A woman's dilemma - Episode 64

 

Francesca:

"I'm sorry for how messy I look baby." Francis actually comes out of the car and his features soften when his eyes clock on me. I find myself stepping back. My father's hand holds me securely to his side.
"What are you doing here?" Gideon looks murderous as he steps closer to Francis.
"No." I cry out as he gets closer to my monster of an husband. My father's hand is the only thing keeping me from running to Gideon . That and the crippling fear strangling me right now.
"Francesca don't come any closer." Gideon throws at me.
"What do you mean what am I doing here? I came to bring my wife home." Francis points to me. I start to shake my head before Francis' eyes pin me down. I look away and turn to bury my face in my father's neck.
"Shhhh. He can't get to you." My father mutters. I feel Ola clutch my legs like he would do all those months ago when his father would turn ugly and something inside me snaps.
"Frances! Who the hell is this guy throwing his weight around and asking me what am doing here?" Francis actually looks angry but not at me. At Gideon

All episodes of this story can be found here >> https://www.ebonystory.com/story/a-woman-s-dilemma

. I push away from my father and my son.
"Frances." My mom calls out when my hand slips off my father's hold.
"No. I have to say this." I say to my parents as I match over to stand beside Gideon.
"Baby what are you..."
"Baby?! Frances what is this moronic doctor saying?" Francis cuts Gideon off.
"Baby?! Baby?!" I let out a mirthless laugh and shake my head.
"This is my fight Gideon. He's hurt me and my son enough. He's taken too much from me. No more." I say when Gideon tries to hold me back from Francis. Gideon lets me go but still he keeps a close eye on Francis. I can't love the man more. He knows I need this.
"Listen to me. You and I are done, Francis. You don't get to throw your weight around! You don't get to hit me or my child anymore! I want you out of our lives this very moment. Then I'll think about not calling the police on your murderous ass." I snap at him. I'm shaking with many years of anger.
"What are you talking about? I only killed her for you! This. This is for us!" Francis points to his bloody shirt and I really don't know what he is talking about neither do I care. I point my finger in his face as my face harden.
"Get the hell out of this place! Now!" I yell in his face.
"Frances." Gideon growls when Francis catches my hand in the air. Gideon is already grabbing his collar when Francis drops the hand.
"That's not my ring." That's the only thing he says. 
"Francesca, let me throw this man out of here. Say the word." Gideon growls at my side with his hands still on Francis' collars.
"Don't stoop to his level. He's leaving. Aren't you, Francis?" I level a hard look at him but he just shakes his head.
"Where's my ring Frances?"
"Get your hands off her!" Gideon slams Francis into his car with such force when he tries to touch me again that the sound forces a squeal out of me.
"Mommy!" Ola screams and starts to run towards us.
"Stop!" I scream and the rest happens too quickly. I see my parents trying to get to my son.
 Gideon turns as Ola slips on a stone and falls, giving Francis the space to slip out of his hold.
"Gideon!" I scream when Francis slams him against the car. My hands fly to my mouth on a sob when I see the silver revolver pressing into Gideon's chin. It's now I notice the people coming out of the hospital doors.
"Nobody move or I kill the man!" Francis presses the gun harder into Gideon's face.
"Francis please."
"How do you like him now, you adulterous woman?!" Francis actually spit the words out. Spittle drip down his chin and I try not to throw up. Not even from the spittle but the gun pressed into the man I love.
"Francesca!" My mother screams from behind us. I spare my parents a glance and I wave them back.
"Get Ola out of here. Go!" I scream.
"Oh nobody is going anywhere." My head whips back to Francis. His hold on Gideon gets tighter.
"Ma'am Francesca. Gideon?" I see the huge hospital's security gently walk out with his hands up. I shake my head at him.
"Sir, I'll have to ask you to drop your weapon down now. I already called the police and..."
"Stay back!" A blood curling scream rents the air at the sound of two gunshots which Francis fires into the guard. The big man drops to the ground like a bag of rice.
"No!" Gideon screams as he grabs Francis from behind and squeeze hard on his neck. Adrenaline rush through me.
"Get. Off. Me. I'm going to kill her." Francis pulls the gun on me.
"No!" Gideon lets go of him and before I can say anything, he turns and pushes Gideon to the car, his gun shoved into Gideon's mouth.
