Safety Net

14

Seeing her sitting on the couch of a man no one knew, talking to the police officers as two others escorted Paul out of the building was extremely bittersweet. Seeing her bruised face was bittersweet.

Alex stood back, giving Jo space. He didn't want to push her limits. The fight they had a few months ago took a toll on them both. He watched as she twiddled her thumbs, sniffling. She twirled a lock of her hair with one hand, resting the other on her baby bump. He watched as she rubbed small circles. He couldn't imagine not being a part of their lives.

His eyes scanned the room as he listen to as much as he could, trying to determine what they were saying. Most of it was murmurs and mumbles from what he could hear.

The moment Jo laid her eyes on Alex she jumped up, running over to him. She wrapped her arms around him, crying into his shirt. The past seemed irrelevant in this moment.

Alex wrapped his arms around her, dismissing the cops for the time being. He stroked her hair as his eyes welled up with tears. "I will never leave you again. You're safe." He sniffled, pulling back to wipe her tears "Youre safe, you hear me?" He asked, in between demanding and kind. She nodded sheepishly, sniffling as she wiped her cheeks.

"I think- somethings wrong with- the- the baby." She choked out.

"Let's go get a check up on you and the baby, okay?" He took her hands, kissing the bruise on her forehead gently.