"I will have to leave for a few days," Steven said regretfully, "I want your mother to come stay with you while I'm gone. I hired a temporary nanny to help you with Stephan, when we move to California, Alice will be their nanny. She is experienced with children and she is very loyal."
"Business or pleasure?" Abby raised an eye brow, "Victoria?
"Victoria is irrelevant to me," Steven admitted dryly, "I have a few meetings that I can not miss and I also want to check up on Bella, she is due any day now and I need to keep an eye on her. When Steven noticed Abby's eyes blurred with tears, he walked to her side and asked, "why are you crying?"
"I'm fat and undesirable to you, and ...."
"You are not fat, you just had a baby," Steven corrected, "and even if you were ten thousand pound I would still love you and only you!"
"Yeah sure," Abby said, and averted her eyes so he wouldn't witness her spill more tears.
Steven placed his fingers on her chin and turned her to face him, "After all this time, you still don't understand my love for you do you?" His voice was thick with emotion, "tell me Abby, what do I have to do or say to make you realize how much I adore you?"
Abby swallowed a choking sob, "I'm not sure I will ever feel secure with you Steven," she admitted, "you're just too handsome, and besides you did leave me once."
Closing his eyes tightly, Steven released a harsh sigh before he opened them again.
"I'm sorry I don't mean to make you angry at me." Abby quickly apologized.
His deep blue eyes were hazed with love and adoration, but Abby was too upset to notice them, "I'm not angry with you Abby, I love you and it's frustrating to me that you can't see this!"
"Every time you walk out the door," Abby admitted, "I fear you will not return."
"You think so low of me that I would leave and never return?" Steven asked, "even though I have explained to you what lays in my heart, you think I would leave you and my family again?"
Abby threw her face into her hands and cried relentlessly, Steven was disturbed by the way she was reacting to him leaving and he pulled her into his possessive arms and rocked her back and forth.
"I'm sorry." She cried.
"You did right by telling me what is in your heart Abby, but I'm concerned about you." He admitted, pulling her at arms length, he looked into her eyes and sighed, "I want you to see a psychiatrist."
"What?" Abby asked, a little too abrupt.
"You might be going through postpartum depression." He pointed out, "I'll find a good doctor for you Abby and I want you to see him as soon as possible!"
Abby pulled out of his arms and walked away angrily, "Right, I'm the crazy bitch who needs to see a doctor and take pills to calm down!"
"Stop it!" Steven yelled, and went after her, "no one said you are a crazy bitch, I'm worried about you and need to make sure you are healthy before I leave for California!"
She laughed so hard that she had tears in her eyes, "Listen to yourself Steven, you think I'm sick!" Abby snapped, "how about the fact that you left me in Wisconsin without giving me the benefit of a doubt, you accused me of loving Jeff and ...".
Steven stared at her with disbelief, "That was six years ago!" He told her, "we were young and made mistakes, but I never stopped loving you, why are you bringing up the past?"
"Cause I'm scared Steven." Abby admitted, "I'm scared out of my mind that history will repeat itself, you want to leave me and go to California to another woman who needs you, what about me, I need you too!"
Steven released a deep sigh, he then grabbed his iPhone from his back pocket and made a call, "Cancel all my appointments for the next few weeks, ask Victoria to fill in for me!" He then ended that call and made another call to Jacob, "I need a favor!"
"What happened?" Jacob sounded concerned.
"I need you to keep an eye on Bella, I won't be able to help her should she go into labor, I need you and Carol to be there for her!" Steven told him adamantly, "can I rely on you?"
"Of course you can, do not worry, Carol and I will keep a close eye on Bella and we will make sure she is taken care of, you don't need to worry!"
"Good, I will keep you to your word!" Steven told him before he ended the call and turned his attention back to Abby.
In two long strides he was next to Abby, "Are you happy now?"
"I'm so sorry." She told him, "I didn't mean for you to rearrange your entire schedule because of me and my insecurities."
Closing his eyes, he massaged his temple with his fingers, Steven suspected Abby was going through something, and he suspected it definitely was postpartum depression, he made a mental note to call the doctor.
"I will get Alice on the plane right away, she can be here within the hour, in the meantime we should go go visit our daughter in the hospital, and then go pick up Stephan from your mother." He stared at her with concern, "are you ok with that?"
