Chapter 21
Sookie woke up Saturday morning smelling bacon. She smiled as she stretched in bed, reaching out for Eric. Finding the cold spot where he should have been, her smiled faded as she recalled the events of the day before. Opening her eyes, she looked around her room, realizing where she was.
With a sigh, she pushed back the covers and made her way to the bathroom. When she finally got to the kitchen, she found Gran standing in front of the stove humming.
"Morning" Gran said to Sookie without turning around
"Morning" Sookie replied, grabbing a cup of coffee and pressing a kiss to her cheek. Pausing for a moment, she laid her head on Gran's shoulder.
Gran stood still for a moment, and patted the head resting on her shoulder. "I'm making bacon and eggs" she told Sookie "And we are going to chat"
Sookie nodded and sat down at the table. She was quiet as she watched Gran finish making breakfast. When her plate was in front of her, she looked at Gran, tears in her eyes.
"He lied to me" Sookie said as the tears started to stream down her face "This whole week, we've been together, it's been a lie. He is marrying another woman and she is pregnant with his baby"
Gran moved her chair to sit beside Sookie, taking the crying woman in her arms, she said "Sookie, you need to start from the beginning"
With a deep sigh, Sookie started, going all the way back to their first encounter in the office.
Bella woke Eric up. She was snuggled next to him, purring and licking his wrist.
Without opening his eyes, he started rubbing her ears and was gifted with a louder purr. "I know this is an effort to get fed, furball" he said without opening his eyes.
He heard the front door open and shot out of bed, to find Lafayette standing in the doorway.
"You look like shit" he told Eric
"I feel like shit" Eric replied, walking towards the kitchen to start the coffee
"So you want to tell me what all this mess is about?" Lafayette asked him, taking a seat at the table.
"Want some coffee?" Eric asked
"I think so" Lafayette replied, waiting patiently for the man to explain the drama of the day before.
It wasn't until the coffee had brewed and was poured into two cups that Eric sat down at the table with Lafayette.
"That woman was Felicia. She called me the other day claiming she was pregnant with my child and basically demanding I marry her to keep her from going to the press….." Eric started.
"And you told her what?" Lafayette asked
"I told her no and called my lawyer, that is what I've been dealing with the past few days, and then my sister dropped a bombshell on me yesterday" Eric explained "We had someone else, I'd never met accuse me of the same thing, and it was a relative of Sookie's. That relative was lying, but Pam told me yesterday that this woman's father, Sookie's uncle, was brought up on charges of child abuse. It also came out that he had abused Sookie's brother Jason. The woman, Becky, Sookie's cousin, she is pregnant with her father's child."
"HOLY SHIT, you mean Jason was abused as a child?" Lafayette asked
"Yes, I didn't tell Sookie any of it though, there was just too much going on, with Felicia and the speech, I just had to let it go"
Sookie and Gran had moved to the couch in the living room. Breakfast still on the table, forgotten.
"Sookie, you need to talk to him honey" Gran said to her softly "If you love him and I have no doubt you do, you need to talk to him. He deserves a chance to tell his side of things"
"Why so he can lie to me more? He doesn't love me, people who love each other don't treat each other this way"
"Sookie, just because people love each other, doesn't mean they are good to each other all the time. You love Jason and you two and rip each other to shreds at a moment's notice. People who love each other sometimes do stupid things, and treat each other badly, but because you love them, you give them a chance to apologize and make things right"
"I don't think I am ready yet" Sookie said "I just need some time to think"
"You take some time, but don't take too long Sookie. Life has a way of making us take advantage of time"
Patting Sookie's arm, she got up and went to the kitchen, looking at the dishes on the table she giggled "Why don't we go out for lunch and we can clean up when we get back?"
Sookie smile at her and nodded, rising from the couch, she went back to her room. Grabbing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt she set them on the bed. With a sigh, she reached into her purse and grabbed her cell phone.
She stood debating for a moment and turned it on. She quickly typed a message to Eric "I am safe" and pressed send.
She saw Lafayette had called and with a second deep breath she called him back.
