Chapter 341 I Can And Will

Chapter 341 I Can And Will
Ryan sighed quietly, seeing how determined Derek looked, he walked over to the bedside table, drew the chair there to the front of the bed, and sat down opposite him.

"Her name is Mrs. Cole, and she came here because she believes she knows something about what happened to you and Rebecca, but I am not going to give you the entire story tonight because you're exhausted and injured, and I strongly believe you haven't even allowed yourself to process what you've just survived."

Derek's expression hardened with suspicion on hearing her name. He knew another Cole, and he didn't have a good relationship with that one, so he needed to know more to confirm if his suspicions were true.

"I don't care if I'm exhausted or injured," he replied quietly but harshly, wincing softly when he exerted too much force in his words.

"I know," Ryan replied softly.

"I certainly don't care whether you think I should sleep tonight, because Rebecca is still out there, Ryan, and my child is still out there with her, and for all we know, they might be going through unimaginable things while I'm here, rescued and being told to be treated and rest, just how exactly do you expect me to close my eyes and sleep peacefully knowing that the woman I love is somewhere in the hands of the people who took her?"

Ryan leaned forward, his expression becoming serious.

"I don't expect you to sleep peacefully, Derek, because if I were in your position, I probably wouldn't be able to either, but there is a difference between worrying about Rebecca and making yourself so weak that you become useless to her, and I will tell you that right now, whether you want to hear it or not, you're practically useless to her, so if you want to help Rebecca, the first thing you need to do is allow someone to help you," he replied sternly.

Derek looked away, his jaw tightening.

"You don't understand," he murmured softly.

Ryan immediately shook his head.

"No, I do understand, even more than you think I do, Derek.  I've spent the entire day and even half the night trying to find you, and I know exactly what it feels like to imagine every possible thing that could have happened to someone you care about, but listen to me carefully, Derek, if Rebecca needs you to find her, she is going to need you standing on your feet, thinking clearly, and making decisions, not lying on the floor somewhere because you refused medical treatment tonight," he replied firmly, sounding almost angry. He hated talking this way to Derek but someone needs to be firm with him, for him to take his health seriously.

Derek's expression changed slightly because he knew Ryan was right, even though he hated admitting it.

Ryan continued when Derek said nothing.

"And if the information I have is correct, whoever has Rebecca is not going to hurt her," he said gently, and that statement caused Derek to immediately look back at him.

"What do you mean?" he asked, hoping he had heard him clearly.

Ryan hesitated for a few seconds before replying.

"The person who took her appears to be obsessed with her, and from everything we've learned, he believes he loves her."

Derek's jaw tightened as he connected the dots immediately.

"Adrian," he said instead of asking while Ryan nodded, before letting out a quiet "Yes."

Derek's hands slowly curled into fists, no wonder the woman outside had looked almost familiar, and no wonder her name had made him remember Adrian. He couldn't believe he had been so daft as to be completely fooled by him, he just couldn't believe he had accommodated a kidnapper simply because he didn't want to offend Rebecca, and now she was the one paying the price for his foolishness and negligence.

He stared at Ryan for a long moment before lowering his voice.

"How much do you know?" he asked harshly, while Ryan hesitated for a minute before answering.

"Not enough to tell you everything yet," he replied not ready to divulge more information than he had already done, he blamed himself for making that mistake in the first place. 

Derek's expression immediately became frustrated when he realized Ryan didn't plan on telling him more, he knew Ryan knew more than he was telling him.

"Ryan," he called.

"We're not discussing this tonight, Derek," Ryan replied.

Derek stared at him for a few seconds before letting out a frustrated sigh.

"You can't just tell me you know something and then tell me to wait until tomorrow," he murmured softly, trying his best to reason with him.

"I can, because you're injured, exhausted, and you need treatment." Ryan replied.

Seeing that he wasn't getting anything more, Derek looked away in frustration.

Ryan sighed heavily, standing up, he walked over to the bed, took the space beside Derek, and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"I promise you, Derek, we're going to find Rebecca, and I will also tell you everything tomorrow, but you need to give me one night to make sure you're strong enough to help us when the time comes."

Derek remained silent for several seconds before finally nodding reluctantly.

"Fine."

Ryan gave him a small smile.

"Good, I will send the doctor in," he replied, and after making sure Derek wasn't going to say anything again, he stood up and walked out of the room.