Battle-Hardened War Weary

Author's Note:

First, I want to say 'Hello' to every person who is reading my story.

I also want to apologize for the long-assed waiting that you guys have been experiencing, when it comes to posting new chapters.

In regards to this chapter, I decided to title this one 'chapter 8A' because I wanted to post something for this story. I originally intended to post a very long chapter, but I have been lacking the motivation to write. I'm sorry, guys.

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

Saturday, May 5th, 2001...

Thanks to the daylight's saving time, the sun was still out despite the fact that it was 4:12 in the afternoon. Kali loved the fact that the sun was still on display, when she left work in the evening. With the sun still out, she didn't feel like she worked long hours as if she was a slave. She also loved the fact that as soon as she left the building, her two-day weekend began.

Kali Richardson entered the asphalt-paved, parking lot, when she spotted a familiar vehicle that was parked in the spot a few feet away from the clinic's entrance. Henry, her assigned chauffeur, stood next to the rear of a burgundy, 2001 Mercedes Benz CLK-Class with the door opened. The driver, the car and the chauffeur services was a 'baby gift' to Kali, from Ryan. He didn't like the fact that Kali had to take public transportation every day while she was in her current state. She was apprehensive about the lavish gift, at first. She didn't want Ryan to believe that she was going to use her current condition as an excuse to spend his wealth. Plus, she had the foolish idea that the chauffeur wouldn't respect her. She thought that he would consider her to be the 'trashy, pregnant girlfriend' of the infamous Ryan Whittler. Luckily for Kali, her initial apprehension turned out to a figment of her imagination. She liked Henry and she made aware that the feeling was mutual. He was kind, out-going and he was friendly. He was always punctual.

"Good evening, Miss Richardson," Henry the driver greeted Kali.

Kali welcomed the driver with a huge and happy-inspired smile. She strolled up to the driver and the car. "Good evening, Henry," she greeted the driver.

The driver smiled and then proceeded to help the pregnant woman into the rear of the car. She thanked him for his act of chivalry. He made sure that none of her limbs or clothes was sticking outside of the car before he closed the door. As soon as the door closed, the car's air conditioning greeted her large and heated body with cold air. She let out a loud sigh of relief. The air conditioned car felt so great for her. Ever since the beginning of her fifth month, she felt hot all of the time. She knew that it was one of those disliked symptoms that developed. She let out another sigh. She wanted this work day to end so badly. She was tired and hungry. Plus, she experienced a bad day at work.

"So, how was your day, Madam?" Henry asked her after he settled into the driver's seat.

"I've had a very, very, very shitty day today, Henry" she giggled.

"I am sorry to hear that, Madam."

"It's alright, but thank you for your condolences." Kali made a glimpse out of the passenger window, at the passing scenery. Then she stared at the back of Henry's head as he drove the car. "I had a bad day at work today. It seems as if none of my co-workers wanted to do their jobs today. And when they don't do their jobs, I cannot do mine and when that shit happens, my boss becomes angry with me. Today, my boss verbally handed my ass to me because I wasn't able to put in any medical codes for some important accounts today. He accused me of being lazy and unproductive. Then, he accused me of thinking that my pregnancy gives me carte blanche to not do anything while I am at work. It was after that moment, when one of the people who works in medical records entered the office with a cart full of records for me to code. Then, she apologized to me and to my boss for not bringing the information as soon as possible. To add insult to injury, my asshole-boss didn't even apologize to me for his remarks."

"Well, that is typical," commented Henry. "Most bosses do not like to apologize to their underlings. I think it is a rule in the 'How to Act like an Asshole of a Boss Handbook'."

Kali laughed. She stared into the rear view mirror that was mounted on the windshield. Her lilac eyes focused on the driver's reflection. She stared at Henry's face and gazed at his brown eyes. He stared at the rear view mirror and smiled.

The driver and Kali conversed as the journey continued. There were moments when the driver and the passenger were silent and they enjoyed the moments of quietness. They allowed the sounds from the radio to served its purpose and entertain them. It was also during these times when Kali stared out of the window and reflected.

