could do for her son was hold his hand as the paramedic tried to stem the blood flow. Begging her son to hold on, that they were almost there, that he just needed to hold on. Yet as the seconds wore on she could feel the strength of his grip weakening by the second. Whispering: 'Please, please, please, don't give up' against his hand when she held it against her lips. Her heart stopped when Cory coughed up blood into the oxygen mask the EMT had placed around his nose and mouth. The world around her seemed to dissolve, and the only thing in that world that she could see was her son. Dying. A boy they had harassed through no fault of his own. A boy who didn't ask for the small stature he was born with. A boy who constantly asked for them to stop yet wouldn't.

Pressing the back of his hand against her forehead. Rocking in the seat, biting her lip to keep her weeping contained so the paramedic could focus on Cory. Yet, that didn't stop her tears from falling. She felt so powerless. So weak. So useless. As her son laid there a foot away from her as the paramedic did everything in her power to stop Cory's blood loss. Her head snapped to the left as the rear doors of the ambulance were thrust open. She wasn't listening to a word of the medical jargon that they were speaking as they wheeled her son inside the hospital. It wasn't until one of the nurses took her by the arms that her tunnel vision cleared. Telling her that she had to wait there as they wheeled her son off to surgery. By the time Delilah, her daughters, along with Cassy arrived she was a wreck. Her daughters didn't need to ask it was written all over her face. So for the next ten minutes she and her daughters just cried into each other's arms.

"I'm so happy you're here," Celeste wailed into her husband's chest. Allowing those strong arms of his to press her tighter against him as he held her so gently.

"How...?" Jairo began to ask only to have Celeste shake her head against him.

"Bad," Celeste managed to choke out in a broken whisper.

"Thank you for bringing them," Jairo said, looking over at Delilah who nodded in understanding. "Sam went back to your place." Again, Jairo was only met with a nod. Looking over at Cassy when she was trying her best to keep his girls spirits up.

"Cassy, why don't you and the girls go get us some coffee," Delilah said, holding out forty dollars to her daughter.

"Sure, Mom," Cassy said, gently taking the bills from her mother's fingers. Knowing that look in her mother's eyes, a look that told her she needed to talk but without them there to hear the gory details.

"Sit. We need to talk about your son," Delilah said, waving to the chairs beside her as she pulled the one she was sitting in around to face them. "I need to know the exact nature of this grievance your son has with you four," she said, in a plain, clinical tone. "The only reason I ask is because I want to help. It's in my nature. It's why I'm in my line of work. Please, what we discuss here will stay strictly between us and your son. No one else has to know," Delilah stated when she noted the glances Jairo and Celeste gave one another. "Please, trust me, I've heard it all before in one form of another. So, you aren't going to shock me."​