Ana
"It's okay Jason," I try to reassure him.
He stares at me impassively for a while before he nods stiffly and starts devouring his food. I frown and continue my with my own food.
"Taylor," Christian nods.
"Grey," he nods back.
Christian hands me my water and sits down beside me.
"Thank you," I say with a full mouth.
"Welcome baby," he smiles and starts on his mash potatoes.
"So Taylor, where have you been? We haven't seen you in a while," Christian frowns.
Jason stops eating and looks up at Christian. He thinks about the question for a second before he responds.
"I've been away. What about you two?"
He shoves his food into his mouth. I stop mid-bite and frown at him in confusion. That's it?
Wonder where he has been? He hasn't elaborated on where he has been for the last two weeks. We met Jason Taylor about a year ago. Christian and I were walking around Trumbull St/ Lincoln St. It's one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in all of Detroit. We were passing through to get to one of the nearby shelters for the night. Christian and I knew that the area was extremely dangerous, so we tried to move as fast as we could.
We walked through Lincoln Street Art Park. The park has a long wall that is littered with graffiti. Numerous homeless people tend to sleep there, and hang around the park on a regular basis. Christian and I were power walking through the park when we spotted Jason pushing a cart that was full of tin cans. He had on a dark wool coat and a dirty scarf around his neck. I remember we stopped for a second so Christian can fix his backpack that was on his shoulder. Jason looked over at us and pushed his cart over towards us. He stopped in front of me and stared right at me. He was massive. He looked former military, with his dark brown buzz cut. His deep brown eyes stared into mine curiously.
"Let's go, Ana," Christian hisses.
I whipped my head around and frowned at him in confusion.
He tugged me forward, but I halted.
"Christian it's okay. He hasn't done anything," I hiss back.
"We don't know him, Anastasia. Let's go," he says firmly.
I roll my eyes and walk forward. Christian pulling me as I look back at the mystery man, and he is staring at me with a small smile tugging at his lips.
That was the first time we saw Jason Taylor. We saw him around the various shelters throughout the year. When Christian and I found this safe haven, we saw Jason waiting in line. We got to talking, and he told us that he was former military; the Marines. He was honorably discharged from service about five years ago. He was diagnosed with PTSD six months after he was released. He told us that him and his wife; Gail moved to Detroit for her job shortly after leaving the military. She was a nurse at Detroit Medical Center.
He told us that she died two years ago, due to a drive by shooting. They were coming home from dinner when a car full of drug dealers shot Gail in the head, and she died instantly. They shot Jason, but the bullet only hit his shoulder. He was rushed to the hospital where he was told that his wife didn't make it that night. His PTSD was affected more severely due to the shooting that night.
He spent a couple of days in the hospital where he was later discharged. He told us that he didn't have a job when his wife died. She had the only income, due to the severity of his PTSD, he couldn't hold down a job.
They had little to no savings when she died, and he couldn't keep their house. The money ran out, and he was hit with hard times. The bank took his house, and car and Jason were left with nothing.
He has been living on the streets ever since.
I always shed a tear when I think about how his wife passed away. There are so many cruel things in this world. Nobody deserved to die the way she did. Gail was everything to Jason. You can tell he loved her. I know he is still having a hard time with her death. Sometimes we can hear him call out her name at night. I can always hear him crying and begging for her not to leave him. It's heartbreaking that he lost his wife in the cruelest way possible.
It makes me appreciate Christian more. It makes me hug him a little tighter at night. I always feel guilty that I have the man that I love by my side when he has no one. Whenever we see him, I always try to include him in our plans. He doesn't always let his feelings show. He is always impassive with us. He built up walls to protect himself, and he is always hesitant to let anyone in again. Even though he has his walls built up, I can always tell I hold a special place in his heart. His eyes always soften just a little when I speak to him.
Jason is like an uncle to Christian and I. He is always protecting us even when he doesn't realize he is doing it.
"Anastasia and I have been alright," Christian brings me out of my thoughts.
He nods and finished his food. I push my empty plate to the side and watch Christian shove the rest of his food into his mouth. Christian has always had a hearty appetite. I have as well. When you don't have food most days, it's inevitable to eat all of the food on your plate.
He pushes his plate away and takes a big gulp of water. Jason stands up and takes his plate and walks off without a word or a backwards glance. I sigh and shake my head.
"He'll be alright baby," he rubs my back.
"I know, but I just feel terrible for him," I murmur.
"I know me too baby. He will be alright. It just takes time."
He places his arm on my shoulder, and I lean on him. He kisses my hair softly. We sit there for a little while longer. I sigh and sit up. I need to talk to Shana about what happened. I need to see if there is anything she can do.
"I need to speak with Shana, Christian," I murmur.
I twist my fingers that are sitting in my lap.
He sighs and nods. He kisses my forehead.
"I'll be with Jason. Come find me when you are finished talking," he nods to Jason.
I nod, and he kisses me once more. He gets up and walks over to Jason who is looking out of the window with this hands behind his back, and his feet shoulder width apart. Christian stands next to him and shoves his hands in his pockets as they both stare out of the window silently.
