Fighting for Chloe

by Eva Jones

  ‘Yeah, I guess we should. Listen no matter what happens out there, Chloe, I just want you to know that I love you with everything that I am.’ He turns and gives me a brief kiss before getting up and throwing his clothes on. What was that supposed to mean? Is there no hope of ever finding Patrick?

  ‘I love you too, Dom.’ Is all I can think to reply before climbing from the bed myself and putting on my dirty clothes from yesterday. He pulls my hand into his and leads the way out of the room into the kitchen. Surprisingly everyone is already awake and sitting at the table, with mugs of steaming coffee in front of them. Charity is nestled on my dad’s lap once again. Right now though, I need to pick my battles and that isn’t the top of my priorities.

  ‘Morning,’ I mumble as I make my way over to the coffee maker and pour Dom and I cups of coffee, his black, mine with a little cream and sugar. ‘So what’s the update Andre? Is your man okay?’

  ‘Yes and no. I’ve come with an update and no Pete didn’t make it.’ His eyes turn hard as he says it and I know for sure that’s his coping mechanism.

  ‘Oh no. I’m so sorry, Andre.’ I go over and give him an awkward one arm hug before joining Dom at the breakfast bar. ‘What’s the update, Andre?’ I know it came off as kind of demanding, but I can’t help it. I’m so done with all of this.

  ‘He’s dead.’ Is all he says. I don’t know if everyone else is just as confused as I am right now.

  ‘Yeah, you just said, and I truly am sorry for your loss.’

  ‘Not Pete. Patrick. I put three bullets into him last night.’ There’s a collective gasp around the kitchen from all of us except Dom who just sits there staring down at his hands.

  ‘So he’s gone? It’s all over now? We don’t have to worry about that piece of shit anymore?’ As soon as the words come out, I beg to the lord that I could take them back. I look over to Charity and it’s as bad as I thought it would be. Her body is shaking and she’s crying. I can tell she’s trying to hold it in, but the hurt overcomes her. ‘I’m so sorry I said that Charity. I know you still loved him no matter what he did. Just as I still love my dad no matter all the crazy things we’ve been through. I’m so sorry.’ I try to backtrack the best I can but it doesn’t help any. My dad pulls her tight and cradles her to him, trying to soothe her the best he can.

  ‘We don’t need to hear the details, Andre. You can just leave all that out. I think it’s for the best that way.’ And for once I agree with my dad.

  ‘What will you do now?’ I direct my question to Andre.

  ‘You guys get to go back to your lives and I get to go back to Greg. I’m sure I’ll have another assignment before I know it. Spending my free time with him, helps to keep me sane.’

  ‘I would love to meet him!’ I throw Andre a wink before the weight of his words sets in. ‘Go back to our lives.’ Geez, I don’t even think I know what that is. I glance over to Dom, who still hasn’t spoken since we came in here. Maybe it’s just the shock of everything being done with? And the shock of a baby that could be on the way and asking me to marry him? Poor Dom, that’s a lot to take in.

  ‘Chloe, I know this is a lot to ask but do you think Charity and I can stay at your place while we figure out what our next steps are.’ My dad’s eyes meet mine.

  ‘Yeah the keys are under the welcome mat. I’ll be with Dom. I’m sure Nan is more than ready to get back home.’ I hop down from the stool.

  ‘Thank you Chloe I really appreciate that’

  ‘Okay, let’s do this. It’s time to go home!’

  Dom

  WE PULL INTO the car park and I look over at Chloe, ‘So are we going to do this?’ I honestly think I might be a little disappointed if the test shows she’s not pregnant, but until we actually get a test we won’t know for sure.

  ‘Yep, let’s go.’ She smiles opening her door and we make our way to the pharmacy and ask the clerk for directions to find what we’re looking for. The lady gets up from her stool behind the desk and walks a short way down the aisle, we follow behind,

  ‘They’re all here.’ She waves her hands indicating a whole section. Chloe looks at me and I at her and back to the huge array of pregnancy tests. How the hell do you choose?

  ‘Umm can you tell me which is the most accurate?’ I ask.

