by C. M. Allen
A knock sounds at the door before the Doctor walks in. "How are we doing in here?" He asks grabbing my chart. "Feeling any pain?"
Shaking my head I answer. "No just my throat is really scratchy."
"Well that's normal we had to give you a breathing tube. It won't take too long for it to heal." Looking at my chart he says. "Well everything looks good, so I think it's safe to say you're headed out of the woods and on your way to recovery, we just need to watch out for any infections.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure, anything.” he answers exchanging a look that shares concern with Hudson.
"I'm told I said some things in my unconscious state, did you hear me say anything?"
Frowning at me he asks. "Like what?"
"Anything, I think I remembered something important while I was under but I can't figure out what it was now, but I just know somehow that I need to."
Staying silent for a moment he looks to be thinking about something before his face lights up with an answer. "Yes I do remember you saying something about a woman screaming, but from what I heard about the shooting at the hotel I just assumed you were remembering the screams from the people ducking from the gunshots that were being fired into the lobby. Look, it will probably come back to you eventually, but you really need to rest and not stress yourself out over this."
Exchanging a look with Hudson again, I can see a shadow of sadness pass over Hudson's face before he pushes it away and turns to me with a sad smile that tells me there's more I don't know.
"What aren't you telling me? I can see it in your eyes when you look at me Hudson, you're hiding something. Am I really not okay?" I ask looking back and forth between the two of them before Hudson gets up to move towards the door opening it.
"Can we have a moment alone please Doc?"
Nodding his head he looks back to me before leaving the room. "I'll be back around later to check on her." He says as he walks out.
After the door closes I see Hudson take an influx of air as he blows it back out running his hand through his hair. Walking back over, he takes the seat next to my bed and grabs my hand with a firm but not painful hold as if he's holding onto me for dear life.
CHAPTER FIFTY THREE HUDSON
Sitting here holding her hand I try to pull the words from my mouth I know I need to say, but it's hard when you feel like you have a boulder lodged in your throat too big for them to get around. Taking a deep breath I look up into her beautiful eyes that are clouded with concern and confusion, and it guts me to know I'm going to have to add sadness to them. "The the Doctor, when he came into the waiting room to talk to me after your surgery was over, he gave me some news." Taking another breath the sick feeling in my stomach begins to churn at what I have to tell her. "You were pregnant Presley, you were pregnant with our baby, but with the stress your body went through being shot, you lost it."
Looking straight into her eyes, I watch as the words that I've spoken begin to sink in, first disbelief, then loss and finally sadness. Turning her head away from me she struggles to roll onto her side as she lets out a sob so painful sounding it rips my heart right out of my chest knowing that I did this to her, I didn't protect her or our unborn baby. Trying to comfort her, I climb up into the bed and just hold her until her uncontrollable sobs become heavy breathing sound as she cries herself to sleep in my arms. Sometime later I awaken to Presley moving around like she's dreaming. "No! Someone's hurt in thereI need to help her but I'm so littledaddy help me!Don't hurt my daddy! ELK."
Shaking her shoulders gently to wake her, she shoots upward as I wrap my arms around her to keep her from ripping her sutures open. "Baby, wake up, wake up."
Settling down she looks over to me before breaking down all over again. "My baby, our baby is gone, why? Why?" She says on another sob.
Pulling her chin up to meet my gaze we're interrupted by the door opening. Looking behind us I see the nurse crossing the room. "I’ll need you need to get off of the bed Mr. Drake, I need to check her vitals, the alarm went off on the board." Looking her over and taking her pulse the nurse asks, what happened that has her so upset?"
"I told her about the baby, and she just awoke having some sort of nightmare." Taking a syringe from her pocket, she injects it into Presley's IV. "What are you giving her?"
"It's just a mild sedative we need to get her calmed down." Looking at Presley's face I can see her enter a relaxed state. "Visiting hours are just about over, maybe you should go home and get some rest, the sedative I gave her will allow her to rest quietly now."
