Iris awoke terrified that her dream was real. She saw she was still in the clothes she wore yesterday. Her blue silk top stained and it looked to be of blood. She immediately pulled back the covers and pulled her knees to her chest. She screamed. Her shriek was high-pitched and loud and long. Iris was just frustrated. Here she was in some random bed covered in blood and yet again with no memory of anything last night except getting off work and leaving with Antoine. Antoine. Maybe he was there somewhere. He would know what happened. She screamed again and Antoine walked into the room.
Antoine swiftly walked to the right side of the bed and sat down close to her. She was still grasping her knees with her arms so hard that her hands were pink. He looked at her eyes and just sat there still. She screamed again. All of Iris's pent up frustration over things she could not control in a loud outburst. He was so close that it must have hurt his ears but he didn't flinch. Instead he reached over and put his left hand on her knees. She released her knees and instead leaned forward onto his right shoulder. She started to sob. Antoine turned and grasped her in a hug. She held him back.
"I...just...can't...remember...anything," Iris said between sobs.
That was not good. Antoine knew that last night neither he nor Alex and Marcus had compelled her to forget. Something else was going on. No wonder Iris was overwhelmed.
"How long have you been having trouble remembering?" Antoine asked.
"Since this," as she pointed to her stomach and the baby growing inside her. "I blame you." Iris made fists and started to hit Antoine's chest. "Why....why....why..." she asked him. Tears swelled in her puffy eyes as she sobbed again.
Antoine didn't resist but let her take all the frustration out on him. If she was not remembering since she became pregnant then it was his fault. Either the baby was too powerful or maybe he messed up. He sighed. He really needed to call his dad now. Antoine pulled out his phone and dialed Teresa.
"Sis, I need your help. Iris and I won't make it to work today. I need you to go see Dad. Butter him up and tell him about Iris. Maybe if he hears it from you first then he might be more reasonable. We will visit him tomorrow."
With the end of the call he put down his phone and looked at the stressed out woman in front of him. He grabbed a blanket off the bed and draped it over her. Then in one swoop he picked her up and carried her down to the garage and put her in the passenger side of his car. After buckling her seatbelt he got in his seat, buckled up, and drove. He went to the main highways in Dallas. He took 75 straight downtown and followed the highways to the big stretch around the orchestra building and arts district. It was his favorite part to drive past. You could see the best of the Dallas skyline in front of you.
Iris was still in shock but could tell the meaning of his kind gesture. She enjoyed the view and leaned her head against the window. If nothing else went right, she still lived here. She still had her Dallas to comfort her through the worst.
Antoine drove through a taco shop drive-thru on the way back to his mansion. He got her breakfast tacos filled with warm eggs and cheese. She scarfed them down before they pulled back up into his garage. Antoine parked then walked around to her side of the car and opened the door. Unexpectedly, Iris opened her arms to be lifted into his. He picked her up and brought her back upstairs. After setting her back down on the bed, he wiped away a piece of egg off her lip. She smiled back. The whole ride Iris was silent but she still seemed appreciative of the trip.
Iris no longer wanted to scream. She wanted to stay there with Antoine longer. However, she looked down and realized that despite the blanket covering her back, she was still dressed in bloodstained clothes. Antoine noticed her frown at her clothes.
"I can fix that. Let me get Martha to buy something suitable in your size. Through the door just there," Antoine pointed, "you can take a warm bath." He turned to get up and leave the room but he felt Iris tug on his shirt.
"Please. Don't leave me alone. I won't scream anymore," she begged of him.
"I will still be here. I will let you take your bath in peace."
"No. Don't leave. Will you just sit in the room with me? You can face your chair the other way. I just don't want to be alone."
Antoine nodded. He did as she asked of him while she quietly bathed then dressed. Not a word exchanged further between them but all the world could have seen the kindness and love in that room. Antoine had stayed like a rock by her side this morning when all Iris wanted to do was just scream.