I Found You

Rosie sat at the table awkwardly as the women of the house brought her food to eat. Some of them looked at her with looks of envy and others looked at her with pity.

She understood why some would think that being in her position was better than just being Michael's bitch. But in fact it was so much worse, Rosie has had almost no privacy since she returned to the prison. He watched her nearly every second and never let her go anywhere that she wanted. She tried to ask if she could go to the mall for baby things but he claimed that it wasn't safe for her.

"Zacky might be out there looking for you. We wouldn't want to bring any harm to my son." He would tell her. Even though he ran his rough hands against the side of her face, he gave her a look that threatened her and the life that was growing inside of her.

So she hadn't had the chance to sneak away and call Zacky but she at least knew that Kendall was safe. The money that she gave Valary was more than enough to have her sent home to the foster parents that took great care of her. Rosie knew that it would hurt Kendall to leave everyone but it would piss Michael off if he knew that she was still there.

After she'd eaten, Michael made the girls draw her a bath. She sat soaking in the hot water, feeling the bump that grew more and more each day. She felt him move inside of her and she smiled, singing one of her songs to him. "So you're tired but you're alive so open up your eyes and you can get your sleep when you are dead, kill the clock inside your head, bring your normalcy to the edge and watch it drown in new horizons, new horizons."

Before she could say anything else the door opened and Michael strolled in. He sat at the edge of the tub smiling at her.

"How are you feeling?" he asked playing with the water.

"I feel fine. Thank you for dinner." she replied staring at the ripples in the water.

"Rosie, you know how I feel about not looking me in the eyes when you talk to me."

She stared up at him, seeing only darkness and death in his eyes. "I'm sorry."

"Tomorrow we are going to the doctor, I want to know how far along the fetus is."

Her heart dropped. He suspected that she was lying about the baby being his but he never said anything, he just made her the appointment and plotted what he was going to do once he found out the age of the fetus.

The timeline wouldn't match and Rosie held onto her baby knowing that.

But she kept her poker face on a nodded, "Okay, I'm excited to know too."

"Zacky didn't take you to the doctor once you found out?"

She shook her head and lied, "I only went to see if I was having a boy or a girl."

He nodded his head in mock understanding, "Okay, well I will have one of the girls come in here and help you wash up. We have a big day tomorrow."

Her stomach sank lower at his grim words. She knew what he meant.

When he exited a young girl came in after him. She immediately recognized her as the girl that was hanging on the wall.

"Hello, you must be the new girl here." Rosie said

She nodded. "I'm Carla."

"What's your real name Carla?"

"Pandora."

"I'm Rosie. But when he's here you have to call me Star."

"I know who you are. You're the reason that I have this..." she pulled down the front of her top to reveal the black bruise in the middle of her chest. "He's been taking his anger at you out on all of us."

"I'm so sorry."

She shook her head. "That baby of yours...it isn't his is it?"

Rosie shook her head, fearing that he would be listening.

Pandora helped the woman out of the tub and wrapped her in a towel.

Pandora laid her hands on Rosie's stomach, on cue, the baby kicked her her tiny hands.

"I've always wanted kids." she sighed. "I should hate you for putting all of us in danger with your selfish escape...but all I wanna do is help you."

Rosie stared at her. "What?"

"When he finds out that the baby isn't his, he's going to kill the both of you. I can't have a dead child on my conscious."

"How are you going to help me?"

"I'm laid out your clothes for tomorrow, in the purse is some keys and money hidden between tampons. I was saving it for when I got the courage to run away but I need you to get away and save that baby."

"I can't take that!" Rosie whisper-yelled.

"You can and you will, for the boy." she said. "Just promise me that you will take him and your little girl far away and you won't ever look back."

Rosie was speechless for a moment before nodding her head seeing that the girl wouldn't change her mind.

When Rosie laid down next to Michael that night she held her stomach tight knowing that tomorrow was going to be a horrible day.

The sun shone through the window waking the pregnant woman, after a quick shower, she slid on the white dress and black sweater and tights then grabbed her purse and black wedges.

Michael stood outside of the house waiting for her to get into the car. She waddled into the car and sat quietly as he zoomed through traffic.

When they arrived at the office, Rosie had to bite her tongue to keep from throwing up. They were seen almost immediately and the doctor helped her lay back to start the sonogram.

Rosie smiled at the sound of her baby's heartbeat, which rang like music through her ears.

"Well miss, it seems as though your baby is growing nicely. You're almost four months along, but not quite yet. I'm going to prescribe you some vitamins to help keep the baby and you healthy."

Rosie nodded and shakily wiped her stomach clean. She didn't have to look at Michael to know that he was giving her a glare that should have stopped her heart immediately.

The drive back to his place was an eerie silence that tortured her. She wanted him to yell and scream so that her mind couldn't think of all the awful things that he was going to do with her.

He didn't give her a second of peace when she stepped over the threshold. He slammed her forward into the hall table. She kept her hands over her stomach letting the table crash right onto her head.

Stars swam before her eyes but she shook them away as he yelled. "I knew you were lying you whore! You spread your legs for him then try to have me raise a baby that isn't mine?! Are you fucking serious!?"

Her response was cut short by the punch that was delivered to her lip.

She ran up the stairs, dodging the second punch the he tried to dish out. He grabbed her by her hair right as she reached the top step, he gave a harsh tug and she went flying backward down the stairs.

He stood over her and took out a knife. "I wouldn't want to waste money on an abortion, so I'll just cut him out myself."

"No!" Rosie cried.

But the sound of glass shattering rang through her ears. Michael's eyes rolled in the back of his head as he clattered to the floor. Pandora stood behind him with a look of pure anger on her face.

She said nothing more, she just helped the girl to her feet, grabbed the knife and the two of them left. They walked down two blocks to a parking garage where a small Mini Cooper sat waiting for them.

Rosie sat in the passenger seat and Pandora sped off, hoping on the freeway as fast as she could. Rosie's eyes rolled as she lost consciousness.