When Mark looked in the dimly lit cabin and saw Emily lying there, tied to the bed, every instinct in him said to run back out the doors and kill the man who had done this to her. There was no way he could leave her long enough to do that, though.
“Mark, I knew you’d find me,” she sobbed, as he gently sat on the bed and touched her. He felt all over her body, to make sure nothing was broken and then bent down to gently kiss her swollen mouth.
“I’m so sorry this happened to you, baby,” he said, through clenched teeth. He began untying her and had to hold the rage in, as he saw her reddened wrists and ankles. He couldn’t believe what that monster had put her through.
“I’m okay Mark, you got here before he could hurt me,” she said to him, with tears streaming down her dirty cheeks.
Mark lifted her up onto his lap and sat there holding her close, so grateful she was safe. He continued to rub her back and run his hand over the bump on her belly. “The baby?” he asked, afraid to hear if anything was wrong.
“The baby is fine, I’ve been feeling movement but I definitely want to go get a check up right away. He hit me pretty hard in the head.”
Mark could see the dried blood on her beautiful hair and his whole body was tensed for a fight. He lifted her up and carried her out of the cabin. He couldn’t stand to have her in there for one more minute.
Soon they heard the sound of sirens, as the police and paramedics were coming down the overgrown dirt driveway. Mark held her in his arms until the ambulance came nearer. He quickly walked over to it and laid her gently down on the stretcher. The paramedic hooked her up to some machines and soon the sound of their baby’s heartbeat could be heard over the chaos all around them.
Mark breathed his first sigh of relief since discovering she was gone. He glared over at the man who was currently being loaded into the back of a police cruiser.
“Mr. Anderson we have some questions we need to ask both you and your wife,” an officer said as he approached the ambulance.
“My wife needs to go to the hospital right away; can you please follow us there?” Mark asked the man.
“We can do that. This guy is getting taken into lock-up, so he won’t be harming anyone tonight,” the officer said and then walked away.
“We’re going to jog back over to the ranch and meet you at the hospital,” Lucas said, before he turned and started running up the hill with Alex.
Mark felt better as the ambulance started making its way towards the hospital. He would feel much better when they confirmed everything was okay with both his wife and his unborn child.
Emily was rushed into the ER and soon after, seen by one of the doctors, who happened to be a personal friend of Mark’s.
“She’s going to be fine,” the doctor told them. “I want you to keep an eye on her tonight while she’s sleeping because of that bump. It looks like you got really lucky in finding her so quickly,” he finished.
“Thank you so much Jim, I appreciate you seeing her so fast,” Mark said, as he shook the man’s hand.
“You know I would do anything for you Mark,” Dr. Jim said and then left.
The doctor had given her some pain pills so her head wasn’t pounding anymore but she was sore and her wrists and hands burned. She wanted nothing more than to shower the grime off her body and sink into a bubble bath.
Mark helped her dress and she had to smile at the irony. He was usually trying to get her out of her clothes, not put them on. “This is a change,” she said with a flirty smile at him.
Mark looked at her in shock as he realized she was joking with him. “I love you, Emily. I can’t even think what could’ve happened if we hadn’t gotten there when we did,” he said with a thick voice.
“Mark, you did get there in time and I simply don’t want to think about that man or place anymore. I’m one of the lucky ones who was found because I have you,” she said, as she ran her hand over his cheek.
“Okay, for you I’ll try to stop worrying,” he said with a weak smile.
“Thank you. Now let’s go home.” He took her hand and led her out to the ER waiting area. Lucas and Alex jumped up as soon as they spotted them.
“Are you okay? Is the baby okay?” they asked in unison. Emily nodded her head yes and then on impulse hugged each of the brothers.
“Thank you for caring about me. I’m glad to have you as my brothers,” she said as a tear slipped out. Both men were too choked up to say a word and instead hugged her tighter. A few minutes later they made their way outside to the car.
The men were treating her like a porcelain doll. Mark even held her head as she bent down to get in the car, worried she might bump it on the door jamb.
She sat in the backseat, snuggled up in Mark’s arms, on the short ride back to the house. When they pulled up the front door opened and the porch filled with her sisters, Joseph and Katherine, Mary and Scott and Edward.
She was once again overcome by emotion, as she looked at the amazing group of people who were her family. She walked up the steps and was engulfed in hugs and kisses and then led into the den, where she sat down, with a blanket thrown over her and a steaming mug placed in her hands.
“You drink this up and then we’ll get you upstairs to clean up before you have to do any talking,” Mary said, taking over like a mother hen.
Emily obediently drank the soothing liquid and realized it did make her feel better and seemed to give her some added energy, which she was seriously depleted of.
