The Hours in Between - The Devereaux Case Files Book 5

Chapter 18

"The back entrance is unlocked and you'll find him at the stone alter in the middle of the room, on the floor. He just tried to kill Reed, and he claims he's been poisoning Ayah slowly. We're off to the hospital to get confirmation, we'll keep you informed." He explained everything to their old boss, before hanging up and relaying to Reed what he had gone through. He had been hit on the head and when he refused to pass out, they had chloroformed him and delivered him to the house, for Faith to discover. He didn't dare talk about the fact that she had kissed him, with her in the car. But it was monumental and he needed to tell his best friend soon.

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When they finally reached the hospital, Reed was able to greet his little girl with a tight hug and a big kiss, before carrying her into the hospital, determined to keep her close. Dicken came in just behind them with Faith, while Reyes carried Clare in. It was getting late and the girls were tired, but they couldn't stop now. The minute Reed spotted the reception desk, he demanded attention.

"I'm looking for my wife Ayah Devereaux. She was brought in a little while ago...she's pregnant." He said the words as calmly and politely as he could. The nurse behind the desk smiled at his obvious apprehension. She figured he was just like all the other nervous, soon to be fathers.

"You've arrived just in time." She confirmed as she brought Ayah's name up on the screen.

"Was it a false start? Because she had that before." He admitted, not sure how he had managed to remember that when his head was a complete mess. But he found her warm manner and comforting smile something to be thankful for. If Ayah was surrounded by nurses like her, she wouldn't have time to panic about why he and Reyes hadn't come home.

"No, she's got a little while to go before she's fully dilated, that's all. I can take you to her right now...but I'm afraid everyone else will have to wait here." She said sadly, stepping out from behind the counter, to show him to the room where Ayah was being kept. She let him hand Olivia over to Reyes, who just smiled and nodded at him

"We'll wait in the waiting room." He offered. Reed was reluctantly to leave Olivia but he did eventually follow the nurse through to his wife's room, while she explained everything.

"She told us about the pain she's been in. I'm afraid she had a bit of an infection and some serious cramps from stress, but the baby looks fine. She's resting now but she's awake. It'll take a few more hours, I think, before she'll be fully dilated. She's been asking for you." She smiled as she asked him to use the hand gel provided before going into the room; they didn't want to make her infection any worse.

"Yeah, I was tied up at work." He excused himself truthfully, washing his hands and staring through the door window at Ayah. She sat up in bed, her head resting against the pillow as if she had just dozed off to sleep. He really didn't want to disturb her, but he knew she would worry if he didn't. The nurse left him to his visit alone, watching fondly as Reed crossed over to Ayah's bed and gently took her hand. "Ayah, darling, I'm here." He called softly, smiling at her when she slowly opened her eyes and gazed up at him. There was so much happiness in her eyes that he never wanted to tell her what hell he had been in all night, thinking he would never see her smile again.

"Reed...it's a boy." She beamed up at him with tears in her eyes, as if she had been afraid she would never get to say those words. But after everything he had been through that night, he really couldn't have cared if she was having a cow. All he cared about was that she was safe and well and Kelly had been lying. He figured now he knew what Ayah had gone through that night when she thought he had died. Only her night had been worse than his. She had thought his death was needless, a simple matter of getting someone inconvenient out of the way, and very much final. That she had no chance to save him. He had at least had that hope to keep him going.