NATHAN'S POV

I looked at the rocking chair in the front porch slowly swaying with the evening breeze and found myself getting sad all over again. The only reason I was seated outside alone in the cold was to escape thinking about her being gone for a minute but that was proving to be impossible. She had made her mark and left her touch on every single surface of our house. Kane and Kora lay next to the chair looking sad as if understanding the solemn energy around the ranch. They always sat by her feet as she read on most nights, feeding them treats every couple of minutes. If the dogs were feeling her absence who was I not to be affected.

"Come on Nathan, not this again."Freya groaned walking towards me.

She handed me a cup of coffee and took a seat next to me with her own cup in hand.

"What do you mean not this again?"I retorted.

"I mean this, you acting like a sad sack and ruining everyone's mood. It's only been three days and you seem like you've already lost hope."Freya explained.

"I haven't."I replied.

"Then what's with the sad face?"Freya inquired.

"As I was putting Clara down she asked me if I will die next since my penguin mate has died. I haven't lost hope but the kids have and its affecting them."I answered.

Freya smiled sadly at me and patted my arm comfortingly.

"Kids mimic what we adults do. If they see you sad and depressed then that's the mood they will portray too. You need to give them hope that Savannah will be back. I know she is. My best friend is a badass and she'll surprise us all soon. I refuse to lose hope and neither should you." She asserted.

I gave her a tight smile and took a sip of my coffee. Freya had no idea but Savannah was my best friend too. She was also my rock, my love and the mother to our current and future kids. I had not lost hope that she would come back to us but it had been three days of no news and no leads which was getting me worried. I had called the Sheriff's office so many times they were probably going to block my number soon.

Freya had come at the house to help me out with the kids until Savannah came back. I didn't even ask her to. She just showed up with a bag the morning after the kidnapping with donuts for everyone and camped out in the extra bedroom downstairs. Her presence was welcome and she was helping a lot with the kids but she was not the woman I wanted to be drinking coffee with as we stargazed. I wanted my Savannah back.

"Did they find any leads in the blue truck?"Freya asked.

"No, the fucker wiped it clean before swapping it for another."I replied.

The police had found the blue truck Ethan had described ditched at the end of town. There had been no tire tracks leading away from it so it's like they had vanished into thin air. They could have been halfway across the country by now or in Mexico while we just say there praying for a miracle. Texas was a huge state so I was hopeful that he hadn't crossed state lines with her but still it was a long shot.

"What if she's not back for Christmas?"I whispered fearfully.

"Dude Christmas is like a month away, she'll not be gone that long and stop thinking like that."Freya gritted out getting pissed at me.

I tried my best but sometimes the voice of doubt invaded my mind and I couldn't stop myself from overthinking.

Freya was about to say something else when we saw two headlights shine in the distance meaning a car was approaching. It was past ten pm so I had no idea who would be visiting at such an hour. I didn't recognize the truck as it approached and stopped right infront of the house a couple of feet away from Freya and I.

"Who is it?"Freya asked me.

"I don't know, the windows are tinted and I don't recognize it."I replied with a shrug.

The engine switched and the lights went off, the door opened a second later and the person behind all my turmoil stepped out looking like she had just survived a war.

"Gracie!"Freya screamed loudly.

"Savannah!!"I heard myself yell as I dropped the coffee mug in hand and rush towards her.

I saw her feet falter and just before she hit the ground I caught her in my arms.

I looked at her battered and bruised body and my heart clenched in pain.

"Nathan."She whispered her voice hoarse as she lifted her soft hands to my face as if she couldn't believe it was me.

"It's okay milady, I've got you. You're home." I cooed straightening up with her in my arms.

"Edgar. Truck."She muttered before passing out in my arms.

I could feel steady breath against my neck assuring me that she was alive just unconscious.

"Nathan there's something moving in the bed of the truck."Freya whispered cautiously.

Savannah's words before she passed out came to mind and I knew exactly who was in there.

"Leave him be, let's get Savannah checked out first."I requested walking into the house.

"Oh yes Savannah! Oh my God she's home. I told you she would be."Freya cheered following me into the house.

