Redeem Me

by Jennifer Foor

  Just as I was about to rush out and hit the gate release button, I heard my father speaking, basically threatening that if Parker didn’t leave it would be bad for him. I couldn’t believe my ears, and the lengths he was still going to. I sank down on my floor and began to weep. I was a prisoner in my own home, and my parents were the dictators, deciding my fate before I even had a chance to fend for myself.

  I knew I couldn’t climb out of the window and run down the road after Parker. My pregnancy was high risk, and I was still bleeding pretty heavily from the miscarriage of baby number one. I put my hand up to my stomach and left it there, reminding myself that what was growing inside of me was already something that I loved. No one was going to take it away from me, not even my parents.

  It took a while for my father to calm down from his rage induced mood. He got on his phone and started giving orders to someone at the office, and then finally settled when he began speaking to my mother. I heard them talking about what clinic they should take me to. I felt disgusted with both of them. They weren’t going to get the benefit of the doubt from me as to what was best. The truth of the matter was that they didn’t know me at all. I was a stranger to them, a pawn brought into the world to carry on their name.

  Since most of my clothes were at the dorm, I knew I could get away without having a bag strapped to my back. While still listening to them having a discussion, I crept out my door, making sure it was locked, as if I wanted to be alone. I was getting out of my house, and calling Parker. My parents were not ruining my life.

  I froze in place when Miss Mary spotted me sneaking down the stairs. She held her finger up to her lips, motioning me with her other hand to follow her. This particular woman had pretty much always taken care of me. As far as love, she’d always given it. I trusted her, and knew she’d keep me safe. Once we were in the confines of her quarters, and the door was shut, she pulled me into a hug. “Oh, my dear. What have you gotten yourself into?”

  I began to cry again. “I’m pregnant and they want me to have an abortion. They’re holding me here like a prisoner. Please help me. I need to get to Parker. He loves me, Mary. He’ll take care of me. I swear he will.”

  She nodded. “Parker seems like a nice boy. Here’s my phone. Call him and arrange to have him pick you up next door at the Savage’s house. I’ll call Metra (who is the maid) and have her let you in. Mr. and Mrs. Savage are away for the week, so you won’t be discovered. The house is far enough away that they won’t see you once you’re there. I’m about to go make breakfast. I’ll keep your parents occupied long enough for you to leave out the side door, and make your way over there.”

  I hugged her tightly. “Thank you so much, Mary. I owe you.”

  “You don’t owe me anything, Cameron. I just want you to be happy. It’s all I’ve ever wanted for you.”

  I waited for her to walk out before calling Parker. My hands were shaking as I dialed his number, even though I knew he’d come to see me, and been turned away.

  “Hello?”

  “Parker, it’s me. How far away are you?” I began crying just from hearing his voice. I knew he’d come to save me, and it gave me a sense of warmth and security.

  “I’m not far. Did your parents leave?”

  “No. I heard my dad saying he’s staying here all day. They’re talking about taking me to have an abortion.” My sobbing intensified. “Parker, I don’t want to give up our baby. I can understand if you don’t want this, but I can’t do it. This baby is alive inside of me, and I already love it. I know that doesn’t make sense, but -.”

  “I know, Cam. I know what you mean, because I feel it too. I’m turnin’ the car around now.”

  “Wait. I need you to go to my neighbor’s house; the one with the big white pillars. Pull up to their gate and the housekeeper will let you in. She’ll be expecting you. I’ll come outside once I see you pulling up.”

  “Are you there now?”

  “No.” I’d already started heading toward the side entrance. I checked my surroundings before beginning to walk towards the neighbor’s house, which was a good ways in the distance. “I’m on my way.”

  “Are you sneaking out?” I could hear the concern in his voice.

  “Yes. I’ve got to get away from them. You need to get me to the dorm so I can pack my things. Then I don’t know where we’ll go. I’ve got my ATM card with me, so we can stop and get as much money out as possible before they realize I’m gone. I’m sure they’ll cancel all of my cards when they discover what I’ve done.”

