AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“No!” I rejected his offer. There’s no way I’m getting trapped in another house. I’ll wait outside for a rescue.
He nods, seeming to understand as he explains to the dispatcher that a half-naked, soaking wet pregnant woman came out of nowhere and interrupted his yardwork. “Are you okay?” he asks again, genuinely concerned.
“No.” My voice cracks. The overload of emotion is rushing in from all sides, threatening to drown me again. “But I will be.”
He remains on the phone but talks with me instead. The dispatcher has him click the phone to speaker as I recount the horrors that took place only thirty yards away. The neighbor is young, close to my age, and clearly in disbelief. I let them know Sarah was still in the house, unconscious, but alive.
Sirens squeal from down the road—the sound of victory and freedom wrapped in a high-pitched wail. The neighbor hangs up the phone after telling dispatch the police are here. Everything afterward moves at a rapid pace. Police are everywhere, leading me to the waiting ambulance. They interviewed me while the EMT’s work on my injuries, and then sent me off to the hospital. The EMT continues to clean my wounds and check me over as they rapidly drive to the hospital. I remain silent the entire trip until they aimed a needle toward my arm.
“This’ll make you a little drowsy, but it’ll help with the pain.”
Fear wraps around me like the arctic temperatures of Alaskan waters. “No needles!” Slapping out wildly, I knocked it from his hand, causing him to curse. “Please, no.” I beg.
He slowly picks the needle up, both hands raised, before tossing it in a drawer. “Avery, I’m not going to hurt you. We’re here to help. No needles, okay.”
Eyeing him suspiciously, I still don’t trust him all the way, and slide over on the gurney.
We’re coming to a screeching stop a moment later, and the doors to the ambulance fly open. People hustle and bustle, setting my nerves alight with tension.
A gray-haired lady leans over as they drag the stretcher from the back. “Avery? Avery, look at me.” Several voices are speaking, relaying vitals, checking the baby, discombobulating her words.
Tuning them out, I whisper, “No needles.”
She agrees easily. “That’s fine. We’ve been looking for you a long time.”
My lower lip trembles, the first clue before the damn breaks, and every pent-up emotion comes pouring out.
“There, there. You’re safe now, dear.” She assures the doubts that linger.
A warmth encompasses my body, restricting the reply that rests on the tip of my tongue. The kind woman’s eyes widen with concern and starts speaking rapidly to the group. Their words garble, like cotton in the ears, as the world around me grows hazy and fades to black.
Continuous noise drags me to consciousness—the beeping an anchor to the living plane. A soft voice coaches me the rest of the way while checking our vitals.
“That’s it. You gave us a little scare. Nothing to worry about, though. You and the baby are healthy. We notified your father, and he should be here soon.”
Again, the lower lip betrays me and trembles, just as my dad’s voice echoes down the hall, shouting at the doctor as he runs. “Are you sure it’s her?” The doctor doesn’t have time to answer before he’s bursting in the door, his eyes searching the room until he finds me, and then dips to my giant belly. His eyes turn thunderous. “Who had you, baby girl?” He has the wrong idea, thinking my abductor is the father.
I open my mouth to explain, but the only thing that slips out is a whispered, “Daddy.”
Tears stream down his face as he drops into the seat next to my bed and grabs my hand. His forehead rests on my hand as we cry our happiness, sadness, excitements, and every other emotion under the rainbow at this fucked up situation. “Are you okay? What happened? Who took you, sweetheart? How are you pregnant?”
The story’s being repetitively repeated a thousand times, but I relay the entire encounter. “Dad, has anyone called Jaxton?” Now that dad’s here, he’s all I’m worried about.
A giant smile overtakes his face as he nods. “Of course, baby girl. You’ve got yourself a keeper there. All of them boys are.”
“All the boys?” I question, not understanding.
He smiles again. “Jax and his brothers. They’ve kept me company over the months, helping me stay sane while we waited for you to come home.” He clears his throat, riding the growing lump. “Jax was at your place with Lennox, watering the flowers, when I called. They’re on their way now.”
Confirming that he’s on his way, that I’ll get to touch him in moments, threatens my undoing. I’ve held it together by a string for months, and now, I just want to let go.
A commotion in the hall draws our attention as people yell for someone to slow down. The door to my room flies open, and there he is… Jaxton. He’s frozen, processing that this is in fact reality, and that I’m sitting in the same room. His eyes shine like the sun reflecting off water, pooling with tears, as his chest pumps heavily.
“Avery!” He exclaims and is at my bedside in seconds. My dad steps back, giving us room. “Kitten… I thought I lost you.” He leans down until his forehead touches mine. Both our eyes are closed, soaking in each other’s essence. “I missed you, baby. I love you. I’m so sorry. I should have known…” I pinch his lips together, stopping his verbal diarrhea.
“Shh.” I whisper, shaking my head. “None of this is your fault. I’m back and we’re both healthy.”
When he leans back to meet my eyes, it’s as if he’s seeing my belly for the first time. “What the fuck?” The disbelief is a whisper, before his eyes frantically jump between me and my belly. “What happened? Did someone…” His voice breaks, while his breathing increases, and his fists clench in rage. When his eyes meet mine again, they’re fierce, practically screamingmine!“Kitten…”
