Grim

7

Sapphire came running to Rose's room with frantic eyes. "Is everything alright?!"

"You told me you lost the baby!" Rose angrily replied.

I frowned, "You told me you aborted it!"

Sapphire's face displayed that she had been caught in a lie, but I didn't know who she had been lying to. She sighed while fiddling with her fingers to avoid eye contact. Maybe she had lied to us both by withholding information.

"What happened?" I softly asked as I walked to her and cupped her cheek. I didn't want her to think I was angry at her for whatever happened to our child. I wanted her to know that she could trust telling me the whole truth.

She looked up into my eyes, and I noticed that hers were watering. I immediately grew sad, even though I didn't know what she was going to say. I just hated seeing her cry, and I knew that whatever it was that happened to our child hurt her greatly.

She fiddled around with her fingers while saying, "When we had gotten ambushed and you gave me the directions to get to the safe house, I knew I had to make a stop first. I got some pregnancy tests and abortion pills just in case I would need to take them." She looked up from her fingers to assess if I was angry at her, but I gave her a nod, letting her know that I wanted her to continue her explanation. "I didn't know if the resources would be strained if I brought a child into the world. I knew that when you had set up your safe house, you weren't planning to host so many people. When I got there and was able to see the amount of food and other items there, I figured that it would be okay for me to keep the baby. Rose, my mom, and I would have to be mindful of the amount we ate, but we'd all still be getting enough food to feel full, and I'd have enough to have a safe pregnancy."

She broke eye contact with me and looked at Rose, who began crying. "Then you found out I was pregnant," Rose caught on, and Sapphire nodded before completely letting her tears out.

"One pregnancy would be fine, but two?! We'd have to heavily ration in order to maintain both pregnancies, and even then, we'd risk losing both babies. There wasn't enough resources for both pregnancies, so I...I..." her voice broke, and I wrapped my arms around her and held her tightly. Sapphire fisted my shirt while burying her face in my chest.

She had aborted our child so that Rose could give birth to hers.

Rose climbed off the bed and hugged sapphire from behind while crying as well.

I felt bad that Sapphire had been in that predicament. When my dad walked out on my family and me, I had promised myself that I would never be anything like him. I'd make sure my family was good no matter what. Part of me felt as if I had failed to provide for and protect Sapphire and the child we would've had.

Sapphire should've never had to make that call, and I felt fully responsible for not using the rubber during a time when I knew we'd have to split for a while. At the very least, I should've made sure that she'd be set in the event of a pregnancy.

When Sapphire felt comfortable speaking again, she continued, "You've always wanted kids, Rose, and you were so excited to be pregnant. I knew you wouldn't let me abort my child to save yours, so I lied and told you that I lost it. I'm sorry!"

Rose sniffled, "No, I am. You should've never had to make that decision. I owe you so much! I wouldn't have had Pharaoh without you!" Rose then quickly stepped away from Sapphire and nervously looked into my eyes. She looked a bit afraid as she watched me. She probably thought that I was angry at her for the decision Sapphire made. Really, I wasn't angry at all. I was just disappointed at myself. "Reaper, I—"

I shook my head, "No need to apologize. It's fine!"

She nodded before hugging Sapphire again, and I thought it best to give them some alone time. I decided that I'd check on Emory to clear up some things from the other night. I wanted her to know that I loved her daughter and would do everything in my power to protect her on our journey. I also wanted to clear the air on who I was as a person— the character traits that I thought outshined my criminal activities.

It was very important to me that Emory liked me. Family meant everything to me, and family accord was one of my priorities. Her hating me was something I wouldn't accept, especially when Sapphire and I would get married. I wanted a big happy family, so I needed to make sure that Emory liked me from now.

I knocked on Emory's door, and she invited me in. "Hey," I greeted, and she smiled while waving. She was laying in bed and looked as if she had recently woken from a nap. "How are you?"

Emory smiled, "A lot better than a year ago." She then grabbed a bottle of pills from off the bedside table and gave them a happy shake. It was the medicine that I made sure she took before heading off to the safe house. "I can't thank you enough!"

I shook my head, "You don't have to. I'm glad to see your progress."

"Thank you," she nodded. "You know, when my daughter made it to the safe house and told us the entire truth, I had one question that I knew only you could answer."

"And what's that?" I asked, a bit nervous about what she was going to ask me.

Emory replied, "At the time when you started paying for my medical treatment, you and Sapphire weren't dating. You barely even knew each other. Why did you pay for my treatment?"

"Your daughter honestly had my eyes before I even realized it," I admitted. "It took a while for me to realize that I had been so captivated by her, but that's not why I helped."

Emory frowned, "Well, why did you?"

I walked to the edge of her bed and sat down. I then connected eyes with her and told her, "My mother had fallen ill when I was 17, and there was no one around to help her. My dad had left her the year before, and it was just her, three children, and an insane medical bill. At one point, we were going to lose her, until I decided that I wasn't willing to accept that. We had already lost our house, but losing my mom?! She was the only one that had kept my family together, and if she hadn't sacrificed her health to put food on the table and keep us safe, she would've never gotten sick in the first place. That's why I started being a delinquent. I broke laws upon laws to get the money to pay for her treatment. She's fine now, but seeing you in a similar position where it was just you and Sapphire with a ridiculous medical bill reminded me of the situation my mom was in. I felt inclined to help."

Emory smiled, "I'm grateful. You have a very gracious heart, Azias."

It was the first time she had called me that name, and I wasn't opposed to it. She was family now.

"Keep my daughter safe out there, okay?" she made me promise.

I nervously asked, "You don't think poorly of me?"

She shook her head while explaining, "I heard some unsettling stuff about you, yes, but the story you shared a little while ago outshines any of that. I couldn't see your character before, but I see it now, and I understand firsthand what it means to sacrifice for your family."

I had expected a much longer explanation on my end of why I deserved to be with her daughter, but I was happy to know that she trusted me.

Her response made me smile, which in turn, made her smile. She opened her arms for a hug, which I gratefully accepted. I was glad that she was still fond of me.

"I won't let anything happen to her," I promised. I'd take bullets for that girl.

Emory warmly smiled, "I believe you."

A/N: Next chapter is a little over twice this length.