Chapter 58 Are We Free?
CAITLYN'S POV
The police car drove away with Corvin in the back and I felt like I could finally breathe. Jason was still holding me and I was shaking so hard my teeth were chattering.
"It is over," Jason said quietly. "He is gone. You are safe now."
But I did not feel safe. I felt numb, like nothing that just happened was real. Like I would wake up and still be trapped in that house with Corvin.
"We need to get you checked out," Rourke said walking over to us. "Make sure you and the baby are okay after all that."
"I am fine," I said.
"You are not fine," Jason said. "You just had a gun pointed at your stomach. We are going to the hospital."
I wanted to argue but I was too tired and drained. I just nodded and let them lead me to Rourke's car.
The drive to the hospital was quiet. I sat in the back with Jason holding my hand. Rourke drove and occasionally looked at me in the rearview mirror like he was worried I would disappear.
"How long have you been planning this?" I asked Rourke.
"Months," he said. "Ever since you first contacted me. I have been building the case and waiting for the right moment to move."
"Why today?" I asked.
"Because yesterday Corvin found your phone," Rourke said. "My contact told me he confronted you and that he was planning something at a meeting. I knew we were out of time."
"So you raided his house," I said.
"With a warrant and backup," Rourke said. "Everything legal. Everything by the book. So there is no way his lawyers can get the charges thrown out."
"What happens now?" I asked.
"Now we process him," Rourke said. "Book him, put him in a cell. Then we start preparing for the trial."
"How long until trial?" Jason asked.
"Could be months," Rourke admitted. "Maybe even a year but he will be in jail the whole time. No bail for someone with his resources and charges."
"And what about Caitlyn?" Jason asked. "Is she safe?"
"She will need protection," Rourke said. "Corvin still has people loyal to him, they might try to retaliate."
"She can stay with me," Jason said. "My crew will protect her."
"That might not be enough," Rourke said. "We are talking about a criminal organization. They have resources and connections."
"Then what do you suggest?" Jason asked.
"Witness protection," Rourke said. "We can relocate her. Give her a new identity and make sure no one can find her."
"No," I said. Both men looked at me. "I am not going into hiding. I am not running away and starting over somewhere else. I have done that my whole life."
"Caitlyn this is serious," Rourke said. "These people will kill you if they get the chance."
"Then let them try," I said. "I am done being scared. I am done letting other people control my life."
"What about the baby?" Jason asked quietly.
I put my hand on my stomach. "The baby deserves to grow up free and not hidden away. Not constantly looking over our shoulder."
"We can keep you safe without witness protection," Jason said. "My crew is good at what they do and I will be with you every step of the way."
Rourke sighed. "Fine, but I am assigning a protection detail too. Cops are watching your place and conducting regular check-ins. Anything suspicious and we'll move you immediately."
"Okay," I agreed.
We pulled up to the hospital and Rourke parked near the emergency entrance. Jason helped me out of the car and we walked inside together.
The emergency room was busy. People everywhere are waiting to be seen. But Rourke showed his badge and explained the situation and suddenly we were being rushed back to a private room.
A doctor came in a few minutes later. She was young with kind eyes and she smiled at me.
"I am Doctor Patel," she said. "I hear you have had quite a morning."
"You could say that," I said.
"Let me examine you and the baby," she said. "Make sure everything is okay."
She did an ultrasound and checked my vital signs, asked me questions about pain and bleeding, and other symptoms. I answered everything honestly.
"The baby looks good," Doctor Patel finally said. "Heart rate is normal, movement is good, and no signs of distress."
"And me?" I asked.
"You are showing signs of stress and exhaustion," she said. "Which is understandable given what you have been through. I want to keep you under observation for a few hours. Make sure nothing develops."
"Okay," I said.
Doctor Patel left, and it was just Jason and me in the room. He pulled a chair close to my bed and took my hand again.
"I thought I lost you," he said quietly. "When I saw Corvin holding that gun to your stomach I thought that was it."
"But you did not lose me," I said. "I am still here."
"Because of Rourke," Jason said. "If he had not shown up when he did."
"But he did show up," I said. "And now Corvin is in jail and we are free."
"Are we though?" Jason asked. "Are we really free? Or are we just trading one danger for another?"
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Corvin has an entire organization," Jason said. "People who depend on him, people who will want revenge for what happened today. We are going to be targets."
"Then we will deal with it," I said. "Together."
Jason looked at me for a long moment. "I need to ask you something."
"What?" I said.
"The baby," he said. "Is it mine?"
I had been waiting for this question and dreading it at the same time. Because I did not know the answer.
"I do not know," I admitted. "The timing works for either you or Corvin. I will not know for sure until after the baby is born and we can do a test."
"But you think it is mine," Jason said. It was not a question.
"I hope it is yours," I said. "Because I cannot imagine having any part of Corvin growing inside me."
"And if it is his?" Jason asked. "What then?"
"Then I will love the baby anyway," I said. "Because it is not the baby's fault who its father is."
Jason nodded slowly. "I can accept that."
"Can you?" I asked. "Can you really? Because if this baby is Corvin's I will understand if you want to walk away."
"I am not walking away," Jason said firmly. "I told you before, I am in this. Whether the baby is mine or his. I am not leaving you."
I started crying. I could not help it. After everything that happened, after all the fear and pain and uncertainty. Here was someone who actually cared about me, who wanted to stay.
"Hey," Jason said wiping my tears. "No crying. You are safe now, we both are."
"I know," I said. "These are happy tears."
A nurse came in to check on me. Took my blood pressure and temperature, asked if I needed anything for pain. I said no and she left.
"You should rest," Jason said. "You have been through a lot."
"I do not want to rest," I said. "Every time I close my eyes, I see Corvin's face, I hear his voice, and feel his gun against my stomach."
"That will fade," Jason said. "It will take time but it will fade."
"How do you know?" I asked.