Renew

The pressure in her head continued to grow as she sat at the window, her face in her hands. She watched the streaks of rain race their way down, down until her eyes could follow no further, until she found another to concentrate on. She wondered just how long this would persist. His eyes were on her, tracing her back and arms and legs, slowly admiring the grotesque swell of her ankles, the most recent physical flaw she'd gained.

A flutter shifted her liver slightly and she smirked, a hand automatically going to large mound of her abdomen. It sat low, giving indication [hope] that it was a boy.

"Sorry, baby," she whispered. She grazed her fingernails lightly over the area she believed his head to be, cooing him back to sleep. But he had other plans. A fist, foot jutted up into her stomach, startling her and not pleasantly. She gasped at the impact and fought the urge to puke. One more shove and the baby was down. It was too late for her dinner though, which now rested on her South Beach T-shirt. She'd never been to South Beach, but her parents had brought it back three sizes too big to compensate.

"Linc, could you get me a paper towel, please?" She wiped her chin with the back of her hand as he slowly rose from the table to retrieve the roll. He tossed it at her and sat back down, the roll itself landing three feet short. Without much hesitation she got up and waddled over.

"Don't get that shit on the floor," he growled. "You just had me mop it." She ignored him and snatched up the paper towel, ripping off several pieces to take care of the solids resting on her chest. A tear slipped her eye as the baby shifted yet again. "He movin'?"

She looked up, the sudden urge to punch him in the neck powerful and nearly consuming enough to be carried through. She took a breath instead and closed her eyes. "Yes, Linc. Dreamin' hard tonight." He cleared his throat and dragged a hand over his clean-shaved head.

"Must be the storm. Got everybody stirred up," he offered pathetically. She shrugged and chuckled slightly at his attempt at a decent conversation.

"Must be." She turned to walk out of the kitchen, ready in more ways than one to say goodnight without speaking.

"Want some ice cream?" She stopped, just shy of the threshold and turned to him.

"What?" He swallowed, trying his best not to attack her. Again.

"I asked if you wanted some ice cream," he said as evenly as he could. Even took to cracking his knuckles instead of her face. "Maybe it'll calm him down or something." If it had been anyone else, she would've smiled sweetly, given him a kiss, and told him to come upstairs, that all she needed and all this baby needed was some warmth.

But this was Linc and such words and gestures meant weakness and weakness meant she wasn't fit to be with him and this baby wasn't fit for this world. So she shrugged lightly instead.

"Yeah, I'll take ice cream. Chocolate, if we got any." And she made her way upstairs.