Categories > Celebrities > Guns n' Roses > Dying in the Waltz
The Misfortune of the Good
1 reviewTrigger warning: Death of infant, violence. Read at own risk. Life is changed for the worst.
1Moving
Author's Note: This chapter deals with some dark shit towards the end, I will add a trigger warning before hand.
Chapter 11: The Misfortune of the Good
The next day Stella woke earlier than usual to the buzzing of her phone. She grabbed it to silence it before it woke Axl and was glad to see the man was still sleeping soundly.
It was only 4:00am. Why would someone text her at this hour? She moved from the bed and headed towards the bathroom with her phone to see who it was that had disturbed her sleep.
Wakey, wakey. Someone’s watching
Stella frowned and deleted the message before moving back in the bedroom and closing the curtains before curling back up into bed next to Axl who woke just enough to put his arm around her and pull her closer to him. She sighed happily at the warmth and comfort his arms provided her and moved to press her face against his chest and drift back to sleep.
Only that she couldn’t sleep. She lay there for a couple of hours before the sun started to peak over the horizon. The ominous text message had caused scared her a good bit. Why would someone text her such a message? And how had someone gotten this number? Only Thomas, her parents, Axl, and Beta had the number. So how had anyone else gotten ahold of it? Stella moved out of bed and into the bathroom to relieve herself and wash her face.
“Stella? Why are you up so early?” Axl yawned as he sat up and ran a hand through his hair.
“I couldn’t go back to sleep.” Stella shrugged as she moved to sit next to Axl in the bed, pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek. “You should go back to bed, it’s far too early.”
“Mmm, I’m up.” Axl chuckled softly and pressed a kiss to her lips, pulling her into his lap. “I love you.”
“And I love you. What’s on the agenda for today?” She questioned as she ran a hand through his messy red hair.
“I have several meetings to attend today and then I thought maybe we could go out on a drive? Just to get out of the house?” He suggested as he ran a hand along her back, green eyes focused on her.
“I’d love to. A drive along the coast would be nice, different from what we normally do.” Stella agreed and rested her head on his shoulder. “What time is your first meeting? It’s 6am now.”
“My first meeting is at 8.” He said and shifted so she could move from his lap and he could get up. “I should probably get a shower and get ready.”
Stella smiled and grabbed her phone as it buzzed, waiting for Axl to go into the bathroom to shower before reading what the text message said.
Keep an eye on your man today, you never know when there won’t be a tomorrow
Stella’s heart sank, and she deleted the message, moving into the bathroom to check on Axl before looking out the window for any sign of life outside. The premises were secure, how did someone know what she was wearing last night? How did they know Axl wasn’t in her sight? She needed to get to the bottom of this, and fast.
“Are you okay?” Axl frowned as he emerged from the bathroom, his waist wrapped in a towel.
“I’m okay. Just a little morning sickness.” Stella lied as Axl dressed himself. She hated lying to him, he deserved to know what was going on. But she didn’t want him to be worrying about her, not on a day where he would already be stressed out enough.
“Make sure to rest until it passes?” He bent down to press a kiss to her lips and then a kiss to her stomach. “I gotta go.”
“I love you, be safe getting to the meetings.” She smiled weakly and leaned down to kiss him.
“I love you too.” He grinned before slipping on his shoes and heading out.
The phone buzzed again.
Sweet moments won’t last forever
Stella frowned and looked at the number, only to find it was a restricted number. With each text message, Stella was growing more and more worried. How was someone able to see what was happening inside their home? How would she hide this from Axl to keep him from worrying? He was bound to see a text message eventually.
Stella deleted the message and headed for the library to pick out a good book to read to pass time and get her mind off the text messages that were being sent to her. With a good book in hand, Stella headed downstairs to grab fruit for breakfast. As she went downstairs, her phone buzzed again but she chose to ignore the message. She wasn’t going to let the anonymous texter ruin her day or stress her. Just as she reached the kitchen, she felt someone grab her from behind and covered her mouth as she tried to scream and fight the person off before everything went black.