When she finished the drink, Amy and Jessica led her upstairs and she was relieved to jump under the soothing spray of hot water. She took her time washing any traces of the man who had taken her away and turned her skin pink from scrubbing so hard.
By the time she stepped out and put on some clean flannel pajamas she was feeling almost human again. “Please burn those clothes,” she said about the mud covered clothing she’d been wearing.
“No problem,” Jessica said and whisked the clothes off the floor, throwing them in the trash can. “They will be gone before you come in here again.”
The girls made their way back down the stairs and Emily was once again placed on the couch with a blanket thrown over her. Mark sat down next to her and pulled her tightly against his side.
Emily explained the whole story of how she’d been in the barn and she figured the man had approached her from behind, hitting her in the head with something.
“Is Trevor okay?” she asked.
“We didn’t tell him what was happening. We thought that would be best,” Joseph said.
“Thank you Joseph, I wouldn’t have wanted him to know,” she said, feeling relieved. She would check on him when she went up to bed, even though she knew he was safe.
“I know you’re all worried and waiting for me to fall apart any moment. I was terrified beyond anything when I was locked in that cabin but the terror ended the minute Mark walked through the door. I knew somehow he would be there to save me and I want you to know you really don’t have to worry about me,” she told them sincerely.
“Okay, we’ll quit the worrying,” Jessica said. “Well, we might worry a little but we’ll be sure to hide it from you,” she added with a laugh.
“Everyone can either use guest rooms here or head home but I’m taking my wife up to take a nice long bubble bath to ease her aching joints and then bed,” Mark said to his family.
“I think we’ll head home and hug on our children for a while,” Amy said as she walked over and hugged Emily.
“That sounds like a great idea,” Emily told her.
“We’ll do the same but we’re coming over this weekend with the kids so we can have a big family barbeque,” Jessica told her.
“Perfect. Thank you Jessica,” Emily said, excited to have the family over for another get together.
“Your mother and I are going to stay the night. We’ll feel better in the morning if we get to spend time with our grandson,” Joseph said. He and Katherine gave Emily a kiss before heading off towards the stairs.
“I love you guys,” she called after them.
“I’m going to make you some dinner to eat for after your bath. I’ll leave it on the table by the door. It will be something easy on your stomach,” Mary said and then rushed off to the kitchen.
“I really am grateful you’re okay. Since you’ve come into this old home there’s noticeably more laughter. You’re a beautiful woman inside and out,” Edward told her.
“Thank you, Edward. All of you are my family,” she said and then kissed his cheek. He mumbled something and then shuffled off.
“You, my beautiful wife, are incredibly loved,” Mark told her when they were finally alone.
“That’s the greatest gift I could’ve ever received,” Emily said to her husband.
Mark lifted her into his arms and gently carried her to their room. He sat her on the bed and then drew her a warm bubble bath. He slowly stripped the clothes from her body and kissed her gently, before carrying her into the bathroom, softly releasing her into the soothing water.
“Do you want to join me, I could use a foot rub?” Emily asked him. Mark stripped his clothes off and climbed into the opposite side of the tub. He lifted her foot into his lap and began to gently massage it.
Mark rubbed her feet and slowly massaged his way up her shapely calves and thighs. All thoughts of the day were washed away as Mark stroked her, from the soles of her feet to the top of her thighs and back down.
He turned her around and gently washed her back, then brought his hands around and ran his soapy fingers along her stomach and over the mounds of her breasts. She leaned her head back into his neck and let the sensations of his touch wash over her. She could feel his arousal pressing into her back and smiled with how masculine her husband was.
He finally rinsed them both off and carried her wet body to the bed. He ran the towel over her, making her ache for him. He then tucked her into the bed and pulled her into his arms.
“You know how much I love you, right?” he asked her, as he gently kissed her lips and throat.
“I think as much as I love you,” she answered him and then groaned.
“I think I was in love with you from the second I first saw you and Trevor standing there, so beautiful, after I’d been through such a rotten day,” he told her, as he continued to slide his hands all over her body.
“I fell in love with you the first time you talked kindly to my son,” she said, with tears in her eyes.
“Oh Emily how could I not love him, how could I not love you?” he said. He showed her how much long into the night.
Epilogue
Joseph sat in the chair, watching all his grandkids tear open their Christmas Presents. He was cuddling baby Tassia close to his chest. She was only a few weeks old and as beautiful as the rest of his grandkids. Mark and Emily certainly had the right recipe for creating a beautiful baby.
He smiled as he watched Trevor and Jasmine sharing chocolate. Jasmine had been a bit disappointed to find out Trevor was her cousin and she couldn’t marry him but she soon recovered when she found out it meant they got to spend more time together.