Chapter 2, Part 2

Back at the Blake residence, the house phone rang.
“It’s probably Andy checking on us again,” Denise laughed. “The poor thing has the heebie-jeebies today.” She answered the phone. “Oh my god! Yes, thank you. We’ll be ready and waiting!” she turned to Anne. “Mitch shot Andy! He’s on his way to the hospital now. The police are sending a car for us to go to the hospital. They said it’s bad and he might not make it.”
“Oh, no! Honey, I’m so sorry,” Anne cried. “I’ll follow the cruiser so we have a way to get home with him. I’m sure he’ll be okay. He CAN’T die. He just can’t!”
“Let’s get moving. They should be here soon. Andy’s friend said to stay inside until the officer gets here and shows us a badge. No telling if Mitch would try to impersonate a cop.”
“Good point,” Anne agreed. “I’ve got my keys. Do you have yours?”
“Yes, I do. I’m ready.” The doorbell rang. Anne went to the door and asked who it was.
“It’s Officer Grady. Look through the window, I have my badge out.”
Once the women verified the badge and saw the cruiser’s lights flashing, they disarmed the security system, opened the door, and reset the system as they left. Anne followed the cruiser in her car, and they headed for the hospital.
The hospital wouldn’t tell Denise much more than that Andy was in surgery at the moment, and she paced the waiting room for what seemed like hours.
“Denise, please come sit down with me, you’re wearing a hole in the carpet.”
“I don’t care! I can’t stand not knowing.” She burst into tears. “He’s been so good to me, and I put his life in danger. No one is going to be safe unless I go back to Mitch. If I crawl back to him, he’ll take me back and no one else will get hurt.”
“Denise!” cried Anne. “You’re talking crazy! Mitch almost killed you! You CAN’T go back to that madman. Besides, he now has a warrant out for his arrest for the attempted murder of Andy in addition to the attempted murder of you,” Anne’s face contorted with concern. “How can you even THINK about going back to him?”
“I can’t live with the thought of anyone else getting hurt,” Denise replied. “Don’t you see? Everyone who has helped me is now in danger – that includes you. What kind of friend would I be if I allowed this to continue?”
“The kind of friend who understands that we can take care of ourselves and knew what we were getting into when we decided to help you,” Anne replied calmly. “You have to think of the baby. And yourself. He’ll kill you both if you go back to him. AND there’s no way to say he won’t still come after anyone who helped you, even if you do go back,” Anne reasoned. “You have to stick to your guns, and stay away from him.”
Denise sat down, defeated.
“You’re right of course,” she agreed reluctantly. “I have to think of my baby first. I hate that you, Andy and the Roths have put yourselves in harm’s way just to help me, but I do appreciate it more than I can possibly say.” She hugged her friend. “Honestly, how long can they expect us to wait for an update?” Denise got up and started pacing again. “Should I call Melanie and Ralph and let them know what happened?”
“Yes, you might want to. What about Shelly and Bob? You haven’t talked to them in a while and Andy is their friend, too.”
“I know, but Shelly was helping Mitch violate his Restraining Order, and I’m not convinced they’re not still helping him.”
“Good point. But definitely call Ralph and Melanie. They’ll want to know.”
“I’ll also warn them to keep their eyes and ears sharp. It’s like open season to Mitch right now,” Denise sighed. “I won’t be able to sleep knowing he’s still out there. How the hell does he keep slipping away?”
“I have no idea. Hopefully, when Andy wakes up he’ll be able to shed some light on that subject.”
“You mean IF he wakes up.” Denise started to cry again.
“No, I mean when. You have to think positive. Andy’s tough, and he has strong feelings for you. He’ll get through this.”
“Okay, I’ll try to be more positive,” Denise sniffled. “Stay here while I go make the call to Melanie and Ralph? I can’t use cell phones here. I’ll just step outside.”
“Ask one of the officers to go with you. We don’t know if Mitch is watching the hospital just waiting for a chance to get to you.”
“Okay, good point.” Denise asked one of the officers to accompany her outside while she made her phone call. She made the call brief, and the Roths promised they’d be careful and asked Denise to keep them posted on Andy’s progress. She agreed, and said she’d let them know when Andy could have visitors. As she walked back to the waiting room, she asked the officer if he had any information on what happened.
“I was one of the first on the scene. The statements from witnesses confirmed it was your husband who attacked Mr. Blake,” he began. “We have the gun and some bullets from the scene for ballistics and forensics, but we know it was Mr. Farber who pulled the trigger. We’re hoping the gun will have a history that can point us to the person who is helping him. He was seen getting into a small car, but the license plate was obscured by mud, and no one could give a description of make or model. If the gun comes back hot, we might have a lead to finding your husband.”
“So someone is helping him,” Denise sighed heavily. “That makes things a bit more complicated, doesn’t it?”
“Indeed it does,” the officer replied. “But don’t worry ma’am. We’ll find him.”
“I hope you can find him before he hurts anyone else.”
They arrived back at the waiting room, and Anne informed them that there was still no news. Denise sat down, her nerves wracked from worry, both about Andy surviving and knowing Mitch was still at large and with an accomplice to boot. Another half hour passed before the doctor finally came to speak with them.
“The good news is that we were able to stop the bleeding and get all the wounds closed. The better news is that the bullets didn’t hit any major organs,” he began. “Mr. Blake will be fine. He needs lots of rest, and we’re admitting him for a few days to be sure the sutures hold. His knee is badly sprained, but thankfully not broken, so he’ll be in a knee immobilizer for a few weeks, but he should be able to return to work in about a week, maybe two.”
“Oh thank god!” Denise breathed. “When can we see him?”
“He’s coming out of the anesthesia now. It will take about an hour before he’s coherent enough to have visitors. We’ll send for you when he’s awake and stable enough for you to see him.”
“Thank you so much, Doctor. We can’t thank you enough for saving his life!” Denise said, on the verge of tears again. “I really thought we were going to lose him.”
“If his co-workers hadn’t sounded the alarm and called 911 when they did, we might have lost him.”
“Oh! How is his friend doing? Was he badly hurt?”
“He was shot square in the chest, but the bullet lodged in his chest just inches from a main artery. The surgeon was able to remove the bullet, and he’ll be fine.”
“That’s wonderful news! I don’t know his co-workers well, but I do know they all have families. Please tell the other surgeon how grateful we are that they saved that man’s life.”
“I will be certain to that. I promise,” the doctor replied. “Have some coffee or some snacks, and we’ll call you as soon as you can see Mr. Blake.”
“Thank you, sir, we will.”
Denise and Anne hugged each other knowing that Andy was going to fully recover. They sat anxiously awaiting the call to see him.
The phone in the waiting room finally rang, and Anne snatched it up.
“Hello?”
“Is this the party waiting to see Mr. Andrew Blake?”
“Yes, ma’am, it is.”
“You may come see him now. He’s awake and asking for you. Room 215.”
“Thank you! We’ll be right there.” Anne turned to Denise. “Let’s go, hun. He’s awake. Room 215.”
“Oh thank goodness!” Denise jumped out of her chair and headed for the door. “I’m ready.” The women headed for the elevator, hit the button for the second floor and headed to room 215. It was a private room, aside from the bathroom being shared with the neighboring room. It was stark white except for the curtain hanging around the bed, which was a pastel blue with a floral pattern. The chairs were a dull shade of beige-brown, and weren’t comfortable at all. The cushions were so worn you could feel your sits bones on the bottom of the chair the moment you sat down. But none of that mattered to Denise. What mattered was Andy’s smiling face when he saw her, and she ran to his side, grasped his hand in hers and kissed his forehead tenderly.
“Andy!” she breathed. “It is so good to see you. Are you feeling okay? Is there anything I can get you?”
“I’m fine, Denise – especially now that you’re here. Anne, it’s good to see you, too. Thanks for coming.”
“My pleasure, Andy. You’re like a brother to me now, so get used to it,” Anne giggled. “Where she goes, I go. We’re a package deal.”
“I could so make a horrible sexual comment about that, but I’ll let it go,” he laughed out loud. “Something tells me you ladies would both smack me for that one.”
“Damn right,” laughed Denise. “Neither of us swings that way, so get that idea out of your head.” She leaned down to kiss him. “I’m so glad to see you in good spirits despite the situation,” she whispered. “What a horrible night. No wonder you had a weird feeling. I honestly didn’t expect him to go after you.” Denise let out a heavy sigh. “I thought for sure he’d just follow you to get to me. I’m worried now that no one is safe. If he went after you, who’s to say he won’t go after Melanie and Ralph or Anne next?” She squeezed his hand. “I really don’t know what to expect next, and I’m scared shitless.”
"I know, Denise," Andy replied. "It's ok, though. I'm going to be fine. They'll find Mitch. I'm sure of it."
"But what if they don't? I mean who's next? I'm sure the police can't protect us all!" Denise let go of Andy's hand and paced. "I just don't know what to do! The doctors are keeping you for a few days, which means I'll be alone at your house again."
"Denise, you know I'll stay with you at Andy's, or you can come stay at my place," Anne reassured. "You know I won't leave you by yourself. But it's probably better if we stay at Andy's, since Mitch knows where I live."
"How do we even know Mitch hasn't found Andy's place?" Denise replied. "I mean tonight could have been an attempt to eliminate Andy so he could get to me more easily. I honestly think I'm safer staying here at the hospital until they release you," she turned back to Andy. "Do you think the doctor's will let me stay?"
"Given the circumstances, I have no doubt they will allow it."
"I hope you're right."
"We can find out right now," Andy said as he pushed the call button for the nurse. "That way you can relax some." The nurse entered the room, and Andy posed the question of Denise staying in his room for safety purposes.
"I will double check with the doctor, but I’m sure that won’t be a problem,” she responded.
“Thank you,” Denise said. “I really appreciate it.”
“No problem, Mrs. Farber. Sit tight. We’ll get this all situated,” the nurse said as she left the room.

