Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Five

Zoey

I’VE BEEN MOVED to a room upstairs and I know it’s just a matter of time before my family shows up to see that I’m okay with their own eyes. Jameson hasn’t left my side since he found me in that house other than for a few minutes to let our family know what’s going on. He’s been my rock and I’m going to cling to him for as long as he’ll let me. Even though Dr. Morris has told us she doesn’t believe there’s a reason to think I’ll lose our twins, I refuse to get my hopes up. Until they are safely born and in our arms, every second of the day is going to be torture for me. I’m going to overthink and overanalyze every twinge and pain I feel for the remainder of my pregnancy. Plus, I know I still have to let everyone know what actually happened. Jameson has been giving me the space I’m desperate for while staying close. He’s not badgering me with the questions I don’t want to answer.

“Kitten, are you ready for our family to come in?” Jameson asks me as he looks down at his phone after pulling it from his pocket.

“I’m as ready as I can be. There’s no reason for us to put this off any longer. You all need answers to questions and I have one of my own. Just remind them that it can only be a few of them and that I can’t be stressed while they’re in here,” I answer him, my voice a whisper with the knowledge that I’m about to relive this shit when it’s the last thing I want to do.

No, I haven’t seen the cops because Jameson made sure the doctors and other medical staff didn’t call and report what happened to me. He told them all that we had already called them and they were currently talking to others who weren’t at the hospital yet. They had waited behind at the location I was being held in. His quick thinking means there is no police involvement and that is one thing I am happy about.

“I’ll make sure they know. Your mom will be in here with your dad, the triplets, my parents, Playboy, and Slim. No one else will be allowed in right now. The guys will ensure everyone knows what happened so we can move forward. And I believe I have the same question as you do. They’ll be here in a few seconds, kitten,” he tells me, not moving from right next to my bed. “I love you, Zoey. When I knew you were gone, somethin’ deep inside me broke and shattered. It took one look from Reagan and I knew my gut feelin’ was true. I’ve loved you most of my life and thought you would always be there no matter what I did or how often I pushed you away. I don’t expect you to say it back, and I’m not sayin’ this because I almost lost you. I’m sayin’ it because it’s the truth and I need you to know that I love you with every beat of my heart and ounce of my soul.”

“I love you, Jameson. I’ve always loved you and I don’t see that ever changing. When he had me, I didn’t let myself think of us having a future because I thought I lost the twins and that you’d never forgive me for not protecting them as I promised I would. In that moment, I cut off the part of myself that loves you and let an icy numbness replace my entire being. But, I do love you, Jameson, with everything in me. I’ll love you today, tomorrow, and every day of our future,” I return, knowing he needs the words as much as I do.

There’s enough room for my family and others to be on the opposite side of him. I look toward the door and see my dad is the first one through as he holds my mom’s hand. He comes to an immediate stop as he takes in every inch of me that he can see. I haven’t looked to see how horrible I’m messed up, but I can only imagine how bad my face and arms look from everything I’ve been through.

“Baby girl,” he says, his voice gutting me as all the pain he’s feeling is projected in those two words.

“Zoey,” my mom says, letting go of my dad’s hand and rushing to my side. “My baby girl. I’m so sorry you’re going through this.”

“Daddy, I’m okay,” I say, keeping my eyes on my dad because he still hasn’t moved any closer to the bed. My mom leans over and presses a kiss to my temple while moving my hair from my face. “I’m okay, Mom. I hurt but not as bad. They’ve given me medicine that’s safe for the babies and it’s helping.”

Finally, my dad steps forward and waits for my mom to move so he can lean over me. He presses his forehead against mine and closes his eyes as I do the same. My dad needs time to realize that I’m in one piece and safe from the asshole that took me from them. They all need to know I’m alive and still breathing on my own. It’s one thing I can give them.

“I love you, baby girl. I’ve never been as scared as I was when I found out you were taken from us. Despite all the shit we’ve all been through over the years, to hear that my baby girl was kidnapped and we didn’t know a fuckin’ thing is what gutted me and tore my heart from my chest. Your mama and I rushed here and we’re not leavin’ anytime soon. You’re stuck with us, Zoey, for the foreseeable future,” my dad informs me as he finally moves his forehead from mine and steps back so my brothers and everyone else can step up and see me.

