123: His baby

The room fell into a chilling silence, or maybe it was just my world that went completely still for a moment, so still I thought I had died, and the silence was a reward for my pain.

But that silence was broken only by the labored breaths of Lucas and the wheezing noise my lungs made as they struggled to retain air. There was no distant sound of sirens piercing the night. I wondered if any help at all was coming. I could feel both relief and anguish coming off Lucas as he moved steadily.

"Fiona," he whispered, his voice laced with guilt. "I'm so sorry you had to endure this. I promise that whoever did this would regret it, and there would be hell to pay. You just have to make it out in one piece for me, baby, and You just have to survive this," His voice broke; "you have to"

I could barely hear him, but the misery in his voice somehow connected with mine, telling me all the things his words were struggling to say. I tried to respond, but my voice barely carried a whisper. My body ache