Chapter X- Blood

(19 out of 40 weeks)

My life in the weeks since our parents had visited had only consisted of school and being verbally abused. Gradually, every day, his anger got worse. Just as the little nudges got stronger. Just as my belly grew rounder. I would soon need elastic in the front of my jeans.

I had started to just stay out of his way. I had tried being nice, being sweet, attempted comforting him. He reiterated by being moody and lashing out at me if he saw fit. He never showed remorse. And I was almost at the end of my rope. Emotionally worn down. Every day, I closed myself off a little more. Numb, as I had felt when I was told there was a possibility that I had cancer. I wasn't able to keep it to myself anymore and there was only one person who I could call just to talk without sounding like I was tattling.

Gary was laying on the couch, napping. I briefly wondered if he felt okay (napping wasn't something he did). Despite my irritation with him, I briefly considered feeling his forehead to check for fever. But shook my head, knowing I really shouldn't risk waking him. I just picked up the phone and headed for our bedroom, dialing Jimmy's number as I went down our hallway.

I moved my pillow and sat against the headboard, facing the open door.

He picked up on the third ring. "Hello?"

"Hey Jimmy."

"Pete! I haven't heard from you in a while. Is everything okay?"

"Well… I just need to talk to someone. Things… aren't really okay right now."

"Why not?" He asked, an edge to his voice. An edge that told me he was gritting his teeth.

"He's being an unreasonable bastard." I blurted, my throat swelling as tears welled in my eyes. Damn it. I sniffed and sighed as I brushed tears away from my cheeks with the heel of my hand.

"Shocking." Jimmy apparently did not suspect I was crying. His sarcasm made me smile.

"Come on, Jim. I'm not in the mood for your sarcasm." I was happy I kept my tone of voice even.

"Alright, alright. How is he being unreasonable?"

"The other day I was doing school work and school has been kicking my butt and I'm always asking Gary for help, so I asked Gary for help and he kind of… blew up at me." The memory still upset me.

"What did he say?"

"Asked me why I was so fucking stupid, except with volume."

"What did you do?"

Begrudgingly, I was truthful. "Cried."

A pause. "Oh."

"Yeah. Not very manly, I know."

"Do I need to come kick his ass?"

I laughed. "No. It's okay. I guess we're just both going to be moody. I don't know if I could convince him to switch meds again."

"Why did he switch in the first place?"

"The ones he was taking before we're making him depressed." I explained.

"Pff. Should have told him to man up."

"That's not fair Jimmy." I murmured.

"I'm never going to be fair when it comes to Gary, Pete."

"I know." I sighed. "Sorry I'm whining. I just don't have anyone to talk to about this stuff. How are you?"

"Don't worry about it. I'm good. Getting used to being on campus again. Things are boring here. I almost miss the drama from last year."

I smiled. "See? Gary's good for something."

He laughed. "You may have a point."

"How's Zoe?"

"She's good. We're good. Now fighting or anything at the moment. Pretty happy, I'd say."

"Glad to hear it." Someone had to be having a good time after all. "Tell her I said hi, would you?"

"I will. So… how's the baby?" He failed to keep the awkwardness out of his voice.

"We got to hear the heartbeat. And I can feel it moving and kicking."

"That's a little creepy."

I chuckled. "From your perspective I can see how it would be a tad creepy."

"You don't know if it's a boy or a girl yet?"

"I think we'll be able to find out in a few more weeks."

"Which are you hoping for?"

"I just want it…" I paused. "The baby... to be healthy." I was still going with 'It' despite trying to get out of the habit of doing so.

"I get that. What else had been happening?"

"I met Gary's parents." I offered.

"Oh, God. Was that like, a step in dating or something?"

"We aren't dating." I rolled my eyes, exasperated. "Our kid is going to be part of these families, so I figured we should all get to know each other."

"What were they like?"

"His dad was really distant, almost cold. His mom was alright. Just sort of snobby. She kind of had that air about her."

"Well, that's not what I ever thought they were like." He sounded slightly disappointed.

"What were you thinking?" I asked, curious.

"Maybe weird cultists or something. I'm not really sure."

"Cultists, huh? That sounds pretty farfetched." I wrinkled my nose, amused.

"Yeah, a little. I wasn't picturing normal people when I wondered about his family."

"They're normal, oddly enough." I smiled and pulled my legs closer to my posterior. "Pretty nice too. Gary didn't seem to care for them though."

"Gary doesn't care for anyone." Jimmy murmured.

"Yeah." I murmured back. "I know." Bitter, bitter, bitter.

