Chapter 15

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"Here he comes!" Fin said excited beyond belief as he grabbed a towel and shook out the folds as the head came out. . "Liv, stop pushing, the cord's around his neck and I need to undo it."

"Okay...okay."

"Just breathe baby, come on!"

"Ooohhhhhh! Fin-" She pled as he was working fast but gently.

"I got it! One more push baby girl, you got this!"

He couldn't stop thinking about the birth. She was in such pain but so brave as she pushed him from her body. He could remember taking a look while Fin was delivering him and actually seeing the baby come out of her. He was a big one too. And for a second he thought Olivia would split in two. But then, suddenly, there he was. So perfect, and screaming as he made his entrance. Olivia forgot all about the pain she had been in as she welcomed her son into the world and into her arms where she held him with the most gentle touch.

"He's beautiful Liv. He's so beautiful!"

And he really was. Probably the most beautiful baby he'd ever seen since Zara.

The ambulance wasn't far behind, thankfully coming just as the contractions started to deliver the placenta which the EMT's bagged and taken to the hospital with them. They had Olivia and the baby on the stretcher and were at the private elevator when they asked:

"Are one of you officers tagging along? Or…"

"I'll go!" Nick volunteered so quick that even he was shocked. Fin just gave him a look, one that Nick didn't miss, feeling Fin's disapproval but so what? He didn't care. Right now, he was going to the hospital to be with the woman he loved and he didn't give a damn WHO felt some kind of way about it. And he grabbed the IV bag and let the EMTs lead them out, he, Olivia and his son off in the ambulance.

"Nick, please go with him…" Olivia asked while she was being taken to get examined once they were in the hospital. The baby had to be taken to get checked out as well and she didn't want him to be alone and wanted him in familiar hands on his way to the nursery, handing him to Nick as the nurses waited.

Nick stood outside the window, watching as the doctor was with the baby and the nurses cleaned him up. He was so good throughout the entirety of everything, crying just a little whine when doctor administered the vitamin k shot to him.

"He's really here. Your son," Olivia cried, holding their boy. They already loved him so much. Imagine, somebody existing for literal seconds and already loving them so much that you'd die for them.

"Our son…" he said. He was completely in tears when he leaned in and kissed Olivia slowly and sweetly on the lips.

"Mr. Amaro, you can come in now and hold him if you'd like." The nurse said, ending Nick's daydreaming session.

"I'm sorry…?"

"Your son, he's all finished. He did great,"

"Oh, I'm uh- I'm not the father" Nick said, a pain going through him just thinking about the fact that this child wasn't his.

"Oh goodness, I'm sorry; I just thought…"

"It's okay...you said I could go in now?"

"Yes. Yes right this way."

…

2 weeks ago

"We shoulda just thrown his ass in the Hudson!" The big, bald white guy, Shane said to his partner, equally big Kevin. They had taken Stanley an hour ago and called David. Now they were waiting for Stanley to wake up.

"Come on, what's the point without seeing his face when he realizes how he fucked up?" Kevin grinned. "...besides, it's broad daylight, dummy!"

"Oh yeah!" Shane snorted in laughter. "Either way, I can't wait for him to wake up so we can have at him." He was cracking his knuckles with anticipation.

"Save it Tyson, boss said he doesn't want him marked…" he said as he got up and left the small room to go check on Stanley.

"No fun at all!" Shane was saying as Kevin reentered their room where they had been playing cards.

"Fun or not, we got orders...that guys still out like a light! How much of that stuff did you give him?"

But outside the room, Stanley had just been a minute from waking up.

He was scared out of his mind when the two guys caught him and threw him to the floor of his apartment then proceeded to inject him with something that knocked him right out.

When he came to, his head was pounding; he was groggy and couldn't shake the feeling of nausea in the pit of his stomach that was rising. Where was he? He wondered as he the bright overhead lights that were shining down nearly blinded him.

"God, why won't my eyes focus?!" He said in his head. Not only that, but why were they so sensitive? The lights above him felt as if there were a thousand suns shining down on him and his eyes hurt so bad. Shaking his head to try to gain some sense of focus. He forced them to open his eyes in spite of the glaring lights, and soon painfully realized that he was lying face up on the floor.

