Talon & Claree

by Liberty Parker

  I’m waiting on Mom to show up and pick me up, I’ve been very sick for the last week. I can’t hold anything down in my stomach, not even fluids and I know I’m dehydrated. I haven’t run a fever, but there are days I can’t even get out of bed. I’ve googled my symptoms and most of them scare the living shit out of me. Talon jumped my case and told me not to self-diagnose otherwise my mind would run rampant with different scenarios and it isn’t good for my mental health to go down that particular road. I’m having a hard time getting dressed due to weakness, so I decide to wait on Mom to show and help me dress. I lay back in the bed and growl out my frustration. What will they all say when they realize I can’t do the simplest thing like dress myself? They’ll use it as another point in saying that we’re too young to be on our own, I just know it.

  “Claree? Honey, I’m here. Where are you?” I hear Mom’s voice ask from downstairs.

  “Bedroom!” I call out.

  I hear her gasp as she comes in the room and sees me. “Honey, what’s going on? You look…you look almost skeletal,” she whispers. I can see her eyes tearing up as she comes closer.

  “Where are y’all at?” I hear Dad holler, and my eyes must get wide because Mom pats my hand. This makes me happy that I insisted on Talon going to work instead of staying home and going with us to the doctor’s office.

  “He’s concerned about you, you two may be at odds right now, but he’ll always be your dad and will always be concerned about your wellbeing,” she pacifies me.

  Dad walks into the bedroom and I want to cry. I can see what the past few weeks has done to him. He looks almost haggard, like he’s carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. “Baby girl, what’s wrong?” His voice cracks when he asks.

  “I don’t know, Dad. Been sick for a week or so now. I can’t even get dressed, I’m so weak.”

  “Trin…” he starts.

  “I’ve got it, Turk. Give us a few minutes, okay?” she asks. When he nods and leaves the room, closing the door, she heads to my closet. “What about this?” she questions, holding up a sundress.

  “That works.” She helps get me dressed and then brushes my hair. I almost feel like a little girl again as she works the tangles out and smoothes down the curls I’ve been cursed with. “Turk?” she calls out.

  Dad walks back into the bedroom and she points to me, saying, “I don’t think she can manage the stairs, will you help?” Without a word, he scoops me up and before I know it, I’m downstairs and we’re out the door. Mom, thankfully, grabbed my purse, keys, phone and even grabbed me a sweater out of the downstairs closet in case it’s cold at the doctor’s office. He kisses my head as he places me in the back of the SUV.

  “You’re gonna be okay, Claree,” he promises. “Love you, baby girl.”

  “Love you too, Dad.” My eyes are all watery now, as he helps Mom into the SUV, before he gets in and we head to the doctor. I’m nervous about what my diagnosis will be, because like I said, I’ve got all kinds of different things going through my head of what could be wrong with me. I just want some medication, so I can get over whatever this is. It only takes twenty-minutes to arrive and Dad once again carries me inside and Mom gets me checked in. I am nearly asleep on the chair next to Dad when I hear my name called.

  Dad helps me stand while I get weighed in and I’m shocked to see I’ve lost ten pounds, something my body didn’t need to have happen because I’ve always been on the smaller side. Once in the room, the nurse comes in, takes my blood pressure, types my symptoms down in her portable laptop and tells me the doctor will be in shortly. It feels like as soon as I lay my head down, a tech comes in and tells us the doctor has asked for labs and for me to pee in a cup before she comes in to see me. Dad escorts me to the bathroom, but what’s more embarrassing is that Mom has to help me pull up the skirt of my dress and pull down my panties. I power through and manage not to pee all over myself, no easy feat considering that on a normal day, it can happen with ease. But with me being so damn weak, it’s a freaking miracle. I place it in the little deposit box they have, wash my hands, and Dad carries me back to the exam room. And now…we wait.

  I’m in one of those light dozes, the one where you can hear voices, but not the actual conversation going on around you. Mom gave me my sweater, because I got chilled, and being snuggled up in it has me in that warm and fuzzy place, the one that’s in the between stages of being awake and visiting dreamland. I hear a door open and then, “Well, hello, Claree. What seems to be the problem?”

