Chapter five

Elliott 

I was sitting with Jessie and her family at her Aunt's funeral. I was dressed in a black suit and tie and she was in a black, knee length dress. Her honey brown curls tumbled down her shoulders. I left Macy in her daycare for the day. I didn't want her around this and Jessie agreed with me.

Her family were eyeing us, questioning each other who I was. A toddler made her way over to me, climbing in my lap. She curls up in my lap with her head on my chest and goes to sleep. A woman across the aisle motions to the child, wondering if she was a bother and I shake my head. 

I look around the church and could easily spot undercover cops that I requested to be here. I was informed last night while everyone was asleep that Reese's father had an accomplice to her Aunt's murder. Reese's mother. I scan the people in the crowd and spot her, standing to the far left side.

Her eyes meet with mine and a sinister smirk spreads her lips. I lean forward to whisper to the cop sitting in front of me. "She's here, standing to the far left. I think she's planning to do something."

"I'm on it Elliott," he says quietly keeping his face forward. "You have your vest and gun?"

"Absolutely," I say quietly and sit back, cradling the child closer to Jessie in case I needed to shield them both. I lean in her ear and ask in a whisper, "Do you trust me?"

She nods without hesitation and doesn't question me. I kiss her temple and she rests her head on my shoulder, playing with the girl's hair. Facing forward and I look to the side as Reese's mother raises a gun in our direction. "She's got a gun," a woman sitting next to her screams.

I turn in my seat, shielding both the toddler and Jessie with my broad build. Two shots are fired. One hits me in the back and the second is followed by a body falling to the ground. "Oh my God, Anna," the woman from across the aisle screams, running over to feel my back. "Are you okay? You were shot.

"Jessie, your friend is bleeding," she chokes as I feel Jessie push me off her.

Anna is taken by her mother as I struggle out of my suit jacket. "I'm okay," I say in a soothing whisper, holding Jessie's face in my hands. "It barely went through the vest."

She slaps my shoulder and chokes in a broken sob, "Don't scare me like that, damn you Elliott."

"I'm sorry, I knew if I told you, you'd freak out like you are now. Guys, stand up," I call out and thirty officers stand up throughout the church. "I brought backup."

"I have a first aid kit," an older woman behind us says in sympathy. 

"Thank you Nana," Jessie chokes quietly. 

She slaps my hands away from undressing myself. I reach up and wipe her tears and ask quietly, "Are you experiencing any signs of..."

"No, even though I was scared, I still trusted you," she chokes quietly, meeting my eyes before returning to undo the buttons of my shirt.

She slips off my shirt and I turn around for her to dig out the bullet before removing the vest. I wince as she pulls the bullet out. The church was mostly cleared out by now as she turns me back to face her to remove my vest.

Once it was off, I found it easier to breathe. I turn to give her my back and she asks in a choked whisper, "Are you ready?"

I nod lightly and moments later I feel the burning as she cleans the small wound on my back between my shoulders. "You're like my mother," the woman holding the child from before states in a choked whisper.

"Yes," I grunt as Jessie continues to clean around the wound. "I'm Elliott, Jessie's girlfriend."

"Emma, this is Anna," she says motioning to the child in her arms.

"Done," Jessie chokes quietly, taping a gauze pad over the wound. 

I face her and she helps me put my shirt back on. Moments later we stand up and she sways on her feet. I bring my hands to her waist to steady her balance. "Elli-," she says in a wavering whisper before passing out in my arms.

I lift her bridal style in my arms and Emma looks at her with concern before realization crosses her face. "She's..."

I nod as I carry her to the car. Her family was standing around outside, waiting and all look at her with concern. They start crowding around us and her Nana tucks hair from her face. "What's wrong with my granddaughter," she asks in a choked whisper. 

"The day your daughter was killed we found out she's pregnant," I choke quietly, scared she might lose the baby after what happened in the church. "I'm the father."

She smiles through her tears and I return it. "Are you coming back to my house with the others," she asks with a smile.

"I just have to pick my daughter from daycare," I say softly and she nods with understanding. 

"We can pick her up if you want," Maggie offers and I nod. "I'll grab her car seat."

"Is her mother in the picture," Jessie's grandmother asks curious. 

"She was killed in a car accident, two years ago. Our unborn child died with her," I choke quietly and she looks at me with sympathy. 

"I'm sorry to hear that," she says softly as I place Jessie in the front passenger seat and buckle her in.

"Thank you, having Jessie in our lives has taken the pain away. Macy already considers Jessie as her mother."

We arrive at Jessie's grandmother's house and I lay her in the den where it was quiet. I lay on the outside of the couch and speak to her stomach like the day we found out she was pregnant. I was asking our baby to hold on through this stressful day.

I didn't know I had an audience until her grandmother placed her hand on my shoulder and motions for me to follow her. I take off my suit jacket and cover her with it before following the older woman out of the den.

She takes me to a room that looked like a bar and pours us both a glass of aged whiskey. It's not something I usually drink, but I didn't want to be rude. "I watched you shield my granddaughter and great granddaughter in the church. You would risk your life for her," she asks in a choked whisper. 

"If it meant she and the baby lived, then yes, I would," I choke quietly, taking a drink of the offered whiskey as tears roll down my cheeks. "I should have been with her, she was on her way to check on the pregnancy, but if I had been there, I wouldn't have Jessie.

"My parents abandoned me when I was born, telling the woman who ran it they didn't want to have a freak for a child. As I got older, the woman running the orphanage took advantage of me while kids in school beat me on a daily basis. 

"Jessie is the second woman I've ever been with that accepted me. I was looking forward to meeting Alex to have someone to talk to, someone who understands what it's like to be different. I keep asking myself what I did wrong to deserve what I went through and if Macy or this baby will go through it because of me and what I am," I choke in broken sobs and cover my face in my hands.

