The Center (Houdini and Nurse_K)

Brendan was completely relieved when he saw her smile. Then, she was in his face, kissing him back. He could barely suppress a smile enough to form his lips into a pucker and kiss her delicious lips back. He placed his hand up on her cheek and cupped her ear, carefully avoiding her bruised cheekbone, as he enjoyed the wonderful taste he’d missed so much. "I know, Elsa," he sighed. "Because I feel it, too. I still love you so much." He stayed close to her for a few more moments before letting his hand fall from her ear. "We really should get going,” he said with a little disappointment in his voice. “Can you call me tomorrow if you get a chance?”
 
"I love you too," she whispered, barely audible at all. She pressed her forehead against his and closed her eyes as she thought about what she had to go home to. Carlos might not even be home for hours after she got there, but she couldn't risk him being there when she got home. She'd left the note, but that didn't guarantee that he would be okay with her going out. He would be suspicious. She pulled away from Brendan and nodded, "Yeah. I'll call you if I can. She grasped his hand and squeezed it gently and then stood. Gui had fallen asleep so she just turned his stroller around and gripped the handle. "I should take the bus home. Just in case there's anyone watching."
 
Brendan had been willing to drive her home, or at least to the right neighborhood. He didn't feel safe with her taking the bus alone with Gui. But at least it was daylight, so he could live with it. "Okay, if you think it's best," he whispered, pressing his forehead against hers and then kissing her there. Gripping her hand, he looked into her pretty eyes as they prepared to part ways. "I'll be thinking of you until then," he said, a little sadly, but giving her a glimmer of a smile, as he was mostly hopeful now. Hopeful that things could end up right after all. Forcing himself to turn away, he headed back out to the parking lot.
 
"I'll be thinking of you too, Bren." she said just before he turned away. She sucked in a deep breath and pushed Gui the opposite way towards the bus stop entrance. She waited for the right bus for about five minutes. The bus ride was a little shorter this time, only ten minutes. She strolled Gui down the neighborhood sidewalk, thankful there was no one outside so she didn't feel judged. She arrived back home without a problem, and Carlos wasn't there. She breathed a huge sigh of relief and unpacked Gui and his stuff, feeding him and then laying him down for a nap.

She changed into one of Carlos' t-shirts and took her pants off, sitting on the couch to watch TV until he came home. She figured it would make him happy to see her like that and he wouldn't do much questioning. She'd always been bad at lying to him.
 
Brendan made the short drive home and spent the rest of the afternoon plotting out his ideas for Carlos. He made a sketch of Carlos basement as per his friend's description, and drew up the old cabinets with the dummy compartments in the back of them. He thought about all the ways to do this. Should he videotape Carlos? Maybe if he bluffed convincingly enough about having proof, Carlos would be scared enough to go along. That seemed like something do go on, yet he just kept agonizing over it for the rest of the afternoon and evening.

Carlos, meanwhile, was in a good mood by the time he came home in the early evening. His bookies had made a killing today, and of course he got a cut of all the action. Strolling into the living room like some sort of King, he glanced over and saw Elsa lounging around in a t-shirt watching TV. "Is that what you did all day?" he asked with a laugh. "It was a nice day out." Of course, his preference was for her to stay at home, but he didn't want to come out and say that. He preferred to make her feel bad for doing what he wanted her to do all along.
 
She stuck her tongue out at him when he came home and stretched her arms up with a little yawn. "Actually," she said as she pointed to the stroller, "I took Gui out for a walk earlier. He really liked it. We just went down the block and came back, but it was nice to go outside." she clicked the TV off and stood up. She walked over to him and gently placed her hands on his chest as she looked up at him. "Did you have a good day? Are you hungry?" for some reason, despite having spent a couple of hours with Brendan and realizing how badly she wanted to be with him, she was feeling a little affectionate towards Carlos. "I could make you dinner,"
 
Carlos shrugged at the mention of the walk. "Oh, that's nice," he told her. He didn't mind her walking the neighborhood with Gui. He liked the idea of Gui becoming accustomed to the area. He was really hungry, and had actually been hoping that Elsa had something ready for him. "Yeah that sounds nice, mama," he said, kissing her on the lips, and completing their embrace. Heading over towards the living room, he plopped down on the couch and kicked his shoes and socks off in the middle of the floor. "I had a long day. My feet tired, I'm tired, some nice dinner would be great, baby."
 
"Okay," she chirped happily. She padded into the kitchen and opened the fridge, investigating what was there. She took out some pitas, vegetables, and beef and put some butter in a pan and set it to heat up. She hummed to herself softly as she worked. Once she got the vegetables and the beef cooking she went back into the fridge and pulled out a beer. She opened it and walked into the living room, leaning over the back of the couch and wrapping her arms around Carlos loosely, presenting the beer to him. "Here baby," she said softly, kissing his cheek as he took the beer. She went back into the kitchen and finished up the dinner. She made five burritos stuffed to the brim with beef, cheese, and vegetables. She plated three for Carlos and two for herself. She went into the living room and plopped down next to him, handing him his plate.
 
