The smile could not be wiped from my face no matter how hard I tried. It didn’t take long for some of the residents to notice that I was in such a great mood. I was always friendly and smiled when I went into their rooms but I guess I was being especially joyful that day. I even had one of my elderly residents ask me about.
“You seem like you’re in a very good mood today,” he said with a thick accent that always reminded me of Russian.
“I’m always in a good mood when I come in here to see you, Arthur,” I jokingly replied.
“No, no, no. You’re always nice but you look like you’re glowing today.”
“Well, that’s because my boyfriend proposed to me last night.”
“You’re getting married? I always thought you and I were going to get married.”
“I’m sorry, Arthur. You never asked me. Why did you wait so long? I’ve been available all this time.”
“Story of my life. You better tell him to make sure he treats you right or else he’s going to have to answer to me.”
“Okay, I’ll let him know. That should keep him in line, that’s for sure,” I assured him as I looked up and saw Maggie walking down the hall to her office. “You behave now and I’ll be back around later.”
I updated his chart before running down the hall to catch up with Maggie, who was just getting into her office.
“Guess what!” I yelled, causing her to jump at the sound of my voice.
“Jesus Christ, Shelly, you scared me half to death,” she replied, attempting to get her wits about her. “What is it?”
“I’m engaged!”
“You’re engaged?”
“Yes! Jason asked me to marry him at dinner last night. Isn’t that great?”
“Does he make you happy?”
“He does. He really, truly does.”
“Then that’s great news.”
She smiled and hugged me as she congratulated me on my engagement and told me that she expected to be receiving an invitation to the wedding in the mail. I assured her that she would just before I started to feel dizzy and queasy at the same time.
“Is something wrong, dear?” Maggie asked as I pulled away from her and sat down in one of the chairs in her office.
“I think so. I feel a little nauseous.”
“Are you ill?”
“No, I think it’s a combination of drinking too much champagne and not getting nearly enough sleep last night.”
“Drinking again?” Maggie joked. “Is that all you kids do these days? I think you’re turning into a little bit of a lush.”
“Me? No way. I can barely hold my alcohol as it is. There’s no way I’d ever survive as a lush. Anyway, I’m going to go to the bathroom and splash some water on my face.”
“Okay sweetie, take care of yourself.”
I tried my best to get through the rest of the day. I managed to finish everything that needed to be done but I felt so run down all day. I hoped I wasn’t getting sick as I hated the thought of missing work, especially when I was so close to a promotion. I figured if I could just make it until it was time to clock out, I could go home and get a good night’s sleep.
Not long after lunch, my cell phone alerted me to the fact that I had a text message from Jason.
Hey babe, call me right away. It’s IMPORTANT!
Jason
It seemed like it was taking her forever to call me back when, in reality, it had been less than a minute before my phone started to ring.
“What’s going on? Is everything okay?” she asked, sounding like she was freaking out.
“Calm down, everything’s fine. I just got some news and I couldn’t wait until you got home to tell you.”
“Okay, so tell me.”
“I just got a call from the president of CCF. A courier took my video over this morning and they watched it immediately. Apparently, I was already on their radar and had no clue. I didn’t think they even knew who I was.”
“That’s great! What did they think of the fight?”
“He couldn’t believe that I would get into the cage with an injury like that. He basically told me that I was an idiot and shit like that would never fly in his organization.”
“Oh, so he called you to do what? To berate you for making a bad decision that he didn’t agree with?”
“That’s exactly what I was thinking. I was so bummed out thinking that I fucked my chance up. I was just being as polite as I could. I was all yes sir and no sir, letting him know that I understood what he was saying to me. Then, from our of nowhere, he said that he wanted to offer me a contract with CCW.”
“Really? They want you to fight for them?”
“They do. They’re going to send me a sample contract in the mail to look over and then they’re going to fly me to Atlanta in a couple of weeks so I can sign the real thing.”
“What about your arm? Do they know you’re not going to be able to fight for a while?”
“He said he was going to give my arm time to heal before getting me in touch with some of the teams that other fighters train with. I told him that I wanted the team who cornered me during the Dodson fight. I’m going to have to train out of Chicago for a while, though. That’s where their gym is.”
“So you’re going to be gone?”
“I’ll be gone for a little while but I won’t be gone permanently. I’m doing this for my brother and I’m doing this for us. I’m finally going to be able to afford to bring my brother home, get us all a nice place to live and put a real ring on your finger. It’s still gonna take me a while since I won’t get paid until I fight but I’m that much closer to making my dreams come true. I’m that much closer to making all of our dreams come true.”
