Damn Dress A Love Story Ch 08

"Sienna?" she heard Darren say behind her. She wiped her mouth and stood up.

"Yes, oh, I'm okay. Funny, they call it morning sickness, even though it lasts all day sometimes," she said, with a weak laugh, which then faded into more tears.

"Come on, I'll take you to your dad's," Darren replied, as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and led her to his car.

"No, I need to speak with Brandon," she whispered while buckling herself in.

"Sienna, I don't think that's a good idea tonight. He's really fucked up. I mean, I know he won't do anything, but he might start saying some more shit that his ass is going to regret."

"I can handle myself," she declared with shaky confidence, as she stared out of the window.

Darren figured that was the end of the conversation. He exhaled as he pulled out and headed to Brandon's house against his better judgment.

When they arrived at the house, Brandon's Jeep wasn't parked in the driveway. Sienna felt her heart deflate. She had been hoping he would have come back by now. She slowly exited the vehicle and turned to look at Darren.

"Do you want me to wait with you until he comes?" Darren asked.

She looked down the street and then back inside Darren's car. "No, I think that would just make everything worse."

"Yeah, you're right. Well, call Lori or me if you need to leave, okay? I'll be here in a heartbeat."

"Thank you, Darren," Sienna said and then turned to walk up the steps and sit down.

Darren stared at her for a few moments, then shook his head and reluctantly drove off. He really didn't want to leave her there by herself, but figured his being there with her when Brandon returned, wouldn't be the best thing. Brandon knew Darren would never ever touch Sienna outside of a brotherly way, but when someone's been knee-walking drunk like Brandon, logic and reasoning sometimes fades away.

Sienna felt her stomach growl, but she really didn't feel like eating. She was miserable, and the thought that she had wounded Brandon the way she had made both her head and her heart ache. She just wanted things to go back to the way they were last week, before her lie surfaced. She sat there gazing out into the front yard, growing more wary by the minute.

**********************

Brandon didn't know where the fuck he was going. His mind wouldn't let him focus. His heart hurt and every muscle in his body seemed tense. Had she really planned on not telling him if she was going to get an abortion? He still thought it was some sick joke. He couldn't fathom that she would do that to him.

It was now 3:45 in the morning, and his body was rapidly starting to give out. He was beyond frazzled. He couldn't believe this day. And most of all he wanted to kick Chris's sorry ass. In his opinion, that fucker caused all of this!

When his brain could no longer function with simple tasks like accelerate and brake, he knew it was time to go home and hit the sack. He finally turned his Jeep around. He was praying that Sienna had gone to Lori's or her dad's house, because he couldn't deal with her right now. He knew he'd never physically attack her, but he was afraid of what he would say to her. He seemed to always say too much, and Sienna didn't say enough.

Brandon knew he was fucking ripped out of his mind. Why did she always cause him to try to drown his sorrows? He had not done that since he lived in Boston and hated his very existence, and even then, he had been a teenager. But now he'd gotten shit-faced two times in the past two months over her!

When he pulled up to his house he saw her sitting on the steps. Shit. He wasn't prepared for round two just yet.

Sienna's heart leapt when she saw him drive up. When he parked, she could see him through the windshield. She noticed him lean his head back on the headrest and wipe his hand down his face. She then saw him pull out his pack of cigarettes, the one he kept under the sun visor. She saw him open it and tap one cigarette out, then put it between his lips. He didn't light it, but instead just stared back at her. Then he jerked the cigarette out of his mouth and placed it back in the package.

'Might as well get it over with,' Brandon thought to himself. He finally got out and walked up the steps past her without saying a word. He turned on the lights and placed his keys on top of the TV. Sienna followed him in and stood by the door. If he could just make it to the bed now, and pass out, he'd be fine. But then she began talking. Fuck.

"Brandon...I know you don't want to talk to me right now, and I understand that, but I just want you to know I never said I was actually getting an abortion. I just said if I did I—I um, I hadn't planned on telling you."

Brandon continued to ignore her presence. He needed some fucking Tylenol and a good night's sleep. He just didn't want to deal with this shit right now.

"I'm so sorry, if--"

Brandon cut her off. "I don't want your fucking apology right now, okay?" he said, as he made his way to the bedroom. God, she was making his head swim.