"I can't leave her, what if she wakes up and I'm not here, besides she's not out of danger yet."
"I am aware of the situation Mr. Drake, the FBI has a guard outside her door now so she will be just fine, but I'm sorry it's hospital policy, you'll need to leave for the night, but if you really want to stay you're welcome to stay in the waiting room until visiting hours begin tomorrow."
Running my hand over the stubble on my jaw I know she's right, but I'm not taking one step out of this hospital tonight.
"Okay, let me just say good bye and I'll go to the waiting room, but if anything happens, and I mean anything, you come get me immediately alright?"
Nodding her head, "I promise you I will it's very clear to see how much you love her."
"More than my own life, I would do anything to take away all the pain of everything she's been through." Kissing her lips I whisper in her ear. "I love you so much, and I'm right here, all you need to do is call out for me and I'll come running, you hear me Presley? I'll always be here." Kissing her once more I reluctantly leave her room spotting the Agent outside her door. "No one but that nurse and her Doctor go in that room, you hear me?"
The mid-forties built man assures me. "No one will get past me and I already have very detailed instructions from Larson on how to handle anyone who tries to.” He says with a tone that's carries a very clear message that shoot to kill has been the instructions he's been given.
"Thank you.” I tell him giving him a nod.
"Just doing my job.” he says going back to scanning the hallways of any and all movement.
Feeling that she's protected, I head to the waiting room to see if any of the guys are still here, and I’m not surprised when I find that they all are. Noticing me as I walk into the room they all stand. "How's our girl doing?" Porter asks first.
Plopping down into the chair from exhaustion I tell them. "They just had to sedate her she woke up having some nightmare. And that on top of the news I had to break to her earlier, her heart rate got out of control setting some alarm off."
Stepping forward, Brice asks. "What news, about her father's recovery?"
Shaking my head I look down at my hands before running them through my hair. "No she knows all about her father's recovery in the hospital,…she was pregnant with my baby when she was shot."
"Was?" Carter asks.
Nodding my head I grip harder trying not to rip the hair out like my heart’s been ripped out. "Yes, was. She lost it due to the trama her body went through with being shot and the surgery, Doctor says that she was about a week or so along."
"Fuck." Brice says letting out a heavy breath.
Feeling a firm hand grab on to my shoulder, Porter sits next to me. "I am so sorry brother, I know no amount of words or apologies could ever take away the pain you're feeling right now, but just know we are all here for you."
"Thanks man, I appreciate all of you staying, but you should get out of here and get some rest. I'm going to bunk down on the couch here for tonight until they let me see her tomorrow."
"You stay, we all stay. Besides, Vance and Kelan are on their way to the hospital too.” Brice informs me, surprising me, but not really. We always have each other's back no matter what.
After a few hours Vance and Kelan arrive. I head to Presley's room to check on the guard outside her door to make sure he's still alert before we all head down to the cafeteria to get some coffee. Spotting me the second
I round the corner I tell him. "I'll be in the cafeteria getting some coffee, be back in a few." Nodding his head as his only answer he goes back to sweeping the halls for any movement.
Going back to the waiting room I get the guys and we all head to the elevator. As we walk Vance puts his hand on my shoulder, drawing my attention. "I want to talk to you for a minute alone." Waving the other's on we face each other. "First of all I can't even begin to imagine the pain you're feeling right now with everything that's happened, but I want you to know that anything that can be done will be done to capture that bastard and make sure he gets everything that's coming to him, including death for what he's done to Presley, you and your b__."
Unable to finish his sentence, were interrupted by the yelling of the Agent running down the hall towards us. "Mr. Drake!"
Fearing the worst, I take off in a sprint with Vance hot on my heels. Reaching the Agent halfway and ask. "What's wrong?"
"It's Miss Crawford, she's screaming for us to get you and won't calm down, the nurse wanted me to get you so you could get her to calm down."
