Our Ghost Adventures

***Zak’s POV***

When I found her, she was sitting in the middle of the stairs, looking petrified. “Adri, baby,” I said, attempting to cup her face in my hands. She backed away from me and winced in doing so. “Sweetheart, what’s the matter, are you okay?” She backed away further up the steps.

“It’s not really you!” she shouted.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“You’re not Zak!”

“I’m me, I’m Zak, I’m your boyfriend that loves you. Look at me,” I begged. She brought her camera up and shone it in my face. I looked straight into it.

“Oh my God, Zak…” she said in relief. “I was pushed down the stairs…We need to go to the ER.”

The baby. That was my first thought as soon as Billy told me over the walkie that she had fallen down the steps. “C’mon,” I picked her up with one arm under her back and the other under her legs. She winced in pain as I touched her back. “I’m so sorry sweetie. Do you think you can walk?” she nodded and once we were down the stairs, I set her down. “Nick! Aaron!” They came running from wherever they were. Maybe it was the clear fear in my voice, or maybe it was simply because I never interrupted like this during the lockdowns.

“What is it, dude?” Aaron asked, noticing Adri at my side and leaning on me.

“She fell down the fucking stairs, I’ve gotta take her to the ER,” I said.

“Bro, I’m comin’ with ya,” Nick said. Aaron nodded too. I just nodded and went out to the van.

***

As I had to wait in the waiting room for any news on Adri I explained to Nick and Aaron that Adri was pregnant. Nick had already guessed, being as he was a dad himself.

“Now I realized why we had to leave,” Aaron said. I nodded grimly.

I nodded and decided that maybe looking at twitter and listening to music could help me. So I went to get out my phone, but instead I pulled out Adri’s. It had been in my pocket since we got here. I looked at the screen and noticed a picture of her and myself a couple of months ago. We were lying on my couch, grinning like idiots, I had the phone facing towards us. I tightened my jaw and shoved it back into my pocket. I pulled my own phone out, but right as I did, Adri’s began to ring. I sighed and slid my thumb around the cracked screen. I had seen the name to be Carlin and I knew that was her almost mother. “Hello?” I was kind of worried, I’d never talked to the woman and the first time I’d done so would be bad news. Great.

“Adri? Is that ye, lass?” An Irish woman’s voice replied. “Ye don’t sound like yerself.”

“No ma’am,” I said. “I’m Zak, I’m not sure if Adri-”

“Oh you’re the man she’s been tellin’ me ‘bout!” she exclaimed. “Is everythin’ okay, lad?”

“Ma’am, Adri and I are at the ER…She fell down the stairs at one of the houses we were investigating.”

“The baby…Is that baby a’right?”

“We don’t know yet. They haven’t told me anything,” I said, trying to keep my cool.

“Oh me, oh my.”

“I know,” I said. “I’ll call you if I hear anything new…”

“I’d appreciate that lad.” She hung up on the phone right as a sheriff walked into the room. I found it a little odd but I returned to my seat anyway.

“Adrina McMurphy’s family,” a nurse called. I leaped from my seat and went to where she was standing. “What’s your relationship to Miss McMurphy?”

“I’m her boyfriend.”

“C’mon back,” she said.

“Is the baby okay? Is she going to be okay?”

“The baby is fine, Adrina has a minor concussion, but she should be okay.”

I sighed in relief.

***Adrina’s POV***

I opened my eyes with a sigh. My arms and my back hurt so much, all of my muscles were so tight and I just wanted to lie there and not move. But the door opened and I looked up right away. Zak was standing there looking panicked.

“Oh baby, I’m so glad to see you’re okay,” he said coming towards me.

“Zak…I’m so happy to see your face…” I said softly. He came over to me and took a seat next to the hospital bed. His eyes suddenly looked hurt when he looked at my arms. I glanced down at them and saw large bruises.

“What the hell happened here?” he asked.

“I don’t…” Then it hit me. “Zak, I didn’t fall down the stairs, I was pushed. Thrown, really.”

“By who?”

“What, actually. I didn’t tell you about this…but before we left your house-when I was upstairs turning everything off, I walked into your bedroom and I saw this tall shadow man, just staring at me…It was him Zak. He threw me down the steps. But they think it was you…The nurses, and even this cop. They were trying to get me to say that it was you and for me to press charges. You didn’t hurt me. I know you didn’t.”

“I would never do anything to put you or our baby’s life in jeopardy. Ever. I love you so much, Adri.”

“I love you too. I just want to go home. I want to leave this stupid hospital…I hate hospitals.”

“I know, I’ll go talk to them and get you signed out.”

“Don’t leave me. I don’t want to be in here by myself…Aidan died in a place like this…” I hadn’t entered a hospital since his death. It was so much worse being here…Knowing that I could be the one to die and leave Zak without me and our unborn child. I couldn’t do that to him…

“I’ll stay right here,” he promised, kissing my knuckles. Aaron was next to enter the room.

“Hey Adri, how’re ya feeling?” he asked me.

“I’ve been better,” I said. He came and sat on the other side of me. “There’s cops in the hallway…They’re questioning Nick right now,” he said. “Why?” I moved carefully and revealed the bruises on my arms.

“They think Zak did it...” I said.

