Lifespan Deathwatch

[Damien McEwan]

A minute later, without lifting her head from Nivek's shoulder, Jaina speaks with a sad tone:

"It's time."

The door opens and a woman enters.

She walks towards the counter to place an order, passes by the couple, pauses, then turns to face them.

"Jaina?" the woman asks with high-pitched surprise. "Jaina Coahuila!?"

"Sarah?! Ohmygod!"

She gets up and the two women hug.

Nivek sits there and watches them exchange pleasantries.

Jaina's demeanor has turned on a dime. Suddenly, she's back to being her normal, bright and cheery self. He knows it's only a performance, but it's an extremely impressive one to observe.

After a few moments of reconnecting, Jaina invites the very pregnant woman to join them, and helps her sit down.

"I'm sorry Hon. This is Sarah. We're- old acquaintances."

"Oh! She's just being modest!" Sarah says as she and Nivek shake hands across the table.

"This woman is a total rockstar! I was in an accident last year and she saved my life."

A shock of realization electrifies every part of his mind, but he does his best to hide it and puts on a performance of his own. "Ah! Right!" he says with a warm smile. "It's nice to finally meet you; She's told me about you before."

He didn't bother to say it was only about a couple of hours ago.

As the time passes, Nivek continues to play his part as he watches the women talk to each other as women do.

Quietly though, he's very confused and trying to understand everything that's happened today, and he's being extremely unsuccessful at it.

Eventually, Jaina says she and Nivek are only on world for the day, and graciously declines an invitation to have dinner with Sarah and her new husband, and wishes her luck with the baby, but before they say their final goodbyes, Jaina asks if she can feel her belly.

The woman was more than happy to oblige, and Jaina had the opportunity to feel the baby kick.

A minute later, Nivek holds the door open for his lady, and she purposely knocks into a sweaty drunk trying to slip by her in the opposite direction.

"Watch where you're going A**hole!!" she growled.

Nivek let it slide and followed her out, thinking proudly to himself: 'hell yeah! my woman's got some teeth!'

They walk a couple doors down, and she stops.

"Where to now?" he asks her.

"Here."

She throws her arms around him and begins to sob uncontrollably into his chest.

After a while, when the crying subsides, Nivek says gently, "C'mon. Let's go home."

"No. I have to stay for this." she said cryptically and added, "Could you please call the authorities now?"

"Why?" he asked, more confused now than he's been all day.

"Domestic Disturbance" she said with a defeated tone, and went back to stand in front of the large window looking into the shop.

When Nivek ended the call, that's when the panic started and people stampeded out of the shop, running for their lives.

He ran to her, looked into the window and saw what she saw.

Sarah, the pregnant woman, being bound to a chair.

He saw the sweaty drunk, making the knots, and drenching her with grain alcohol.

Muffled through the glass, he could hear the drunk bawling in pain and rage as he ignited a lighter:

"WHO IS HE!?"
"HOW COULD YOU LEAVE ME FOR HIM!?"
"I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!"

Shocked and speechless, Nivek acted on instinct and grabbed Jaina's arm to lead her away from danger.

She was a statue that defied the physics of her smaller frame and Nivek's arm damn near came out of its socket.

"GODDAMN!" he swore, holding his shoulder and turning in circles, trying to walk off the intense pain.

She turned her neck to look him in the eye and reached out her hand.

"Please don't leave me now." she begged to him almost inaudibly.

He hesitated. Her tears again flowing freely.

He finally took her hand and stood by her with no daylight between them, and continued to be the man she needed him to be, as sirens could be heard approaching from the distance.

------

Sarah was trapped inside, screaming. She was set on fire, and burned alive as she should have a year ago today.

The sweaty drunk pulled out a firearm, put the barrel under his chin, and painted the ceiling with his mind.


The baby's name was going to be 'Caleb'

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