Sienna needed him to see her point of view. She needed him to understand her reasoning. She didn't want him to think she was a cold-hearted monster. She knew she shouldn't have pushed him, but she couldn't help herself. She followed him to the back and cornered him in the bedroom.

Brandon had removed his shirt and was in the process of turning the sheets down when she entered. He felt her eyes on him and finally decided to look up. She stood there with her bottom lip tucked gently between her teeth. Her eyes were wide and unsure, but also seemed very weak looking. He hated this. He hated this feeling in the pit of his stomach. He just wanted to forget that yesterday—today---fuck, he couldn't even keep up with the days. But regardless, he just wanted this to be over.

"Do you want me to leave?" she asked.

No. Of course he didn't. But he couldn't verbalize that to her. A part of him still wanted her to hurt for hurting him. "Do whatever the fuck you want," he quickly replied as he sat on the edge of the bed about to remove his shoes. Brandon was quickly unraveling. He didn't feel well, and just being around her was making it worse. Why couldn't she just leave him the fuck alone for a few hours? Let him chill out and then they could have a normal conversation when he wasn't so fucked up.

"Brandon, talk to me!" she cried to him.

Without another word, he stood up from the bed and searched for his shirt. He had to get the fuck out of here. He couldn't stand to see her hurting, but fuck if he could offer her any relief feeling the way he did.

Sienna started to panic when she saw him getting dressed again. As he made his way over to her to leave the bedroom, she blocked him. She put her hands on his chest and looked up at him. "No, don't leave. I need to talk to you about this!" she yelled, as the tears began to brim over the edge of her eyelids.

Brandon could barely stand to see her like that, but he was losing it fast. "Fuck, you want to do this now, huh? Right fucking now? Fine, let's talk about it. It's not the fact that you were thinking about abortion that hurts me, although trust me, that does. It's the fact that you were never going to fucking tell me I had a kid. That's it! I can't believe you would do that to me!" he hollered out of frustration due to hurt, alcohol and lack of sleep.

She stood there crying and blocking the door. She wouldn't budge.

"Sienna, move," was all he said to her while looking over her head. He was barely holding on. He was so close to giving into his feelings and just accepting her apology, but that would be too easy. To make up and forget that any of this had happened seemed so tempting, but pride was a bitch sometimes.

"No!"

That was it. The last thin strand of his sanity broke.

"Do you understand that I don't have anything to say to your right now? Do you fucking get that?! You broke my fucking heart, can you not understand that?! And I can't deal with this bullshit right now so PLEASE...just leave me the hell alone for a few minutes!!" he screamed, as he picked her up and removed her from the door frame.

Sienna grabbed a hold of his shirt to keep him from leaving but he pried her hands from it and pulled away. By this point, Sienna was crying so hard, she could barely catch her breath and yell his name. God, she felt so weak. So pathetic. But she would gladly sacrifice any pride she had if it meant he would stay.

Brandon quickly made his way down the hall and grabbed his keys. He heard her yelling his name, begging him to stay, but he didn't turn around. He wanted to so badly. To just turn around, pick her up and carry her into the bedroom and forget their problems. But too much had happened. Too much had been said. He had to get out of there. Now. He couldn't stand to watch her cry. To know that he was hurting her. He felt like an ass, but he knew if he stayed, it might escalate and become worse. She may not have felt it, but he was doing them both a favor.

Sienna wilted in the hallway, tears streaming down her face as she heard his Jeep roar out of the driveway. Again. She felt like her heart was breaking into a million little pieces. Her head was pounding and her stomach was cramping. She slowly walked to the bed and fell down face first. She felt like she couldn't breathe. God, why hadn't she just told him? She squeezed her eyes tightly shut. She laid there praying she could go to sleep and forget this day ever happened. But the sickening feeling in her stomach would not give her any peace.

When sleep had failed her and she felt her body had no more tears to produce, she decided to get up and shower. Perhaps that would make her feel better. At first the hot stream of water felt good against her skin, but a few minutes later, she felt like her insides were tying into knots. Soon she was bending over and vomiting in the shower. She leaned against the shower door, and her stomach heaved again. She couldn't remember the last time she had eaten, so she wasn't even sure how her body was able to generate anything for her to throw up.

