Keith arrived home a little after ten o'clock to find Addie next to the window. His voice had startled her causing her to jump out of her skin and to pull the wretched chain that dug even more into her.

"What the hell?"

"Nothing," she tried to get out but her throat was irritated from all the strain she had put on it by yelling.

"What are you doing out of bed?" He walked closer to her and then noticed that she managed to get the window open.

She could tell that he was starting to get ill with her and had to think of something. "I needed fresh air, it's suffocating in here."

In disbelief he rolled his eyes and stated, "Fresh air, uh."

She all ready knew what he was thinking, "Oh! Please as if I can go anywhere." She pointed at her ankle. The blood had dried but then the skin opened back up when he made her jump. It covered the cuff and ran down her foot.

"Don't be a smart ass, Addie."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound that way. Seriously I just needed some air Keith." She tried to reach for him hoping that he would help her up. Unfortunately he was just going to let her sit there. "Keith, can you please help me to the bed?" She tried to ask as nicely as possible.

"You got up and got over there, surely you can get your ass up and get back in the damn bed yourself." He huffed as if he was a small child being told to do his chore. She had been right though he would not help her and he left her there in the floor. But at least he did not shut the window so the cool air continued to seep in helping her fall back to sleep.

Day light gleamed through the window causing her to move around to avoid the light. A bird flew on the bush outside and chirped his good morning song. The floor had been hard on her but for some reason she felt well rested and decided to crawl her way back to the bed. No sooner than she hit the mattress Keith was at the door watching her. He held a bowl in his hand.

"I brought you something to eat."

"Why thank you, I'm starving," she said as she held on to the bowl. She had remembered the last taste of food, the sandwich and chips. How long ago had that been anyway? She had hoped for something better but the cereal was better than nothing, at least he was trying to take care of her some how.

Within the week, he had made sure to give her something to eat every morning. Her stomach craved for more and by the time night had come it grumbled and felt all twisted and knotted inside. He had let the window stay open but refused to take the chain off. He did however added a longer part to the chain so that she could get across the hall to the bathroom. He stayed gone all day and most of the night and she not once ever asked where he had been. She knew it was best if she just didn't bother to ask.

After the second week, she had finally gotten up the nerve to ask him, "Keith, we need to let my parents know that I am all right. I know they are worried."

He had a crooked smile and an errie laugh; "I took care of that all ready."

"You talked with my parents?" She was shocked that he even bothered or was this just his way of shutting her up.

"Yeah, your dad had called your cell. I told him you had been working a lot of overtime at the office doing mostly paper work on your patients and you might be able to give him a call later."

"And are you going to let me call him, at least tell him that everything is fine."

"I don't think so, Addie."

"Why not?" she hissed. "They will be worried you know. They will try to find me. They will go to the apartment, to my office and so on and probably even send out search parties."

"Fine, I will tell them something else."

"Oh yea, like what that I am dead," she said sarcastically.

"That's not a bad idea." He bent over and with one hand held her cheek. She tried to pull away but he had a good hold on her and kissed her madly. Then he ruthlessly pushed her back into the headboard of the bed.

It was the same thing everyday. She lay in the bed; it's a wonder if she didn't get bedsores. Thankfully she was able to get up and move around a little. And every now and then go to the bathroom even if she didn't have to go. There was not a TV or a radio that she knew of and if they had had one at least the time would have went by throughout the day faster. She predicated the time of the day by watching the sun come and not long after hide behind the trees of the mountain. Even though it was dusk she could estimate the time of the darkness and the moon in the night sky.

Within the fourth week her body was finally healed and her ribs were not as sore anymore. She was able to move around more and now Keith would come home and join her in the bed. There were no more thrills, excitement, or lust over him, honestly it made her sick every time he touched her. She no longer moaned for him and if it did come out it was because she wanted him to hurry and get the hell off of her. Unfortunately, her pills were left in the apartment and he had refused to use any protection.

One night after his fun she had asked him, "Would it be possible for a radio. I long to listen to something and at least it would get me in a better mood."

Remarkably, he had said yes. And the following day he had went out to get her a radio. She absolutely loved it even though she was not able to pick up her favorite station. The mountains would cause mostly static on each station but there were a few that would come in just right. During the day the radio was comforting to her because she was able to hear another voice. She loved listening to the music but mostly to the man on the other side of the world. He would tell her the day and time and the weather, too bad he could not really talk to her.

