AJ wasn't sure what to think when she woke up. She wasn't aware of how she managed to be laying on something so comfortable, with reassuring and concerned voices travelling around her. She remembered everything. Every little detail until everything went dark when she was lying on the cold floor at the bottom of the stairs. She knew someone had pushed her. The air would never be so strong. Two, heavy and angry hands savagely pushed her, knowing she had no where to go or escape, sending her tumbling down a full flight of stairs. It was scary.
She sat up a little from the bed she was lying on. It must have been just a few hours. She had no idea how someone could have found her without coming into the house. Although she remembered everything she was very confused.
"What… what is going on?" She asked a nurse who noticed she was awake and rushed to her side.
"How are you feeling?" A nurse questioned her as she put her hand on her forehead, running her finger gently over the stitches that started at her hair line, down her temple, tender and sore. She'd really taken a nasty fall. But she was ok. That was all that mattered.
"Ok." AJ nodded, "I..." She began to attempt to speak when a man walked through the door, raising his badge immediately before even letting the nurse speak.
"Do you mind if we have a few words Miss Mendez?" Paul, Punks boss asked. Although Punks boss, AJ was unfamiliar with the man, until he introduced himself, "I'm Phils boss, Paul." He said as AJ sat up, taking the cup of water that the nurse had poured for her, taking a drink of the cool water, nodding to the nurse in signal for the officer to come further into the room and speak with her. Anyone who Phil trusted, she could trust too.
"Someone pushed me down the stairs." AJ explained as the nurse left the room.
She was still in her pyjamas, sitting up on the bed, her only injuries being her cut head, and the concussion she had suffered.
"I know." Paul nodded, "I called Phil, he's on his way home. He knows you're ok, but he refused to stay out in Albania whilst you were here. He'll be home early later on tonight. I said I would, keep an eye on you until he gets home." He said as AJ raised her eyebrows.
"I barely know you." She said, "Why would you need to keep an eye on me anyway? It was just a robber, wasn't it? An intruder? They happen all the time. Phil tells me about them." She said. She hadn't expected anything bad to be the reason of her fall down the stairs. Punk always told her not to think negatively.
"It's much, much more complicated." Paul said, "You're still in danger, April. Phil dodged around telling you, because he didn't want to worry you." He said, "You're life is still in the hands of your ex husband. While we're still trying to find these Albanians, you're still a target." He explained as AJ shook her head in disbelief, "It's why Phil left for a few days to Albania. He went to see if he could pick up on anything going on down there. I told him I'd keep an eye on you whilst you were away. He gave me a spare key to the house. When I spotted a guy driving away from parked outside the house, I found you." He said.
"Why wouldn't Phil tell me?" She gasped with a crack in her voice.
"He just didn't want to worry you." Paul said, "But we're gonna find them, April. And we're gonna put an end to this scheme that's going on between the Albanians." He said.
"Am I going to die first?" She looked up at him, "It was… it was one of them that pushed me downstairs… wasn't it?" She looked at Paul who nodded.
"I got the registration plate." He said, "It was foreign." He nodded as AJ sighed, placing her hands over her face and sighing loudly. She couldn't believe this. Why wouldn't Punk tell her? How could he not let her know that she was in so much danger?
"How do I know these guys aren't watching me?" AJ shook her head, "I mean, me and Jamie are over. Why do they still want to come after me?" She asked.
"Only if Jamie stops doing his job, which obviously he has." Paul said, "They aren't watching you. Despite it or not, these guys don't plan. They just go in, cause destruction and leave. This was just a warning. Jamie has obviously been slacking, and you're paying." Paul said, "This is what happens with bastards like them. They go for the wives and the kids, not the people who are actually doing them wrong." He said, "But you don't have to worry. Phil is good at keeping you safe, once he gets here, he'll explain everything." Paul said as AJ just sighed.
"So my life depends on whether Jamie smuggles the right drugs to another country? That's what you're saying?" She spat, she couldn't believe this. Why had she got brought into something so dangerous and awful.
"In other words, yes." Paul nodded, "But we're gonna keep you safe. I promise. Phil won't let anything happen to you. I know him too well."
"Well where was he a few hours ago?" She asked, "He can't keep his eyes on me the entire time, can he? I have a job, and a life. I can't be scared doing those things. I… I don't want to be a target. How-How can I find a way for them to leave me alone?" She sighed frustratedly. She hated this. She hated feeling like a punching bag target. Never knowing when she was going to be preyed on.
"You can't." Paul said, "Phil will tell you himself. He studies these guys for a living. There's no escaping them. Just… let us do our job. He'll keep you safe. These guys might be good, but they're cowards. They won't ever come near you when you're with him." Paul said, "Just get some rest, ok." Paul smiled, placing his hand on her lower leg comfortingly, giving her a sympathetic smile as she just turned away.
She knew it was wrong to take it out on him, or any of the cops that tried to look out for her, especially Phil, but it was hard to react to anything when she seemed to be such a target. The fact that her actual life was in the hands of her ex husband was terrifying. She was just so scared, and she didn't want to be. She and Phil were meant to be happy, living a care free life. She didn't want this.
She'd been advised to rest in the hospital for a bit, and then she was going to be taken home, escorted by some officers who were going to be supervising the house twenty four seven until Punk got back. Not even that made her feel safe though. She would only feel safe when Punk got home. And even then, was she really safe? Punk couldn't keep her glued to his hip all the time. She had a life to go life, and a job to work. She couldn't be leaving her house every morning, feeling threatened and terrified. She was so upset about it all, and just so tired and fed up already.
"Miss Mendez, can I have a chat?" A nurse knocked the room door whilst AJ slowly but surely put her jacket on that Paul had brought to her.
"Yeah." AJ nodded whilst sitting on the edge of the bed as the nurse came in with a clipboard and pen.
"Well we ran some tests when you were brought in. Because you had a concussion, we had to check your blood and just make sure you were fully examined. We've jut received your results back just now to the simple tests we done." She announced as AJ looked up with confusion.
"Is… are they bad?" She shook her head, a lump in her throat that she was scared to swallow. She really couldn't take any more bad news.
"You appear to be ten weeks pregnant." The nurse said as AJ felt like she could hear the words echo in the room. She couldn't have been hearing right. Pregnant? Did the nurse just say she was pregnant? Ten weeks pregnant?
"There must be a mistake." She shook her head repeatedly, "I can't be." She said, her voice in a shrieking squeeky tone that couldn't be shifted even if she tried.
How could she be pregnant? She was careful. Her and Punk were careful. She was always on birth control, and if not, she'd make sure Punk went out and got protection. She always made sure of it.
"Contraceptives don't always work the way we hope they would, unfortunately." The nurse said as AJ ran her hand through her hair, "I'll let you have a minute." She nodded to AJ, leaving the room as AJ just buried her face into her hands.
She didn't even know if Punk wanted children, and even if he did, now was not the right time! In fact, there couldn't have been a worse time. At a time where she was being targeted and in danger, Punk didn't need another importance to look after her.
She did always want children. She of course wanted to raise a family. But not right now. It was way too chaotic to be dealing with a baby, which she didn't even know how he'd feel about it.
Things were all just too much.
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