by Harlow Layne
The baby’s kicking up a storm and playing a little football of her own with my organs as we sit here. Maybe if I stand it will give her a little more room, and she’ll stop using my organs for practice.
Max stands too, helping me up. “Do you want me to come with you?”
“You hang out with your family. I won’t be gone too long unless the bathroom line is exceptionally long.” Because I pee every five minutes or so it seems, I have to use the nasty bathroom in the concession stand.
“If you’re sure,” he says, already sitting down and turning to the group of guys we’re sitting with. Max has his brother, his dad, along with December’s dad, Asher, all at the game. December and November are on their way and then I’ll have someone to talk to that doesn’t want to talk about sports I don’t understand.
Hanging onto the banister, I waddle down the bleachers and sigh with relief once my feet hit the concrete of the sidewalk. Every time I walk down those damn bleachers, I feel like I’m going to fall flat on my face. It doesn’t help that I’m stomach heavy, and my balance is off. Half the time, I feel like I could fall from how big my stomach is while in the house. These rickety stands aren’t helping matters.
While I feel as big as a house, Max has made me feel beautiful every day. In fact, I think the bigger my stomach gets, the more turned on he is. It’s some weird fetish that I don’t want him to get accustomed to because I’m not sure I can handle another pregnancy. At least not for a long while.
Pulling out the keys to Max’s truck, I click to unlock it, but it doesn’t beep. I hit the button again and again, but nothing happens. The lights don’t even flash.
I sigh and look to make sure I have the right set of keys. I’ve been driving around using Max’s SUV that he’s all but given me to use. He took out everything of his and deemed it my car one day. Surprisingly I didn’t agrue. For once, I’m enjoying having someone take care of me.
But the keys in my hand are the right ones. What I’m not sure about is why they aren’t working. I want to get inside and grab the lip gloss I left inside earlier. My lips feel dry, only adding to my uncomfortable state.
Pulling out my phone, I bring the screen to life to text Max and ask him if he knows what’s wrong with his truck when my hand is hit, and my phone goes flying.
What the hell?
I turn to look at whoever just slapped my phone out of my hand when I’m cut short by the one person I never wanted to see again. It’s dark in the parking lot and where we parked is even darker than some of the other spaces, but I’d know him anywhere. My body starts to tremble as Bradley rips my purse from my arm and crowds me into the side of Max’s truck.
He leans in. His hot breath fans my face and I smell the stench of alcohol on his breath. He doesn’t stop until his body is pinning me against the hard surface of the truck. “It’s been a long time, D. Have you missed me?”
I shake my head, hoping this is all just some bad dream, and I’ll wake up.
“That’s too bad because I’ve missed you. I’ve missed these succulent tits, and your tight pussy.” He looks down at me and sneers. “I guess it won’t be tight for much longer.”
I try to push him off me, but he doesn’t budge. No, instead he grabs both of my arms in a bruising hold and shakes me like a ragdoll.
“You should have stayed.” He takes both my hands in one of his large ones and grabs me by the throat with the other. “Now I have to assume the worst. Did you tell your new friends about me and what you overheard?”
I try to shake my head no, but his hold is too tight. “No,” I choke out. His hold on me becomes tighter, cutting off my airway.
“Somehow I don’t believe you. Do you want to know why?”
No, I don’t. All I want is for him to let me go and leave me alone, but I know he won’t do it. Not now that he’s found me. I knew this day would come, but I didn’t think it would be today.
After it seemed like Bradley and his goons were no longer looking for me, we became complacent. I should have stayed home and never left the house.
“How did you find me?” I squeak out.
“It seems you’ve forgotten who I am. You can’t hide from me. I’ll always find you.” He leans in and licks the side of my face, and I want to throw up when his dry tongue hits my skin. “This is new,” he lets me go to grab my protruding stomach. “What I wonder is… is it mine or is it your famous baseball player boyfriend’s?”
I cough and sputter until I catch my breath. When I can finally breathe easy, I see his face twisted up. He’s evil. There’s no other word to describe what Bradley is.
My body goes slack at the knowledge he knows who Max is. “Please don’t hurt him,” I beg.
“Oh, I’m not going to lay a hand on him. Your little Beck is safe as well. I’m going to hurt them by hurting you.” His eyes are dark and dilated as he grabs me again roughly by the arms and slams me back against the truck.
“I remember a time when you told me you didn’t want any more kids.” He laughs, and it’s pure unadulterated evil. “Let me help you with that. If you make it out alive, we’ll see if pretty boy Max Black still wants you.” He leans in and bites down on my earlobe. “I have a confession. I don’t think he’ll want you after I’m through with you.”
“What are you going to do?” I cry out as he drags me further into the parking lot. It’s darker back here. Eerily dark. When he starts to pull me into the trees, that’s when I start to fight. I can’t let him take me where no one will see. He’s going to kill me and if he doesn’t, I’m sure I’ll wish I was dead.
“I’m just going to rough up that pretty little face of yours.” He grabs me by the face and squeezes hard enough I taste blood in my mouth. I know this isn’t even the worst of it. “Maybe cut off this ugly hair of yours.” He flips the ends of my hair and snarls at me. “Did you really think changing your hair color would deter me for long?”
