Having My Baby

by Imari Jade

  Charity rose to greet Emily. “I thought Bekim exaggerated, but no. You are so beautiful.”

  Valley girl?

  “You’ll have to excuse my wife,” Clark said with a smile. “She doesn’t get out much.”

  Charity leaned over and playfully punched Clark on the arm. “I do so.”

  “Are you Uncle Bekim’s girlfriend?” the other little dark-haired girl asked Emily.

  “Yes, sweetie,” Charity answered. “This is Empress,” she told Emily. “Uncle Bekim and Aunty Emily are going to have a baby.”

  The bomb went off in Emily’s head. She’d gone from Miss Emily to Aunty Emily in less than ten minutes, and she didn’t even know these people.

  “I’m glad you’re his new girlfriend,” Empress said. “I didn’t like the other one.”

  Emily smiled at the child. She didn’t like any of Bekim’s girlfriends either.

  Bekim stopped talking with the men and walked over to them. “I see you’ve met the precocious one,” he said of Empress.

  “She’s adorable,” Emily said.

  “Can I play with the baby?” Empress asked her uncle.

  “Sure, sweetie, in about four months. But right now I think it’s time to sit down and eat.”

  Bekim took Emily’s hand and led her to the other side of the table.

  Dora followed them.

  * * * *

  It didn’t take Emily long to understand what Solomon meant about the Lacolmns. They were a fun and loving family discussing every topic under the sun while they went through course after course of delicious food. After dinner the men went to the library for cigars and wine, while the women went to the parlor to have tea.

  Emily would have preferred to drink tea with the women, but Bekim insisted she go with him to take a tour of his home.

  “Your family is...”

  “Strange,” Bekim finished for her.

  “I wasn’t going to say that,” Emily said with a smile. “I was going to say nice. I thought they’d treat me like a pariah.”

  Bekim walked her around the outside of the manor. The place had a lovely view of the East River.

  “Now why would you think that? You’re the first pregnant woman I’ve brought home.”

  Emily rolled her eyes at him. “But you have brought other women home to meet them.”

  Bekim sighed. “I’m not an angel, Emily. They’ve met every woman I’ve dated, but so far you’re the only one they like.”

  “You mean they didn’t like Camille? I wonder why.”

  Bekim smiled. “No, they didn’t. Camille takes some getting used to.”

  “She’s an airhead,” Emily said. “Do you miss her?”

  “Yes,” Bekim admitted. “But I hope she’s happy with her new man.”

  “Would you be less happy for her if I wasn’t pregnant?” Emily asked.

  “No,” Bekim said as they strolled by a huge swimming pool. “Camille and I had a good run, but it’s time to grow up.”

  “You don’t have to grow up just for me, or give up your other girlfriends. I can manage just fine on my own.”

  Bekim took her hand and pulled her toward him. “Don’t do this to me Emily. I want to be a part of our child’s life. I want to be a part of your life and be there every step of the way.”

  Emily pulled away. “You say this now, but what will you do when the next beautiful model or starlet comes your way?”

  “I’ll be too busy changing diapers to care. I know you don’t believe me, but I’m serious. I can’t wait to accompany you to your next prenatal visit. I have a lot to learn and I plan to ask the doctor a lot of questions.”

  She wished she could believe him. “Your nieces are so cute.” Emily said as they re-entered the manor.

  “Yes, they are,” Bekim said as he led her through a side door and up two flights of stairs.

  “What’s up here?” Emily asked.

  “My bedroom,” Bekim answered. “Or it was when I lived here.”

  Emily peeked into several other large rooms as they walked. Two of the rooms had dolls on the shelves and there was a quaint pink decorated bathroom situated between those two rooms.

  Bekim stopped before a door and opened it. He took Emily’s hand and tugged her inside and locked the door. He turned on the light. “This used to be my sanctuary,” he said.

  Emily never expected to see such a charming room. Besides a bed and some other furniture, Bekim had a great view of the gardens down below and some of the other homes in the neighborhood. The room had its own private bath and a small sitting area. She expected to see trucks and baseballs instead of an easel and a life-sized mannequin.