Jessie 

I woke in my grandmother's den and could hear Elliott sobbing, but she wasn't in the room with me. I notice her suit jacket covering me and slip it on, breathing in her intoxicating scent of sandalwood. 

I go looking for her and find her with Nana in the barroom. Nana was looking at her in sympathy, not sure how to comfort her. I take her hands from her face and her eyes held such raw emotions. She shutters a calming breath as we held eye contact and I take her in my arms, climbing to straddle her lap.

I hold her head to my chest, her arms around my waist and scrunch my hands at her hair. No words were needed to be exchanged. There's a list of things I could think of that would make her breakdown like this and I understood that time takes these deep emotional wounds to heal. I vow to be there for her through it all so she knows that someone loves her for the beautiful creature she is.

She turns her face in my chest and takes in a deep breath of my lavender perfume and let's it out in a calming breath. "I love you Jessie," she chokes in a whisper, holding me close to her. "I know we dove head first into this relationship, but I can't lose you too."

"I'm not going anywhere Elliott," I say softly, lifting her face from my chest. I give her a kiss and say with a light smile, "I love you too."

"Mommy," Macy says, running in the barroom with my parents.

I climb off Elliott's lap and kneel down to hug her. "I missed you sweet pea," I choke quietly, standing up with her wrapped around me.

"I missed you too," she says kissing my cheek.

"What about me," Elliott asks in a mocking sad tone, pouting.

God she's adorable. "I missed mommy more," she teases but goes to hug Elliott. "I love you daddy."

"I love you too princess," she chokes with a smile and kisses her forehead. 

"What about peanut," Macy asks curious, she walked in on Elliott talking to my stomach yesterday and spoke to my stomach too.

Elliott meets my eyes and says, "I love peanut too and mommy."

Tears fill my eyes and join my girls in a group hug. They both kiss my cheeks and I lay my head on Elliott's chest. "Don't let them go Jessie," Nana says with a smile. 

"I don't intend to Nana," I choke with a smile. "I'd be lost without them."

"We'd be lost without you too," Elliott says quietly and Macy hums in agreement. 

"Not to ruin our moment, but I'm craving Nana's apple pie," I say and everyone laughs.

"Come with me sweetheart, let's feed peanut," Nana says with a smile.

I feel Elliott take my hand and slip her fingers with mine. She brings my hand up to kiss the back of it and I smile at her. "After I have a bite to eat, I'll check out your back," I say softly as we sit at Nana's kitchen table. 

She caresses my stomach and says in a choked whisper, "I'd feel better if we could check on peanut. These last few days have been stressful."

Two hours later, my mother, Elliott and myself were secretly checking on the baby. Elliott has been on edge and won't calm down until she sees the baby is okay. I honestly can't say I blame her.

Immediately the baby shows up on the monitor and my mother flicks the switch for the heartbeat. A strong steady rhythm fills the room and Elliott walks out in the hall, pulling the door closed over a crack. I could hear her relieved sobs echoing in the hallway as my own tears roll down my cheeks.

"Go to her Jessie," my mother chokes quietly. 

I join her in the hallway as fellow doctors and nurses standby, watching. I sit beside her and bring her head to my shoulder. "Everything okay Jessie? I thought you had your Aunt's funeral today," Carol asks with concern. 

"I did, we're here to check on the baby after what happened. She's relieved the baby is fine," I choke quietly with a light smile. 

"Wait, you're pregnant," she asks surprised. 

"We only found out a few days ago. We originally planned to wait to break the news, but we were shot at today and we wanted to make sure the stress didn't harm the baby," I choke quietly as Elliott lets out a calming breath. 

"Can we take peanut back to your grandmother? I promised her we'd give her an update," she asks in a choked whisper, looking up at me. "Macy is already sleeping in the guestroom, I thought maybe we could just spend the night?"

"She'll want to drink whiskey with you," I warn her knowing she doesn't like it from the few times we went out before we found out I was pregnant. 

"I already had a glass with her," she admits shyly. "I didn't want to be rude. I think she's the only one I wouldn't mind drinking whiskey with."

We've been home an hour and my grandmother managed to get Elliott drunk. She's a funny drunk and tends to get frisky. "You know, you're the only one who drinks whiskey with me," Nana says with a light slur. "Everyone else declines."

"I'll be honest with you," Elliott says slurring her words. "I normally don't drink whiskey, but for you Nana, I'll drink it with you."

"I like her Jessie," Nana says with a smile. "Don't let go of her."

"I don't plan to Nana," I gasp as Elliott starts kissing my neck. "I should get her to bed, we'll see you in the morning."

She lets out a laugh and bids us goodnight. Elliott fondles with my ass as we climb up to the room I normally stay in when I visit. My breaths shutter as she brushes my vagina over my pajamas. I push her into the room and she stumbles onto the bed.

I close the door and stalk over to the bed. She was balanced on her elbows, watching me and I watch her erect in her basketball shorts. I smirk and slowly strip my clothes. I yank off her shorts and she gasps a moan.

I climb on the bed, straddling over her erection. I slide on easily and start moving my hips. She reaches up to massage my breasts. I moan at the sensation between her thick shaft and her hands on my breasts.

"Elliott," I moan in a breathy whisper. 

I arch my back and my clit rubs against her pubic bone, sending me to euphoria. Elliott moves one of her hands to rapidly rub my clit and my breaths hitch. I move my hips to match her strokes and moments later we come in unison. 

I gently rock my hips to ride out our orgasm and choke in a whisper, "I love you Elliott."

"I love you too," she mutters quietly as she drifts into instant sleep.