“You don’t wanna stop working,” Danny stated, no question in his tone.

Julie shook her head. “Not completely, no.”

Rubbing his whisker-covered jaw, he nodded. “So we’ll figure it out. While you’re on maternity leave, I’ll be working my way up at Red Bar. By the time you’re ready to go back part time”—his eyes softened the way they did just before he told he loved her—“we’ll figure it out, honey. Love you. We’ll always figure shit out.”

“Danny Marcus, if I wasn’t already totally and completely in love with you, I’d have fallen just now.”

“Julie Marcus, if you hadn’t just fucked my brains out and we weren’t both about to be late for work, I’d take you here and now.”

Her face flushed at the image of him thrusting into her from behind, and a sigh escaped her.

“Fuck,” Danny roared, and he took her there and then.

Chapter Twelve

That’s Gonna Leave A Bruise

“YOU ALL GOOD, honey?” Danny asked as he closed Julie’s car door after she got in. He stood at the window under an umbrella.

“I’m fine, babe, I promise.” She giggled. “I could have held my own umbrella.” She loved when his eyes squinted like they were, as if he couldn’t quite fathom what she was saying.

He shrugged. “You could’ve, but why?” Cutting off her snappy retort, he continued, “Don’t forget to beep me when you get to work. Plug in 1-1-1 so I know you got there safe, okay?”

The day Julie had learned she was pregnant, Danny went out and purchased a pager. He said the thought of him being unreachable was unacceptable. Mobile phones didn’t get signal in the bar where he worked, so pagers were the best option. After all, there were payphones on every street corner. He could return a page no matter where he was.

“I won’t forget, handsome.”

“Jules…”

She sighed. “Okay, I won’t forget again, I promise.”

“You get off at midnight. You beep me before you leave O’Brian’s and as soon as you get home,” Danny stated with no humor, just expectation, in his voice. The further into her pregnancy she got, the more Danny hovered. She had to admit, she kind of loved it.

“Yes, sir. I love you.”

His voiced gentled, as did his expression. “Thank God for that.” He winked. “Have a good night.” He leaned into the window of her car and touched his lips to hers.

“You too. I’ll meet you in our bed when you get home.” Danny closed the umbrella and shook off the excess rain before tossing it over Julie and onto the passenger seat.

She rolled up her window and watched as her husband walked through the pouring rain to his car, without hurry or care. He got in, buckled up, and turned on his ignition. She then pulled out of their driveway and left for work.

Work was unusually busy for a Wednesday and ridiculously busy for a rainy one. Neither she nor Sheila could figure out why the volume of customers was so high. All they knew was they were jammed with impromptu big parties in the dining room and not enough staff to cover them, which left Sheila calling in favors to get coverage while Julie ran food orders from the kitchen to the tables in order to keep the food fresh and the customers happy.

When the kitchen closed for the night, and the two “rescue” waitresses shifted from food to cocktail service to handle what was a large drinking crowd, Julie excused herself from service. Hours of running around finally took its toll on her body, and she felt as if an extra hundred pounds had been strapped onto her shoulders, back, and feet. The baby kicked, as if telling her it was time for bed.

“I agree, little girl,” she whispered, rubbing her belly. “I’m heading out,” Julie called over the music. When her boss didn’t respond, Julie went behind the bar, tapped Sheila’s shoulder, and got her attention. “I’m going home, boss lady. It’s about midnight, and I’m beat.”

Sheila gave change to a patron, then turned her attention to Julie. “I’m going to announce last call. Thank goodness we close early during the week, ‘cause I’m about ready for bed myself. Thank you so much for tonight, Jules. I would’ve been lost without you. Let me find someone to walk you out to your car.”

Julie looked around at the packed establishment. “It’s okay, Sheel. I’m parked pretty close to the door, and it’s slammed in here. I’ll be fine.”

“Kay. Then go home and get some rest.”

“Will do, just gotta stop off in the office and beep Danny. Then I’m out of here.”

Sheila nodded before turning back to the customers. Even with three bartenders behind the bar, one of them being a “rescue” waitress that doubled as a bartender, the drinks weren’t being served fast enough. What the hell is going on tonight?

Everyone knew that the area behind the bar was a slippery, messy place. Julie knew it better than most, since she’d suffered more bruises and sore butt cheeks than she cared to remember. That was why she and Danny had agreed that she wouldn’t get behind it while she was pregnant. She hadn’t thought of that agreement when she went to tell Sheila good night though. She did, however, remember it as soon as she slipped. While she didn’t fall, her elbow hit the wall.

“Goddamnit,” she howled. “That’s gonna leave a bruise.” So stupid, Julie. What were you thinking? She rubbed her belly and placed the call to Danny’s pager. 2-2-2 was the signal that she was leaving work and heading home.

She slid on her coat, grabbed her purse, left the office, and headed into the narrow hallway toward the back door. Wham! The broom closet door flew open, striking Julie in the stomach hard enough to produce exploding stars in her vision and knock the wind from her lungs. Sharp pain sliced through her abdomen. She cried out before folding in half as she held her belly. When the pain subsided a bit, she looked up and stared at the two drunken people who’d practically fallen out of the closet in a drunken stupor, swinging the door open with enough force to inflict blinding pain.

“Aww, shit, did we do that?” the man slurred to the woman as he pointed at a crouched-over Julie.

“Naw, she prolly just listenin’ to us in there. Jealous thing, ain’t getting’ any action in the closet.” The woman leaned down next to Julie’s ear, and her breath reeked from cheap beer. “You may wanna drop a few pounds there, hefty. You could get yourself a lil’ some-some too.”

Uncertain if anger or shock was more prevalent, Julie straightened herself the best she could—the pain made her nauseated, but her fury made her stubborn—pressed down her shirt, and cleared her throat. “I’m pregnant, you intoxicated slut.”

“Hmm.” The girl shrugged. “Then you really should work on finding yourself a man.” She flipped her hair and walked away with her guy in tow.

The abdominal pain wasn’t increasing and the baby was moving, so Julie decided to head home where she could think in peace and quiet.

“Fucking idiots,” she said as she walked in the cold rain to her car. “Need to make sure that closet is locked. What the hell is wrong with people? I’m too tired for this shit.”

Searing pain once again soared through her abdomen. This time, whether from exhaustion or shock, Julie’s legs gave out from under her. She threw her arms down to break the fall, but fire shot up her right wrist before the pain once again took residence in her belly.

“You’re okay, baby girl,” she moaned as her left hand gripped her belly and darkness consumed her.

***

“THE FUCK?” DANNY’S shoulders tightened as he looked at his pager.

He hopped over the counter and ran to the payphones in the back corner of Red Bar. When he reached the phone, the pager beeped again. While the first page was from a number he didn’t recognize, the second was a 9-1-1 notification. His heart seized and pounded at the same time. Dropping too many coins in the pay slot, Danny punched in the metal numbers that had appeared on the tiny screen of his pager.