Chapter 22

“You called the police, didn’t you?” Tom out bursted.

“N-No.” I answered.

There was pounding on Tom’s apartment door. He edged Kyle closer to me and removed the gun to point it at me. When the police noticed that no one was answering the door, they took charge.

“Police,” they knocked. “Open up!”

“Listen to me. Nobody moves or I will put three bullets in everyone’s head. The door is unlocked but the police are too stupid to notice that.”

Tom told me and Kyle to stand still but to have our backs against each other. He then gave directions for me to hook an arm into Kyle’s while he made Toby come join the group, forcefully. Skillfully with the rope, Tom was tying our hands together in a sequence. My hand was tied with Kyle’s whose was tied to Toby’s whose hand was tied to mine. He also put duct tape on all of our mouths to keep us from screaming. Fear was starting to show but I had to be strong. Everything was ready for when the police busted open the door. They saw us sitting in the living room with our mouths closed with a piece of duct tape. The one thing the police didn’t know was where Tome was. As soon as they stepped into the apartment, Tom closed the door and pointed the gun at the police officer.

“Drop the gun.” Tom spoke.

The policeman turned around and pointed the gun at Tom.

“Drop the gun before anyone gets hurt.” The officer ordered.

Surprisingly, Tom did what the officer had told him to do. While doing so, he was blaming me for my mom leaving him. No way in hell would I tell my crazy stepfather about my pregnancy. He doesn’t need to know and I don’t want him to go after my child. The officer hand cuffed Tom and called for back up to help us out. Back up arrived in less than five minutes. They untied us all from the tight rope that was biting into our skin. Being tied us was making me remember about my suicide attempt back in May. Kyle was the first one to be untied before Toby and lastly me. Toby’s worry was me as my face had turned a ghostly white.

I couldn’t stop shaking when the EMT’s came in to get our vitals and make sure that nothing is wrong with us. Even though I’m pregnant, I didn’t let the EMT know because then it would be another trip to the hospital. Toby’s color had returned to normal and so had Kyle’s but they were worried about me. The EMT’s had cleared me in a stable condition that I didn’t need to be in the hospital. Neither did my boyfriend nor brother. I was scared shitless that I made myself throw up. Toby was going to drive the three of us to the police station as they needed statements from us to put into the report that they have to file. When the police were questioning me and Toby, I still looked like I’ve seen a ghost. It took about a half hour for the interviewing to be over and for us to return home. Unfortunately for Tom, he was charged with attemptive kidnapping with a deadly weapon. He’s in jail for at least six months plus probation time.

As soon as we entered the house, I let a sigh of relief go. Toby and I never got to the store to pick up school supplies. I think I can go another day considering I’m still in shock. Toby helped me unpack the new clothing that we bought today. I called Kyle into the kitchen so he could see what Toby had picked out for him. I made myself busy while Toby ordered some pizza for sinner. What I realized was that this Friday was when I had to go to the DNA lab and that I haven’t told Brett when it was. I took a break from taking tags and stickers off of the new clothing so I could give Brett a call. The ringing kept going on and on until Brett’s voicemail picked up. 

“Brett, its Lucy. The last time we spoke, I said I would make an appointment for a DNA test. Well, I did and the appointment is this Friday at ten am in the town next to where I live. Hope to see you there.” I hung up.

There was this one thought that kept lingering in my head. What if Toby and I were related? If it’s true then I would be having his baby. I went back to taking off tags from the new clothes that were bought. Toby went to the pizza place and picked up our order while I started a new load of laundry. Food was the least of my worries. I was having another bad thought about what might happen at the end of the month. I was staring into space when Toby came back with two small boxes of pizza. He noticed that something was up with me and couldn’t figure out what it was. I tried to clear my mind and focused on what was at hand. Toby dished dinner out to everyone and had me sit down with him.

