Sorry it took so long! I hated the way it was written so I had to sit on it for a couple of weeks. I think I will add an epilogue.

Chapter 10

Malcolm and Mina Parks felt the obligation to stay awhile after Serenity, Darien, James and Raye left. It was very important for social standing that they explain to the guests why they left, when they were asked. They frolicked from couple to couple as quickly as they could to answer any questions regarding the disappearances of the Delucas and the Shields. An hour later a very tired Mina and a very happy Malcolm, since he managed to open three new accounts tonight, climbed into the back of their automobile with their driver. Mina rested her head against her husbands shoulder as they drove down the street.

They didn't get too far down the dimly lit road when Malcolm noticed a man in distress on the side of the road.

"Martin! Stop. That looks like the Shields automobile." Malcolm exclaimed with a start causing Mina to jump up.

On the side of the road was the Shields car with Daniel and James standing next to the rear tire.

"Malcolm, my friend, thank the Lord you are here. We have a flat."

"I can see that, but where are Serenity and Raye?" Malcolm wondered.

"I sent them ahead with Nathan's driver. I know he dropped them off because he drove by here about forty-five minutes ago."

Mina walked around to the back tire and took a look. "Why haven't you fixed it yet?"

"The spare is missing, Miss Parks." Daniel said with a shrug. He always kept the car in the finest condition and he was sure he just checked all of the tires including the spare.

Mina knelt down to the popped tire. "Mina, love, you are going to get your gown dirty."

"Hush." Mina kneeled under the car and pulled out a long wooden stake. She sat up and showed it to her husband.

"That's a gardening stake." James pointed out.

"How would a gardening stake get under the car to pop the tire?" Daniel wondered aloud.

"SEYIA! That's how a gardening stake would get n to the tire. Hurry get in to my car." Malcolm yelled.

The feeling of panic set in. James had been stuck on the side of the road for over an hour. Seyia could have already harmed Raye and Serenity. Malcolm and James saw the look in Seyia's eye the morning they had confronted him. He was not of sane mind that much they could tell.

Milton drove fast down the road and hit the turn to the Shields house very quickly, that's when they saw the blond haired beauty run out in to the middle of the street with Seyia following her very closing running down the steps from the Parks front lawn.

"HIT THE BRAKES, MILTON!" Mina cried.

Milton slammed on the brakes but not fast enough, everyone closed their eyes for the impact. "BOOM"

Tears welled in Mina's eyes. They had just hit her best friend and cousin. Quickly they scrambled out of the car.

Darien was just finishing up on the last patient of the trolley incent. It was a young boy, only twelve, who was riding the trolley to pick up medication for his grandmother. He fell from the trolley and broke his arm. Darien was putting on the last of the plaster, trying to keep up a happy face. He felt something was wrong and he could not wait to leave the Practice to get home to his wife.

"All done here, sonny." He patted the young man on the back. "Here is your grandmother's medication and don't get that cast wet. I will see you back here in two weeks to check on it."

"Yes, sir."

"All right now. Get home quickly."

Darien quickly ran to his office taking off his lab coat and hung it behind the door. He picked up the phone to call Daniel but there was no answer at the house. He called again, still no answer. Darien began to panic and threw on his tuxedo coat that he had worn earlier. He was going to have to run home.

Darien grabbed the front door to pull it open, when all of a sudden he was being pushed back. Malcolm was carrying in his wife who was unconscious in his arms. Her face and arms were bleeding; Raye was limping in behind them on James arm.

"Serenity! What happened Malcolm?"

"I will tell you in a minute, let's put her in a hospital bed."

"Yes, right this way." Darien was shaking, words could not even express how he felt at the moment, and all he could do was go in to doctor mode.

"Andrew! Please, examine my sister. She looks like she has a head injury."

Malcolm laid Serenity down in to the bed. Darien took out a small light and checked her eyes and felt for a temperature and any broken bones.

"She is just coconscious and dehydrated, but I don't understand why, she has no broken bones or head injuries." He explained to the nurse that had come in behind them.

