106 - Critter

*This is your dog. He’s trained to protect you when you need to sleep. When he’s on duty, he needs to either have you in his line of sight or feel you at all times… Tinkerbell, but he also answers to Tink. - Dom*

With a tremor in her voice, Nicki asked, “What’s wrong with Camille?”

Critter turned at the sound of fear in the girl’s voice. The three kids were hurt by their grandmother and now they were terrified at seeing Camille out cold. Thinking about the first time he saw his sister collapse, he could only imagine what they were experiencing.

They had lost their parents. Had not been able to be there, they could only say goodbye to their mother over a screen and had lost the opportunity to say goodbye to their father. Their maternal grandmother pretty well admitted she only wanted them for the money. And now, the woman who was supposed to take care of them looked like she was dead.

He walked over to them wrapped them up in a tight hug, much like his own father had done throughout his life. Trigg had never withheld affection for any of his children. His father had been aloof and cold. But Sid’s father had been free with his hugs and affection. Even more with his grandchildren.

“I know it’s scary to see her like that,” Critter assured his new niece and nephews, “but she’s just asleep. A very deep sleep.”

“That’s not normal,” Vin said as he stepped out of the hug.

The teen looked from the door to the man hugging his brother and sister. It was hard to tell if he was talking about the woman that was out cold. Or the man that easily hugged and showed affection.

“No,” Critter agreed as he shifted the remaining two siblings to be at his sides, “it’s not. And neither is her being up for two or three days at a time. Or only sleeping two or three hours a night. She has … don’t ask me to say the name of the disease, I never get it right. But it’s like a wrong wiring in her brain, and she has chronic insomnia.”

“Uncle Amos has that,” Mitch said quietly.

Critter looked down at his dark skin nephew as he pressed his head against Critters chest as if he were trying to hear the man’s heart. “He does. The difference is that Camille will reach a point that her body can no longer function, and it will shut down. And that’s what’s happened today.”

“Critter!” Celt called and motioned with his head for the other man to follow.

“Well, it looks like I got to go talk Celt off the ledge,” Critter made a dramatic face of mock fear. “I promise, she’ll be fine. Her body just needs to reset.” He gave both kids a quick squeeze and pressed a light kiss to the top of Nicki’s head.

They both moved to their older brother and protector as Critter moved to the front door. He stopped and looked back at them. “Tink is on duty now. He won’t leave her; he won’t let anyone near her. He will attack. Do *not get to close to her.”

With that warning issued, he turned back and went into the house. Bam Bam looked up and pointed towards the office with his pencil. He then settled back into his recliner with his crossword puzzle from the local newspaper. Critter looked at his sister where she lay on the couch with Tink laying on top of her.

Tink growled and bared his teeth at the woman’s brother. He moved further away from the couch, giving the Doberman pinscher a wide berth. Moving towards the office, he wondered if Darkness could get close to her. Or if he could get the dog to leave Camille for a few minutes.

Stepping inside the office, he found Celt and Darkness in a deep discussion. And at each other’s throats. They both had the best interests of the kids and Camille in mind. But they were not seeing eye to eye on how to handle everything.

“I told you that it was going to be too much for her,” Darkness said looking the large red head in the eyes. He was just tall enough that he had to look down at Celt. But Celt was just tall enough that he did not have to tip his head back to look up at Darkness.

Celt did not back down and in fact, moved a little more into the other man’s personal space. “There are certain things that we need to do –“

“Alright, boys,” Critter said as he pushed his way between the two older, and larger, men. He barely hit the six feet mark, and both of these men surpassed it. But, as his father described all three of his sons, he was young, dumb and stubbornly Danish. “I don’t feel like going before the judge tomorrow with you two looking like you beat the hell out of each other. Or dumping a body out in the middle of the damned lake.”

Celt stepped back and put his hands up in surrender. Both Celt and Critter came from large families with nine children. They had both thrown fists with their brothers. And with the club brothers. And the Lowery men – who met weekly to beat the hell out of each other.

“No offense, fuckers, but you assholes are bigger than me, I can’t haul your asses down to the lake, much less into that damned boat. And that is a sweet ass boat, let’s not ruin that party on water,” Critter pointed out that he barely reached either man’s shoulder. “If you’re lucky, I’ll get a good push, and you’ll roll down that hill into the lake.”

“Not your scrawny ass,” Celt chuckled.

Darkness grinned at the shorter man, “How the hell are you even going to get us down?”

It was Critter’s turn to grin and Celt shook his head because he knew the answer.

“You ever seen my sister shoot? You think I can’t shoot as good as her?”

“Trust me,” Celt warned, “all of Sid’s kid can shoot.”

Darkness’ brow furrowed, “Sid? Not Trigg?”

“Opa taught dad to shoot,” Critter gave both of them a hard look. “The kids are scared, they don’t need to see you two at each other’s throats.”

Celt nodded, “Anyway of knowing how long she’ll be out?”

“No, not really,” Critter shook his head. “What time is the hearing tomorrow?”

“Two thirty,” they both said at the same time.

“Okay,” Critter looked at his watch. “If she’s not coming around on her own by eight tomorrow morning, I’m going to need you to get Tink away from her.”

“I can do that,” Darkness confirmed. “What are you going to do?”

“Give her an IV cocktail and force her to wake up. But she needs at least twelve hours of sleep first,” he pulled his phone out and texted Doc. He knew what the response would be. But before he could get his sister’s vitals for the PA, he would have to get the angry dog away from her.

“You can do that? Give an IV?”

He looked up at Darkness, “I got the legs for the cute little sexy nurse outfit.”

“Get him drunk enough,” Celt smirked, “and he’ll even put it on.”

“Enough alcohol or a really good bribe,” Critter confirmed as the text from Doc came in. “I’m good with either. I need to get her vitals, I’m going to go get my kit, you get the *duivelse hond* away from my sister.”

“He still doesn’t like you?” Celt asked Critter.

“I’m going to say no,” he said as he walked out of the office.

“You ever consider not calling him a demon dog?” Celt asked as the man headed towards the stairs.

“Never!” he called back with a laugh as he headed up the stairs.

Once at his room that he was staying in, he shut the door and dialed his mom’s number.

“How is she? Chowder said she had an episode.”

“And hello to you too,” he chuckled at his mom as he sat on the edge of the bed.

“*Allo*.”

“It’s okay, *moeder*.”

“No, it’s not,” Sid said. “You never call me *moeder* unless you're upset.”

He gave a dry laugh at how well she knew her kids. They all had their tells, and his was slipping into a mix of Dutch and English.

“Their oma made a big deal over not getting to control their inheritance.”

As expected, Sid swore in Dutch and went into detail of what she would do to the other woman.

“What about up there? good?”

“A little excitement over at the motherhouse,” Sid replied. “Your dad said that Scrapper had to go file a missing person’s report. He’s got a brother that hasn’t been seen since Wednesday.”

Critter chuckled. “Anyone I know?”