A few hours later, Axl was at his meeting and listening to his lawyer try to come to a settlement with one of the many venues that had tried to sue Axl and the band for not coming on stage. He was bored out of his mind and spent most of the first meeting staring out the window thinking of any random thing that crossed his mind.
He was worried about Stella, normally she would have texted him by now. He hoped the morning sickness wasn’t getting the best of her. Or perhaps she was sleeping? She had been up in the wee hours of the morning, so it made perfect sense that she had gone back to bed.
“Axl, we’ve come to a settlement. If you perform at their venue for two nights, both free, they will settle.” His lawyer explained.
“That’s fine.” Axl nodded as he was ripped away from his thoughts of Stella.
With the last of the meetings over, Axl went to the record company to go over record and merchandise sells as well as demographics of the Guns N’ Roses audience, the amount of 18 to 25 year olds had increased dramatically in the recent months and popularity was continuing to grow. With the good news of the meeting with the record company sent Axl home in a good mood. He was excited to get home to Stella and celebrate over the good news and to be back at home where he could enjoy a lazy day with his beautiful girlfriend.
His phone buzzed as he turned it back on after the meeting to show he had 5 missed calls from Beta. Since it seemed important, he called her back as he got in the back of a black SUV.
“Axl! Thank god you answered! She’s gone!” Beta was almost hysterical and speaking so quickly that Axl could hardly make out what she was saying.
“Woah, woah. Who is gone? What’s happened?” Axl asked as he felt panic beginning to rise in his body, had Stella left him again? If she had, why? They’d been so happy.
“I found her phone and I called for her all through the house! She’s not here, Axl. The door was wide open, and it looks like there was a struggle.” Beta was trying to calm herself for Axl’s sake, knowing the man could get so easily riled up.
“I’ll be home soon.” He promised. “Call the police, now.” He said before hanging up the phone.
“Driver, I need you to get me home quickly. This is an emergency.” Axl tried to keep his voice even despite the crushing feeling he had in his chest.
The drive home was the longest ride of Axl’s life. As they passed along the coastline of Malibu that should have been a relaxing scene for him, he felt dread rising in his chest as the car neared the road that would lead up to his home. Stella and his unborn son were in danger and he was helpless now to save them. Though he had no idea what would happen when he left their home, he felt as though he had failed to protect them.
Arriving at the home, a police car was already parked out front. A policeman stood on the front porch taking a statement from Beta, who paused when she saw Axl. He looked devastated once again and she knew he was beating himself up about it.
“I’m calling a private investigator in too. The sooner she’s found, the better.” Was all Axl said as he walked past Beta and into find the scene where the struggle had taken place.
The glass coffee table had been broken and pushed to the side, the area rug under it askew. Various pictures and decorations that had dotted around the area were on the floor and broken. Stella had put up a good fight by the looks of it. Axl picked her cellphone up off the counter and read the unread text message, it was from a restricted number.
Behind you, pretty girl
Axl suddenly felt sick to his stomach. Had someone been taunting her? If so, how long had it been happening and why hadn’t she told him? He walked unsteadily out to the policeman and handed him the phone with a shaky hand.
“I found this on her phone…” Axl said, trying to speak around the lump forming in his throat.
“Thank you, sir. I promise we will bring her home to you.” The officer promised before heading to his squad car and driving off, leaving Beta and Axl standing on the front porch.
“Axl…I’m so sorry.” Beta apologize, her hand resting on his shoulder.
“I don’t need apologies. I need to find Stella.” Axl said before heading back inside.
He needed to be alone, needed time to compose himself. His entire body felt like it was trembling, his breath was starting to hitch and his throat. He slammed the door of his room and sat on the bed, his eyes filling with tears that he desperately tried to blink back. The range of emotions he was experience could best be summed up to the feeling of dread.
