Chapter 48: Chapter 48
"Ivory, what have you done to yourself?" Ben asks her repeatedly, shaking an emotionless Ivory by the shoulders. She begins to whimper louder at Ben's angry tone. His chest rises heavily up and down so I walk towards him, pushing him back.
"Give her space," I tell him firmly, creating distance between Ivory and Ben. The repugnant smell increases the closer I get to Ivory and I gag, turning my face away from her.
"Look at her!" Ben yells at me. He's angry and confused, his eyes burning shades darker.
"Calm the hell down!" I yell, shoving him backwards by his chest. He barely moves and closes his eyes, letting out a frustrated yell. Behind me, I can hear scared whimpers coming from Ivory. It's the only sound she's made the entire time.
"You're not helping her!" I hiss towards Ben, my teeth clenched tightly together in anger. I turn towards Ivory slowly, breathing in a sharp intake of breath at the sight of her. I kneel down until we're eye level. Her eyes dart all over the room, appearing restless.
"Hey Ivory. It's Emily." I talk to her quietly, watching her closely for any sign of recognition. A stab of hurt flashes through me as she barely reacts to my voice.
"Tobias and Jake have been worried sick about you. Your mum and Michelle have been searching every day. We've all missed you so much." I tell her firmly.
Ivory simply stares straight ahead, making quiet murmuring sounds under her breath. I reach out and place my hand on her bare arm. The touch causes Ivory to jump, her eyes widening in fear.
"It's okay! I'm not going to hurt you," I say quietly, tears filling my eyes. Seeing her so broken and in distress is breaking my heart.
Ivory never showed signs of being a drug user ever since I've known her. She's always been an avid voice against drugs, claiming they do nothing but ruin lives. I shake my head in disbelief, feeling myself from speechless.
Has Ivory been hiding away in here for the entire time?
The room is tiny, filthy and claustrophobic. The idea that Ivory may have spent the last few weeks locked up in here, injecting herself, blows my mind.
I snap out of my thoughts and turn my attention back to Ivory, attempting to pull her out of her drug induced state. She's rocking back and forth slowly, her hair falling around her shoulders in a matted dirty mess.
"The baby misses you," I whisper quietly, my hand resting over my stomach. Ivory immediately stops rocking, the murmurs coming from her fading to silence. Ben stops pacing the room and begins watching us intently, his eyes trained on Ivory's behaviour.
"I had my first scan," I continue, a small smile stretching on my lips. Ivory turns her face towards me and I almost break down from the sadness and vulnerability in her eyes. Her bottom lip begins wobbling and her entire body shakes vigorously as she simply stares at me in silence.
I suck in a breath and hold my arms out towards her, giving her a warm smile. I feel a single tear slide down my cheek and Ivory notices it too, her eyes following the tear. She releases a small whimper before inching closer towards me. I wrap my arms around her and hold her close to my chest, feeling her body shake with sobs.
Seconds later, I'm bawling my eyes out alongside her.
"The ambulance is on its way." Trish comments quietly from behind me. I turn my head briefly, mouthing over a 'thank you' to her. She simply nods before taking a step back, leaning against the wall. Ben walks over to Trish and stands beside her and I smile gratefully at both of them, knowing they're giving Ivory and I space.
"De-" Ivory stutters, attempting to form words. I frown and pull back slightly, searching her eyes —
"What did you say?" I ask her quietly, silently urging her to try again. Her stare flickers between both of my eyes before her lips move again, attempting to speak.
"Dead," she chokes out, letting out another whimper. I feel my throat run completely dry, my heart beating wildly inside my body. Chills run down my spine however I force myself to remain calm, for myself and Ivory.
"Who's dead?" I whisper, the tension in the room growing by the second.
"Who's dead Ivory?" I repeat, struggling to form the words myself. I feel the beating of my heart through my ears, my hands shaking vigorously.
"Who's dead?" I ask again, staring into her fear filled eyes. The girl looking back at me isn't the same confident, fun loving Ivory. Instead she looks broken. Like a china doll shattered into a million pieces, the expression on her beautiful face turning into one of terror and pain.
"Dyl-" she chokes out, her shaking arms covered in goosebumps. I nod at her, urging her to carry on.
"Dylan?" I ask, wanting Ivory to confirm it. A few moments pass before she nods, her eyes widening further.
She grips onto my hand tightly, her fingers digging into my skin. It feels like she's holding on for her life, scared of what might happen if she lets go. I close my eyes and inhale deeply, hating myself for what I'm about to ask her. I can't ignore it any longer, the question has been niggling in the back of my mind for too long.
"Ivory, did you kill Dylan?" I ask, unable to believe I'm asking her such a morbid, dark question. Ivory's eyes widen further before she begins shaking her head vigorously, crying out in fear.
"You didn't?" I ask quietly, feeling relief wash over me. Ivory shakes her head, tears spilling down her cheeks.
"No she didn't, I did."
My head snaps towards the voice and I instantly stands to my feet, my body growing defensive. I immediately reach for my gun in the back of my jeans, my eyes trained directly on her.
"Jane."
I spit her name out in shock, my eyes fixed on her. She's standing by the door, her head tilted as she studies everyone in the room. Ben and Trish are now standing beside me, their eyes wide and filled with uncertainty.
"What is going on?" Trish asks uneasily beside me, glancing between Jane and I who are currently having a stare off.
"Shut up, you idiot!" Jane yells, silencing a shocked Trish. The grip on my gun tightens and I breathe through my nose, forcing myself to think rationally. Jane begins to walk towards us, her boots tapping on the floor as she grows closer. I immediately hold my hand out, stopping her —
"Don't you dare come any closer." I hiss threateningly, my eyes narrowed at her. Jane let out a small chuckle, her hands fiddling with something inside of her jacket pockets.
"What are you going to do? You're pregnant Emily," she laughs humourlessly, eyes twinkling.
"I may be pregnant but I can still pop a bullet through you.l I threaten, finally pulling my gun out from behind me and aiming it at her. My hands shake uneasily and Jane notices too, looking completely calm despite the fact I have a gun pointed straight at her.
"You're not going to shoot me," Jane states bluntly, sounding bored. I frown immediately, my heartbeat booming through my ears.
"Do you want to try me?" I question, forcing myself to sound confident. Jane simply stares back, her head tilted as she studies me.
"Explain yourself because I am seconds away from shooting you!" I yell at her, aiming the gun directly at her.
I position my fingers over the trigger even though I have no intentions to shoot. I'm not a murderer however I'd go to the ends of the world to protect the people I love. A flicker of fear flashes through Jane's eyes and I restrain myself from smirking, knowing her hard exterior is now crumbling apart.
Even though I'm on the opposite end of the gun, I feel my stomach twist and turn, causing bile to rise to the back of my throat. Behind me, Ben is keeping Ivory calm and Trish is frozen to the spot in fear.
"Explain yourself!" I repeat, yelling louder. I take a threatening step towards Jane and she immediately holds her hands up in surrender, eyes wide with panic.
"Okay, okay! I'll explain!" She screams back at me, the idea being shot sounding not so appealing anymore. I motion for her to take a seat on a wooden stool behind her her and she obeys silently, keeping her hands up in the air.
"Explain." I repeat firmly, wrapping my hands around the gun tighter. With Jake locked up, it's the only source of protection I can rely on.