Rachel's Accident (29 page)

I sucked in a breath of air and felt my mouth turn into a megawatt smile. I couldn’t help myself my body just responded on its. “I love you, too, more than anything,” I breathed back and curled my hands into his shirt to pull his mouth to mine in a passionate kiss.

The days went by slowly. It was the most exquisite torture to have Ethan at my side, but not being able to touch and make love to him. Even just kissing made my pulse spike, which resulted in the nurse storming into my room and scolding us. We had tried to sneak in a few kisses, but my heart wouldn’t be still. So we had to be satisfied with holding hands and simply enjoying each other’s company.

Zach and Jess would come in every day for a few hours and make sure we had everything we needed since Ethan refused to leave my side. The hospital bed was too narrow for the both of us to sleep on and it would have been bad for my blood pressure to share one right now, so he had the staff bring in a second one for him.

On the third day of my involuntary hospital stay I had an unexpected visitor. Ethan was had just stepped out to quickly relieve himself and take a shower in the adjourning bathroom when a knock came from the door
.

“Come in,” I said.

I wasn’t really paying attention to the person entering. I was too immersed in my work on the laptop Jess had brought me that day to notice anything amiss. I just assumed it was a nurse, who had come to check my vitals. Zach and Jess had been here earlier, so I didn’t really expect anyone.

Man, was I surprised when suddenly a knife appeared in front of my face. My hands stilled immediately, hovering over the keyboard as I stared at the sharp blade in horror.

“Now, bitch, you will listen to me!” hissed a voice in my ear and I recognized that voice instantly. “Since I am now the one with the knife you will do as I say, understand?”

Trevor.

I took in a shaking breath and slowly let my gaze rise from the computer screen to meet his. He had a deranged look on his face, his eyes darting back and forth
from my face to the corner of the room, to the door and back to my face again.

“Do you understand?” he hissed again, his eyes wide as he stared in to mine and waved the knife in front of my face.

“Yes,” I croaked softly.

I didn’t dare nod, afraid the knife would hurt me. I swallowed hard past the lump in my throat, trying to quell the panic rising inside me. What was he doing here? Why had nobody stopped him? Would he harm me and my babies? All these thoughts whirled around in my mind, making all my efforts go to waste and setting the flames of panic ablaze.

“Good,” he whispered back. “Let’s talk then.”

He sat down on the edge of the bed, shoving me over a little to make room. Then he transferred the knife to the other hand and put his now free one around my shoulder, effectively trapping me with his body.

“Since my boyfriend was too stupid to get anything from you I obviously have to do it myself.”

He had a boyfriend? Had he been the one, who had attacked me and shot at me in the parking lot that time I had been shopping with Ethan? Wait…
I know I thought he was gay when Jess and I first met him, but didn’t that turn out to be wrong? He had been together with Jess or had he just played a part with her to get to me? With a hard yank to my shoulder he jolted me out of my thoughts.

“Listen to me when I’m talking, bitch.”

I whimpered, “Sorry.”

“As you should be.
You ruined everything. All my plans…for nothing.
” he spit out. He paused thoughtfully before he continued.
“
But now you, at least, have some use. Now, when your man comes in you will play along with me, won’t you?”

I nodded slightly, cautious of the blade under my nose.

“That’s a good girl.”

Just then the door to the bathroom opened and Ethan came in. His hair was still damp from the shower and he looked good enough to eat. I couldn’t help letting my thoughts stray for a moment before I met his gaze. His brow had knitted into a frown and was becoming darker by the second as he took in the scene in front of him. His eyes drifted from my face to Trevor’s and then to the knife between us.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Ethan thundered as he took a menacing step toward Trevor.

“Ah, ah, ah, I wouldn’t try that if I were you,” Trevor threatened and drew the knife closer to my face.

