8 Weeks Later
The past eight weeks had been rough on Tori. She hadn't slipped into a depression, but more like a shameful stage. The only time she had been out of her apartment was to go to her job at the hospital. After her shift was over, she would come straight back to the house. Unfortunately, Tori hadn't talked to Shannon in the 8 weeks either. Tori just thought if he would have found out what happened, he wouldn't want any "damaged" goods to himself.
"Tori, have you talked to Shannon yet?" Angela asked as she walked into her friend's kitchen.
She only shook her head no as she watched Angela sit next to her. "Do you realize how much this is killing him?"
Tori was shocked. "What are you talking about?"
"Tori, he thinks that you aren't talking to him because of the night you guys spent together. You should tell him what's going on."
"Ang, why would he want me after what happened. I'm probably considered damaged goods to him." Tori said as she started crying.
"Tori, what's really the matter? You know that Shannon wouldn't think that of you. Please tell me..."
She then got up from the kitchen, walking over to her kitchen window. "The other day I realized I was over a month late."
"Late? Late for what?" Angela asked confused. Tori then gave her a look, and then realized what she was talking about. "Do you think your pregnant?"
"I know I am. I took a test the other day and it came back positive. Because of what Jason did to me, I don't know who the father is," she said as she started to cry again.
Angela then walked up to her friend, and immediately embraced her in a hug. "Don't you think Shannon has a right to know?"
Tori nodded her head. "I guess I didn't want to say anything yet because I didn't want to get his hopes up. What if a paternity test comes back and says that Jason is the father, and Shannon was all hiped up about it. What if he doesn't even want anything to do with the baby?"
"Well, unfortunately you won't know until you tell him, but you have to. If I know my cousin like I think I do, he won't leave your side. He isn't like that."
The next day, Tori drove up to the tattoo shop after her shift at work. She thought she would be sick as she walked through the door. One of Shannon's employees, Chad, first noticed Tori.
"Hi Tori."
"Hi. Is Shannon around?"
"Yeah, I think he is in his office." Chad said.
"Thanks," Tori said as she walked to the back of the office. She then knocked on the door, and once she heard Shannon say come in, she nervously walked through the door.
"Hi Shannon."
He looked up from his paperwork, and was instantly happy to see Tori. He walked toward her, feeling both excited and shocked to see her. "Long time no see, Tori. I'm glad to see you."
"I'm happy to see you too," she said as they wrapped each other in a hug.
"What's been up the past two months? Are you mad about the night we had together?"
"Absolutely not," she said as the two sat close to each other on Shannon's desk. "I am about to tell you something that will probably make you ashamed of me, and it will explain my behavior the last several weeks."
"Ok," Shannon said with concern in his voice. "Go ahead when your ready."
Tori took a deep breath and then went for it. "First of all, I don't regret our night together. It was a wonderful night, and I smiled the whole way home. When I got home, I got a visitor I didn't care to see."
"Who was it Tori?" Shannon asked as he took her hand for support.
"Well, you remember the relationship I told you I got out of a year or so ago?" she asked as Shannon nodded. "His name is Jason, and it was him," she said as she started crying.
"Can you tell me what happened?"
"We started arguing. First he slapped me, and then he started beating me until I could barely move. The last thing I remember before passing out is him climbing on top of me, and he..."
"Oh my God," Shannon said as he wrapped her in a hug, knowing where she was going. "You don't have to continue...I know where your story is going. Why didn't you tell me in the first place?"
"I don't know," she replied through tears. "I was kind of thinking that you may not want to see me anymore, and that you would think I am 'damaged'."
"Damaged? Tori, you didn't ask to be raped. If you would let me, I would go find that guy and beat him within inches of his life. No man should ever do that to a woman. Tor, I want to help you heal your wounds, and get through this rough patch."
"Do you mean that?"
"Absolutely. Like I told you that night, I want to see where this relationship goes. If that means helping you get through this rough patch in your life, than so be it."
Tori didn't say anything, as got off the desk to face Shannon, wrapping her arms around his neck. The two sat in comfortable silence for a few moments, not moving from their spot by the desk. "Shannon, there is a second part to my story."
"What is it?" he asked, facing her.
Tori stayed silent as Shannon started caressing her cheek. "What is it? You can tell me."
"I'm pregnant."
"Wow," was all Shannon could say. He ran his hand over his hair, and faced Tori again. To say he wasn't shocked was an understatement.
"Also, since I was raped the morning after our night together, I'm not sure...who the...father is," she said quietly.
The shocked looked stayed on Shannon's face as he couldn't say anything, and soon Tori got the hint. "Listen, I shouldn't have come. Sorry to have bothered you," she said as she walked out of the room crying, before Shannon could stop her.
"Oh crap, that didn't go the way I wanted to," Shannon said out loud as he watched his friend, Matt walk in his office.
"Dude, I just watched Tori walk out of here in tears. What happened?"
Shannon walked right past him, and shut the door so they could have some privacy. "I need to talk to you about something, but you can't tell anyone. This has to be between me and you."
"Ok ok," Matt said nodding his head, sitting in Shannon's office chair. "What's going on?"
"Remember how I told you that I hadn't talked to her in like two months? Well, she told me today that she was beaten and raped by an ex-boyfriend the morning after our night together."
"Oh my God!" Matt exclaimed. "How is she?"
"Well, for starters, she is eight weeks pregnant."
"Wow! What did you say?"
"I couldn't say anything just because I was so shocked. Before I could say anything, she ran out of the room, and that is when you saw her."
Matt only nodded as Shannon went on. "One more thing...since the rape happened after our night together, I may or may not be the father."
"What are you going to do?"
"That is what I need you help for. If this kid is mine, I am ecstatic and willing to be there every step of the way, but what if it ends up that its her ex-boyfriend? I still want to support Tori, but if I find out that the baby is his, I think that would kill me."
Matt got up from his chair and then took a seat next to one of his good friends. "Shan, you like Tori, right?"
"More than anything."
"I think the best possible solution is to just be with her and support her...show her not every guy, especially you, is like her ex-boyfriend. If the baby doesn't end up being yours, then you will still have to be there for her if you want to keep her in your life. Sure it will be hard, but you guys will just have to get through it together."
Shannon nodded as he gave his friend a quick hug. "Thanks man.
"Your welcome, now go find Tori."
He nodded once again as he left his office and hopped into his car. Meanwhile, Tori was lying on the couch after getting sick in the bathroom.
"Don't worry baby," she whispered. "We will get through this somehow."
As she was about to start crying again, she heard a knock on the door, and reluctantly got up to answer it. She was shocked to see Shannon on her door stop, with a bouquet of roses in his hand.
"Hi Shannon."
"Hi Tor. Can we talk for a second?"
Tori nodded as she fully opened the door to let Shannon in, who immediately gave her the flowers. "Thank you for the flowers. They are beautiful."
"Your welcome," he said smiling. "Listen, I'm sorry for earlier. I was just kind of shocked about the baby news."
"I can understand, and I'm sorry I avoided you for the last two months. I shouldn't have ran out of your office either."
"Listen, I want you in my life, and whether this baby is mine or not, I want to raise it like my own. You are way to important to me to let you go again."
Tori smiled as she stepped up to Shannon, placing a long, soft kiss on his lips, and hugging him. "Thank you. Thank you for everything."
"Your welcome, and don't worry, we will get through this. I promise."