Trouble

22

Joanna opens her door at the knock. Seeing Patricia there with only one tray of food, "If food isn't provided for Blake, then don't bother bringing me any either." She gently moves Patricia out of the doorway and shuts and locks the door again.

"You should have taken the food, Joanna. Even if you don't want it, you need to eat for the baby." Blake says breathing heavily. Joanna may have taken the worst of the pain, but the ribs still hurt to breathe with.

"If we aren't prisoners then they would supply us both with food. Before I die I'll make sure that that bastard pays."

"Joanna, you need to let it go as that cartoon says. The bitterness will eat you up and destroy you. It will harm the baby. Or perhaps you don't really want the baby?" Blake says with sudden clarity.

Blake turns to her shock written clearly on his face. She hadn't been very excited about the baby but he thought it was because she wasn't speaking to the father at the time. "What the hell is going on, Joanna?"

"I knew when I found out I was pregnant that he would find some excuse to not claim the child as his. Personally I think it would be better to not have this line continued. I am the last that can have children. When Amy miscarried my brother's child, something went wrong and she can't have more. Should I miscarry-"

"You think that if you miscarry the same thing will happen to you and then there will be no more children born with this ability you have."

"Right. At least not from my family's line. There are likely others out there, the poor souls, cursed with this ability." Blake had never heard Joanna so bitter before.

"Joanna, killing the baby isn't the way. At least do it the right way and have an abortion."

"Can't, in order to have an abortion I'd have to be able to leave the estate. If you haven't noticed we're locked into this house."

"It won't stop you from going around outside like before."

Joanna looks at him and he swears he sees flames in her blue eyes. "I'm not leaving this room until I have my freedom to leave this estate. I have been selfish though, forcing you to stay here with me. If you would like to leave this room go ahead."

Blake looks at her with wide frightened eyes. "Just because I've had worse doesn't mean that I like going through the pain. If I leave we both know what Jamison will do to me."

There's a knock at the door, Blake gets up this time. "She doesn't want to see you." Blake says before trying to shut the door once more.

"It doesn't matter if she wants to or not. She'll see me now." Michael says forcing the door open and Blake grunting in pain as the door hits one of his ribs.

"Shit," Joanna hears, "I didn't mean for the door to hit you, Blake." Michael knows that that will be just one more thing for Joanna to hate him for.

Joanna, had already been sitting on the floor. She likes looking outside and it gets tiring for her to stand for hours at a time doing so. She refuses to turn or look at Michael.

"Blake is to join the rest of the men downstairs for meals. You are the only one to have meals brought to you." Michael says trying to be reasonable.

"He has no desire to leave my side. I am a prisoner in this room so that means that he must remain here as well." Joanna says with no life in her voice.

"You aren't a fucking prisoner, Joanna. You have free run of the house just like before. The only difference is, you can't leave the estate." Michael says desperately wanting her to leave the room she's locked herself in for the last three days.

Joanna doesn't reply. She's already been over all this before. She sees no reason to fight over something that she can't win. She has no reason to talk to him at all now.

"Come down to dinner, both of you. Joanna, starving yourself isn't good for the baby." Michael hopes the baby card will work.

Joanna sneers, "Like you give a damn about the baby. Leave me alone, Mr. Jamison. You've made it very clear that I'm a prisoner here."

"You're not a fucking prisoner!"

"Then prove it by letting me go." Joanna is adamant on that point. As far as she's concerned until she's able to leave, she's a prisoner.

"Not until your injuries are better," Michael says with tears.

"Then I'm still a prisoner aren't I? Besides you don't give a damn about the baby. It's somebody else's bastard not yours. Leave, Mr. Jamison, I want to get ready for bed now." Night has fallen and she can no longer see the outside.

"You can go outside whenever you choose." Michael had notice her staring.

"But I'd still be a prisoner within the  confines of the estate, at least here I have less chance of running into you."

"Do you really hate me that much?" Michael asks letting the tears fall.

"No, you are the one that hates me that much. I have nothing more to say to you Mr. Jamison." Joanna gets up from the floor and makes her way into the bathroom to shower and change.

"Are you sleeping with her Blake?" Michael demands once the bathroom door is shut.

Blake gives Michael an outraged look, "I think of her as a little sister. There's no way I'd sleep with her. Besides she can only tolerate my touch for very brief moments of time. I don't have very good emotion control."

"One thing you should be aware of, she's not afraid of losing the baby. She's hoping to miscarry the same as Amy so that she can't have more kids. She thinks it will be better that way. So don't think to use the baby against her again. You're just playing into her hands. The only way you'll get her to not hate you, is to let her free."

"I can't do that," Michael says heavily. 

"Then she'll kill you and all your men. And in the process kill herself as well. Goodnight, Mr. Jamison."