I walked into the living room and lay her gently on the couch. She groaned in pain and that's when I saw just how badly bruised she was. She had a broken nose, her face was beaten giving her two black eyes, a split lip and other tiny cuts. The rest of her body looked okay except for her thigh.

"Oh my God, Nathan that's a bullet wound."Freya exclaimed checking out the injury in her thigh.

I gritted my jaw in anger resisting the urge to go back outside and kill the fool responsible for the pain my girl was in. I needed to take care of her first.

"Call the doctor and ask him to make a house call, explain the situation properly."I requested Freya.

"We should take her to the hospital."Freya replied.

"There's a reason Savannah chose to come home and not drive herself to a hospital. Just call the doctor and the Sheriff, I'll take her to my room."I said picking Savannah up once more.

Freya didn't argue with me again and retrieved her phone to do as I asked.

"Dad, what's going on? I heard screaming. Jesus H. Christ, is that Savannah?"Luke exclaimed as he walked down the stairs rubbing his eyes.

"Yes it is, keep your voice down. Don't wake the rest of you siblings, get my door for me will you."I requested him.

Luke tore his gaze away from Savannah and jumped into action opening my bedroom door for me. I walked in and lay Savannah in the middle of my bed. That was the first time Savannah was actually in my bed. Whenever we were together it was usually in her room, for discretion purposes obviously.

"Luke go check on your siblings and make sure they are all sleeping. Don't tell them anything. I want the doctor to check her our first before I tell them."I requested him.

"What happened to her dad?"Luke asked his gaze stuck on her.

"I don't know bud, she'll tell us when she wakes up. The important thing is that she is back and she is safe."I replied patting his shoulder comfortingly.

Luke looked at me with tears in his eyes and I pulled him in for a hug. Savannah's kidnapping had affected us as a family but individually as well since she had made a personal connection with each of us. I knew my kids were hurting but I couldn't offer them much comfort because I was in pain as well. Now she was back and we could all breath again glad to have her back.

"It's okay, she's okay."I whispered caressing his hair.

I held Luke as he cried and waited for him to pull away before I stepped back.

"I'll go check on them."Luke mumbled his voice gruff and laden with emotion.

I kissed his forehead and watched him leave the room after one long pained looked at Savannah. She didn't look like the Savannah we knew and loved. No this Savannah was a fighter, a survivor who had done everything to get back to us. I went into the bathroom and ran a towel under the warm water tap. I came back and cleaned her up the best I could without hurting her too much. I changed her out of her bloody and torn clothes into one of my t-shirts and a pair of my boxers. As I changed her I was happy to confirm that she had no hidden injuries. Only her face and thigh were hurt.

"Nathan may I come in."Freya asked knocking softly on my door.

"Yes Freya."I called out.

The door swung open and she walked in just as I covered Savannah with the blankets.

"The doctor is on his way and so is the Sheriff."Freya said.

"That's good, stay with her while I go deal with the little problem in the truck. Don't let any of the kids in. I don't want them to see her like this. We'll wait until she's conscious."I requested.

"Okay I'll be here."Freya said taking a seat on the bed next to Savannah and taking her hand.

I didn't want to leave Savannah but I had to handle the gift she had brought home as well. I tore myself away from her and left the room closing the door behind me. I took two stairs at a time and walked outside to find Raul, Travis and Austin with their shotguns pointed at the truck. It would have been a funny sight were it not such a grave matter.

"Boss, Freya told us what happened. What do you want us to do?"Raul asked me.

"Help me get him out of there first."I said opening the bed of the truck.

I jumped in there with Raul while the other two remained on high alert guns pointed and ready incase of anything.

"Ready?"I asked Raul as I grabbed Edgars' shoulders.

Raul nodded and we picked him up and tossed him off the truck like a sack of potatoes. Edgar rolled on the grass groaning in pain and landing ungracefully at Austin's feet. Now that he was out of the truck we could see him better. He was bound and gagged like a wounded animal being led to the slaughter.

"Jesus what does the other guy look like?"Travis exclaimed.

From what I could see Edgar had more than four bullet holes in him. His knees caps were blown to bits and so were his shoulders. He was going to have one long and painful recovery.