Carlos smiled contentedly when Elsa handed him the beer, putting his feet up on the table while she prepared dinner. Although he had the TV on, he mostly watched Elsa as she worked. He watched her dip down, bend over, and reach up on her tiptoes for some spices. He never got tired of watching her body in motion. And she was working so hard, all for him. All in all, it was really very pleasing to have a woman around like this. Carlos commended himself for being able to appreciate a woman's body so much as we watched. "Good job, sugar," he told her when she handed him the plate of burritos. This time, he really wouldn't have known a white girl cooked it just from the taste. She was getting that much better. They ate together in peace, except whne he asked Elsa for another beer. "That was real good," he told her again when he was done, starting to feel a bit groggy. "What you think 'bout getting Gui a room set up here soon?" Carlos suggested. "I can get some guys over to paint it, buy him some furniture, so he not livin' like a hobo with no room forever," he proposed.
 
Elsa enjoyed eating dinner with Carlos. She thought that her food had been prepared marvelously well, and she was very proud of it. She got him another beer gladly, happy that he was satisfied with the way she was cooking. Switching to Spanish food was difficult for her at first, but she thought she'd transitioned well. But when Carlos asked her about getting Gui a room she cracked up. "Carlos!" she squealed as she laughed when she went to clean the dishes. "He's not a hobo! He's just in our room. He's a month old, he doesn't need a room yet." she sighed and held her stomach for a moment, it hurt from laughing so hard. "But if you want to, we can do that."
 
Carlos laughed when Elsa cracked up. He hadn't meant to insult their son, but just figured they had an empty room with just a bunch of junk in it, so why not put it to good use? Besides, Gui didn't seem like too much trouble, so he assumed the sooner he got his own room, the sooner Elsa could pay Carlos a just little more attention in the bedroom. "Okay, mama," he finally agreed, still chuckling a little. "You the mama. I just thought it might not be bad to get a head start on his room." He finished off his beer and put it in the trash himself, heading for the steps instead of back to the living room. "I'ma watch TV in bed," he announced. "If you an' the hobo wanna come in, you both welcome."
 
You the mama. That phrase made her smile. Yes, she was the mama. And he was giving that authority to her. Once she was finished with the dishes she picked up Gui and brought him upstairs to his crib. She tucked him in and gave him a little tickle, which elicited her favorite giggle from him. She walked over to the bed and rolled onto the bed, looking at him with a little smile. "Hobo's all set in his cardboard box," she said with a little laugh. She stretched and yawned, exhausted from the most eventful day she'd had in awhile.
 
Carlos looked over and smiled as she tucked in Gui and played with him. He pinched her hip playfully when she climbed into bed and referred to him as a 'hobo' again. "I think the hobo beggin' now," he continued. "He want some tit milk," Carlos said in amusement of himself. He wasn't really sure if she had anything in mind for tonight, although he didn't think so. They had been getting busy almost every night lately, though. "I think little Carlos a little tired tonight, sugar," he said as he moved some hair away from her ear and kissed it. "You still sexy, but you gonna have to convince him if you want him out tonight." Folding his hands behind his head, he laid back on his pillow and smiled as the picture of his girlfriend and baby. This was his kingdom, his household, and nobody could take it from him.
 
She leaned over him and kissed his mouth softly. "It's okay, babe. I'm tired too. We should probably just sleep," the truth was Elsa really didn't want to sleep with Carlos tonight. Her ass still hurt from what he did to her the night before and she didn't want him anywhere near it. She was playing up being affectionate but she didn't even want to cuddle with him, though she thought he might expect that. She laid down next to him and buried her head into the pillow, already in proper sleeping clothes. She reached out and stroked his chest gently, heaving a sigh. "You working all day tomorrow?" she asked him absently, her eyes already closed as she prepared to drift off.
 
Carlos nodded at her in agreement; it was hard for him to refuse sleep tonight. He'd gotten enough ass from Elsa lately that he didn't really mind going a day without. He actually thought she might want to try anal again, since she wasn't limping around too much or anything today. But that would have to be for another time. As she stroked his chest, he reached over to her and ran his finger through her hair again and again, slowly starting to drift off. "I don't know, baby," he mumbled. "I gotta go out for work, yeah." He didn’t even give a thought to why she might want to know when he’d be away. Finally, he fell off into a sound sleep, not even waking at the stirring and occasional crying of their son during the night.
 
Elsa woke up the next morning to find Carlos still sleeping next to her. She rolled out of the bed and went over to the baby, picking him up and carrying him to the bathroom. She changed his diaper and set about bathing him in the sink. Gui was giggly this morning and so Elsa was too. She squealed and laughed with him, covering him in soap bubbles and then dousing him with water. He splashed about and made a big mess, but Elsa didn't care. She would clean it up when they were finished. What was important to her was that Gui was having fun and that he was a happy baby. He was all that he really had in this world. Carlos was his father, yeah, and he bought stuff for the baby, yeah, but he wasn't anything more than that.
 