“That sounds really good but it’s not like you’re going to be able to stop fighting just because you bring your brother home. You’ll be traveling all the time and I’m still going to have to go to work. Who’s going to take care of your brother when I’m not home.”
“I’ve thought of that. As much as I want to, I’m not going to be able to bring him home right away. I figure with two, maybe three more years of fighting, I’ll be able to save enough if I pinch every penny I can. Once I have enough to buy a house outright, I’m going to retire from the cage and bring him home. Once I take that step, I’m going to open an MMA gym in Detroit to pay the bills. Maybe I can train the next generation of fighters.”
“You’ve really put a lot of thought into this, huh?”
“Other than you, it’s pretty much all I think about. Why don’t we go out tonight to celebrate?”
“No way mister! I’m still trying to recover from last night. When I come home, I’m going to bed.”
“You’re such a lightweight. I’ll let you get back to work. I just wanted to let you know the big news.”
I hung up the phone, excited about what my future held and thinking about the kind of life I was going to be able to provide for my brother and my future wife.
Shelly
It had been three weeks since Jason proposed to me. It had also been three weeks since I first started feeling sick and the feeling had not gone away. Except for a few rare exceptions, I’d been vomiting every day. My body constantly felt like it was rebelling against me as my muscles ached and I had no energy whatsoever. It wasn’t exactly the best way to feel considering that I had a job that demanded a lot out of me.
With each day that passed, I told myself that I was sure I’d feel better the next day. This became an ongoing hope until I started to realize that it wasn’t going to happen. Was there something seriously wrong with me? I’d been so weak and nauseous that I knew it had to be something more than just an upset stomach.
I avoided it as long as I could but I eventually gave in and called my doctor. His office is always ridiculously busy and the next available appointment was almost two weeks away. I accepted the appointment but also had the office assistant place me on a call list in case anyone canceled their appointment.
That afternoon, I got a call from my doctor’s office saying they someone had indeed needed to reschedule their appointment so the assistant gave them my appointment in two weeks and swapped me into theirs. I clocked out a little more than an hour early and nervously made my way to my appointment.
“So what seems to be the problem today?” the doctor asked as he walked into the room. Of course, he could have simply asked the nurse who had just asked me the same question. Alternatively, he could have read the notes that the same nurse wrote in my chart, which he happened to be holding in his hands.
“I’m not entirely sure. I’m sick and I’ve been sick for a few weeks now. I keep hoping that I’ll feel better but I never do.”
“Can you describe what you mean when you say you’re feeling sick?”
“It’s mostly nausea and muscle aches. I’m getting headaches too but I’m pretty sure that’s a result of throwing up.”
“Okay, I’m going to have my assistant come back here and draw some blood so we can run some tests. I’m also going to have you give a urine sample. I’ll be back in shortly.”
The doctor left the room and his assistant came in a few minutes later. The first thing she did was draw my blood. I closed my eyes hard and turned my head away. As funny as it may sound considering the career I chose, I can’t stand the sight of blood. Actually, it would be more accurate to say that I can’t stand the sight of my own blood. Fortunately, the assistant was easy and got my blood quickly. All that was left to do was give a quick urine sample and sit in the room to wait.
Waiting is always the hardest part when it comes to going to the doctor. I knew he wasn’t going to be back in right away so I pulled out my tablet and started reading a book that I’d downloaded. If there was one thing I’d learned it was that if you want someone to come into the room, start reading a book. It’s all but guaranteed that you’ll be interrupted right as you get to a good part. On this occasion, I made it through roughly four good parts of my book before the doctor came back into the room.
“Okay, we won’t have your blood work back for a while but I tested your urine and I’m pretty sure I’ve got a good idea as to why you’re so sick lately.”
“Oh good. What is it?”
“You’re pregnant?”
There wasn’t a mirror in the room but I was sure my face went white. Pregnant? How in the hell could I be pregnant? I mean, I knew how I could be pregnant but it sure wasn’t something I was planning on. Jason and I always tried to be safe. At least most of the time. Right then, every single spontaneous moment entered my head and I realized we were probably not being safe far more than we were.
“Oh my God,” I said. “What am I going to tell my boyfriend?”
“I don’t know. That’s not a service I offer here,” the doctor laughed. “This is going to be your first child, correct?”
“Yeah, no other kids.”
“Okay, I’ll get you some things to take home with you so you can read up. I’m also going to write you a prescription for a prenatal vitamin and folic acid supplements. I’ll see you back here in four weeks for a checkup.”
The drive home was a blur. I was in shock that I was pregnant and had no idea how I was going to tell Jason. His arm was still going to be in a cast for a few more weeks but he was set to leave in less than 48 hours to go to Atlanta to sign his contract. From there, he was going to fly to Chicago where his new team would start working on his cardio until his cast came off.