My dad only goes as far as to walk around the side of the bed to stand next to Jameson. He hands him something that I miss as my brothers all fight for my attention. I can’t help but laugh as my brothers try to become more outrageous than the last as they talk shit to me. Of course they’d be the ones to point out all the bruises and cuts covering my face and neck. According to Kevlar, it makes me look even better than I normally do. I don’t honestly know what I’d do without these three shitheads in my life because you never know what the fuck is gonna come out of their mouths. And they’re excellent at turning a horrible situation into something funny. It’s just too bad that I’m the only one who laughs about Kevlar’s joke regarding looking better than before with all of my new marks showcasing what I’ve been through.

Each person steps up and says a few words to me, kissing the top of my head or temple before my mom and Skylar leave us alone in the room. I take a deep breath because I know what needs to happen now. The time has come for me to tell everyone what happened and how I ended up with the fucker who took me.

“If I’m going to get through this, you all need to let me speak and don’t say anything or ask questions until I’m done. It’s the only way I’m gonna be able to get everything out,” I say, looking around the room at everyone as I prepare myself for what I’m about to tell the most important men in my life. “I was on my way to school when I hit a certain section that holds hardly any traffic at any time I’ve ever been to campus or back. Everything was going okay and I kept making sure no one was following me. A few minutes after I got on the road and realized I was truly alone, I noticed a truck heading toward me. As the driver got close, he pulled over into my lane and hit me head on. There was nothing I could do to stop the collision from happening. It all happened so fast.

“Anyway, the seatbelt pulled tight against my chest and bruised me while the airbags exploded. I think most of the damage to my face is actually from them and not the fucker who took me. It was Wheeler. He got out of the truck and took me from the SUV. I’m not sure if he knocked me out or if I got pulled under from the impact of the airbags to my head. Anyway, when I woke up, I was chained to a chair, naked. He came in, spewing a bunch of shit and I could tell he was high as a kite. I was never removed from the room you found me in at that house. Until we left, I didn’t even know I was in a house. He ended up unlocking the chains and removing them from my ankles and wrists. That’s where the damage in that area came from.

“The fucker attacked me just after releasing me from the chair because I was running my mouth to him. It was the only way I could think of to ensure he would get pissed off and be sloppy in whatever he was planning on doing to me at that point. I didn’t realize he was going to rape me until I was laying on that mattress and he started talking about it. Anyway, he beat the hell out of me and I did everything I could think of to protect myself, but it wasn’t much with how weak I felt. My main focus was protecting the twins and I did that as soon as I could. It’s when I called out for Jameson as I laid on the floor curled up in a ball. He didn’t like that either.

“Wheeler was so out of his mind, I was able to grab a knife that was on the stand next to the bed. The idiot didn’t even see me grabbing it. Hell, I don’t think he even realized I attacked him until it was over with. That’s one of the times he was planning on raping me. By stabbing and slashing the blade across his skin a few times, I was able to make him leave me alone in the room. I spent more time passed out than I actually did awake. The only reason I know he didn’t rape me while I was passed out is because he wanted me awake for that.

“Eventually, he left me alone in the room again so he could tend to his wounds once he realized they were there. Again, I don’t have a clue how long he was gone because I didn’t remain awake for very long. He came back in not long before you all showed up. That’s when he was going to attempt to rape me again. I fought back the best I could despite the blood leaking from me and the pain that filled my body. Every single move I made felt as if I was being stabbed repeatedly and hit by a tractor trailer simultaneously. He fell to the floor and called me some names and shit. That’s when you all burst through the door,” I tell my family as they surround me.

Tears are sliding down my face as I take in the anger filling each of their faces. The only one who doesn’t show only pain is Jameson. His eyes show every emotion he’s feeling including the despair from not being there for me when I truly needed him. He got there the very second he could and that’s all I can ask of him. They all got there as soon as they could.

“He’s fuckin’ good, I’ll give him that,” Playboy says as he steps up to grab my toes through the blanket covering me. “While he was causin’ the accident to take you from us, the fucker had Kingston, Jameson, and me all arrested on trumped up warrants he managed to get somehow. I’m sure he paid off the judge who signed his name, but we can’t prove a fuckin’ thing yet. Sweetheart, if we weren’t arrested, we would’ve gotten you out of there as soon as we learned of your kidnappin’.”

“I know, uncle G. There isn’t a single thing any of you could’ve done to get to me any quicker than you did. While I’m broken right now, he didn’t knock me out completely. I will fight every single day to get back even a shred of the person I was before all of this happened. With you all at my side, I know it won’t be as hard as if I try to do this alone,” I say, letting more tears slide freely down my face. “But, I have to know one thing as I start to heal and move forward from this. Is he gone?”

Without saying the actual words of my question every single man in this room knows what I’m asking of them. Is the fucker dead and no longer breathing.

