Hold On To Me

Chapter 16

Her legs are on his lap with his hand stroking over it a few hours later. "I need to talk to you about something"

"What's up?"

Sienna takes a deep breath, "It's time I tell you what really happened in Afghanistan but promise me you wouldn't run."

"Babe, I will never run from you." He replies the honesty and sincerity in his voice spin her in a loop. She scoots closer to him; "My team and I were treating 30 people in triage when a guy opened a grenade, killed 15 of my men and 8 patients. He took me and Pete, one of the other doctors, hostage with a 5-year-old kid. She was chained to a wall and covered in blood and semen. She had only a shirt on but that too was ripped in pieces."

She takes a shaky breath. Her eyes water, Antonio immediately takes her in his arms.

He refused for us to treat her, said she was his toy to relieve himself of the tension of the war. He had three friends in there as well and they held shotguns to our heads. They chained us up; Pete and I were across from each other. He raped her in front of us; I can still hear her screams.

I told him to rape me instead but he refused, saying he only likes small girls. Ugly fucking monster. We tried to untie ourselves to help her and Pete, Pete was amazing. He stabbed the man in the leg with his foot." She chuckles sadly, "He was amazing. But then the guy shot him with the shotgun"

She cries out, "his head fell into my lap and I couldn't...." She pauses, "I couldn't throw it off. He was stuttering about how that was a long day for him and took it out on the little girl again. She died that day from blood loss. He was coming up to me with the gun saying how we're nothing but trouble and I thought I was going to die. Jay and his squad came in right then. The gun was pointed to my forehead; I mean he was almost pulling the trigger when Jay shot him in the head. Jay saved my life. He saved my life."

She cries in the crook of Antonio's neck as he holds her close to his body. Antonio wordlessly kisses her temple knowing words aren't what she needs right now.

All she needs is him.

**

"When I said I'm not running, I meant it. Thank you for telling me what happened to you. It only makes me love you more."

She smiles and kisses her fiancé deeply, "You're my hero babe"

"So when do you want to get married?" He asks, "The guys have been hassling about it, said we're taking too long"

Sienna pouts, "It's only been 10 months, is that long?"

Antonio laughs, "Apparently, yeah. Let's set a date babe"

Upon her silence, Antonio scowls, "What's your favourite day?"

"I don't have a favourite day"

He rolls his eyes with a chuckle, "How about 15 March?"

She smiles, "I like 15 March. It's a Saturday, it's warm and it's close. Perfect"

"So we've finally decided on a date, you tell that wedding planner cousin of Maggie. I know Jay; Matt; Mark and Chris are going to be my groomsmen." He said, referring to his colleague; the truck 81 lieutenant and his two friends from school.

"You've done some thinking" She smiles, impressed as hell.

"I have" He smirks

"Well, Erin; Gabby; Maggie and Natalie are going to be my bridesmaids. Becky is going to meet with me tomorrow before my shift. Which reminds me, I'm on call for the rest of the week so I won't be seeing my baby"