“Axl, is there anything you need?” Beta called from the other side of the door.
“Call the private investigator we’ve used in the past.” Axl instructed, trying to mask his wavering voice.
He waited until he heard Beta’s footsteps going faint before allowing a shaky breath out. He could feel the panic attack bubbling up more violently now, his hands were shaking, and he felt like he might pass out. The nausea hit him like a tidal wave, forcing him to stumble towards the bathroom as he gagged.
Getting sick during his panic attacks had been happening since he was a kid, so he knew it was nothing to worry about and there was nothing he could do but sit and wait for the panic attack to end. Once he’d emptied the contents of his stomach, he was crying. His knees were pulled up to his chest as his body shook with a mixture of anxiety and sobs. He couldn’t lose her like this.
Meanwhile, Stella was just coming to. She was chained to a bed by her ankle; though she was able to move about the room, judging by the length of the chain. The room she was in was dark, damp, and lit by a single florescent light. It was more than likely the basement of a home. Her entire body ached and her head pounded as though she had a migraine.
“Why are you doing this?” Stella called out to the man sitting in the corner of the room, watching her.
“Because your father wouldn’t pay up, so you have to be held here until he does.” The man explained and stood, walking towards her and placing a hand on her cheek. “You might even come to like it here.”
“Get the fuck away from me.” She slapped his hand away, only to find his other hand colliding with her face. The sound of the slap echoed through the room as the man grabbed her by the hair and tugged her hair back so hard she looked at him.
“If you want that baby of yours to make it into this world, I suggest you talk to me kindly.” The man’s voice was threatening, making Stella shrink away as he let go of her hair and left the room.
She touched her cheek, flinching a bit when it stung to the touch. Why was she here? What debt had her father not paid?
While Stella sat in the cold and damp room, Axl was busy pacing their Malibu mansion trying to figure out who might have taken her and why. Her father! Of course, how could he have been so stupid! Someone was probably holding her for ransom, he just had to get a hold of the person responsible.
But as hours passed and he and Beta tried to reach Stella’s father, mother, sister, and finally brother; they found themselves out of luck. None of the family were answering their phones despite Axl calling several times. Surely, they must know their daughter was missing? Were they out looking for her?
“Axl, I think its time to call it a night.” Beta said as she glanced to the clock and found it was nearing midnight. They’d been calling her family and calling anyone who might have seen her all night.
“You go on home, I’m going to keep calling.” Axl said as he texted security to see if they could find any footage of Stella being taken. Perhaps the abductor’s face had been caught on camera.
“Axl, please make sure you rest.” Beta frowned.
“I can’t rest knowing my girlfriend and our unborn son are out there and are in danger.” Axl replied shortly before answering a phone call from the head of his security team and Beta left.
Hours turned into days before Axl knew it. There had been footage of the attack and the abduction but no face to identify the man. The car Stella had been put into had a covered license plate which only frustrated Axl further. The police were useless, and his private investigator hadn’t been able to dig up any clues. It was beginning to feel as though they’d never find her.
In the damp basement, Stella had spent days being given only the bare minimum to keep her and the baby alive and she felt weak. On good behavior, her captor had freed her from the chain that connected to the bed. Hours were spent searching for a way that might lead her out of this horrible place and to somewhere where she might get help. After running her hand along the wall, she found a board that had been placed in front of something and as she pulled, she saw light. It was a window! She wasn’t in a basement but was a good mile from the next house over by her judging. It was worth the risk and the door was opening so she didn’t have much time.
She managed to break the window with the board and climbed out. Her attempts to escape were put to a halt when the captor jumped from the window after her. He was faster and stronger than she was.
“Stupid bitch!” The man shouted as he threw her to the ground once they were inside. “I told you what would happen if you pissed me off!” And so, the beating began, and her life was changed forever.
