Chapter 9: What goes up must come down

July had quickly turned into August; Anna was scheduled for her first OB appointment. Greg was all over making sure that she was getting enough sleep that she was eating the right foods, he was pretty excited about this entire baby deal.

"Come on Anna, we're going to be late, we can't be late for this." Pratt called from the other room.

"Damn it!" She called out, "I was up working all night, and I want another hour of sleep." She pulled the covers up over her head. Getting out of bed right now was not high on Anna's list of priorities, while it should have been the pull of sleep had bumped itself up the list a few notches on its own.

"Don't make me come in there Anna." Greg called from the other room.

Oh my god, he sounded like her mother with that one. Who did he think he was to be telling him not to make him come in there? Uh oh she knew the feeling that was starting to set in. Hormonal swing time and everyone around had better watch out because Anna usually didn't leave survivors behind when she went on one, either that or there was a trail of crying people in her wake.

"Dumb son of…." She grumbled, "Knock me up, then kick me out of bed when I'm tired, this isn't easy." She was muttering now as she headed for the bathroom. "I have to pee ever ten minutes, I'm hungry but when I eat I throw it back up." How easy it was to get mad at everything yet absolutely nothing at the same time.

Pratt poked his head in the room when he didn't hear anyone moving around. "Baby." He stood in the doorway a safe distance from her, he knew what she was capable of, he had watched it over the past few weeks, and he had seen residents and interns run almost in fear when they saw her coming.

And the hormone chain was yanked the other way.

Anna just glared at him, she didn't say anything, there was nothing right now that she had to say and if she opened her mouth she knew that it would not be good things that would come out of it. She was actually trying to be nice this morning, although she wasn't sure why.

Pratt was almost terrified to say anything to her. Not sure which way the scale would fly next. Someone had taken his sweet Anna and replaced her with, he wasn't quiet sure, was she medusa maybe? "How about if I let you do what you need to and then on the way over to the OB appointment we get you a nice chocolate milkshake, that's your favorite." He said softly as he slowly backed away from her.

Anna nodded, "I think I would like that." She said with an almost eerie grin on her face right now. "IF you don't mind I'd like to finish getting ready, unless," uh oh here she went, so much for being nice, "you don't think that I am capable of getting ready on my own and my great knight needs to do it for me."

All Pratt could think was that this was going to be a very long nine months if she kept this up. But he promised her he'd be there for her he just needed to make sure that his seatbelt was fastened tightly, because it was going to be a very bumpy ride.

Anna started getting ready. She pulled her hair up into a pony tail and then attempted to put her jeans on. Crap this was not good, they were too small now, and no way could her clothes be too small. She shook her head as she made every possible attempt to get those jeans on. Wiggling across the bed, laying flat on her back with her hips arched in the air, looking like some kind of circus freak, finally she gave up as she was overwhelmed by the need to cry.

Greg was very reluctant to reenter any room with a tearful Anna in it. "Baby," he said in a soft tone.

She looked up at him, "my clothes don't fit."

"Oh, sweetheart." He said looking at her afraid to say anything else. "Here baby borrow my sweats and I promise we will take you shopping and get you some new pretty clothes."

"Really." She sniffled.

Okay he wasn't sure how to answer that one, which answer would make his Anna happy, "yes baby I promise."

"Okay," she smiled again a little for him.

He left the room and then sighed a huge sigh as relief washed over him. If he lived through this it was going to be a miracle.

He managed to get them dressed and out the door finally. They were going to be a little bit late but that would be okay. She put her seatbelt on and Pratt just reached over and patted her leg and gave her a smile as he pulled out of the parking lot.

Anna's cell phone started to ring. She reached into her purse, "Dr. Del Amico," she said as she brought it up to her ear.

"I warned you that if you continued to see him it was going to be hazardous to your health Anna."

Anna found that her first instinct was to snap the phone shut. She knew that hanging up on him was probably not her best move but it was what everything inside of her told her to do.

It rang again, did she dare answer it, and chances were against it being the hospital calling her. She wasn't on call since she was working that night but she found herself flipping it open again, "Dr. Del Amico."

"That was not very nice of you to do." The voice on the other end said to her.

She knew that voice, she let out a very heavy sigh now before saying anything else, "what do you want from me." She said not in the mood to play his games right now.

"I want you." He said as if that was a matter of fact, "you are mine, you will always be mine."

"Screw you." She said rather abruptly into the phone.

"Is that an open invitation, I might have to take you up on it my dear. For you see I'm always going to be here Anna, I want my wife back and I want her now," he said into the phone, "you are going to always be mine for you see you are my most prized possession, you are my greatest joy and I will have you back in your place here soon."

"No, that was not an invitation and you are hallucinating now." She said, "It's over, it's over because I say it's over."

"No Anna love, it's only over when I say it's over." He said to her once more, "you see I am not going to stop until I get what I want."

"I'm not some damn trophy." She said, "You can rot in hell."

