Stay

Chapter 24

I have nowhere to go. I have no safe place that I can stay at and live life like a normal person. I have no family, and my son is missing. I made a request to Harrison to file a missing persons report, but it hasn't been 48 hours yet. I'm waiting anxiously in my hospital room for the officers to tell me that Carson is okay, but what they are saying aren't making any sense. The cops searched Nathaniel’s house and nothing. Peyton's house was searched too and Carson wasn't there either. I can't think of anywhere else he could be. I just want to find my baby and know that he’s okay.

“Dakota, I know this is hard on you. What I need you to do is not to give up and not to lose hope. We will find him.” Officer Jarron explains to me. I’m stopping myself from crying and making myself seem strong, but I’m the weakest person alive. I pull my long hair up into a ponytail, ignoring all the knots in the process. I ask both Harris and Jarron to leave the room so I can get changed. I will just stay at a hotel in the meantime, but I have to go home. They both walk away, closing the doors behind them. I close the blinds then change into the pair of blue jeans and a baggy t-shirt that the hospital has provided for me. I open the door to see that my doctor is about to knock on the door. He’s holding a file again, so I know he has information about the drug.

“Ah, Dakota. Are you busy right now?” He asks me. I shake my head no and lead him into the room. I sit down on the bed and wrap myself in the blanket because a chill ran up my spine, making me cold. He stands up and looks at what the reports are saying. I can tell he’s trying to dumb it down a bit so I can understand everything.

“The water matches what poisoned you. So don’t drink or shower there until the water is uncontaminated. I’m just curious as to how the drug was even put in the water.” He’s thinking hard about some scenarios, but I can tell by his facial expressions that none of them makes sense to him.

“In a few days, the poison should be out of your system, just drink plenty of fluids, especially juice. Also, if you see  Nathaniel or Peyton, call the police. They’re the prime suspects in this.” I understand how Nathaniel would be at fault for this, but Peyton would never do such a thing to me. He may become angry, but he has never shown any violence towards me or Carson. He most definitely would not try to harm me in any way. Not him. 

The doctor walks out of the room, and two more visitors walk in. Harris and Jarron. Jarron stands back as Harris explains to me that Peyton has been caught, but Nathaniel is still on the loose. 

"Would you like to go see him?" He asks me ina  calm voice. I nod my head yes and stand up from the bed. Harris helps me up, making sure I don't lose my balance. I smile brightly towards him and he notices. He  lets go of me and allows me to walk out of the room before himself and Jarron. We wait at the checkout so I can leave. The process doesn't take long, but I leave on my hospital bracelet to show Peyton what he had done to me. I clench my eyes shut and attempt to remember what happened, but everything is coming up as a blank. I open my eyes again to see that the guys are waiting on me.

There's two police cars, and Jarron holds one passenger door open for me. I slide in and buckle myself to insure that I'm safe. I may be with a cop, but the price of being one is that your life and your family's lives are in danger. Not too many people are fond of the police.

~*~ 

Harris walks into the interrogation room with me, standing closely behind me. I sit down in the chair across from Peyton, who's dressed in orange and he looks normal. He doesn't look angry, or happy or sad. He just looks, normal. His hair is in a mess, and I wouldn't expect anything more. Peyton is sitting up straight in his chair with his hands on top of the table, handcuffed.

"You came." He whispers. I try to avoid eye contact with him by looking right past his head.  I nod my head yes. I clear my throat before I begin to speak.

'How do you really know Nathaniel. You know him longer than you know me.How?" I ask him, rudely. I don't care how I am sounding because I just don't care anymore. 

"Please, just let me explain." He pleads. I lean back and look him dead in the eye. He flinches a little because he knows that he isn't a threat to me.

"Explain..."  I cock an attitude towards him. He leans in closer to me, but Harris doesn't let him get any closer to me.

"I've known Nathaniel since high school. He dated my sister, and I didn't like it. They broke it off and she was devastated. he used to be my friend until he started to threaten me. Then he gets married to you and I just had to know what he saw in you because his relationships don't last long. He would show me pictures of you, and talk a lot about you, but I was never able to actually meet you. So, I did a little research on you and figured out that if I became a detective in time, I would become your partner. That you would show me around and I get to be your shadow for a year. All I wanted to do was to get to know you and I did, and I like you, Dakota."

"So, you stalked me?!" I yell through the tears at him. I am standing up in front of him with my hands on the table. My eyes are allowing the tears to fall smoothly down my face, hardly allowing me to see.

"In a way, yes, but when he found out that I was hanging out with you, he felt threatened and started sending me hate mail and he even attempted to black mail me. Dakota, I really don't remember what had happened that day. The last thing I remember is taking a drink of water while you were in the shower. Then everything went blank." He defends himself. I calm myself down a little bit and sit back down in the uncomfortable chair. I lean back, nearly hitting my head on  Harris' leg.

"Are you lying?" I demand him for an answer.

"No." I get up from my seat and walk out of the room, leaving the men alone in the room together. I wonder back into my office where all my things are scattered across the floor. I feel so invaded, and unorganized. Someone went through my stuff, and I want to know who.