24-3

"Again, I'm so sorry that we were late." He speaks softly and I nod in response. So many thoughts are running through my mind such as how is Judah here? Does this mean someone alerted the police that I'm missing? Does his family know he's here? Suddenly I think of Theo. Did he find out that I'm gone? "Miss Davidson? We need to get you and your daughter checked –" "Char! Aria!" I look to my right to see Theo and Roman rushing towards us. My eyes widen and I throw myself into his arms. His familiar cologne takes over my senses as his strong arms wrap around me tightly. I start crying again when he cups my face with both hands and kisses me fiercely. "God, I'm so glad you're okay." He whispers and pecks me again before turning to Aria. "Come here bug." He kneels as she hugs him tightly. I watch as he peppers kisses to her face before checking if she's alright. Roman hugs me with a relieved smile before bending to greet Aria with a kiss to her cheek. "J-Judah...he got shot and he's in t-the operation theatre. I'm so sorry!" I sob and Roman shakes his head just as Theo stands to face me. "He'll be okay, it's not your fault Charlotte." Roman reassures before Theo takes me into his arms. I watch as Roman moves over to talk with the officer before calling a nurse. "He's right. Judah's going to be okay –" "He was shot in the chest Theo!" I exclaim as he wipes my tears and hugs me. "He'll be fine, I know he will. Don't cry please." He murmurs softly as he strokes my hair. I grab Aria's hand and pull her to me. She clings to my legs and I worry at how much this is affecting her. I certainly need to book some therapy sessions for us once we're back home. Home, I think to myself as my shoulders sag in relief. Finally, this is over. "Excuse me miss?" We turn to the nurse who's standing behind us. "I need to check you both for injuries. Can you follow me please?" I nod and walk with Aria inside a room before looking back to see Theo talking to the officer as well. Thankfully, Aria only has that scrape on her knee from when she fell outside the airport in Dallas. She's tended to quickly and I smile at her when she walks back out to Theo. It takes me a little bit longer because of how much I was hit. Eventually I'm prescribed medication before being let go. I walk out to see Aria cuddled up to Theo's side. He has an arm draped across her shoulders and rubs her back comfortingly. She smiles up at something he says and he kisses her forehead with a relieved look. His eyes meet mine and they become tender with emotion. I walk over to them and sit on his right. He leans forward and kisses me slowly before pulling away. I smile softly when he tucks me into his side. I feel safe again and like nothing can hurt me. Aria catches my gaze and grins at me. "I love you." "I love you too mum." She murmurs and gestures for me to lean down so she can kiss my cheek. "I love both of you. I'm so happy you're safe." Theo sighs as he takes hold of our hands in each of his. Roman comes over after a few minutes to check on us. "Liam's being operated on in the same hospital. If he lives he's going to prison for a very long time." "Thanks Roman." I smile weakly and he nods in response. "Could I use someone's phone please? I need to call my grandmother." "I told her what was happening." Theo replies as he hands me his phone. "She was very worried and I tried to reassure her the best I could. I'm sure she'll be relieved to hear from you guys." I smile gratefully before taking Aria's hand. We find a quieter place before I dial the number I've memorized by heart. She picks up immediately after two rings and her shaky gasp has me bursting into tears within seconds. It doesn't take long for her to join in either and I quickly calm myself down. After telling her what happened and that we're both safe I let her talk to Aria. She responds a bit quietly and I know I need to talk to her alone soon. She's probably holding back her emotions while she processes everything so I need to make sure she lets everything out. After bidding goodbye to grandma and promising we'll be home soon we walk back to the guys. We wait another two hours and during it Luis comes back with another officer to take our statements. We tell them everything that happened with Roman and Theo listening in. They ask a few more questions about Liam's past behavior and I provide details of everything from when I was in the UK to all that happened in Dallas. After they leave the doctor finally comes out. I hold my breath when he smiles and exhale deeply in relief when he tells us Judah is fine and stable. Roman and Theo call their parents and brothers to tell them what happened. I sit there listening nervously to their replies and smile shakily when Theo mouths at me to calm down. We're allowed inside Judah's room once he's settled in. I bite my lip when I see the outline of the white bandages underneath his pale blue gown. Theo's hand intertwines with mine and he kisses my temple. We take a seat on the chairs around his bed and I pull Aria onto my lap, wanting her close. "Never listens." Roman rolls his eyes as he gets comfortable. "How did he get to us so quick?" I suddenly remember to ask. "He was in Mexico meeting clients when we rang him to ask if he could help with finding Liam's exact location." Theo explains as his thumb caresses the back of my hand. That elicits a smile from me and I look over at a sleeping Judah. He risked it all to come for us alone and ended up paying a price. Theo squeezes my hand reassuringly and I look over to him. He brings it up to brush his lips against my knuckles with a soft grin. I lean my head on his shoulder with a sigh before closing my eyes. Now, it's just a waiting game until Judah wakes up.