My appetite isn’t right and part of me doesn’t think that the pregnancy is playing a part in it. I took one bite of Toby’s pizza before getting up to do laundry. I was trying to fold laundry when the dryer went off before the washer. Toby hates seeing me this way because then he’s helpless. After everyone was finished eating, I cleaned up and put the folded clothes in a basket so no one would wear them until school starts up. Kyle was playing in his room to keep himself occupied until it was time for bed. Lately, I’ve noticed that I’ve been going into a weird funk that I can’t seem to get out of. At night, Toby enjoys unwinding by watching some television.

Toby asked me to sleep next to him tonight as he knows what would comfort me. It was me who put Kyle to bed for the night. He gave me a hug before I climbed into bed with Toby. The air conditioner was going on over drive as it wasn’t cooling the house down. Toby removed his shirt as he was getting ready to go to bed. I changed into a loose fitting shirt and a pair of shirts. Once Toby lay down, I curled up into him as I started to cry. Half of me wanted to share my thought and get feedback. As much as Toby wanted to watch television, he also wanted to just hold me.  While having Toby into my back, I decided to share my mind to Toby.

“There’s something I need to tell you.”

“What’s on your mind?”

“I’m scared. I’m scared to be pregnant. I’m scared to go do the DNA test. I’m scared to date you.” I turned to face Toby.

“Why?”

“You and I look so much alike that I think we might be related. I want answers that I don’t think I’m ready to hear.”

“And if we are related? Will that make everything different? Will it change your feelings about me?” Toby said with a hint of anger in his voice.

I sat up in an outrage.

“Toby, if we’re related, nothing is going to change. I’ve had these speculations for a while. I’m having your child and I will always love you. I just want to see if what I’m predicting is right.”

“I’m sorry for raising my voice at you. You don’t need this from me.” Toby sat up and turned towards me so he could look into my brown eyes.

I put my head on his shoulder as he pulled me close to him. The indents from four months ago were still on my neck but they were very faint. I ran my fingers over where the rope left imprints from earlier today. Toby also ran his fingers over them and brought back memories. I pushed Toby backwards so I could fall asleep and forget the day’s memories. After crying softly for an hour, I fell asleep on Toby’s chest. For once, I was able to sleep in but that was after I had a horrible nightmare. When the nightmare occurred, it also awoke Toby. He noticed that I was cuddled up to him as if I were a child again. Even though Toby and I slept into late hours, I was the first to wake. I brushed my hair and went to the kitchen to start cooking breakfast for the boys.

Kyle was quite loud when he wanted his existence known. I was focusing on making breakfast than how Kyle was acting. Toby noticed it to as he walked out of the bedroom. Knowing him, my bed isn’t made and would bother me. The boys ate their breakfast like there was no tomorrow and that’s the way it should be. I went back towards my room to grab some clean clothes and to my surprise, Toby made the bed the way I like it. There was already a towel in the bathroom for me to use once I was done showering. My clothes were lying on the bed, waiting to be worn. The cold shower was helping me was the pain of yesterday away. I walked out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around me as I wanted to check on Kyle. He was all done with breakfast and was watching some morning cartoons while Toby was slowly eating his breakfast.

After getting dressed, I asked Toby to drop me off at the store so I could finish my school shopping. He showered quickly as I wanted to go and come back. While I was out and about in the store, I spotted someone that noticed me in an instant. I tried to avoid them but they kept following me and it was freaking me out. The guy who was following me was my father. Fear was starting to overcome me. My shopping wasn’t even done yet. Brett approached me as I tried to make it look like I was busy. I could feel a stare coming on me and I didn’t want ant issues.

“Hello, Lucy.”

“Oh, hi Brett.”

I didn’t look up from what I was looking at. He was trying to distract me but it wasn’t working. Part of me wanted to look up and see that he’s cleaned up a bit but the other half wanted to ignore him. This time, my gut won instead of my heart. Brett was actually clean shaven and looked handsome than the last time I saw him. Today, I can still not believe that he took advantage of me.

“What have you been up to?”

