Through the Fire Pt. 04

She looked up at me and I smiled at her before turning back to the Scooby Doo villain. "But I don't want him to forgive you. You wanted to hurt him. He is going to be the best Dad in the entire world, but you don't get anything from my Dad, my brother, or my Mum," she said looking at Betty, who was smiling as bright as the sun. "You get nothing. I think you should go to jail and stay there."

There was a lot going through my mind at that moment, I got what she was saying and she was right that I wasn't going to forgive DuMont. But out of the mouth of babes...

However, that wasn't what caught my attention. She had called Betty, Mum, and she had called me Dad. I squeezed her a little and we just sat and waited.

The ambulance crew arrived and checked the kids over, Betty waved them away from her and then looked me over. Lastly, they looked at DuMont.

When it was all said and done, four men, French nationals, here on 'family holidays' were held on numerous charges. Brian DuMont was treated for a broken nose, missing teeth, fractured cheek bone and a severe groin injury.

Me, I was given a couple of pain killers, a bottle of water and an ice bucket in a police interview room while everything was sorted out.

[:::: 17 ::::]

Our wedding was streamed live over the net, several companies paying a hefty fee to Betty's agency for the privilege. Of course she was a beautiful bride. And I loved that she went simple. A white satin dress, with no train, and just a bunch of flowers in her hands as she walked down the aisle, Andrew as her escort. Tim acted as ring bearer and Sonia as her flower girl.

Harper acted as her maid of honour and Trey my best man. We only had fifty people in the small church and kept things as easy going as possible.

I don't recall too much else of the day, other than we danced, laughed with everyone, had a great time and I constantly found Betty looking at me like she had just won the lottery.

Sandra and my parents agreed to look after Tim and Sonia while we were on our honeymoon. We spent a month on a tropical beach. For the first time ever, I went without a shirt for most of the trip. The staff on the almost private island were very discreet and never directly asked about my scars. Then again, they never mentioned the screams of passion that escaped our beach side bungalow either.

When we got home, the following month the adoption paperwork came through, But both kids had already taken to calling us Mum and Dad after that day at the park. But now, they could legally use the last name Other.

When six months later, Betty fell pregnant with twins, our first set of twins were over the moon.

Almost nine months later, George and Priss were born and Lurandra retired from the world of professional modelling.

Me, I continued working with Geoff, I still looked after the crew and enjoyed my work. Betty, the kids and I now go to almost all the invites to barbeques, and I am more than happy in shorts and a short-sleeved shirt.

You're likely wondering what happened to DuMont. Well, he and what turned out to be three cousins, are serving six years here in an Aussie prison. Once their sentences are completed, all of three will be deported along with DuMont who will then still need to face the music in France for his original charges plus skipping out of the country.

I hope that he ends up with the book thrown at him, but he no longer is of any concern to me. I have my family and I fall in love with Betty more and more every day.

[:::: 18 ::::]

Twelve years later, I am walking my daughter down the aisle. Sonia looks stunning in her gown. Actually, its Betty's gown, proudly provided by her mother. Sonia is marrying the captain of the local university's football team, Tony. They went to high school together and one day when a couple of his friends were teasing Sonia about her looks and burns, he stood up for her and the way he tells it, he fell in love with her the moment she looked at him and gave him her special smile.

At first, I was a little weary, I was concerned that Tony was just leading Sonia on to humiliate my daughter much like DuMont had done to me years ago. However I was very wrong and Tony has proven he is the right man to look after Sonia many times over. Harper, Sandra and Betty haven't let me give him too much grief for dating my oldest daughter.

Tim's also still dating his high-school sweetheart. She's a cute little redhead and I think he'll be popping the question in the next few months.

Betty, well she never went back to modelling full time. Sure, after George and Priss, she did a few shows, but she and Sandra went out and started their own agency. They do well for themselves and are representing some significant models both here in Australia, the UK and the US.

During the wedding photos, my oldest daughter posed proudly with me, both of us smiling broadly as we displayed our scars, our burns now a mark of honour rather than the shame we so often have to deal with.

At the wedding reception I got the father daughter dance and both of us cried as the music played, we swayed backwards and forwards. When the music ended, I handed Sonia over to her husband as Betty slipped into my arms.

"My hero," Betty said as I got lost taking in the sight of my awesome wife.

"No, you're mine," I told her, bending down to kiss her, her lips just as wonderful so many years later as the day she first beckoned me to the stage.

She laughed, drawing the attention of the crowd, everyone smiled then turned back to what they were doing. Betty, the former supermodel known as Lurandra, touched her hand to my cheek, her forefinger tracing the scar line in an act of intimacy.

"We've done alright haven't we," I said as we danced close, holding her to me. "The sexy super model and the scarred man."

She smiled up at me, she knows that while I am still self-conscious about my looks, though they no longer hold me back from being seen. In fact, I have done several advertising campaigns that have helped burns victims understand they can be proud to be seen among regular looking people.

Betty moves her hand to my chest, bringing me out of the thought and it then sneaks up to cup my chin. "We've done amazingly well babe," she says as she glances over at Priss who is surrounded by a group of George's friends. She's already got her mother's looks, but she wants to go into medicine, not modelling. George loves working with his hands and is looking at a trade when he finishes high school. I could not be prouder of all four of my kids.

I hear my wife take a large breath.

"So, the kids have their own room tonight," Betty says in a sultry voice. I raise an eyebrow. "I hear that former supermodel Lurandra, is doing a very exclusive show tonight, away from prying eyes."

"How exclusive?" I reply playfully.

My wife grinds herself against me, "For your eyes only, babe. Your. Eyes. Only."

I smile, Life is good.

[:::: Fin ::::]

[:::: Authors Ending Note ::::]

Thank you for reading through all four parts of 'Through the Fire'. I hope that you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Now there are a few Aussie slang words and phrases amongst the lines in this story, so if you struggle with anything, let me know and I will happily provide context.

As I have mentioned in other stories, the past year has not been great for me personally, so many challenges have come up that have felt insurmountable. But at the same time, building the emotion I have felt into some of what I write appears to have resonated with a number of readers. Firstly, thank you to everyone who reached out with your words of concern and compassion. It really does help. And to those of you who have sent me messages talking to how my stories have helped you through your own trial. I am overjoyed that what I have wrote has helped.

What's next? Well, I have a two-part story complete and its been through the first round of edits. And I've got another three stories drafted, but I'm going to take my time.

I've also got concepts outlined for two tales that could be larger more professionally published stories, so with encouragement from my amazing wife, I am thinking about working on something in parallel with my Lit content.

I think its then finding and agent and take that next step.

With that said, again, a hearty thank you for reading 'Through the Fire'

See you in the next story.

John Other