She finally gained enough energy to remove herself from the shower door and step out. She quickly changed into her nightgown and sat on the couch. She felt so horrible. She couldn't even think straight. Suddenly her stomach convulsed again and she made it to the sink just in time.

Something wasn't right. She had felt bad before, but this was much different. It started scaring her. She knew he didn't want to talk to her, but she decided to call him anyway.

"Brandon," she said weakly, leaving him a voice message, "I don't feel well, I think I need to go to the hospital because..." she dropped the cell phone.

Everything on her body was weak and her stomach was killing her. She slowly reached down to pick up the phone when she heard his voicemail cut off. She felt wetness seeping between her legs, and she reached down to touch it. Blood. She immediately became frantic. She needed air. She needed to call 911. She slowly made it outdoors with her cell phone and began descending the steps when she noticed the driveway moving back and forth. She also noticed the trees swaying from side to side. She then felt her body shifting and then darkness.

**********************

"Mmm, damn, boy," Lori breathed into Derek's ear as he continued to roughly kiss her neck.

She was in the back seat of his car. 'A Mercedes,' she thought to herself. She had never fucked a guy in the back of a Mercedes, but she damn sure was going to give it a try. Derek pulled her shirt up and then reached around to undo her bra.

Lori was glad she had Derek to take her mind off of her own guilt. She never dreamed Chris would confront BT like that. What, did he have a fucking death wish or something? She felt like she had caused all of this. She hoped Sienna and BT would make up and get over their problems. She felt bad leaving Sienna in the middle of all of this, but she was leaving for school. In two days, she'd be halfway across the country.

Derek's tongue was working magic on her left nipple. His hand quickly made its way down to her warm pussy and jerked her panties aside. She couldn't wait to feel his smooth fingers sliding inside her—and then perhaps something a little larger.

She was about to whisper naughty things in his ear, when she felt her phone vibrate. "Fuck!" It was probably her parents. They really needed to lighten up. She was an adult now and heading off to school soon, so they needed to quit with this curfew shit.

She managed to pull her phone out of her purse, push Derek back and put a finger to her mouth to signal him to be quiet.

"Yes, mom," Lori said, rolling her eyes.

"Um, Miss Lori Walker?" the female voice asked.

"Oh...who's this?"

"Hi, my name is Carole and I'm calling regarding your friend, Sienna R. Branson. I'm assuming you're familiar with her?"

Lori sat up in the car and opened the door. "Yes, who's this? Is something wrong?"

"Well, Miss Walker, in Sienna's medical records, she had listed you as her main contact if something happened to her. She was rushed into our hospital, St. Michael's, a few minutes ago, and I just wanted to notify you."

"What?! Is she okay?" Lori screamed, already starting to panic.

"I'm not sure Miss Walker, the doctor is with her now. Do you know where we are located?"

"Yeah, yes—um, oh God. I'll be right there," Lori stuttered and then shut her phone. Tears immediately sprang to the surface and cascaded down her cheeks. She didn't even know what was wrong, but to know that Sienna was sick or hurt and no one was with her, was more than Lori could bear.

"Derek, take me to St. Michael's hospital!" she exclaimed, hopping out of the backseat of the car and into the front passenger side while pulling her clothes back on.

Derek didn't know what the hell was going on, but he obeyed.

On the car ride over to the hospital, Lori called several people. First, she tried Brandon. But he wasn't picking up the phone. She then tried Commander Branson and explained to him the situation. She could hear the panic in his voice, but he tried to remain calm. He quickly hung up with her to get into his car. She also called Darren. He picked up and after she explained what happened, he said he'd meet them there.

Lori could barely wait for Derek to pull to a complete stop before she jumped out of the car and sprinted into the emergency room.

She ran up to the front desk. "I'm here to see Sienna Branson."

The receptionist took her precious time looking up Sienna's name in their database. "Okay, there she is. They've taken her upstairs to the maternity ward now. That's on the 6th floor. Take that—," Lori didn't wait for that slow bitch to finish her sentence before she jetted toward the elevator.

Upstairs, Lori was directed to Sienna's room. She opened the door and found Sienna asleep. She had an IV hooked into her arm and a monitor by the side of her bed that kept beeping. Lori assumed that had something to do with her heart. She also had breathing tubes in her nose, and just that sight made Lori's tears flow again. She sat down in the chair and just stared over at her friend. Her sister in crime. She silently prayed she would be okay.