He tried to sit up but was quickly knocked back down with another raging bout of nausea when it all came back to him- David, the threat, the letter then two-

"...big men!" He said aloud in a near-whisper that nausea be damned, forced him to stand up only to have dizziness take him right back down. "What did they give me?" He wondered this out loud as well. "...and where am I?" He wondered but didn't spend too much time on it. He had to stand up, to fight this dizziness and move. He didn't know where those men were, but he knew one thing: he had to get out of here and fast! And he again tried to stand, pulling himself up by the pipe that was against the wall.

"...were they going to tie me up?" All these thoughts brought his nausea to a head and just as he got to his feet, he hunched over and released the contents of his stomach right there, all over the floor.

"Get sick later, Stanley," he told himself as he wiped his mouth and forced himself once again to stand up, even as his stomach was cramping horribly. He staggered his way through the warehouse, falling over chairs and randomly placed crates as his eyes were not yet accustomed to taking in so much light though it was low light, windows high above.

"Please God, just let me get out of this and I promise to-"

He came to a door, whilst praying and pulled it, shocked and so relieved when the latch clicked and it slid open, his eyes adjusting harshly to the even brighter light outside in the sun. "...nevermind!" He thought smiling as he staggered out the door.

…

Present.

"Do you want something for the pain?" The nurse asked while she was helping Olivia into her bed after the exam and stitches were done, and they'd helped her to a shower.

"No, but thank you," she said, wincing as she got in. "It's not so bad." She lied as she adjusted the bed, "I just really want my baby." Her arms were aching to hold him again, and she was beyond happy when Nick suddenly walked in carrying him behind a nurse who pushed in the bassinet.

"Hi mommy!" Nick said softly, gently waving the baby's hand.

"Here he is," the neonatal nurse said as she parked the bassinet by Olivia's bed and Nick came over to put him in Olivia's arms. "...all fresh and clean."

Olivia was simply overwhelmed with emotion, her eyes instantly getting glassy as she received her son.

"If at any time you need us to take him…"

"Thank you," she said to the neonatal nurse who then left. "It's crazy how much I missed you." She cried to the baby as she kissed his head, then his little hands. He was wide awake now and looking up at her turning his head, looking for food, and she was a mess, trying hard not to cry but her tears made their way down her face, spilling onto her gown.

"You okay?" Nick asked as she continued dropping tears as she looked at her beautiful boy.

"Yeah," she squeaked. Nodding her head and barely above a whisper. "I just, I can't believe he's here!" She smiled through the tears.

"It is pretty amazing!" Nick said, touching the baby's head so lovingly. If he ever wished for anything, if ever he could have a wish granted, he'd want this baby and his mama to be his. "He was awesome...passed all his tests with flying colors, and took his first shot like a big guy. Didn't you hombrecito?"

"You're so brave." Olivia told the baby, who was still looking for food. Finally, he found where the smell of her milk was coming from and turned his head to her chest, opening his mouth as he tried to get at it. Olivia, as if on cue was already undoing her gown as the maternity nurse positioned a pillow for the baby.

Nick, feeling in the way as the nurse helped her position the baby. ...after all, she's just given birth and probably needs some time alone. "I'm gonna go-"

"No, please stay" Olivia said before letting out a deep breath, seething as the baby latched on and began to feed. "I'd forgotten how much this hurts in the beginning." She said to the nurse.

"Yeah, you'll be tender for a while. Do you need me to stay?"

"Thank you, but I'm an old pro at this," she said as she squeezed her breast to get the milk flowing.

"Well, just ring if you need me. Congratulations again." She smiled and walked out.

"It's not a problem if I-" It was a mistake to come here, and he saw that in every moment that he stayed.

"Nick...Please..." Maybe she couldn't see just what she was asking of him. Maybe being so blinded by her own pain made her blind to his. But how could he say no to her?

"Liv…" He couldn't. And when she looked at him with those big browns, those gorgeous and incredibly deep eyes, he realized that he couldn't say no anymore than he could cut his own heart out.

He made a promise that he'd get out of the way if David had lived, but now here they were two weeks later, David was gone and as guilty as he felt for even having these thoughts but he knew that Olivia still loved him, even if she was feeling too guilty over David to say it.

"So...have you decided on a name for him yet?"

"I have actually...I think it'd be fitting to give him his father's name…"

Damn! That hit Nick like a load of bricks, though he didn't know why. The kid was David's son, why shouldn't he be named after him? If he were my son… "Oh...a junior...I'm sure David would be proud." He said with tears in his eyes that he wouldn't cry, but Olivia couldn't help but see the way they glossed over, even when she looked down at her son who was busy nursing. She needed something to say to break the tension that was now thick in the air.

