As I sped through the highway, I couldn't help but let my thoughts wander, unable to fathom that Nia had a physical altercation with someone who wasn't trying to kill her first. A nurse? What did the woman do for Nia to hit her? Unless the nurse hit first?
I don't know. What I do know is whatever happened, I'm finding some way to defend Nia. She's the kindest person I've met, she wouldn't hurt anybody without good reason. And I think that because first off, she's my girlfriend, I don't think I have much of a choice unless I wanna be single. Second, she's Nia. A random person on the street could probably look at her and think she was a complete angel.
My angel.
My angel who's probably freaking the fuck out. Right after parking the car, I rushed into the facility. I was pleased to see my men searching the area, making sure the perimeter was safe and had their eyes alert for anything suspicious.
I hadn't forgotten about these people after her, they could attack at any moment and we had to be more than prepared.
When I entered the visiting room I had been in a week prior, I was shocked to see the same nurse that was creeping around that day sitting on a chair, holding a tissue up to her bloody nose. All of the other nurses surrounded her, their boss, the man I threatened, standing near them with a nervous look on his face while he tried calming the angry-looking nurse down.
Then my eyes drifted over to the other side where Nia sat. Her knee was bouncing up and down, her fingers fiddled together nervously and her torso shook with each heavy breath she let out. She was sitting there with a tear-stained face, looking over at the stupid staff as they comforted the bloody-nosed bitch.
Nia looked absolutely horrified, shaking and cutting each breath off with another. She could barely breathe, she was on the verge of a horrible-looking panic attack from keeping in her cries. And every single person working had the audacity to comfort a nurse who just looked angry over their patient who was obviously put in distress.
My theory was proven right. Nia didn't hit the bitch for no reason, there's no way.
But I couldn't stand around trying to put the pieces together. Instead, I took large strides over to her, she looked over at me, her face falling in relief as she finally left out a sob. Her arms immediately reached out for me as I leaned down and pulled her up into my arms.
Her limbs automatically wrapped around me, holding on for dear life. I could feel how hard her heart was pounding in her chest while her body shook. She kept her mouth on my shoulder, trying to make her cries quiet while tears soaked the fabric of my shirt.
The staff had nervous looks on each of their faces when I turned to them, anger filling every inch of my body as I caressed Nia's back, trying to calm her down.
"What the hell happened?" I seethe, turning my gaze towards the boss.
He clears his throat, "Why don't we have Ms. Seymour escorted back to her room so we can have a civilized conversation?"
The second the words left his mouth, Nia stiffened, fisted my shirt in her shaking hands and shook her head against me, "Please, I don't feel comfortable."
I tightened my hold on her and shook my head, "No, I'm not leaving her alone with your idiotic staff. Tell me what happened, now!" I demanded.
He sighed and looked over to the ugly nurse before turning back to me and explaining. "Ms. Seymour refused to take her medication tonight. Her nurse went inside her room with the pill ready and Nia refused. When she tried to give it to her again, Nia punched her."
I nodded, "Give me a minute."
Then I took Nia back to the other side of the room and sat her down on the chair, making sure she wasn't facing them in case they tried to make her lie.
"Okay, explain to me what happened," I said, crouching down in front of her.
"They weren't lying." She said, "I didn't want to take my pill. But when I turned away and dismissed the nurse, she grabbed onto my han-hand really hard and then, she um, she pushed me onto the bed and tried to force the-the pills into my mouth."
"So then I defended myself," She cried. "Please don't leave me here alone, please." She pleaded, brushing her fingers across her arm. I held her hand in mine and lifted the sleeve of her hoodie, revealing red fingerprint marks and some blood drawn where the nurse's nails dug into Nia's skin.
I didn't want to take her out, I didn't want this to go wrong but the last thing I was going to do was leave her in here, "Go to your room and get your stuff. Who do you trust the most here, besides me?"
She pointed over at the doors leading into all of the patient's rooms where the same bodyguards from last time stood. I nodded and told her to take them with her. She stood up and did, avoiding the rest of the disgusting staff's glares as the guards opened the door for her and walked with her to her room.
"Just so you know, I will be pressing charges. This is assault." The troll said.
I chuckled and nodded, "Do it. I'm sure they'll believe you when Nia shows them the bloody nail marks on her arm. Dumb bitch." I shook my head. How unbelievable? "I'm taking her home, send me a prescription for the pills she's been using."
The boss stepped up to me, a pleading look on his face. "Mr. Rivera, I can't stop you from taking her out of here but I strongly urge you to convince her to come for AA meetings. She can do what other stuff she's used to coping with at home but these meetings have been a big help and I don't think she should completely cut it off."