"Please get some fluids in to my wife and start taking care of the cuts and scrapes. Any news on my sister?"

At that moment Andrew came in. "Your sister was hit quite hard on the head with a blunt object, she has a mild concussion. We will have to wake her every two hours."

Darien nodded and then met his friends in the waiting room. Everyone could clearly see he was trying to control his anger. He sat down and took a deep breath.

"Okay, I want the whole damn story." He finally let out.

"Seyia…" was the only word James could get out.

Darien stood up his face went all red. He was about to explode. "SEYIA WHAT! LOOK AT MY WIFE! WHAT DID HE DO TO HER! I'LL FUCKING KILL HIM!"

"You can't." Malcolm said very quietly. "He is already dead."

"What?"

"Come on Darien. Sit down and have a seat. We will explain everything to you until the cops show up here to get a statement." James urged him. Silent tears still ran down Mina's face. There was so much blood.

"Right after you left, Serenity became very sick, so I sent her home with Raye in Nathan's car. I waited for Daniel. We were not five minutes behind them when the tire went flat. We went to change the spare but it was missing. It wasn't until Mina and Malcolm were on their way home that they stopped to help us. Mina pulled gardening sake out of the tire… then we realized that Seyia had sabotaged the car. We raced home only to see Serenity running across the road and Seyia chasing her." Mina snuffled a snob and James went on with the story.

"We tried to stop but we were too late. We thought we hit and killed Serenity but when we went around the outside of the car Seyia was lying in the road.

FLASHBACK

"WE KILLED HER! WE KILLED SERENITY!" Mina sobbed from the back seat. Malcolm jumped out of the car and ran to the front. Seyia lay bloodied in the road. Serenity laid unconscious to the right of him.

"SERENITY!" Mina cried as she saw her cousin alive but knocked out. She ran to her and wiped the dirt from her face.

"I'm… I'm sorry…." Seyia heaved from him bloody face. "I love her …. And she loves…. Him." He wheezed and James made his way to Seyia.

"Where is Raye? Where is my wife?" James said.

"Up… upstairs. I'm sorry." Seyia's life began to slip away from him. "I think… I think Serenity is with….. Child. I love her." The light left his eye and Malcolm was saddened by the event that just took place.

End Flashback

The police came and left taking statements from all parties present. Serenity still slept in her unconscious setting. Darien did not want to tell her if she was pregnant because she may have lost the baby when she was pushed out of the vehicle's way. There were no signs on bleeding, but that does not mean that it survived. Dairen stayed by her side all night long.

The sun crept in the morning and Darien felt his face being caressed. Serenity was awake and was brushing his unruly ebony hair out of his eyes.

"Serenity!" Darien quickly sat up and kissed his wife with passion. She let out a giggle after she caught her breath. "Your all right."

"Yes, love. We are all right." She smiled.

"We… so you know?"

"I assumed that I was pregnant and I am pretty sure that I still am." Serenity's hands automatically went to her stomach.

"Sere, I am so sorry I could not be there for you." Serenity cupped his chin.

"You were there for me. You gave me strength to get away. He would have taken me away from you and it gave me the strength I needed to go on. "

"I would have searched for you till the day I died."

"I know love." He stomach grumbled loudly and Darien laughed.

"I guess you would like to eat?"

She nodded.

Darien left the room to send his receptionist down the street to the bakery to get some breakfast for James and Raye that were also still staying in the practice. He returned to the room to find Serenity looking out the window. A small tear ran down her porcelain face.

"He is dead… isn't he?" She whispered wiping the tear away.

"Yes…" Darien whispered taking her hand.

"I never wanted him to die. I just wanted him to leave me alone." Serenity sobbed.

Darien pulled her close. "It wasn't your fault. He was crazy in the head. He thought you loved him and wanted to run away from him. Please, my love, please don't cry. He saved your life by pushing you out of the way. He saved the baby."

She looked up at him with big happy eyes. He hands went to her stomach. "Our baby" She whispered.

Darien kissed her temple. "Yes, our baby."