The Ladue Horror

Chapter 11

"Stop! Stop! What's happening here?!" screamed Scott as he rushed into the bathroom. Maura's hand shot off of Sadie's stomach and she turned around curtly. "Mr. Crenshaw I think something is wrong with the baby!" Scott approached the bathtub and saw that quickly the clear water was growing more and more red. "Go call the doctor, now! I'll be right down." He rushed to his wife's side. "Honey, honey what's wrong?" Sadie pulled the drain out of the tub and Scott watched in horror as the water level lowered. He kept looking back and forth, mouth wide open, at his wife's face and the water level going down. The water lowered below her belly, revealing her hands. In her right hand was a nail file she had been holding for the whole exchange. During her screaming fits, she clenched the file so hard it dug into her hand, reopening an old wound and filling the water with blood. Scott fell back on his rear end, panting. His gaze met his wife's, who was panting as well.

Later that night, Sadie stayed in her and Scott's bedroom. Scott said she was exhausted from the scare earlier and needed her rest. Scott was now more than ever concerned for Sadie's sanity. First the issues before, and now this. And the doctor wants to discharge her? Something wasn't making sense. "Maura?" asked Scott. "Can I have a word with you? Kids, go play outside for a minute," he said directing his gaze towards Marie and Addy. The girls picked up their toys and took them outside and Maura closed her book she was reading on the couch. "Of course Scott, what is it?" "Maura, I'm going to need to hear exactly what happened today in our bathroom. I was already worried about Sadie and after today, I'm not even sure what to think. I just want to know what happened from your perspective, okay?"

Maura smiled. "Of course, Scott. I was cleaning up from breakfast after you left to take the kids to school and I heard a horrible sound coming from your bathroom. It was almost not human, beast-like, other-wordly. Anyway, I ran up there as fast as I could to make sure Mrs. Crenshaw was okay and all of the sudden you were there too. Thank God you were there, Scott, I was very frightened." She stood up from the couch and walked over to Scott. "Is she okay? I know she hasn't come back down since it happened. I hope she isn't upset with me." "Upset with you? Why would that be?" Scott asked as he saw Maura inch closer and closer to him from across the living room. "Well, I invaded her private time, her personal space. A woman needs privacy, you know?" She pulled apart her messy bun and let her long blonde hair hang freely. "Not me though, Mr. Crenshaw, I am much more... open," Maura was met with a confused, but not coarse look from Scott. Her giant pupils ate away at the blue pools there before, and she seemed to fill with a certain electricity that Scott found to be absolutely irresistible.

"We don't need her... do we Scott? We just need the baby... the girls... I'll be your family, I'm all you ever needed..." Scott's eyes closed as her ruby red lips closed in on his, the weight and gravity of the words she had just said apparently not registering with him... or not bothering him. "Daddy, can you come play?" The tension of the moment was shattered as Addy held two dolls in her hands, standing in the middle of the living room. Scott looked at Addy, then shot his gaze back to Maura. Her eyes were normal now, her electric lure subdued. "Of course sweetie... be right there," said Scott without breaking eye contact with Maura. He sidestepped a few times and then followed his daughter outside, his brain in a pretzel of confusion and horror. What had just happened? He turned to look back at Maura as he approached the large oak double doors. She just stood there, watching. Then she smiled.