Damage Control

Everything seemed as if it was happening in slow motion.

My whole world had just come crashing down in less than 24 hours and things were only getting worse at this point. My husband was not the man I thought he was, meaning that I had been lied too during our whole relationship. He hid the truth for over three years, not bothering to share with me that he was a murderer. “Are you sure you’re okay, Soph?” CC’s concerned voice snapped me out of my thoughts. “Is the baby okay?” I could only nod my head as I stared out the window. I watched as the raindrops fell onto the dark window as the nightlife of LA went on as usual. That’s the thing I never understood about living in Los Angeles; there could be a hurricane outside but these people would still be standing in line to get into whatever club they were trying to get into. Apparently they hadn’t heard about the massacre that had just happened in the restaurant down the road.

The silence between Andy and I was at a standpoint at this moment. I didn’t bother saying anything as he helped me walk through the maze of slaughtered bodies, getting not only my sandals dirty but also my feet were covered in blood. He just stared out the window, a pissed off expression written all over his face. I had absolutely nothing to say to him and I think the silence between us was bothering him more than the fact that he just killed several people. All I wanted was to go home, take a scalding shower, and try to talk myself into sleep. I didn’t want to talk to anyone about what I just witnessed, I just wanted to get some rest and wake up tomorrow in hopes that it would be a better day. “Do you want some food or anything?” CC asked again. I slowly turned my head to look at him, trying to give him the hint that I was not in the mood for food or talking at this point. “Sophia, you have to eat something.” He continued to press. I just rolled my eyes and went back to the window. I could hear Andy let out a string of whispered curse words as I continued with my attitude. He was like a roman candle that was about to explode.

We soon arrived home 15 minutes later and I didn’t hesitate to exit the car first. I didn’t want to be be any where near my husband at this point but I knew in the back of my mind that I would have to face the music sooner or later; i’ll choose later. I walked as fast as my pregnant body would allow to the door, throwing it open and marching my way up the staircase. I didn’t even bother to wait for Andy to come in since he was probably talking to the guys anyway. I closed the bathroom door behind me and began to strip out of my clothes that now had little splatters of blood splashed on them. I guess when I hugged Andy in the restaurant bathroom, the blood that he had gotten on his clothes managed to find its way onto mine. I have no idea if blood comes out of clothing all that well, seeing as I have never had to deal with this type of situation. From what i’ve saw on TV and in the movies, Club Soda wasn’t going to take out these stains.

I placed my dirty clothes into the laundry hamper and shuffled my way into the awaiting shower. The water was a bit much at first but after a few adjustments, I had the water right where I wanted it. I allowed it to flow down my body, washing all the grime and dirt that had accumulated that day to disappear down the drain. I didn’t even want to think about how filthy I probably looked before I got in the shower but my body was now a clean slate, and clean it will stay. I quickly washed my hair and cleaned my body off with the luffa, before turning the water off and reaching out for my towel. When I had the garment wrapped around my growing body, I reached for the door handle and went out into the bedroom Andy and I shared. His bloodied shirt was thrown carelessly on the floor, along with the jeans he had been wearing. I could hear the water running from the guest bathroom, so he must have decided to steer clear of the angry pregnant woman he decided to lie too. I just ignored his clothes and went straight for my side of the closet, grabbing a faded shirt and my sleep shorts. I was getting to the point in my pregnancy that everything, even my maternity clothing, was starting to become tighter. I wasn’t going to buy new clothes since I would be having the baby in less than three months, so the clothes I did have would just have to do.
Once I was fully dressed, I made my way over to the bed and pulled back the covers. I was beyond tired at this point but I knew once Andy came into the room, I wouldn’t be feeling exhausted anymore. It took a total of three commercials and about two minutes of a show for him to finally come trudging into the bedroom. A towel wrapped around his thin waist, as his long hair caused droplets of water to roll down his chest. He stayed silent as he walked toward the dresser, pulling out a pair of underwear and sweatpants, his usual sleeping attire. I knew he could feel the heated glare I was placing upon him but for that time being he just stayed silent and decided to get dressed. Once he was clothed, he turned around and just lifted his shoulders into a shrug. “What?” He asked with an attitude. “What do you want me to tell you, Sophia?” Was he really taking all of this out on me? Was he really making it seem like the whole gang activity that him and his friends were apart of was my fault? I rolled out bed the best I could and came to stand toe-to-toe with him. “You lied to me, Andrew!” I began. “You’ve lied to me for the past four years of our relationship and you think it’s a perfect idea to finally tell me that you're in a gang when a restaurant gets shot up!” I was full on yelling at this point. I wanted to get my point across to him that lying was not something I appreciated. “Innocent people were injured and killed tonight, Andy. They were hurt because of you and this stupid game you have going on with whoever you’re playing with.” His eyes were like stone as he just stood there and took the verbal abuse I was dishing out. “Let me just ask you this, what would've happened if I was the one who got shot tonight? What would happen if I was the one who got shot and I either died or the baby died? What would you have done them, Don Corle-” Andy pushed past me before I had a chance to finish the sentence. I’m not one to back down from an argument, so I of course followed after him, following him down the stairway and into the kitchen.

