The night air was thick and heavy, pressing down on Sarah’s skin like a wet coat.  She was slick with summer sweat, her skin glistening under the street lamps.  Travis’s car slowly rolled down the street, pushing the muggy night air into the car and over their heated bodies.

“I fucking hate summer.”  He growled, fiddling with the knobs on his console, hoping that the AC might decide to work.  When nothing happened, he let out another curse and slammed a hand against the wheel.

Sarah chose to ignore his outburst.  “Where are we headed, anyway?”  Her body was stretched out as much as the car seat allowed, her swelling belly protruding into the night air.  She was close to reminding Travis that the heat was so much worse when you were pregnant, but she knew better.

“A buddy of Mark’s.  He said he’s got a job opportunity for me.”  Travis steered the car down a side street tucked between massive apartment buildings.

Sarah’s face lit up with hope.  “A job?  What kind of job?  Construction, like the one Tammy’s brother found?”  Her Boston accent heavily laced her excitement.

Travis just shrugged.  “I dunno, but Mark said to see this guy, that he could get me some money.”  He glanced over at his girlfriend and her growing stomach.  “I gotta support this kid somehow.”  His face looked haggard.

“Hey,” Sarah laid a comforting hand on Travis’s arm, giving him her best smile.  “We’ll figure something out.  It’ll be okay.”

“I sure as fuck hope so,” came his reply.  A moment later he was parking the car, his eyes staring up at the decrepit looking building.  “Here it is.”

Sarah wrinkled her nose.  “I think I’ll just wait here.”  She stated, settling further into her seat. 

Travis glanced at her and nodded, thinking her idea a good one.  “Okay.  I’ll just be upstairs if you need me, but I don’t think I’ll be too long.  Mark said the guy’s place is on the second floor, apartment B212.”

“Hurry up.”  She leaned over and kissed him thoroughly on the lips, smiling as he exited the car and made his way into the building.

After the initial shock of hearing that she was pregnant, Travis managed to step up and vow to take care of Sarah and the baby.  Red was suspicious and he warned Sarah not to get too comfortable, but she had faith in Trav.  They were in love, really, and she knew that they could make this work.  Of course, having a baby was huge and she was scared shitless, but everything would work out, she knew.  Travis was looking for better jobs, and Sarah planned to finish school this year and look at her GED for next year.  If Red could help, she might even be able to get her diploma.  She only had one more year left of high school.  It was a possibility, and Sarah wasn’t going to worry.  Not yet, at least.

A wave of butterflies hit her as the baby inside of her moved, causing Sarah to squirm in her seat.  Suddenly, the urge to pee hit her like a brick wall.  “Shit.”  She cursed.

Fumbling with the door, Sarah stepped out of the car and into the night, looking up at the huge building.  The intercom was broken, so she couldn’t buzz upstairs for Travis, but a quick glance told her the front door was already open. 

“Great,” she mumbled, liking this situation less and less.  Her bladder protested her hesitancy, so Sarah hurried inside and searched for a bathroom.  The longer she walked, the more urgent her situation became, but she couldn’t find a public bathroom anywhere.  “Fuck it.”

She climbed the stairs as fast as possible, searching the second floor until she spotted B212.  Knocking lightly, Sarah winced as the door swung open and a large, angry looking man stared down at her.

“What the fuck do you want?”  His voice was deep, commanding, and Sarah shivered slightly.

“Hey, I’m a…I’m Travis’s girl.  I was…” she glanced down at her belly, giving the man a weak smile.  “I really have to pee.”  Her eyes pleaded with him.

The man gave her the once over, finally opening the door enough so she could step through.  “Hey, fuck head, I thought I told you to come alone?”  His voice carried throughout the apartment, startling the other occupants in the room.  Travis looked up to spot Sarah and he ran to her side.

“What are you doing here?”  His question was frantic.  “I thought you were going to stay in the car?” 

Sarah shrugged, looking around for the bathroom.  “I really have to pee, Trav.  I couldn’t hold it anymore.”  She spotted the desired room, moving around Travis and further into the apartment.

