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The smell of blood was overwhelming in the cold room. Regina could feel her legs warm and slick turn to ice. He'd slashed into her skin too many times to count. She was delirious but she'd managed not to cry out or make too much sound. It angered him, she mused. He wanted her to fight, to scream, to beg.

She did none of those things because she couldn't feel anymore. She lay defeated on the table waiting for death. She felt hollow and empty after he'd played with her body and enjoyed it. She saw him drool, watched his eyes turn dark in pleasure, and his lips curve when more blood was spilled. Inside, she kept Sammy's face at the center. His sweet smile and wise eyes. It was what she was focusing on when she heard him speak.

"I'm impressed, Sabrina. You're a lot stronger than I thought." He was busy leaning over her, using the scissors to cut the edges of her hair and tossing it on the floor. He thought she loved her hair, but it didn't matter to her. He took small locks and tickled her skin with it. He moved it softly along her skin, over her breasts before throwing it off to the side. It went unnoticed. Her nerves were shot.

Regina didn't feel anything. Her body had long since gone numb. Her eyes were glassy, but she willed herself to watch him. Her throat was closed, if she'd wanted to speak, she couldn't.

"Look at you now, princess. Your front is gonna match your back. You've put on some weight, I see." The scars on her back were just as bad and if she survived this, which she wouldn't, her body would be nothing but scars.

Her blood turned cold and she met his gaze. Would he know? Would she tell him? Was it obvious? Her body hadn't changed much yet. The shock brought some resemblance of feeling back. She felt the lightness of a lock of hair traveling over her hips, over her belly, and down to her sex. Her body never moved, and she held his eyes.

"You've never looked sexier than you do right now," he purred.

Regina didn't want to know what her body looked like. She didn't know how many times he'd cut her. First it had been her thighs, then her calves, her feet, on to her hips, her arms, her shoulders, her neck. She knew her breasts and belly were next. She didn't feel any of it.

How long had it been? She'd lost time, sensation, awareness. She lost the sense to care until he'd mentioned her weight gain. The child in her belly wouldn't grow, wouldn't be born, would die here with her. A tear slipped out at that fact making Simon smile.

"There you are, princess. I thought I'd lost you."

When he lifted the scalpel to her breast, he paused. "Well, what have we here?" He pulled off one of his gloves and used his fingers to trail over the curve of her. "The last time I saw deep veins in your breasts, you were carrying Sammy." His eyes lifted to hers. She tried to hide her pain and her fear, but he saw right through her. "You're pregnant," he whispered.

Regina wanted to shake her head to deny it, but she couldn't move. She'd given up trying. Another tear slid out of her eye and he snarled. He threw the scissors and the scalpel down on the table. It clattered causing her to body to jerk. He ripped off his remaining glove and threw it on her stomach. She closed her eyes as she heard him rage. It was like swimming; her mind was muddled and unclear.

Things were thrown and slammed against the wall, tools clattered on the floor, the bucket under the table filled with her blood was kicked over into the corner spraying red droplets over the walls and containers. He slammed the light to swing above her. The chain creaked back and forth as it swung and accosted her vision from dark to light.

When he was done throwing his tantrum, he turned and grabbed her face causing her to open her eyes. "Look at me!" She obeyed because she had no choice. "Are you pregnant?" For the first time in hours, her head moved slightly nodding. "Sabrina, you disappoint me. A whore you turned out to be, after all," he sneered. "Well, I'll fix that in heartbeat. You let him violate you and you let him plant his seed in you."

Tears freely flowed at his proximity and the implication of his words. It was time to face it and she may not be able to move or speak, but she gathered enough saliva in her throat and spit in his face. It was her last-ditch effort to keep a resemblance of dignity. To know that she tried to fight back in a small way.

She saw his hand lift and felt it crack her across her face forcing her into the darkness knowing it was the end.

Geoff and Jerry were hidden under a tree behind the cabin and had managed to dig in the dirt to reveal and pry open the back exit to where Regina was sure to be with Simon. They were sweaty and achy from the work. The door was slightly open, and their team had prepared to go in when they heard slamming and crashing. They heard Simon yelling and throwing things around.

When it went silent, Geoff turned to his team and held up the hold sign. Behind the set of lockers, he could see the light peeking to the left. Just enough area was clear for them to sneak in and detain him. They heard his words. "You let him violate you and let him plant his seed in you."

Jerry had taken two quiet steps behind the lockers and was in the process of another when he heard what sounded like a slap. He paused and turned to see Geoff right behind him. They held when they heard Simon scream. "You fucking slut! You whore! How could you do that to me!" Each statement was carried out with another slap that echoed in the small room. Jerry chanced a peek and swallowed the bile in his throat at the sight of the room. Regina was tied to the table naked covered in blood. Simon was slapping her and screaming at her face. He raised his gun and didn't hesitate to release a bullet that pierced him in his shoulder.

Simon screamed and snapped back grabbing the gun from behind his belt. When Jerry saw the weapon raise in the air, he released three more shots in a triangular pattern into his chest. He dropped where he stood. Jerry rushed up to the table to check Regina's pulse. "Call that medic, she's nearly gone."