  “Don’t worry about that. I’ll keep you safe, no matter what we have to do. I’m on my way, babe. You hang tight, and I’ll be there.”

  “I love you, Parker. I love you so much.”

  “Cam, I love you too. Stop cryin’. It’s all goin’ to be okay. I promise.”

  I trusted his word, especially because I knew he did truly love me. Parker may have been confused, but he was supporting me. For the time being it was all I could ask for.

  Chapter 21

  Parker

  I was almost back at the college when I received the call from Cameron. She sounded so upset, and my heart ached for what she was having to go through. What parent in their right mind would treat her like a piece of property. She wasn’t some toy they could throw around.

  I drove as fast as I could to get to her, afraid that they’d find out she was gone before I arrived. Every minute that passed left me more concerned. I wasn’t afraid of facing her father, but I was scared about what I’d do to the man if we came face to face.

  He was clearly delusional if he assumed I’d walked away from his daughter without a fight.

  I knew the house that Cameron had told me to pick her up at, it was even larger than the one her parents owned. After getting through the gates I spotted her standing outside. Her hair was disheveled, and it appeared that she was still in her pajamas. That made it apparent that she’d left the house in a hurry.

  I jumped out of the car as soon as I put it into park. Cameron very well could have climbed inside the passenger seat and greeted me, but I needed my arms around her.

  As soon as I had her there in my hold I felt that petite body trembling. She was a complete mess. “It’s goin’ to be okay, Cam. I won’t let them touch you.”

  She pulled away, her nose dripping snot, while her cheeks were covered in fresh tears. “Where are we supposed to go, Parker? They’ll look everywhere until they find me. My dad has resources.”

  I knew exactly where we could go to hide out, I just needed to make sure it was going to be okay. “Don’t worry about that, right now. Let’s just get out of here and get your things from the school. Once we’re on the road we can talk about what’s next.”

  Even I was shaking as I climbed back into the driver’s side. We took off down the paved driveway, headed for the first ATM machine we came to. Cameron hopped out and withdrew four hundred dollars, the full amount allowed from a machine in a single day. Then she did the same on both credit cards. With more than a grand in her possession, we then went to the dorm, where she packed up her clothes in trash bags and loaded them into my car. We knew they’d be looking for hers first.

  Cameron left her keys locked in the glove compartment of her vehicle. She didn’t even speak as we pulled away, leaving both of our futures in limbo. For a while she cried, feeling overwhelmed with fear of what she’d done. I couldn’t blame her for feeling so confused. She been raised a certain way, and was now coming to terms with the fact that maybe it wasn’t practical.

  Since we had a long drive ahead of us I contacted my coach. It wasn’t football season, but I still wanted him to be aware what was going on. My father was going to be pissed, but he’d know what was going on long before school contacted him, since we were going there first.

  Once again Cameron slept in the car. I knew she needed her rest, and didn’t try to wake her even when I felt like I was going to pee myself. We pulled up at my parent’s house sometime in the afternoon. I
wasn’t surprised that my mom was there, but was a little concerned when I saw my dad. He raised his brow and looked from me to Cameron. “Tell me there was some evacuation at school, and that’s why you’re not there for class.”

  I put my hands up. “Just let me explain before you freak out.”

  My mom held out her hand. “Cameron, why don’t you come in and sit down. There’s no reason we can’t talk in the living room.”

  We followed my parents and sat down on opposite couches that faced each other. I reached over and grabbed Cameron’s hand. “I know we should be in school, but we’ve got a good reason for stayin’ away. Cam’s in some trouble with her family, and I’ve got to keep her safe.”

  “What kind of trouble,” my dad asked. “I thought her parents were lawyers.”

  “They are. Look, there’s no easy way to say this. Cam’s pregnant. We had to rush her to the hospital last night because she was having a miscarriage.”

