When I See You Again

Part 14

"Are you okay?" Christine asked, helping Stevie up. "Did you hurt yourself?"

"I'm fine." Stevie said, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. 

Lindsey just stared at her in disbelief. He'd never done anything to physically hurt Stevie, but he was angry. She should have just let him go and none of this would have happened. 

"Do you want to sit down?" Christine wrapped her arm around Stevie's waist. "Do you-"

"Chris, I'm fine." Stevie insisted, eyes locked with Lindsey's.

"Don't you have anything to say?" Christine glared at Lindsey, who hadn't said a word yet. "Maybe that you're sorry?"

"You're pregnant?" Lindsey ignored her, his attention on Stevie. 

"I wanted to tell you, when you came  to see me, but..." Swallowing her tears, Stevie took a moment to compose herself. "But I knew it in my heart that you were saying goodbye."

"So what if I was?" His voice grew louder again. "You can't keep something like this to yourself!"

"Do you even care?" All of the fight from Stevie had vanished. She suddenly felt weak, she didn't want to do this anymore. 

"Of course, I do if I'm the father!" 

"If?" Stevie's bottom lip quivered and she cocked her head back, she wasn't going to cry in front of him. "Lindsey, I haven't been with anyone else for a long time. I've told you that."

He scoffed, shaking his head. "I find that extremely hard to believe. Given your history-"

"My history!" Stevie yelled out in the middle of his sentence. "What's my history, Lindsey? I've slept with every man I've ever come in contact with? That's what you mean?"

"You've never been known to be faithful." 

A tear slipped down her cheek and her voice cracked as she tried to speak. "You've wanted me to change, Lindsey, and I've tried. Do you think I enjoy fighting with you? No, I don't. I've tried to show you that I want you, that I still love you, you fool." She sniffled, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand. "But you don't listen. You've convinced yourself that I'm someone I'm not. I know, how difficult I'd been to deal with before I got into rehab. You have every right to be angry at that Stevie, but she's gone. Don't you honestly believe that I see things a bit differently now that I'm not high as a kite every minute of every damn day? I've been thinking about it and you know, what conclusion I've come to?" She didn't wait for him to answer. "You know that I've changed and that scares you. You're afraid that it's your turn to get better. But you don't want that, do you? I'm too much work." Stevie shrugged. "It's just easier to deal with someone like Cheri, who'll do everything you ask of her. She's not as stubborn as I am, I don't fall at your feet, I don't worship the ground you walk on. But it's what you need, isn't it, Lindsey? You want me, but just until things get too intense, too real." She hadn't even noticed that Christine had left the two of them alone. "I hoped, you know. I realize that I've hurt you in the past, but if you only let me in, maybe you would have seen that I was trying to right all the wrongs." 

Lindsey couldn't reply right away. She had said a lot and he needed a moment to process it all. The expression on his face softened and Stevie was hopeful, only to be left disappointed as soon as he opened his mouth.

"Is the baby mine or not?" 

"Go to hell, Lindsey." Stevie said and turned around to go back inside the house.

For a second Stevie thought he was going to change his mind, he was going to catch up with her, but he didn't. Soon, Stevie heard Lindsey opening the car door, he then slammed it shut loudly and turned the engine on, he sped off out of the driveway.