Aria's POV
The drive to the hospital wasn't as long as I suspected. My mom gently held Lacey up as I drove carefully toward our destination. Getting Lacey into the car was a bit of a challenge. We had to be extremely careful not to shift any bones or open any wounds as we slid her into my moms rental.
I pulled up into the emergency care drop off as my mom got out then helped Lacey. "You guys go in ahead, I'm going to park the car." I nodded to them as they slowly made their way through the doors. I pulled out from the drop off area and drove up towards the main clinic spot where they had parking. As soon as I pulled into a lot, I pulled out my phone and dialed Chris's number.
"Hello?" Chris asked, his voice still a little rough from lack of sleep.
"Chris?" I asked into the line.
"Hey baby, what's wrong?" He asked a bit alarmed by my tone. I tried to ignore the flutter of butterflies as he called me that.
"It's Lacey. We're in the hospital now-"
"Wait what?" Chris asked, his voice getting frantic as he started to panic.
"Please, just come to the Ridges Hospital." I pleaded, realizing how bad it would be if I told Chris that Steve beat Lacey up. Chris would probably go out on a man hunt for blood.
"I'll be there in 10." Chris answered, "are-are you okay? Please tell me you're okay." He rushed out, his emotions undetectable.
"I'm okay." I assured him, trying to calm his nerve as I felt the situation slip through the cracks of my fingers like sand.
"Please. Just stay there. I'll be there soon." He instructed, as I heard the engine of his car start.
"Okay. Drive safe." I replied, ending the call. I slid the keys out of the ignition and got out, making my way towards the front entrance where I was going to wait for Chris.
My mind was running miles a minute, trying to figure out the whole situation. I wanted to represent Lacey, but it would have to be completely up to her, if she was planning to take legal action. From my experience, most women usually don't. And I couldn't blame her, taking anyone to court leaves you with a jumbled bag of emotions, especially if you have a personal connection with them. Regardless of what this man did, she still loved him. That was the thing. It's hard to stop feeling those feeling towards a person if they're so strong, regardless of what that person did to you.
I wanted to tell her that she owed him nothing, that she had a right to get her own justice, but it's never that easy for a victim to abuse. Out of 1000 domestic assaults, only 344 are reported. Those were the facts and the facts never lie.
As horrible as it sounded, I would need Chris's help to motivate her to speak out against this asshole, so I could do everything in my power to make sure this never happened to anyone else ever again.
I had to admit though, it had been quite some time since I'd last even thought of practicing law. The thrill of entering a courtroom and holding the floor gave me an edge. It was a high like no other, and for a cause as detrimental as this, I was more than prepared to go to war.
I noticed Chris's car pull up as he grabbed the available parking besides my mom's rental. He had arrived here in record time as he sprinted towards the entryway. As soon as he took sight of me, his hands were already around me in the tightest hug I've had in quite sometime. "I'm okay, Chris." I assured him, as he snuggled his nose into my neck. He started to give me peppered kisses against the side of my neck, and I could feel everything heating up.
I gently nudged him away before it went any further.
"What happened?" He asked as we pulled apart.
"It's Steve. He beat Lacey up pretty bad." I explained as delicately as I could, refusing to let go of his hands as anger erupted through his body.
"Where is he?" He gritted out through his teeth, holding my hands tighter.
"That's not what matters right now, Chris, first go check in on Lacey. I did everything I could to treat her wounds-"
"What do you mean? When did this happen?" He asked, suddenly forcing his hands out of mine.
"Last night." I whispered, my voice getting small as I felt his anger radiate of him. My eyes began to sting as it felt as if my heart was just ripped out.
"The mother of my child gets beat up and you don't think to tell me until the next day?" He hissed, struggling to put a cap on his emotions but failing miserably.
"Please, Chris-"
"What room is she in?" He demanded, already walking into the hospital.
"335." I replied, watching him turn around as he moved towards the elevator. I could feel my heart visibly drop. I never expected him to react in that way, because I never even thought about the repercussions of any of my actions.
I slid into a chair in the main lobby as my hands began to shake. I could feel a panic attack starting to come on, something I hadn't had to deal with in quite some time up until now. Slowing my breathing down, I took calming breathes, trying to hold my world together as it shattered around me.
Chris's POV
I rushed through the halls, looking for room 335. I could feel my anger consuming me, unable to calm down as I finally found the room. Lacey was laying in a hospital bed, with the monitor and IV hooked up to her. Her face had faint remnants of bruising as I got closer. There was a woman who stood beside her bed, holding her hand while they talked gently.
"Lacey." I whispered. They both glanced up to see me. The woman looked oddly familiar. "Who are you?" I asked, as I walked into the room.
"I'll leave you two alone." She nodded, quickly saying her goodbyes before slipping past me.
"Chris." Lacey croaked out, her voice rough.
"I'm here." I nodded, standing beside her. There was horribly visible marks around her neck where the bastard must have choked her out. "I'm so sorry I let this happen."
"Shut up." She snapped, looking back at me with such fierceness, I stumbled back a bit. My eyes widened at her. "You didn't let this happen, I did."
"B-but-"
"No. Don't you dare feel sorry for me. And don't you dare do anything sudden and irrational. This situation is something I will deal with." She ordered, turning fully towards me.
"Aria told me this happened yesterday." I spoke, as the anger began to simmer. Fuck, Aria. I thought about how I had just treated her. I ran my hand through my hair.
"Yes." She replied, her eyes narrowing in on me. "What did you do, Chris?" She demanded.
"I-I- She didn't call me to tell me-"
"Ofcourse she didn't, all you would have done was slaughter Steve. I told her I didn't want anyone to know yet. She spent all night helping me, and tending to my wounds. I swear to fucking god, Chris, you better not have said some shit."
Realization just dawned on me. "Shit!" I hissed, "that woman that was just in here, she was her mother wasn't she."
"Yes." Lacey rolled her eyes, turning around again. "Go make this right, you idiot, before you actually lose her."
My heart sped up, as I felt worrisome emotions take over again.
I had really fucked up this time.