  Opening my eyes, I struggle to sit up, until Dad gets up and adjusts the table. “Hi, Dr. Samms.” I groggily greet her.

  “You’re eighteen now, I see. Do you want your parents here? I’ve got the preliminary test results.”

  Oh God, oh God, oh God. That doesn’t sound good. I can’t speak so I nod my head for her to continue, praying it’s nothing bad and wishing Talon was here.

  “Well, young lady, you’re pretty dehydrated, for starters. And the reason you’re dehydrated is you’re pregnant.”

  Whoosh. That’s what it feels like just happened with the air in my lungs.

  “But we…we used condoms every time,” I whisper out. I’m consciously not looking at either of my parents because I know this news will devastate them. I hesitantly look in my dad’s direction and see his head is hung down…is that in shame or disappointment? I don’t know if I can deal with that on top of the news I just received.

  “Unfortunately, condoms are not one-hundred percent fail proof. We usually recommend a backup form of prevention. There are options…” she begins saying before Dad freaks out.

  “No! Do not even think about finishing that statement,” he growls, pointing at Dr. Samms, causing the doctor to shrink back into herself. He walks over to me and takes my hand, “This may not have been planned, but this is your baby…it may technically be considered an accident, but remember, this is our family. Do not make any hasty decisions, talk it out with Talon, then we’ll sit down as a family and talk it out.” The hope I see in his eyes makes me feel like this separation between us all can be resolved. This baby may end up being a blessing in disguise.

  “The big issue right now is the dehydration. I’m going to admit you to the hospital for a few days, just to get that straightened out, and make sure all the other levels are okay as well. Since we don’t have the labs back and won’t for a couple of days on the bloodwork, we need to get a handle on this situation before it gets out of control. We most definitely have got to get your nausea under control. You can’t afford to lose any more weight, you’re already considered underweight at this time. Now, if your dad will give me a few minutes to get set up, I need to do an internal ultrasound, so we can check the baby out, okay?”

  Damn, I wish Talon were here. Making a decision, I ask, “Can we wait on that until I’m admitted? I’d like my boyfriend to be there.”

  “I don’t feel as if we should prolong this, why don’t you make a phone call while I get everything organized for your stay at the hospital?” I sigh, knowing that I need to be thinking about our baby and not so much about myself.

  Mom hands me my phone and I quickly call Talon. He must have been waiting because it barely rings once before I hear, “Hello?”

  “Talon? The doctor wants you to come here, please.” There’s no way I’m telling him this over the phone.

  “What? Baby, what’s wrong?” I can hear the fear laced in his voice.

  “Just hurry. Please. And be careful.” I remind him at the last minute.

  I see Dad on his phone and raise my eyebrows. “He doesn’t need to be driving with the way you talked to him. Capone’s bringing him.” Great, seems like the whole RGMC family will be here by the time it’s over, because I can see Mom on her phone and I expect she’s texting DJ. Fuck my life. Just what I need, all of the women and men putting their noses into this before I’ve even had a chance to share our ‘news’ with Talon personally.

  When Talon arrives, I can hear him in the h
allway calling out my name. I look at my parents and say, “I need to be alone with him for a few minutes to tell him the news.”

  They nod and go to leave, letting him in when they see him standing there. He rushes over to me and pulls me into his arms. “Talk to me, Claree. What’s going on?” I don’t know how to tell him this without stressing him out. We made a vow to not have any kids for several more years, and I feel like I’ve let him down, possibly will make him feel trapped.

  I look at him and smile. I know my eyes are wet from the tears that have already fallen because he gently swipes the ones that have escaped from my face. “Baby, you’re scaring the fuck outta me right now. Just tell me. Whatever it is, we’ll get through it.”

  “We’re gonna be parents, Talon,” I whisper, my head down. I can’t look at him. I should have gotten on the pill but with senior activities and finals and all that shit, there just wasn’t time. Something I should’ve made my top priority. I feel like I’ve dropped the ball and he will want to leave me for being so irresponsible.

