The Love Triangle(73)
He threw the remote down on the couch in front of him. She was being stubborn, that was all, and prideful. She felt something for him, she was just scared. Whatever that ass Frank had done to her made her afraid to love. Soon he would be behind bars and it would help her. He leaned back on the couch once more, glancing over across the room. He sat up quickly. The bag was gone. He jumped up and turned on the lights. He looked around the room and felt cold dread fill his veins. “Ciara.” He stormed down the hallway and threw open her door. Just as he suspected, she was gone. She had lied, outright lied, to his face.
He moved out of the house and into the hall where there was supposed to be an officer on duty. He found him napping in the corner.
“Where did she go?” He shook the guy away.
“Who and what?” He seemed disoriented and it took everything Derek had not to punch him in the face.
“Ciara, where did she go?”
“Oh, she said she needed to go to the store for something, said she would be back in a few.” He gave Derek a smile and without hesitation, he grabbed the front of his uniform.
“She is missing now, you imbecile.” He let go and stormed back into the house where his mother was now at the kitchen table.
“Derek, what’s wrong I heard shouting?”
“Ciara snuck out when I was in the bathroom, I guess. I don’t even know where she was going. She told me tomorrow was the meet, she lied in my face.” He grabbed his shoes, slipping them on as he struggled to regain composure.
“Oh no. Wait, Derek, I can help! She said something about going to the pier.”
“The pier? Great that’s a starting point and when the police get here, send them my way. But…tell them to at least try to handle this the right way.”
“I will, son, go get them and bring them home safe.” She watched him go, praying for a safe and swift return for them all.
He was speeding and he didn’t care. He had to get to the pier soon before something awful happened to her. He finally arrived and felt his heartbeat quicken as he spotted her car. She was there, that was something. He parked and made his way around until he spotted them.
A man was holding Antoine to him and talking to her. She was walking towards him slowly. He wanted to run to her, but the man had a gun. He quickly called the officer in charge of the investigation and gave them the details. Soon they would be there and could help her.
His heart was breaking as he watched them and the interaction between them. He heard the gunshot and his world caved in. He stood and moved quickly towards them.
Chapter Twenty- Ciara
He was there and he was okay. She looked over Antoine and then back up at Frank. He sneered at her.
“You look good, Ciara, makes me want you even more. We will have plenty of time for that though. Did you bring the money?”
“Yes, I brought it, now let him go, Frank.”
“Not so fast, kick that bag over here to me.” She did as he asked and waited. He leaned over to look in the bag and the gun went off, scaring them all.
“Oops, not used to such a loose trigger.” He put it in his pants and rummaged through the bills once more. He stood up and looked her over.
“We are going to have fun, you and I.” He let Antoine go and he ran into her arms.
She held him close to her, breathing in his scent. She felt his tears on her shoulder and she pulled back to look him over. “Are you okay, Antoine, did he hurt you?”
He shook his head. “I’m just hungry, Mom.” He gave her a smile and she burst into a new round of tears.
“Let’s go, Ciara, now.” She heard his tone and knew he meant business.
She knelt down to Antoine. “Listen to me, okay, baby, Mommy has to go away for a little while, but I’ll be back, okay? Until I do, I want you to stay with Derek, can you do that? He is going to be here any minute now, just wait for him, okay?”
He nodded at her and she told him to sit on the pier. She had let it slip to Adele where she was going. She knew it was only a matter of time before Derek found him there and took him home. She took a deep breath and walked stiffly over to him. He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her to the car.
She felt him push her into the car and instinctively she fought him back. The last thing she saw was his hand raised in the air and everything went black.
***
Her head hurt, it was the only thing she could think of when she opened her eyes. She fluttered them until she could clearly see the room she was in. She was groggy and the light was too bright, but otherwise she seemed to be in one piece. Antoine!