"Like a winner."I replied recalling the sight of Savannah lying on my bed.

I wanted to shoot the idiot and be done with it but it seems like Savannah had the chance but she chose to let him live. I was going to respect her wishes and let him be.

"It would be so easy to bury him in the dessert somewhere and make him disappear."Raul commented.

"You're right but we are not going to do that. Death will be letting him off easy. He will be in jail and in a wheelchair for the rest of his life, to me that's better karma than death."I replied.

The guys thought about it and realized that I was right. Savannah had made sure that Edgar would never walk again and when he was imprisoned, he would get the punishment he deserved.

The doctor arrived five minutes later. I let Travis lead him up to my room since there was nothing I could do for her as I waited with Raul and Austin for the sheriff.

"I knew Savannah was a badass but even you guys have to admit this is a whole other level. She went all GI-Jane on his ass."Raul commented.

"If she is capable of this while injured I fear to imagine what she can do in full health. I am never getting on her bad side ever again."Austin replied.

I laughed at their words but even I had to admit how true they were. Savannah truly was remarkable. She had been through hell itself yet she had managed to drive from God knows where, badly injured to get back home. She was incredible and I was in awe of her.

It didn't take long for Sheriff Connor to join us and I had no idea what message Freya relayed because he brought the whole station with him and an ambulance. For one man? If it were up to me I would have tied him to Forests' saddle and dragged him all the way to the police station myself.

"Good evening gentlemen."Sheriff Connor addressed as he approached us.

All he got in response were a couple of grunts.

"She did your work for you, here's your prep Sheriff. Get him out of my property before I end what Savannah started."I gritted out kicking Edgar's body towards Connor.

"How is she?"Sheriff Connor asked.

"Alive."I replied because physically she was not okay and I had no idea what her mental state was.

"We need to take her statement."Sheriff Connie declared.

I looked at the man and felt rage bubble up at the pit of my stomach. Savannah had been kidnapped and they had done nothing. She had saved herself and came back home all on her own. Now they wanted a statement from her? For what?

If I said anything I would get myself arrested so I stormed off towards the house and slammed the door shut behind me. He was not getting a damn thing from Savannah.

A few minutes later they all cleared out of the ranch and Raul came into the house to talk to me.

"I told him as much as I could. Sheriff sad he'll be back tomorrow when we're calmer and hopefully Savannah is conscious."He explained.

I nodded dismissively and Raul excused himself leaving the house. I knew it was protocol for Savannah to give her statement but it didn't help ease my anger that she was going to be narrating how she had done the cops work for them. I had no idea what she had gone through to get back to us but I was really grateful that she had.

Freya joined me in the kitchen ten minutes later and started brewing a fresh pot of coffee. That only meant one thing, it was going to be a long night.

"Doctor said she needs a hospital but I said we're not taking her. He was reluctant but he agreed to treat her here. He's taking the bullet out in her leg right now."Freya explained.

"Now we wait."I sighed defeatedly wanting to go upstairs to see Savannah but I was forced to be patient until she was all better and patched up.

I had no idea how Luke had managed to keep all his siblings in their rooms especially with all the police ruckus but I was grateful to him.

It was a torturous wait and after two hours of waiting the doctor finally came downstairs. Freya and I rushed to his side so he could give us an update.

"Miss Watson has lost a lot of blood but she's fine. She will need to keep off her leg for a few weeks to let it heal properly but other than that she will be fine. I've cleaned all her wounds and properly stitched her up. I still recommend she goes to the hospital to get properly checked at but for the moment she'll hold up just fine. She's a strong woman."The doctor explained.

"Thank you doctor. Is she awake?"I asked.

"No, I sedated her for the surgery so she'll be coming to in a few hours. Make sure she gets enough rest and a lot of iron. Here's a prescription for pain medication and antibiotics."The doctor replied giving me two slips.

One was for Savannah's medication and the other an invoice for his services.

"Thank you doctor, I'll see you out."Freya said.

I shook his hand and waited until he was out of the house to rush upstairs to my room.