"Where are we on with this whole Amanda thing?"

"Liv, you don't need to think about that right now" and he stood up. Finally unable to stand being here a minute longer. "...you've been mourning, you just gave birth- we'll see you tomorrow.

"I am exhausted,"

"It's okay," and he kissed her head, then looked at the baby as he nursed and jiggled his foot. "Happy Birthday little man." He said before he left. He'd barely made it into the hall before he broke down.

He cried silently against the wall outside her door, bending over to wipe his face after a moment, then straightening up and punching the wall parallel to her door before he walked off.

Inside the room, Olivia lay feeding the baby, thinking.

"If these babies don't turn out to be yours will you still love me? Can you still say that you'll still want to be with me honestly" David took her hands and kissed them.

"I love you, and I don't care who fathered these babies; though I know they're mine but even if they weren't, I have waited too long for this; for us to be a family and I won't let anything come between that. Are you having second thoughts?" She looked at him and shook her head, no as she caressed his face.

"This is where I belong and I just really need to know that you're with me"

"I'm with you" he said with all certainty.

"Then ask me again?" A smile as big as all outdoors crept upon his face and it made her smile too.

"Olivia Benson, will you please, with sugar and a cherry on top, do me and our children and our babies the absolute honor of becoming my wife? ...Wait, wait, hold that thought..."

She loved David, in her heart of hearts, she wouldn't deny that but she knew that when she committed herself to him, she wasn't over Nick. Yet still, she did love him. And now with the children; the girls and this new little life, she was sorrier than ever that she'd carried on with Nick the past few months the way she had. She was sorry that she hadn't given David the chance to be there for her when they'd lost Logan, or to love her like he'd promised he would and she wondered now if she had, would all of his choices that led up to that day had been different…

"Maybe he'd still be here…" she cried to her son as he nursed. She cradled his head, then feeling the softness of his skin as he looked up at her and she really broke down staring into his eyes. "He loved you so much already."

…

The next day...

"MOMMY!" Aria shouted with joy as she ran into Olivia's hospital room and jumped straight into her arms from where Olivia sat on the sofa, curled up with a blanket.

"Oh, Aria!" Olivia cried as she squeezed her daughter tight, Aria too, in tears.

"I'm so glad you're okay" Aria cried as Olivia gave her a ridiculous amount of kisses. No one who knew better would have thought that it had been less than thirteen hours ago since they'd seen each other last.

"I'm fine my sweet girl!"

Aria pulled back, excited as she wiped her eyes. "Can I see my brother now?"

"You sure can," And she turned to gently lift the baby from his bassinet. "Honey, where's your sister?"

"She didn't want to come. Mommy, he's so little and cute. Can I hold him?" Aria said, still swatting tears that wouldn't stop. She was always so emotionally inclined, especially now, having decided right away that she loved her baby brother more than almost anything as Olivia placed him in the arms.

"Theo, this is one of your big sisters, Ari," she said just as David's mother entered the room, carrying a large bouquet of flowers.

"Grandma look, isn't my brother so beautiful?" Aria said, holding her brother carefully and she leaned in to kiss his head.

"My goodness, he is! I'm sorry I couldn't bring Sophia. She was just so apprehensive about coming to the hospital, so Dave stayed behind with her." David's mom, Katherine said as she sat the bouquet down at Olivia's bedside. "Look at my grandson!" She cried.

"...meet David Theodore Haden III" Olivia said, already so proud of her boy as tears fell from her eyes. "We're calling him Theo…" She hadn't stopped crying since she gave birth to him last night and now, having his grandmother- David's mother and her daughter here just made it that much more sentimental. "Theo, say hi to your sister and grandma." She said, smiling as she held her son.

""Theo...oh look at him!" David's mom said as she rubbed the sanitizer into her hands.

"He has daddy's name." Aria said, still in tears as she snuggled up to her mom, Olivia planting a kiss to her head. "I hope you can live up to it Theo" Aria told him, whispering in his ear but not very well as Olivia and Katherine watched with proud tears in their eyes.

"Ari, how about we let grandma hold him?"

"...want to, grandma?"

