Chapter Twenty-Three: Junior's Bad Pancakes

The feelings i was having were confusing. It was a relief because he'd be gone from my life for a little while- and this was my time to try and get him arrested. I was so insanely happy- but there was a recurring feeling of worry. Was he okay? I couldn't shake the feeling, but my happiness outweighed the fear. There was a stupid part of me that was attached to him. He'd broken into me that i needed him, even though i was fully capable of living by myself. At least i thought i was. But deep down i knew i needed dave, and dave needed me.

This was it. The first night me and dave had together in months- of course, junior was still there, though. Reaper and jessie- the puppy -got along very well, and david was completely attached to her, it was completely adorable. Dave opened his arms up once he laid down. I crawled into his arms- and there was the pain again. I couldn't figure out what, if anything, was triggering it.

"You alright?" he asked softly, my hair in his hands. I took a deep breath, and he mimicked me. I thought it was cute when he mirrored me unconsciously like that.

"No" i whined I'd told him about it, but convinced him it was really nothing after he'd grown concerned and said we should go to a doctor "i'd rather not have a satanic little beast inside of me" i said and he chuckled. It was a joke- but i wasn't so sure anymore. The thing was constantly hurting me, especially at the worst times.

"Maybe me and the beast" he laughed again "will get along just fine"

"Im positive" i looked up at him, smiling. He looked into my eyes. That always gave me chills... you really know theres mutual love when you can look into someone's eyes and find your happy place. The place that makes your entire body melt, and your thoughts run wild, yet there are no thoughts. Just his eyes. Dave's eyes. dave's hand went up to my cheek.

"You are going to make the best mother i've ever seen" he said and kissed me, softly sucking on my bottom lip. Just then junior busted open the door. He covered his eyes

"There's some guy for you, jack" he said, not moving his fingers from his eyes. I sighed and got out of bed. Dave held my hand. I didn't understand who would be here- it was like midnight.

Donny apparently overdosed on cocaine earlier that day. He wasn't dead- but pretty damn close. I wasn't sure when he'd be out of rehab, but i was pretty sure i was safe until then. I wondered if he'd go to jail or not. Or if they'd convict him of anything other than drug use.

It was a cop. What?

"You're jackie?" he asked and i nodded, slightly hiding behind dave. I felt like a little kid.

"jeez you're hard to find" he chuckled "we tried your father, then your mother, and neither of them could give clear directions here, so we're sorry to get involved this late at night" i didn't answer. I was, in all honesty, mortified. I wanted him to keep going, but dave spoke up for me.

"Sorry, but what are you doing here?" dave asked. I was surprised he was being so calm with a cop there. He didn't particularly like them, which wasn't surprising in the slightest.

"I just need to take jackie in to clear up some questions at the station" he said. He looked very nice, but i was still quite intimidated. Dave sort of shuffled me to the side of him, instead of behind him, and put his arm around my waist.

"As long as she doesn't leave my side" dave said in a protective voice. It wasn't quite threatening, but it was close.

"Sure, sure" he said.

"I'm sorry" dave said in an apologetic tone "we're not exactly ready to go out right now, give us a few minutes?" the officer nodded and told us he'd be waiting to give us a ride. Dave threw me my coat and looked at me. "Are you gonna be okay?" he asked. I nodded slowly. I hoped i would be okay.

We got to the station around twelve-thirty. I wasn't the best liar, and that scared me.

"Dave, what if i tell them" i whispered in his ear as we walked into the office of some sort of investigator? I wasn't sure. They weren't really saying much, just telling us where to sit.

"You'll be okay" he said, holding my hand tightly. He tried not to show it, but he was nervous too. I mean- he could go to jail. But nobody had to know.

"So, jackie, you're pregnant?" a man said and sad down across a little table from us. He was in his late forties, maybe early fifties. He looked tired, angry. He had a southern accent and was wearing almost all black. He was tall and smelled like whiskey.

