Chapter 21 RINGO
The heart wrenching sobs from Elizabeth Stone stopped about ten minutes ago and Abbey hasn’t taken her eyes off the mouth of the passage since. There’s so much regret visible on her face, and I just know there’s pain warring inside her head, but everyone here knows Daniel needed to die.
Abbey isn’t reacting to his death, but she knows the type of heartbreak Daniel’s mum is suffering.
Was suffering.
Mex, who has been guarding the bedroom door we left Elizabeth in with her dead son, pops his head out from the hallway and asks, “Want me to check?”
Glancing over at my wife, her cheeks pale even more, and she starts chewing on her damn thumbnail again.
I wish she had let me shoot Daniel and take that burden off her. My wife’s heart is too good for this shit.
I know she’s strong, but fuck, I just want her pure soul to remain intact. My concern about that hasn’t changed. But I know I need to let her do what she feels she needs to do.
“Yeah. Check it out,” I grunt to Mex, dragging my eyes away from my Angel. “And make sure the nurse understands how things are going to work,” I mutter, and Mex nods, disappearing back into the hallway.
Caroline is huddled at the end of the hallway in the corner, Vender watching over her to make sure she doesn’t try something stupid. Like run, or try to attack one of us.
I start slowly pacing, needing to keep moving as we wait, but not even half a minute later, Mex reappears and gives me a nod.
When my eyes connect with Abbey’s, there’s a moment of vulnerability in them before it disappears, and she nods, as if she’s silently telling herself it’s okay, before she stands.
“She used the knife we left?” she asks Mex, who nods.
“On her wrists. She uhhhh… died holding on to her son.”
My wife’s caramel eyes dart to mine as they fill with tears, and I reach out, dragging her to my chest and wrapping my arms around her.
“It’s okay, Angel. It’s what she wanted.”
“I know,” Abbey sobs quietly. “And I get it, but Elizabeth was nothing but a pawn in a nightmare she didn’t know she was a part of.”
Giving Abbey a squeeze, I press my lips to the top of her hair, breathing in the fruity scent of the shampoo she’s been using.
“She didn’t want to live in a world without her child. It was her decision,” I remind her, even though we were the ones that gave her the knife to use.
She could have tried to use it on us and escape, but her mind was set the moment her son died.
This moment was always going to be difficult for my Angel. Especially knowing what we do now about the cult and Daniel being her cousin. They were both puppets being controlled by their parents, but ultimately, evil doesn’t win in this story.
While Bobbi sleeps, we spend the next few hours talking with the nurse.
She’s smart and decided her life was worth living, so she’s been educating Abbey and me on Bobbi’s needs.
Given Bobbi has grown and developed quickly, basically the same as a regular newborn now, things shouldn’t be too complicated moving forward.
That’s fucking good news, but dread still sits heavily in my gut as questions remain unanswered.
We didn’t get a chance to ask Elizabeth, but Caroline was there that day when they all worked together to kidnap Bobbi, so she knows what really fucking happened.
“Was Bobbi dead when she arrived at the hospital?" I ask, and two sets of wide eyes dart to me.
One set hardens quickly, shooting straight back to Caroline.
“Was she?” Abbey snaps, and Caroline gulps, shaking her head.
“No… she was struggling, but alive. Dr Madden moved her into the NICU, and because most of the nurses and doctors were working on the COVID ward, there really weren’t many witnesses,” Caroline explains.
“There must have been some though,” I snap, gritting my fucking teeth. “You can’t exactly transport a premature baby in a fucking car.”
Caroline nods, her fear-filled eyes darting between me and my wife.
“Dr Madden arranged for private patient transport. Someone that owed her or something. They never got out of the ambulance though. The doctor, Elizabeth and I did all the work, and the driver never once spoke to us. He or she just drove us here and then left again. Dr Madden assured us that the driver wouldn’t snitch. ”
Tears fill Abbey’s eyes as she stares at the nurse, disbelief washing over her expression.
“The doctor took me to the morgue. Showed me a dead baby.”
Caroline nods. “There had been a stillborn delivery the morning before.”
In a flash, Abbey’s hand whips out and slaps across Caroline’s cheek, the sound loud as the nurse sobs.
“I’m sorry. I really am.”
“You know anything about the sandbag in the coffin?” I snap, and Caroline shrugs.
“The doc said she would take care of that part. She has all the contacts to pull it off, I guess.” Caroline sobs, her focus remaining on my wife. “I was just trying to help my friend.”
