Here's the next chapter for your reading enjoyment. I hope you like it. Same disclaimer as always.
Chapter 54: Still Morning
Dean's PoV
"Frank? Frank Portman?" Lizzy's dad asked entering the waiting room. "God I haven't seen you since our 10 year college reunion. Wow, it's been a long time. What are you ... You're Dean's father? I should have known that, he looks just like you."
"Robert, Robert Jacobs. It has been forever. You're ... You're Lizzy's dad."
"You know Lizzy's Dad?" I asked looking at my dad.
"We went to college together. He defended me sophomore year in student court when I got into a major fight and we've been friends since. I'm so sorry about your daughter. I never expected her to be put in any danger in my home. She's one of a kind though. A lot like I remember your wife to be." Dad said.
"I understand, mistakes happen." Mr. Jacobs said.
"Mistakes?" An angry voice snapped. I looked past Mr. Jacobs to see three very angry brothers glaring at me and one looking at Star curiously. "How could you say this was a mistake?"
"Shut up, Christian." Mr. Jacobs warned.
Chris shut up but he didn't stop glaring at me. "Dad, why don't you go talk to the nurse and see if we can go see Lizzy." Matt said. I sighed as Mr. Jacobs walked away and waited for what I knew was coming.
"You're a scumbag you know that?" Chris said glaring at me. "You promised you'd protect her. And now she's in the hospital. You ... You ... salaud."
Matt and Star both laughed.
"That's real rich coming from you." Star said.
"Takes one to know one," Matt said.
"Matt."
"It's true. Our parents weren't married when you were born." Matt said. "Now sit down and shut up."
"Is it your fault?" Ben asked.
"Yes. I shouldn't have left her alone." I admitted.
"That's why you think this is your fault?" Ben asked.
"That's why I know it's my fault. I knew she didn't like the guy, that she didn't trust him and I let her go watch the sunrise alone." I said.
"That doesn't make it your fault. Chris, say another word I'll make you take this outside." Matt said. Chris narrowed his eyes and sat down not saying a word. "Good boy. Dean, it's not your fault. You had no way to predict what would happen. None of us are going to pass judgment on you until we speak with Lizzy." Matt said.
"You're Matt Johnson. One of the best centers in the NHL," Jeff said.
"Actually it's Jacobs. Only the jersey says Johnson. Long story. I don't believe I've met you."
"Jeff Portman. I'm Dean's oldest brother. I'm huge hockey fan."
"Ok." Matt said sitting down next to Star.
"Cool it." Krista hissed at Jeff.
"He helped me find Lizzy." I said.
"Are you Dean Portman?" A man in a white coat asked.
"I am." I answered.
"Follow me." He said. I followed him down a few hallways and we stopped outside a room. "She's through that door. I must warn you. Do not upset her and do not push her."
"Thank you." I said. He nodded and I entered the room to a sight that made me smile. Lizzy was propped up on some pillows talking to her dad. "Hey beautiful, how do you feel?"
"The same way I look. Like crap." Lizzy said.
"I'm sorry babe. You look beautiful to me. Do remember what happened?" I asked.
"I was watching the sunrise and Mitch comes out and hands me a glass of OJ. I looked at it and sat it on the steps next to me. We talked about why I didn't want to drink it and then he took a drink from it and I figured it was safe. I drank the juice and as I was going back upstairs to you I felt a hand on my lower back."
"You know I'd never touch you there."
"I know Dean. Anyway I felt his hand there and next thing I know I wake up here with a doctor standing over me. I don't know what else you want me to say. My stomach is upset too, but now that you're here I'm slowly feeling better."
"I'm not going anywhere today babe." I answered perching on the edge of her bed opposite of her dad.
"Then hand me the bucket." She said. I looked down and picked up the bucket. She leaned over it and got sick and then moaned.
"You're alright dearest." I said stroking her back. A few seconds later she looked at me and I put the bucket back on the floor. When I looked at her again Mr. Jacobs had handed her a glass of water. I moved back a bit giving her plenty of room to lean over the bed and get sick if she needed to. "Honey, this is not your fault." I saw her stare at the glass in her hands. "I know you thought it would be ok and now you're thinking you shouldn't have trusted him but believe me you can't change it now. Don't blame yourself." I said.
"You're blaming yourself enough aren't you?" She glared at me. I swallowed.
Lizzy's PoV
"Aren't you?" I prodded when Dean didn't answer.
