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Chapter 31- Good Men

Doctor: You need to work on your stress issues, Cleo. I can understand, everything that happened was bad, but sulking in it for long can harm your child. 

Cleo: I understand. 

Cleo sat on the patient's chair in her doctor's chamber, managing the tears, that compelled out of her eyes. As, Jacob stood by her, his hands placed on her shoulder. 

Doctor: I'll leave you both.

The doctor gives an assuring smile and walks out of the room.

Jacob turns his gaze towards Cleo, and clutches her shoulder in a light grip: I promise you. They won't get away with this.

Cleo: Jake. How is Madeline? She risked her life, for me. I won't be able to get out of the guilt if she doesn't get well.

Jacob: Hey, hey, hey...

He squats on the floor, at Cleo's knees and looked up at her: Everything will be alright, okay.

Cleo clutches his hands, tightly: Please, tell me the truth. 

Jacob: She always had been a fighter. She will not give up. Never.

Cleo: Did she wake up?

Jacob: No. 

Cleo: Someone needs to be by her, in case she wakes up. 

Jacob: Claros, has been there since she is brought in.

Cleo: Claros? 

Jacob nodded his head. 

Cleo: You trust him? 

Jacob: After all that has happened. I did.

Cleo: He is not a bad guy, Jake. 

Jacob: I know. 

Cleo: Why can't you stop, what is being planned? 

Jacob: Because that is Mr. Alvarez's call. Not mine. 

Cleo: This is not going to end well. 

Jacob:... Take those thoughts out of your mind. You need to calm down. I'll let, someone, drop you, home. Have some rest. I have installed security inside our boundary. You will be safe. Call me, when you reach. 

Cleo nodded her head. 

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Jacob walks towards the door, showing "Critical Care." His eyes fell on Jackson who stood still by the glass pane, facing the glass which showed inside the critical care unit, where Madeline slept under machines, as several doctors and nurses, were busy treating her.  

Jacob: What is the status there? 

Jackson moves his head in denial: The same. No response till now. 

Jacob takes a deep breath and walks to take a seat.

Jackson: Thompsons. I want you to be honest with me. 

Jacob creases his eyebrows: With what?

Jackson: About the incident that happened today. Why Madeline? Why did she had to be victim of such a sadist act.

Jacob(laughs): Look who's talking.

Jackson: Thompsons, I am not kidding.

Jacob: She was there trying to save Cleo. But, unfortunately, they could take over her. This simple would be the answer. 

Jackson: No, it is not. They could have shot her. They could have killed her. But, why this? Why let her... struggle for breath, in a closed box. Yeah, that's what they wanted. To make to her seek air, until her oxygen finally gives up.

Jacob: Because, they are some reckless beasts, from whom you can't expect any good. That's how they take it on anyone, who comes in their way. 

Jackson: That's not how it looked like. 

Jacob: What on earth did it look like?

Jackson: A revenge, to be more accurate.

Jacob's body tenses up: I'm going to ruin that motherfucker. 

Jackson: Yeah, but...

"Excuse Me, are you here for Madeline?"

Jacob and Jackson turned, listening to Madeline's name. A doctor  stood at the door of the critical care unit, with a stethoscope hanging off his neck.  Jacob walked up towards the doctor and Jackson followed. 

Jacob: Yeah, we are here for Madeline. How is she?

Doctor: Firstly, she had severe concussions, for that, she will take time to wake up. She had several mild bruises that have been treated. For now, she is out of danger. Her breathing got normal, with no internal injury, except for the trauma. For further investigations, we have to wait, till she wakes up.

Jacob: Um. Was there any sign of,... physical force? As in, did anyone try to abuse her...or any...

Doctor: I understand. No, there is no sign of physical abuse, except for the earlier signs...

Jacob:...okay, thank you, doctor, for everything you have done to treat her. When can we expect her to wake up?

Before the doctor could finish the sentence, Jacob cuts his words in the middle and Jackson turned towards Jacob with questioning eyes and a subtle frown. 

Doctor: We can't say that. That is the most unpredictable part, for now. She can wake up at any time. Maybe, too early, maybe too late. 

Jacob takes a deep breath and nods his head, the doctor walks away. 

Jackson: Tell me already. 

Jacob: Tell you, what? 

Jackson: I know, you are hiding something.

Jacob: Everything happened in front of you. What is left hidden? 

Jackson: I am talking about Madeline.

Jacob:...(composing himself) Come to my place. 

Jackson: Why? To act as a saviour, yet again? or as a bodyguard? Or you have some other plans in your mind. 

Jacob: Do you think I will kill you?

Jackson smirked at Jacob

-------------------------------------------------------------

Later that evening,

Jackson sat by the breakfast counter of his house, as Jacob forwarded a half-filled glass of whiskey towards Jackson.