Lori had only sat for a few moments before she heard Commander Branson's voice. He had a deep booming voice as she heard him fire off a bunch of questions regarding Sienna. He opened the door and immediately walked over to her. He rubbed her head and glanced over at the monitor. The doctor had entered with him followed by Chris.

"Let's talk in the hallway. It's very important that she gets some rest now," the doctor told them.

Jackson nodded and they all followed the doctor out.

"So, what caused this?" Jackson asked calmly, although his stomach was in his throat and his heart was still pulsing a hundred miles a minute.

"Well, I'm still running a few tests, but I believe it was caused by raised levels of Cortisol. It's our stress hormone, and it's not really a good thing for women expecting. Especially in their first trimester. Right now, she's just really tired. Apparently a neighbor who had been walking his dog, saw her passed out on the ground outside of her home, and immediately called the ambulance--"

Lori gasped and started crying even harder. Jackson grabbed her around the shoulders as the doctor finished explaining Sienna's condition.

"—but right now, since her body has released very high levels of the hormone, we're just trying to bring those down right now. Her regular physician is Dr. Carlson, and he's already been notified. But, as soon as I have more data to extract from, I'll let you guys know."

Jackson noticed Darren lingering in the background on his cell phone. He figured with Lori and Darren both here, something was amiss with Brandon.

"What about the baby, will it be okay?" Jackson asked, turning his attention back to the doctor.

"Honestly, I won't know for sure until we do a few more tests. The first trimester is a tough one, and something like this could cause a miscarriage. It's much more likely now then it will be further down the road. But for right now, the most important thing for her and the baby is rest and NO major stress. I can't encourage that enough."

Jackson shook the doctor's hand, thanked him and went back into Sienna's room and closed the door.

Darren walked over to Lori and Chris and leaned against the wall.

"She okay?" he asked.

"They're still running tests, but at least they don't have her in ER," Lori answered, wiping at her nose. "I called BT, but he's not picking up. What happened? What's going on?"

Darren stood staring out down the hall as he spoke. "They had a fight earlier this morning outside of the bar. I don't know anything after that. I took her over to his house, but he wasn't there when I left."

Chris scoffed. He hadn't meant to do it so loudly, but he couldn't help himself. He was livid! Brandon was an asshole. He couldn't believe that he wasn't here with her. But on the other hand, Chris wondered if his slip up about her pregnancy yesterday caused her to stress out. That thought was killing him.

Darren turned sharply in Chris's direction. "Do you have something to say?" he asked harshly.

Chris glared at Darren and then turned and walked back into Sienna's room. He didn't understand why Darren was always defending that jerk. He had better not show up here a day late and a dollar short. Brandon didn't deserve someone as special as Sienna. He needed to take his psychotic, punk ass back to Boston as far as Chris was concerned.

When Chris walked in, he saw the Commander leaning over Sienna. She was awake, but she looked so fragile. He wished they would remove those fucking tubes out of her nose.

She slowly turned her head in his direction. Chris immediately wanted to retreat. He was sure he was the last person she wanted to see. But instead of an evil glare, she surprised him, and gave him a small smile. Chris's heart fluttered. Oh, he loved this girl.

He walked over to her bed. "Don't worry, we'll get you back on your feet in no time," he said, while grabbing her hand and lightly squeezing it.

Darren pulled out his cell phone again and walked down the hall, out of Lori's earshot. "BT, this is so fucked up, man. So fucked up!! You are going to regret this shit, dude. Seriously, pick up your fucking phone and get your ass here!" he said, and clicked the phone shut.

*********************

Brandon had turned his phone off after the first call from Sienna. He knew what she wanted, but he still wasn't ready to 'really' talk about it. And he also didn't want to hear Darren's 'you're overreacting' speech. He couldn't take that either. They just didn't understand how he felt at the moment. To hear those words leave her lips... 'If I got the abortion, no, I wasn't going to tell you'...he swore he didn't hear anything else past that. He felt his whole life changing with that simple declaration. In his mind, it translated to she didn't care enough about him. In his mind, she was saying he didn't matter that much. In his mind, he had become the poor troubled kid again who rich girls got off on sleeping with, but who didn't really give a shit about him.