"You don't have to keep him there, Petey." Jimmy's voice took on a soothing tone.

"What?" A sickening feeling settled in my stomach.

"You could send him back." Coaxing now.

"That... would be beyond cruel."

Jimmy chuckled darkly. "Oh, he doesn't realize how lucky he is to have you deciding his fate. He really doesn't. If he did, he'd treat you better." He sounded like he might be shaking his head in disgust as he glared at nothing in particular.

"I'm not deciding anything, Jimmy. He's here… I may not know why, but I'd like to think it's because he wants to be. It's not like I've got him chained down or anything."

"You know where I stand on this issue." He replied flatly.

"I know… I know." I sighed, closing my eyes as I leaned my head back on the headboard. "I've only got eighteen weeks to go until the baby gets here, but I'm sure we'll figure something out by the-" I gasped and jumped as the phone was quickly pulled from my hand, my heartbeat becoming erratic as I stared up, wide eyed, into Gary's cold gaze.

Gary pressed the phone to his ear, his narrowed gaze never leaving mine. Telling me he knew guilt now constricted my chest.

"Who is this?" His voice was low. That husky tone that border lined sexy.

I swallowed as I began to feel my hands shake.

The moment seemed to stretch on forever but in reality couldn't have been more than fifteen seconds. He pulled the phone away from his ear and glanced at the screen before his gaze returned to my eyes.

"Who were you talking to?" He asked, in a tone that said 'don't you dare even think about lying to me'.

"Jimmy." I found myself breathing out the answer, not able to think. The danger he radiated was captivating.

"I TOLD YOU TO STOP TALKING TO HOPKINS!" His anger was immediate and I recoiled, but my trance was broken and I wasn't going to let him get away with screaming at me again.

"You don't own me, Gary." I was shocked at how I was able to keep my voice steady.

"Like I give a fuck! Don't you dare call him again." He hissed.

"Why can't I call him?" I asked, indignant.

"Because I said so. He puts ideas into that stupid little brain of yours. He tries to turn you against me. Need I go on?" His tone was venomous, his eyes narrowed as he glared at me.

"Stop it." I commanded, glaring back at him.

"Make me." He taunted.

He was pissing me off. He had no right to tell me who I could and couldn't have contact with. I stood from the mattress, shaking with anger as I straightened to my full height. He was not going to treat me like this.

"Quit being a bastard and give me the phone. I'll speak to whomever I like. And you aren't going to stop me." I wanted to hit him, but I kept my hands down and my tone even and assertive.

He snorted. "Want to bet? You'll lose."

I made a grab for the phone. Childishly, he put it behind his back. My anger only amused him, I knew.

"Fine. Keep it." I spat, pushing past him and leaving the bedroom.

I continued to shake in anger as I moved into the living room. I couldn't take much more of his shit.

"You know. Lately, you've been a real bitch." He was following me. I clenched my fists, my teeth grinding against my will.

"I would swear you were on your period if I didn't know any better." His tone told me of the malicious message he was trying to convey.

Whore. He was calling me a whore.

"Fuck you!" I shrieked, turning to face him.

Smirk. "You already did, don't you remember?"

The joy in his eyes tore at my heart. I turned back around, squared my shoulder, took a deep breath, and continued into the living room. Furious, I sat on the couch and buried my head in my hands. I took deep breaths, trying to calm down.

This is what my days had consisted of since our parents had visited two weeks ago. Trying not to kill Gary. Trying not to cry. Trying not to lose hope in him. I didn't know how he couldn't mind the changes in himself that the new medication were causing.

"Are you going to cry?" I could still hear the amusement in his voice.

Something suddenly clicked in my mind. Was he even still taking his medication?

I looked up at him. He stood three feet away, looking down on me. His eyes still joyful with that hateful smirk on his face. I… couldn't believe this was the father of my child. God. What did I do? I quickly reigned in the emotions that threatened to overwhelm me.

I looked away from him and stood. Time to retreat, as I found myself doing frequently, to the bathroom for a shower. Sadly, these days it was my only refuge.

"Where are you going?"

I turned, knowing my face was well masking the storm raging inside of me.

"What do you care? I'm just the stupid whore who lives with you that you treat like shit. Why should it matter where I'm going?"

At least, that's what I wanted to say. Instead, I opted for a one word reply and went to gather up clean clothes.

Once safely barricaded in the bathroom, I started the water and began undressing. I gently touched my tummy, wondering if the baby could hear us fighting. Kind of a weird thought. Even weirder that it bothered me. I didn't like feeling like I was fighting in front of my kid, even if it was a totally unfounded worry.