"Francis!!! What are you doing?! You don't want to do this! You can't!" He actually starts to laugh as he pulls the gun out and waves the gun around.
"Frances, get away from him, please." I see the panicked look on Gideon's face and I start to shake.
"Now you're going to listen to me huh? Everyone always respects the gun." Francis says.
"Just let him go please. Let them go. You want me right?" I ask Francis.
"No! Don't you dare do it! Don't put yourself out there again baby. I'm fine. I'm..."
"Shut the fuck up!" Francis slam the butt of the gun into Gideon's head and I let out a scream. He doesn't even stop at one strike. He slams the gun into his head over and over again till Gideon falls to the dirt.
"Stop!" I cry with my hands over my ears.
 The lunatic looks up from Gideon's bloody face to me.
"You can have me."
"W..wh..what?" Gideon sputters through the blood in my mouth.
"You're not taking my daughter! Not again!" I turn to see my mother struggling against my father's hold. My son is crying by my father's leg and it breaks my heart so much. I have to do this for everyone I love right now.
"Now boy, you don't want to make an enemy of me. You know that. Just let everyone go and I'll let this go. I won't hunt you and make the rest of your life a living hell." My father grunts out loud enough for us to hear. Francis just ignores him.
"Get in the car." Francis points to the car's door.
"The driver's side. Your driving so I can keep an eye on  you." He grins crookedly like he thinks himself a genius. I bite down on the inside of my cheek before I put my hands up and make for the other door. I hear various calls to me but it's Gideon's broken voice on the floor and my son's crying one that has me weeping.
"Don't. Please." Gideon grabs my legs and I stop short. My eyes move up to Francis who shrugs and gives me a look that says he wouldn't flinch before he puts a bullet in anyone he can.
"I'm sorry." I sob as I kick past Gideon and pull the door open.
"No! Frances! Frances!" I shut the door against the voices and bury my head in my palms as I weep.
 There's pounding on the door and window but I can't look up. I hear the other door pull open and know that it's Francis.
"We're going to have a really great life together." I hear the lunatic say. I let my head up and give him a sugary sweet smile. Two can play this mad game of his. I buckle up my seatbelt.
"You see? I knew you'll come around." He actually thinks he's got me? Never. Over my dead body.
"Ready?" He points the gun at me as he points to the steering wheel.
"Of course." I turn the ignition switch on before stepping on the accelerator.
"Frances! Frances!" I look at the side mirror and choke back tears as I watch Gideon run after the car with my son.
"Better off without you. You're mine." Francis says from the side. I turn to face him with his gun.
"You should have worn your seatbelt." I say silently.
"What?" I swerve the car off the path and slam the car into the big tree by the side of the road. I'm propelled forward in the car and so is Francis. The seatbelt bites into my chest as I slam into the steering a bit. Without his seatbelt, he's thrown out the car with so much force, he flies through the glass windshield and slams into the tree. Glasses fly everywhere and I have to put a hand up to shield my face.
"No! Arggggghhhhhhhhhhh!!" I hear Francis' panicked screams amongst the sirens of police cars.
"My neck." I groan and try to shake the pain away as I try to open the door. It doesn't bulge.
"Frances?! Frances!" Gideon's panicked screams reach my ears just then. I look through the mirror and see him running towards the car.
"Help! It won't open!" I push my head through the broken window.
"Oh my God!" Gideon is by the door pulling it open in seconds.
"O!pen!" He growls but the door doesn't  bulge.
"Backseat." He says just as he goes to the back to pull that door open.

Read " To Live For Once (Set Me Free II) " by the same author ( Ameh juliet )

. It comes open and I rush into the back seat.
"Gideon!" I sob as I launch myself into his arms. He catches me and pulls me out the car.
"No. You're bleeding." He brushes the hair off my face. I see the panic on his face.
"It's nothing. It's nothing. The glasses scratched me." I quickly tell him but he's hearing none of it. He fuss all over me and I soak up his touches.
"You scared me." He finally sobs as he hugs me to his chest. I put my hands around his neck as I let the tears fall some more.
"I couldn't let him hurt any of you." I look to the side to the mangled body of the man who used to be my husband. Oh my God, I killed him. I bury my face back in Gideon's neck at the horror of it all.
"He's alive. Battered but alive." Gideon whispers in my hair and I don't know if I'm relieved or not.