  *

  Talon

  *

  Did she just say what I think she did? Holy shit! I feel a panic attack taking over…I’m gonna be a dad? How can we do this? I’m not set up with the club so we’re barely scraping by now as it is. She’s not even graduated yet! I mean, she will next week, but still. Taking a deep breath, I cup her chin in my hands and say, “We’re a team, Claree. Yeah, this isn’t what we planned, but babies are a blessing. We’ve got a great family behind us, well, most of them, anyhow, so we’ll make it through this.” I’m internally freaking out, but I know she’s under a lot of pressure and don’t want her to carry this unforeseen burden on her shoulders alone. What kind of man would that make me, I can wait until later and freak out while no one is around to see it.

  “How can I go to college while being a mom?” she asks. She had planned to go and get a culinary degree, so she could open a bakery. It’s her dream. One I’m fully on board with and plan to support her, no matter what crosses our paths.

  “Baby, it may take more time, but we’ll make it happen. We’ve got a slew of built-in babysitters so there’s that to take into consideration.”

  “Well, we can talk about it, I guess.” There’s no talking as far as I’m concerned. She was accepted to the program and we’ll make it happen. A lot of her courses are online anyhow, so if she can focus on them, maybe she’ll have most of it done before the baby gets here. If memory serves, she only needs seventy credit hours to get her certification or diploma. I don’t remember what they call it. And I know my thoughts are rambling but Jesus H. Christ, I feel like I got gut-punched.

  “So, what’s the doctor going to do to get you better?” I inquire.

  “Oh! Okay, so I’ve lost ten pounds this past week being sick and I’m very dehydrated. She’s putting me in the hospital for a few days to get that taken care of, and also to make sure nothing else is going on. But right now, she’s gonna do an internal ultrasound to check the baby.” Ten pounds! Wow, that’s a lot of weight to lose so quickly. And what did she just say? A whata ultrasound, surely, it’s not what I’m envisioning.

  Wait… an internal ultrasound? That sounds…awful. Hold the fucking phone, does that mean they’re putting something in my pussy? Oh hell no. She must see the look on my face because she giggles.

  “Talon, stop. It’s a female doctor. I want you here with me for this because we created this baby together.” Yeah, we did. Like we haven’t been going at it like rabbits since we got in the townhouse! “Go get the doctor so she can get it in and then the parents can come in too. I presume they’ve arrived?”

  I think about the waiting room and grin picturing all the old ladies sitting there with their men. One of the things I love about this crazy ass group of family is when one has something going on, they all show up. This may be a shocker and I know we’re young as hell, but we’ve got them behind us and with that, we won’t fail. “Yeah, baby, they’re here,” I answer her.

  “Then can you go get Dr. Samms so she can do it?” she asks. The worry that was in her eyes when I arrived has lessened some. I still don’t want to leave her, and Trinity must see that on my face so she gives me a smile letting me know she won’t leave her side while I tend to what has been asked of me.

  I nod and kiss her forehead before I head out to find the doctor. I take a deep breath once the door closes behind me and close my eyes. I count to ten then set out to locate Dr. Samms.

  *

  Claree

  *

  Okay, this thing in me is not comfortable whatsoever. To preserve what little modesty I have left, Dr. Samms covered me up from the waist down, but knowing I have that wand thing in me and my dad, my mom, Talon, and his parents are all here beside the bed is making me crazy!

  “You ready to see your baby?” Dr. Samms asks as she turns the machine on. At first, I don’t see anything and then, I see this tiny little spot in the middle of a grainy black background.

  “Is…is that the baby?” I ask. My voice is barely over a whisper because I’m in awe of what I’m seeing.

  “Yes. Hold on a second,” Dr. Samms says, before turning another knob.

  Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh.

  “That’s the baby’s heartbeat. Good and strong, so if you were worried since you’ve been so sick, this should help some.”

