Coexist

Chapter 2

Vic

What Jaime had suggested a couple of days ago still weighed on my mind, but I knew there was no way I could suggest aborting the baby to Kellin. He would be crushed, and no matter how safe of a choice it is, he would most certainly hate me.

“Vic, are you ready?” Kellin asks. I had managed to take the day off of work, seeing as Kellin was way too excited to be able to function on his own, and I would be thinking about the ultrasound the whole day, meaning that I would get nothing done at work.

“Yeah, yeah I’m ready. You want to head out?” I call back. He walks out of the hall and into the living room, rubbing his stomach lightly. Morning sickness had started up, which caused Kellin to spend quite a while freshening up after vomiting a few times.

“Let’s go. I’m ready to see my baby.” He laughs, even though he’s completely genuine. I can tell how excited he is, which only makes me feel worse about the situation we are encountering. Every time I think about the danger I’ve put my family in, I want to take a hammer and smack myself straight in the face, then profusely apologize to Kellin.

“What are you thinking about?” My boyfriend asks. I see him look over at me from the corner of my eye, a small frown etched onto his perfect face in concern.

“Just our family. I’m happy you’re happy, and if you need anything, please let me know. Also, if something strange happens, let me know as soon as possible. I don’t want to risk anything.” He furrows his eyebrows, but shakes his head anyway. “Especially not with the danger I’ve put you two in.” I mutter to myself.

--

Kellin

“Kellin, if you’ll step on the scale, we are going to weigh you, then we can take you to have the ultrasound.” Doctor Reid smiles, grabbing a small clipboard and a pen.

Once all of my measurements are taken, we all walk back to the ultrasound room, where I stand, shaking with excitement as I think about how close I am to seeing my baby.

“Just lie back, and lift your shirt up. This may be kind of cold.” The doctor laughs, turning on a machine, then spreading a clear gel on my stomach. I wince at the cold, but settle once Doctor Reid runs the transducer across my slick skin.

For a few moments, there is nothing but blurry lines on the screen, then the machine makes a strange whirring noise before changing to static and finally shutting down completely.

“That’s very strange. This has never happened before. I’m sorry, but I don’t think you’ll be able to see the baby today. I would transfer you to another room, but this is the only one I was assigned to today. I can set you up another appointment soon, though, if you’d like.” My face falls in disappointment, whereas Vic stands with a blank face, simply chewing on his bottom lip.

“That’s fine. Please schedule it for as soon as possible, though. I know Vic and I both were really looking forward to seeing the baby.” I conclude, wiping the gel off of my stomach and standing. Vic is still in the same position, eyes never moving from the ultrasound machine.

“Vic, baby, come on. It’s time to leave.” I say, walking up to him and grabbing his hand. He flinches at my touch, which causes me to shy away from him, thinking he doesn’t want to be around me right now.

“Sorry, angel. Just lost in thought.” Vic grabs my hands, kissing my fingers and smiling. I mumble a quiet ‘Oh,’ pecking his cheek and leading him out the door.

When we get back to the car, Vic is extremely silent. He holds my hand the whole time, which sooths me slightly, but I’m still worried for him. Part of me thinks he’s not ready for the baby, and that part of me ruins my mood.

“Vic, are you having second thoughts about all of this? You’ve been so quiet, and I know you said you were excited, but are you really? I mean, you don’t have to act if you don’t want to, it’s just-“ I begin to ramble on, my sadness getting the best of me. A few stray tears stream down my cheeks, and I don’t even try to brush them away.

“Kell, angel, you know it’s not like that. Jaime just said some things about the baby that made me wonder if we’re ready to be parents, that’s all. I wasn’t really planning on being a father so soon, but it’s happening, so we have to continue forward. You know I love you and our baby more than anything, and I would go to the end of the world for the both of you. Chin up, angel. Everything is fine.” Vic stops at a red light, leaning over and kissing me softly on the lips. There are moments when he is so sweet, and I savor each and every one of them.

“Thank you. I really hope things get back to normal soon, because our cuddles aren’t the same when you have a million things running through your mind.” I smile shyly, a light blush dusting my cheeks. He makes me seem like a middle-school girl with a crush, but I wouldn’t change a thing.

--

Vic decided that he wanted to go hang out with Jaime after the appointment, which I was fine with, but now I’m regretting letting him go.

It’s been six hours since he left, and it’s now going on twelve in the morning. Vic told me he would be back by ten.

I decide to turn in for the night, leaving a note on the door that tells Vic not to bother coming to bed with me. I’m not suspicious of what he could be doing, it just pisses me off that he tells me one thing and then does another. I even sent him a message asking if he was okay, and his reply was a short ‘ya.’

The bed feels cold without Vic, but I honestly couldn’t give a shit less at this point.

I settle into the bed, preparing for a long and lonely sleep, but boy was I wrong.

--

Three hours into my slumber, a banging noise wakes me up. I assume its Vic coming home, probably drunk, and don’t think anything of it. That is until I hear noises coming from my bathroom. The door to my bedroom is locked, and the bathroom is connected to the bedroom. There is no way to get into the bathroom without going through my bedroom door.

I sink back into the covers, thinking it’s best to wait and see if it’s just my imagination, but soon realize that’s not the case at all. Something is really in my bathroom, and I’m flipping the fuck out.

Thinking back on it now, I wish I had let Vic come in here tonight, as he would have eased my mind by cuddling with me and possibly investigating the scene, just for my sanity. Instead, I’m left to do it myself, thinking it’s better to debunk the situation, than to stay up all night in fear.

I quickly jump up, making sure I reach my legs out far enough to not stand close enough to the edge of the bed for something to grab me, which is stupid, but in my mind it’s logical. Launching myself towards the switch, I turn on the lights, making sure I have a hard object near me in case something is near.

Looking around the room, I see nothing, which eases my nerves a little bit, but my bedroom wasn’t necessarily the problem. The bathroom is a place that has always weirded me out, as the last owners of the house never really painted, and Vic and I didn’t have enough money when we moved in, so the walls are a dark color, leaving the room eerie, even with all the lights on. Bathrooms in general scare me, to be honest.

I walk around the room, approaching the bathroom and scrunching my face up, thinking that this isn’t the best of decisions, seeing as there could literally be anything in the room before me. I take one more deep breath, feeling my stomach tighten with nerves, and run into the bathroom, flicking the light on as fast as possible.

Upon the first glimpse of the room, you’d see nothing out of the ordinary. A bathtub, placed in the center of the room. Two sinks set into a nice, marble countertop. A shower sitting right next to the bathtub, facing the door. Nothing out of the ordinary to the everyday person.

The only thing is, it’s not normal to me.

I closed the shower door before I went to bed, and now it is wide open, swinging slightly on its hinges.

And, there are wet footprints on the carpet, leading straight to my bed, and no place else.