by Bella Juarez
“Did they find something wrong with you or the baby?” Alex asked.
“That’s it. I’m pregnant,” Isabel said.
“Thank God! I was worried that something serious had happened,” Alex said as relief flooded his features.
“What! Don’t you think this is pretty damn serious? Did you hear me?” Isabel demanded.
“Yes, I heard you. You said you were pregnant. Why is that bad news?” Alex asked.
“I’m putting it up for adoption,” Isabel announced.
“Well, that is bad news, angel. Why do you feel you have to do that?”
“Alex! I can’t take care of a baby. What the hell is wrong with you? Neither one of us can right now!”
“What makes you say that? Why can’t we take care of our baby?”
Isabel wanted to pound on him. He was so calm, so…happy! She stared at him in disbelief. Maybe this was a dream and now it was turning into a nightmare.
“Izzy, why can’t we take care of our child? Do you think I’ll make you do this alone?” Alex asked.
Isabel jumped out of bed and paced her room. He didn’t understand what would happen, and how in the hell were two doctors supposed to manage a hectic career, a new marriage, and a newborn baby? This was a recipe for disaster. One of them would have to give up a career and it sure as hell would not be Isabel!
“Think a minute, will you? How the hell will two doctors take care of a newborn baby? Answer me!” she demanded.
“We’ll work it out like all people with busy career lives do. Do you think we’re the only two people who happen to be doctors that have had a baby? Izzy, we can do this. You’re shocked and scared, angel, and I understand your fear, but let’s think about this a minute, okay?” Alex said calmly.
Isabel looked around for the first time. Alex was in her bed, in her house. How the hell did Alex get here and where the hell was her father? She heard the cupboard squeak and knew her father was in the house. He must’ve heard everything they had just said. Why hadn’t he come to investigate?
“How did you get in here? Where’s my dad?” she asked, narrowing her eyes at Alex.
“I think he’s in the other room. I heard someone moving around,” Alex said as he put a couple of pillows under his head and relaxed.
“Did he let you in?” Isabel asked.
“He met me at the airport, angel.”
“W–what?” Isabel stuttered in disbelief.
“Izzy, we have more important things to discuss than your dad and my travel arrangements. We need to discuss this decision you’ve come to about our child,” Alex said.
“You need to sign over your parental rights so I can do this,” Isabel said firmly, folding her arms resolutely.
“No.”
“What?” Isabel asked in disbelief.
“I said no. If you want to sign over your parental rights, you can sign them over to me. As much as I hate the idea of me and this baby living without you, we will. I hope you think about this and decide you want to be with us, but that’s certainly your choice, angel,” Alex said.
Isabel stood staring at Alex in shock.
“Isabel, I’m not letting you give up my child to anyone but me. If you don’t want to marry me and have a family, that’s your choice. I don’t understand why you think you’re alone and why all the plans we’ve made have changed.”
“You are seriously messed up,” Isabel said.
Alex stood and walked to her and Isabel almost shrunk back. She knew that look. She’d gone too far and pissed him off. He was serious, dead serious, and his expression conveyed that message to her loud and clear.
“You either want a life with me or you don’t. If you want to abandon me and the baby, do it now and don’t look back. Quit fucking with me and figure out what you want because you need to make a decision in a couple of days. You know how to get a hold of me,” Alex said as he walked out of the room.
The air in Izzy’s lungs seemed to whoosh out and not return. Alex had never talked to her like that, and she realized without a doubt that he would turn his back on her and move on without her. Those warm sapphires seemed to turn to ice when he talked to her just now. The pain he’d just caused was real and physical and it ached down into her core. Somewhere in the distance she heard voices and then the closing of the door.
“Izzy?” Isabel turned slowly around and faced her father. “Mamacita, what happened?”
“He left me,” Isabel whispered.