Savannah was lying peacefully on my bed looking like a fallen angel. I pulled the covers back to see her thigh bandaged up properly. She had to get a couple of stitches on her forehead but other than that she was okay. I changed into a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt and dragged the armchair next to her bed so I could be close to her. I didn't want to get into bed with her and risk hurting her injuries and I didn't want to leave her.

There was a soft knock on the door before Freya let herself in.

"I wanted to see if you needed anything before I go to bed."She asked.

"No Freya I'm okay, we're okay, thank you. Seriously Freya, thank you for everything."I replied managing a smile.

"You're welcome, that's what friends are for. Goodnight Nathan, I'll check up on you guys in the morning."She said.

I nodded at her and watched her give one longing look towards Savannah before leaving the room.

I intertwined Savannah's hand and mine lifting the back of her hand to my lips. Her hand was warm reassuring me that she was alive and back home with us. The rest we would handle when she woke up.

The chair was uncomfortable but there's no place I'd rather be than by her side. I ended up falling asleep with her hand in mine.

I woke up at dawn when I felt Savannah stir awake. I lit the bedside lamp and waited patiently for her to fully come to and become aware of her surroundings.

"Hi."I whispered softly when she turned to look at me.

"Hi."She replied her voice hoarse managing a smile.

"How are you feeling?"I asked taking a seat next to her on the bed.

"Grateful to be alive. My whole body is in pain but it's just proof that I'm alive."She answered.

"Yes you are, thank you for coming back to us."I tried leaning in to kiss her forehead.

"I had to, this is home."She whispered.

"Yes it is, welcome back home milady. Do you need anything, water, more pillows, medicine?"I asked.

"Water and some pain killers would be nice."She replied.

The doctor had left a couple of pills for her that would help until I filled out her prescription. I poured her a glass of water and helped her sit up so she could take the medicine.

"What happened?"She asked and I immediately knew what she was referring to.

"The Sheriff took him away and he'll be back later today to take your statement."I replied.

"There's not much to tell really. I only kept him alive because I didn't want to become a murderer for the second time. He deserved it but the kids need a role model and a killer ain't a good one."She said looking down.

I tipped her chin up with my fingers so she could see the honesty in my words.

"Love, our kids will never look at you with anything other than love and adoration. You are amazing, never forget that."I asserted.

"Thank you."She mumbled quietly.

I leaned in and kissed her softly making sure to be mindful of her injuries.

"I know it's a lot to ask but can you please tell me what happened."I requested.

"Okay but only if you get in bed with me."She said pulling back the covers.

I couldn't say no to her so I carefully got in bed next to her. Savannah cuddled to my side mindful of her injured leg. I gave her time to compose herself before she narrated the whole story to me.

By the time she was done I was angrier than before but also incredibly proud of Savannah for being so strong.

"I love you."I said simply unable to say anything else.

Those three words summed up everything I wanted to tell her.

"I love you more."She replied.

I kissed her forehead and pulled her closer. We didn't say anything else, just basked in each others presence happy to be reunited.

Freya knocked an hour later letting herself in with a breakfast tray and the kids right behind her.

"Savannah!"Clara cried out excitedly jumping onto the bed.

I caught her before she landed on Savannah wrong and carefully placed her on her lap.

"Sorry I held them back as long as I could."Freya apologized setting the breakfast tray down.

"It's okay Freya. Hi baby, I missed you."Savannah greeted kissing Clara's cheek soundly.

"I missed you too. You're hurt."Clara said caressing the stitches in Savannah's forehead.

"Yes but I'll be okay."Savannah replied.

Clara was hogging all of Savannah's attention so I pulled her away to give her space to say hello to the rest of the kids. The next couple of minutes were filled with hugs and kisses as the kids expressed how much they had missed her.

As I looked at my whole family all in one room together reunited again I realized one thing. I would do anything to keep us together and happy like that always.

Savannah was back home safe and sound and now it was time to put what had happened behind us.

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Happy New Years Eve my darlings. My plans for ushering in the new year are in my bed, writing the final chapters of Savannah for you guys. I hope you have a fantastic night ahead as you usher in the new year.