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"Aria…" Ezra said, sitting up, with difficulty. It was a month later. Andrew (this was what I called Mr. Fisher now when we weren't in school) and I went to the police station, told them what had happened, and they promised to keep an eye out.
Meanwhile, Ezra had started chemo. Dr. Johnson had decided that, if someone stayed with him for a while after the chemotherapy, he could return home and come in three times a week. And that's what he did. He became thinner and thinner because it was painful for him to eat, due to the sores in his mouth, and what little he did manage to eat, he could barely keep it down. I hid my worry, because I knew it wouldn't do him any good.
It was now early December, and I was twenty-two weeks along. I was definitely showing now; most of the people at the school had noticed. I didn't care, it just meant less people I had to keep the secret from. Because they knew about the pregnancy, they started wondering who the father was, until one day word of my marriage to Ezra spread around the school. From that time on, I was different. At least, people looked at me different.
"Yes?" I asked. I had been getting ready for my doctor's appointment. Today was the day I was going to find out the gender.
"I want to go with you."
I stared at him. "Ezra, you just had chemo today. You aren't in any condition to go anywhere. Andrew will be here in ten minutes to stay with you."
"No." He said, getting up and standing. I moved over to him, in case he fell. "I want to go with you. I haven't been to any of your doctor appointments."
I tried to reason with him. "I know, Ezra, but you're sick. No one expects you to be able to go. I don't. You need to rest."
"I'm tired of resting, Aria. I can't teach. I can't leave the apartment. I'm not even allowed to get out of bed!"
"Please," I said quietly. "I won't be long. Alright? I'll be back soon." Defeated, he sank back onto the bed. "I'll be back as soon as it's over, okay?" He nodded weakly, and I left.
An hour later, I was on my way back home. I was having a girl. A daughter. As I opened the apartment door, I wondered what she would look like. If she would look like me, or if she would look like Ezra. I walked into the living room, and froze at what I saw.
Ian Thomas stood in the middle of the room, a gun in his hand. When he saw me, he smirked. "There you are. I was wondering when you were going to come home."
"What are you doing here?" I demanded, glancing towards the shut bedroom door, where I knew Ezra was. "What do you want?"
"What I want is you dead. You, and those nosy friends of yours," he said, taking a step towards me. "I want to shut your mouths up forever."
"We haven't told anyone what we know," I protested, stepping back, pressing the speed dial for 911 on my phone. "Where's Andrew?" I said, trying to distract him so he wouldn't notice. "He was supposed to be here until I got back."
"Andrew? That's his name?" Ian didn't look particularly concerned.
"Where is he?"
"He's a bit… ah… tied up at the moment. Don't worry, he won't be interrupting us. He's still alive, though. The only ones that are going to die here are you and that husband of yours."
I could faintly hear the 911 operator's voice coming from my phone, and I prayed that he didn't. "You're going to kill a defenseless man?"
He stepped towards me again. "I have to, you see. I have to get rid of all the loose ends. You'll be joined by your brother and parents, too."
"Why?" I whispered. "I already told you we won't say anything."
"That's what Ali told me," Ian told me. For the first time, his voice was shaking. "She swore she wouldn't say anything to anybody. Yet she told you. And if I hadn't done what she asked, she would've told Mellissa. My life would have been ruined by her."
"You're the one that ruined your life," I said, glancing towards the bedroom door again, silently praying that Ezra wouldn't come out. "You murdered her. That ruined your life right there."
"I had no choice, don't you see?" he hissed. "She was going to tell Mellissa! She was going to-" The door opened, and Ezra stumbled out. I squeezed my eyes shut. No…
"Aria, what's-" Then he saw him. "You. Get out of my house. I'm calling the police." He started for the phone, but Ian was too quick for him.
"Stop!" I screamed, as Ian hit Ezra with the butt of the gun, and he fell to the ground.
Ian glanced back towards me. "You're lucky I didn't shoot him." He walked to me, and for the first time, noticed the phone in my hand. "You bitch!" He growled, slapping me hard across the face. The phone dropped uselessly to the ground, and shut, hanging up. "Who did you call?"
"No…no one," I said, my voice shaking as I felt where he had hit me. "Please… just leave… I swear I won't say anything to anyone."
"You're one of the biggest liars I have ever seen," he said, his eyes glinting with anger. "The moment I'm gone, you'll call the police back and tell them exactly where to find me. No, I'm not going anywhere until I've killed you. But first, I'm going to have some fun."
I shook my head frantically, backing up until I bumped the wall. "Please," I whispered. A wave of dizziness went over me, and I grabbed the table next to me for support. "Please…" Tears slipped out of my eyes.
I heard a groan come from where Ezra was lying, and I watched him weakly stand up. "Get out of my house," he insisted, taking a step and nearly falling again.
Ian began to laugh, and raised the gun to point directly at Ezra. He gave me one more smirk, and a gun shot rang through the room.