I know you guys have been waiting a long time for this final chapter and her it is!
Ch. 3 Got through the Night, Took Back My Life
(CLARE)
"You sure you want to come to the game, you've only been back a day and you've been through so much. I don't need to go, I'm second string they won't miss me," Owen says while I finish putting makeup on in the washroom mirror.
"No you should go I want to see you play and with all the makeup on I look halfway human," I respond turning to him and gripping his jacket.
"You look beautiful," Owen replies kissing my cheek, "and I don't think I'll get to play."
"Then I want to watch you smiling at me from the bench but I want to go. I spent thirty three weeks thinking about you and counting down the minutes until I could get back to your arms. I spent so long chained to a bed and I have to get back to my life of some semblance of it. Adam will be there with Drew and Bianca, besides if I stay here I'll drive myself crazy looking for our child and bothering the P.I. with questions," I tell him.
"I will spend all night smiling at you from the stands, I just can't believe I have you back," Owen says holding me close and kissing me passionately. "I have to go, the Torres brothers and B will come pick you up in ten minutes and I will smile the second I see you in the stands," Owen tells me when he pulls out of the kiss.
"Good luck I'll see you at the game," I smile.
Owen kisses me once more before leaving; it's the first time I've been out of his arms since the hospital. Owen didn't go to school today so he could stay with me and I spent the day in his arms. He tried to distract me; he came with me to the mall while his mom bought me new clothes, a whole new wardrobe in fact and everything else I need. Of course the very first thing we did is meet with the private investigator, I answered as many questions as I could but I didn't know very much.
"Clare Adam's here to take you to the game," Tris says and I realize I got lost in my thoughts without noticing how much time had passed.
"Thanks Tris," I smile grabbing my coat and purse.
"You look good Clare," Tris says when I stop to check my hair in the mirror at the entry.
"Thanks," I grin kissing his cheek.
"Ready for this? There will be a lot of people there, I think just as many people are coming to the game to see you as the game," Adam tells me we walk down to Drew's car.
"I need to get back to my life, anyway you'll be there and so will Owen," I reply as we get in the car.
"If you want to leave at any time you just tell us, Owen will understand if you're not there for the whole game," Drew tells me as we start driving.
"Thanks Drew," I smile.
"We heard your Mom got out on bail," Bianca comments.
"Yeah she made bail with the money she got selling my child; she is on house arrest until the trial. Has an ankle bracelet and everything so she can't come near me. She also named the doctor that helped her, I have to go in tomorrow to pick him out for a lineup," I inform them.
"Owen's going with you right?" Adam asks.
"Yeah he's coming, he insisted on it as soon as he heard," I nod.
They spend the rest of the drive telling me what's happened since I disappeared. Drew parks at the arena and we walk to the door together. Dallas got us all tickets so we're right behind the bench, we have to stand in line, I feel like everyone's watching me and I try to shrink behind Adam. An action that Adam notices, he puts an arm around me, Bianca looks over and also puts an arm around me, Drew already has an arm around her.
"CLARE!"
The screaming of my name makes me jump inadvertently grip Adam and Bianca.
"It's just Alli and the gang they're excited to see you," Adam tells me and I let out a breath releasing my tight grip on them.
"We're so happy to see you, we couldn't believe it when Adam told us that you were here and you'd been here the whole time," Jenna says as she and Alli run over followed by K.C. and Dave.
"I never should have believed that you went to Africa to see Darcy," Alli tells me as she and Jenna throw their arms around me.
"Ow!" I gasp as they tighten their hug.
"Guys back off she's been through a lot," Drew tells them.
"You can hug her later she's only been out for a day," Adam says.
"Sorry, we're just so glad you're back," Jenna apologizes.
"Yeah very glad, it's good to see you Clare," K.C. smiles.
"Did your mom really get arrested?" Dave questions.
"Yeah and I hope she rots in jail," I respond feeling tears at my eyes just thinking about it.
The line starts to move so Alli, Jenna, Dave and K.C. come in with us. They aren't sitting by us however and we part as soon as we're inside. I follow Drew and Bianca to our seats while Adam gets us some water, as soon as I sit down Owen looks over and blows me a kiss, I smile and blow a kiss back to him. Adam returns with water and food but I'm not very hungry. The game is exciting even though Owen doesn't get to play but he does smile at me the whole game. When it's over the Ice Hounds have won and people in the stands begin cheering.
"Owen will skip the celebration to take you home, we'll meet him out by the locker room," Drew says as we begin filing out of the arena.
"So any plans for the weekend?" Bianca asks when we're leaning on the wall next to the locker room.
"No just adjusting to life again, you know not chained to a bed and all," I reply and they all make faces. "Sorry I didn't mean to…"
"It's okay, those are good plans and I'm sure Owen will help you adjust. Are you still thinking about coming back to school on Monday?" Bianca asks.