Katherine shook her head as she wiped her tears away and tried to compose herself. "Oh yes please!" She said as Olivia loosely swaddled to baby before carefully handing him to Katherine.

"Watch his head…" she reminded as she wiped her own tears and Aria crawled on her lap, hugging her tight.

"Don't worry. Grandma's got him, isn't that right?" She said to the newborn who looked up at her as if they were old friends before he yawned. Katherine cried as she held the new baby boy in her arms. 9lbs 4ozs of perfection with a head full of dark hair that peeked out from under his cap, dimpled cheeks and a pair of gorgeous dark brown eyes.

"He's pretty amazing." Olivia said, as she played with his fingers.

"You had him in your home office?"

"Thankfully my friends were there when I finally realized I was in labor; though by then it was too late…"

"Uncle Fin and Uncle Nick helped him be born!" Aria said to them excitedly.

"I was there sweetie." Olivia laughed as she hugged her daughter close to her. "He came pretty fast, the ambulance didn't even have time to get to me before he made his entrance."

"I know that it must have been hard without-" she started but her emotion wouldn't let her say his name as she looked down at her grandson and smiled through the hurt as the baby squirmed in her arms trying to find just the right position to lay in.

"Yeah…" she said in a tear-laced voice, trying to keep it together for Aria.

"...he would've given anything if he could've been at your side,"

"Everything has just happened so fast over the last two weeks you know? The girls are still deeply mourning their daddy and suddenly there I was, having Theo- I'm sorry." She apologized as she wiped the tears that were falling from her eyes. Katherine reached out and took her hand, squeezing it in assurance while Aria lay against her chest, sobbing.

"It's alright my love," Olivia cooed to her as she held her and gave her kisses. "It's okay to cry…"

"Losing him was the hardest thing I ever thought I'd do, but being near his children and welcoming this little miracle…we'll be okay, we all will. You see!"

…

Paris

Having just come into the house with a sleeping Chloe in her carriage, Julia was taking off her coat as the housekeeper came into the foyer and greeted her.

"Mademoiselle Julia, pouvez-vous emmener le bébé à l'étage pour vous?"

"Non merci Cécile. Mais si vous pouviez prendre ces sacs et les mettre dans sa chambre …" She had bought several new outfits for Chloe and couldn't wait to unpack them.

"Oui madame."

"Merci." Julia said as Cecile took the four large shopping bags and made her was upstairs as Julia ever-so-gently lifted her sleeping child out of the stoller and couldn't help but inhale her sweet shifted against Julia and Julia was still for a moment till the baby settled. "That's my girl." She said to a still sleeping Chloe as she kissed her head and carefully made her way upstairs.

She had just put Chloe down and was leaving the nursery, closing the door when her cell phone rang. She looked at the screen and saw that it was her mother's number and got excited as she picked up.

"I'm so happy that you're coming, what time is your flight...oh, Mrs. Johnson," She said to her mother's assistant. It was odd that she was calling Julia from her mom's cell phone. "...I thought you were my mother. Why are you calling me from her pho-"

"Julia...your mother; it's not good I'm afraid…"

"What...what do you mean? I thought-"

"She's had a heart attack, Julia. You need to get here, fast!"

...

I was high as a kite when Damian began fucking me amidst the insane flow of blood, and immediately bringing me to several orgasms. However, after almost twenty minutes, I began to come down from my high, and the sheer brutishness with which he was virtually destroying my body, I began to really feel how amazing he was making my body feel.

I had just come off of two weeks where I was virtually starved, on top of a period that was blindingly painful, yet here I was, being tossed and bent like a doll and fucked to within an inch of my life, screaming and cumming so hard!

When finally he finished with me, I lay in bed, blood everywhere. Damian seemed sated as he climbed off of me, blood covering him from the waist down of his naked body, dripping from the head of his penis.

"What if I become addicted now?" I said, holding my arm where he stuck the needle. Now that i had calmed down from the multiple climaxes, a feeling of absolute despair washed over me like never before and I didn't know what to do with it.

"...and what of it?" He answered nonchalantly.

"You said that you were hoping to get me pregnant...am I really able to have children?" I was still overwhelmed with all that he said before forcing the drugs into my system

"You are and you will. And as for the drugs," he said as he came around to thread his fingers through my hair. "Those babies will be home grown servants; much like mummy. I already have buyers in place.