On the second day, Keith had already left and as soon as he walked out she turned on the radio, searching through the stations hoping to get a good signal. The voice was sharp and enthusiastic. "Good morning! It's a bright sunny October the fifth. There may be a few showers heading our way today, so to all of the listeners out there make sure to grab the handy umbrella. Now playing Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: You Don't Know How it Feels. She hummed along to the song.

Within the following week Keith added extra chains to her ankle. She had hoped that he would be able to trust her but he was still unsure of what she would do if she had too much freedom.

"What are you doing?" she asked out of curiosity.

"Given ya extra room to move."

"Why?" She rolled her eyes at him, but he had not noticed because he was bent over adjusting the length.

"Well for one, I'm not here a lot during the day. If I give you more room maybe you could start acting more like a wife and start fix'n up this place and maybe even start having my supper fixed when I get home."

"Say what?" What she really wanted to tell him was to go to hell, but why should she start up an argument, after all he was giving her a little more space.

"You heard what I said. You are going to start acting like my wife."

"But I'm not your wife."

"Not yet." His hand rubbed gently on her chin towards her lips. He squeezed her lips slightly causing her lips to pucker like a fish. "Pucker up baby, it won't be long and we will be hitched." His lips came hard to hers, causing his unshaved face to rub her chin. Chills ran down her spine. "Well I gotta go. I'll be back at dusk so you better make sure this house is in order and my supper is nice and hot on the table by then."

Hitched! The sound of it was so repulsive. And to be hitched to him was even worse. She had thought of marriage but ever since she had been taken against her will, well that was definitely out of the question and she was definitely not planning on having any children any time soon. Unfortunately, she knew that would not last long. She had all ready missed three months of her monthly. She had prayed that the night he brutally half killed her that he had done some kind of damage to her but over the past week or so her stomach had swollen and she had the fear that she was with child.

Keith was so determined. He had planned to keep her far away from life and deliberately meant to leave her birth control pills at the apartment. He had came to her at odd hours within the night. Climbed into the bed, sometimes waking her in the middle of a dead sleep. Then other times it would be the first thing that he wanted in the mornings. It was just whenever he had the urge. She refused to show him any satisfaction, never moaned or grabbed for him. She just lay there and prayed for him to hurry and get the hell off of her. Very seldom did she cry and when she did she tried to wipe her cheeks before he noticed. While making love to her, he would tell her how much he loved her and how much he needed her and just couldn't live without her. That too she refused. Refused to tell him that she loved him, needed him, because in reality she never would ever again.

Addie walked limply out of the bedroom and proceeded to the kitchen. "How gross!" By the look of the kitchen it hadn't been touched since the day they arrived. This was so unlike Keith. He always wanted everything in the proper place, turned the right way, and cleaned to a T. She could remember some days in the apartment, he would complain if she hadn't done something the right way.

She looked around the rubbish, "Well Addison, we gotta start somewhere." From the other room she could hear "R.E.S.P.E.C.T." Aretha Franklin's voice echoed into the cabin. "Yeah, I agree girl; we all need a little respect." She continued to sing along while she dug the dishes out of the sink. She laid them onto the adjoining counter top, piled high. She found an old rubber stopper and snuggled it securely in the bottom of the sink, filling it with hot soapy water. When finished she hand dried each plate, bowl, cup, silverware and found an appropriate place in the cabinets. She even arranged the silverware in the drawer. She continued to scrub the counter tops, cleaned off the frayed wooden table, swept the wood plank floor and managed to set out the trash by the back door. This had taken the better part of the day.

It was all ready in the afternoon and the radio was still playing, now the Doors were singing to Break On Through (to the other side). She found her way to a room closer to the front of the cabin, must have been the living room. Ironic enough it looked like someone had been living in it. Clothes draped on the furniture, newspapers, magazines, food and trash thrown everywhere as if a tornado came through in the middle of the night. She hurriedly cleaned, picked up the clothes and piled them all into a big heap on the floor by the hallway. She found a sack and started throwing the trash in. The magazines found a home on the coffee table, arranged nicely as if it was her office back in Atlanta. She wiped the dust from the tables and other furniture with one of his tee shirts, not like he would have even noticed.

There was a double size window in the living room that faced the front of the cabin. Covered in grime and dust an inch thick. She had looked for some Windex but resorted into using a soapy wash cloth. She scrubbed and scrubbed until she was able to see her reflection. The sun was starting to fall behind the trees. She had thought about walking outside on the front porch and was almost there but the chain jerked her back causing another tear into her skin.

