Derek

When I returned to Cam's room, Cole was already gone, and I went inside. I knew something was off about her immediately. It could be that the reality of everything she'd gone through was sinking in, but it seemed like something bigger to me. She had been crying and desperately tried to wipe her tears away when she heard me come in.

"Is everything okay, babe?" I asked, frowning as I sat down next to her.

"I'm fine." She said quickly, forcing a smile. "Just a lot to take in."

I studied her for a second, trying to decide how hard I wanted to push. I wanted to know more than anything what was going on in her mind, what she was feeling, where her head was at. I wanted her to feel comfortable opening up to me, but I knew she had to come to it in her own time. I took her hand, kissing it gently. "I'll be right here when you want to talk about it."

Cam nodded, fighting back tears.

A second later, the door flew open and Riley came bounding in. "Mommy!" She shrieked, jumping right up into the bed with Cam.

"Hi baby!" Cam lit up, wincing as she tried to move out of the way.

"Careful, Ry." I laughed, picking her up and putting her to the side of Cam so she wasn't on top of her. "Mommy is still a little sore."

"I missed you, mommy." Riley nestled into Cam's shoulder.

"I missed you, too! I'm so glad to see you!"

"I told you Derek was going to come save us." She grinned up at me, clutching on to Cam's hand.

Cam grinned. "Yes, you did! I'm so proud of you!"

It was overwhelming to see them together again. Even though there was a lot of healing left to do, they were both safe and happy. I had wondered if I would ever see this site again and, now that I was, I was almost overcome with emotion. I had to turn away to bite back my own tears. It had been such a whirlwind of a few days and I had been so focused on Cam I had hardly allowed myself to process through it. Even the possibility of losing them debilitated me more than I ever could have imagined. My worst fears had come true, and I was questioning how well I could do this job and be a part of their family. I would choose them, hands down, but that left me in a tough spot.

Staying in my position meant they were always going to be in danger. Maybe even more danger than Robby posed. People would use them and exploit them as my weakness, and that wasn't a chance I was willing to take. When Cam walked into that coffee shop months ago, I never could have imagined being in a position like this now. About to walk away from my job, from my life, from everything I'd ever known. But it wasn't a choice as far as I was concerned. They were what mattered to me and as I watched them together now, listening to their giggles and seeing their identical, beautiful smiles, I knew what I had to do.

"I'm going to leave you two alone for a little while. Is that okay?" I asked, kissing the top of Cam's head.

"Sure." She nodded. "We'll be right here."

"Can we bring mommy home tonight, Derek?" Riley asked. I lit up at the way she referred to my house as her home.

"I'll go talk to Cole about that." I smiled. "Be good while I'm gone!"

Riley launched into a story telling Cam all about her evening with my nieces, and I headed out into the hallway. I hadn't talked to Will since we left the house and now I had some big news to share. I wasn't sure exactly how he'd take it.

I pulled my phone out and dialed his number. It only took a few rings for him to pick up. "Hey man. I just talked to Cole. Sounds like Cam is on the mend."

"She is." I left out a sigh of relief. "She's awake and processing everything and catching up with Riley as we speak."

"That's so good to hear. I have been talking to Detective Mullins and sorting everything out. He'll still need an official statement from you, but I think we've covered everything. He has all of Cole's old reports and plenty of other times police had been called out to the house but did nothing. It's really disgusting how many people knew about what he was doing to Cam all these years and just stood by."

I clenched my jaw in frustration. I figured that was the case, but it was terrible to hear. Now that Robby was gone, I was going to make it my main mission to take down every single officer who turned a blind eye to what was going on.

"Anyway, I'm glad to hear she's doing okay. I hope you'll take some time off so you can all recover. I know you won't admit it, but that was a pretty traumatic thing for you, too."

"I was actually going to talk to you about that." I ran my fingers through my hair. "I haven't figured out exactly how this is going to work yet, but I want to work to legitimize everything we're doing. No more contracting, no more illegal accounts. I want everything to be legal and I want us out of business with anyone involved with the mafia or gangs or any of that shit."

Will was quiet for a second. "Okay, we can do that."

"That easy?" I let out a sharp laugh.

"That easy." Will said. "I think it's the right move and I'll get things in motion right away to transfer our clients and get rid of everything we've got in reserves. I'd say by the end of the month we can cut all criminal ties."

That was a huge relief. I'd still be able to provide for my family, but keep them safe from any threat.

"I can't tell you how much I appreciate all of this, Will."

"Don't sweat it, man. You're my best friend. You know I'd do anything you needed. And I happen to like Cam and Riley, too. Especially the man they make you."

I chuckled. "Okay, enough with the sappy stuff. I'll call you once I get Cam home and settled in the next few days."

"Talk to you soon." Will laughed, hanging up the phone.

"Everything good?" Cole asked, appearing at my side.

I nodded. "It will be once I can get them home."

"Easy, man." He shook his head. "She had major surgery yesterday and just barely woke up. I want to keep her here for a couple of days to monitor how things are going."

"Can't you monitor her from my house?" I pressed.

"No." He was adamant. "I know you're used to being the boss, but you're in my domain here. Cam has to stay at least another night or two. Then we can talk about moving her home and what aftercare will look like."

I didn't like the answer, but he was right. He was the professional here, and I didn't want to do anything to jeopardize her recovery.

"Did everything look okay when you did her exam this morning?" I asked.

"For the most part."

"What does that mean?" I frowned.

"Derek, like I said, there are some things that aren't my business and that you need to hear from her. She'll talk to you about it when she's ready. I have someone from pysch coming to talk to her this afternoon, too."

"Psych?" I arched my eyebrow at him.

He nodded. "I know she wants to push through everything, but if she doesn't take time to process it clearly. She needs to talk to someone uninvolved. And you guys might want to think about it for Riley, too."

"Does she know you're sending someone?"

"It's standard procedure, but I'm pushing for it a little harder with Cam. I've got the director himself coming to talk with her, so hopefully she'll feel a little more comfortable."

"I wish she'd just talk to me." I let out a heavy breath.

"She will." Cole assured me. "Sometimes it's just easier to talk to someone who isn't invested in it. I'm sure she just doesn't want to disappoint you."

Of course, I would never be disappointed in her. She had to know that, didn't she?

"I'll be back a little later today to do another exam. Call me if you need anything before that."

Cole disappeared down the hallway, and I headed back into Cam's room. She and Riley were almost in the exact same position I left them in, except Riley had fallen asleep.

Cam smiled when she saw me. "So what's the verdict? Do we get to go home?"

"No, your doctor is a stubborn pain in the ass." I chuckled. "He wants you to stay for at least another night or two."

"Well, you and Riley should go home tonight. I think you could both use a good night's rest."

"Nice try. I'll send her home with Kate and Cole again, but I'm not leaving you."

"I appreciate that, and I'd love for you to stay, but Riley needs you right now. She needs some sense of normalcy."

"But you need me, too." I pouted.

Cam smiled. "I know, but I'm in good hands here. You need to take care of yourself, too."

"Fine." I huffed. "But I want to FaceTime."

"Deal." She smiled.

She was trying to put on a brave face, but I could tell something was really bothering her. Cole wouldn't tell me what it was, and she wasn't either, and it was driving me insane. I knew sending me home with Riley was as much to avoid the topic as anything, but I had to keep reminding myself that eventually she would come around. This wasn't about me. She had to process it her own way, whatever it was.

***If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence of any kind, please reach out to someone in your community. In the US, that number is 1-800-799-7233**