Chapter 6
The next few days were a blur as Sandie went back to her old ways. Greg had convinced her to come back and no sooner she did, he had her back to drinking and doing drugs. James was furious, all the work he did to get her clean and all it took was one kiss, one fake promise from Greg and she was back in his life and ignoring James and Lisa.
One afternoon, as James left to take his lunch, he headed over to Greg's apartment where Sandie was staying. He knocked on the door, hoping Sandie was there, she was. She opened the door and he could tell that she was using, her eyes were red and he could see the drugs on the coffee table.
He walked in and she closed the door behind him. He turned to look at her.
"Why?" he asked her.
"Why what?" She replied.
"Why would you go back to him? Back to using?"
Sandie could tell James was upset.
"I…" She didn't know what to say. She knew he loved her and the time they spent together was incredible but she got bored easily and without thinking, made her way back to Greg.
"Sandie," James started, "You deserve so much better. I thought we had something."
"James, I care about you, I really do but I feel like you're just trying to control me, just like Lisa wanted you to."
"There was nothing wrong with what we had," James told her. "And if I made you feel like I was controlling you, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for things to be like that.I just don't want to see you hurt again."
"I'll be careful this time, I promise," Sandie told him.
"I really don't like the idea of you doing drugs again," James said.
Sandie frowned, "What do you want from me?"
James thought for a moment, he really didn't want to fight with her so he just told her,
"I just want you to be happy. And if that's with Greg, then I won't stand in your way."
James then kissed her on the cheek and left the apartment. Once again, he was heartbroken. He really thought he had her to himself this time but he underestimated the power that drugs had over her. The only thing he could do now was hope that she would be okay.
It's been weeks since Elliot heard from Sandie, he actually was starting to miss her but he had his life back. He sat at work going through some files when he came across hers, which is why he started thinking about her again. He wondered what she was up to and if she was doing alright. He thought what the hell and dialed her number, straight to voicemail. He hung up and called her sister, Lisa to check in.
"Hello?" Lisa asked, answering her phone.
"Lisa? It's Elliot. I just wanted to check in to see how Sandie was doing."
"Well, we've had some setbacks," Lisa told him. She told him everything that's happened the past few weeks and how they thought Sandie was clean but ended up back with Greg and how they were beginning to give up on her. Elliot convinced her to keep trying, it was the only way to keep her out of jail. They said their goodbyes and hung up.
Lisa sat at her desk after that call wondering what her sister was up to. She hadn't heard from her since that day in her office, she hadn't even seen her around the hospital. She headed upstairs to James's office.
She knocked on his door and he told her to come in. James hoped it was Sandie but was disappointed when Lisa walked in.
"Hey," he said.
"Hey, have you heard from Sandie?" Lisa asked him.
"I talked to her on my lunch break," James told her. "She's back with Greg, back to her old ways."
Why am I not surprised? Lisa thought. She left James's office and headed down the hall to Greg's. Opening the door, she found both her sister and Greg, making out. They didn't even flinch when Lisa walked in.
"Ahem!" Lisa said.
The two of them finally broke apart and looked at her. Lisa stood there giving them both a dirty look.
"Can I speak to you?" Lisa asked her sister.
They walked out to the hall and Lisa closed the door behind her.
"What are you doing?" Lisa asked.
"What do you mean?" Sandie asked, confused.
"Why go back to your old ways after everything that's happened?"
"Lisa, I don't think you will ever understand," Sandie said. "I will never be like you. I am who I am, it's in my blood." Sandie shrugged.
Lisa knew she was just making excuses, she just didn't think she wanted to get clean but Sandie was right, she couldn't change her, no one could. Well, she thought James might have but that was short lived. She didn't think there was anything more she could do to save her sister.
"You're right," Lisa told her, "I can't change you but I do worry about you. James is worried about you."
"I'll be fine," Sandie told her sister. She then turned and went back into Greg's office.
James returned home that evening, he was tired and stressed from work. He was surprised to see Sandie in the apartment when he walked in. She was wearing a little black dress, her hair done up, showing off her neck. Mmmmm, he thought, I want to nibble on that.
"You going out?" he asked her.
"Yea, Greg's taking me out to dinner," Sandie told him.
James's heart sank, he hoped she would stay home with him.
"Sandie," he said, walking over to her. He took her in his arms pulling her close to him. The smell of her perfume intoxicates him. Without warning, he kissed her. He wanted to prove to her that he loved her, that he was better for her than Greg was. He kissed her neck, making her shiver. She knew that she should stop now, since she was supposed to be meeting Greg but James had pushed her up against the wall, pinning her arms above her head. He kissed her neck, one hand holding her arms, the other making its way up under her dress.
