Authors: Brittney N.
The next week Emma and Zack went about their lives normally. But when Thursday came, they both went to see the ultrasound of their baby together. When the image popped on the screen and they could see that there was a heartbeat, Emma smiled and tears welled in her eyes. Zack couldn’t help but do the same. They were going to be parents.
For the next couple of months, Emma glowed. It wasn’t just because she was pregnant, it was because she was happy. Zack took her out on dates to the movies, they even went to a drive in theater. They went to concerts, restaurants, and he even took her as a date to banquets. She felt like she was on cloud nine, and she also felt like the feeling she had for him before made perfect sense now. She was falling in love with the father of her unborn child. “And this is why mommy loves you even more than I did before.” She smiled down at her growing stomach and realized that this child had brought her joy without even being here yet.
Zack was happy. He was really happy. He dated Emma and knew within a month that he was going to love this woman. Why? He had no idea. But he just knew that she was different. Finally. What he waited for. He sent a silent thanks up to God as he drove to Emma’s house.
When Emma got home, she hopped in the shower and heard the doorbell ring. Rushing to put on some clothes, he placed on sweat pants and a tank top. “Coming, I’m coming” she rushed to the door. She knew she shouldn’t have run that fast because she knew being pregnant she got winded fast. Taking a second to catch her breath she opened up the door. Kevin stood in front of the door, eyes wild and looking crazy.
“You’re pregnant Emma? Whose baby is it? Is it mine?”
“What are you doing here Kevin? I want you to leave!” Emma all back punched him in the face.
Kevin walked into the house and closed the door. “I’m not leaving until I know if that baby is mine or not! It has to be. You look nothing more than three months pregnant, and we were just ending around that time. Why didn’t you tell I was going to be a father? How dare you keep this from me?”
“It’s not your baby you asshole! Now get out of my house!”
“What do you mean it’s not mine? It has to be!”
“Well, it’s not. Now that you know, leave my house.” Emma pointed to outside as the door was open.
“You little bitch! You were cheating on me?!”
“Actually, no Kevin. Unlike you, I respected our relationship and loved you. And it’s none of your business who the father of
my
child is. Now leave!”
“Go to hell Emma. Fine, I’ll leave. I’ll be out of your life for good, but may I use the bathroom please before I leave? It’s been a long drive and a long day, I’ve been drinking too many cups of coffee and I needed to speak to you.”
“Yea yea fine. Make it quick. Use the guest bathroom.”
Kevin nodded and rushed to the bathroom.
Samantha couldn’t take it anymore. She had to tell Emma! Emma was too happy and she was miserable. She needed to see Emma cry. Make her feel the pain that she bottled up. So she got in her car and drove to Emma’s house. She noticed another car parked by the house but it looked too far down to be a guest of Emma’s. So she walked up to the door and banged on it.
Emma wondered who the hell it could be and figured it might be Zack. It would be good timing, because maybe then Kevin could see she upgraded. Emma didn’t even look in the peephole and opened the door. Samantha stormed in and Emma gaped at the sheer anger that was all over Samantha’s face.
“What are you doing here Samantha? Is everything alright?”
“No, it’s not. You little bitch.”
Emma stopped speaking for a few seconds and replayed what Samantha had just said to her. Then all of the anger she had held back from Samantha these past few months came riling up. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me. I quit! You think you’re better than everyone else. But you know what? To hell with you. I quit!”
“Get the hell out of my house right now Samantha before I beat your ass. I’m not playing!”
“You won’t do a damn thing! You’re a punk. Just like when I stole your man, you didn’t do shit about it either. I didn’t even have to try hard. You just weren’t doing your job right. Should’ve been a real woman like me.”
“A real woman like
YOU
? You’re a hoe Samantha! A side hoe. You are good for nothing. And I knew it was you since that night you dumb imbecile. You were just too caught up in your glory that you didn’t realize you got caught. I
LET
you continue to work for me because I felt bad for you. I pity you.” Emma fought herself not to yell forgetting that Zack was on his way and Kevin was in the bathroom.
“You pity me?! I knew it! You don’t remember me Emma. You don’t remember who I am? Take one good look at me and think about where you know me from” Samantha sneered.
“I don’t know. I only know you from work” Emma said with what she thought to be validity.
