Still Waters

Chapter 36

When I woke up, Kenney was just sitting there watching me, like he had never gone to sleep. Considering the amount of phone calls that could have been made during the night, I wasn't sure how I felt about that. What I did want was my stuff. What I didn't want was for Kenney to come with me. But as soon as I tried to stand up, I knew that it would probably be best for me to just lay low for the next few days anyway. I wanted so badly to tell Kenney about the baby and knew that sooner than later I would have no choice, but I just didn't know how.

"Morning, Sunshine." Kenney forced a smile through fiery eyes and I knew by one glance at his face how mine must have looked after five hours of pillow time.

When I tried to smile back I couldn't. My eyes were so swollen that any upward movement of my face would push too much pressure back onto them. My mouth was a whole other story. I didn't even want to look. At least it had finally stopped bleeding. I looked on Kenney's couch to see if I had gotten any blood on his pillows. Of course, at least two of them were drenched...which then reminded me of my nose. It must have started bleeding again during the night. I tried to wiggle it. Definitely broken. But I wasn't ready to go to the hospital and deal with the whole dead baby thing yet, so I just took it like a G and ran a hand over one of the bloody pillows.

"Kenney..."

"Not a thing." He waved his hand, dismissing whatever he thought I was about to say. I think at that point he just really didn't want me to say anything at all, so I stayed quiet until he spoke again. "So...want to go to the police?" He said it like he was asking me if I wanted pancakes for breakfast.

"No."

"Why not?"

I stared at him like one look at my messed up face should have made it obvious. "Because he'll kill me if I do."

Kenney just shook his head and left the room. We pretty much kept to ourselves for the rest of the day. Eventually I noticed that all of the back and forth between the living room and the guest room was him setting up my stuff. He had even hung my clothes in OCD order by the time I went to go look. Kenney was a Virgo to the bone.

I guess in his mind, I lived there now.

In my mind I didn't.

"Kenney, you didn't have to do that," I said quietly, coming back out into the living room and passing him on his way to the kitchen.

"It's ok. I wanted to. I don't want you to feel stressed about anything. Just make yourself at home. Mi casa es su casa." He turned and continued on his way to the kitchen.

"Thanks." I turned toward the TV and didn't look at him when I said, "At some point I have to go back." I heard his Nikes screech to a halt on the hardwood floor, and out of the corner of my eye I saw him turn slowly around. "Um...to get the rest of my stuff, I mean..."

That's not what I meant, but I didn't want to piss Kenney off and risk him kicking me out, too. Then I would be up a creek for real.

"Not a problem. Just let me know when. Actually..." he acted like the thought just came to him, but I knew he had probably been plotting on it all night, "...why don't you just tell me what you need and I'll go back and get it for you?"

"No Kenney."

"Why not? You don't need to be going out of the house looking like that..." he stopped himself. "I mean...I know you don't feel like going anywhere, so just let me take care of it...you. Let me take care of you."

"No."

"Uh...yes."

"No. Because I don't want you to do anything stupid. You already have a record, Bud. I'm not tryna get you on the three strikes list."