Hayden quickly texted Dennis to tell him that Cara was at the hospital to visit Natalia. He responded, telling him he wasn't far and would be there in a few minutes. Hayden looked up when the woman walked into the room, looking nervous. "Hel...Hello Mr. Sumner. I'm Cara, Natalia's friend." Cara held her hand to him, but he refused to let go of Natalia. After a few awkward seconds of him staring at her without moving or saying anything, she put her hand down. "If you're her friend, why have you not seen her in four years?" Hayden asked coldly, making her retreat a few steps backward. Cara wanted to leave, but she'd come too far now. "I...I've been busy. I'm married and have two small children. She never came to see me either." She said in her defense, crossing her arms. Cara was trying not to look at Natalia. She looked even worse than she imagined. "Why are you here now?" Hayden asked through clenched teeth. The more nervous he saw her getting, the more he knew s
Cara cried the entire way to the police station. She realized she had made a mistake. She should have never come to New York. Now she didn't know when she would ever see her children again. When they got to the station, she was taken to an interrogation room and left alone. Dennis made a call after securing Cara. He wanted to know if they had any luck getting Shania. He was concerned that she might disappear if they didn't catch her before she learned of her cousin's arrest. "Hey, Mason, did you have any luck?" He asked the officer who was sent to Shania's apartment. "No, she's not here. I'm watching her building to see if she comes home, and I have someone monitoring her credit card activity. In the morning, getting a warrant may be a good idea, so we can also track her phone." Dennis rubbed his head while holding back his groan. He liked Mason because he was thorough, but sometimes he didn't know when to stay in his lane. "Already in the works, kid. Let me know
Hayden slept in the chair beside Natalia's bed all night while holding her hand. He woke up every time someone came into the room. When morning came, he looked a little worse for wear, and one of the nurses took pity on him. She brought him a large cup of hot coffee from the coffee shop in the cafeteria. "Mr. Sumner, I brought you some coffee. I didn't know how you took it, so it's black, but I can get you cream and sugar if you'd like." Hayden looked at the nurse, who was short and round with grey hair, and gave her a small smile. "Black is fine. Thank you." He said with gratitude. "You're welcome. My name is Linnette, and I'll be Natalia's nurse today, so if you need anything, please let me know. Would you like for me to have some breakfast brought up to you?" He looked at her in surprise. "You would do that for me? I was willing to starve if I had to so I wouldn't have to leave her side." Linnette patted his shoulder. He reminded her of her son, who she estima
Natalia felt like she was lost in a dark place with no end and no beginning. Several times she had wanted to give up and let the darkness take her, but something always brought her back. It was a voice in the distance. She didn't know who it was, but it was calling to her. She kept trying to get to that voice, but something was holding her back. Every time she thought she was almost there, a fog came over her and sent her back to where she had started from. She was determined to make it; she was going to find the owner of that voice.___________ Natalia had been unconscious for five days. Each day she had a little more movement. Sometimes, her fingers or toes would move. Other times her eyelids fluttered like they were going to open, but they never did. Hayden hadn't left her bedside other than to use the restroom or freshen up. Patrice or Will would bring him clothes each day and sit with Natalia while he was away. The hospital staff kept him fed. He was grateful bec
Shania had never been more scared than she was now. Jon refused to let her leave the hotel and made her perform every sex act he could think of. She had cried and begged him to kill her, but he said he wasn't done with her yet. She was lying on the bed crying while he was in the shower. He had her tied up to the headboard so she couldn't leave. She no longer cared about Natalia and Hayden; all she wanted to do was live. If that meant she spent the rest of her life in jail, so be it. Shania knew Jon planned to kill her when he finished with her. She tried to get her hands loose, but they wouldn't budge. When she was about to give up, she felt one of the ropes loosen. She could still hear the shower on in the bathroom, so she pulled and tugged with all her might. One of the ropes gave way and slipped off. She got one hand out and was able to untie the other hand. When she heard the water shut off, she jumped off the bed. She had no clothes on, so she grabbed the shee
Natalia couldn't believe what Dennis had said. How did she ruin Jon's life? All she did was break up with him after he broke her heart. "I didn't ruin his life. He cheated on me, and I broke up with him. I don't understand why he's looking for me now." Natalia gripped Hayden's hand. Why were all these people trying to hurt her? Cliff, Cara, and now Jon. "Shania said he didn't get into specifics, but he said after you broke up with him, it ruined him and made him how he is now." Hayden could tell that Dennis was holding something back. "What are you not telling us? How did Shania get with him?" He looked into Natalia's eyes, and his heart ached for the fear he saw there. "According to Shania, he picked her up after Cara was arrested. He convinced her to go with him to his hotel, where he had held her hostage for the past five days. I won't get into the details of what they did, but she said he was sick and was planning on killing her after he was done with her. Sh
Natalia was able to eat some chicken broth and pudding for dinner. They wanted to see how she did with both thin and thick liquids. Afterward, Dr. Carpenter returned to assess her and said she could transfer to a regular unit. Hayden texted Dennis to let him know that Natalia would no longer be on a locked unit. He wanted him to send officers to sit outside her room until Jon was found. He hadn't forgotten about Cliff either. Hayden didn't believe that Cliff would suddenly forget about him and Natalia. Linnette and another nurse pushed Natalia in the bed to the new unit, with Hayden following behind. He didn't like there being fewer restrictions than in the ICU, but Dennis assured him officers would be there to secure the room. When they got to the unit, Natalia was given a private room with a chair that could convert to a bed for Hayden. There was also a private bathroom, so he wouldn't have to leave the room for any reason. A nurse was waiting for them in the room. She wa
Natalia spent a week in the hospital after changing rooms. The doctors said she was now ready to go home. Hayden had talked Linnette into retiring from her job at the hospital to stay with them full-time. In exchange, she would live with them, receiving double her salary until Natalia no longer needed a nurse. Hayden said he would give her enough money to retire comfortably and enjoy her grandchildren. Linnette had wanted to refuse, but she couldn't pass up this opportunity. Her body was tired, and it was getting harder and harder for her to be on her feet all day. She turned in her notice to the hospital effective immediately. Hayden arranged with Natalia's permission to have her desk and office furniture moved out of the second bedroom so they could set it up for Linnette. Patrice and Will oversaw everything, including meeting the furniture delivery people with the furniture they bought for Linnette. The nurse had moved in the day before and would be waiting when Hayden a