  Emily walked over to the easel and flipped through some of the paper. “You drew these?” Emily asked as she admired some of his earlier dress designs.

  “Yes, I always knew I’d design clothes, even as a child. I believed my parents thought I was going to be gay since I played with paper dolls and would make clothes for my sisters’ dolls. I even drew bridal gowns.”

  Emily chuckled. “No, you’re definitely not gay.” She flipped another page. It was a bridal gown. “I thought you were joking.”

  “Nope,” Bekim said.

  “How old were you when you drew this?”

  “Sixteen,” Bekim said.

  Emily noted the intricate details and the talent of the young Bekim. “Has this particular gown been made yet?” She turned and found Bekim standing close behind her.

  “No,” he said. “You’re the first person to ever see this drawing.”

  “But it’s so beautiful. Why haven’t you made it?”

  “I’m just waiting for the perfect bride-to-be to come along,” he said walking closer.

  Emily gulped. The scent of his cologne made her giddy. “I’m sure she’ll come along one day.”

  “You look very beautiful in this suit,” Bekim said, backing her up toward the bed.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I’m about to live out a fantasy.”

  “What?” Emily asked as he lifted her and carried her over to his bed.

  “I’ve always dreamed of making love to a beautiful woman in this room while the family is downstairs unaware of what’s going on upstairs.”

  “Bekim, we can’t,” Emily protested.

  “Why not?” Bekim asked as he kissed her on the cheek.

  “They might hear us.”

  “So,” Bekim said. “They already know we have a sexual relationship,” he said, touching her stomach.

  He had her out of her clothes before she could protest again. Bekim entered her slowly at first, but soon the two of them were swept away by passion. They came almost simultaneously.

  “I wanted to do this from the moment you walked into the dining room,” Bekim said. He kissed her gently on the lips. “I must be the only man in the world who gets turned on by the color yellow.”

  It was hard for Emily to think with Bekim still all up in her stuff and growing hard again as he planted kisses to her face. “You designed the suit to flatter my figure,” Emily said with a gasp as Bekim spread her legs apart with his and went back to humping her passionately. She had to bite her bottom lip to keep from screaming as he took her over the edge again. Bekim came again, emptying his seed inside her.

  “I can make love to you all afternoon,” Bekim said as he rolled off her. “But I’m afraid the folks might come looking for us.”

  They climbed off the bed and entered the bathroom together for a quick shower. An hour later they rejoined the family downstairs. The men had joined the ladies in the parlor.

  Charity just looked at her and smiled like she knew what had occurred upstairs between her and Bekim. She and Solomon left the Lacolmns about an hour later.

  “I think Bekim’s family likes you,” Solomon told her on the way back to Emily’s apartment.

  “How can you tell?” Emily asked.

  “They’ve begun taking bets on the baby’s sex and on the date you and Bekim will marry
.”

  “Huh?” Emily asked.

  Solomon nodded. “Dora already has a room picked out for a nursery for when the baby visits, and Martin is planning to purchase some stock and bonds for the baby.”

  Everything was happening too fast. She and Bekim weren’t dating and they certainly hadn’t discussed marriage.

  Solomon chuckled. “You look very afraid of the future.”

  “What future?” Emily asked. “I have to get past going to the obstetrician with Bekim on Monday.”

  Solomon reached over and patted her hand. “He’ll be okay. Bekim is made of strong stock.”

  Emily snatched her hand away. “I’m not worried about him. I’m worried about me.”

  Chapter Six

  Bright and early Monday morning Bekim appeared at Emily’s door ready to accompany her to the prenatal visit. He brought her a big teddy bear to commemorate the event.

  Emily put the teddy bear on the sofa, grabbed her purse and followed Bekim out the door. A chauffeure-driven car waited at the curb. “We could have taken the bus,” Emily told him as he helped her into the back seat of the car.

  “I know, but you could get jostled or you might fall exiting the bus.” Bekim climbed in next to her and the chauffeur drove away from the curb and entered the traffic.

