Chapter Eleven

Minutes turned into hours and hours into days and days into weeks. As time passed by, I felt my baby bump enlarge.

Early that morning I lay flat on my bed with my head up staring at the ceiling as though there was something interesting up there. After a while a knock was heard on my door and I stood up to answer it.

It was Jake.

"Good morning." I smile widely.

"Yeah, how was your night?" he asked smiling back at me.

"It was good" I replied feeling so happy.

"OK. I need you to get ready, I'll just drop you off at the hospital for your prenatal classes." He paused for a while. "Have you had something to eat?"

"Oh.. Yeah, I've had breakfast and the classes skipped my mind." I said feeling a bit embarrassed. I forgot my own prenatal classes.

Just then my phone goes off, I guess it's Nate. He told me we were going to spend time at the beach. So maybe that's the main reason I forgot about prenatal classes.

Jake picked my phone and on seeing the caller identity, he frowns. He looked at me and back at my phone before picking the call.

He stayed silent for a short period of time before he finally spoke up. "I want this to be the last time you'll call this line. Nicole is engaged. She's taken. She is mine. So don't you dare come close to her. Just back off and stay away from her." that's all he said and cut the call.

He threw my phone back on the bed and stormed out of my room. Just a minute ago we were on good terms and now everything's not the same again.

I ran after him and tried to hold his arm but he slapped my hands off.

"Jake? Why did you have to be so rude to Nate. All he wanted was to take me out to the beach. Nothing more. He knows I'm pregnant and engaged to a guy who doesn't care about me and after all, you gave me hopes that he would come back and now that he is you're pissed?" I said and he halted in his steps.

"You're still seeing that asshole? Why exactly are you still seeing him? Did you forget how much he hurt you the last time?" he questioned me angrily.

Why was he so pissed at me? And why did he have to bring up the past?

"You're the asshole. Don't you dare call my boyfriend an asshole. He's a hundred times better than him. Why do you even care? I don't want to ever hear you speak ill of him." I pointed my fingers at him as I spoke harshly.

"You are engaged to me and you are carrying my child. So you're mine, Nicole. I repeat you are mine. I want you to stay away from him."

"That's not happening. I'm not yours. I don't belong to you. I love someone else and here I am stuck with you. I'm so fed up with your attitude." I started to cry and he moved closer to touch my arm and I took a step back.

"I... I'm sorry, Nicole. I didn't mean to make you cry. I'm sorry if I hurt you." He said and wiped my tears with his hands.

"All you ever do is hurt me. One minute you're nice, the next you're just someone that I don't recognize, someone that takes pleasure in my hurt. I don't understand you. You can have a girlfriend but I can't do the same? Why?" I sobbed in his arms.

"It's not like that. This Nate is not good enough for you."

"And you are?" I stepped back to look at him.

"Probably not but at least I'm better than him. He's going to hurt you. Haven't you thought about it. Why would he leave you and still come back for you? Why did he accept you all of a sudden, especially after the pregnancy drama?" He took a step back before turning on his heels.

My hands flew back to my face as I cried and walked myself to my room. I wish I understood anything Jake just said to me right now.

I loved Nate and I knew he loved me back. He gave me all the love I needed. He made me feel beautiful and special especially after that stunt Jake pulled at the graduation after party.

~^~^~^~^~^~^~

Nate came to pick me up at noon time. I wore a chiffon gown with leggings and he wore a red shirt and black jean.

He placed a kiss on my cheek and opened the car door for me, he closed it only after tucking me in like a child and I giggled, a bit shy. Through out the ride, he stared at me with so much affection.

I still went out with Nate even if Jake was against it. His opinion didn't really matter. I missed Nate a lot. We went out to the beach and spent some quality time with each other.

Feeling a bit tired, I strolled to go sit under the shade there and Nate followed suit. He sat before me and kissed my bump.

"Only if you told me about this earlier, then I would have taken responsibility of everything. I would have given you all the happiness you deserve." he said as he cupped my face in his hands and kissed me gently.

"I'm sorry. I know you feel bad for what I did." I took his hands in mine.

I stood up and walked away from the shade, holding Nate's hand as we walk down to sit in the sand so that I could feel the water touch my feet. I felt so at peace. We talked and laughed a lot. I missed his smile.

Nate was actually away when I found out I was pregnant. I couldn't risk telling him over the phone. So I waited till he returned and I told him.

He was mad at me for not telling him from the onset. I felt so touched when he said he would have taken responsibility for the child and everything.

We didn't talk to each other for a few days but we got back together after everything.

He lay beside me in the sand with his eyes closed. He looked so handsome under the rays of the sun.

I leaned in to kiss his lips and I felt someone pull me with so much force.

"What are you doing here? Didn't I ask you to stay away from this asshole?" Jake asked angrily.

