Chapter 73: Survived

Denise bolted into the woods. She sobbed in fear when she heard voices behind her and tried to run faster, but she couldn't because she was eight months pregnant. When she stepped on branches, her feet became inflamed since she just run barefoot.

She stumbled and fell while holding her belly. She froze as she was about to get up when she heard someone shoot behind her.

She remained motionless as steps reached her; the last time she ran from a gun, she was shot. She wasn't going to run away again. When her hair was drawn back and she looked a woman in the eyes, she whined in pain.

She was enraged. She had never seen her and had no idea what her problem was with her. I

Denise pleaded with her before saying, "Please let me go," Denise begged while crying.

"No, you're going to pay for what you did to my brother," the woman snarled.

"It wasn't me! It was one of his men!" she vehemently denied.

She looked at her with her gun still on her head and asked, "Who?"

"One of his men because he tried to help," was the excuse she offered. She propped her head, a look on her face that said she didn't believe what she had just said.

"You're lying," she grumbled.

"Put down the gun," said a familiar voice in front of her. Mike was the one. "At long last, he came for me," she thought to herself.

"What are you doing here, Mike?" the woman inquired.

"I came to get my wife, and I'm not alone; this place is surrounded, so put down the gun," he warned her.

"No! Do you think I'll give you my only card out of here when this place is covered?" she asked before grabbing her by the hair and trying to pull her up in front of her.

"Let her go, and I'll let you go," Mike said, attempting to bargain with her.

"I know you, and I'm not dumb enough to trust you!" she shrieked as she shot him in the shoulder as soon as he pulled the fuse. She exclaimed as Mike collapsed to the ground.

And then there was another shot from behind the. Her weapon-wielding hand was swollen with blood. "Ahh," she grumbled, dropping the gun to the ground.

She tried to kick the gun away before she could pull it. "Don't move, Elizabeth, or I'm going to shoot your head," Leo said, and she took a look to see him walking towards her.

"I trusted you! You deceived me and my family all along?" she asked, still clutching Denise and using her as a shield against Leo.

"I did," Leo said.

"Oh, look what we have here? I'm a little mad that you started the party without me," Ronnie said as he approached from the same direction as Leo.

"If I were you, I'd let her go," Deo advised as he tried walking toward them.

"If you kill her, you'll wish you were dead! I'll kill you slowly, I'll hunt you even in hell," Mike said as he stood up as if he hadn't been injured.

"How could you do this to me, Leo? You're my friend," she lamented.

"Oh, come on! Save the drama for me! Look how I look! And even I'm not as intense as you! Let her go, and if you dare to hurt her, I'll start ripping you apart," Leo snarled.

"Give us Denise, Elizabeth, since you're outnumbered," Ronnie said. She snorted and shook her head.

"You want her? Here!" she exclaimed before bleating in agony and clutching her side as if about to be pierced by a large knife. Denise looked down and noticed a knife by her side. Denise stumbled forward, pushing her and fleeing. When Leo apprehended her, Ronnie chased her down.

"Sh*t," he grumbled as he clutched her and looked at her side. "Well, I'm not a doctor, but the way she shoved the knife into you, I can tell you the wounds weren't that deep, so I'm confident you'll survive," Leo said, trying to feel her at ease.

"Denise!" Mike exclaimed, looking to the right to see Mike running towards them.

She looked him in the eyes while she was in his arms. She couldn't help but cry when she thought about their predicament.

"Do you hear me? You'll be okay. You won't leave me!" he said obstinately before picking her up and heading for a helicopter.

"I-It's all right, don't cry, love. Whatever h-happens please take good care of our children," Denise said as her tears burst out once again.

"Please don't say that like you're going to leave me. Just hold on, okay? I'm going to take you to the hospital," he said quietly as he entered the helicopter, and she heard a loud noise.

"Love our children," she replied quietly. She wished for him to adore their children.

"I'll love them, and I'll love you; just don't leave me, sweetie," he said as he stroked her cheek. "I love you t-too," Denise shattered a little, a small smile on her face.

"Please, sweetie, don't leave me," he said next to Denise's face before she passed out.

~

"Open your eyes," Mike said softly as he patted her cheek with one hand and pushed his other against her wound.

As he gazed at her bloody body, his heart stiffened. I sensed a void within him that drove him to shout and tear down.

"Fly faster!" Mike yelled at the pilot, who nodded his head and obeyed.

Mike felt like someone was ripping a piece of her away when he looked at her and saw her dying body in his arms.

Mike noticed that all of the conflicting feelings she brought to the surface were attempting to suppress one emotion.

"I love you; please don't leave me," he said softly to her sleeping body. He knew he messed her up from the start, but he didn't want her to leave.

She was his wife, his family, and his life.

~

Mike was sitting in front of the operating room in the hospital. He should take her to the hospital, according to the doctor he called on the way because she is pregnant and the equipment there is better.

He then looked up to see Ronnie, Leo, and Deo approaching him.

Mike demanded angrily, "Did you get the b*tch?"

Mike muttered, "I'm going to slice her like a radish before feeding the rotten meat to the labradors."