There were three other men in the living room, all staring up as she walked toward the bathroom.  Sarah didn’t even attempt to smile at them, and she hurried toward her destination so she could get out as fast as possible.  Her heart thudded in her chest when she spotted the piles of money stacked on the table, along with an assortment of pills and powders being divided into piles and placed into bags.  Quickly, she shut the door to the bathroom, shaking with anger and fear.

Sarah hurried to finish her business, wanting to be out of this place as fast as possible.  How could Travis even consider working with drugs?  How could he think that getting into something like this was good for them and their baby?  Her muscles were humming with rage, her heart palpitating with fear.

Carefully, she left the bathroom and hurried through the living room, her eyes trained on Travis the whole way.  He looked stressed, but when she tried to pull him out of the apartment, he resisted.

“Travis!”  Her voice was a fierce whisper.  “Let’s go.”

His eyes pleaded with her, and he shook his head.  “I know it looks bad, Sarah, but it’ll make us more money than anything else I can get.”  He licked his lips in a nervous gesture, glancing around the room.  “Jimmy,” he nodded with his head in the direction of the man who’d opened the door, “he promised me that I wouldn’t have to get in too deep.  This is just temporary, baby.  I’ll make us some money and I’ll be out before the baby is born, I swear.”

Sarah shook her head, pulling her arm from Travis’s grasp.  “No way, Travis.  I ain’t putting up with this.  I won’t have drug money around our baby!”  She was fighting to keep her voice controlled.  Her nerves were tangled, sweat pouring down her back and between her breasts.  She could feel her pulse racing under her skin, and it made her itch with worry.  “You leave with me right now or it’s over.”

Her ultimatum hung between them, making the already heavy air thick with nerves.  When Travis hesitated, Sarah felt her stomach drop to her toes.

“We need the money…” He pleaded, forcing himself to keep calm.  “I already told him I would help, Sarah, I can’t back out now.”  His shaking voice betrayed his fear of the situation, but he was doing this for their baby.

“I’m out, Travis.  Don’t you dare bring this shit around me or my baby, you hear me?  I won’t put up with it.  You’re either with me, or you’re not.”  She stared him down, her hand on the knob of the door.

After a moment, Travis took a step back into the room, his eyes wide.  “Don’t make me choose, Sarah.  I’m doing this for us.”

Her heart dropped and Sarah felt tears prickle her eyes.  “Fuck you, Travis.  You shouldn’t even have to think about this.”  She opened the door and stepped into the hallway, forcing herself to turn and look at him one last time.  “Don’t come near me.”  And she let the door slam between them.

Forcing back a sob, Sarah ran toward the exit, her eyes glassed over with unshed tears. 

Sitting up with a gasp, Bailey clutched at her throat, struggling for air.

“Hey, it’s okay.  You’re all right.”  Justin’s soothing voice sounded in her ear, causing Bailey to search the room for something to tell her where she was.  Her living room came into focus, the TV casting a blue glow over everything.

“What happened?”  She questioned, still unsure of what was real and what was dream.

“You we’re having a nightmare.”  Justin answered, his hands smoothing over Bailey’s hair in an attempt to calm her down.  “You…you kept yelling out ‘Travis’.”  His voice was low with concern and something else that Bailey couldn’t identify.

“I…I was dreaming.”  She licked her dry lips, suddenly parched and claustrophobic.  She stood from the couch, moving away from Justin so she could clear her head and gain some balance.  She filled a glass with water, taking a long gulp while she collected herself.

“Are you all right?”  Justin’s voice came from the door way, causing Bailey to jump.  “Sorry,” he hadn’t meant to startle her.

Bailey waived off his apology.  “No, I’m sorry.”  She took another sip of her water and attempted to smile.  “It was just a nightmare.  I’ll be fine.”

Justin paused, not sure how far he should push.  “You don’t seem fine, Bailey.”  He moved toward her, stopping when she tensed.  “I’m not trying to pry, but…you’ve got me worried.  I…you look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Bailey sighed, taking a seat at the table and motioning for Justin to do the same.  “I guess it was a ghost, in a way.”  She tried to give him a comforting look.  “When everything went down with Carter’s father…I…well it’s something I’m still trying to deal with.  Sometimes I have nightmares about it all.  I’m fine, though, really.  You don’t have to worry.”