I watched as he lit up a cigarette, allowing the smoke to travel down his lungs and calm his nerves. “You know you’re not allowed to smoke in the house.” I pointed out once I finally made it into the kitchen. He rolled his eyes and proceeded to stub out the cancerous object. The room stayed in an awkward silence for a couple seconds before I couldn’t take it any longer. “Andy, why didn’t you just tell me what was going on?” I asked a bit softer this time. “Why did you have to lie to me?” He let out a sigh as his body slumped against the counter. “If I told you the truth, then you would have left and never returned.” His hard voice finally spoke. “I didn’t want to lose you and telling you the truth would have done just that.” I slowly walked toward him, taking his face in my hands once I reached him. “You and I both know that I would have stuck around even if you told me you were some Carny that dressed up as a clown every weekend.” We both laughed at the statement. “I’ve loved you since the first time I laid eyes on you and i’m still madly in love with you to this day. Plus, i’m about to have your child in a couple months, so you’re stuck with me for the next 18 years.” He let out a chuckle as he placed his hand on my stomach. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, babe. I didn’t know that whole ordeal at the restaurant was even going to happen.” I could see that he truly meant what he was saying. “I love you to the moon and back and i’m going to do everything in my power to keep you and the baby safe.” I nodded my head with a smile as he bent down to connect our lips. “And i’ll try my best to be truthful and let you in on things that are important.” He told me in between kisses. All I could do was let out a moan as I agreed to his propositions. The one thing I didn’t realize was that every word word he told me was in fact one big lie….

“Okay, so the list says that we need ranch dressing, olives, cheese-in-a-can, and Sour Cabbage Patch Kids.” CC recited the list a bit confused. “Sophie, this is the list of a college student not someone who is seven months pregnant.” I just rolled my eyes as I pushed the cart down the aisle. Andy was convinced that bringing CC along was for my own protection but I think he just needed to get him out of his hair for a while. Christian was the type of guy who loved to crack jokes during tense situations or just tell jokes in general. He was usually the first one to break the ice at a party but Andy was getting tired of his constant joking that he told him to accompany me to the store. CC of course didn’t care to come along but I was starting to see where Andy was coming from. “The baby needs things like fruits, vegetables, protein, and just a tad bit of sweets. If you keep eating this junk, that kid is gonna come out looking like a mix between olives and those sour patch kids that terrorize people in those commercials.” I continued to throw the things I wanted into the cart. “Have you and Andy thought of a name yet?” I nodded my head as I placed the third thing of Olives inside. “Yeah, but we want it to be a surprise.” I muttered glancing over to him. “You have to wait until she’s born just like everyone else.” His smile fell once he heard that I wasn’t going to give into his pressure. “That’s not really fair, Sophie. I have to know what my Goddaughter’s name is gonna be.”

I turned to look at him, “Who said you’re the Godfather?” He just looked back at me with a knowing expression. Andy and I had talked about which one of the guys we wanted to watch over the baby if something were to happen to us but CC wasn’t at the top of that list. I loved CC to death but he wasn't the ideal person I wanted taking care of my child if something were to happen to Andy and I. He was more than welcomed to babysit but I wanted someone a bit more stable and responsible taking care of her, not someone who bounced from place to place. “Are you seriously saying that i’m not going to be the Godfather?” He asked a bit disappointed. “I’m the best choice you have, Soph!” The people around us turned as his voice began to raise. “This is not the time or the place to have this conversation, CC.” I tried to reason with him. “We can talk about this in the car or when we get back to the house.” He let out a huff and crossed his arms across his chest. I muttered a thank you before walking towards the cash registers. I had everything I needed, even taking some of CC’s recommendations into consideration.
After checking out and having CC help me get the groceries into the trunk, we were finally on our way back home. CC still remained silent as he drove my car back to the familiar address. I hated that he was upset with me but I figured it was better to tell him the truth now instead of waiting until she was born. I just hated the fact that he was getting all upset by the whole thing. Maybe I should have just told him that Andy and I weren’t even sure if she was going to have Godparents. He wouldn’t be giving me the silent treatment if I had just lied to him. When we finally did pull up to the house, I noticed that Ashley’ car, along with another unfamiliar vehicle, were parked behind Andy’s Black Mustang. “Who’s car is that?” I asked once we were parked. CC just shrugged his shoulders and began to unpack the groceries from the back. I let out a sigh and followed him into the house, hearing the voice of my husband, with Ashley’s mixing in as well. “Andy?” I called out as I set my bag down on the counter. “Andy, we’re home.” I could hear rustling coming from the room where he was. He appeared seconds later, sporting a smile and a newly bruised eye. “Oh my gosh, what happened?” I asked as I rushed towards him. I cradled his face in my hands as I checked out the injury. He let out a laugh as he pulled my hands away from his face, placing a kiss on them before taking them in his own. “Nothing to worry about, baby.” I just glared up at him, knowing full well that his injured eye was something to worry about. “You should see the other guy.”

