The Phlebotomy Professor (Teacher x Student || Intersex)

28.

Storm is here.

Unedited.

Sage;

I stared up at the ceiling as Novalie slept peacefully next to me. It's been a few weeks since her and Claire moved in and it's been nothing but amazing. Claire has been hanging out with Brooke which seemed to cheer both of them up considering Brooke finally filed for divorce from Austin.

Tonight was hard. I couldn't seem to fall asleep. I kept staring up at the skylight as I tried to calm my mind. It was the anniversary of my mothers death, but I still never told Novalie about what happened that night fifteen years ago. Even though she opened up to me about her childhood, I couldn't help but keep mine a secret out of fear.

The last time I opened up to someone about it, she used it against me in an argument. She was the last woman I dated which was almost seven years ago. I had came back from deployment and found her in my bed with a man who had no clue that I existed since she removed all of my pictures from around the house.

"I can't deal with your constant crying for your mommy anymore. Get help and maybe you won't get fucked over."

I let out a breath and twisted around when my phone chimed causing me to furrow my brows. It was after two a.m so I wasn't sure who that could be since Novalie was right next to me. I grabbed it and sat up as I read the message from Brooke.

Open the door. - B.

I slowly stood after kissing Novalie's forehead and grabbed a hoodie before slipping it on my body. I walked downstairs and opened the door, my heart dropping to my stomach as Brooke stared at me with mascara streaks down her face. Her lip was bleeding and bruised, and her eye was black and blue.

"C-can I..can I stay with you tonight-" I didn't give it a second thought as I grabbed her and pulled her to me, Brooke immediately sobbing into my shoulder as she clung to me. I kicked the door closed and walked her to the couch. She pushed her face into her hands as she tried to calm down. It was rare to see Brooke upset like this, but I know something must've happened considered she was bruised up.

Her hair was in a messy bun, which was unusual compared to the expensive styles she always had done. Her nails were plain, undone unlike her usual stiletto acrylics that were on her fingernails. I haven't seen her since last week when she dropped Claire off.

"What happened?" I asked quietly as I touched her shoulder. She laughed, before sobbing again as she sat back on the couch while shaking her head with a sad smile on her face.

"I'm pregnant..well..I was until he pushed me down the stairs after punching me in my face. I don't know if the baby is okay, but based on the amount of blood that's been pouring out of me for the last few hours, I don't think so." She laughed humorlessly which turned into broken sobs as she stared up at the ceiling.

The tears streamed down my face as I tried to process what she told me. My heart was beating rapidly in my chest and I shook my head as the memories of my mother's blood coating my hands flashed in my mind.

"He just..ever since that night at the museum something changed. It's like the rose colored glasses were slapped off of my face. I don't know how I haven't seen the monster he really was. I was blinded because I finally thought I proved my mother wrong about not finding someone to put up with a woman as stuck up as me.

Anya saw everything.-" She laughed again, it laced with pain as her hurt eyes continued to glare up at the ceiling.

"Every..single..thing. We've been sleeping in separate rooms. I didn't want Anya to see her father and I separated until it was official. So I slept in the guest room while he slept in the main room whenever he was home, of course. He came in around twelve, grumbling about the wine glass that I left on the table downstairs. So..he came to the room and decided he wanted to teach me a lesson for not cleaning up the mess, figuratively and literally, that I've created.

So..he woke me up by pulling me by my hair down into the hallway while I screamed for him to stop. 'No. I'm the man here. You let some dark skinned whore ruin our marriage. You obey me!' He yelled. 'you do know I'm black, right? And so is our daughter.' I responded back. He just laughed. He laughed before punching me right in my face and pinning me to the wall. And he just..went crazy. Screaming at me saying that he knows and that's why he expects nothing more than to shut up and be the pretty mulatto that he married. Then..I told him I was pregnant. And he scoffed.

'Yeah? Then prove it.' He pushed me down the four flights of stairs. And laughed until he saw the blood that leaked from inside of me. Then I looked up and saw Anya staring with tears streaming down her face from the doorway of her room.

After he locked himself in his office I packed out things and drove to my moms. She put Anya to bed and her first words to me were 'I told you. He had enough, didn't he?' before leaving me alone in the living room."

"Brooke.." My voice broke as I grabbed her hands with my shaking ones. She looked at me with red rimmed eyes and a watery smile as she let out a shaky breath. She squeezed my hand before clearing her throat.

"I didn't know where else to go-"

"You are always welcome here. You're my best friend. Don't ever think you can't come to me about anything. Come, you can sleep in the guest room okay?"

We both walked upstairs slowly and Brooke walked into the room before shutting the door. I heard her quiet sobs and I balled my hands in fists before walking to my room.

I slipped on my sweats and sneakers before grabbing my satchel from my bottom drawer, making sure the bullets were in my gun before looking at Novalie who was still asleep.

"Baby.."

"Hmm?" She hummed quietly. I leaned down and kissed her lips softly and she kissed me back.

"You okay?" She asked sleepily, her eyes still closed.

"Yeah. I'm going outside for some air, okay? I'll be back."

"Promise?"

"I promise baby. Go back to sleep."