Chasing a Fox

Kidnapping Aftermath

After they arrived at the hospital they learned that James had been shot in the woods. Apparently when the police officers had found him there was a stand-off. Rather than give himself up and get the help that he needed James had started shooting wildly at the officers and he was killed in the crossfire. Even though he had just put Irene through hell she couldn't help but feel somewhat saddened by the news. True he had gone completely off the rails but the relationship they had once shared used to be full of love and laughter up until he had cheated on her.

Irene was hooked up to an IV for fluids and the doctor had ordered a ultrasound so they could check up on her condition and make sure her baby was okay after the whole ordeal. Seth had filled her in on how everyone had come together to look for her. Jade had organized several search parties too. She had been blowing up Seth's phone with questions since the nightly news had announced they had found Irene. Irene loved Jade dearly but was not up for talking on the phone. Seth stepped out into the hallway to call Jade and fill her in on the details.

Right now everything felt surreal. Irene just felt numb to everything. She ended up falling asleep before the doctor even could come into the room. Seth was worried about how quickly she fell asleep but the doctor reassured him that she just needed to rest. She had used a lot of adrenaline up in her escape and the rest would be good for her and the baby. Irene ended up sleeping for over fourteen hours. When she opened her eyes finally she saw Seth sleeping in a recliner next to her hospital bed. His face needed a shave and he had circles under his eyes.

Irene imagined that this must have been as hard on him as it had been for her. She sat up slowly trying not to tug on her IV. Seth's eyes snapped open and he rushed over to her bedside. "Are you okay? Should I call a nurse?" His eyes were bloodshot and it looked like he might have been crying. "I'm fine Seth, are you okay? When is the last time you slept more than a few hours?" Seth brought a hand up to rub his eyes. "Not since you've been missing. I've been so worried about you and the baby. The doctor said we need to do that ultrasound today since we couldn't when you first came in."

Irene reached for his hand and grabbed it. Seth eyes met hers and they filled with tears. "Irene, I don't know what I would do if I ended losing you and our baby. I was so scared that James was going to hurt you. That I wasn't going to be able to find you." Irene reached out and cupped his face, forcing him to look at her. "The important thing is that I'm here right now with you. It's not your fault that he kidnapped me in the first place. Neither of us could have guessed that he was going to unravel like that." She pulled his face in for a soft kiss.

Her nose crinkled at his breath. "No offense Seth but maybe you want to grab a shower here and scrub your teeth." Seth let out a laugh. "You're right gorgeous." He got up and headed into the bathroom inside the hospital room. She heard the sink turn on and the sound of him brushing his teeth. He popped his head out a few minutes later. "I'll go home and grab a real shower and a shave after you get checked out by the doctor."

A few minutes later the doctor was in and assured her that she was okay and had just been mostly dehydrated. They brought in the ultrasound to look at the baby. Their baby's heartbeat was strong and everything was measuring up to the doctor's liking. It was still too early for them to tell what s*x the baby was. The doctor recommended that she see a counselor after her getting discharged to home and that she stay one more night in the hospital just so they could continue to observe her.

After the doctor left Seth leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Will you be okay if I go home and grab a shower? Jade wants to come and see you so she could sit with you while I'm gone." Irene smiled, "that's fine sweetie. You go get cleaned up and I'll visit with Jade. We have a lot of catching up to do." Seth kissed her cheek and left the room. A soft knock several minutes later revealed Jade standing in the doorway. She was openly crying.

She rushed over to Irene's bedside and gave her a careful hug. Irene starting crying at the sight of her best friend. It really had been way too long since they've seen each other. The next several hours they talked, cried and caught up with each other an=bout everything that had been going on in each other's lives. Jade and Connor were pretty serious and had been since the night they left at the club. He recently had asked Jade to move in with him. They talked about Irene's baby and Irene asked Jade to be the godmother which brought on more crying from both parties.

Jade gave her another careful hug before leaving to let Irene rest. The next day Irene was discharged and Seth was there to help her get home. She scheduled an appointment to find out the baby's gender a couple weeks away, signed her discharge papers and reluctantly sat in the wheelchair. Seth teased her about being a dramatic patient as he wheeled her to the exit and helped her get into his car. They didn't say much on the ride home but that was okay with Irene. These past few days had been fairly exhausting and she really just wanted to get home and nap.