Questions

"My love, you are worth it all"

✖️Marigold✖️

"If he's done what you think he has then I want at least five officers on this door"
"Ma'am I can't outsource all my officers to a hospital room, there's two men on the door, I assure you she'll be safe"
"Well clearly she fucking isn't! She's been held up in his house for god knows how long"

"Miss Moreau, he's in custody, he won't be able to get anywhere near her"
"You better hope you're right, because if he comes within an inch of my daughter I will personally kill all of you!"

"Mom?" I asked confused, trying to open my eyes
They stung, really badly
My stomach hurt. My whole body hurt
But mainly my throat, my voice came out in a weak crack, my eyes adjusting to the light.

Which was bright.
"Marigold?" I heard my mom's voice, and then shuffling
"I'll leave you to it" the male that had been speaking said, before I heard a door close
"Oh darling" my mom said softly.

I felt her arms wrap around me and the bed dip, so I reached out, hugging her back
And I couldn't help the tears that escaped my eyes, her touch, her smell
She felt safe, like home
Even if this was a dream, even if I woke up to Knox staring at me... I just wanted to cherish this.

I looked up, and she looked down at me crying
"Oh dear, I can't even begin to imagine what you went through" she said
"What... wha... happe-"
The words wouldn't come out.

No matter how hard I tried, it felt as though something was scraping down the inside of my throat
"Ssh honey, you'll make it worse" she said, pushing me gently back into the pillows
I looked around, I was in a hospital bed.

"Wha..."
"You're in hospital, the police found you in the woods... after Knox..." she didn't finish her sentence, she took to staring at the bed and gripping my hand tighter than before
"What happened?" She asked
"I... I..." I couldn't speak, my throat hurt too much.

Mom sighed
"Just get some rest darling, the doctor will be here in a moment" she said, patting my hair down before dropping a kiss to my forehead and standing up
I hated that I couldn't speak, I felt overwhelmed with thoughts of Knox... Ruby...

"Mo... mom" I cried, she looked down at me, before engulfing me in another hug
"Oh darling" she said

✖️Knox✖️

My hands itched against the table, tapping away consistently as I waited for someone to come in
I just needed to know she was okay.
That she was awake. That she didn't hate me.

I'd been in a cell all night after they patched my shoulder up and now that it was morning... I'd been placed in a room and left for another period of time.
I just wanted to go, to hold my Marigold and make sure she was safe.

Then the door opened
And two officers walked in, one old, with greying hair and a blue suit, the other around 40, with brown hair in a bun and glasses firmly planted on her face
They sat down in front of me, eyeing me cautiously.

"Knox Carson" the woman said simply
I looked at her, waiting for what she had to say.
"How's your shoulder?" She asked
"Where's Marigold?" I asked

Her eyes flickered over me
"You seem like a very troubled child, just from looking at you" she said
"Where's Marigold?" I asked
"We have a few questions" the man said
"Very troubled children have issues..." she chimed in again.

"Where is she?" I asked again
"But I think your situation seems to exceed the usual trouble teen" she said calmly, leant back in her chair, one arm thrown over the back as she fiddled with her pen
"Is she okay!" I shouted.

The man leant forward, a folder sat in front of him
"She's in hospital, strangulation doesn't exactly make a girl feel good" he said
"Or do you think otherwise?" The woman asked
I took a breath, she was at hospital, that meant they could take care of her.

She'd be okay... right?
"What?" I asked
"You were found, strangling a girl in the woods, a girl we've been told is your girlfriend, you want to explain how that came to be?" The woman asked.

"We... we had an argument, that's all" I said simply, they didn't need to know about us. About our relationship
She nodded
"Do all of your arguments end in a physical altercation Mr Carson?" The man asked, I glared at him, before leaning back and crossing my arms.

I wasn't speaking to them
"I'll take that silence as your answer Knox" the woman said, sliding the folder from the guy over to herself, before smiling at me
"How did you get that scratch on your face?" She asked.

I didn't say anything, just stared right back at her. Bitch
"Do you know... this woman?" She asked, placing a photo of Ruby in front of me.

She was trying to rile me. To see how I'd react
"Yes" I said simply
"She's pretty" she commented casually
"Is she?" I asked, cocking my head to the side
She stared at me for a moment, before clearing her throat
"Okay, you recognise her... now?" she said, placing another photo in front of me.

