The anger and frustration of dealing with the obviously hostile intent had finally been too much for James Harper Jr. for him to have keep trying to nudge his father into realizing his mistakes. Dieter Wilhelm and his driver had arrested for attempted murder and conspiring to commit murder and that the police had been getting cooperation from one of the agents Wilhelm had hired, and James Jr. would have figured that that would have been enough to shake James Sr. out of his anger with Jenny making her own choices. Instead, his father had seemed to double down on his anger and pushed even harder, and in that, James Jr. had finally had enough. That lead to his own push back against James Senior, which then lead in turn to Jenny arriving restraining James Sr. and the following confrontation. It was the result of years of frustration, which appeared to be on both sides as James Sr. collapsed onto the carpeted floor.
"JAMES!" Elizabeth Harper moved and was soon on her knees and clutching at James Sr.'s hand while the man lay on his back and clutching at his chest.
There was some moments of silence as just about everyone was shocked to the fact that the confrontation had resulted in James Sr. collapsing to the ground, likely from a heart attack based on what could be seen. Eventually Yamato managed to respond and had pulled out a cellphone and dialed the Moon Lake Hospital.
"Moon Lake Hospital Emergency Dispatch, what is your emergency?" came the dispatch operator on the other end.
"An ambulance is needed at the Moon Lake Baptist Church, we have a middle aged adult male who appears to have had a heart attack," Yamato spoke quickly.
"Is he a normal or were?" the dispatch operator asked.
"Normal," Yamato answered softly, knowing that with Jennifer Jenkins' plan to push for her younger siblings "emancipation" would mean that Janice and John Harper would need to be made aware of the fact that Moon Lake was largely populated by were-beasts and that Jenny was one. James Jr. seemed to surprised to have been paying attention and Elizabeth Harper seemed to distraught to have been paying attention.
"Okay, an ambulance will be dispatched and should arrive in a few minutes," the dispatch operator answered.
Yamato nodded and then announced so that all could hear, "an ambulance is on the way."
Elizabeth Harper looked up for a moment and said to the man, "thank you."
James Jr. traded glances to Jenny and then looked back their fallen father. James Sr. had been quite backward in many ways, but that didn't mean that either of them wanted him dead. In fact, James Jr. had greatly hoped that his father would "see the light" as it were and realize that he'd been wrong. Janice and John stood quietly and were in complete surprise over seeing their father seem to collapse in pain. The other wedding guests and security were also all surprised by what had happened. No one was able to move, either from fear or from shock. The only one who managed anything was Elizabeth Harper.
"Why did you two have to hate on him?" she cried toward Jenny and James Junior, "You both know he loved you... He loved all of you."
"He wasn't a bad father that he denied any of us the right to safety or an education," James Jr. said slowly, "but was he really loving? It'd be the oddest kind of love I've ever seen."
"He kept us together and not going off into ramshackle divorces ruining the sanctity of marriage," Elizabeth pointed out.
James Jr. frowned, "he raised us and put food on the table, sure... and agreed to provide for our education... but was there EVER any real care in that? He's beaten you almost as many times as he's beaten us... and especially when drunk. Is that REALLY love? Or is that really just an old guy who's been backward all his life and tried to force that on others? Where has there been anything you've wanted to do that you didn't okay with dad first? I say again... if dad loves us... it's the oddest display of love that I've ever seen."
Elizabeth only cried and held onto James Senior's hand.
"And everyone could see just how wrong he was," Jenny added, "I remember hanging out with Lizzie May... she had a pet Fennec Fox... she was fun, but the most telling thing was the one sleepover I was allowed to have. Her parents didn't fight or argue, and her father even let his wife choose TV stations... helped her in the kitchen, and Lizzie May wasn't forced to do things the way dad has forced things on you, me, Junior, John, or Janice. That isn't love. That's tyranny."
"Things dad did... hurt all of us," James Jr. added, "I didn't want... this... but that doesn't mean that dad hasn't made mistakes."
Elizabeth looked to James Senior. His breaths were shallow and it actually looked like his eyes were closed for the moment. A part of her really couldn't believe all that. Sure, James Sr. hadn't been the gentlest of husbands, but had been quite gentle when they first met and had been kind to her then. Sure, James Sr. had been extremely strict with how the Harper children were raised, but then that would also serve to determine right or wrong. And if she weren't so concerned over James Senior's condition, she would have fully noticed the differences in Jenny that would only serve to raise issues with regard to "right and wrong." Elizabeth, even after four pregnancies, was still pretty much built like a stick. Her hips were narrow for a woman and while she presently filled a BB cup bra, that was only AFTER four pregnancies. Jenny's body was presently in the perfect hourglass shape with her wide hips balanced by a very generous bosom, which would have to mean that something had happened, and the only thing that would make sense would be cosmetic surgery. But, James Senior's condition was enough that Elizabeth really didn't notice the developments in her eldest daughter.
