Chapter 7
After arriving at Grace’s door, the two of them arranged for Grace to take a leave of absence from school. They were good about keeping the pregnancy a secret and it was their plan to keep it a secret until they managed to come up with a plan about how to explain the whole thing to their loved ones.
In the meantime, Morris brought Grace back to his home where he took good care of her. He paid for her to see the best doctors and gave her the best care in the world.
***
Grace was now about seven months pregnant. There was no denying the stomach she was now bearing, but since she rarely left the mansion, no one yet knew about the baby. They were still struggling with the idea of explaining their situation to the people they cared about. Grace was terrified of confessing to her parents and Morris was terrified of coming clean to his daughter. Both of them knew that there was a risk of broken relationships when the secret was revealed and so they avoided it as much as possible.
They tried, instead, to live in a peaceful world, ignoring the fears surrounding them. Tonight the weather had forced them to stay inside. They were watching a movie and Grace was lying down with her head in Morris’ lap as they watched a romantic comedy. As the rain bashed against the window pane, filling the living room with the lulling sound of rainfall, Grace suddenly gasped.
Morris’ eyes grew large in concern as he looked down at her. “What… what’s wrong?” He asked, his voice laced with anxiety. He looked down to find a smile plastered on Grace’s face which only worked to confuse him. Why was she smiling?
Suddenly Grace reached up and grabbed his hand and placed it on her stomach. As she did Morris gasped as well when he felt the distinct motion of the baby’s kick. There was an emotion that ran through his heart in that moment, an emotion that reminded him of his time with Meagan.
He had experienced a similar moment with his wife and tears pricked against his eyes as he felt himself teleported to the past, to where he was in a shabby home, holding her hand and listening to the baby, his ear firmly pressed against her stretched out skin, as he heard the strong rhythmic sound of a heartbeat.
Morris was about to lean down and kiss her stomach when the door open. Suddenly, Felicia was walking into the home and making her way into the living room, lured by the sound of the movie. The two of them looked at each other with large eyes as they heard the distinct sound of Felicia’s heels clicking against the marble floor.
There was panic in Grace’s dark eyes as she quickly sat up and started to cover herself up with a nearby blanket. She didn’t know if they were ready to confess what had happened to her best friend and she didn’t know if she would be able to go through it. She felt herself getting cold feet as her heart beat a million beats per minute inside of her chest.
As Felicia entered the living room she stopped in her tracks. She stared at her father and then at her friend. Her friend that was supposed to be studying abroad in Paris. She was supposed to be overseas. What the hell was she doing with her father watching a movie?
“What the hell is going on here?” Felicia demanded as she got close to the two of them. Her eyes narrowed as she tried to figure out what was going on. Suddenly it hit her. Suddenly, she realized exactly what was going on. How had she been such a fool?
“Don’t you dare tell me…HOLY SHIT!” Felicia’s voice was stone cold as she glared at her father. “How could you do this dad?” Her voice filled with venom. She knew her father had questionable dating habits, but she never thought him capable of fucking her best friend.
And how could Grace do this to her? How could her best friend, the girl she trusted with her life, all her secrets, the girl she considered like a sister to her, how could a girl like that betray her? Felicia felt sick to her stomach as she looked at them. She stared at the blanket around Grace’s midsection. It was eighty degrees in the home, why was Grace wrapped up in a blanket? Unless, of course, she was hiding something.
Felicia quickly moved forward and yanked the blanket way from her friend. Her eyes fell on her friend’s distended stomach and her world flipped upside down. She was pregnant. Felicia couldn’t handle the situation anymore. She turned around and left the room and then left the home without a word. The two of them could hear the sound of her car viciously peel out of the driveway and rush down the street.
The two of them had been thunderstruck throughout the entire thing. Finally, Morris snapped out of his daze and rushed out of the house, following his daughter. His daughter was in an unstable condition. She was in danger of doing something stupid in her angered state and he needed to explain himself before this happened. He quickly got on his motorcycle and tried to follow her, but she was long gone by the time he made his way onto the street. But one way or another he would find her.
***
It took Grace a little longer to get her bearings again. She was shaking as the fears, doubts, and anguish rushed back into her. She didn’t know what was going to happen, but something told her it wouldn’t be good. She was scared and alone.
She didn’t know what to do. She felt so alone and paced around the living room.
Suddenly there was a knock on the door. She assumed it was one of them coming back and didn’t even bother to check the peephole. She opened up the door when suddenly something pinched the side of her neck and everything went black. She fell onto the floor and her whole world shut off.