"James," Sandie started, "we shouldn't."
But they did. James took her into the bedroom and pushed her down onto the bed. He was already hard, he pushed her dress up and pulled off her black, lacy panties. He entered her making her moan, he kissed her hard. Sandie ran her hands down his back, her nails digging into his skin. He made love to her, slow at first, then faster. Sandie's screams of pleasure made him weak and before too long, they both came. He stayed inside her for a little longer, not letting her go. He just continued to kiss her.
"I love you," James told her.
Sandie kissed him back, "James, I love you too." She told him without thinking.
He stood, zipping up and straightening his clothes. She stood, retrieved her panties and touched up her hair and makeup. James looked at her wondering if she meant what she just said. Just then Sandie heard her cell phone ring, she went to the living room to retrieve it.
"Hello?" It was Greg.
"Where are you?" He asked her.
Sandie checked the time. Crap! She thought. She was late for her dinner date. She grabbed her purse and jacket and headed out. James grabbed her by the arm before she could get too far.
"Don't go," he begged her. "Stay with me."
Sandie was torn between the two men, she wasn't sure what to do. She kissed James on the cheek, apologized, and headed out the door.
Once again, James was left with a broken heart.
"You're late," Greg said when Sandie finally got to the restaurant.
"I'm sorry," she told him. "Something came up."
Sandie was quiet throughout dinner and Greg wondered what happened.
"What's going on?" he finally asked her.
"Hmm?"
"You're quiet," Greg said, "what are you thinking about?"
"Nothing," Sandie lied.
After dinner, they headed back to Greg's place. Once inside, he grabbed Sandie by the arm and tossed her up against the wall.
"Ouch! What the hell?"
"Something's going on," Greg told her, "tell me."
"Nothing's going on," Sandie told him, "let go of me!"
Greg refused to let go, he pinned her up against the wall, kissing her. He knew she liked it rough when they were together and he knew she was holding something back from him, so he was determined to get the truth out of her.
Sandie pushed him away, she wasn't in the mood but Greg thought she was playing, so he grabbed her and threw her to the floor, getting on top of her.
"Greg! Stop!" She demanded. "I don't want to do this right now."
"Then you need to tell me what's going on. I have something that might make you feel better."
He stood and pulled something from his jacket pocket.
"I know you want this," he told her. He reached out his hand to help her up. She stood and pushed him away.
"Don't be like this," Greg told her. "I have everything you need."
Sandie grabbed the baggie from him and headed over to the couch. She sat down, set the drugs up in front of her. Greg sat down beside her. "Well," he said.
Sandie looked at the drugs in front of her then looked at Greg. "What?" he asked. Sandie stood, swiped the drugs off the table, grabbed her purse and turned to go. Greg stood, grabbed her arm and said,
"What the fuck? Do you know how much that cost? What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Let go of me!"
Greg didn't let go of her, instead he threw her up against the wall and pinned her there. Sandie had tears in her eyes, her head stung from where she hit it on the wall. Greg kissed her roughly, his hands tearing at her dress. She did what she could to fight him off.
"Greg, I can't, not tonight," Sandie told him, "please, just let me go."
"What's wrong with you?" he asked her. "Baby, I love you. I'm sorry if I did something wrong."
"Greg, darling, I just can't do this right now."
She grabbed her things and left before he could do anything more. He watched her leave and deep down he knew that James had to be the reason. He would soon take care of him.
James was watching tv when Sandie walked in. He looked up and saw she had been crying. He stood, walking over to her.
"What's wrong?" He asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Nothing," she lied.
James saw the bruise on her arm where Greg had grabbed her and he knew something happened, because she flinched when he touched her. Sandie went into her room, closing the door behind her. She came out a few minutes later dressed in sweats and a t-shirt. She walked into the kitchen, taking a bag of frozen vegetables out of the freezer and using it to ice her head where she had hit it on the wall. James saw this and was concerned but he didn't want to push her. He just walked over to her and pulled her into his arms and held her.
"I'm here when you want to talk," he told her.
The next few days were really tense between Greg and Sandie. He tried everything to win her back with no luck. She even refused to tell him what he did wrong. She just insisted that he did nothing and ended it with that. Greg knew James had to be involved somehow and confronted him at work about it.
"What did you do to my girl?" Greg asked him.
"If you think I poisoned her against you," James started, "I did no such thing. I only told her I loved her."
"If that's all it takes," Greg said.
"It's not just about saying it," James told him, "It's about meaning it. And I saw the bruises you left on her the other day, what the hell did you do to her?"
"Nothing that she didn't want," Greg replied.
"Just keep your hands off her," James told him. "If you love her, then you need to prove it."
