1989 TV coming October 27!

Thanks for reading!

-CL


"Bella, wake up," Maxon says. I groan, refusing to open my eyes. "C'mon, Bella. You've been sleeping for the past twenty-four hours."

At this I jerk awake, sitting up, getting an elbow to the stomach. "Oof," I say, groaning. I hold my stomach, gently massaging it.

"Fuck, sorry, Bella," Maxon says, kissing the top of my head. "At least you're awake now. Dr. Corden was ready to pull his hair out."

As if on cue, Dr. Corden steps out and I gasp. He looks terrible. He has stubble on his face, and he has dark bags under his eyes. He's wearing his doctor's uniform, but it's all rumpled like he slept in it. His hair is all over the place, but it seems like he tried to brush it back. "It's good to see you awake, Bella," Dr. Corden says in an emotionless voice. He runs his fingers through his hair.

"Dr. Corden?" I ask.

"It's-I'm fine," he answers, ducking his head.

I stand up and walk over to him. I grab his hand. "What's the matter?" I ask gently.

He rubs his hands over his face. "It's-America. She's-she's-" he starts, but his voice cracks. Tears start falling down his cheeks and I hug him, rubbing his back.

"Shh, it's ok. We'll find her," I reassure him. "Just let it all out." He lays his head on my neck, still sobbing.

He straightens and looks at me. "But what if we don't? I should have told her that I love her," he says, voice cracking. He shakes his head. "I should have told her," he whispers.

"Dr. Corden-," I start but Maxon shakes his head. I inhale deeply. "We are going to find her. I promise."

Dr. Corden wipes his eyes, standing up straight. "I'm sorry about that," he says, straightening his rumpled doctor's coat.

"Dr. Corden, don't apologize. Trust me, America's kidnapping has all of us fucked up," Maxon replies.

Dr. Corden nods and turns to me. "Now, Bella, I know you're stressed about America, but you need to stay calm. Since you're so late into your pregnancy too much stress will cause an early labor. Just talk to anybody; don't get overstressed, alright? I know Maxon is already working on finding America." I nod and he leaves.

I turn to Maxon. "What are you doing to find her? Who were those guys? What did they want? Why did they go after Ames and not me or even you?" I ask rapidly.

Maxon holds his hands up. "Slow down, Bella. I can only answer one question at a time."

"Sorry," I respond sheepishly. "It's just-"

"I know, Bella, I know," Maxon mumbles, brushing his finger over my bottom lip. He gently kisses me. "Now, we have to go to a security meeting, so I'll answer your questions while you get ready."

I nod. "Ok. What should I wear?"

"Wear something business casual." I rush to my closet, looking around for my black pencil skirt. I finally find it. It's knee-length and stretchy, perfect for my very swollen belly. I pair it with a simple, modest, white long-sleeved blouse, along with open-toed black kitten heels. I step out and Maxon nods. "Perfect."

I walk to the bathroom and he trails behind me. "So…who were those guys? Rebels?" I grab my claw clip and conditioning spray, hoping to fix my messy-ass hair.

"Yes, they were Southerners. All we know is it seems that they wanted to leave the palace shaken, probably gearing up for another attack. I believe they took America because she was the closest and for no other reason. We believe we've found where they've taken Ames, but we're not one hundred percent sure. Hopefully, we will know by tomorrow." He glances at me in the mirror. I finally got my hair to behave in a half-up half-down hairstyle and now I'm working on my makeup. "Any other questions?"

"No, not at the moment. What is the meeting covering?" I ask, applying mascara. I'm almost done with my makeup, only my lips are left.

"I want more security measures to be added to the palace, to make sure you're safe. I know we've discussed this before, but with you carrying the heir to the throne and being so far along, more people could target you. I'm sure the rebels wanted you when we were in the car, but America was in the way, so they took her instead." I swirl around, ready to fight back. "Please, Bella, just allow me to do this. I don't want you kidnapped. America has already fucked me up so bad, I don't know what I would do if you were kidnapped-especially since you are carrying our baby." At this, he places his hands on my belly and kisses me gently on the lips. "Now, finish getting ready so we can get this meeting over with."


"Ugh, that was so boring," I whine. Maxon and I just dismissed everyone from the meeting and now it's only the two of us in the room. "Please don't tell me we have to do that again anytime soon."

Maxon chuckles. "No, my dear. We're done with that, hopefully forever. Trust me, I didn't enjoy it any more than you did."

I glance at the clock and notice the time. "Holy shit! That meeting lasted for three hours! Please tell me you have some sort of information about America."

Maxon nods. "They have found her location. The rebels don't know we know where she is. We are planning on going in tonight."

"What time tonight?"

"Honestly, as soon as possible," he replies, pulling off his suit jacket and rolling up his sleeves. He sighs and puts his face in his hands. I stand up and place my hands on his shoulders, massaging them. "Thanks, my dear."

"So should I go start getting ready? What should I wear?" I say, mindlessly massaging his shoulders.

At this he shoots up, almost pushing me to the ground. He turns to me. "You are not coming with. That's final, Bella."
I stand up slowly. "Yes, I am, Maxon. I'm going if you like it or not. Now let's go." I walk out the door and hear Maxon trailing behind me. I swear I hear him whisper "Fuck, I love her" but I'm not sure.