Beautiful Disaster (The Bet) (6 page)

When he'd finished, Ellie had been on the floor, fetal, hacking up bile, broken and bruised. "
Oh baby, look at you, baby, oh, G
od! I'm so sorry! Ells!" He'd knelt by her side, ignorant of the rejected contents on the floor. He'd pulled Ellie's shuddering body to his and sobbed along with her. His apologies perfuming the already fetid air.

The following morning, when Tone had been out dealing, Ellie had packed a bag of clothes and left his world without a word.

When Dina Holbrook next saw her child, she did not resemble the same vibrant girl she remembered. The emaciated, badly bruised girl who stood at her door claiming to be her Eleanor looked on the verge of death.

"Hi mom," she’d croaked, her smile, more grimace than anything, looked as though it hurt. "Can---can I come home?" Her voice barely rising above a hush had instantly brought tears to Dina's eyes. She’d enveloped her daughter in a fierce hug and did not let go until Ellie cried out.

"Come," Dina had urged, grabbing the duffel bag while patiently
ushering her daughter inside. "L
et's get you cleaned up."

The road to recovery, when it’d arrived, had been plagued with insomnia, muscle pains, vomiting and painful cravings that had had Ellie scratching her skin raw just to alleviate the need. It hadn't been easy. Each step she'd taken had her second guessing whether she'd done the right thing. Whether running back to Tone and begging for forgiveness wouldn't have been easier than dealing with condescending therapists and self-righteous, overbearing bishops---her father included---who’d believed that this was her punishment for her diverted path. Her immoral path.

Her mother had remained a constant light in her eternally dark and arduously long tunnel of grief. She'd given Ellie the silent support she needed on days when hope had been sparse. She'd taken a silent vigil by her bedside during those endless nights when suicide had seemed like the perfect answer. Her mother held her hands and prayed with her, had given her the bible from which they read from each night Ellie's body had been able. Dina had been there, day and night to make sure that Ellie didn't relapse and when she'd
been well enough to finally take her
home from the rehabilitation center, Dina had continued to stay by her daughter's side.

It wasn't until Ellie had told her of her impending motherhood that she'd recoiled slightly. Months of disappointment finally leaked through the crack of her beautiful toffee hued mask. The slap across the face had been unexpected, but Ellie had remained silent, refusing to cry. She owed her mother this, she'd silently told herself.

"How can you be so stupid? Fifteen, Eleanor! You're only fifteen!" Her mother had sobbed then. The force of her cries shaking her petite frame while her hands covered her face. Kneeling at Ellie’s bedside, she’d wept for the lost innocence of her little girl and all the things it encompassed. When Ellie had gone to her, needing to provide comfort, her mother had recoiled from her touch. The look in her hazel eyes telling of the aching disappointment she felt.

That look alone had hurt more than anything Ellie could’ve ever experienced. It was then she knew she would never be the same in her mother’s eyes. The realization had evoked silent tears.

"How could you do this to me?" Her mother had always been a fragile thing who didn't deal well with problems. Her father had always made sure to protect her from her own shadow. The gravity of her daughter's pregnancy had almost been her undoing.

"I'm so sorry, Mom." And she truly had been. She'd never meant for any of this to happen.

 
"You'll abort it." Phillip Holbrook said with finality. His pale features set in stone, his hulking frame looming over Ellie.

"I won't." Father and daughter, so stubborn, so unwilling to co
mpromise glared at each other. They were c
aught in a battle of wills
. They were so much alike. Both had
such strong personalities, neither willing to budge.

"You will do as I say
,
Eleanor
,
or you will leave my home."

"Phillip!" Dina ran to her husband's side in seconds, pleading with him to relent. "Phillip, please---"

"NO!" he roared, his voice booming. "I will no longer tolerate her defiance! Because of her loose ways, we can no longer hold our heads up in church. She has sullied our good name for the last time! No more! Abort that child or I expect you to be packed and out of here by this evening." He stalked away, but his echoing words remained.

"For heaven's sakes, Eleanor!" D
ina stooped down and framed her
daughter's face. "You are not ready to be a mother. This will only bring you grief. You must do as your father says."

Ellie evenly met her mother's fiery gaze. "I won't kill my child, Mom. You can't ask me to do that." She said quietly, with a calm she did not feel.

Dina released her face and stepped away. "Then you must pack your things." She spun around stiffly following in her husband's wake, tears coursing down her face.

Ellie stole her parents' credit card the following day and bought herself a one way train ticket to Cedar Falls, leaving her parents and her old life behind. She embarked on her new path a few months wiser and took the lessons she'd learned for what they were.

Sophie's cries awoke Ellie from her restless slumber. She was out of her bed in seconds making sure to grab her navy blue robe on her way out. She ran into the room adjacent to her own, turning on the light, Ellie was able to see Sophie and her flailing limbs inside her crib.

Ellie immediately scooped her up.
She cradled her child’s
head to her shoulder
and
ran soothing circles across her back.  "It's okay, now sweetie, Mama’s here." Worry quickly overcame Ellie as she felt Sophie’s fevered skin against her cheek. "Shhh, baby, I’ve got you."
Sophie’s fitful cries continued despite her mother’s efforts.
Ellie was mildly of aware of Gabe in the room but her attention remained on her daughter.

"Run her a lukewarm bath, Gabe, while I give her some medicine." Gabe sprang into action the minute Ellie finished her request. Sophie's cries lulled to mewling whimpers after Ellie coaxed the medicine into her mouth.