A couple of weeks had passed and Axl finally had a lead. He woke to the sound of his security lead calling him on the phone, the ringing making his head ache.
“We found her.” Was all the security man had time to say before Axl was on his feet and getting dressed.
“Where is she? Is she being brought home? Is she okay?” Axl was asking when the security man interrupted.
“Axl, there were some complications that had happened when they found her. She’s being taken to UCLA.”
“I’m on my way.” Axl felt the all to familiar feeling of dread returning.
It didn’t take long for Axl to get to the hospital, the usual 32-minute drive reduced to 25 minutes with the way he had his driver drive. The nurse leading him down the never-ending twisting and turning of the halls. Finally arriving in Stella’s room, Axl froze at the sight of her. She was deathly pale which contrasted horribly with the bruises that covered her face and all the skin that was exposed by her hospital gown. Cuts lined her face and he could vaguely make out boot prints in her skin. But the pain he felt turned into something unbearable when he saw her stomach. It was flat, like nothing had ever been there to begin with.
“I assume you’re her boyfriend.” The doctor said as she entered the room.
(TRIGGER)
“The baby?” Axl could barely manage out as he kept his eyes locked on Stella.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Rose. The injuries sustained during the stomping sent her body into shock, resulting in a miscarriage. We found her on the sidewalk outside, someone must have dumped her.” The woman was clearly genuine in her apology and Axl swallowed his tears.
“Thank you.” He said quietly.
“We don’t know when she will wake up, all we can do is wait. She’s stable for now but she’s not out of the woods. This could be a very long recovery process as we don’t know if she has brain damage or not. We won’t know until she wakes up.”
“Please just leave us alone.” Axl interrupted her and move to sit next to the bed, gently taking her hand. He watched as the doctor left before allowing himself to openly cry, his forehead resting on the bed, all the strength drained from his body.
He’d felt this pain on a smaller scale when Erin had lost their baby, but it didn’t compare to now. His son was dead and there was no certainty that he would ever get Stella back.
Misfortune and grief seemed to go hand in hand in Axl’s life, he just hoped he didn’t lose Stella. He couldn’t lose her. She had to be okay.
Chapter 11: The Misfortune of the Good
The next day Stella woke earlier than usual to the buzzing of her phone. She grabbed it to silence it before it woke Axl and was glad to see the man was still sleeping soundly.
It was only 4:00am. Why would someone text her at this hour? She moved from the bed and headed towards the bathroom with her phone to see who it was that had disturbed her sleep.
Wakey, wakey. Someone’s watching
Stella frowned and deleted the message before moving back in the bedroom and closing the curtains before curling back up into bed next to Axl who woke just enough to put his arm around her and pull her closer to him. She sighed happily at the warmth and comfort his arms provided her and moved to press her face against his chest and drift back to sleep.
Only that she couldn’t sleep. She lay there for a couple of hours before the sun started to peak over the horizon. The ominous text message had caused scared her a good bit. Why would someone text her such a message? And how had someone gotten this number? Only Thomas, her parents, Axl, and Beta had the number. So how had anyone else gotten ahold of it? Stella moved out of bed and into the bathroom to relieve herself and wash her face.
“Stella? Why are you up so early?” Axl yawned as he sat up and ran a hand through his hair.
“I couldn’t go back to sleep.” Stella shrugged as she moved to sit next to Axl in the bed, pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek. “You should go back to bed, it’s far too early.”
“Mmm, I’m up.” Axl chuckled softly and pressed a kiss to her lips, pulling her into his lap. “I love you.”
“And I love you. What’s on the agenda for today?” She questioned as she ran a hand through his messy red hair.
“I have several meetings to attend today and then I thought maybe we could go out on a drive? Just to get out of the house?” He suggested as he ran a hand along her back, green eyes focused on her.
“I’d love to. A drive along the coast would be nice, different from what we normally do.” Stella agreed and rested her head on his shoulder. “What time is your first meeting? It’s 6am now.”
