Page 95 of Conviction
My increased heart rate is making my headache, and I start to feel panicky.
“Get out. Get the fuck out of my room and don’t come back here again.”
I press the call button for the nurse, who appears instantly.
“Can you please show this man out Lisa and let everyone know that he’s not allowed in here again, under any circumstances.”
I try to appear as calm as possible. If he ever finds those diaries, we’ll be fucked. If he ever showed them to a court, I’d probably never be allowed within a ten-mile radius of a child. I was lost, lonely and a whole lot depressed. They were just ramblings, but I made the mistake of writing them down.
Lisa nods and turns toward Marcus. “If you wouldn’t mind following me, sir.” He turns and looks at me and nods.
“You’ll be hearing from me, Nina… meandmy legal team.”
I don’t reply. I can’t.
What if the baby is his?
What a fucking mess!
If I’d have just gone to the police when he first attacked me, none of this would matter. There’s no way he would get custody if they knew how this baby was conceived.
Conner comes through the door about five minutes later, carrying an overnight bag and another stuffed toy. The hospital doesn’t allow flowers so instead of a florist, my room looks like the Disney store.
The instant his eyes meet mine, he knows. “Meebs?”
I cry.
“Marcus was here. He knows I’m pregnant. He wants full custody unless I leave you,” at least, that’s what I attempt to say.
“He was here? What the fuck. Why? Why was he here?”
He climbs onto the bed next to me, gently lifting me onto his lap. I’ve cut right back on the painkillers as they made me too sleepy, but now I can feel the pain in my back where I was kicked. He kisses the top of my head.
“Right, start from the beginning and tell me everything the fucker said.”
Before I’ve even finished, Conner is on the phone. “Get in touch with the legal team. I need the best divorce and child custody lawyers there are out there. Call me back when you’ve got someone lined up.” He ends the call.
“I need you to leave this to me, Meebs. I don’t want you stressing yourself out. I’ve got people on this.” He looks down at me. He has dark circles under his eyes, and I can see that he’s lost weight just in a few short days. Now I’m going to give him even more to worry about when I tell him about the diaries and what they contain.
“Just concentrate on getting better. I’ve spoken to the doctor, you can come home tomorrow.”
I know what I need to do. As soon as we leave here, I need to go to my old house and get my diaries. I can’t give Marcus any more ammunition than he’s got to prove we’d make unfit parents.
“Con, there’s something I need to do tomorrow.” I shift on the bed so that I can see him.
“You know how I always used to keep a diary?”
He smiles, I used to let him read them when we were younger. He’d make me read out the bits where I’d written about him, the bits where I described how he made me feel.
“Of course, I remember. ‘He has the most amazing eyes.They see me, they really see me’.” He recalls something I’d written many years ago, and I’m momentarily blown away that he’s remembered it word for word
We sit and smile stupidly at each other for a few seconds.
“I’m amazed that you remember that. Blown away, in fact,” I admit.
“Of course, I remember. We may not have been together Meebs, but you were always up here.” He taps at his temple. “You were in my thoughts and my heart. Don’t ever doubt that.”
I let out a long sigh, debating whether to just say nothing about the diaries and going to collect them on my own in a few weeks, once I’m feeling better, and don’t look like I’ve been in the ring with Anderson Silva.