A small smile tugs at my lips. I get up and throw our trash away at the trashcans that are lined up on the wall.
I maneuver around the various people who are getting ready for bed or getting comfortable on their cots for the night. I come to the closed door and knock and wait.
"Come in," she says sweetly.
I open the door, and she is sitting behind her test writing something down on a piece of paper.
"Ana, is everything okay dear?" she says concerned.
"Yeah. Can I come in and talk to you real quick?" I bit my lip.
"Of course," she says.
I close the door and sit in one of the seats that are placed in front of her desk.
"What's going on?"
I sit there and stare at my knotted fingers. I bit my lip and think of a way to bring up the potential pregnancy.
She sits there patiently. Waiting for me to start talking. I take a deep breath and look up.
"I was wondering if the shelter had any morning after pills still available," I murmur.
Her eyebrows shoot up and stare at me in shock.
"Let me look in the system honey," she says after a few seconds.
She starts her computer and pushes a few keys. After a minute or two, she sighs deeply. I stop breathing. She looks over to me and gives me look of sympathy. I close my eyes and try not to break down.
"I'm sorry sweetie, but the shelter just ran out a few days ago. You know that pill is extremely popular around here. We put in a new order yesterday, and it seems the orders are backed up. I'm afraid we won't get any for another week or so," she explains softly.
"Okay," I choke back a sob.
"When did the unprotected intercourse happen?" she asks.
"This morning," I whisper embarrassed.
"Oh, honey I'm sorry."
She gets up and walks over to me and gives me a motherly hug. I wrap my arms around her and cry silently into her shoulder.
"It will be alright honey," she whispers in my ear.
I nod and continue to cry while she rocks me back and forth. What are we going to do?
I stop crying a couple of minutes later. I pull back and wipe my face with a tissue that she hands me. She helps me wipe my nose, and I giggle slightly at her motherly touch. I miss my mom. I wish she was here to comfort me, and tell me everything is going to be alright.
"Honey, if it happens then we will be here to help you. I want you to start taking care of yourself from now on. Just in case. Alright?" she says softly.
"Okay," I agree.
"Okay." She gets up and walks over to her desk and sits down.
"I want you to go out and try to get some sleep. Try not to worry about it, and just take care of yourself. I want you and Christian to be at the shelter every day. I hate to see you guys out there, especially when it's starting to get cold out there," she says.
"I know Mrs. Shana. Well, try our best," I assure her.
"Good, go out and get some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow," she nods.
I give her a grateful smile and get up and close the door. I lean back and take a deep breath. I knew it was a long shot about the pill. The women here get prescribed the pill daily, and usually it is sold out unless you have the means of driving over to the Planned Parenthood that is over 35 miles away from the shelters. I sigh and walk into the large room and look for Christian and Jason.
I walk into the kitchen area since I don't see them by our chosen cots. I look over at the windows and see that they haven't even moved from their spot by the window. I see Christians mouth moving and Jason nod now and then so I know they are in the middle of a conversation.
I don't want to interrupt them, so I go over and sit down at an empty table and wait for them to finish talking. I lean over the table and cross my arms and place my head on my folded arms. I watch the various people still eating and talking amongst each other. My eyes start to feel heavy. It's been a long, exhausting day.
Just when I am about to close my eyes fully I feel someone sit down next to me. I sit up and rub my tired eyes. I look over at the person who just sat down and spot the boy that I played peek-a-boo outside while we were waiting to come inside of the shelter.
"Hi," he says shyly.
"Hi there," I smile.
"You tired?" he asks.
I nod and smile at him. He nods back and looks down at the table. I see that he is a beautiful little boy. He looks just over two years old. He has beautiful dark brown hair and green eyes. He seems a little underweight, but that is normal for so many children that are without homes, and without proper nutrition.
"Where is your parents, sweetie?" I frown.
"In da big room," he says.
I nod, and we sit there in silence. I twist my fingers while he looks at the various people in the kitchen area.
"LIAM!" someone yells suddenly.
I jump as well as most of the people in the kitchen when we hear someone yell out. I look up and see his mother frantically look around the room. I wave her over, and when she sees her son sitting next to me she places her hand over her heart, and I see her physically relax. She runs over to us.
"Oh, thank God. Liam, you cannot just run off like that," she scolds him.
The little guy looks down ashamed. I ruffle his hair to try to cheer him up. His mother sits down next to me and brings him into her lap and kisses his forehead.
"Thank you for keeping an eye on him. He likes to run around without telling anyone," she shakes her head.
"It's alright," I smile.
She sighs and kisses his head once more. The boy snuggles into her arms. I smile at the pair beside me.
"I didn't get your name?" she asks.
"Oh, sorry. I'm Anastasia, but everyone calls me Ana," I offer her my hand.
She gives me a beaming smile and shakes my hand enthusiastically.
"I'm Mia. Mia Kavanagh."
AN: Thank you for the reviews/followers/favorites
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