“My first meeting is at 8.” He said and shifted so she could move from his lap and he could get up. “I should probably get a shower and get ready.”
Stella smiled and grabbed her phone as it buzzed, waiting for Axl to go into the bathroom to shower before reading what the text message said.
Keep an eye on your man today, you never know when there won’t be a tomorrow
Stella’s heart sank, and she deleted the message, moving into the bathroom to check on Axl before looking out the window for any sign of life outside. The premises were secure, how did someone know what she was wearing last night? How did they know Axl wasn’t in her sight? She needed to get to the bottom of this, and fast.
“Are you okay?” Axl frowned as he emerged from the bathroom, his waist wrapped in a towel.
“I’m okay. Just a little morning sickness.” Stella lied as Axl dressed himself. She hated lying to him, he deserved to know what was going on. But she didn’t want him to be worrying about her, not on a day where he would already be stressed out enough.
“Make sure to rest until it passes?” He bent down to press a kiss to her lips and then a kiss to her stomach. “I gotta go.”
“I love you, be safe getting to the meetings.” She smiled weakly and leaned down to kiss him.
“I love you too.” He grinned before slipping on his shoes and heading out.
The phone buzzed again.
Sweet moments won’t last forever
Stella frowned and looked at the number, only to find it was a restricted number. With each text message, Stella was growing more and more worried. How was someone able to see what was happening inside their home? How would she hide this from Axl to keep him from worrying? He was bound to see a text message eventually.
Stella deleted the message and headed for the library to pick out a good book to read to pass time and get her mind off the text messages that were being sent to her. With a good book in hand, Stella headed downstairs to grab fruit for breakfast. As she went downstairs, her phone buzzed again but she chose to ignore the message. She wasn’t going to let the anonymous texter ruin her day or stress her. Just as she reached the kitchen, she felt someone grab her from behind and covered her mouth as she tried to scream and fight the person off before everything went black.
A few hours later, Axl was at his meeting and listening to his lawyer try to come to a settlement with one of the many venues that had tried to sue Axl and the band for not coming on stage. He was bored out of his mind and spent most of the first meeting staring out the window thinking of any random thing that crossed his mind.
He was worried about Stella, normally she would have texted him by now. He hoped the morning sickness wasn’t getting the best of her. Or perhaps she was sleeping? She had been up in the wee hours of the morning, so it made perfect sense that she had gone back to bed.
“Axl, we’ve come to a settlement. If you perform at their venue for two nights, both free, they will settle.” His lawyer explained.
“That’s fine.” Axl nodded as he was ripped away from his thoughts of Stella.
With the last of the meetings over, Axl went to the record company to go over record and merchandise sells as well as demographics of the Guns N’ Roses audience, the amount of 18 to 25 year olds had increased dramatically in the recent months and popularity was continuing to grow. With the good news of the meeting with the record company sent Axl home in a good mood. He was excited to get home to Stella and celebrate over the good news and to be back at home where he could enjoy a lazy day with his beautiful girlfriend.
His phone buzzed as he turned it back on after the meeting to show he had 5 missed calls from Beta. Since it seemed important, he called her back as he got in the back of a black SUV.
“Axl! Thank god you answered! She’s gone!” Beta was almost hysterical and speaking so quickly that Axl could hardly make out what she was saying.
“Woah, woah. Who is gone? What’s happened?” Axl asked as he felt panic beginning to rise in his body, had Stella left him again? If she had, why? They’d been so happy.
“I found her phone and I called for her all through the house! She’s not here, Axl. The door was wide open, and it looks like there was a struggle.” Beta was trying to calm herself for Axl’s sake, knowing the man could get so easily riled up.
“I’ll be home soon.” He promised. “Call the police, now.” He said before hanging up the phone.
“Driver, I need you to get me home quickly. This is an emergency.” Axl tried to keep his voice even despite the crushing feeling he had in his chest.
