Steven waited in his car for hours, his mind was full of turmoil and his heart with stabbing pain, is that why Abby never cared about her appearance, was she hiding behind her clown outfits not to draw attention to her beautiful looks? How long has that monster been abusing her and why hadn't she opened up to him about it. He thought they talked about everything, but now he knew that he was wrong.
Claire had called him hours ago with the good news that Abby was doing a little better, but the doctors had decided to keep her in the hospital for a few days to make sure she recovered completely from her horrible ordeal.
Parked down the street, Steven waited patiently for Abby's father to come home. He was going to rip him to pieces. What kind of a father does what he did! His eyes glistened with tears when he thought of Abby enduring all that her father had done to her.
He wanted to go to Abby and wrap his arms around her and promise her that he would protect her from now on, but he knew that Jeff had taken that role away from him. The pain and suffering he had endured in the last month was unbearable, he wasn't sure how he would handle staying away from Abby, there were nights that he felt like climbing up her bedroom window and crawling into bed with her just to wrap his arms around her one more time, and he would have done it, but fear of rejection kept him away.
He will love her forever he knew that without a doubt. He was going to protect her from afar, and make sure that she was happy, and if that meant taking a step back to allow Jeff to have her, he would do it just as long as it was what she wanted. That's how much he loved her, he put her first above all else including his pain and suffering.
The street was dark and very quiet in the neighborhood, and Steven stiffened when he saw a car pull in the driveway. He got out of his car quickly and quietly closed his door. Adrenaline rushed through him as his anger mounted.
He walked swiftly and quietly behind Abby's father and when he opened the door and took a step inside and flicked on the lights, Steven followed him inside, walked around the man and grabbed him by the neck. It all happened so fast that Abby's father did not have time to react.
"If I ever find out that you touched Abby again I will kill you with my bare hands!" Steven roared, and when the man opened his mouth to say something, Steven struck him hard on his face with his fist and broke his jaw. "You piece of shit!"
The man fell backwards and dropped on the ceramic tile, and when he tried to get himself up, Steven's foot struck him on his side and he lost his voice from the severe pain that stabbed him.
Steven pulled out his phone, and called the police, he gave the address and reported Abby's father as a sexual predator and a child molester. He told in detail what Abby's father had done to her and then hung up the phone.
"Stay away from Abby or I swear I shall kill you, you mother fucker!" Steven roared, and punched him in the face this time breaking his nose. When he finally left the house, Steven left the door open for the police to get in.
As soon as he got into his car, he saw four police cars flashing their lights, and surround Abby's house. They ran quickly inside the home. Steven drove off feeling satisfied that Abby's father will get what was coming to him.
Before he headed for home, Steven drove to lutheran general hospital and circled it a few times. Knowing that Abby was within reach and all alone in her hospital room drove him crazy, he was desperately tempted to sneak into her room and spend the night with her, but it was after visiting hours and he would be escorted out of the hospital by the police.
Was Jeff by her side right now? Was he holding her hand and comforting her? Was he looking into her beautiful eyes and telling her how much he adored her? Pain twisted in his gut knowing that Jeff now had what belonged to him.
Driving home, Steven knew that one day she would be his again. Jeff couldn't make her as happy as he had made her. Her beautiful smile when he walked in the room and the way her eyes lit up, does she do that for Jeff? Does she arch her back in the night when Jeff held her and made love to her like she did for him? Does she cry out Jeff's name when he's making love to her, does she tremble in his arms?
"Oh God." Steven's cried, unable to imagine Abby making love to another man, "I can't do this anymore!"
*****************
After two days in the hospital Abby was glad to be home, especially since she found out from her mother that her father was in jail.
"I made your favorite meal honey." Abby's mother said, with a weak smile, as she carried the tray in her room and set it down on the night stand next to the bed, "Claire can I get you a plate also, there's plenty to go around!"
"No thank you," Claire said, and threw Abby's mother a smile, "I already had my dinner."
"Alright child," I'm going to go and clean up the kitchen and then head to my bed, I have to work early in the morning, please turn off the lights in the living room and close the door when you leave."
