CHAPTER EIGHTEEN- Shattered Ties

They all rushed to the room where Daniel was staying to check on him. They found Daniel already up and trying to cut off the drip connected to his hand.

"Daniel! Don't!" Katherine screamed as she ran towards him and laid him back on the bed.

"Dad! Dad! Katherine, where's my dad?" He said, trying to stand up again.

"Daniel! Get well first; I will take you to him." Katherine promised, trying to console him.

"Katherine, my dad sacrificed himself for me; he inhaled all the chemicals." Daniel cried out.

"Boss! Did you think Mr. Johnson would be happy to see you like this? Do you think he saved you for you to be like this?" Harry said, trying to console him as well.

"Once you rest well and take the last drip, then we will escort you to him, boss," Katherine said.

Daniel calmed down and rested on the bed. Katherine couldn't hold her tears; she ran out and wept bitterly.

Harry went after her, hugging her in an attempt to console her.

"Poor Daniel never knew he had lost his dad. Katherine cried out.

"It's ok, Katherine. Don't allow him to hear you; he needs to rest well or else he will pass out." Harry said, patting her on the back.

"The world is so cruel to Daniel; is it a sin to stay happy for at least 24 hours?" Katherine weeps bitterly.

While in prison, Jerry asked a cop about Daniel and Mr. Johnson, trying to confirm whether his plot was successful.

"Mr. Johnson died on the spot, while Mr. Daniel was receiving treatment." "So you will be charged with attempted murder and murder of Mr. Johnson," the cop said.

"So it was a total failure," Joe said.

"Yeah! We killed an already dying man, damn it!" Jerry shouted as he punched the wall with his fist.

"I think Daniel managed to escape, so what's our fate now?" Joe asked, looking scared.

"This isn't the end; I must look for a way to escape. Jerry said, looking desperate.

"Are crazy! Don't tell me you're trying to escape prison. Joe charges at Jerry.

"Then are we to stay here? Either way, we're going to die. I prefer to die in action to die in captivity. Jerry said.

"Whatever your plan is, count me out of it," Joe said as he lay down to rest.

The next day, Daniel had finished recuperating. He woke up and found Katherine resting her head on his arm. "You didn't go home yesterday?" Daniel asked.

"You're awake; how are you now feeling?" Katherine asked, touching Daniel's forehead.

"I'm ok, Katherine. Can you now take me, my dad?" Daniel asked, looking worried.

"I guess I can't hide it forever; I will lead you to Mr. Johnson," Katherine said she was trying to hold back her tears.

They went out and met Harry outside the ward, and they both took him to the hospital morgue.

"Where are you taking me? This is a morgue," Daniel said, removing his arm from Katherine's hand.

"At least you should pay last respects to Mr. Johnson," Harry said, informing him indirectly about his dad's death.

Daniel quickly ran inside the hospital morgue room, only to find his dad with a white cloth laid over him.

"Dad! Dad! Wake up, it's Dan. Dad, it's your favorite son, Dan." He cried out, shaking the lifeless body of his dad.

"Dad, I promise to move back home. I promise never to leave your side again, Dad!" He shouted.

Harry and Katherine also wept with him, then went to draw him from his dad so that they could wrap him up and prepare for burial.

"Let go of me! How, dear, do you lay a finger on me?" Daniel said, struggling to free himself from Katherine and Harry's grip.

"Dad! Dad!" Daniel shouted; suddenly, he passed out.

"Boss! Boss! Doctor! Katherine shouted.

Harry rushed to bring in the doctor. Daniel was examined and put back to bed with another drip connected to him.

"His pulse is weak; he needs to rest well." The doctor said.

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Meanwhile, Jerry, Joe, Mr. James, Mrs. Gwen, Joseph, and a few of his gangs were moved to jail, waiting for trial.

Mr. James was put in the same jail as his children. "What have I done?" Mr. James Soliloquize said, "I and my family are in the same jail," feeling embarrassed and regretful.

"Dad! So you're our real dad, isn't it?" Joe ask.

"What was your offense?" Mr. James asked.

"We're here due to our failure; we tried to kill both Dan and Mr. Johnson, but we only ended up killing Mr. Johnson, and Daniel survived. Jerry said.

"What! So Mr. Johnson is dead? Mr. James asked once again. He bowed his head down and cried, feeling embarrassed by his betrayal.

"Dad, why are you crying?" Joe asks pretending to care for him.

"I betrayed someone who trusted me more than himself," Mr. James proclaims, feeling embarrassed by his actions.

"Dad, that's the only way to pay Daniel back for what he has done to our mom," Jerry said, trying to justify his actions.

"It's all my fault," Mr. James claimed. "I shouldn't have started all these." He said.

"That's too late, the trigger has been pulled, we can't call back the bullet," Jerry said, as he was full of rage for losing against Daniel.

While others have slept, only Mr. James is still up, reflecting on what he has done. Suddenly, an anonymous man wearing a police outfit opened the prison door where Mr. James is staying with his kids, on his hand is a sharp broken piece of glass, he pounced on Mr. James, but before Mr. James can make any noise, he stabbed him on the neck, the glass pierce through his neck. He then disguised it as suicide.

The next morning, Jerry and Joe screamed for help as they found their dad bleeding profusely as a piece of glass struck him in the throat. He was rushed to the prison hospital, but it was too late; he died due to too much loss of blood.

"Daniel! You killed my dad; this is the beginning. I will show you hell! Jerry shouted.