Where Dreams Lay

[thirty two]

[thirty two] "till now, I always got by on my own, I never really cared until I met you" -Alyssa Reid, ft. P. Reign

I never thought I'd be here again.

Aiden and I walk hand in hand through the doors. The area is familiar as we follow Roger deeper into the station. My mind is roaming with questions I wish came with answers right away. At some point, someone needs to explain how this all came about.

"You two stay here for a minute. I have to meet with someone quickly, then I'll be back to explain everything. Okay?" Roger Banks looks at me, expecting an answer to come from my mouth, not Aiden's.

I nod, and he walks away.

"Hey," Aiden cups my cheek with his free hand, "It's going to be alright."

I nod again, taking a seat in a waiting chair.

"I just wish this would all end, you know?" I tell him quietly.

He squeezes my hand and says, "Sometimes getting there is the hardest part, but once you reach your final destination . . . it's all worth it."

I don't break our eye contact, so he continues, "Paris it's unbelievable how well you've held up these past few weeks. Don't give up now. I know you can push through."

I force a weak smile and whisper, "Thank you." Then place my head on his shoulder, closing my eyes.

After about five minutes, Roger approaches us.

"So. I bet you have lot of questions, Paris."

"How'd you know?" I grin.

He takes a deep breath before starting, "Jared O'Conner. Jace O'Conner's father was unconscious for an hour. Jace hit him with a baseball bat, not knocking him out hard enough to cause serious damage though."

"So he'll live." I state.

He nods, "Yes. Then as for Jace . . . well he's going to be interviewed and probably tried in court for his acts. He is eighteen, so eligible to be sent to jail. He hasn't been charged yet, they are still figuring that stuff out."

I nod, absorbing what he said. Roger continues, "The other two men were also caught. They are being dealt with right now."

A thought pops into my mind when I look at the clock behind him, "What about my brothers and sister?"

"Don't worry, I called one of your neighbors to pick them up after school and stay with them for the night. They are in good hands."

I sigh. Thank goodness they'll be okay. I don't need that extra stress on my shoulders.

"So is that all?" Aiden asks.

He hesitates, "Well . . . Aiden remember when you said you saw Jared O'Conner at the hospital?"

"Yeah. What about it?"

"That wasn't his only stop. He broke into your house, Paris, and robbed you."

"Oh God." I breathe out.

"We are still looking for the items he took. They are possibly in that building he hid you in. Many officers are scouting to find everything, so don't stress."

"Okay. Thank you, sir." I say.

"Oh please," he looks at mine and Aiden's hands, "Call me Roger. I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot more of each other once this is sorted out."