What A Lie Looks Like | ✓

2.28: hayes

"Her what?" I ask quietly, and Grayson just shakes his head.

"Her blood was all over him still, and his blood-alcohol level was through the roof."

Ollie stops pacing for the first time since he got here, and Ryan gets out of the chair to comfort him. "What happened?" I ask again, wanting to know precisely what that son of a bitch did to her.

"Don't make me say it. Please." Grayson asks quietly, but I need to hear him say it.

"Sascha told the officer that he saw Sephine on the street, and started to follow her. She realized it was him and asked him to leave, and then he shoved her into the side of a store. Sascha wanted her to admit that it was her fault the accident happened so he would get his job back. Sephine said it was her fault. Then, he kicked the shit out of her until someone noticed what he was doing, and he ran like a coward leaving her there."

I don't say anything. I just keep staring at the goddamn wall.

I can't do anything right now.

I can't help her now, but couldn't I have helped her then?

I'm going to kill him. I'm going to sue him for every penny that man-that coward is worth, and then I'm going to make sure he rots in hell.

The doctor comes out ten minutes later, "I'm looking for the family of Sephine Montgomery?"

I stand up and step closer to him, "I'm her husband, Hayes Benson." I ignore the looks of shock that Ollie and Ryan give me, and the look of pity that Grayson is looking at me with.

"I'm Dr. Phillips, the attending on your wife's case," He introduces himself suddenly very aware that four people are listening to him, "We should go somewhere more private to talk, if you'll follow me?"

I nod mutely, following after him without another word said.

"How is she?" I ask once we get to an area of the floor whose sole purpose is for these difficult conversations you can't have in front of everyone. The conversations that break you.

"Your wife had tremendous blunt force trauma to her abdomen: three broken ribs, and there was significant internal bruising along with a small laceration along her temple, and another concussion. I looked at her previous medical charts, and she had a different concussion four months ago. While this one is minor, it's still something that needs to be observed over the next few days." He pauses, probably waiting for me to say something, but I don't say anything. I don't know what to say because there's nothing that can make this whole situation better. So Dr. Phillips continues, "You might want to sit down for this part," He suggests gently, and I stare incredulously at him.

"It gets worse than all of that?"

The silence from him tells me everything I need to know, and I sit down, waiting for him to continue. "She was fortunate because those are all injuries that can heal, but I'm afraid that there was no fetal heartbeat detected on the fetus when we ran tests. She's already started to miscarry."

And then I realize why he told me to sit down. Because he assumed I knew. "What?"

"Before tonight, your wife was almost ten weeks pregnant."

"She was pregnant?" My voice cracks, and a sob catches in my throat as a horrible strangled sound escapes me.

"Yes, she was."

Oh god.

Sephine was pregnant with our child.

I was going to be a father.

"Mr. Benson, I'll give you a moment while I go check on Ms. Montgomery."

"It's Benson. We got married four days ago. Her name is Sephine Benson."