"It's a media circus outside," Lizzy whispered as she peeped through the blinds, "And it's just getting worse as the hours go by."
"I think it's best if you step away from the window Mam."
Lizzy looked over her shoulder at the police officers that gathered in the living room of the Collins' home. Ever since the bust it's been mayhem around there. She couldn't recall what happened between finding out her best friend was kidnapped and taken to an underground ring and their phones ringing off the hook from every media outlet there was.
"Lizzy, Lizzy baby, you gotta wake up for me," did Barron's voice echo in her ears as she came to. Apparently she'd collapsed when watching the initial news report and her knight in shining armor was there to help her yet again. Mishka stood by the sidelines watching the dynamic occur; still seething at the unfinished conversation. She kept her composure the entire time the police interviews were conducted as Barron's hand just kept 'accidentally' slipping to and grabbing her inner thighs.
She could seriously break every one of his fingers right about then.
They all sat side by side on the couch as they were questioned about their latest activities: what happened the last time they were with Natalie, if they saw anything suspicious, and what were all their relationships with Zach Owens. Barron in particular was scrutinized because he was the connection between Natalie and the entire mess.
"Wait, why are you guys riding my ass so hard?" he asked. His knees were bouncing up and down and his nostrils flared. The officer could feel the tension building in the air and put up a stance as hostile as Barron did, "Sir we're just doing our job."
"If you were doing your job, you'd know that technically you committed a crime. You can't question him or take in anything he's said within the last fifteen minutes into evidence. You never read him his rights and he doesn't have a lawyer present so he could prosecute you for harassment. They're plenty of witnesses here to testify on his behalf, as well as security cameras set up all about the compound. So please, Officer Maloney, have a go."
Mishka looked at Lizzy with a shocked expression, so did the rest of the officers as well as Greg who came in after he'd been summoned for a few questions as well.
Maloney cleared his throat, "Well, um, we'll just leave you guys to it. A dispatch is gonna be on the outside of the gates for crowd control. We'll keep in touch." They all tipped off their hats and left one behind the next with Greg leading the way to let them out, leaving Mishka, Lizzy and Barron among themselves.
None of them had the time to digest anything that happened since watching the news report. It hadn't sunk in yet that Natalie was gone, furthermore that she was mistreated, and none of them had the opportunity to even see how she was doing. Lizzy decided she was done with the games and was going to see her best friend at Sinai Hospital; or at least that's what she thought she saw on the ambulance vans loading up the victims on the ongoing new report.
"Where are you going?" Mishka asked. She still sat beside Barron, rubbing his arm up and down.
"Upstairs to go change and see my friend while you two sit here and play handsy-pansy. I'm not gonna let her be alone more than she's already been."
"But the door's that way," Mishka pointed. Lizzy stopped midway on the staircase and looked back at Barron with an incredulous stare across her face, "After me, you really did do yourself dirty."
Mishka gasped, and then slapped Barron for not defending her honour. Lizzy didn't care and continued upstairs to get herself changed into something more appropriate. From Lizzy's closet, she also grabbed a duffel bag and packed it with fluffy jammies, undergarments and blankets to keep Natalie warm - she probably felt disgusting in her clothes. She also grabbed a cosmetic case from her bathroom cupboards and filled it with her toothbrush, toothpaste, facial wash, soap, shampoo and conditioner.
"Okay, I'm gone. Are you gonna go put on some clothes and come with? Or are you gonna continue to sit here with Tweedle Dumb?"
"I'm sitting right here you know?"
"And I really don't care. Furthermore, I wasn't even talking to you," Lizzy grabbed a set of keys to whatever vehicle was on the outside and started walking through the foyer, then through the front door. She clicked the alarm and saw the lights of Mr. Collins' Land Rover Discovery parked in the rear of the house outside the garage. Good enough, she thought.
She hopped in, threw the stuff in the back, revved the engine and was on her way down the driveway when a figure running behind the SUV in the rear-view mirror.
"Wait! Wait!"
"Where's your bitter half?" she asked unlocking the doors. Barron hopped in a bit out of breath and side eyed Lizzy's snark remarks, "You know you didn't have to be so bitchy. She did nothing to you, and our past is exactly that. The past. Let go this attitude and be happy that I was able to move on from your toxicity."
The nerve..
Lizzy humbled herself for the sake of her best friend, otherwise she would've beat Barron's ass to a pulp right there and then after hitting him with the facts and receipts to back it up: the texts, the calls, the statements on her credit card bill - Lizzy kept it all. She let him have the win this time around, but best believe he will pay for disrespecting whatever they had together the way he did. He should've kept this same attitude when he was head first between her th-
Natalie. Natalie. She's the primary focus here. Get your act together Elizabeth! she chanted to herself. Her mind was hitting a hard left.
To ease the tension, she connected the aux cord to her phone and blazed Rihanna the entire ride, much to Barron's displeasure. Lizzy didn't care, but it amused her when she caught him bopping his head and lip syncing the lyrics to Bitch Better Have My Money from the corner of her eye. Wuss.
She lowered down the volume when she swung into the main entrance of the hospital and saw a line of ambulance vans to the side by the emergency entrance offloading patients one by one. It was a flurry of black and blue uniforms running in all directions mixed with the outcries of the people on the stretchers. Lizzy's blood ran cold when she realized that one of those people could be Natalie, and she quickly found a spot - after undoubtedly arguing her ass off with an old lady who had no manners - near the revolving doors that led to a reception desk. Lizzy cleared her throat when she realized the woman wasn't paying her any attention when she first walked up to her.
"Oh, hi, sorry about that. How can I help you?"
"Right. Hi. I'm looking for my best friend? Natalie Collins? She should've been here for a couple hours at this point. She came in with the group of girls from the bust the police carried out earlier?" Lizzy whispered the last part. It still hadn't completely sunken in yet and her emotions were still fresh.
Immediately the nurse's expression softened, "Oh, I'm so sorry. For right now only immediate family is allowed to see patients in the ICU. Your friend was one of the worst cases of the lot and she was rushed immediately into surgery when she got here."
Lizzy could hear Barron's breath hitch, but he quickly regained his breathing and pushed Lizzy to the side to talk to the lady, "I'm her brother - Barron Collins. Here's my ID if you'd like to confirm it" , he handed her his ID out of his wallet , "And this is my wife. She is family. Now can you please tell me the way to my sister's room?"
It was Barron's turn to hear Lizzy's breath hitch; this time a bit longer than his. He knew it would've caught her off guard and she would raise hell about it later, but for the safety and sanity of the hospital staff, he had to think quick on his feet since they weren't going allow Liz to see her best friend, and she was never going to let that happen - by hook or by crook she would've gotten in there, and Barron knew that. Her rap sheet was expunged only a year ago since she was a minor when she committed her... offences. She didn't need another incident looming over her head again.