Greg was pissed, his best friend had stolen his girl, again. He wasn't about to let her go without a fight. He had to think of a way to win her back.
Another few days had passed and James had become concerned about Sandie. She was quiet and hardly ever left the apartment. She was beginning to have withdrawals from being off the drugs. Greg had stopped by the apartment a few times and offered her a fun time but she refused, making Greg even angrier.
"What the hell do I have to do?" he asked her.
"Nothing," she told him.
Sandie blocked him from coming into the apartment, telling him that if he did anything, she would call the cops. Greg listened to her and stood out in the hall begging her for forgiveness.
"You don't look well," he told her, "Let me take care of you."
"I'm fine," she lied.
"You're not fine. Sandie, listen, I love you and want to help you. Let me in and I can take care of you."
"I'm sorry," Sandie told him and closed the door. Even though he's been telling her he loved her, she wasn't sure if she believed it.
James came home from work that night to find Sandie hunched over the toilet. She was pale and had been sick all day. He got a wet washcloth and helped clean her up, he then sat next to her.
"We need to get you help," he told her.
This time she didn't refuse. James picked her up and carried her to his car. They headed to the rehab center where he got her checked in.
"It's only for a few days," he told her. "I'll be back with your things."
He gave her a kiss then headed out.
Sandie got the news while she was still in rehab, the doctors had taken some blood work and tests had come back that she was pregnant. They told her that she was lucky to have come in when she did because getting clean now would help with the pregnancy. Sandie was shocked by the news. She's been there for a few weeks now and was already feeling better but the morning sickness had kicked in full force already. James had stopped by to visit a few times but he didn't tell Greg or Lisa where she was. Greg was going on a rampage because James wouldn't tell him where she was. "It's for the best," James told him.
When the doctors felt that Sandie was ready to leave the center, they wished her luck and sent her on her way. She wasn't sure what to do or where to go, she didn't even tell James she was being released. She headed to the hospital where her sister worked to tell her the news in hopes that she would have her back.
Lisa's door was opened but Sandie still knocked. Lisa looked up from her computer and waved her in. Sandie walked in, closing the door behind her. Lisa stood, walked over to her and hugged her sister. This is a first, Sandie thought as she hugged her back.
"How are you?" Lisa asked.
"I'm fine," Sandie replied.
"Where have you been? James wouldn't tell me what was going on."
"I've been in rehab," Sandie told her.
"Well that's a start," Lisa said.
"I need to tell you something," Sandie started. Lisa looked concerned.
"Is everything okay?" she asked.
"Sis, I'm pregnant."
"You're what? Pregnant? Are you insane?" Lisa shrieked.
Sandie was taken aback by her sister's comment. She knew her sister might be jealous because Lisa had been trying to get pregnant and couldn't.
"You can't be pregnant. You're not responsible enough. Plus you're a drug addicted, alcoholic psychopath!"
"Ouch, that really hurt," Sandie told her. She was upset that her sister would say such hurtful things. "I've been drug and alcohol free for a month now, I just got out of rehab."
"Prove it. I want you to take a drug test."
"You can't make me. I'm not one of your patients," Sandie was upset now. Why was her sister being so cold?
"Fine, I'll have James make you take one."
"Leave him out of this. He doesn't know yet. No one does but you."
"Do you even know who the father is? You can't raise a baby. You're only eighteen! You steal things for a living. Why don't you let me raise it?"
Sandie was starting to get angry. "Sorry Sis, I don't think so. What makes you think that you're any better than me? I think you're just jealous because I can get pregnant and you can't."
Sandie was right. Lisa was jealous, her sister always got her way. She had two guys fighting over her and now she's got a baby! How was it that Lisa did everything right her entire life and can't even have a family but her sister does everything wrong and has everything! It wasn't fair!
"I'm just thinking about the well-being of that child. You haven't changed at all," Lisa told her.
"You gave me a chance to live a normal life and now you want to take it away from me?"
"No, I don't. I just don't think you're ready yet. You've still got a long way to go, Sandie. Trust me, I know what's best for you and that child. I can take better care of it."
"You don't know what's best for me. Besides, you're constantly working, how can you take care of a baby?" Sandie asked.
"Sandie, I've taken care of you your entire life. Trust me when I say I know what's best."
"Did you really think that me staying with James was going to get me to change? Because of him, I met Greg, easy access to drugs and alcohol. James tried his best to keep me away but I'm sorry, I'm not going to change and you're not getting my baby."
"But Sandie," Lisa said, "James did get you to change. He got you into rehab, twice. And he's saved your life. If you don't think I can raise your child, then let him."
Sandie was upset, she knew she should've never told her sister. She turned and stormed out of the office.
