Running From Hell

Chapter 3 On The Run

It was now Sunday afternoon. I could barely get any rest after the call last night. Knocking on my hospital door took me out of my thoughts." Excuse me for coming in, Ms. Nguyen," a short woman in scrubs said. She walked in and shut the door behind her before walking over to my bedside. She smiled at me as she looked over my blood pressure and IV lines. I was about to get back to my thoughts when she said, "Sonia said I should bring you a bag with things you'll need for your journey." I looked up at her shocked. "H.How did you.." Before I could finish she just stated, "I'M a friend." I looked at her for a moment trying to see if she was lying. I nodded at her after a while, not sure what Sonia had said to her. She smiled at me and said she would be right back with some medicine. After she left, all my thoughts came rushing in. "How did Sonia get someone here so fast? Was she lying? It's too late to take it back now if she is." I just about started having trouble breathing when she walked back in pushing a medicine cart. As soon as she saw me, she rushed over, putting her hand on my back and rubbing it, telling me to breathe in and out slowly. After a while, I managed to when I heard her mumble, "Just what exactly did that bastard do to you?" I couldn't help but chuckle and finally relax. She looked me over one more time and pulled out a duffle bag hidden under the cart. She walked to the cabinets under the sink and placed it there. " Now you can leave at around midnight. "You have a 15-minute window to get out of the hospital and into a car that will be parked at the entrance," she stated while fixing the bag under the sink. "A..a car? Why only 15 minutes? What if I can't make it by then?" I asked, concerned. "A car, yes, why were you planning on running to your next destination? And 15 minutes is all we can do to stall the cameras from catching you," she stated, staring at me with a serious expression." So you better make it count," she stated, pressing something into my palm. I was about to ask her something when the door pushed open and Nathan walked in. She hurriedly walked out, and I watched as he eyed her down. I saw him do a little smirk and immediately threw up in my mouth.

It was now 10 minutes before midnight. Luckily for me, Nathan didn't stay long after he came. He had come to remind me of his reward he wanted once I got home and that his parents had already agreed to watch our son for the night. I was shoving the clothes Sonia prepared for me on getting irritated just remembering his smug face. I wasn't even out of the hospital, and he already wanted to have his way with me. I walked out of the bathroom and looked at my baby in the hospital bassinet. "Just 5 more minutes, baby, and I set us free from him," I whispered. In the duffle bag Sonia prepared were clothes for me and jax, a new phone , a map with locations circled and some money. She had also written me a letter telling me to throw my phone in a trash can when I left the hospital and to not contact her until she called me. She also said it would probably be awhile before she could as Nathan had connections and money. I picked Jax up and walked to the door, pressing my forehead against it while breathing a heavy sigh. "This was it. For my baby. I would get out". With that, I pulled open the door and began speed walking towards the elevator. Luckily, it seemed like the floor was mostly empty with just the small cries of newborn babies occasionally. So much anxiety was shooting through me, it felt like my heart was beating out of my chest. "Excuse me ma'am?" I heard a woman say from behind me. I froze, debating whether to turn around or keep walking. I turned slowly to look at the woman, and she smiled at me before walking over. "You forgot these," she said as she handed over discharge papers. I let out a breath of relief before she whispered under her breath, "Take the stairs he was spotted in the lobby." My blood froze before I could ask anything else. She was already walking away. Ringing was in my ears. I was starting to panic when Jax let out a small whimper. Just like that, it all stopped. I looked down at him and started walking again. " You're right, baby mommy won't stop again." I said to myself, hardening my resolve. I had just made it to the staircase door when the elevator rang beside me. I pushed through the door while glancing behind me and saw him. Nathan was here. I jogged down the stairs as fast as I could, trying not to drop jax. My body began to ache pain shooting through my core, but I pressed on. I couldn't stop. I was so close that just as I got to the bottom of the staircase my old phone rang with Nathan's name on the screen. I ignored it and picked my pace up, walking through the lobby. I could see the car the women talked about through the glass doors. I hurriedly shoved my hand in my pockets, digging for the key she handed me before Nathan visited earlier. I pushed the car button and saw the lights turn on. A smile grew on my face the closer I got to the car. I pulled open the backseat door and saw a new car seat. As I was strapping Jax in, I couldn't help, but thank Sonia mentally for thinking of everything. As I shut the door, the phone rang again. This time I grabbed it and tossed it into the trash can. I ran to the driver's side and was about to climb in when I saw Nathan coming out of the elevator. He had the expression that drove fear into me. I gripped the car door tightly as my hands began to shake before I let myself be devoured by fear. I sat in the driver's seat and turned the engine on. I pulled off from the hospital and saw Nathan walking out of the hospital looking in every direction while holding his phone. The further we got from the hospital, the more I could breathe.