  The lady thinks on it a second and then she points a small section out. ‘This one is the earliest detector, but it’s the most expensive. It will tell you in words pregnant or not pregnant, you don’t have to worry about lines or whatever. This is the biggest seller too. Easier to determine the result’

  ‘Great Thank-you, we’ll take that one?’ I look to Chloe for confirmation. Who nods shyly biting her lip. We pick up some groceries and head home.

  ***

  As I pull up outside of the house I sudden sense of sadness seems to settle over us both. I look toward the house next door, where Zoe lives, lived. I still haven’t accepted that she’s gone. I know she was killed in my house but Chloe doesn’t know the details and I’m planning to keep it that way. No need to give her those nightmares too.

  We drop the groceries on the counter and head straight for the bathroom, despite me wanting to be there for the actual test, Chloe insists I stand outside because she isn’t peeing on a stick in front of me. I chuckle and she swears she will bring it straight out and we will wait for the result together. A few minutes later she opens the door with it in hand. We sit with our backs against the wall of the bathroom with the test upside down. I’m counting the seconds down and Chloe’s fingers are tapping an impatient tune out on her knee.

  ‘It’s time.’ Biting her lip, she turns the test over. The words in the digital square read ‘Pregnant.’ We look at each other and a smile spreads across my face.

  ‘I’m really pregnant,’ she whispers her excitement clear. I grin back at her as she breaks out in a giggle.

  ‘We need to get you a doctor’s appointment and make sure everything is okay.’

  ‘I’ll call first thing in the morning,’ she tells me.

  ‘We also need to get all your stuff from your place and move you in properly.’

  ‘Are you sure you don’t need some time with Nan first?’

  ‘Are you kidding me? You want to move in here, right?’

  ‘Of course I do, but I don’t want to impose on your nan you know, after all the trouble I’ve been’

  ‘Hey, not one more word like that, you’re my girl and in there.’ I caress her stomach. ‘Is my baby, you can’t be living somewhere else, I’d hate that, and my nan loves you.’

  ‘You’re sure about this?’

  ‘Abso-fucking-lutely.’ I lift her from her sitting position and pull her up into my arms. ‘Now I’m going to feed my pregnant fiancé and then we’re going to go and see if Nan wants to come home’

  ‘Sounds perfect.’ While I’m standing at the stove throwing ingredients into the wok, she comes up behind me and wraps her arms around my waist.

  ‘What will we do now?’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Well I had a job and you... Well the fighting? It feels like a lifetime ago.’

  ‘We’ll figure it out, let’s not dwell on all that right now.’

  Nodding her head she agrees. ‘Okay.’ She looks into the pan. ‘Smells so good.’

  ‘Well I’m not promising perfection but I do cook a mean stir fry.’ I grin as she giggles at my wagging eyebrows.

  ‘Sit I’ll bring it over.’ I watch her ass as she walks away and I chuckle as she catches me over her shoulder. I dish up two plates and pour us some juice from the fridge. Then we sit and have our first proper meal together at home in our home. It feels right. When we’re done we hop back in the car and head out to see Nan. I’m so excited, but more than that, at the same time I’m nervous as hell because without seeing her everyday she may have forgotten who I am completely. Just like she did in the hospital. That possibility has played on my mind the whole time I’ve been away from her. We get to the desk and the receptionis
t has us sign in and tells us where we need to go to find her.

  Chloe grips my hand and pulls me to a stop, ‘Dom wait a second.’ We stop and she takes both hands in hers as she looks up at me. ‘Maybe you should go in alone?’

  ‘No, no it’s fine.’

  ‘Dom, I just don’t want to confuse her. If I stay outside maybe there’s more chance that she’ll recognise you.’ I kiss her. I can’t help it, the fact that she’s thinking about this means so much.

  ‘Babe whether my nan recognises me or not I want you to be there it’s important to me.’

  ‘You’re sure?’

  ‘Yes I’m sure’ We stand for a second before I open the door and head into the lounge area we were told Nan would be. I walk in and find her in a group of around seven others knitting while she chats and laughs with everyone. She looks amazing and happy. I have to say I’m shocked at seeing her so happy.

