This Is Just The Beginning

Chapter 48

~Stella's POV~
It's now a few more days after Grant showed up at Molly's and there's still no trace of him anywhere.
I'm now 37 weeks and still no sign of the twins coming early. And while I honestly don't want to be pregnant anymore. For right now, I think it's best that they aren't here until we find Grant. Right now, Bella is at the Casey's. Gabby wanted to take her for the night and tomorrow all day because of all the stress that's been going on. And to keep her out of the house.

Kelly has shift in the morning.
We were just hanging out and laying in bed.
We were discussing names.
"Yea.. I love that for him..." I smiled when Kelly told me an idea for baby boy.

I told him my idea for baby girl.
"That's perfect... and they match with each other... and start with a B just like Bella." He smiled.
"So that's it? We chose the names? Finally?" I laughed.
He laughed and kissed me.
"We did it... we finally found their names..." he smiled.

We laid in bed together just wrapped in each other's arms.
"You wanna watch a movie?" I asked Kelly.
"Yea sure, what were you thinking?" He asked me.
"I don't know.. you can pick." I told him.

He scrolled through some different apps on the TV and picked a movie.
"What's this one?" I asked him.
"Not too sure. I just picked 'surprise me'." He explained.

We started watching it.
About an hour into it there was a scene. A violent scene. A domestic violence situation.
I started separating my attention from the movie and stared at my hands. Remembering about my old life with Grant.

I could feel my lungs start to tighten as my breathing started getting more shallow as I was remembering. I started tearing up. I tried taking deep breaths, but it wasn't working.

I could feel and hear Kelly, but I didn't listen because I was just too lost in my own thoughts.
"Babe? Stella?" I finally hear him say.
He moved my face so he could see me. And once I got my vision back, I looked at him. I didn't do anything expect hug him.

"Hey, what's going on?" He asked me.
"I'm sorry..." I barely managed to say.
"Hey listen, you gotta tell me what's wrong. You never have to be sorry." He told me.
I pulled away and took a deep breath.
"When that.. scene came on... it just... gave me a lot of flashbacks and memories that I... just want to forget.." I said.

Kelly put his hand on my shoulder.
"You don't have to be sorry... you have a past that you wish you could change the story on... I get it... but I want you to understand that I will never be like him... I will never act the way he did..." he told me.
I nodded my head.
"Thank you... for everything..." I told him.
"I love you... how about we go to bed right now?" He asked me.

I nodded my head again and gave him a kiss.
"I love you too..." I whispered before laying my head on his chest as I felt him play around with my hair kids the top of my head.
"You're safe with me... I'll never hurt you... I can promise you that..." he whispered.
And I went to bed with those words in my mind. Because they were true. I am finally safe with him. And so are our kids.

-next day-
Kelly was at shift, and I was taking a nap. I'm exhausted and quite frankly, in a ton of pain. I've been getting these intense pains all around my back and stomach. They don't feel like contractions yet though. And especially since Nat said they wouldn't be coming for a bit longer.

I've been just laying in bed all day. Which I guess is good, considering that I'm supposed to be on bedrest.
It was around 2pm. Then I got a call from Kelly.

Stella: hello?
Kelly: hey babe, just checking on you.
Stella: hi baby... I'm good, I've been just laying in bed all day.
Kelly: are you ok or you're just actually following the doctors orders for once?

Stella: I'm just like really tired and drained.. and I keep getting this like pains that sort of travel around my back and stomach. But they don't feel like contractions yet. So I'm not too worried about them coming.

Kelly: ok, listen the bells just went off, but I'll see if I can stop by soon ok?
Stella: ok love you please be safe.
Kelly: love you too.

Once I hung up, I laid in bed for probably another half hour before I heard something. It was like something fell.
"The hell was that?" I whispered to myself.
I tried just brushing it off because I was just so tired, but then I heard it again.

KThen I got home because I was confused and curious about what that was.
I got up and heard the noise again of something, coming from Bella's room.
"Kelly?" I called out.

I went into Bella's room and I barely got in the doorway before I felt someone push me up against the wall.
"Where is she?" I heard a voice I know all too well.
I opened my eyes and saw Grant looking at me. He had me pinned against the wall.

"What the hell... are you doing here?" I asked him, catching my breath.
"Where is she? Where is my daughter?" He asked me.
"She's not here! Let me go!" I yelled at him.

"You're going to tell me where my daughter is... or else you'll never see her alive again." He told me.
"No... I'm not... telling you... anything.." I said. My breath was going short. He had his hand on my neck.

Then he let go of me and stood back. I leaned against the wall and coughed.
I looked at him, he was high.
"Grant... what did you take?" I asked him.
"Where is my daughter?" He asked me.

"I'm not telling you that.. What. Did. You. Take?" I asked him.
"You're going to tell me where is she." He chuckled.
"No I'm not.." I told him.
He looked around her room and saw a picture of her. It was a recent picture too.

He looked at it and sort of smiled.
"If you weren't abusive and dependent on drugs and alcohol... maybe the 3 of us could've been a family... but you never got clean. You never even tried.." I told him.
"What if... we try again?" He asked me.

I looked at him confused.
"What?" I asked him.
"Can we try this again? I wanna be a family..." he told me.
"What? N-no... Grant, I... no..." I said.

"Stella-Bella... please..." he begged me. He grabbed my arm and begged me for forgiveness. Part of me felt bad. Biologically, he is the father of my daughter, but he wasn't there. And I don't know how loving he would be to her.

"Grant... I can't do that... not right now at least... maybe... if you stick to rehab... I promise if you get clean and sober... You can have a life with her...." I told him.
He looked taken aback and happy, but surprised.
"Do you.. mean that?" He asked me.

I hesitated, but then I nodded my head and gave a small smile.
"She's 18 months right now... if you go back to rehab and get fully clean and sober, and change your abusive ways for at least 1 year by the time she's... 4 years old... I'll let you be involved in her life... deal?" I asked him.

His face got so appreciative and happy. He hugged me and nodded his head.
"I promise..." he said.
"And... one more thing..." I told him.
He looked at me and nodded his head.
"You cannot leave or escape rehab like you just did. The second you come back and act violent, the deal's off... got it?" I asked him.

"Yes I promise... anything else?" He asked me.
I thought about it.
"Yea... you have to understand that I'm in a relationship now.. even if this deal works out... we still will never be together... but we can stay friends.." I told him.
He smiled and nodded his head.

"Ok... you're going to go back to Med right now. And have Dr. Charles call me as soon as you sign in and get settled... if you want a chance to see her and be in her life... you won't screw this up..." I told him.
He agreed.
"Thanks Stella-Bella..." he said.

He gave me the knife he stole from our kitchen and all the drugs he had on him. Which I was surprised, but happy.
"I promise... I'll change..." he said, before walking out the door.

Once he left, I stared at the closed front door.
Did I just do that? Will be keep his promise?
Did I make the right choice by making that deal?

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