Chapter Content Warning: Sexual Assault
Mark and Elizabeth sat at the table the next morning, Mark going through a stack of bills while Elizabeth sat with her hands resting on her stomach and her eyes closed.
"Elizabeth are you feeling alright?" Mark asked for the fifth time that morning.
Elizabeth sighed. "I'm fine Mark, they're just Braxton Hicks." She insisted as the tension released from her back.
"When is your appointment with Doctor McLucas?" Mark asked, his eyebrow creased in concern.
"It's at three." Elizabeth replied tiredly. "I'm honestly fine, I'm just tired."
"You barely slept last night and I know you're worried about Rachel." Mark pressed again. "If you're having contractions this frequently we should go in."
"I'm fine." Elizabeth replied tiredly. "Please don't make this into something it's not. We need to take care of Rachel this morning."
"She's going to be fine Elizabeth." Mark tried to dismiss her. "Please let's go get you checked."
Elizabeth glared at him. "Rachel is not fine." She said quietly. "She needs our support right now. I promise you that if I felt like this was a problem, I would go in, you know that."
"After what happened with Ella I just don't want you taking any chances." Mark whispered harshly as he saw Rachel's bedroom door open. "Hey Rach!" He called cheerfully to his daughter who was walking towards the kitchen with her arms wrapped tightly around herself. "How'd you sleep?"
"I didn't." Rachel said quietly as she sat down next to Elizabeth, bringing her feet up underneath herself.
Elizabeth smiled sympathetically. "Is there something we can do to make you feel more comfortable here?" She asked her step-daughter gently.
Rachel shrugged, as she pulled her hands into her sweater.
"Rachel we need to talk to you about something." Mark said as he set down his coffee mug.
Rachel looked up at him, eyes wide with fear. "Please don't make me go back there." She whimpered quietly.
Mark shook his head. "No Rach, you can stay here don't worry." Mark assured her quickly. "But it is about Craig."
Rachel cringed at the sound of his name. "What? What's going on?" She asked anxiously.
"The police went to arrest him but he seems to be running." Mark said gently. "I haven't heard anything since last night, but they promised me they would call as soon as they knew more."
Rachel stared at him blankly, her face entirely devoid of emotion.
"Rachel what are you thinking?" Elizabeth asked her softly. "Talk to us."
Rachel looked down at her hands. "What if he finds me?" She said quietly. "He knows I went for help if he ran, what if he's coming here?"
Mark clenched his fist angrily. "I promise you I'm not going to let that happen."
Elizabeth shot him a glare. "Rachel, we don't know what's going to happen, but we're going to do our best to keep you as safe as possible." Rachel relaxed slightly but moved closer to Elizabeth. Mark was setting a cup of tea in front of Rachel when Ella's cries began to sound through the baby monitor. "Rachel will you go get Ella?" Elizabeth asked her carefully.
Rachel nodded before slowly making her way up the stairs.
"What is going on?" Mark asked his wife as soon as he was sure that Rachel couldn't hear them.
Elizabeth sighed as she worked to stand up. "You can't promise her anything right now Mark. Even if it's out of love. You can't protect her from everything."
"Why are you being so open with her?" Mark asked her suddenly. "You've never once taken an interest in her and now you've taken her away from me!"
Elizabeth's eyes widened in shock. "What?"
"Why are you trying to take her from me? This is the first time you've ever spent any time trying to help her! Why now?" Mark asked her, his arms crossed angrily.
"Because you have no idea what it's like to live with the guilt and anger that comes with something like this." Elizabeth said quietly as she put her dishes into the sink.
Mark was about to reply when her words sunk in. "What?"
"Mark I was seventeen. Please don't turn this into a big thing." Elizabeth pleaded softly.
He looked at her in disbelief. "Why didn't you… why didn't you tell me?" He asked, sounding genuinely hurt.
"Because it wasn't particularly relevant information." Elizabeth replied tiredly. "I promise you I'm fine. It was years ago and he went to prison for a very long time."
"Elizabeth." Mark said quietly before he sat down with his head in his hands. "What am I supposed to do?" He asked after several moments of silence.
Elizabeth groaned in response.
"Elizabeth?" He asked as he looked up to see her palms pressed into the counter. He quickly jumped up and moved so he was next to her. "How bad is it?" He asked her softly.
Elizabeth winced as she felt his hand kneading into her lower back. "That one was bad." She admitted.