Elizabeth did want to answer, but found herself unable to. Words simply seemed to escape her and at the same time the sound of a siren soon blared to the point where no one could notice it. It wasn't long before a pair of men bringing in wheeled gurney came in. They wheeled it up next to James Sr. and soon turned to the gathered group around him.
"Can we get a name for this guy?" the first paramedic spoke.
"James Harper Senior," Elizabeth spoke.
"Can you tell us if he had any back injury?" the first paramedic spoke, "and what brought this on?"
"He hasn't hurt his back," Elizabeth answered, "He's just been really stressed. His employer was just arrested for trying to murder someone and found out that his eldest daughter didn't even wait for her family to arrive to get married."
Jenny looked to her mother, but didn't say anything. She relaxed a little when she felt Harry's arm come around her shoulders. The wording her mother used might not be quite right, but the answer wasn't a lie.
"He gripped at his chest just before he collapsed," James Jr. added.
"Has he had a history of cardiac problems?" the second paramedic asked as he and the first moved to lift James Sr. and place him on the gurney.
"Not that I know of... though he also hasn't gone to the doctor frequently and if they told him anything... he didn't tell me," Elizabeth answered.
The paramedics looked at each other and quickly moved to get the gurney out and to the ambulance. It was clear that this was a suspected heart attack, but the fact that the patient might not have known or medicated any heart condition that he might have had meant that the condition could be serious and life threatening. One checked at James Harper Senior's vitals as they moved, the heart beat was there, but it was weak and growing weaker.
"We're going to need to get him to the hospital, stat," the paramedics spoke, "we can let one ride along with us..."
"I'll come," Elizabeth spoke, and looked back at her children and focused on Jenny and James Junior, "but..."
"We'll catch up," Jenny spoke, "Dad is going to have accept that I am my own woman. I am HAPPILY married and I AM home. But Harry and I will be there for YOU."
"And taking my youngest from me?" Elizabeth asked.
"Right now isn't the time," James Jr. spoke, "Maybe when dad is fit enough to go home... but not right now."
Elizabeth sighed and followed the paramedics into the ambulance. They directed her to a seat and then shut the doors. As the ambulance sped away with its sirens blaring, many of the guests and security soon gathered outside the church doors.
"So... I'm gonna guess the second ceremony is cancelled?" Karen asked as she approached Harry and Jenny, with Peter coming up behind her.
"I suppose," Jenny sighed.
"Why the second ceremony?" James Jr. questioned, his voice a bit suspicious, "If I may ask..."
"So that the actual wedding wouldn't be ruined by dad," Jenny sighed, "if he behaved himself, the fact that the wedding attended was the second wedding wouldn't be mentioned and things would go fine... If dad decided to be a jerk, as he did... I'd at least have a happy wedding to remember. I'm sure there are pictures that were taken that can be shared with you."
"That'll be good," James Jr. smiled and looked over to Harry, "sorry if things were a mess... certainly not the welcome to the Harper family you deserved."
"Probably not," Harry agreed, "but for the moment... that can wait."
"How would we get to the hospital?" John asked, "the van is gone."
James Jr. turned to where Doug had parked the van they had come in. Sure enough it wasn't there, which likely meant that the police also searched it, found something, and then seized it as evidence of whatever Dieter Wilhelm planned to do before his plans went belly up. It left them without a vehicle and likely having to rely on the charity of the wedding James Harper Sr. had ruined, even if it wasn't real, just to get to the hospital. The proposed solution came from behind him and made him turn to see a fit looking man with brown hair. He looked quite fit, and almost like he could work as a male model, though he stood more like a college professor. Next to him were an older couple and then another young man who was leaning on a cane with another young woman beside him, though he and the woman looked slightly older than Jenny and Harry.
"Carpool, then," William Anderson spoke, "Let Jenny and Harry ride with the rest of the Jenkins family..."
"Who would then take my younger siblings and I?" James Jr. asked, watching as more people gathered.
"My wife and I can," spoke one of the new arrivals, a woman with very confident look in her stance and stature. She was soon joined by another woman who, while she looked more on the kind and caring side, looked just as confident as the one who'd spoken.
"You can ride with us to the hospital," the second woman spoke, "and we'll go from there."
"Thank you," James Jr. began politely, but his voice trailed off as he didn't know either woman's name.
"Samantha Twist," the first woman spoke, "this is my wife, Frances."
"Thank you, Mrs. Twist," James Jr. spoke as the group began to break up and head to the hospital.