Whiskey Lullaby

by Dawn Martens

  Jase

  For the first time in months, I’m drunk off my ass. As soon as Julie left, I ran Bec’s ass off. Then, I went to get a fifth of Jack. I started drinking it the minute I walked through the door.

  Matty came over to talk to me around one in the morning. At first, I thought he came over to punch me again. But when he saw the state I was in, he just sat down and talked with me.

  I told him everything Bec told me, including why she said she lied. We talked about it, but Matty and I couldn’t understand why Bec didn’t talk to Julie or Kristen about any of it. They were best friends; they would have helped her through anything.

  Some guy messed Bec up badly, and in return, she screwed up our lives. I don’t get it. Why would she do that? What the hell would she gain from hurting Julie or me?

  Before I could get her to leave, she told me that she’s been in contact with a social worker. Apparently, the adoptive parents listed Bec as the person to get custody of the kid, if something happened to them.

  It was an open adoption, but Bec hasn’t talked to the parents or seen her son in years. She told me that she received a phone call a few weeks ago saying the adoptive parents had passed away which is the reason why Bec finally decided to come to me and tell me the truth about everything.

  She wanted to fix everything before her kid came to live with her. She didn’t want to bring him into the mess that she had made of her life. As far as I’m concerned, the whole situation is fucked up.

  All I know for sure is if the person that screwed her over was Brandon, shit is going to fly when he gets home. If it was Will? Shit. I don’t even want to think of that one. That situation would be just way too messed up. Even more fucked up than Julie and I.

  Matty told me that Julie called him. She told him everything that happened. At least, what she thought happened. She said she was fine, just needed some time alone. She’s staying at a hotel somewhere in town.

  There are only three hotels in the whole damn town. I could go find her now, but I’m too fucking drunk to drive. Instead, I grab my bottle and go to my room. I sit on my bed and drink some more. The drunker I get, the more I think. I can’t believe everything turned to shit again. Fuck, I’m screwed. Putting the whiskey bottle down, I lay down and spread out on my bed.

  *****

  Julie

  We walk through the door and Dean starts his yelling, “Bethany, you fucking bitch. Get down here. Bring Jenny with you.”

  I’m scared for Bethany, but I am terrified for Jenny. “Dean, please don’t hurt Jenny,” I beg.

  Dean looks at me like I have three heads. “I would never hurt Jenny. I love her. What she is going to do though is sit quietly on the couch and watch what I do with you and Bethany. She needs to see you two be punished. She needs to know just how undisciplined you two are.” He shakes his head. “I do not want my daughter to grow up acting like either of you two sluts.”

  I cringe when he calls Jenny his daughter. I look towards the stairs, and notice a shadow pass across the hallway. I need to find a way to delay him from bringing Jenny down. I know that asking questions will only make him angrier, but it’s the only thing I can think of.

  “Who gave you the key, Dean?”

  He smiles and moves closer to me. “A skank named Brittany gave it to me. You know she works for the same real-estate company that you bought this house from, don’t you?”

  I shake my head. I had no idea, or I would have had the locks changed as soon as I moved in.

  “She does. As soon as she found out who was buying it, she made herself a copy of the keys.” He waves them in front of my face.

  “Why?” I ask in a whispered voice.

  “Brittany hates you so much that she tracked me down and filled me in on everything that was going on with you and that bastard’s father,” he says, motioning towards my stomach. “She is also the person that kept getting me your number. At first, her friend would give it to her, but she quit doing that months ago. But, that didn’t stop her. Brittany is quite a determined woman. All Brittany had to do was visit her friend at work and wait for her to go to the bathroom. Then, she would get on her computer and find your new number.”

  All I can do is shake my head. I should have known it would have to be Brittany. At least, it wasn’t Bec.

  “She is actually a brilliant woman. She could have made a wonderful doctor’s wife. Too bad she is such a skank, but she does give amazing blow jobs. Unlike you, she doesn’t have a problem getting on her knees,” Dean adds with a laugh. “I’ll have to come back for a visit just to have a taste of that mouth.”

