Chapter Thirty One

River



Now that the adrenaline that came from fighting off that fucker and finding Chevy passed out on the floor has left my body, exhaustion is sinking in but I try to fight it off as I watch her blink a few times, before smiling at me as though I hung the moon.

"God, is it good to see those beautiful blue eyes of yours," I tell her, my own smile reflecting back at her, and I can't help but hope that it hides how concerned I've been about her and what may have happened to her while she was with that fucking lunatic.

Different scenarios begin running through my head once more, and I clench both my fists and my teeth, trying to keep my breathing calm until we can get some answers.

The heart monitor begins beeping quicker as she looks around the room, taking in the faces of her siblings and mom. When her attention lands on her mother, she's damn near hyperventilating and when she tries to speak, all she manages to get out is, "D-did h-he—"She claws at her throat, gasping for breath as she falls victim to a panic attack. She scans the room once more, and when her eyes land back on mine, there are tears within their crystalline depths.

After having been through this with her a few times already, I know that the only way to bring her out of it is to help walk her through it. Closing the distance between us, I step up next to her and clasp a hold of both of her hands.

"Just breathe, baby." I tell her, taking a deep breath in and then letting it out. But instead of my words calming her, she shakes her head back and forth violently. Cupping her cheek with one hand, I force her to look at me, and pull her other hand to my chest and then once I know I have her attention, I bring her other hand to my chest for her to match my breathing.

Finally, she must understand what I'm doing because although she struggles at first, she does eventually manage to calm her breathing down and actually pull air into her lungs.

"That's it, just breathe, baby." I tell her, continuing to take in slow, deep breaths. "There you go, beautiful. That's it, just follow my lead, breath in and breathe out. Good." As her panic continues to subside and her breathing gets back under control, I feel my own panic begin to ease off as well. Even my heart no longer feels as though it may burst through my chest at any moment.

As soon as she inhales deeply and then releases it as though she is releasing the weight of the last several days, the door to her room opens and in steps a man in a white coat that I hadn't yet met.

"Chevelle, good to see that you're awake." The man says, the pocket of his jacket showing his name to be Dr. Hamilton. "Do you know where you are?" He asks, walking over to her bedside and pulling out a penlight and shining it into one eye at a time, testing her pupil reaction time.

"The hospital." She croaks , then clears her throat.

"Good, do you know what year it is?"

"Twenty Twenty-Two." She tells him confidently, and my heartrate settles down a bit more, her confidence giving me hope that whatever did happen while she was with him, that he didn't take the girl that I have fallen in love with, the mother of my child, away from me.

"Do you remember what happened to you?" He then asks, jumping right into it.

"I do." She says, not giving away any details.

"There are a couple of police officers who would like to take your statement—get your account of what happened—if that's okay." He tells her, then glances at the rest of us standing around the small room, before nodding and turning to the door.

"Is my baby okay?" She suddenly asks, stopping him just as he was reaching out to grasp ahold of the handle.

"Your baby is perfectly fine and healthy. Right where he or she should be at nine weeks." The doctor tells her, and she looks shocked.

"Nine weeks?" She mutters, the question more of the rhetorical nature, if I had to hazard a guess.

"Yes, that is what the measurements are showing—is that not correct?" He asks, suddenly looking concerned that he may have missed something.

"I—I don't know. I had just found out before I was taken." She says, the last part coming out as more of a whisper.

"I'll run some more tests and get some more information from you, after you speak with the officers, to ensure that everything is definitely okay with your baby." He tells her, with a nod. "But, please try not to worry Chevelle, your baby had a strong heartbeat and everything looked as though it was right on schedule."

"Thank you." I tell the doctor, squeezing Chevy's hand, hoping to give her a bit of comfort. Even as I myself am nervous about the health of our baby.

The doctor leaves the room and I turn my attention back to her, "You don't have to talk to them right now if you don't want to." I tell her, wanting her to know that she doesn't have to do anything that she isn't ready for.

"It's okay." She tells me, her eyes clear. "I'll be okay." This time, it's her squeezing my hand, reassuring me and giving *me* comfort.

Just then, a knock sounds from the door a moment before the handle twists and two officers are standing in the doorway.

"Chevelle Daniels?" The burly one with gray hair and a handlebar mustache asks, then glances around at the rest of us in the room, much in the same way that Dr. Hamilton had.

"I'm Officer Winston and this is my partner, Officer Johns." He says, indicating the younger officer standing at his side with his hands resting at his hips, just above his holster. "Do you mind if we speak to you in private?" As he asks after she nods in affirmation, and pulls out a pen and a notepad to write down her recollection of the events of the last several days.

"Are you—" Her mom starts, but Chevy nods, and then cuts her off, "Can River please stay with me?" She asks, looking at me as she begins biting the corner of her bottom lip.

"And who is he to you, Ma'am?" He asks, glancing at me, then down at our clasped hands.

"He's my boyfriend." She tells him, but continues looking at me and the love I see within the depths of her eyes makes me feel like the luckiest guy on the planet, especially now that she knows the truth about that night.

"Okay, Mrs. Daniels, he can stay. But, the rest of you need to leave—just while we speak with her. Then, you can come back in here, if that's what she would like." He's quick to add on that second part when Corrine's face pinches with anger, clearly fixing to put up a fight.

As soon as the door closes behind Cam, the officers come to stand at the foot of her bed, and while the older one has his pen and notepad out, it's the younger one, Officer Johns, that begins speaking.

"Mrs. Daniels, can you tell us what happened? Starting with the night that you were taken?"