Chapter Fifty-Four

Finley

“Finley, I’m so sorry,” Connor said as Damon slammed the front door closed.

“Why would you tell him that?” I asked him.

“He wouldn’t let it go, he had me up against the wall, slamming my head in!” Connor defended himself.

“I’m sorry,” I said to him as he sat down and I took the first aid kit out of the cupboard.

“It’ll heal, don’t worry,” he said but I cleaned it anyway.

“You shouldn’t have said anything, he doesn’t remember, Connor,” I said to him.

“I know and I’m sorry because now everything’s a shit storm,” he said as he looked down.

“It’s okay,” I said to him.

“I’ll go finish the crib, it’s almost done,” he said as he stood up.

I sat in the kitchen for almost an hour before Connor was done. He came back downstairs with his toolbox and picked up his jacket where I’d hung it over one of the barstools. He looked at me before putting his jacket back down.

“I can stay with you,” he offered.

“I’ll be fine,” I said to him.

“I don’t know, Damon was pretty angry when he left,” he said.

“I’m going to Harley’s house, she’s a friend, I’ll be fine,” I said to him with a smile.

“Okay, call me if you need anything,” he said.

“I will,” I promised him knowing full well I wouldn’t.

Connor hugged and kissed me goodbye and I stood on the porch watching him leave. Everything was a mess now and I couldn’t believe that Connor had opened his big mouth. I went upstairs and packed my suitcase as I grabbed a hold of my phone and tried to even my breathing.

It took me a while to get both suitcases into the boot and I went back upstairs to put dry clothes on. My water had broken an hour ago and I was worried, it was too early for the baby to arrive. I was barely thirty-three weeks and I gritted my teeth as the first contraction tore through my abdomen.

“Okay, baby, time to go,” I said as I climbed into my car and drove slowly down the street.

I stopped with my hazards on every time a contraction ripped through me and then continued driving when I got my breath back. I made it to the hospital in one piece but the contractions were now less than five minutes apart.

“Ma’am?” A nurse said as I walked into the emergency department.

“I’m in labor,” I said as I gripped the counter when another contraction came.

They got me into a wheelchair and I was pushed straight into a room where the on-call doctor followed less than a minute later pulling on gloves. I was already laying on the bed with my legs spread, ready to push when he sat down on a low stool in front of me.

“You’re already crowning,” he said to me.

I could feel the baby’s head between my legs and I also felt myself tear as I pushed again and I heard the baby cry. The relief was overwhelming as I lay back on the bed and started laughing and crying at the same time.

“Congratulations, it's a boy,” the doctor said to me.

He stood up and I saw my son for the first time. They weighed and measured him and wrapped him in a hospital blanket before giving him to me. The intense love I felt as they placed him in my arms filled everything inside me as I started to really cry.

“Is he okay?” I asked.

“He’s perfectly healthy,” the doctor said. “The nurse will take him to get cleaned up while I quickly stitch you up.”

I watched as the nurse pushed him out of the room and closed my eyes as I felt the sting of the needle. Half an hour later I was wheeled out of the emergency department and up to the maternity ward into a private room.

“Is there anyone we can call for you?” the nurse asked me as she wheeled him back into my room and placed him in my arms again.

“If you can just hand me my purse, I’ll be fine thank you,” I said.

She handed me my purse with a smile and left the room as I fished my phone out. I called Mimi and Harley and she and Wells arrived followed shortly by Mimi. Their faces were priceless as they tiptoed into the room and looked at him.

“He’s so beautiful,” Mimi said and it was the first time I had seen her emotional.

“Thank you,” I said smiling as I looked at him.

“What did you name him?” Wells asked me.

“Griffin, Griffin Blake,” I said and they all smiled at me.

“Do you need clothes?” Harley asked me suddenly.

“Both our suitcases are in my car,” I said as Wells grabbed the car keys from my purse and rushed out of the room.

“Oh Finley, you’re a mommy,” Harley gushed as she cried and I had to laugh as Mimi just stared at her.

“Too many feelings,” she muttered under her breath.

