Cold Hard Courage

[1] - Betrayed

[Beatrice Eaton]

I stand in the kitchen of my Parents' house. I can't go back and see Tobias. Our fight was awkward. Are we already separating? No. No. We can't separate yet. It's been nearly a week since I left and there had been little to no contact. He's left me alone. I've let him be. And it's sucked. Pounding sounds at the door. Terrifyingly loud pounding. I stand. I approach the front door, opening it. It's Zeke.

" Zeke? " I ask.

Shauna stands next to him, biting on her lip.

" Is everything okay? " I ask.

Zeke wears a worried expression, a harsh frown.

" Where's Tobias? " I ask, leaning around the door.

Shauna chews even harder on her lip. Something is wrong.

" That's actually why we're here. We can't find Tobias. " He says. " We were wondering if you had heard from him recently. "

It feels almost as if a harpoon has stabbed through my heart. My chest is closing up. I can't breathe. Where is Tobias? Where is my Husband?

" What? " I ask.

It's all I can manage to ask. My legs are shaking. Life is repeating itself. Tobias is missing. TOBIAS IS MISSING. I can feel the tears dripping down my cheeks as I process the information I've been given.

" He went on a call the other night with Peter to a car accident. But he never came back to the precinct. He won't answer any of our calls. We thought that he might be here. " Zeke says.

I shake my head, wiping my cheeks.

" He might be at the NICU. We got into a fight recently and we haven't really been in contact. Graham got even sicker and I blamed his work on him being a horrible father. " I say. " I told him that if he wanted me to come home that he would go to the NICU and spend more time with Graham. "

Zeke nods.

" We'll go check there next before we declare it a missing person's incident. Would you like to come with? " He asks.

I nod.

" Uh, yeah. Just let me grab my phone and my jacket. " I say.

I spin around, grabbing my phone and jacket. I slip some shoes on, following then to Zeke's care. I pray that Tobias is just at the NICU with Graham. Maybe he's just learning about Graham like he said he would. Zeke drives us to the Hospital, parking out front.

" Follow me. I can get us to the NICU quickly. " I say.

We enter the building, taking a shortcut to the NICU. I can feel my heart pounding in my chest with every step I take. Is Graham gonna be Fatherless? I spot the blue haze of the NICU incubation lamps--the spot where Graham resides. We wash our hands, gloving and gowning up before we enter the NICU. We sign in, walking over to Graham's area. It's empty. Tobias isn't here. There are two teal hospital-grade chairs, Graham's monitors, and his incubation chamber. But no one is there. I walk over to Graham's incubation chamber, looking down at my son.

" Hey, Baby boy. Daddy's gone missing. Daddy's gone. And we don't know if he's coming home. " I say, crouching down by the holes in the side of the chamber.

Tears flow down my cheeks as I look at the small boy. The first memories of his life could be fatherless. He could be picked on at school for not having a father.

[Tobias Eaton]

'Famed Chicago Homicide Detective Tobias Eaton was to be honored at a public event the other night for all he has done for the city. However, he never showed up to the event.'
'Gary, what does this mean? Should we be concerned that Detective Eaton has recently gone MIA?'
'Nearly a year ago, Detective Eaton went missing for a month because he was captured by a relative of someone he had an unfortunate ordeal with many years ago. Authorities suspect that he has gone missing once again and that he may be in serious danger. If you hear or see anything suspicious that may relate to Detective Eaton's disappearance, please call the Chicago Police Department.'

"Dammit. They're looking for you."

I lift my head, coughing. Hanging from a frame. Why am I hanging?

"Wake up!"

I am woken up by a sharp punch to the ribs. I've been stripped of my bulletproof vest and dress shirt. I'm left in just my dark gray t-shirt and pants. I can see my gun on the table next to my stuff. The clip is still loaded in the gun. I look down at the ribs that were punched. There is blood seeping from the skin. What hit me? I spot something gold and shiny on Peter's knuckles. Brass Knuckles. No wonder it hurt.

"Rape."

I know what he wants me to say. He wants me to start the cycle. He wants my mind to become jello. He wants me to break. I can't do that. I've gotta keep a clear mind to find a way out of here. I've gotta get back home to Tris and Graham. I've gotta get out of here with my life. I can't afford to lose myself like this. I can't break after all I've done to forget what happened.

" No, " I say. " You can't break me, Michael. Not anymore. "

He shakes his head.

" And why is that? " He asks.

I smile half-heartedly.

" If you want to break me using keywords, you're going to have to find a new set. I've learned how to tolerate those words. This time, you don't get daddy's help. " I say.

He looks at Peter, nodding again. Peter punches my ribs again with the brass knuckles causing more blood to become visible. The metal is breaking through the skin, causing blood to seep into the fabric. Suddenly, something clicks. The case i never could crack no matter how many guys I put on it. My mother's case. Finally, it's open. I've solved it. I kept my mother's case private, hidden from the world. The only people who knew of it were those of which that showed up to the funeral. But on my mother's body, she had strange marks on her body. They were from brass knuckles. She had a bullet hole in her head. A bullet from Michael's gun. Michael killed my mother.

I'm done playing games, Tobias.
Then let's get this started with.
What the Hell do you think I've been doing?
Toying with me.
You'll regret screwing with me. I'm not so tolerant for assholes.
Good. Neither am I.