Because of you

by J. , Lea

“It says here she’s been missing from Saturday night?” We nod.

  “So she’s been missing for two days. Did you check with her friends, family, relatives? Did you ask them if they know where she could be? Did she ever run away from home before, or anything like that?” I get up and slam my hand on the desk and the policeman reaches behind his back to grab his weapon.

  “She didn’t run away, something happened to her!” I lean both my arms on the table and angrily measure him with my eyes.

  “Calm down, son, I’m just following the protocol, we have to explore every possibility.” Still bursting with anger, I turn away from them. Addison leans closer to me.

  “Calm down, Ry, or you’re going to get us in trouble,” she whispers.

  “Calm down? How can I calm down when Aaliyah is in trouble? They’re here to help, and they’re not even moving a finger.” My arms fall helplessly down my body. “What now? We can’t just sit here and wait for them to do their job. We have to do something!” Sergeant Baker approaches us again.

  “We’ll initiate the search procedure and try to find her. Have you contacted all her friends, family and acquaintances?” He repeats the question from earlier and we nod again. The phone in my pocket starts ringing, just as I want to tell the officer about Caden, and I see it’s Noah calling me.

  “What is it? I don’t have time right now,” I say rudely.

  “Hey, man, I’ll be quick, I have bad news.” I roll my eyes, certain it has something to do with Ethan, basketball, or something needs repair in the house. “I’m calling about Aaliyah,” he starts, and I am suddenly all ears.

  “About Aaliyah?” I repeat to make sure I heard him correctly, and swallow. What if she was with him all this time and I didn’t see it? Angry and disappointed I close my eyes, shaking my head.

  “Did you hear me?” he says.

  “What? Are you trying to say she’s been with you for the past two days?” Upset at the thought she would go to Noah so quickly, I want to hang up, but his distressed voice stops me.

  “Aaliyah was attacked—they don’t know if she’s going to make it.” The air is knocked out of my lungs, and I collapse on the bench where the handcuffed man and woman were sitting on earlier. The phone slides from my hands and I stare in front of me blankly.

  “Ry? What is the matter?” Addison looks at me worriedly, and then takes the phone. “Noah? What happened?” Addison is talking on the phone, and all I can hear is her sobs. She’s holding her head in her arms, shaking it. “What happened to her?” I hear when I come to myself. “Oh my God!” she responds. “We’re on our way.” She places the phone in my hand, but I don’t have the strength to hold it, so it falls on the floor. She picks it up, puts it in her purse and pulls me up by my hands. “Come, we must go, Aaliyah is in the hospital.” Still completely shaken, I raise my gaze to her. She looks at me compassionately and I see fear and worry in her eyes. She drags me to the car and we drive to the hospital.

  ~ * ~

  We’re quiet the whole drive and when we get to the hospital, we hurry to the nurses` station. The nurse behind the station is chatting excitedly on the phone, examining her nails. She laughs out loud and writes something down on a piece of paper.

  “Excuse me,” we say impatiently after we’ve been standing there for some time, and she’s still chatting away. I slam my hand on the counter, losing my nerves, and she jumps in her chair in surprise. “The conversation can wait, this is an emergency!”

  “I’m sorry, I have to go, a highly strung gentleman can’t wait a couple of minutes. I’ll call you later.” She puts down the phone and looks at us. “What is so urgent that it cannot wait until after my break?” We roll our eyes and tell her what happened to Aaliyah and ask for her room number, so we can go visit her. She scoots her chair closer to the computer and she types in something. “I’m sorry, but the information is confidential. I can only reveal the information about her medical condition to her immediate family.”

  I can’t believe this is happening. I fix my hair with my hands, desperate. “Please, tell us how she is. Please,” I beg her. She just shakes her head.

  “Unfortunately, I can’t. But you can wait for her uncle to come, and he’ll tell you everything.” Our eyes bulge at the mention of her uncle.

  “Uncle? Who called him?” I ask in fear. “It’s his fault she’s in this condition, whatever it is! You can’t let him near her.” I’m leaning on the counter, taking my anger out on the nurse.