Apparently, Championship Cage Fighting had already decided on who Jason’s first opponent was going to be and he was going to be fighting on a live pay-per-view event. That was big news for him. He thought that at least his first couple of fights were going to be un-televised. By being featured on a pay-per-view, he’d be able to get his name out there much more quickly, which could lead to bigger fights.
During my drive home, I had to decide whether or not I was going to tell him about the pregnancy. I knew that he deserved to know but I also didn’t want my pregnancy to be a distraction to him. I debated whether it would be better to tell him when I got home or wait until he returned home. The problem with that was that I didn’t know when he would be back exactly.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Jason
My life had been a whirlwind and nothing had happened the way I expected it to. People say that life takes many detours but you always end up at the destination that was intended for you. I never quite understood what that meant until I was experiencing it. All I ever dreamed about was being able to make enough money to bring my brother. Never in my life did I think that I’d be on the verge of achieving that dream while simultaneously being engaged to the woman of my dreams.
I had to leave the next day. Although I was excited about turning the page and starting the next chapter of my life, I wished that I could take Shelly along with me. I knew it wasn’t possible. With her being so close to getting her promotion at work, she was on the verge of accomplishing things she had dreamed of as well. I just hoped that she’d meant what she said when she told me she’d be patient and wait for me to get back.
Since I wasn’t going to be seeing her for a while, I wanted to give her something to remember me by. Before she got home, I lit some candles in the dining room and sat out plates for dinner. Of course, my arm is still jacked up so I wasn’t able to cook. Instead, I ordered some Chinese takeout and had it delivered to the house.
We had a nice meal but I could tell she was drained. She had said that she just wanted to get some rest so after dinner, I told her to go take a hot bath while I threw away the trash from dinner. I was hoping the bath would rejuvenate her but she still wasn’t feeling all that hot so I turned on her favorite show and we both climbed into bed. Within a few minutes, she was sound asleep. I watched TV for a while before drifting off as well.
I was sleeping very well. I was dreaming about fighting but something woke me up. It happens pretty regularly and I don’t really have an explanation for it. I just have trouble sleeping through the night sometime. I tried laying there, hoping I’d fall back asleep but it wasn’t happening. I looked at the clock and saw that it was almost 4:00 in the morning. The alarm was set to go off at 7:00 so I could make it to the airport by 9:00.
The moon was shining in through the window, casting a bit of a glow onto Shelly. She always gets hot when she sleeps so the covers frequently get kicked off her. She was completely nude, which is how she likes to sleep every night. It’s not a sexual thing. She tosses and turns at night and hates getting caught up in whatever she happened to wear to bed. Of course, I’d never dream of complaining. She has a great body and I never miss a chance to take a peek at it when I can.
Since I wasn’t able to sleep, I laid on my side watching her sleep. Her perky breasts rose and fell with each breath she took. The longer I watched her, the more I realized I was becoming arouse. This woman was beautiful and she was going to be my wife. This gorgeous woman was going to be mine. I’d never have the need to go anywhere else. She was attentive and loving, two things that I appreciated.
There was something about her that night that made me want her in new ways. Most of the time, whenever we had sex, it was pretty much a rough fucking session. As I watched her, I realized how much I loved her and I wanted to make soft, slow, sweet love to her. Sure, it was out of character for me but what if it wasn’t? What if I had just been waiting for the right woman to come along and bring that side out of me?
I reached over and slowly slid my hand along the top of her left breast. I loved the way it was so firm while still being soft. In my opinion, her breasts were perfect. I moved my hand up to her areola, tracing my finger around it before gently touching her nipple. I was starting to get hard but was far from being fully erect. This surprised me. Most of the time, when I would go to touch her nipple, she had already been awakened from my other touches and we would be well into our foreplay.
On that night, it took a little more time and touch to get her nipple where I wanted it to
be but I eventually got it there. I moved onto the left side with the same result.
Shelly continued to sleep deeply. It wasn’t going to happen that night but I was okay with it. I knew she had been exhausted lately and deserved to get some rest. There was no way I was going to be able to go back to sleep, however, so I decided to get out of bed and jump into the shower before making myself something to eat.
Showering had been a pain in the ass with the cast on. I’d been having to tape grocery bags to my arm and hope the tape would hold. It sucked but that was the price I had to pay to not smell like ass.
Just after I had turned my shower water off, I heard the sounds of someone running down the hall and into the bathroom. That was followed immediately by the sounds of the toilet seat being raised and vomit filling the bowl. Shelly was still sick.
The Silencer: A Bad Boy MMA Romance Page 12