I wouldn’t have thought my eyes could open any wider, but apparently I was wrong. They practically fell out of my head in sheer panic as the blade grazed my skin. I tried to shift away from it, but Trevor was too strong. He held me tight against his side, not letting me move so much as an inch away from him.

In the back
ground I could hear the heart monitor pick up speed
and it frightened me a little more. I had to calm down or some unsuspecting nurse would be pulled into this as well. I didn’t want anyone getting hurt, but especially not my precious twins.

I felt them kicking inside me, reacting to my erratic heartbeat. Anxiously, I put a hand on my belly and rubbed over it soothingly. At the same time I tried to steady my breathing and calm my too fast pumping heart. It took some tremendous effort, but I managed to at least calm it to a certain degree, if not all the way.

“Since we are all gathered here now we can finally start with the negotiations,” Trevor chirped, apparently quite elated at the current situation.

Ethan balled his hands into fists and clenched his jaw tightly, but making no move to speak or come closer. His gaze continued to flick between me and Trevor as the latter continued to speak.

“Now, where do I start? Oh, right…you,” he pointed at Ethan with the knife. “You will transfer a million dollars into my bank account. That is if you want to see your girlfriend and those little mongrels
,” he pointed the knife at my belly and I sucked in a startled breath. “
unharmed
,” he finished.

Then he recited the bank details he seemed to know by heart, which made one wonder how often he did something like this. Obviously, quite often since he seemed to need the money for an addiction or something similar. He looked to be going through withdrawal right now. His face was pale and sickly, his arm around me made my shoulders wet with all the sweat his body transpired. On top of that I could have sworn his hands trembled a little, but that could have easily been my eyes playing tricks on me. I felt lightheaded already from all the panic.

“Get on with it already!” Trevor barked at Ethan.

I watched as my boyfriend slowly took out his cell phone and typed for a few minutes. When he was finished he looked at me with so much love in his eyes I could have cried. B
ut I he
ld back
the tears threatening to spill over
because I didn’t want Trevor to somehow use my emotional outburst as an excuse to hurt me regardless.

“It is done,” Ethan said.

“Show me!” Trevor commanded.

Ethan cautiously, so as not to startle my captor into action, came over to the bed and showed Trevor the display screen of his cell phone.

Trevor nodded with approval. “Good, good, then I will take my leave now.”

He
slid his arm out from behind me,
let
ting
go of me and got up of the bed. Still holding the knife protectively in front of him he circled around Ethan and made for the door. But as soon as he was far enough away from me and within Ethan’s reach he lunged for Trevor. I gave a startled shout, ignoring the pain that shot through my belly. I couldn’t think about that right now.

Ethan and Trevor went down on the floor, wrestling for possession of the knife and trying to get hold of each other. I wondered how no one could hear all the commotion going on my room and come to investigate, but it was only a brief thought that was quickly overshadowed by my worry for Ethan’s well-being.

My boyfriend, I liked that word, and was currently on top of Trevor, holding his one wrist down on the floor over his head while wrestled with the other, which held the knife. All of a sudden Trevor pulled his legs up, bent at the knees and
kicked Ethan away from him.

He barely managed to get him off of him
and try to scurry away before Ethan lunged at him again. They wrestled for a bit longer until Ethan finally managed to get hold of the knife and pressed it threateningly against Trevor’s neck.

Trevor instantly went limb underneath Ethan, his eyes widened in fear as he watched his opponents every move. And with that it was over as quickly as it had begun. Another pang went through my belly and I clutched at it, trying hard not to make a sound. Something must have alerted Ethan to my pain, though
. His head shot up with a concerned look on his face and when he saw me clutching at my belly he immediately sprang into action.

Trevor completely forgotten he hurried over my side and pressed the button to call the nurse. He went to comfort me when he seemed to remember the knife in his hand. A quick look told him that Trevor had disappeared.
He seemed torn between wanting to follow him and staying at my side and trying his best to soothe my pain.