  My mouth drops open in shock. Have I entered the twilight zone? Dean never talks about sex. He rarely even cusses. He would call Bethany and me a bitch when he was hitting us, but that’s it. It’s like he’s turned into a completely different person. Shit. I have no idea what to expect any more.

  His appearance has changed too. His normally close cut hair is now shaggy. He has on one of his button-down shirts, but it is full of wrinkles and is covered in stains. His pants have a large tear in the knee, and the toes on his wingtips are scuffed. This is definitely not the Dean I know.

  I’m brought back from my thoughts, by the sound of footsteps on the stairs. I look up, and Bethany is coming down. Thank God, Jenny is nowhere in sight.

  “Where the fuck is my daughter?” Dean screams as he rushes over to Bethany. Before she has time to respond, he slaps her across the face. The hit sends Bethany to her knees. She looks up at him, hatred in her eyes.

  “Jenny was lonely without her mom, so she called her dad. He came and got her. She stayed over there last night.” I know she is lying. I can only hope Jenny is hiding somewhere where Dean can't find her.

  Bethany’s words barely leave her mouth, before Dean is on top of her. “I’m her father,” he screams, between punches.

  I want to help her, but I have to think of the baby. I have to make a run for it. I have to try. I don’t make it even three steps before Dean grabs me and throws me onto the floor. I land on my stomach, and the pain starts instantly. My baby. I try to lay still, hoping it will pass, but it doesn’t. It only grows worse. Within moments, I feel warm liquid seeping between my legs.

  Chapter 31

  Jase

  I wake up and my head is pounding. Fuck. I look over at the empty bottle of Jack on the floor. I must have drained the whole damn thing. I check out the time; it’s almost seven. Shit, I’m late. We were supposed to leave for the mountains at six. Julie may not want to go, but I’m taking my daughter on vacation.

  I get up as quickly as I can, grab some aspirin and get showered. I get dressed and make my way downstairs. As I walk through the living room, I see Matty passed out on the couch. Maybe I didn’t drink the whole bottle by myself.

  I walk over and give the couch a hard kick. “Wake up, brother.”

  Matty rolls over, and looks at me with bloodshot eyes. “Fuck you!”

  “Come on, man, I need your help. Julie should be home by now and I’m going to make her listen to me, but I may need you to get me through the door,” I say as I walk towards the kitchen to make coffee. Not the most genius plan ever, but it may just work. I hope.

  “What are you going to tell her?” Matty asks from the living room.

  “She needs to know about Bec, and what was going on yesterday. I also have to tell her about what happened nine years ago.”

  “What Bec did was really fucked up, but it doesn’t change what she saw at Pop’s.” His voice is trailing off as he walks into the kitchen.

  I nod, but don’t reply. He’s right. Any way you look at it, I messed up. But Julie already forgave me for that shit. I just got to make sure she knows that I didn’t fuck up again.

  I grab my coffee and start to leave. Before I can make it to my front door, someone is pounding on it.

  I jerk it open and Bec rushes in. She pushes past me and looks around. She is totally panicked. “What the hell, Bec?” asks Matty.

&nb
sp; “I went over to talk to Brittany this morning. I wanted to let her know I was done with her and all her shit, and that I didn’t want to be any part whatever game she is playing with Julie.” Bec takes a deep breath and looks up at me with fear in her eyes. “Jase, I’m scared for Julie right now. We need to go to her.”

  “What the fuck are you talking about?” I ask, running out of patience with Bec and all her drama.

  “Brittany told me that Julie will be gone soon. I swear that she had the scariest smile on her face that I have ever seen. She wouldn’t tell me what she did, but I know it’s bad.”

  Matty and I are out the door before Bec even finishes her sentence.

  *****

  Julie

  I reach down, and place my hand between my legs. I pull it back up, and it’s covered with blood. No! I cry out in shock and try to crawl to the door.

  “Didn’t you learn your lesson yet? You are not going anywhere until I say so.” Dean grabs my hair, pulls me towards the living room, but stops a few feet from the entryway and releases me.

  I look up at him, and he is looking down at the floor. I turn my head to see what he’s looking at. There’s a trail of blood from where I fell to where I now lay. My baby is dying, and I can’t do anything to help him. Tears are falling from my eyes, and I start to pray that God will save my baby.