  “Oh no. I’m so sorry, Cameron. I lost a baby too a long time ago before the twins.”

  My dad wasn’t like my mother. He shook his head and put his arms across his chest. “You’re telling me that you got Cameron pregnant.”

  I had to prevent him from telling her about Ashley. “Dad, please. Her parents are tryin’ to make her have an abortion.”

  “I thought you said she miscarried.” My mother was so confused.

  I opened my mouth to speak, but Cameron took over. “It was twins. I lost one of the babies, but the tests showed that the second fetus was in no danger. My father prevented Parker from staying at the hospital with me, and then he checked me out overnight. They wouldn’t allow Parker on our property this morning, and were already calling places to schedule an immediate abortion. Please, Mr. and Mrs. Hutchinson, I don’t want to give up my baby.” I squeezed her hand to remind her that we were together in all of this. “I can’t let them find me, not until I’m far enough along that they won’t be able to interfere.”

  She began to cry, probably afraid that my parents weren’t going to show her compassion. I stared into my father’s eyes. It didn’t take a genius to know what he was thinking. “Dad, I love her. Please. I came here today to let you know that I’m going to protect them. I won’t let anyone take this baby from us.” It was hard for me to say to him, not just because of what had happened with Shayne, but because the more I defended this unborn child, the more I knew I wanted to be it’s father.

  My dad didn’t yell, and he certainly didn’t get up and start pacing around the room. As calm as I’d ever seen him react, he turned to give my mother a once-over before responding. “Parker, I appreciate you coming to us with this. You know how your mother and I feel about abortions, especially after everything your brother went through. It takes a real man to step up and raise a child. My only concern is that you’re running from her family. They’ll know you came here.”

  “I was going to take her to the beach house. I already talked to my coach. Summer’s comin’ up, and I plan on showin’ up to take my exams. I’ve got a term paper due in one class, and a video project in another. My other two classes accept homework online. All I have to do is show up on exam day and I’ll pass for the semester. By the time summer’s over Cam will be far enough along to be safe. I get that this seems drastic, but you didn’t see them last night.”

  “My parents raised me to become a lawyer. They see this as a terrible mistake that’s going to ruin my future. They think that my dating Parker is a mistake, and that he’s going to ruin my life. I had to sneak out of my house to get away from them. They took my phone, and had our house on lockdown. They don’t care how I feel or what I want.” Cameron turned and leaned her face against my chest. I think she was to the point where she couldn’t believe what we were facing. Everything was about to change for us. I didn’t know whether I’d be able to manage my classes from afar, but I was willing to put school on the backburner when it came to my girlfriend. She was my future before anything else.

  “You can’t go to the beach house. Her parents can go on the internet and see that we own it.”

  Damn.

  “What should I do?” It had become apparent that he was going to help us. In that moment I felt like I had my father back.

  “I’ll call your uncle and see if you can stay in Ford’s old apartment at the shop. You can park your car in the garage out back. Even if they put two and two together, they won’t see it from the road.” My dad got up and went into the home office. I heard him on the phone, obviously talking to my uncle. I put my head down when he started talking about me knocking up my girlfriend.

  “Cameron, how are you feeling? I’m sure you’re not supposed to be doing all this running around.” My mother was concerned for her health. I was too, but first we needed to be safe.

  “I’ve been sleeping for the whole ride. The cramping has stopped, and I feel a little better. It’s the stress I’m worried about.”

  My dad came out of the office. “All right. After speaking to your uncle we’ve decided that it would be best if I took your car to my shop and kept it indoors. I’ll keep it covered like the other collectables that come in. Your mom and I will drop you off at the apartment, and we’ll run out to fetch you groceries, and things you’ll both need. Your uncle said he’s got an extra truck, and you’ll be able to use it whenever you need to. I want you both to figure out a way to take those exams. I’ll call the school in the morning and let them know we had a family emergency, and maybe they’ll be willing to work with you. Cam, I’d suggest that you do the same thing. I realize they may not go for it, but it’s worth a try. You’re both good students.”

