The Year of Maybe

Chapter Eleven

Heavy footsteps descend from the stairs waking me with a jolt. I scramble to get out of the covers and notice that I have been freed from the cuffs. Sliding out of bed, I cautiously feel my way around and lower myself to the floor. I crawl around until I find where to walls meet and huddle there. 

The door opens quietly sending in a sliver of light as Eli's familiar silhouette leaves the door frame. He closes the door behind him and walks straight towards me. "What do you want?" I whisper in a cracked tone. 

Eli is completely silent as he walks over to me and reaches out his hand. I wait a minute before grabbing it and pulling myself up. My stomach cramps up and I stagger forward holding the wall for support. I gasp for air as the pain intensifies. 

He puts his hand on my back and gently guides me to the bed. I lay on my side away from him as tears slide over my nose and onto the pillow. I feel the bed's balance offset a bit as Eli cuddles up behind me. He pushes his hand underneath my side and wraps his arms around my belly. "I'm sorry," he says sympathetically but I feel no need to respond. Eli rests his head on my left shoulder and rubs his thumbs around in little circles. 

I lay still in order to keep the peace and close my eyes again trying to fall asleep but I can't seem to shut off my mind. I think about Ricky and where he is right now. Does he even care that I'm gone? He probably doesn't care... Who wants to care for a confused pregnant girl anyway...? Somehow I find myself wanting to forgive Eli but then again, he kidnapped me and locked me in his basement.

Eli startles me by talking, "Have you picked a name?"

"What?"

"For your baby, have you named it?"

"Oh... Um, I guess I was thinking Spencer? Her nickname would be Spence and I guess it would be just like my little sister."

"It's pretty. Just like you." My cheeks heat up at his remark and I pull his hands off of my stomach. "Hey, hey, hey... Baby I'm sorry, okay? I got a good job so I can take care of our family and be able to-"

I sit up and move to the other side of the bed while giving him a nasty look. "You've got to be kidding me Eli. Seriously. This is not your  baby. Honestly, I didn't even want to have sex with you. This baby is mine. Ricky already said he would take care of us so I don't need your help. Just because you got some job that doesn't mean you are now like my hero. I'm trapped in your basement for crying out loud!"

Eli lets out something that sounds like a growl and heads for the door before threatening, "You are really, really going to regret this." He slams the door and stomps up the stairs. I hop off the bed and walk over to the door and jiggle the handle but it doesn't give. The only light was from a small lamp next to the couch.

Hunger stabs at my stomach so I stumble over to the couch and dig through the box on the coffee table. I find a bag of popcorn and some chips along with the jar of water and finish everything within fifteen minutes. I walk around the room some more and find a door that seems to belong to a closet. I open it and find a few red flannels and some baggy gym shorts. I search through the other clothes when something catches my eye: a crack in the back of the closet. I push on the small panel which turns out to be a door. I enter the closet and walk through the door as I move my arm up and down the wall searching for a light switch. When I find it, the light is a bit delayed but it turns on and reveals a small bathroom complete with a sink, a shower and a separate bath tub.

I close the door behind me, walk towards the bath and turn the knob all the way to hot. Brownish water pours out before the clear water starts to come out showing that the bath hasn't been used in awhile. I pull off the sweater that Eli supposedly dressed me in and take off the rest of my clothes. I walk over to the sink and search through the cupboards for a washcloth. I find a clean brown washcloth and put it in the bath drain before sitting in the bath tub and letting the water over cover my body completely. I look down at my stomach and notice that I have actually started to gain some weight which I guess is good. I shut off the water and lean my head back against the bath tub. My wrists are sore from the cuffs and as I look down to check out the bruises but before I am able to see my wrists, the lights suddenly shut off. 

My heart skips a beat before two strong hands are on my shoulders pushing my down under the water. I panic and try to push myself up out of the water but my lungs start turn burn as water enters my nose. One of their hands is on my chest pushing me farther under the water and their other hand is fisted in my hair. They use my hair to bash my head into the side of the tub over, and over, and over until finally after what seems like forever I become unconscious, once again.