"I am too good to go there Anna." He said into the phone, "but you can trust me, you and lover boy will not be together for long. I'd rather not have to take it that far, but if you make me I will. It wouldn't be too hard to get a pine box; I could make it look like a very tragic and most unfortunate accident my dear. Which I'm sure my dear you wouldn't want to happen, but you always were a cold one when you wanted to be. Perhaps you both will fit side by side in one comfortably; I know the perfect spot where no one would find you until it was much too late."

She dropped the phone on that one and started to instantly cry. Pratt watched Anna drop the phone into her lap and he reached over one hand on the wheel as he picked it up from her. "Who is this?" He asked wondering who had made his girlfriend, the mother of his child so upset.

"I am Anna's husband." Max said into the phone. A very simple response, he really didn't want to talk to this man, but he sensed that it was a prime opportunity to cause some trouble for his pet that had flown so far from home.

"You can't be she doesn't have one." He said looking over at Anna who was still in tears.

"Oh yes she does there lover boy and that man is me." Max said his voice cold, "I want my wife back and I want her back now."

Pratt couldn't believe the nerve of this guy, upsetting her like that, "look mister, I don't know who you are or what you are up to, but I want you to leave my girl alone."

"I'm only going to tell you this once," Max said icily now, "she's my wife and I want her back, if you value your life and hers you will make sure that's what she does. I am not playing games. You have something that is mine and I want it back."

Pratt hung up the phone when he heard the line go dead. Anna was still crying in the car next to him, "You have some explaining to do Anna." He said to her keeping his eyes on the road now, "what was that all about? Never once have you mentioned to me that you were married, you are having my baby and you have a husband."

Anna was still sobbing. She couldn't stop crying, for the first time she was actually terrified of the man who once claimed to love her. She didn't know if he was making idle threats or if he might actually be serious about them. She didn't look up or even or at Pratt right now she couldn't do it, not matter how much she wanted to she just couldn't do it, "but… but… he's not my husband." She said.

"He was pretty bent on the fact that he was Anna." He said rather cold now with his tone.

"But he's not." Anna protested, "He's my ex-husband, my ex-husband, I have no husband. Why won't you believe me?"

Pratt parked the car in front of the obstetrician's office, "just go to your damn appointment Anna." He said. "I'll take you home afterwards." He didn't want to deal with this right now; she had other things that she needed to do. Maybe he was avoiding have a conversation with her while he was upset; he had every right to be upset with her.

She sat there for a minute not sure if she should go or not. He had been looking forward to going with her since she had made that appointment two weeks ago.

"Go now Anna." He reached across her and opened the door.

"You're not coming?" Her voice was so quiet it barely carried past her lips.

"No I'm not," He didn't mean to be so cold with her but he couldn't believe that she wouldn't mention something like this to him. He had gotten another man's wife pregnant.

Her heart broke again. She had her eyes closed forcing back the tears, the pain, "I see." She said as she moved to get out of the car. "I thought that this time it was different. That when you said you loved me that it wasn't empty, but I guess all men are the same. I am not that man's wife nor will I ever be his wife, ever again. He chose the blonde, he chose to screw someone else, I didn't." she said as she got out of the car, "I never asked to be hurt like that and I never asked to be hurt like this again! So you go ahead and you take his word over mine, take the side of someone you don't know over mine, but I will not let you hurt me." She slammed the car door shut behind her.

Anna turned and headed for the building she got almost to the doors and then just couldn't do it, she couldn't go in there right now. Even though she knew that it was probably best for the baby a few more days wouldn't hurt, she could put this off a little longer, after all she was a doctor herself and she knew that there was nothing wrong with the pregnancy itself. She flipped open her cell phone and called the office even thought she was just a few feet away from it, she needed to think about this. She cancelled the appointment right there and then and told them that she would call them back in a few days to reschedule that she just wasn't feel well today and couldn't make it.

She walked over and sat down by the fountain that was there. She wasn't dressed up and looked like she had been drug through hell right now. Sitting there in her… she almost said boyfriend but he wasn't that. She just wanted to curl up someplace and die. Her hands rested on her small stomach; there still wasn't much proof that there was an actual baby in there. She just sat there, focused on the waterfall. She didn't know what to do anymore. Crying wasn't going to accomplish anything even though that's what Anna wanted to do. She knew that she was probably better off on her own, she had always been independent and strong willed and she had a good job, she'd be okay. Anna would find a way to land on her feet.

Pratt had watched her walk up to the door but not go inside. He sat there bewilder about her actions, and what she had said to him when she had gotten out of the car. He turned the engine off and walked over to where she was sitting. He didn't want to be upset with her but hiding something like this wasn't something that she should have done.

Anna didn't even realize anyone was there, too lost in her own thoughts right now. She was trying to think of what she would do, this wasn't what she wanted from life. She didn't want to feel like this, why was he trying to sabotage her life like that. What had she done that she didn't deserve happiness?

"Anna?"

The voice snapped her from her thought as she looked over to see who was talking to her. She was shocked when she saw Greg was the one sitting next to her. "Yes," she answered him even if it was just to acknowledge that she knew he was there.

"Why didn't you go in?"

That seemed to be the lingering question, why hadn't she gone up to see the doctor to make sure that her son or daughter was there and healthy. What would have it hurt to have gone up to her appointment? She would have had to have gone up there alone, that's why she didn't go. But he wouldn't care about that answer. He wouldn't care period. She already knew that from the way that he was acting in the car.