"She escaped," Leo mumbled, clenching his jaw and grabbing the bottom of his shirt.

"What the hell do you mean she escaped?" he exclaimed angrily. Before he could punch him in the face, Ronnie grabbed him and yanked him away.

"Please calm down. We've seen enough blood and death today; we don't need to see anymore, especially since Denise and your children are fighting for their lives inside," Ronnie said.

Thought that Ronnie was right. Mike then nodded before letting go of Leo. Before he could say anything, the operating room door opened and they took Denise out.

Mike froze when he saw her flat stomach, so he grabbed a nurse and drew him closer. "Sir? What are you doing?" he asked, terrified. "Where have my children gone?" Mike inquired.

"T-The knife was sunk into her mother's womb, which is why she had a premature baby; the babies did survive, and we took them to the intensive care unit," he explained cautiously.

"How about my wife? Is she okay?" he inquired.

"Y-Yes, but she lost a lot of blood; we need a blood transfusion; is anyone Type A positive?" he asked, looking around.

"Me," Ronnie and Leo both said at the same time. "I'd be grateful if you could donate, Ronnie," he said, nodding.

"Deo, Leo, go watch my kids while I take care of my wife," he said, and they nodded.

~

Denise was also in the intensive care unit, and her husband was the only one allowed in. He sighed as he approached her bed frame and sat next to it. He couldn't take his gaze away from her.

She appeared to be exhausted. She appeared to be relieved to be free of everything that had happened to her, but when she opened her eyes again, He would make sure she was the happiest woman in the world.

"I love you," he said quietly before kissing her forehead.

~

After five weeks.

Denise opened her eyes and the first thing she saw was Mike, who was sleeping with his head on the bed while sitting in a chair next to her bed.

Her hand was in his as if he didn't want to let go. So she tried to move his hand, which woke him up and made him look at her. "You're awake," he grumbled as he straightened up.

"I am," she said, her throat parched and her eyes stinging. The light in the room was too bright for her eyes to adjust to.

"Would you like some water?" he asked before handing her a cup of water and assisting her in sitting up. She became aware of her stomach the moment she sat up. "No," she muttered, her gaze drawn to his tear-streaked eyes. "My babies? Where are my babies?" she exclaimed, terrified.

Mike clutched her face in an attempt to soothe her. "Shhh, they're fine, they had to take them out because the knife broke your water, they were brought to the intensive care unit, they're fine, just born a little unexpectedly," he told her before pulling back and looking into his eyes.

"I'll call the doctor to see how you're condition, okay?" Denise then gave a nod of her head. He slid down and kissed her lips before exiting the room.

She was anxious to see her children. As a result, she attempted to get out of bed and walk down the corridors before asking a nurse where the baby's intensive care unit was located.

She wanted to take her back to her room, but after crying and pleading, she reluctantly agreed and escorted her to the intensive care unit.

"Denise? What are you doing here?" Ronnie asked as she lay in the baby intensive care unit.

"Does your husband know you're here?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"No, I just want to see my babies," she said as she walked past him on her way to the intensive care unit with the nurse.

And tears streamed down her cheeks as she reached her babies. They were her children, and she couldn't believe she was a mother now. And their eyes, they didn't have her eyes, but they did have his.

She gently touched their cheeks and felt a gentle caress within her. A knock on the room's window caused her to look up, and she saw Mike, who appeared irritated.

She took one last look at her babies before leaving the room with the nurse. "You should stay in the room while I called the doctor; you have stitches on your belly, you're not that healed yet and if you walk around, it could open!" he said, picking her up before returning to her room.

"I just wanted to see them," she grumbled as he entered the room carrying her in his arms.

"Then tell me, and we'll bring them over here so you can see them," he sighed before gently putting her down on the bed.

"How are you, Mrs. Murgoci?" the doctor inquired as Mike took a step back and the doctor inspected her.

"I feel fine; are my babies all right?" she asked the doctor as he examined her.

"Yes, they were born prematurely, but they are healthy, and they will only be in the hospital for one month," the doctor explained, as she sighed in relief.

"But you shouldn't be running around, Mrs. running, because it's bad for your stitches."

"OK," she muttered as the doctor exited the room.

"Do I need to tie you to the bed so you can't run around?" he inquired.

Denise fixed her gaze on him. And she could see how tired he was. His sleepless nights were reflected in the dark circles under his eyes. She didn't think her injury would have such a negative impact on him.

"Do you want to sleep next to me?" she asked, and he smirked before approaching the bed. She made room for him before he sat and removed his shoes.

When he sat down next to her, she placed her head on his chest and tried to hug him tightly. Denise whispered, "I missed you." He looked her in the eyes for a moment before dragging her lower lip out from between her teeth and saying, "I miss you too."

Denise felt sensations in her chest after that. leaned in closer to his face, staring into his eyes He looked at her, waiting for her next move.

"Thank you for rescuing me, showing concern for me, and not ditching me, and I love you for loving me," she said softly, her lips brushing against his. She noticed he was looking after her. When she was hurt, she saw how worried he was.

"Thank you for not leaving us," Mike said, smiling at her. And she felt a warm sensation inside her.