“She’s got to get an abortion,” he growls. “I’m not gonna pay for this. I’m not gonna let her mistake ruin my whole life.”
“It’s her choice!”
“That’s my baby too!”
I want to pepper spray him, just to try to knock some sense into him. Funny how he is both claiming ownership and responsibility as he’s trying to run away from it. Typical male bullshit.
“So where is she? You hiding her?”
“Ronnie, I’m gonna call 911. You have to go.”
“I have rights!”
“She’s gone!” I yell out frantically. “You get that? She’s gone. You don’t have to be here.”
He begins to pace back and forth, stomping from wall to wall with heavy boot steps as he scrubs his face with his hands. I don’t know if he is high or just furious, but I have to get him out of here. If my phone were closer, I could call 911. And if he gets any closer, I’m going to spray him right in the face.
“Okay, listen,” I start desperately. “You don’t sound like you want to have a baby. Maybe we can work with that, okay? Maybe we can get an agreement. A legal agreement. You sign it, and you walk away. That sound good?”
“Fuck you, that doesn’t work.”
“No, it does!” I object with more confidence than I really have. “People do it all the time. I’ll take care of Landry. You can do… whatever you need to do.”
I see him hesitate, start to think about it. When he pauses, turning toward me with his mouth open, I realize this is my chance and jam my thumb against the nozzle, sending a thick stream of liquid directly into his face. He screams and claws at his eyes, falling to his knees in front of me. I try to back away, but his hand closes around my ankle and trips me, sending me cras
hing hard to the wooden floor.
“You bitch! You fucking bitch!” he howls.
Standing over me, Ronnie draws back his huge fist, taking hold of my hair with his other hand as he fights blindness. He’s so strong I can’t do anything, and I realize I just squandered my last chance when the door swings open behind me and I slide to the floor again. A shadow engulfs me and Ronnie tries to crawl away, but Maxwell is standing over him, his collar twisted in his fist.
I watch in horror as Maxwell draws back his huge, muscled arm as though he is going to pound Ronnie into pulp, but then he stops, shifting his weight and twisting Ronnie onto his belly. He wedges Ronnie’s arms behind his back and holds him helpless against the floor while Ronnie screams into the carpet runner, dripping tears and snot everywhere.
Before I can even make sense of the entire scene, I see the flashing blue and red lights of the Chicago Police Department. Heavy footsteps mount the front stairs and suddenly the front hallway is filled with more people. Police officers handcuff Ronnie and drag him away, then pull Maxwell to his feet.
“No! Not him!” I call out.
The confused officer scowls and looks him over, then shrugs and releases him.
“Are you all right, ma’am? Do you need an ambulance?”
“No, I… I don’t think so,” I stammer, barely able to catch my breath.
“Nice job with the pepper spray,” the other officer remarks. “That guy is a mess. I think he barfed all over my shoes.”
“I’m sorry about that,” I mumble.
“No, don’t be sorry,” he grins. “Like I said, good job. You’d be surprised how many people don’t even defend themselves.”
“We’re going to need you to come down to the station,” the first one informs me gently. “You want to ride in the police car?”
“I’ll bring her, officer,” Maxwell murmurs, coming up beside me and wrapping his arm around my shoulders.
I sink into him, letting him support my weight. Now that he’s got me, I feel like I can barely stand. But he supports me, making sure I don’t crumple to the ground.
At the police station, they book Ronnie for breaking and entering, false imprisonment, and assault. Maxwell sits next to me as I give my statement, his hands covering mine so I don’t tremble too obviously. Instead of pulling away, I let him do it. It gives me strength, makes me able to think about it.
“You know, I think I lied to him,” I admit tentatively. “I told him we could handle it legally. He could sign a form or something? I don’t even think that’s true…”