Run

by Mandasue Heller

  *

  Sally was sitting on Ben’s couch with a glass of juice in her hand when Jake arrived forty minutes later. She’d forgotten how handsome he was in the flesh, and her stomach did a little flip at the sight of him.

  ‘Sorry for snapping at you on the phone,’ she apologized, giving him a tentative smile. ‘But I had to make you take me seriously.’

  ‘And are you being serious?’ he demanded. ‘Or is this just some sick joke to trick me into seeing you again?’

  ‘I knew you wouldn’t believe me, so I brought these.’ Sally put the glass down and pulled three used pregnancy tester sticks out of her handbag. ‘Check for yourself; they’re all positive.’

  Jake peered at the writing in the small windows, and shrugged when he saw that they all read: 6-7 weeks pregnant.

  ‘That doesn’t mean anything. You could have got them out of a bin, for all I know.’

  ‘I thought you might say that.’ Sally reached into her bag and brandished an unopened tester. ‘I’ll do it in front of you, if you like?’

  Doubting that she’d be willing to do that if she was lying, Jake did a quick mental calculation. He’d been with Leanne for six weeks, and they’d got together the day after he’d made the mistake of sleeping with Sally, so the dates definitely corresponded. But that still didn’t mean it was his.

  ‘All right, so maybe you are pregnant,’ he conceded. ‘But it could be anyone’s.’

  ‘It’s yours,’ Sally insisted. ‘I hadn’t slept with anyone in ages before I got with you, and I haven’t been with anyone since.’

  Jake gave her a disbelieving look. ‘You don’t seriously expect me to buy that, do you?’

  ‘It is yours,’ Sally repeated adamantly, tears beginning to glisten in her eyes.

  Jake instinctively knew that she was telling the truth, and he looped his hands together behind his head as his cosy world threatened to come crashing down around him. Dropping them after a moment, he said, ‘Okay, let’s say it is mine, what do you expect me to do about it?’

  ‘The baby’s going to need a father as well as a mother,’ Sally started. ‘So I thought you might—’

  ‘Whatever you’re about to say, forget it,’ Jake interrupted sharply. ‘I’ll pay for an abortion, but that’s as far as I’m willing to go.’

  Sally shook her head and shoved the unopened tester into her bag. ‘I’m not getting rid of it.’

  ‘Suit yourself.’ Jake shrugged. ‘But if you go ahead with it, you’re on your own.’

  Chin quivering, Sally gazed up at him. ‘Why are you being so horrible about this? It’s not just my fault I got pregnant. You were there, too.’

  ‘I was off my head, or I wouldn’t have gone anywhere near you,’ Jake shot back cruelly. ‘I mean, come on . . . seriously? Look at you. You’re a mess.’

  ‘Mate, there’s no need for that,’ Ben said quietly, feeling sorry for Sally when he saw the hurt in her eyes. She might not be a patch on Leanne, but she wasn’t a monster by any means, and in the forty minutes he’d spent making small talk with her while they were waiting for Jake, he’d sensed that she wasn’t as tough as she made out.

  ‘It’s all right, he can think what he likes.’ Sally proudly rose to her feet. ‘But I guarantee he won’t be laughing by the time I’ve finished with him.’ She turned to Jake now, and said, ‘This isn’t over. As soon as the baby’s born, I’ll be taking you to court for maintenance.’

  ‘Good luck with proving I’m the father,’ he scoffed. ‘I’ll just deny I ever slept with you.’

  ‘I’m sure the judge will order you to take a DNA test when he sees the photos of you naked in my bed,’ she shot back. ‘And they’re date-stamped, so it won’t take a genius to figure out that they were taken exactly nine months before the baby was born.’

  Furious to hear that she’d taken pictures of him without his knowledge, Jake seized her by the arms and shook her roughly. ‘Where are they?’

  ‘You’re hurting me!’ she cried, struggling to break free.

  ‘If you think this is pain, you ain’t seen nothing,’ he spat, slamming her up against the wall. ‘If you don’t give me those pictures, I’ll kill you!’

