Ransom Drysdale: Manipulation

I'm Not Pregnant

"You are just as coldhearted as always Ransom. How could a nice girl like Hermione be with you? I will never understand that. Her little outburst just now, she did that because of you, you seemed uncomfortable with me and I had a tone with you and she didn't like it, you're going to turn her into a monster, just like you."

"You don't know what you're talking bout Joanie. Hermione has had a lot going on the past few weeks, we almost died yesterday, she's stressed out and you come up in here poking your dumb ass nose where is doesn't fucking belong. Now I have to go check on her and when I get back you better be gone."

Ransom gets up and practically runs to the bathroom to find Hermione. His mind stuck on yesterday. He left her alone for too long and she got kidnapped. They almost died. She could have died.

Ransom knocked on the door of the bathroom and there was no answer. He heard a muffled cry and slowly walked in. Hermione was hunched over the toilet getting sick. Ransom walks over and holds her hair back for her. She cries between getting sick, not being able to breath.

"You're okay babe. Just try to breath, you're gonna be okay." She finally quits throwing up and lays her head on his shoulder, she's sitting on the bathroom floor and Ransom is kneeling beside her.

"I'm a terrible person." Hermione sobbed. "I was so mean to her. She was mean to, she deserved it, but I was awful, I've never talked to someone that way before. But I couldn't let her be mean to you."

He sits next to her and pulls her onto his lap, giving her a hug. "You are not a terrible person Hermione, Joanie was not phased at all, you weren't even mean, you just said the truth. She's a bitch Hermione, you telling her exactly what I did, just in a nicer way, was the least of her worries."

"Ransom, I basically called her a whore. And I used very unnecessary language." He couldn't help but chuckle. "Baby, you're on the bathroom floor sick to your stomach because you said 'fuck' and asked if she gave a judge a BJ to get out of jail. The last thing you are is awful, terrible or mean. You're so fucking sweet it made you sick to be anything but nice to someone who didn't deserve your kindness."

Hermione sniffles and wipes her tears. "I need to apologize." Now Ransom was laughing uncontrollably. "Stop laughing! I do. Come on. Before she leaves. I need to say sorry." She gets up off the floor and reaches her hand to Ransoms to help him up.

He gets up and shakes his head at her, smiling. "Fine, let's go, but for your sake, I hope she left, you're gonna get a smug smile from her and she's gonna try an extort you and make you feel worse than you already do." She washes her face and rinses her mouth out as he warns her.

Hermione walks back out of the bathroom without saying anything else, Ransom follows behind her, his hand hovering over her hip. Sure enough, Joanie was still out there. Hermione was greeted with the smug smile Ransom had mentioned.

"Joanie," Hermione started as she walked over to her, "I'm sorry for the way I spoke to you before, I shouldn't have said those things, your history with Ransom's family is none of my business and neither is how you got out of jail."

Joanie places her hand on Hermione's shoulder and nods her head with a fake understanding look. "It's alright, I get it, when I was pregnant with Meg I was really moody too." Hermione and Ransom's jaws dropped at her accusation.

"I-i'm not pregnant." Hermione stutters. "That's what I thought too, but I can tell you just got sick, you're glowing and you're starting to show. I can practically smell the pregnancy radiating off of you."

"What is your game here Joanie? Hermione isn't pregnant. She just told you. Oh I get it, you were fishing around, you saw she drank hot chocolate instead of coffee, her hand was on her stomach, she got sick, you thought she was pregnant, so you brought up Meg,"

"Ransom, it's okay, let's just go." Hermione interrupts.

"No, Hermione this is her whole game, I thought I was manipulative, Jesus Christ Joanie. Where does it end? You brought up Meg so Hermione would ask about her, then you would give her a sob story about how you need money or Meg's tuition and hoping Hermione gives in. Am I close?"

Joanie stands there, in dismay. Ransom knew exactly what she was doing. "Well Joanie, Meg is twenty five years old, if she isn't out of her four year college yet, God fucking help her. And I know for a fact Marta paid her tuition. Now we're leaving."

"You know how he pulled apart my plan Hermione?" Joanie returns to her smirk, looking at Hermione now. "Because he is just like me, he will get that money from your book and leave you. Believe me. Good luck honey because you need it, along with a pregnancy test."

Joanie turns around and walks away, leaving Hermione speechless. She looks at Ransom before running back into the bathroom and throwing up again. Ransom holds her hair back once again.

When she finishes getting sick she stands up and washes her face and mouth out again. Ransom follows her and stands next to her, waiting for her to say something. When she doesn't, he does.

"Hermione?" She looks at him and her face is blank. He can't read her expression. For the first time he didn't know what she was thinking. "Hermione talk to me, what are you thinking?"

She looks away from him, into the mirror, giving herself a long look and looking at him standing next to her. She looks down at her stomach and back to Ransom with her hand on her belly.

"I think we should get a pregnancy test."