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“I want you to quit working at that fucking restaurant, you understand? All they want is to break our family apart.”

Your stomach drops at his words, “but Carmy and Nat, they’re my family! I can’t just cut them out of my life like that!” you say with a shaky breath. He fixes you with a stern look and you curl into yourself, arms moving almost protectively over your stomach.

“I don’t want to hear it! You saw what Carmy is capable of, what he did to me!” he says angrily, “You have to do what’s best for your family now. Eva, this baby, me, that’s the family that matters now. How could you be so heartless?”

Tears prick your eyes as you sit down next to Richie, “I-I’m sorry, you’re right, I wasn’t thinking.” You run your hand over your bump before looking back at Richie, “I’ll quit, it’s almost time for this little one to come out anyway, I shouldn’t be working in this condition.”

“That’s right, you just gotta focus on being my beautiful, pregnant wife right now,” Richie says with a smile, reaching out to cover your hand over your stomach.

~~~

Michael Jr. comes into the world screaming his lungs out a week later. “It’s a boy!” The doctor exclaims, turning to Richie to show him how to clamp and cut the cord. Richie is in awe, staring at his new son as he’s taken to the other side of the room for a quick clean and wrapped in a blanket.

The doctor turns with the bundle in his arms, “alright who wants the first cuddle, Mommy? Daddy?”

“I’ll take hi-” you start, reaching out for your son but Richie beats you to it, carefully taking the bundle into his arms.

“Hey there, Mikey, it’s your daddy.” He coos, gently running a finger over his cheek. You sit there quietly, keeping your tears at bay as the doctors move around the room, finishing up their tasks.

You wait until the last doctor leaves before asking quietly, “Richie, can I hold him now?” You reach toward Richie and he shrugs you off, turning away from you.

“You got to hold him for 9 fuckin’ months, you can wait.” He says with a sneer and you nod, blinking rapidly to keep the tears from falling. This wasn’t the way you imagined giving birth at all. Sugar should’ve been here, holding your hand. Carmy should’ve been in the waiting room, ready to come see his first nephew. A sob slips from your lips before you could help it, tears finally falling.

Richie turns to you annoyed, “For fucks sake, what’s your problem? You’ll get him after I’m done.” 

You nod in agreement at his words but another sob slips out, “Sugar should’ve been here… Carmy too. You’ve taken everything away from me.”

“All I’ve done is give you a home and purpose. I’ve given you Mikey, is that not enough? You’re so ungrateful.” He spits at you, “Pull yourself together, you’re a fucking adult.”

At his father’s raised voice, Michael whines, face screwing up in a cry. Richie lets out a rough sigh, shaking his head as he tries to get Michael to calm down. “See this is what I’m talking about, you’re too emotional right now and it’s making Mikey upset. You gotta get over yourself if you want to be a good mom.”

Michael refuses to settle, his cries growing louder as Richie rocks him. “Let-let me take him, Richie, maybe he’s hungry,” you say tentatively and Richie sighs, dumping him into your arms.

“Whatever, just get him to stop. I’m going for a smoke.”

You nod, watching him leave before turning your attention to the crying baby in your arms. You reposition him gently, cuddling him close to your chest. His cries slowly abate, and you smile, gently stroking his cheek as he nestles closer to you. “Your daddy gets angry sometimes,” you whisper to Michael, gently stroking his cheek, “but momma will alway protect you, okay? Nothing bad is ever going to happen to you.”

~~~

“I heard from Richie that baby and mamá are healthy. A little boy, Michael.”

Carmy’s knife clatters out of his hand as Tina’s words register in his ears. You’re okay. He has a nephew. You have a child. What the fuck were you doing having a child?

“A boy! Richie must be happy.” Ebra replies, “Will he bring little Michael around?”

Carmy grabs his knife, trying to act normal as he strains his ears to hear Tina’s reply, heart beating madly at the opportunity to see his new nephew. “No, he doesn’t want to be anywhere near here if Carm- uh no but I’m going to see them tomorrow, I’ll bring some pictures in.”

Carmy’s breath leaves him in a rush that leaves him light-headed and his knife slips, slicing across his knuckles. He shouts in pain and stumbles away from the counter, nearly running into Sydney as he stumbles toward the bathroom.