I stepped into the shower, sighing as I was engulfed in warm water. I took my time washing, making sure not to miss a single area of flesh. I was in no hurry to leave my sanctuary. I sighed as I ran my hands over my tummy. Lately, my body felt huge. My center of gravity had shifted, so I found keeping my balance had become more challenging.

Despite my efforts to prolong the shower, it was over too quickly. I got out of the tub, dried myself off, and dressed in my clean clothes. I left the bathroom and made my way to the kitchen. Dinner, then bed. I was done with him tonight. He was on his own for dinner, I was tired of being nice.

I made a sandwich. It was a light meal. And, as had happened every night of the past week, a craving for rocky road ice cream set in. I had a pint of it in the freezer. I'd eat five or six spoonfuls of it and cut myself off. I really didn't want to gain any more weight than I had to.

I grabbed the carton out of the freezer and sat at the table. I was on my fourth spoonful when Gary walked into the kitchen and went and opened the refrigerator door.

"Have you not made dinner yet?" he asked.

"You're on your own. I had a sandwich."

He cast a sideways glance at me. "Still being a bitch then?"

I clenched my teeth. A cruel smile spread across his face as he closed the fridge and walked over to me. He bent so he was eye level with me. I refused to look at him.

"You really think you're thighs need that ice cream?"

My head snapped up and I glared at him. "Piss off!" I hissed.

Knowing he'd only delight in seeing me cry, I blinked back tears as I stood to quickly put away the pint of ice cream in the freezer and retreat to the bedroom. I was halfway through the hallway when he grabbed my arm.

"Let GO!" I shouted, jerking my arm out of his grip.

"Don't walk away from me." He retorted, gaze cold.

I glared at him, not caring if it angered or amused him. I was PISSED. Could he not just leave me the hell alone?! My hormones were not allowing me to just take his mental abuse. Calling me fat, stupid, a whore? And trying to control me on top of that? My well of forgiveness had run dry. And things were about to get very ugly.

"I preferred you depressed." I growled out. "You may have been distant but at least I didn't want to beat you with something blunt."

He went rigid.

"Are you even taking your medication? You've been such a sociopathic asshole for the past few weeks, I wouldn't be surprised if you weren't."

"Shut your mouth." He growled.

"Make me." I mocked, putting a childish tone into my voice and sneering at him as he had sneered at me.

"SHUT UP!"

"Yeah. It doesn't feel good, does it? You know, I've tried to be very nice to you. But I'm done. I'm not going to be nice anymore."

He pushed me, quick and unexpected and I staggered back into a wall. Luckily, there was nothing but the wall for me to run into.

I kept me gaze even. "Are you trying to intimidate me?"

He clenched his fists. "You need to shut up before I hurt you." He was calm, not glaring and there was no tone in his voice.

Maybe he was right. I really felt like this was his way of giving me a fair warning. A sign to quit while I was ahead.

"You have to stop trying to control me. I'm not going to put up with your B.S. anymore." I said, gentle shaking my head.

My back was still pressed against the wall, so there was no room to back up as he moved to stand in front of me. He pressed his hands against the wall, on opposite sides of my head. His hazel gaze bored into mine. Perhaps I had seemed too complacent? I hadn't meant for my last words to be halfhearted.

Without words, he gently pressed his lips against my neck. I cringed, his warm breath tickling my skin. His lips made shivers run down my spine.

"I… Gary, stop." I gently pushed against his chest. "I really don't want you to touch me right now."

He pulled back, looking at me. "You sure? From where I stand, you're pretty easy."

In the next instant, his head shot back as pain erupted in my right hand and shot up my arm. He staggered back, clenching his nose as crimson liquid gushed from his nostrils. I gaped at him, unsure almost as to what had happened.

The glare he gave me could have stopped my heart. "You stupid WHORE!" he shouted.

"I… I'm…"

"GOD DAMN IT!" He cringed, blood flowing through his fingers.

I was speechless. Had I just… hit Gary?

I jumped as someone knocked on our door. I quickly made my way to the door and opened it. Keith stood outside our door, anxious look on his face.

"Is everything okay?"

I shook my head, still stunned. "I… Gary's bleeding."

Keith gazed down our hallway. "Shit. Peter, he needs a towel or something."

I moved dazedly into the kitchen to grab a towel and brought it back to Keith. Keith in turn handed it to Gary.

"Let's go, both of you. We need to go to the clinic."