  “Calm down, sir, I have no idea what you’re talking about. We called her closest family member and notified him about her condition. This is all I can tell you. Now, please, move away, otherwise I’ll have to call security.” Ignoring her words, I run down the hallway and desperately search for her room. I have to find her and stop Caden from getting his hands on her. Addison is following behind, calling my name, but I don’t stop. I open door after door, until I see Noah. I run to him and attack him with questions.

  “Where is Aaliyah? Is she going to be okay? What are you doing here? What actually happened?

  “Hey, hold your horses, I’ll tell you everything. Let’s sit down.” We’re standing in the middle of a big waiting room, and people are staring at us. When we finally escape the curious glances, we sit down and Noah starts speaking. “Aaliyah was stabbed Saturday night.” He closes his mouth, lips shaking. “A passerby saw someone drug her. When the attacker saw that he was noticed, he stabbed her with a knife and ran away, leaving Aaliyah lying in a pool of blood. The eyewitness quickly called the paramedics. I got a call from Patrick this morning and he told me what happened, because the police came to interrogate him. He found out Aaliyah was the victim and he told the officers he sent her home, because she was distressed. He thought it was weird she didn’t come to work the next day, but he guessed she still wasn’t feeling well and didn’t think much of it. Well, he notified me about what happened and I immediately called you. I was certain you’d want to know.” Addison is shaking and she wraps her hands around her body. I close my eyes, letting the tears I fought so hard to hold back fall freely.

  “Is she going to be okay?” I ask, but I’m afraid to hear the answer. Noah shrugs. “I don’t know, they won’t tell me anything, because I’m not her relative. I only know she was stabbed and that she is still in critical condition. I wouldn’t even know that if I hadn’t overheard the doctor talking to one of her relatives.” Addison and I abruptly stand up.

  “What do you mean, one of her relatives? She doesn’t have any family.” I reply. Noah looks at me in surprise.

  “I’m pretty sure it was a relative. I think he said he was her uncle or something like that.”

  “Oh my God!” Addison screams.

  “Shit!” I yell. “Where is she?”

  “What? Who is where?” Noah gives me a confused look. I approach him and grab him by the shirt.

  “What room is she in? Show me.”

  “Hey, hey, don’t attack me, I didn’t do anything,” Noah defends himself with arms in the air. He points his finger to the room Aaliyah is in, and probably also Caden. I run to the door and grab the door handle to open it, but it’s locked. A sense of dread overwhelms me. I am struck with panic and fear that we’re too late.

  “What are you doing?” Noah stands beside me, watching me. The nurses hear the noise we’re making and they come to see what is happening.

  “Is it normal that the door is locked?” I ask one of them. She looks at me with surprise.

  “Locked? What do you mean? Of course not.” She tries to open the door, but it won’t move. She takes a key card out of her pocket, swipes it and the door opens. We run into the room, what awaits us in the room shocks us all to the bones. Addison lets out a cry of horror, Noah’s head is in his hands, and the nurses take prompt action – one runs to the station to call the security, but I don’t wait for them. I run to the bed, where Aaliyah is lying, and Caden is by her side, holding a pillow over her head. He is startled to see us and he drops the pillo
w on the floor. Shocked to be caught, he reaches behind his back, but he’s not quick enough, as I run into him, knocking him to the ground. I hit him hard, but he’s strong and manages to disengage himself from my hold. He returns the punch, but I don’t let him go. I punch him hard again and Noah jumps in to help me hold Caden down. Two security guards hurry in and the nurses quickly explain what happened. They cuff him and drag him away, but not before he spits:

  “I hope she dies!” Anger flashes through me, I try to run after him, but Noah stopps me by grabbing my arm.

  “Hey, he`s going to jail, think about Aaliyah, don`t lose your nerves.” I take a deep breath and fall to my knees, tears running down my cheeks.

  Addison is standing by Aaliyah’s side, crying hysterically. A nurse is on the other side of her, performing CPR. My heart stops as I think about the worst case scenario.

  “Ry, Aaliyah’s not breathing, she’s not breathing,” Addison screams, panicking. The nurse is trying her best to resuscitate her. Aaliyah’s face is ashen pale, her eyes are closed and she’s not moving.

