CHAPTER 20 ALEX
I lie as still as I can, listening to Mina’s gentle breathing as she sleeps, her head resting on my chest. My left arm is starting to go numb, but I don’t want to move it. I can’t disturb her. She’s been through enough. Poor thing is sick and exhausted.
Here in the silence, my brain is on overdrive, replaying every scenario and asking what-if over and over. What if nothing. I was there. She’s ok. My thoughts wander to the doctor who wouldn’t stop grilling me with questions. Who was he? Why did he seem so overly protective of Mina, and so suspicious of me?
A knock at the door pulls me from my thoughts. Who could that be? The knock comes again, a little louder this time. I gently untangle myself from Mina, hoping I don’t wake her. Success.
I make my way to the front door and open it. There are two police officers there.
“Mr. Guirero?”
“Yeah, that’s me.”
“We’re following up on the attack on Yasmina Abdul last night. Dispatch told us she’d be at her boyfriend’s house and gave us this address.”
Her boyfriend . Is that what I am? I remember what Mina said to the dispatcher.
“My boyfriend is here.”
In the heat of the moment, it hadn’t even fully registered, nor had the fact that I had confirmed my identity to the dispatcher as her boyfriend, and then again at the hospital.
“Yeah, my girlfriend is here,” I say, trying not to grin as the words leave my lips. “Did you need her for this? She’s asleep inside, she’s had a rough ordeal, and I’d rather not wake her if I don’t have to.”
“No, that’s not necessary. We just wanted to give you both an update that the suspect we have in custody is the man who attacked her. DNA results from under her fingernails were a match for him.”
I exhale sharply, bringing my hands to my face. “Oh, thank god.”
“Your girlfriend is a lucky lady. It seems like this guy went on a bit of a killing spree before he ran into her. We’ve been looking for him.”
It feels like a ton of bricks has landed directly on my chest. “What?”
“Yeah, he’s wanted in connection with those serial killings, I’m sure you’ve seen them on the news. There have been several victims, including the rideshare driver who was supposed to pick up your girlfriend. We think that’s how he got the car, as well as Ms. Abdul’s information.”
“Oh my god. Who is he?”
“We can’t share any additional details, as the case is ongoing. You know how these things are.” The cop chuckles, “We probably said too much already. Anyway, we just wanted to check in and make sure everything was ok and give you that update. We will be in touch once a court date is set. She will probably have to testify. Can our DA’s office mail any official subpoena’s here?”
“Absolutely. Thank you for letting me know. I’ll tell Mina when she wakes up.”
“Have a good night.”
“You too.” I close the door and lean against it, tears welling in my eyes. That man killed at least five other innocent women before coming for my Mina, if this is the same guy I’ve seen them talking about on the news. She could have been number six. She could have been taken from me forever.
I blink away the tears and straighten myself out. Thankfully, she wasn’t taken. She’s right here, and I’m not going to miss out on a single moment with her.
I make my way back into the bedroom and cuddle up next to her, planting a few gentle kisses on the side of her head. I carefully tuck my arm back under her and wrap my other arm around her. She sighs contentedly in her sleep and nestles closer. If there was any doubt in my mind before, there’s none now. No one can keep me from her .
Soft footsteps pull my attention away from my pizza. It’s Mina. She’s standing in the doorway of the kitchen, her brow furrowed.
“Hey, glad to see you up and about! Want some pizza?”
Mina shakes her head. “What time is it?”
I glance at the clock. “9:30”.
“Dammit did I sleep all day?”
“You did. Your phone has been blowing up.”
“Oh my god. My parents, did anyone—”
“I called them,” I confirm. I got their numbers from Katie at the hospital and told them there had been an accident.”
“You didn’t tell them I was attacked, did you?” Mina crosses over to me, clutching her hands in front of her. “Please tell me you didn’t.”
“No, I just said there was an accident in the ride-share, that you were at the hospital being checked out, and you’d be in touch when you woke up.”
“Oh my god.”
“Yeah, they wanted to come to the hospital themselves, but I promised you were in good hands and said that they weren’t allowing you to have visitors anyway.”
“And they bought that?”
