Chapter 26

26

Aurora

"Anything?" I hear whispered along with an annoying beeping sound.

What…where am I?

"Not yet," the voice that soothes me so much rasps, full of pain, and my foggy confusion starts to clear.

I realize what's happened.

Phil was shot.

Juicy knocked me out.

Axe found me.

He kicked my stomach.

He tried to rape me.

I can't remember anything past him punching my face, but I hear the beeping, so I know my husband found me, which doesn't surprise me. Theodore Taylor would search the earth for me.

The question is, did he find me before Axe raped me?

I know I should open my eyes to let whoever is in the room know I'm awake and that I hurt like no tomorrow. My head is pounding, my side aching badly. Everywhere hurts, but I'm scared. If I open my eyes, then I need to face my reality.

I may have lost our babies….

"She'll wake soon, brother," a man states…a man who sounds like Doc.

Theo hums. I hear the door click shut, and a strong, rough hand grips mine, gently stroking it.

"He's gone, Firecracker, open your eyes," he whispers, and my tears fall down the side of my face, stinging me. God, I hate that he knows I was already awake, but I'm grateful he didn't tell Doc.

Gently, I shake my head, too scared to face him, to face the pain I know is in his eyes.

This man consumes me, and I'm terrified of hurting him the way I did a few weeks ago, sending him the divorce papers, or like I did when I looked into the termination of the pregnancy, allowing my past to rule me.

Theo squeezes my hand and pleads, "Let me see those beautiful eyes, Rory; you've been out of it for over forty-eight hours, and our daughter needs you. I need you."

Sniffling, I know I can't deny him. I slowly open my eyes, turning my head in his direction. He smiles a little, trying to hide his pain, but I see it along with the dark bags beneath his eyes.

"Hi, Firecracker…" he whispers, squeezing my hand.

"Hi…" I choke back.

I want to move my hands to my stomach, but physically, my body won't allow me because it knows how badly it'll go if I don't feel the hardness.

Taking deep breaths, I decide to try and focus on how long I was with him , and I stutter, "H-how l-l…."

Theo squeezes my hand, seeing that I'm struggling to speak, my throat hurting. He knows what I was going to ask and says softly, "You were only with him for about twenty minutes, but it was twenty minutes too long."

I squeeze his hand. It's not his fault.

I take another deep breath, sharp pains shooting through my side, making me wince, and Theo clears his throat. "You've got bruises, Firecracker, but two of your ribs are cracked; they'll take a little while to heal, so you need to go slowly."

I nod slightly, pain shooting through my head when I do, and slowly, so very slowly, I get the courage and move my left hand to my belly.

I sob, feeling the bump still hard, and Theo squeezes my hand tighter as the door to my room opens, causing me to look up.

My father, Piston, Steel, Acid, Doc, and Snake walk in.

Their eyes look at me with relief and sorrow, confusing me a little. I look at Theo. He smiles sadly before plopping his elbows on the bed, squeezing my hand with his, and kissing my fingers.

Oh…no….

I don't feel sore between my legs, but that doesn't mean he didn't….

Theo sees my panic, and he squeezes my hand tighter and whispers, "He didn't rape you, Firecracker; we got there just in time."

I sigh in relief, rub my bump, and then look at the men. They still have sadness in their eyes.

Why?

"Rory," Theo rasps, and I look his way, wincing at the pain, making him flinch. He takes a deep breath, gives me a small smile, and says, "Our son, our little boy, is healthy." My tears fall hard and fast.

Our son, we're having a boy….

Pain pulses from him, and suddenly, I realize exactly what he said: our boy was healthy.

One baby is healthy….

I look at the men, and they look down. I squeeze my belly, shaking my head, and instantly deny, "No…."

Both babies have to be okay!

Theo squeezes my hand again to get my attention, and I look his way, tears trailing down my cheeks. Gently, he leans forward, wiping the tears away as he whispers with absolute pain, "We lost our little girl."

My breathing picks up, and guilt hits me hard.

This is my fault, it's all my fault.

Pure, heart-wrenching sobs tear from my chest, causing Theo to quickly stand and lean over me, gripping my cheeks. I cry, "No, please no…."

Theo places his forehead against mine, whispering, "I'm so sorry, Rory, so fucking sorry," over and over. I grip his wrists, crying my heart out, my body shaking.

"T-this is-is my fault; I-I was going to abort them. It-it's my fault!" I wail.

Theo flinches at my words, shaking his head, but I ignore him and try to remove the cannula. The air becoming too thin in the room.

He grabs my hands, and I scream, "No, let me go! I don't deserve to be here; it's my fault…."

Sobs tear out of me, breathing becomes more difficult, pain and grief shoots through my body, and Theo shouts, "Doc!"

I fight against him, needing out of this room, the beeping echoing too much in my head, the pain overtaking me.

I can't breathe….

I struggle for gasps of air as Doc comes into a blurry focus, and he curses, putting an oxygen mask over my face, but I try to fight him off.

This is my fault; I killed my baby, my little girl….

It's all my fault.

Black spots fill my vision, and trying to breathe becomes too difficult.

"Aurora!" my father shouts, but everything sounds underwater, my ears ringing.

It's my fault; I didn't protect her.

It's all my fault.

"Rory, please…" Theo begs as blackness takes hold, and I welcome it.

It's all my fault….

My fault….

My….