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Cassie left Jude at the hotel after she insisted she wanted to be on her own. She got home, closing the door behind her and leaning it against it with a sigh. She felt like she was causing her sister more pain than she'd already suffered. She knew it wasn't because of her, but being the one to deliver the message put a heavy weight on her shoulders.
She dumped her purse down, walking into the living room where Theo was sitting watching hockey.
"Hey." Theo looked over, turning the TV down and sitting up as Cassie immediately crashed down beside him on the sofa, hugging into him tightly as he placed his arm around her, "How'd it go?" He asked quietly, although he could pretty much tell how it meant by how tight her hug was.
"Awful." Cassie sighed, "God, part of me wishes I never even told her." She sat up.
"No… no, you needed to tell her. She needed to know." Theo assured her, "It was the right thing to do."
"It's just so unfair." Cassie sighed sadly, "As if… as if what happened wasn't enough. But she was getting through it. She'd processed that it had happened to her and she moved on. And now it's like… it's like I'm bringing it all back up for her. Making her relive it." Cassie cried, feeling extremely upset as Theo sighed.
He could tell when his wife was really upset. She normally didn't cry. Not like this.
"Hey, come here." Theo sighed, wrapping his arms around her again, "This isn't on you. You didn't even go looking for this. It came to you and you… you've done the right thing." Theo assured her as she sobbed.
"I just can't imagine how she feels." Cassie shook her head, "And if it is true and he did have something to do with it, he's still out there." She said, "He's played friends with my dad this entire time. Well… up until he dealt Thea drugs." She said, "He acted like he cared about us. Tried to warn us that those guys at the dealership knew you were looking into it." She shook her head.
"It's how most people get away with things. It's like… keep your friends close, enemies closer." Theo said as Cassie sighed, drying her tears.
"Jude doesn't deserve this. Maybe… Maybe I should have waited. I should have got the facts and… waited until he was arrested or something." Cassie nodded to herself.
"Baby you've done nothing wrong. You did the right thing." Theo said, "You couldn't go on knowing that and not tell her."
"I just want it to go away for her." Cassie shook her head as Theo nodded.
"I know, I do too." Theo said, "You've got Karen's help, she won't take something like this lightly. We'll get him." He said as Cassie nodded, "In the meantime, I don't think anyone else needs to know. Not unless Jude wants to tell them." He said as Cassie nodded.
"Yeah, I agree." Cassie said, "I'm meeting with Karen in the morning. I've got a feeling Jude is gonna leave for New York in the morning and just… switch her phone off until further notice." Cassie sighed.
"You gotta let her deal with it in her own way." Theo said as Cassie nodded.
"I know." Cassie sighed, "I swear to God I'm gonna get that prick." She shook her head as Theo nodded.
"Hey, Betty can I get an IV in that room over there?" Thea walked out of one of the hospital rooms, talking to one of the nurses in passing.
"On it." The nurse replied whilst Thea headed into another room, doing her rounds of the wing she was currently working in. She was normally based in accident and emergency, but due to short staff she was sometimes moved around the hospital.
"Hey, sweet T." The older man smiled fondly, sitting up in bed as he saw Thea walk in.
She didn't want to brag, but she was a nurse favourite on the wing.
"Hi, Earl." Thea smiled, putting her pen in her pocket and sitting the clipboard over on the table, "I'm here to steal some blood from you, is that ok?" She asked him.
"Take what you need." Earl nodded as Thea smiled.
"Thank you." Thea nodded, getting her things ready to take some blood from him, tying the band around his upper arm, "Your wife visit you today?" She asked him.
"Yeah she left before dinner." Earl told her, "I told her I was a great patient." He said as Thea smiled.
"Isn't that for me to decide?" She asked.
"Well, you see, I knew that's what you'd say." Earl nodded as Thea smiled, taking some blood from him.
"Food going down easier today?" Thea asked him, collecting what she needed from him, checking up on the monitors.
"Little bit easier." Earl nodded, "I think it was because of the tubes that were down my throat." He said as she nodded.
"Yeah, it's a possibility." Thea said, "Tea and coffee will be around soon. I'll come check on you before the end of my shift, ok?" She nodded to him.
"Alright sweetie." Earl nodded as Thea smiled, leaving the room and taking the blood samples down to the lab before heading to the admin office in the back.
She disposed her gloves, taking a seat at the computer where she had to write up some things for different patients in the wing.
"Thea." Betty walked into the back office as Thea looked up.
"Yeah?" Thea looked over.