“Yeah, baby girl. He’s no longer a threat to you or anyone else. Fox and Hawk were able to dig up quite a bit of information on him with the help of one of Reaper’s contacts. This was a bad man, baby girl. He hurt so many girls and women over the years. Did the same thing to them as he did to you. If Jameson didn’t take him out, he never would’ve stopped. I honestly don’t believe he would’ve stopped comin’ after you until he took you from us for good,” my dad answers, dropping his eyes as he thinks of what could’ve happened to me.

“He won’t ever be found, darlin’,” my Gramps says, stepping up next to my uncle G. “Rubber and a few other men made sure to deal with everythin’ and there is nothin’ left to be found of him. Now, you get some rest and let us worry about the heavy liftin’. We’ve got your back and will be here every fuckin’ step of the way. Don’t you worry about anythin’ but restin’ and growin’ those babies so we can meet them when the right time comes.”

“I love you, Gramps,” I tell him, watching as he walks around the bed and pulls me carefully into a hug.

My Gramps gives the best hugs. Today, I don’t get to experience the full thing because he’s so scared of hurting me. I don’t honestly blame him because I am still in pain. I’ll do everything in my power to prevent these men from seeing it though. Especially Jameson. He’s already beating himself up so much over what happened to me. Uncle G follows him before they leave the room. One by one, everyone leaves until my parents and Jameson are the only ones in here. Everyone is going to check into a hotel for the night. None of them want to be too far from the hospital in case Jameson and I need something.

“Baby girl, your mom and I will be stayin’ here until you’re released and then in Clinton City until you’re fully healed. We’ll return whenever you need us. There is somethin’ I want to talk to you about though,” my dad says, his voice taking on a rough quality as he looks down at me from the end of my bed. “I think you need to talk to someone when you’re discharged. You’ve been through hell and if you don’t let it out and learn to deal with the demons that now haunt you, I’m afraid that you’ll disappear from us once again.”

“I know, Daddy. I’ve already been thinking about that. The last thing I want is to drag this to my future with me. Yeah, I know I can talk to all of you, but it’s not the same as talking to someone who’s gone to school for this shit. So, I’m more than willing to see a counselor for as long as it takes. I’ll have to see if I can find someone who will work with me because I won’t be able to go to the office for appointments for the time being. Other than that, I don’t have a problem with what you’re suggesting,” I tell him, not sure if Jameson will be okay with me doing this.

“That’s a really good idea, kitten. While you’re in here, I’ll talk to Dr. Morris and have Hawk look for someone that can work with you. Hopefully you can see someone soon after we get home. I need to talk to your dad for a minute. Maddie can you hang out for a minute while we take care of somethin’?” Jameson asks, answering that question for me while leaving my room with my dad following him.

“What’s going on there?” I ask my mom, not taking my eyes off the door as it closes behind them.

“I’m not sure. We’ll find out when they’re ready for us to know. You know how these men are. Are you really okay, baby?” my mom asks, taking the few minutes we have alone to verify I’m okay and not putting on a front.

“No, I’m not. I’m still in pain, but I don’t want Jameson to know because he’s already blaming himself for not being there for me. To stop this from happening. There’s still the fear that I’m going to lose the twins because of this too. That’s really all I can think about no matter who’s around me. Mom, we’re having identical twins,” I answer her honestly as my mom sits gently on the side of my bed and runs her fingers through my hair like she used to when I was little and sick.

“I had a feeling that was the case. You know who you can always talk to about the babies, Zoey. Bailey is the best one for you to talk to. She lost a baby and knows better than anyone else everything you’re feeling or thinking about right now. Please, talk to her. She wants to be here for you just like everyone else does.”

“I’ll talk to her. Though, I’ll do it when it can be just the two of us. I don’t want Jameson or anyone else around when we talk about that,” I promise my mom as I wait for Jameson and my dad to come back in.

The rest of the day goes by fast. Nurses are constantly coming and going from my room, I’m fed food Skylar made sure was bought for me, and I spend hours with my mom, dad, and Jameson alone in the hospital room. We don’t really talk about anything serious as they try to keep my mind off everything that keeps playing on a loop in my mind. When they finally leave Jameson and I alone, I’m more than ready to fall asleep so I don’t have to talk, think, or feel anymore. Jameson remains in the chair at my side and lays his head down on the side of my bed. He’s close enough that he touches my hip and I run my fingers through the strands of his hair. It instantly puts him to sleep as I begin to doze next to him. Neither one of us gets a full night’s rest with the staff continually coming in and out all night long. Don’t go to the hospital if you need to get rest of any kind because it sure as hell won’t happen there.