Following the Stars

Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Two

"We've got armed officers stationed on every exit, the elevator and the stairwell. There's no where for him to go." The police officer in charge announced to Travis, Sean, and Johnny, the latter nodded in a state of shocked. "He has a knife though. How can we be assured he won't hurt her if he becomes desperate." Sean asked. "We'll have her out of danger as soon as we are physically able to." "If I may.." Travis interrupted. "I thought I told you to follow command? You're a military man aren't you Mr McGivern? That means you know how to follow orders correct?" "Look orders or not.. I know that woman. I've been protecting her for nigh on nearly three years. We've got an understanding." "Right.. and do you have this planned out? If she was to be held hostage at knife point?" "If he takes her and holds her against her will yes." Johnny's eyes widened. "You do?" Sean turned and asked. "Yeah she knows a few moves, whether she will remember them or not I don't know but I have faith in that girl, she remembered to leave the bracelet didn't she??" Johnny nodded. "He's right, Lexie isn't stupid. If Travis has told her something then she would have held onto that." The officer finally nodded and relented. "Ok fine you're up front with me then. But one wrong move Mr and I'll have your license revoked got it?" Travis nodded as the group who were clad in stab vests and armed headed out to the main stairwell and up to the level Lexie and Harry were on.

"Harry get off me! You'll hurt the baby!!" Lexie said desperately pushing the larger man off her. He had somehow manoeuvred her so she was lying under him on the couch. He hadn't fully put his weight on her but she knew it was only a matter of time and she didn't want any harm to come to her unborn child. She scratched his face and stood up rapidly rushing to the other side of the room where she noticed how visibly shaking she was. She was gasping for breath and was starting to become lightheaded. "Stay away from me!" She sobbed. He stood and slowly approached stalking her as she crumbled to the floor and sat on the step that led up to the bed area. "Lexie you've got to cooperate with me. I don't want to hurt you but I'll have to if you don't behave." He stroked her hair and let his thumb run down her tear stained cheek catching it on her bottom lip. She turned her head and cried more as he wandered back to the couch and grabbed another bottle from the coffee table sipping the vodka neat out the bottle. Lexie struggled to stand but got up, as he wandered back towards her "It will all be ok I promise." Her breath caught with fear. He had changed so much, and was now such a dark twisted man, how had she ever loved him she would never know. She gently stroked her bump trying to calm her active baby down who was kicking up a riot in her tummy. "I've been thinking of names, if it's a boy. We should call him Harry. After me, you know a good strong name like his father." Lexie's eyes widened as further tears fell. This man was deluded. "Harry this isn't your baby. You know that right? This is mine and my husband's baby." "It's our baby. Lexie." Harry said raising his voice.

A large bang was heard and the double doors to the room slammed open. Multiple police officers and Travis ran in pointing their weapons at Harry, who immediately grabbed Lexie and had his arm tight around her throat with his other hand holding the knife close to her face. "Drop your weapons. I'll hurt her." He yelled. "No you won't. You love her don't you? Let her go, she needs medical assistance." The lead officer said. "NO!! You'll take her from me!! I said drop your guns!!" Harry repeated as he moved the knife closer to Lexie's face, and she began trembling.

Lexie made eye contact with Travis whilst Harry was in a tense discussion with the lead officer. None of the police had dropped their weapons so far and it seemed Harry was getting more irate at this. Although Lexie was very happy of the police presence she was even happier to see Travis there. He had lost his suit jacket and was just in his trousers and shirt with a stab vest on. He had a gun in his hand pointing directly to Harry, a sight she had never seen, she wasn't even sure where he had got it from.

"This is your last chance. I will hurt her!" Harry yelled. Lexie closed her eyes in fear before slowly opening them and seeing Travis nod discreetly, all of a sudden something clicked in her mind. From many many months ago when he first began protecting her full time under Johnny's instruction, they had ran through different scenarios including driving her car whilst being chased by paps, and what to do in order to get a way from an assailant. Travis could see the cogs turning in Lexie's mind, he knew she was shaken and scared but he prayed that she remembered what he taught her. As Harry moved his grip on the woman and pushed the knife closer to her neck, Lexie gave a brief but swift nod. It was missed by most, and nobody had even realised what had happened until it was done.

