13

Victoria

I leaned over the kitchen counter, taking deep breaths and massaging my temples. Ever since my cheekbone was fractured, I have had headaches on and off and lost focus. I was also exhausted from all the sex Michael and I had. I had no idea what was going on with me. I had zero control over my sexual impulses; whenever I felt horny, I immediately needed to satisfy that urge. It didn't take much effort for Michael to turn me on. I didn't like the woman I had become.

"Victoria, are you okay?"

I turned around to see David with a concerned look on his face.

"I'm not feeling well. I probably just need to lie down. Where's Michael?"

"He is out, handling business."

"Selling drugs, you mean. How about Antonio?"

David remained silent.

"Right, you're not allowed to tell me."

"I'm sorry, ma'am."

"It's not your fault. I'll go back upstairs and wait for Michael to come home."

"Can I get anything for you, ma'am?"

"Ummm... If you could order me a pizza, please? I'd do it myself, but I can't focus."

"It would be my pleasure. What kind of pizza would you like?"

"Deep dish, spinach, and sausage."

"Very well."

"Thank you."

I slowly walked up the stairs to my and Michael's bedroom; before reaching the top step, I had to stop because I suddenly felt dizzy. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Once the dizziness went away, I opened my eyes. I continued up the stairs until another wave of dizziness overcame me, causing me to fall back and tumble down the stairs. As soon as I hit the ground, everything turned blurry and dark.

Michael

"Pleasure doing business with you I said as I handed a stupid nineteen-year-old less than an ounce of cocaine. It's incredible how much money college students are willing to spend on a small amount of any type of drug. I sold weed, meth, cocaine, and some narcotics to students who paid hundreds of dollars without hesitation.

Although I missed selling more significant amounts worth thousands of dollars, I had to slowly ease my way back into the drug business; I had been out for too long. I was almost done with the inventory I had for the week, so I decided to pack up my things. When I got back in my car, I checked my phone; I had twenty missed calls from David.

What the fuck?

I dialed David's number; he answered on the first ring.

"David, why are you lighting up my phone?"

"Sir, Victoria's been hospitalized."

"What?" My heart started racing. "What happened to her?"

"She fell down the stairs."

"Did you say anything?"

"No, sir."

"Good. I'm on my way."

The drive to the hospital was agonizingly slow; there was so much traffic. I looked around to see if I could get out to take a different route, but all the other streets appeared to be just as packed. I took deep breaths to keep myself from losing my temper. All I wanted was to get to Victoria; she needed me, and I would be there.

When I finally reached the hospital, I parked my car and ran through the emergency room doors. I frantically looked around the waiting room.

"Sir," I heard David say.

"Where is she?"

"This way, sir," David began walking in the direction of Victoria's room.

Victoria was unconscious, with multiple wires connected to her head and several machines running.

"I'm assuming you're the boyfriend?" I heard someone say.

"Yeah. Who are you?"

"My name is doctor Halstead; I'm in charge of Victoria's case."

"How is she? What's going on?"

"Well, Victoria took a pretty hard fall. She has a severe concussion, so we ran several tests to check for further damage to her brain; we're currently monitoring her for any epileptic activity. She has no broken bones, but she suffered a miscarriage."

"What?" I was angry; Victoria kept another pregnancy a secret from me. "How far along was she?"

"We had one concern; her estrogen and progesterone levels were abnormally high. We usually don't see levels close to that until the second and third trimesters. Our trauma OBGYN examined her to see if she needed a D and C surgery; there were hardly any signs of pregnancy. At most, she was two weeks pregnant, and she was likely unaware.

My heart began to clench; I had wanted a second child, and Victoria had lost it.

"We want to run a few more tests to determine why her estrogen and progesterone levels are so high."

"Okay."

"We have one other concern; does she have a history of self-harming?"

"No. Why?"

"She had multiple cuts and bruises all over her body. Do you have any idea where those came from?"

"She's clumsy," I said sternly.

"Okay. I'll let you know when the test results have come in."

"Thanks."

I sat down next to Victoria and grabbed her hand. David was still by the curtain opening.

"Where were you?" I asked through gritted teeth.

"Ordering her a pizza, sir. I called for paramedics the second I saw her."

"This is all your fault; you shouldn't have let her out of sight."

"With all due respect, sir, my job is to-"

"Your job is to care for me and everything that's mine! THAT INCLUDES VICTORIA! SHE'S MINE! Just get the hell out of here!"

David slowly walked out of the room, leaving me to my thoughts.

Shortly after David left, the curtain opened. I slowly looked up, expecting to see a doctor. My eyes widened when I saw two men with police badges hanging around their necks. One was older yet intimidating, while the other looked to be in his late twenties, equally as intimidating.

"Michael Lopez?" The older one asked.

"Yeah?"

"I'm detective Voight, and this is detective Ruzek. We wanna ask you a few questions."