I was sickened. He couldn't mean…

"So you see, it doesn't matter if I choose to make you high, you'll only be breeding sex slaves Darling. No one cares if they're born a little shaky. Now, clean it off." He said as he thrust his blood and cum-coated cock into my mouth.

Throughout the night, I got callings for whatever magic he had in that needle, but was so thankful that I was alone, and locked in my room for the night, and even more thankful that the craving wasn't that strong, but I still had a need. I stayed up all night until I finally drifted off around 4:30 just crying. "...it doesn't matter if I choose to make you high, you'll only be breeding sex slaves, Darling…" how could he be so callous? We were talking about human lives here! Magically, with me so hard focused on my newly discovered childbearing abilities, the cravings had stopped when I woke up the next morning.

I couldn't eat anything that morning. I was so sick with all I'd discovered that I could do nothing but cry, still. But that didn't stop Damian. He had me called into his bedroom after, and as I sat there waiting for him, my mind was still inundated with what I'd learned just the day before. I wasn't sterile! Is all I could think of; that along with me being turned into a birthing factory for this bastard to sell my babies. Something else that bothered me, what did he mean when he said I'd be breeding sex slaves? Though deep down I already knew he would be selling these babies to child molesters. "If there were any babies…" came the thought again. "STOP IT!" I told myself, wanting to ignore the truth just a little longer that even if I were to get pregnant, there was no way that I could allow myself to carry it through. I would not allow this man to sell my children to a fate worse than death! Somehow I'd have to cause a miscarriage and I honestly couldn't deal with the thought of that right now.

"Sorry to keep you waiting…" Damian said as he entered the room from his massage area just as a man left. He was in his robe, untied to reveal his nakedness. My eyes didn't even wander to his gigantic cock. No, instead I looked through him as I wondered:

What would happen if I killed you, you fucking prick? I thought quite seriously ...right now, no waiting? As I let my eyes scan his bedroom, there were a number of things that I could end him with. Unlike master, he had no guards in here. There was only him and me. But what about the guards outside, around the house and property? They seemed to have slipped my memory as my absolute hatred for this man and my situation, all of it grew. And for the first time I wished that master had actually sterilized me. Anything would be better than what Damian was planning.

"...stand up. " I heard him say as I came out of my own head. He was now sitting on the large coffee table in the middle of the room and removing the syringe from the pouch again. I froze before standing up. "I won't bite Seraphine. Well…" he grinned as he sat the needle down and removed the bottle with the drug in it. "Now slowly, take off your clothes…"

"Damian, please-" I said with tears in my eyes. I didn't want another shot of his heroin. With all of my problems and faults, I've managed to steer clear of heavy drugs my whole life and here he was trying to make me an addict.

"Shh-shhh." He said, his finger to my lips as he stood, towering over me. "What has happened to my sweet Seraphine in that basement? You've been so mouthy ever since you came out of it.

Still I stood, shaking uncontrollably and trying not to let my tears fall. "...Damian. I don't wan-"

He slapped me with his full strength. So fast and so hard, I didn't see it coming and flew backward into the white leather sectional, cupping my face where he slapped me, then I spat out a mouthful of blood along with a tooth into my hand- a molar!

"Do you see what you made me do?" He said calmly but his rage was at the surface. "When will you learn, you are mine to do with AS I PLEASE!" I jumped, scurrying back when he raised his voice. Crying at the pain radiating from my mouth. "Now take off those fucking clothes or I'll rip them off!"

Still crying with blood running down the front of my mouth, I shakily rose to my feet to do as he said. With fingers that wouldn't work no matter how much I willed them to, I began to work faster to undo the buttons that adorned the front of my gown and started to cry even harder. The pain in my face was unreal at this point! I had had a tooth knocked out and I couldn't get myself coordinated to undo those buttons.

I could see that Damian was getting angrier by the second.

"Look at you, you're a mess!" Blood couldn't stop pouring from my mouth as I shook from the pain. "Oh for christ's sake!" He said as he rolled his eyes at my cries of pain then picked up the phone on the table. "...get the dentist out here"

…

Later that same day, after Olivia had gotten back home, Fin was at the penthouse to see her.

"Uncle Fin!" Aria smiled as he walked into the living room where she was seated, holding their brother while their grandmother watched them.

"Hey baby. Look at you and little Theo. Hello Mrs Haden. Nice to see you again."

"You too Sergeant Tutuola."

