Remember Me

22

Jade had a lot more power than I thought. She shut down the hallway we were in, making sure no one knew what she had planned. Not even James had that kind of authority.

Nicoli never left my side. After Jade got me hooked up to oxygen and a heartrate monitor, she went to get the rest of the supplies she needed. She even left Nicoli in charge, which was surprising, to say the least.

"Did you think of a name for the baby yet?"

I shook my head. "I didn't think that would be my decision."

"Why do you say that?"

"For so long, I didn't know who I was or what was really going on. I believed everything James told me. I-I thought it would be his decision."

"You're not kidding, right? This is your baby. He shouldn't be able to make that kind of decision for you."

I shrugged and let my head fall back on the pillow behind me. "He shouldn't be able to do half the stuff he did."

He leaned back in his chair and glanced at the window beside him. Light was shining in, which was the most I'd seen in a long time.

"What happened with Jade?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me.

He glanced back at me, surprised. "You mean, did we..."

A grin spread on my face. "That's not what I'm asking. I don't need to know about that sort of thing."

"The answer is no, by the way. I figured if I knew about you, you deserved to know about me."

"It kind of... grosses me out."

"Don't worry. I feel the same."

"So tell me... how did Jade change? Did she just suddenly realize that James is crazy and we shouldn't be here?"

"She's been feeling this way since Blair died. She didn't want any of us to get hurt and when she was killed, something didn't sit well with her."

"If you're going to be a doctor, you need to help people." Jade said as she walked into the room. She had a stethoscope around her neck and a white lab coat over her clothes. She didn't seem bothered that we were talking about her and I figured she was used to it.

Nicoli sat up, rubbing his palms on his pants.

"James is corrupt and shouldn't be practicing. What he did to you is inexcusable. Once you're in stable condition, we're leaving."

"Leaving?" The thought of getting out of there seemed so far fetched and out of reach. I never thought we'd ever get out of there. I never thought I'd get to see my family, whoever they were, again.

She nodded once. "Once everyone else finds out what we've done, they'll come after us. We can't stay here for long."

I put my hand on my stomach. "What if the baby comes before then?"

She pulled a medical bag out of a cabinet and set it on a rolling stand. "I know how to deliver a baby. Nico, can you drive?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. It can't be that hard to figure out."

I shook my head. "I can't give birth in a car. Are you crazy?"

"Labor itself is crazy. Doesn't matter where you are."

"What if the baby gets injured or something?"

"I'm a doctor. You couldn't be putting your baby into better hands."

I glared at her. "I wouldn't go there if I were you."

She shrugged. "I mean you no harm. I'll keep you and the baby as safe as possible."

Nico patted my leg. "Jade's on our side, Sterling."

It didn't feel like she was and I still had my doubts. I didn't want to endanger my life, and the baby's, even more than it had already been. But I still wanted out.