Chapter 8, Part 1

Denise woke up the next morning and came out of her room. Andy was already cooking bacon and omelettes for breakfast.
“Mmmm! Breakfast smells fabulous!” she exclaimed.
“Thank you.” Andy beamed. “Only the best for you, my dear,” he bowed gallantly. Denise swatted his arm.
“Wise ass,” she chuckled.
“Always,” he retorted. “It’s good to see you smile. It’s been a rough few days.”
“I feel safe with you, and appreciate you taking me in. I realized that even with the neighbors staying with me and Anne, we wouldn’t have been safe. We’re no match for a baseball bat. And God forbid he gets a gun or some other weapon.” She sighed heavily. “I just feel horrible that I’ve put so many people in danger.”
“YOU didn’t put anyone in danger. Mitch did, and the rest of us put ourselves in danger to save you. You have nothing to feel guilty about. Mitch is crazy, and if helping you stay alive puts us in danger, so be it.” Andy pulled Denise toward him gently, and held her. “I’d rather die than see anything happen to you and the baby.” Denise leaned lazily against him.
“I’ve never been held like this. I’ve never been kissed the way you kiss me. I’d rather die than lose that or you.” She looked up at him with eyes full of wonder. “I know we haven’t been friends for very long, but I really feel like I’ve known you all my life. It’s a nice feeling to connect like that.”
“I feel the same way.” He kissed her lightly. “Breakfast is ready.”
After breakfast, the couple lounged on the couch watching television. Andy sat with Denise stretched out across his lap with her head resting on his chest. He stroked her hair and cheek warmly and she sighed contentedly.
“This is what I always dreamed a relationship should be like,” Denise murmured. “Then I met Mitch, and I thought that’s what was real. I never knew it could be this wonderful.”
“If you’ll have me, it can always be this wonderful.”
“Please don’t take this the wrong way, but I may never get married again. Too gun shy now.”
“I’m okay with that. As long as I can be part of your life and the baby’s, I don’t care if we get married. We’ll just take things one step at a time.” Denise leaned up to kiss him.
“That sounds like a plan to me,” she whispered.
Andrew pulled her gently to him so he wouldn’t hurt her ribs, and began kissing her more and more passionately. Denise moaned with pleasure, leaning into his kisses and giving back as good as she got.
She relaxed her body, allowing his hands to explore her. She trusted him completely, but then he stopped and just held her.
“What’s wrong, Andy?” she asked meekly. “Is it me? Did I do something wrong?”
“No, no, Denise,” he replied, kissing her softly. “This isn’t the right time. You’re hurt and in pain. I want to do this the right way.” He held her to him lovingly. “I won’t ever hurt you, Denise. Not ever.”
They remained on the couch cuddled up, just enjoying each other’s company. Denise nuzzled her face into his neck and kissed him.
“I can’t believe how strong my feelings are for you, and we’ve known each other for only a short time.” She kissed Andy’s neck again. “It almost scares me,” she whispered, “but it excites me and makes me happy more than it scares me!”
“I’m glad to hear that,” Andy replied, gently stroking her forehead and cheeks, “because I feel the same way.” He kissed her passionately again. “I promise when the time is right, we’ll be together and I’ll make sure your every need is met.”
“You already have,” Denise breathed between kisses. “You already have!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“So, Anne is coming over soon to stay with you while I’m at work?” Andy asked.
“Yes. She’s due here about eight thirty.”
“Good, I’ll feel better knowing she’ll be able to keep an eye on you and help you if you need something. You may THINK you’re healed, but you’re NOT. Not quite yet.” He held her close and gave her a long passionate kiss. “Call my cell if you need anything.”
“I will. But I’m sure we’ll be just fine.”
Andrew got in his car and headed for work. He had an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. He picked up his cell phone and hit one of the speed dial buttons. “Hello? Hey, Chief, would you mind having a car patrol around my house tonight? I’m worried that her husband is going to try something stupid.”
“No problem,” came the reply from the other end. “I have a couple patrol cars in the area and will be sure they drive by every hour or two.”
“Thanks, Chief. I really appreciate it. I owe you one.” Andy hung up the phone and continued driving.
Anne arrived right on time. Denise disarmed the system to let her in, then reset the alarm for no entry delay, as she agreed with Andy.
“This is a lovely house,” Anne said, glancing around. “Are you still in the guest room? Or is that mine now?” Her eyes twinkled merrily. “I mean, it’s obvious you two have developed feelings for each other.”
“Okay, if you’re fishing for info, you’re barking up the wrong tree.” Denise laughed. “I don’t kiss and tell.”
“Since when?” Anne retorted. “You’ve always told me everything, now spill!”
The friends settled in on the couch to talk. They were like high school girls at a slumber party catching up on dating experiences.
“Oh, Anne,” Denise breathed, “He’s so wonderful. I can’t wait for the day we make love. But he refuses until I’m healthy. He says between my ribs and the baby being under so much stress, he won’t go that far, he’s afraid of hurting me or throwing me into early labor. He’s just so sweet!
“Yay! That’s wonderful!!”
“I know. He makes me so happy, but I have to deal with Mitch first – it would be nice if the police could find the son-of-a-bitch.”
“Yes, it would,” Anne agreed. “This not knowing where he is or what he’s up to is scaring the shit out of me.”
“Same here. At least the security alarm here will help keep us safe.”
“All right, instead of worrying about HIM, let’s find a movie, have popcorn and relax. A comedy would be a good choice tonight, y’think?”
“Absolutely! Let’s see what we can find.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Andy arrived at work, parked the car and got out. He set the car’s theft alarm and walked through the parking lot toward the building. The uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach twinged again. He stopped walking, took out his cell, and called Denise.
“Denise? Is everything okay? Did Anne get there safely?”
“Yes, Andy. She’s here, the alarm is set and we’re watching comedies to keep us from thinking of Mitch being out there, god knows where.”
“Okay, call me in a few hours and let me know how you’re doing.” He paused. “I just have this feeling in the pit of my stomach that something’s going to happen. Keep the shades and curtains pulled, and turn off the lights.”
“Will do. Call me if you keep having this feeling, okay? You’ve got me worried.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you. I just don’t know what this gut feeling is about.”
“Well, be careful. For all we know he could go after you.”
“True. I’ll be careful. I promise.” They said good-bye and he hung up the phone. Andy continued through the parking lot to the building. He was nearly to the door, waving at his coworker who was getting ready to buzz him in when Andy heard something. A twig snapped behind him. He whirled around just in time to see Mitch emerge from the hedges with a gun. Instinctively, Andy dropped to his knees, the bullet just missing him as it lodged in the side of the building. Andy’s coworker sounded the alarm, and headed toward the door. Mitch shot him through the glass, then turned the gun back on Andy.
Andy leapt at Mitch grabbing his arm, trying to wrench the gun out of his grip. The gun went off as the men struggled and fought. Andy managed to flip Mitch over his shoulder, and as Mitch hit the ground, the gun went off one more time before Andy managed to kick it out of Mitch’s hand.
Andy looked down and saw blood. He wasn’t sure if it was his or Mitch’s, but Mitch jumped up, kicked Andy’s right knee, and ran off. Another coworker ran to Andy’s side, as Andy collapsed to the ground, and they saw Mitch get into a small car on the passenger side. They squinted to see the license plate, but it was covered with mud and the car sped away before they could get many details on it.
“Andy! You’ve been hit!”
“What, I feel… oh, wow,” Andy looked at his hand that had been clutching his stomach. He hadn’t even realized his hand was there, and when he pulled it back, he saw blood. “I am hit! You need to call Denise, the house phone is on speed dial…” Andy’s voice trailed off, he started to falter. “I think I’m going to pass out.”
“NO!” his friend shouted. “Stay with me, Andy! Keep those eyes open. The ambulance should be here soon. STAY WITH ME!”
Andy didn’t speak. He was getting weaker and weaker. He tried to keep his eyes open, but it was a struggle to do so. He heard the scream of the ambulance siren getting closer. His breathing became shallow as he went into shock. Not only did he have a burning pain in his stomach, he felt a searing pain in his right thigh, and his knee felt broken from the force of Mitch’s kick.
“Call Denise,” he said weakly. “She has to know… what happened…” his voice trailed off again. He was close to losing consciousness. “Promise me,” he whispered.
“I promise. I will call her just as soon as the ambulance and police get here. Just rest. Everything is going to be fine.”
The EMTs arrived in the nick of time, stopped the bleeding quickly and strapped Andrew into a stretcher. They hooked him up to a respirator, and other machines to monitor his blood pressure, heart rate, pulse, and his oxygen saturation. They also tended to the other man who had been shot trying to help Andy. They closed up the ambulance, and it screeched out of the parking lot on its way to the hospital.
The police arrived at the same time, and took statements from the witnesses, and bagged the gun for forensics. They hoped it had a history and could lead them to whoever was helping Mitch. Another all points bulletin went out for his arrest, and they added his accomplice to the warrant. Even though they didn’t have the description yet, they wanted to be certain they had a warrant for any person in close proximity to Mitch when they took him down. Andy’s friend called Denise as promised. The captain ordered a police cruiser sent to pick her up and take her to the hospital. No one knew if Andy would make it out of this alive.

