Emily, Please Don't Go Away

Fifteen

 "Babe, are you okay?" He asked from the doorway of the bathroom. I shook my head, but the movement caused another wave of nausea to wash over me. He bent down next to me, pulling my hair back from my face gently. "You have been getting sick a lot lately. What's going on?"

"I think I'm pregnant," I muttered as I wiped my mouth. I looked over and saw tears in his eyes.

"Have you been to a doctor yet?"

"No, but all the symptoms are there. Puking, sore boobs, sensitivity to smells, missed period. That's just to name a few." He grabbed my hands and pulled them to his chest.

"We need to get you to a doctor as soon as possible," he insisted. "This just makes this whole day that much better."

"What do you mean?" I asked as he helped me stand.

"Well, I've been looking for a new home for us for weeks now, and I finally found one. It was a decent price. It's a three bedroom, two bath house with a beautiful backyard. I just felt like that was the one for us. It's like the universe was preparing me for this amazing news!" His eyes were full of hope and excitement.

"That's amazing. When can we move in?" I asked, feigning more excitement than I felt.

"Tonight," he replied with a smile. "It was going to be a surprise, but I have already hired some movers. They are already moving your things from the storage unit as we speak."

* * * * *

I was grabbing some small bags from the trunk when I heard an unfamiliar voice behind me.

"Hey!" I turned to see a relatively short man standing behind me. I immediately took note of his various piercings and tattoos. He looked eerily like my first boyfriend.

"Hey," I replied nervously as I realized that I had just been staring at him.

"You my new neighbor?" His personality bubbled.

"Yeah, we're just moving in."

"We?" He asked as he looked around. I laughed to myself.

"Yes, we. My new husband and I," I explained. He seemed a little bummed out, but he still smiled.

"Well, I'm Frankie. I live right there," he said as he pointed to the house to the right of our own. He then stuck his hand out towards me. "And you would be?"

"Emily," I answered as I shook his hand.

"Emily... I like that. So, new husband, huh? How long ya been married?"

"About two months, a little over."

"December wedding? Don't tell me you got married on Christmas," he groaned playfully. I laughed as I tucked a piece of hair behind my ear.

"No, it was actually on the 20th. So, no. Not a Christmas wedding."

"Thank God. There are so many people that get married on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. It might've been cool at one point, but so many people do it now, and it just got lame."

"Yeah, I agree," I laughed. There was a cough from behind me. Gerard stepped up beside me and put a protective arm around my waist.

"I see you've met my wife. I'm Gerard," he introduced himself as he stuck out his free hand. Frankie shook his hand as he looked at me.

"Nice to meet you, Gerard. I'm Frank. I live next door. I just figured I'd introduce myself, offer my assistance if you needed any," he explained. Gerard's grip tightened, sending a short burst of pain through my hip. I winced slightly and tried to pull away, but he dug his nails into my waist, signalling that he didn't want me to move.

"Nice to meet you too, Frank. I think we can handle it. Thanks for the offer though," Gerard responded. His voice was overly polite. Frankie looked at the position I was in, and his eyes flashed concern as he made eye contact with me for a second, but he plastered a fake smile on his face, turning his gaze back towards Gerard.

"Alright. Well, if you guys need anything, I'm just next door. I'd be more than happy to help," he said as his eyes met mine. I nodded and smiled at him.

"Thanks, Frankie, We'll see you around," I replied. He nodded slightly before turning and heading back to his house. Gerard grabbed the bags from me and motioned towards the house. As I entered, he followed close behind and slammed the door shut behind him. He turned around to look at me, and I could see the thoughts running through his head.

"What was that?" He asked angrily. I looked at him nervously.

"What are you talking-"

"You know!" He yelled, cutting me off. "I leave you alone for two goddamn minutes, and you have already chatted up the fucking neighbor? What were you two talking about? And what was with the Frankie thing? Don't even know the guy, and you're calling him nicknames?"

"Gee, it's not-"

"Stop!" He screamed, causing me to flinch. "No, don't tell me that it's not what it looked like. He was hitting on you, and you weren't exactly rejecting it. You're my wife! You're not supposed to be talking to other guys." He ran his hand through his hair as he paced back and forth.

"That was the first thing I told him! He asked if I was the one moving in, and I told him that it was me and my husband. We actually spent a minute talking about our wedding. So, if that didn't tell him that I was unavailable, I don't know what will," I sighed. He stopped pacing and looked at me. I could see the tears in his eyes.

"Really?" He asked softly. I nodded, and he dropped to his knees in front of me, wrapping his arms around my legs. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you. I'm just so scared of losing you, and I just get so jealous. I know that you deserve more than me..."

"Gee, it's okay," I tried to ease his worries. I could feel the tears on my thigh.

"It's not okay. You deserve so much better than me. I'm fucking crazy, and I still think that you only married me because you felt bad for me. I'm just scared that you're going to leave me. If you ever did, I would just end it right then, because I can't live without you. I just won't."

"Baby," I cooed gently as I knelt down in front of him. "I love you. I'm not going to leave you. Things will get better. I do think that we need to see someone though. I think you might do really good with some medication. Just to help you balance out a little. I worry about you."

"You really think it would help?" He sniffled as he looked up into my eyes. I nodded reassuringly.

"There's nothing to be ashamed of. I had to be on some medication when I was younger, and it helped balance out my emotions. It really did help, and I think it would help you too." He stared at me for a minute before nodding.

"If you think it will help, I'll make an appointment," he agreed. He smiled tenderly at me. "I don't know what I would do without you. Honestly, I would never find out, because I'd just die. I would rather be dead than be without you."