Jogging in the direction of Presley's room as he fills me in I burst through the door to hear her screams. "Presley!" I say rushing across the room and wrapping her up tightly in my arms. "What is it baby? What's wrong?"
Finally calming down she says in an irritated, groggy voice from the drugs. "I saw them I know how they move them."
"Who?" I asked confused about what she's frantically trying to explain like she's on some sort of time limit.
"The women! The mule ranch! Pablo!"
Trying to get her to calm down, I tell her. "Okay, I need you to take a deep breath in for me and calm down." Finally getting her breathing under control. "Now, tell me what you’re talking about.” I ask as Vance reaches for his phone nearing her bed.
"It was the memory I had that I have been trying to recall this whole time, when I was unconscious I had another memory of when I was in Pablo's mansion, there was a woman screaming through the same door that led to the cell they locked me in. Anyway after the woman who was babysitting me while my father went to a meeting with Pablo put me down for a nap, I heard it again. They came into my room to see if I was awake, but I pretended to be asleep I was so scared. But then after I heard the door click shut I got up and looked out the window and saw my father and Pablo shouting at each other about something, and I was afraid for my father, but before I could run down there I was glued to the window by what I saw. Two large men were leading three naked women to a van that had the letters ELK on the side. They looked terrified and were holding their hands in front of them like they were tied together. After they were loaded into the van the memory gets fuzzy, but it must mean something if they were worried that I was awake to see what was happening right?"
"Your father was there when they were loaded into the van?" Vance asks before I'm able to say anything.
"Yes, he was arguing with Pablo as the women were loaded into it. We need to tell Larson."
Exchanging looks with Vance I already know when he puts his phone to his ear and walks out, that's exactly who he's called.
CHAPTER FIFTY FOUR PRESLEY
After finally remembering what I had been trying so hard for, I feel relief wash over me as Hudson tells me. "You did so good baby, you probably just gave us the missing link to figuring out who's transporting the women for Pablo. Now we can take him down and return all those women to their families."
"We? No! You can't go.” I tell him in a panic as tears swell up in my eyes falling down over my cheeks. "I've already lost our baby, I can't lose you too Hudson, I can't, I won't survive it if I lose you."
Kissing my lips, he strokes the hair away from my face before he leans up looking into my eyes. "I can't just sit here and do nothing Presley, I need to see this through to the end, and know firsthand that you're safe."
Knowing just how he plans on doing that, I still ask. "You're going to kill him aren't you?"
Looking in the direction of the nurse that I forgot about in the room, he looks back to me. "I will do whatever is necessary to keep you safe."
As the door to my room opens, Vance sticks his head in getting Hudson's attention. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"
Nodding his head he turns back to me and kisses my forehead before getting up. "I'll be right back."
As I lay there with the nurse watching over me, I can tell she wants to say something but isn't sure if she should, so I tell her. "You can just say it."
"You are one lucky lady having a man like that who loves you so much that he's willing to do anything to protect you. I feel your worry, but honey I don't think there is anything that could keep that man from getting back to you."
Not expecting that, the first smile since I opened my eyes to see Hudson's beautiful face in front of me graces my lips just before the worry I feel removes it again. "I know, but he's still only human and not indestructible, I don't want to have to know the pain I will feel if something happens to him."
Our conversation is put on hold as Hudson walks through the door with his cell phone in his hand and holds it out to me. Looking at it he nods his head telling me to take it, putting it up to my ear as I watch him tell the nurse to leave my room as I say, "Hello?"
"Oh my baby girl, I can't even tell you how relieved I am that you're okay."
Hearing my father’s voice come over the line, the tears begin to fall, "Daddy? Oh my God, you knew didn't you? You knew what Pablo was doing with those women, you knew all along and you never did anything about it! You let them all suffer being ripped away from their families, drugged and raped, how could you do that, what if one of them was me or mom?"