“Yeah. Although I don’t think they’re buying it anymore. Your mom has called your phone about 20 times today.”
“I need to call her.”
“You should.”
Mina exhales deeply. “Alright. Give me my phone.”
“Do you want to eat something first?”
“No, let me get this over with. Then I’ll eat.” She takes her phone and heads back to the bedroom, shutting the door behind her softly. I can hear her end of the conversation, her voice slowly rising as the call went on.
“No, I’m ok. Yes, really. No, I have to stay one more night for observation. I’ll be released some time tomorrow. Yes, they’re giving me a week off to recover. No, just a concussion. No, I don’t know what happened. We were fine, then next thing I know the car was skidding and we hit a pole. Yes, I promise I’m fine. Yes, Alex knew about the accident before you did because he was at the hospital when they brought me in. Yes, he's a kind man to call you. I’m sorry I couldn’t call before now. Yes, I’ll call in the morning.”
At last, she reemerges from the bedroom, sighing deeply. “That went better than I thought it would.”
“That’s good. You told them you’d go home tomorrow?”
“Yeah. Otherwise, they’d insist on coming up to the hospital to see me for themselves.”
I tried to hide my disappointment that I would only have her here for one more night. “That’s smart.”
“I can be,” she quips. “Alright, pass me a slice.”
I comply, watching her eagerly bite into the pizza. “At least you’ve got your appetite back.”
“Yeah, I was a little nervous getting out of bed, but I’m not nearly as dizzy now. I think the worst has passed.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” I pause, debating asking her the question that has been weighing heavily on my mind. Fuck it. I’ll ask . “So, when you were in the hospital, there was this doctor that wouldn’t leave me alone. He kept asking the same questions over and over, almost like he was accusing me, or trying to catch me in a lie. When he heard I was your boyfriend, he seemed almost… I guess ‘enraged’ would be the right word for it. It was bizarre.”
“Oh no,” she groans. “Did he have dark hair, and a very slender build?”
“Yeah, he was kind of built like a stick man. His eyes were kind of creepy, he reminded me of a shark, or a snake or something.”
“That’s Jason,” she sighs. “Dr. Visera. He has been asking me out for months , and I keep rejecting him.”
“Oh god.”
“Yeah. So, finding out about you probably pissed him off considering how many times I’ve blown him off.”
“It all makes sense now.”
“I bet it does! He’s a creep and a pervert.”
“Do I have to worry about him?”
“No, I don’t think so. He’s annoying, but harmless.”
“Even though he’s your superior?”
“I hate that word,” she scoffs. “He might have seniority, but he’s definitely not superior.” She takes another bite of pizza and speaks around it. “But yeah. He might be jealous, but I don’t think he’d do anything to hurt me. Because then he would ‘ruin’ his chances with me. Knowing him, he’s delusional enough to think he still has a shot.”
“Damn. Well, I’m glad I asked.”
“Yeah, me too. I had no idea he was even there that night. There’s still a lot I don’t remember. It’s slowly coming back in waves. I’m not sure I even want to remember it all.”
“Don’t stress about it, babe. You’ve been through a lot. No need to focus on it unless you absolutely have to.”
She pauses for a moment, seeming hesitant. “Hey, speaking of Jason, I’m kind of surprised you’ve never run into him before. He’s sort of… well… everywhere. At least everywhere I seem to be. It’s annoying, now that I really think about it.”
“Honestly, babe, I don’t pay much attention to the doctors at the hospital. I just go in, do my job, try not to get in the way of the nurses too much, and go home. I only pay attention if they’re butt naked in front of me and exceptionally hot,” I tease, poking her lightly in the ribs.
“Fair enough,” she laughs. “Hey, want to watch a movie or something? I’ve been sleeping all day, and I’m not tired.”
“Yeah, we can watch whatever you want.”
“Perfect, I’ll go pick something out.”
I watch her shuffle out into the living room and debate telling her the news about her assailant. Would it be dumping too much on her? Probably.
“I found one!” she calls out from the living room. “Get your ass in here.”
I make up my mind. That news can wait until tomorrow. Tonight, we’ll just relax and enjoy the time we have together.