Kali's thoughts were mostly focused on three things: Ryan, Athena and them as a familial unit. In regards to the ideas about Athena, she wondered about superficial things like which parent was she going to look like, the duration of the contractions, what outfit Athena should wear when she comes home from the hospital and other thoughts. She also thought about Athena's potential upbringing, which led her to think about the familial bond between the three of them. Then there were the thoughts about Athena's father. Her thoughts about Ryan were more about his behavior and personality since he started to attend his therapy sessions.

A few days after Kali's surprise at his job, Ryan had his first meeting with his psychologist. In regards to the status of this therapist, the only things that she knew were that the doctor was a man and his expertise was lauded by Ryan's butler, Ignatius. On the eve of that day, Kali prayed before she closed her eyes and had gone to sleep. She prayed that Ryan would continue to attend his therapy appointments and strived to meet some sort of mental, as well as, an emotional stability.

On the day of his first appointment, Ryan was calm and behaved indifferent to the fact that he was going to talk to a psychiatrist. Kali was the person who was nervous and jittery. She hoped that Ryan was going to have an 'okay' visit with his therapist for that day. She attended enough therapy sessions to know that a doctor and his/her patient do not always get along. She knew that if Ryan did not like and respected his psychiatrist, then he was going to drop all of his future appointments and possibly stop his process altogether. If Ryan discontinued his quest for being a better man, then she would break off her relationship with him. She would've made sure that he would never have a role in their daughter's life. She loved Ryan. She knew that she did and she came to accept this fact. She also knew that if she needed to leave him alone, she would.

'Love...' Kali sighed as she absent-mindedly gazed out of the window at the other moving vehicles on the highway that led them to the Queens-Midtown Tunnel. 'I love him. It's funny how I can say this shit to myself, but I haven't been able to open my mouth and say it to him. I should—

"Miss Richardson, are you all right, ma'am?" inquired Henry from the front of the car.

Kali was pulled from her thoughts by the sound of the driver's voice. She focused on the man. "Mmmm, what is it, Henry? I'm sorry for not paying attention to you. I was deep in my thoughts."

"Oh," the driver chuckled. "I'm sorry, Madam. I thought that you said something to me."

"Oh," she sighed as she smiled. She had gone back to staring out of the window and then back to her wandering thoughts.

Since the day that she presented him with the 'early dinner, a dessert with a unique appetizer' at his office, Ryan's relationship with Kali had changed. So far, that change in their relationship had been for the better. The first thing that changed was Ryan's engagement to Suzette. After she informed Ryan that she was the new owner of the DVD, he stared at her in disbelief. She explained some of the details of the day that she received the DVD in the mail. She explained about the discovery of the DVD in a manila envelope and she also explained about the note that accompanied the item. Ryan was interested about the note. He asked her about the details that were mentioned in the note. She told him about the message. Afterwards, Ryan remained silent for a few seconds before he asked her if she still had the note. She became worried. She knew that when he was quiet, he was contemplating and whenever Ryan has the time to contemplate, he could become dangerous. She nodded her head. He asked her if she didn't mind giving him the item. She promised to give Ryan the letter, which she eventually did a few hours later. After their discussion, Kali and Ryan had their dinners.

It was during their meal time, he had come up with the proposal of Kali staying inside of his mansion during her three-week vacation. Her conscience and her brain advised her to decline his invitation. Her heart and her gut instinct told her to accept. She listened to her heart and her instinct. She told Ryan that she would stay at his house. She watched his lightly-tanned face grow into a shade of pink while his pink lips formed a smile. His green-tinted eyes dazzled with excitement. There was an aura of happiness that seemed to exude off of him. His good mood had affected her mood as well. Emotionally, she felt proud of herself for being able to make Ryan feel happy. Physically, her flesh felt heated and tingly. There was a fluttering sensation inside of her stomach. Her heart pounded against her chest. Despite the topsy-turvy sensations, Kali just smiled at him and continued to chow down on her second pork chop.

During her three-week vacation at the Whittler Manor, her brain kept telling her that she would eventually regret her decision. However, Ryan had proved that hyper-critical and cynic part of her soul wrong throughout. Ryan proved to her that he was changing. One of the first things that he had done, when she arrived, was set her up in her own bedroom suite. She was surprised by the act and she felt a little disappointed. He explained to her that he wanted to show Kali that she meant more to him than just a 'wet hole to fuck'.