  I feel moisture on my face and realize that Talon has tears rolling down his own face. “Baby?” I whisper. “You okay?” I worriedly bite my bottom lip awaiting his response to my question.

  “I’m…I’m blown away, Claree. Look at that little miracle right there. He or she must really wanna be born to defy protection, don’t you think?” His excitement gets me excited myself, maybe he’s not too upset by this unexpected blessing.

  As he’s looking at me, everything fades away. The parents. The doctor. The damn wand in my pussy. All I see is him. Reaching up, I touch his jaw and murmur, “I love you, Talon.”

  The emotion rolls over him and he closes his eyes for a second before leaning closer and saying, “I love you more,” right against my lips.

  “I’m going to get some pictures for y’all,” Dr. Samms says. “I presume the grandmas will want a copy?” I’d say so, I don’t even need to ask them to know what their answer would be.

  “Ya think?” DJ questions. God, I love her so much, she’s a no-holds barred kind of woman and I hope I can grow up to be like her someday. She’s an inspiration, someone who is looked up to and admired by the club and old ladies, even the kids beg to be around her when given the choice.

  “Yes, please,” Mom says.

  “Me, too,” Dad and Hatch say in unison. “There is only one, correct?” Dad asks, and it makes me remember when Hannah had issues becoming pregnant and they went the route of in vitro fertilization. She ended up with triplets, but we don’t know who actually fathered them. Not like it really matters, because they’re triplets who share the same exact DNA, but it’s fun to guess. A laugh escapes my lips before I can stop it and Dad gives me an exasperated look. I pretend to zip my lips and throw away the key. He gets a smirk on his face because this was his and my game for many years.

  “Yes, as far as I can tell, there’s only one baby,” Dr. Samms replies.

  “Thank God,” Dad mumbles. Talon and I share a look, both of us trying not to lose it. It drives my dad bonkers anytime the three of them simultaneously begin crying. Those three are in sync and do everything together, yes, even cry.

  DJ looks at Mom and says, “Shopping!” Oh, good grief, she loves a good shopping expedition. Doesn’t even need an excuse, she’ll decide to go and the next thing that happens, all the old ladies are onboard. Then they have to go eat Mexican and drink margaritas. I’ve lost count of the times that Dad has had to go and pick Mom up. She never gets drunk, just a little tipsy, but she won’t drink and drive.

  “Can we wait until we find out what it is at least?” I ask. I mean for real? They’ll have the nursery set up before I
get a chance to look at things myself.

  “We can shop for the basics once you’re out of the hospital,” DJ replies. “Y’know, crib, changing table, dresser, that kind of shit. Oh, and y’all need to figure out what theme you wanna use so we can get the guys busy painting the room and shit.” Talon’s eyes get as wide as saucers, I know he’s mentally calculating everything in his mind. I can hear the cha-ching sounds going off in his brain without him even voicing his concerns.

  “We’re outfitting the nursery with what y’all pick out,” Mom says, pointing to DJ and then herself. “Our first grandchild and all that shit,” she states while waving her hand around in the air. Well, now I know she’s excited because Mom seldom swears.

  I see Dad and Hatch shaking their heads, but they’re both grinning at their women. Looking at Talon, I say, “Our folks are crazy.”

  “I do believe you are right,” he responds. “Okay, so what do we need to do now, Dr. Samms?”

  “Well, I’ve written up the orders and she’ll be a direct admit on the labor and delivery floor since she’s pregnant. If you want to go home and grab some personal items before you head there, that’s fine. Just don’t take too long, I want her getting fluids as soon as possible.” I am really not looking forward to this evening’s stay. I already despise needles and know that they’ll be giving me an IV to give me fluids.

  “We can take her over there if you want to pack a bag, Talon. Or, we can pack her bag and you can take her,” Mom states.

  “I’ll take her,” Talon replies. “Do you know what you want from home?” he asks me.

  Home. I love that he feels that way about our place. “My favorite nightshirt, pillow, ereader, chargers for my phone and ereader, and some clean underwear. Oh, and don’t forget my toothbrush, deodorant and mouthwash!”