“I just wanted a fresh start,” I say with my mouth smashed together.
“Well, I’m about to give you a fresh start. When I’m done with you, no one will want you. Even Beck won’t be able to look at you.” Grabbing me by the throat again, he cocks his arm back and starts to laugh. “Tears won’t save you. In fact, nothing will save you now.”
I don’t realize I’m crying until he smears my tears with this thumb and digs the pad into my lip until my flesh breaks and blood starts to trickle down my chin.
“You should have minded your own business, bitch.” It’s the last thing he says before his fist slams into my face. Pain explodes through my nose and eye to the point I can’t see anything. I don’t need to see to feel what he’s doing to me, though.
Pulling me by the hair, Bradley drags me over the curb and throws me front first into a tree. Now on the ground, I try to curl into a ball to protect my baby, but he’s too strong. He kicks me in the side and waits until I arch my back in pain for him to stomp down as hard as he can on my stomach.
One second there’s pain, and the next everything is dark. There’s no more pain. No more Bradley. No more anything.
20
Max
“Hey,” Mom hugs me and sits down beside me, “where’s Delilah?”
Looking at my phone, I realize it’s been almost half an hour since she left. There are no messages from her, though, making me wonder where she is.
“She was uncomfortable and went to stretch her legs.” I think about her mentioning the bathroom. “Did you notice if the bathroom was busy or not on your way in?”
Mom and November both shake their heads. “I can go check to see if she’s in there if you’re worried,” Mom says already standing.
“Would you? I thought she’d be back by now and her staying gone this long isn’t like her.”
She smiles down at me. “She’s probably in line or getting some food.”
I want her to be right but can’t help the feeling that something is wrong.
Placing my hand on Mitchell’s shoulder, I point to
Beck. “Can you watch him? I’m going to go see what’s holding Delilah up.”
Mitchell, my dad, and Asher all nod in agreement. Good, I don’t need to worry about Beck as well. I take the steps two at a time and by the time I round the bleachers I see Mom coming out of the bathroom with no Delilah insight.
“I didn’t see her in there, and I asked if anyone had seen Delilah, but no one’s seen her since the beginning of the game. I checked the concession line as well on the way. Do you have any idea where she’d be?”
I have no idea where Delilah could be if not in there.
“Why don’t you go back and sit with Dad while I search for her. If you see her have Delilah text me or you text.”
I start to step away when Mom’s hand comes to my arm and there’s a worried look plastered on her face when I turn back to her. “You don’t think she’s in trouble, do you?”
“I don’t know,” I tell her, but deep in my gut I know it’s been too long and she’s in trouble. Now I just have to find her.
“Go, go,” she pushes me, her voice trembling, “go find her.”
I start off walking quickly, but as I scan the area and don’t find any sign of her, I start to jog through the parking lot. Up and down each row I look, but it’s empty except for cars and trucks. By the time I’ve made it to the back row, I’m all but sprinting. Sweat is pouring down my face, and stinging my eyes, but I don’t care. All I care about is finding Delilah.
Stopping, I rest my hands on my knees and try to catch my breath as I survey the area. I saw my truck, so I know she didn’t take it for some reason. It’s then that I see some movement out of the corner of my eye at the edge of the trees.
I take off running full out, trying to get there as fast as I can. There’s a body on the ground and the closer I get, dread infiltrates me until my entire body feels like it’s full of poison. “Delilah,” I shout, falling to my knees when I reach her.
She doesn’t respond. It’s dark, so I can’t see much, only that she’s curled into herself. “Delilah, baby, are you okay?” I ask as I turn her onto her back.
A low moan comes out of her, making my worry escalate. I’m terrified of what I’m going to find as I pull out my phone and turn on the flashlight.
What I see has me gasping for breath. I feel sick, but I don’t have time for that. Delilah needs me. Her face is bloody and swollen to the point that if I didn’t know her and what she was wearing earlier, I wouldn’t recognize her.
There are angry red marks and bruises all along her neck. If it wasn’t for her chest rising and falling, I’d think… I can’t even think it. Her eyes flutter, giving me hope. “Baby, wake up.”
Knowing I’m wasting precious time, I dial 9-1-1 as I pull her head onto my lap and brush away the hair that’s stuck to her forehead and matted down by blood.
“9-1-1, what’s your emergency?” a deep, male voice answers the line.
“Yes, my girlfriend was attacked and is unconscious. We’re at the high school football game. Out at the end of the parking lot by the trees,” I rush out and then pant to catch my breath.
“Okay, sir. Please take a deep breath. You’re no good to her if you’re not calm.” He says the words as if he’s said them a thousand times, which he probably has.
I take his advice and take as calming a breath as I can with the love of my life lying in my arms unconscious and beaten badly.
“Okay, I’m better now,” I tell him.
“Good, now is she breathing? Does she have a pulse?”
“Yes, but she won’t wake up.”
“That’s okay. I’ve got an ambulance en route to you as we speak. They should be there in two minutes. Is there anything else you can tell me?”