Chapter 7

The day after Mitch was arrested for violating the Restraining Order, Denise received a call from the police department.
“Mrs. Farber? This is a courtesy call to let you know that your husband paid his fine for violating the Order and is now free from jail. Be on your guard and let us know if anything happens… He was steaming mad.”
“Thank you for calling officer,” Denise replied, trying not to let the panic drip from her voice. “I will be careful, I promise.”
Andy walked in the house as Denise put the phone back on the charger. He saw her face with fear written over every pore.
“Denise, what’s wrong?”
“Mitch is out of jail again. His parents paid his contempt fine.”
“Oh, no. We need to get you out of here. You need to come stay with me. I have a guest room and a security system. You’ll be safer there. He doesn’t know where I live.”
“What if he’s watching and follows us? I can’t put you in harm’s way. You shouldn’t be here now. If he thinks you’re hitting on me or that we’re sleeping together, he’ll kill you!” Denise started crying. “I should never have put you, or the others in this position. I should just go back to him!”
“NO!” Andrew screamed. “You can’t do that. He’ll eventually kill you and the baby. You need to stay strong and let us help you.”
“But I can’t!” Denise sobbed. “I’m too afraid he’ll kill all of you for helping me. You don’t understand.”
“He’ll kill you the minute you go back to him. Please, stay with me while we figure this out!”
“All right. I will.” She sniffled and blew her nose. “I need to call out of work today. I’m not going to be any good to anyone in this condition.” The doorbell rang. “I’ll get it.”
“Mrs. Denise Farber?”
“Yes?”
“Consider yourself served.” The lady at the door handed Denise an envelope, then turned and left.
“What the hell?” Denise opened the envelope and read the papers inside. “NO!” she screamed. “NO! He can’t take my baby!” she sank onto the sofa and sobbed uncontrollably. Andy gently took the papers from her and read them carefully. Then he sat on the sofa and held her tightly as she cried.
“Denise, it’s ok. He CAN’T take your child. Think about it. He’s been arrested for domestic violence AND for violating the Restraining Order. No judge in their right mind would grant him custody of your child.”
“His parents will fight for custody of the baby. They’ll say I’m an unfit mother somehow, and make me look horrible in court. I can’t take that chance. I have to stay with him. I have to!”
“No, you don’t!” Andy held her tighter and wiped away a tear. “You can come stay at my place while we sort this all out. I’ll help you get a lawyer and we’ll fight this. You deserve better than the likes of Mitch!” He kissed her forehead gently. Denise looked up through her tears, her eyes wide showing her vulnerability. He didn’t even think about it, but simply leaned down and kissed her passionately on the lips. Denise melted in his arms. She’d never experienced a kiss like that before. It was so tender and full of fire. She leaned into him, kissing him back without hesitation.
“Let’s go to my house, I’ll get you set up in the guest room, and we’ll figure things out. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“Okay,” Denise agreed. “Let me call out of work. I also need to call Anne, because we’ll need to come back here to get our things before you head to work. She’ll need her stuff for home. I’ll feel safe at your house. I know I will.” He kissed her again, briefly this time.
“Sounds like a plan.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“I can’t believe he drained the accounts,” wailed Denise as she and Anne pulled up to the Farber home. “Now what am I supposed to do?”
“Don’t you have cash here?” Anne asked.
“Yes, but who’s to say he hasn’t broken in and stolen that, too?”
“True. Let’s get a move on. Andy should be here soon to help.”
Denise put the key in the lock, and they stepped into the house. She sighed. “It seems so cold here now, not full of love and laughter – not that there was much of any of that in our marriage.” She paused. “Crap, I left my cell in the car. Oh, well, Andy knows we’re here and has the home number if he needs to reach us.”
As the women started gathering clothes and other items to pack when Andy came with the suitcases, Denise started becoming emotional. “What happened to the Mitch I met and fell in love with? I just don’t understand this man he’s become! And how can his parents side with him, when there’s so much evidence proving that he’s this monster!”
“I don’t know, Denise,” Anne replied. “I don’t know. There weren’t any red flags when you two were dating?”
“No. Not a single one.”
“What about the Resident Assistant that went missing when you were juniors in college?” Andy had arrived.
“How did you know about that?” Denise asked, confused. “It was assumed he took off to start a new life somewhere else.”
“Did Mitch tell you that?”
“Yes, why?”
“Because I have copies of the police files and reports, and according to the police, he’s been presumed dead although they never found the body, and your husband was the prime suspect – especially since the RA was hitting on you shortly before his disappearance… according to witnesses that were interviewed.”
“Andy, how did you hear about all this? Someone is giving you false information. Mitch was never a suspect. He simply wouldn’t do something like that.”
“I have all the files at the house. I had a friend run a background check, and that’s what came back. He’s not a nice man, Denise, but you’ll be free of him soon.”
“Andy are you sure your sources are sound and reliable?”
“Absolutely. I’d trust him with my life. Let’s get packed and we’ll talk about this later.” He grabbed the suitcases that were ready and headed for the door. “I’ll get this in the car and come back for more in a minute.”
“I can’t believe Mitch would do something like that!”
“Denise, he hurt you and killed your cat! Why are you still defending him?”
“Because I’m her husband and she belongs with me,” came a horrifying snarl. The two friends stared in terror at Mitch who had broken in silently through the back door. He was carrying a bat. He smashed the dining room table with it as he advanced toward his wife. “She can’t believe that stuff because she knows it isn’t true, right, baby?” his voice was low but still growling. Denise and Anne inched toward the door.
“R-r-ight-t-t, hon,” Denise stammered. “Of course.” She swallowed hard as she continued very slowly toward the door. Mitch swung the bat at a glass table holding several valuable knick knacks, destroying the whole thing with a cacophony that resonated through the room. Denise attempted to run, but Mitch snagged a dining room chair and whipped it at her, catching her square on the side of the head. The force knocked her out cold.
Anne lunged for Denise, but Mitch sprinted across the room and hit her arm with the bat. She recoiled, screaming in pain from her arm being broken. Mitch kicked his unconscious wife in the ribs as he raised the bat over his head to deliver a devastating blow when the front door flew open.
“What the hell was that?” Andy raced through the front door fast enough to see both Anne and Denise down with injuries, and to see Mitch hauling ass out the back door. Andy whipped out his cell and dialed 9-1-1 to get the ambulance there. He resisted the urge to go after Mitch so he could be sure the women were all right.
The ambulance rushed Denise and Anne to the hospital, and Andy followed in his car. The medical professionals insisted he stay in the waiting room while they determined the extent of Denise’s injuries. He paced back and forth, checking his watch every few minutes, jumping every time he saw a doctor. Finally the doctor came to speak with him.
“Mr. Blake?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Mrs. Farber is in stable condition. She’s suffered a mild concussion, but no major or underlying severe injuries related to it. She has a bit of amnesia relating to the events immediately prior to the injury, but she should fully recover in a few days. She also has a few broken ribs, which thankfully didn’t puncture the lungs, but did bruise them. The bruise is small and will also heal in a few days, maybe a week.” The doctor rubbed his chin, deep in thought. “We’re lucky, the baby is just fine, and the damage could have been much more severe.” He locked his eyes with Andy’s. “She’s awake and asking for you. You may go see her.”
“Thank you, doctor, for everything!” Andrew shook his hand and rushed into Denise’s room.
“Andy! Oh my God, what happened?”
“Let’s not talk about it right now. All that’s important is that you’re okay and will heal in a few days. I’m taking vacation time and will stay with you at my place once they release you.”
“But how did I get like this? And where’s Anne? I thought she’d be here with you.”
“I’m right here.” Anne stood in the doorway wearing an identical hospital gown along with a cast on her left arm.
“Oh my god, you’re hurt, too?” Denise was visibly alarmed. “Seriously, I need to know what happened.”
“Are you going to tell her, or should I?” Anne asked Andy. “She needs to know.”
“I’ll tell her,” Andy agreed reluctantly. “Denise, it was Mitch.”
“WHAT?”
“We were getting your things to take them to my place so you could stay in my guest room, and he broke into your house through the back door and beat you unconscious. He hit Anne with a baseball bat when she tried to rescue you and he broke her arm.”
“Anne! Oh my god, are you okay?”
“It was a clean break and didn’t require surgery. It’s okay. I’m just glad you’re all right. You took the worst of it. I shudder to think how bad it would have been if Andy hadn’t walked through the door. He was raising the bat to smash your head. We got lucky.” Denise sobbed.
“I can’t believe it’s this bad. How can we stop him? Or did the police finally get him again and put him away without bail?”
“No,” Andy answered, “the bastard got away and is in the wind. Even his parents don’t know where he is, or at least they aren’t telling if they do.”
Denise sighed and winced in pain. “No, they wouldn’t say if they knew. They would just play dumb.” The doctor entered.
“Okay, everyone, Denise needs to rest. We’re going to keep her overnight for observation just to be sure there’s nothing major going on. If tonight is uneventful, she can go home tomorrow. And you, young lady,” he turned to Anne, “should be in your room. They’re getting ready to give you discharge papers.”
“Yes, Doctor. I’m going.” Anne whisked away.
“Doctor, can I stay with Denise tonight to be sure her husband doesn’t show up?” Andrew asked.
“I suppose that would be okay, and actually a good idea, since we don’t know what he looks like. We’re transferring Denise from the ER to the main hospital for the night. You can come along.” Denise smiled.
“Thank you, sir. I appreciate you letting Andy stay with me. I’ll feel much safer.”
“No problem. I hope you have somewhere safe to go when you leave here.”
“She’s coming to my house and staying in the guest room. I’m taking some time off to stay with her and make sure she heals properly,” Andy replied. “I’ll make sure she’s safe.”
“All right then, let’s get her into a new room and make sure she can leave tomorrow.”
The next day, Andrew took Denise to his house. Most of her things were in his trunk already from the night before, prior to the attack. Denise had called work the evening before and left a voice mail about needing short term disability to recover. Her boss called that morning, granting the request, offering to bring the paperwork to her for signing. Andrew had called out on vacation for three days, which was also approved.
“I’m so glad you were there to save me and Anne,” Denise told Andy. “I can’t bring myself to imagine what would have happened if you hadn’t been there.”
“Don’t think about it,” Andy answered. “You don’t need that stress right now. What’s important is that you and the baby are all right, and I won’t let him hurt you again.”
Andy showed Denise how to use the security system, and insisted that if she was there alone it was to be on, with no entry delay. “I can disarm it from my keychain when I get back to the house, so you don’t need to worry.”
“This really does make me feel safer. You have no idea!” Denise eased herself gingerly onto the sofa.
“Do you need your pain meds?” he asked.
“It probably would be a good idea,” she agreed. He gave her the pills with a glass of water, and sat next to her on the couch, rubbing her feet tenderly. “I may fall asleep on you, if you keep that up.”
“That’s fine,” he smiled at her. “I’ll cover you up and figure out what’s for lunch and dinner. Any preferences?”
“Whatever you offer will be fine with me,” Denise replied. She winked at him. “I think I need that nap now. These pain meds are stronger than I expected.”
“Do you want to lie down here, or in the guest room?”
“Here is fine. The bustling of you doing your thing will keep me at ease, I think. If I’m totally shut off from the noise, I’m afraid I’ll have bad dreams.”
Andy covered her with an afghan and leaned down to kiss her. Again, she melted from his kiss, and could feel every fiber of her being aching to be with him intimately. ‘Maybe,’ she thought, ‘we’ll have time to get to know each other better. I know I’m still married, but it can’t be wrong to do this after what my husband did to me.’ She sighed happily. “That kiss will keep me warm and keep the bad dreams away for sure!” she said.
“Good,” Andy replied. “That was my plan.” He winked back at her. “Now get some rest.”

Chapter 6, Part 2

The doctor finally released Denise, and Denise went home with Melanie. Anne arrived a few hours later. As the women sat watching television, there was a knock at the door. They all froze. Anne looked through the peephole and saw flowers on the other side.
“Someone is delivering flowers – should I open the door?”
“Yes,” Denise replied, hoping Andy had sent them. “Go ahead. It’s fine.”
Anne tipped the delivery person, and handed Denise the flowers.
“Who are they from? Quick read us the card!”
“Denise, I am so sorry for everything. Please take me back. I promise I’ll change. I’ll do whatever you ask to save our marriage. Our baby deserves a happy, unbroken home. All my love, Mitch.”
The three women sat in stunned silence, before Melanie spoke up.
“You can’t be considering this.” Her face was stern. “Look what he’s already done to you!”
“I’m not considering it,” Denise replied flatly. “My baby deserves a loving, abuse-free home. We’ll never have that with Mitch in the picture.”
Anne and Melanie heaved sighs of relief.
“Well, that’s good to hear,” Anne said. “I was worried you might fall for his shit.”
“I can’t. I have to do what’s best for the baby.”
Ralph appeared at the door, and they all settled in for the night.
As Denise prepared to go to work in the morning, there was a knock at the door.
“I’ll get it,” Ralph said, his tone gruff. “Just in case it’s Mitch violating the restraining order.” Andrew stood on the stoop, and Ralph let him in.
“My shift is over, so I’m here for day shift,” he smiled. “Everything ok?”
“Fine, except that Mitch sent Denise flowers with a sappy message. Thankfully, she’s not falling for it.” Andy’s face clouded.
“So he’s already starting. Great. Poor Denise.”
“I’m ok, Andy, really,” Denise responded. “He’s not going to charm his way back into my life. Enough is enough. I’m done.” She straightened up some, and held her head high. “I’m buying a divorce kit that has all the paperwork in it, so I can file divorce this week. I’m serious. It’s over.” Her friends all smiled in relief.
“Are you going to ignore his note from the flowers? You’re not going to respond are you?”
“No, I’m not going to respond. Being served with divorce papers will be response enough, I think. On that note, I really have to head to work. Andy, here’s your house key. I’m making extras for Melanie and Ralph, and for Anne. I really appreciate you all helping me and staying with me. You have no idea how much it means to me.”
Denise grabbed her car keys, and headed for the door. “I’ll keep in touch if anything happens.” She turned to Andy, “I’ll try not to wake you when I come home for lunch.”
“No worries. I’ll enjoy the company if you do.” He smiled at her warmly. “Have a good day.”

The front desk buzzed Denise at about ten o’clock that morning.
“You have an envelope here. Dropped off by a friend, she said her name was Shelley.”
“Thank you, I’ll be right down.”
The Post-It on the outside of the envelope read: Mitch asked me to drop this off for you. Call me if you have a response letter to send to him and I’ll deliver it.
Denise went to her desk and read the letter: Denise, I know you must be scared and confused, and I don’t blame you at all. All I can say is that I’m sorry – so very sorry – for hurting you like I did. I have no idea what got into me. If you can find it in your heart to forgive me, I promise this will never happen again. Please answer me so I know what you’re thinking. All my love and apologies, Mitch.
Denise folded the letter, opened her messenger bag, and placed the letter in the manila folder that contained the Restraining Order copy. ‘What he doesn’t realize,’ she thought, ‘is that he’s violated the Order twice now by contacting me. Time for an arrest warrant, I think,’ she picked up the phone and dialed the police.
Mitch was at work when the police arrived to arrest him. He flew into a rage.
“I didn’t go anywhere NEAR her!” he snarled. “She’s ruining my life for no reason at all!”
“Sir,” the officer began calmly, “the Restraining Order clearly states that you are not to contact her at all by any means. You sent her a note with flowers, and had a friend drop a letter off to her at her place of business. These are CLEAR violations of the terms. I’m sorry, but you are under arrest.”
Mitch used his one phone call to reach his parents. “Mom, she had me arrested for violating the Restraining Order. There is no mention in that damned paperwork saying I can’t send her flowers. What the fuck is her problem?”
“Relax, Mitch. We’ll bail you out as soon as we can get the bond money, and we’ll hire a good lawyer.”
“Okay, but I need you to do me a couple of favors in the meantime…”
Mitch instructed his mother to close the savings and checking accounts, putting all the money into new accounts under his and his mother’s names only. He also instructed her to have the attorney draw up custody paperwork for the baby. ‘If nothing else worked, this will work for sure. She won’t risk losing custody of her child. She’ll surely come back to me now. No money, no access to funds and a custody battle looming ahead of her will get her to come to her senses,’ he thought.
That night, while Mitch slept in jail, Andrew’s friend who ran the background check on Mitch called Andy at work with the results.
“Andy, there was an incident at the college your friend and her husband attended where a Resident Assistant went missing. The body was never found, and the man was presumed dead. This happened about eight years ago, when your friend and Mitch were Juniors in college.”
“Holy shit!” cried Andrew. “Was Mitch ever a suspect? Was he involved? Can you send me the reports?”
“Mitch was the prime suspect, and witnesses and residents that were interviewed said that the RA had been hitting on Denise a week or so prior to the disappearance. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough evidence or enough of a case to make the charges stick. Plus there was no body found, so they couldn’t prove foul play.” His friend ruffled through some papers. “Yea, I can send you copies of all this stuff. It’s pretty dark, actually. Like everyone knew Mitch had killed him, but he covered his tracks so well, no one could ever prove it.”
“Damn,” Andy breathed. “I need to sit down with Denise and go over this. I’m just not sure how to bring it up. Thanks for getting back to me on that. Things are getting bad here, so I really needed that info right about now. You rock, man!
“No problem, Blake,” his friend chuckled. “Glad I could help in the nick of time.”
It wasn’t until the next morning that Mitch was released from prison, after his parents paid his fine. At that point, he took off and disappeared.

