Welcome To The Family

Your Family

 Emme had been so upset after watching the murders that Taylor had to keep her sedated for days. Jenny and I would check on her throughout the day, but her eyes were barely ever open. It was nice to spend all day cleaning without listening to Emme cry and scream.

I was surprised to see Emme in the living room when we came to the house after breakfast. She was lying on the couch, with a blanket draped over her, and her eyes were closed. She stirred when we came into the house.

Jared squealed when he saw Noah and ran toward him. This woke Emme up. She dug the heel of her palm into her eyes as she sat up. Taylor saw her waking up and walked over to her. He got on his knee in front of her and cupped her face in his hands. Emme did not try to push him away. He kissed her forehead before pushing her so that she was lying down on the couch. He readjusted the blankets over her. He sat on the edge of the couch and rubbed her side.

I jumped when Gabe placed a hand on my hip. He slightly chuckled and slipped his arm around my waist before kissing the top of my head.

"I told you she would get used to it here," Gabe said.

Emme struggled to keep her eyes open. Taylor muttered something to her that I could not make out.

"You really think she is liking it here?" I asked in a harsh whisper.

"She may not be totally comfortable yet, but she's getting there," he said. "Just remember to make her feel safe here."

I nodded. Gabe kissed my cheek before letting go of my waist. I took a final look at Emme and Taylor before following Gabe into the kitchen. I helped Jenny clean up their breakfast. Noah set Jared down on the floor and Jared whined as Noah put on his jacket.

"We'll be back inside soon, buddy," Noah said.

He crouched down. Jared had his thumb in his mouth as he wrapped his arm around Noah's neck. I smiled and rubbed my belly as I watched the two of them.

Gabe gave me a kiss before they all went out the kitchen door. I listened as the lock on the door clicked shut.

I looked over my shoulder when I heard the floor creak. Emme was walking into the kitchen. The blanket was draped over her shoulders. Her short curls were a mess. She dragged her feet across the floor.

"Emme, why don't you have a seat," Jenny said.

"No," Emme said. "I need to go."

"You're exhausted. You need to rest."

My chest tightened as I bit down on my lip. My hopes that Emme was settling in were disappearing. She was probably just too tired to fight Taylor off.

"Please," Emme said, her voice cracking.

"Emme, sit down," Jenny said.

She had more authority behind her voice than I had heard before. Emme sighed before shuffling into the dining room. Jenny dried her hands on the dishtowel before sitting across the table from Emme. I sat next to Jenny and Jared crawled onto my lap. Emme's eyes were down on her lap, and she refused to look at us.

"Emme, how have you been feeling?" Jenny asked.

She shrugged. "I've been tired."

"We haven't been able to talk to you for a few days," Jenny said. "We haven't been able to talk to you about what you saw."

Emme sighed. She ran her fingers through her short curls.

"It was awful," she said, her voice cracking. "I can't believe you kill people."

I looked over at Jenny. My chest tightened and I held my breath. Jenny did not take her eyes off of Emme. I tightened my hold on Jared.

"The men don't kill because they want to," Jenny said. "They only do it to keep us safe."

"Those people weren't going to hurt us," Emme said.

She wiped a stray tear off of her cheek.

"But they would have," Jenny said. "They stopped those people from hurting us."

"They would never want to hurt us," Emme said.

"That's what I thought," I said. They both looked at me. "Until one day one of them held a knife against my throat."

I thought back to that day years ago when that deranged man came into the house and held a blade against my throat. Gabe begged and pleaded for him to let me go, but the man refused to. It wasn't until Noah hit the man in the back with an axe that he let me go.

Emme's eyes went wide as she listened to me. Jenny nodded.

"I remember that," Jenny said. "We were all terrified for Lindsay's safety. Noah saved her though."

"I probably would have died," I said. "I was really scared."

"That's why they have to kill those people," Jenny said. "If we don't kill them, they'll hurt us."

"All they ever do is try to keep us safe," I said.

Emme let out a shaky breath. She looked down at her lap and put her hands over her stomach.

"I'm worried," she said softly.

"About what?" Jenny asked.

"My period is late," she said. "I hope it's just the stress."

"How late?"

"A week and a half."

It was hard to believe that Emme had been with our family for over two weeks. She must have been sedated for longer than I expected. It was hard to keep track of time in this house without a calender or a clock.

Jenny smiled and clasped her hands in front of her chest. Emme furrowed her brows as she watched Jenny. I bounced Jared on my knee. He continued to suck on his thumb.

"This is great news," Jenny said. "Another baby in the house."

"What?" Emme asked. "This is not good."

"This is wonderful," Jenny said. "I love being a grandmother and you'll be a great mother."

Emme's face went pale. She did not take her hands off of her stomach. Her lips slightly parted as she stared off into space. I could tell that her mind was racing with thoughts.

"I was scared at first too," I said. "I was terrified to have a baby."

"I can't be pregnant," Emme said under her breath. "It's just the stress of being here. I'm not having a baby."

"We're here to help you with everything that you may need," Jenny said. "We both had our babies in this house."

Emme squeezed her eyes shut and shuddered.

"I need to go home," Emme whispered.

"You are home," Jenny said. "And you are about to start your own family."