WIDOWer

CHAPTER 13

Warren stands between Bria and the door, watching as she gathers herself. They just ignore the continued knocking coming from the other side of the door until finally it stops.

“Did you forget, you’re five months pregnant?” he asks searching her face

Glancing down briefly then back up at Warren, Bria says

“I love you and I really appreciate your concern, but I think you should leave!”

Warren just stands against the door then with a slight chuckle, he asks

“Or what, you’re going to attack me too?”

Not in the mood to play games, Bria asks

“Can you please move?”

“Under two conditions!” he responds quickly

Bria just stands there glaring at him, and he continues

“One you promise to keep your cool. I don’t want you to do anything to jeopardize yourself or the baby.”

Narrowing his eyes at her he says

“There has already been enough loss for one day!”

Bria reaches past him to open the door and Warren grabs her wrist then whispers

“And two, when I leave, you leave with me!”

Bria shakes her head

“One I can try but two I doubt it!”

Before either of them can say anything else, there is a knock on the door.

Susan’s medications cause her blood pressure to plummet causing her to faint. Once doctors are able to stabilize her, they allow Jacob back in the room. He’s taken a seat on the bed next to her and is holding her hand by the time Bria and Warren walk into her room.

“Get away from her!” Bria snaps glowering at Jacob when she sees him

“NEE STOP!” Susan shouts out of nowhere

“Jay you and Junior, give us a minute please!” Sue adds once she has everyone’s attention

Stunned, Bria stands staring at Jacob, until finally Warren closes the door behind them.

The two of them become silent and as tears fill Sue’s eyes, she mutters

“Nee, don’t force me to choose between the two of you.”

Shaking her head, she continues

“Jacob is not Jaylen! And I can’t keep supporting all this anger and rage you have.”

“I love you and I appreciate you looking out for me, but Jay is my husband and I still love him…” she pauses watching as Bria narrows her eyes at her and stepping back, she whispers

“You never wanted to get rid of Jay, you just couldn’t live with him fathering someone else’s baby!” Bria whispers then shaking her head she scoffs

“He made a mistake, once a few months ago. I’m not throwing away six years of marriage over one mistake.”

When the realization of what Sue had done, dawns on her, Bria steps back up to the bed then with a raised eyebrow, she asks

“You think Jacob will be as forgiving, considering you just killed his son!”

With a devious smirk, Sue says

“He thinks you orchestrated this whole thing. I’m a victim of your anger just as much as he is.”

With a raised eyebrow she adds

“We’re gonna grieve together. Me over the loss of my best friend and him over his bastard son!”

Shaking her head Bria asks

“So, you want me to take the blame for killing Savannah, Dillon’s sister and Jay’s baby.”

“Not officially, no!” confused Sue asks

“Who is Dillon’s sister?”

“Savannah!” she murmurs turning towards the door

“Holy f*ck! Is Dillon here?” Susan asks

“Yes, and she’s brain dead!” Bria snaps

“That’s worse than killing her. Cause now he has to battle with whether or not to pull the plug. After everything that he already blames me for. If he ever got wind I…”

“He won’t. There is nothing tying you to any of this. It’s just what Jay thinks.”

“Why would I go along with this?” Bria whispers

“Because you owe me, and Jay would never forgive me if he knew I had anything to do with this”

“What’s your play here Sue?” Bria asks

“Well for now, I hate you.”

Bria’s mouth falls open

“It’s only for a few months. When you have the baby, I’ll be there. I’ll find a way to forgive you because you’re like my sister and I want to be in my niece’s life.”

“Only thing is, you’ve gotta forgive Jay. I don’t want him to try and force me to choose between you two.”

“You’re gonna have to apologize to him.” Sue whispers

“Oh, h*ll no! That ain’t happening!”

“It’s the only way Nee.” Sue replies

“What about Christmas, New Year’s and my baby shower?” Bria asks

“Why weren’t you just upfront about all of this, so we could have come up with a more realistic plan?” She asks

Neither of them has time to respond before Jacob and Warren walk back into the room. As they do the room falls silent and Jay looks at Sue and seeing tears in her eyes he asks

“You, ok?”

“She’s fine! Don’t you need to go see about your tramp!” Bria asks

“You evil b*tch!” Jacob growls then lunges at Bria

Warren steps in front of him just in time to block him. Bria smirks at Jay over Warrens shoulder and he says

“Warren, get her out of here before I call security!”