  “No! You will not die. You are mine!” he yells.

  “Dean, you have to get her to the hospital,” Bethany says, but Dean ignores her and picks me up. He carries me to the couch and removes my pants. I want to tell him to stop, but I’m too weak to say anything.

  My contractions have started, and it’s nothing like when I had Jenny. Those started slowly and built up with time. These feel like my insides are going through a meat grinder.

  “Go out to my car and get my bag. Then I need some towels. I’ll also need you to boil some water and get me anti-bacterial soap,” he says in his doctor voice. Shit. This can’t be happening. Not now.

  “Please, Dean. We need to take her to the hospital now,” Bethany begs. Her voice sounds so far away. I’m sure I’m going into shock. I can’t do this. Not now. Not like this. But I’m frozen. Everything seems to be happening around me in slow motion.

  “No!” he shouts. “Just do what I say. Her placenta has separated from her uterine lining. She is bleeding too much. We don’t have any time to take her anywhere."

  He continues to talk to himself, or at least I think he’s talking to himself. "She can't die. She can't! She's mine. I decide when she goes."

  I hear Bethany run out the door, and I try to call out for her to go get help, but I can’t form the words. I can feel Dean removing the rest of my clothes, but I can’t stop him. I feel relief when I hear Bethany come back into the room. She is talking, but I can’t hear what she is saying. I feel myself fading, and all I can think is I that I wish I could tell Jenny and Jase that I love them one more time.

  I’m not sure how long I was out, but I come to with Dean shaking me. “Do not pass out on me!” he yells. “You’re going to have to push if you want your baby to live. If not, I will cut it out of you. One way or the other, you will live. You are going to come home with me and be punished properly.”

  His words send a chill down my spine. I try to focus on the pain. I hope it will help me stay awake.

  Bethany lifts my upper body, and squeezes between me and the couch. “I’ll help you, Jules. I need you to stay awake and do your part. Okay?” she says while rubbing my hair.

  I want to shout out that it’s not okay. Nothing about this is okay, but I know she’s here for me. She wants me and my baby to be okay. I feel Dean between my legs. I want to push him away, but I know he is my baby’s only hope. I need to push that thought away. It sickens me that I need him. I lay still and let him position me as he wants.

  “When the next contraction hits, I want you to push as hard as you can, but you listen closely. Stop when I tell you to.”

  Seconds later, another contraction hits. I try to push, but I’m too weak. Bethany pushes my body up and places her hands on my stomach. “Push, Jules.” She pushes down on my stomach.

  “Stop!” Dean shouts. I lay back into Bethany and sigh with relief. I hardly get a chance to breathe before the pain starts again.

  “Push. Push now!” Dean says. I lift back up and bare down as hard as I can.

  “Stop!” he yells again. “I see a head.”

  My head is fuzzy. I know that everything about this is wrong, but I know that I have to keep trying. I can feel Dean pushing his hands inside me. I want to scream; it hurts too much. I don’t even have the energy to cry out.

  Dean starts to say something, but is cut off as the door bangs open. I can hear footsteps running into the room.

  “What the fuck is going on?”

  Thank God, Jase is here.

  *****

  Jase

  I run to my truck and dig in my pocket for the keys. They’re not here. I start to rush back inside, but Matty grabs me and motions toward his truck. We speed the entire way to Julie's house with Bec in the back seat. I don’t even know she is back there for the first few miles. I'm not sure why she is coming along, but I don't say anything because I'm in too much of a hurry for Matty to stop and kick her ass out. I just need Julie to be okay. I need to see her, now.

  We pull up to Julie's house, and nothing seems wrong. I turn around to Bec, who is just staring at the house as she takes off her seatbelt. "What game are you playing?"

  She shakes her head and looks at me with sincerity in her eyes. “It might look fine Jase, but Brittany did something, you have to get in there.”

  When I get out of the car. I hear someone screaming something about a head. I start to run toward the house, but look back to tell Matty to call 911. There’s no need, he’s already on the phone with the police giving them the address.