I had a feeling that he was staring at my stomach or at the imprints the rope left from yesterday.

“Nothing really. Just finishing the last minute school shopping.”

“What’s that on your wrist?” he pointed to the rope imprints.

“It’s nothing.”

I tried to hide my wrists as they weren’t important.

“Lucy, something had happened if there is imprints on your wrist. So what happened?” Brett’s voice rose a little bit.

“Kyle’s father had blamed me for the divorce. Kyle called me to lure me and Toby into his apartment. He tied me to Kyle to Toby with rope and held us at gun point until the police came. It’s nothing. I’m done talking it about it.”

He ran his hand over the marks before I winced. It hurt him to see me in so much pain.

“I’m sorry.” He said.

Brett gave me a hug which I appreciated very deeply. When he took a breath, I was able to identify that Brett hasn’t had a drink for a while. I pulled out of the hug as I needed to finish my shopping.

“How long has it been since you last had a drink?” I asked.

“The last time I had a drink was when I spoke to you on the phone. After that, I refuse to have any alcohol and poured all that was in store down the drain so it wouldn’t be teasing me. I’ve also been learning how to control my anger. I’m doing this so I can have some custody of you.”

I faced Brett and gave him a big hug before getting lost in the store. About a half hour later, I was in the checkout line as I had spent the majority of my time in the store. I gave Toby a ring to come pick me up while I was waiting to be checked out. He pulled up at the front of the store, not even twenty minutes later. I have to let him know about me running into Brett so he knows what went on. When I climbed into his truck, I prepared myself on what I wanted to say and how I wanted to say.

“There’s something you need to know, Toby.”

“What’s up?”

“I ran into Brett while in the store.”

“Please tell me that he hasn’t touched you or hurt you in any way.”

“Relax, Toby, he was only talking with me. I tried to ignore him but he spotted me and made small talk.”

“That’s all right?”

“No. At first, he gave me a hug�"“

“That son of a b***h. He did lay a hand on you.”

“NO!” I sighed. “He was clean shaven and I asked him the last time he had a drink. He said when he and I last spoke on the phone. Toby, he even poured the alcohol that was in his house down the drain. He’s also getting his anger under control. You can tell that he’s trying hard to win me back.”

Toby’s temper was flaring but I knew if I didn’t tell him then, he would not trust me. In an instant, the temper blew over and Toby apologized. By the time we got home, I had wanted to rest but I also wanted to be with my two favorite men. Kyle opened the door as soon as he saw me with the shopping bags. I had Toby follow me into my mom’s room as all the school stuff is going to sit in there until I’m ready to get everything ready. Tonight, Toby was going to cook his first meal for me and Kyle.  The only thing that was missing for tonight was food and Toby’s mom stopping by for dessert with her son and his family. In the afternoon, Toby was going out to the grocery store alone to show off his cooking skills. He’s making some type of chicken with noodles but other than that it’s a surprise. I’ve been getting dizzy and the feeling of puking again. I think that all of this should be over.

Later in the afternoon, Toby ran out to the store without me. It gave me special time with Kyle as we barely get any time together. The way Kyle and I spend time together is pretty unique. I asked him to pick out a board game for him and I to play while I used the bathroom. For the amount of time that Toby was gone is the amount of time that it took Kyle and I to play our game and both of us were enjoying it. Once I saw Toby coming in with grocery bags, I got up to help him but he denied my help as he brought all the bags in one try. I cleaned up the board game as Toby unloaded the bags but I put everything away.

“What time is your mother coming over?” I asked Toby.

“When I talked to her on the phone, she said around flourish so I’m going to start preparing dinner shortly.”

