Hello all you beautiful people who take time out to read this, you're all amazing and I appreciate your support for this story so much. It was my first ever fanfic and to get such a lovely response from you all meant the world to me. Thank you for sticking with this story and I hope i can continue to present a story worth following and enjoying. Please leave reviews - I really do love to hear from you guy thanks x x x
The blood… his face…the searing pain…wailing sirens… solitude…
Lauren sat up suddenly, her breaths coming fast and heavy. She could feel beads of cold sweat running down her neck and her light cami-top clung to her back. She looked down next to her searching for Joe only to find the white sheets were empty.
She slipped carefully out of bed and padded softly towards the bedroom door. It was open ever so slightly and she could hear Joe's husky voice travel through from the kitchen. Immediately she felt her body relax upon hearing him however something in his tone made her stop,
"…Are you certain that it's the right guy? Uh huh…. Ya….."
Lauren held her breath as she strained her ears to hear what was being said. Unfortunately Joe had lowered his voice and what he was saying was no longer intelligible. She tip-toed out of the room as quietly as she could and stopped just outside the kitchen, listening intently. It wasn't difficult to grasp the general concept of what was going on, despite being able to hear only one side of the conversation.
"… okay so you think that there's enough evidence?… well I want to come down to the station and see this guy. "
Joe spoke through clenched teeth, obviously trying to restrain himself from shouting,
"That's bullshit! I have right to speak to the excuse of a man, who stabbed my girlfriend."
Lauren began to back away from the door slightly. She felt her heart begin to pick up speed once more. The need to see her attacker became unbearable and it was a desire she found impossible to understand. Maybe it will allow me to move on, she thought. All she knew was that she needed to get to the police station… but how?
She hadn't been cleared to drive by the doctor and as if on cue, she felt a sharp pain across her mid-section as she twisted too-quickly, reminding her that walking wasn't an option either.
She was so caught up in her own thoughts; she didn't notice the kitchen door open to reveal a surprised Joe.
"Oh morning Lolo," he quickly pulled himself together and wrapped his arms around her, giving her a tender kiss on the forehead, "I'm just going out to get some milk, I'll be back soon."
"Milk? Oh, is milk sold at Chicago Police Station now?" she questioned.
Joe was clearly caught off guard and she felt his body tense. He hung his head in defeat and sighed,
"Lo it's nothing, it's probably the wrong guy."
"Then you won't mind if I come with…"
"NO!"
Lauren froze at Joe's harshness. His arms tightened around her and she winced slightly from the pressure. He loosened them immediately wearing a guilty expression.
"I'm sorry… but Lo I'm not letting you anywhere near that creep."
"Joe, it was an accidental attack and you said yourself that it's probably the wrong guy," she tried to stress. Why could none of them understand? Inwardly however she found herself silently questioning her own reasons for being so defensive.
"Loz you have to stop using that as an excuse," he begged, taking her by the shoulders. She could see the pain in his eyes as he tried to reason with her for what seemed like the thousandth time, "accidental or not Lolo, he still did it and that man still left you there to die."
She knew he was only worried about her, they all were. On many an occasion Lauren had walked in on Joe and Darren whispering together. They'd always stop as soon as they saw her. No, she refused to give in, even if he believed it was for the best. Lauren pulled herself up to her full height and looked Joe directly into the eyes,
"The police are going to need me anyway to identify that they have the right guy. I'm going, whether you like or not, I will find a way. Either you take me or I'll find some other means. It's your choice."
Joe looked livid but Lauren knew she'd won the argument. She needed to do this.
"Fine, but I'm not letting you talk to him alone," he stated adimently.
Lauren didn't say anything and silently pulled herself out of his hold, avoiding his gaze. At that moment Darren walked out from his bedroom. His black curls stuck up at odd angles and at any other time she would have teased him for it.
"What's happening?" he yawned while wiping sleep from his eyes.
"I'm sure Joe will tell you all about it while I get dressed. You two talk about stuff concerning me all the time when I'm not there so why should this be any different."
Lauren hissed passing Darren and heading back to her room and slamming the door.
"What was that about?" Darren questioned immediately but Joe was gazing past him at the bedroom door, with a pained expression on his face.
The drive to the police station was silent and it seemed to take a lifetime to get across the city. She rested her head against the glass window and watched the streets of Chicago flash past. It was strange to look out and see so many unfamiliar faces in a place she felt she knew inside out. It made her question whether she really knew Chicago all. After all a place was only defined by the people that lived in it. Still, she called it home.
She looked around as the car came to a stop, surprised that they could have reached the police station so quickly, however they were only stopped at traffic lights. Lauren felt a sense of wooziness wash over her as she placed her head back on the cool glass and suddenly became more aware of the dull pain in her midsection. Shit, I forgot to take my meds, she cursed to herself.
"Lolo?"
She opened her eyes as she felt Joe tap her gently on her knee. Turning, she saw Joe holding out her favourite pink water bottle and in in his palm two small white capsules. It was moments like this when she really realised how lucky she was to have Joe,
"Thank you," she whispered gratefully taking a swig from her bottle and swallowing the tablets. Joe gave her a slight smile and took her hand in his, rubbing reassuring circles on her skin while they waited for the lights to change,
"Lauren are you sure? Pleases just think this through before I allow myself to let you through those doors. We can turn back right now."
She turned her head and faced out the window, aware that Joe was waiting for an answer. Doubts began to cross her mind and mingled with her sureness of previous reasoning, resulting in her mind becoming a jungle of confusion.
Her eyes fell on a guy wearing a black jacket and she watched as he hurried down the street, his head bent against the wind. She was aware of Joe saying he name, requesting an answer. The guy looked around and for a second their eyes met,
"That's him," she choked out, The police must have the wrong guy.
"What?" Joe asked confused, ignoring the beeps from cars behind him as he leaned towards Lauren,
"That's him, over there with the black jacket," she said breathlessly, pointing a shaking finger at the darkly clad figure that had now re-hidden his face and was gradually picking up pace as he weaved around fellow pedestrians.
"Are you sure?" Joe asked seriously, throwing off his safety belt. She nodded, her eyes still fixated on the black jacket. Everything after that happened in a blur. She was vaguely aware of a cold wind rushing through the vehicle as Joe flung open the driver door, causing Lauren to finally drag her eyes away and watch as Joe now abandoned the car and sprinted off down the street after the black jacket.
Doing the only possible thing that made sense to her, Lauren followed suit and climbed out
"JOE!" she screamed after him, clinging on to the car door frame. She began to move her legs, running after Joe, ignoring the agonising pain in her stomach. Will power and adrenaline kicked in and she pushed forward, urging her legs to go faster She saw Joe's plaid shirt turn in to a side alley. Black dots were beginning to appear in her vision but she ignored them.
She was afraid of what might happen – to who she wasn't entirely sure. She'd seen the anger in Joe's eyes as he'd raced off and she prayed that he wouldn't let his temper overrule his sense or worse still, that he'd get hurt himself.
Until next time x x x