I was about to tell him that he wasn’t being very funny, but Ashley’s presence stopped me from doing so. “Bronzy’s getting a bit agitated.” Andy nodded his head. I just looked between the two of them, having no clue what the hell was going on or who Bronzy even was. “Who’s Bronzy?” I decided to ask, my curiosity getting the best of me. “Just a friend.” Andy quickly spoke, motioning for Ashley to head back into the room he had just come from. “How about you go upstairs and run yourself a bath, babe.” He began to speak, running his hands up and down my covered arms. “I’ll be up in a bit.” I knew that something was obviously going on that he didn’t want me to see or hear but I just went along with his plan. “I’ll be waiting.” I whispered as I placed a kiss below his ear before walking up the staircase. When I reached our bedroom, I slowly started to undress but quickly stopped when I noticed three suitcases placed on our bed. Confused, I walked over to them and saw nothing but lingerie and revealing-type clothing. “What the hell?” I muttered as I tried to look further into the bag. I was halfway through the second bag when the bathroom door opened and Larissa popped out, wrapped in one of my towels. “Hiya Soph!” She strutted out with a smile plastered on her tight face. My jaw was literally dropped down to the floor as I watched her pull a pair of underwear and other pieces of clothing out of the opened cases. “What the hell are you doing in my bedroom?” I somewhat yelled, causing her to jump in surprise. “How did you get into my house?” She looked a bit taken back as I continued to yell at her.

“Ashley said I could come up here and take a bath-” She started off. “I just got off work and I needed to freshen up.” I hastily ran a hand through my already disheveled hair. “There’s a guest bathroom down the hall you could have used.” I told her matter-of-factly. “Did you not realize that this was the master bed and bath?” I knew I was being a bit overdramatic but I had no idea who the girl really was and she had no right just assuming that this was a public bathroom. “Ashley just told me that the bathroom was upstairs and to make myself at home.” Ashley told me this. Ashley told me this. “This isn’t Ashley’s home!” I yelled a bit louder this time. “Ashley doesn’t live here and neither do you, so will you please take your luggage and get the hell out of my house!” She looked like she was on the brink of tears but I was beyond caring at this point. “Please, just get out of my home.” I told her a bit softer this time. She slowly started to nod her head, trying to get her stuff packed back into her bags. I made my way back out the bedroom door and leaned against the wall, trying to get myself to calm down. I’ve been so tense and heated lately, which was not a good thing for the baby or myself. My doctor had warned me at my last appointment that if I continued to be stressed out, I would be placed on bedrest or I could go into early labor. The baby was only 4 lbs and 9 oz’s as of two weeks ago, so if I was to go into early labor, she would be premature for sure.

A couple minutes later, Larissa walked out of the bedroom, struggling to wheel her three suitcases behind her. “I’m really sorry about the whole bathroom thing.” She told me truthfully. “I didn’t mean to cause any harm or anything.” I just gave her a small smile and told her it was okay. I watched as she started walking towards the steps but bypassed them, instead heading towards one of the guest bedrooms. I marched my way towards her and watched as she opened the door and went into the room. “Larissa, I thought I to-” I stopped once I saw there was even more luggage parked inside the room. “Who’s stuff is this?” I exclaimed very loudly. She still had a shocked expression written on her face as she told me that it was the rest of her things and also Ashley’s luggage. I had come to accept that Ashley Purdy enjoyed staying over at our home but he had never brought extra baggage with him. “He said that we’ll be a lot safer if we stayed here with you and Andy.” My eyes bugged out of my head when I heard those words come out of her mouth. “Are you trying to tell me that not only is Ashley staying here, but you’ll be joining him?” I started to feel sharp pains in my stomach as I placed my hands onto the bump, trying my best to calm myself down. “Are you alright?” She asked a bit worried as she made her way over to me. My anger was only getting worse as the pains in my stomach intensified as well. “Do you want me to go get Andy?” She was starting to panic at this point. I slowly walked over to the chair that sat in the corner of the room, taking a seat in the cushion and continued with my deep breathing. “I’m going to go get someone!” She yelled as she ran out of the room, leaving me alone and pained. I had no idea if I was going into labor or if something more severe was happening but I knew having pain like this was not a good sign….

Notes