Toby was standing in the kitchen with one of those expressions on his face. I walked to him and put my arms around his neck as I wanted his body against mine. Toby bowed his head into my shoulder so he could clear his mind. His scent was overcoming me and was making me more comfortable. I knew that Toby was nervous because he is never like this. The only thing that Toby wanted help with was dessert. I kissed him to make sure that everything was going to be okay. Tonight, Mrs. MacStar was coming over and tomorrow night, Mr. MacStar was stopping by. A girl’s best friend is chocolate and for dessert, I decided to make brownies. Toby got out all of the ingredients to prepare for dinner. The first thing that was going into the oven was the brownie batter. I was also going to frost them but I eagerly waited for the brownies to cool down.      

  While lying down on the couch, a knock was heard on the door. I looked in the window to see who it was and Mrs. MacStar was here. She looked like she hasn’t slept in days. I welcomed her into my home as she has never been here before. Once she saw Toby handling a knife, she knew what she was in for but didn’t even think about dessert. Palacé waited for Toby to be done chopping so she could give her son a hug and talk to him about what’s been going on lately.

“Toby, your mom is here.”

He put the knife down before he turned around to see his mom. She gave him a hug which brought emotions to Toby’s face. I let them be and went into my mom’s room. The cool air was helping me be calm and feel better. It was Mrs. MacStar who came in to comfort me and she was the first to talk as Toby was finishing dinner.

“Toby told me what had happened to you yesterday. I’m sorry that Tom did that to you.”

“Yeah. I know.” I sat up and turned my back to her.

“Is that why Toby’s so upset?”

“I don’t think so but you can ask him. I think he might be mad at what my dad did to me/talk with me.”

“What did your dad do?”

“He was drunk when he raped me the first time I met him. Earlier today, he was at the store and talked with me. I asked him to sober up if he ever wants to fight for custody over me.”

“How are you doing?”

“I’m doing all right. I miss my mom and I’m anticipating for time to pass so school could start. This weekend is when my sport starts back up again.”

“That’s good. Why are you lying down?”

Mrs. MacStar was starting to get on my nerves.

“I’m not feeling all too well.”

“The cancer isn’t coming back, is it?”

“No, Toby and I will explain later at dessert time.” I reassured her.

About an hour later, Toby had called me to help with serving dinner. Before we moved the plates to the table, I gave Toby a kiss and asked to talk to him after supper was served. Toby got his mother to the table while I went into Kyle’s room to grab Kyle for dinner. Once everyone was sat at the table, I excused Toby and I. We went into out room and closed the door to talk.

“Toby, I think we should tell you mom about the pregnancy. She was asking me about why I was laying down and I couldn’t explain why.”

“If you want to.”

Toby looks so distant and sounds like he’s annoyed with me.

“Am I annoying you?”

“No. I’m just made at everything that has happened lately.”

“Don’t be. It wasn’t your fault.”

“But, Lucy, it happened because you’re dating me. We can tell my mom about the pregnancy.”

“Thank you. She’s going to be surprised and Toby, everything happened for a reason.”

“I love you.” Toby came closer to me.

“I love you too. I will love you forever and always.” I snuggled my head into him.

“We have to get back.” Toby whispered into my ear.

I was well ahead of him when I opened the door for both of us to walk out into the kitchen. We both took our seats at the dinner table and began to dig in. Toby knows me better than he did back in May by giving me a sample of everything he cooked. When I took my first bite, the food was making my mouth water. Everything was delicious and better than my cooking. It was his mom who spoke and talked about her son’s meal.

“Toby, everything came out better than I expected. Thank you for inviting me over for supper and dessert.”

“Mrs. MacStar,�"“

“Please. Call me Palacé.”

“Palacé. You are welcomed here anytime you want. I enjoy having Toby’s family being a part of mine. It’s really special to me.”

Everyone was finishing up their dinner and the second helpings that they had. Toby helped out by moving Kyle and his mother in the living room while I cleaned up the dishes. I was having the time of my life cleaning up while Toby kept everyone occupied. When I was finished, I joined everyone in the living room. My thoughts were becoming all in one and I was getting ready to share news that either might make her happy or angry. Toby made room for me to sit next to him who was across from his mom.