Abby simply nodded in response.
"Want to go for lunch first?"
She smiled, "Yes, I'll go get dressed.".
She avoided looking at him, as she passed him by to go to the bedroom, and Steven was extremely concerned. "Alice?" He said, on the iPhone, "get ready to come to Massachusetts for a couple of months, the chauffeur will pick you up shortly!"
"I'll get ready right away." Alice told him, without asking questions, "what do I tell Victoria should she come home before I leave?"
"Don't worry about her, she won't be home anytime soon, Victoria is too preoccupied with whoring around," Steven said dryly, "there will be many changes soon Alice, but for now I need you here to help Abby, you're the only one I can trust with my family!"
*************
They walked into a nice and trendy restaurant, Steven had his arms around Abby's waist, as they walked up to the pretty hostess who smiled first at Abby and then rested her eyes on Steven.
"Hello," she smiled, "is it just the two of you?"
"Yes!" Abby snapped.
Steven glanced at Abby, a look of concern etched in his handsome face, "Yes just the two of us please."
Abby pulled away from Steven angrily and walked ahead of him, as she followed the pretty hostess through the many tables.
"Steven, Abby?" Claire's chirpy voice said.
Abby turned to look and found Claire a few tables down motioning for them to go there. "What a nice and pleasant surprise!" Abby said, as she made her way to Jeff and Claire.
"Sit with us Abby!" Claire said.
"Yes we will," Abby smiled and when Steven pulled the chair out, she sat down. Then Steven went to sit next to her.
"What a lovely surprise," Claire beamed, "and you came just in time we haven't ordered yet."
The hostess followed them to the table and handed them the menus, Abby snatched them from her hands and the young lady left annoyed.
"What was that all about?" Claire asked.
"She wants to fuck Steven." Abby snapped.
"That's enough!" Steven said in a cold and disapproving tone of voice, "she is just doing her job!"
"Does her job include staring at your dick?"
"Stop it Abby, you are making a fool of yourself!" Steven hissed in a low tone of voice, "the young lady is just doing her job."
Abby turned to face Steven, tears were evident in her eyes, "I wish you would come to my defense the way you so quickly came to hers!"
Standing up, Abby excused herself to go to the bathroom, Steven released a deep sigh and followed after her. Claire and Jeff stared at each other dumbfounded.
Abby walked inside the bathroom, leaned against the wall and cried her heart out. A second later the door burst open and Steven walked in angrily. When he went to pull back a strand of hair that had fallen over Abby's eyes, she flinched.
Steven was shocked, "I'm not going to hit you Abby, why are you afraid of me?"
Abby cried even harder and Steven pulled her into his arms. "Calm down love," he told her, "it's ok I would never hurt you!"
She looked so vulnerable and innocent and Steven could not help, but lean his head down and kiss her on the lips. She clung to him as if her life depended on him and kissed him back hungrily.
"Oh my!" A woman's voice from behind them said, as she turned around and walked right back out of the woman's bathroom.
Steven smiled, "Come on let's go back to the table."
He kissed her again and cupped his hand between her thighs. "I'm going to do things to you tonight that will have you trembling in ......."
"Wow!" A young woman squealed, and rushed out of the bathroom quickly.
Pulling back from Abby, he took her hand and pulled her out of the bathroom, "How embarrassing." Abby whispered, as they passed by the two women who had caught them in action in the bathroom.
"Are you ok Abby?" There was concern laced in Claire's voice.
Abby nodded, but Steven answered the question, "Everything is just fine." He replied, and handed Abby a menu.
Claire threw a glance at Abby and noticed her flushed cheeks and whispered, "Oh."
***************
They spent a pleasant two hours together before Steven paid the bill, and said, "It was nice seeing you guys, maybe we can come over on Friday and hang out?" He winked at Jeff and Claire and they nodded in agreement.
"Did you see that!" Claire asked, "he winked at us, something is definitely wrong!"
"Yes I suppose so, call them and invite them over this weekend, maybe we can help them." Jeff said as he walked his beautiful wife out of the restaurant.
"They've been through so much those two," Claire observed, "I wonder if they will survive whatever it is that's bothering them."
"They'll be just fine, those two always are," Jeff laughed, as he and Claire slid into their car, "love overcomes everything."
