When the bough breaks

Seven

It's been four months since the attack on Lillian. The doctor just told us a few minutes ago that she was awake. I take a deep breath before walking to her room, supporting my belly.

The baby has been kicking up a storm lately, and waking me up in the middle of the night. Last night, she woke me up at five in the morning to go pee.

Lillian is now eight months, or thirty five weeks pregnant. While she was in a coma, we learned that she's having a boy. And I'm having a girl. Marjory and I were discussing the topic of adoption, but she said she didn't want Lillian to give him up.

She said, "We've been living on our own ever since her dad walked out the day she was born, so I'm not giving up on my grandson. We'll find a way to make it work." And I bluntly shook my head.

The police had found Anthony a month after the attack, living in Ireland. I guess in order not to be found and arrested for his actions, he decided to flee England.

Since Lillian is fourteen, she's going to have to have her mom's legal permission to keep the baby, otherwise a representative from the adoption agency will take him, meaning that she wouldn't be able to hold him after he's born.

"Knock, knock. I heard that you're awake." I cheerily say to Lillian, who's sat by the window. I can see the tears rolling down her face in the glass, even though she's trying to hide it. "Hey, what happened?" I ask her as I sit beside her. She looks at me then looks away. "Anthony. He killed himself. Last night." My mouth opens and closes at the shock.

"I-I'm sorry." I stammer but she just scoffs. "I know you don't care. Nobody really does. It's just pretend. All they see is the monster he was," she spats, not looking at me.

"I don't think you understand what he did to you. He abused you, manipulated you. And as far as everyone knows, he raped you." I say, and she looks at me, anger in her eyes.

"He didn't rape me. I was alert and awake when we did it. Didn't know it was going to lead to this. I thought he loved me, but once I told him, he got angry," she spats, gesturing to her balloon belly.

"Don't you want the baby?" I ask. "Don't know, don't care. I'm too young anyway. He would need someone that could give him a proper life with a proper family." she says, but I can tell that she does want him. "Well, how about you just sleep on it? I'm going to go find me something to eat." I say, but she doesn't look my way.

Once I'm down at the hospital cafe, I order some coffee and an English muffin. "Thank you." I say to the cashier, who hands me the cup and brown bag. "Hey. How is she?" Zander asks, once I get to our regular table. He's busy devouring a strawberry bagel. I sit beside him and prepare my breakfast.

"Distraught, angry. She doesn't seem to realize that the day we found her, she had been attacked. She was manipulated into thinking he loved her and that he cared about her." I say, and Zander looks up at me.

"He never loved her," but before he takes his last bite of breakfast, he adds, "Me loving you and him loving her are different things. My love is real." he says, going to throw his trash away. I sigh and eat my breakfast.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

After we leave the hospital, we walk in the condo to see Marjory decorating the nursery.

"Hello. Do you want to help me?" she asks, and Zander and I nod our heads. "Nothing better to do." I say. She nods her head, directing us on what to do.

"Zander, would you be so kind as to start putting the cradles together? Erica, I need you to go rest your legs in the living room. I don't want you lifting things when you're six months along." I smile and nod my head.

I walk to the living room, only to be met with a puddle of wetness gushing between my legs onto the wood floor. "Zander!" I scream, and he comes running.

Once he realizes that it's time, he runs upstairs to grab our emergency hospital bag and helps me to the truck. Marjory asks if she needs to come, only to get a call from the hospital staff saying that Lillian is in labor.

"Lillian's in labour too. Best I ride with you then," she says as she rubs my back as a contraction passes.

We arrive at the hospital, and Marjory runs to Lillian's room to accompany her. The doctors and nurses roll me back to the emergency room. It was a short one hour procedure and our baby girl was finally here.

"Look, babe!" Zander had said, as he held our daughter in his arms. I stroked her face, and cried tears of joy. She had some breathing problems, so they put her on oxygen. Lillian ended up keeping her baby, and naming him Mason.

A couple days later, I got to see Jennie Louise in the NICU. We named her Jennie Louise because Jennie was the name of my great grandmother and Louise because it was Aunt Vivienne's middle name.

She weighed four pounds, five ounces, measuring seventeen inches long. She stayed in the hospital for a month, until she could breath on her own without problems. Mason was a pound bigger.

The day arrives where we can take Jennie home, to the condo. "Ready?" Zander says, picking up the pink carseat and heading to the hallway. I nod my head and grab the suitcase. "Ready." He smiles at me and we walk downstairs to the truck. "Wait." Zander says before pulling something over my face.

It's a good five minutes of driving before I feel the truck stop. Zander opens my door and leads me inside the house and up the stairs. I can hear him open a door and feel him take the blindfold off.

I gasp, and tears well up in my eyes. "Jennie, look at your room!" I say to the pink bundle that I pick up from the carseat. It's a contrast of pinks and purples, with a white crib at the far end of the room and stuffed animals everywhere.

I carefully lay her in her crib. "Recognize the room?" Zander asks me, as he comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my stomach.

"The guest room." I gasp. "When did you do all this?" I ask him.

"Uh, last night after you fell asleep." he says, chuckling. "What?" I ask, my face wrinkled in confusion.

He smiles and yells, "You all can come out now!" and my family comes out from the massive walk in closet.

"Hey, honey." Dad says, hugging me. Mom gasps and picks up the baby from her crib. Dalton screams my name, and jumps into my arms hugging me.

Trent and Sam walk out last, trailed by their two daughters. They all hug me and Sam cries, happy tears according to her. Lillian comes in the room then, carrying a sleeping Mason. All of my family gets to meet Marjory, Lillian, and Mason.

That cold winter's night, we all cuddle around the fireplace. I look over at everyone and for the first time realize how lucky I am. The sleeping five and two year old girls nestled in Trent and Sam's arms.

Mom and Dad holding a sleeping Dalton. Marjory's asleep on Lillian, who's rocking Mason. Zander's sound asleep next to me cradling our baby girl. I smile to myself and nestle beside Zander's muscular build.