"Are you coming to stay the night with us again?" Aria asked him.

"Unfortunately, not tonight Ari," he said as the baby grabbed his finger. "Where's Sophia?"

"She's sleeping with mommy."

"Speaking of, I'm sorry to intrude on their homecoming Mrs. Haden, but I really need to see Olivia."

"Well, she left strict instructions that I'm to let you or Sergeant Amaro wake her if needed,"

That was all Fin needed as he kissed the baby's hand before kissing Aria's head and making his way to the back of the huge apartment and up the three stairs.

...Last night she remembered why she loved him; and it wasn't just because of the way he made love to her. It was because afterward when she lay in his arms, she cried. She looked into his eyes for the first time in months last night and she saw everything that she had spent years falling in love with. Maybe everything she thought she felt last night was right, or maybe it would disappear.

"Good morning, beautiful!" He immediately smiled when she came into the room.

No such luck. She looked at him and there came that feeling all over again. That feeling that was like the day they met; she had a nervous sense, but a good nervous. Almost like there were butterflies in her stomach… What was happening?

I wanted to be there when you woke up, but these two…" He said and kissed her softly on the lips; wrapping his arms around her. The girls looked at them and grinned at each other. They were excited, to say the least, but they didn't make a sound. "...sleep okay?"

"Liv…"

Slowly she shifted, scratching her nose as she opened her eyes to find Fin standing over her. It was a dream! She realized sadly as she came to her senses.

"...Fin," she said, then cleared her throat as she blinked away the sleep from her eyes.

"Sorry to wake you."

"No, no..." She said, kissing a sleeping Sophia who was in her arms. "What's going on?" She whispered as Sophia slept in her arms

"Can we talk…" he looked to Sophia then back to Olivia. "...outside"

Olivia looked at her daughter sleeping against her chest and she got the hint. She knew that whatever it was, she didn't want Sophia privy to it. She ran a hand through her own hair before she slowly shifted Sophia over and sat up. "Yeah,"

A moment later, she walked out into the hall to join Fin, a robe over her tank and pajama pants that was tied over her still large belly and pulled her bedroom door closed.

"I'm sorry to bring this to you."

"It's okay" she said as she put her hair in a sloppy bun. "I had to get up anyway. What's going on?"

"It about David…" he started as Olivia dropped her eyes. "...the guy that they arrested for the accident, he wants to talk to you.

"He wants to talk to me, why? What could he possibly have to say to me? He can't bring back my husband,"

"He says he has information that you'd be interested in"

"That's a stretch since he claims he doesn't even remember the accident so what could he have to tell me that I haven't already heard?

"That's the million dollar question!"

"Is he pleading guilty?"

"He still says he's not responsible for what happened."

Olivia looked up, taking deep breaths to prevent her tears from falling.

"Hey, easy"

"I'm okay." She said, dabbing at the corners of her eyes. "Giving birth's got my emotions all over the place!"

"Liv, you don't have to, remember that."

"He killed David..." She whispered, her voice cracking with the tears that now fully streamed her face before she wiped them away. "...and now he, what? Is looking for sympathy from me? Soph still won't say much, she won't eat, she just sleeps all day; that is, when she's not plagued by nightmares…"

"Still, even with the baby?"

"I thought that once I had him it would pull both of the girls out of their depression- they'd been so excited this whole pregnancy and Ari seems okay but Soph just got sadder. Fin she's 7 years old and she can't find joy in anything. So this man; this person who took everything away from my daughter...tell him he can rot in hell!"

...

By the time Shane and Kevin realized that Stanley was gone it had been ten minutes since he'd left and neither of them were up to explaining to Mr. Haden how he'd gotten away. No, their best bet was to find him! After all, he couldn't have gotten far, but having no clue just where he even was.

"If you were him?" Kevin asked Shane.

"I'd get far the fuck away from us," just then, they heard a car start and screech off and they both stopped and turned to each other.

"Where are our keys?" They asked each other with a gnawing feeling. They began to pat themselves down before quickly finding the keys in Shane's pants pocket.

"He hotwired the car!" They both exclaimed as they ran for the door, opening it just in time to see their SUV, going top speed in a zigzag away from the warehouse.

"FUCK!"

15 minutes Stanley had been driving and feeling extremely nauseous the whole time. He felt drunk but he knew that was impossible, he hadn't had a drop today. Though right now, he wished he had! He was on a crowded street somewhere in Manhattan...he couldn't see very well but knowing these streets like he did, he was in Midtown.