  “Please, baby, I need you to breathe, I can`t live without you!” I manage to say, before the doctor runs into the room and shoos us out of the room, so they can do their job.

  A few minutes pass before the doctor approaches us, but it feels like hours. We are all looking at him questioningly. We fear the worst, but hope for the best. He has a serious expression on his face and I’m afraid of what he’s going to tell us.

  “My name is Doctor Hobbs, and I was on call when Miss Thomas was brought in. She is lucky you were here right now, you saved her life. If you found her a minute later, she would have died from asphyxiation. Something like this has never happened in this hospital before. I am truly sorry.” Shaking his head, he continues, but the only thing I hear is that she’s still alive. This is all that matters. She is strong, I’m sure she’s going to pull through.

  “How is she? What happened to her exactly?” Addison is asking.

  “Slow down. She is stable for now, but she’s not out of danger yet. The paramedics brought her in with severe injuries to the chest. She lost a lot of blood and we almost lost her during the operation, but she’s a fighter and she keeps holding on. The attacker stabbed her in the ribs – a quarter of an inch to the left, and she wouldn’t have survived. She was lucky, the person who found her called 911 immediately, otherwise she would have bled out. She already lost a lot of blood before the paramedics arrived, but we were able to replace it. A long road to recovery is ahead of her after the difficult operation she underwent, but the main thing is that she is stable for now.

  ~ * ~

  I sit by her bed, listening to the sounds of the machines that saved Aaliyah’s life. Her eyes are closed, but I am consoled by the fact she is going to wake up soon. Her cheeks have finally regained some of the pretty creamy color and are warm again. I tuck a lock of hair from her forehead behind her ear with my index finger and caress her cheek. I’ve missed her silky soft skin. I already explained the incident with Paris to her three times, hoping she can hear me. When they told me she is going to be alright, it felt like a heavy weight has been lifted off my chest. But my chest is still empty—only her love can fill the void I feel inside.

  Chapter 20

  Aaliyah

  I try to open my heavy eyelids, but it’s hard. Trying again, I manage to open them ever so slightly. A strong light blinds me, so I quickly close them. I feel a weird pain in my chest area and I moan from the pain, trying my hardest to open my eyes. I feel something warm on my hand and I hear a voice.

  “Miss Thomas?” I finally open my eyes, and a woman with brown hair, dressed in a blue uniform, is smiling gently at me. I blink a couple of times to make sure I see correctly. I give her a look full of questions, and before I manage to open my mouth to ask who she is, she introduces herself. “Hello, Miss Thomas, my name is Sarah Moore and I’m your nurse. How are you feeling?” I blink again, confused by her presence.

  “Where am I?” I ask hoarsely.

  “You’re in a hospital. Don’t worry, everything is okay.” The nurse moves to the other side of the room and puts the folder, which she was carrying, on the table.

  “What happened? I feel weird, I have a terrible headache, and my chest hurts.” I lick my dry lips as the nurse moves closer to check the IV that’s hooked to my arm. It’s probably fluids, to prevent dehydration, or pain.

  “Any second now the doctor will come to tell you everything. In the meantime, rest and recover your strength.” I close my eyes for what feels like a second, but when I open them again later, nurse Moore and a man, probably the doctor she was telling me about, are standing by my bed and looking through my chart.

  “Where is everybody?” I ask them. “What happened?” My head is completely empty, the last thing I remember is working and … Ryder… I sang to him, he cheated on me. Tears glisten in my eyes.

  “It’s okay, you’re going to be alright. My name is Doctor Hobbs, I’m your doctor. You were stabbed and you were really lucky someone witnessed the attack and called 911 immediately, otherwise you would have bled out on the pavement. You lost a lot of blood, but we managed to replace it. You’re going to feel weak for some time but your condition should normalize soon.”

  “Was it Caden?” Holding my breath, I wait for his answer. He nods, and I shake my head. “Did…did they catch him?” I stutter, afraid he’s still out there somewhere, and will try to find me again.

  “Yes, he’s in custody, awaiting trial, you don’t have to worry anymore.” I breathe out in relief, but am still upset because of him.