Lafayette was sitting at the table with Eric when his phone rang.
Opening the device he spoke "Where the hell are you and why aren't you home?" he demanded angrily.
"I'm at home, and I'll be back later" she answered him quietly
"Home where?" Lafayette demanded "Did you fly all the way back to Louisiana Sookie?"
Eric's eyes widened as he listened to Lafayette.
"I needed to see Gran, and I needed to not see Eric for a while, I just sent him a text message telling him I was safe" she said
"You sent Eric a text message?" Lafayette said as Eric ran for his phone on the bedside table "You know we were all worried sick Sookie"
"I'm sorry Lafayette, I just need to be here for a while" she explained.
"When are you coming home?" he asked softly
"I'm not sure yet, I gotta go, I am going out with Gran, I'll call you later" she said, her eyes filling with tears as she closed the phone.
Eric sat down at the table his phone in his hand as he read her brief message, replying he sent "we need to talk"
He was surprised when he got an answer "later".
Looking at Lafayette he spoke "At least she answered me"
"She will be home soon, Gran isn't going to let her hide for long Eric, I know that woman, she will send Sookie home soon, but for now, maybe she needs this time to think things through"
"Should I go to her?" Eric asked
"Not this time, let Sookie come to you. She will, I have no doubt of that one" Lafayette said, "But we need to address this Felicia issue, call your lawyer and see what he has been able to accomplish. I may need to put a spin on this with the press if it gets leaked out"
Eric nodded and called the man who he hoped would have some answers.
Sookie and Gran went to lunch. It was on the way home that Gran said to her,
"You need to go home tomorrow you know"
"I don't think I'm ready" Sookie whispered, looking out the passenger window
"But you need to do this Sookie, you need to talk this through with him and you need to work this out honey. Staying here, as much as I love having you around, staying here is hiding, and I won't let you do that Sookie"
"I know Gran" Sookie said "Can you drop me off tomorrow at the airport?"
"Of course I can, what time does your flight leave?"
"I'll call when we get home and find out" Sookie told her
"Sookie, I can't make any decisions for you, but I want you to think about a few things baby, if you don't hear this man out, you don't give him a chance to explain himself, you are telling him you don't love him enough. You are telling this man, that you love, that you believe everyone else over him. I want you to think about that before you do anything, before you react to him, before you speak to him. You decide what you want, and if you want this man, if you love him, you have to love him the way he is, lumps, warts and all. Nobody is perfect. Look at you, for all you know, he could be so angry that you ran away without giving him a chance to speak that me may not want to talk to you again" Gran told her "How would you feel if this situation was reversed? Would you give you another chance?"
Sookie opened her mouth to speak and Gran stopped her "I don't want answers Sookie, I want you to think about these things. I've always tried to raise you to do the right thing, I've always told you to treat people the way you wanted to be treated. So I have to ask you, is this the way you wanted to be treated?"
Eric made his way to the hospital to visit with Victor and Sandy. After going over the speech and how well Sookie had handled it, Eric grew quiet. It was Victor who commented
"So, you want to tell me what is going on?" he asked, his gaze locking Eric's
"I don't know exactly" Eric stated "She flew home to Louisiana"
"What made her do that?" Victor asked him, slightly surprised Eric's answer
When Eric got done explaining the entire situation Victor commented,
"She'll be home, Gran won't let her hide for long Eric, you need to figure out what you want. Do you want Sookie? She isn't the type you love and leave you know"
"I want Sookie, the past 24 hours I've been going crazy without her" he said, running his hands through his hair "I don't believe Felicia with this baby thing, but I can't picture my life, my days without Sookie in them, Felicia or not, I don't know what to do without Sookie"
"She will be home soon Eric" Sandy said from beside him. She squeezed his shoulder gently. "Gran is a good woman and Sookie, you have to understand she has had alot to deal with, her first reaction was to run, and Gran is who she runs to. It sounds childish, but you have to realize as hard as her exterior is, Sookie is soft on the inside, and easily hurt, and easily spooked emotionally"