The second thing she had done was observed her unborn daughter's father as if he was a behavioral health, case study. She observed his behavior and demeanor throughout the eighteen days. Based off of her observations, he didn't behave like the manipulative, violent, vindictive and masochistic asshole as before. All through the days that she was living there, Ryan behaved differently. He was attentive. He was sensitive. He was warm and he was kind. He was accepting and more importantly for Kali, he had shown her that he did love her.

Ryan wasn't the only person to treat her with respect. Ignatius and the housekeeping staff treated her more like a family member than as the 'girlfriend' of their employer. They treated her as if she was a part of their unit. They didn't create false pretenses.

Kali enjoyed her vacation so much that she continued to "live" with him, even after she returned back to work.

Her thought process was interrupted, when she felt the Mercedes Benz stop moving. She made a glimpse out of the rear passenger window. She saw that the car was parked in front of a familiar, brick mansion. She had gone through a physical transformation. A strong wave of heat drifted down her body while her cheeks emitted a buzzing sensation. Her heartbeats were fast and powerful. There was a strong quivering that ran through her stomach. There was a subtle sense of light-headedness. The last time that she felt like this was when she was a teenager and it was on the nights before Christmas Day. As she observed the mansion, Kali didn't feel frightened. She felt giddy.

Her spirit used to fill up with dread, whenever Santos used to pull the car up along the curb that was in front of Ryan's spacious home. Now, when she did saw the red-brick façade of the house, she felt relief and excitement. Now, her mind was filled with ideas and plans of potential activities that she and Ryan could do. She thought of different recipes for food that she could cook up in the large, restaurant-styled kitchen. She thought of interior designing ideas for the nursery. She especially thought of the fun activities in the master bedroom. She loved to blame her pregnancy-induced, raging hormones as reason for those activities. But as for tonight, all Kali thought about was a few activities: eat, take a bath, persuade Ryan to give her massage, a thorough fuck-session, cuddle while conversing and then falling asleep.

Kali saw Ignatius stand in the doorway as she set foot on the sidewalk. She waved to the older, British man before turning her attention over to Henry.

"Have a good night, Henry," she stated to the young man.

Henry gave Kali a smile that dazzled. "Have a good night, Madam."

Kali traveled to the small porch that led to the front door of the large house. Ignatius stood in the threshold.

"Good evening, Madam Richardson," the butler greeted with a slight bow. He extended his right hand in front of him, a simple gesture requesting for the three bags that she held. The pregnant woman removed the bags' straps from off of her right shoulder and then handed the objects over to Ignatius.

"Good evening, Mister Ignatius," she responded to him.

Ignatius made three steps into the eastern direction to allow his employer's girlfriend onto the premises. "Come on in, Madam. It is dreadful and blistering and sweltering out there. You shouldn't be standing outside any longer than you should, especially in your current condition. Please come on in."

Kali walked through the threshold and entered the foyer of the house.

"Earlier today, I had made the mistake of leaving the house because I needed to go to the market for some groceries..."

Kali stopped listening to Ignatius after that point in his monologue. The action was unintentional. She stopped listening to Ignatius because she was distracted. She managed to catch a whiff of food. The fragrance was coming from the kitchen that was at the end of the corridor that was connected to the foyer. She proceeded to sniff the air as if she was a hungry dog that caught a scent. The scent tickled her nostrils, which meant that there were spices used. She managed to decipher that one of the spices as garlic. Since her first trimester, she ate any type of food that had garlic. It was one of her food cravings. Her stomach rumbled as a result of her hunger. The spicy scent that filled up the foyer spoke to her. It told her the meal would taste delicious and she would ask seconds and maybe even thirds. There was a deep rumble inside of her protruding belly. Then, there was a series of heavy fluttering as well. She gave her belly a caress.

'Apparently, I am not the only one that is hungry,' she silently announced.