Wells returned with our suitcases and placed them on the couch before washing his hands and picking Griffin up. Griffin let out a sigh but continued to sleep and on cue all three of them said, “aww!”

“When are you getting out?” Mimi asked me.

“Tomorrow morning,” I said and looked at them. “And then I’m leaving town.”

“What? Why?” they all asked me.

“Damon moved back into his house last week, I just can’t, I can’t stay here,” I said.

“So come to our house,” Wells said as Harley nodded.

“No, I need to get out of town for a bit, I’ll call you guys and it’s not like I’ll be gone forever, just until he moves on,” I said.

“Did he say he was leaving?” Harley asked me.

“Yes, he’s fixing the house up and then he’s going to leave,” I said.

“Does he know about Griffin?” Mimi asked.

“It’s complicated, please just be my best friends and don’t say a word to anyone,” I said.

“Of course we won’t and if Damon comes asking I’ll give him my boot up his ass,” Wells said.

“He won’t,” I said.

“Okay, so what do you need from your house?” Mimi asked.

“Griffin’s things, his car seat, carry cot, his clothes and blankets and so on,” I said.

“We’ll get it all and pack it in your car,” Harley said as the other two nodded.

“Thanks, please make sure his truck isn’t there when you do this,” I said.

“Secret mission, I like this,” Wells said and giggled.

“You need to leave now, visiting time is over,” the nurse said.

“We’ll leave your car in the parking lot, stocked and ready for you to leave,” Harley whispered as she hugged me.

“Thank you,” I said as I got more hugs before they left.

The following morning all three of them were waiting for me in the foyer as I was wheeled to the front door with Griffin in my lap. I couldn’t help the tears as I smiled at them. Mimi took Griffin as Wells helped me up even though I told him I was fine.

“Are you sure you’re okay to drive?” Harley asked me.

“I’ll be fine, I’ve been through worse,” I said.

“Please call us every time you stop for gas or food, it doesn’t matter what time it is,” she said and I nodded as they all took turns holding Griffin and Wells finally put him in his car seat. My boot was filled to its capacity with Griffin’s stuff and there was an extra suitcase on the backseat with his diaper bag and my laptop bag.

“You guys really are the best,” I said to them.

“We love you, bitch, now drive carefully,” Mimi said as we all had a group hug and I climbed into my car.

My escape plan of where to run to next was still intact from when I thought Jackson was still looking for me and I had only grabbed that little bag before going to the hospital. It was still safely tucked into the middle console and I drove the seven hours to East Whiteland in Pennsylvania.

I booked us into a motel in the late afternoon and took a quick shower before going to a drive through to get food for myself. Our first night alone wasn’t so bad and Griffin drank and slept, waking every four hours to feed.

I liked this place and I had researched it extensively when my escape plan had still been in motion and now I was glad that I had. I already had the number for a real estate agent that I would contact in the morning. Griffin was already registered and I had received his birth certificate this morning before I left.

He truly was beautiful and he had a full head of dark brown hair, similar to Damon. The hurt was very bearable now that I had Griffin in my life and I intended to do it right this time. I looked at my son and smiled as I made my promise to him.

“I won’t make the same mistake as I did with your brother. I won’t ever let a man drag us down again, I promise you, Griffin, it’s you and me,” I said to him as he slept peacefully in the crib that they had sent to my room.

A week later Griffin and I had a house and we moved in over the course of that weekend. I got into contact with a real estate agent in St Albans and put my house on sale. All the furniture went into storage and I would send money to Harley to pay it every month.

I also changed my number but I kept my old phone and I only switched it on when I called Archer, which I did on the first night we moved into our house. It was a beautiful two story house with four bedrooms. I converted one of them to an office for me and I worked while Griffin slept.

“Finley, where the hell are you?” Archer answered when I called him.

“Geez hi Archer, I’m well thanks, how are you?” I asked him.

“This isn’t the time for games, you’re pregnant?” he asked me and I closed my eyes.

“Connor has a big mouth,” I said and he laughed dryly.

“Where are you?” he asked me.

“I’m safe,” I said to him as Griffin started crying in the background.

“Is that… did you already have the baby?” he asked me.

“Yes, he’s perfect,” I smiled.