Late that evening when James returned home, he found Sandie at the apartment, dinner prepped.
"Sandie, you're home!" He said. "Why didn't you call me, I could've come to get you."
"I didn't want to bother you," Sandie told him. "I did stop by to see Lisa but that was a mistake. I swear that woman hates me."
"I don't think she hates you," James reassured her, "she's just… different."
"James," Sandie started, "there's something I need to tell you."
The two of them sat down on the couch. James placed his hand on her leg.
"What is it?" he asked. "You can tell me anything, I'll always be here for you."
"James, I'm pregnant."
James was shocked. He didn't know what to say. He stood and started to pace the floor, not sure whether the baby was his or Greg's. Did she even know? Sandie watched him then she stood and walked over to where he was. She placed a hand on his shoulder. He took her in his arms and pulled her close.
"I love you," he said, "and I will help you with anything."
Then he pushed her to arms length and said,
"Do you know? Is it mine or Greg's?"
After James asked, he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer.
"It's yours," Sandie told him.
"Are you sure?" James asked.
"Yes," Sandie replied. She explained to him it was the night they made love before she went out with Greg, the night she told him that she loved him back.
"Did you mean it?" James asked her, catching her off guard.
"Yes. I may not know a lot," Sandie said, "but I do know that I love you. You've saved me in more ways than one."
"What about Greg?" James asked her. He was afraid that this baby wasn't going to be enough to keep the two of them together. Besides, she was so young yet that he didn't know if she was ready to settle down.
"I care about Greg," Sandie told him, "but I'm not in love with him."
James wasn't sure what to say, he didn't know if she was just saying that or if she meant it but he honestly didn't care at the moment, she was his.
Greg paced the floor in his apartment. He hadn't heard from Sandie in weeks, even James wouldn't tell him where she was. "She's better off without you," he would tell him. Greg was annoyed and frustrated. Who did James think he was? Keeping Sandie hidden from him. He took the last sip of his bourbon then threw the glass at the wall. He grabbed his keys and headed out the door.
Sandie and James sat on the couch watching a movie, a knock at the door startling them both. Who could that be at this hour? They both thought. James stood and walked over to answer it, the knocking getting louder.
He opened the door to find Greg on the other side and he pushed his way in.
"Come in," James said sarcastically.
Greg saw Sandie on the couch, he looked from her to James and back again. Sandie knew a fight was going to break out, she stood and walked over to where they both stood.
"Where have you been?" Greg asked her.
"Rehab," Sandie replied.
"What did you do to her?" Greg asked James, "You turned her against me."
"I did no such thing. She needed help and I was there for her."
"You stole her from me," Greg said as he took a swing at James, hitting him in the face.
James stumbled backwards. Sandie ran over to him.
"Are you okay?" she asked him, grabbing his arm to steady him.
"Fine," he said. Turning to Greg, he said, "Get out."
Greg grabbed Sandie by the arm. "Not without you," he said.
"Let go," Sandie told him. Greg grabbed her tighter and pulled her to him. He grabbed her in his arms. "Greg, you're drunk, go home before you do something else you'll regret."
"Baby, come with me. I promise I'll do whatever you want," he told her.
"She told you to leave," James demanded.
Greg let go of Sandie, "Fine if this is what you want," he said, "then I'll go."
"We'll talk about this later," Sandie told him, "just go home."
The next day, Sandie arrived at Greg's office to find him sitting there staring at his computer. He looked up when he saw her. She was wearing a long, floral print dress and denim jacket, her hair pulled back, showing off her neck. Immediately thoughts of their relationship came flooding back. He stood and walked over to her.
"Hello, Greg," she said.
"Sandie," he replied. "What are you doing here?"
"We need to talk," she told him. "Do you have time?"
"I always have time for you," Greg told her.
The two of them sat down on the couch, Greg placing his hand on her leg, sending chills through her body and something stirring within her. She removed his hand before they both started something they couldn't finish.
"Greg," Sandie started, "I want you to know that I care about you, a lot, but this relationship that we have, it can't go on like this anymore. At least not right now."
Greg was confused, he was giving him mixed signals. Did she want to be with him or not? Before he could ask, she said,
"I'm pregnant."
Greg's mouth dropped to the floor, he stood and began to pace. Is this why she's been avoiding me? He wondered.
"Is that why you were in rehab? Why you no longer want to be with me?"
"Yes and no," Sandie told him.
"What the hell does that mean?" Greg asked angrily.
"Greg, we have a lot of fun together and the sex, oh my god," Sandie closed her eyes but only for a moment. "But James and I are going to raise this baby together."
Greg was crushed, then he said something he never thought he would say to her,
"Get out!"