I was so relieved when he chose me that the tears I had been holding back this entire time started to flow down my cheeks.
Whether they were happy tears or tears of pain I couldn’t tell. Ethan
threw the knife aside and took my hands in his. Just as the nurse entered the room another wave of pain hit me and I squeezed Ethan’s hands in an attempt to alleviate the pain, but it didn’t really help. Beside me I heard him grunt in response.

Taking in the scene before her the nurse quickly hurried to get the doctor. It seemed due to the recent commotion labor had set in early. I screamed as the next wave hit me. This was so much harder than I had expected. It felt like a huge watermelon, trying to press out of you and it was not pleasant.

I barely realized what was going on around me anymore. I only heard the doctor calling for me to ‘push’ and Ethan’s soothing words. Everything else was just white noise to me until I heard my baby’s first cry. Then I had to go through it all again as its twin demanded to be freed of my womb as well
, followed by a wave of pure exhaustion.

I swore to never do this again, but when the nurse came to me with two little bundles and laid them onto my chest with the words “a healthy boy and a healthy girl” I was happy beyond belief. And maybe, just maybe, Ethan would be able to persuade me, if he wanted more children.

My babies were the cutest and most beautiful little bundles in the world, but I couldn’t keep on calling them babies or twins.

“What should we name them?” I asked Ethan without taking my eyes off our children for a second.

Somehow we had never really talked about it and I wondered now how that had happened.

“I like Cole and Cassandra,” he answered after a pause.

“Cole and Cass
ie
,” I tried the names out. They sounded good and I told him so.

“Then it’s decided,” he said with a firm nod and leaned down to kiss each of our babies on top of their tiny heads.

Then it was my turn.
A light kiss to the top of my head had me pouting when he pulled away. When he saw my expression he grinned and leaned in for a strong kiss to my lips. The passion and love I felt
through his kiss had me yearning for more and when he pulled away again I tried to go with him, not wanting to end our kiss.

“We still need to tell Zach and Jess,” he reminded me.

“Yes, yes, call them,” I said in a huff, a little peeved to be deprived of my lover’s touch.

With another smile and a quick peck on my lips he excused himself and went outside to make the call as to not disturb the now sleeping twins, Cole and Cassandra.
I smiled happily as I watched them sleep soundly. I was now a mother and Ethan was a father. I could still hardly believe it. We were parents. Never in a million years could I have imagined someday being in this situation. I had thought children and a family weren’t exactly in my cards, but it seemed I was wrong. And I was glad at that.

After all that had happened between us I was so infinitely grateful to have Ethan at my side.
And I hoped, even if more misunderstandings or fights should arise, he would stay there forever.

Ethan came back in a few minutes later and together we waited not only for my best friend and his twin brother but also for the police and the private investigator, which he had called as well. The P.I. brought all the information he had gather with him and with the transaction Ethan had made to Trevor’s bank account a half an hour earlier we relayed all that had happened to the police and handed over all the evidence.

While we talked with the cops and P.I. Zach and Jess stood in the corner, looking after Cole and Cassie.
Once in a while I would glance over and see the two of them huddled together over the babies in their arms, cooing to them and looking so damn happy.
Each time she visited with Zach she looked happier and I couldn’t very well not notice as her best friend and all.
I could just imagine those two building their own family together, but I didn’t want to get ahead of myself. I did wish for them to find the happiness together that Ethan and I had found, but had slid out of Jess’ grasp so many, many times.

It turned out that our ‘friend’ Trevor had already a considerable list of previous conviction, starting when he was around fifteen. If…no when they found him, he would go to prison for a long time, as would his longtime boyfriend.

As it seemed my first impression of him had been spot on. That man had not one straight bone in his body, figuratively speaking. He had only shown interest in Jess to get through us to Ethan’s money, which he had now finally achieved. The police officers assured us, though, that Ethan would get the money back with the evidence of the security cameras from the hospital showing that Trevor had been in my room with Ethan and me when the transfer had been made.