The drive home was the longest ride of Axl’s life. As they passed along the coastline of Malibu that should have been a relaxing scene for him, he felt dread rising in his chest as the car neared the road that would lead up to his home. Stella and his unborn son were in danger and he was helpless now to save them. Though he had no idea what would happen when he left their home, he felt as though he had failed to protect them.
Arriving at the home, a police car was already parked out front. A policeman stood on the front porch taking a statement from Beta, who paused when she saw Axl. He looked devastated once again and she knew he was beating himself up about it.
“I’m calling a private investigator in too. The sooner she’s found, the better.” Was all Axl said as he walked past Beta and into find the scene where the struggle had taken place.
The glass coffee table had been broken and pushed to the side, the area rug under it askew. Various pictures and decorations that had dotted around the area were on the floor and broken. Stella had put up a good fight by the looks of it. Axl picked her cellphone up off the counter and read the unread text message, it was from a restricted number.
Behind you, pretty girl
Axl suddenly felt sick to his stomach. Had someone been taunting her? If so, how long had it been happening and why hadn’t she told him? He walked unsteadily out to the policeman and handed him the phone with a shaky hand.
“I found this on her phone…” Axl said, trying to speak around the lump forming in his throat.
“Thank you, sir. I promise we will bring her home to you.” The officer promised before heading to his squad car and driving off, leaving Beta and Axl standing on the front porch.
“Axl…I’m so sorry.” Beta apologize, her hand resting on his shoulder.
“I don’t need apologies. I need to find Stella.” Axl said before heading back inside.
He needed to be alone, needed time to compose himself. His entire body felt like it was trembling, his breath was starting to hitch and his throat. He slammed the door of his room and sat on the bed, his eyes filling with tears that he desperately tried to blink back. The range of emotions he was experience could best be summed up to the feeling of dread.
“Axl, is there anything you need?” Beta called from the other side of the door.
“Call the private investigator we’ve used in the past.” Axl instructed, trying to mask his wavering voice.
He waited until he heard Beta’s footsteps going faint before allowing a shaky breath out. He could feel the panic attack bubbling up more violently now, his hands were shaking, and he felt like he might pass out. The nausea hit him like a tidal wave, forcing him to stumble towards the bathroom as he gagged.
Getting sick during his panic attacks had been happening since he was a kid, so he knew it was nothing to worry about and there was nothing he could do but sit and wait for the panic attack to end. Once he’d emptied the contents of his stomach, he was crying. His knees were pulled up to his chest as his body shook with a mixture of anxiety and sobs. He couldn’t lose her like this.
Meanwhile, Stella was just coming to. She was chained to a bed by her ankle; though she was able to move about the room, judging by the length of the chain. The room she was in was dark, damp, and lit by a single florescent light. It was more than likely the basement of a home. Her entire body ached and her head pounded as though she had a migraine.
“Why are you doing this?” Stella called out to the man sitting in the corner of the room, watching her.
“Because your father wouldn’t pay up, so you have to be held here until he does.” The man explained and stood, walking towards her and placing a hand on her cheek. “You might even come to like it here.”
“Get the fuck away from me.” She slapped his hand away, only to find his other hand colliding with her face. The sound of the slap echoed through the room as the man grabbed her by the hair and tugged her hair back so hard she looked at him.
“If you want that baby of yours to make it into this world, I suggest you talk to me kindly.” The man’s voice was threatening, making Stella shrink away as he let go of her hair and left the room.
She touched her cheek, flinching a bit when it stung to the touch. Why was she here? What debt had her father not paid?
While Stella sat in the cold and damp room, Axl was busy pacing their Malibu mansion trying to figure out who might have taken her and why. Her father! Of course, how could he have been so stupid! Someone was probably holding her for ransom, he just had to get a hold of the person responsible.