Hearing nothing but silent whimpers on the other end, we both sit there in silence as we really get to see who the other is in this life, my father; the enabler of a sex trafficker, and me the daughter that's lived such a privileged life who's a lot stronger than she ever gave herself credit for. "I turned my cheek to what he was doing to try to save you both, your mother he's the reason she ended up the way she did."
Not fully understanding what he was saying, I ask "How? How did he cause her to leave us? Did she know what you were hiding?"
"Oh Presley, I had so hoped I would never have to tell you this, but your mother? The man she left us for was Pablo."
Stunned into silence, anger begins to weave a nasty web inside of me as I scream at him. "Liar!"
"I'm so sorry baby girl but it's the truth, he got her hooked on that shit and messed her up in the head so bad that she thought he loved her, that's why she left us." Silence again, but I wait to hear the rest of the story I've waited my whole life to hear the true version of. "After she ran off with him...he…he...passed her around like she was a party favor to all of his friends until she couldn't take it anymore and took an overdose of heroin killing herself." Hearing my father’s sobs on the other end tell me that he's telling me the truth, not having heard my father cry since the day we found out about her death. "I tried, oh God I tried like hell to bring her back, but Pablo and the drugs had such a hold on her that she wasn't the woman I once loved anymore, she was like a wild animal that craved only the drugs and abuse that Pablo dealt out."
"But how could you not call the police and report what you knew? How could you just let my mother, those women and their families suffer like that?"
"Because he threatened to take you from me too, and I had already seen what his threats could turn into with your mother, you were all I had left, I couldn't risk the same thing happening to you, please believe me baby girl when I tell you I had no choice, it was your life or theirs."
Feeling sick to my stomach that I had anything to do with those women losing their lives, I tell my father. "I have to go, I can't talk about this anymore right now," and hit the end button handing the phone back to Hudson as the conversation I've just had with my father sinks in with the reality my mother was turned into one of his whores, used up and tossed away like trash.
"Presley?"
Turning to look at Hudson's face, I can see the sorrow he holds in his heart for me. "How much more can I possibly take Hudson? I've lost my mother to Pablo, my baby to him, and now you're telling me that you're going after him, and I might possibly lose you because of him. Please don't put me through that Hudson, please, I'm begging you." I say on a sob that rips its way from my chest at everything I've lost because of him, including the vision I used to have of my father that's been shattered to pieces by the truth.
As he stands up, I desperately grab a hold of his hand before he's able to move away from me. Leaning down he tells me. "It's okay, I'm just going to talk to Vance out in the hall I'll be right back."
"Do you promise?"
"Always,” he says kissing my cheek as I reluctantly let his hand slip from my grip.
CHAPTER FIFTY FIVE HUDSON
As I walk away from Presley's pleads of not to go after Pablo, I know I'm going to have to hurt her in order to save her. When I close the door behind me, to go talk to the nurse and let know that she's going to need to sedate Presley before I go back in there, knowing what I'm about to do after we’ve gotten the Intel we needed will tear her apart with worry. As the nurse agrees she gets the syringe and goes into Presley's room and then comes out a couple of minutes later nodding at me and letting me know it's done. Walking back in, I sit down next to her again and stroke the hair away from her tear soaked face noticing she's more relaxed now after the sedative the nurse gave her. "Hudson?"
"Yeah, I'm here baby." I say kissing her lips.
"I'm so tired, I..I think the nurse gave me something."
"Presley, I need you to focus on my words.” Turning her face to look at me, I continue. "I have to go away for a bit, but I will be back as soon as I can."
Slurring her words she says trying to reach out for me with heavy limbs, "n..nnnoo, p..please d.." Not finishing her sentence I can see the sedative has fully kicked in and kiss her on the lips before I say, "I love you," and leave the room praying that I will make it back to her and that she'll forgive me when I see her again for what I'm about to do.
