Her once true love defects to Dauntless, abandoning her.
Penelope finds herself lonesome two years later. She has everything she could ask for, but nothing is fulfilling. That's until she comes across Charlie again. Old feelings are lost but somethi...
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THE cries were what had roused me from my sleep. As well as the frantic hands desperately smacking my chest, the hysterical voice begging me to wake up. We were in complete darkness, the digital clock on the nightstand being our one source of light. I couldn't yet make out Penelope, but I knew something had to be wrong. Penelope pulled at my arm with all her strength and kept uttering the same words over and over again.
"Th—The baby, Eric!"
But my thoughts were jumbled up and I couldn't make much of the situation yet. I could hear the despair in Penelope's sweet voice, how anxious she was to get her point across to me. She grabbed a tight hold of my hand and tried jerking me from where I laid.
"Please!"
Finally, I sat up in a matter of seconds and rushed out of bed. I stumbled around the room, pulling my pants on and trying to find the light switch. It was all pitch black but once the lights came on, I was blinded. Penelope pressed her hands over her belly and she cried as she shifted around.
"Penny, baby," I rushed groggily. "Wh—What's wrong, Penelope?"
"I—I don't know," she replied, "b—but I feel something, Eric. Why?!" Penelope demanded.
I stumbled towards her while I fastened my belt. My hands cupped her face and I pulled her onto my lap. She gazed up at me with tears streaming down her face. Her complexion turned pallid as something happened again, her hands cradling her belly.
"Tell me what your feeling, Penelope," I urged, my hands pulling her attention back at me. "Does it hurt, sweetheart?"
Penelope said nothing, only muttering incoherent things as she shut her eyes. I sighed heavily, desperate to get an answer out of her. I could feel myself waking up, a bit more alert, as the adrenaline coursed through my entire body.
"Wh—What is it, Eric?" Penelope demanded.
I took a deep breath and moved one hand to her thigh, my fingers curling around the silk material of her nightgown. I mentally prepared myself, expecting the worse once I raised her gown. But there was nothing there. No blood.
"Penelope, what is it, baby? What's bothering you right now? You have to tell me," I coaxed.
"I—I don't know, Eric. I really don't know what it is. It feels weird." She buried her face against my chest, opening her eyes to quickly glance up at me. "Something, inside of me. Is—Is it the baby?"
My hand dropped down to where her own hands held onto her belly. I gently coaxed her into moving them, allowing me to check for myself and see what was wrong. Her cries were muffled as she pressed her lips to my chest, a sob leaving her a trembling mess.
I choked on a deep breath, eyes wide and lips parted as I figured out what was really happening. My hand pressed further around her hardening belly, but Penelope groaned, her hands gripping my shoulders. She mumbled something incoherent then she suddenly relaxed altogether, as if nothing had occurred minutes before.
