Secluded Affair

Chapter 19.

Jon's POV

As I wake up and look out of the window, the sky changes colours, and the sun is beginning to rise. I decided to go for a run down the beach; it feels like a lifetime since I got out and stretched my legs. After about an hour of running, I get back to the villa and switch on the coffee machine; I call the hospital to see how Cori's night was then I shower.

I get back to the hospital a little later than I expected; I grab a couple of coffees from the vending machine and head to see my baby. I stop at the nurse's station and chat with the ladies for a minute or two.

"Hey, Lizzie, is Cori awake yet?"

"Not yet, Jon; we thought it would be nice for you to wake her up."

"Aw, Lizzie, that's so sweet. Thank you, ladies, so much for taking care of her".

I open the door to her room, and she is laid there sound asleep, looking almost angelical besides the mouth hanging open catching flies. I pop the bag and the coffees down and walk to the side of her bed; I stroke her cheek and whisper softly.

"Baby, it's time to wake up." I have forgotten how many times I have said those words in the last few days, but I know her eyes will open this time.

It takes a few minutes of gently speaking to her and stroking her cheek; slowly, her eyes begin to flutter open; she looks around a little emotional and confused for a second. I stand there watching her; once I look into her eyes, I am gone; they have me hypnotized.

"Jonny?"

"Yes, baby, it is me, morning. How are you feeling?" I lean over and kiss her forehead.

"Morning, baby, I'll tell you when I wake up!"

"Well, how about you give me a kiss then."

"Dude, I haven't brushed my teeth yet".

"Hasn't stopped you before now, has it?" I said, giving her a wink.

"Ok, prince charming, you can have a death breath kiss," I say, swatting his arm.

"What the fuck Is a death breath kiss?"

"BAD MORNING BREATH kiss"

"Ok, I will settle for a peck on the lips and then I'll help you get cleaned up and brush your teeth so I can kiss you properly, woman."

I help her get up and walk over to the bathroom; I get her stuff sorted and ready for her to use. We get her hospital gown off and give her a sponge bath and get her dressed in some of her comfortable clothes. Once she has finished getting all cleaned up and feeling fresh, I cannot help but cup her face and kiss her, full of love and want. Finally, we break apart, and she lets out a breath.

"Wow, I forgot how good your kisses were, Jonny,"

"Same here, baby, you have no idea how much I have missed you. Hey honey, what did you do with your ring? I tried looking for its last night, but I couldn't find it."

"I left it on the vanity in the bathroom, baby. I remember I took it off, put it on the little dish on top of the vanity, had a shower, and thought I would get dressed then put it back on, baby. So please do not tell me they took it, baby".

"I will have a proper look tonight just in case it has fallen on the floor or the clean-up crew has moved it."

She nods her head; I can see she is upset that they took her ring. I walked her back to her room and got her comfortable on the bed; she looks much better now she is in her clothes, and we cleaned up. Her hair is still tangled at the back and layered in dried blood under the bandage, but she must wait for a few days before washing it, for the wound to heal. We lay on the bed, and I wrap my arm around her shoulder and pull her into my side where she belongs and fits so well. We lie there for a little while, our fingers entwined together, just enjoying the moment's stillness. A little bit later, one of the nurses pops her head in and lets us know the police are on their way up to take Cori's statement.

"Cori, do you want me to stay with you while you talk to the police?"

"Jonny, please don't leave me. Can you handle hearing what I remember?" She grabs onto my arm, not letting me go anywhere.

"Baby, I'm here; I'm not leaving. If I feel uncomfortable, I will let you know."

"Jonny, I remember it all, every touch, every word, even the smell" I take her into my arms and hold her tight; she is shaking in my arms.

"SHH, baby, it's ok. I'm right here."

A knock at the door and one of the detectives pops his head in, gives a smile and walks in closely, followed by his partner.

"AH, Miss Ross, so lovely to see you woken up. Do you feel up to talking to us today?"

"Hi, Yes, I think I can manage it."

"Miss Ross, I'm Detective Peters, and this is Detective Davis. How are you feeling?"

"Please call me Cori; I'm ok. My head hurts a lot, but other than that, I feel ok".

"Cori, if you can, can you tell me what you remember from the day."

Cori POV

I woke up and reached out for Jon, but the bed was cold and empty, I got up and walked through to the kitchen to see if he was around, but the house was devoid of life. I grabbed a water bottle, walked back to the bedroom, and decided to get ready before he came back. We had planned to go out that day. I had gone for a shower and wrapped myself in a towel. I walked into the bedroom and heard a noise coming from somewhere in the house. I thought it was Jon, so I popped my head out the door and shouted to him, letting him know where I was. I had left the door ajar and was in the closet picking out my clothes when I heard the door open further. Just as I stood up, I felt a massive smack to the back of my head, and everything went black."

"Take your time, Miss Ross; we are in no rush" I nodded to the detective and took a couple of deep breaths before continuing.

"I felt my body picked up off the floor and jostled around, but I couldn't move. I could hear everything clear as day and could feel but nothing else. Then, finally, I heard two males' voices, and they said they thought the house was empty as they saw Jon leaving. The other guy was pissed off because the other one had knocked me out. I was laid down on the bed; the one who stayed in the room smelled like stale alcohol. He took my hands and tied them to the bed by the wrists above my head. Then he straddled my legs as if he was holding me down, then bending over me, his alcohol breath fanning over my face as he kissed me on the lips, his rough hands were touching me all over. He then got off me and lay next to me. Again, his hands were touching me in places he shouldn't have been touching."

I paused to take a breath. I was shaking, and tears were falling down my face recalling these unpleasant memories. I could see Jon's hand, clenching it open and shut and pulling me in closer to him. I took another deep breath.

"Thankfully, before he went any further, his mate shouted that someone was coming, and they needed to move. He ripped his hands off my body and whispered, 'If only I had more time'. Then I heard his footsteps receding through the house. It was quiet for a few minutes, and then I heard Jon's voice shouting through the house. Finally, he came through the door, found me, and called an ambulance."

I finally managed to recall the last memories, and I had not wholly lost myself; I was a mess by the end. Jon just held onto me tighter and tighter the more I recalled his head was in my hair, his fist was still tightly clenched, the knuckles turning white. Finally, I took his hand and gently rubbed circles into it, trying to calm him down.

"Did you happen to notice if the patio doors were open or closed when you went into the kitchen to get a drink?"

"I think they were closed; yes, they were closed."

Thank you, Cori; I am so sorry you had to go through that. But, unfortunately, that is all we have for today".

Jon gets up and shakes their hands and sees them out of the room; he walks out of the room and has a quick conversation with them. He comes back into the room and closes the door; he takes a deep breath. Instead of coming back to the bed, he walks over to the window and just stares out, lost in his head. I manage to get up from the bed and walk over to him, and I press myself into his back; I wrap my arms around him and just hug him tight from behind.