She sat up quickly and she saw him there in the chair next to Adele, who was coloring a picture with him. She felt tears spring to her eyes but that time, they were of joy. She moved back down onto the pillow. She was dizzy and her head hurt. She would kiss him and hug him in a moment when she could focus.
The next time she opened her eyes, it was dark. She was alone. She moved slightly and it was a little easier than it had been before. Her head was still pounding, but she wasn’t dizzy. The clock said it was 11 p.m. Surely Antoine was in bed by now, she could only hope he was with Adele. Where was Derek? She tugged on the cord across her chest until she found the button that she pushed and a nurse came along shortly after.
“You’re awake! There is a little boy who will be very happy about that. Try not to talk right away, you have a concussion and we had to put a tube in, so you’re going to be a little scratchy for a while.” She held up a glass of water and Ciara drank from it, feeling the coolness on her burning throat.
She smiled at the nurse. “I’ll let the doctor know and he will be in first thing in the morning. There is a lot to talk about.” She patted her arm and Ciara drifted off once more.
The sun was not quite up in the sky when Ciara woke again. She felt more like herself and she could move pretty well on the bed. She looked over and out the window. It was over, but she wasn’t sure what had happened. The doctor came in a bit later and she greeted him with a smile.
“Well, Miss Jones, you went through quite an experience. It’s been 4 days now and we are very glad you’re feeling better. Since it’s just the two of us, we can talk about everything thoroughly. You had a concussion and the blow the man gave you knocked you out.
We aren’t sure why it took so long for you to come back, but you did. We will keep an eye on that. You had a few cuts and cruises and a questionable rib, but the baby is fine and you will recover 100%.”
“Baby?” Ciara managed to croak out.
“Yes, it looks like you’re about 5 weeks along now, like I said, no issues there but you need to get checked out thoroughly from your OB doctor when you can. I’ll let you go home tomorrow if you’re feeling up to it, how about that?” He gave her a smile and she nodded to him, returning it.
The door shut behind him and she closed her eyes and sighed. Baby, that was the nagging thing in the back of her mind she failed to address every time she looked at a calendar. She had so much to sort out and so much to fix. She found her phone and called Derek but he didn’t answer. She frowned. Suddenly the door to her room opened up and Antoine and Adele rushed in.
“Mom!” He yelled and climbed up the bed and into her lap. He held him tight, enjoying the moment for as long as she could. She would never let him out of her sight again. She glanced over at Adele, who gave her a sweet smile.
They all chatted about the food there and about how Miss Adele was so good at coloring and playing games. Soon Tony was enthralled in a Lego kit and Adele took a moment to sit by her so they could talk about what had happened.
“Frank is in jail, the police showed up right after he hit you. They arrested him and he’s been there since. It’s doubtful he will ever get out.”
“Thank you so much for taking care of Antoine… I don’t really have anyone else and he really enjoys being with you.”
“He is a sweet boy, we enjoy having someone to hang out with.”
“Where is Derek, Adele, I’m scared to ask.”
“He is fine, dear, He followed you that night and was there when the gun went off. It put him in shock. He charged then, flew over the pier and towards Frank. When he got there, you were passed out and Frank shot him. He thought you had been shot and was trying to make it to you, to save you. He knows you’re fine, I talked to him this morning. He is supposed to get out tomorrow.”
“Oh no!” Ciara cried.
Adele patted her arm. “Like I said, Ciara, he is fine. Whatever it was actually helped him. He’s been sleeping every night these last few days, after the shock wore off. He is different now, changed. But he will be okay.”
“Oh, Derek.” She whispered his name.
Adele patted her hand. “He loves you too, honey.”
Soon Adele stood to leave and the two of them walked hand in hand out of the room. Adele was staying at Derek’s and Antoine was enjoying his new found love of video games. After they had gone, she stood and made her way out of the room, dragging her IV with her. She had to see him, had to tell him. She asked the nurses politely where he was and without a moment’s hesitation, she took the elevator down one floor.