Chapter 22
Rancho Luna Restaurant
45 Northwest 22nd Avenue
Little Havana, Miami, Florida
July 30, 2009/1315 Zulu
Alex stared into his iced tea. He hadn’t talked to Isabel in two days but had talked to her father a couple of times to check on her. Diego had told him she would go to work, come home, and go straight to her bedroom. Alex knew his woman and Izzy was stalling because she couldn’t get her way. He knew he would have to push her buttons in order for her to make the right decision.
This would require his Dom skills and it made him shudder every time he thought about what it would take to bring Izzy to her senses. Alex would have to break her down and make Isabel face her worst fear. He knew what she what was afraid of. He wasn’t sure Isabel understood, but he understood. Izzy was afraid she would have to give up her career, her familiar lonely life, and she needed to learn how to share her father and Alex with someone more fragile than her. Making her face her biggest fear would be unpredictable and dangerous, but she needed to see she was about to become her enemy. Izzy was turning into her mother.
The door to the restaurant opened and Alex looked up. Diego walked inside. Alex wasn’t looking forward to what he was being driven to do today because it would be painful and it could even backfire. It was still a risk he needed to take because this was bigger than him and Izzy. This was about their unborn, innocent child.
“You’re not eating?” Diego asked.
“I’m not hungry.”
“She’s got the next couple of days off, unless they call her, and she’s home right now.”
Alex took a deep breath and nodded. “Okay.”
“What do you plan on doing?” Diego asked.
Alex looked down into his glass and chose his next words carefully.
“It’s best I talked to her alone, Diego. You probably should find an errand to run while I’m there. Give me a couple of hours.”
“Oh?”
“She’ll be fine, but it’ll get ugly before it gets better,” Alex answered honestly.
“Don’t hurt her, Alex,” Diego said as he stood and dropped the key on the table.
Alex watched the old man walk out of the restaurant and considered what he needed to do. They all wanted what was best for Isabel and the baby. La’Rett, Diego, and Alex were all working to make Isabel see what a horrible mistake she was making. Isabel was in a very delicate place right now and this would require the right mix of pain and tenderness. He also considered Diego’s parting words.
To make this right, I’ve got to hurt her.
Alex drove the three short blocks to Isabel’s house and let himself inside. He heard the shower going as he walked inside the interior of the house. He looked at the pictures that Diego had on display and watched Izzy grow up as he went along. Alex turned his thoughts to his task at hand. La’Rett had told him Isabel had just worked a double shift at the hospital and Isabel had shut down. She wasn’t talking to her dad or La’Rett and she sure as hell wasn’t talking to Alex right now. He seated himself in a chair that faced the TV. He waited and listened. It seemed like an eternity before he heard the water shut off and door to the bathroom open.
“Isabel,” Alex called out.
Alex felt the atmosphere in the house go uncomfortably still for a few seconds and then he heard her hurried footsteps down the hall.
“Alex? How did you get inside my house? What the hell are you doing here?” Isabel demanded.
“We need to talk, angel,�
� Alex said, looking up at her as she came around the chair to face him.
Isabel was in her robe and was running a towel through her long wet hair. Alex could feel his body react to her fresh, clean scent, but his iron will took over as he shoved his attraction aside and allowed the Dom that had been clawing at him to surface. His demeanor and his voice took on a different tone instantly, and by the way she was looking at him, it was obvious she’d noticed.
“You didn’t answer me. How the hell did you get into my house?”
“Isabel, please. You know what I do for a living. Do you honestly think a locked door is keeping me out? Sit down, angel,” Alex said, pointing to the couch at his left side.
“I need to get dressed then we—” Isabel said, turning away.
“I said sit the fuck down!” Alex snarled. Isabel stopped and looked at him. “You’re trying my patience, angel.”
Alex needed Isabel as vulnerable as possible because keeping her helpless and insecure would allow him to break her down quicker. Isabel slowly walked to the couch that sat to the left of him. As she sank down, she looked at him with trepidation and Alex knew he was being effective by the way she was getting more nervous by the second. He was silent as he appraised her, allowing her to grow increasingly more uneasy as he looked at her.
