The Broken Tale

End of It

          Nothing made sense. Everything seemed to have been in a trance. Brian stared at the door, wanting to scream and fight his way out after Chanel but he knew there was no way. The security system was unbreakable from inside and out. With little choice left, stumbled his way back up the stairs.
          Layla was still asleep. But Chanel had forgotten to cover her up in the haste to leave. When looking down at her legs, his heart dropped down to his stomach.
          Her legs were covered in blood and what seemed to be discharge of some sort coming out of her. He wanted to clean her up and call Chanel but stopped himself before he touched her. If Chanel thought she needed to be cleaned, she would do it herself. Maybe it would make her state worse if he touched her?
But then the thought hit him.
           Was this why Chanel had left in such a haste? Was Layla hurt? Did Chanel leave because she did not want to witness her seethe or because she left to get help? Could she even get help? If she could then she would for the birth. If she can't get help then she just have left because she could no longer tolerate their problems.
            She had left Layla to die?
            Brian shook his head. No, if Chanel did not care then she would not have taken up so many personal risks and devoted so much time and effort into helping them.
            Brian tried to ignore his mind but the demonic thoughts got louder and louder as he sat holding Alondra and Layla's hand.
             Was this it? Was this how far they could have gotten? Would his one and only love, the woman he had given everything up for, the mother of his child now die and leave him holding their newborn in his arms? Why had Chanel left? This was all her fault! If she had brought help and not delivered the baby herself then this would not have happened! Layla's death would all be her fault!
               Slowly, his rage attacked everybody. Ali for causing this, Alexander for introducing them to Chanel, chanel for being so negligent and most of all at himself for his escape plan failing, for getting Layla pregnant, for being so helpless and not helping her or their daughter enough.
                At the moment, his rage seemed justified but in reality deep down he knew it was nobody's fault but Ali's and Layla's family's. Everybody else was trying their hardest to navigate the minefield of problems safely to help them. He knew his rage was just frustration that grew with each passing moment as he sat there holding his crying daughter and Layla's feverish hand while she slept on, probably to never wake.
                 Each tick between each second felt longer and further apart. For the first time, Brian got a taste of what Layla had went through alone for all these years. Sitting there all alone while hs world crumbled around him and all he could do was watch powerlessly gave him some sort of idea of how strong Layla had been to go through the same exact thing for years but he could not even tolerate it for a few minutes.
                Soon the clock became nothing more than a small blur in the trance he was stuck in. The baby was no longer the only one who was crying for her father shed tears with her.
                 Layla was still asleep.
                Brian begged and pleaded that some other sound would be heard. Something, anything besides his own and the baby's cries.
"Wake up..."
               Maybe it was the pressure of the situation or that he would be happy with whatever motion there would be but the hand on his shoulder did not startle him at all. He looked up, through the tears in his eyes he could see Chanel's blurry face with a small smile.
"It's okay." She said to himself softly.
She bent down and took the baby from him.
Only then did Brian realize that Chanel was not alone. Medics in white and blue uniforms were standing right behind her.
"Wh-what's going o-on?" He asked tearfully.
"Don't worry. They're paramedics." She reassured with a smile.
She nudged her head to Layla's side. The medics understood the sign and started surrounding Layla.
"Get up, Brian, there you go." Chanel urged him softly, helping him stand up.
           The medics set four silver devices around Layla's limbs and clicked something that formed a holographic gurney under her. Chanel held Brian by his shoulder with her free arm, keeping him away while the medics carried Layla away.
"Where are they taking her?" He asked in worry.
"The hospital. They're FBI paramedics, Brian, don't worry she'll be safe."
"What?" He shouted, "How could you? How dare you give her to them? You promised you wouldn't, you fucking snake! I knew I couldn't trust y-"
"Brian, I sorted this out. Layla's not in any trouble."
He stood staring at her unchanging smile, not knowing what to think. She was calmly rocking the baby almost oblivious to the insults he hurled at her, quite magically she had quieted the infant.
"Can we go with them?" He asked.
Chanel pulled a beautiful little pink cradle from behind the nightstand and set it out. She carefully set the baby in the cradle.
"Yes, we will." She answered, "A nanny's here. She's really trustworthy so don't worry about Alondra. She usually takes care of my kids when we're in the States."
"Is she here?"
"I just said she is. No need for packing clothes, I already had someone bring some to the hospital." She took his hand in hers and pulled him behind her down the stairs.
          Chanel drove behind the ambulance while still holding Brian's hand. Awkward sunk its teeth into the already tenacious atmosphere in the car as Chanel could feel every tremble and shiver down Brian's body.
"Is she going to be arrested?" He asked in nothing more than a whisper.
"No, Brian, don't worry."
"How? Just a few hours ago you delivered our baby yourself because you said you can't get help."
Chanel let out a sigh, "Yes. And that was true up until an hour ago."
He looked at her.
"She's off the hook for now. The case is about Ali now."
"How?"
"You can thank Tony and Omar's cooperation to be honest."
"Layla's brother?"
"And Raina Deminos and her boyfriend Noah whatever his last name was."
"How are testimonies enough to convict him?"
"They aren't." She replied, "But some of these testimonies are eye witness statements and Raina's can be a conviction for attempted rape on her as well."
"Isn't that a separate charge?"
"Yes, but we found a little something that'll be a stick up Elmar's ass." Chanel said, shooting him a smirk.
He raised an eyebrow, "What?"
"His own mistress, the mother of the son he accused Layla of killing, confessed the truth about how the boy drowned in a lake when she was there."
A crushing weight that had been clenching his ribs for months was finally lifted. His lungs expanded after months of being contracted to its maximum capacity, finally allowing him to breathe.