Jay steps back, walking over to take Susan’s hand he adds

“My wife has had a long day and needs to rest. So, leave before I call security and get a restraining order against your malicious *ss!”

“Spell malicious you f*cking idiot!” Bria snaps

Warren walks over to Sue opposite Jacob, after giving her a kiss on the cheek he whispers

“Feel better Sue. Call me if you need anything!”

Bria and Jacob just glare at each other not saying a word until finally Warren takes Bria’s hand. Breaking eye contact with Jacob, Bria looks at Sue with a raised eyebrow then says

“He’s only here for you because I got rid of them!”

Turning to leave the room, Bria fights to hold back tears, realizing that she’d just been forced to say goodbye to her best friend and sister for who knows how long.

Unable to control her impending break down, Bria goes to the bathroom, stopping Warren at the door, she murmurs

“I’ll meet you in the lobby”

Jacob pulls his phone from his pocket glancing up Sue looks at the screen and sees him save what looks to be a voice recording under

“Confession!”

With panic all over her face, Sue suddenly realizes that Jacob had just recorded Bria saying, she’d gotten rid of them.

After what feels like forever, Bria comes out of the bathroom. Relieved when she sees that Warren isn’t waiting in the lobby, she heads towards the exit. Pulling out her phone, Bria walks towards the parking lot, startled when she looks up and spots Warren standing against her car door

“You, ok?” he asks sweetly as she walks up

Surprised by his casual demeanor, Bria stands, briefly searching his eyes then whispers

“I’m cool!”

Taking Bria’s phone from her hand, Warren places it on the roof of the car then takes both her wrists and wraps them around his waist. Once he embraces her, she lays her head on his chest, exhales, and breathes in his intoxicatingly calming scent. They stand that way for a few minutes until Warren’s phone rings, interrupting the first calming moment they’ve shared in weeks.

Warren pulls out his phone, after glancing at it, he slides it back into his pocket. Turning his attention back to Bria, he smiles then asks

“Where are you headed?”

“I honestly could use several drinks, or a punching bag right now, but I’m sure you’d disapprove of both.”

Warren smirks and she continues

“So, I’m gonna settle for a hot bath and some Benadryl.”

“I just brought a new bag of lavender scented Epson salt with melatonin, just for you!” he whispers leaning down to her ear

Leaning back, narrowing her eyes at him, Bria asks

“Why?”

Confused by her question, Warren asks

“Why what?”

“We haven’t been together in weeks, after you practically threw me out of your car yesterday and especially after the situation with Doug, I thought for sure you’d be mad at me”

“I’ve been…” he begins then pauses in search of the right words

“I’ve definitely been enlightened the past few days, but that hasn’t changed the way I feel about you”

“That being said, I definitely have a million and one questions. But for now, you should come take a hot relaxing bath with your baby daddy!”

Smiling, Bria peers over Warren’s shoulder, when she sees two figures coming from the side of the building she states

“I was just about to ask you about him” realizing its Doug and Jennifer

“Who?” Warren asks turning to see what caught her eye

“It’s late, are y’all leaving?” Jennifer asks as they walk up to them

“Yeah. I thought you were gone” Bria replies

“No, Dillon is still in the back with Savannah”

When Jennifer says that Bria turns to Doug then smirks

“Man, your girl trouble. You better get her bro!” Doug tells Warren

Instead, Warren pulls out his key and hands it to Doug

“Bria’s coming to the house so you can take the car” he says

Turning to Jennifer, Doug says

“Now you can just leave ole dude your car and ride with me”

“He can’t drive, it’s not about the car!” Jen replies

Doug turns and walks off clearly jealous and frustrated

“Night Jen call me tomorrow” Bria states when she turns to follow behind Doug

Reaching up, Bria places her hand on the side of Warren’s face then asks

“Can you drive please?”

Leaning down Warren gives her a long slow kiss then looking at her, he whispers

“Sure will, cause we gotta talk”

With a raised eyebrow, she says

“In that case, I’ll call you tomorrow!”

Smiling he gives her, her phone back then says

“Nice try!”

Once they get in the car Bria says

“I’m really not interested in you psychoanalyzing me. I have repressed anger issues and need to see a therapist. Right?”

Glancing at her Warren says

“I’d rather you not give birth to my daughter from behind bars. So, at this point, I’d advise against that.”

