by MJ Bockarie
"Please hang in there, baby." Alec whispered by my ear, and I felt my heart race for a split second at "baby". He had never called me anything else except Mariana or Princess. The change was different and I liked it.
He chuckled at the heart monitor. "It's good to know that you can hear me."
I can, don't worry.
"We'll work something out, okay?" He went on. "I'll... I'll turn myself in. I'll spend all the jail time I need to, but I have to be with you. I'm sorry I dragged you into this. I'm sorry I ripped you away from your life. I ruined everything for you because I was so fucking stupid and didn't realize what I was getting you and myself into. I'm sorry about everything. I don't deserve your forgiveness, Mariana. I really don't, but please. Knowing that you won't come and kill me when I get out of jail is all I need to go on. Fuck, I'm crying again."
I wanted to smile. I wanted to cry. I wanted to tell him that actually, despite everything he and his brothers did, despite everything they fucked up for me, it was okay. I forgave them. It was better to forgive them now than to hold a grudge.
"I love you." He choked out. "I tell you that too many times but I love you, and I don't care if you don't love me back."
Lucky for you, I kind of do.
TWENTY-THREE
Alec
It had been three weeks.
Mariana was still lying there on the bed, eyes closed, wires and tubes connected and all. Austin and Andy had come in multiple times to visit her, and every time, she remained the same, and every time, they were slightly disappointed.
But today was different.
While talking to her, she squeezed my hand. She didn't open her eyes. She didn't move any other part of her body. She squeezed my hand three times over the course of two hours, and then didn't move again except for her chest heaving up and down.
I was astonished when it first happened. I mean, I knew she could hear me due to her heart speeding up and down whenever I said that romantic shit, but the fact that she physically showed me she was with me almost scared me. I was so overwhelmed; I didn't know what to do.
I wasn't sure when I was going to turn myself in. The police had been looking for me for years. Not because of all the deals I've made and crimes I've committed, but because at one point, I was considered missing.
I was living with my aunt the day my father came. He was drunk and angry, as usual. He threw her around and beat her up as she tried to keep me away from him. I ran to the attic and hid in there, but he found me in no time. He took me from her house and I never saw Aunt Misty again. In fact, I never saw that entire town again.
Ten years later and here I was, sitting in a public hospital where anyone could've recognized me. They could've called the cops and had me go make sure my aunt was okay. They could've had me arrested for kidnapping. So many ways it could've played out if it actually happened.
"How is she?" Andy's voice startled me as he hobbled in. He hadn't been walking the same since Austin shot him, but he was working his way back to the "old" Andy.
"Pretty good," I replied, looking down at our entwined fingers. "She's squeezed my hands three times today."
Andy looked shocked. "Seriously?"
I nodded. He smiled. "What an upgrade from seeing her heartbeat on the monitor, eh?"
"Yeah," I chuckled.
Andy's smile faded as he let out a sad sigh. "When are we admitting to kidnapping?"
"After she wakes up." I decided on the spot. I needed to speak her to her one more time before I went off for whoever knew how long I was going to be gone. I wouldn't be surprised if it was my whole life. I deserved it.
"I'm scared." Andy whispered.
"Me too."
Andy stood there for a while, his eyes glued to Mariana. Some wires had been taken off of her, so she looked more like a person and less like a machine.
"You haven't left her side since we arrived, have you?" He asked.
"Only to go to the bathroom." I shrugged. "But otherwise, no I haven't left. The nurses bring me food."
"Isn't that sweet." He chuckled. Andy glanced at his watch before sighing. "I have to go. I'll be back tomorrow."
I nodded and waved as my brother left. The beeping of Mariana's heart monitors continued and for some reason, I smiled. I didn't know why. Was it because she was alive? Was it because I was sad and was trying to force myself to be happy? I didn't know, and relatively didn't care.
I hadn't smiled like that in a long while.
***
I jolted awake from my nap at the sound of shouting. I looked around the room. No one was here except me and Mariana. She was still sleeping, the door was still shut, and her heart was still beating.
I was so afraid that her heart would stop at any moment and I would lose her. She just looked so weak and fragile, when in reality she was way stronger than expected and such a fighter.
I sounded like a sappy poet. I cringed at my thoughts and shook them away.
The shouting continued, and the slamming of doors and knocking over of equipment could be heard.
I furrowed my eyebrows, debating on whether or not to go and see what was going on or to simply stay here. I was leaning more towards staying with Mariana when I heard a female scream, and it sounded more like a child, too.
I got up and crept over to the door, opening it. The rest of the ICU unit was fine. Nothing was broken or knocked over. Was the sound coming from upstairs, maybe?
I jogged up the flight of stairs and sure enough, a man was running around, naked, with a small girl in his arms. The doctors and nurses looked distressed as they and three security guards chased after him.
I watched for a bit before finally stepping in front of the man. He bumped into me and cocked his head to the side as if he was a dog. The little girl in his arms was crying, her big blue eyes shedding tears like crazy.
I narrowed my eyes at him. "Is this your child?"
"No," he replied.
"Then hand me the child before I knock your stupid ass out."
His eyes widened and he quickly gave me the kid. Security wasted no time pouncing on him and getting him in handcuffs.
I gave the child back to her parents before disappearing from the floor. I went back to Mariana's ICU room and sat down in the chair, taking her hand once again.
She had tilted her head to the side a little, so if she opened her eyes, the first thing she would see was me. I wasn't sure if that was going to be a good or bad thing on her part.
I smiled at her cuteness. "I love you."
Mariana's lips parted and three faint words came from her. "I love you."
twenty-four
Mariana
It felt like a dream.
