Forever Chicago

“You’re pregnant!” Jonathan said bursting through the door. He picked me up by my waist and swung me around before planting a soft kiss on my lips.

I laughed as he placed me to the ground.

“And,” I said, “It’s a girl.”

“What?” he smiled as he kissed me again, “Wait you found out the sex already?” His face sank a bit.

“I’m sorry,” I said, “I was going to wait , but Riley said not to and-“

“Kodie it’s fine.” He laughed, “But don’t do any more stuff without me okay?” he kissed the top of my forehead.

“Okay.” I laughed.

After months of trying we were finally pregnant.

I felt like I hadn’t seen Jonathan in months. Since our honeymoon, the Blackhawks had been all over the place with games, events, and appearances.

“So,” I said, as we sat entwined on the couch flipping through baby books, “What do we name her?”

“I don’t know.” Jon said flipping to the names section, “Damn.”

“How about Kara?” I said.

Jonathan screwed up his face making me laugh.

We flipped through names for hours before picking a few favorites.

“Okay,” he said, “Ryan, Mia, and Kendall”

“Yup.” I said falling into his chest.

But which one would it be.
…
I was about four months into my pregnancy, and it hadn’t been an easy one. Every morning was crowded with nausea.

“Babe, you okay?” Jonathan yelled through the bathroom door.

“I’m fine.” I said opening it.

“Are you sure?” he said.

“Yes.” I fake smiled, “Go to practice.”

“You’re sure?” he said hugging me.

“Yes, now go!” I said whacking his butt.

He laughed as he walked out of our townhouse.

These days were difficult; I seemed to have morning, noon, and night sickness. I tried to hide
it as well as I could, I didn’t want Jonathan to worry.

I walked upstairs into what would soon be our little girl’s room. I looked around. We had really fallen behind on what was supposed to be a nursery in five months. The walls were painted a light purple and that was relatively all we had done.

I ran my hands over my slightly protruding stomach, soon enough this little girl would be in here.
…
The days ticked on and I crawled closer and closer to my due date. With only about three months left, Riley and I decided to go furniture shopping.

“So,” she said, “What colors are you thinking?”

“Definitely white for the furniture.” I said picking through sheet samples.

Savannah squirmed and shrieked in Riley’s arms and we tried to navigate around the store.

“Daddy!” she screamed.

“Stop Sav.” Riley said putting her in the cart. Savannah was almost 2 now.

“What’s up with her today?”I said.

“I don’t know.” Riley said, “She’s constantly asking for Ben, and of course he’s never home.”

“It’s probably just a phase.” I said.

“Hopefully.” Riley said.

After three and a half hours we finally had everything back to the apartment and most of it in place.

Jonathan walked in from practice around six.

“Kodie?!” he yelled.

“Up here!” I said from the nursery.

“Wow,” he said walking in, “It looks great in here.”

“It’s pretty much done.” I smiled putting my arms around his neck, “What is it?” I said noticing a nervous look on his face.

“It’s nothing.” He said.

“Jonathan,” I said running my arms done to is chest.

“Our Canada road trip got changed, we’re um, leaving for three weeks tomorrow.” He said.

“What?” I said shocked, “Three weeks?”

I turned around to face the empty crib, Ollie whined at the door.

“I’m sorry Kode.” He said running his arms around me

“It’s not your fault.” I said turning back around, “It just sucks.”

“I know.” He said.

We lounged around all night, no motivation to do anything. The house was filled with baby items that needed to be put together, and Jonathan wouldn’t be here to do it for the next few weeks.

What hurt me even more was Jonathan would return in three weeks, I’d be three weeks bigger, he would miss all the preparation, the baby shower, and that sucked, a lot.

We fell into bed that night never wanting to wake up.
…
The alarm sounded at 6 am. I didn’t want to move. We miserably moved through the morning, I had to work, and Jonathan had to leave soon.

