Renewed (Awakened #2) (21 page)

Chapter Twenty-One

I woke up the next morning and spent half the day signing paperwork for my discharge and getting my stuff together to leave. Annabelle was released from NICU, but they wanted to keep her at the hospital another couple of days for monitoring. Stefan tried to get me to take her home so that he could get a special doctor for her, but I won that fight. She was staying where she belonged to get the best possible help she could.

After I was discharged, I changed into a pair of yoga pants and a dull purple shirt that Stefan brought from home. I put on my tennis shoes before packing everything into the bag he brought me. He walked it out to the black SUV, then we went inside and ate in the cafeteria before going to visit Annabelle one more time before we left.

I was starving. I felt like I hadn’t eaten in months, so when he set a chicken fried steak with white gravy and mashed potatoes in front of me, I dug right in.

“You hungry?” Stefan chuckled under his breath, watching me.

“Understatement.” I put another bite into my mouth.

We finished eating, dumped our trash, and walked to the nursery. Stefan picked up the phone and spoke into it. Within moment the door opened, allowing us entry into the nursery.

“Annabelle is awake. She’s right this way.” The nurse led us over to her. She was lying in a hospital crib, swaddled tightly with a blanket. We washed our hands, and I sat down in the rocking chair next to her. The nurse picked her up and laid her in my cradled arms.

I felt all the breath rush from my lungs. She was so tiny, so fragile in my arms. Her eyes were opened, and she was looking at me. She had beautiful caramel eyes just like Stefan, and I felt the tears well up in my
throat.“Isn’t
she beautiful?” Stefan asked.

“The most beautiful thing I have ever seen,” I whispered.

“Momma and Daddy love you so much,” I told her as I began rocking the chair. Stefan put her big finger in her hand, and she curled her tiny fingers around him.

This was what life was about. This had always been my path. Even bad things had a way of spinning around and turning out good.

We spent the next hour playing, feeding and rocking Annabelle to sleep. Being a mom was going to be an amazing job, that was for sure. I felt bad that I was leaving her here in the nursery, but she needed to be monitored and then she would come home safely.

We both got into the SUV as Charles started the engine. He pulled out of the hospital parking lot as I reached for Stefan’s hand. “What happened to my car?”

“It was totaled.” He turned his head and looked at me. “I’m just still trying to process everything. I thought you were gone. I’m sorry.” He brought my knuckles to his lips and kissed them, sending sparks through my body.

We pulled into our driveway, and Charles put the car in park. I opened my door and stepped out as the garage door opening. Stefan joined me at my side and put his hand on my lower back, leading me towards the garage. Once it was opened fully, I could see what was inside.

“Oh my gosh! Stefan!” I looked at him and then back to the garage.

“You needed a new car.” He smiled, kissing the side of my head. I walked over to the silver 2013 Mercedes Benz CLS and opened the driver door.

“I love it!” I said, peering inside at the all the controls and buttons, especially the fancy screen in the dashboard. I pressed the start button, and the car roared to life, all the gages lighting up. I turned it off, and climbed out, closing the door.

“You’re the best.” I stretched on my tip-toes and kissed him, letting it linger a little longer.

“Go inside and get the shower ready. I’ll be up in just a minute.” He smiled at me, gently tapping my butt as I walked to the door. “Charles, stay with me please,” I heard Stefan call out as I opened the door and headed inside.

I walked into the living room and flicked on the light, ready to walk down the hall to our bedroom.

“Well hello, Jenny.” His voice froze every fiber in my body. “I wasn’t sure when I would get to see you.” He laughed as he stood, his back to me. “Actually, who am I kidding? I was kind of hoping I’d
never
see you again.” He turned around.

“Why are you here? Haven’t you done enough damage?” I asked, shaking.

“Oh, Jenny. The damage I have caused you is not even
close
to the damage you have caused me. Taking my wife away from me, causing me to drink...All. Your. Fault.” He pronounced every word with such clarity, sticking his finger in my direction.

“Dad...”

“I am
not
your dad!” he screamed. “That would make you my daughter, and that is one thing
your
not, Jenny.” He sidestepped the couch and started walking over to me. “Oh, no baby anymore...”

“She’s alive,” I spit out.

“My intentions were never to hurt your baby.”

“Just to kill me, huh?”

“Precisely. Now listen here, Jenny. You want to make me go away? I can make that happen. I need money...exactly what you married into. I think you see we can both help each other out here.”

“I will
never
give you
anything
.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.” He was standing in front of me, and I could smell the whiskey on his breath. “You can either give me a million dollars on your own, or I could just kidnap you and hold you until Stefan gives me the money. Your choice.” He twirled my hair in his finger.

I swatted his hand away and took a step back. “Rot. In. Hell,” I whispered.