"Really?" He asked almost breathlessly.
"Yep. Allen Kamen, a friend of Ali's, was with them as well and he too gave the same testimony."
"So his own clan backstabbed him?"
"It get's even better, Allen Kamen was shooting a blog on a balcony with his girlfriend at the time the child drowned."
"So you have it on camera?"
She nodded.
"Allen and the mistress will be given a pardon for their fraud conviction and Layla's recovered medical records will all build up a pretty good case on Layla's favor."
Brian laughed out a choking sob of relief.
"I was planning to wait to gather up a bit more evidence but Layla's infection was not something I could handle. I knew I had to get her medical help, to do that I had to very quickly get the evidence through to Luna and get Layla to the hospital."
"Luna?"
"Luna Silver. You know the American senator?"
"Why her?"
Chanel laughed, "It's as if you don't even live in the States. She's the director of the FBI and the CIA."
"So she's the only one higher than you?"
"Mhm." She hummed.
"Why didn't you do that right from the start?" He asked.
The question caught her off guard. She stayed silent for a moment, her face changing colors.
"Anyway, you and Layla don't have to hide anymore. You're all good for now but I'd like it better if you stayed at the mountain home until Layla's discharged. It's safer. Once she gets discharged, I'll get you all moved into a better mansion in Miami just to get you all a break from all the hustle."
"Chanel, please you've already done so much for us. We're already owe you so much."
"Brian, please don't say that. You don't owe me anything."
"Speaking of which, I'll pay you back whatever you spent on us as soon as I can."
"Brian." Chanel growled sternly, "I didn't spend anything more than one maybe one and half million. Do you think that'd make much of a difference to me? Plus, I'd gladly give twenty times as much for people like you guys."
"Ch-"
"Look! We're already here." Chanel interrupted, pulling over at the parking lot of the hospital within view of the ambulance, "Let's not waste much time, hm?"
        Not giving Brian another chance to argue, she switched off the car with the ignition button and hopped out of the car.
        They took Layla away. Chanel was almost immediately surrounded by dozens of people, agents reporting updates about the case, doctors and nurses asking her questions about Layla's delivery and pregnancy and her own secretary Brian remembered from the first day at the company with her, giving her updates about the businesses appearantly and answering her phone calls.
         Brian wondered how Chanel was able to stay sane, competent and even functional while surrounded by a mob. He wondered how she was able to expertly answer ten people at once without leaving anyone confused or left empty handed all while she was also looking at different files, documents and holograms they showed her and even at some point she began taking some phone calls. She effortlessly switched from one language when speaking to one person to another language with another.
         With Chanel busy and Layla in treatment, Brian was left completely alone with nothing to do and nowhere to go in the hospital corridors. But his strength was dried completely dry to every last drop. His legs could no longer support him. He just sank down with his back against the wall, holding his throbbing head in his hands as the hustle, exhaustion and amount of trauma of everything that had happened throughout the day finally caught up with him.
         To him it felt like merely a few minutes but that was just his exhaustion altered perception of time. He felt a hand softly land on his shoulder.
"Brian?" Chanel called his name softly.
He slowly raised his head limply to look at her.
She knelt down by his side, "Are you okay?"
"I've been worse. I can't complain." He answered tiredly.
"Things are getting better." She said, "Trust me on that."
He nodded slowly. But as he looked at her, Brian realized that there was something visibly uncomfortable noticeable in her stoic expression.
"Is everything okay?" He asked.
Chanel signed, "Everything's fine but I'm afraid I have to fly back home to Austrailia ASAP."
"What? Why?"
"My daughter is sick."
"Crystal? The baby?"
"No. Alaya, the older one. My husband just called and said she's refusing to take her medicine or rest without me."
Brian let out a sigh and patted Chanel on the shoulder.
"We've taken up so much of your time that you can't even be with your own daughter." He said sorrowful, "I'm sorry."
"No, Brian, believe me I really enjoy the time I spend with you both."
"I hope your daughter get's better soon."
"Thank you. I've got cleaners to start cleaning and preparing the new mansion for you but until then, you'll have to stay at the mountain home. I'll get a car to take you, Alondra and the nanny to the airport and another to bring Layla as well. There someone will be waiting for you and one of my jets will fly you to Florida. Chauffeurs and maids will all be there so will the nanny so don't worry."
"I don't know how to thank you at this point."
She laughed, "Anytime. Speaking of which, I just called the nanny as well. She says Alondra's doing fine, a nurse pumped some milk from Layla and I already sent it home to her."
He nodded, "Thank you...for everything."
"Don't worry about it."
"I'm sorry for everything I said. I was just-"
"I get it. I really do." She interrupted, "Don't worry about it."
"Thank you."
"The case will be sorted out by the FBI now. I'll be supervising it a bit myself too. They may want to question Layla again once she wakes up too but it's just a statement and you'll be allowed to go home."
"We'll be okay now. You can focus on your own life now, Chanel, you don't have to worry about us."
He held her hands in his own trembling palms, "How can we ever repay you?"
"Brian." She pulled him into a tight embrace, "The one way you can repay is staying strong and taking care of your child."
"Thank you..."
          Layla's big blue eyes were hidden away beneath her eyelids. She laid asleep in the hospital bed with an IV running into her hand. She was asleep but she looked better, she looked more alive with some color returned to her face.
          Brian ran his fingers through her hair. Barely grown past her shoulder, her hair was a reminder of the pain Ali and her family had put her through. He was grateful and relieved beyond comprehension that they would now all pay for the pain they had put Layla through.
          She did not deserve anything that happened to her...