Saving Grace | ✓

Chapter Thirteen

{ Chapter Thirteen }

We were set to be at the restaurant by seven-fifteen to make our reservations. At seven, the Brian's, Alexis and I all get into the cars and drive to the restaurant.

"Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Brian. Table for five?" The waiter says as we approach the doors.

"Yes sir." Michael smiles, and we are ushered to our table.

After our drink orders are put in, the table falls silent. We are all reading the menus. "Are you ready to order?" I hear an oh-so-familiar voice say in my ear. I gasp sharply as Hope grabs my arms and pulls them behind my back. David does the same to Alexis. Eliza screams.

Michael stands from his chair quickly and tackles David. Hope is dragged to the floor by a few other guests. Eliza's fingers fly over her phone's dial pad, calling the cops.

"You little slut!" Hope screams from under the men. "You're ours! You can't get away!"

I wrap my arms around Alexis and pull her to the corner with me. Caleb rushes over and hugs both of us. Cops suddenly appear, taking both of our parents away from the men and putting them in handcuffs. They are dragged off into the back of the cop cars and driven to the station.

The restaurant falls silent. The only sound you can hear is Alexis's quiet sobbing.

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That night, I slide into my bed beside Alexis. She is curled into a ball, facing away from me. I slip my arm around her waist and sigh. She is crying.

"I'm scared." She chokes on her tears. I pull her to my chest as silent tears flow down my cheeks. "I don't want to go back to that place."

"I know." I nod, rubbing her hair. "I know."

"Can we talk about something else?"

"What?"

"Anything. Your baby." She whispers. I nod and begin.

"The doctor said that the baby was fine. Everything is looking good with its health. I don't know the gender yet. I don't know if I want to know or not."

"I think you should." She blurts out, cutting me off. "I mean, it will make decorating the nursery and names and stuff easier. But if you didn't, you could pick out two names and use any color you want for the nursery. So maybe you shouldn't know."

I nod, ready to reply, but her breathing slows and she falls asleep in my arms.

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I wake up nauseated. I am drenched in sweat, even with the fan blowing on high. Caleb is sitting in the armchair in the corner, asleep. I watch him for a while. He snores slightly, his hair falling in his eyes a little. His exhales make his chest fall.

Caleb's eyes flutter open, and he sits up, stretching. He looks at me, blinking a few times and then smiling. "Hey." He says groggily, coming over to me. My hands shake; I don't want him seeing my baby bump through the blankets, even though he already knows I'm pregnant.

"Hi." I say. "You slept in the chair?"

"Half the night. I heard you groaning, so..." He scratches his neck nervously.

I nod, scooting myself up higher on the pillows. My head feels like it's full of water. "I do that sometimes. Where's Alexis?"

"She's downstairs watching TV."