Chapter 6, Part 1

Andy went on his break and checked his email. He smiled when he saw one from Denise. His smile quickly faded as he read it, and the color drained from his face.
‘Andy, the police just arrested Mitch for abuse and domestic violence. They’re sending me to the hospital to have the baby checked out. If you can, when you get out of work, would you come see me? I’m scared to death!! I don’t know what to do! – Thanks, Denise.’
Andy logged out and grabbed the phone to call someone in to cover for him, then grabbed his keys and headed out the door.
“Hey, John, I called David in to replace me, and he’s on his way. I have a friend who’s going the hospital as a domestic abuse victim. She has no one else, I have to go help her. I’ll call you later.”
“Ok,” John called after him, “no problem. Hope everything is all right.”
Andy arrived at the hospital and got Denise’s room number. He was stopped by the guard outside her room.
“Name please.”
“Andrew Blake.”
“Ok, you’re on the list,” said the guard. “Go ahead in.”
“Thank you,” Andy replied.
He stepped quietly into the room, and drew a chair up next to the bed. He kissed Denise’s forehead gently before he sat down.
“I’m here, Denise,” he whispered as he took her hand in his. “I’m so sorry! I had no idea it was this bad.” He kissed her hand and settled in. He wasn’t going anywhere until she woke up.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mitch’s mother bailed him out of jail first thing in the morning. As he came out of the jailhouse, an officer served him Denise’s restraining order.
“What the fuck is this?” he screamed. “Now I can’t even go to my own home? This is total bullshit!” His eyes were wild. “How am I supposed to get my truck? Or clothes for work? I was supposed to be at work two hours ago! She’s already fucked me there, and now THIS?”
“Mitch,” his mother said calmly, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder, “your father and I will go get what you need once we get you back to our house.” She patted his shoulder gently. “We’ll get to the bottom of this, I promise. This just isn’t Denise! You’d never hurt her, I know that.”
“Alright,” spat Mitch, calming down a little. “Let’s go.”
When Mr. and Mrs. Farber got to Mitch and Denise’s house, Mr. Farber rang the bell and waited a moment before he let himself in with Mitch’s key. Mrs. Farber walked next door to the Roth’s. She knew they were friendly with Denise and hoped they might have some information about the situation.
As she rang the bell, her husband hollered across the yard, “Denise’s car is here, but she’s not in the house. Find out where she went!”
Melanie answered the door and smiled pleasantly. “Mrs. Farber, what a surprise. Won’t you come in?”
“No, dear, thank you. I just wanted to check and see if you knew anything about last night?” Melanie frowned a bit.
“I really don’t. The police showed up and hauled Mitch away in handcuffs, then the ambulance came and took Denise away. That’s all I know,” she lied calmly. Melanie wasn’t about to give them any information.
“Oh, my! I hope she and the baby are all right! We’ll have to go see her and make sure everything is okay. Thank you. I’ll go help my husband get some of Mitch’s things, since she apparently put a restraining order on him, too… Have a lovely day.”
Melanie shut the door and ran for the phone. She dialed the hospital.
“Denise Farber’s room, please. Thank you. Denise, it’s Melanie. How are you? Oh, thank God! I’m sorry if I woke you, but I wanted to let you know that your in-laws are planning to come see you at the hospital when they’re finished getting Mitch’s things from the house. They’re here now. I didn’t tell them anything, I knew you wouldn’t want me to.”
“Great, Melanie! I appreciate your covering for me and keeping me posted. I have a guard at the door here with a list of people allowed to see me, and they aren’t on it. You and Ralph are, though, so feel free to drop by if you want.”
“Call us after the in-laws are gone – you know they’ll try everything to get past the guard. Let us know when they’ve left and we’ll come then. Stay strong!”
“Thanks, I will! Talk to you soon.”
Denise hung up the phone and looked at Andy.
“It really was so sweet of you to come so quickly!”
“I couldn’t let you be alone,” he touched her forehead and jaw gently, and looked down at the cast on her left arm. “He did all of this last night?”
“Yes,” Denise hung her head. “I’m so ashamed. This is all my fault…” her voice trailed off as she started to cry.
“Denise, this is NOT your fault!” Andy cried. “Mitch is a sick man, and you have to stay away from him.”
“I have nowhere to go! What am I supposed to do to care for my child?”
“There are shelters to help battered women and children,” he explained softly. “We could set you up there until we can figure out a plan.”
“I don’t know. I really don’t,” Denise sighed. “We’ll see. This just isn’t like him. He never used to be violent. I’m sure it’s just stress over finances and having another mouth to feed. He’ll get better, I know he will.”
“Denise,” Andy said firmly, “he will NOT get better. These situations only get worse. What about your cat that he killed. Didn’t that clue you in that he was a violent person?”
“That was completely different.”
“How? He killed a living creature! Do you really think it’s that far of a stretch for him to kill you or your child?”
“I-I… Well, I guess I don’t know.” Denise stammered. “But you don’t typically go to jail for killing cats.”
“Maybe not, but it is a sign that the potential to escalate to killing humans is there. I had a friend in a similar situation once, but sadly, she didn’t live to tell the tale.”
Denise’s face drained of color. “Really? He killed her?”
“Yes, and nearly killed her kids, too. Now he’s in jail and the kids are in foster care.” He squeezed her hand gently. “Please, don’t become a statistic – become a survivor.”
Their conversation was interrupted by a commotion outside her door. Andy peered through the glass and saw Denise’s in-laws throwing a fit because they couldn’t get past the guard to see their daughter-in-law and unborn grandchild.
Mr. Farber hollered at the guard, “It HAS to be a mistake. She wouldn’t deny us the right to see her!”
A bit more calmly, Mrs. Farber said, “We just want to make sure she and the baby are ok. We need her side of the story, because we know our son would NEVER lay a hand on her to hurt her. Something is going on that we NEED to know about.”
“I’m sorry, folks, she was awake and lucid when she made the list, and you are NOT on it.” His stony face indicated he wouldn’t budge on the matter. “If you continue to make a scene and argue with me, I will call security and have you forcibly removed.”
“This isn’t over,” Mitch’s father growled. “We’ll be back with a court order forcing YOU to allow us to see her!”
“When you present that to me, I’ll be happy to step aside, but not before.”
The Farber’s left, grumbling and fussing all the way down the hall.
“That was your in-laws,” Andy reported to Denise. “They aren’t at all pleased that they’re not on the list.”
“Oh, well, they’ll get over it,” Denise let out a sigh of relief. “I really am not in the mood to hear that their son would never do such a thing and why am I trying to ruin his life with false accusations, blah, blah, blah.” She closed her eyes. “I’m really wiped.”
“Take a nap, sweetie. I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere.”
“Ok. Would you call Melanie and let her know they’ve been by and left? Let her know I’m napping and to come by later?”
“Absolutely. Anne should be here soon, too.” He kissed her hand tenderly. “We’ll all get you through this. Don’t worry.”
“Thanks, Andy. You’re a wonderful friend.” Denise drifted off to sleep.
When Denise woke, Anne, Melanie and Ralph were there along with Andy. Denise smiled and greeted the newcomers warmly.
“It’s so great to see you all. I’m hoping the doctor will let me go soon.” She wrinkled up her nose. “I really hate it here. The beds suck,” she giggled.
“It’s nice to see you in good spirits,” Anne replied. “We’ve all been talking – we need to get you to a shelter so Mitch can’t find you.”
“I had a dream while I slept, that I stayed at my house and Mitch stayed at his parents. I think where I have the Restraining Order in place, I’ll be perfectly safe at home. Melanie and Ralph can help to be on the lookout for Mitch if he tries to come near the house, and he’ll be arrested for violation of the order.” She looked at the others. Seeing the concern on their faces she added, “Anne can stay with me so I’m not alone, and Andy, you’re welcome to visit anytime. Besides, I have to get back to work, and I can’t do that if I’m away at some shelter.”
“That’s actually not a bad idea,” Ralph agreed. “Melanie and I could stay on the couch bed at your place at night if that would make you feel safer.”
“That would be wonderful. What do you think, Anne? Andy?”
“I think that will work,” Anne said. “I’ll run to my place and pack some stuff. Once we know when the doc is letting you out, I’ll head to your house with you.”
“Ok,” said Andy. “I’m in. If you want me to, I’ll keep an eye on the house during the day, since I work third shift. That way, Mitch can’t try to break in and take anything while you’re at work.”
“That is a great plan, Andy!” Denise exclaimed. “Thank you all for being so helpful.” She paused. “I’m really afraid to leave him, but I think I have no choice. We’ll all have to think about how to do this. I can’t afford a lawyer, so I’ll have to do this on my own.”
“We’ll figure it out, Denise,” Anne replied. “Don’t you worry. We’ll figure it all out.”
“I need to go get some sleep before work tonight. If the doctor doesn’t let you out today, I’ll come back in the morning to sit with you,” Andy said.
“I can stay with her tonight, and Ralph can keep an eye on the house,” Melanie offered. “That way, Anne will have plenty of time to get stuff packed and be ready when the doc does discharge Denise.”
“Sounds good to me,” Ralph agreed.
“Me too,” said Anne.
“Then we’ve got things covered.” Andy kissed Denise’s forehead, and she melted. “I’ll see you soon. Call if you need me.”
“Ok, Andy,” she replied, “I will.”