  ‘Hey Nan?’ She looks up and instantly I see the recognition flash in her eyes.

  ‘Oh, Dominic you came to see me!’

  ‘Of course I did, Nan you can’t keep me away.’

  ‘Oh, Edna come meet my grandson, isn’t he handsome? Oh hello, dear I didn’t see you there how are you, Chloe?’ Chloe hugs Nan as Edna comes and checks out how handsome I am. I catch Chloe’s eye as she steps back from the hug and the smile she’s wearing brightens her whole face. We chat for a while with the group while my Nan embarrasses me and tells them all I used to run around naked whenever I had the opportunity as a kid.

  When visiting time is almost done, she tells me that we need to go and see her room. We get there and the room is lovely. It’s a single so she doesn’t have to share and she has everything she needs in there. At one side is a small living area with a TV and comfy chair. She has an electric bed like the kind you get in the hospital and an ensuite. All her personal things are spread around and the place looks so cosy.

  ‘Nan are you ready to come home? I was thinking we could get you packed up tomorrow?’

  ‘Oh, Dom, I’ve thought about it, and I think I’ll be better staying here.’ Chloe’s just as shocked as I am by the declaration.

  ‘But, Nan, we have your room and Chloe and I would be there for you.’

  ‘Dom, I think you’ve done enough for me sweetheart, I love you so much, but here is where I should be.’

  ‘Nan it’s not about what I’ve done for you. You have a house you wanted to stay in, I promised you that no matter what you could.’

  ‘I remember.’ She cups my face as I kneel in front of her. ‘But I didn’t know staying in a home would be as nice as this. I have met so many lovely people, Dominic, I really like it here.’

  ‘But the house?’

  ‘It’s yours, Dom I signed the paperwork you’re a joint owner.’

  ‘What? How… When?’

  ‘When I had to see the solicitor about what your father did. The house is yours now, Dom.’

  ‘But the mortgage?’

  ‘Everything is in your name too, Dom, I knew when I did it that one day I would need care, so this way they can’t take the house as payment.’ I’m speechless I just don’t know what to say.

  ‘So, Nan let me be clear, what you’re saying is the paperwork for the house is in both yours and Dom’s name?’ Chloe asks, and my nan nods.

  ‘The paperwork is all in the cabinet in the dining room.’

  I sit down on the floor by her. ‘Nan, I can’t believe you did that.’

  ‘Why? You would have gotten it anyway. This way you can do whatever you like with it, before I die you don’t have to wait.’

  ‘NAN!’

  ‘Oh stop it’s going to happen, just know that I’m happy and so very proud of you!’

  ‘Nan, I can’t believe you didn’t tell me before now.’

  ‘Well it wasn’t important before now.’

  ‘I guess’ I shrug.

  ‘But, Nan we would like you to come home regardless.’

  ‘Dominic, you have Chloe now you don’t need to be worrying about me, my love. I really like it here, and I want you to have your own life. I don’t want to be a burden on you, just be sure to visit me!’ I look at Chloe for help. What the fuck do I do in this situation?

  ‘Nan you brought me up, you did everything for me, this isn’t about you being a burden, I want to have you home.’

  ‘Well I want to stay here so when you visit you need to tell me about your day. Now what time is it because I think we have bingo tonight I don’t want to miss it.’ And just like that she dismisses the whole fucking thing. We say our goodbyes and as we walk out to the car Chloe looks at me.

  ‘Maybe she’ll feel differently tomorrow, we should ask her again then.’

  ‘I doubt it she’s never been that lucid for that long since I can remember. That was my nan at her best, Chloe. She was with it and meant every word, she isn’t coming home.’

  ***

  Chloe

  It’s been two weeks since we’ve found out that we’re pregnant and Dom has been a doting fiancé. Quite possibly even a little too much doting. One day when we were making a trip to my apartment, he went all caveman just because I was about to pick up a box.

  ‘Don’t you dare, Chloe.’

  ‘It’s only a small box.’

