Sorry it took me so long to update. This chapter is a bit quite, it's mostly Parker and Eleanor.
Italic is mostly Parker talking to herself.
She enters Nate's and Sophie's apartment in the morning with purple circles around her eyes, deeply breathing as she prepares to face the pair of judging eyes that will fall upon her.
"Am I late?" She asks on a strand of voice; she knows that's not what she should be saying. Eliot frowns at her on a "What's wrong with you?" expression that she hasn't seen in a while and on way that says, "Where the hell did you spend the night?".
Hardison is the one that responds her "Nah girl, Sophie and Nate just arrived from their hot date, spent the night out..." Parker automatically turns away from Eliot not wanting to face him.
"Cool! Where are they?", "In their room." And she heads there without even approaching her husband.
Parker knocks on the door, not out of habit, but because the last time she didn't she had nightmares for a week; a feminine, giggly voice tells her to enter.
Nathan is still wearing his suit, but his tie disappeared on the night, Sophie's hair is now loose with a flower on it and her high heels are scattered randomly on the floor; she has his jacket on. Their smiles disappear the moment they see it's her; Sophie runs to her.
"Parker, we were worried about you!" She says as she takes her hands in her own pulling her inside the room.
"Eliot told us you didn't sleep at home" Nathan says on a neutral tone and she likes that, she likes he only states the facts not judging her.
Sophie is still holding her hands smiling at her on that motherly way of hers, Parker founds out she still doesn't want to talk about it, this is a problem she has to solve on her own; no one can help her this time.
"I was thinking if I could pick Eleanor up from school" She says it because she doesn't want to stay home, surrounded by questioning eyes that won't leave her alone.
On her way to school she steals a new locket for Eleanor as a present, Eleanor spots her at the front gate and runs at her, a huge smile on her face, no judging, questioning eyes.
They're sitting at a bench on the park when she starts speaking, just like her mother, Eleanor always knows what to say.
"Uncle Eliot cried last night, it was scary. Why was he crying?" Parker lowers her head down. Because of me. "I think he's scared for you and the baby, he really loves you both..." The girl bites her lip not really knowing how to approach the subject on a way that won't make aunt Parker feel trapped. "Is the baby hurting you?" Yes. She doesn't answer, Eleanor doesn't expect her too. "Can't uncle Eliot help you if you tell him what's happening?" He can't help me and I would only harm him. "Can't you ask my parents? They already helped you..." Parker shakes her head. She can't discuss this. "That's what I thought you know? When that happened..." The girl swings her legs on the bench as she remembers what happened to her. "But then you told me it wasn't my fault even though I felt so dumb for not spotting him... and you made me talk and that helped. Why can't talk help you?" The girl gives her her hand.
"Talking doesn't always help, sometimes it only makes it worse." Parker says finally. "We should go home!" and she gets up not waiting for the girl.
They are already at the door when Eleanor hugs her and she realizes the little girl is crying.
"Don't leave me aunt Parker, please!" Parker hugs the girl back without answering because she doesn't know what's going to happen, all she can do is hope that with the distance between her and Eliot the baby will stop hurting her and that after its born she will stop suffering.
Why is the baby hurting Parker? Why can't she talk about it?