Mark carefully helped her to sit on the barstool. "Do you think they're contractions?"
She looked at him with her eyes filled with tears. "It can't be. I can't do this again."
"We're going to the hospital." Mark said calmly. "I'm going to go get Rachel and Ella ready, will you be alright?"
Elizabeth nodded softly as he pressed his lips against her forehead. "Please hurry."
"I will."
"How frequent are the contractions?" Susan asked Elizabeth as Abby helped her change into a gown.
Elizabeth moaned as she felt another contraction begin. "I don't know, I thought they were just Braxton Hicks. I guess five to ten minutes."
"Alright, we'll check out your cervix and see what's going on." Susan said gently. "Have you been under any extra stress lately?"
Mark sighed. "She's been worrying about Rachel for the past couple of days."
Susan bit her lip and nodded. "Alright." She tried to assure her as she pulled out the stirrups. "Can you put your legs up here for me?"
Elizabeth winced as Mark helped her lift her legs up. "You're gonna be fine." He whispered quietly as he sat down next to her.
Susan was mid examination when another contraction hit. "Oh god!" She groaned, holding onto Mark's hand as tightly as possible, the hand inside of her making everything significantly more uncomfortable.
"Well I have good news, you aren't dilated or effaced at all." Susan reported. "What drug did you use to help stop contractions with Ella?"
"Terbutaline." Mark answered her quickly.
"I'll go get some." Abby volunteered before heading out of the room.
"Elizabeth everything's fine." Mark assured her softly as he watched the tears fall down her face. Elizabeth sighed as she turned to face him.
"I can't believe this is happening again. I was so careful." She whispered.
Susan gave her a sympathetic smile. "I'm going to do a quick ultrasound, and then hook you up to a fetal monitor. Do you want me to call your OB?"
Elizabeth nodded. "Doctor McLucas. I have an appointment at four so if she can't come down before then…"
"I'll take care of it." Susan assured her as she set up the ultrasound. "Is there anything else you need?"
Elizabeth shook her head, her hand still clutching onto Mark's in a vice grip as she watched Susan begin to probe her abdomen. She immediately sighed in relief when she heard the baby's heartbeat.
"Thank God." Mark said softly, pressing his lips against her forehead. "The baby's fine." He assured her quickly. Elizabeth nodded, giving him a small smile.
"Everything looks good." Susan reiterated. "You're about thirty-two weeks right?"
Elizabeth nodded. "Almost thirty-three."
"Baby's a bit small, but nothing to be concerned about." Susan said with a smile as Abby came back with the medication.
"I'm going to start an IV, you'll feel a bit of pressure." Abby said sympathetically as she began the process.
Elizabeth closed her eyes, waiting for all of the poking and prodding to be over.
She heard Abby and Susan say something about finding her OB, and that they would give them some time alone before she heard the door open and shut. Five minutes later Mark gently pried her hand off from his. "How are you feeling?" He asked as he spread his fingers apart.
Elizabeth opened her eyes slightly. "Okay… I think I'm okay." She admitted quietly. "There were only a few really bad contractions. I'm sorry we could have just waited…"
"No, it's fine. It's good we got on top of it." Mark cut her off. "I love you." He said quietly. "I'm so happy you're okay."
Elizabeth nodded. "You should go check on the girls, they're probably bored to tears waiting in the chairs."
Mark smirked. "Okay but I have my pager. Let me know if you need me." He said quickly before making his way out of the room.
"Hey I thought you weren't on until tonight." Lydia said as she watched him come out of the exam room.
"I'm not." Mark assured her. "Elizabeth had some contractions this morning, we came in to make sure everything looked fine."
"Is she alright?" Lydia asked, her brow furrowed in concern.
"She's doing well." Mark nodded. "I'm actually looking for Rachel and Ella, have you seen them? I left them in chairs an hour or so ago…"
Lydia shook her head. "I haven't seen Rachel, but now that I think of it check in the lounge with Haleh for Ella."
Mark smirked. "Thanks." He said before quickly entering the lounge briefly relieved when he saw Haleh holding Ella. "Hey baby girl." He smiled at his daughter. Ella smiled up at him briefly before returning her attention to Haleh who was playing peek-a-boo with her. "How's she doing?" Mark asked Haleh as he sat down at the table.
"She's been an absolute peach." Haleh assured him with a smile.
"Have you seen Rachel?" He asked after a few minutes.
