RIGHT BY MY SIDE

CHAPTER 22

Ok I feel really bad for taking such a long break. I hope it's ok for you guys. Enjoy :)

“Where is my daughter?” Drake had made it to the hospital in record timing. He got out of the car with her bunny in hand and entered the emergency room.

“I’m sorry sir, who are you here for?” one of the nurses asked unaware of who was standing before her.

“I’m looking for Scarlett Graham, I’m her father Aubrey Graham” he informed her.

“Room 110” She pointed in the direction that he should go. Drake followed her direction leading to Scarlett’s room. When he got there, he saw a police officer standing by the door and the Doctor coming out of the room. He ran over to greet her quickly.

“How is she?” he asked frantically. The doctor closed the room door.

“Are you her father?”

“Yes I am” She sighed and took off her glasses, Drake got worried. He immediately braced himself for the worst.

“Well Mr. Graham, I’m Doctor Sanders. We just did an MRI on her left arm because she was complaining that it hurt. That MRI showed that she has a closed-ended fracture to the radius so we cast her arm to prevent from further damage. Also she has a minor concussion and her lungs are showing signs of distress. I’m assuming it’s from all the crying and screaming she was doing. We have an oxygen mask over her mouth and nose giving her some much needed oxygen so that her lungs can recuperate. She’s very lucky. There will be an officer outside her door at all times. Because of the nature of the case, no one is allowed into her room unless they’re escorted by you.” She informed him. The doctor took a breather and put her hand on his shoulder. “She’ll be just fine. You can go in and see her but she’s sleeping” she added.

“Thank you so much doctor” he said shaking her hand.

“You’re welcome” 

With that she left and Drake opened the door to find Scarlett hooked up to an IV and monitors beeping.  He went inside and pulled up a chair closer to her bedside and sat in it. Tears streaming down his face, he reached up and caressed her cheek. It was hard to see her laying there clearly in distress. The more he looked at his baby girl, the more he wanted to kill Lisa. He looked at her hand that had the cast on it and ran his hands lightly over it. He looked up at her face to see the oxygen mask covering it and fog filling it every time she exhaled. He thanked god for his little miracle daughter. Things could of been much worse.

He was so focused on his daughter that he didn't even notice the small knock on the door. It was detective Johnson. He had just got done speaking with police and other local authorities. Drake felt a presence behind him and looked up.

"She's a fighter isn't she?" Drake cracked a small smile. 

"Yes, yes she is" he replied simply rubbing his hand over her cheek. It got quiet again as the detective wondered if now would be the best time to discuss other issues at hand now that Scarlett was ok. He sighed knowing that Drake probably just wanted to enjoy being with his daughter again.

"I want to talk to you whenever you're ready."

"Thanks man" he said never breaking focus on his baby girl. With that the detective left out the door. 

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Meanwhile, Nicki and the rest of Young Money as well as Drake's family and friends were on there way to Ohio, having found out the location of the hospital where Scarlett was being held. 

When they arrived, they were all situated into a waiting room until Drake was ready to start bringing them in one by one. Sandi got to see her first. She so happy that Scarlett seem to be just fine while she rested but it still angered her that her precious grand-daughter was in this predicament. Drake had explained why he was afraid to call her and Sandi understood that he had a lot on his plate and didn't want to seem like a failure. She just hoped that in the future he would come to her when he was so overwhelmed with things that way she can give him some motherly advice. 

Next was Nicki's turn to see Scarlett. She was so worried about her little lady bug and wanted to make sure that she was ok. Upon entering the room, she saw Scarlett hooked up to a bunch in tubes with a mask on and her arm casted. 

''How is she?'' Nicki asked worried walking over to her beside to get a closer look. Drake sighed.

''Well they gave her some medicine to make her sleep, and she has a broken forearm but the Doctor said that she's gonna be just fine'' he informed her. Nicki clutched her chest in relief.

