Page 11 of Awakening

“So, where do you want to settle?”

“I don’t know.” It doesn’t matter because I’m not going anyway. “Can we go somewhere temporary until we figure out where we want to settle permanently?”

“Of course. In fact, we can take a long vacation. I just need to tell my dad where the jet will be going.”

“Oh. Well, why don’t you decide then.”

“I’m thinking somewhere tropical. How does that sound?” He smiles as he rubs his hand up and down my arm.

“Perfect.”

“Oh, and Liv, I just need to make sure you understand. I want us to be married as soon as possible.”

“Right,” I say, barely above a whisper. “I understand.”

“Good,” he says, leaning in and kissing me on the cheek. Even though his lips aren’t touching mine, it hurts my heart to know that I’m having to allow him to come close to me at all. “I can’t wait for us to get…reacquainted,” he says as his eyes roam my body. “I’ve missed the way you feel…the way you taste. You will love me again one day, Olivia.”

Bile churns in my stomach, and once again, I have to concentrate on not vomiting. “So, what’s the plan for tomorrow?” I ask.

Colin’s face drops in disappointed that I’ve avoided the topic, but he moves on. “The guards said Ian has a lab he’s going to tomorrow. It probably has something to do with the drugs he’s giving you,” he says, shaking his head. “Anyway, it’s about thirty minutes west of here. I’ll hand over payment, and the guards will give me access to get you out.”

“Thank you for doing this, Colin,” I say to seem grateful.

He pulls me into his embrace, and says, “I know we have some rebuilding to do, but I’m going to make you happy again. I love you.” While I can’t return his sentiment, I nod into his chest, hoping it’s convincing.

Much to Colin’s surprise, I’m able to finish my entire chicken parmesan entrée, plus the salad and half of the broccoli before we hear the key in the door. It swings open as Ian walks inside holding up a syringe.

“Dinner time is over, friends,” he says with a disgusting grin. “It’s time for Olivia’s medication.”

“Hey,” Colin says, “is this really necessary? Olivia and I are on the same page. I don’t think she needs that.”

“Well, what you think doesn’t really fucking matter. It’s not for her anyway. It’s for that,” Ian says, looking at my stomach in disgust. He draws a gun from his waistband, pointing it at Colin. “If you try anything stupid, I’ll fucking kill you, Burke. Better yet, I’ll just kill her,” he says as he smiles with wild eyes as he points the gun at me. Colin backs away with his hands up and his eyes widen in horror as he watches Ian wrestle me to the ground while I plead for his mercy. He finally jabs the needle into my arm and injects the toxic substance.

Pointing the gun back at Colin, he says, “Time to go, Burke. Get the fuck out.” As my eyes grow heavy from the drug, I look into Colin’s tormented eyes one more time as he’s being shoved out the door by Ian.

When I open my eyes again, I don’t know what time of day it is, but my stomach tells me it’s time to eat. I push myself up from the floor and grab one of the protein bars and a bottle of water that Colin brought me. That’s when it hits me. I don’t feel the baby moving.

“No, no, no,” I say to myself as panic rises in my chest. I walk around, rubbing my belly. “Hey, sweetie. I need you to move around for Mommy. Please, baby. Please show me you’re still with me.”

I feel some small flutters and I let out a huge sigh of relief. It’s not what I’m used to feeling from her, but it’s something. If Colin can get me out of here today, I can get back to the pack hospital and they can help her. I don’t know exactly how I’m going to get back to Pinewood. I’ll just have to figure that out when the time comes.

I spend what feels like the next several hours pacing the floor, and every hour that must go by, I feel her move less and less. I do everything I can. I eat more protein bars, I drink water, I talk to her, I rub my stomach, I walk around. Nothing works. By the time I hear the key in the lock, and the door opens, I’m sitting on the floor in a sobbing mess.

Colin rushes to me, kneeling by my side. “Olivia? Sweetheart, what’s wrong? Talk to me.” He pulls me into his arms and caresses my hair.

“I don’t feel her, Colin,” I say through sobs. “She’s not moving. I can’t feel my baby moving anymore.”

“Let’s get you out of here. Can you walk?”

I nod and stand. Colin leads me out of the room, and I’m surprised to see that I’ve actually been stashed in a room of an old building that appears to have been a restaurant of some sort. I always assumed I was in a house. In fact, I recognize this place. I’ve been here before. I know exactly where I am. This is an old coffee shop that closed about a year ago. There’s a hospital only about a block from here.

I turn to see Colin handing the guards an envelope as he talks with them. Stupidly, not one of them is paying a bit of attention to me, so I make a mad dash for it, out into the Denver sunlight. The idiots didn’t even lock the front door. I don’t look back as I dodge my way through people on the sidewalk, but I hear Colin’s footsteps running behind me.

“Olivia! What the fuck are you doing? Stop! Get back here!”

Running faster, I glance over my shoulder and see that two of Ian’s men have detained Colin. I know this probably means bad news for him, but I don’t care. I’m just relieved they’re holding him back.

Traffic is busy on the street, but I don’t have time to wait for a pedestrian signal to cross. I edge my way out onto the street, dodging cars, and I’ve almost made it all the way across when I hear the roar of an engine accelerating. As I look to my right, I see a car speeding toward me. I scream and try to jump out of the way, but the car drives right through me as my eyes meet Ian’s merciless glare behind the wheel. My body absorbs the impact as I’m thrown into the windshield and over the top of the car, making a grotesque thud as I hit the pavement. The pain is excruciating, but it doesn’t last long, as I’m soon overcome by numbness.

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