  ‘Pack it in!’ Ben yelled, rushing over and dragging Jake off her. ‘She’s pregnant, you idiot! What the hell’s got into you?’

  Jake held up his hands and backed off, but the anger was still burning brightly in his eyes.

  ‘You seem to forget that I’m not the one who’s desperate to keep this a secret,’ said Sally, visibly shaking as she backed toward the door. ‘I don’t care who knows, and if you ever threaten me like that again, I’ll tell everyone!’

  ‘Just go!’ Ben shouted, holding on to Jake when he made to lunge for her again. ‘I’ll talk to him.’

  Jake turned to the wall when Sally darted out and smashed his fist into it.

  ‘Get a grip and stop acting like a maniac,’ Ben scolded. ‘You want her to keep her mouth shut, and then you go and do something stupid like that? Well done, mate. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot.’

  ‘What was I supposed to do? If Leanne hears about this, I’m fucked.’

  ‘I know you love Leanne, but if this baby is yours, are you seriously telling me you’d turn your back on it – like your dad did to you?’

  Jake clenched his teeth at the reminder of his father. His life had been difficult enough before his dad had decided to uproot the family and move to Liverpool, but it had totally hit the skids when the bastard had fucked off with some tart, never to be seen again. Left to fend for himself when his mum turned to the bottle, Jake had gone off the rails and ended up in young offenders’ – where he’d learned hard and fast that only the strongest and most ruthless survived. It was a lesson that had stayed with him as he fought his way up in the world, and now that he finally had everything he’d ever wanted, there was no way he was about to let Sally ruin it with this unplanned, unwanted baby.

  ‘You don’t know Leanne like I do,’ he said. ‘It took her a year to get over the last bloke who screwed her over. She’d never forgive me for this.’

  ‘You didn’t cheat on her,’ Ben reminded him. ‘You weren’t even with her when you slept with Sally, and I’m sure she’d understand if you explained it to her.’

  ‘It won’t make any difference,’ Jake argued. ‘You saw what she was like when Sally rang me that morning. It took both of us to convince her that nothing was going on, and she still asked me a few more times, so I’ve had my chance.’

  ‘Well, if you’re not going to come clean, you’d best pray that Sally doesn’t tell anyone.’

  ‘How am I supposed to stop her? You heard her. She’s got nothing to lose if people find out.’

  ‘Maybe not,’ Ben said thoughtfully. ‘But I saw the way she looked at you when you walked in just now, and I reckon she still fancies you. If you can convince her that she’s in with a chance, it might buy you some time. And if I was you, I’d start by apologizing before she reports you for threatening to kill her.’

  Jake closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. He wished he’d never clapped eyes on Sally in the first place, and would have been more than happy if he never had to see her again. But Ben was right. If he was to stand any chance of putting a lid on this, he had to speak to her.

  17

  Sally was still shaking as she made her way home. In her entire life, nobody had ever spoken to her the way Jake had, and she truly believed he would have beaten her up if Ben hadn’t intervened. She could still feel the imprint of his fingers on her arms and cheeks, and she just knew there would be bruises when she looked.

  She’d known that he wouldn’t be happy to hear about the baby, but she hadn’t expected him to react so violently. And the look in his eyes when he’d threatened to kill her had chilled her to the bone. But he was wrong if he thought he was going to bully her into keeping her mouth shut. She hadn’t conceived this baby by herself, and he was going to take responsibility for the part he’d played whether he
liked it or not. She didn’t know if he had already been living with his girlfriend when they’d slept together, or if he’d got with her in the six weeks since. But, either way, it was clear that he desperately didn’t want her to find out about the baby. And Sally was going to use that to her advantage. She just wasn’t sure quite how yet.

  Still mulling everything over as she approached her house, her stomach lurched when her phone rang and Jake’s name appeared on the screen. Determined not to let him think he’d cowed her, she answered it sharply.

  ‘I’m warning you now, if you’re ringing to threaten me again, I’m going to record it and play it to the police.’

  ‘I’m not going to threaten you,’ Jake assured her. ‘I only want to apologize for going off on you like that. It was out of order, and I’m sorry if I scared you.’

