44. Elijah
My phone rang and I turned it over to see Officer Taylor calling me. I don’t think he’s ever called me before.
“It wasn’t my call, Elijah,” he said immediately as I answered.
“What are you talking about?”
“They released Adam last night.”
“They what? What do you mean they released him?” My voice raising as I spoke. “Why didn’t they fucking charge him?”
“Not enough evidence.”
“There were multiple witnesses!”
I couldn’t contain my anger.
“I told you, it wasn’t my call.” I hung up the call, throwing my phone at the dash.
“What’s going on?” Daines turned to me, eyebrows raised.
“Adam has been released. We need to go to Charlie’s house. Now.”
Our conversation was interrupted by radio chatter and my head snapped up.
Neighbours report of shouting and a woman in distress. The call followed with the address through the radio.
“That’s Charlie’s address,” I whispered. Daines eyes widened as he turned on the siren and pulled out of the lay-by at speed. We didn’t need to discuss whether or not we would be picking up that call. Charlie was in danger.
I couldn’t speak.
My heart was pounding in my chest. I needed to get to her now, that was all I could think about. I needed her to be safe.
“We’ll be there in a couple of minutes,” Daines said in an attempt to reassure me. It didn’t. What if we were a couple of minutes too late?
My heart was pounding as I busted through the door into her apartment. My eyes immediately scanned the room and saw Adam standing over her with a knife in his hand. He turned back towards the noise and smirked as we came in. Charlotte was on the floor in a pool of blood and my heart dropped. Rushing over, I threw myself at Adam, knocking the knife out of his hands. I heard Daines move then towards the knife, kicking it far out of Adam’s reach. Adam and I wrestled on the floor as I struggled to grab hold of his arms. I felt a smack against my head as he swung one of Theos toy’s against my skull, sending me off of him. He climbed on top of me and swung it down again. Daines lifted Adam up by the arms, tossing him off me to the side. Adam kicked him hard, forcing him to the ground before turning and running out the door.
My eyes darted between the door and Charlie laying next to me, her eyes shut. “Go, you’re faster than me. I’ve got Lottie!” Daines shouted at me as he crouched down. I got to my feet, running straight out the door after Adam. He had gotten a head start, but he was still in my sights. This was the reason I went running nearly every single day. When I was fifteen, I wasn’t fast enough and the man who murdered my father got away. There was no way in hell Adam was going to get away from me. This time I would stop at nothing to catch the person I was chasing. He would pay dearly for hurting Charlie.
Adam was fast, but I was faster and soon I was gaining on him. He also didn’t know these streets like I did. As I saw him round a corner, I dove down the alleyway to my right on the other side. He was within arm’s reach and I took the leap, my arms grappling around his waist as I tackled him into someone’s front lawn. He tried to fight, but I had the upper hand this time. I lifted my fist up before making contact with his face. I did it again, and again, and again. I felt like a man possessed as my hand kept beating down on his face. Blood was pouring out, but it didn’t stop me. After a few more hits and I was certain he wasn’t going to fight back anymore, I found it within me to stop. He groaned as he clutched his face.
“I warned you about touching what was mine.” I spat on the ground next to him. Officers Taylor and Lawrence were making their way over as I stood.
“Cuff him.” Both were looking at me wide-eyed as his blood trickled off my knuckles.
“I expect to see that I had to use self-defence on a violent criminal on the report.” I eyed them both and they nodded as they went to pick him up. I picked up my pace and ran back towards Charlie’s place, anxious to get back and make she was okay. I walked in the room where she was still laid on the floor. My eyes were drawn to the blood. There’s so much blood. I tried to steady myself on the wall as flashes of my father came to mind. I felt my breathing quicken.
“Elijah…” Her voice broke my trance as I rushed over to her side. She looked like she was in pain, but there was still a gentle smile on her face.
“Don’t you dare go anywhere, Charlie. Don’t you dare leave me.” I gripped her hand tightly. “I already lost someone like this, I can’t lose you, too. I can’t do it, Charlie.”
“I already told you that you were stuck with me, Officer Sunshine.” Paramedics entered the room and Officer Daines moved out the way to let them through.
“Where’s Theo?” I frantically looked around the room.
“He’s probably hiding under the bed. I always told him to do that when he was frightened by the yelling.” Jesus Christ. I made eye contact with Daines who nodded and made his way into the bedroom to look for him.
“We need to move her onto the trolley,” one of the paramedics said. I moved backwards to let them work. My eyes didn’t leave her for a moment. Theo emerged from the room then.
“Mommy!” he yelled as he tried to run towards her. I caught him before he ran into the paramedics. My chest ached as I looked at his face, at the fear consuming it. I was reminded of Lucas and Alice when they were on the stairs watching as my father died. I remember this look from their faces. The outcome would be different for Theo, though. I was sure of it. He had just lost his father in roundabout kind of way; I wasn’t going to watch him lose his mother, too.
“It’s okay, Theo, these guys are helping Mommy.” I steadied myself as I reached for his hands. “You trust me, don’t you?” He nodded, tears running down his cheeks. My eyes moved briefly to Charlie as they wheeled her out of the front door. She had to be okay, she just had to be. “I promise you, everything is going to be okay. They are going to take her to the hospital and make her all better.” I’m not sure who I was trying to convince here, me or him. I picked up Theo and we walked out the front of the house. I saw Alice running towards us as her eyes widened with horror at Charlie being loaded into the ambulance.
“Oh, Eli.” She hugged my tightly, giving Theo a kiss on the head. “I’ll give you a ride to the hospital.” Daines came up behind.
“I’ll do it. I can use the sirens to get us there quicker,” he interrupted. We hustled over to the car. I was grateful Daines was driving because my hands were shaking as we drove along, my eyes fixated on the ambulance in front of me. Was she still alive in there? I thought back to the blood flowing out of her when she was on the floor, she had still been talking to me. Then again so had my dad at first when he got shot.
We were ushered into the waiting room as soon as we got to the hospital. I needed to be strong for Theo and that was the only reason I wasn’t falling apart right now. He needed me to hold it together. They rushed Charlie straight into surgery and we all sat for hours in that room. Alice and I tried at different points to make light of everything for Theo, but he hardly said a word. The boy who was always chatting and laughing was frozen in shock. Alice had nearly bitten every single one of her nails in the time we were waiting. A couple hours or so in, Lucas appeared.
“I’m so sorry, I had my phone off.” He rushed in, hugging us each in turn. “How is she?” I shook my head.
“She’s still in surgery will be for a while yet, I think,” Alice said, quickly returning to biting her nails. Lucas joined us in sitting and we waited again in silence. Theo eventually fell asleep leaning against Lucas. It was another couple of tense hours before a doctor walked in.
“Elijah?” Her eyes looked straight at me. “Can you come with me, please?” All eyes were on me as I followed the doctor out of the room.