  “Now you’re just being silly. I can trip in the apartment.”

  “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that,” Bekim said. “Maybe you should move in with me until after the baby is born.”

  “Why?” Emily asked. Things were moving entirely too fast between them.

  “Because you need someone to hold your hair when you vomit, and someone to make sure you eat and rest.”

  “I’m perfectly capable of doing this for myself, in my own apartment,” Emily said. “If I get desperate enough I can move back in with my father.”

  Bekim laughed. “You wouldn’t want to move back home with Solomon. You’d be under the control of one of his current girlfriends.”

  Emily grimaced. “I hadn’t thought about that, but like I said before I’m perfectly capable of looking out for myself.”

  “For now,” Bekim said. “But in two months you won’t be able to tie your shoes. Hell, you won’t be able to see your feet.”

  “You always have to have the last word, don’t you?” Emily asked.

  “Yes. What did you eat for breakfast this morning?”

  “Nothing yet,” Emily said.

  “See, the baby needs nourishment even if you don’t feel like eating. I’ll fix you breakfast after we return from the doctor’s office.”

  “What about work?” Emily asked.

  “What about it? It will still be there tomorrow.”

  “I didn’t plan to take the entire day off. My father will be worried.”

  “No, he won’t,” Bekim told her. “I’ve already spoken to him this morning. He said have fun.”

  Emily grimaced. Was no one on her side? “I promised Deandria I would help her today.”

  “Deandria said she’d see you tomorrow and go right to bed after the doctor’s visit.”

  Emily frowned. Even her best friend had turned against her. “I’ll agree to take the day off, but the moving in with you will take some serious thinking over on my part.”

  “Okay,” Bekim said. “I’ll agree to just the breakfast for now.” He settled back in the seat next to her.

  Why did she feel like she’d lost the war?

  The driver maneuvered his way through traffic until they finally arrived outside the Women’s Clinic. Bekim helped her out the car “I’ll call you when we’re ready to leave,” he told the driver. He and Emily walked toward the door and the driver drove away from the curb.

  The obstetrician’s office was on the fifth floor. Emily and Bekim rode the elevator up and then Emily led the way to the office. Bekim opened the door for her and they stepped inside. The office was already occupied with expectant mothers and fathers. Emily signed in, gave her insurance and identification cards to the receptionist, and paid her co-pay. She and Bekim found seats next to a huge aquarium of salt-water fish and waited for Emily’s name to be called.

  A half-hour later Emily and Bekim walked to the back where Emily was weighed and told to change into a paper gown. Bekim joined her in the examining room and he talked to her while they waited for Doctor Kim to arrive.

  Moments later the door opened and the doctor entered.

  Emily introduced Bekim.

  Doctor Kim took Emily’s pressure and tested her pulse while Bekim sat in a chair listening closely to everything the doctor said.

  Doctor Kim made Emily lay down on the table while he measured her stomach.

  Bekim was on his feet now checking everything out personally. It didn’t help matters much that her breasts and all her other goodies were exposed during the examination.

  “I am going to listen for the baby’s heartbeat now,” Doctor Kim told them. He rubbed a cold gel all over Emily’s stomach and moved a cold piece of equipment over it. “Found it,” he said. Doctor Kim turned up a couple of controls on a monitor so they could hear.

  Emily smiled when she heard the heartbeat.

  “The baby has a strong heart,” Doctor Kim said. “Would you care to see the baby?” He helped Emily to sit up.

  Bekim looked down at the monitor and chuckled. “It’s a baby,” he announced.

  “Most certainly,” Doctor Kim said. “We should be able to determine the sex soon.”

  “We don’t want to know,” both Emily and Bekim said simultaneously.

  “We’re old fashioned,” Bekim explained. “We want to be surprised.”

  Emily nodded in agreement.

  Doctor Kim moved the monitor away and a nurse entered to clean the gel from Emily’s stomach. “You can get dressed now and the two of you can meet me in my office,” Doctor Kim said. He left and the nurse followed him out.

