Page 127 of Retribution

I barely make it ten feet from the room before I collapse to the floor myself. I feel him wrap his arms around me as my body shakes uncontrollably and for once, I let him.

I envelop my arms around him and hold onto him, the comfort and familiarity of him guiding me to a place of solidarity.

“The baby.” I choke out before I’m overcome once again with it all.

This doesn’t feel real, it seems impossible to suffer so much loss in one’s lifetime, especially all at once. Images of Allie, Willow and a faceless child intertwine together and cloud my thoughts. It feels like my world is caving in, the ability to breathe is stolen from me as I gasp, trying to satisfy my lungs but it won’t work.

“Shit, Reed. You’re having a panic attack” Harry pulls away from me and places is hand on either side of my body, trying to get me to look up at him.

“Focus on me, Reed” His voice drifts in and out of my ears like it’s on a boomerang.

My vision pulsates and all I can hear is the pounding inside of my own body, the thumping of my heartbeat. The one that still beats, against the one that doesn’t. Indie’s cries drown out anything else as I can barely make out the man standing before me.

“Look at me.” I hear distantly.

I blink furiously to clear my clouded vision, seeing his mouth moving but the sound is so far away.

“Breathe with me.” he repeats over and over, finally able to grasp onto my ability to listen.

He inhales through his nose and out through his mouth repeatedly until I can fixate myself on it, following his lead. He nods his head as I begin to concentrate on it, filling my lungs with precious oxygen and exhaling, the tightness in my chest beginning to subside. Everything seems to feel calmer, slower, easier.

We do this for a few minutes until I’m fully in control of my own breathing.

His warm brown eyes are staring into my opposite blue, and it feels like when we were at college, the old times. It’s like my brain flashes with every happy memory I’ve had with him, the nostalgia overwhelming and taking over everything.

I pull him into a tight hug and he almost topples into me from my sudden movements, but he returns the embrace anyway.

“Thank you.” I speak into his neck, his body loosening and accepting it.

With everything going on, I need people around me.

It’s time to bury the hatchet and reconnect with those who I’ve pushed away for too long.

Chapter 27

Reed

Indie’s required to stay overnight so they can monitor her blood levels. They’re potentially going to offer her a blood transfusion since they’re unaware of how much blood she has actually lost.

That’s what caused her to faint, the sudden plummet in her blood pressure and her body dived into defense mode.

Lola decided to stay with her, Gracie’s also coming up to see her once she can get away from work.

Locking the door behind me I take in the drink in our home, alone. It feels daunting to be in a house this large, a house designed to be full of family, but it is just me, for now.

I walk around the staircase and down the hallway towards the kitchen to grab a drink, but that’s when I see it.

The blue glitter shines under the streetlight, like it’s under a spotlight. The full story of the cards and the bag had escaped my mind once we’d spoken to the doctor. Indie’s health had taken the forefront of my thinking.

But, I’m sucked right back into it at the sight of it.

Snatching it up, I take it through to the kitchen, grabbing myself a can of soda and sit on one of the stools in front of the island. I take a sip of my soda and then twist the bag around, looking for any sort of telltale evidence.

I read the tag and it is the same cursive handwriting I’d seen on the other cards.

‘Indie Margot Breckenridge’, it reads.

This person is aware of her full name also? It’s not exactly common knowledge for them to know her middle name, her public identity is simply ‘Indie Thorne’. So, it narrows it down to someone who knows her closely, personally.

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