“Watch it, Carmy! What’s wrong with you?”

~~~

“Looks like everything is healing well,” The doctor says brightly as she pulls off her gloves, “still, no intercourse for the next couple weeks but I would say you get a clean bill of health!”

“So no more visits to prod at me anymore?” You ask with a joking tone, sparing her a smile as you collect your things. You check the time on your phone as you exit the doctor’s office, cursing when you see it’s later than you thought.

You can hear Mikey’s wails from the driveway and you rush in, almost missing Richie waiting next to the door. He grabs your arm, pulling you to look at him, “what no hello? You’re late.” He states, voice low.

“Hello, Richie. The doctor took a while to see me.” You say before adding desperately, “Let me go see what Mikey needs and then we can talk all you want.”

Richie growls, tightening his grip on your arm, “Tell me what the fuckin’ doctor said first.”

You wince at his grip and speak quickly, “Clean bill. No sex for a few weeks. Now can I go?”

“You need more visits?”

“No. Now let go so I can see to our son!”

Richie shakes his head with a small chuckle, bringing his free hand back to smack you across the face. He pulls you closer to him and sneers, “lose the sass, if you hadn’t been late he wouldn’t be crying now. Don’t act like it’s my fault you’re a bad mother.”

He throws you away from him and you stumble, reaching out toward the wall to steady yourself. With a quiet sigh you compose yourself, walking into Mikey’s room with a smile.

“What’s wrong little man, it can’t be as bad as all that,” you coo, gently lifting him from his crib.

~~~

“Baby, get in here!”

You sigh at the sound of Richie’s voice ringing through the house, pressing a gentle kiss to Mikey’s forehead. “Alright, little man, let’s get you into bed,” you whisper and smile as he gurgles in response.

“Now!”

You press your lips together tightly, pointedly ignoring Richie as you lay Mikey in his crib, stroking his cheek. He’s nearly asleep when Richie barges into the room, the door slamming against the wall causing Mikey to startle awake. “I know you could hear me,” he seethes, reaching out to grab your arm, “so would you like to tell me why you didn’t answer?”

You glare at him, stepping out of his reach, “because, asshole, I was trying to get Mikey down and you just ruined it. Now you’ll have to wait even longer." You reply shortly, turning to soothe Mikey’s cries.

Richie seizes his chance and tangles his fingers in your hair, forcing your head back as he steps closer and whispers, “you’re going to come with me now or it’ll get a lot worse for you, do you understand me?” Tears spring to your eyes as pain prickles over your scalp from his hold and you nod as best you can. A feral smile crosses his features, as he forces you to walk out of the nursery, leaving Mikey crying in his crib.

He throws you to the floor, hands swiftly unbuckling his belt, “I’ve been very patient, waiting for you to give birth, through all those fucking doctor’s appointments, but I’m done waiting now.” Richie says and pauses as he slowly pulls his belt through the loops, “It’s your fault Carmen beat me. Your fault I lost everything I had at The Beef, what I could've had at The Bear. I’ve tried teaching you how to be a good wife, but it seems you need a harder hand than I thought. Take your shirt off.”

You shake your head, pleading with him, “Richie, please you don’t have to do this. We-we can just talk, okay?”

Richie growls and grabs a fistful of your shirt, tearing it at the seams. “Take. It. Off!” He shouts, Smacking you across the face. You cry out, tears welling in your eyes as you shakily pull it off, hands moving to retain some modesty.

Richie swings, barely giving you time to react before his belt comes down across your shoulders. Your breath leaves you in a wheeze and you gasp for air as each lash leaves you breathless, unable to even scream. But you can hear Mikey in the background, his desperate cries for you brings tears to your eyes. A fire spreads beneath your skin, deepening the pain of repeated lashes in the same place.

You’re sobbing when Richie finally drops the belt, breathless from the force of his swings. He crouches to grab your jaw, forcing you to look at him. “Do you understand why I did this?” He asks and you nod in response. Fingers dig into your raw shoulder, “Say. It! Why did I do this?”

You let out a sob, squeezing your eyes shut, “it’s my fault, I did this! It’s all my fault!”

