"Did you not bring the breast pump?" Jenna peered into the tote bag hanging on Dawn's tiny frame, filled with Lulu's clothes and bottles but lacking the pump that Jenna had come to rely on for keeping her baby fed and happy and her breasts soreness free.
"Oh shucks!" Dawn snapped her fingers. "I can run and grab it real quick, it's no trouble really."
"Dawn, you look exhausted," Jenna scanned her friend up and down as she spoke. "You've been taking care of my baby for entirely too long and working and that's a lot. Jim's conked out on the couch, how about you put Lulu down and take a nap yourself? I can run back to the house and grab the pump. I forgot a few other things as well."
"Are you sure?" Dawn asked.
"Positive." Jenna smiled and began up the stairs with Lulu in her arms. "Follow me! I'll show you the guest room."
After getting Dawn and Lulu both settled, Jenna checked one more time on Jim, who was still sleeping soundly in the living room. She grabbed the keys to the pathfinder from the kitchen and set out to Dawn and Ogie's house.
She felt strangely content. Having Jim to care for and Dawn so invested in helping her with Lulu and Becky back in her life—she had felt so alone and useless for the last two months, but she really hadn't needed to feel like that. The strange cold, empty feeling was still there, lurking under the surface, but in the moment Jenna felt needed, important, and satisfied.
She pulled up on the street outside of the house and opened her purse as she walked to the door, digging around in the mess inside for her keys. She was standing there at the door rooting through napkins and lipstick tubes when his voice took her by surprise.
"So you shacked up with the gyno, huh?"
Jenna jumped about two feet in the air and turned around frantically. Earl was about ten feet away, swaying in place. Clearly drunk, and pissed as hell.
"Earl, you better turn around and walk away right this second if you know what's good for you." Jenna hated the quaver in her voice. The fear.
"You never loved me. You never loved anybody but yourself." He staggered closer as he spoke, having to shuffle to keep his balance.
"Earl, how can you show your face here after what you did to Jim?" Jenna hadn't found the keys in her purse, and she clutched her fingers into a fist inside, her heart racing. With another step, Earl lurched in front of her.
"Jim," Earl sneered. His breath stank of liquor so strongly Jenna's eyes began to water. Suddenly, he pounded the door behind her, bringing his face inches from her own. Jenna flinched, closing her eyes and turning her face aside.
"Look at me," Earl breathed at her, grabbing her cheeks with his hand and turning her to face him.
"Let me go, Earl," Jenna breathed, the words warped by his hand squeezing her face.
"Say it. Say you never loved me."
Jenna winced as his breath washed over her again, tried to turn her head in his grasp. She sealed her lips, not speaking. She couldn't. She felt his eyes on her, his bleary, bloodshot eyes, filled with that revolting mix of longing and loathing.
The hand gripping her face let go. She braced herself, ready for the blow she knew was coming, that had come so many times before.
Instead, nothing. The breeze blew over Jenna's face—her eyes still closed—as Earl's looming shadow left. She opened her eyes and he stood there, five feet away, leering at her. He surveyed her body and Jenna felt hot shame surge through her.
"I don't want you anyways. You got fat with that baby. Not worth it. Not even for your boobies." He fixed his eyes on them as he spoke, then lurched backwards a step. With a whirling turn, he was gone, veering side-to-side down the driveway, like a bumper car.
Jenna's knees gave out beneath her and she slumped down to the ground, sitting on the stoop. She held her hands out in front of her and watched them shake. They didn't seem attached to the rest of her body, floating in her vision. Time seemed to slow down as she sat there. The feel of her tears rolling slowly down her cheeks and landing on her palms kept her tied to her body—she didn't feel present.
"Jenna?"
Jenna flinched on the stoop and looked away from her hands. Ogie stood in the opened door of his car, the engine still running in the driveway. He looked at her curiously, concern written all over his face.
"Oh, hi Ogie!" Jenna tried to contort her features into a smile appropriate of greeting him.
"Jenna, what's wrong?"
Ogie came around the door of his car and was kneeling in front of her in a moment. Jenna realized her cheeks were still tear-stained, her hands still held out in front of her. They looked like doll hands, the fingers all extended straight, frozen in front of her. Were the arms even hers? She didn't feel like she could know.
"Jenna? Jenna, you gotta tell me what happened."
"Ogie." Jenna said the name throatily, remembering who was in front of her. "Ogie."
"Yeah Jenna, it's me. What's going on? Why are you just sitting here? Did something happen to you?"
"Oh Ogie," Jenna sobbed. She put her head in her hands and the tears came again. The fingers were cold, clammy and dry on her cheeks.
Ogie didn't say anything, remaining knelt in front of her. As Jenna cried, she slowly came back to herself. What must he be thinking?
"Ogie, I'm so sorry," she gasped. "I'm ok."
"Jenna, shh, just breath. It's ok. Take a moment. I'm right here."
He shifted and sat on the stoop next to her and Jenna leaned her head on his shoulder as she calmed her breathing and re-entered her own mind. Once she felt like her knees wouldn't give out, she stood up and dusted herself off.
"Whoa whoa, what are you doing?" Ogie asked, shooting up next to her.
"I just came to grab some things for Lulu, I left Dawn at Jim's house with him and Lulu, I have to get back."
"Now Jenna, you are not going to leave without telling me what was happening right there!" Ogie tried to sound commanding, but with his high-pitched voice it was almost comical.
"It was nothing."
"Was not." Ogie stuck his chin out.
"Earl showed up. He was drunk, I was just frightened."
"How long was he here for? Did he do this?" Ogie held out his hand and grazed Jenna's cheek. She winced and pulled away. She hadn't known it had bruised.
"Yeah but it's fine. He's gone now."
"He's done this before. He's been doing this, since that first time I mean. You've been hiding it," Ogie said. It wasn't a question.
"Yeah, but it's no biggie. He's just dealing. He'll get over it."
"It's been months, Jenna. He's had months. And putting Jim in the hospital? And this—" he pointed at her cheeks, where Earl must have bruised her with his grasp, "this isn't getting over it. This is assault."
"It's fine, Ogie."
"No, it's really not. I'm calling the police."
"Ogie please—"
"Jenna! I will not stand by and watch you let this man abuse you! Who's next? Lulu? Who do you care about enough to make him stop? Dawn? Becky? Why not yourself?"
Jenna froze, staring at Ogie panting in front of her, out of breath with rage. He was right, too. She had urged Jim to press charges. Why wouldn't she? Because you don't deserve it. Jenna tried to shake the thought from her brain, but it clung there, heavy.
"C'mon. Get in my car and I'll drive you down to the station." Ogie put a hand gently on Jenna's shoulder and she flinched. He raised an eyebrow at her and Jenna let the resistance fall away, meekly following him down to his car.
Ok hi guys! Sorry about the long wait between updates; my school year is winding down and I've slightly over-extended myself in terms of commitments so writing is hard.
That said, I have some bad-ish news: my summer job is heavy on time commitment and low on internet connectivity; it is entirely possible that the next update on this story won't come until September. By all means please continue reading, following and reviewing; I am not quitting on it, but realistically I cannot promise any sort of regular update to y'all. And for that, I'm sorry. I will finish the story, but likely in a more belated fashion than the other story I have published on here (which is a DEH fic I'd recommend y'all check out if you're missing my writing in the mean time).
Thank you so much for reading and following and reviewing, I love y'all and can't wait to share the next episode of Jenna's life, however far in the future it may be!