“Have it your way.” He raised his hand up and slapped my face, knocking me down to the floor. I cried out as I heard the garage door open and two pairs of footsteps running toward me. I closed my eyes, waiting for Charles’ gun to go off, but silence was all that followed.

“Well, George, I am so glad you decided to welcome yourself into our home.” Stefan’s voice was strong and masculine.

Stefan picked me up. I looked over at Charles who had his gun pointed straight at my dad, but he didn’t look phased.

“Charles, I can handle this drunk asshole on my own. Get my wife out of here.” Charles lowered his weapon.

Stefan shook his head and walked closer to George. “Listen here, bastard. Don’t you ever, for one moment, think you can come into
my
house and fuck with
my
family and get away with it. It was just a matter of time before I hunted your sorry ass down and made you pay for what you did to my wife and daughter. You are a sorry excuse for a man!”

“What
ya
going to do? Kill me? You better because if I make it out of this house alive, I will come back and your wife will experience the same thing
my
wife experienced by her! She killed her! She took
everything
away from me!”

“Say what you want, you crazy fuck. Jennifer would never kill a fly, much less her mom. We all know the truth here. Maybe you should realize the same thing.” Stefan took one step forward and punched him with so much force in the face that it knocked him down.

He began spitting blood on the carpet as I hopped up and yelled at Stefan. “Stop it!”

“GET HER OUT OF HERE, CHARLES!” Stefan screamed.

Charles picked me up, trying to be gentle as I kicked my legs and screamed. I saw Stefan kick my father in the ribs before Charles carried me back into our bedroom.

“Sorry, Mrs. Long,” Charles said, closing my door and standing in front of it. I started pounding on him with my one good arm, begging him to let me out. I could call the cops. I could stop this!

After a moment, I stopped and looked at him, more closely this time. “Charles?”

“
Yes’m
?”

“Where’s your gun?”

Bang!

My eyes grew wide as the sound ricocheted through my body. “Ste...” I couldn’t get his name out...my nightmare was coming true. Charles was quick to turn around and open the door. We both ran down the hallway.

In the middle of the room was my father, lying in bright red blood. Stefan lowered the gun with Charles standing next to him. Stefan’s eyes bounced from my
fathers
dead body to my eyes. I couldn’t cry. I couldn’t move or think. My mind was taking everything in.

I put my hand up to my mouth as I tried to suppress the tears and the rage burning up my throat.

“Jennifer,” Stefan whispered. He handed the gun to Charles, and they exchanged looks before he started walking towards me.

“Don’t!” I pointed my finger at him, taking a step back.

Stefan stopped in his tracks and stood there just as still as I was. My legs gave up, and I fell onto the floor, my emotions overtaking me as I let out a loud scream, letting it rage throughout my entire body. With my good hand, I pounded the carpet over and over again.

“
Shh
...” Stefan repositioned me so that I was crying into his chest.

“No!” I cried. I couldn’t stop. I couldn’t make this go away no matter what he had done.

“Baby, listen to me.” He pulled my face away from him and cradled it in his hands. “Your dad lunged at me, okay? He had a knife in his hands. I had to protect myself.” He swept my hair out of my face. “I had to protect you.” He kissed my forehead as I pushed through his hands and planted my face back to his chest.

Both of my parents were gone.

This couldn’t be happening.

I couldn’t do this again!

“Oh God, no!” I screamed into his chest as he rocked me back and forth, running his hand down my hair.

I heard the sirens and the police busting down our front door with their weapons drawn. They quickly put them down after assessing the scene. I stopped crying for a moment, looking at them.

“Ma’am are you okay?” one of the officer’s asked.

“Yes.”

“He’s dead, sir.”

 
I put my face back into Stefan’s chest and began sobbing again.

“It’s going to be okay, babe,” Stefan whispered.

“Sir, I’m going to need you to step over here so I can ask you some questions.”

Stefan shifted, so I stood to my feet and moved to sit on the couch, trying to get a handle on myself.

Stefan and Charles spent the next hour answering questions and signing documents. They eventually took my dad away in a body bag, the bloodied carpet the only remaining sign that he was here.

Stefan sat down next to me, putting his hand on my knee. “You okay?”

I looked over at him, my face stained with tears. “I’m not sure I’ll ever be okay.”

“He can’t hurt you anymore, Jennifer. He can’t hurt this family.”

“Easy for you to say!” I raised my voice. “You still have your mom.”

“I’d rather have no family then to have
him
as my family,” he whispered.

I looked at him, not blinking as his words ran cold down my spine.

I stood to my feet. “Well, then maybe I shouldn’t be allowed to have a family.”

I walked to our bedroom and slammed the door, locking it behind me. I spent the rest of the day and much of the night crying and pleading with God to have mercy on my father and to bring my mother back to me.

After hours of crying, I finally turned my brain off, and allowed exhaustion and darkness to take me over.