Chapter 5, Part 2

Denise woke in a panic. "What was that?" she whispered. She paused... then heard it again.
BANG! BANG! BANG! It came from the front door. Terrified, she nudged Mitch. He didn't budge, so she shook him lightly.
"Mitch!" she hissed in his ear, "someone is beating at the front door! Go check it out, please!!" she pleaded. She glanced out the window and her heart stopped for just a beat when she saw the red and blues flashing. "Oh my god! MITCH! I think it's the police!"
Mitch jumped out of bed, and flew to the door, which he all but ripped off the hinges.
"Officers, is there a problem? Has someone been in an accident?" Mitch was actually concerned. Denise walked toward the couch, clinging to her bathrobe.
"Mitch Farber?" one officer asked sternly.
"Yes, I'm Mitch Farber."
"Sir, please step out of the house."
"Why?" Mitch's temper flared. "I'm not coming out until you tell me what this is all about!" He crossed his arms in front of his chest and firmly held his ground. Denise cowered in the corner of the couch, trying not to be seen.
"Sir, you're going to have to come with us. There's been a complaint of abuse. Until we can sort everything out, we need to take you to jail. Now STEP OUT OF THE HOUSE."
"NO." Mitch growled the word. "This is ABSURD!" He whirled around to face his wife and snarled, "What the FUCK did you think you were doing? Do you know the kind of shit I can get into at work with you playing stupid fucking games?"
"Mitch! Mitch!" Denise screamed through her tears. "I DIDN'T call the police! I SWEAR to GOD it wasn't me!" Mitch started to sprint toward her, but the officers grabbed him and wrestled him to the ground before he got far.
"That's it, Mr. Farber. You are under arrest for the assault and battery of your wife. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can, and will be, used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided to you. Do you understand these rights?" Mitch hurled obscenities at the officers and his wife the entire time the officers read the Miranda Rights to him, so the officer jerked his arm sternly and repeated, "Do you understand your rights?"
"Yes, you motherfucker, I understand my rights." He sneered at Denise, "I'll get out, baby. And you had better BELIEVE this is NOT over!"
The officers dragged Mitch, still cussing at his wife and the police to the cruiser.
“This is all a mistake, Officer!” Denise cried. “I didn’t call in any report of abuse!” Denise screamed.
“I know, Mrs. Farber,” replied Officer Benson. “Your neighbors, the Roths did.”
Denise went completely white. The officer saw the bruises on her face and forehead, and noticed she was favoring her left arm.
“I need an ambulance here for domestic violence,” Officer Benson barked over her radio on her shoulder, and gave the address to dispatch.
Denise jumped off the couch and raced to the computer. Her fingers flew as she logged into her email.
“Ma’am, what are you doing?” Officer Benson asked.
“I have to send a few emails so my friends know where I am. If they call and I don’t answer, they’ll panic, trust me!”
“Okay, but make it quick. We still need to get your statement, a statement from your neighbors, and get you off to the hospital.”
“I’ll hurry, I promise!”
She shot a quick message to Anne, since it was too late to call, and then sent one to Andy, praying he would have a chance to read it on his break.
The police questioned Denise about her relationship with her husband while they waited for the ambulance.
“Well, sometimes he gets angry and lashes out at me,” she said, “but that’s normal. Everyone gets angry.”
“No, Mrs. Farber, this is not normal,” Officer Benson stated. “Yes, everyone gets angry, but not everyone hits and hurts people. You need to get out. For your sake and the baby’s – get out!”
“But where would I go?” Denise sobbed. “I have no family here, and I can’t go back home. You just don’t understand!”
“Why can’t you go back home?”
“I called my folks a few months ago and told them I was thinking of leaving Mitch. They told me not to come crying back to them, that I’d made my choices and now I had to live with them.”
“There are places that can help you. Think about it, please! Abusers never change, remember that.” Officer Benson stood up. “The ambulance is here. Let them take care of you.”
The EMTs came through the door and checked Denise over. They splinted her left arm, suspecting it was broken. They pressed gently on her jaw and decided X-rays would be the only way to determine for certain if it was broken or just bruised. Even though she could walk, they strapped her securely onto the stretcher.
“Do you want to file a restraining order against your husband, Mrs. Farber? This will legally prevent him from entering these premises, your place of employment, or be within 100 yards of you anywhere else.”
“I probably should,” Denise sighed wearily. “It won’t do any good, because I’m sure he’ll violate it, but give me the papers to sign anyway.”
“Sign here, Ma’am and we’ll do the rest. Even if it means waking a judge.”
The EMTs started carrying the stretcher to the ambulance and Denise saw the Roths outside their house watching.
“Melanie! Ralph! You PROMISED!” she screamed. “You promised you wouldn’t do this!” She saw Melanie sprint toward her. Melanie took her hand when she got to her side.
“Denise, I know we promised, but we had to think of you and the baby! Please don’t be mad!” Melanie was crying.
“I’m not mad, Mel, I’m scared! He thinks I filed the report!” Denise was crying, too. “Keep an eye on the house, please? His mother will probably bail him out, and he might come back here despite the restraining order. Call the cops if you see him.” Denise wiped away the tears. “And watch out for yourselves, too. If he finds out that it was you, there’s no telling what he’ll do.” The EMTs loaded the stretcher into the ambulance and secured it.
“We’ll come check on you in the morning!” Ralph called out to her.
“Rest and don’t worry,” Mel said soothingly. “We’ll figure this out.”
The ambulance doors closed, and it went screaming down the street. When it was out of their sight, the Roths went inside.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The doctor came in to see Denise once she got to the hospital.
“The very first thing we need to do is check on your baby. All this stress may have caused distress to the fetus, and you’re not due for a few months, I understand.”
“Yes, Sir, that’s correct.”
“Then we need to get some X-rays done on your arm and jaw to make sure nothing’s broken, although that arm looks pretty bad. I see you have quite a bump on your forehead, too,” he leaned in and touched it gently. Denise winced. “How did this happen? And don’t lie to me, I’ve read the police report.” He looked at her sternly. Denise sighed heavily.
“He threw the remote at me. But it was my own fault! I should have told him earlier what time it was,” she faked a half-smile, “or ducked.”
After the doctor completed the tests and X-rays, he put a cast on her left forearm, and determined the baby was fine.
“We’re keeping you here for a few days to make sure the baby stays healthy and not stressed, and to keep an eye on you, to be sure you’re safe.” The doctor patted her hand reassuringly. “We’re posting a guard outside your door for your protection. Give me a list of people you want to see. No one else will be allowed in here.” Denise wrote down Anne, the Roths, Andy and a few co-workers with whom she was friendly. “Ok, we’ll get this to the guard. You get some rest. I’ll give you something for the pain that is safe for the baby and will help you sleep. Here’s the hand buzzer to call us if you need anything.”
“Thank you Doctor. For everything.”
Denise fell asleep.

Chapter 5, Part 1

Denise cleared the dinner dishes and began running the water for the pots and pans. Mitch sat on the couch watching the news, smoking and drinking a beer. He flicked his ashes in the general direction of the ashtray, missing it completely, and exhaled absently. He started channel surfing over the clatter of pots and pans in the kitchen, mixing with the irritating ‘swoosh’ of the dishwasher running.
“Goddammit, Denise,” he hollered, “Can’t you friggin’ wait to run the dishwasher? I can’t hear myself think!” Denise rolled her eyes in the kitchen, thinking to herself, ‘If I don’t start it right away, he gets pissed that it’s running when he’s trying to sleep… I can’t win.’ She heaved a heavy sigh.
“Sorry, Mitch,” she called back to him. “I know you have a busy day tomorrow and I didn’t want to keep you up with it running later.”
“Well, then, at least keep the noise down doing the pots, would you?” he snarled. “It’s really fucking annoying!”
“Okay,” Denise answered, wearily. “I’ll do them in the morning before I go to work, then.”
“Whatever,” he muttered. “Just make sure they get done.” Denise turned off the faucet and let the pots soak in the sudsy water. She dried her hands on the dishtowel and looked around the kitchen.
“Hmmmm…” she mused aloud. “I may as well set up the coffee for tomorrow. That way I’ll be ahead of the game in the morning.” She continued puttering around the kitchen for a few minutes, replaying in her mind the conversation she’d had with Andy that morning. She almost floated on air remembering the sound of his voice, and picturing his gorgeous blue eyes winking at her the night before. She was desperate to check her email and see if he’d answered her, but knew she couldn’t risk it while Mitch was home. She finished up in the kitchen and joined her husband in the living room. She eased her ample pregnant self into her favorite spot on the loveseat, propped up her feet, and glanced at the television.
“You’re not going to play pool tonight?” she asked, trying to keep the disappointment out of her voice. Mitch glanced at his watch in alarm.
“Shit!” he snapped, whipping the remote control at his wife in anger, catching her forehead dead center. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me it was after seven? Now I’m going to be late!” Mitch scrambled into the bedroom, still screaming at Denise. “Where the hell is my jersey? Did you even remember to wash it? And I don’t want to hear any lame-ass excuses about hormones or pregnancy related bullshit!” Rubbing the welt on her forehead tenderly, Denise hauled herself out of the loveseat and went to the laundry basket full of Mitch’s clean and neatly folded clothes. She carefully pulled out the jersey he wore for good luck to play billiards in, and brought it to him.
“It’s right here, Mitch,” she said softly, afraid to meet his gaze. “All washed and pressed, just the way you like it.” She stretched her arm out, offering the shirt to him almost as an apology. Mitch grasped her wrist harshly and twisted it, causing her to fall to her knees in both pain and terror. “Mitch!” she screamed, panic rising in her voice. “What did I do? What did I say??” She peered up at him, with the expression of a wounded puppy. Mitch leaned into her with his face only inches from hers. She could smell the sickening combination of smoke and beer on his breath as he hissed his reply at her.
“How many fucking times do I have to tell you to go easy on the starch on this shirt?” His eyes spit fire at her as he continued, “I can’t stand this shirt being so damned stiff I can’t move my elbows to swing the cue stick!”
“Mitch,” Denise pleaded, trying to snatch her arm out of his grasp. Mitch tightened his hold and twisted harder. “I didn’t even USE starch this time! Not a single drop!” Tears began welling up in her eyes as she tried to get him to release her.
“What? So now you’re calling me a LIAR?” he roared furiously, shoving her violently the rest of the way to the floor. Towering over her, he crossed his arm in front him, palm open, back of his hand facing her, threatening to hit her. “Stop your goddamned sniveling you ungrateful little bitch! I work hard all fucking week, and sometimes on weekends too, and you call me a fucking liar?” He brought his hand down, catching her on the chin, just above her jaw-line. She yelped in pain and shrank back in terror. “This is the LAST time I’ll wear this shirt like this. Do it again, and you’ll get worse than that!” An evil grin twisted at the corners of his mouth. “Test me if you think I’m kidding, sweetheart. Test me.”
“N-n-no-o-o, M-m-mi-itch,” she stuttered, tears streaking her face. “I-i-I kn-o-o-w you aren’t kidding.” Denise took a deep breath and steadied her voice, “It won’t happen again, I promise.” Mitch stood upright, stepped over his wife and strode back to the living room, pulling the jersey on over his head as he walked.
“Good,” he flung the word over his shoulder at her smugly. “As long as we understand each other then,” Mitch grabbed his cigarettes and his keys, and walked out the door. Not once did he look at his pregnant wife to see if she was hurt. Denise heard the roar of the truck as it came to life, and the crunch of the tires as her husband pulled out of the driveway. Only then did she dare to sob uncontrollably, clutching her wrist with her other hand. Gingerly, she squeezed at the injured wrist to try and determine if it was broken or just bruised. She moved it carefully, side to side, front and back, and then started wrangling herself to her feet. As she moved to the bathroom mirror to look at her jaw, which smarted something fierce, the doorbell rang and she jumped out of her skin.
“Oh, shit!” she muttered out loud, “who could that be?” Denise knew she didn’t have enough time to cover the bruises on her face before she answered the door, and she cringed. “Coming!” she hollered as she waddled into the living room. She peered out the peep-hole to see who was calling. Hanging her head, she pulled the door open for her neighbors. “Hi, Ralph. Hi, Melanie,” she whispered. “Come in, please.” Denise drew back into the house as her neighbors followed.
“Denise! Oh my God! Ralph, look at her!” Melanie sprang to Denise’s side and gently lifted her neighbor’s face for her husband to see. “I TOLD you I heard something!” she snapped at her spouse, annoyed. “We HAVE to call the police! Get the phone, Ralph and call 9-1-1!”
“NO!” Denise cried, recoiling from Melanie’s touch and Ralph’s prying gaze. “You CAN’T do that! PLEASE!” she pleaded, fear and pain dripping from every word. She looked wildly from one to the other as the panic continued to rise in her voice. “Please,” she begged again, more softly this time, “You don’t understand,” Denise sighed and her shoulders slumped. “He’ll come back in a few hours drunk, most likely, and it will be so much worse for me if you call the cops.” She looked imploringly at her neighbors, knowing they’d become valuable allies when the time was right – if she could ever muster enough courage to leave. “I promise, I’ll work on convincing him to get help, or,” she sucked her breath in sharply, “make plans to leave him soon if he refuses. Please, just give me a little more time.” Melanie and Ralph looked at each other and then back at Denise.
“All right,” they agreed reluctantly. “We’ll wait a little longer. Is there anything we can do for you tonight?”
“No,” Denise replied. “Thank you. I’m just going to balance the checkbook on the internet and go to bed. I promise I’ll call if I need you when he gets back.” She managed a weak smile. “Thank you so much for checking in on me. I’ll be okay. Honest.” The Roths left, closing the door gently behind them.
Denise pulled out the computer chair, and lowered herself gently into it. She logged in to her hotmail account. Her heart leaped into her throat and she could feel her cheeks flush when she saw Andrew had replied. She opened it, her hand shaking slightly, nervous.
‘Denise, I look forward to getting to know you better, as well. You are an incredible woman, and I’m honored that you feel comfortable with me. I hope you know you can turn to me for anything, and I will do whatever I can to help you. I don’t mean to pry or overstep my boundaries with you, but I can tell just from our brief meeting and stolen chats last night that you are suffering in some way. I do hope that you will trust me enough to open up to me about it. My heart goes out to you with whatever you’re keeping bottled up. Let me know if I can do anything to help. If I have a spare minute between rounds tonight, I’ll call. Warmest wishes, Andy.’
Denise’s eyes misted again, but this time they were the warm tears of joy. She couldn’t believe how observant Andy was, or how kind. She’d been with Mitch so long she simply wasn’t used to a man being kind or gentle – or caring. She replied to his email swiftly.
‘Andy, thank you so much! You really have such a big heart! I’m not used to that. Perhaps some weekend if Mitch gets called to work we can chat on the phone and I can try to talk a little about what’s going on… I don’t want to get you involved, but it might help me to at least talk to an outsider about this stuff. Tonight isn’t a good night for me talk, and I do apologize. I’m turning in early… my energy is zapped by this little critter growing inside me, lol. I do hope we can talk soon. Good night – until later. D.’
Denise signed out of her email and erased the evidence from the history bar. She knew enough to cover her tracks, otherwise Mitch would go off on her and demand her information to log in and read her personal emails. She simply couldn’t risk it, especially considering how his violence seemed to escalate daily. ‘It’ll never happen again,’ she thought to herself, shaking her head sadly. ‘How many times have I heard that before?’ She glanced at the clock and decided it was still early enough to call Anne and let her know what happened.
“Hello?” Anne answered promptly on the first ring, as though she sensed her friend was calling.
“Hi, Anne,” Denise said, exhaustion evident in her voice. “Mitch freaked out again…” her voice trailed off.
“Oh, no!” Anne cried, worried. “What happened this time?”
“He swore I used too much starch on his jersey and then freaked out because I told him I didn’t use any at all… Accused me of calling him a liar.”
“How bad was it?” Anne asked crisply. “Do I need to come over?”
“Well,” Denise sighed, “that depends… can I borrow your corrective green?”
“Oh my GOD! Did he hit you again??”
“I have a small bruise, it’s nothing to get excited over,” Denise lied. “Really, it’s fine.” Before Anne could respond, Denise heard the all-too-familiar rev of Mitch’s truck engine. “Oh, dammit! Mitch is pulling in the drive. I have to go! He’ll be pissed that I called you!” She hung up before her friend could protest, and leaped into bed.
Mitch let himself in the house quietly, and tip-toed into their bedroom. He sat lightly next to his wife on the bed, and pushed her hair out of her face tenderly. Denise opened her eyes and raised them to meet his gaze.
“I didn’t expect you home so soon,” she whispered.
“I know,” he answered softly. “I couldn’t stay out knowing that you were upset.” Mitch leaned down and kissed her bruise tenderly. “I brought you something,” he breathed in her ear. He lifted a brown paper bag off the floor, and pulled out her favorite flavor of ice cream. His eyes sparkled. “Peppermint-stick for my lady. Nothing but the best. I’ll get you a spoon.” He stopped in the doorway and looked back at Denise. “I’m so sorry, honey. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I really don’t mean it! You know that, right?” Denise could see tears filling his eyes as he spoke, and she couldn’t believe it.
“Yes, Mitch,” she replied softly. “I know.” She watched him leave the room. ‘Can he really change?’ she asked herself. ‘Is it possible?’ She decided to discuss couples therapy with him when he came back with the spoon… “No time like the present,” she muttered under her breath.
“What was that, sweetheart?” Mitch’s voice startled her, and she jumped involuntarily.
“Um, I, uh, said, what a thoughtful present!” she replied, regaining her senses quickly. “Thank you.”
“It’s really a very small gesture considering what I put you through earlier,” he whimpered. “I can’t believe I did that! Are you hurt badly?” He stroked her face lovingly.
“No, hun, it’s nothing. Really,” she answered. ‘I’m not going to press my luck right now,’ she considered silently. ‘I know the Mitch I fell in love with is in there somewhere.’ She quietly resolved to herself to wait a few days before mentioning therapy to him. She happily had some ice cream, and they went to bed.