“Holy shit. How did you get them?”
“The shadow man from Zak’s house followed me…Threw me down the steps last night.”

“Oh my God! Bro that’s some serious shit…”

“They’re going to question you too, y’know,” Zak told Aaron, who nodded in response.

“I ain’t got nothin’ to hide. You two are one of the most loving couples I’ve ever seen and Zak couldn’t hurt another person, or even an animal…”

“Mr. Bagans, can I speak to you in the hallway?” another police officer asked, looking into the room. Zak looked at me with nothing but love in his eyes and kissed my forehead lightly, I closed my eyes for a moment as he left.

“I told them that,” I said. “He’s the most loving man I’ve ever met.”

***Zak’s POV***

“Look, I see that you’re married,” I began, looking at the man’s ring finger. I didn’t like being in this situation. I would never lay my hands on any woman, ever. “How many years?”

“Eleven this March.”

“I’ve only known that woman for about eight months and we’ve been together for almost six. And she’s having my baby, I could never lay a hand on her-or any woman! Let along the one that’s carrying my child! I’m not crazy! In our line of work, all of this unexplained shit happens all of the time-as awful as it is-it does! And I can’t stand the fact that she’s in that bed right now…I wanted her to sit out the investigation, or at least stay by my side but no, she’s stubborn as hell…I just want to go back in there and be at her side.” I said, hoping that I could. I wanted so badly to be in there with her.

***Adrina’s POV***

“Zak told us about the baby,” Nick said.

“Didn’t you already know?” I asked, remembering back to his suspicious behavior.

“Yeah,” he said. “I suspected it. You’ve been sleeping a lot and he rarely leaves your side anymore and he wouldn’t even let you pick up a camera.

I smiled. “You having a kid of your own doesn’t have anything at all to do with it, does it?”

“Well, there was that,” he smiled. “I’m happy for you two. He really does love you.”

“I’m happy for you both too,” Aaron grinned.

“I’m glad that I fit into this GAC family.”

***

Luckily, the police officer that Zak had talked to believed him, even though the hand prints on my arms were the same size as his hands. We were headed home for a three week break.

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” Zak kissed my jaw. We were lying in our room with Muffin and Gracie somewhere on the floor. I was glad that they got along and played. That way they wouldn’t have to be alone.

“Mm, I’m glad you’re not being charged with being the one to hurt me.”

“Tell me about it.”

“Sure you look like a scary guy, big muscles, tattoos, and you’re really tall-not to mention the spiked up hair.”

“I’m not that scary looking.”

“To people that don’t know you as their big teddy bear you’re pretty scary.”

“Sure,” he said with an eye roll. We were both quiet for a moment. “So do you want a boy or a girl?” he asked, his hand running across my stomach.

“I don’t know,” I said. “I haven’t even thought about it…” I admitted. “Why, what do you want?” he shrugged and looked me with a slight smile.

“It doesn’t matter, as long as its happy and healthy. I don’t care.”

“Good, but when it comes time, you’re not going to be one of those people that doesn’t want to know, right?” I asked.

“No, why?”

“’Cause I wanna know, and I’ll end up slipping if I get told and you don’t.”

He laughed. “By the way…you should probably call Carlin…and you’re phone’s screen is shattered.” He handed me the phone from his pocket.

“Great…Shit, where’s my camera?”

“Here, it was okay…somehow. So was your video camera.” I took the camera from his hand too.

“Can I use your phone to call Carlin? This thing is fucked,” I sighed. I’d have to get a new one. I couldn’t even get the damn screen to slide.

“Sure babe, but…I answered a call from her earlier…on your phone.”

“Really? Look at it, I can’t even get it past the lock screen…” I said.

“Hm,” he said handing me his phone. I dialed the number I knew by heart and turned it on speaker phone.

“Hello? Dis better not be some crazy American person stalkin’ me,” I should’ve known she’d look at the caller ID and see that it was somebody from America, not Ireland.

“Carlin,” I said.

“Oh lass, til ye! M’so glad yer okay! Ye are a’right, aren’t ye?” she asked.

“I’m fine,” I told her. “The baby’s fine too.”

“Dat’s fantastic news! How’s dat guy a yers?”

“I’m fine,” Zak said.

“Aye, he’s dere with ye?”

“Yep, I probably couldn’t get rid of him if I wanted to.”

“Hey!” Zak protested.

“Oh don’t worry, I don’t want to get rid of you, yet. But you better watch it Bagans.”

“You love me too much,” he said confidently.

“I’m gonna let ye both go…I don’t want te be on de phone an’ hear somethin’ I shouldn’t,” Carlin said. Zak grinned at me and raised his eyebrows.

“Bye Carlin,” I said.

“Bye, lass. Bye, lad.”

“The only question now is…Would you rather go back to your house or do you want to come to Vegas with me?”

“What is there for me back home? I have my dog and I have the love of my life right here.”

“I’m the love of your life?” he asked, meeting my eyes. I bit my lip. Had I just said that? Did that mean that I didn’t love Aidan anymore? Of course not, I corrected myself. I still love Aidan, but I couldn’t deny that what I had with Zak surpassed what I had with Aidan…I mean it was a sad truth but it was the truth.

“Yes.”