A photo of her body, lying in the boot of my car, hair sprawled everywhere and eyes staring back at me
"No" I said
"You don't?... that is your car isn't it?" She asked.

I looked up, glaring at her briefly, before looking at the man
"You don't speak much" I said
"He's not speaking to you, I am" the woman said, I threw my attention back to her
"What's the matter Knox? Do you not like a woman interrogating you?" She asked.

"Since when was this an interrogation?" I asked
"I thought this was a 'few questions'?" I said
"A girl you know, a girl very close to your girlfriend. Found dead in your garage, can you explain that Knox?" She asked.

"I want to see Marigold" I said
"I'm afraid that can't happen" the man said
"I want to fucking see her" I gritted out
"A girl. Dead in your garage Knox! How did she get there?" She asked louder, a stern expression on her face as she pointed to the pictures of Ruby's body.

I crossed my arms
"I want to see Marigold" I said
She tensed her jaw, glaring at me
"You know that won't be happening, it's better for you to co operate now" the man spoke up
"No. If you're not letting me see her, I'm saying nothing" I said.

She sighed, closing the folder and standing up
"Fine, we'll come back when you're ready to talk" she said
"I won't be. And I want a lawyer" I said
She closed her eyes briefly, before walking out altogether
The man following her shortly afterwards.

I sighed, leaning my head against the table
Flower... where are you?

✖️Flores ✖️

I shut the door, heading back towards my office
The little fucker will talk eventually
"Boss" I slowed down, waiting for Thompson to catch up after he left the interview room
"What do you think?" I asked
"What?" He asked.

"The boy" I clarified
He blew out a breath, glancing down the hall at the door
"Honestly... I have no idea, he seems fixated on her" he said
I nodded. He was clearly obsessed with how she was doing.

The question is. Why was he hitting her? Why was there a body in his garage? How did we get to where we are now?
"Boss?" Thompson asked
"What?" I asked, snapping out of my thoughts
"What do we do now?" He asked.

"Get onto his parents, we need to track them down and get them back here, ASAP" I said, turning to walk away
"And get a lawyer for him" I added, walking down the hall
"Where are you going?" He asked.

"Hospital. I need to speak to Marigold for myself" I said, heading into my office to grab my jacket
This girl was the only one that could co operate, the only one able to tell me how I ended up with a body, a beating, a shook up teenager and a... weird boy in my interview room.

"Alright, I'd be careful though, the mothers quite... hostile" he said
"Wouldn't you be if your child was beaten and strangled?" I asked
He nodded

"What do we do about the friend?" He asked, appearing in the doorway
I sighed
"Um, bring her in, put her in a witness room, you know... make her feel comfortable, take a statement and we'll regroup when I'm back" I said, he nodded.

"You think he did it?" He asked
I gave him the look
"No one has a body in their car without some kind of involvement" I said, walking past him.

✖️Marigold✖️

I was so tired. So sick of all these tests the doctors were taking
I just wanted to sleep, to revel in the fact that I was free and I didn't have to see Knox again
To grieve for my friend, mom wouldn't let Aella in.

She wouldn't let anyone in to see me.
"Miss Moreau" the doctor said, walking into the room
"Yes?" my mom spoke up immediately, worry written all over her face
"Is she okay?" She asked.

"The damage to her throat won't be permanent, soreness and the inability to speak is natural in any situation of strangulation. Our main worry is something else" he said, looking at his clip board
"What?" My mom asked, practically reading my mind for me.

"Miss, I understand you're situation hasn't been... the best, the past few weeks, but have you noticed anything unusual, any nausea? Tenderness?" He asked
I thought about it, I had
Of course I had
I'd been beaten and shouted at practically every day.

I'd been force fed and handcuffed
Tied up and kicked...
I nodded my head, unable to properly respond
"Why? What do the tests say? Is something wrong?" Mom asked.

His gaze flickered to her briefly, before focusing on me
"Were you aware that you were pregnant Miss Moreau?" He asked
"Wha-" I squeaked out, my voice cutting off halfway through and my breath getting caught in my throat.

"Pregnant?!" My mom asked frantically, but I tuned out
My heart felt like it was going to pound out of my chest, my head hurt and my lungs began burning
And I realised... I had stopped breathing
It was caught in my throat, unable to come out properly as I began hyperventilating.

"Mari?" I heard my mom's voice, but it was quickly drowned out by the machine beeping erratically
"Mari?... Mari darling breathe"
"Can I get some assistance in here please?"

And then... nothing.

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