"I love you Jeff." Claire declared, "I love you so much that I want to scream it to the world!"
"Hold off until I get you home and then scream all you want in our bed!" He laughed wholeheartedly, and Claire rolled her eyes and smacked his thigh.
****************
"Where are you going?" Abby said, "you are going the wrong way!"
Steven remained quiet, as he drove back to the condo.
"Steven did you hear me, you made the wrong turn you're going the wrong way, the hospital is the other way!"
"I know that." He responded, but continued driving.
"Then why are you......"
When Steven pulled up at the condo, and removed himself from the car, Abby watched as he came around and pulled Abby gently out of the car.
"Why are we here," Abby was baffled, "I thought we were going to see our daughter."
Pulling her with him through the double doors and up the stairs, Steven unlocked the door and gently guided her inside the condo.
"Steven what is going on?"
In answer he lowered his head and kissed her brutally, his hands swiftly undressed Abby until she stood naked in front of him.
"What are you doing!" She asked, when she pulled her lips away Steven's.
"I'm making sure my wife knows how much I love her and I have no need to be with anyone else!"
He ravished her right there in the middle of the sitting room, on the floor. He couldn't get enough of her, he worshipped her for a few hours and sank into the love that she gave back to him. He was overwhelmed, and over emotional and when he was done loving her he was left speechless.
"What's the matter?" She asked him, worried that he was being so quiet, as he lifted himself to his feet and disappeared into the bathroom.
****************
Steven threw his hands on the bathroom wall and dropped his head to his chest. He allowed the tears to flow without shame, until he was depleted.
Emotions spiraled through him aggressively, and he was overwhelmed with love for her. He could not get enough of her and it has effected him immensely. Maybe he was the one that needed to see a doctor and not her, he thought, as he pulled himself together and wiped himself.
Grabbing a wad of tissue he walked back to the sitting room and sat back down on the floor. He cleaned her up really good, as she watched him quietly. They did not have sexual intercourse, but enjoyed other pleasures just as satisfying and Abby felt complete and secured.
"Do you question my love for you after what we just shared?" He asked her horsely.
"No." Abby lied, still worried that she was too fat and not pretty enough for this gorgeous man.
Steven read the fear in her eyes and swore under his breath, he was going to call the doctor first chance he gets, Abby needs help, he thought, and swallowed back a choking sob, if anything were to happen to her he would go mad with grief.
***************
"What do you mean you don't want to come to the hospital with me Abby, our daughter is there," he argued, "don't you want to see her?"
She shook her head, "I'll see her next time Steven, I have things to do now."
She looked away and Steven was alarmed, "Ok I'll go myself and be back in a couple of hours." He told her, and hurried out of there and rushed to the hospital.
"I need to speak to the doctor immediately!" Steven said, to the nurse when he got to the children's ward, as he did everything he could to ignore the anxiety building up in the pit of his stomach.
Minutes later when the doctor came to talk to him, Steven tried but failed to calm down, "Abby is not herself, she has lost her zest for life, she is paranoid and worst of all she doesn't want to see her child!"
"How's her appetite?"
"She's not eating enough, she believes herself to be fat."
The urgency in Steven's voice alerted the doctor, "She's definitely going through something, my guess is that she has postpartum depression," holding up his hands when Steven was about to say something, the doctor continued, "I will write her a prescription, but you must make sure she takes it everyday!"
"Will the medicine help her?" When the doctor nodded his head, Steven released a sigh of relief. "Please write the prescription so I can take it to her."
He stopped to visit his baby girl, before he left the hospital and he lad a lump in his throat when he saw how tiny and frail she was. He stayed and watched her for quite a while before he left and headed straight to the pharmacy and then back to Abby.
"Hello?"
"Claire?" Steven said, a little to sudden, "I need your help!"
"What happened?" Claire heart raced, "is Abby and the children alright?"
"The children are fine, but Abby is going through postpartum depression and she needs medicine!"
"Oh my God!" Claire said, "what exactly is going on?"
"She doesn't want to see the children!"
"Not even the baby?"
"No Claire especially not her!"
Claire noticed how emotional Steven was and stopped asking questions, "So what can I help you with?"
"Can you come over and help me convince her to take her medicine?"
"I'm leaving now!" Claire answered.
************