  ‘Woman, I don’t care what size box it is, I’ll get it.’ Some days it’s nice to have him waiting on me but others, like that one, I may have had the urge to kick him in the shin. Not going to lie, no matter how much he drives me nuts, I love him more and more each day.

  It took some sweet talking on Dom’s part, but he was finally able to get us an appointment with the gyno. We had to wait two weeks, but that’s so much better than the three-month waiting list that they had. We pull up to the office building and before I even have time to unbuckle my seatbelt, Dom is at my door opening it and extending his hand to help me out. Swoon. We make our way up to the fourth floor and down the hall that’s labelled Dr. Donna Peters, MD. He opens the door and we both slip in and check in at the receptionist. I feel like we’d been waiting forever by the time a nurse pops her head out of the door and calls my name. I step up on the scale and my weight and height are taken.

  ‘Do you mind peeing in the cup for me? It’s just to test some levels that we’re able to find in your urine.’

  ‘Sure.’ I respond before taking the plastic cup and making my way to the restroom she indicated around the corner. I fill the cup, cap it, and deliver it back to the nurse before being escorted to the exam room. Dom’s silent through the whole process and I don’t know if it’s nerves that are getting to him. I know my nerves are going crazy right now too. I undress and put the gown on, hopping onto the exam table afterwards. Dom comes and stands next to me while we wait for the doctor to join us. There’s a few machines around me and I spend the time inspecting them, trying to see if I can figure out what they do.

  ‘How’s, mummy doing today?’ The doctor asks as she walks into the room and goes to the sink to wash her hands.

  ‘I’m doing alright. A little nervous, but alright.’ I start to twist the robe around my fingers.

  ‘No need to be nervous. Today we are just going make sure everything looks alright in there. Dad are you remaining in the room for the examination?’ she asks Dom and he stiffens in a ‘the fuck I’m going anywhere stance.’

  ‘I’m staying,’ is all he replies before going to the other side of the bed to give the Doc some space. He pulls my hand into his and squeezes tight.

  The doctor smiles, a long wand is in her hand that looks like it’s wearing a condom. Where the hell is she putting that? ‘Now if I could have you lay down and scoot your rear to the bottom of the table, I can make sure it all looks well and dandy in there.’ I do as she asks and she pushes my legs apart a bit before inserting the probey type thing into my vagina. I’ve never felt so uncomfortable in my life. But everything else ceases to exist when I look at the monitor and see my little bean.

  ‘Oh my god, Dom.’ His hand clen
ches mine and I feel something wet hit my shoulder. I look up at him and see the brightest smile on his face that I’ve ever seen and tears slowly trickling down his cheeks. He sees me looking at him and his mouth immediately connects to mine, all the happiness and joy radiating through our kiss.

  ‘I can’t wait to make you Mrs Colton.’

  Dom

  18 months later

  I FINISH UP at the gym, I can’t wait to get home to Chloe and Chase. He’s ten months now and already starting to walk, I’m terrified I’ll miss his first steps each day I’m not at home. I can’t complain though, not many people can say they get paid to keep fit. I started out working there, training people for a wage. Helping with the classes and cleaning the gym at the end of the day, I got to train for free too. I had my first legit MMA fight only a few months after starting there. Now I have sponsors and eight wins under my belt with six being knockouts. When the scouts came to my fight, it was a close one, we went seven rounds and traded blows, until the knock out, I wasn’t even sure who was up on points. I was absolutely blown away when I was offered a contract, and even more blown away when they said I’d be paid for it. We get to travel all over with all expenses paid. And I love my job! Turns out that Chloe is a natural when it comes to parenting, she never loses her patience and always has time for Chase even when she’s had no sleep. My woman rocks. My phone rings as I step out of the gym.

  ‘Hey, baby everything okay?’

  ‘Hey, everything’s great, but we’re out of milk and…’ she lowers her voice to a whisper. ‘My dad just dropped by, he isn’t doing so good.’

  ‘Aw shit, okay I’ll grab some milk, anything else while I’m there?’

  ‘No I think that’s it.’

  ‘Okay see you soon.’

  ‘Oh wait, did you call the home? Check on Nan?’