He was concerned when she didn't answer him and seemed to go into her own little world of thoughts. Had this man done more damage to her than she had let on other than to just break her heart? Had he done something that had hurt her more than she could say? Pratt didn't know what to say to her, especially with the way that he was feeling right then. He had the feeling that if they were going to talk it was going to have to be the one to start the conversation, for she just didn't seem to be there with him at that moment in time. "Anna honey you have to talk to me." He finally said breaking the silence that was between them.

"Don't honey me." She said getting defensive with him even though she really didn't mean to be that way. She just didn't know what to think of all of this. Was she scared, yes she definitely was scared. What he had said to her scared her this time, last time she blew it off but when he had said that to her before Anna was pregnant, she didn't know she was going to be a mother and that changed everything.

"Please don't be like that." He said to her.

"Don't be like what? Upset?"

"Anna you know what I mean." He said again, his tone and demeanor had completely changed with her again. "We can't ignore this anymore we have to talk about it."

"What is talking about it going to change?" She said, "You have already made up your mind with out listening to me."

"Why didn't you just tell me?" He asked her.

"Tell you what? That I am divorced, that my husband broke my heart by sleeping around on me, that I came home from work one night to find another woman in my bed, that I caught him red handed screwing her, so I left him and came to Chicago. That I gave up everything that I had because it hurt to bad to stay there, and now I find out he is here, and he's threatening to ruin my life in Chicago as well. Is that what you want me to tell you what you think you need to hear from me?"

"That's a start Anna." He said reaching over and taking her hand into his, a simple gesture really but one that he hoped had meaning. "I wish I could say that this didn't impact the way that I felt but…."

"Don't please," she said standing up, pulling her hand from his, "spare me the platitudes about how this isn't the kind of relationship you wanted that you're sorry that you just can't deal with it."

From the way she was talking, from what she was saying he could tell that she had been hurt on more than just a single level. But how did he know what she was telling him now was real, but if he loved her, he did, or he thought that he did how could he let this come between them. Why was he taking the side of a stranger on the phone over her?

"It took everything I had to believe you." She said moving now more backing away from him than anything else now, "I wanted nothing more than to believe you when you told me not to worry because no matter what happened you had come to love me. Well once again where has love gotten me?" She was cynical but thought that she had every right to be.

"Anna I do love you." He said standing up walking closer to her, "I do and that's why I am still here aren't I?"

She didn't say anything this time to him. She had no idea what to say right now and even if silence was the killer of relationships so be it for in her eyes this one had already sank. She didn't know if he meant what he said or if he was just saying it now because he was concerned that she might do something horrible to his child. Anna wasn't in control of where her own thoughts were going right now, everything seemed to spin just a little more out of her control. How could he think that, my god she was a pediatrician, she loved children. She would never harm a child, let alone her own. Then she said it, granted it might not have been the best thing to say but in her eyes it was the truth, "you're only here because of the baby."

"That's not true Anna. I'm here because I love you and I want to be so let's just go home please." He said holding out his hand to her. "Baby let's just get you home and into bed. We can order in some dinner and I will make you something warm to drink and you can get some more sleep. I know you are tired."

"I don't know."

Pratt didn't give her a chance to say anything else; in one foul swoop he had scooped her up and was carrying her back to the car. He could tell that she was emotionally and physically exhausted right now and that it wasn't good for either of them, her or the baby. He didn't want any harm to come to either one of them right now. And while he might not have admitted it to Anna, that man on the phone whoever he might have been had scared him, not by threatening him, but by threatening Anna, for in threatening her, he had threatened their baby.

He had gotten her home, tucked safely in bed and he sat there until he knew for sure that she was asleep. He didn't know what to do about the problem that they had. It was obvious that the man had been watching them. That he knew what they had been doing, he seemed to take pleasure in all of this. Pratt had to wonder now if he wasn't somehow mentally unstable, if after Anna had left him, that he hadn't had some sort of psychotic break.

Pratt went to move from her side when Anna curled up even more around him, but the way that she was laying scared him, for it showed just how vulnerable and scared she was. She had when he moved, moved herself so that she was almost nothing more than a little ball wrapped around him. Her knees were up close to her chest as if she was protecting something, he knew what, she was trying in her sleep even now as she dreamt, to protect her baby, their baby.

While the baby might not have been planned, he could still tell that it was wanted and loved by both its parents, although he hated referring to the baby as it, for that's not what it was, that was a baby in there be it boy or girl, that was there child. He looked down at her and reached over to push her hair that had fallen back away from her face. He was worried from the look on her face about her. Would Anna ever feel safe with him? She must somewhat because when he touched her, he could see her relax a little more in her sleep.

As he laid there with her he found his mind wandering, how could anyone do anything to a woman so kind, so gentle, and so full of life and willing to give all of herself to what ever she was undertaking? What psychological damage had that man inflicted up on her to move her into a world where she couldn't' trust anyone? Could he undo it, give her that sense of security; bring her from her world and into his?