“What are we doing, angel?” Alex asked in a quiet, demanding tone. Isabel twitched when he finally spoke. “I have a job I’ve got to get back to and I need to know what you want to do.”
“I told you. You need to sign some papers so you can get back to your job,” Isabel said sarcastically.
“And I told you I wasn’t signing anything like that. We have a problem, angel. How do you propose we resolve this impasse?” Alex asked in a steely tone.
Isabel looked away. “Alex, let me get dressed so we can sit in the kitchen and talk.” Izzy started to move.
“You move again, I’ll make it so you won’t move for a while. I will remove all options off the table and we will do this my way, Isabel.”
“You would hurt me? You better not!”
“I would never hurt you, angel. But I will stop you from moving and the way I’ll do it might get a little embarrassing if your father walks in.”
“What do you mean?” she asked, slightly pulling herself back.
“I will strip you naked and tie you to the couch. I guarantee by the time I’m done with you, we’ll have an understanding and you will be doing it my way. Angel.” He let the last word drip like honey.
Alex watched as his words sank in and took in the way Isabel’s jaw dropped. Her mouth was moving slightly and she was trying to form a response. The image he’d planted in her head, as well as the knowledge that he might and could do what he threatened, was overwhelming her thoughts.
“I’ll give you a list of what is not on the table for consideration. Number one, you will not give up this baby to anyone but me. Number two, you will not consider harming this child in any way. Now, what are we doing?” Alex asked. His voice was sandpaper, a tone that he’d perfected long ago.
“You can’t tell me what the hell I will not do!” Isabel snapped.
“Yes, I can. You gave up that choice when you started fucking me and made a baby as a result.” Alex growled.
“I will do whatever the hell I want and you can’t stop me!” Isabel yelled.
In all people there were certain things you never mentioned or said because the pain was too great. He was about to slice Isabel open and make her bleed. He needed to be ruthless to get her attention. Alex chose his next words with surgical precision.
“So what you’re saying is you plan on abandoning me and this baby. Sound familiar? You know something, Isabel, you’re so afraid of turning into your mother that you’ve turned into your mother.”
Alex studied Isabel’s face carefully. Everyone had been dancing around those words, now they were out in the open. Alex watched as so many emotions converged on her in an instant. Disbelief, pain, frustration, uncertainty, and finally anger. It was like watching the internal cycle of an explosion about to happen and he braced himself for the impact. He could almost hear her brain engage, like pulling a pin from a grenade, click.
“How dare you. You son of a bitch!” she managed in a deadly whisper.
“We still haven’t resolved anything other than you running away, not facing this problem, like your mother. So what the fuck are we doing? Answer me!” Alex demanded.
Isabel stood and threw the towel in her hand down. “Get out!” she shouted.
“No!” Alex roared back as he stood. “Answer me!”
Isabel was shaking with rage. She raised her hand and reared back, but Alex caught her right before she could land the slap to his face.
“Don’t ever try that shit again!” Alex said, squeezing her wrist tightly. He knew he was causing a little pain as Isabel tried to yank free. “What the fuck are we doing about this? Answer me!”
“I hate you!” Isabel screamed as she fought him.
“I don’t give a fuck if you hate me! You will not run from this, like your mother did. Answer me!” Alex demanded.
Alex easily subdued her and held her close. Isabel started to scream and cry as she fought to get free. He wanted to cry with her. Alex wanted to say he really didn’t mean what he said, but he needed to make her see what a horrible mistake she was making and there was no other way. Isabel was violently shaking with anger and hurt. The sobs that ripped through her body were tearing him apart. Isabel’s hands grabbed his shirt and clung to him as if her life depended on him pulling her to safety. Alex relaxed his grip and wrapped his arms around her as she cried.