“Why is Carter’s father in jail?”  The question had been plaguing Justin for a while now, and he figured he might as well ask.  Bailey paused, but she answered anyway.

“Drugs.”  She took another sip of water to avoid elaborating.  She didn’t want to reveal too much, but she knew that Justin would have questions and she would have to give him answers.  It was a difficult situation, one that had Bailey questioning her attempt at this relationship with Justin.  It would only bring heartache, she knew, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself.

Justin wasn’t sure what to do with the information now that he had it, so he decided to change the subject.  “Are you going to be okay?”

Bailey’s smile was genuine this time.  “I’m already okay.  It was just a bad dream.”  She watched his face, waiting for him to relax.  “I feel asleep right in the middle of the movie, didn’t I?”

Justin cracked a small smile.  “Yeah, you did.  It was the best part, too.”

“Would you want to rewind, and this time I promise I’ll stay awake?”  Bailey wasn’t sure where her desire was coming from, but she didn’t want to be alone.  More specifically, she didn’t want Justin to leave.

He glanced at the clock, “it’s getting pretty late.”  Bailey couldn’t read the emotions on his face.  “I don’t want to wear out my welcome.”

Taking a deep breath, she decided that honesty was a good way to go.  “I don’t want you to leave, Justin.  I’m really enjoying this night, and I hate to think about being alone.  I would really like it if you stayed.”

Justin felt relieved at her words, not wanting to leave, either.  “As long as you promise not to fall asleep during the good parts.”

Bailey grinned, “scout’s honor.”  She stood from her seat, leaving her glass in the sink and offering a hand to Justin.  They moved back into the living room, settling into the couch.  Bailey leaned into Justin’s side, letting him wrap and arm around her shoulders.  She liked the solid feel of him.  He was warm and comfortable, and he smelled really good, too.  He reminded her of what it felt like to be a woman, not just a mother.  While the feelings were slightly overwhelming, they weren’t unwelcome in the least.

“What part do you remember seeing last?”  Justin pointed the remote at the DVD player, rewinding the film so she could catch up. 

“Andy had just found a way to get more books for the prison, and Brooks had been made the librarian.”  Shawshank Redemption flashed across her tv set, everything moving backwards.  This was her favorite movie, and she had been delighted when Justin suggest they watch it. 

Once the right scene was found, Justin set the remote down and lounged back into the couch, bringing Bailey closer to him.  She fit perfectly in his arms, and he was trying not to think about it too much.  He watched the movie with only half of his mind, the other half going over what Bailey had told him.  The more he knew about this woman, the more she surprised him.  He couldn’t imagine what her life had been like, and he gave her a lot of credit for how well she held things together.  He was curious, though, and he wanted to know everything he could about Bailey. 

“Was it difficult, raising Carter alone?”  He couldn’t contain the questions anymore.  He felt Bailey shift underneath him; hear head turning to look up at him.  She shrugged.

“I had my dad with me the whole time, until we moved here.  He was the best influence Carter could’ve had in his life.”  Her eyes moved away from him and he knew she was in a different time.  “The hardest part was school.  I lost all of my friends and my teachers lost their respect for me.  I became an outcast.”

“Did you finish? High school, I mean.”

“Yeah, I did.  I wanted my diploma so badly, and Dad offered to watch Carter during the day.  I guess losing all of my friends made it easier, because I only had work to focus on.”  She sighed, giving Justin a tired smile.  “I try not to think about it too much.”

“I’m sorry.”  He felt badly for bringing up so much, but he wanted to know everything about her.  “I’m being nosey.”

Bailey patted his leg.  “Don’t worry, next time I’ll ask all the questions and you’ll have to spill your guts.”

“Next time?”  Justin cursed himself for sounding like such a teenager, and Bailey laughed, tilting her head back to rest on his shoulder.

“Yeah…next time.” 

Justin couldn’t resist the urge to kiss her.  Movie and information be damned, he would spend the rest of his night happily doing this.

And that’s exactly what they did.