“Don’t lift anything okay?” he said as we stood at the front door, “Seriously babe you’ll hurt yourself.”

“Okay,” I nodded clinging to him, “I’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too.” He said wiping the tears off my cheeks and kissing me, “I love you.”

“I love you too.” I said, before he closed the front door behind him.

I fed Ollie before picking up my purse and heading to work.
…
“Hey!” Riley said as I walked in.

“Hi.” I said back less enthusiastically.

“Tough morning?” She said as I sat down.

“Yup,” I nodded, “How’d Sav do?”

“Awful.” She said, “She was still crying when I dropped her off at daycare.”

“Aw,” I said.

Suddenly the doors burst open.

“Please!” I woman frantically ran in, “Please somebody help me, he’s coming after me, he’s coming!”

The woman was clear white. Her blush blouse was splattered with blood and her dark hair
was matted all over her head.

“Who’s coming ma’am?” I said coming around the desk to help her.

Just as I reached the woman, a man burst through the door, pointing a gun at us.

“Don’t touch her!” he snarled viciously.

The man looked and sounded very familiar.

“Mr. Collins?” I said.

“Surprise bitch.” He said, “Don’t touch it!” he shouted at Riley reaching for the phone, he grabbed me putting his arm around my neck and pointing the gun straight at my temple, “Actually do it, please.” He laughed.

He bashed the butt of the gun into my temple pushing me to the ground, “Let’s go!” he said ordering the three of us into the elevator.

“So you thought you were just gonna take my son?” he snarled.

“You killed him anyway!” I shouted, my hands roped together behind my back, blood running
down from my temple. Riley and the blood stained woman quivered in one corner of the elevator.

“Shut up bitch.” He laid a hard slap across my face, I fell to the ground again. “You know.” He laughed, “If you had just kept your mouth shut, kept your pretty little head in your uptown Chicago apartment, with your rich, hockey boyfriend, Timmy might’ve made it, I might’ve let him live, but now you’re going to pay. And so is your slutty little friend.”

The elevator dinged, and opened to a floor I had never seen before, the basement.

“Let’s go!” he shouted kicking my back, tears filled my eyes.

He ordered Riley, and the woman and I into the basement, where he tied us a long metal pole.

“Why are you doing this?!” I yelled.

“Because,” he laughed, “It’s what Timmy would want.”

He continued to tie up Riley and the bloodied woman.

“I hope you don’t have too many friends in this hospital.” He said taking several more guns out of a black duffel bag he has stashed behind the pole, “Don’t worry honey, I’ll be back.”

He jumped back into the elevator.

“Oh my god.” Riley said crying, we all screamed for help.

“Don’t!” the woman said crying, “He’ll hear you!”

“Who are you?!” I shrieked.

“I’m h-his wife.” She said after a long pause, "Lila."

We pulled and tugged at the ropes, struggling to break free.

“Kodie, watch you’re stomach!” Riley said.

What felt like an eternity later the man returned.

“What’s this?” he said noticing the ropes were loosened.

“Bitch.” He said, smacking me over the head with his gun yet again.

He untied me and dragged me into another room.

“You know,” he said, “You’ve been pretty busy over the past year.”

I was confused. He laughed unzipping the duffel bag, making me cringe.

“This one’s my favorite.” He laughed throwing a photo of Jonathan and I naked in bed together on the concrete ground in front of me.

He continued throwing photos documenting Jonathan and I’s life over the past year. There were photos of everything, and they got more and more personal. He had pictures of Riley, Paige and I at Blackhawks games, me going to work, Jonathan going to work, our weeks at the lake house, our wedding, he had been at our wedding, our honeymoon, he had photos of me in the shower, and Jonathan working out and maybe the worst of all, the nursery.

“You didn’t think I’d just go away, did you?” He laughed.

Notes

Wanted to mix it up! Please let me know if you like it!

Clarification: Ben Smith is Riley's husband, sorry if I wrote Brandon