Contingency (Sequel to Contentions)

~13~

“You’re one very lucky girl, hunny,” Louis sighed quietly as he washed his hands in the bathroom yet again, his agile form soon striding back in as he wiped off his hands on a towel. “The baby’s heartbeat is strong and your vitals are looking good…you both should be just fine.” I nodded, my cheeks still red from embarrassment from having Louis examine me. Even after being held captive, no one had ever seen me that bare and I really wasn’t keen on having a repeat of it.

“Why does my stomach hurt though?” I asked quietly as I rubbed my torso, trying to will the pain away. “C-Could you be missing something? What if he’s hurt?” Crap, Liam had me calling the baby a boy.

“Well you do have some bruising from the fall on your lower abdomen and your body being as weak as it is, it’s gonna be quite sore for a while,” Louis informed gently as he sat beside me, taking my hands away from my skin and holding them in his own. “As for the baby, she will be just fine. You may have a bit more bleeding, but there’s no need to be alarmed, alright? I have you scheduled for a small test in an hour or so with Luke just to double check how she’s coming along, but from the looks of things, everything is perfect.”

“Alright,” I said quietly, letting out a shaky breath as he kissed my cheek.

“I’m gonna have to leave for my shift, but I’m only a phone call away and I’ll make sure to be there at your appointment,” he said gently, leaning down to press his lips to my forehead, my hand quickly grasping his shirt.

“Don’t leave me alone with him,” I begged, my breath catching with fear. “P-Please, Louis…I-I’m scared.”

“Oh, sweetheart,” he sighed, gently prying my fingers from his scrubs. “He won’t hurt you, alright? He’s still the same Liam that you’ve known for all these years…he’s just in a different position, yeah?”

“And what position is that?” I asked nervously, watching as the young man swallowed thickly.

“That’s not for me to say, love. He’ll explain it to you if you really want to know,” he said gently, kissing the back of my hand before casting a sympathetic look my way. “You’ll be alright with him. I swear that you’re safe.” I whimpered as he left, hushed whispers audible from outside the door before it cracked open, Liam hesitantly shuffling in.

“H-Hi,” he said quietly, his lips pulled into a frown as I cowered away slightly. “Please don’t be frightened of me. I-I won’t hurt you, I swear. Will you just let me explain?”

“Y-You beat him,” I managed to whisper hoarsely, tears filling my eyes as I looked up at the somber features of the young man. “I-I didn’t even know who you were. T-That wasn’t the same man who plays with my daughter a-and is helping me recover. That was a killer, Liam! You looked like a bloody murderer!”

“I know it must have been frightening for you-“ he started but I cut him off, near hysterical as emotions tore through me.

“Don’t start with that shrink shit!” I choked, vision blurring from the moisture building in my eyes. “Liam! Y-You don’t even understand the half of it! You…you reminded me of my father-“

“Don’t you dare associate me with that bastard,” he snarled, a spark of indignation dancing in his irises. “I’ve done a lot of things in my life that I’m not proud of, things that I’m going to continue to do to keep the ones I love safe. But listen to me right now, young lady, I have never laid a violent hand on a woman or child and I never will. I’d rather die.”

“I want answers,” I ignored him. “When I left you were just a boxer for some idiot in that gang-“

“That idiot is dead and that gang….that gang is mine,” he said bluntly, features solemn as he spoke. “I pulled that group up by their bootstraps and we’re now one of the most influential operators in England.”