Not responding, Bria just sits fiddling with her fingers and staring out of the window. Slightly upset and unnerved that she’d allowed her hidden emotions to repeatedly come to light in Warren’s presence. Even after having met face to face with her inner demons, Warren had managed not to appear too shocked. After initially being repulsed by the thought of her killing his brother-in-law and Julie’s uncle, he seemed to have come to terms with her inner psycho.

“We haven’t known each other long. I’m not naïve to that fact, but I think I know you well enough to know.” Warren pauses glancing over at her

“That you didn’t have anything to do with this accident. So, what are you and Sue up to?”

Bria turns and looks at him, amazed by the accuracy of his assumption and even more surprised that that’s what he wants to talk about. When she doesn’t respond and just turns to look back out the window, Warren says

“I know you knew about Jaylen’s extracurricular lifestyle well before Sue disclosed his location to his mistress’s husband.”

Narrowing her eyes, Bria stares at him briefly then says

“Now you’re the one crossing lines!”

Then, turning to look back out the window, she whispers

“And I don’t know what you’re hoping to achieve!”

Realizing that their conversation isn’t getting anywhere on their drive, they ride in silence the rest of the way home. As Warren pulls into the garage, Bria rolls her eyes and exhales.

“I’m not in the mood for a heart to heart.”

Ignoring her, Warren walks around to her door and just as he’s about to open it, she locks the door. When he just stands looking at her, she finally unlocks the door, he opens it, and she gets out.

“I could have opened my own door” she states

“No, I wanted to get it for you!”

“Ugh, stop being so nice, you’re making me nauseous” she giggles

They walk inside and Warren asks

“Are you hungry?”

“No” she replies softly

Bria takes off her shoes and goes straight to the master bathroom. After a minute, Warren joins her

“Talk to me!” he states when he finds her running a bath

“I have no idea what to say” she responds after a beat

“I’m actually curious as to why you’re being so nice to me” she adds

“When have I been anything but nice to you?” he smiles

“You know what I mean”

“Like I said, I know you weren’t behind the accident. And that thing between you and Jacob is quite disturbing, but you managed to keep it verbal this last time around.”

“Jay is convinced I was behind it, so why are you so sure I wasn’t?” she asks

“Because Sue almost died, Jay barely got a scratch and there were way too many innocent people involved.”

Staring at the running water for a while, Bria finally mutters

“Sue couldn’t stand the thought of Savannah giving Jay the one thing she couldn’t. She still loves him and wants…” her voice cracks and she glances up at Warren

“She changed her mind!” she whispers as tears pool in her eyes

Wiping a stray tear that escapes the pool, she says

“Now I’m taking the blame, so he doesn’t find out it was her!”

“The animosity you and Jay have for each other. That’s deeply rooted and” Warren begins but Bria cuts him off

“Jacob and Jaylen became good friends, and Jay did a lot of covering for him.”

“Let’s just say my anger isn’t misplaced. He deserves so much worse than the scratches he got today!” she adds

“I’m sorry and I get it. But…” Warren pauses

“I’m worried about you” he whispers

“I’m fine. It’s over” Bria replies reaching up, gently touching the side of his furrowed brow

Taking her hand, he steps back and says

“Jacob isn’t close to letting go of your threats and Dillon…” Warren pauses looking deep into her eyes

“I’m to blame for that, but now if he gets wind that you could even possibly be attached to the death of his sister. After everything that’s happened, I’m almost certain he’ll retaliate.”

“Even if he attempted to do things legally, he’d still be forced to take matters into his own hands cause there’s nothing tying you to anything.”

Amused by his worry for her well being Bria smirks and says

“You seem to have forgotten how big a part you’ve played in this. Dillon saw us together at my office, knows that we’ve been dating, and you previously dated his sister. You could just as easily become the target of his rage”

“I’m fine, trust me” Warren smirks

“What does that mean?” Bria asks amused by his confidence

“I’m licensed to carry, and I do, more often than not.”

Bria laughs then says

“I’ve never saw you with a gun”

“Why would you?”

“I didn’t even know you had one” she replies

“I don’t have one, I have seven!” he smirks

“Seven. Why would you need seven guns?”

“We’re getting way off track here.” He states

“No, were done”

“I hate your brother-in-law, but I can no longer act on those feelings. My best friend and sister killed an innocent baby today and chose her adulterous husband over me.”

