* J *

Part Twenty-Seven: Chapter 196: Not Part Of The Plan

A month passes. A month in which Frost and Harley recovered from gunshot wounds. Things had been quiet lately. Harley didn't the quiet, it made her nervous. She didn't trust it. Quiet always came just before the bottom fell out. Just before some rival made a move. There was something in the air, she could feel it. Something bad that would be coming soon. She can only hope that she's wrong. But somehow, she doesn't think her luck can be that good.

Harley gasps and sits up straight in her bed. She no longer slept in the master bedroom. Oddly enough, it was Jason's choice. It was to give her time. She wipes her forehead and feels sweat. Her stomach was churning. It must have been a bad dream. Outside it was just getting daylight. The room had a yellow glow as the sun cast over the floor. Harley draws in a breath, smelling the sweet Lavender growing outside her open window. The smell gives her the sudden urge to vomit. Harley throws the covers back and quickly gets out of bed. Her hand covers her mouth as she races to the bathroom. She falls to her knees and leans over the porcelain toilet. She heaves. She vomits.

The feeling passes and Harley reaches out to flush the toilet. She hesitates and stares down at the vomit in the toilet. This had happened to her before, so many times that she's lost track of an actual number. Every time this has happened before was because she was pregnant. A shiver goes down Harley's spine. She shakes her head, no it wasn't possible. The chemicals made Jason have a low sperm count, just like her puddin, right? No, it wasn't possible for Jason to get her pregnant. She had a bug, a stomach flu, parasites maybe, but she couldn't be pregnant.

Harley stands and looks at her reflection in the mirror. She turns sideways and looks down at her stomach. When had her last period been? She couldn't remember. Was that a baby bump? Or was it just the result of her increase in comfort foods? She rushes back into the bedroom. No. It wasn't true. Her hands go to her head. No. This couldn't be happening. Not with Jason. She quickly falls to her knees by the bed and takes on the typical pose for praying. She begs her God to not make it so. She even tries to barter by saying she'd go straight and never commit another crime. She prays for it to be with anyone other than Jason. This. Could. Not. Be. Happening.

Then Harley remembers that there was probably still a few pregnancy tests floating around somewhere from when she and Mistah J were trying so hard to have a baby. There was a box with two pregnancy tests in it in the closet. Harley rips the package open with shaking hands. She quickly takes the test. She lays it on the counter and watches as a blue plus sign appears. It was faint for a moment but it gradually got darker and darker. No. Anything but that. Tears began cascading down Harley's cheeks. No.

Harley slowly slides down onto her knees. Both her hands go to her face. She couldn't hold back any longer and breaks down sobbing into her hands. She didn't want to have his child. She didn't wish to be tied to him for the next eighteen years. How could she have another man's baby while her real husband lie frozen? How would she ever explain something like this to her puddin? And how could she ever tell Jason? She didn't want him to have power over her. He would use a child as leverage in a heartbeat. She couldn't allow that to happen.

She goes back into the bathroom and grabs the other pregnancy test. She's pretty sure she still has enough per in her bladder to take it. So she pees on the stick and lays it on the countertop. She watches as the faint blue plus sign appears. Gradually, it grows darker and darker, just like the first test. Harley stares at it as she shakes her head.