"I will," Claire answered, and averted her eyes back to Abby when her mother left the room, "you have to eat for the baby's sake Abby!"
Abby pulled her body into a sitting position, "I will, I am!" She declared, and grabbed her fork, "it's just that I have lost my appetite. She stabbed the sausage with her fork and raised it to her mouth, "have you seen Steven, I wonder if he heard about the other day. I hope he doesn't find out, what a shameful thing it is, I swear if everyone finds out I will crawl under a rock and die!"
Avoiding eye contact with her, Claire swallowed before she spoke, "No one will find out not even Steven. Do not worry about that." She lied.
Already it was the talk of the school, Claire was afraid that it might even get into the neighborhood newspaper, but she would not express her concerns to Abby, last thing she needed was for her to feel more shame and pain.
"I can't get over what happened Claire, I knew that he was getting dangerously close to crossing the line, but I thought I'd be away in school before he ever got the chance." Abby started to cry, "it was awful Claire, can you even imagine your father........" she stopped talking and cried some more and Claire leaned over and gave her a huge bear hug.
"No I can't imagine such a hideous crime," Claire admitted, "and I hope he will rot in hell for it!"
***************
With only one more day for graduation, Steven paced back and forth in his room trying to calm himself down. Claire had called him the day before and told him Abby was back home and dong a little better. He was extremely relieved, but tomorrow was graduation and he would see her up close.
He was nervous as a school boy, seeing her again after what she went through would tare him apart. He wanted to hold her in his strong and possessive arms and cradle her and whisper sweet nothings in her ear, but he had lost that right to Jeff.
He hasn't had a good night sleep since he had returned from Wisconsin. He hasn't had peace in his heart and mind since then either. These feelings were knew to him, he was a love them and leave them type of guy, until she came along and disrupted his life.
Love hit him out of nowhere like a ton of bricks. Falling in love had another meaning for him than most people he knew. For him it meant everything, two souls becoming one, love struck him like a bolt of lightening and turned his life upside down.
He didn't know how to live without after loving her for so long, but he knew he had no choice, as long as she was in love with Jeff. In the meantime he could shadow her until she left for Massachusetts and then he could visit her from afar in secret whenever he got the chance and hopefully one day he can have her again in his life.
So many questions haunted him. Why did she stop loving him, why did she abort his baby, God that hurt, he thought, and Steven stretched out his arms and placed his palms on the wall, his chin dropped against his muscled chest and he closed his eyes.
"Abby!" He whispered hoarsely, "Why?"
**************
He purchased the most beautiful and expensive flowers in the shop, and walked out with a bittersweet smile on his face. Jeff was happy Abby was out of the hospital, but was angry and very upset why she ended up in the hospital to begin with.
If he ever ran into her father on the street he would kill the bastard with his bare hands, he thought angrily. Jeff was glad that this school year was finally over and done with. He couldn't wait to take Abby as far away as he could from this miserable place.
The day before he had visited the jewelry shop down the street and picked out a diamond ring for Abby. He was going to get on his knees and ask Abby to marry him. Jeff knew she would say no, that she was much to young to wed him, however, he would bring up the baby and point out to her that if she doesn't marry him the child will be listed as a bastard child when it's born.
Driving to Abby's house, Jeff practiced his speech, truth was he was trembling with fear that she would reject him, but he had waited so many years to speak his heart and nothing could stop now.
Pulling up in the driveway, Jeff collected the flowers and removed himself from the vehicle. When he was about to ring the doorbell, Claire swung the door open and stared at him suspiciously.
"Hello." Jeff smiled, and flashed his even white teeth at Claire.
Raising an eye brow, Claire asked, "What's that for." She asked, as her gaze dropped to the flowers.
Jeff's smile faded, "I'm going to ask her to marry me Claire." And he pulled out of his pocket a little black box.
Eyes wide with surprise, Claire asked, "What?"
"We don't have to get married now, " Jeff quickly explained, "we can get engaged and then wait until we are finish with Harvard, but being engaged will save her from all the future gossip and humiliation when her stomach blows up."
