Author's Note: I know it's been a while, but I recently lost all passion for anything. Only just now getting it back. Slowly.
This story is being rededicated to two phenomenal woman: Farfisa and Jedistarmonkee. You both have been amazing and words just cannot explain how thankful I am for all the help you have and continue to give me through this hard time in my life. You were there for me after I got out of the hospital and while you may not physically be able to do anything, just knowing you support me despite what others (including myself) have said and done to try and hurt me means everything to me. Thank you both.
Chapter 20: An Explanation
"Mike?" Micky asked cautiously as they all watched all the color drain from Mike's face.
"What do you mean she's pregnant?" Peter asked. "Those men who took her...they...they got her pregnant?"
"Not necessarily, Peter," Davy muttered. Peter wasn't sure what Davy was talking about for a second. How else did someone get pregnant? But then he realized that Rose had said she was 4 months pregnant and 4 months ago, Heather and Mike had slept together, too.
"Oh," Peter said looking worriedly at Mike who now looked weak in the knees and as though he were going to throw up.
"Mike, just sit down," Micky said helping Mike into a nearby chair.
"Is...is there any way to know if..." Mike trailed off.
"Not right now," Rose answered.
"But it could be...four months…" Mike said slowly.
"Mike, just breathe, ok?" Micky said trying his best to keep Mike calm. Peter really had no idea what to say and felt incredibly helpless. What did any of this mean for them? If Heather was pregnant with Mike's child, what would happen? Would the baby come live with them? Would Mike give it up?
"How am I supposed to breathe, Micky?" Mike asked. "I...I…"
"Mike, it's gonna be ok," Davy tried.
"It's not gonna be ok, Davy!" Mike snapped then paused a moment. "I...I need to see her."
"Mike, I really don't think that's such a good idea," Micky said.
"I don't care what you think, Micky," Mike snapped again. "I need to see her."
"You can't," Rose said. "They had to sedate her."
"I thought you said she was fine?" Mike asked.
"She is," Rose answered, "but it's my understanding she was a little hysterical. They had to sedate her just to get the medications in her. She's out cold. And visiting hours are over anyway."
"You're a cop," Mike said firmly. "You can get me in."
"I'm not going to do that, Mike," Rose said. "She needs to rest. For her sake and the baby. They've been through a lot. And you need to just stay here with your friends. Decide what you want to do."
"What do you mean "decide"?" Mike asked. "There's nothing to decide."
"You don't know this baby is yours," Micky reminded him.
"And you don't know its not," Mike snapped.
"I didn't say that," Micky said. "But you have to think about that before you decide what you're going to do."
"I really don't care who the father is," Mike mumbled burying his face in his hands. "She doesn't deserve it. She can't raise a baby. Not after what she's done."
"Mike, I don't know that you have much of a say there," Rose said. "You can't just take her child and give it away without her consent."
"Who said anything about giving it away?" Mike asked.
"You really want to raise this baby?" Micky asked.
"Why not?" Mike asked looking at Micky. "If it's mine…"
"Yeah, if, Mike, if," Micky reminded him. "You don't know if it's yours. And are you really ready for a baby?"
"I've seen what happens to kids in foster care," Mike said. "As Rose what happens to parent-less children."
"That's not fair, Mike," Rose said. "Not all situations are like that. Hope made it to a good home."
"That's because you and Micky got lucky and trusted someone," Mike said. "The only people in the world I trust are in this room."
"Are you really prepared to raise someone else's baby?" Micky asked.
"Why are you so bent on having this be someone else's baby?" Mike asked. "Do you seriously want it to be one of theirs?"
"I didn't say that, Mike," Micky said. "But I don't want it to be yours either. I don't want any of this."
"She's been pregnant before, Mike," Sarah said. "Not by choice."
"So what, this is nothing new to her?" Mike asked. "Is that what you're saying?"
"No," Micky said firmly. "No one is saying anything like that, Mike. Can you stop snapping at us? I know you're upset and I know you're scared. Trust me, I do. If anyone knows what you're going through, I do. We're trying to help. You can't make any decisions in this state of mind. You're angry and you're scared. No one wants the people who took her to be the father and no one wants you to be either. No one wants any of this. I know why you want to see her; you're hoping this is some sick joke. That someone made a mistake. But the sooner you accept it, the sooner you can start to figure this out."
"You're right," Mike sighed after a moment. "I'm sorry, guys. I really didn't mean to snap."
"We know," Davy said. "Don't even worry about apologizing. We just want to help."
"Whatever decision you make, we'll support, Mike," Peter said.