"Yeah, I need to, I know things won't go back to normal the way they were but I need them to be as normal as they can. I need to get back to my life and sitting at Owen's wondering where our baby is and wallowing anger and hurt over what Mom put me through isn't going to do anyone any good," I tell them as the doors to the locker room open.
The opposing team comes out first, the guys start whistling at us, well at Bianca and I suppose me too since they'll hit on anything with breasts.
"Hey they're taken eyes to yourselves," Drew barks at them putting his arms around Bianca tightly. Adam puts his arms around me and the guys keep whistling and making comments until the Ice Hounds start coming out.
"You ready to go home?" Owen questions taking me into his arms from Adam's arms.
"Yeah," I nod taking his hand.
"Call me tomorrow, you can hang out or something or I can come over," Adam says.
"We'll call you after she goes down for the lineup," Owen tells him. We say goodnight to them and most of Owen's team before getting in his car to go home. "So you enjoy the game?" Owen questions as he begins to drive.
"Yeah it was exciting even if you didn't get to play and I saw Alli, Jenna, K.C. and Dave," I reply.
"Good, your friends missed you, we all did," Owen remarks taking my hand and kissing the back of it.
Owen parks at home and we go in, there's one light on in the living room for us. It's fairly early but Tris is sleeping at Maya's and Owen's parents are in another part of the house. They're trying not to overwhelm me and crowd me so I know they're home but they won't bother us until tomorrow. Owen and I go to our room, well it's his room but I've moved in.
Last night was my first night with Owen in eight months and I fell asleep still dressed and sobbing in his arms. Woke up exactly the same way after a nightmare, a nightmare I couldn't even remember but I woke up crying. Tonight I want Owen to hold me but I want to feel him, as soon as we're in his room I grab him and kiss him. I kiss him deeply with passion, with joy to be reunited, with bliss and a great yearning. Owen returns the kiss, deepening it and sweeping me into his arms, he sits on the bed with me in his lap and after several minutes we pull away to breathe.
"Hold me, I want my body next to yours all night long, with no clothes on. I want to feel your skin next to mine," I tell him it's half pleading and half a demand.
Owen doesn't say anything just kisses me again and takes off my jacket. The two of us are undressed within a few moments and holding each other tightly in bed. Owen holds me so tight it becomes hard to breathe and I tell him so.
"Sorry, I just keep thinking about everything you went through, what your mother did. I should have been there, I should have sa…"
"Owen you didn't know, she made sure of it, no one did. I made it out, I made it back to you and once we find our baby everything will be right again," I tell him before giving him a gentle kiss.
"You're right, I have you back I need to concentrate on that and I am. We'll find our baby, I don't care what it takes we'll find our baby," Owen assures me.
I don't cry tonight but I lie awake for a long time in Owen's arms, feeling his skin, his heartbeat, hearing his breaths and inhaling his scent. There were so many nights, so many moments I thought I'd never have this again and I'm lying awake just to enjoy it. I finally do fall asleep but wake up screaming after another nightmare, the only thing I remember from this one is my baby being ripped out of me and stolen away. The worst part is it's real, it all really happened and the nightmare is not a dark phantasm of fear but a dark memory.
I sit up screaming, panting and sobbing, Owen sits up too, wrapping me in his arms and kissing my neck. He whispers that he loves me and he has me, he tells me I'm safe now. I know I am but I still continue to sob for a long time. Eventually I'm physically unable to cry anymore and Owen tips my chin up to give me a loving kiss.
"They'll stop eventually and we'll be able to sleep all the way through the night again," I comment with an apologetic smile.
"No we won't because we'll have a baby but I don't care if I ever sleep again because I have you back," Owen replies and kisses me again. "It's almost nine, let's get dressed and go to the station, we're supposed to be there at 9:30 anyway. I'll take you to breakfast after," he says.
I nod, we get out of bed and get dressed, Owen's mom comes with us to the police station since they have emergency guardianship of me.
"Hi Clare, come with me please," Detective Dixon tells us when we walk into the police station. "Just tell us if you see the man that helping your mother, they can't see you," the detective informs me after taking me into a small dark room with a two-way mirror.
Blinds are opened and I look out to another room where six men are in a line, they all look pretty much the same, all are between six feet and six foot two with similar features and hair. I will never forget the face of the man that helped Mom, they were the only two faces I saw for months.
"Number five that's him, he's the doctor," I say without hesitation. Just seeing him again brings it all back, I can feel the chain at my neck, my wrists, feel my muscles getting week and the feel of the mattress I had to lay on for weeks without end. I turn into Owen and begin to cry, Owen holds me close rubbing my back softly, telling me he loves me and reminding me I'm safe.
