As Howie, Rhiannon and Nick stepped in the front door of Howie's condo all three sighed, still not fully believing the events of the last few hours. Hearing the door opened and close, Shane barreled into the hallway, followed closely by Kevin, whose face clearly betrayed how worried he'd been.
"Mommy!"
Howie caught Shane before he could launch himself at Rhiannon and swung him up into his arms. "Take it easy, buddy. Mommy's not feeling very well, okay?" Howie said gently. "Why don't you and Uncle Nicky go play games on the computer or something, so Mommy can rest?"
"Okay, Daddy." Howie set Shane down on the floor and watched fondly as he grabbed Nick's hand and pulled him into the den.
As soon as Shane was out of earshot Kevin turned to Howie. "What the hell happened, man?"
Howie slipped his arm around Rhiannon's waist again and motioned towards the living room. "Let's go sit down."
Howie got Rhiannon settled on the couch, then got a glass of water and one of the painkillers the doctor had prescribed, before sitting down himself and turning to Kevin. Rhiannon took the pill Howie handed her, then lay on the couch, her head resting in Howie's lap, while Howie began to tell Kevin what had occurred in the last few hours.
"David's dead?" Kevin repeated, staring at Howie in disbelief. Howie nodded, gently stroking Rhiannon's hair. "Damn." Kevin exhaled, still trying to digest the information.
Rhiannon sighed softly in her sleep, the painkillers proving very effective. Howie looked down at her, still gently running his fingers through her hair. He sat silently for a few minutes, then spoke.
"I'm glad he's dead." He said softly. "After all he's done, I would have happily killed him myself." He cleared his throat, trying unsuccessfully to swallow the lump in his throat, as a single tear crept down his cheek. He blinked the tears away and focused on Rhiannon's bruised and battered face. "He almost took her away from me, Kev. I could have lost her today."
"But you didn't, Howie." Kevin said quietly as he reached over and squeezed Howie's shoulder gently. "You still have her, and Shane, and David can never hurt you guys again."
Howie took a deep breath and blinked away the last few persistent tears. "Thanks, Kev." He paused for a moment. "Tomorrow I'm going to do something I should have done five years ago."
Kevin grinned. He had a good idea what that something was.
The next day at the end of rehearsal, Howie filled Brian and AJ in on the last week's events. Both were seething at David's treatment of Rhiannon and pleased and excited to find out that Howie was Shane's father. Then all four crowded around to get a glimpse of the ring Howie had bought only that morning.
"Whoa!" Nick's eyes were wide as he looked at the ring.
"Nice. You've got good taste, D." AJ gave his approval. Kevin and Brian readily agreed. Howie closed the ring box and put it back in his pocket, then turned to AJ.
"Alex, you sure you don't mind watching Shane?" Howie asked, nervous and apprehensive about what he would be asking tonight.
"Of course not, D. Sarah and I are happy to watch him. And my mom's dying to see Shane. 'Sides, I wanna spend some time with my nephew." AJ grinned, his dark brown eyes shining excitedly.
"Okay, Uncle Alex." Howie chuckled at his best friend's enthusiasm. "I appreciate it, though, man."
"Never hesitate to ask, Howie. You and Rhi should have some time alone. And Shane's easy to watch. You've got a great kid."
"I do, don't I?" Howie smiled, completely happy for the first time in several years.