Chapter 4 Part 2

The phone rang early the next morning, and Andrew reached for the handset sitting next to the bed. He fumbled for the buttons groggily, and managed a raspy, “Hello?”
“O-o-oh-h, I’m sorry!” stammered the voice on the other end. “Did I wake you?” He knew that voice instantly and sat bolt upright in bed.
“It’s okay! Denise?” he asked almost breathlessly, praying his ears weren’t playing tricks on him.
“Yes,” she whispered. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have called… I’ll let you go.”
“No!” he cried, not wanting to let her go. “It’s really all right. I’m glad you called,” he said softly. “That’s why I told you I was in the phone book. Is everything okay? Are you all right?” Andy worried that Mitch had done something horrible after he and the Richards had left the night before.
“Yes, everything is fine,” Denise replied, her voice still quiet. “I’m calling from work, so I only have a minute, but I wanted to thank you for being so kind and understanding last night. It really meant a lot to me.” She paused awkwardly before continuing. “I don’t have many people I can talk to, and I wanted you to know that I’m really touched by your reaching out to me.” Andy could hear the smile in her voice. “I got vibes last night telling me we’ll become very good friends. Let me give you my number.”
“Okay,” he said excitedly, feeling like a school boy. “Let me get a pen and some paper,” he fibbed. “All right, shoot!” He pretended to write the number down, so Denise wouldn’t know he already had it. “Will I cause trouble for you if I call?” he asked her, genuine concern pouring out with the words.
“I’ll let you know when it’s okay to call. Do you have email?” she asked in reply.
“Yes, I do.” Andy gave her his email address, and thanked her for calling. “I’ll look for a message when I get up later,” he flirted. “I can’t wait.” He heard Denise chuckle happily.
“I promise I won’t let you down,” she cooed. “Shit, I’ve gotta go! Thanks again!” With a quiet, ‘click’, Denise was gone.
Andrew laid in bed, his heart beating triple its normal rhythm. He closed his eyes, but not to go back to sleep. He pictured Denise in his mind again, and his skin erupted in goose-bumps. He clutched the phone to his chest as though it was Denise herself, and he was holding her to protect and shield her from all the pain she’d suffered over the years. “Don’t worry,” he whispered softly, wishing Denise could hear him, wherever she was. “I’ll rescue you, and you’ll never hurt again.” Andy drifted back to sleep still clutching the phone to his chest, with a slight smile twisting up the corners of his lips.

Andrew woke up with a start early that evening, wondering at first why he clutched the phone so tightly, and then his conversation with Denise flooded his mind. He sprang out of bed and skipped to the kitchen like a child on Christmas morning. He laughed aloud at himself.
“Good, God,” he chuckled, “I must look like a total fool!”
He started the coffee pot and grabbed a box of cereal from the pantry. He poured the cereal into a bowl, and sat at the table in the breakfast nook, flipping his laptop open. Andrew logged into his email, and his eyes sparkled happily when he saw an email from Denise. He clicked on it immediately, and read it silently as he ate.
‘Andy,’ it began, ‘I know this might sound ridiculous, and I hope I don’t sound like a total nut case, but I feel like I can trust you and talk to you about anything. It’s as if I’ve known you all my life, despite the fact that we just met. I hope I can get to know you better and perhaps let my walls down a little so you can get to know me, too. I will email Mitch’s work and pool schedule (he plays billiards with the guys a couple nights a week) so you can have an idea when it’s okay to call – if you want, that is. This is my ‘hotmail’ address. Mitch doesn’t know I have it, so it’s safe to email here. I hope work goes well tonight. It was a pleasure having you over last night. Take care, Denise.’
Andy’s face beamed as he read and re-read the message. He finished his breakfast, his mind racing, trying to compose a response to her. He continued drafting in his head while he shaved and brushed his teeth. Finally he sat back at the computer, and hit ‘Reply’. He typed swiftly, contemplating each keystroke as he made it. When he finished, he reviewed it quickly, made a few small changes, and then ran the spell check program. Satisfied, he clicked ‘Send’. He logged out of the email server, and continued getting ready for work. At seven thirty, he left.