“Um… she’s eight, almost nine months pregnant.” Placing my hand over her stomach, I wait to see if I can feel the baby move. She’s normally active this time of night, but as I wait, I don’t feel any movement. “Is the baby okay?”
“I can’t say, but the hospital will check both of them out.”
“I can’t lose her. I only just got her,” I plead with the unknown man on the other end of the line.
“I understand and the EMTs will do everything in their power to help both of them. Is there someone there for you?”
“At the game, but not with me,” I answer, smoothing my hand over Delilah’s dark hair.
“I think you should have someone drive you to the hospital.”
“Why?”
“You seem a little shaken up,” he says.
“No shit, I’m shaken up. I can’t wake her up and there might be something wrong with my baby,” I growl, pulling the phone away and looking down at it before I hang up.
I see the lights at the same moment I hear my dad call out my name. I look around, but don’t see him at first. He’s weaving in and out of the cars, his gaze set on us.
The ambulance pulls up as close as the parking lot will allow before they hop out.
Everything after that happens in a blur. One moment I have Delilah in my arms, and the next she’s being placed on a gurney and wheeled into the back of the ambulance.
My dad is talking, but I can’t hear him. I don’t hear anything. My entire focus is on Delilah’s battered frame. The second the doors close, everything comes rushing back in. The sounds from the game, my dad talking with my mom, and November standing off to the side crying.
I’m rooted to my spot until I can no longer see the flashing lights.
Heading to my truck, I’m fumbling with my keys when I’m stopped by two hands gripping my shoulders. I swing around, ready to fight, needing to get to Delilah to make sure she’s going to be okay. I stop when I see my dad standing there with worry creased across his face.
“Max, let me drive you. Asher and November are going to take Beckham to their house for the night. They’ve already said he can stay as long as you need. November’s calling Ryder and Lexie to let them know what’s happening and will keep me updated on them.”
“Yeah, okay. Whatever, but I need to get to the hospital.” I hit the key fob and wait for the doors to unlock, but nothing happens. “What’s wrong with this fucking thing?” I growl and hit the button over and over again, expecting a different result. “Goddammit,” I shout, kicking the tire.
It’s then I see a set of keys on the ground with a big letter D on it by her purse. Bending down, I pick up Delilah’s set of keys. “She was here. Trying to get into the truck.” I hit the unlock button, but it doesn’t work. “She couldn’t get in.”
“Max, forget about the truck for now. We can take mine. I’ll have someone come get your truck later. It’s not worth the worry.” He starts to guide me in the opposite direction of the stadium.
Gripping my hair, I nearly tear it from the roots. “But it is. If my damn truck would’ve unlocked maybe she could have gotten away.”
He nods, walking me around his truck, and waits until I’m inside before he speaks. “I know things look bleak right now, but trust me, God did not bring that woman into your life to have her taken away. You have to believe everything will be okay.”
“I don’t know what I’ll do if something happens to her or the baby. If she makes it through but loses the baby, she’ll…” I choke on the words, unable to say them out loud. “I should have asked her to marry me. What was I waiting for?”
“The perfect moment, Son, and you’ll get that moment. But right now, let’s get to the hospital. What do you say?”
I nod, feeling numb.
Peeling out of the parking lot, my dad breaks every traffic law trying to get us to the hospital as quickly as possible. I stare out the windshield as I watch our town pass by. “Does Beck know?”
“Nothing yet, but Asher and November won’t let him worry. He thinks he’s having a sleepover with some of his cousins.”
Cousins.
I needed to make it official.
As soon as I can.
Because Beck and Delilah deserve a big family.
The truck hasn’t even stopped before I throw open my door and run through the emergency room’s doors. I stop in front of a woman who looks like she’s had a long day and knows I’m going to cause her problems going by the deep frown on her face.
“My girlfriend, Delilah Williams, was brought in not long ago. I found her unconscious and unresponsive. What room is she in?”
“I’m sorry, sir, but unless you’re family I can’t give you that information.” She looks down and starts typing.
“I am family. She’s having my baby.” That should count for something, right?
“Who’s to say you’re not the one who put her in the hospital in the first place? I’m sorry, sir.”
“I have to see her. I need to be there when she wakes up,” I beg. I’ve always been calm, but in this moment, I feel like I’m close to losing my mind.
“Until she wakes up and says she wants to see you, you’ll have to wait out here. Now, if you don’t mind, there are others waiting.”
I turn to find two other people waiting for help.
“What if her parents call and give their consent?” I bargain.
“I’m sorry, sir, unless they are present, I’d have no way of knowing if whoever calls is indeed her mother or father, or not. You could have anyone call and say they’re her parents.”
Fuck.
While I understand their need to keep patients safe, they don’t need to keep her safe from me.
The fight goes out in me. “Can you let the doctors know I’m here for her?”
“Yes, I’ll let them know.” She looks behind me and calls out, “Next.”
I find an empty seat close to the doors where I know someone will come out to give information and sit. I don’t plan to move until I know how Delilah’s doing.
It doesn’t take long for my dad to find me. He silently sits beside me. My legs bounce as each minute seems like hours. Each time the doors swing open, I stand ready for news and each time it’s for some other unlucky soul sitting in the emergency room waiting with us.