“Look how well that turned out.” Abbey sneers, curling her lip before turning her back on the nurse and focusing on her daughter.
The rest of the day is gloomy, not just from the sombre mood in the house, but from the rain that starts to pelt the cabin windows about mid-morning.
Hunkering down, my men get some well-needed sleep as they take turns keeping watch outside and on the road we came in on, and we continue to spend time getting to know little Bobbi.
Caroline takes us through the process of bathing Bobbi, and Abbey feeds her again, something I didn’t know if I’d feel okay with since those ripe tits have been mine for so long.
But fuck, the sight of my Angel learning how to be a mum, something which is clear to us all is far more natural to her than even she was expecting. Right before my eyes, I watch the two of them bond, and it’s as if they haven’t been separated for eight fucking weeks.
It’s fucking beautiful.
“You doing okay, man?” JD shoulder bumps me, his hair damp from the shower he had a few minutes ago.
“Yeah,” I sigh. “Just admiring my wife and baby.”
When I glance at JD, he’s grinning from ear to fucking ear.
“You’re a good man. You know that, right?”
I frown at his words, and he chuckles.
“Not every guy could look at a kid that isn’t biologically his the way you are, like you just won the lottery.”
I scoff out a laugh, shifting my gaze back to Abbey as she cradles Bobbi to her chest while running her delicate fingers across her daughter’s forehead, speaking softly.
“I have won the lottery.” I shrug. “That’s what it feels like. I have a beautiful wife, and her little baby needs me to step up and be her daddy. There’s nothing that will get in my way of doing that.”
“Shit, man. You’re gonna make me cry,” JD murmurs, and when I glance back at him, I actually see that his eyes are damp.
Shit. I thought he was just taking the piss.
“I’m not hugging you if you start crying,” I snap, and his grin turns playful as he leaps on me, throwing his arms around me.
“Give me a hug, dammit,” he snickers, and I laugh, trying to push the persistent fucker off me.
“Piss off. If you want a hug, you’ll have to wait until Jols can give it to you.”
Abbey’s soft giggles float across the room, and when I finally manage to get my best mate off me, she has Bobbi on her lap, holding her head up by cupping her chin, while gently patting Bobbi’s back, trying to burp her.
“Sometimes, you two act like you’re my age.” She giggles. “Not like men in their thirties.”
“Why, thank you.” JD grins stupidly at my wife, and it occurs to me that perhaps finding Bobbi has put everyone in a good mood.
The rainy day turns to night without us coming across any of the neighbours. Thank fuck.
The last thing we need is them calling the local cops.
There’s enough food in the house that we can stay here for a few days and not have to go anywhere, so Mex and Murf cook up some dinner, and we settle in for a quiet night by the sea.
The guys do their shift change before Abbey and I turn in to sleep in the single bed in the same room as Bobbi.
It doesn’t matter that we have to squeeze onto the mattress together. She fits perfectly against me, tight in my arms, like we were made to fit together.
We talk for a while in the dark, the low light in the humidicrib drawing our attention, and the sleeping angel within. Abbey is exhausted, but she’s too wired to fall asleep straight away. Both of us are.
Yesterday, it was just the two of us, and now, we are three.
Okay, so maybe four, because as far as I’m concerned, Tahli is our responsibility too.
Sleep eventually wins out, and I dream of Abbey and Bobbi, just the way they were earlier in the chair as they both stared at each other.
But this time, there’s a faint glow behind them, and when I blink, a delicate face is smiling down over Abbey’s shoulder, pretty blonde curls framing the face of a little girl.
I try to lean closer, needing to see, my heart already telling me exactly who’s watching over my wife and her baby.
“Hope,” I call, reaching out, but all of a sudden I’m being sucked out of the dream, a dark figure looming over me as someone nudges my shoulder.
“Wake the fuck up,” JD whisper-yells as I jerk, instantly going on alert.
“What is it?” I sit up, bringing a groggy Abbey with me.
“Trunk and Stocky didn’t check in, and we can’t get a hold of them by phone or radio.”
Ice freezes every drop of blood trying to rush through my veins as the reality of what he’s telling me sinks in.
“Guns!” I snarl, lifting Abbey in my arms and depositing her bare feet on the cold floor a moment later.
“What’s going on?” she squeaks, snatching up her jeans and stepping into them.
“We have company. Stay in here with Bobbi, but grab her go bag,” I snap, not even bothering to put my jeans on.
That can fucking wait. Right now, I need to protect my family.