  ‘If?’ Sally repeated incredulously. ‘I was absolutely terrified! You had no right to push me around like that.’

  ‘I know, and I’m really sorry,’ Jake said again. ‘It was a shock to hear about the baby, that’s all. But I’ve calmed down now and I think we need to talk, so can we meet up?’

  ‘How do I know you won’t go for me again?’ Sally asked, turning her back to the house when she saw her mum peering out at her through the living room window. They’d had an argument before she went round to Ben’s place this morning, and she wasn’t in the mood for another one after the stress of fighting with Jake.

  ‘Look, I’m not going to lie, I’d rather this wasn’t happening,’ Jake admitted. ‘But it is, so we need to work something out that suits us both.’

  Sally bit her lip. He’d been horrible to her at Ben’s, and she’d been genuinely scared when he’d attacked her. But he sounded sincere right now, and the softness of his tone reminded her of how nice he’d been when they had spent the night together.

  ‘Okay, I’ll meet you,’ she agreed. ‘But I’m not taking any chances after what happened earlier, so it’ll have to be somewhere public.’

  ‘Fine by me,’ said Jake. ‘Just let me know where and when.’

  Sally told him that she would get back to him when she’d had a chance to think about it. After saying goodbye, she made her way inside the house. The atmosphere still felt chilly and she was in no mood for another row, so she decided to take refuge in her room. But she’d only taken a few steps up the stairs when the living room door opened and her mum marched out into the hall.

  ‘Well?’ Betty Walker folded her arms and stared up at her daughter.

  ‘Well what?’

  ‘Don’t play games with me. Did you make an appointment at the clinic like I told you to?’

  ‘No. And I’m not going to, so there’s no point nagging me about it.’

  ‘Oh, for God’s sake!’ Betty snapped. ‘I told you this morning me and Dad are too old for your nonsense. And that,’ – she nodded at Sally’s stomach – ‘is the last straw.’

  ‘That is your grandchild,’ Sally reminded her tartly. ‘And I don’t see why you’re being so funny about it. It’s not like I did it on purpose to piss you off.’

  ‘Are you sure about that?’ Betty raised an eyebrow. ‘I wouldn’t put it past you.’

  ‘Have you heard yourself?’

  ‘I can hear myself perfectly well, thank you. But I’m not sure you can. You seem to think this is some kind of joke, but it’s time you realized that we can’t keep picking up the pieces every time you do something stupid. This is your mess, and you need to deal with it. We’ve stood by you through thick and thin, but enough is enough.’

  ‘Stood by me?’ Sally gave her mother an incredulous look. ‘What, by having a go at me, and making my life an absolute misery? Don’t make me laugh!’

  ‘This “poor me” routine is starting to wear thin,’ Betty said coolly. ‘When you moved back in after your last boyfriend chucked you out, I told you not to expect a free ride. Dad’s retired now, and you’re a grown woman, so it’s time you started contributing. We can’t afford to keep you, never mind you and a child.’

  ‘Don’t worry, no one’s expecting you to pay for it,’ Sally retorted bitterly. ‘I’ve already told the dad that he’s got to give me maintenance, and he’s agreed, so I don’t need your money.’

  ‘Well, that’s something, I suppose,’ Betty sniffed, only slightly mollified. ‘Although, I still don’t know why you’re so determined to keep this one. I know you, and you’ll be bored with it in no time.’

  Furious with her mother for throwing her previous pregnancies in her face, Sally gave her a dirty look before stomping up the stairs.

  ‘You can’t bury your head in the sand for ever,’ Betty called after her. ‘If you go ahead with this, it’ll be the biggest mistake of your life, you mark my words.’

  Sally slammed the door and threw herself down on the bed. It had been as much of a shock for her as it had been for Jake when she’d realized she was pregnant. Unbeknown to her mum – who seemed to think she was a complete moron – she had toyed with the idea of booking herself in for an abortion. She’d done it before without regret, so it would have been easy to do it again. But something felt different about this one. Maybe it was the realization that she wasn’t getting any younger, and that the later she left it, the more likely she was to have a baby with disabilities; or the fact that – and this had been a hard one to admit – the men she tended to attract these days weren’t as good-looking as the ones she’d had her pick of in the past, so she was likely to end up with an ugly baby if she didn’t keep Jake’s child. Whatever the reason, she hadn’t been able to go through with it – and nothing her mother or anyone else said would make her change her mind.

