Family Comes First

Chapter 39: My Baby's Life

I gasped, but my breath was caught in my throat. I was afraid to move as the sharp edge of the blade was up against my throat. Tommy saw my terrified expression, and a faint chuckle escaped his lips.

"Tommy," I said. "Don't."

It was all that I could manage to say. My throat was dry and every time I spoke, it felt like the knife was pushing itself deeper into my throat. Tommy's lips were in a wide smirk.

"Don't do what, Jules?" he asked. "You think I am going to hurt you?"

I could not nod my head. I opened my mouth to speak, but my eyes watered and my nose burned with tears. I did not want to cry in front of him. It was exactly what he wanted.

"I wouldn't kill you, Jules," he said. "You're too fun to have around. I couldn't do it."

He slowly slid the blade down my neck so that it was lightly tracing over my skin. The cold metal caused a shiver to run up my spine as he ran it over my collarbone and to my chest.

I wanted to get up and run, but there was nowhere to go. I did not have the keys to the door, and my lock on the bathroom door was broken. I was stuck on the bed as Tommy tormented me.

"I don't think it is fair though," Tommy said. "He gets you all to himself. Jimmy's barely a man, but he got you pregnant. Doesn't make much sense, does it?"

He continued to run the blade down my chest until it was just an inch above my belly button. I could not help but let out a whimper. Tommy was psychotic. He would have no problem killing my baby.

"No," Tommy said, shaking his head. "I can't do it this way. I'm not scared of Jimmy, but Dad would be mad at me. It's not worth getting beat just to get rid of your baby."

He pulled the blade away from my stomach. He threw his legs over the side of the bed. I watched him as he got up and walked to the other side of the room. I pushed myself up to see that he was heading toward the door. I sighed in relief.

Tommy turned on his heels and marched back into the room. He was shaking his head and chuckling to himself.

"Who am I kidding?" he said. "I can't just let Jimmy get all of this. He can't have you and then get a son. It is not fair."

My fingers curled into the mattress as he got closer to me. My heart was pounding and I could feel myself tremble. Tommy put his knee on the bed and leaned forward so that he was towering over me.

"He just can't know it was me," he said quietly and slowly. "You won't tell them that it was me, would you, Jules?"

"Tommy, please," I said.

"Would you?"

"Tommy -"

"Would you?!" He slammed his hand into the bedframe, only inches away from my head.

I jumped and let out a quick scream. The tears were rolling down my cheeks, and when I looked at Tommy he was in a blur. His face was growing red and his nostrils were flaring.

"No," I sobbed. "I wouldn't."

"Good girl," he said. He cupped the side of my face with his hand. "You'll be mine soon."

I shook my head in denial. He slid his hand to the back of my neck. He grabbed a fistful of hair and yanked it so that I was looking up at him.

"Yes, you will be," he said. "Jimmy doesn't deserve you, but I do."

He leaned down and smashed his lips against mine. I put my hands on his chest and tried to push him away. I tried to turn my head to the side, but his grip was so tight on my hair that I could not move my head.

When he pulled away, I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. Tommy still had a hold of my hair. He scowled and yanked on it hard. I let out a yelp. He brought his other hand to my stomach and began rubbing my belly.

"Now, we just need to fix Junior there," he said.

He took his hand off my stomach and grabbed my wrist. He got off the bed and heaved me up onto my feet.

"No!" I shouted. "Please, Tommy. Don't do this."

"Come on, Jules," he said. "I promise it'll be quick."

I pulled my arms back and fought against his grip. I dug my heels into the ground so that Tommy had to drag me across the floor. He let out a deep breath, let go of my wrist, and wrapped his arm around my waist. He threw me over his shoulder.

I screamed and pounded my fists into his back. I kicked my legs, but Tommy carried me. He was unaffected by my actions. I watched the ground bob up and down as he walked into the hallway. The faded wooden floors were all that I could see and then I saw the sudden dip of the staircase.

"No!" I screamed. My heart was slamming itself into my ribcage. "Tommy, you can't!"

He set me down on the floor. I looked up to see him towering over me. He had me on the edge of the staircase.

"Jules, they're all going to think that it was an accident," he said. "Because if you do tell them what really happens they won't believe you. If you tell them the truth I'll make sure that we have more fun together."

"Tommy," I sobbed.

I brought my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms around myself. If Tommy was going to push me down the stairs, this was the best chance I had at protecting my baby.

"Now, I'm not completely sure how to do this," he said. "We may have to do this a few times to make sure that it works. I don't want to kill you though. That would upset Jimmy, but I want you to stick around for a while."

He grabbed my wrists and pulled them away from my legs. He must have known that I was trying to protect myself. He got down onto his knees and had me leaning over the first step.

"Now, we just need to get rid of Jimmy's son," he said.

He started to push me back. He did it at a slow pace to watch the terror on my face.

"Wait, Tommy!" I yelled. "What if it's not a boy?"

With one swift motion, Tommy pulled me up so that I was sitting up straight. He had a tight grip on my wrists.

"Why would that matter?" he asked.

"Because think about how much that'll hurt Jimmy," I said. "If I have a daughter and you kill her now, Jimmy won't have to kill her once she is born. You're making it easier on him."

Tommy was staring into my eyes as his lips curled into a vicious smile. I needed to tell Tommy what he wanted to hear to protect my son's life.

I took a deep breath to stop myself from crying. Tommy leaned down and kissed me hard. I waited until he was done.

"You're right," he said. "He's so weak. It would destroy him."

"Exactly," I said. "And we both know that Jimmy is not man enough to give me a son."

Tommy let out a laugh, and I forced myself to do the same. Tommy got off his knees and stretched his arms up over his head. I scrambled onto my feet.

"I'm glad you know that," he said. "I can't wait until I can find a way to make you my girl."