I glared, "As long as that old hag is as far away from Nia as possible, then sure, I'll try convincing her. But don't expect a patient to want to come back after being completely forced against her will by a fat whale like that bitch sitting behind you."
The nurses gasped at my insult just as Nia came back. I took her bags from her and gently eased her to walk in front of me. She turned to wave at the guards but they seemed too busy glaring at the raw donut sitting on the chair to notice.
We got into the car, Nia brought her knees up to her chest and rested her head in between them, trying to calm herself down as I started up the car. Then I reached over and pulled her to sit on me, straddling my legs with her head on my shoulder as I drove out of the parking lot.
I rolled my window down beside one of my men and called him over, "I'm taking Nia out of here, you can tell everyone they can leave."
He nodded and looked down at her, "Welcome back, darling."
"Hi, Oscar." She whimpered. I could feel her trying to smile, but it seemed like talking alone brought her pain.
He gave her a pitiful look and brought his eyes back to me, "Anyone we need to fuck up, boss?"
I shook my head, "I don't support animal cruelty, don't worry about it."
He chuckled and backed away. I drove off, playing that same playlist I had been for the past couple of weeks to try and keep her mind off of everything.
"The kids are moved into the house." I told her as we stopped at a red light, "You wanna go home or go see them? We got dinner ready, Kara and Jordan are over there too."
She nodded, "Let's go there."
I turned my signal on and switched lanes before turning to where the house was. She started to hum the lyrics of the song playing, her muscles were feeling less tense and the tears weren't falling anymore.
"I'll clean myself up." She said, crawling off of me and back into her seat. I watched as she pulled out her makeup bag and applied something onto her eyes that made them less red and concealed the puffiness.
I placed my hand on her thigh, sighing in relief when I realized she was actually here. A smile formed on my face and I couldn't help but keep a tight grip almost as if she'd disappear again. She laid back on the headrest and stared out the window.
She wasn't as upset as I thought she'd be. Her gaze lightened at a few moments as she got lost in her thoughts and I wasn't going to interrupt her. Her lips twitched into a slight smile that felt contagious.
So fucking beautiful.
"We're here, baby," I said as we pulled up to the estate. She looked ahead of us, eyes widening at the sight. It was bigger than ours, a lot bigger because I didn't want to separate any of the kids.
"Callum, it's beautiful." She smiled. My men opened the gate and I drove up the hill then parked in front of the staircase leading up to the front door right behind Jordan and Kara's car. Nia got out and looked around in awe, a big smile taking over all of the sadness she felt just minutes ago. She turned to some of our men who waved in greeting and she waved back.
"Come on," We walked over to the door. She gasped when I pressed my thumb against the scanner and laughed at her reaction. "We'll get yours done soon."
She nodded in agreement right as I opened the door. She looked around, smiling brightly at the interior as her hands came up to cover her mouth in shock, "Whoa."
"You like it?" I set her bags down by the door then turned to see her looking at me with so much happiness I had it embedded into my mind, making sure to cherish that moment for the rest of our lives.
"I love it." She said, stepping closer and wrapping her arms around my waist, snuggling her face into my chest.
"Good," I said, kissing her head.
Suddenly, tiny footsteps frantically moving throughout the house filled my ears. She looked up at me in confusion and turned to the hallway where they were getting closer and closer. Miles appeared in the doorway and he froze, standing tall and alert until he dipped his head and sniffed.
He cried out a bark of excitement when he recognized her and came running. She fell to her knees, opening her arms as he ran into her, letting out whines and howls of happiness as she pets him all over. He fell onto his back, completely submitting to her as she rubs his belly.
Then we headed to the kitchen, stepping in and seeing Kara and Jordan working on dinner. They had pulled out the crispy chicken and caesar salad Mary prepared to eat with the mac' and cheese we made.
I cleared my throat, making them look up. I watched Kara, the smile on her face falling from the shock as tears filled her eyes. I heard Nia sniffle beside me as her best friend dropped everything, rushed to the other side of the island and pulled Nia into her arms.
"Dramatic ass," I mumbled under my breath, a smile playing at my lips when Kara threw me the fat middle finger on her hand.
They pulled apart, and Kara held Nia's face in her hands then placed a kiss on her head, "I missed you so much."
Nia smiled, "I missed you more."
She turned to Jordan who patiently waited his turn and pulled her into his arms. She pressed her cheek against his chest as he pressed his against the top of her head, taking in each other's comfort. She held the fabric of his shirt, playing around with it while he twirled her hair around his fingers, both of them sitting with their eyes closed and slight smiles on their faces.
