Bumps in the road | J. Puckerman (1)

Cooper

Emily's POV

TW: complications with pregnancy and domestic violence

When we pulled into the driveway, I saw something that always makes my heart stop. This time I wasn't just protecting myself, I was keeping my baby and me safe. I placed my hand protectively over my stomach and tears filled my eyes. Blaine reached up and grabbed my other hand, and we stared at the car.

"Nope," Marley said, pulling her door closed. "Let's just go to Jake's house. Ryder and Jake can pick up the rest of the boxes later. We aren't doing this. Jake turn around."

I went to close my door, but I couldn't because it was being held open. Shit. "hey nugget or should I say, mom?" The voice was from the person I hated more than anyone.

Cooper.

Before I could think, before Jake could react or Marley could scream, and before Blaine could save me, I was being ripped out of the front seat of the car. His hands dug into my arm, I knew I would bruise even more than normal because of the baby and the health complications. I gasped and tried to pull away, but I couldn't.

He put his hand on my stomach, just him doing this made me feel like I was going to collapse. "Get your hands off me," I said through my teeth.

Blaine got out of the car and ran over to try and get me, to try and save me from the hell that was bound to happen. To try and save me from having to go back to the hospital, "get off her! Get your fucking hands off of her!"

Cooper tightened his grip on me before throwing me at the side of the house. I felt the pain radiate from my head and down my legs. I balled around my stomach trying to keep them safe, I had to keep my butterfly baby safe so they could live the life that I never got to live.

Marley ran over to me and sat in front of me, trying to block my view of what was going on.

I looked over and saw Jake grabbing Cooper by the collar of his shirt and practically lifting him off the ground. Blaine went behind Cooper and grabbed his head. They shoved him into a tree and Blaine threw him to the ground. When he got him to the floor, Blaine just kept hitting, and hitting, Cooper was knocked out, Blaine was literally sobbing as he was punching our brother, Jake was just standing there, staring at me frozen. He was just looking me up and down with tears running down his face, not moving.

Marley looked down at me and gasped, frantically looking at Jake and Blaine, she mouthed something, and Jake grabbed his phone.

I didn't notice in all the chaos that I was crying. I looked down and saw a small puddle of blood. I touched my head to see if that's where the blood was coming from, I hoped that was where the blood was coming from. I looked at my hand, and nothing was there. Shit, shit, shit. I looked down and saw where the blood was coming from. I connected the dots and placed my hand on my stomach as tears filled my eyes. This wasn't happening.

I connected why Blaine was crying, why Jake was crying and keeping his eyes glued to me, what Marley was mouthing, and who Jake was calling. Cooper who had regained consciousness stayed on the ground, laughing as Blaine went to punch him again.

"Bug," I said through tears, "don't." I didn't want him to fight, I didn't want him to hurt someone to protect me. "Blaine, come here. It's okay. We can figure it out," I told him trying to make my voice calm.

He shook his head and kept holding Cooper down. He was crying and shaking, he needed to move before Cooper made things ten times worse. I wiggled past Marley, kissing her head before I got up. "Blaine," I said softly, putting my hand on his shoulder. "Blaine, come on, let's go."

"Fuck you," he yelled at Cooper, falling back into my arms. "Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you," his voice was getting softer and weaker till it was almost silent. He hugged me, hiding his face in my neck even though he's a head taller than me. "Hospital?" He asked me, trying to keep his voice strong.

I nodded my head, worried that if I said anything I would break. I looked over at Jake who was still frozen, I needed to say something even if it meant crying. I helped Blaine sit in the car and kissed his forehead. I pressed our heads together, "I've got this. Not all done all too much."

All done all too much was something we started when we were little. If jokes between us, words our friends were saying, or things our parents were doing going to be too much to handle, we would say -or sign- 'all done all too much'

I walked over to where Jake was frozen and took his hands, "Jake?" I asked gently. I didn't know where his brain was or how he was processing any sensory input. He just stood there, frozen and not talking. "Jake," I said moving my hand to brush across his face. "Jake, you're okay. I'm okay. Let's just go."

"Yeah you're okay," Cooper muttered as he walked inside.

I was going to say something, but I decided against it. I wasn't going to start more stuff. "Okay, so here's the plan. We are going to go back to the doctor and get this checked out. I guess... um yeah, I'll drive this is fine."

None of this was fine. I didn't know what was going on or what was going to happen. Blaine was pissed and crying, Jake was frozen and crying, Marley was clearly overwhelmed, and I was just there. My emotions were running a thousand miles a minute, but I had to keep them in. I had to be strong because enough people were upset. 

Be strong. Don't fuck this up. 

We got to the hospital, I guess I should say we got back to the hospital. They wheeled me in and I looked up at Amanda who was conveniently at the nurses' station, "hey, help, please? I um... I fell and need to check on butterfly?"

She wheeled me into the room and called for an ultrasound and bloodwork. "This wasn't a fall, Emily. Dad or big big brother?"

She knew she couldn't do anything, but she knew. I had said something after I got out of surgery once and couldn't take it back. 

"Cooper. Now, can we check on them? Please?" I didn't care that I hurt, or that I was going to be in pain for days if not weeks. Honestly, we knew that pregnancy was going to be a living hell. But, it was a hell worth living so I could hold my baby. So I could watch my baby grow up and know that they can be whoever they want, so I could watch my baby grow up with a family that loves them and would never hurt them, to grow up and be themself. 

Amanda hooked me up to monitors and looked at my stomach with an ultrasound. That's when I heard it, the sound I loved more than anything. The sound I loved more than Blaine singing Raise Your Glass, more than Jake singing Let Me Love You, more than Marley singing a song she wrote, and more than hearing that my favorite show was renewed for a new season.

My baby's heartbeat.