I stared up at him in confusion. He rushed to Nate and hit him square in the face. He tried to hit him again but Nate dodged and hit him back. Jake stumbled back a bit and hit Nate again in the face and then he kneed him in his stomach.

"Jake! Stop please. Don't hurt him. I'll just go home. Let's go." I tried to pull him but he freed himself from my grasp and rushed over to Nate, hitting him again.

I knew I had to do something. The both of them kept throwing blows at each other. I turned to see people gathered around watching the fight instead of trying to help.

"Someone please stop them from killing each other." Nobody moved an inch. I cried out as I watch the two of them injure themselves.

"This is for trying to kiss my fiancee." Jake punched Nate again and this time he breaking his lip.

Nate replied him "You have no idea how much Nicole loves me. She'll even leave you to be with me." he pauses. "If only I knew earlier that she had slept with you I would have also slept with her even if it meant drugging her. And what is yours would have been mine."

I stepped back shocked at his words. Jake threw him another punch and Nate fell to the ground with a loud thud and he spat out blood.

"You once did that and I let you go scot free. You've taken what's mine before and I let go without a fight. Don't think you'd get away with this one. Can't you see the ring on her finger?" He said pulling my hand to show Nate. "One bad word against her and I'll fucking kill you." Jake hit his chest with his leg. If he continued hitting him like this, he might kill him.

I moved to where Nate was sprawled out on the floor and tried to help him. Even though he wronged me, I won't watch Jake dirty his hands by killing him. I pushed Jake's legs off him and tried to talk some sense into Jake and then something hit me on the back and again. With a loud thud, I fell, landing on my stomach, no matter how much I tried to avoid it.

I screamed out in pain as I rolled over holding my stomach. I heard Jake run after Nate. "Jake please come back." I felt sharp pain in between my legs.

"Fuck." Jake cussed. My vision became blur and dim. "Nicole, stay with me. Open your eyes." He cupped my face in his hands and cried.

"Please save our baby. Promise me you'll save our child." I whispered and wiped tears from his already bruised face.

I tried to keep my eyes open but I was too weak to fight anymore. I welcomed the darkness slowly till everything turned black.

~^~^~^~^~^~^~

I opened my eyes and everything around me was white. I blinked hard as the brightness of the environment was blinding. What happened? I tried to recall but instead I felt a sharp pain in my head.

"Ouch. It hurts so badly." I raised my hand to touch my head and I heard someone run into the room.

It was Jake. His eyes held such fear I've never seen before. Is it the fear of losing me or what. Maybe it's the fear of losing the child. But what exactly happened?

"Jake, what's wrong? Why I'm here?"

"Baby, I'm sorry. I.. I.. Shit!" and that's all he said.

"I don't understand what you're saying. Please talk to me."

"I had a fight with Nate and you tried to stop me from hitting him again and then he hit you from behind with a stick." he paused and looked at me.

"You fell on your stomach. I'm sorry, Babe." he said, his voice a bit shaky.

He puts his hands around my waist and I gasp in shock. He raise his head to look at me.

"Jake is everything okay with me? Did the fall have a bad effect on me and my child?" I asked with fear and he shook his head with a light smile in response.

"The two of you are doing fine. It's just a minor injury to your head. The doctor said one more thing. He said you are likely to have complications at birth." he said almost in a whisper.

"Oh my. I hope my child is fine." I replied as I ran my hand over my stomach. I felt tears run down my face and he cleaned my face with his both thumbs.

He lifted me from the bed to his laps before bringing his face closer to mine and I could feel his breath fanning my lips. He looked at me and I gave a light nod.

He lowered his lips to mine and kissed them. It was an emotional kiss. He sucked gently on my lower lip as I opened my mouth to let him in.

This kiss was very different from the others I've had. He beats Nate to it. He trailed kisses down from my cheek to my neck making me moan. He sucked on the skin of my neck repeatedly. He used his hand to massage my breast through the fabric of my dress and brought his face in between my breast. He rubbed my bump gently and placed a kiss on it.

Holding him tight and close to me for fear that he might fade away, I pecked him. It's been long someone touched me this way. I cupped his face in my hands and I smashed my lips against his with so much hunger for him.

I explored his mouth with my tongue, tasting him with my hands around his neck. He pushed the hospital robe a little bit high exposing my thighs and belly and he ran his hands up and down my thigh and I shivered in pleasure. He caressed my already perky nipples as I threw my head back and let out a soft moan. He glided his tongue over my nipples, I shivered and pulled him closer, wanting more. He pressed my breast softly and my grip on his head tightened. He raised his head to kiss me one last time.

After breaking the kiss, I smiled shyly. "I'll be right back let me get your discharge papers." and he left the room.

God, I missed him. I missed that. I missed feeling his lips on mine. I missed feeling him in me.