“You ready?” he asked and Pandora looked around at him. He wiggled his brow and she grinned, nodding. The door to the elevator opened and he looked both ways. His smile broadened and then he ran down the hallways with her giggling in the wheelchair the whole time.“Doctor Parks?” someone called, making him come to a halt, ending the exhilarating ride.“Yes?” he answered.“Is this Mrs. Leonard?” a woman asked but there was a lightness in her voice.“Ah, Emily, this is Pandora Leonard. Pandora, this is Emily.” It took Pandora everything not to groan. She recognized the woman immediately.“Pandora?” Emily sounded surprised to see her. “Hi,” she carried on.“You know each other?” Dr. Parks asked.“We went to the same high school,” Emily answered for both of them. “Well then, Emily, can you take her to her room and get her settled? I will be in to hook up the IV myself in a few minutes. I am going to go and get the scanning equipment ready for me to do a full scan on her,” Dr. Parks said
Pandora was lying in the hospital bed, where she had been hooked up to an IV for over an hour. She still hadn’t wrapped her head around the truth that she had two babies in her belly, not one. Dr. Parks explained that they were lying back to back and were identical, sharing one placenta. He also said that was why he had missed seeing one of the two babies on the first scan.“Have some lunch, Pandora,” Emily said, walking in with a tray. She placed it down on the table and then wheeled it over to her.“Do you want me to call your father?” she carried on as she poured out some steaming water over a tea bag. “No, I will do it,” she answered, her voice sounding far away.“Just press the buzzer if you need anything, okay?”"Okay," Pandora replied as she walked out of the room. "Come on, Pandora, pull yourself together," she said harshly to herself. She moved from the bed, and got her cell phone out of her bag, before sitting back down. "Shit," she hiss seeing that she had over ten missed
Finally, she plaited her hair and Emily helped her into the bed.“Get some rest, Pandora,” she ordered as she moved out of her room. Pandora closed her eyes, hoping Nina was right and sleep would make everything better.“Pandora,” she heard someone singling. As the voice stopped, she felt someone touching her face. She slapped the hand away and she heard the person chuckle. “Pandora,” they sang again and she frowned because the voice sounded a lot like Ron, Kiera’s boyfriend. She opened her eyes and sure enough, he was smiling at her.“What?” she asked slowly, sitting up. “Keira got stuck at work with an emergency. Sia is also booked all of today, so I came instead. I’m the only bum you know, girl.” Before Pandora could say a word, he was speaking again. “I brought you some clothes and a real nightgown… None of these hospital things,” he said, passing her the bag. She was surprised to see that none of it was hers. It was all new with tags. “Thank you,” she said, smiling at him.“I
Pandora felt her heart beating strangely. It was almost as if it was trying to escape her chest. The room felt so much smaller than it was as if someone took half the size and took all the clean oxygen with it. "Pandora, slow breaths," Dr. Parks said and she shake her head. It was always clear that Miriam didn't like her, but she never liked any woman her son went with. Pandora never took it personally, but to have her come to the hospital and say those things. "How did she know I was here?" Pandora asked, 'Someone I trust must be talking to Derrik. Who the hell would do that?' her mind screamed at her. "Pandora!" Dr. Parks yelled, drawing her out of her thoughts. "It's okay. I'll make sure she doesn't get in here again." He stopped and swallowed. "She was downstairs when I brought you here this morning. I saw her again this afternoon when I was having my lunch; she asked what ward I work for. I didn't think anything of it... I'm sorry." Pandora shook her head at him. "It's okay
Pandora chuckled but nodded at her. "As for the sickness, it's just a part of it. I'm sure your own mom has told you this already, but it comes with the territory." Pandora dropped her eyes and shook her head. "My mom is not in the picture," she said without pause as if she could tell her anything. Benjamin's mom stopped walking and hugged her tightly. "Oh, my dear child, I am so sorry." Pandora patted her back, feeling a strange warm, and unconditional love from her hug. Benjamin's mom pulled back and winked at her. "Come on, dear. By the way, I'm Lana," she said as they started walking again. "Pandora," she replied, smiling back at her and she gave Pandora a small nod. "Mom? Pandora?" Benjamin said as he saw both of them walking toward him. "Ben, this poor girl was sick in the bathroom. I am just helping her back up here." Benjamin gave Pandora a frown and took over from his mom to hold her up. "I think we need to try another injection," he said and Pandora nodded at him.