Paranoid, he looked behind him and side to side in the SUV, he wasn't sure where he was going but thankfully, he had stopped zigzagging. He had to see if those goons where behind him. Though they hadn't caught up to him yet, "...thank god!" He thought to himself, then immediately went to recalling the conversation he'd had with David over the weekend.

"I have my ways." Stanley bragged. "You haven't exactly been very accommodating on the phone, so I decided to pay you a visit.

"You listen to me-"

"No you listen to me, Mr. Haden!" Stanley said. "You see, I did some research, and it turns out you're a very rich man."

"So?"

"So… If I would have known that upon our first meeting, I surely would've asked for more than a measly hundred grand! See the way I see it, you owe me! I risked my job; my very freedom to provide you a service, and I just want what's mine! So you WILL give me $250,000, or let's just say... other arrangements will have to be made!"

David let off a laugh. "Are you threatening me?"

Stanley was scared out of his mind, but he had to remember why he was here. He had to get that money. "Call it whatever you want." Man, he suddenly felt bold. So bold, that he didn't realize the mistake he was making. But then, that's the problem with desperation and greed!

"That's what I thought."

"Tell me something, what do you think is gonna happen if you come out with all of this?"

"I… I…"

"You…?

"I was just-"

"No one ever saw us together, there's no record of our transactions, I made sure of it. So what do you have? Nothing!" David said as he looked around, scratching his brow, then shocked Stanley with his next move that involved pushing Stanley up against the wall, causing him to let out a small scream.

Oh god… He's gonna hurt me! Dammit, why didn't I set my phone to record?!

"You think you've lucked onto some rich sucker? Is that what it is?"

"I'm sorry… I am so sorry!"

"You're gonna be!"

Fucking jerk! Stanley was thinking just as the SUV was going through a red light.

The man was driving through just as he saw, out of the corner of his eye, an SUV barreling through a red light from the other direction with no intention of stopping, and heading for….

"Shit!" He said under his breath, though a little louder than he intended, his girls hearing him as he tried last second to get the car out of the way, swerving it just in time to avoid having the SUV hit his car in a way that he knew would have seriously injured or killed his children. He wasn't so lucky however. The SUV still struck the car, t-boning at full speed and sending it spinning, the babies in the back screaming as they spun, and their father who was seriously hurt from the impact which totaled the front side of the car still trying to control the accident while comforting his babies.

They crashed head first into the armored truck that was parked on the opposite street.

The kids, thankfully unharmed in their carseats except for a few scratches, began to cry while calling hysterically for their father who was unresponsive in the mangled front of the car. People started to gather around the crash scene, the entire front of the car totaled. They were shocked and disheartened to see the screaming babies in the back seat but even more at the sight of the driver of that car!

In the SUV, Stanley was knocked unconscious for a moment when his head hit the steering wheel but was coming to just as the cops were arriving on the scene. He looked over, blood dripping down his head from a cut, and he could though blurry, see the other car that was involved in the accident.

It wasn't until he was being taken on a stretcher to the hospital,with a policeman that he'd re realized the severity of what he'd done.

"Driving drunk, in the middle of the day-"

"Drunk...I-I wasn't- I'm not drunk. I…Urgh!" He cried from the pain in his arm and tried to move it.

"Sir, don't...it's broken" the EMT said, pushing his back to a reclining position.

"...you've registered a .284 on the breathalyzer"

"How?"

The cop had stopped listening to him by now. "You're bad enough off, but if Mr. Haden dies…"

That caught Stanley's attention, quick and scared him out of his mind. "Did you say Haden?"

"David Haden. It was him and his kids in that car, genius. You are going down!"

Present day, in his cell, Stanley finished the letter he was writing, a replacement of the one that was destroyed two weeks ago, and he placed it in an envelope and then in a book for safe keeping. He'd get the truth out somehow. He thought as he rotated his cast arm. Olivia would come by to see him, he'd tell her everything and hopefully she'd help him out of this mess. She'd see somehow that this wasn't his fault, that he'd been pushed and ended up in this unfortunate situation. David Haden had essentially killed himself.

"Well, at least one thing was going good," he thought as he got up from the table slab in his cell and walked to the bunk bed to lie down. "At least my bookies can't touch me in here!"

...

More to come.