Brian didn't stop again until they were nearly in Colorado, and he picked up some food for them in Kentucky Fried Chicken while Christopher went into the bathroom. Again he was told not to try anything, that if he did it would be bad for him. Little did he know that he was being followed, and when Christopher walked out of the bathroom, which was out of sight of his dad, the woman he had seen at the gas station was right there.
She motioned for him to keep quiet and follow her. He didn't know what to do. If he walked away, that could mean more hurt for him. But what if she was only trying to help him? She saw him hesitate. " I'm not going to hurt you." She whispered. " I'm going to get you somewhere safe, I promise."
He swallowed nervously and followed her out the door. He caught a quick glance at his dad as he walked out, who was grabbing them drinks. Rushing out to the woman's car, she unlocked her doors and he got in. " Why are you helping me? You don't even know me." He asked.
" I was once in an abusive relationship and my kids had the same look that you had on your face earlier. I just knew you were in trouble, and I wasn't going to just let him hurt you anymore than he already had." She started her car, and drove off. " Now where are you from?"
" My mom moved us to Tulsa, Oklahoma. We're a long way from home." He told her nervously, hoping his dad wouldn't figure out he was gone for a little while yet.
" It's okay. Even when he notices your gone, he has no clue who you are with. He can't get to you anymore." She looked his way for a moment, before pulling onto the highway.
" Do you have a cell phone I can use? I want to call my sister. I want to let her know I am okay."
" It's in my purse. Go ahead and grab it. I trust you won't go through it."
With a nod, he went into her purse and found it right away. He dialed his sister's cell phone number. But it wasn't her who picked it up. " Hello." He heard Taylor's voice on the other end.
" Taylor, it's me. It's Christopher. Why are you answering my sister's phone?" He asked.
_______________________________________________________
Taylor was surprised to hear Christopher's voice on the line, and was in shock. He didn't answer his question for a moment. When Christopher asked again why he was answering his sister's phone, he found his voice. " I"ll explain everything to you when you get back here. Where are you, Christopher?"
" Some lady is bringing me home. My dad was bringing me back to Colorado with him, and on one rest stop I ran into her. She followed us, and told me I could trust her. She said her kids went through the same thing, Taylor. She only wants to help. I can tell."
" I hope your right, Christopher. We really need you back." He told him. " More than you know."
" Is my sister okay? Please tell me, Taylor." He begged.
With a sigh, he told Christopher what happened. He told him about the miscarriage. " Your sister needs you home more than anything. She is going through a hard time right now. She is taking it very hard."
" I'm on my way. I promise. Just tell her I love her." Taylor could tell over the phone that Christopher was crying.
" Of course I will. Now can I talk to this woman please? I need to talk to her." Taylor asked.
He heard the phone being shuffled over to her, and her voice came over the line. " I do promise you he is safe. I'm on my way to Tulsa now."
" Good. I want him back in one piece." Taylor told her. " I am going to give you my address. Someone will be there when you show up. Please talk to the police when you get there, so we can track Christopher's father down. He needs to go to jail for this." He gave her the address, and then they hung up.Setting the phone down on the stand by Arielle's hospital bed, he walked out of the room. He sat next to Ashley, who hadn't moved from her spot. She looked up at him, tears still running down her face. He rubbed them away, and smiled. " I have some good news for you, Ashley."
