Free A Life Worth Fighting by Brenda Kennedy

tomorrow.”
    “Thank you, Jo.”
    Leah
    True to his word, Robert stayed with me all day.
    “Is Bobby hanging out here all day long?” Bethany asks.
    “He is,” I answer with a roll of my eye.
    “Why?”
    “Because I’m a girl and I can’t be left alone,” I joke. I can’t tell her I’m pregnant and suffered one small cramp last night. It’s too soon to announce the pregnancy.
    Bethany and I collaborate on a scheme to teach him a lesson. We decide that since he is a man, a big and strong man, he can do some of the things that Bethany and I can’t do. First, we have him dust off the ceiling fans, then we have him wipe off the tops of the bookshelves. At lunch, I pretend to crave different foods from various places and we send him off on a food run.
    “He’ll be gone for awhile,” I say proudly.
    “He may never come back,” Bethany jokes.
    Business at the shop stays steady, and Bethany and I talk about weddings, venues, and honeymoons in our down time. Robert pulls into the parking lot and Bethany and I watch him struggle.
    “Should I help him?” Bethany stands and asks.
    “Nah, he’s got it.” I watch as Robert fumbles with several different food bags and I laugh to myself. I love Robert, but sometimes his macho crap gets on my nerves. I had one cramp last night and today he wants to stand guard and watch over me. I guess that is kind of sweet, but still, it’s very annoying.
    We have lunch together talking about everything but the pregnancy and Robert’s upcoming fight. Robert talks to Bethany about the engagement and the way Kyle proposed.
    “Is it true it’s all about the ring?” Robert asks.
    “That’s what they say, but truthfully, I would have married him without a ring.”
    “Bethany, you know that for the guy, it’s all about the answer. It’s scary to propose and knowing there is a possibility that the answer may be no.”
    “Maybe that’s what took him so long to propose.” She laughs out loud and says, “I would marry him at the Justice of the Peace with a Cracker Jack ring. I also would have been okay with a tattoo of a ring.”
    Robert stands up and pats her on the shoulder. “He is truly a lucky man.”
    I wipe a tear from my eye and smile as he walks past me. After lunch, I tell Bethany that she can leave if she wants to and she does. Robert puts away the delivery that comes in and I surf the net for new books to sell in the store. Robert comes over and sits with me at the counter. “What are you searching?” he asks, looking at the computer screen.
    “New books to sell.”
    “Do you have any pregnancy books for fathers?”
    I look over my shoulder to him, “No, I don’t. That’s a good idea.”
    “I was looking for one to read and I didn’t see any on the shelves.” I see Robert and if it is at all possible, he just got even sexier to me.
    Suddenly, I feel pain. I wrap my arms around my stomach and lean forward to try to stop it.
    “Leah?”
    I raise my hand to let him know I’m all right. I try to sit back, but the pain is too intense. I hear the stool he is sitting on move and Robert rests his hand on my back. He whispers in my ear, “Leah, are you cramping?”
    I nod my head and take a deep breath.
    “I’ll be right back.”
    I hear Robert speak to the patrons who are still in the store before the bell over the door rings. Next, I hear shuffling and Robert is at my side. He swoops me up off of the stool and carries me to his Hummer. He fastens my seatbelt and I curl into a fetal position in the front seat. He starts the car and pulls off. The cramping intensifies and I cry into my hands. Robert doesn’t say anything, but I think he knows: It’s bad.
    We come to an abrupt stop at the hospital and Robert rushes out of the car. My door opens and he gently cradles me in his arms. “I’m getting you help. Hang on, Leah.” My Robert is big and strong but when it comes to his family, he feels useless if he can’t help us. He kicks his car door shut and then