''Thank god'' she said sitting next to him on the arm of the chair. Nicki leaned her head on Drake. ''She's a strong little ladybug'' she added looking at Scarlett peacefully sleeping.

''Yes she is'' Drake said lowly while staring at his daughter. It got quiet for a minute as they both watched Scarlett breathe in and out through the mask.

''You know who else is strong?'' she asked still leaning on Drake. He turned to look at her and their eyes met. 

''Who?'' Nicki cracked a dimpled smile. 

''You'' They stared at each other deeply before Drake leaned in pecking her lips ever so softly before breaking away. She always knew how to boost his confidence and make him smile.

''Thank you for standing by me. I'm so lucky to have an amazing woman by me through all of this. I love you.''

''There's no other place that I'd rather be'' she smiled. ''I love you too baby'' They kissed again this time more deeply than before. 

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Nine hours later, Drake was sitting alone in the room with Scarlett while Nicki went back to the cafeteria to grab them something for them to eat. The whole Young Money was in the waiting room after they went with Drake one by one to see Scarlett. She still hadn't woken up yet but the doctor had assured him that she should be waking up very soon. He couldn't wait for her to open her eyes.

A couple minutes later,  Scarlett fluttered her eyes open. Drake still had his head down on the bed looking at the floor. He was hoping Scarlett would wake up soon so he could see her beautiful eyes and tell her how much he loved her. Little did he knew, she was already up and staring at him. She reached out her hand and rubbed his soft curls gently startling him in the process. 

“Daddy” she said in a raspy and muffled tone. Drake picked is head up quickly and looked at her. Scarlett gave him a weak smile. He breathed a sigh of relief and smiled back. He kissed her hand gently.

“Hey sweetheart” he said smoothing his hand over her hair. Scarlett started to say something but then she started coughing really bad. Drake pushed the nurse call button by her bedside to alert one of the nurses. “Shh…don’t speak baby” he coached. The oxygen mask around her mouth and nose  Drake saw her chest heaving and she began to take deeper breaths. He was beginning to get worried again.

“Is she up?” the nurse asked entering the room.

“Yeah, but she started coughing really bad while trying to speak” he informed her. The nurse looked at her monitors. She took the oxygen mask from her face and her respiration dropped so she put it back on and it went up again.

“Sweetheart does it hurt when you cough?” Scarlett shook her head. “Her lungs are still recuperating” she informed him. "It'll just take a little longer for her to be back to her normal self." Drake nodded in understanding. The nurse left the room and Drake returned his attention back to Scarlett. She was smiling even behind the oxygen mask and that was all he could ask for at the moment. He placed her pink bunny in her arms and she smiled even wider than before. 

"You know daddy loves you right?" he asked. Scarlett shook her head and he smiled. "Daddy loves you to the end of the world and back" he said before getting up and kissing her cheek.

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A few days had passed by and Scarlett was getting noticibily better with her breathing. She still required oxygen here and there but for the most part she was doing great without it. Her overall health was improving and she was smiling a little more than before which Drake was elated about. She was slowly coming back to her normal self.

Nicki arrived at the hospital a few minutes later.She had spent the night at a nearby hotel with the rest of the crew that came because they weren't allowed in the room after certain hours in the night. Drake had called her earlier in the day saying that he needed to talk to her. The way he said it on the phone made her worry a bit. She and Drake hugged for a brief moment before letting go.

“Drake what’s going on?” she asked worried. Drake lowered his head and motioned for her to sit down in a seating area near her room.

“I need you to keep Scarlett while they take me in for questioning” he said looking at her. Nicki scrunched up her face.

"Questioning for what?" she asked confused. Drake took a deep breath and responded.

"They need me to tell them everything including how I met her and also the fraud situation. I think she told them that I was in on her plan all along"

"Are you serious? She's really trying to drag you down along with her when it's clearly not the case."

"I know it's a little crazy"

"Not as crazy as her" Nicki replied. Drake chuckled at her screwed face and the way she said it. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his car keys. 