The whole way there, Gary cursed at me. But I didn't notice, I was still stunned that I had actually hit Gary.

Once at the clinic, we were immediately taken to separate exam rooms. Keith stayed in my exam room with me. The nurses were tending to Gary first.

"What happened?" Keith asked, pulling a wheeled chair over to sit in front of me. He stared up into my face.

I was trembling, my heart pounding wildly. My initial shock had worn off. I took a deep, shuddering breath. I knew if I didn't calm down I would need my inhaler and it was in a nightstand by my bed in the apartment.

"I hit him." I murmured in a disbelieving tone.

Keith gave me a wry smile. "I figured that much out by the way he was cursing at you. Why did you hit him?"

"He… I don't know. He called me easy." My voice was low, tears welling up in my eyes. Breathing was becoming difficult.

Keith seemed startled by this. "What?"

"It's not even the worst thing he's called me today." I admitted.

There was a pause. And with a look that made it seem like he understood everything, he asked one final question.

"What's he been doing to you?"

And that's all it took for my resolve to crumble. Sobbing, I told him Gary's indiscretions.

When Dr. Abernathy walked in, I was calm if not collected.

"Hello Keith. Thank you for bringing them here. A security officer is waiting to hear your statement."

"Alright. I'll go do that then." He said, standing from the chair and heading towards the door.

"Please do." She took the seat he had just vacated.

Keith glanced at me before leaving. "If you need anything, Jason and I are here for you."

"Thank you." I gave him a small smile. He returned it and left the exam room, closing the door behind him.

"A rather eventful evening, isn't it?" she asked as she took my right hand.

"I'm sorry." I murmured, lowering my gaze to the floor.

A moment of silence. "You broke his nose, you know." I stared at her, wide eyed. "I'm actually rather impressed. You don't look like you pack that hard of a punch."

"Is he… going to be okay?" I asked, hesitant.

"Yes, he'll be fine." She held up her hand and opened and closed it a few times. "Do this."

I attempted it, only moving my thumb and pinky freely. My other fingers only twitched. Moving them even that much sent pain up my arm.

"We'll have to take some X-rays to check for fractures. Follow me."

I hoped off the exam table.

I followed her down a few hallways and into a dim room.

"He's put in a request for a separate living space, which I granted him. Do you want to tell me what happened? He didn't want to share."

I explained as she X-rayed my hand. When I was done, her face was troubled.

"He pushed you?"

I nodded, meek. I didn't like talking about what Gary had done.

"The Connection wouldn't usually allow him to even attempt physical violence." She murmured, brows furrowed.

"The what?" I asked, finally looking up at her.

"The Connection. It's a bond the two of you will share for the rest of your lives. It's a fascinating phenomenon. It would have started shortly before conception. It chooses a random male, at a random time. And it urges him into a lustful state. After conception, it grows stronger. You become in tune with one another. It's a rather romantic notion, I know. But it isn't about love. Our research into it is limited. The Connection does not just bond you two though. It helps you protect each other and the baby. The reason you struck him is not simply because he insulted you. There was something else to it. There has to be." She looked thoughtful as she finished up X-raying my hand.

My head swam with this new information. Something was… binding Gary and I together? Was the Connection what made his eyes glaze over? It had to be. There was no other explanation for it. It's what had prompted him to have sex with me on that stormy night.

"Why did it have to choose Gary?" I sighed, mostly to myself.

My question caught her attention. "We don't know why it chooses who it does. Though it's highly unusual for the Connection to choose while a Carrier is so young." She mused.

I thought this over. Was this whole situation my fault? I mean, it isn't like I had known about being able to get pregnant, but still. I sighed again.

"Has the baby moved any today?" Dr. Abernathy asked, changing gears.

"Yes. Going crazy right now, actually." I was getting used to the nudges, so I didn't acknowledge them as often as I once had.

"All the excitement probably. I'm going to give the two of you a few days apart to cool off. Then I want you both in Ellen's office. I'll make a note to let her know we need to find something else for him to take." She explained. I nodded as a gentle knock on the door caught our attention. A nurse, a woman named Tiara, entered.

"X-ray's ready." She handed Dr. A an envelope.

"Thank you, Tiara." Tiara closed the door and Dr. Abernathy put it in the light panel and turned the panel on. She examined it for a while.

"No fractures. Just some soft tissue damage. Ice it for a few days. Twenty minutes on, twenty minutes off. And a few Tylenol for the pain. I'm going to allow both of you a week off school. I want you two to work through this. Ellen will let you know your appointment date tomorrow."