Chapter 4, Part 1

Andrew rode with Shelly and Bob in silence for the first few minutes of the trip home, but then he had to speak out.
“I hate to be nosey,” he said, “but what is Mitch and Denise’s story? I mean, she seems so unhappy. Why has she stayed? Am I missing something?” Andy had so many questions he really wasn’t sure where to start. Bob and Shelly exchanged worried glances, and Shelly nodded. Bob drew in a deep breath before he began to speak.
“They met in college, and started dating. It wasn’t long before they decided they were soul-mates and meant to be together forever. Mitch proposed and Denise accepted.” Bob paused briefly. “We knew them then, and have been friends with them since the beginning of their relationship.”
“Okay,” Andy mused, deep in thought. “So, what happened?” Shelly jumped in next.
“Well,” she started, “Mitch has always been a little … well, controlling and high strung, I guess?” She glanced at Bob who gave an approving nod. “Poor Denise had no idea what she was getting into when she agreed to marry him. Mitch doesn’t believe in divorce, and once the wedding band was on her finger, his true colors started showing.”
“We never thought he’d be abusive or anything like that,” Bob interjected, “or we would have said something to her before they married. Sadly, there’s nothing we can do about it now.”
“So, he DOES hurt her?” Andy’s face clouded with anger and disgust, and the concern rang clear in his voice.
“We can’t say for sure,” Shelly said timidly. “He’s never actually raised a hand to her with anyone around that we know of. We can only assume.”
“And we can’t report anything based off of assumptions,” Bob added ruefully. “All we can do is be there for her, and hope this baby turns Mitch around.”
“Do you really think that’s possible?” Andy asked quietly.
“I don’t know,” Bob replied. “I really don’t know…” his voice trailed off.
“You have to tell him about Midnight, Bob,” Shelly said. “He needs to know the whole picture.” Bob heaved a heavy sigh and cleared his throat nervously.
“Tell me what? Who’s ‘Midnight’?” Andrew asked, alarmed.
“Midnight was Denise’s cat,” Bob replied, his face flushing slightly.
“I didn’t see a cat…” Andy said, confused. “Did they decide to get rid of it because of the baby?”
“No,” Bob said flatly. “Mitch broke its neck a few years back.” Andrew’s face drained of color at the shock of this news.
“Oh my GOD!” he hollered. “What the hell happened? What is WRONG with this guy??” His sparkling sea blue eyes turned black with anger and concern continued to build.
“Shortly after they were married, Denise fell down the stairs of their apartment building and broke her ankle and her wrist,” Shelly began quietly. “Once the hospital released her to go home, Mitch got her a kitten. He was black with a little blue tint to his coat, and Denise named him Midnight. That cat adored her, and protected her.”
“Sadly, the cat didn’t like Mitch AT ALL,” Bob jumped in. “One night when we visited, Mitch raised his voice to Denise and Midnight hissed at him, and buried his claws into Mitch’s leg,” Bob paused, and his expression changed as he recalled the horrific scene. “Mitch was so pissed, he picked the cat up, snapped its neck, and tossed the body in the kitchen garbage can. Denise never forgave him, and I can’t blame her.” Bob shook his head.
“That’s when we knew that things were much worse than we thought,” Shelly added sadly. “Denise is too afraid to leave him. I would be too if I was in her shoes.” Andrew sat in stunned silence. His mind was reeling with the vision of Denise’s husband killing her pet and throwing it out like it was an empty pack of cigarettes – and right in front of her! He simply couldn’t comprehend such a thing.
“Did the asshole ever even apologize to her?” he growled the inquiry.
“Not that we know of,” Shelly replied, in a whisper.
“We have to help her!” Andy cried. “We can’t let her raise a baby with a monster like that!”
“Andy,” Bob said sternly, “We CAN’T get involved! Mitch will kill anyone who tries to take Denise away from him. I wasn’t kidding when I told you that before we came over tonight.” Bob glanced sharply at Andy over his shoulder. “I am DEAD serious – Mitch is a complete psycho where Denise is concerned. He will NEVER let her go.”
“What if he kills her? Or the baby?” Andrew shot back, becoming irritated with Bob and Shelly’s lack of initiative in helping their friend. “Or, God forbid, both?” Shelly and Bob looked at each other, as if they hadn’t even considered such a horrible thought.
“I really don’t think even Mitch could be that terrible,” Shelly said, after a moment’s consideration. “I mean, killing a cat because it attacked you is a far cry from harming an innocent, defenseless baby,” she finished indignantly.
“What if you’re wrong?” Andrew snapped back. “What will you do then?”
“Hopefully, we won’t be,” Bob replied sullenly, as he pulled into Andy’s driveway.
“I really friggin’ hope you AREN’T wrong,” Andy shot back as he climbed out of the back seat. “Otherwise, you two will have a hell of a lot of guilt hanging over your heads. Are you willing to live with that?”
“Andy,” Bob pleaded, “don’t get involved, please! Denise doesn’t need to live with the guilt of her husband going to jail because he committed murder thinking you were trying to steal his wife from him!” Andrew’s face hardened.
“At least she’d still be alive and Mitch would be where he couldn’t hurt her or her child,” he replied flatly. “I will try to stay out of this, but I can’t make any promises. Denise needs help, and since no one else will be there for her,” he glared at the couple, “I just might have to step up. No one should have to live like this. NO ONE.” He slammed the car door, and let himself into the house.
When he was inside, Andrew went straight to the phone book to see if the Farber’s phone number was listed. Coming up empty, he tried information, still with no luck. He paced the living room, his anxiety growing with each step. He slammed his fists on the counter, and decided to call in a favor. He hated to do it, but he couldn’t get the thought of Denise suffering at the hands of her husband out of his head. He grabbed his Army address book, and leafed through it. He found what he was looking for, and picked up the phone.
“Hi, Top. It’s Andrew Blake. I hate to ask, but I really need a favor…”
Andy stood under the hot spray of the shower rubbing his temples gingerly. He’d been absolutely distraught since he left the Farber residence, and learned how violent Mitch could actually be. He couldn’t get Denise out of his head, either – not just the danger she was in, but just HER. He pictured her delicate features again, remembering how her eyes sparkled when he teased her and joked around with her. He thought of her tiny frame and her beautiful pregnant belly… how he’d love to hold her in his arms and protect her from the likes of Mitch.
“Dammit,” he growled to himself furiously. “I can’t do this – I can’t start falling for her. That’s not what she needs,” he chided himself aloud. “She needs to get away from that asshole, and have her own life. If something happens after that, then…” his heart skipped a beat at the thought, but he didn’t dare utter it aloud, afraid to jinx the possibility.
Andrew got out of the shower, put on sweats, and grabbed a carton of ice cream from the freezer. He took a spoon out of the drying rack and sat on the couch with the remote to watch television, since it was too early for him to go bed. He had to work the next night starting at eight o’clock. The shriek of the phone startled him. He snatched it up quickly and checked the caller ID.
“Hey, Top! Thanks for getting back to me so quickly.” Andy leaped off the couch and grabbed a pen and piece of paper. “Yes,” he said, “I’m ready. Uh-huh,” he scrawled some digits. “Okay, I’ve got it. I really appreciate this. I promise, no one will hear it came from you.” He listened silently for a moment. “Okay, that’s great. I’ll talk to you then. I seriously hope you don’t turn anything up on that, though.” He paused again, listening to his friend on the other end. “Ya, I’ll explain everything when I see you at the next drill. Thanks.”
Andy switched the phone off and returned the handset to the cradle next to the couch. He put the ice cream back on his lap as he sat back down, and looked at the number scrawled on the paper in his hand. His Army buddy had connections at the State police department and had made a few calls to get the unlisted telephone number he wanted. “I’ll tuck this in my wallet just in case I need it,” he murmured to himself. He jotted the name ‘Denise’ above the telephone number, and slipped it under his Army identification card for safe keeping. He wanted to call now and check on her, but knew it would only cause harm to Denise if he did. After a while, he put the ice cream away, switched off the television and went to bed.

Chapter 3, Part 2 - reposted

Denise returned, having pulled herself together a bit. She took the dessert plates, and began to serve her guests first, then her husband and herself. She brewed a pot of fresh ground coffee to enjoy, as well. They took their plates and coffee into the living room, where Mitch put in the movie they rented. Denise sat in her favorite spot on the loveseat, while Mitch planted himself in his favorite easy chair across the room. Shelly and Bob snuggled up together on the ample sofa, which could only accommodate the two of them comfortably, due to their size. Andrew sat down on the floor in front of Shelly and Bob, leaning on his arm, looking quite uncomfortable.
“Andy, can I get you some pillows, or a blanket to make you more comfortable? Or would you rather sit up here with me? There is plenty of room, despite the belly!” Denise wanted all of her guests to be comfortable. Mitch shot her a jealous glance that she chose to ignore. As Andrew protested, Denise offered to bring the rocking chair out of the study instead. Again, he politely declined, saying he was just fine where he was. He had caught the angry stare that Mitch shot her before. Andrew heeded the warning, as he didn’t want to cause any unnecessary turmoil. He all but avoided looking at her or speaking to her as much as possible for the duration of the evening.
“Can I get anyone more coffee or anything else?” Denise queried, still being the perfect hostess. Mitch and Bob both put in their vehement “Yes please!” and Denise bounced up to retrieve their cups. Andrew rose to his feet to assist her. He followed her into the kitchen with his own cup and hers in his hands.
“Denise,” he approached her with a low voice. “I don’t mean to pry, but is everything all right? I really thought Shelly and Bob were kidding about Mitch, but he seems to be very ugly about my being here tonight.”
“I’m sorry, Andy,” Denise choked back tears. “He is really very jealous and possessive. I know it’s only because he loves me and cares about me, but I’m so embarrassed that he is behaving this way tonight!” She brushed a stray tear angrily from her cheek. “Please don’t take it personally. He thinks every man on the face of the planet is hitting on me, and just doesn’t understand that it isn’t true.” She smiled up at him sheepishly. “On the other hand, you had better get out there with these cups or he is going to come storming in here any minute and cause a scene.” She pushed him gently toward the kitchen door. “I’ll be fine,” she all but whispered. “Really. I’ve endured worse than this with him. It’ll be okay.” Andrew winked at her and turned to the door. He stopped abruptly, and turned back to her.
“If you ever need to talk,” he whispered back warmly, “I’m in the book. I’m a great listener.” He left the kitchen and returned to the living room, handing Mitch and Bob their coffee. Denise entered shortly behind him, and handed Andrew his coffee, setting her own cup on a coaster next to her seat. Mitch’s demeanor softened, showing he was convinced nothing out of line had transpired between his wife and their unexpected guest. He began to relax a bit, finally. He made small talk with Andrew for the first time that evening.
“So, Andy, where were you living before you moved back to this area?”
“I was actually in Germany. I spent the last eight years on active duty in the Army. I didn’t get my next promotion in the allotted time frame, so I had to leave the service. I’m joining the Reserves now, though, so I can get my rank up and go back active.”
“Wow,” Mitch said, sounding somewhat impressed. “So what are you doing now?”
“I work third shift as a security guard. What about you?” Andrew asked, trying to keep the conversation going and build trust with Mitch.
“I work in landscaping, actually.”
“That must be interesting work. I bet I’s nice to work outdoors instead of being cooped up in an office all day, huh?” Mitch looked relieved.
“Exactly. I hate the thought of working nine to five in an office. I like being outside and staying in shape working hard.”
Denise watched the two men conversing, and breathed a gentle sigh of relief. They seemed to finally be hitting it off. Or at least they were starting to tolerate each other, maybe. Denise let out a soft, frustrated sigh. ‘I really hope someday he can learn to just get a grip,’ she thought to herself ruefully. ‘It is so embarrassing to have new male friends over and have to endure this scene every time.’
Eventually, the movie ended, and the gathering began to break up. Denise was exhausted, and needed to get to bed soon, or she would begin feeling sick. Mitch would probably still be up for hours, as usual on a Saturday night. Bob and Shelly thanked their hosts profusely, as they collected their coats and keys, and Andrew shook Mitch’s hand firmly.
“Thank you very much for welcoming me into your home. I had a wonderful time, and hope that we can see more of each other in the future.” He then turned to Denise. “Thank you for being such a lovely hostess. I hope it wasn’t too much of an inconvenience having an extra person on such short notice.”
“Absolutely not,” Denise replied warmly. “I tend to make far more food than we can ever eat ourselves, so the more the merrier.”
“It was nice meeting you, Andy, and I am sure we will be seeing more of you in the future. Any friend of Bob and Shelly’s is considered a friend in our home, as well,” Mitch responded graciously. “Thank you for coming.”
After everyone left, Denise went to draw herself a warm, relaxing bath. Mitch knocked gently at the door before he entered. He walked up behind his wife and began to rub her shoulders gently.
“Are you feeling okay, hun?” he asked softly.
“Yes, I’m just tired.”
“I hope you enjoyed yourself tonight?”
“Oh, very much. You?”
“Yes,” he frowned slightly. “At first, I was afraid Andy was trying to hit on you and steal you away, but I guess I was being foolish, huh?”
“Mitch,” Denise sighed, “What man in his right mind would hit on your pregnant wife in your own home?” She shook her head in frustration. “When are you going to learn that every single man you meet is not hitting on me or trying to steal me from you?”
“I know, I know,” Mitch replied, angry at himself for his behavior. “I can’t help it. I am so worried that another man will come around and take you away from me.”
“If I wanted to be with anyone else, I wouldn’t still be with you.”
“You’re right, of course. I’m sorry, babe.” He kissed the back of her neck tenderly. “I’ll make it up to you. I’ll try to be better. Really, I will.”
Denise lowered her tired body into the tub, and breathed a sigh of sheer pleasure as the warm water released all the tension from her aching muscles. “I know, Mitch. I know.”
They went to bed, and as they began to make love, Denise closed her eyes, and pictured Andy penetrating her at that moment. She went into an ecstatic orgasm, moaning and screaming with pleasure. The moment didn’t last long, and when they finished, Mitch held her.
“Wow, Denise. You’ve never cum that hard before. What a turn on!”
“Well, it’s been so long, and I was starving for it,” she lied.
“Maybe having a baby will help you have more orgasms from now on!” Mitch said, grinning in the dark. “That would be nice.”
‘Having sex that lasts longer than ten minutes would be nice, too,’ Denise thought silently. “Maybe,” she agreed out loud. Her statement fell on deaf ears, however, as Mitch was already snoring. Denise sighed. ‘I might just have to go take care of things myself while he’s sleeping. I could feel a larger orgasm blooming before Mitch finished…’
Denise slipped out of bed quietly, grabbing one of her vibrating toys from under the bed. She tiptoed into the living room, and lay on the couch. In the dark, she imagined Andrew was there with her, and she caressed her breasts gently, feeling it as if it were Andy’s hands fondling her. “I know this is wrong to fantasize – I’m married after all, but I can’t help it. I want him so bad!” she whispered. She cupped her breast in her hand and brought it to her mouth. It was so full, she could easily slip the nipple into her own mouth and suck on it and tease it with her tongue.
She spread her legs, gently tugging her night shirt up around her waist. Denise slipped a few fingers inside her wet, aching pussy, and played with it for a few minutes before she took the vibrator and slid it inside. She moaned in ecstasy. Slow and easy strokes at first, then harder and faster. She switched nipples while maneuvering the dildo with expert precision. Denise obviously pleasured herself frequently since Mitch always finished too quickly for her to achieve orgasm. Sucking and groaning, her hips started shaking and humping wildly as the orgasm grew inside her. She let go of her breast and concentrated on the vibrator, sliding it in and out furiously as she exploded in pleasure and lust. Her juices soaked the toy and a large spot on the couch, and she started to rest so her heart rate would come down.
Once she could move again, she cleaned the toy and put it away, then cleaned up the spot on the couch. ‘I wonder,’ she mused to herself, ‘if it could be that good with Andy. I’ve never had an orgasm like that… Sadly, I’ll never know, because I’m married and pregnant. Mitch will never let me go.’

