Chapter 45 Sophie
Sophie
“Ms. Prescott, if you don’t eat, I can’t let you go home.” The nurse looked at me sympathetically after she pushed the tray away from my bed that held my dinner.
“I’m not hungry,” I said lowly before I scooted down in my bed and pushed my arm under the pillow to support my head.
“I understand, but you have to consider the baby. Just try a little something and I’m sure you’ll feel better. Maybe someone can bring you something you like. Is there anyone you’d like me to call?
“No!” I forced out sharply before cutting my eyes at her.
I had been there for almost a day and Trooper still wasn’t answering his calls. Maddie wasn’t either and I didn’t have anyone else to call.
I wasn’t about to call my mother, so as of right now, I would just be here alone until they told me I could leave.
Trooper could be in jail or worse. When I left him, he was making calls to get rid of a body.
Maybe the cops found out. I felt overly emotional just thinking about it, so I closed my eyes, trying to erase the thought.
Not to mention, William had paid someone to attack me and Lincoln was part of it.
Was I even safe in the hospital? I started to hyperventilate the more I thought about it, which forced me to sit up, holding my hand against my chest, trying to control the feeling.
Tears were falling and I felt my lungs struggling as my breathing became more restricted.
I got my hand on the nurse call button, but dropped it when I heard that voice.
“Sophie, what’s wrong?”
“I can’t… I can’t… breathe…” I struggled to get out as he pulled me onto his lap.
Trooper’s hand moved down my back as he pressed his forehead to mine.
“Sophie, calm down. You can breathe, you just have to relax, baby girl. Relax for me, okay?”
As if he controlled everything about me, my body followed his command and my breathing slowed. I regained control and my heartrate began to calm.
“You weren’t here. Where were you?” The words flowed right along with my tears, but I held onto him so tightly my hands ached from the grip.
“I know, baby, but I’m here now.”
My hospital door opened and a nurse entered, but Trooper shut that down quickly without even looking to see who had entered.
“Get out.” His voice elevated as he spoke, but whoever was in the room kept talking.
“Ms. Prescott called and—”
“Get the fuck out!” His voice thundered through my room, and moments later, we were alone again.
“What happened?”
“They followed me to my car and started hitting me. They told me to give you a message. Where were you, Trooper? Why weren’t you here?” I tried to push away from him, but he was much stronger than me, so it was a failed attempt.
“This was about me? They said it was about me?”
He pulled back enough to look at me and I saw the devastated look in his eyes. As mad as I was that he wasn’t there, I didn’t want him to feel like this was his fault.
“William did it.”
“The fuck you mean William did it? That muthafucker put his hands on you, Sophie? What about the baby?” Just that quickly, he was yelling again.
“The baby is fine, and no. He paid someone to.”
Trooper’s eyes went dark, but I still saw the confusion behind them.
“He paid somebody? How the hell you know all this?”
“Lincoln was here. I heard him on the phone with William. He thought I was asleep, but I heard him arguing with William about what happened.”
“Fuck! I’m killing both their asses. On God, I’m killing them both.”
Trooper closed me in his arms again and held me tight before he pulled back again and examined my face.
He had fire behind his eyes as he surveyed the bruises there. On the few trips I had made to the bathroom, I examined the damage done. The area around my eye had changed colors, but the swelling had gone down. There was still a bruise on my left cheek.
“I can’t believe he did this shit to you, Sophie. I promise he’s gonna pay with his life.” Trooper’s voice was low before he began planting kisses on my face. My eyes closed and I enjoyed the comfort of having him with me again.
“Where were you?” I questioned softly while his lips grazed my skin and his hand rested on my stomach.
“Los and I got picked up by the feds.”
I felt my heart stop before it picked up again at an excessive rate. Had they found out about Oscar? Did they know what he had done?
“The… the feds?” I questioned, looking up at him.
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”
“It’s not fine, Trooper. Do they know…” I lowered my voice and glanced at the door. “What you did to Oscar?”
Trooper chuckled and shook his head before he lifted my chin and kissed my lips. “Hell no. They don’t have shit on me or Los, they’re just trying to build a case against somebody else.”
“But if they—”
“Sophie, let it go. I’m here, so they don’t have shit. You don’t need to be worried about that anyway. You sure my baby is okay?”
I smiled at the concerned expression he wore. For the first time, I could really tell this baby mattered to him.
Nodding, I looked down where his hand rested then back at him as he smiled.
“And you’re good?” he asked before gripping the back of my neck and resting his forehead against mine again.
“I am now. We both are,” I said, covering his hand with mine.
“Fuck, Sophie. I’m sorry I wasn’t here, but I’ll make this shit right. I promise, I will.”
“Do you really have to ki—”
“Yes, but don’t ask me about that. That muthafucker is good as dead. You don’t need to worry about any of it. That’s on me, not you.”
The seriousness in his response let me know to drop it. I had a million questions in my head, but right now Trooper was with me and I didn’t care about anything else.
“When can you leave?”
“I don’t know, they said I can’t because I wouldn’t eat.”
He frowned at me and got serious again.
“Why you not eating, Sophie? That’s not good for the baby or you.”
“I know, I just wasn’t hungry. I was worried and I—”
“Ay, it’s cool. What do you want? I’ll go… Shit!”
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t have a car. They picked us up at your place, and when they let us go and I got your message, I took a cab straight here with Los. Shit, hold on.”
He nudged me off his lap and I slowly climbed back into bed. I saw his face ball up when I flinched a little.
“I’ll be right back.”
Trooper pulled the covers up and kissed my lips again, lingering on the bottom one before he stepped away and left my room. He returned a few minutes later with Los behind him.
“Maddie’s on her way. She’s pissed you didn’t tell her what was going on, Sophie.” Carlos walked over to me and kissed me on the forehead before he stepped back.
“I called and she didn’t answer.”
“But you didn’t leave her a message.”
I dropped my eyes a little then looked up at him again. “I know. I didn’t want her to worry and there was so much going on. I—”
He smirked first then laughed, cutting me off. “Don’t explain a damn thing to me. You better save it for her. She’s mad as hell, cussing at me about you.”
I laughed just thinking about it. I knew better, but I was just in my feelings. I was worried about Trooper, and truthfully, everything happened at once. When Maddie didn’t answer the first time, I said I’d call her later, but then everything was nonstop. I knew she’d be pissed.
“They have a cafeteria here, right?” Trooper asked and I nodded.
He was about to make me eat, even if I didn’t want to. I still didn’t have much of an appetite, but I wouldn’t argue with him. I'd learned real quick that when his mind was set on something, it was pointless to try to change it. He and I being together was proof of that.
“Aight, we’ll be back. Can you lock that door while we’re gone?” He looked at me so seriously that I wanted to laugh.
“No, but I’ll be fine. I’m sure you won’t be gone long, and I have my phone. I’ll call you if I need you.”
He stared at me like he really had to think about it, but Carlos spoke up.
“She’s good, Troop. We won’t be gone long.”
Trooper’s eyes moved from me to Carlos before he nodded to agree.
“Aight, we’ll be quick. I’ll get whatever they have because I know that hospital food ain’t worth shit.”
I smiled as he made his way over to me and kissed me once more before he and Carlos left. I wasn’t worried anymore. If he was anywhere around, bodies would drop before Trooper allowed them to put their hands on me. The situation with Oscar was proof enough for me.