Chapter 18
Mig was pulling up as they walked out, and Geo helped her into the backseat. Mig handed them back bags of food and drinks.
“Eat it all,” Geo demanded when she took the bag.
She said nothing, opening the bag and trying to eat it.
When they pulled up to another medical facility, Sailor was confused all over again. What now? He’d taken her to an OB, what else did he want done to her?
Dragging her in, he took her straight to an elevator, only nodding at the man at the front desk. The man looked terrified as he nodded back, then looked down as if he was trying not to see anything.
Sailor looked up at Geo as they got on the elevator, feeling sick. “Are… you going to have my tongue cut out or something?” she asked, resignedly.
He snorted again, looking down at her incredulously, then shook his head as if he was done. “Nah, Rue. You behave, and I won’t do shit to you. That’s all you need to worry about.”
“What’s about to happen?” she asked fearfully as he pulled her off the elevator and down a hall to a room.
Pushing in, he dragged her in behind him, then Sailor went still as she stared at the bed in the room .
“MOM!” she screamed finally, then rushed in and climbed up in the bed with her mother.
“Sailor?” her mom asked weakly, opening her eyes, her hand slowly moving to grip Sailor close.
“Mom, I’ve missed you!” Sailor sobbed as Geo moved close to the bed to look down at them.
“The boy… your friend… said you were gone?”
“I know! I know, I told him to help you, I didn’t know I’d get to see you again! You’ve lost weight! Mom?”
“Here. Missed you. Who?” her mom asked, looking up at Geo fearfully.
“Mom… Mom, I need to tell you something, okay? You need to hold on,” she told her, full of emotion as she sat up and pulled her mom's hand to her tummy. “Can you hold on a few more months? Please? I find out next week, maybe, if it’s a boy or girl! You’re gonna be a gramma!”
“His?” her mom asked, still looking afraid.
“Yeah… he’s the father.”
“He… he why you ain’t slept since before Christmas? Who you been afraid of?”
“Don’t think about any of that, Mom! You’re going to be a gramma! I want you to meet your grandbaby, okay?”
“He took you… that’s why that scary boy came… sent me here. That man has you?”
“Mom, please? Please don't be upset? He’s taking care of me, okay? Making sure I eat, keeping me safe. I… I even sleep when he’s close. He keeps me safe,” she lied, hugging her mom. “I’m okay.”
“He give you them bruises?”
“Some gang jerk gave me those… This is Geo. He won’t let anyone else hurt me, okay?”
“Anyone else… but he will?”
“Mom, let it go, please?” Sailor whispered pleadingly.
“She ain’t got shit to worry over as long as she watches that smart mouth of hers,” Geo spoke up darkly. “She behaves? She’s good? She gets to come see you. That baby’s doin’ jus’ fine. How ‘bout you start bein’ grateful instead of askin’ questions that’ll get you smothered by that fuckin’ pillow, bitch.”
Her mom blanched back, and Sailor hugged her harder. “Please, mom? Let it go? I’m here now, and I get to see you! How’ve you been, what have the doctors said? Anything?”
“Nnn,” her mother shook her head. “Ain’t seen one yet. Just orderlies. Say… this place is miserable. The air conditioning doesn’t work, it gets so hot! Sun comes right in that window. The food… last night it was cold pork-n beans, and that’s all, just a small scoop. The TV don't work, and I asked for a book, but they said maybe later and never bring one. I…”
“I’ll bring you books! I’ll see what I can do, okay? Just… I want you to meet your grandbaby, Mom! I don't want you to go!”
“I hurt, Say,” her mom sighed, wincing, then hugging her closer. “Can you just stay with me a while? I need a short nap but don't want to wake up alone again.”
“Nah. We gotta go,” Geo spoke up. “Say bye, Rue.”
“Can I come back?” Sailor asked quickly, more tears springing up as she hugged her mom.
“Now,” Geo scowled.
Sailor got up, kissing her mom on the head. “I love you! I’ll try to make sure you get what you need, and I’ll be back if I can, I promise!” she called, her heart breaking as Geo pulled her out the door.
In the car, she curled up and sobbed into her knees as she hugged them, shaking her head. That place had been awful! It smelled horrible, and she saw a single person working, and that was the man at the front desk. She had to get her out of there!
“Rue,” Geo called gruffly, “Tha’s enough. No more. Sit up here. You know what tha’ was?”
“M-my mom? What do you mean?”
“You wanna see her again?” he asked, leaning back and looking her over.
“Yes! Yes, please! Can I?”
“What you think you gotta do, Rue?” he asked, his eyes sparkling dangerously .
Sailor hesitated, her face going red as she went stiff all over. Haltingly, she leaned closer and started undoing his pants, pulling them open and reaching into his boxers to pull his cock out.
Geo snorted a laugh, catching her hand. “Nah,” he chuckled, holding onto her hand. “Nah, but I like where your head went,” he told her, tapping her nose with his fingertip. “Nah. Mig?” he called, reaching up over the seat.
Mig passed back a paper, and Geo handed it to her.
It was the list he’d been talking about the night before—the list of things she would need to steal money for him.
Sailor looked it over, chewing on her lip as she considered how to handle this.
“Ok,” she finally spoke. “I want to see my mom every day for at least an hour and…”
“Nah, I ain’t negotiating, Rue.”
“This is my payment for working with you,” she told him calmly. “I want…”
“Once a week for 10 minutes.”
“Three times a week for ⒈／⒉ an hour with my mom and twice a week for ⒈／⒉ an hour with my gramma.”
Geo snorted. “You know how far that bitch is? Nah. Twice a week, 10 minutes wit’ your mom.”
“Three times a week, half an hour… and I want to bring her books and stuff, too.”
Geo snorted. “Like you wasn’t gonna ask your little fool to run that for you.”
“He’s mad at me.”
“Fools pissed at me,” Geo laughed again, amused. “He’s still your little bitch. Nah. Leave’m. Twice a week, 20 minutes. N’ you be good when we leave out places.”
“Ok… okay… but we renegotiate after the first round, and you see what this will make for you.”
Geo snorted again. “Yeah… aight, Rue. If you’s worth it, we’ll see.”
“Where are we going?” she asked, looking around the charming residential neighborhood.
Geo didn’t answer, lifting and fastening his pants, his eyes shining.