Samantha moved closer, “You don’t remember me in court? The day you put my boyfriend behind bars?”
Emma gasped as her world began to spin. This was George’s girlfriend; the one who lied and said that he was with her the night that he tried to rape Emma. Because of her, Emma was almost put in jail for perjury until a video proved that he had come to her car in the parking lot and tried to rape her the first time until she ran into her house and he chased after her and beat her up.
Emma held onto the counter top in the kitchen and tried to remain standing. With short breaths, “It was you? You’re George’s girlfriend?”
Samantha smiled evilly and glared at her. “In the flesh baby. George told me before he died in jail that he wanted to make sure that you got what’s coming to you. But he asked me to handle you however I felt put. You know he died in there? Without me being able to say goodbye! And you want to know why? Because apparently men in jail can’t stand men who try and rape women! You could’ve kept your little mouth shut! But you chose to run to the police just because you had some cuts and bruises. Bitch you know you wanted him. You lied! You knew that he had me so you got mad and tried to seduce him! He told me everything!”
Zack leaned against the door and listened to the conversation. His heart fell to the floor as he heard a dark part of Emma’s life that she never spoke about. A part of her life that he was sure she had tried to forget until now. He pushed open the door and had his hands in fists restraining himself not to throw Samantha out.
Emma ran to Zack and threw herself in his arms. “Zack please, make her leave. I can’t listen to this anymore. He assaulted me! Her boyfriend tried to rape me and she tried to lie and pretend it never happened. She lied on me Zack. Make her leave. Please. I can’t take it!”
“You need to leave right now Samantha!” Zack bellowed.
“Not until I say the rest of my piece...” Samantha laughed maliciously. “I never loved Kevin. I just took him from you because I could. I mean, don’t get me wrong, at one point I did. But I want you to know that now you know what it’s like to hurt. To pain the way I once did. Yes, I lied on you because I didn’t want George to be seen as that. He’d hit me sometimes too but I got over it. Just like you should have. I loved him and you took away the man that I loved, so I did the same.”
Kevin walked out of the bathroom and glowered down at Samantha. “We are done you evil, conniving whore! Get your shit out of my condo by the time I get back or I swear I will burn it. Cops are on their way if you decide to do something stupid!”
Samantha stared back at Kevin and gave him the middle finger. “We’re done here anyways.” She looked over at Emma and stormed out of the house.
Kevin’s eyes held empathy as he searched for words to say to Emma. “I am so sorry. I should’ve known you would never have hurt me. Please find it in your heart to forgive me someday.” He looked over at Zack who looked ready to pummel Kevin at any moment. “I’m going to guess this is the father of your child.” When Emma didn’t answer while her head was buried in Zack’s chest, he took that as his answer. “Just take care of her. She deserves the best.”
Zack nodded and with that Kevin left.
When Emma heard the door close she dropped to the floor and cried on her knees for what felt like eternity. She’d done everything she could to repress those memories but it came back to haunt her with full force. She wept with everything she had in her, flashing back to moments when George struck her down with the back of his hand. He had always kept her on the side, but she never had sex with him.
He had refused to let her be with anyone else, and the day he found out she was going on dates, he came over to try and make her sleep with him so he could claim her too. No one ever knew the truth behind George until she came out and put him behind bars. She ended up with a concussion and bruised ribs. She promised herself she would never let it happen again.
Just as she started to catch her breath, Emma held onto Zack for life. He and this baby were the only family she knew. Her own family abandoned her when she went against one of the most prominent family’s son in her county. She was left on her own and felt betrayed that no one believed her. So she left South Carolina and came out to New York to make a life of her own and she did it.
Emma began to rise and Zack helped her up as he hugged her and his shirt stained with her tears. Emma felt something pool at the bottom of her legs and she saw that it was blood.
Zack saw the blood around Emma’s feet and immediately realized what was taking place. Without a word Emma looked at him, looked back down, and then screamed. He instantly picked Emma up and rushed to his car. They had to get to the hospital before they lost this baby.
Hours later…
The doctor came in with the results. Emma heard nothing besides the words, “Miscarriage, stress, strain…” and she fainted. Emma’s world went black.