  I try the door, but it’s locked. There’s no other choice. I have to break the fucker down. I take a few steps back and run at the door. The door gives under my weight, and I step inside. It takes a second for me to process what is going on. Julie is on the couch, with no clothes on. Bethany is sitting behind her, and there is a blond man between Julie's legs who I’ve never seen before.

  “What the fuck is going on?” I yell out.

  “Jase,” Julie whispers so softly that I hardly hear her, but I can see the panic on her face.

  “Get the fuck away from my girl!” I say, stepping closer to the couch.

  “I’m trying to deliver a baby here. I suggest you shut your mouth and get back," the stranger orders.

  “Jase, don’t leave me alone with him,” Julie whispers, looking at me with fear in her eyes.

  What the fuck? I still have no idea what the hell is going on, other than Jules is about to have my baby. I rush around the couch, and squat down by Julie's head. I touch my lips to her forehead and am surprised at how cold it feels. I look up at Bethany to ask her what in the hell happened. But I notice that blood is smeared all over her face. She has a small gash above her right eye and her bottom lip is split in two. I look down at the man between Julie's legs, and it clicks. This fucker is Dean.

  He chooses that moment to look up at me. "You need to move away from my wife," he says. His voice is laced with anger, and his eyes are wild. Shit.

  “Why don't you just hurry up and deliver my baby," I say, adding emphasis to the word my. I know I shouldn’t antagonize him, but I can’t hold back. This guy is all sort of messed up. I need to get him the fuck away from Julie and my baby as quick as I can. Then, I am going to beat the living shit out of him.

  "Yeah, the police will be here soon, and I want a chance to fucking kill you before they get here," Matty adds from the doorway.

  I grab Julie’s hand and look up at Matty. I nod towards the stairs, trying to get him to go check on Jenny. I watch him make his way up the stairs, then look back down at Julie. She’s white as a sheet, and her breathing is labored. She continues to push, but she
is barely conscious between contractions. I look down at Dean, and his arms and shirt are covered in blood. Oh fuck, I'm going to lose Julie and the baby. I can’t lose them. I can’t.

  From the corner of my eye, I see Bec sneak into the room. She taps Bethany on the shoulder and motions for her to leave the room. Before Bethany can even get up, Dean screams at her. “If you fucking leave this room, sister, I’ll kill the baby before it’s even out. I may want Julie to live, but I don’t care what happens to her bastard child.”

  When he says that, I fucking flip. I let go of Julie and charge at him. As I tackle him to the floor, I yell for the girls to help Julie.

  The guy isn’t much of a fighter, but he manages to get a few blows in. Good. It makes kicking the shit out of him that much sweeter. I have him pinned to the ground by the time the police walk through the door. I continue to hold him down as Bec explains what is going on. One of the officers finally pulls me away from the bastard, and I make my way over to Julie. She is out cold now, but I can still see her stomach contracting.

  "Where's the ambulance?" I scream to no one in particular.

  "It’s in route and should be here soon." The same officer that pulled me off Dean says.

  I grab Julie's hand and start to pray. It seems to take forever before I hear the ambulance's siren coming down the road. Everything moves quickly then. The paramedics place Julie on the gurney and are out the door within minutes. I start to follow her, but stop - I hear Jenny calling me.

  "Daddy!" she screams and runs to me. She's still in her pajamas and tears are streaming down her face. I reach down and pick her up. I hold her close and do my best to sooth her.

  "It's okay, Sweet Pea. Everything's going to be just fine," I say as I rush to Matty's truck. My hands are shaking as I get her buckled up in the back seat. I then start to climb into the driver’s seat.

  Matty pulls me back. "Let me drive, man. You ride in back with your daughter. She's scared to death. I found her curled up inside her fucking toy box," he finishes in a whisper.

  I don't take time to process what he says. I just climb in the backseat and pull Jenny close. Bethany climbs into the other side and slides close to Jenny. She grabs her hand and starts to whisper in her ear. I pull my arm from between them and wrap it around Bethany too. I pull them both in close. I can’t think right now. I know that nothing is right. I just need to feel the warmth of my daughter, and I need Jules and my boy. We huddle together all the way to the hospital.