Haleh looked at him her eyebrow cocked. "I thought she was going to find you. Half an hour ago she asked if I could watch Rachel so she could check on Elizabeth… I assumed…"
"Dammit." Mark said angrily as he stood up. "Can you watch Ella for a bit longer?"
"Of course." Haleh assured him as she practically shooed him out of the room.
Mark went to the front desk and picked up the phone, hoping against all odds that Rachel had her phone both charged and on her. "Come on Rach…" He said anxiously as he called her number. When he got her answering machine he slammed the phone back on the receiver.
"Hey don't break that." Randi said, clearly disinterested.
"Have you seen Rachel?" He asked her quickly.
"Yeah." Randi replied. "She left with her step-dad like twenty minutes ago."
Mark felt his blood turn cold. "Call the police tell them that Craig Simon was here and that he has Rachel."
"What?" Randi replied, clearly confused.
"Just do it." Mark said angrily before quickly running back to Elizabeth's room.
"Hey how are the girls?" Elizabeth asked him as he pushed the door open.
"Craig has Rachel." Mark said angrily as he picked up his jacket from the chair in the corner.
Elizabeth did her best to sit up as she took in the news. "How… what happened?"
Mark shrugged. "I don't know, Randi said she saw her leave with him twenty minutes ago." He said, pulling on his jacket. "I have to go find her."
"Mark what if he's…" Elizabeth began to protest.
Mark shook his head. "I'm sorry. I can't just sit here hoping when I know he has my daughter."
Elizabeth sighed, leaning back onto the pillows behind her. "Be careful."
"I will." He assured her quickly, pressing his lips against hers. "Will you be alright?" He asked suddenly.
Elizabeth nodded. "I'll be fine. The contractions have pretty much stopped. I'm just waiting for an all clear from Doctor McLucas."
"Call me if anything changes." Mark said seriously, kissing her once again before going back into the lobby.
"I called the police they said that we should put the building on lockdown?" Randi said as Mark approached.
"Do it." Mark said quickly. "Call me if you learn anything." He said before running out of the building.
She hadn't even considered the possibility that he'd come to the hospital. If she had maybe she would have been prepared for when she saw him. But when she felt his cold hand on her shoulder she had stopped thinking all together. She did exactly as he said, taking Ella to someone who would watch her, getting her father's wallet from his locker, and going with him.
Now she sat in the backseat of a cab that was headed towards the airport. "We're going somewhere safe." He had told her, but she knew he was lying. He was getting away with this and she didn't know what to do. She considered telling the cab driver, but decided against it when she realized that she had no way of escaping. So she sat in silence, pressing herself against the side of the car, trying to make herself as small as possible.
"So where ya headed?" The cab driver asked, trying to make conversation.
"Taking her home." Craig replied with a smile. "She's been out here visiting her Dad, but she's coming home for the weekend."
"Sounds like fun." The cabbie replied. "Where's home for ya?"
"St. Louis." Craig replied. "Rachel here used to go to the best prep school in Missouri."
"A smart one huh." The cabbie said with a smirk. "Have ya heard about that girl from St. Louis who got roughed up by her step-dad, gosh what a bad situation. They still haven't found the guy. They were sayin' on the radio this morning that he probably fled the country."
It took all of Rachel's strength not to scream. She could feel herself tensing up as Craig continued to make small talk with the cabbie. She could hear the words pouring out of their mouths, talking about how unfortunate she was and how they hoped he got caught.
It wasn't until she felt the car stop moving that she realized what was happening. She wordlessly got out of the cab and went to the trunk to help Craig unload the two suitcases that had been placed there earlier.
"Good luck kids!" The cabbie said as Craig handed him a wad of cash.
Rachel watched as the yellow car drove away. She stood still until she felt a cold hand on her shoulder.
"We're getting on a plane to Los Angeles and then we'll be going to Mexico. You scream and you'll pay, you understand?" Craig whispered into her ear.
Rachel nodded, leaning down to pick up the smaller of the two suitcases. "Let's go." She said quietly when he didn't move.
Craig looked at her with an eyebrow raised in confusion before he shook his head and instructed her to head into the airport. He would follow her.
She walked slowly towards the doors, knowing that the moment she walked into the airport she'd be forfeiting any chance she had of getting away. She was still several feet away when she heard the doors opening.
"Get away from my daughter you bastard." Mark's cold voice filled her ears.