"I missed you, sweetheart." He said.
"I missed you too, Pookie." She replied.
They had a bond like no other, it was beautiful to see.
I looked beside me at Kara, her arms open with a stupid smile on her face and pushed her away, "Fuck out of here." She rolled her eyes and went to walk away. I rolled my eyes and pulled her into me and we shared a little hug.
"Now fuck off," I muttered, pushing her away as Jordan and Nia pulled away as well. "I'm gonna show her around, get the table set."
Nia held my hand as we walked through the house. I told her where everything was, showed her the backyard that was also bigger than ours. Her smile only grew the more she saw. I led her up to the bedrooms where Imani's room was.
We passed by a few, all the kids were playing together, their rooms now fully decorated and everything unpacked. I checked to see if Imani was playing with everyone as well but she was nowhere to be found.
"Hm, she's probably in her room," I told Nia and we walked through the hallway all the way to the end where the door was half shut, the light on and a quiet voice sounding through. Nia peaked through and smiled, telling me to look as well. I did and smiled, watching Imani sitting on the ground reading a book with a fluffy blanket wrapped around her arms.
I stepped in front of Nia and widened the door, grabbing the girl's attention.
"Is dinner ready?" She asked, placing a bookmark for where she was at then setting it on the couch right in front of her bed before standing up.
I moved aside, watching as her eyes lit up at the sight of Nia standing behind me and rushed over. Nia picked her up and held her tight, the both of them sharing a silent embrace while I watched.
"Did you miss me?" Nia asked her in a teasing tone.
Imani nodded, "Can we unpack my stuff now?"
I looked around, realizing all of her stuff, including all of the new clothes and toys were still in their boxes, untouched besides a few things here and there. I left them to catch up and headed back downstairs.
"What's going on?" Jordan asked.
I sighed, "Nia didn't wanna take her pills and the nurse tried to force her, she's got nail marks and bruises on her arm from it, so Nia punched her in the face. She didn't want to stay there so I got a prescription for the pills."
He and Kara looked at me in shock until she spoke up, "Do you think she'll relapse?"
I shrugged, "I don't know. If she does, we have no choice but to put her back in another one. But there's no alcohol in the house, she won't be going back to training or anywhere since those dickheads are after her so I think we should be good for a while."
"Well, what did she do in rehab? Maybe we can try to do some of that stuff with her at home." Jordan suggested.
"She painted, had group meetings, just boring human shit." I said.
"We can set something up at home, she can go paint and let things out if she needs to." Kara nodded, looking over at the doorway. I turned, smiling when I saw Nia standing there with Imani on her hip.
"We're hungry." She said, Imani nodded.
"Let's eat. Jordan, go yell at the trolls to come down for dinner." I said, helping Kara bring all of the dishes over to the table where the maids had already set the table.
"Hey, you little dickheads, dinner's ready!" He yelled.
"Goddamnit, he's an idiot." I mumbled.
He came back in, a questionable smirk on his face as I smacked him upside the head, "Don't swear in front of them."
He shrugged, "It won't be the worst thing they have to hear in their lifetime." I shook my head at him and we all sat down. The rest of the kids came down, running like a damn avalanche and sat in their seats.
The dining room was humongous, like nothing I ever saw before. We had to get multiple tables to make something big enough for everybody to sit at. I looked around and watched as everyone reached for a plate and poured themselves some food.
That same girl that had shown Nia attitude weeks ago came around to pour some for herself as well, giving Nia a dirty look while she was at it. I turned to Nia who was too busy filling Imani's plate to notice. She started cutting up Imani's chicken while I watched with a grin on my face.
They're both so adorable.
After we finished dinner, the maids cleaned everything up and all of the kids went to get ready for bed, or whatever it is they do, Nia had disappeared with Imani. I looked in Imani's room where she was already sleeping. Nia sat beside her, running her fingers through the girl's hair to put her to sleep.
I stepped inside, bringing her attention onto me. She smiled, "Hi."
"Hi." I replied, "Why don't we go have a talk, plan out what's going to happen now?"
She nodded in agreement and stood up, pressing a gentle kiss on Imani's head before following me out. We went into the backyard and sat on one of the couches, staying silent for a little bit.
"You gotta take your pills if you don't want to be in rehab anymore, baby." I said, "It's not something you can choose. If you want to get better and move on from this, you need to make the change. No one else is going to do it for you."
She sighed, almost like she was waiting for me to start lecturing her about what happened. I love her and I'll always side with her, but I also need to tell her when she's wrong too. I can't let her do this to herself again.
