Sarah and Kevin 35

"Jimmy!" Sarah cried.

"Shut up. And let go of him. I won't touch him."

"Now who's lying?"

"I want to talk to you alone. Let's go." Jimmy said and stomped up the stairs.

Sarah turned her face and hid against Peter's chest. She felt his arms go around her and his head rest on top of hers. He took a deep breath. She gently pushed away from him and looked into his face. He looked down into her eyes for a moment. He looked beaten and tired. Then he turned his face away from her.

"I'll fix it. I'm sorry," she said and headed for the stairs.

Jimmy was leaning against the sink with his arms crossed when she stepped up into the kitchen. He shook his head.

"Jesus Christ, Sarah. Does the rest of you look like that?" he asked, pointing at her face.

"Not as bad as my face, no."

"And you didn't go to the hospital?"

"No. I was trying to prevent you and Mark from finding out. It didn't work." she admitted.

"I don't want a blow by blow, but I want to know what happened."

Sarah sat down in a chair and told him the story from the time Peter kissed her until she called him this morning.

"I want them out of here. Today."

"No. I told you, he's already gone to one meeting. If he stops going, then I'll have them escorted out. As long as he's trying, they stay. And you have to let them play at your bar. It's their biggest venue. If you want them out so bad, helping them will work faster than hindering them."

Jimmy looked at her open-mouthed. Then he shook his head, laughing grimly.

"You should have been a lawyer."

"So, can they play at your place?"

"Yeah. But if anything else happens to you, I won't worry about whether I dislocate your shoulder or not. Got it?"

"Got it."

"You're coming over next Sunday. I'll fill mom in so she won't freak out when she sees you."

"OK."

He left. Sarah waited until she heard his car pull out of the driveway before she went back downstairs.

She walked down the basement stairs and took a seat on one of them about halfway down where she could see them.

"It's OK. You aren't banned from Jimmy's bar or anything," she said.

Kevin let out a big sigh that was echoed by Scott and Tom. Peter sat on his stool with his back to her, silent.

"Peter, give me your shirt. I'll see if I can sew it." Peter stood up and took his shirt off. His muscles rippled as he pulled it over his head. He turned and handed it to Sarah. He did not meet her gaze. Sarah sighed and took it from him.

Kevin cleared his throat. "Jimmy dislocated your shoulder?"

Sarah smiled sadly at him. "Yeah. Jimmy is my cousin. After my folks died, I lived with him and my Aunt Jane.

"I was only 19 when David and I ran away and got married. When we got home from Las Vegas a week later, I honestly thought Jimmy was going to kill him. So, I protected him the only way I knew how, by making sure that I stayed between them. And what better way than to wrap my arms around David and hang on for dear life? Jimmy grabbed my arm and tried to pull me off David. He was so mad that he pulled too hard and he dislocated my shoulder. When he felt it pop and I screamed, that pretty much ended the fight. They worked together to get me to the emergency room. While I was being treated, they talked and then they were fine." Sarah laughed sadly, remembering the scene. She felt tears stinging her eyes.

"I'm going back upstairs, now. I'll see you guys tomorrow." She kept her gaze in her lap so they would not see her tears. She stood up and walked up the stairs.