"Rose, you said there's not a way to find out right now who the father is…" Mike started.
"There are paternity tests that can be done, but not until after the baby is born," Rose answered.
"When can I see her?" Mike asked.
"Mike…" Micky said cautiously.
"I need to see her, Micky," Mike said. "I need to talk to her. I know it doesn't make sense to you, but I have to talk to her."
"It does make sense to me, Mike," Micky said. "But I don't know if it's the best thing for you right now. Confronting her may actually make things worse."
"I'll be fine, Micky," Mike said. "You can even go with me if you want. As long as you promise to hang back and don't hurt her. But I have to talk to her. I need to know why." Micky sighed heavily and scratched his head.
"Deal," Micky said after a moment.
"I can take you first thing in the morning," Rose said.
That night Micky had opted to sleep in the downstairs room with Sarah. Not that he really had done much sleeping. When the sun started to peek through the window, he pushed himself up and out of bed. Sarah groaned tiredly next to him as he slipped on one of his t shirts. He leaned over and kissed her softly on the forehead before smiling down at her.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," he said.
"I would have to have been asleep for you to wake me," she answered.
"You didn't sleep either then?" Micky asked. She shook her head a little and started getting out of bed herself. Neither had really spoken much after Rose dropped the bombshell that night; but Micky felt a small comfort being able to hold Sarah safely in his arms. No matter what happened, he knew she'd at least be safe with him. Now he had to just worry about Mike.
It had always been Mike's habit to rise early and since he'd slept all day yesterday, it was no surprise to see Mike awake in the living room pacing, still wearing the clothes he'd been in the night before. He was a little surprised to find Peter and Davy walking down the stairs shortly after; they usually slept a little later. They made their way carefully down the stairs in silence and sat at the table. Rose had slept in the living room on the couch and was also stirring as the sun hit her face. After a few minutes, Rose finally spoke up.
"Are you still up for this, Mike?" she asked.
"No," Mike answered. "But it's something I have to do whether I want it or not."
"Alright," Rose said. "Then lets get ready. They'll let you see her in a while."
"I'm ready," Mike said. "I've been ready for a few hours."
"I'll get dressed," Micky said getting up quickly. He took the stairs two at a time and quickly grabbed his clothes out of the drawers. When he turned he saw Sarah standing in the doorway.
"You gonna be ok?" Sarah asked.
"I don't know," Micky answered honestly pulling his pants on.
"You want me to go with you?" she asked.
"No," Micky answered walking over to her and pulling his shirt on. "That's ok. You stay here and watch over Davy and Peter. I can't imagine how they're dealing with this."
"Are you sure?" Sarah asked.
"Yes," Micky said before kissing her softly. "Don't worry about me. Just stay here. Out of harms way. Out of detection."
"Ok," Sarah said. "Just be nice." Micky nodded and left. The entire ride over to the hospital was spent in silence and when they arrived, Rose told them to wait in the lobby while she spoke to the nurse. They waited for only a few moments before the nurse walked them back to a room near the back of the hospital. As they approached, a few men walked out and nodded to Rose before walked out the way Mike and Micky walked in.
"Who were they?" Mike asked.
"Detectives," Rose answered. "Probably just here to get her statement."
"You can see her for only a few minutes," the nurse said opening the door for them. Micky let Mike walk in first and stood by the door with Rose. They were only there to back up Mike; this was his confrontation.
"Mike?" Heather asked in surprise. "Mike? What are you doing here?"
"Rose told me what happened," Mike said softly. "I honestly don't know why I'm here after what you did to me, but I just feel like I have to be. And Micky's here to support me."
"Mike, I'm so sorry," Heather said softly. She plastered a look of shame on her face, but Micky saw right through it; he knew by now when she was putting on a face to gain sympathy.
"I don't want to hear it," Mike said. "The only thing I want to hear right now is why. Micky found the bottle in your room. Micky told me what you did to me. I feel bad for what happened to you, but I need to know why you did what you did."
"I didn't want to do it," Heather said feigning guilt.
"Bullshit," Micky spat.
"Micky, hush," Rose said. "Let her talk. We're here for him."
"I swear I didn't want to hurt you," Heather said tearing up with dry tears. "I didn't want to hurt any of you. I'm so sorry. He made me."
"Who made you?" Mike asked.