“Here you can drive my car when you get back to LA since Scarlett’s booster seat is in there. I already made plans for you guys to fly private as soon as Scarlett's released which should be in a few” he said handing her the keys. “Have Safaree come and pick your car up when you get back. My mom is staying with us for a week or so.” Nicki nodded her head. “Here you’re gonna need this” he said handing her Scarlett’s pink bunny. Nicki took the plush toy and hugged Drake as her eyes began to water.

“Hey look at me” he said breaking away from the hug as he felt her warm tears on his chest. “I’m gonna be fine. We’re gonna get through this you hear me?” Nicki nodded slowly. Drake knew that Scarlett would be in good hands with Nicki. He kissed the top of her head and held her tight.

They both were so wrapped up in each other's loving embrace that they didn't even see the nurse approaching with the discharge papers. 

"Are we all set here?" she asked warmly. Both Drake and Nicki broke away from their hug.

"Yeah, everything's been arranged" Drake assured her.

"Alrighty then, let's get lil missy here discharged and home shall we" she said opening the door to Scarlett's room. They walked hand in hand into the room as the nurse walked a few steps behind. Scarlett was lying in bed watching t.v. The nurse quickly took out her IV. "Ok, sweetheart. You're all free." she said  jotting some notes into Scarlett's file. Drake picked her up off the bed careful not to hurt her arm. 

Once he got her dressed, Nicki put on her shoes and jacket while Drake signed her release forms. The nurse handed him Scarlett's prescriptions, then explained what they were for to the both of them. She was put on lung medication to help her breathing get back to normal and also pain medication for her arm. 

"Ok, guys. You're free to go" she said smiling. She crouched down to Scarlett's level and enveloped her in a hug. Nicki gathered her belongings before picking her up and heading out the hospital along with Drake. They received a swarm of well wishes and claps as they left. Drake was happy to have her back where she belonged. 

Outside there was a car waiting for Nicki and Scarlett. After getting her strapped safely inside, Nicki turned to Drake and gave him another hug and kiss before getting inside herself. Drake kissed Scarlett. 

"Be good ok?" Scarlett looked at him confused. "Daddy will see you soon, but Nicki's going to be with you ok?" he assured. Scarlett looked between Nicki and him then shook her head in understanding. "Good girl" he said giving her another kiss before closing the door. He waved goodbye and they were off.

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It was dark outside when Nicki and Scarlett landed at LAX. Scarlett slept the whole plane ride while Nicki was up unable to sleep. She had so many things running through her head at once. She picked Scarlett up who was newly awoken and walked off the plane. They were greeted by tons of media people and fans as they were ushered into the car by two bodyguards Drake had hired to ensure their safety home. He couldn't risk the safety of the two loves of his life especially since the media had made Scarlett's disappearance top news. He wanted to make sure they were safe and took extra precaution while he handled business. 

Once she got Scarlett in her car seat, she hopped in and drove off with police escort in the front and back of the vehicle.  Nicki made a call to Safaree to inform him that she needed him to get her car and go to her condo to pick up some things she needed and bring them to Drake's house. Sandi was already waiting for them at the house. Drake had sent her there to make sure that all his plans were effective including the security he had hired to guard the house until things subsided.

Nicki pulled up to Drake's a few minutes later only to be greeted by Sandi at the door. She walked up and hugged Nicki.

"How was the flight?" she asked inquisitively.

"It was ok. I didn't get any sleep but someone sure did" Nicki said looking at Scarlett who was still in the back seat of the car. Sandi laughed a little.

"Well I'm sure you'll be able to rest once you get comfortable again." 

"I hope so"

They both smiled. Nicki unstrapped Scarlett and placed her on her two feet. Scarlett walked over to her grandmother and held her hand as they all made their way inside the house while the bodyguards brought in their bags. 