Lexie began to make a move, and Travis shouted "SING." With all the strength she could muster she elbowed Harry in the Stomach before stepping on his Inner foot hard, as he loosened his grip on her in pain, she span punched his Nose, and used her knee to injure his Groin before rushing towards the door and close to Travis gasping for breath. "Good work Mrs D." He was equally as relieved and put an arm round her before the police handcuffed Harry on the floor and Johnny was allowed entry. He rushed in to the suite and wrapped his arms round his wife who was full on sobbing, gasping for breath. Within seconds of him reaching her, she blacked out.

"Get an ambulance here STAT." The police officer yelled as one of his colleagues radioed. "Lay her in the recovery position." Travis aided his boss in doing so.

"30 year old pregnant female, in third trimester, held hostage. No visible injuries, midwife assessed for preeclampsia at last appointment just 2 weeks ago." The paramedic radioed over. The response was short and clipped as Lexie attempted to sit up on the stretcher. "Mrs Depp, we are going to need you to lie back down for us. Please just relax." Lexie rolled her eyes and was still shaken up gasping for breath. "My baby has stopped kicking, it was kicking like mad all afternoon please help me." She practically sobbed. Johnny squeezed her hand and gently laid her back down. "It's ok darling. They are doing all they can to get you checked out." "Ok.. they want us to bring you in. We'll check on baby don't you worry." The caring paramedic said as they rushed Lexie's stretcher into the corridor and into the elevator. "I'll inform her parents and Kate." Mark said from the corridor, Johnny was in a trance. "Get the kids out of sight please." He managed to say to Lenny as the lift doors closed. Lexie had tears rapidly falling down her cheeks as she silently cried. She was so relieved to be out of one scary situation but now found herself in another worrying about the welfare of her baby. "Mrs Depp. At any point was the baby under stress? Were you injured at all?" Lexie shook her head. "No. I was just scared. He didn't hurt me." "And you didn't fall? Didn't suffer any sudden impacts?" "No. Nothing." "Ok. Your blood pressure is sky high. I'm going to have to monitor that whilst we are on the move ok?" Lexie nodded as she was attached to a small machine that was placed on the end of the stretcher.

A short while later, the heavily pregnant woman was hooked up to many machines in a private room of a nearby hospital. Johnny was pacing, whilst they waited for the midwife to arrive. "Thank you so much for rushing in Doc." Johnny said as the door opened and the familiar face walked in flanked by two other specialists. "Mrs Depp what have we got ourselves into hey? I'm sure your little one was kicking up a stink during this ordeal. It's always been an active one hasn't it?" She said in a sickly sweet voice trying to reassure the couple. She pulled the ultrasound machine over and did what she needed to do before scanning Lexie's swollen tummy. "There we go. Look they are hiding." She smiled pointing to the screen, the baby had its back to the monitor and looked to be curled up. The familiar whooshing sound of their baby's heartbeat filled the room. It was fast there was no denying it. "Yes baby is overall fine, but it's heart rate is quite fast for my liking, that's more than likely to do with your increased blood pressure." Lexie nodded "but it's ok? The baby is ok?" The midwife smiled nodding. Lexie laid back on the bed crying more with relief that her baby was ok. Johnny smiled and kissed her forehead before wiping tears himself. "Mrs Depp I want to run a few more tests ok? I'm going to keep you hooked up here but I'm not liking this blood pressure issue. It was on the brink beforehand now I worry it's gone over the cliff into preeclampsia territory." "But you said that's ok? Even if that happens?" "Yes it's ok it just means we monitor you more and maybe think about an induction." Lexie's eyes widened before Johnny squeezed her hand. "Let's take one thing at a time. Now get some rest until the next batch of tests. And Mr Depp, keep her hydrated. It will help." He nodded before the medical team trio left the room.

"Johnny, I'm so sorry." "God don't apologise." "I wished I had thought of a way out of there sooner then I wouldn't have risked our baby's life." "Darling you did what you could, and that's all I could ever ask for. Besides Travis told me you pulled some killer moves and broke the fucker's nose." Lexie closed her eyes and nodded. "My hand really hurts." She held up her bloodied grazed hand that had been ignored in the panic and he kissed each knuckle softly. "I promise you everything will be ok from now on. I swear it to you."