"Your father," Heather answered. "He wanted to hurt you. Something happened, I don't know what, but he wanted to test you. So he threatened me. He told me I had to drug you and then call him to come get you. I was too scared not to. He said he'd make me pay if I disobeyed him. I didn't know what the drug was going to do, I swear. He just said that it would make you pass out so he could take you without you fighting him. But when you kissed me...I really thought for a minute that you wanted to kiss me. It wasn't until after that I realized what had happened and I couldn't do that to you. I realized I still loved you and I'd taken advantage of you and I couldn't hurt you any more than I already had. So I didn't call him. When you woke up, I just wanted you to go home where you'd be safe."
"You really expect me to believe any of that?" Mike asked after a moment. Micky felt relief wash through him; he wasn't sure if Mike was gonna buy that story or not.
"I know it's crazy, but everything about everything we've been through is crazy," Heather said. "He found out I let you go and he sent those men to kidnap me. He wanted them to make me tell them where you were, but I refused. So they just kept torturing me."
"You found me," Mike said. "I'm sure he'd be able to find me, too."
"I found you after looking for a year," Heather said. "He told me to do it as soon as I got out of jail. And I knew what kinds of areas to look for you; what circles you ran in."
"This is a bunch of crap," Mike said.
"I know it sounds crazy," Heather said. "But it's the truth, Mike. I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you."
"Yeah, right," Mike said turning to walk away.
"Mike, wait," Heather said. "We have to talk about this."
"We've talked," Mike said. "I don't believe you. There's nothing else to talk about."
"The baby," Heather said.
"We'll deal with that when the baby's born," Mike said. "Rose said we can't test the paternity until then. But I'll tell you, if it's mine…"
"It is yours," Heather interrupted.
"How do you know that?" Mike asked freezing in his tracks. Micky perked up himself, too. "Rose said those men who kidnapped you raped you."
"Not until later," Heather answered. "They just started out hitting me. They didn't rape me until a few months later."
"Doesn't mean you know Mike's the father," Micky said. "How do we know you weren't sleeping around before all this."
"I wasn't," Heather answered. "I swear. This is Mike's baby."
"If you're lying about this to play some sort of game," Micky started.
"Micky, just stop for a second," Mike said turning on him. Mike wasn't angry; Micky couldn't read what was going through Mike's head. "Can I talk to you both outside for a second?"
"Sure," Micky said shooting a hard look at Heather.
"Are you ok, Mike?" Rose asked when they got out to the hallway.
"I think so," Mike said. "I mean a part of me knew this was probably my baby, but I didn't want to think about what I was going to do until I knew for sure."
"You still don't know for sure," Micky said.
"For what it's worth, I believe her on that front," Mike said. "I don't believe her story about what she did to me, though."
"Neither do I," Rose said.
"But there is a chance she's telling at least a partial truth," Mike said refusing to look at either of them. "There's a chance that these people could still come after her. I don't believe that a bunch of drug addicts kidnapped her and tortured her for months for no reason."
"It happens, Mike," Rose said. "I see it all the time."
"How often do people that stoned keep someone alive that long?" Mike asked.
"Never," Rose admitted. "They normally lose control and kill their victim after even a few days. Weeks even. But I admit, I've never seen people that high keep someone alive that long. The only time I've seen a victim stay alive that long is with captors who are sober and clean."
"What are you saying, Mike?" Micky asked.
"I'm saying she may still be in danger," Mike admitted. "I'm saying my baby may be in danger. I think someone else pulled the strings on this kidnap and they may come after her again."
"The police can put her in protective custody," Micky said. "She'll be safe there."
"Will she?" Mike asked. "You're dad's a cop. My dad's a lawyer."
"My dad's FBI," Micky corrected.
"Even worse," Mike said.
"We can't do it anyway," Rose said. "I doubt she told the detectives the whole story she told us. So as far as they're concerned, the men who assaulted her are in custody. Case closed."
"So we have to do it," Mike said.
"What are you getting at?" Micky asked afraid of where this was going.
"We have to let her stay with us," Mike said. "Keep an eye on her."
"Mike, are you insane?" Micky asked. "She admitted she drugged you and you want to let her stay under our roof?!"
"Micky, what choice do we have?" Mike asked. "That's my child. I have to think about my child. I have to do what's right by it. And besides, isn't it better to keep her closer to us so we can keep an eye on her in case she does something else? Keep your friends close and your enemies closer?"
"I don't know about this, Mike," Micky said uneasily. He wasn't sure bringing the enemy into their own house was such a great idea, but he also knew Mike was concerned about his child.
"Micky, I want to do this," Mike said. "I have to look out for my baby."
"I know," Micky said in resignation. He still felt very uneasy about it, but he had to admit he'd rather be able to keep an eye on Heather in case she did something to hurt Mike again. And on the off chance someone was still going to try and hurt Heather, they could keep the baby safe. Mike's baby.