"I should have gone down there with you. I knew you didn't like being in a house with nearly complete strangers and still I did nothing to protect you. Like your brothers said I was supposed to be protecting you but I didn't. I put you in a position to get hurt and you got hurt."
"Brothers? They're here?" I asked.
"Ben and Chris came home from school on Friday and when I heard I brought them. I didn't know Matt knew until I got here." Dad said.
"All of them are here? And they're blaming you?" I asked.
"Lizzy, please you're not supposed to ..." Dean started.
"Supposed to what?"
"Push yourself."
"Too late for that. Daddy, could you please go get my brothers? Please. Don't make me argue with you." I batted my eyelashes and gave him my best puppy dog eyes.
"I don't like this baby but I can't argue with you because I know how stubborn you are." Dad answered he stood and left the room.
"I don't want you pushing yourself." Dean said.
"And I don't want them blaming you." I answered.
Suddenly we heard a noise from outside the room. "I understand but I advise against you going in there."
"We have an investigation to conduct and we need to speak with her." Another male voice said. The door opened and I noticed two men enter the room. Both were dressed in suits and looked impatient. Then I saw the badge around one of their necks.
"You're cops aren't you?" I asked.
"Detectives from Chicago PD." The man said. His voice was the same as the one I had heard outside the door.
"What can I do for you?"
"You're Lizzy Jacobs?"
"That's what my dad tells me." I smirked.
"We need to ask you a couple of questions about this morning."
"Uh, I think I'll wait for my lawyer."
"You're going to go there?"
"Yes because my dad always told me never talk to a cop without a lawyer. He'll be back in a couple moments."
"Your dad is a lawyer?" The other guy asked.
"Yes. Criminal Defense." I said. I smiled and seconds later my dad reentered the room with my brothers behind him. My brother took their positions against the wall and while three of them were glaring at Dean, Matt's eyes were on me.
"What's going on?" Dad asked.
"They want to talk about what happened this morning." I said.
"You will not upset her." Dad said.
"Yes sir." The cops talked to my dad as I tuned them out and I looked at my brothers. My stomach turned and I rolled over the edge of the bed and got sick again. When I looked up again Ben and Seth were physically restraining Chris and Matt was at my bedside table handing Dean a glass of water. That's when I knew Matt wasn't blaming Dean.
"Now look at what happened. I demand that you come back tomorrow when she's feeling better. You don't have to harass my daughter." Dad said.
"It wasn't them Daddy." I said. Matt looked at Chris and Chris sulked.
"Please tell us what you remember." The detective asked. So I did from the time I woke up until the time I felt a hand on my back. "Where were you when you felt the hand on your back?"
"Foot of the stairs. I felt kinda funny after drinking the orange juice and I had promised Dean that I'd come back upstairs after the sunrise so I headed for the stairs. I reached the bottom of them when I felt the hand then passed out. After that, it was all dark until I woke up here looking at a doctor."
"Do you know who the hand belonged to?"
"No. I just know it wasn't someone who knew me because they all know I don't like being touched there."
"And what time did all this happen?"
"I went downstairs about 6:30 and watched the sunrise then maybe about seven I went back inside. I don't know the exact time I wasn't looking at a clock."
"And where were you during all of this?" The detective said turning to Dean.
"Same place I told you this morning when you questioned me at my house Detective Morgan. My story isn't going to change just because she's awake now. I told you what happened and that's it." Dean said.
"And you didn't have anything to do with it?" Detective Morgan asked. He had been the one doing 90% of the talking.
"Why would I hurt my own girlfriend?" Dean asked.
"Enough. You have his statement and you have Lizzy's now, leave them alone." Dad said.
My throat felt like it was starting to close up and I felt like I couldn't breathe. I took deep breaths trying to get air into my lungs but instead I started dry heaving.
"Out all of you," The doctor demanded.
Dean ignored him and crouched next to my bed. "Easy baby, relax. It's all going to be ok I promise. I need you to calm down. I'm fine." Dean continued to whisper comforting words to me as the doctor escorted my brother and the cops out of the room. "Maverick, baby breath."
Slowly the dry heaves stopped.
"Mr. Portman?" The doctor said.
"Please let him stay." I begged.
"Alright," The doctor answered. Dean handed me a glass of water and soon we were the only two left in the room.
"You ok?" Dean asked.
"I suppose. I just don't feel good." I said.
"Alright. You'll be ok." Dean said.