"Damn it!" she blurted out. "Oh well, I need to find something to eat anyway."

She had spent the whole day cleaning two rooms and had not even thought about cooking and it was all ready getting a little dark outside. As she walked back into the kitchen she caught the end of the Mamas and the Papas, 'California Dreamin'. Unfortunately there was not a damn thing to cook and she knew he would be ill when he came through that door.

Three hours later he pulled up in an old beat up Dodge truck. She watched as he got out through the now spotless clean living room window. She could hear his heavy boots thump up the steps and onto the porch. He walked in and was amazed to see her sitting there. His eyes made a swift glance around the room and he was pleased at what he saw.

"Wow, you really have been busy today." He then noticed the heap of clothes on the floor. "Why are the clothes in a pile?"

"Well good day to you too!" She smarted off. "You could have at least said 'hi' or 'thanks'". The expression on his face was enough to tell her she better just shut up. "Well, I have been cleaning this pig sty all freakn' day and unfortunately I still cannot go that far and so, yea the clothes are not cleaned yet because I can't seem to go any farther than here and the kitchen." She pointed to her now swollen ankle again bleeding from the clamp.

"You can clean them tomorrow, it will give you something to do."

"And how should I clean them?"

"Use your hands, don't you got two of them. Then you'll have to just let them air dry."

"And how am I supposed to hang them out to dry; I can't even reach the front porch. I have an idea." She placed both hands on her hip and then looked down. "Maybe you should just take this stupid thing off of me and then I will be able to get around to being your slave."

He had ignored the comment and walked into the kitchen hoping to see a hot plate waiting before him. "I thought you were going to fix supper."

She had followed behind him, the chain rattled along the floor. "I would have if there was something to cook." She opened the cabinets, exposing the now cleaned dishes, and the empty cabinets were the food should have been. The refrigerator was also empty, showing him as she opened the door.

"Are getting smart with me." His eyes stared her down and she could feel the tension in his voice.

"Well at least the kitchen is clean." She started to walk back to the bedroom but he reached out and grabbed her arm.

"I can see that it is clean but that is not going to stop this growling in my stomach." He pulled her closer, nails dug into her.

She tried to pull away and then hissed back, "Well, I'm so sorry. Damn it! I have been cleaning this shit all day for your ass and I am so sorry that there was nothing to fix but that is not my fault."

His hand came across her face within a split second and with a threatening tone his voice devilish; "Don't you ever talk to me like that."

Blood dripped from her nose; his fist was reared back ready to blow another punch but this time to her stomach. She moved and guarded herself with her hands. "Please don't," her voice more terrified than ever, "I'm pregnant."

Keith frozen in mid-swing and looked down at her stomach and then back up to her. He noticed the tears in her eyes and for some reason he believed her. "Your pregnant?" he asked just to make sure he had heard her correctly.

"Yes." She said half heartedly.

"How long have you known?"

"I believe I should have gotten my period by now. It's been over three months and I have been feeling rather tired and nauseated lately."

"You're going to have my baby," his voice turned into a soft loving fatherly voice as he reached down and rubbed her little bump. "I'm going to be a father," he said as his eyes lit up with astonishment.

Well she thought at least the news got his mind off of her not fixing him anything to eat. Instead it made him think about making love to her. It was different than before. Now he caressed her delicately. He kissed her hands, then her lips. He smelled and kissed her neck and along the way to her breast. He eased his way into her while fondling her. He treated her with respect and when he was finished he kissed his way down to her midsection. He laid his head down and fell asleep listening to the life growing inside of her.

The very next day he came home with some man. He wanted to get married right then and not wait another day. At first she refused.

"I'm not marring you." She pulled away from him.

"The hell you are. You have my baby in there." Pointing to her stomach. "I be damned if your going to have a baby and not have my last name." He took her hand and held it tight.

Whoever the man was started to read a small passage about marriage, even though it did not come out of the bible, it came out of some other book. The vows were odd, different than what she was accustomed to. She shook her head no. "I can't do this Keith."

"You will. You're going to. Even if you say no it's not going to matter now shut the hell up."

"You may kiss the bride," said the man.

Keith took her close and laid a good kiss on her. No sooner than the man left he picked her up and carried her to the bedroom.