  I stood up and extended my hand out to my dad. “I really appreciate this. I know you’re pissed, but it means a lot.”

  “Parker, right now I’m concerned about my son, and nothing else. You’re stepping up and taking care of your responsibilities. It’s a step in the right direction.”

  “We can talk more about this later, right, honey?” My mother asked.

  “Yes. Let’s get them over to the apartment. We’ll have plenty of time to get this all figured out.”

  It was almost unbelievable. Of course, once we were outside alone, my dad voiced his opinion.

  “Son, I don’t even know what to say to you. When you were here did you already know she was pregnant?”

  I shook my head. “No. I found out last night when she was havin’ the miscarriage.”

  “This blows my mind. I don’t even know where to begin with my concerns.”

  “Look, dad. I know it’s messed up. I get that you’re pissed. I know how much my football career means to you. It’s not that I want to give up on my chances, but things have changed. They weren’t planned, and God knows I wouldn’t have wished this on myself, but I can’t change them now. I’m scared to death, and I have no idea what I’m doin’. I just know I’m makin’ the right choice. Please, just help me out. I came to you because I’m tryin’ to do the right thing. She’s pregnant, and yeah, I know what I did in the past. This is different. She’s my girlfriend, and I want to spend the rest of my life with her. You may not understand, and I wouldn’t blame you if you hated my choices for the rest of my life, but as your son I’m askin’ for help. I’m desperate, dad. Her mother tried to pay me a hundred grand to stay away from her daughter, last night. She literally wrote me a damn check outside of her hospital room.”

  “No shit?” My dad seemed as shocked as I was when it happened.

  “They’ve got this twisted idea that Cam’s goin’ to do whatever they say. They actually think that they can force her into a set future. She’s got no say in her own life.”

  He put his hand on my shoulder. “We’ve got issues between us, Parker. I’m going to put them aside and make sure you’re both safe. Right now I’m concerned about my son. That’s my grandchild she’s carrying, and I’ll be damned if I’m okay with them thinking it’s all right to just throw it away, like it’s some trash.”

  I sighed a
nd looked down at the ground. It was hard to not feel a little emotional when this man, who’d I’d let down so much, was still providing for me. He had every reason not to trust me, but instead was giving me a chance.

  Soon after we loaded up their vehicle, my parents drove us over to the apartment above the garage. It had been empty for months, and we had no idea what to expect when we arrived. All I cared about was keeping Cameron away from the two people that were determined to ruin our futures.

  Chapter 22

  Cameron

  I looked around at the small apartment above the garage. Even though it was larger than my room at the dorm, it didn’t feel roomy. The couch was old with stains all over it, and the pull out bed was full of lumps from blankets, like someone had slept there but not had the decency to pull up the covers. There were beer cans on all of the tables, and on the opposite side the countertops seemed to need to be wiped off. The room smelled musty, like it had been closed up too long. I almost noticed a faint smell of cigarette smoke, which I couldn’t stand.

  I think Parker sensed my fears as he took a second glance at the condition of the place. It was going to need work for us to be comfortable, which I knew he’d be up for the challenge. Ever since picking me up, he’d had this ambitious determination to make sure I was safe and cared for. “We’ll get a new couch, and I’ll paint the walls a brighter color. We can hang some pictures so it’s more cheerful.”

  “It’s fine,” I lied, knowing we had no place else to go. With only a grand in my pocket, I didn’t even have the resources to make it nice on my own.

  “I’ll get a new sofa sleeper this afternoon,” Parker’s dad announced. “Cameron’s going to need a good night’s sleep. That old thing won’t be good for her or the baby.”

  “Thanks, Dad,” Parker said graciously.

  We were interrupted by the sound of someone walking up the metal steps to the apartment. I don’t know why my heartbeat increased, or why I began to feel like it could be my parents. They had no idea where we were.