Life With HIM: Rennillia Series Prequel (Companion Novelette)
Page 4
“I assume this was not a planned pregnancy,” she started before questioning, “Was it forced?”
Confused at first, I quickly understood what it must have looked like with the bruising.
Shaking my head at her, I explained, “Sometimes we get carried away.”
After scowling at me, she stated, “Do you have any questions?”
“Yes,” I blurted before asking, “I mean we always use something, how could this have happened? Could you be wrong?”
Pursing her lips, she informed, “You are pregnant.”
The seriousness in her voice caused me to panic.
Shaking my hands, I tried hard not to cry, saying, “He doesn’t…I don’t…I just…this can’t…I…I…can’t.”
“Take a moment to calm down, you have options,” she stated.
Taking deep breaths, it took me a minute to calm down enough to ask, “Options?”
With a short exhale, Dr. Brin informed, “There is the option of adoption. There is also…,” a sharp pain in my chest caused me to cut her off, saying, “No, I mean, I didn’t mean I didn’t want… I don’t know.”
“Your next appointment is in one month. Take some time to adjust to the idea of having a baby. When you return, you may feel differently,” she advised.
Nodding at her, I hopped off of the examination table.
Dr. Brin handed me a paper to take to the nurse in the front.
As I took it she stated, “One prescription is for prenatal vitamins, the other is to help with your nausea.”
“Thank you,” I mumbled, mostly in shock at this point.
Before I made it out of the room, Dr. Brin imparted, “Ren, sometimes life makes decisions for us that we are unable to make for ourselves.”
Almost in tears again, I nodded.
~
When I arrived at Henley’s, he was already back, from his shop. Walking in the front door, I found him standing inside waiting for me.
“Where were you?” he snapped.
Swallowing hard, I said, “I still wasn’t feeling good so I went to the doctor.”
Narrowing his eyes at me he questioned, “What doctor?”
Not quite ready for this, I asked, “What?”
“What was the doctor’s name?” he growled, grabbing the front of my shirt and pulling me close.”
I actually had to think for a minute before answering, “Dr. Brin.”
Slapping me hard, he yelled, “Don’t lie to me.”
My eyes instantly welled up with tears, as I breathed, “I’m not.”
Grabbing my keys out of my hand before leaning so close his breath was on my mouth, he ordered, “Don’t leave this house.”
Nodding, I watched him walk out of the front door.
~
Lying in the bathtub I tried to stop crying. What the hell was I going to do? This couldn’t be happening. She had to be wrong. How could the doctor be certain I was pregnant? Every time I thought of the word pregnant, I started to hyperventilate. Finally, I decided, I wasn’t going to think about it anymore. When Henley came home, I would think about it again. Maybe if I took a nap, I would wake up and this wouldn’t be happening at all.
~
After Henley returned, I decided to start off small. If he thought having a kid was worse than a pet, then I needed to find a way to ease him into the news. Starting with the idea of getting a puppy might be a good start. I had a month to see how things went.
Standing in front of him as he sat on the couch, I took a few deep breaths.
“I need to talk to you,” I started.
Without looking at me, he snapped, “Are you going to tell me where you really were?”
I gave a heavy sigh before saying, “I was at the doctor’s office.”
Glaring up at me, he stated, “What?”
With a deep breath I said, “I want a puppy.”
When he only stared I me, I thought ‘ok, this might not be so bad.’
“I will take really good care of it and make sure it doesn’t make a mess.”
Standing up right in front of me, he assured, “If you bring anything into my house, I will get rid of it.”
Suddenly defensive, I shouted, “How can you say that?”
Grabbing the front of my shirt, he growled, “Nothing comes in my house. NOTHING!”
Tears filled my eye and before I could say anything else, he pushed me backwards.
Falling over the coffee table, the moment I hit the floor, I thought, ‘what if?’ In that moment I knew, the fear I felt for someone I didn’t know, a stranger, was all I cared about.
~
Lying on the living room floor, crying, I couldn’t make myself get up until Henley stepped back in. Pulling me up by my arm, I quickly got to my feet and jerked away.
Pulling me against him, he whispered, “Come to bed.”
Nodding, I followed him to the room.
My mind was racing. All sorts of things that never occurred to me caused fear and panic when his hand slid under my shirt.
Grabbing his hand through my shirt, I said, “Stop.”
Moving his hands down to my hips, he tugged me closer.
“Stop it,” I gripped.
Sliding on top of me, he kissed me. As my body seemed to react on its own, my mind flashed with visions of every fight Henley and I ever had.
Turning my head to the side, I stressed, “No.”
Pulling back slightly with a vile expression, he questioned, “Because of a disgusting animal?”
Somewhere in my mind I knew he was still talking about a puppy but at the same time, if he thought children were worse than pets and pets were disgusting…
Staring right into his eyes, I stated, “Don’t touch me.”
Pushing off from my shoulders, he rolled off of me.
~
Unable to concentrate on just one thing, what was I going to do? I couldn’t leave, I needed him. I couldn’t stay because my little stranger needed me. Not being able to sleep, the only consistent thing that ran through my mind was, this can’t be real.
Lw~H~
Sitting on the floor in the closet, I wrapped my arms around my legs, resting my head on my knees. After making my decision, I made it as far as the closet. Glaring at my black duffle, I tried to think. Clenching my teeth every time I started to reach out and touch it, I felt like I was having a heart attack.
Closing my eyes, I counted to ten before grabbing hold of my duffle. Pulling it to me, I slowly unzipped it. Trying not to hyperventilate, I looked at the contents inside. I thought for sure the shoes I used to stomp mud all over the floor were gone. They sat, perfectly clean, right on top of my clothes. Standing up, I drug my bag out of the closet.
Taking my shoes out of my bag, I set them on the floor next to the bed. I grabbed a t-shirt, jeans, a bra and my panties that had set in my bag in the corner of Henley’s closet for a little over six years and placed them on the bed.
After changing out of the clothes I had on and neatly folding them before carefully placing them back into the drawer, I put my old closed on. Slipping my shoes on, I was leaving HIM with only what I had when I turned up on his doorstep, except for my reason.
Lw~H~
Walking away not knowing what was more overwhelming the pain in my chest or the sudden absence of reason. I struggled not to turn around. How had this happened? How could this be? I scanned through memories drawing blanks on the answers that should be there. My feet seemed to move by themselves, shuffling down the path I knew all too well. I wondered for a moment, would he come after me? I glanced back to look at the house one last time, sending a shot of pain through my heart and tears to my eyes. I swung open the door to my car. It shook as I flopped down into the seat. I tried wiping the tears away. It was a lost cause. Shaking, taking deep breaths, I forced the key into the ignition.
~
Forty minutes later, I was pulling into The Better Valley Inn. I paid for my room and staggered down the long hallway. Past tired
and feeling dizzy, it became harder and harder to keep my eyes open. I slid my room key into the door. Open, shut and I was on the bed. The day swirled around in my head until finally, it all went dark.
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