"Well, thank you, fate," Pandora chuckled and Benjamin joined him. She stopped eating, leaving a little on her plate. Right away, she took deep breaths, trying to think of something else. "Lie back, Pandora," Benjamin ordered and she opened her eyes to look at him. "Lie down, and let's see if we can get you rested enough to sleep." Pandora just stared at him, wondering what he was talking about. "Just trust me," he said. This time, Pandora bobbed her head and lay down. "Close your eyes," Benjamin said and then she felt his hands on her stomach. "Just trying to get Bean and Curd to relax." "Okay," she sighed. "Now, you two are going to let your mommy keep this food down. If you do that, then I promise tomorrow I'll bring something yummy and maybe even a little unhealthy for you." Pandora snorted but her eyes stay closed. "Hush, Pandora, just go to sleep," he whispered to her, and then she heard him hum a soft tune that made her quickly drift off to sleep. - - - - -It had been
"Good man," Walter said, patting Milton on the arm. "Leonard," a woman called out and she look over and let out a long breath. "It'll be fine, I'm right here," her dad said as he guided her into the courtroom. She got to the table she would be sitting at, and Milton pulled out her chair, helping her to sit. "I am so happy my daughter met a guy who knows that he may be born male, and with age, he became a man but chooses to be a gentleman." She frowned at her dad, wondering what he was going on about. Just as she was about to open her mouth to talk, she was cut off by a harsh voice she had begun to hate the sound of. "No guy can treat her like a lady… she's a bitch." Pandora kept her face turned away from Derrik, but her dad jumped up. "Watch it, boy!" "Screw you, Walter," Derrik mocked like a little child. "Move over to your own desk now, Sir," a court official said, and Derrik huffed loudly and walked away. The court was called to order, and they all rose as the judge enter
Once they were in his office, he spoke again. "Take off your sweater for me." The whole thing came out with a chuckle, but he cleared his throat and carried on talking. "So I can check your blood pressure." She did what she was asked, but Benjamin walked out of his office. Before she could freak out thinking that he had left her alone, he walked back in with two plates of food. "Here," he said as he handed her a plate. She looked up at him but his smile stopped her from talking. "I need to feed you in case you try to eat me." 'Shit, I said that? To a guy? Uh no, a man! Who would take that as a clean comment?' Her inner tirade went off. Benjamin chuckled again. 'Fuck it,' she thought, 'this is not the first time you've been embarrassed around him, it's just becoming a fact in your life!' "Stop overthinking and eat, Bean and Curd are hungry. I can tell." "They are," she agreed as she started eating. "This is soooo good," I sang as she stuffed another spoonful into her mouth. "You
"Looks like you are going to have a baby," Emily said, showing her the test. "Or maybe two. Knowing you and Benjamin, it will be twins again," she laughed. "Hush," Pandora gritted out and glared at her. "Hey, you never know, it could be three this time," she smiled. Pandora snorted and slapped her arm. "No, thank you! Now, not a word about this to him. I want to surprise him!" Emily nodded. "Just glad I know someone that's having a baby who will be around this one's age," Emily rubbed her tummy as she spoke. "Maybe you'll have a boy and I'll have a girl and they'll get married," Pandora joked. Emily’s eyes lit up and Pandora knew her joke backfired when she got a big smile on her face. "That would be so awesome," she said. Pandora heard Benjamin yell her name and Emily winked at Pandora. "I better get back to work. Text me when you tell him!" "I will," Pandora replied and she opened the door and ducked out. "Give me three minutes, and then you'll be free to get out of here wi
"It was just some homeless man. I really don't know why they even followed up on it. But I was blamed, and then put in jail. JAIL! When I got out, I was a laughingstock. No one wanted to know me. No one, not even the people I had made great. They all left me to rot. My daddy left with all the money he had and started over in another country. I had nothing. I have nothing and it's all your fault." At that point, she stood and charged at Pandora again, but Pandora easily deflected her arms, grabbed her, and held her down as Raegan hissed and growled at Pandora. "Oh shit!" she heard Milton say and he moved quickly to her, restraining Raegan. "I told you to stay away from this place," he said. "This is all your fault. You and that bitch took my life. I was meant to be Mrs. Parks—it was my life!" she yelled and Milton sighed. "Handcuff her. We have to drop her off at the hospital again," he sighed to the female officer as Pandora watched her place handcuffs on Raegan. Pandora stood, a
Their imperfections, and the fact that they didn't want to be perfect, or have a perfect marriage made them able to cope when one of them made a mistake. Thankfully, Pandora was very kind, and since it was Benjamin that normally screwed up, that made him lucky. Benjamin glanced at Pandora who was hugging his mother, and he noticed she had a warm glow around her. He had always seen it, but it had become more evident to him since they renewed their wedding vows. Benjamin wanted—needed—to marry her again, not because they were both drunk the first time, but because he needed her to know that he meant it all and that he wanted her to be his wife. Pandora looked stunning in the wedding dress that Maisey had made her, but he thought she could have worn a trash bag and still shone like a star. She was so happy and cheerful that he made it his vow to make her that happy at least once a day. He hated to let her dance with anyone else at their reception, but it did give her a chance to hold