"Yes" i said. He nodded, and wrote something down.

"And who is this man?" he asked. I let go of dave's hand.

"A friend,"

"You sure you ain't just making up all this bullshit about donny whitman to keep your little friend safe from jail?" he asked. Dave snickered under his breath.

"Sir" dave said a little too cockily "if that was my baby in her, i wouldn't hide it" the man took a drink from a flask he got from a drawer and handed it to dave. Dave shook his head "trying to quit" he mumbled. I smiled a little

"Well are you two not living together? Who's to say that two young kids that live in the same place aren't also having sex?" i cut in

"Sir, please, is this really what you asked me here for?" i asked. He sighed and went on

"So, your saying donny whitman kidnapped you, abused you verbally and physically, and why?" he asked, as if he was trying to get me to slip up in my elaborate plot. But i wasn't lying.

"He wanted to get me pregnant. I was young and i guess he figured i wouldn't leave him"

"And how exactly did he 'kidnap' you?" he asked.

"Well" i hesitated "he'd been stalking me for weeks- i had.. A falling out with a friend and he was there, and i was fighting with dave so he invited me to his house out of the rain" i said. I was starting to get emotional.

"Right," he said "you seem to fight a lot, don't you?" he asked. Jesus. The rest of the night was like that. He didn't believe me. He told me we'd have to get some sort of test once the baby was born. He told me i could press charges, but he told me my chances of getting him convicted were slim to none considering there really wasn't any incriminating evidence.

When we finally made it home it was four in the morning. So much for a quiet night with dave. But i couldn't sleep. Dave let me braid his hair and we stayed up. I had a really bad feeling about the next few weeks. Eventually, i passed out thinking about what would happen if we took this to court, which, of course, led to nightmares. I would wake up every few minutes for about three hours, until i gave up and decided to take a shower. Dave was already asleep, so i didn't want to wake him to ask to accompany me. So i left the room, but junior was cooking. Oh god.

"Junior" i groaned "i thought we told you not to use up the food unless you know you won't burn it" i said and another pain in my stomach. I bit my lip and watched his expression turn to embarrassment.

"I'm sorry" he whined "i'm just so hungry" he said and smiled sheepishly. I smiled

"Fine, but you buy the eggs you use" i said and sat on the counter, giving up my idea for a shower. I figured david could cheer me up just fine. "So, what'd he want" he asked me "i fell asleep before you guys even left" he laughed. Whatever he was making looked really really good.

"Just some jackass cop wanting the story" i rolled my eyes and sighed. Reaper came to me and rested his head on my lap, looking up at me. I smiled and petted him, then stopped. He started to whine until i kept touching him. He was such an attention whore like dave.

"Huh" he said and handed me a plate of pancakes "here" he smiled. I smiled back warmly. He was so sweet to me.

"It looks like you're getting better at cooking" i said and took the plate from him, eating some of it. Another pain came, but this time it was different. I shoved the plate to his chest and hopped off the counter, running towards the bathroom. I threw up in the sink. Shit.

"Was it really that bad?" i heard junior call after me, discouraged. It wasn't the pancakes at all. I puked five times before i could stably get up and walk out without immediately regretting it and going back to vomit more. I was crying; every time i threw up, i cried.

"Jesus, i swear i cooked them all the way" junior said defensively, putting his hands in the air. I rolled my eyes

"get dave" i said quietly, feeling lightheaded. I sat on the couch and put my head in my hands, trying to think straight. Why was i so sick all the sudden?

Dave came out a few minutes later, rubbing his eyes tiredly

"What's wrong?" he asked and yawned.

"I'm sick" i cried and opened my arms helplessly for him to hug me. He sat on the couch and pulled me into his lap.

"Why" he asked. I shrugged slightly

"I don't know... it was so sudden" i sniffed and he rubbed my back.

"I think that's supposed to happen," he said, but it was more of a question than a statement. He was entirely clueless, and so was i.