I nodded. "Alright."

"A security officer is waiting to take your statement and escort you home. You and Gary will no longer be sharing an apartment. For the time being, anyway. When he's readjusted to different meds and we've put this evening behind us, you may decide you want to live together again."

She walked me to the lobby, where a security officer stood, waiting for me.

"Peter, this is Luke. Tell him what happened. He'll take you home."

"Thank you. I'm sorry about this." It was late. She seemed tired. I knew I was ready to just sleep.

She gave me a kind smile. "I'm used to being woken up at all hours of the night. Trust me, its fine. Go get some sleep."

"I will." I returned her smile before she turned to go back into the halls of the clinic.

"Shall we?" Luke asked, effectively catching my attention.

I nodded. Luke led the way to my apartment. I let us in, glad to be home. Even if it hadn't exactly been pleasant there lately.

"I'm going to look around, make sure he isn't here. His stuff should be with him already." Luke explained, moving through the apartment. He turned on lights as he went.

"Alright, thank you. Would you like anything to drink?"

"No, I'm perfectly fine. Thank you though. I'll only be a moment." He went to search the apartment more thoroughly. I took a seat on the couch, letting out a shuddering sigh and burying my head in my hands.

Tonight had been the icing on a cake baked in the bowels of hell. Why did this whole situation keep getting worse? I'd taken a great deal of verbal abuse from Gary before I got pregnant. He had been pretty easy going during the pregnancy in comparison. Except for the last two weeks. Our relationship, if you could call it that, had gone to hell. I didn't think we could salvage it. At this point, I'm almost certain we're both done.

But I've been wrong before.

I straightened up as I heard Luke coming back into the living room.

"Everything looks to be in order. Now how about you tell me what happened."

I again told my side of the story. Luke took down my words on a note pad. Occasionally he would ask me a question and I would answer. After thirty minutes, I had told all there was to tell. Luke glanced over his notes and then looked up at me.

"So that's it?"

"Yes." I nodded.

"Are you interested in pressing charges?" He asked, a single brow raised to question me.

"What? No! I hit him." I exclaimed.

"Calm down. I have to ask. It's protocol."

"Oh. I… I'm not interested in pressing charges."

"Alright. Then I guess that's it. Someone will check-up on you every hour or so starting tomorrow morning."

"I understand. Thank you." I showed him out and locked the door.

The apartment was very quiet. It was late and I was tired. The baby was still.

"Are you settled down for the night?" I asked, mostly to fill the silence, as I pressed my palm against my swollen abdomen.

Silence again. I sighed. Not having Gary around made me realize how use to his presence I had gotten. Usually he'd be watching TV, moving about, or we'd talk. There was none of that now.

I stood thinking over the night for a moment with my hand gently caressing my stomach before I headed towards my bedroom. It was the first time in months that I would sleep in a bed alone.

As I lay in the dark, I still could not believe I had hit him. Obviously I had. I just couldn't… understand the force that made me do it. The Connection. Being bound to Gary for the rest of my life? I could see my life playing out like a twisted joke.

I buried my face into my pillow and again found myself asking why this was happening to me. What other-worldly being had I pissed off so bad that I had found myself in this position?

I would really like to know. Because being a sixteen year old teenage boy who was pregnant with a sociopath's baby wasn't a walk in the park by any means.

And that wasn't all. How was I going to deal with Gary after this? He was going to kill me. I was surprised as tears welled up in my eyes.

Was it that I was scared of him? No, not exactly. He could be pleasant to be around at times. I just wonder it… maybe he'll leave? My chest tightened with that thought.

No matter what, I didn't want him to leave.

Don't assume I like him with that though! I just… want someone here with me. And I'd prefer it to be him. You know, because he's the baby's father.

Of course, it he really wanted to go I wouldn't stop him. He doesn't have to be part of the baby's life. I think it would hurt me though. Not knowing what to say if the kid ever asked about Gary. Those questions would be hard.

I swallowed a lump in my throat. There's no point in worrying myself sick. Whatever happens, happens. And until it happens, there is no point worrying. I had to be sure to remember that in the following days.

Just be honest, I told myself, when you sit down with him on that couch to talk about it.

I took a deep breath and turned onto my other side. The only thing I wanted to be thinking about was sleep. Enough of Gary. Enough.

-End Ch. 10-

This was late. My grandparents were in town. I'm will get around fixing my mistakes in past chapters tonight. There are five chapters left. The reason the last chapter was so fluffy was because their relationship was going to take a nose dive in this chapter (just a heads up guys, for future chapters).