Chapter 15
We walk in the front door and Herm pulls me to him. I pull away and tell him "You aren't out of the doghouse. You still let another woman touch you. There's a pillow and blanket in the hall closet. Take the couch." He looks at me, clearly hurt, but doesn't argue. I walk to the bedroom, change into one of my t-shirts and shorts and climb into bed. As I lay there, I can't get that image out of my head so I spend the rest of the night crying.
Waking up the next morning, I decide I need some space. Herm is still asleep on the couch so I get dressed and slip out without waking him. I drive out of Charming and up to the cabin. When I get there, I see my dad's trike sitting in the driveway. Walking in, dad is sitting on the couch with his morning Tequila. "Hey Sweetheart. What are you doing here?" he greets me. I walk to the couch, sit down beside him and lay my head against his shoulder. "What's wrong, Princess?" He asked. He only calls me Princess when he is worried. I start crying again. "Can I stay with you for a few days? I need to clear my head." I asked him. "Sure Sweetheart. Want to tell me what happened?" I look up at him and tell him about Laura and Herm. "You know, Sweetheart, that man loves you. He wouldn't cheat on you. Maybe he is telling the truth." He tells me. "I believe him Daddy but I just can't get that image out of my head and being knocked up, I can't even drink it away." I tell him as the tears start falling harder. "Stay here for a couple of days, enjoy the fresh air. I'll let your Old Man know you are here." he tells me. "No, I don't want him to know where I am. He will come up here and I can't clear my head with him here. I'll call Ope that way someone knows where I am." I tell him.
Getting up from the couch, I kiss my dad's cheek and walk out to the porch and call my brother. "Hello?" I hear Opie answer. "Hey Giant." I say. "Savy, where are you? Your Old Man is looking for you and freaking out." he tells me. "Just tell him I'm safe. I'm at the cabin with Daddy. I need a few days to clear my head. Just please don't tell him where I am." I plead. "As long as you are safe, I won't tell him but please check in with me once in awhile so that I can keep him from losing his shit." he says. "I will. Love you Giant." I say. "Love you too Bitty." He says. We only call each other by these nicknames when something is wrong. That is our little bond.
I walk back into the house and sit on the couch by daddy and we watch some old westerns before I fall asleep. Daddy covers me up and heads to bed. Waking up the next morning, I cook breakfast but can't eat much before the morning sickness starts again. I feel miserable. Sitting back down beside Daddy he asked, "You okay?" I look at him and say, "Morning sickness. This shit sucks Daddy. I don't know if I am more miserable with him or without him." I tell my dad. "Do you love him?" Daddy asked. "Of course I do. That was never a question." I say. "Then let him back in. You will get past this." he tells me.
A couple of hours later, Daddy tells me he has to head to the clubhouse for church leaving me there alone to think. A few hours later, I am sitting on the back porch with a cup of tea and hear a bike pull up. Thinking that it's my dad, I don't move. I hear footsteps walking out to the porch and hear his voice. "Sav?" I look up and see Herm standing there. "Hey." I say, looking back at the lake in the distance. "What are you doing here?" I asked him. "Your dad told me where you were." he says. "Of course he did. What do you want, Herm?" I asked, still not looking at him. He gets on his knees in front of me and forces me to look at him. "I want my wife, my child. I don't want to lose you." he tells me and I notice his red rimmed eyes. "You're not losing me. I just needed some time to process all this shit. I keep seeing it every time I close my eyes." I tell him. "Baby, I'm sorry." he tells me.
I start to yawn and he asks, "When was the last time you slept?" I just shake my head, "I have slept a little here and there but last time I really slept was a few days ago." I admit. Picking me up, he carries me to one of the bedrooms and lays me down. "Lay with me?" I asked. He strips down to his boxers and climbs into bed with me. He pulls me back against him and wraps his arms around me tightly. "Good night Baby." he whispers. "I love you Herm." I say before drifting off to sleep.