“I hate her! I hate her for what she did to me!” Isabel screamed as she seemed to collapse.
Alex slowly guided her to the couch and sat down, holding her close. Isabel cried for what seemed like an eternity and Alex let her cry and scream at the pain that had finally surfaced like a festering wound breaking open. He encouraged her to finally let go of all the years of hurt and hatred she’d kept suppressed for so long. He knew she was coming to the end when her body started to relax. Izzy pulled away from him and looked at him. Her hazel eyes were slack with pain. He cupped her face tenderly and kissed her.
“How can you say that I’m like her?” Isabel asked sadly.
“I’d say anything to make you see what an awful mistake you’re making. If it means you hate me, too, I can live with that. Please, angel, don’t do something you’ll regret the rest of your life,” Alex said, tenderly kissing away the pain.
“Why didn’t she want me?” Isabel asked as fresh tears started to spill again.
“I don’t know and it doesn’t matter anymore. I want you,” Alex said, pulling her close.
Izzy had just let go of something huge in her life and he knew it wasn’t over. She needed the therapy she’d refused for so long. Maybe now she would be ready to accept help now that her feelings were vocalized. When they’d talked before, she always seemed to dance around how she’d really felt about her mother. Once they were settled and she was into a routine, he would see to it. If she didn’t get help, it could keep her from bonding with their baby and it would mean almost certain divorce in their future.
“Izzy, angel, please let’s just do like we planned, okay?” Alex said.
“Okay,” she whispered, resting her head on his shoulder.
“Go get dressed, angel. We’ll work out the rest,” Alex said.
Alex sat down on the couch and waited for Isabel because he needed a short break from her. Exhaustion washed over him as he closed his eyes and willed himself to release the emotional and physical tension he’d just endured. He’d been busy figuring out what they needed to do to get married while he was here. Alex managed to even scope out a few Navy facilities that could issue Isabel her dependent ID card once they had a marriage license. He stuck his hand inside his pocket and felt for her ring. Isabel returned and sat down beside him.
“Come here, angel. Let me hold you.”
>
Alex put his arm around her and pulled her close. He closed his eyes and as she snaked her arm over his chest.
“I’ve got something for you,” Alex said.
“What?” she whispered, tightening her grip.
Alex dug inside his pocket and took out Isabel’s ring. He took her left hand and slipped it on her finger and saw it was a little loose. Isabel lifted her hand and looked at it. She giggled.
“What makes you think I’ll say yes?” she said.
“Please don’t make me do that exercise again, Izzy,” Alex said.
“That was mean, Alex. I should say no for what you just did to me. You don’t really believe what you said, do you?”
“Do you understand why I said what I did? You don’t think at some point you’d have realized that everything you hated in your mother was the same thing you did? How were you planning on living with yourself, Izzy? Everyone was seeing it but you, angel,” Alex said.
“Why didn’t someone just say that to me? Why did you have to hurt me like that?” Isabel asked.
“I don’t like hurting you and you weren’t listening, angel, but we’re not going down that path, right?”
“No,” Isabel whispered and shuddered at the thought. “What’s the plan, Alex?”
“We’re getting the marriage license, doing a civil ceremony, and then I’m taking you to Key West for a couple of days. You don’t need to be back at work until next Tuesday, right?” Alex said.
Izzy nodded and rested her head back on his shoulder. “I need to tell my dad what’s going on, Alex.”
“Call him, angel. Tell him we’re going to the Coral Gables District Office.”
Isabel got up and went to her bedroom. Alex went to the kitchen and got a glass of water. He looked out the window for a while before the back door opened. He turned in time to see Diego walk inside. He smiled at Alex.
“Did you talk to Isabel?” Alex asked.
“Yes, she called me. I went back to Luna’s after I ran my errand. It sounds as if you managed to come to an understanding.”
“I think so,” Alex said.
“Is she giving up the baby?”