"Bernard Pearl, a former physician until he got his medical license revoked for malpractice," Detective Dixon informs me. The fact that he's not even a practicing physician makes the whole thing worse. I knew it wasn't likely that he was an obstetrician but I thought at least he would have been a practicing doctor! Detective Dixon says something into a phone I can't really hear with my face buried in Owen's chest. The she says something to Owen and his mom and then Owen is telling me it's time to go.
"What happened are they arresting him?" I question.
"Yes they did it as soon as you identified him, he's the same man your mother named. You just need to sign a statement saying that you picked him out of the lineup and then you can go," Mrs. Milligan tells me.
I nod and Detective Dixon brings over a statement that I sign, we take Owen's mom home and stop at café for breakfast.
"You did great I'm proud of you," Owen tells me as we're eating.
"Seeing him again I felt like I was back in that room, chained to the bed even though I knew your arms were around me."
"You're safe Clare they'll never touch again," Owen assures me taking my hand across the table.
"I know and after their trials I hope I never have to see them again," I comment.
"You want to go to Adam's after this? We don't have to do anything but hang out," Owen says.
"Yeah hanging out like a normal teenager again sounds amazing," I grin.
(OWEN)
"I'll be with you the whole time, I can't hold you on the stand but I'll be holding you the rest of the time," I assert to Clare as we drive to her Mom's trial with my parents.
She's been home and with me for three months now, and for the most part she's readjusted to life. The nightmares have nearly stopped but she still has an occasional one and I always hold her. We spend valentines together; we even made love again slowly and gently. For her birthday we had a small party at my house, during March break we flew to Alabama when the P.I. though he had a lead on our child, it wasn't ours though and Clare came back heart broken. We haven't given up, we're still looking and the private investigator is still on the case, without any paper trail of who bought the baby or where the doctor sold it to it isn't easy. The couple paid in cash, everything was done without names and if the doctor had any paperwork the cops couldn't find it and he wasn't talking. He wanted to bargain giving us any info he had for immunity but we didn't know what he had, we had no way to keep him from lying and Clare wanted him to pay.
The hack former doctor that helped her mom plead guilty and was sentenced to fifty years. I was relieved that he plead guilty because it meant Clare didn't have to face him trial. Our private investigator had new leads and was keeping us up to date, we hoped every day to be holding our baby in our arms. Sometimes I'd find Clare crying about it, sobbing with heart break over our missing baby and all I could do is hold her. Today was her mom's trial and I was hoping it would give her some kind of closure or at the very least a sense of satisfaction and justice with her mom being sent to jail.
"I know I don't want to see her again or face her but I want her to go to jail. Actually I want her to be chained for her bed for eight months, forced to wear diapers and being constantly drugged until she has her child torn out of her and taken away without ever seeing it. I want that but I can't have that so jail will have to suffice," Clare says and her voice waivers between anger and deep sadness.
"Well if she somehow is found not guilty we can always hire a hit man," I joke although I am somewhat serious and feel Clare laugh just a little.
We pull up to the courthouse and I kiss Clare before we get out of the car. Clare grasps my hand as we walk to the steps; Audra and Omar are waiting inside with Adam. Audra and Omar are really here for support but are character witnesses as well. Adam will be a witness since he's her best friend and he's the only one that was searching for Clare while she was missing. Adam hugs Clare and then Audra does the same; my parents begin talking with Adam's parents. Other people would be here except that it's a school day but we'll see them after.
We go into the courtroom and Clare's mom is brought in wearing handcuffs, escorted by a bailiff but she was allowed to wear clothes instead of the jumpsuit. As soon as she sees her mom Clare grips onto me, I'm sitting with her at the plantiffs table because Helen stole our baby and kept Clare from me. I put my arm around her and she takes my hand. Her mom looks over and glares at us but her lawyer warns her not to talk us.
First the lawyers make their opening arguments, Helen's lawyer has a pretty weak one, she says that Clare was mentally incompetent and everything she says is a lie and what Helen did was right. Okay so it was worded better and sounded a lot more complicated but that was the gist of it. Our lawyer gives an overview of what Clare was put through, how Helen lied kept us apart and stole out baby. Then they start calling witnesses, Helen does not take the stand but Clare does. She gets very emotional and I see the jury become horrified and sad even cry. I take the stand too and tell my side, crying when I talk about my regret for believing Helen's lie about Clare going to Africa. Getting angry when I tell them how Clare came back into my life and finding out I had a baby somewhere out there that I don't even know about.
The first day ends and we're emotionally drained and exhausted, in fact Clare and I get home and sleep. The trial lasts four days and it's hard every day, watching Clare have to live through it all again through testimony and evidence, having to watch her mother every day is the worst part for me. The jury is currently deliberating and we've been sent home until they come back.