A few minutes later, Safaree showed up with all the items that she had asked for. He even brought Lauren with him. 

Once Nicki gave Scarlett a bath and put her to sleep, she went back downstairs. Mama Sandi and Lauren were in the living room watching the news which revolved all round Scarlett's disappearance while Safaree had went to go fill Scarlett's prescriptions. 

"She's sleep?" Sandi asked as she was coming downstairs. Nicki plopped down on the couch and sighed.

"Yeah, it took her a minute though. I don't think that she's too fond of her environment anymore." she said sitting down next to them.

"Just give her some time she'll come around soon enough" Sandi reassured her. Both Nicki and Lauren nodded their heads in agreement. They all agreed to watching a movie to get their minds of all the media attention.

An hour into their movie, Nicki heard loud screams coming from Scarlett's room. She quickly jetted off the couch and up the stairs to her bedroom with Lauren and Sandi. They were all  in the room trying to comfort the 3 year old as best they could but it didn't seem like it was working as her cries continued.

"What is going on in here?" Nicki asked looking to Mama Sandi who was trying to soothe a distraught Scarlett. 

"Maybe she had another one of those dreams again" Sandi explained. Nicki sighed an walked over to Scarlett. 

"What's wrong ladybug?" she asked crouching down to Scarlett's level as Lauren and Mama Sandi looked on hoping that Nicki would be able to get through to her. Scarlett's tears continued to roll down her face and her breathing was erratic. Nicki wiped them away and picked her up careful not to hurt her arm. She patted her back and began to walk downstairs with them both trailing behind her.

Nicki walked into the kitchen and sat Scarlett on the counter.

"Guys can you watch her for a minute while I go get her breathing treatment?" 

"Sure" they both said in unison. Once Nicki gave her the treatment Scarlett wasn't breathing as heavy anymore.

“I miss Daddy” Scarlett cried. Nicki pulled her close and kissed her head.

“I know ladybug, I miss him too. He’ll be back soon ok?” Scarlett shook her head. After awhile Nicki went back upstairs to put Scarlett in her bed because she was slowly falling to sleep again. She tucked her in and kissed her forehead as Scarlett clutched her bunny in her hands. Nicki stood up and cut on her night light then flipped the switch on the wall as she left.

"Goodnight mommy" Scarlett whispered drifting off. Nicki looked at her weird. She couldn't believe what just happened. Did she really just call me mommy? she thought to herself while shutting the door behind her. She leaned against the door frame trying not to let her emotions get the best of her but it was a lost cause as she felt her tears roll down her face. She definitely needed Drake at this moment.

Mama Sandi was walking upstairs after turning the lights off and making sure the house was secure before she took it in for the night. Lauren and Safaree had just left to go home. As soon as she saw the look on Nicki's face, she knew something had just happened. 

"Baby what's wrong? Is everything alright?"

Nicki looked at her in the eyes an shook her head no. "I don't know if I can do this." she cried. Mama Sandi walked up to her and gave her a warm embrace.

"What do you mean you can't do this?" she asked. Nicki took a deep breath. 

"She just called me mommy" she lowly whispered. "I just-" she began before getting cut off by Sandi.

"Oh baby, don't doubt yourself." she paused before continuing. "You're the closest thing to a mommy that she knows and to be honest I'm surprised that it took this long. You embrace that role and keep moving forward. She loves you and from what I can see you love her just as much." Nicki wiped her face and looked at Sandi.

"Thank you so much. I needed to hear that."

"You're welcome baby." she paused before hugging Nicki. "Try to get some sleep. You look overwhelmed" Nicki shook her head. Sandi walked down the hall to the guest room while she just stood there thinking to herself.

Nicki wanted to keep Scarlett close to her so she took her into the room with her and laid her down in the bed. After taking a shower and getting dressed for bed, she made a mental note to call one of the detectives in the morning. She had something to give to them that might clear any doubt that Drake had anything to do with Lisa's scheme.

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