I sighed but nodded and lay back on my pillows.
"Ms. Jacobs?" The doctor said peaking back in the room.
"Yes?"
"How do you feel?"
"Better. I don't know what happened. I just freaked."
"Panic attack. Just a small one. You're breathing fine?"
"Yes. I just still feel a little weak."
"Your brother Matt wants to see you if you're up for it."
"Ok." I agreed. Matt came back in and he told me why the other three blamed Dean, about how had he been protecting me I wouldn't have gotten hurt in the first place. I rolled my eyes and then he and Dean convinced me to rest. I fell asleep with both of them watching me.
Narrator's PoV
Outside of Lizzy's room Robert Jacobs stared down three of his four sons as they lined up against the wall in the hallway. "What the hell were you thinking? I want you to understand me good because I will not say this again. Did you see what happened when those cops turned on Dean? Your sister got upset."
"And she's the best faker we know." Chris spat.
"Do you think she'd be in the hospital if she was faking? I've seen her lab results. That's not faking. I never want to see another one of you react like this without the full story again."
"Chris, look I know you don't trust the guy, she's our baby sister why should we trust him? But Lizzy does and you heard her, it wasn't Dean." Ben said.
"No one touches her lower back anymore since I screwed up. Dean would know that." Seth added.
"Why am I the bad guy? That's my baby sister."
"And you're scared you're going to lose her."
"You don't know what it's like to see someone in a hospital bed and flash back to seeing your mom like that."
"I know bud." Robert answered. "But Lizzy, as much as I loved your mother and thought she was the strongest woman in the world, Lizzy has so much more will to fight. She wouldn't give up."
"Are you saying Mom did?" Chris asked.
"Christian, your mother was amazing but she wasn't as strong towards the end as she used to be. She knew it was her time." Robert sighed. "And I want you to leave Dean alone. He had nothing to do with Lizzy being attacked."
"Fine," Chris answered. "And I'm sorry Dad."
"Don't apologize to me, apologize to him. I know you thought you had every right to do what you did but you have to understand he was just trying to protect Lizzy."
"I know that now."
"You know she doesn't hate you Chris, you're just not her most favorite person in the world right now." Matt said exiting the room.
"I know." Chris sighed again. He knew he had majorly screwed up.
"I don't really care what right you think you had," Dean snapped also entering the hall from Lizzy's room and glaring at Chris, "but you will not do that again. I don't care if you don't trust me but your sister does and that should be what's important. You should trust your sister enough and lay into me only when you have all the facts. I would never hurt her, Fulton would kill me. The last thing I want to do is hurt Lizzy and then fly back to Eden Hall tomorrow. I could probably hold my own against the four of you but I could never take on Fulton." Dean growled.
"I apologize. She's my baby sister and I don't like seeing her hurt. I'm afraid the two of us have our temper in common. Rationale flies out the window when it comes to the people we care about."
"Thank you for the apology but you shouldn't be apologizing to me; you should really apologize to your sister." Dean answered. "She's really hurt by the fact you don't believe her and you don't trust her." Dean glared at Robert then headed for the waiting room.
"That was rude." Ben said looking after Dean for a moment before turning back to Robert.
"And deserved." Robert sighed.
"What for? What did you do?" Ben asked.
"I may have told Dean about the custody dispute and that Dad wasn't really fighting for Lizzy." Seth said.
"You did what?" Chris asked stunned.
"Custody dispute? What custody dispute?" Ben asked.
"Alicia wants custody of Lizzy." Robert answered.
"And you're not going to fight her for it?" Ben asked.
"Well ... She'd be in an all-girls' boarding school. It's got a really good reputation." Robert stalled.
"You're out of your—" Ben started.
"Do not finish that sentence in either English or German." Robert threatened. "I know you Ben. I may not know what you're saying but I know that the only time you speak German is when you're swearing."
"But how can you pull her away from everything she's ever known? She's never needed—"
"Alicia." Matt cut his brother off.
"Right. She's never needed her and how would now be any different?" Ben asked.
"Look the hearing's not for a couple more weeks. Just drop it until then." Robert said.
Uh oh, looks like Chris wasn't too happy with Dean. Wonder if her dad is really going to fight for her to stay. I had to upload this because last night, out to dinner with my parents, I heard the song that was playing in D2 when Dwayne was teaching them to line dance. I heard it and was like that's a sign I have to upload the chapter soon. Let me know what you think.