“Oh, and Dillon’s obsessive compulsive *ss could try to kill me after he pulls the plug on his sister” Bria states then stands up and starts taking off her clothes

Warren sits watching her until she reaches to slide down her panties, then, he grabs her wrist and says

“You left out the part about Jaylen”

Bria stops and glares at him

“There is only two people that could have told you about that. One of which would die before they did, so that leaves the charlatan you call a brother!”

Warren just sits on the vanity bench waiting for her to continue, but to his surprise she doesn’t. Bria slides down her panties and climbs into the tub. Warren brings his bench over next to the tub and says

“This is your opportunity to explain”

Bria opens her eyes and glances at him then turning around, she repositions her bath pillow. Once she’s comfortable she lays her head back, closes her eyes then says

“I thought you wanted me to come and take a hot relaxing bath”

“Talking about Jaylen isn’t relaxing” she adds

Realizing they’d both had an exhausting day, Warren stands up and after turning off all but the shower light, he leaves the bathroom allowing Bria to enjoy her bath.

Warren is standing out on the back porch drinking a glass of rum, gazing out at the lake lost in thought, when he gets a text from Doug

They’re supposed to pull the plug tomorrow at midnight,

if there’s no change

After silently praying for a miracle, Warren downs the last of his drink, then heads inside to take a shower and go to bed.

When Warren finally climbs in bed, Bria rolls over to face him and whispers

“I’m sorry!”

“For what he asks”

“I didn’t know how to respond.”

“Honestly I’m still not sure what you expect me to say”

“Sleep on it and we can discuss it later” he replies

“Why are you being so nonchalant about all of this?” Bria questions

Warren yawns then wrapping his arm around her, he says

“When faced with adversity some people overcome it and some create an alternative way through it.”

Bria looks up at him and he whispers

“Good night, babe. I love you!”

Bria reaches up giving him a quick kiss and they soon drift into a deep sleep.

It’s close to 3 AM when Jacob sneaks out of Susan’s room and once, he finds out what room Savannah is in, he heads up to ICU.

Savannah is laying there in the hospital bed, her long dark hair now, pulled back making way for the ET tub holder supporting the tube down her throat, now the only thing standing between her life and her time of death.

As he walks further into her room, he sees Dillon sitting next to her, his head down on the bed, holding her hand. Before he can leave a nurse comes walking in behind him.

“Good morning. I’m Alexis, Savannah’s nurse. Are you a family friend?” the nurse asks causing Dillon to look up

Jacob glances from the nurse to Dillon and then to Savannah, before he whispers

“Yeah, sort of a friend”

“He’s the baby’s father who suddenly grew a conscience!” Dillon states glaring at him

Well aware of the tension that has now filled the room, Alexis says

“Well, I’ll give you two a minute” then leaving the room, she closes the glass door behind her

“I’m sorry for barging in, I didn’t know you’d still be here” Jay states breaking the awkward silence that had fallen over them

“This is my sister.”

“The only family in the world I have left, so until she takes her last breath, this is where I’ll be.” He adds not breaking eye contact with him

“I’m so sorry” Jacob responds taking a step closer to the bed

“NO! You don’t get to be here!” Dillon states then stands up

Walking over to Jacob, he says

“You can ask the nurse about your babies remains but don’t for one second come in here acting like you care about my sister!”

“I see now that she became a victim to this vendetta Bria, Warren and all of you have out for me.”

“But make no mistake, every last one of you will pay for this!”

Watching as Dillon’s suppressed rage surfaces, Jacob says

“Wait a minute, I didn’t have anything to do with this.”

“My wife and I were both in the same accident. How can you blame me for this?” he asks

Dillon stands examining him briefly then says

“Savannah was devastated when she found out she was pregnant. She wanted to get rid of the baby and not even tell you about it.”

“I convinced her that you deserved to know!” he chuckles at the thought

“Now looking back on it, if she had just told me who you were, I would have never given her that advise!”

“It took her almost three months to even tell you and yeah, you appeared to do the admirable thing and step up. But now the baby is dead and soon, she will be too”

“And that’s all thanks to you!” he growls pointing a finger in Jacob’s chest

Jay steps back holding up his hands in defeat then says

“I’m not to blame for this but I know exactly who is!”

Now having Dillon’s full attention, he says

“There is nothing I can do to bring Savannah or the baby back, but me giving you the person responsible might help you find closure!”

