Endless obsession

Chapter 28

I watched the seconds tick by on the clock. Time was moving agonizingly slow and I was getting restless. Nick watched me intently as my foot started to tap again. He placed his hand over mine, causing me to stop.

"I'm sorry." I sighed, running my hands over my face. "Fuck, this is all my fault."

"No it isn't Alex, it's Andrew's. You didn't tell him to shoot Derek." He said calmly.

"I may as well have, Derek is in that operating room because of me!" I cried as tears began spilling down my cheeks again.

Nick pulled me into a hug, letting me cry on his shoulder. I knew it wasn't my fault, I didn't ask Derek to take that bullet for me. But I still felt incredibly guilty for it. One thing I have come to terms with, and it was blatantly clear to me now more then ever. I loved him, and nothing was ever going to change that.

I looked around the room, trying to find a way to distract myself. I was surprised to see there was a fairly significant police presence at the hospital. There seemed to be way more officers here then there was a few hours ago. I gave Nick a questioning look, he looked just as confused. He got up to go speak with one of the officers. I was becoming more and more concerned, especially when his face dropped. Both Nick and the officer looked in my direction before making their way over to me. Nick took my hand and helped me up.

"We have to go wait in a private room." Nick said quietly.

I looked from him to the police officer in confusion. "What's going on?"

The police officer sighed and gestured for us to follow him. I was reluctant at first but did as I was told. Once we were inside a private room, they both looked at me. Concern and worry laced both of their faces.

"One of the officers that arrested Andrew was just found dead in his cruiser. Andrew was nowhere to be found." The officer said cautiously. "He's still at large somewhere in the city. Until we find him, I have to place you both in protective custody."

"What about Derek?" I asked.

"When he's out of the OR, a police officer will be posted outside his room. We can move both of you there as well if you'd like." He said quickly, trying to keep a professional tone. I could tell he was on edge though. I nodded and he gave a weak smile before leaving the room.

I sat on one of the couches nearby and let out an uneasy breath. I should have known he wouldn't give up so easily. He's going to come back and kill Derek and possibly Nick too, all just to get to me. I pulled my knees up to my chest, resting my head against them. I felt utterly defeated, why was this happening to me? Haven't I endured enough in my lifetime? I lost my mother at a young age, my father died a little over a year ago and now my grandparents were dead. Was Maddie next? Or Angela and her boyfriend? My stomach turned in disgust thinking of Andrew killing her and her unborn baby. I couldn't let anyone else die because of me. Nick sat near me and rubbed my back soothingly. It was comforting, despite the chaos going on around us.

The next few hours passed by even slower then the last. Multiple officers came and went, checking in on us and providing what little information they could. My hope for Derek's survival was starting to dwindle. He'd been in surgery far too long, what if he didn't make it? I shuddered at the thought, quickly dismissing it from my mind.

Just then the door opened and a doctor entered, closing the door behind him. He sat down on the couch across from us, a small smile graced his lips. It sent my heart soaring before he even uttered a word.

"The surgery went well, he's going to be just fine. We're moving him to a private room now. He's still sleeping but, would you like to see him?" The doctor said cheerfully.