Richie nods, letting you slump back on the floor as he stands, “you toe the line again and I’ll make you go away. Understand? No more Mikey, No more anything. I’m tired of this.” He doesn’t wait for a response, throwing “get the brat to stop crying” over his shoulder as he heads for the bedroom.

~~~

“Tina! It’s so good to see you! Please, come in!” You give her a smile as you side step, letting her into the house. “Richie didn’t tell me you were coming, I would’ve cleaned up.” You say apologetically but she shakes her head, drawing you into a tight hug. Your back throbs at the touch of her arms and you grit your teeth, hiding the pain with an uneasy smile as she pulls away.

“Nonsense, you just had a baby, you should be resting!” Tina exclaims and gives you a once over, eyes hesitating at the bruise Richie’s buckle left at the base of your neck. She reaches up and gently tugs your collar up to cover the bruise. “Now, where do you need me, and no lying now, got it?” She says, fixing you with a stern look.

“Dishes, laundry, maybe? Richie’s been so busy at work and barely helps when he is here, I’ve been trying to do everything and take care of Mikey.” Your facade breaks as you let out a weary sigh before quickly plastering a smile on your face.

Tina fixes you with another look, eyebrows tight with concern, “Go sit down, mami. You look dead on your feet!” She ushers you toward the couch, eyes trained on you until you get settled against the cushions.

“Mikey needs a bottle every 3 hours but he sleeps like a champ once I get him down, guess that’s all I can ask for with a newborn.” You sigh, wincing as the cushions press against your back. You watch Tina walk into the kitchen, waiting until she starts doing the dishes with her back to you before shifting to sit up straight, relieving the pressure against your back.

No dish defeats Tina and in a matter of thirty minutes all the dishes line the counters, drying as she sets her sights on the heaped laundry baskets. She switches the loads, starting a new one before bringing a basket of clean clothes to fold in the living room.

You’re folding clothes with Tina when Mikey’s fussing filters through the baby monitor. You smile and set the towel in your hands down, “There’s the man of the hour,” you joke with a laugh, gripping the armrest of the couch as you get up, “let me grab him, I’m sure you’re excited to see him!”

You head into Mikey’s bedroom, softly cooing at him as you ease him from the crib. Your face pinches in pain as your shoulders throb from the strain of holding him but you shake it off, giving Mikey a small smile, “hi sweetheart, did you have a good nap, hm?” You ask softly, gently running your knuckle against his cheek as you head back down the hall to the living room.

Tina softly exclaims, hands coming to cover her mouth as you step in front of her. “Oh. Oh, Can I hold him?” She asks softly, gently cupping his head. You nod with a smile, gently shifting him from your arms to hers. “Oh, bebito, you’re so small.” She says quietly, letting him hold her finger.

“I know, it took some getting used to, I kept thinking I was going to crush him.” You reply, stroking his head, “still can’t wrap my head around the fact he came out of me.”

Tina laughs, “Mine are fully grown and I still can’t wrap my head around it.” She says with a sigh, tearing her eyes away from Mikey to give you a smile, “You’re doing good, mami.”

A lump forms in your throat and you give her an uneasy smile, looking down at your hands, “I could be doing better. But thank you.”

“Look at him.” Tina says, gently pushing him back into your arms and he cuddles closer to you, fingers curling tightly around your shirt, “You’re all he knows, just being in your arms makes him happy.” You swallow back the tears stinging your eyes giving her a small nod. She cups your face for a moment, giving you a smile before pulling away. “Now, how about a picture? Ebra and Sydney have been dying to see our little bebito.” She asks as she pulls out her phone.

You let out a quiet laugh before holding Mikey up and smiling as Tina holds her phone up for the photo.

~~~

It’s Sydney squeal that pulls Carmy’s focus away from his work. “Oh my god, he’s adorable!” Sydney gushes, a smile forming on her lips as Tina hands her phone to her, the picture she took of Mikey open on the screen.

Carmy turns to see Ebra leaning over the two women to take a look at the picture. Ebra lets out a hum of approval, “He will be strong like his father I think.” He says before resuming his work. Carmy twists a towel in his hands nervously as he watches Tina show Sydney more pictures, chattering about how you and Mikey are doing.

He waits until Sydney leaves before approaching Tina, his shoulders drawn in and eyes downcast. “Tina… Can I- can I see them?” He asks quietly, squeezing the towel in his hands as he waits for her answer.

Tina sighed, “You know Richie doesn’t want you to see them,” She starts but her eyes soften at the scene in front of her, Carmy, a shell of the once hot-headed chef she knew.

“She’s my sister, Tina.”

Tina watched him for a moment before nodding, opening her phone to the picture of you holding Mikey in your arms. Carmy’s breath catches as he looks at you in the picture, how small and tired you seem, holding your own child. He runs a shaky hand over his mouth, whispering, “they’re so tiny.”

Tina’s eyes widen at the utterance and she looks down at the picture, unable to take her eyes off the way you curl in on yourself, almost like you’re trying to protect Mikey.