"Where are we going tomorrow?" Jack asked. "The zoo," Amy answered with a roll of her eyes. "We can't all be great at remembering stuff," he replied, making the rest of them roll their eyes at him. "It's on the family schedule on the fridge... Oh wait, that's right, you don't look at that because then you would need to do your homework," Beth was quick to point out. "You're just jealous that I can do it in five minutes flat and still pass," Jack boasted. "That's not always going to work, and you will no longer be doing the work moments before it's due to be turned in; do you understand me?" Pandora asked him. "But, is it more important to get it done right or promptly?" he asked, making Benjamin stifle the chuckle that was starting to bubble up, knowing he just stepped into it. "No, mister smarty pants, and you'd be wise to use those smarts to mind what you argue. Getting your work done promptly and done correctly are both important and if you keep doing it at the last minute,
"They must have been naughty, they're back to being just mine," he said with a chuckle, knowing full well that they had been fighting all day. He gave her one last kiss before walking away. "Okay, Amy, you're up first," he said, pointing in front of him as he sat down. He took them one at a time, listening to what they each had to say. As it turned out, this was just a fight about whose turn it was to pick something to watch on the television. So as a punishment, he removed their TV time for the rest of the day and the next. "I can't believe I am going to miss watching golf!" Jack tutted. "What am I going to do now?" "You could read, like Amy," Beth told him with a touch of attitude. "I am not reading one of her silly books!" he bit back. "They were Mom's books," Micheal reminded him. "And Dad said he read them, too." "Yeah, I guess, but what about tomorrow? No TV tomorrow and I planned to watch the tournament. I wish school started already." "Jack, we have plans for tomorrow–
Benjamin took his time looking at the screen. He looked over all the measurements and made sure the spine was straight. Next, he paid close attention to the beating heart and found that it, as well as the other organs, were seemingly perfect. He let out a soft breath when everything looked good, and looked up with a smile. "Mackenna," he said softly as she had her eyes tightly closed. "Come on, open your eyes and look up here at the monitor. She's fine– everything looks great," Benjamin whispered. Mackenna had four miscarriages in the past ten years, and where Benjamin couldn't prove that they were caused by the mistreatment that she received at the hands of Derrik, he stood firm in his belief that the drugs he had given her had some long-lasting effects. About eight years ago, Pandora and she ran into each other while out around town. They got talking and Mackenna accompanied Pandora to the tattoo store Benjamin frequented. The couple had planned on getting matching tattoos on the
“On the twelve counts of Identity Theft Fraud, we, the jury, find the accused, Derrik Preston, guilty on all counts.” “On the four counts of Attempted Murder, we, the jury, find the accused, Derrik Preston, guilty on all counts.”“On the three charges of Breaking and Entering, we, the jury, find the accused, Derrik Preston, guilty on all counts.” “On the five counts of Mortgage Fraud, we, the jury, find the accused, Derrik Preston, guilty on all counts.” “On the six counts of Aggravated Assault, we, the jury, find the accused, Derrik Preston, guilty on all counts.” The reading went on, covering all the different charges. Meanwhile, Miriam was wailing. Pandora closed her eyes, feeling a sense of relief, as each charge came back guilty. "Mr. Preston, you have been found guilty by a jury of your peers; you will be remanded in custody and sentenced on Friday at ten a.m.—" "No! No, not my boy! You've made the wrong choice, you stupid people! I'll end you all for doing this to my baby
Benjamin and Pandora arrived just as the court was starting up. First up was Derrik, who sat there for almost three hours, trying to paint himself as the victim. It was hard sitting there listening to him spew out how Pandora was trying hard to ruin him, and she did all that herself to set him up. Miriam was the next to take the stand and she just glared at Pandora as she was sworn in. "I would first like to ask you about your son, who is he?" Derrik's lawyer asked. "Oh, my sweet Derrik is such a good boy. He was a star football player, but she..." Miriam hissed with a nod in Pandora’s direction, "made him give up his dream. She was always bossing him around, telling him what to do, and what to wear. He wasn't allowed friends, and she even tried to stop him from talking to me. But I wouldn't allow that to happen. I would walk through hell for my son." "So, Mrs. Preston, you are saying that Mrs. Parks was controlling your son?" "Oh yes, he wasn't allowed to work because she was af
During her testimony, Pandora learned that she was also known as Brownie. As she continued through the questions she was asked, Pandora had to bite her lip to stop the sobs from coming out. She told the court how she was paid to pretend to be Pandora. It was one thing to hear how she pretended to be her, but then she told the court how Derrik had sex with her several times inside Pandora’s home. She talked about being in Pandora’s bed, and it just about broke her. For the first time since all of it had started, Pandora was grateful that she had sold her home. "We have one more witness, Your Honor," the District Attorney said and with a nod, the Bailiff walked out. "We call Hannah Song to the stand." Pandora looked over to see a girl who looked like a teenager walking in with her head down. She was sworn in but her head remained down. "Can you tell the court your age?" the District Attorney asked. "Nineteen," she answered quietly, so the Bailiff adjusted the microphone in front of