"I know," She agreed. "I will, I just didn't want them from her." She sounded angry at the nurse.
"Did she do something prior to what happened tonight?" I asked.
She hesitated, "She's just really touchy, for no reason. I felt like she found every way to touch not just me, but all of the patients in such inappropriate, unnecessary ways. I was tired of it so I hit her."
"You're meaning to tell me that tonight wasn't the first night that whale put her hands on you?" I confirmed.
She nodded, "Yeah. But this was my first time, I don't know if everyone else feels the same way, maybe she was just trying to comfort me or something."
She uttered the words but I could tell that inside, she knew what that nurse did was wrong. Wrong on so many levels and I wasn't about to let her get away with it. I pulled out my phone and dialed Oscar's number.
"Yo." He said.
"I need you to break into the facility and get someone's file for me." I said, "What's her name, Nia?"
"I think it's, um, Zoe? Zoe something, I don't remember her last name, I just remember the other nurses addressing her with that name." She said.
"Zoe." I repeated.
"Alright, you want me to bring the file to you tonight or tomorrow?" He asked.
"Tomorrow."
"Sounds good, tell Nia I said hi." He said, mocking a flirty voice.
"Shoot yourself in the head while you're at it, dickhead." I muttered, ending the call.
"That was mean, Callum." She scolded.
"At least I didn't give anyone a blood nose tonight." I teased. She glared and smacked my arm, eliciting a small chuckle from me. I leaned back and patted my lap, "Come here."
She moved closer and climbed onto my lap, wrapping her tiny arms around my neck.
"How do you think you'll do out here? You think you can do it without the nurses and shit?" I asked.
She thought for a moment, "I think so. But at home I have fewer issues than I had there. I couldn't sleep, they had shit food that I didn't want to eat and all of those strangers made me nervous. I don't have those problems at home. And they think I'm depressed, can you believe that?"
She's in denial.
"No. No, I can't believe that." I agreed, pulling her closer to me, "We're getting you those pills first thing tomorrow morning and you are swallowing one each night no matter what, you understand me?"
She nodded, "Yeah."
"Good girl." I kissed her head, moving my hands to caress her skin underneath the hoodie she was wearing. I felt her shiver against me and let out a heavy sigh. She lifted her head and looked into my eyes, swallowing hard.
My eyes flickered down to her lips, the sight of her licking then biting her bottom one making my grip on her tighten. I clenched my jaw, forcing myself not to move until she did. After what felt like hours, she finally moved closer and gently pressed her lips against mine, the now foreign feeling immediately sinking in and becoming more addictive than before.
I pulled her flush against me, her crotch against mine, her chest against mine, my hands on her hips while hers ran through my hair while her tongue moulded with mine. I moved one of my hands to the back of her head and fisted her thick, brown locks, guiding her head to take control.
She moaned needily into my mouth and held the fabric of my shirt tight in her hands. My stomach filled with nerves, frightened at the thought of losing her again. Whether she had to leave again or not, I don't think I can just let her leave again.
Her lips haven't touched mine in weeks, her hands haven't touched my skin in weeks, my dick hasn't been inside of her for weeks. But that wasn't even what I had missed the most. I missed her brushing my hair for me every morning, I missed watching her watch Disney movies or playing with Miles, I missed seeing her get ready. But most of all, I missed the way she cuddled into me at night, finding comfort and protection when she was with me.
If those people get their hands on her, if they find any way to cause her pain, I will never forgive myself. Never.
That's why we needed to find them, we needed to make sure she was safe and untouchable. Right now, she's vulnerable. She hasn't been drinking or smoking, the things that brought her most of her confidence. When she's sober, she's timid, she won't want to hurt anyone and that was a big fucking problem that we needed to change.
She pulled away, both of our chests heaved as she pressed her forehead against mine, "I love you."
"I love you more." I answered, "Tired?"
She nodded, "Very."
"Miles!" I yelled, making her flinch and jump away from me in fear. I chuckled and looked at the doorway where Miles appeared, tilting his head curiously, "Get your leash, we're going home."
We followed him as he ran throughout the house, trying to find his leash then finally grabbed it and brought it over to me. I handed it off to Nia and picked up her stuff before we headed out.
AUTHORS NOTE!!!
I feel like the last few chapters have been shit, I'm sorry about that. I just haven't been as motivated lately and feel so weird.
I hope you guys enjoyed it anyway, I'd really appreciate it if you voted, followed and commented on any feedback you may have. Make sure you guys are eating and keeping yourselves hydrated with a lot of water this summer.
see you next time, sexy;)