Everything was literally cotton candy and rainbows, but then the rain clouds came and took over, washing away all the happiness and only leaving darkness behind.
I missed the world. I missed seeing faces of people. Hell, I missed everything.
But when I heard Alec say "I love you" again, I wasn't going to lie there and keep quiet.
I mustered up every bit of strength I had in me, and even though I didn't open my eyes, I opened my mouth and finally said it back.
twenty-five
Opening my eyes was strange. I hadn't seen the world in so long. The first thing I saw were Alec's eccentric blue eyes staring down at me with happiness and relief, but the fear was there, too.
"You're awake." He whispered. "Holy shit, Mariana, you're awake."
My head was pounding and a sharp, agonizing pain shot through the left side of my body, but nevertheless, I gave him a big smile and nodded slowly. "I'm awake."
He frowned. "I guess it's time."
"For what?" I asked.
"To turn myself in." He replied. "I promised you that."
"Can't you wait a little longer?" I gently squeezed his hand and his jaw clenched as he fought back tears. "I just woke up. I don't want you leaving yet."
"I have to." Alec sighed and looked at me, blue eyes red once
again. He pulled out his phone and called 911. I laid there and watched him, not bothering to wipe the tears that fell.
"911, what's your emergency?"
"I know the whereabouts of Mariana DeLiza. Send police to General Hospital. I'll be waiting out-side. Please contact her family as well." He hung up after that and I let out a strangled sob.
"Alec–"
"Shhh," he put a finger to my lips. "It’s okay, Princess. I'll be fine."
It didn't even seem like we spent twenty minutes holding hands and just enjoying each other's company. The wailing of sirens could be heard and the voices of police officers.
Alec gave me a kiss on the forehead before leaving the room. I laid there in bed and covered my face, sobbing uncontrollably into my hands.
I was happy and sad. Mainly sad. I was losing Alec. I was losing Andy. I was losing Austin. I was losing all of them and my heart was just hurting. I didn't want them to be locked away forever.
The door to the ICU opened and I peeked through the cracks of my fingers. I saw my mother and my brothers standing at the door and nearly choked. I dropped my hands and my mother gasped, dropping her purse as she broke down into tears.
She ran over to my bedside and threw her arms around me. I winced in pain, but gently hugged her back. She sobbed into my shoulder and I rubbed her back in a soothing manner, even though I was crying as well.
My brothers continued standing at the door, staring at me with blank expressions. They all looked dead.
Wyatt was the first to react. The colour came back to his face and tears flooded his eyes. He slowly walked over to the bed and just stood there, staring at me.
"Mari," he sobbed, and I cried even harder be-because no one had called me that in so long.
"Mari," he repeated and I gave him a half-hearted smile, still trying to calm down our mother.
Paul and Justin walked over and stood behind him. The both of them were crying. Wyatt was able to pry my mother off of me so the three of them could suffocate me in hugs.
"People kept telling us you were dead." Paul whispered.
"Well, I'm not." I laughed and they only squeezed me harder.
EPILOGUE
A year had passed since Alec turned himself in and since my family had found me in that ICU unit.
I made a full recovery. My arm was fine and so was my head. We were in and out of therapy for seven months, but I personally felt like I didn't need it.
I wasn't scared. I didn't feel like that was a traumatizing life experience that I needed intensive therapy for. I was fine. I felt fine.
Although, I was upset every time I went to court. My parents were pressing huge charges on the boys, and I felt terrible.
They were also pressing charges on Joey, and that I didn't feel bad about. When testifying against him, I quoted a song at the end of my testimony and he had the most regretful look I had ever seen a human being have.
"My love for you was bulletproof but you're the one who shot me."
I thought it was clever.
When forced to testify against Alec, Andy, and Austin, I didn't say a single thing they did "wrong" to me. I said that they had fed me and provided me with clothes and a room to sleep in. I never told them about the sex with Alec or the threats from Austin. All those dirty little secrets were buried.
When it came time to talk about the auction, I spilled everything I knew about Nathaniel and Aleksander. It wasn't very much, but I'm sure it was enough to get the both of them locked behind bars for a shitload of time.
Before the jury went on to make their decision, I said something else, in my boys' defence.
"I know this all seems bad. I was gone for three months without communicating with anybody. I had vanished without a trace and the star witness didn't even know what happened himself. I worried many people and appreciate everyone who helped look for me and remembered me. I'm thankful for the ones who never gave up on me. But, due to what happened when I was gone, due to what I experienced, I ask you, the jury, to think about lessening the charges.
“I know kidnapping is a very serious crime and anyone else should be severely punished for it, but these boys treated me with nothing but love and care. They never hurt me, and it was the person I had cared about the most who ended up hurting me. Please consider my statement. And boys, know that I forgive you for whatever you're sorry for."
Everyone in the courtroom was baffled. My family, the jury, the judge, the boys. Everyone. I quietly folded my paper up and rejoined my family.
"What the hell was that?" My father demanded.
I shrugged, not looking at him. "You always told me to fight for the people I love. That's what I'm doing."
Three hours later, the jury came out with a verdict. "We the jury, find the defendants, Austin Michael, Alec Trey, and Andrew Mason Claremont guilty on all charges of kidnapping."
My heart sank, but all I had to do was wait for what the judge had to say. It was really all up to him now.
"Due to Miss DeLiza's statement, I sentence you boys to ten years in prison with a chance of parole after five years." He smacked his gavel down.
My family was furious, absolutely furious, but I was happy. I was relieved, knowing that my boys would be all right.