Rachel's head snapped up, her eyes meeting with her father's for a brief moment before she ran past him into the airport, dropping the suitcase that had been in her hands along the way.
Mark lunged forward, pushing Craig to the ground. "I can't believe you thought you'd get away with this shit." He said venomously, looking around as airport security began to run towards them.
"I already did." Craig spat back. "She didn't fight me. She cares about me."
Mark felt himself being pulled off from him by a security officer. "Care to explain your assault of this man?" The officer asked him angrily as he began to put handcuffs around his wrists.
"This is Craig Simon, he's wanted for sexual abuse and kidnapping of my daughter." Mark replied as he shifted his arms.
"Alright." The other officer replied, putting Craig in handcuffs as well. "Let's go and get this story straight."
Rachel was curled up on the floor in the family bathroom. She could hear knocks periodically on the door but she didn't move. Tears were pouring down her face as she tried to press herself further into the corner she was sitting in.
She wasn't sure how long she had been there when she heard a voice along with the knocking. "Is someone in there?" a somewhat familiar voice asked.
Rachel coughed slightly as she tried to think about what was happening.
"Are you alright?" The voice asked again, clearly having heard her.
Rachel panicked, trying to become as quiet as possible, hoping she would be left alone. After what felt like an eternity she heard footsteps walking away from the door. She sighed in relief before looking around again. She knew she couldn't stay here forever, but somehow she felt safe.
Moments later she heard two sets of footsteps approaching the door before the voice sounded again with another knock. "My name's Jackie I work at the airport, I'm going to open the door." A new voice sounded as a key entered into the lock.
Rachel shut her eyes as tightly as possible as she heard the door opening, praying that whoever it was would go away.
"Rachel?" The familiar voice asked suddenly.
Rachel's eyes snapped open and she found herself looking at Kerry Weaver.
"Rachel what happened?" Kerry asked as she quickly moved to sit next to her.
She quickly moved away from her. "Don't touch me." She whimpered quietly.
Kerry nodded as she gently scooted away from her. "I won't." She promised gently.
"Do you know this girl?" The airport employee asked, clearly confused by the situation.
Kerry nodded. "She's the daughter of one of my employees." She explained quickly. "Could you please get me a bottle of water?"
Jackie nodded before leaving, closing the door behind her.
"Rachel what are you doing here?" Kerry asked her softly. "Are you running away?"
Rachel coughed with a slight laugh. "No." She whimpered quietly.
"Can you tell me what's going on?" Kerry tried again.
Rachel shook her head. "No." She replied, this time her voice was filled with anger.
"Rachel you need help." Kerry said softly. "What can I do?"
"Just leave me here." She whimpered quietly before collapsing into sobs. "Lock the door and don't come back."
"Rachel…" Kerry began again before she was interrupted by Jackie coming back into the room.
"Here's the water." She said, handing Kerry the bottle in her hands. "I'm sorry what did you say her name was?"
"Rachel." Kerry replied as she unscrewed the cap from the bottle before trying to give the bottle to Rachel.
"Rachel Greene?" Jackie asked carefully. Kerry nodded, clearly confused. "Rachel your dad is looking for you, Craig was just taking into custody by the CPD."
Rachel shook her head as she slowly stood up. "No… no… no." She said firmly before running past both of them and out into the airport.
"Rachel wait!" Kerry called after her as she tried to catch up, a feat made impossible by her crutch.
Rachel was running blindly and thought she was going to make it out of the front doors when she felt herself collide into someone. "Sorry." She apologized awkwardly as she tried to maneuver around them, but she was shocked when she felt hands on her shoulders.
"Rach, it's me." Her Dad's voice filled her ears. "I'm right here. It's me."
She looked up at him shaking her head angrily. "You… you let this happen." She said quietly as she began to back away from him.
"I know." Mark admitted wholeheartedly. "I'm sorry."
"You promised me!" She began to yell. "You promised me he wouldn't ever get to me again!"
"I know."
"YOU LET HIM TAKE ME AWAY!" She began at a full blown scream. "HE KIDNAPPED ME AND YOU… You… you couldn't stop him." She ended in practically a whimper.
"I know." Mark affirmed once again. "I promised you I would take care of you and I failed miserably, but please Rachel, don't shut me out now."
"Daddy." She whispered quietly before running back to him full force. "You came." She whispered as his arms wrapped around her. "You came for me."
"Of course I did." Mark assured her gently, pressing his lips against her hair. "I'll always come for you, no matter what."