Jackson took a look at the glass and mocked: How can I be sure that there is nothing in this drink?

Jacob: I have my morale to keep, that came with my badge. Accept this, as a drink of gratitude. 

Jackson leaves out a chuckle and accepts the glass.

Jackson: "Gratitude", for saving your ass?

Jacob: For saving me from losing myself. 

Jackson: You need to be clearer with me. 

Jacob: You saved my family. 

Jackson: Nah. I saved a helpless lady because I felt that was necessary. 

Jacob: Can I ask you something? 

Jackson(taking a sip): Shoot.

Jacob: Why are you doing this?  Why are you proving yourself to be the bad guy in front of the world?

Jackson(taking another sip): Some doings don't have explanations. 

Jackson finishes his glass and pours himself another. He gulps down in a go and fills another glass. 

Jacob: Woah! Easy there. 

Jackson: I'm good, brother. 

Jacob sensed his impending giddiness and raises a question: Are you savoring the treat or are you taming... a hidden pain?

Jackson(laughs): You are raw. 

Jacob(smirks): Blame my work. How did you have my address, by the way?

Jackson laughs. 

Jacob pulls himself a chair and sits beside Jackson: Jeff.

Jackson takes another sip and corrects him in a stern voice: Jereff.

Jacob:... Jereff. He seems to be a good guy. 

Jackson(laugh): You find the founder of a criminal cartel as a good guy?

Jacob: I genuinely mean it. 

Jackson did not reply and took another sip, from the glass. 

Jacob: I did not expect to see him, there. He took the call at the crucial moment.

Jackson: He just has a concern towards lives of innocent people. He wasn't like this. Situation played a pivotal game.

Jacob: What do you mean? 

Jackson(taking another gulp): His wife was killed. 

Jacob: WHAT??

Jackson: An innocent person, paid the debt of our sins. She was abducted, we failed to reach there on time. (Taking another gulp from his glass) Maybe, hawks could have taken a different turn, as he was changing. But, Emma's death turned him back into a stone. She died leaving him with a three months old baby, to take care of. A criminal(laughs) was left with a responsibility to raise a child into a woman. A woman, respected in society. That made him leave his position. 

Jacob: Why????

Jackson: He wanted to save his daughter. He wanted to keep her out of the vicinity of the world.  

Jacob: I...I'm sorry. 

Jackson: Don't be. We step into this world, making ourselves ready for losses. We lose, we break, we stand up, we have steeper ups and downs, but life goes on, irrespective of uprises and downfalls. Emma...(turning the glass upside down gulping down, the last sip, in his glass) She was the light in our family. She was warm, caring, loving and strong. Now that she is gone, she took with herself, all the good things, that surrounded us. We did not just lose her, I lost my brother, as well. All the decisions he took after that, I had to bow down to that. 

Jacob: I can imagine, how much you love your brother. 

Jackson(chuckles): More than myself. He is the only one, I have to call a family. I am nothing without this person. I can never be as organized as he is. 

Jacob: What about Madeline?

The smile from Jackson's face vanished at a second, as he poured himself another glass of raw whiskey and gulped it down, as Jacob kept looking at him with questioning eyes. Jackson rose up from his seat, wobbly and walked towards the sofa. He stood near the sofa and turned towards Jacob, who stood up from his place. 

Jackson shouted: I don't want to hear that name. She cheated on me. I hate her.

Before he could complete the sentence, he stumbled and fell on the couch and lost his senses. Jacob waited for him to become unconscious. He held the empty glass bottle of whiskey, with his palm, keeping the bottoms at the top. He walked towards Jackson, who was unconscious on the couch and towered him, holding the glass bottle by its neck, playing the words from the talk he had with Mr. Alvarez, some time ago.

"How are you sure, it is not him?"

"I just know. He was there with me the whole time."

"Jake. He got your address. He has every freaking detail about your family. Just one act of kindness..."

"IT WAS NOT ABOUT THE ACT OF KINDNESS, SIR! It was about his dedication towards restoring safety." 

"You are going wrong, Jake. You are going wrong. Listen, to my words. Do as I say."

"I can't do this. I am not a killer."

" HE IS A CRIMINAL!GODAMMIT!"

"We will still need him, to reach the real culprit. And, you know, he is the only way."

"We have got every information, we needed, didn't we? Now, it's time, we move him out of the game. The boy started to grow faith in us. It will be a cakewalk. Else, well we don't know, what kind of turn he takes after this. Before, that day comes, pull him out with his roots.

" He is at the hospital, waiting for Madeline to wake up."

"Fine! Just, take him home. Make him feel that you can be trusted. Do whatever you want, make sure, he is not in a position to defend himself. The rest, you know. No one will be able to sense, what happened. I can bet on that. This chapter of Jackson Claros ends tonight."

"He's not gonna buy it."

"That part rests on you."

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