“You guys can come back in.”
Julien practically jumps through the doorway, but Ryder holds back.
“You and I will talk later,” Jayson says to Ryder, his voice is tinged with bitterness and a deep kind of despondent anger. “But not now. Liz comes first and she doesn’t need our shit making things worse.”
“Agreed.”
Julien is telling me something about Elijah when the nurse walks in. She’s very young and looks like she’s fresh from nursing school. Her personality is bubbly and kind. Her nametag reads Nurse Jackie.
“Good news, Miss Fairchild. The rest of your bloodwork came back fine. Someone will be in with your discharge papers.” Jackie comes over to take the blood pressure cuff off my arm and disconnect the IV line. “So, how old is your wee one?” she asks me.
“I’m sorry. What?”
“Your wee one. Your baby.”
Have I entered some alternate reality? I’m sure I didn’t hit my head in the library.
“My baby?”
Julien starts to laugh but chokes on it when Jackie says, “Most young girls today are having C-sections, but they usually get the bikini cut. You don’t often see the classic cut anymore.” She points to the scar on my abdomen. The red scar that starts at my navel and descends below my underwear. The scar that’s exposed and clearly showing where my shirt pulled up after I shifted to sit up in the bed. The scar I thought was another wound from my attack.
Daniel is walking back in when I say, “My C-section?”
His face pales, eyes going wide when he looks at me. Daniel’s phone slips from his hand and crashes against the hard linoleum floor. The screen cracks. Just like my heart.
“Elizabeth, I can explain.” But it’s too late. I see the guilt. The remorse.
“You motherfucker!” Jayson roars as he lunges at Daniel.
Chapter 25
Ryder
“Jayson!” Elizabeth screams and I rush over to her as she finishes ripping the IV line from her hand and tries to scramble out of the bed.
With one hand wrapped around his neck, Jayson bodily lifts Daniel up against the open door. Jayson’s silver eyes are blown black and he releases a snarl like a rabid dog.
“What baby? When did Liz have a baby!?” Julien is yelling.
“Call security!” Nurse Jackie shouts and runs out of the room.
Daniel is trying hard to wheeze out words, but Jayson keeps increasing the pressure. “You sick fuck! What did you do?”
“Jayson, stop!” Elizabeth screams again.
I’m trying hard to keep Elizabeth back because there’s no telling what Jayson is capable of right now, but she’s clawing at me and trying to shove my hands away.
“What baby?” Julien yells again, getting up into Daniel’s face, not caring that Jay is about to strangle the man. What the hell is going on?
“Daniel! Answer him!” I have never heard Elizabeth sound so angry before. “Ryder, let me go. Right now!”
I release my grip on her arm and she rushes over to Jayson’s side. She reaches up and places her hand on top of Jayson’s chokehold on Daniel.
“Jayson. Stop. Let him go,” she quietly tells him, her hand moving over his and gently pulling at his curled fingers.
With a menacing grunt, Jayson suddenly releases Daniel and stumbles back. Elizabeth grabs Jayson’s face and forces him to focus on her as Daniel bends over, coughing and gasping for air. The hallway is filled with hospital staff. They stand around in various states of shock and confusion, watching, some craning their necks to get a better look, a few videoing everything with their phones. Two police officers rush down the hallway and stop at the entrance to Elizabeth’s room.
“Everything’s fine,” Daniel rasps to the policemen, holding his hand up to stop them from entering the room.
