Their Little Princess

Chapter 15

"I want at least two guards with her at all times." I heard a pause and a shuffling of feet. "I also want one of you guys with her at all times. This was too close for my liking. I just got my daughter and I'm not losing her again." James, whose voice I recognized, cracked at the end. Who is he talking about? Who is after me? It can't be him. No, it can't be. I opened my eyes to see I am on one of the couches in the panic room. I quickly sat up, eager to find out what was happening. My vision blurred for a second before it evened out again. I turned my head to see James standing there with the triplets. Matthew, Ian, and Cameron's heads whipped toward my sudden movements. James followed right after them.

"Good morning Sunshine," James said while coming over to me. I said nothing as he sat down next to me. He sighed and looked at me. Nobody said a word. The tension in the room was growing thicker and thicker by the second.

"Did he find me?" I broke the silence with the unwanted question. His breath hitched. The triplets froze. It seemed that time had stopped. He cleared his throat and put an arm around me. The silence was my answer. "Oh no. No, no, no, no, no. This can't be happening." I broke down in tears. Sobs made their way out of my mouth. I collapsed onto James. My mind couldn't think straight. I grabbed my hair in a tight fist.

"I won't let anything-" I cut James off.

"I-I-I need Ethan. Oh no." My sobs got stronger and they took my breath away.

"Someone get Ethan, now!" James's voice seemed to shake the room.

"I-I-I can't go b-b-back to him." I dropped from the couch onto my knees on the floor. I was choking on my tears at this point. I heard the door open and I turned to see who it was. Ethan's familiar face came into view. I tried to crawl toward him but my sobs kept me from moving. He ran over to me and lifted me in his arms. "I-I-I can't do t-t-this again." He guided my head to his chest.

"Sh, Brianna, listen to my heartbeat. Feel my breaths. In and out. In and out." I grabbed onto his shirt in my tight fists. I tried to match my breathing but my brain wouldn't comprehend. My lungs begged for oxygen yet my brain wouldn't let me listen. "Brianna, you need to try and calm down. You're going to pass out."

"I-I-I can't. Help m-m-me." He gasped and quickly stood up with me in his arms. He ran to his room and flung open his bathroom door. He sat me on the counter and rummaged through the drawers.

"Damn it! Where is it?" He continued to go through his drawers in search of something. "Here it is." He grabbed the inhaler and shook it. He then placed it in my mouth. "Okay breath in on the count of three. One, two, three." He pressed down and the medication filled my lungs. It got easier to breathe. "Okay, one more. One, two, three." Once again the medicine-filled air invaded my lungs. My whole body relaxed as my breathing started to calm down. My body was slowly shutting down after my meltdown.

"H-H-He's back." Ethan tensed but calmed down when he started to rub my hair.

"I swear on everything that he will never lay a hand on a single hair on your head." I leaned more into Ethan and let my body give in to the exhaustion. I had seemed to run out of tears at this point. I let myself stare into space. I heard someone walk in, but that was the last thing on my mind. I felt another hand on my back but I flinched away.

"Oh, sugar. It's Dad. I'm here for you baby." I slowly turned my head toward him.

"Oh, Papa." I whimpered out. He brought me in his arms and held me. "I can't do that again. I can't go back to him."

"Brianna Black, I promise you my life that you will never, and I mean never, go back to him." I just nodded and closed my eyes. All of a sudden more sets of arms were around me. I quickly looked up to see all of the boys standing there.