After Hours

Chapter 16: Picture Me Broken

Alot of people were having problems reading this chapter so I took it off private so you could read it without difficulties.

They said the bed was stained red...

"I was only asleep for a few minutes, I swear," Alex jolted upright looking around the private room which he had paid for to make sure that Destiny was away from the paparazzi. On hearing that she was found and had been kidnapped by none other than star boy himself, they had been relentless trying to get a statement from her family.

Seeing that Destiny was still sedated under the watchful eye of the nurse who usually came around lunchtime to check her vitals, he decided to stretch his legs and get his mind off the crazyness around him. "Alex son, you look rinsed out. You should let me take over for you for a little while," Destiny's parents greeted him, looking better than they had a few days ago when she had been first admitted to the hospital.

"I want to be there when she wakes up. I can help but feel guilty. If we hadn't fought the night she disappeared, she would've never been in this situation to begin with," A grim faced doctor with caramel skin and blonde locks walked up to them holding Destiny's patient file. He mentally prepared himself for bad news knowing the look alone was enough. Even though she was alive, he knew there had to be something else going wrong. He hoped he would be strong enough to face it, knowing that any additional stress could send her over the edge.

"Are you Ms.Parker's family?" She asked with a chirpy voice. He associated chirpy voices with bad news for as long as he could remember. Until recently, he had hated to hear the kawaii voice but Destiny's baby voice had grown on him.

"She's our daughter," Her parents stepped foward, holding onto each other for support. "This is her boyfriend," She added but the doctor shook her head, refusing to disclose the information to them while he was present. "Please, tell us. Anything you can tell us, you can tell him as well," Destiny's mother pleaded for the doctor for a few minutes before the other woman finally agreed.

"Your daughter has quite a few injuries with some being more serious than others. But on further testing,we found something quite alarming. She has vaginal scarring resulting from her rape but when I checked her out earlier, I saw evidence of her having a miscarriage in the last day or so. She was quite banged up when she came in and I was advised not to disclose this information to you until she was out of the woods. I am sorry for your loss,"

The room began to spin as he tried to process the words. Suddenly, he felt arms around him and he saw her parents trying to keep him on his feet. "My baby?"

"I am so sorry son,"

"How far along was she?"

"Five weeks. I am sorry Mr. Hartford. I truly am," The doctor squeezed his shoulder giving them time to grieve. For the second time in the short space of time, he openly wept. He wept for his woman...for the second child who had been taken from him,knowing this time he had no one to blame for this mess but himself. It meant that she had been pregnant before she was kidnapped, before Jace had taken her away and killed the miracle growing inside her.

He could never forgive himself for this...

Destiny opened her eyes slowly, finding herself staring up at the ceiling tile of what she assumed to be a hospital room. Everything on her body hurt but for the first time in weeks she felt safe. As her eyes readjusted to the light, she saw a shadow in the corner and flinched. "Dessie?" She heard the voice ask, and the shadow moved slowly towards the bed.

"Alex, you're here," Her voice was hoarse and she swallowed as the arms of the shadow reached out to her. "I missed you so much Alex. I prayed you'd come get me every single day. Now you're here, " It was as if she was seeing his face for the first time as the cloudiness slowly went away.

He kissed every bit of her face as he could, holding her close as he sat on the bed behind her. "Thank you for coming back to me," He whispered sounding like someone else, someone she didn't know. The way he was talking to her was different, even the way he was holding her was wrong.

"I don't need your pity. What happened to me isn't who I am now Alex. You're making me feel nasty," She said without even thinking, wondering if he had been by her side the entire time since she was admitted to the hospital.

"You're beautiful," She sighed as he let her go and got off the bed seeing him clearly. There were dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep and he had a growing beard as if he had neglected himself since her disappearance. He sat in the chain next to the bed, watching as she laid out on the bed once more, holding her hand in his larger one and kissing it.

"You were right. I neglected you and got wrapped up in my new role as a father. I never meant to keep putting you last and I am guilty of doing that. I fell for Helena's logic all over again. I just wanted to be a good dad but I neglected you along the way and I have to deal with the guilt of knowing that I put you in danger that night. I can never forgive myself for that.." She had never seen Alex like this and before she could tell him she had forgiven him the moment she had left the house, he started crying.

Alex was never one to show his emotions so it came as a shock to her. "You told me that we could deal with anything Alex. This is just another hurdle we have to overcome. But why am I getting the feeling that you are failing to tell me everything?" She asked squeezing his hand. Somehow there was a deep sinking feeling in her stomach that everything was not okay.

"What is it Alex?"

He stared blankly back at her, biting his lip.

"Tell me please..."

"You...you..." For some reason he couldn't get the words out and it was only making her angrier. She felt as if he was tiptoeing around her feelings and emotions.

"I was..."

"You were pregnant,"

"Was?" Tears suddenly welled up in her eyes and her hands instantly cradled her stomach where her child would've lain. "What do you mean I was..pregnant Alex. Answer me!" She screamed at him, the tears flowing freely as she felt emptiness deep inside her.

"You had a miscarriage. You were pregnant before the incident and the doctors did all they could but they couldn't save the baby. I'm sorry, " The both of them sat there in the hospital room, shedding their tears.

"They should've saved my baby instead. Not my baby Alex...not my baby," He held her then, knowing she needed to grieve so they could both begin to heal.

The sheets were stained red but there was nothing they could do

(This is a short chapter because I rushed it. Very emotional but I start work tomorrow and I wanted you guys to have something to read for a little bit. I have to admit that I got very emotional during this chapter. Comment vote, show some love)