Carlos finally woke, squinting at the bright light coming in, and finding himself alone in both the bed and the bedroom. After rubbing his eyes and stretching, he wandered out into the hall, wearing just a pair of mesh shorts, which displayed the several big knife scars on his chest and stomach. Glancing into the bathroom, he saw Elsa and Gui giggling as she bathed him in the sink. Feeling left out somehow, he went right past and headed straight downstairs, pouring himself a glass of cool water. Although he was initially determined to wait them out until the bathroom was free for him to shower, he finally gave in and slipped into the bathroom, putting on a smile and rubbing Elsa's shoulders while she finished up the bath. "How's our baby?" he asked her in a whisper, kissing the back of her neck.
 
"He's great," she cooed with a grin as she covered Gui's nose in soap bubbles and then blew them off. She drained the sink and wrapped a towel around him, picking him up and holding him against her chest. "I'll let you shower," she said dismissively as she strolled out of the bathroom. She went into the bedroom and laid Gui down on the bed as she dressed him. Once he was dressed she brought him downstairs and sat in the big comfy chair with a bottle of her breast milk. She was working on getting him used to bottles for when her body finally stopped giving out breast milk.
 
Carlos smiled at her and gave her a last little rub on her shoulders before she left. But what he really wanted was just use of the bathroom. He wasn't feeling very family-oriented today. Not that he resented Elsa or Gui, but it wasn't in his nature to be a settled down kind of guy. So he took a shower, got dressed and headed down the steps ready to go and see his crew, the people he considered true family, the men who'd stuck with him for thick and thin, risked death and imprisonment out of loyalty to him. "You need anything while I'm out?", he shot over at Elsa as she rocked in the chair and fed Gui. He was a little disappointed that she hadn't even made an attempt to get him anything to eat, but he bit his tongue for now.
 
"I need to go to the grocery store. Will you take me later, or should I take the bus? I need money for that too." she said without looking at him. She was focused on Gui right now and making sure he drank from the bottle. She knew that she needed to go to the grocery store and get food otherwise she wasn't going to be able to cook for herself, Carlos, or eventually make food for Gui. She wasn't exactly sure how Carlos would feel about her being blunt about going to the grocery store, but she wasn't feeling being all coo-y and fluffy to him.
 
Carlos stopped and just had to stare at her for a moment. Her behavior seemed a little out of character. Or, to be exact, she was acting one way with Gui and another with him. He shook that out of his head though. What sense did it make to compare himself with a little sniveling baby? He seemed to be doing more of that lately than he would have liked to admit. "Well, don't be too sweet to me, okay?" he shot back a little sarcastically. When she didn't respond, he just answered her question. Pulling out his wallet, he took out a hundred dollars and laid it on the table. "In case you want to go out," he explained. "But I'd like it better if you call my cell when you're ready, and I'll have Luis take you." He knew she wouldn't want to go with Luis, which is why he left the money, but he also knew as a neighborhood leader, it was his duty to offer his protection, and not send her alone.
 
"Thanks for the offer, babe, but you know I don't like Luis. I'll just take the bus." she removed the bottle from Gui's mouth when the bottle was empty and picked up the small cloth she'd laid on his stomach. She wiped his mouth off and slid off of the couch and laid him down in the crib. She walked over to Carlos and pressed her hand against his cheek. "Thanks for the money. I'll make sure I get some good stuff so I can make you a nice dinner, okay?" she gave him a little smile, though she was just feeling half-hearted about this. She didn't want him to get angry at her though. That would only cause problems.
 
Carlos grinned at her half-heartedly. "You really should let Luis drive you," he prodded. "He don't have to walk inside the store with you." Carlos was mostly concerned about his reputation, if his girlfriend was seen taking the bus. "People see that you with me, and... you know, they don't expect to see you on the bus," he explained. "But do what you want. Call me if you change your mind." Slipping on his shoes, he gave her one last glance and smile and took off through the door. "See you later, sugar," he grunted on the way out.
 
"Bye," she said to him softly as he left. Once he was gone she went upstairs and took a shower. The entire time she was in there she thought about what she and Brendan had spoken about. She could go snoop around in the basement right now. She could look for drugs right now. But...she still felt weird about it. She decided that she wouldn't do it just yet. Once she was finished with her shower she went into the bedroom and got dressed. Carlos had bought her some ghetto hoop earrings and she put them on, just to see how she looked. Surprisingly they suited her. She'd always been able to look good ghetto or otherwise, she just didn't like being ghetto.

She spent the rest of the morning puttering around, ate cereal, changed Gui again. Around one o'clock she decided it was time for the grocery store and she suddenly didn't want to take the bus anymore. She'd have to lug all the groceries with her. She groaned as she knew Carlos had won this battle and picked up her phone, dialing Carlos.
 
Carlos wasn't really doing much, but he would never admit that to Elsa or anyone else outside of his circle. He liked to always appear to be doing something important while he was out. As he sat at the bar sipping a beer and telling prison stories with the other guys, his phone suddenly rang. "Hey baby," he said once he discerned it was Elsa. "Hold on, I'm in the middle of somethin' important, but I'ma make time for you." He walked out to the sidewalk for a moment before speaking again. "So you change your mind? You want me to send him over?"
 
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