Geoff pulled out a blanket from his pack and covered her body. Then he took a pocket knife out of his pants and cut the ropes that tied her arms and legs. "Jerry is that what I think it is on the walls and in the corner?"

Jerry took out the first aid kit and instructed his other two team members to help him hold a few gashes on her thighs that were seeping too much blood. "I'm a little busy here." They held on until they were sure the bleeding would stop, but Geoff touched her pulse again and it was gone.

He shrugged off his pack and started chest compressions. He counted out loud in a grunt and had never in his life been more scared. When he blew air into her lungs, he kept on with the chest compressions until the paramedics arrived and took over. Seven minutes, he mused. Seven minutes it took before air whooshed out of her lungs and her pulse began to beat faintly.

"We've gotta move," a man said.

Jerry said, "She's pregnant," to the paramedic.

The man turned with pity in his eyes. "Maybe not for long. We've gotta move."

They strapped her to the gurney and put on an oxygen mask and ushered her into the back of an ambulance. When it took off in a hurry, Geoff and Jerry stood watching after it. The sirens echoed in the night.

"This is gonna kill Robin," Geoff said.

"I know. Let's tape this off. I'll have Bradley to go on down to the hospital and take their statements."

They turned to their job and stomached the pain and chaos it was going to cause their friend and this community.

In Robin's hospital room, Roland sat with him on the edge of the bed tucked into his side. Henry sat in a chair at his side holding his hand and Marian sat across the room. The TV was on in the corner playing an animated movie the kids were paying attention to. Robin buried his face in Roland's hair inhaling him. He'd missed him and it was comforting while they waited on news of Regina.

A few hours before, he'd been told that they took her to the hospital and that he'd get news later. But, he'd yet to hear anything and the day was almost over. He didn't know if she was alright, if the baby was alright, what happened to Simon. He knew nothing more than she'd been found.

It was making him crazy, he couldn't sleep or eat. They threatened a feeding tube if he didn't cooperate, but he just couldn't stomach it.

He didn't know if he should feel relieved or not. Having the boys brought in lifted his mood and he'd liked having them there with him all day. He didn't mind the endless questions or the boys squabbling over which toy they got to have. Sleeping off and on, he'd wake to them reading comics, watching TV, or silently watching him. They'd huddle in the corner and whisper to each other.

Marian refused to leave but he didn't have the energy to tell her and she didn't want the hassle of asking a nurse to throw her out. He all but ignored her and when she moved about the room, he tried to pretend she wasn't there. Roland seemed to ignore her as much as he did. She kept trying to rope him into conversation and he didn't cooperate.

When they brought Robin's dinner, Marian took the boys down to the cafeteria so they could eat. It was a relief to have her out of the room. Her scent was getting to him and he was getting angry with her constant poking. She couldn't leave Roland alone and kept trying to help him with the covers or his water. It irritated him and it was nice to have her leave him alone. He didn't eat. He couldn't.

A nurse walked in and frowned, "That's 0-3. You haven't eaten a lick today. I'm gonna give you one more hour and that feeding tube is gonna be your new best friend."

Robin no longer required an oxygen mask. He smirked, "I'm not hungry, Nancy."

"How's your pain?" She checked his vitals as she asked questions.

"It kills but I don't need anything," he said. "Unless I move, I'm fine."

Nancy glanced down at his feet, "Well tough luck, the physical therapist is due in the morning. He'll have you hating yourself a lot more when he hauls you out of that bed."

He winced thinking about it. "Oh, Joy."

"Honey, you're gonna be fine. You just need to eat and improve this mood you've been in today and you'll be right dandy." He loved the way she talked. Southern and a hint of sweetness.

"I'll be fine." As he said that, they dried in his throat when Geoff and Jerry walked in. "Ma'am," Jerry said.

"I'm nearly finished," she said. She jotted down his blood pressure and said, "Try to get him to eat and he wouldn't have low blood sugar," she preened as she left.

"You're not eating?" Geoff looked at the uneaten tray.

Robin's throat was still hurt but his voice had gotten stronger overnight. "I'm not hungry. How is she?"

Geoff and Jerry pulled up a couple of chairs and sat thinking it would soften the blow. "Where are the boys?"

"They're downstairs, answer me," he said sternly.

Jerry started, "She's upstairs." Everyone knew if patients were upstairs it was because they were detained or prisoners.

"Why?"

"Before you get all riled up, just let us tell you what happened, and we'll fill you in on the rest."

"Fine."

Geoff avoided his eyes but spoke as professionally as he could. "Our team infiltrated old man Nelson's cabin. There was a room underground for avoidance of mudslide or storm. We went in the back and came upon Simon and Sabrina Thomson."

He paused and swallowed the sight he'd tried to forget. "Jerry observed him in the process of striking her and pulled his weapon and shot him in the shoulder to stop him. When he drew a weapon, he put 3 holes in him. Simon Thompson is deceased."

Robin had winced when he heard she'd been hit. There was also relief under it that Simon was dead. "Regina?"

Geoff tried to keep his tone schooled but failed. "Robin, we lost her on the table when we got there. I did CPR until paramedics arrived and took over. It took seven minutes to get her back."

