Fallon covered the remaining distance in a run and entered the sick bay, Gina close to her heels. Gina rushed to explain the situation to the nurse while Fallon kept the phone on her ear, listening to his calm breathing on the other end. She heard him say something to someone but she didn't catch it.
The nurse gave her a small smile, "Miss Eftekhari? How far along are you?"
"Seven weeks. Here talk to my OB," Fallon said. Under different circumstances, she would have been proud declaring that she had an OB at her disposal, but in that moment, she just felt drained.
The nurse listened to Taylor from the other end with a concentrated frown for about a minute or so, then handed her back the phone. She would have loved to continue listening to him breath but the call was already disconnected.
"Your OB seems to think you are fine and it is just a little spotting, quite normal during the early stages of pregnancy but it still shouldn't be ignored in case it turns out to be something serious. If you will just lie here for a second the doctor will see you in a moment."
Fallon let out a relieved sigh and lay on the bed as she was told. If Taylor Cahill thought she was fine, then she must be fine.
The doctor was indeed with her in a moment and after asking a few questions on the blood and sending her to the bathroom to see if it was still coming out, declared her to be perfectly fine.
"I would suggest you go home and try to get some rest. Spotting can be brought about by many factors abd fatigue and stress can be one of them. You can see your OB for an ultrasound later on, just to be on the safe side."
They were just leaving the sick bay, with Gina holding her hand when he arrived. Fallon saw him before Gina did, she let go of Gina's hand and stared in shock as he approached.
His determined gaze was fixed on her and her alone, "Fallon? Are you okay?"
"Yes."
"Are you still bleeding?"
"No. It was just a few drops. The doctor says I am fine."
He nodded calmly and Fallon couldn't be so sure if she had imagined the look of relief on his face or if it had really been there.
"Good. Come with me, let's get you back to the villa."
"But..."
Fallon looked at Gina who squeezed her hand, "Go with him. We will be right behind you."
Like he had done the previous night, he took her hand and tugged onto it, urging her towards his car which was parked right in front of the hospital bay, Fallon was not sure how he has managed such a feet.
He opened the door and ushered her in the front seat before he walked around to the driver's side and gently eased them out of the campus grounds.
"You didn't need to go through all the trouble doctor Cahill."
His grip in the steering wheel tightened a fraction, "What happened?" He demanded.
"What?"
"You know what I am talking about. What happened? Before you started spotting? Something stressful must have happened. I hope it was not that boyfriend of yours or I swear..."
"No!" Fallon was quick to defend, "It wasn't Tom."
He gave her a quick look, "Who?"
"His twin brother, Steve. Gina had gone to the bathroom and he just came onto me and he held a knife to my stomach and I just panicked," Fallon said quickly, now that she was safe with him, the magnitude of the situation began to overwhelm her, threatened to reduce her to tears.
"He held a knife to your stomach? Inside the campus in broad daylight? What kind of security does that college employ?"
"No one could see him, it was all under the table and..."
"Under the table? Where exactly were you?"
"Cafeteria."
"And you didn't scream for help because..."
Fallon let the first tear fall and swiped at it angrily, "He is Tom's brother, I didn't want to get him in trouble."
He looked like he was about to say something, then he saw her crying and clenched his jaw tightly. He pressed a switch on the steering wheel and a compartment on the dashboard opened, a box of tissues rose from within it. Fallon took several and blew her nose noisily.
After some time, he spoke, his voice calm, "What did he want? Why was he holding a knife to you."
"Money."
"You owe him?"
"No. He is a junkie. Has been ever since their parents and younger brother died in a plane crash three years ago. He must have heard Tom say something about the money Gina gave me and he decided to threaten me."
He turned turned his head swiftly to look at her,"Gina gave you money?"
Fallon realized too late that she had said too much, "I...I don't know but someone sent an anonymous check to my apartment addressed to me and I just assumed it was Gina because I had been following her but since she has not said anything about it I don't think it is her."
He was silent.
Fallon allowing her time to compose herself, throw away the tissues and pick fresh ones.
"I was planning to get a house with the money, just a small little house it was the reason I decided to keep the pregnancy after all and now that Steve knows, everything is just ruined. He will keep on coming at me until I have given him all the money."
"And if you don't?"
"He will kill me, or Berin, or harm the babies."
"Remind me again why we are not at the police station right now recording a statement on this guy?"
"He is..."
"Tom's brother yeah. Any other reason?"
"He could harm Berin. He knows where we live. Oh my God,how could I have forgotten about Berin? I need to warn her to not go to the apartment, Steve could be waiting there for her."
Fallon took out her phone and send a text to her sister, telling her to not go back to the apartment at the moment and to make sure she walked in a group around campus.
"What is this guy's full name again?"
"Steven Emmens, why?"
"Just curious," he said as they entered the villa gates.
Once inside the villa, Fallon remembered that she worked there. What was Whitney going to say if she saw her coming back to rest accompanied by their client?
"I work here, I can't go inside. I am only supposed to stay at night. During the day, I can't be inside unless I am cleaning."
"No problem. You are fired," he said calmly, "Now come on, I need you to clean up really quick while I make a few calls and then we are going to do an ultrasound just to check that the babies are alright."
"What? You can't fire me. You are not my boss."
"I am the boss of your boss of your boss. I can fire you."
"You can't! I need this job."
He held out the door for her impatiently, "Fallon, if you don't come inside this instant, I am going to carry you inside."
Fallon hastily stepped out of the car, "I am not really fired though, am I?"
"Yes you are. I don't want you looking at the villa like a place of work. So while Gina and I are staying here, you are fired."
"But..."
He was already holding the villa door open for her, he smiled at Whitney who quickly stood up from the rug where she been reading a magazine, "Whitney, you are here, good. Fallon here will be our guest in the villa for the duration of our stay. I want her off duty until we leave. Can you sort that out for me?"
Whitney recovered quickly from her shock, "Of course sir."
"And sort out a better room for her upstairs, will you? I don't want her in the staff quarters either."
"Right away sir."
"Thank you. Fallon take a bath, be upstairs room three in half an hour."
Fallon stared at him, "I..."
"You need to get going," he said with finality as he pulled out his phone and began to take long strides up the stairs.