"Your cousin is at the front desk." Betty said as Thea looked over, "Take your break and I'll finish what you're doing there. You've not had a break all shift." Betty said, one of the senior nurses.
"Ok, thank you." Thea nodded, getting up from the computer and leaving the office.
She headed down to the front of the hospital, wondering which cousin was looking for, turning the corner and noticing it was Sarah.
"Oh, hey." Sarah smiled.
"Hi." Thea smiled back, "How are you?" She asked, rubbing her arm as Sarah nodded, "Everything ok?" She hoped.
"Oh, yeah. Yeah everything is fine." Sarah nodded to her, not wanting to cause worry or concern.
"Look at you, you're getting big." Thea smiled as Sarah nodded, placing her hand on her bump.
"I know. One minute I was complaining about not having a bump and now I swear it gets bigger every day." Sarah laughed a little as Thea smiled, "Looking forward to it?" She teased as Thea scoffed.
"Parts of it, sure." Thea chuckled a little, "Are you here for an appointment or something?" She wondered.
"No… no, I was wondering if I could just talk to you. If you're busy it's fine, I can maybe call you tomorrow after work or-"
"I got time just now." Thea assured her, sensing the desperation.
"You sure?" Sarah nodded.
"Of course. I'm due my break anyway." Thea said, "Let's go to the cafeteria. It's just round here." She said, leading the way as Sarah followed.
Her cousins were like distant sisters. They'd all grown up very close to one another. Of course growing into adults decreased the amount of time they spent together, but the closeness was always there no matter what.
"I bet it's good to sit down." Sarah nodded, sitting down with Thea at a table after grabbing a drink.
"Yeah, and then it's the most difficult thing ever to start back up again." Thea laughed a little, "And doing it with a bowling ball attached to me in the months to come is gonna be great." She smiled as Sarah chuckled.
"Hey, maybe the babies will be in the same classes at school." Sarah smiled.
"Maybe." Thea nodded.
"You got any tips for me? I mean, you're a pro at this." Sarah said.
"Oh, I'm not." Thea laughed, "No one is. But… just always go with your gut. It'll all just feel right when the baby is here." She nodded as Sarah smiled, "Is this what you came to talk to me about?"
"Uh… no, not really." Sarah shook her head as Thea nodded, "It's about my sister." She said as Thea nodded.
"Yeah she's been pretty low to the ground these days, huh?" Thea nodded.
"She's never been one for texting and calling anyway. She's bad with her phone. But… she'd always stop by, and we'd always arrange to go out, she'd go to my parents for dinner." Sarah nodded, "That's just all stopped and she just doesn't act the same. It's like she's hiding or something." Sarah shook her head, "I know you got experience with a sister, double the experience. I don't really know what to do." Sarah admitted truthfully.
"Do you have any idea what might be wrong with her?" Thea asked, "It's one thing to hide things from your parents but with your sister? I mean, normally that's someone you could tell everything to."
"Right. And we've always been that way." Sarah nodded, "Just the past few months she's just disappeared almost. When I do see her she doesn't really say much. I'm thinking maybe is she depressed or is it her job-"
"Have you asked her about it?" Thea asked, "I know your dad and my dad went to see her but I don't think it was a successful meeting."
"Who the hell thought they were the best options?" Sarah rolled her eyes as Thea chuckled a little.
"I thought the same thing." Thea nodded.
"My dad is worried. And he's not really a worrier." Sarah said as Thea nodded, "I've confronted her about it. I mean, I'm not shy with her. I asked her if everything was ok, if she needed to talk, if she was stressed… I got nothing back. She just told me she was fine and to stop worrying. That it's not good for the baby." Sarah shook her head.
"Is there anything you think it might be?" Thea wondered, "Cause she was here about a week ago, she'd fallen and cut her head open. I thought nothing of it at first but she didn't want anyone to know about it. I found it a little odd." She shrugged as Sarah nodded.
"Yeah." Sarah nodded, "I've racked my brain through all the scenarios. I can't think of anything that she wouldn't tell me unless she was… frightened." She said as Thea nodded, "I haven't saw Brandon in months." She looked at Thea who looked back.
"Ok, so… I think you and I are on the same page." Thea nodded to her. It was something that was playing on her mind since she saw Chrissy at the hospital. She didn't want to think it was true, but they grew closer to the possibility.
"God, I hope it's not what I think it is." Sarah sighed stressfully, placing her hand on her forehead.
"If it is we gotta get her out of there." Thea nodded, "Now." She emphasised as Sarah nodded.
