She hurt from the top of her head to the tip of her toes. Looking from Tate’s face to Fallon’s, she tried to tell them that she was hurting but couldn’t move her mouth. She went to reach up to her face but Fallon stopped her.
“No, honey, that’s your ventilator, just hold on,” her sister said through tears that rushed down her cheeks. She looked so tired, so distraught.
Why the hell was she on a ventilator?
“It’s okay, baby,” Tate said from the other side of her. “Everything is going to be all right, the doctors are on their way.” She looked up into his beautiful face to see that he was on the verge of crying too.
What the hell was going on?
Where was she? And why was she hurting so badly? She felt like her face was ripped apart, she couldn’t see very well out of her left eye, and her throat was burning.
Suddenly, everything hit her at once.
Levi had beaten the living shit out of her. She thought she was going to die. No, she was sure of it. With every punch he threw at her, she grew weaker and a little piece of her life passed before her eyes. She tried to fight back, but he was too strong. Whenever she tried to move away, he took her by the hair and slammed her against the wall. Why did he stop? Why didn’t he kill her? Did Fallon stop him? She recalled hearing Fallon’s voice before she passed out. Did Fallon save her? Looking up at her sister, Fallon seemed fine, except that she looked tired. They all did.
Her mother and father came into view, both of them crying as they moved close to Fallon, who was holding onto her arm while Tate ran his thumb along her knuckles.
“My sweet baby girl, I’ve been so worried,” her mother cried.
Baby.
Her baby!
Pulling her hands from Tate and Fallon, she moved them to her midsection, her eyes wide with worry. Was her baby okay? Was there still a baby? Did Levi kill it? Did she not protect it well enough?
Oh my God, someone, tell me fucking something!
She wanted to scream for answers, but it seemed that no one knew what was going on. Her eyes darted from each of their faces as she held her stomach, but they all looked around, confused.
“Are you sick, honey? Does your stomach hurt?” Nora asked.
No! Is my baby okay! Take this fucking tube out of my throat!
She reached over, taking both Fallon’s hands in hers. Fallon just looked lost and confused as Audrey’s eyes bored into her, hoping for some kind of sisterly telepathic powers. Shouldn’t Fallon know what she meant? They were sisters! She put Fallon’s hand on her stomach, and pushing through the pain, pointed to Fallon’s stomach, but Fallon just sat there crying.
In her confusion, Audrey assumed she’d told her sister about her pregnancy, and that Lucas and her mother and father knew as well. In fact, since she was admitted to the hospital, they all knew now. She did know, however, that she hadn’t told Tate.
“What’s wrong, is she hurting, where the fuck are the doctors?” Lucas yelled, his hands on Fallon’s back.
“I thought I was going to lose you, A,” Fallon cried.
“Oh my goodness, this is a miracle,” Nora cried, holding onto William.
“Everyone calm down, it’s okay, she’s awake, and that’s all that matters,” William said, squeezing her arm. “Baby, you’re okay, I promise. Everything is okay.”
Oh God, I must have lost the baby.