"I'll make some lunch," Mom says turning her cell phone on again since they have to be off in the courtroom. "Oh the private investigator called," Mom comments putting her phone to her ear to listen to the message and then looks at me. "He thinks he found your child, the age is right, the couple has no paperwork and they were denied adoption. He found evidence that they traveled to Toronto the day after Christmas alone and left the next morning with an infant," Mom tells is and Clare takes my hand.
"Is he getting another DNA test? We can give more blood," Clare comments excitedly.
"They already have your DNA on file, Owen's too, the investigator is trying to obtain a court order to get the baby's DNA tested. If he can't he'll obtain the DNA by other means. We won't know for a couple of days at least so just have faith and keep hope alive, we should concentrate on the trial right now," Mom advises.
"Your mother's right let's get through one thing at a time," Dad nods as his cell phone rings and Mom starts getting stuff out for sandwiches. "Put it away Honey the jury is back," Dad tells her hanging up.
"Already? It's been less than an hour that's either very good or very bad. Well let's get back to the courthouse," Mom replies putting the food away.
We drive back to the courthouse and go into the courtroom. We sit down for the last time and watch her mother be brought in for the last time and the jury file in for the last time. The judge comes in and goes through the formalities before the jury reads the verdict.
"We the jury find the defendant guilty on all counts and recommend the maximum sentence," the jury foreman reads.
Clare starts sobbing happy tears and grips onto me with relief, I smile and kiss her head but we still have to wait for the judges sentencing. He calls everyone to order and the courtroom quiets down. The judge sentences Helen to the maximum for each count, a total of eighty two years and Clare sobs happily again. Helen is led away and there is a very long time of celebration in the courtroom. After cheering in the courtroom we go home and I take Clare to DeGrassi which is just letting out and we tell everyone the good news. We celebrate all night, with our friends and then just the two of us. With Helen and that hack doctor in jail Clare is happier, lighter and a great weight lifted from her shoulders. Now all we need is our child.
The weekend goes by quickly, Clare and I spend every moment together celebrating and happy. Clare is finally able to truly enjoy time with her friends and with me and after three months finally settles into living at my house, our house. We think about our child every moment of it, wishing we could hold our child and constantly calling the P.I. for updates. Sunday night we hear that he finally obtained DNA and is sending it for testing. All day Monday we wait to hear but every time we call the private investigator he says he's waiting on the results.
"Hey any news?" Adam questions when we get to school Tuesday morning.
"Not yet the investigator is still saying he's waiting for the results," I reply.
"I'm sure you'll hear soon," Drew says encouragingly.
"Yeah I hope so," I reply.
I hardly pay attention in classes, waiting anxiously for news from the private investigator. At lunch we go out to the courtyard with Adam, Drew, Bianca, Dallas and the Baker sibs. Tris and his friends are eating out here too, most people are since it's starting to warm with spring. We're about to sit down when I see Mom's car and the investigator in the passenger seat. Clare sees it too; we drop our stuff and run over as Mom stops the car.
"You're back is there news?" I question opening up the car door.
"Owen," Clare whispers tugging at my arm and points to the back seat where an infant is sleeping in a car seat.
"Is that…it's our baby!"
"Owen, Clare meet your son," Mom smiles taking him from his car seat and handing him to Clare.
Clare breaks into happy tears, holding our child close to her heart. I wrap them both in my arms, looking down at my son as my heart swells with pride.
"He's gorgeous, no he's perfect! So incredibly perfect," I grin stroking his cheek and it feels so soft.
"He was being called James but it's up to you to name him," the investigator says.
"You decide Clare, what should we call him? What should we name our son?"
She thinks about it, still happily crying as she gazes at our son. Our friends and Tris and his friends begin to gather around us to look at our amazing son.
"Gabriel, Gabriel Owen Milligan," she says finally.
"So we're naming him after me and my dad?" I question.
"Well we're not naming him after anyone in my family," she responds laughing slightly as she kisses Gabriel's forehead.
"It's perfect," I grin taking my son from Clare and holding him to my chest.
He opens his eyes, my son opens his eyes and looks right at me, his eyes locking on mine and I fall in love. Smiling bigger than I ever have in my life, I put my arm around Clare kissing her lips and then our son's forehead. My life is right now, my life is complete in a way I never thought possible and I'm happier than anyone else could possibly be on this earth.
"Let me hold my nephew," Tris insists reaching for him.
I give Gabriel to Tris and take Clare's hands in mine, "There is only one way I could be happier in this moment marry me Clare."
"Yes of course," she smiles and everyone claps and cheers.
I kiss my future wife taking her in my arms but the cheering wakes up Gabriel. He starts crying and Tris hands him back to Clare, she holds him and I hold them both. Mom snaps a picture just as I kiss Clare again, more in love than ever before and anxious to start the rest of our lives together.