But as hours passed and he and Beta tried to reach Stella’s father, mother, sister, and finally brother; they found themselves out of luck. None of the family were answering their phones despite Axl calling several times. Surely, they must know their daughter was missing? Were they out looking for her?
“Axl, I think its time to call it a night.” Beta said as she glanced to the clock and found it was nearing midnight. They’d been calling her family and calling anyone who might have seen her all night.
“You go on home, I’m going to keep calling.” Axl said as he texted security to see if they could find any footage of Stella being taken. Perhaps the abductor’s face had been caught on camera.
“Axl, please make sure you rest.” Beta frowned.
“I can’t rest knowing my girlfriend and our unborn son are out there and are in danger.” Axl replied shortly before answering a phone call from the head of his security team and Beta left.
Hours turned into days before Axl knew it. There had been footage of the attack and the abduction but no face to identify the man. The car Stella had been put into had a covered license plate which only frustrated Axl further. The police were useless, and his private investigator hadn’t been able to dig up any clues. It was beginning to feel as though they’d never find her.
In the damp basement, Stella had spent days being given only the bare minimum to keep her and the baby alive and she felt weak. On good behavior, her captor had freed her from the chain that connected to the bed. Hours were spent searching for a way that might lead her out of this horrible place and to somewhere where she might get help. After running her hand along the wall, she found a board that had been placed in front of something and as she pulled, she saw light. It was a window! She wasn’t in a basement but was a good mile from the next house over by her judging. It was worth the risk and the door was opening so she didn’t have much time.
She managed to break the window with the board and climbed out. Her attempts to escape were put to a halt when the captor jumped from the window after her. He was faster and stronger than she was.
“Stupid bitch!” The man shouted as he threw her to the ground once they were inside. “I told you what would happen if you pissed me off!” And so, the beating began, and her life was changed forever.
A couple of weeks had passed and Axl finally had a lead. He woke to the sound of his security lead calling him on the phone, the ringing making his head ache.
“We found her.” Was all the security man had time to say before Axl was on his feet and getting dressed.
“Where is she? Is she being brought home? Is she okay?” Axl was asking when the security man interrupted.
“Axl, there were some complications that had happened when they found her. She’s being taken to UCLA.”
“I’m on my way.” Axl felt the all to familiar feeling of dread returning.
It didn’t take long for Axl to get to the hospital, the usual 32-minute drive reduced to 25 minutes with the way he had his driver drive. The nurse leading him down the never-ending twisting and turning of the halls. Finally arriving in Stella’s room, Axl froze at the sight of her. She was deathly pale which contrasted horribly with the bruises that covered her face and all the skin that was exposed by her hospital gown. Cuts lined her face and he could vaguely make out boot prints in her skin. But the pain he felt turned into something unbearable when he saw her stomach. It was flat, like nothing had ever been there to begin with.
“I assume you’re her boyfriend.” The doctor said as she entered the room.
(TRIGGER)
“The baby?” Axl could barely manage out as he kept his eyes locked on Stella.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Rose. The injuries sustained during the stomping sent her body into shock, resulting in a miscarriage. We found her on the sidewalk outside, someone must have dumped her.” The woman was clearly genuine in her apology and Axl swallowed his tears.
“Thank you.” He said quietly.
“We don’t know when she will wake up, all we can do is wait. She’s stable for now but she’s not out of the woods. This could be a very long recovery process as we don’t know if she has brain damage or not. We won’t know until she wakes up.”
“Please just leave us alone.” Axl interrupted her and move to sit next to the bed, gently taking her hand. He watched as the doctor left before allowing himself to openly cry, his forehead resting on the bed, all the strength drained from his body.
He’d felt this pain on a smaller scale when Erin had lost their baby, but it didn’t compare to now. His son was dead and there was no certainty that he would ever get Stella back.
Misfortune and grief seemed to go hand in hand in Axl’s life, he just hoped he didn’t lose Stella. He couldn’t lose her. She had to be okay.
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