She heard Ignatius laugh. She pulled her attention away from the heavenly scent and glanced at Ignatius. The older gentleman had just closed the front door. He started to stroll up to her. "I had a feeling that I was talking to myself..." he said with a smile. He came to a halt and stood in front of her. The older man stared down at the pregnant woman. "Tonight's dinner is going to be a grilled filet mignon, roasted Yukon potatoes with rosemary and grilled mixed vegetables with Balsamic-garlic basting sauce and Italian herbs. For dessert, there will be your favorite: chocolate-mousse pie—

"Ooooh," Kali moaned in delight. Her doe-shaped eyes were wide and her lips formed a well-designed 'o'.

"I knew that was going to get your attention!" he chuckled.

"At this point, I like anything just as long it is on a plate and it is not moving," Kali explained to him.

Ignatius laughed once more. "Well, you don't have to worry about having the cow jumping off of your plate. I'm pretty sure that he was dead, when I bought the meat from the butcher."

Kali giggled. "I cannot wait to sit down and eat him. But, I need to freshen up a bit and change out of my clothes first."

Ignatius nodded his head once and he grinned. "Okay, Madam. By the time you will be finished with your errand; your dinner will be ready..." Kali reached for her bags. "... In regards to your bags, I will bring them up to the bedroom. You are not going to carry these heavy bags, Madam..." Ignatius placed the bags' straps on his left shoulder.

Kali and the butler parted ways; she traveled upstairs while Ignatius returned to the kitchen. She trekked from the first floor of the eleven-bedroom, mansion to the master bedroom. By the time she reached the top of the stairs, she felt like she had just ran eight miles with a twenty-pound weight strapped to her torso. She was sweaty. The muscles in her calves and thighs ached and pulsed, pleading for a moment to relax. Her lower back was sore. Her chest ached and her lungs burned slightly.

"Uuugggghhh," she groaned. "He should have put an elevator inside of here," she mused.

'Please don't mention that comment around him,' her conscience warned. 'He just might have one built inside of the mansion.' She giggled.

She made the trip up to Ryan's bedroom to change out of her work attire, which consisted of a pair of khaki, maternity trousers, a light pink tunic and a pair of black Mary Jane shoes. She entered the bedroom and traveled a few feet away from the entrance, when she realized something. She came to a halt. Kali surveyed the lavish styled bedroom. She acknowledged that her perception of this bedroom had changed.

'Things are different, but they are still the same,' she concluded.

She recalled her old opinions about this room. She remembered how she used to hate this bedroom because of the pain that she use to endure in here.

'But things are different now and that's all that matter...'

Now the activities that occurred in this room have changed. She thought about them as she stood a few feet away from the entryway. There was a shudder of excitement invoked inside of her. Her brain replayed memories of their recent activities in a montage. As a result, her body grew warm with arousal. She felt her already sensitive tits swell further and her nipples emit soreness. Dampness began to form inside of her panties. The organ that was the cause for her wetness was hot and it pulsated. Her panties felt tight and constricting. A lustful idea popped up into her mind and it caused her inner walls to contract and release. She eyed the 'emperor-sized' bed and her pussy's desire intensified. She knew that Ryan would not arrive home any time soon because he had to attend another one of his therapy appointments tonight, after he left work.

'Your hand doesn't do half of the shit that his dick does, but it'll get the job done,' her mind reasoned.

Her slender fingers grabbed the hem of her pink tunic. She removed the item off of her to show her bare torso. Her shoes, pants and her stockings followed suit. She dropped each discarded item to the floor. She was now clad in her red and black, polka dot bra and g-string panties. Kali trekked over to the large, circular bed and climbed on the incredibly soft bed. She crawled to the center of the mattress. Before she could plant her pregnant body on the mattress, her sense of smell caught Ryan's natural scent. She lied her curvy, thick body on the bed. She moaned in contentment as she buried her nose into the soft blanket. She began to think about her daughter's father.

"Ryan," she moaned as she closed her eyes for a moment.

She opened her eyes and she focused on the framed picture that was mounted above the giant fireplace. Her pupils expanded in delight as she viewed the black and white photo of Ryan's cock. Her thoughts drifted into sexual territory. Her brain reminisced about the previous night, she was awoken during the wee hours of the morning by having an orgasm. She discovered the cause of her nocturnal emission afterward. She didn't see the top of Ryan's head, thanks to her round belly. But she felt him, in particular, his mouth and his fingers. He managed to coax a few more orgasms out of her before he fucked her with his big cock and then gave her one more.