He was right and she knew it, but Abby was so young, Claire thought, she nodded and left before he saw the tears in her eyes. Life was not fair, she thought, as she wiped her tears and kept walking.
Pushing the door open, he stepped inside and shut the door closed. As Jeff walked up the stairs, his forehead was full of beaded sweat. He was very nervous and didn't want to mix up or forget his words.
He put his hand on the doorknob and hesitated for a brief second before he opened the door, when he mustered up all his strength and nerves, Jeff opened the door to Abby's bedroom and walked inside.
He found her looking out the window and when she heard his footsteps and turned around, Abby blessed him with a weak smile, and Jeff's heart hammered against his muscled chest.
She is so beautiful, he thought, as he handed her the rose bouquet. "How are you feeling today?"
"I'm better," she said, and she smelled the flowers before she placed them on her nightstand.
"Please sit down I need to talk to you."
His serious tone of voice held Abby's attention, as she sat herself on the bed, "I'm all ears." She smiled up at him, not sure she wanted to hear what he was going to tell her. Judging from the expression on his face, Abby knew that what ever he wanted to discuss had to do with their relationship.
Pulling a chair from the corner of the room, he placed it in front of Abby and sat down. Then he took her hands in his and spoke, "You and I have been friends for a long time, almost our entire lives. My feelings for you run deep and you know that."
Abby nodded, but remained silent.
"I think I have loved you for over a decade!" He admitted.
Abby shifted feeling a little uncomfortable with where she thought this conversation was headed.
"I can't see my future without you in it Abby, I love you and want to make you my wife!"
He stood, pushed the chair away, and kneeled down on one knee, slipping his hand in his pocket, he pulled out a little black box and opened it. Abby's eyes opened wide and she was about to protest, but he hurried and spoke first.
"I'm not asking to marry you today or tomorrow, we can get engaged and wait until we finish Harvard and then get married." His eyes sparkled with love and adoration, "I love you and I know that you love me too in your own way, hopefully in four years you will love me as I love you."
"Jeff I don't want to ....."
"The entire town is buzzing with what happened to you Abby," Jeff cut her off and said, "when word gets out that you are pregnant everyone will assume that it was your father that got you in this way!"
Rivulet of tears rolled down her beautiful face.
"I will marry you and claim the child mine and all the wagging tongue will seize!" He explained, "marry me and save your child from a life of pain and suffering!"
"I can't marry you Jeff, I'm in love with Steven and that will never change!" She cried.
Releasing a harsh breath, Jeff spoke, but this time his voice was more convincing, "I will ask nothing of you until you are ready and willing to be my wife," and when Abby shook her head and was about to protest, Jeff added, "for heavens sake Abby, do it for the baby and stop thinking of only yourself!"
**************
"You what!" Claire blasted on the other line.
"I accepted Jeff's marriage proposal!" Abby told her, "and stop judging me, I did what I did for a good reason!"
"You have no idea what you have done Abby!" Claire told her, knowing that when Steven finds out and he will all hell will break lose. "You don't love him the way you love Steven!"
"But he loves me!" Abby argued back, "and I will learn to love him the way he deserves to be loved for the sake of my baby!"
"Are you out of your mind!" Claire argued, "Steven is your soulmate, are you looking to kill him with your actions!"
"Steven doesn't care for me anymore and I need a father for my baby!" Abby cried, "he is willing to play the roll of father to my child and I am not going to say no to that!"
"Oh Abby, I think you are making a big mistake," Claire admitted, "one you will regret for the rest of your life."
Abby closed her eyes as more tears glided down her face and choked back a sob, "I need you to support my decision and not judge me Claire, it's the best I can do under the circumstance." She then explained everything that Jeff had said to her until finally Claire accepted her decision. "There is nothing else to do but this Claire, this baby is my life now and I would do anything to protect Steven's child!"
Claire closed her eyes tightly and cried softly, she knew that many will get hurt by Abby's decision, but she also knew that it was the right choice under the circumstances, Jeff was right, they must all protect the baby at all costs.