  Bekim helped Emily down from the examination table and waited patiently while she dressed. They walked down the hall to Doctor Kim’s office for their consultation.

  “Please be seated,” Doctor Kim said. “It’s nice to speak with both parents. Mostly it’s just the mother. The fathers miss out on so much by not coming along to some of the prenatal visits.”

  “I plan to be here with Emily every step of the way,” Bekim said.

  “Good,” Doctor Kim said. “Emily’s going to need someone there for her as the pregnancy advances. But don’t get alarmed if her hormones go all wonky and she calls you names and tells you that she hates you.”

  “She already calls me names,” Bekim said with a smile. “I can handle it.”

  Doctor Kim chuckled. “Good. You’re going to need that sense of humor. Now let’s see. Emily’s weight and pressure are good. Her recent blood tests show no deficiencies. Hopefully she’s taking the prenatal vitamins and Folic Acid I prescribed for her.”

  Why did she feel like she wasn’t in the room?

  “I want you to drink plenty of milk and eat nutritious foods like fruits and vegetables. You can also do some walking and a little exercise, but no heavy lifting or standing on your feet for long periods of time.”

  “How long can she continue to work?” Bekim asked.

  “Most women work well into their eighth month,” Doctor Kim said. “But it all depends on Emily and the baby. If it gets to be too much I will recommend bed rest.”

  “I’ll make sure she listens even if I have to get her father to help me.”

  “There will be no need for that,” Emily said. “I will be good and do what I’m supposed to do.”

  “Good, then I’ll see the two of you next month,” Doctor Kim said. He opened a desk drawer and pulled out a book and a DVD disk and handed it to Bekim. “I recommend you read the book and view the video. It’s Emily’s body but you will be of more help to her if you know exactly what she’s going through.”

  “Thank you,” Bekim said rising. “I’ll watch the video later.”

  Doctor
Kim rose and then Bekim helped Emily to her feet. They left the office and Bekim called the driver back.

  “Take us to my condo,” he instructed the driver once they were back inside the car.

  The driver went off again once they reached Bekim’s place.

  “There are some clothes for you in the other bedroom if you want to change into something more comfortable while I fix breakfast,” Bekim told her. “And some slippers too. Your ankles look a bit swollen.”

  “Yes, Doctor Lacolmn,” Emily said walking from the living room to the hall.

  Bekim followed. “I need to change too.” He disappeared into the master bedroom and Emily entered the guest room. All of Bekim’s designs, his sewing machine and the bolts of material had been removed. In their place was a lovely new white bedroom suite, a rocking chair and a desk.

  A maternity smock lay on the bed and a pair of soft slippers sat on the floor beside the bed. Emily took a few minutes to grasp the severity of what he’d done for her. Maybe she’d underestimated his sincerity.

  Emily used the toilet and changed her clothes. It did feel good to get out of the bra and heels and to slip into something less constricting. She sat down in the rocker to try it out. I could get used to this. Emily rose and tested the bed. Good mattress. She yawned, suddenly feeling tired. She didn’t think Bekim would mind if she took a little nap before breakfast.

  * * * *

  Bekim looked down on Emily as she slept in the white bed. He’d come up to check on her when she didn’t join him in the kitchen while he prepared breakfast. You are so beautiful, Emily Bucktell. Motherhood certainly agrees with you.

  Emily moved on the bed when he sat down next to her. She opened her eyes. “How long have I been asleep?”

  “Not long,” Bekim said. “Breakfast is ready.” He moved so Emily could get off the bed.

  “I have to pee,” she announced.

  “That is to be expected,” Bekim said. “Come down once you’ve finished.” He left her and went back downstairs to the kitchen. Emily joined him several minutes later looking refreshed.

  “I must have been asleep for a long time,” Emily said as she sat down.

  He’d prepared eggs, oatmeal, fresh squeezed orange juice, and wheat toast and turkey bacon. He fixed a cup of coffee for himself and put a glass of milk in front of Emily. After eating everything on her plate, Bekim placed a bowl of fresh fruit in front of Emily. She ate this too.