Tears prickled at his eyes as he heard the blow. "What did he do to her?"

Jerry put a hand on Geoff's trembling shoulder and took over. "We've been up there on and off all day. She's been sedated. She hasn't woken up yet."

Robin's voice was rough from the damage but louder, "What did he do to her?" It was a demand, he needed to know. "What?!" He tried to shout but it was interrupted by a jag of coughing.

Jerry sighed, "When we got to her, she was naked. I couldn't tell at first because her body was covered in blood. As Geoff administered CPR, the rest of us had to try and stop the bleeding on some major lacerations in her thigh and neck. He'd used…" He paused to gather himself. "He used a scalpel on her several hundred times, it looks like. I couldn't count the gashes because there were too many of them. Everywhere."

Robin let out a cry deep in his chest. But Jerry knew that if he kept going, it would be easier to handle in one blow. "There wasn't a clean piece of skin on her legs. She had a few deep lacerations on her neck and shoulders. When we arrived, he was moving on to the front of her. She suffered from some hypothermia due to the temperature. He kept it at 22 degrees for hours. Her toes were blue, some of her fingers. Her lips," Jerry whispered.

Robin couldn't see through the tears spilling out of his eyes. He couldn't breathe at the thought of her being like that. "The baby?" he croaked.

Geoff met his eyes, "Hanging on. For now."

Jerry rose, "Robin, I won't lie to you, it's bad. The amount of time she was under, well we can't know. She suffered some deep cuts, there could be infection. They had her under a warmer for a few hours and their monitoring the baby. They say it's touch and go if it'll survive. It's early stages, they say and vulnerable."

Geoff rose too, "She's in custody, we thought you should know. Until we can question her and rule out any association, if there is any, she's not going anywhere."

Robin snarled, "She didn't do what they say she did."

"We won't know that until we can talk to her," Jerry said. "Right now, she's gotta wake up and they've got to assess what damage has been done. It's going on fourteen hours and she's yet to wake up. They've got her intubated. They'll know in the next few hours if she'll live."

"Oh, my God," Robin's voice cracked.

It tore Jerry apart to see his friend like this. To know that he'd never acted this way with Marian. It told him a lot about his relationship with her and the depth of it. "I'm so sorry, Robin. I like her, I hope she pulls through."

Geoff put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I love you buddy, you hang in there. We'll be back when we hear some news. Right now, you're not going anywhere either."

As they left, Robin turned and sobbed into his pillow. It would kill him if she died. He felt broken and shattered. He thought of Henry and how much it would break him to lose her. He was in love with him just as much as he was with Regina. He couldn't protect him from this as much as he couldn't protect her. He'd failed and if she was alive, he'd beg her forgiveness.

Jerry stopped at the nurse's station on the way out. "If Marian brings the kids back up here, you tell them he's asleep. He needs some time," he told them. "Official request if she gives you some trouble," he walked away.

"Sure thing," Nancy said to his back.

Maggie closed the front door of her father's house and watched Geoff and Jerry walk back to their cruiser. They'd filled her in on what she needed to know. Regina was really Sabrina Thompson. Her husband and tried to kill her and she was in a hospital bed clinging to life. The baby she carried was Robin's and wasn't expected to make it.

Now, she had to process that information and share that with Henry. That poor boy, she thought. She was under orders not to tell Roland anything. Not that she'd subject a six-year-old to that type of information. She made her way to the kitchen where the boys were finishing up lunch.

Henry was picking at the bread to his sandwich. He'd refused to eat until he knew they found his mom. "Henry?"

His head shot up at her words. Her eyes were filled with sadness and it caused his stomach to tighten.

"Come take a walk with me," she said.

He rose from the chair and deposited his untouched sandwich in the trash and put his plate in the sink. When they walked outside, he frowned. They weren't allowed to walk outside. Maggie didn't speak as they rounded the house and moved onto the sidewalk. His heart began to beat faster. "She's dead, isn't she," he asked with tears in his eyes.

Maggie stopped, "Oh, Henry. No, she's not. I'm sorry. I wanted to walk a little bit before I told you."

"What happened to her? Is she okay?"

Maggie knelt in the grass and pulled him down next to her. "There's something I should tell you about your dad first." She paused but he just stared at her with innocent eyes. "Henry, your dad is dead." There was no softening that blow.

His eyes darkened, "Good. I hated him."

"Henry, I understand but hate?"

"You didn't live with him," he said. "Where's my mom?"

"Your mom is in the hospital, Henry. They've been taking care of her, but she was hurt, and she hasn't woken up yet."

Tears brimmed his eyes, "Is she gonna die?"

"I wish I could tell you no, but they don't know yet. It's been a few days and she's not awake yet. They said they'd tell me as soon as she does."

"Can I go see her?"

"No, Henry. You can't. No one can. She's been arrested and they're gonna wanna ask her some questions when she does wake up."

He shot to his feet. "She didn't do anything. She never killed anybody, and she didn't help him. I know they say she did, but she didn't."

Maggie took him in her arms and let him break down. "I want my mom." It broke her heart to hear this little boy shatter.