He Saved Me Epilogue

                                    

                                          
Epilogue
                          
Isobel's POV
                          
Anna Nalick's voice rang softly from the speakers in my car as I pulled to a stop in the parking lot of the grocery store nearest my house. I had been craving chocolate and popcorn all morning, and Bobby wasn't due to get out of class at the local community college for another thirty minutes, so I decided to make the quick trip to the store and back before he got home.
                          
Bobby had practically had me on house arrest for the past two weeks since my last doctor's appointment where Dr. Patterson had put me on bed rest. The baby was due any day now and I couldn't help but feel a little resentful toward it for complicating things so drastically to where I couldn't even make a trip to the store and back without having to prepare myself for my husband's wrath. My husband--the words still made me smile after three months.
                          
Switching the car off, I opened the door and awkwardly pulled myself to my feet, gasping at the sharp, tight pain that radiated up and down my spine and throughout the rest of my body. I paused for a few seconds, breathing deeply before the pain released me. That had been happening regularly all morning and I cursed my luck. Who wants to have gas on top of being pregnant and hungry. Resting my hands softly on my belly, I hobbled to the front entrance of Publix and smiled gratefully at the woman who paused to hold the door open for me on her way out.
                          
It didn't take me long to get what I had come for, and I was soon making my way to the checkout line with a cart full of candy bars and a box of microwave popcorn. The salesperson raised her eyebrow when she saw the amount of chocolate I was purchasing, but otherwise remained silent after her initial greeting. Just then, my cell phone rang and the sound of "You Found Me" by The Fray filled the air. I groaned and hesitated to answer. "He's going to bite my head off." I said quietly before pressing the green button and holding the phone to my ear. "Hey babe." I said quietly, unable to keep the undertone of guilt out of my voice.
                          
"Where are you?" he said, sounding near panic, and I could hear him moving around quickly. I guessed that he was searching for me.
                          
"I thought you were in class?" I said, avoiding the question.
                          
"I got out early. Where are you Isobel? You know you're supposed to be in bed."
                          
I decided that the best way to avoid what I knew was coming was to pretend that nothing was out of the ordinary. "Oh I had a craving for some chocolate, so I'm at the grocery store picking some up." I squeezed my eyes shut and waited for his response as another pain clenched my back muscles together. I noticed the cashier standing with a slightly impatient look on her face and blinked in surprise to see all my things neatly bagged and placed in my cart. I gave her an apologetic smile and handed her a twenty. "Keep the change." I whispered before grabbing my cart and moving along. "Bobby?"
                          
"I'm still here."
                          
"Why aren't you saying anything?" I asked once I had made it back to my car with my bags in hand.
                          
More silence greeted me, and I knew that he must be more angry than I had guessed he'd be. "Because--" He began, but paused again. "Because I know that if I say what I want to say, how I want to say it, then it's just going to hurt your feelings and you'll end up crying, and I don't want to make you cry."
                          
I felt bad then. I had been a nightmare these last few months with my mood swings and emotions running wild, and Bobby had been as patient as he could be. I sometimes wondered if maybe he would regret marrying me and realize that he could do so much better, but each day he managed to calm that fear just a little more. "No, just let me have it." I said as I started my car and hooked my seat belt. "I deserve it."
                          
"Well why didn't you just call my mom? I'm sure she would have been happy to go to the store for you." He asked.
                          
I sighed, reversing out of my space and beginning my journey back home. "Bobby, your mom is a newly married woman. I'm sure she has better things to do than to keep hopping up and running to my aid every time I need something when you're not around."