With a deviously suggestive look in his eyes Jacob says

“Bria Renee Smith! She’s the reason for all of this”

As all of the blood drains from Dillon’s face, he purposes in his mind in that moment to right the death of his sister if it’s the last thing he does.

Realizing Dillon had gotten his message, Jacob is pleased with now having created a secret weapon to destroy Bria that she’d never see coming, without anyone ever knowing he was involved, he turns to leave the room. After opening the door, he looks back at Dillon then whispers

“I am very sorry for your loss!”

Warren’s ringing phone wakes them up and not even glancing at the screen he answers, just to stop the ringing

“Yeah!” he says with a groggy voice

“Hey Daddy!”

“What are you doing?” Julie whispers not giving him a chance to reply

“I’m sleep Jewels, what’s up?”

“Nothing, I wanna come home!”

“Why are you whispering?” he asks

“I wanna come home!” she pouts

Hearing the tone in her voice, Bria rolls over to Warren, who has his eyes closed.

“I’ll be there in a few hours!” he replies finally then the line goes dead

It’s a little before eight as they stand in the kitchen making coffee and fixing something quick to eat.

“Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and you haven’t decorated your tree.” Bria states spotting a bare tree, sadly placed in front of the window

“I wouldn’t have even put it up if I knew Jewels was going to be with the Donaldsons” Warren says softly

“And now she’s coming home to a pitiful looking tree”

“I told her I’d be there in a few hours, not that she was coming home” Warren replies with a raised eyebrow

“With everything going on here, I was relieved that she wasn’t around” he adds

An uneasy look crosses Bria’s face and Warren says

“I was actually wondering when you were going to visit your parents”

“I could be mistaken, but it does seem like you’re trying to get rid of me Mr. Daniels!” Bria smirks walking up to him

“Doug texted me and said that they’ve scheduled to pull the plug on Savannah tonight if there is no change in her condition

“I’m not running from Dillon, so even if I was going to my parents, it wouldn’t be because of him!” Bria responds

“So does that mean you’re going?”

Bria stands eying him not responding and Warren says

“Your bravery and what Doug calls “savage” demeanor would be incredibly sexy and attractive, if you weren’t carrying my daughter.”

“I seriously need you to grasp the fact that you aren’t just you anymore. There is a tiny human growing inside of you and your reckless behavior not only jeopardizes you, but it also puts her at risk.”

“If I left it up to you, I’d be in Saskatchewan, living in a tiny cabin by the lake.”

Warren smirks then taking her hand he says

“On the bright side, I wouldn’t be too far away!”

“You have seven guns! Why would I go to Jacksonville?” Bria smirks remembering their conversation from last night

“Ha ha, very funny!”

Bria’s phone rings and after glancing at the screen, she looks up at Warren smirks then says

“I knew she had ESP!”

“Who?” he mouths

“Hey Ma. Good morning!” she responds answering the call

“Good morning sweetheart. I thought I was going to see you yesterday” Grace states sweetly

“I’m sorry ma, something came up” Bria replies glancing up at Warren then walking over to sit down at the table

“Sue was in a car accident last night and I was at the hospital late.”

“Oh no, how is she?”

“She’s ok. A few broken bones and a mild concussion. But overall, she’s fine” Bria states rolling her eyes

“I was actually just talking to Warren, he’s about to go pick Julie up from her grandparents and we might drive up for the weekend” Bria adds now watching Warren for a response

“That’s amazing. Your father and I were really looking forward to meeting Julie”

“We haven’t confirmed anything yet…” she begins, but Warren walks over and takes the phone before she can finish

“Good morning, Grace!” he states all too sweetly

“Good morning, Warren, how are you?”

“I’m doing good thanks for asking. We were planning on arriving this evening. Is that ok or do you all have plans?” he asks

“No, that’s perfect. Zander, Iris, Ivy and Luke will all be here this weekend as well”

“You kids drive safe, and I’ll see you this evening”

“Will do. I’ll let you speak back to Bria now”

“Warren!” Grace says before he pulls the phone from his ear

“Yes ma’am” he replies

“Thank you!” she whispers

“It’s my pleasure Grace, see you soon” Warren responds

Reaching Bria, the phone with a bright smile, Warren whispers

“Looks like we gotta pack!”

“I hate you for this!” she snaps then snatching her phone she leaves the room