RIVER | JJ MAYBANK

NINETY NINE

LIABILITY

River felt an anger that had tightened in her chest, knowing that her dad worked for Limbrey was something she hadn't expected but didn't surprise her because her life was filled with shit she could never control.

"Reginald!" She entered the house shouting slamming the door behind her which alerted Reggie and made him stand almost to attention, he folded his arms to look at River a disgust running through his veins.

Every time he looked at her he saw his daughter and the thought of River and Georgia being so similar made his stomach burn with hatred. They were both irresponsible, whores.

"Did you know?" River shouted advancing towards him with quick angry marches, "Did you know my father worked for Limbrey." She asked getting awfully close to her grandfather that he felt uncomfortable, "Let me rephrase that. Did you know that Sean was a lap dog for the slave owners?" She asked angrily.

Reggie reached out and put a calming hand on River's shoulder, he'd never been handed quite an in by God before and now it was as if everything was aligning just how he wanted it to.

"I did know which was why I didn't want your mother to have you." He sighed giving her a quick brush, "You've got to be careful." He said pointing at River's stomach which made her clutch at it.

Reggie wanted her to have an abortion because he didn't want her to end up like her mother but he'd been awfully calm about the situation and River actually let herself believe that maybe Reggie was a good guy because he was only trying to protect Georgia.

"Your hot head and high blood pressure levels aren't going to be good for the newborn, River." Reggie spoke his voice was soothing and that was something she had never really had before from him, "Can I?" he asked reaching out to place his hand on her stomach and she allowed him to do so despite the awkwardness.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realise that you were only trying to protect my mom." River spoke apologetically, "I know my dads a bad man and I'm sure you didn't want your daughter to be tied down by that." She spoke and Reggie gave her a smile, "I'm glad I have the chance to prove to you that not all teenage pregnancy involve people like Sean. JJ's a good person and-"

"Let's sit you down and we can continue to talk." Reggie smiled leading River towards the sofa and she willingly walked with him, finally for the first time ever she felt listened to. "Tea?" he asked sweetly offering a timid look towards his herbal tea pot sat on the coffee table.

"Okay." River nodded watching as he poured the tea into the china, "I know you think I'm young, and so do I but I really think I can do better than my mom did and give this baby all it needs." River spoke taking the teacup from Reggie's fingers and taking a sip.

"That's so- positive of you." Reggie hummed sitting back in his chair as River took another gulp, "You know that's exactly what your mother said to me." He laughed in disbelief shaking his head slowly.

River felt her eyes do a double blink and then all of a sudden her limbs gained a heaviness and she opened her mouth in shock but she couldn't move, her whole body seemed almost frozen.

He'd poisoned her.

"I'm sorry, Pumpkin. I can't have another liability." He sighed watching as River fully lost consciousness and sunk into the couch.

DARKNESS

"Hello?" Spoke a female voice, she was towering over River with a bright light gleaming from behind her and for a second she genuinely believed she might made it to heaven. "She's waking up, Doc."

River's eyes burst around in panic other than the surgical apron and the bright light she simply looked as if she was in someone's flat, a couch was laid out to her right.

"Well get her stable. She can't die, Elise." The strong man's voice echoed and River started to kick around straining her body despite it feeling as though every part of her felt as though it was bleeding.

"Shhh, Shhh." the young girl hushed, she looked younger than herself and stroked over her forehead lovingly but her eyes were filled with pity, "Everything's already done."

"Done? Done? What's done?" River panicked she reached down instinctively to hold her stomach and suddenly felt as though she'd been stabbed a thousand times.

"The abortion." Elise whispered stroking River's hair away from her sweaty forehead, she didn't look good at all and yet it wasn't an unfamiliar sight for Elise, her father made his living from doing his surgeries at home so there was always the risk of infection.

"M-My baby?" River croaked her whole body breaking down, "No, no, no please." Her eyes were streaming and her chest was rapidly hyperventilating, she tried to sit up but she panicked once she saw the amount of blood.

"Shhh, it's okay don't panic." Elise continued looking up fearfully at her father- the doctor- who flicked his needle and inserted it back into River's arm a warm feeling flooding every inch of the girls body.

"I told you to get her stable not irritate her." Was the doctors last words to Elise as River zoned in and out of consciousness, her body weakened and then she fell back into the darkness.

wrote by lucidgravity