  Subconsciously stroking her stomach, Sally reached for her phone and pulled up the photos she’d taken of Jake when he’d fallen asleep after making love to her that night. He’d made no secret of the fact that he wished it hadn’t happened, but as she gazed at his handsome face, she knew that she would do it again in a heartbeat.

  A tap came at the door, and she quickly closed the phone and sat up when her dad walked in.

  ‘You okay, love?’ Ron Walker asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.

  Sally nodded and drew her knees up to her chest. This man had spoiled her rotten from the day she was born, and he could still be relied on to slip her a twenty here or a tenner there when her mum’s back was turned. But as she looked at him now, taking in the stoop of his once broad shoulders and the lines criss-crossing his face, she felt a little tug of sadness in the pit of her stomach.

  ‘I know you and Mum don’t always see eye to eye,’ Ron said quietly. ‘But she’s only trying to help. You do know that, don’t you?’

  Sally gave a sulky little shrug and rested her chin on her knees. She hated when her dad sided with her mum; it made her feel like they were ganging up on her.

  ‘We know you’re under a lot of pressure,’ Ron went on, gently stroking her back as he spoke. ‘And we’re doing our best to support you, even if you think we’re not. But we really need you to think about what you’re doing before it’s too late. Babies are hard work, and we’re not going to be around for ever to help you out.’

  ‘Don’t start banging on about dying, or I’ll go out again,’ Sally warned. ‘I hate it when you do this.’

  ‘I know it makes you uncomfortable, but we think it’s important to talk about these things,’ Ron persisted.

  ‘You mean Mum does.’

  ‘No, we both do. Because we love you, and we need to know you’ll be okay when we’re gone.’

  ‘I’m perfectly capable of looking after myself,’ Sally insisted. ‘And the dad’s going to help me with the baby, so you’ve got nothing to worry about.’

  ‘Are you sure about that?’ Ron gave her a doubtful look. ‘I’m not being funny, love, but you haven’t exactly had the best of luck with fellas in the past. The last one couldn’t break it off fast enough when he heard you were expecting.’

  ‘I finished with him, actually,’ Sally lied, blushing furious
ly at the reminder of the unceremonious way her ex had dumped her by text after she’d told him she was pregnant. ‘But this one’s different. He loves me, and he’s going to look after us.’

  ‘Well, I hope you’re right, and he’s not just stringing you along till he gets fed up of you,’ said Ron, catching himself in time to stop ‘like the rest of them’ from coming out. ‘But you still need to think this through before you make a concrete decision, because a baby won’t make a man stick around if he decides he wants out.’

  ‘I’ve had enough of this,’ Sally snapped, angry that he seemed to think that no man could possibly love her enough to stand by her.

  ‘Don’t run away, love,’ Ron pleaded when she jumped up from the bed and snatched her handbag off the floor. ‘We need to talk.’

  ‘Save your breath,’ Sally muttered, heading for the door. ‘I’m having this baby, and that’s the end of it.’

  Betty had been standing out on the landing with her ear pressed against the door. Sally had always been a daddy’s girl, and Betty had hoped that she might listen to Ron. But the stubborn mare was clearly determined to do the exact opposite of whatever they suggested.

  ‘Where are you going?’ she asked when Sally came out of her room with a thunderous look on her face.

  ‘Out,’ Sally threw back over her shoulder as she flounced down the stairs.

  Losing patience, Betty leaned over the banister rail. ‘This has gone far enough, Sally Ann Walker. You either make that appointment, or I’ll make it for you! And if I have to, I’ll drag you to the clinic by your bloody hair. Do you hear me?’

  Sally walked out without answering, slamming the door behind her. As she set off down the road, she pulled out her phone and dialled Jake’s number.

  ‘If you’re still up for that chat, meet me at the cafe on the high street in an hour.’