“Can you tell her I love her and I’m-I’m never going to stop being there for her?” Carmy’s request pulls her out of her reverie and she looks up at him, giving him a small nod in agreement. Carmy sighs, taking a final look at your picture before giving Tina a smile, “thank you, Tina.”

~~~

“Why the fuck isn’t this done!”

Richie shouting from the living room startles Tina as she tidies the nursery and steps to the doorway, peering out at the scene.

“I-I told you, you came home early so I didn’t have enough ti-time,” you explain, holding Mikey closer to your chest.

Richie shakes his head and chuckles, “all I ask for is a clean house and an obedient wife. I don’t see either!” He raises his hand and you flinch, curling around the child in your arms. He laughs at your fear and his hand shoots out, tangling in your hair and forcing your head back as he steps closer. “I’m going out. If this isn’t done by the time I’m home you know what happens, yeah?” You nod against his grip the best you can and he smiles, letting go of your hair with a small pat to your cheek.

Richie slams the door and you sink to your knees, body racking with sobs. Tina rushes over and wraps her arms around you, gently shushing you. “Mami, how long has this been going on?” She asks quietly after you calm down.

You clear your throat and pull away from her embrace. standing up from the floor. You gently place Mikey in his play cot with a sigh, “It’s not always this bad. He just- he just wants to teach me how to be a good wife, a good mother, but I keep screwing it up.” You say as you smooth Mikey’s onesie.

“Honey, what the fuck are you talking about? He shouldn’t be hitting you, yelling at you like that with Mikey around!” Tina exclaims, “This is wrong, mami, how can you not see that?”

Tears fill your eyes and you tip your head up to keep the tears from falling, “he’s all I know, Tina, he’s all I had after… after Mikey… we only had each other, how do I leave him after that?” You respond, voice thick with tears.

Tina sighs and wraps her arm around you, rubbing your shoulder comfortingly. She watches Mikey wriggle in his play cot, lifting his head to try and look at you. “Look at this baby, look at your baby. He doesn’t deserve to live like this.”

You let out a sob, wiping away the tears that escape, “who’s going to help me? R-Richie’s burned all my relationships outside of him. W-where am I supposed to take Mikey if I leave?”

Tina grabs your shoulders, forcing you to look at her, “Carmy will. Nat, Sydney, Ebra, all of us, we never stopped loving you, chica. You will always have us.” She says firmly, keeping eye contact until you give a little nod of acknowledgement before she sighs, pulling you into a tight hug.

“I’ll do it,” You murmur against her shoulder, “I’ll…I’ll leave.”

~~~

Barely thirty minutes after Richie left for work you hear a knock on the door. The scene you find as you open the door brings you to tears. Everyone from The Bear was there, and most importantly, taking point in the group was Carmy and Nat. You throw yourself at your siblings, a sob ripping through your chest as you pull them close to you. “I’m so sorry,” You say as you pull away and wipe the tears from your face.

Carmy shakes his head, “We’re the ones that should be saying that. We were so self absorbed we didn’t notice what was happening until it was too late.” He takes a shaky breath before continuing, grabbing your hand, “I’m so sorry, Baby Bear.”

You shake your head, squeezing his hand tightly, “It’s okay, Bear, you’re here now.” The sound of Mikey fussing in his cot draws your attention and you offer Carmy and Nat a watery smile, “There’s someone you should meet.”

You let the group into the house, cooing softly as you pick up the fussing baby, “Hey, baby, look who’s here.” You settle him into your arms before presenting him to the group. You point at each of them and say their name, attaching aunt or uncle to their names before finishing on Carmy and Nat. Carmy reaches forward hesitantly, hand hovering over Mikey’s head like he was afraid to touch him. You laugh, “You can touch him, Carm, he’s not going to break. Here, let me show you.”

He takes a shaky breath, letting you place Mikey into his arms and gently strokes Mikey’s hair, “He’s so small.” He says with a small laugh, looking at the baby in his arms with wonder.

Tina claps to get everyone’s attention, “if we’re done with theatrics, we got a lot of work to do if we’re gonna be gone before Richie comes back.”

With everyone working together to gather anything that belonged to you or Mikey, efficiently packing them into boxes and hauling them out to the moving van, you were finished in under three hours.

You stand in the doorway holding Mikey and look over the place you lived for so long, blinking rapidly to hold back the tears at the thought of leaving Richie and this place behind. Nat touches your shoulder and you turn to her with a small laugh, “Is it wrong to say I’ll miss this place?”

Nat shakes her head, “I think whatever you’re feeling is okay, just know you’re going to a better place now, okay?”