Chapter 3, Part 1

Two weeks passed since Denise and Mitch’s horrendous fight, and Denise felt that he really was trying to be better. Shelly and Bob were coming over for dinner and a movie that evening, and Denise really looked forward to having company. She prepared a pineapple-glazed ham dinner with all the trimmings, and bought wine for her guests and her husband, although she would stick with the sparkling apple cider. Thinking of her unborn child. She stroked her bulging belly warmly. She was terribly excited to meet her child and hold him or her in her arms. Finally, someone she could love completely, and someone who would love her unconditionally. The shrill of the telephone jolted her from her daydreams.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Denise! It’s Shelly. I’m sorry for such short notice, but would you mind if we brought a guest with us tonight? An old friend of Bob’s just moved back to town, and we would love for you to meet him.”
“That would be just fine, Shelly. I’ve cooked enough food for an army, anyway,” Denise laughed. “The more, the merrier.”
“Oh, that’s great!” Shelly gushed excitedly. “We’re running a few minutes late, so we should be there around seven fifteen. Is that okay?”
“Perfect. Dinner is taking a little longer than I expected, so that works out great. We’ll see you then!” Denise poked her head out of the kitchen to inform Mitch of the change in plans. “Mitch, that was Shelly. She and Bob are bringing a friend. I didn’t think you’d mind an extra person, is that all right?”
“It’s going to have to be, now, isn’t it, if you have already said yes. Whatever.” Mitch dismissed her with a wave. Denise stuck her tongue out at the computer monitor and pulled her head back into the kitchen.
She checked on the ham, which was browning to perfection in the oven, and then pranced off to the bedroom to freshen up a bit. She spritzed her favorite perfume into the air and let it waft onto her, and put on an attractive denim floral frock. She slipped her feet into her favorite flats, and brushed her mane until it shone lustrously. Finally, she put on some simple gold earrings and a necklace, stopping to view herself in the full-length mirror.
“Not bad for a prego!” Denise chuckled at her reflection. “Not bad at all.”
Shortly after seven o’clock, the doorbell chimed letting her know her guests had arrived. Denise skipped to the door and yanked it open. Shelly was the first to greet Denise when the door swung open. She was quite a large woman, standing only a few inches under six feet tall, and was quite round. She had a remarkably soft and beautiful face, framed by long, wavy dark brown hair, which fell just below her shoulders. In her arms, she carried a basket of fruit for her hostess.
“Hi, Denise! You look wonderful! Are you gaining enough weight to make sure that baby is getting enough nutrients?” Shelly’s face radiated maternal warmth when she smiled at her pregnant friend. “We can’t have you wasting away to nothing, now can we?” she beamed, squeezing through the storm door. Denise laughed good-naturedly.
“Hi, Shelly! Thank you so much for coming. What a lovely basket, thank you for being so kind. We’ll put it on the table as the centerpiece. Please, come in and let me take your coat.” Denise whisked the basket out of Shelly’s arms, and helped her to remove her jacket. “Yes, my doctor says I’m gaining just the right amount of weight, and the baby is thriving. Don’t worry. This baby will be healthy and happy!”
Bob entered the room next, and he was nearly twice the size of his pleasant wife. He stood barely over six feet tall, was very jovial and had rambunctious look about him. His bright orange hair had a wiry look to it and fell unkempt to his shirt collar, quite unlike his wife’s soft appearance. Bob smiled at Denise, and his face lit up.
“My gosh, Denise! Look at you with a belly for the first time in your life! I never thought I’d live to see the day that happened!”
“Yeah,” Denise retorted laughing, “and this will be the last time you ever see me with a gut! Ha, ha! Come in, come in. Make yourself at home, please.” Denise turned to greet their guest, and stopped short. She was not prepared for the man that stood shyly in her living room, trying to blend in with the shadows on the wall.
He was about the same height as Bob, but was thin, lean, and very muscular. He had a clean-shaven face, and kept his hair in a very neat, short crew-cut. He had a warm and gentle face, with beautiful sea blue eyes that sparkled, amused. He wore a pair of dark blue, pleated baggy jeans, and a long sleeved, pull-over shirt with no collar. He pushed his sleeves casually halfway up his forearms, just barely exposing the sinewy muscles beneath. His physique implied that he worked out on a regular basis, and Denise took a sharp breath at the mere sight of him. Briefly, she imagined what it would feel like to be held tightly against that beautiful chest by those strong arms. She blinked abruptly, forcing the images out of her mind.
“Denise, Mitch, this is Andrew Blake. Andy, this is Mitch Farber and his wife, Denise. As you can see, Denise is expecting.” Bob chuckled. “Normally, she has a stomach that you could bounce quarters off of.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you both,” Andrew smiled, extending his hand to shake each of theirs. “Thank you so much for inviting me to come along for dinner. I hate to come to other people’s houses empty handed, so I brought some alcohol free sparkling champagne to have with dessert.”
“Thank you! How thoughtful. It’s a pleasure to meet you as, well.” Denise’s face flushed suddenly. “Please let me take your coat.”
“Oh, no, let me take them. If you’d show me where you want me to put them, I’ll take care of it.” Andrew flashed an alarmingly warm smile as he collected the jackets from Denise’s arms. “We wouldn’t want you to overexert yourself, now, would we?”
“W-w-hy, thank you,” Denise stammered, trying desperately to regain her composure. “We can put them in the spare room, then,” she replied, leading him down the hallway. She avoided her husband’s glare as she walked away. Mitch was absurdly jealous, and this was the kind of situation to instigate one of his outbursts. At this point, she didn’t care. This man was a guest in their home, and Mitch would have to learn to live with that. Andrew followed her down the hallway to the study. The nursery was across the hall, and the door was open to show off the decor for their expected arrival.
“The nursery looks wonderful, Denise,” he exclaimed. “Bob, Shelly, come see how the nursery turned out!” he called down the hallway. They bustled down to peek at it, with Mitch hot on their heels. He put his arm possessively around his wife’s waist, glaring sharply at Andrew.
“Yes,” Mitch muttered, trying to hold his voice steady. “Denise has done a terrific job transforming this room into a warm, cozy environment for the baby.” He beamed at Denise. “She does have a flair for adding a warm touch to any room, as I am sure you can see throughout the house.” Denise grinned playfully, enjoying the attention from her husband, as well as from Andrew.
“Well, just call me ‘Suzie Homemaker!’”
“Or ‘Martha Stewart?’” Shelly offered, giggling. “Either way, you’ve done a wonderful job! What a lucky baby this will be!”
The friends settled into the dining room while Denise brought out the food. Mitch sat at the head of the table, with Bob to his immediate left. Andrew sat at Bob’s left, with Denise on Mitch’s right and Shelly next to her. Shelly’s fruit basket made a lovely centerpiece to accent the meal, and they dimmed the chandelier just enough to provide a warm and intimate ambiance for the friendly chatter and banter that filled the room. Combined with the luscious aroma of the mouthwatering cuisine Denise had prepared, the setting couldn’t have been more perfect.
Nor could the scenery, as far as Denise was concerned. Was it her imagination, or was Andrew stealing interested glances in her direction? She pushed the thought out of her mind, chuckling to herself. For goodness sake, she chided herself, I’m married and pregnant. Like he would be remotely interested. Goodness! And with that, she pushed the idea right out of her head. It must be these pregnant hormones, she thought. She then focused her attention on tending to her guests, serving seconds as requested, refilling beverages, handing out linen napkins and simply performing her best as hostess. She enjoyed herself thoroughly.
When everyone finished dining, she rose to clear the table. Mitch and Bob moved to the study to have a cigarette together and discuss the latest in news and sports. Shelly and Andrew stayed behind to help Denise clean up. As was customary for Shelly’s personality, she took charge and good-naturedly handed out the orders.
“Okay,” she began, “I’ll wash. Andy, you dry, and Denise can put away, since she knows where everything goes. With the three of us working together, we’ll have this kitchen spotless in no time!” Shelly shared Denise’s affinity for cleanliness.
“That sounds great to me,” Andrew responded, smiling. “I just hope I don’t drop any of your plates, Denise.”
“Ah, believe me,” Denise laughed, “it’s not like Mitch and I haven’t broken anything before. Don’t worry about it. Really.” She caught his gaze as she handed him a clean dishtowel. His fingers brushed hers slightly as he reached for it. She looked away quickly, blushing again. ‘My goodness,’ she thought hopelessly to herself. ‘He must think I am a complete flake. Get a grip girl,’ she ordered herself.
“If anyone breaks any dishes tonight,” Shelly stated matter-of-factly, “it will most likely be me. I am the klutz after all.”
“Aye to that!” Andrew cheered laughing.
“Hey!” Shelly chuckled. “You didn’t have to agree that quickly, did you?”
“Well, I don’t want to be difficult. You said it. I was just being agreeable.” His eyes twinkled merrily. “I just want to make a good impression on your friends.”
“Trust me,” Denise giggled. “You already have.” She smiled coyly, without meaning to flirt. He grinned.
“Ah, so my master plan is working, then. Good to know.”
“Okay, Andy,” Shelly interjected, with mock reproach in her voice. “Bob warned you that Denise was a striking woman on the way over here. But may I remind you, he also warned you that Mitch is quite psychotic when it comes to his pregnant wife! Now break it up, will ya?” Her eyes were full of mirth. “I don’t want any murders on my hands tonight.”
“Oh, all right,” Andrew sighed, pretending to be annoyed. “I’ll try to stop flirting.” He winked at Denise, who was terribly red by this point. “But it’s not going to be easy.”
“Yeah, yeah, you two,” Denise shot back, stifling a giggle. “Like I am so very attractive with a belly like this! Puh-leese!”
The friendly banter continued as the three finished tidying the kitchen and put away the last of the dishes. Denise took out the step stool, and started climbing up to the cupboard to get the dessert plates. Andrew gently took her elbow, and moved her aside. Denise inadvertently shuddered at the electricity of his touch.
“Are you okay?” he asked, feeling her shiver. “Are you cold? Do you need a sweater?”
“N-no,” Denise stammered, embarrassed at having been caught reacting to his touch. “I’m fine. I’ll just turn up the heat a bit.”
“I’ll get the dessert dishes,” he replied warmly. He smiled gently at her. “I don’t want you to fall off the stool. I’ve heard from other pregnant women that your balance is thrown off at this point. I’m sure Mitch would be devastated if anything happened to you or his child because you fell. I certainly wouldn’t want him to take his grief out on me for having allowed you to climb up there.” He reached them easily, due to his height, and placed them lightly on the countertop.
“Thank you, Andy,” Denise replied, timidly. “I really appreciate your being so attentive and helpful.” Her eyes began to well up, and she turned away from him abruptly. “I’ll go turn on the heat. I’ll just be a moment.” Andrew watched her hurry off with a perplexed look on his face. Denise wasn’t aware that he saw her tearful expression before she left. He decided to let it go. At least for now. Maybe Shelly or Bob could shed some light on the situation later when they left.