Gabe spun off the taps once the porcelain tub was full and scooted over the other edge as Ellie gently climbed in, clothes and all, with Sophie. With the utmost care, Ellie sluiced water over Sophie's caramel skin, her small body cradled on her mother’s lap. Ellie dropped a kiss on her tawny head and allowed Sophie to play with her yellow ducky.

Seemingly in a world of their own, mother and daughter appeared perfectly content to remain exactly where they were, within each other's company. Never one to intrude, Gabe silently stood and let them be. 

With a faint smile
,
Gabe watched Ellie make her way downstairs, the weight of the world seemingly poised on slight shoulders. He made room for her on the couch sure that she needed his comfort now more than ever. She settled against him with a wearied sigh and like those nights years ago when she’d first arrived at his home, Gabe wrapped an arm around her shoulders and waited patiently.

"Tone called." He made a nondescript noise but remained silent, knowing that there was more. "It sounded so good to hear from him." she admitted guiltily.

"I can imagine."

"He said he was clean now and... he wanted to see us. Soph and me."

"What was your answer?"

Ellie sighed, absentmindedly playing with the cross hanging from the golden chain around Gabe’s neck "I said yes
,
but only if he spoke to my lawyer."

"You think you can handle it?" he looked down,
his
gaze silently assessing. He knew the story. Gabe also knew his goddaughter and though not licensed to be making any psychological assumption, he knew that Ellie wasn't ready to face the father of her child. Her reaction hours earlier, when she'd arrived home from the restaurant had glaringly proven that fact. She'd been so shaken and jittery that it was all he could do not to scream at her to knock
it
the hell off.

"Part of me says yes, get it over and done with and get some closure. But the other part of me still shakes from the thought of seeing him again. I don't trust myself not to fall down that path again. Especially with him so near me."

"You have grown and accomplished so much in such a little time. You’ve worked so hard to get where you are now. The homeschooling, Sophie and your jobs. You’ve been so determined to better yourself these last few years that you can’t begin to imagine how proud I am of you. Don’t underestimate yourself, Ellie. I sure as hell don’t. Tony Carlyle is beneath you, he has no power over you.”

Left momentarily stunned by his fevered words, Ellie glanced at him in stunned silence. Gabe rolled his eyes at Ellie's expression, but grinned nevertheless. This was probably the most Ellie had heard him speak. He tended to run more on the monosyllabic answers. 

Jumping out of her stupor, Ellie rose and they shared a hug. "Thanks, Gabe." she murmured.

They needed to take things one day at a time. Roadblocks would be dealt with when they came, even if Gabe had to hop in the Ridgeline to run them over.

It was common knowledge that Nicholas Grayson made it a point to never show up to any of his classes
,
which was why his appearance in Ms. Spencer’s third period art class caused quite a stir among the
students
. As rumor had it, he seldom showed up for Physics and Calc even though those were two of his favorite classes. The fact that he was here now was quite significant. The girls were atwitter. Their curiosity peeked as they gossiped amongst themselves wondering what could’ve possibly provoked his presence.

Ellie meanwhile mildly aware of the ongoing whispers busied herself with her easel
,
not completely oblivious to the conversation going on around her.

"What’s he doing here?”

“I don’t know, but did you hear what he did to Ashley?"

"Yeah, I heard he gave her more than that tattoo on her hip. God, I’m so jealous.” They giggled and Ellie rolled her eyes, silently praying Ms. Spencer would haul ass.

"Fucking bitch practically threw herself at him."

Interesting, Ellie mused, her gaze straying to the girls conversing a few feet away from where she sat. They stood facing each other, their personalities about as charming as their pinched faces, they continued their twaddle as if the subject of their conversation wasn't in the room. Speaking of which, Ellie never would've pegged Nicholas for a tattoo artist,
if
that was what he really did.

From beneath soot tinted lashes Ellie assessed the guy who had "rescued" her from impending rain nearly two weeks ago. He was handsome
,
there was no denying that
,
although his personality left a little something to be desired.

With the way he'd treated Maddie a few weeks back and the way he comported himself now he was quickly gaining ground on Ellie's "Jerk" list,
listed
there with loser exes and incompetent mechanics. She knew his kind. The good looking, vainglorious assholes that treated people with little to no respect just because they had money. She’d dated guys li
ke him back at her old school. He was a b
ig freaking waste of her time.

Suddenly, as if sensing her gaze on him Nicholas's mercurial gaze found her and froze Ellie to the spot. The pretty brunette on his lap blushed and giggled as he nuzzled her neck, his inscrutable gaze, however remained solely on Ellie.

There was a challenge in that stare. Almost as if he dared her to be the first to look away.

His hand on the brunette's thigh trailed effortless higher, another inch and the position of that hand would've seemed indecent. Ellie's cheeks involuntarily flamed, as if he knew, a smirk pulled at the seam of his lips. Daring to push propriety further he licked the girl's cheek and kissed the corner of her mouth. The poor girl, not at all accustomed to receiving attention from the school's infamous reprobate practically melted against him.

Uncertain of whether to be flattered or offended that he would go to such lengths to get a rise out of her Ellie
,
feigned indifference to the debauched d
isplay unfolding before her and so she
grabbed her bag from the floor. Rising from her seat, she shouldered her bag, grabbed the easel and set it down by the door on her way out. It was clear that Ms. Spencer had either flaked out on her class or had been given a very poor substitute.  Ellie figured she would spend the remainder of the forty-five minute art class in the library doing something productive with her time than
to
bear witness to the childish antics of a moron.

Crossing the B building overpass, Ellie entered the E building and
started
to enter the library but abruptly stopped at the firm hand around her wrist. She spun around and cool gray eyes greeted her.