Over the next few days…
She pretended to be ok and acted as if she’d be alright so that the doctors wouldn’t try and check her into a psych facility. But when she got home, she shut everyone out. Including Zack. She cried herself to sleep holding her stomach where her child had once been. She’d finally seen that she was having a boy. She felt like she failed him. She should’ve gotten her emotions together and not let her memories cause her so much pain. It was her fault. She should’ve known better. But she didn’t.
Over the next few weeks…
Emma barely went into work. Hank understood and would only call her in when it was necessary. Bills had to be paid but Emma didn’t care. She told Zack to tell the bank whatever excuse he could come up with. What she didn’t know was that Zack was actually taking care of her even when she was pushing him away.
Zack hurt at the sight of Emma’s grief. He felt the pain, but he knew it would never be the same to him as it was to Emma who grew the baby in her own body. He ached to just hold her and let her know that it wasn’t her fault but he also knew that he had to give her space. He had to give her time. He loved her, and that meant he had to be there in the good times and the bad, and that’s what he intended to do.
Zack sent her fruit and hearts, and gave her the space that she needed for a couple of weeks. She seemed to get better day by day after the first week of the miscarriage, but he also saw that in her eyes there were words she didn’t say. Zack was even paying her bills with his money. Whether she liked it or not, he wasn’t going anywhere.
Zack finally got sick of the distance after two months. He went to Emma’s house and knocked on the door. Emma opened it with a ferocity that frightened him a bit and she snarled out, “Why would you pay my bills? What is wrong with you? Where do you get off thinking its ok to do that without telling me? I don’t want to owe you anything! So if that’s what you wanted you can just leave!”
Emma tried to slam the door in Zack’s face but he held his ground and pushed the door back against her and walked in. “First of all, don’t come at me because you’re mad that I did something nice for you. You are displacing your anger! Second-“
Emma cut Zack off, “Don’t tell me what I’m doing-“
Zack cut her off and put a finger up. “No, it’s my turn to speak. I have been doing the very best I could to give you space and let you grieve. That was my baby too. What you’ve been through is hard and I understand that, but you need to stop pushing me away! I’ve been here for you this whole time!”
“You know what Zack? I can’t do this with you. I already see how this is going and I’m sorry I failed you and our child but I think we should end this now. Our feelings aren’t even mutual and it’s pointless now. There’s no baby anymore so you’re not obligated to stick around anymore.” Emma started to walk away and Zack stormed in front of her.
“Are you freaking kidding me?”
“No! I’m serious! I love you, you don’t love me, that’s how it goes in my life. Now just leave dammit! I don’t want to see you anymore.” Emma looked away from him and he watched as the tears shone in her eyes.
Zack’s heart dropped all of its walls and embraced what he already knew. He loved the woman that stood in front of him. Even at her worst, he still felt the same for her and he knew that he always would.
“Emma, look at me.” He pulled her chin towards him gently. “Look at me.” Emma lifted her eyes towards his and sniffled. “What?”
“You didn’t fail me or our child. Everything happens for a reason. What’s meant to be will be. And I guess that wasn’t the right time. But you finally got out the tears you’ve been holding in for so long. That child also showed you that you could love again. That child also brought us closer. I love you Emma. Whether you believe it or not, I love you got dammit and I’m not going anywhere.”
Emma’s eyes widened at his confession. “You…love me?”
“Yes, I do. And I knew it before now. I just didn’t believe it could be true. But even here and now, when you’re at your worst, I love you even more. I can’t help that. And if you’d let me, I’d appreciate if you let me continue to be here for as long as I can be.”
Emma’s voice trembled, “What are you saying Zack?”
Zack looked at Emma and placed a kiss on her lips. He backed away and took Emma’s hand in his as he got down on one knee and pulled out the ring in his pocket. “Emma Marie Sanget, I am asking that you continue to make me the happiest man in the world, and officially take away my player card. I am asking you, would you do me the honor of being my wife?”
Emma looked down at the ring in the box and nodded without any words. “I don’t know why you love me, but I’m so glad that you do. I love you so much Zack.” As Zack rose from his knee and hugged Emma, she cried tears of joy. Joy that she thought had left her when she lost her child came back and reminded her that even without being born, that baby had brought her a life inside herself that she never even knew existed. She thanked God silently in a prayer as she whispered “Thank you for sending me a guardian angel.”