The Baby They Bonded Over

“I can’t believe this is happening. At least you’re getting exactly what you wanted, like you always do,” Sylvia mumbled under her breath.

“I can hear you! Don’t be so fu*king bitter. Just because you and Amy aren’t married, probably not even planning on going through with it, and aren’t having a baby yourselves, you’re taking that sh*t out on me!” Nadia yelled.

“I can’t believe you just said that,” Sylvia got up from her chair. “You’re yelling at me like I’m saying something wrong. Like I’m saying something that isn’t true! You’re throwing my relationship in my face, which is hard enough without you flaming the fire, when I’m trying to legitimately make my little family work! You don’t want this! But, you can have it!”

Sylvia was done listening to Nadia. She needed to cool off before things got really heated. Nadia sat for a moment thinking about how harsh she must have sounded. She chased after her sister but when she stepped out of the doctor’s office, the car was gone. She got a text message a few seconds later from Sylvia:

Find your own way home.

“Ugh! That BI*CH!” Nadia screamed into the air. She couldn’t believe her sister deserted her in her time of need. Maybe it really was too much for her to handle, Nadia thought.

She went back inside the office to get her mind together. They gave her some information, and a few doctors for her to choose from to help her through these upcoming pregnancy months. With a deep breath she picked up her phone. She wanted to call Sylvia to curse her out and then make up, because that’s what sisters do, but she knew she needed more time to cool off. So she called the only other person she knew she could depend on.

“Hey baby daddy,” she tried to hide the hurt in her voice.

“What’s wrong?” Jeremy reacted to her tone. “What’s the matter? Is Paul around? What’s going on?”

“Calm down,” Nadia shouted into the phone with a chuckle. “It’s nothing like that. Me and Vee got into an argument and she left me stranded. Can you come get me?”

“Of course I can. Where are you?”

Nadia rattled off the address to the doctor’s office. Jeremy moved a few of his meetings around to free up the rest of his day so he could get Nadia and take her home. He arrived at the doctor’s office a little while after getting off the phone. He wanted to curse Sylvia out for leaving Nadia stuck, but he knew Nadia had a knack for pushing her sister’s buttons. He needed the whole story. He held Nadia’s hand as she stepped inside the car. Once Jeremy got in the driver’s seat, he began asking her questions after questions.

Nadia felt like she was being interrogated, “You’re talking to me like I made Sylvia upset, and this is all my fault.”

“Well tell me what happened, then!” Jeremy demanded. “I know you guys, and she wouldn’t just up and leave you out here. What did you say to her?”

“Nothing! I just told her she was mad because I’m pregnant and her relationship with Amy is stagnant! I mean, in a nutshell that’s basically what I told her and then she got her panties all in a bunch and left.”

“Well I would’ve left you too. You can’t do that to her. You know how sensitive she is about her relationship with Amy. But wait a minute,” Jeremy pulled the car over, “Did you just say that you’re pregnant?”

Nadia bit her lip as she nodded her head up and down enthusiastically.

“Wow, we’re going to be parents!” Jeremy sounded a bit more excited than Nadia was anticipating.

“Yeah, the doctor’s appointments are only once a month for now until I get further along,” she told him.

“Okay, I’ll be there for every single one,” he promised.

Nadia thought he forgot that they were going to give this baby up but instead of ruining the moment, she let him live in it, basking in the joy of pending fatherhood. Jeremy pulled away from the curb heading straight toward Nadia’s house. He brought her inside and puts her to bed. He let her know that he was going to the store to get her a few things to help ease her nausea. Once he returned, he told her that he had to get back to work and that his secretary would be checking in on her from time to time.

Nadia thought about what it would be like to be a mother, and actually have this child with Jeremy. She shook the idea from her head resolving to stick to her plan. Fantasizing about family life wouldn’t make the decision any easier when that time came. There were so many things running through Nadia’s mind that she couldn’t sleep. Her stomach was tossing and turning and so was she. She felt odd trying to sleep in the middle of the day. If she were at the salon, she’d be on her third client by now. She couldn’t just lie in bed.

Nadia got up and ventured downstairs to see if she could find something to eat that her stomach would tolerate. On the counter, was a vase full of fresh flowers, a note, a small packet of crackers, and a can of ginger ale. The note read:

There’s a bowl of soup in the microwave and some saltines. Drink the ginger ale warm and GO BACK TO BED.

She smiled at his little notes. She wondered if he was like this in a real relationship or if it was just for the plan. Deep down inside, Nadia knew that Jeremy really cared about her. She cared about him too, but was it even possible for them to transition from this farce into reality. Could they really give this relationship a try and make a family in the process? The idea of them loving each other was almost as warm as the soup sitting in the microwave.

Nadia grabbed her meal and headed back upstairs to bed. She was going to do as she was told because he wrote it in capital letters. Laughing and giggling to herself, Nadia let the soup warm her insides and the ginger ale settle her stomach. It was perfect. Jeremy was always there for her and now that she was pregnant, she knew he would only increase the amount of attention he focused on her. Their relationship was real enough.

As Nadia dozed off, all she could think about was a possible future with Jeremy. The only thing in her way was dealing with Paul, and telling Jeremy that was what she wanted. She wasn’t sure how he was going to take it.

Jeremy took the next few days preparing his company for these coming months when he wouldn’t be in the office as much. He made a promise to Nadia that he didn’t intend on breaking. He walked around his office, constantly checking in with Claudine making sure he hadn’t missed any calls from Nadia. His secretary told him to calm down before he had a baby. He chuckled a bit before diving back into work.

As the weeks went on, Jeremy kept hearing rumors and whispers behind his back about the pregnancy. He could barely take it anymore when he called Claudine into his office.

“Are you fu*king kidding me, right now?” he grumbled to the woman.

Claudine looked at him suggesting he change his tone, “Excuse me, Mr. Witten?”