  “Why does my head hurt so much?”

  “He drugged you, probably so you wouldn’t resist. We gave you something for the pain, so you should feel better soon. The nurse called your friends and they’ll come see you during visiting hours.” I nod and pull the covers higher, I’m cold. “There’s something else,” the doctor starts. I look at him and nod, so he would continue. “During the examination we discovered, I don’t know if you know this yet, but the tests revealed you’re pregnant.”

  “What?” I exclaim in surprise. “How? I mean, I know how, but I don’t know how, since we used protection.” I close my eyes, letting a tear run down my cheek.

  The doctor shrugs. “Not every form of protection is one hundred percent safe, so it’s not that uncommon. I’d estimate you’re about five weeks pregnant, not very long. The obstetrician will tell you the rest when you go see him. Congratulations! And now I’ll leave you to rest. I’ll come back tomorrow morning.” I nod and he leaves the room.

  How can I be pregnant? We were so careful. What do I do now? What would Hope do if she was in my place? I know she would keep the baby. How can I take care of the baby, if I can barely make my ends meet every month? I shake my head and put my hand on my head. I can’t believe this is happening to me. I sniff, wiping the last tear that rolls down my face, and press a hand to my belly. I’m going to be a mom. A million things run through my head. What I’ll do with college, where I’ll live with the baby, if I’ll still have a job in Mirage, and I’ll have to find a babysitter later on so I’ll be able to work. Oh, I have so many things to do. Worried, I turn to my side and close my eyes.

  ~ * ~

  “Aaliyah?” I’m lying on my side and I feel a soft touch of a hand on my back, so I slowly open my eyes. I turn around and see Addison. She looks worried, but she gives me a smile. “Hi, we missed you. I’m so happy you’re okay, we almost lost you. How are you feeling?”

  “I’ve been better,” I say, a sour smile on my face. I turn my gaze to the other side of the room, and catch my breath. Ryder is standing there, watching me with sad eyes. He looks like he’s lost some weight. He comes closer to the bed. I close my eyes and turn away. I don’t want to see him and listen to his excuses. “What is he doing here? I don’t want to see him, tell him to leave,” I demand from Addison to get him out. She bows her head and reaches for my hand.

  “Aaliyah, please…
”

  “No,” I interrupt her, “he’s a liar and I don’t want to see him.” As I say that I feel like my heart is being ripped from my chest. It’s not true that I don’t want to see him—I miss him, I constantly think about him—but he hurt me and I can’t forget that, can’t forgive him, at least not yet.

  “Aaliyah,” Ryder says and tries to hold my hand, but I pull it away. My reaction causes his lips to form a straight line and he shuts his eyes for a second. “Please, let me explain. I love you, I truly love you, and I miss you so very much. When I heard you’ve been stabbed, I almost lost it. I almost lost you. I can’t live without you.”

  “Huh, you should’ve thought about that before you kissed Paris. And no, you didn’t almost lose me. You lost me entirely—I’m sorry, but I can’t forgive you for cheating on me. Please, leave or I’ll call the security.”

  “No, I don’t want to leave.” He begs me with his sad eyes to forgive him, but the pain is still too raw. Perhaps in time we can become friends, but I need time to heal the wounds – not the ones the knife caused, but the wounds he inflicted. These are much deeper and hurt much more.

  “LEAVE!” I scream and he finally gives up, turns around with a bowed head, but before he leaves the room, I hear his words.

  “I’ll never give up, remember that! I’ll do anything to have you again. I love you and I’ll prove it to you!”

  Tears start pouring down my cheeks, and Addison squeezes my hand in comfort. “Why don’t you let him explain? He didn’t cheat on you, he told me what happened, and I believe him. At least listen to what he has to say. Paris is the one you should be angry with, she is the one who cooked this up.”

  “I’m pregnant.”

  “You should really let him tell you his side… What!? Did I hear you correctly? You’re pregnant? Oh my God, I’m going to be an auntie!” I nod bitterly and drop my head on my chest. “It’s Ryder’s child, right?” I instantly raise my head and shoot her a sharp look.