Game of Chance

 

Chapter 26

Marshall had not touched her for an agonizing four days; it had been absolutely hellish to see her, know the feel of her, and not have her.  He had to give her credit for the front she put on—probably for Hailie’s sake more than his, but regardless, his sanity was kept intact because of how well she was taking everything.

“Have you decided?” he asked as he settled his back against the headboard.

“Decided?” she asked innocently.

“You know what I mean,” he sighed.

“Yes, I have,” she replied resignedly and sat next to him on the edge of the bed.  “I’m—I’m going to try and have this child.”

“Oh, thank god!” he muttered and crushed her in his warm embrace.  “All right, now that you’ve made your decision…without my influence, I hope, I have some stipulations I’d like to make.”

“Excuse me?”

“This isn’t just your child.  It’s our child.  That mean it’s partially mine.”

“You want to start dividing it up?  You get an arm, and I’ll get a leg?”

“Damn it!  Don’t joke…”

“Sorry, baby,” she sighed.  “I’m just trying to lighten the situation up.”

“I—okay—I want you to live with me.  In Detroit.”

“Marshall!” she replied flabbergasted—both by his generosity and the enormity of his request.  “You know I can’t—”

“I don’t fuckin’ care…  I’m not gonna have you do whatever it is that you do!  You’re gonna go to the best docs and have the best care…  You’re gonna rest and shit!”

“I live here!”

“Well, you’re not gonna live here anymore.”

“Damn it, Marshall!  This was why I was afraid to get involved with you in the first place!”

“Excuse me?”

“I don’t want to move.  And I know you don’t want to move.”

“Contessa,” he urged, “I don’t want to worry about you because of distance.  It’s just nine months, right?  After that, we can think about living in both places.  How about that?”

She looked away.

He clasped her right hand in his.  “Please,” he pleaded.  “For our baby.”

“For our baby,” she repeated in a murmur.  “All right, you damn dictator.  I’ll move to Detroit—temporarily.”

“Oh, god, thank you!” he gushed and kissed her soundly on her startled lips.

//

“What are we going to tell Hailie?” he asked.

“Nothing yet.”

“Why?”

“In case…” she trailed off.

“Oh,” he replied in understanding.  “I guess that’s okay.  For the first few months…after that, I want her to know.”

//

“Hailie, guess what?” Marshall prompted as he scooped his daughter up into his lap and settled her on his knee.

“What?” she asked excitedly.

“Tessa’s gonna come and live with us for awhile.”

“Really?” the child voiced as her eyes lit up.

“Mhm,” Contessa affirmed.  “That okay?”

“Oh, yes!” Hailie yelled and jumped over to hug Contessa.  “We’re gonna have so much fun!”

“Yes, I’m sure we will!” Contessa replied happily.

//

“Girl, I can’t believe you’re gonna fuckin’ leave me…” Stella whined.

“I don’t wanna…”

“Oh, please.  Who are you tryin’ to fool?”

“This is just gonna end badly.  I just know it!” Contessa sighed dramatically.

“It’s gonna be all right.  Just do what the doctors say.  And hey, at least rich boy knocked you up.  You gonna get the best care ever!”

Contessa laughed half-heartedly.  “It is kind of cute how worried he is.”

“Shit, I’m worried myself!  You got guts, girl.”

“No, I’m just stupid.  And risky.”

“I was there when they said you couldn’t have children.  I ‘member how you cried like hell.  We got real drunk—our first time—and just bawled for hours.  Like the docs said, this is your chance.  And probably you’re only one.”

“I know all that, but I don’t wanna go through this…and not have the child.”

“Maybe you’ll get a second miracle.”

“God, I hope.  I don’t know if I could handle anything else,” she replied as a few tears slipped down her cheeks.

//

“Marshall?” Contessa called.

“Yeah?” he asked as he walked into the bedroom.

“There’s somethin’ we gotta do before you kidnap me…”

“It ain’t kidnappin, darlin’.”

“Whatever, smart ass.  You gotta meet the parents.”

“Oh, fuck.”

“Yeah, oh, fuck.  And the brothers.”

“Brothers?” he gulped.

“Two older ones, remember?”

“Fuck.”

“Probably.  I said I’d come over to my parents’ house tomorrow afternoon for dinner.  Everyone’s gonna be there.  Including you.”

“And Hailie?”

“You can bring her, or you can ask if Curtis can watch her.  I think I’d suggest leaving her here because hell’s probably going to break lose.”

“Why aren’t you reassuring me that your parents are going to be supportive and your brothers happy?”

“Because I don’t lie, and you and I both know that that’s not how the scenes will play out!”

“I really wish you would just make me feel less like a damn cradle robber!”

“I’m old enough, damn it.”

“They’re going to slaughter me, though?”

“Hopefully not.  I would like to have a father for the child.”

“Stop,” he demanded.  “You’re worrying me!”

“I’m sure you could take ‘em, sweetheart,” she crooned with a grin.

“Why do I have the feeling that that’s completely, and utterly, untrue?”

“They were both linebackers on their high school football team.  One was drafted to play in professional football.”

“Oh, great.  You’re a big help.”

“And the other trains people to kick ass.”

“FUCK!”

“They won’t hurt you, really!” she added.

“I hate you,” he seethed.

“I’m just teasin’.  I won’t let ‘em hurt you,” she laughed.  “I’ll protect you from the big bad brothers.  And father.”

“I really hate you…”

“No, you don’t,” she replied merrily and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

Chapter 27

Author: zines@aol.com

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These stories are for entertainment purposes only.  They are completely fictitious, and the authors mean no harm to EMINEM, his family, friends, or anyone else that may have been depicted as a 'real life' character.  No money was made on the fiction here, either directly or indirectly, i.e. paid advertising. In other words - it's just a bunch of shit we wrote for fun. Please don't take it seriously.