Chapter 19 #2
“They put me in some type of tornado shelter for the last eight weeks.” I say in between bites.
“Eat slowly so that it doesn’t upset your stomach or the baby,” she tells me, then leans in. “Did they give you any care for the baby? Have you felt well?” she asks in a low voice to keep the guys from hearing.
I shake my head. “No one noticed until today. Haven’t had a lot of interactions with people for a while.”
“I’ll see if I can get you a bottle of prenatal vitamins. Do you know how far along you might be?”
I’ve had a lot of time to sit and think about this in all my free time. My best guess is going to be the first time Beckett and I met at the bar when I was on my way here from getting back from Colombia.
“What’s the date?” I ask not even sure what the month is at this point.
Being locked away has me all out of sorts.
Judy tells me, and I count back from when I first came back.
If I remember what Melissa had said when we last spoke when she drew my blood the day that I was captured. “Close to seven months.”
“Has the baby been moving a lot? Any cramping or blood that you know of?” The concern in her voice makes my heart warm. Judy has always been so good to me.
“He likes to kick a lot. It’s weird to see his little elbow or foot skate across my stomach,” I say with a smile as I feel a knock on my bladder. “I get a lot of back pain, but that might also be because of the hard cot they made me sleep on.”
“He?”
“I think it’s a boy. I keep having these dreams that I’m holding my son and then watching Zane play in the backyard.”
“Is Zane the dad?” she asks after refilling my water cup.
I shake my head, “No, Beckett is the baby’s father. Zane is Beckett’s three-year-old son.” I finish the ham and cheese sandwich and dive right into the grilled cheese. “This is so good,” I moan.
“We need to get you in a shower after this before your body crashes for a nap,” Judy says looking around the kitchen.
“Has there been any word on my mom?” I ask, not holding back the hope in my voice.
Judy’s shoulders slump. “I haven’t heard anything specifically, but I do know that Shepherd Walter and Jared are moving some of the women around because of the business associate coming into town.”
My stomach roils, and I have to take several deep breaths to keep the contents from coming up. Pushing back from the table, unable to eat another bite, I look out the window.
“Is there a way to get a message to someone in town?” I ask in a hushed tone.
“Sister Karen is the only wife allowed off the property since you left. She does the shopping every Thursday and takes several men to collect the supplies. Only a handful of members are allowed to go to church on Sundays,” she tells me, filling me in on updates that don’t make me hopeful.
We both stand and clean up my plates. As she guides me out of the room, one of the guys steps in front of us.
“She needs to have a shower,” Judy informs the man. “Shepherd Walter instructed for her to get cleaned up.”
The man nods then looks over at me, “Don’t try anything stupid. I won’t be made a fool and placed on restriction because you think you can outsmart me and try to leave.”
My hand cups my stomach, “I have no intention of trying to leave.”
The guy narrows his eyes at me, but steps to the side as Judy and I walk over to the stairs and ascend the wooden steps. I hear the sound of heavy thumps and know that he’s following behind us.
“Go on in and get started. I’ll gather some clothes for you to wear,” Judy instructs.
I make my way over to the bathroom across from my old room.
The first thing I do is relieve my bladder.
I find that recently I have to go more and more often, especially if my little one decides to practice his punting skills.
When I finish, I turn on the shower. The sound gets me excited, and I find that the little things that I’ve been without for weeks bring me much pleasure.
When I got back from Colombia, I thought I’d never again have to be without a toilet seat or running water, but now I hope to never take those few things for granted, ever.
Stripping my dirty old clothes, my eyes look back at the reflection in the mirror.
The person looking back at me doesn’t seem or feel like me.
Turning to the side, I gaze down at my stomach for the first time.
My body has changed so much over the last several months.
It truly does look as though I’ve swallowed a basketball.
The baby kicks as if he knows I’m thinking about him, and it makes me smile.
He’s the only reason I’ve had hope these days.
The more I look over my body, the more I see a beatdown and battered girl staring back at me, but the one thing that’s different is the determination in my eyes.
I’m not going down without a fight for me or the growing life inside of me.
Papa isn’t going to control or use me anymore, and when the time is right, I’ll strike again, but this time I’ll succeed.
Hopefully, Rocky was able to relay the message to Stone, Beckett, or Raegan, and they have a starting point as to where to start looking for me.